Gabrielle Ray – The Palladium – West Ham and South Essex Mail – Friday 27th May 1921
AT THE LONDON PALLADIUM
At the Palladium on Monday, Mr. Charles Gulliver, in spite of the slump in West Endt Theatreland, is presenting one of his all star programmes. Among the principal newcomers is Derra de Moroda, the beautiful dancer, the complete Company including:- Derra de Moroda, Gabrielle Ray, Bros. Arnaut, Maidie Scott, George Bass, Manny and Roberts, Sam Barton, Five Joveras, and Frank and Somers.
The West Ham and South Essex Mail – Friday 27th May 1921
Gabrielle Ray – The Theatrical Garden Party – The Referee – Sunday 1st June 1913
THE THEATRICAL GARDEN PARTY.
FOR THE ACTORS’ ORPHANAGE.
TRULY a wonderful array of attractions will be found at the Royal Hospital Gardens, Chelsea, next Tuesday. Weather or no, the tremendous programme will go on from three to seven unchecked, and no one can possibly get rain drenched, as so many thousands were last year, for this time everything will be roofed in.
The principal attractions – provided include a “meelodram” entitled “The Black Torture; or, Spottem from the Yard,” played by Mr. Cyril Maude and many other “ingredients of the City”; a revue arranged by Mr. Arthur Wimperis, and entitled “The Girl Who Took the Wrong Taxi”; “The Wildest and Worst Menagerie” (managed by the Actors’ Association); a pantomime revue entitled “Hullo! Cinderella!” directed by Mr. Robert Courtneidge; Mrs. Jarley’s Waxworks, managed by Messrs. Louis Meyer and Frank Collins and Miss Vane Featherston; a hat-trimming and hairdressing competition, run by Miss Phyllis Broughton, with Lady Alexander as judge; a Vaudeville Palace, with artists from the London Opera House; a burlesque of “Faust” by members of Sir Joseph Beecham’s opera company; a Revue a la Mode, presented by certain members of the Empire company; a Shooting Gallery managed by Messrs. Gerald du Meurier and Guy Standing; and a Rickshaw of Roses, from which Mme. Pavlova will sell face powder and perfumes.
Among many other popular people who will assist are Sir George Alexander, Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Bourchier, Miss Winifred Emery, Miss Pauline Chase, Mr. Henry Ainley, Mr. Paul Cinquevalli, Miss Clara Evelyn, Mr. Charles Hawtrey, Miss Marie Lloyd, Miss Lily Elsie, Mme. Adeline Genee, Mr. Lyn Harding, Mrs. Kendal, Miss Evelyn Millard, Miss Neilson-Terry, Miss Gabrielle Ray, Mr. and Mrs. George R. Sims, Sir Herbert Tree, and scores of others, whose names will be found on our back page.
N.B. – Tickets three shillings before the day.
The Referee – Sunday 1st June 1913
Indictment of Mr George Edwardes – The Modern Man – Saturday 9th December 1911
INDICTMENT OF MR GEORGE EDWARDES.
PUBLIC BENEFACTOR OR -.
Mr. George Edwardes has been celebrating his twenty-fifth anniversary in theatrical management.
So far as any personal feeling is concerned, I join most cordially in the widespread congratulations that have been showered upon Mr. Edwardes as a private individual, but I think the time has come to consider what he has done as a public man, whether we are to regard him as a benefactor of his race, or something very much the reverse. For twenty-five years Mr. Edwardes has been a big power in theatre-land, and as such he has had a great influence on public taste; it might not be an exaggeration to say on national character. Has his influence been for good or ill?
THE FIRST CHARGE.
I charge Mr. Edwardes, in the first instance, with having extinguished the sacred lamp of burlesque, with having replaced comic opera and Gilbert and Sullivan by musical comedy.
The prisoner may plead that he but followed the changing order of public taste, and gave the public what they wanted. He may also say that in his later years he has shown a tendency to repent, and to give us musical plays which are occasionally threatened with intelligence and some shadowy substance of coherence which might almost be mistaken for a plot – by a person of powerful imagination.
The latter plea may be urged at the proper time, in mitigation of punishment, but I am not going to allow any red herrings to be drawn across the trail.
George Edwardes is charged with being the inventor of musical comedy, and to that indictment there can be but one answer, “Guilty.”
This being so, we have now to consider the extent, results, and effects of his offence.
HORRIBLE EXAMPLES.
Lunatic asylums, rest cure and other homes are still crowded with the victims of musical comedy.
In many of these cases the unfortunate patient’s brain gave way under the strain of attempting to follow the plot; but the worst sufferers are the victims of the hero-worship engendered by musical comedy.
Here is atypical case: X.Y. was a respectable, sensible young man until one night he went to the Gaiety pit.
He went again, and again, and again. No; it is not the usual sordid story of embezzlement; he could afford his half a crowns. But Mr. Teddy Payne became an obsession with him. He took to dressing like the famous comedian, to speaking like him, and he accumulated 2,342 picture postcards of Mr. Payne. To-day X.Y. is in an asylum, quite harmless save for the fixed delusion that he is Teddy Payne, and that the fellow on the stage is a base impostor.
Similarly, I have met many poor ladies in asylums (only as a visitor; only as a visitor) who were convinced that they Were Miss Ellaline Terriss, Miss Gertie Millar, or Miss Lily Elsie.
A NARROW ESCAPE.
I remember one brawny female, who advanced towards me singing, “Just a little bit of string; Such a simple little thing.” And she certainly would have had me on a bit of string, had I not hurriedly clambered over the wall.
Then think of the incense poured out at the shrines of musical comedy favourites by the youths and maidens of the nation.
I knew one poor chap who often went without his lunch in order to buy picture postcards of Miss Gabrielle Ray, while a Girton girl, who would probably have been bracketed equal with the Senior Wrangler, failed to get even a pass because she took to collecting and worshipping photographs of Mr. Hayden Coffin.
I have mentioned picture postcards. Most of us have suffered from them. Of course, Mr. Edwardes did not invent the picture postcard, but he and musical comedy were responsible for the growth of the plague.
Diving a recent holiday, I received from feminine relatives and acquaintances 33 Picture postcards of Miss Elsie, 29 of Miss Millar, 28 of Miss Jean Aylwin, 25 of Miss Gabrielle Ray.
Thousands of men expecting an important letter, on hearing the postman’s knock have hurried to the door only to be handed jewelled picture postcard of Mr. George Grossmith, junior, or Miss Isabel Jay.
This sort of thing has broken up many a once happy home. The modern married man – experto crede – has to put up with a lot, but he is apt to kick when he finds that there is no dinner for him because his wife has been busy completing her Huntley Wright gallery.
Millions of hard-working men have to eat a lonely and unsatisfactory Saturday dinner because their women folk have gone to a musical comedy matinee.
Nowadays when a man has a tiff with his wife, she threatens to go on the musical comedy stage, if she is anything under seventy, or remarks that Blank Dash, the famous low comedian, gets £500 a week, and if you were half a man you would be doing the same.
The women of the middle-classes have ceased to take any rational interest in life. They think, so far as their mental apparatus will allow’ them, and dream of nothing but musical comedy.
They are not quite sure whether Mr. Bonar Law is a Conservative or a Liberal, but they can give you full and complete biographies of almost any musical comedy favourite.
REFLECTED BRILLIANCE.
The other evening I took a damsel into dinner. She snubbed me severely until I happened to mention something about Mr. Joseph Coyne. “O, do you know him?” she cried, and when I admitted that I had that honour, she looked at me as if I had suddenly announced myself as – well, the King or Mr. George Edwardes.
Mr. George Edwardes has emptied middle-class homes of girls. They are all on the stage as “show girls,” by no means blushing exhibits for the delectation of elderly roués and feeble-minded youths.
And now the ladies of the aristocracy, in self-defence, and as their best chance of catching a husband, are going into musical comedy.
George, I was very nearly forgetting your worst crime of all. If you ever have nightmare I hope it takes the form of being pricked to death with matinee hatpins. But for you there would have been no matinee hats. Man, I hope for your own sake you have not a sensitive conscience.
The tale of your crimes is almost complete, but not quite. You were the originator of the musical comedy tenor, beside whom he of grand opera is a shrinkingly modest person.
QUESTIONS TO ANSWER.
Who is responsible for the fact that I cannot open a magazine or weekly illustrated without being presented with an undesired view of Miss Footlight’s teeth?
Who invented the hydra-headed author, and put an otherwise blameless University don to writing musical comedy lyrics?
Who has ‘given us the finest and most artistic stage management and stage-mounting in the world?
Who has given us an entertainment that is usually merry and bright and clean, and thus brought some glint of brightness into millions of colourless lives?
You, you, you!
NORMAN FRASER.
The Modern Man – Saturday 9th December 1911
About
One of my main interests is a love of old pictures and postcards that give us a brief glimpse into a past and often forgotten age.
Collecting old postcard and pictures enables the viewer to glimpse a brief moment from that individual’s life; often far removed from their own either by the passage of time or social class. Social History, often described as “history from below” shows everyday people, their social structure and the interaction of different groups; like the wealthy and politicians these people helped shape and maintain society and so shape history.
Examining the images one can’t help but wonder how the individuals lived, were their lives hard compared with today and were they happy. Often the images come with little or no information that can answer these questions, one can only imagine.
With each image saved and seen by others, so that moment, that person is kept alive, our understanding is increased and so our lives are enriched.
A picture is often more descriptive than words can ever be, but how true is this, if a picture enables us to gain entry to another time, another world, will, like the view from a different window, even in the same house provide a different image?
These images allow a glimpse into another time, another era; but what preceded or followed this image? As the individuals were positioned and posed like an artist’s model is what we see truly reflective or like the slightly softened image of an aging beauty a less that truthful representation?
I am reminded of a documentary I watched several years ago regarding the returning troops from the front during the First World War. The camera images show a broken, demoralised sea of humanity, young men who having seen images that most of us hope never to witness had lost that sparkle; that zest which only youth has. But bring on the news camera and that battered returning group came to life, the smiles returned and even though muddied and bloodied their heads and bodies became erect, their arms swung in time and they demonstrated a swagger that spoke of courage, defiance and determination; an image that gave hope to the viewer.
It seems to me that even in the early days of photography all was not what it appeared and now in the advancing digital age a picture may paint a thousand words but will it be factual or fiction?
My interests And collections vary from Maids, Nuns, religious dress and the more risqué images of the French Maid. Often when searching for a particular subject the boundaries cross and as well as true Maids we find Edwardian actresses dressed as Nuns or Maids. During one of my searches I came across Gabrielle Ray dressed as a Maid, “Susan” in Lady Madcap and was instantly captivated by her.
Collecting the individual cards isn’t enough; I like to know more about the individual, which is easier when that person is an actress, although often the information is scarce
Searching for information about Miss Ray I discovered that she was one of the most photographed women of the Edwardian era and described in “Temps” as the most beautiful woman in the United Kingdom; but sadly her success, if measured by being visibly working or in the public eye was short-lived. She struggled with depression and alcohol abuse, and her health declined. In 1936, she suffered a complete mental breakdown and was institutionalized for nearly forty years; dying in 1973 at Holloway Sanatorium at the age of 90.
There are several other sites and blogs dedicated to the memory of Miss Ray and my intention is to share my small but growing collection of pictures and postcards with anyone who shares my interest. Reading about Miss Ray I was saddened that this lady, like many others before and since, after a brief moment in the sun they are soon forgotten. Hopefully as people view and enjoy this blog her memory will remain alive for a little longer.
I have started to write a short Biography about Miss Ray which I will try to update as frequently as possible. The Index page will show any updates under the Biography catagory.
I have also tried to link the various postcards and pictures to the plays in which Miss Ray appeared, however I realise, after several errors that this isn’t an easy task as many are decorative studio poses rather than production images. The individual Rotary, Philco and other publishers numbers are included with any description which should make searching for a particular card or ones from the same set easier. If I have made any glaring errors please feel free to let me know.
Thank you and I hope you enjoy my collection as much as I do.
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