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Mabel Gibson
Mabel Wennstrom Gibson (1901 – 1951) was an Australian singer and actor, best known for playing in musicals and operettas. History Gibson was born in Perth, Western Australia, a daughter of builder and Perth councillor Sydney "Sid" Gibson and his wife Catherine Charlotte Gibson, née Wennstrom (1879 – 2 May 1931). As a child, she studied piano under Richard J. Bastian, dancing under Flora Lewin and Alice Patten, and shone in juvenile pantomime. She passed the L.A.B. examinations in pianoforte, and won a Dame Nellie Melba Scholarship, to study at the Albert Street Conservatorium. She played in several amateur theatre groups before being engaged with J. C. Williamson's The Gibson family moved from the Mt Lawley suburb of Perth to the Melbourne suburb of Northcote sometime around 1925. Her first engagements with J.C.W. were as Clarice Hardwicke's understudy in ''Sybil'' and as one of the trio of sisters in '' Lilac Time''. She went on to play Therese in ''Ma Mie Rosette'', ...
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Mabel GIbson, 1937
Mabel is an English female given name derived from the Latin ''amabilis'', "lovable, dear".Reclams Namensbuch, 1987, History Amabilis of Riom (died 475) was a French male saint who logically would have assumed the name Amabilis upon entering the priesthood: his veneration may have resulted in Amabilis being used as both a male and female name, or the name's female usage may have been initiated by the female saint Amabilis of Rouen (died 634), the daughter of an Anglo-Saxon king who would have adopted the name Amabilis upon becoming a nun. Brought by the Normans—as Amable—to the British Isles, the name was there common as both Amabel and the abbreviated Mabel throughout the Middle Ages, with Mabel subsequently remaining common until , from which point its usage was largely restricted to Ireland, Mabel there being perceived as a variant of the Celtic name Maeve, until the name had a Victorian revival in Britain, facilitated by the 1853 publication of the novel ''The Heir of ...
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The Street Singer (musical)
''The Street Singer'' is a 1924 musical play written by Frederick Lonsdale with music by Harold Fraser-Simson and lyrics by Percy Greenbank. After premiering at the Prince of Wales's Theatre, Birmingham it ran for 360 performances at the Lyric Theatre in the West End between 27 June 1924 and the 2 May 1925. The cast included Phyllis Dare, Sylvia Leslie, Dorothy Fane, A.W. Baskcomb and Harry Welchman Harry Welchman (24 February 1886 – 3 January 1966) was an English star of musical theatre. He made several appearances in non-musical plays, but was remembered as, in the words of ''The Times'', "perhaps the most popular musical comedy hero on th ....Wearing p.309 References Bibliography * Wearing, J. P. ''The London Stage 1920-1929: A Calendar of Productions, Performers, and Personnel''. Rowman & Littlefield, 2014. 1924 plays Musicals by Frederick Lonsdale British musicals {{1920s-play-stub ...
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Lawrence Wright (composer)
Frederick Lawrence Wright (15 February 1888 – 19 May 1964) was a British songwriter, music publisher, and the founder of the music journal ''Melody Maker''. He used the ''pseudonyms'' Horatio Nicholls and Everett Lynton for his songwriting activities. Biography Lawrence Wright was born in Leicester, where his father, Charles Wright, taught violin and ran a market stall selling instruments and sheet music. After leaving school aged 12, he worked for a printing company before joining a concert party in Eastbourne as a violinist and singer. He returned to Leicester and in 1906 set up his own market stall to sell music, including his own composition, "Down by the Stream", which became successful. In 1910, he heard a street singer perform "Don't Go Down the Mine, Daddy". He bought the rights to the song, which he published some weeks later following the Whitehaven mining disaster, in which 136 men were killed; the song reportedly sold a million copies.Richard Anthony Bake ...
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Pat Hanna
George Patrick "Pat" Hanna (born 18 March 1888 in Whitianga, New Zealand – 24 October 1973 in Ampthill, Bedfordshire, England) was a New Zealand-born film producer, he was a soldier of the First World War who entertained post-war audiences with the stage show Diggers, that was adapted to a film of the same title in 1931. Biography Hanna was born to Patrick Hanna, a hotelkeeper from Downpatrick, Northern Ireland and an Australian born mother Mary Jane, Hanna's talent for art led him to a signwriting apprenticeship and cartooning for a Wellington, New Zealand newspaper. He enlisted at the start of the First World War as a private in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force where he participated in the Occupation of German Samoa. In 1916 he joined the Otago Infantry Regiment where he was sent to Egypt, then France and Belgium. He was commissioned a second lieutenant in December 1916 and was promoted to lieutenant in December 1917. His expertise with hand grenades led him to be a ...
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Efftee Studios
Efftee Studios was an early Australian film and theatre production studio, established by F.W. Thring (the name 'Efftee' deriving from his initials, 'FT' for Francis Thring) in 1930. It existed until Thring's death in 1935. Initially Efftee Films was based in Melbourne and used optical sound equipment imported from the US. History In 1931, the company produced the first commercially viable Australian made sound feature film, ''Diggers''. Over the next five years, Efftee produced nine features, over 80 shorts and several stage productions, including the Australian musicals ''Collits' Inn'' (1933) and ''The Cedar Tree'' (1934). Notable collaborators include C. J. Dennis, George Wallace and Frank Harvey. In 1934, Thring suspended Efftee's operations to pressure the government to establish a quota for Australian films, threatening to move production to London. He relocated production to Sydney to take advantage of the New South Wales Cinematograph Films (Australian Quota) Act 1935. ...
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Diggers (1931 Film)
''Diggers'' is a 1931 Australian comedy film produced and directed by F. W. Thring starring popular stage comedian Pat Hanna. It was the first feature film from both men. The movie is based on Hanna's stage show, and is concerned with the adventures of Australian soldiers during World War I. Plot summary Two Australian 'cobbers', Chic and Joe, attend a reunion 12 years after World War I and reminisce about their exploits together in France. They recall three incidents in particular. Firstly, the time they were in hospital and ingeniously feigned an illness to stay away from active service and the front line. Secondly, when the 'cobbers' attempt to steal rum from the British Army store. And finally, they recall relaxing in a French cafe while a fellow Digger romances the waitress (Eugenie Prescott). Cast *Pat Hanna as Chic Williams *George Moon as Joe Mulga *Joe Valli as McTavish *Norman French as medical officer * Guy Hastings as Quarter-Master Sergeant * Eugenie Prescott *C ...
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The Register (Adelaide)
''The Register'', originally the ''South Australian Gazette and Colonial Register'', and later ''South Australian Register,'' was South Australia's first newspaper. It was first published in London in June 1836, moved to Adelaide in 1837, and folded into '' The Advertiser'' almost a century later in February 1931. The newspaper was the sole primary source for almost all information about the settlement and early history of South Australia. It documented shipping schedules, legal history and court records at a time when official records were not kept. According to the National Library of Australia, its pages contain "one hundred years of births, deaths, marriages, crime, building history, the establishment of towns and businesses, political and social comment". All issues are freely available online, via Trove. History ''The Register'' was conceived by Robert Thomas, a law stationer, who had purchased for his family of land in the proposed South Australian province after b ...
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The Yeomen Of The Guard
''The Yeomen of the Guard; or, The Merryman and His Maid'', is a Savoy Opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 3 October 1888 and ran for 423 performances. This was the eleventh collaboration of fourteen between Gilbert and Sullivan. The opera is set in the Tower of London during the 16th century, and is the darkest, and perhaps most emotionally engaging, of the Savoy Operas, ending with a broken-hearted main character and two very reluctant engagements, rather than the usual numerous marriages. The libretto does contain considerable humour, including a lot of pun-laden one-liners, but Gilbert's trademark satire and topsy-turvy plot complications are subdued in comparison with the other Gilbert and Sullivan operas. The dialogue, though in prose, is quasi-William Shakespeare, Shakespearean, or Early Modern English, early modern English, in style. Critics considered the score to be Sullivan's finest, including its ...
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Patti Russell
Patti Russell was an Australian soprano singer, playing in grand opera and Gilbert and Sullivan for nine years (1919–1928) to universal acclaim. Little is known of her early life, or any subsequent activities. Russell was born of Scottish ancestry in Sydney and, with help from a Government scholarship, trained at the State Conservatorium of Music under Mrs Haffenden Smith and Madame Slapoffski. While still a student, she was chosen at a NSW State Orchestra concert, to sing Schubert's aria ''The Shepherd on the Rock''. In 1918, against her parents' wishes, she joined Frank Rigo's Grand Opera Company (taken over by J. C. Williamson in 1919), winning praise for her Nedda in ''Pagliacci'' and Marguerita in '' Faust''. She came to public attention for the way she replaced Amy Castles as Mimi in '' La bohème'' at Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney on 29 September 1919, with no opportunity of rehearsal. She also stepped in for Strella Wilson as Elsie Maynard in ''The Yeomen of the Gua ...
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Strella Wilson
Austral Groves "Strella" Wilson (19 December 1894 – 10 February 1989) was an Australian soprano, World War II troop entertainer, and radio personality. She was not only a favorite in Australia, but also performed in North America, England, Hong Kong and Japan. She was appointed Order of the British Empire in 1950. Early life Wilson was born on 19 December 1894 in Broken Hill, New South Wales and grew up in Melbourne. Her father was Harry Wilson Carpenter, a mining engineer from America, and her mother was Anne née Skewes from South Australia. She was the second of five children. The name 'Austral' was given to her by her godparents. This was often shortened to 'Aussie', so her parents gave her the nickname 'Strella' which made her full title resemble 'Australia'. Wilson was educated at Church of England Girls' Grammar School in Melbourne from 1907 to 1910. Wilson's mother was an amateur singer and was a formative influence on the artist. Wilson was later taught singing b ...
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The Maid Of The Mountains
''The Maid of the Mountains'', called in its original score a musical play, is an operetta or "Edwardian" musical comedy in three acts. The music was by Harold Fraser-Simson, with additional music by James W. Tate, lyrics by Harry Graham and additional lyrics by Frank Clifford Harris and Valentine, and the book was written by Frederick Lonsdale, best known for his later society comedies such as ''On Approval''. After an initial try-out at the Prince's Theatre in Manchester on 23 December 1916, the show was rewritten and opened at Daly's Theatre in London on 10 February 1917. Produced by Robert Evett (after being turned down by Frank Curzon) and directed by Oscar Asche (who had directed the record-setting hit ''Chu Chin Chow''), ''The Maid of the Mountains'' ran for 1,352 performances in its initial London run – closing mainly because of the nervous exhaustion of its female lead, José Collins. This highly profitable run saved the George Edwardes estate, then being man ...
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Funny Face (musical)
''Funny Face'' is a 1927 musical composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics by Ira Gershwin, and book by Fred Thompson and Paul Gerard Smith. When it opened on Broadway on November 22, 1927, as the first show performed in the newly built Alvin Theatre, it starred Fred Astaire and his sister Adele Astaire. It was in this show that Astaire first danced in evening clothes and a top hat.The Oxford Companion to American Theatre: ''Funny Face'' (1927)
Linked 2013-05-18
Originally called ''Smarty'', it first opened in Philadelphia on October 11, 1927, to poor reviews. This led to major rewrites and caused critic-humorist , who had contributed to the sc ...
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