Glossary

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Term and Definition

Sarah Bernhardt:
(1845-1923) French stage actress made famous during the late 19th Century. Toured throughout Europe and America. She was well known for her romantic acting style and alluring ego (Wilson & Goldfarb 311).

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Katharine (Kit) Cornell:
(1893-1974) American stage actress who was very prominent between the 1920s and 1950s ("Katharine Cornell").

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$12.50:
$216.98 in current US dollars (USA. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

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Over-sexed:
Having more interest in sex than is usual (Merriam-Webster).

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Houseman:
A person who performs general work about a house or hotel (Merriam-Webster); Frank is the houseman of The Footlights Club.

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Dishabille:
Archaic, the state of being dressed in a casual or carless style; A deliberately careless or casual manner (Merriam-Webster)

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Appleton Wisconsin:
After being used as a space for fur traders to do business with the Fox River Valley Indians, Appleton, Wisconsin was chartered as a town in 1853. The town grew alongside Lawrence University, located in the heart of Appleton. The massive growth in four years allowed Appleton to be declared a city in 1857. Today, the city is thriving with over 73,000 residents and a university of 1,500 full-time, undergraduate students ("About Us")

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Gamuts:
A range or series of related things (Merriam Webster).

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Alla Nazimova:
(1879-1945) Russian stage and silent film actress who gained notoriety in the early 1900s when she immigrated to the United States. Often simply known as Nazimova ("Alla Nazimova").

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Nedick’s:
A fast food chain that began in New York in 1913. It specialized in hot dogs and orange drinks (Hinckley).

Edwin Booth:
(1833-1893) American actor traveling Europe and America, performing a majority of Shakespeare. Performed at and later managed The Winter Garden ("Edwin Thomas Booth").

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The Winter Garden:
A former horse exchange that was bought by the Shuberts in 1911. It was turned into a theatre that was first used for stage shows until 1928, when it was leased by Warner Brothers to show movies. It returned to being used for stage productions in 1933. It is located in Times Square at 1634 Broadway (“Winter Garden Theatre”).

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Lucky Strike ads:
An American tobacco company that created advertisements featuring glamorous, beautiful women smoking cigarettes. During the Great Depression, Lucky Strike geared their ads towards women by implying luxury through their cigarettes. The idea was that because of the bad economy, women would buy the cigarettes to feel glamorous despite having little money (Fein & Ramaurthi).

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Fourteenth Street Theatre:
New York City theatre that opened in 1866 as the Theatre Francais. The house was renovated and renamed as Lyceum in 1871. It was a popular theatre for many years, Edwin Booth even performed a show there. After awhile people began to call it simply 14th St. Theatre and it eventually changed that to the official name. In 1926 Eva Le Gallainne leased the space and began the Civic Repertory Theatre, which was popular but the group fell to the Depression in late 1933. The building was sparsly used until it was torn down in 1938 (Cooper).

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Ranyevskaya:
A main character from Anton Chekov's 1903 play, The Cherry Orchard. She is an older Russian aristocrat who must sell her childhood home ("The Cherry Orchard 1923").

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Lady Macbeth:
Famous character from Shakespeare’s Macbeth. She is ambitious and cunning. She strongly desires power and goes to great lengths to help her husband kill his superior (Canning).

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Ingenue:
an innocent girl or young woman (Merriam-Webster). Often a stock character in the theatre. Usually pretty and naive.

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Pot-Boiler:
A book, movie, etc., that is made in usually a cheap way in order to make money rather than for artistic reasons (Merriam-Webster).

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Clark Gable:
(1901-1960) Also called “The King of Hollywood”, he is well known for starring in It Happened One Night (1934) and Gone with the Wind (1939) (“Clark Gable”).

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Spencer Tracy:
(1900-1967) An Academy Award winning actor who starred in Captains Courageous (1937), Boys Town (1938), and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967). He was primarily a film actor starting in the 1930s, but he spent a lot of his time stage acting in the 1920s (“Spencer Tracy”).

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$2.60:
$44.58 in current US dollars (USA. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

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Frowners:
Cosmetic tape used to eradicate wrinkles and frown lines. Tape pieces were placed between the eyebrows and at the corners of the eyes and mouth. They were sold by B&P Company starting in 1899 and were brought back into popularity when Wings Products Co. began selling them in 1937. These new versions were medicated pink tabs that were shaped like wings (Bennett).

Rarebit:
Welsh rabbit; melted often seasoned cheese poured over toast or crackers (Merriam-Webster).

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$1.80:
$30.86 in current US dollars (USA. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

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Mata Hari:
(1876-1917) Originally named Margaretha Geetruida Zelle. Dutch dancer and courtesan based out of Paris, turned spy in World War I. After eight charges of espionage activities, she was sentenced to death and was executed via firing squad ("Mata Hari").

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Double in brass:
An idiom meaning to perform multiple roles or duties. To serve in two capacities at a given time ("Double in brass").

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Theatre Guild:
a theatrical group in New York City founded in 1918. It specialized in noncommercial American and foreign plays ("Theatre Guild").

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"Madame X":
A play by Alexandre Bisson which originally premiered in February 1910 at the New Amsterdam Theatre under the direction of George Marion. It was revived in July of 1927 at the Earl Carroll Theatre in New York City. The show follows a woman thrown out on the street with no money by her husband, with no way to see her young son. Roughly twenty years later, she become the mistress to a criminal, which, through a turn of events, leads her to kill her significant other. Her son, on his first trial, turns out to be her lawyer. Her ex-husband arrives, recognizing her. She becomes exasperated and pleas guilty for "understanding as to what drove her to murder." Under the name Madame X in honor of her son, she faints and is taken to a private chamber, where she then kisses her still unaware son and passes away ("Madame X").

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Chop Suey:
Allegedly, first appearing in the San Francisco in the 1840s, chop suey typically consists of a form of meat, eggs, vegetables (bean sprouts, celery, and cabbage), and starch-thickened sauce. It was originally served with rice, but it can be served with noodles as well; however, this change makes it technically chow mein. The story goes that a group of drunk miners came into a restaurant demanding food. The owner, exhausted, went into the back, scraped food off of previous customers' plates, doused it in soy sauce, and gave it to the miners. They were so impressed they returned the next evening demanding more "shap sui" meaning "odds and ends" or "mixed pieces" in Cantonese (Butler).

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Esmeralda:
Based on Victor Hugo's The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Esmeralda is an opera composed by Arthur Goring Thomas, originally premiering in London in 1883. The four act show follows the gypsy dancer, Esmeralda, through the streets of 15th century France, declaring her love for Phoebus, befriending the dwarf bell-ringer named Quasimodo, and fleeing from Claude Frollo, who is constantly looking for Esmeralda's hand in marriage. The show ends with Quasimodo taking a shot intended to kill Phoebus, Follo is thrown in jail, and Esmeralda and Phoebus live happily ever after ("Esmeralda - Arthur Goring Thomas").

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Klein's:
Founded in 1912, S. Klein on the Square (slang name: S. Klein or Klein's) was a discount clothing store located in Union Square. The subtitle "on the square" in the twenties meant "straight up" or "truthful". It was a more affordable option compared to Macy's or other popular department stores at the time. After having more than a dozen stores within the New York metropolitan area, S. Klein gradually declined and closed all stores in 1975 (""S. Klein on the Square, Union Square East between 14th St. and 15th St. (1986).")

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Radio City:
Radio City Music Hall; Opened December 27, 1932 by John D. Rockefeller as a way to bring up a formerly poor neighborhood after the Great Depression began. Rockefeller partnered with the Radio Corporation of America, bringing theatre, and later movies, to the people. Their end goal was to make it "a palace for the people" ("History").

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The Medical Center:
Opened in 1892 by the Salvation Army as Rescue Home for Women, a haven for unmarried mothers in the Harlem area of Manhattan. It opened a free medical service for dependents of service men during World War I, later changing it's name it Booth Memorial Hospital. During this time it was located on East 15th Street in Manhattan, between Gramercy Park and the East Village. It is now located in Queens and is named the New York Presbyterian Hospital ("Our History").

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The Battery:
Originally made by the Dutch when settled in New York in 1623 at the intersection of the Hudson and East Rivers. In preparation for the War of 1812, Castle Clinton was built; it was renamed Castle Garden in 1822 and became one of the cities premier concert hall. Thirty years later, it became an immigration center, welcoming roughly 8.5 million people to America before the establishment of Ellis Island. In 1896, The Castle became one of the nation's first public aquarium, the New York Aquarium. Now, The Battery Conservatory is an organization committed to redesigning and rebuilding the landscape after near-total demolition in 1941, as it is now on a National Monument ("History of the Battery").

Walter Hampton:
(1879-1955) American stage actor known for his portrayal of Hamlet which he premiered in 1906 in London. Using that play as a foundation, he founded a repertory company in America. In 1923 he revived Edmond Rostand’s Cyrano de Bergerac, which was very popular. In his later life he appeared in a few movies and television specials ("Walter Hampden").

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Photoplay:
Hollywood fan magazine that was publishing 1914 to 1943. The magazine focused mainly on popular movie stars, with pictures of them and stories about their personal lives. In 1921 the magazine created the award "Medal of Honor," which determined the best movie of the year as voted by the readers (Pierce).

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Ringling Brothers:
A late 19th American family of circus proprietors. Their alternative surname was Rüngeling. The active members were all brothers: Albert C. (1852–1916), Otto (1858–1911), Alfred T. (1861–1919), Charles (1863–1926), John (1866–1936), and occasionally August G. (1854–1907) and Henry (1869–1918) Ringling ("Ringling Brothers").

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Passion Play:
A play genre that originates from medieval times. Passion plays are religious dramas that focus on the Passion of the Christ: Jesus' suffering, death, and Resurrection ("Passion Play").

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The Roosevelt:
A high class hotel that opened in 1924. It is still in use today and is located at 45th street and Madison Avenue ("History of The Roosevelt Hotel").

New Yorker:
Art-Deco style hotel built right before the Wall Street Crash in 1929. It opened in January of 1930 being the world's tallest building at the time. It was considered one of the most luxurious hotels, many celebrities stayed there. It closed in 1972 but has since been renovated and reopened. It is now cheaper and geared towards tourists rather than celebrities (Yapp).

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Twenty One:
High end restaurant located at 21 West 52nd Street, NYC. It was founded as a speakeasy in 1920 by Jack Kriendler and Charlie Berns under the name of "Jack and Charlie's 21." It eventually began to be referred to simply as 21. The restaurant famously dodged authorities during the Prohibition with a secret wine cellar that had a two ton door. The restaurant became famous and continued to serve celebrities and high society even after the Prohibition. It is still open today under the name of 21 Club ("About '21' : History").

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Trocaderos:
Cafe Trocadero was founded in 1934 on the Sunset Strip by Billy Wilkerson. It was a French themed night club frequented by Hollywood stars and hopefuls, such as Judy Garland before she made it big. Wilkerson also owned the entertainment newspaper The Hollywood Reporter. The club switched ownership and location over the years, it is now called The Trocadero at 8278 Sunset Boulevard ("Sunset Strip History").

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Brown Derbies:
A restaurant chain in Los Angeles founded in 1926. It was created by a Hollywood movie entrepreneur and became popular with many in the movie industry, so much so that many supposedly had their fan mail sent there ("Hollywood Brown Derby").

Elisabeth Bergner:
(1900-1986) Austrian stage and movie actress who worked in Germany, England, New York, and Austria. She was well known for her fragile beauty ("Elisabeth Bergner").

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Helen Hayes:
(1900-1993) American stage and film actress who rose to fame when she was a rather young woman because of her ingenue roles. She went to Hollywood with her husband in 1931 to make movies, but she preferred the stage to the screen and returned to Broadway in 1933 ("Helen Hayes").

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Lynn Fontanne:
(1887-1983) British stage actress who as especially well known for her collaborations with her husband, Alfred Lunt. She studied acting in England and performed there primarily early on, but she moved to New York in 1910. She married Lunt in 1922 and they almost exclusively performed together thereafter ("Lunt and Fontanne").

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Alfred Lunt:
(1892-1977) American stage actor who was especially well known for his collaborations with his wife, Lynn Fontanne. He dropped out of college to pursue his acting career and made his stage debut in 1912 in Boston. He married Fontanne in 1922 and they almost exclusively performed together thereafter ("Lunt and Fontanne").

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John Barrymore:
(1882-1942) American stage and film actor known for his flamboyant and outrageous behavior. He began acting in movies in 1913 and didn't return to the stage. He is the grandfather of actress Drew Barrymore ("John Barrymore").

Anæmic:
Suffering from anemia; lacking force vitality or spirit (Merriam-Webster).

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The American:
Periodical publication from 1906-1956 ("The American").

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"Lord Byron":
Most likely referring to the play Byron, A Play in Four Acts and an Epilogue written by Alicia Ramsey in 1908. The play focused on the life of Lord Byron. Ramsey wrote a screenplay adaptation of the play for the 1922 movie, The Prince of Lovers (Kenyon-Jones 97).

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Red Foxes:
Clothing made from red fox fur. During the 1930's fox fur was considered very luxurious and it was worn by many movie stars (Mahé).

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Smashed up:
To become financially ruined or bankrupt ("Smash-up")

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R.H. Macy & Co.:
A department store founded by Rowland Hussey Macy in 1858 in New York City. It started as a dry goods store but as it grew into success it developed into a department store in 1877. The store continued to grow in success until its Herald Square location was deemed the "World's Largest Store" in 1924. The store is still open today but is now simply called Macy's ("Macy's: A History").

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The Catskills:
Mountain region that crosses seven counties in Southeastern New York. It is northwest of New York City. It contains the state designated Catskill Park ("About the Catskills").

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The Music Box:
Theatre built by songwriter Irving Berlin and his partner/producer, Sam H. Harris in 1921 and still in use today. It is located at 239 West 45th Street and seats 859. This was the theatre where most of Kaufman's productions premiered, including Of Thee I Sing and The Man Who Came to Dinner. The premier of Stage Door was also performed here (Morrison 123).

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Queen Victoria:
(1819-1901) The longest reigning monarch in British history (until Queen Elizabeth II), she became queen when she was 18 and held her position until her death in 1901. She was an unlikely queen, as she gained the position when grandfather, two uncles, and father all died before she was 18. Victoria's mother kept her isolated from the royal family and employed strict rules on her life, to the point where she was never alone. It was so severe that on her 18th birthday she requested an hour of solitude a day as well as her own bedroom (Farley)

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