Emma Carus
Encyclopedia
Emma Carus was a contralto
singer from New York
who was in the cast of the original Ziegfeld Follies
in 1907. Her given name was Emma Carus.
She frequently sang in
vaudeville
and sometimes in Broadway features. One columnist described her as a sort of combination of Sophie Tucker
and Fay Templeton
with a little of Eva Tanguay
and Eddie Foy
thrown in for good measure.
in August 1897. The venue at 50 East 14th Street
was owned by Benjamin Franklin Keith
and Edward Franklin Albee II
, who purchased the theater in 1893 to host vaudeville performances. Carus was described as a
ballad singer prior to her performance at the Olympia Roof Garden, Broadway (Manhattan) between 44th Street and 45th Street, in September 1897. The following month she shared a program at the Pleasure Palace with the Dunbar Sisters and Henry E. Dixey
. The entertainment hall was managed by Frederick Freeman Proctor
and was located on East Fifty-Eighth Street between Third Avenue (Manhattan-Bronx) and Lexington Avenue (Manhattan)
.
A varied lineup of acts was presented by Sam T. Jack's Theatre, Madison Street (Chicago)
, State Street (Chicago)
, Chicago, in June 1898. Carus joined Troja, Jennie Yeamans, and the Washburn sisters on a bill.
In October 1905 Carus appeared on Broadway at Proctor's Fifth Avenue (Manhattan)
Theatre. This was her first Broadway engagement since a show at the
Wistaria Grove. which was located on the roof of the New York Theatre
.
The Follies of 1907 took place at the Jardin de Paris on the roofs of the New York Theatre
and the Criterion Theatre
. Produced by Florenz Ziegfeld
, a large audience observed the thirteen parts, which were vaudeville acts. Carus headed a cast that was supported by a chorus quite similar to an earlier one that assisted Anna Held
in The Paris Model.
She was in a production of The Wife Hunters, a musical play in three acts, in which she sang in a pleasant, deep-throated way, and with a suggestion of a sense of humor of sentiment as occasion may require. Her comedy number was Girls, Keep Your Figures. The Herald Square Theatre, 1331 Broadway (29 West 35th Street),
produced the play which was based on a book by Edgar Allan Woolf.
In 1911, Carus is said to have been largely responsible for helping introduce and popularize Irving Berlin
's first major hit song, "Alexander's Ragtime Band
". In Chicago
, it especially became identified with her, and soon it worked its way back to New York
where Al Jolson
picked it up and it quickly caught on in popularity.
Carus sang at the Palace Theatre in a production which starred Bertha Kalich
in March 1914. Also entertaining were the Beauties of Jesse Lasky and George White, noted for George White's Scandals
.
Carus returned for a fourth year on the interstate vaudeville circuit in 1914. This time she was accompanied by a dance partner, Carl Randall. She
had a new stock of songs that included An Irish Suffragette.
Nashville, Tennessee
, where he managed a theater. Carus tried to commit suicide with a revolver after learning of Burrow's demise, but was prevented by her friends. She believed that his mother tried to influence Burrows against her.
In April 1913 Carus secured a judgment against W. Lewis Stevens, a broker. Stevens and his partner, James W. Henning, were accused by her of embezzling more than $2,200 of her money for their own use when their company failed in 1910. Stevens was arrested at the Iroquois Hotel, 49 West 44th Street, New York City.
She was an avid baseball fan who followed the New York Giants of John McGraw. Carus attended every World Series
from 1905 - 1913.
In a syndicated
column she predicted the Giants to be victorious over the Philadelphia Athletics in the 1913 World Series
.
Contralto
Contralto is the deepest female classical singing voice, with the lowest tessitura, falling between tenor and mezzo-soprano. It typically ranges between the F below middle C to the second G above middle C , although at the extremes some voices can reach the E below middle C or the second B above...
singer from New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
who was in the cast of the original Ziegfeld Follies
Ziegfeld Follies
The Ziegfeld Follies were a series of elaborate theatrical productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 through 1931. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air....
in 1907. Her given name was Emma Carus.
She frequently sang in
vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
and sometimes in Broadway features. One columnist described her as a sort of combination of Sophie Tucker
Sophie Tucker
Sophie Tucker was a Russian/Ukrainian-born American singer and actress. Known for her stentorian delivery of comical and risqué songs, she was one of the most popular entertainers in America during the first half of the 20th century...
and Fay Templeton
Fay Templeton
Fay Templeton was an American stage actress.Her parents were actors/vaudevillians and she followed in their footsteps, making her Broadway debut in 1900. She continued to appear there until 1934...
with a little of Eva Tanguay
Eva Tanguay
Eva Tanguay was a Canadian-born singer and entertainer who billed herself as "the girl who made vaudeville famous".-Early life:...
and Eddie Foy
Eddie Foy
Eddie Foy, Sr. , was an actor, comedian, dancer and vaudevillian.-Early years:...
thrown in for good measure.
Vocalist In Theater
She appeared in the drama, Rally Round the Flag, at the Union Square TheatreUnion Square Theatre
Union Square Theater is an Off-Broadway theatre, owned by Reading International, who also owns Reading Entertainment.- Productions :*Visiting Mr. Green by Jeff Baron*The Laramie Project by Moises Kaufman and the Members of the Tectonic Theater Project...
in August 1897. The venue at 50 East 14th Street
14th Street
14th Street may refer to several locations in the United States:*14th Street , New York City*14th Street Northwest and Southwest *Broad Street *14th Street Bridge *14th Street...
was owned by Benjamin Franklin Keith
Benjamin Franklin Keith
Benjamin Franklin Keith was an American vaudeville theatre owner, highly influential in the evolution of variety theater into vaudeville.-Early years:...
and Edward Franklin Albee II
Edward Franklin Albee II
Edward Franklin Albee II was a vaudeville impresario, and the adoptive grandfather of Edward Franklin Albee III, the playwright.-Biography:He was born on October 8, 1857 in Machias, Maine to Nathaniel Smith Albee....
, who purchased the theater in 1893 to host vaudeville performances. Carus was described as a
ballad singer prior to her performance at the Olympia Roof Garden, Broadway (Manhattan) between 44th Street and 45th Street, in September 1897. The following month she shared a program at the Pleasure Palace with the Dunbar Sisters and Henry E. Dixey
Henry E. Dixey
Henry E. Dixey was an American actor and theatre producer. He was born January 6, 1859 in Boston, Massachusetts. He made his stage debut in Boston in 1868, joining the variety stock actors at the Howard Athenaeum, where in 1869 he played the character Peanuts in the Augustin Daly play Under the...
. The entertainment hall was managed by Frederick Freeman Proctor
Frederick Freeman Proctor
Frederick Freeman Proctor , aka F.F. Proctor, was a vaudeville impresario who pioneered the method of continuous vaudeville. He opened the Twenty-third Street Theatre in New York City...
and was located on East Fifty-Eighth Street between Third Avenue (Manhattan-Bronx) and Lexington Avenue (Manhattan)
Lexington Avenue (Manhattan)
Lexington Avenue, often colloquially abbreviated by New Yorkers as "Lex," is an avenue on the East Side of the borough of Manhattan in New York City that carries southbound one-way traffic from East 131st Street to Gramercy Park at East 21st Street...
.
A varied lineup of acts was presented by Sam T. Jack's Theatre, Madison Street (Chicago)
Madison Street (Chicago)
Madison Street is a major east-west street in Chicago, Illinois. Prior to human intervention, the Chicago River emptied into Lake Michigan at the present day intersection of Madison Street and Michigan Avenue....
, State Street (Chicago)
State Street (Chicago)
State Street is a large south-north street in Chicago, Illinois, USA and its south suburbs. It begins on the Near North Side at North Avenue. For much of its course, it lies between Wabash Avenue on the east and Dearborn Street/Lafayette Avenue on the west...
, Chicago, in June 1898. Carus joined Troja, Jennie Yeamans, and the Washburn sisters on a bill.
In October 1905 Carus appeared on Broadway at Proctor's Fifth Avenue (Manhattan)
Fifth Avenue (Manhattan)
Fifth Avenue is a major thoroughfare in the center of the borough of Manhattan in New York City, New York, United States. The section of Fifth Avenue that crosses Midtown Manhattan, especially that between 49th Street and 60th Street, is lined with prestigious shops and is consistently ranked among...
Theatre. This was her first Broadway engagement since a show at the
Wistaria Grove. which was located on the roof of the New York Theatre
New York Theatre
Several theatres in New York City have been called New York Theatre at various times during the building's life. They include the following:*Bowery Theatre*Olympia Theatre *Church of the Messiah...
.
The Follies of 1907 took place at the Jardin de Paris on the roofs of the New York Theatre
New York Theatre
Several theatres in New York City have been called New York Theatre at various times during the building's life. They include the following:*Bowery Theatre*Olympia Theatre *Church of the Messiah...
and the Criterion Theatre
Criterion Theatre
The Criterion Theatre is a West End theatre situated on Piccadilly Circus in the City of Westminster, and is a Grade II* listed building. It has an official capacity of 588.-Building the theatre:...
. Produced by Florenz Ziegfeld
Florenz Ziegfeld
Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr. , , was an American Broadway impresario, notable for his series of theatrical revues, the Ziegfeld Follies , inspired by the Folies Bergère of Paris. He also produced the musical Show Boat...
, a large audience observed the thirteen parts, which were vaudeville acts. Carus headed a cast that was supported by a chorus quite similar to an earlier one that assisted Anna Held
Anna Held
Helene Anna Held was a Polish-born stage performer, most often associated with impresario Florenz Ziegfeld, her common-law husband. -Early life:...
in The Paris Model.
She was in a production of The Wife Hunters, a musical play in three acts, in which she sang in a pleasant, deep-throated way, and with a suggestion of a sense of humor of sentiment as occasion may require. Her comedy number was Girls, Keep Your Figures. The Herald Square Theatre, 1331 Broadway (29 West 35th Street),
produced the play which was based on a book by Edgar Allan Woolf.
In 1911, Carus is said to have been largely responsible for helping introduce and popularize Irving Berlin
Irving Berlin
Irving Berlin was an American composer and lyricist of Jewish heritage, widely considered one of the greatest songwriters in American history.His first hit song, "Alexander's Ragtime Band", became world famous...
's first major hit song, "Alexander's Ragtime Band
Alexander's Ragtime Band
"Alexander's Ragtime Band" is the name of a song by Irving Berlin. It was his first major hit, in 1911. There is some evidence, although inconclusive, that Berlin borrowed the melody from a draft of "A Real Slow Drag" submitted by Scott Joplin that had been submitted to a...
". In Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, it especially became identified with her, and soon it worked its way back to New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
where Al Jolson
Al Jolson
Al Jolson was an American singer, comedian and actor. In his heyday, he was dubbed "The World's Greatest Entertainer"....
picked it up and it quickly caught on in popularity.
Carus sang at the Palace Theatre in a production which starred Bertha Kalich
Bertha Kalich
Bertha Kalich, was a Jewish actress, born in Lemberg, Galicia...
in March 1914. Also entertaining were the Beauties of Jesse Lasky and George White, noted for George White's Scandals
George White's Scandals
George White's Scandals were a long-running string of Broadway revues produced by George White that ran from 1919–1939, modelled after the Ziegfeld Follies. The "Scandals" launched the careers of many entertainers, including W.C. Fields, the Three Stooges, Ray Bolger, Helen Morgan, Ethel Merman, ...
.
Carus returned for a fourth year on the interstate vaudeville circuit in 1914. This time she was accompanied by a dance partner, Carl Randall. She
had a new stock of songs that included An Irish Suffragette.
Personal life
Carus fainted at the Great Northern Hotel in Chicago, Illinois after hearing of her lover's suicide in June 1897. James Burrows killed himself inNashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, where he managed a theater. Carus tried to commit suicide with a revolver after learning of Burrow's demise, but was prevented by her friends. She believed that his mother tried to influence Burrows against her.
In April 1913 Carus secured a judgment against W. Lewis Stevens, a broker. Stevens and his partner, James W. Henning, were accused by her of embezzling more than $2,200 of her money for their own use when their company failed in 1910. Stevens was arrested at the Iroquois Hotel, 49 West 44th Street, New York City.
She was an avid baseball fan who followed the New York Giants of John McGraw. Carus attended every World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
from 1905 - 1913.
In a syndicated
Syndicated columnist
This list of syndicated columnists comprises columnists whose recurring columns are published in multiple periodical publications .*Ghaith Abdul-Ahad*Yasmin Alibhai-Brown*Timothy Garton Ash*Lucius Beebe*Max Boot...
column she predicted the Giants to be victorious over the Philadelphia Athletics in the 1913 World Series
1913 World Series
In the 1913 World Series, the Philadelphia Athletics beat the New York Giants four games to one.The A's pitching gave the edge to a closer-than-it-looked Series in 1913...
.
External links
- Photographic Images of Emma Carus from the New York Public Library Digital Collection
- Emma Carus photo at parlorsongs.com, retrieved on 2-13-08.