Paul Douglas, 1930s CBS announcer and later Broadway and Hollywood film star, is this week’s Phantom Dancer non-stop swing jazz feature artist. He opens this week’s show in a ‘Saturday Night Swing Club’ broadcast.
Greg Poppleton has been bringing you The Phantom Dancer, your non-stop mix of swing and jazz from live 1920s-60s radio and TV, each week since 1985.
Hear The Phantom Dancer online from 12:04pm AEST Tuesday 21 March at https://2ser.com/phantom-dancer/ where you can also hear two years of archived shows.
The finyl hour is vinyl.
RADIO
Though Paul Douglas Fleischer performed in dramatics as a student at Yale, he first started in radio,
He began as an announcer for CBS radio station WCAU in Philadelphia, relocating to network headquarters WABC in New York in 1934. Douglas co-hosted CBS’s popular swing music program, The Saturday Night Swing Club, from 1936 to 1939. He was host and commercial pitchman for Chesterfield Cigarettes on swing band leader Glenn Miller‘s 1939-42 CBS radio series.
Douglas starred in Clash by Night in 1952 with Barbara Stanwyck.
Douglas was originally cast in the 1960 episode of The Twilight Zone called “The Mighty Casey“, a role written for him by Rod Serling based on his character in Angels in the Outfield. Douglas died the day after production of the episode had been completed. He had been in his last stages of illness during filming, and his severe physical state was apparent on film. (The crew incorrectly assumed that his condition was the result of heavy drinking.) The episode – which was a comedy – was deemed unairable. It was, however, resurrected some months later, and Douglas’s scenes were re-shot with Jack Warden.
Film director Billy Wilder and his longtime co-writer I. A. L. (‘Izzy’) Diamond had just offered Douglas the role of Jeff Sheldrake in the 1960 movie The Apartment that went to Fred MacMurray instead. Wilder later said: “I saw him and his wife, Jan Sterling, at a restaurant, and I realized he was perfect, and I asked him right there in the parking lot. About two days before we were to start, he had a heart attack and died. Iz and I were shattered.”
VIDEO OF THE WEEK
A trailer from the 1950s US/UK sci fi shlocker, ‘The Gamma People’, starring Paul Douglas and Leslie Phillips. Enjoy!
Make sure you come back to this blog, Greg Poppleton’s Radio Lounge, every Tuesday, for the newest Phantom Dancer play list and Video of the Week!
21 March PLAY LIST
Play List – The Phantom Dancer
107.3 2SER-FM Sydney, Live Stream, Digital Radio Community Radio Network Show CRN #590
Bruce Glen’s Magical Soirées are best described as ‘storytelling magic shows for adults – but not necessarily grown-ups’.
They feature cutting-edge magic that seemingly defies the laws of physics – set amid intriguing stories guaranteed to leave you wondering.
He’s dazzled at sold-out Edinburgh International Magic Festival shows and at the London headquarters of The Magic Circle.
Greg Poppleton 1920s singer and The Gentleman Magician Bruce Glen – Sorcery & Magic Show
Venue: Cellos Grand Dining Room, Castlereagh Boutique Hotel, 169 Castlereagh St City Time: 6.30pm arrival for 7.00 pm start Dress Code: 1920s Guys in ties, Girls in pearls Single Tickets: $150.00 per person + booking fee Inclusive of sparkling wine “moonshine” and canapés on arrival, 3-course dinner, entertainment, GST and Members’ Discount.
Table of 8 Deal: $1100.00 + booking fee (save $100) You get 8 single tickets + 2 complimentary bottles of Silverleaf Sparkling Wine
WE’RE MAKING AN IMPACT – *We have chosen Humanitix as our ticketing partner, contributing to creating a positive impact on the world. Humanitix is making a difference by reinvesting 100% of profits back into helping the world’s most disadvantaged children.
Greg Poppleton returned by popular demand to the Great Art Deco Ball – celebrating 13 years, 4th February 2023 – in the timeless elegance of Katoomba’s wedding cake Carrington Hotel
Dinner, dancing and a dazzling entertainment ‘1920’s style’.
Greg Poppleton, Australia’s only authentic 1920s – 1930s singer, brings the ‘twenties’ to life with vintage glamour. With Greg in his band were Geoff Power (trumpet & sousaphone), Bradley Newman (grand piano) and Adam Barnard (washboard & snare).
A full fouse stepped out in fashion and danced the night away, a sumptuous 3-course dinner, and prize for best dressed. (won by Mary Grace).
I’ll be back with the band singing the songs of the 1920s at next year’s Great Art Deco Ball, Saturday 3 February 7 – 11pm.Tickets include a 3 course dinner, 3 hour beverage package and live entertainment by by Australia’s only authentic 1920s-30s singer, Greg Poppleton.
Dancing to Greg Poppleton and the Bakelite Broadcasters
CARRINGTON HOTEL
The Carrington Hotel is a heritage-listed former spa, hotel and power station and now hotel and public bar located at Katoomba Street, Katoomba in the City of Blue Mountains local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by John Kirkpatrick and Bosser in 1882; and by Edward H. Hogben with Goyder Brothers in 1911-13; and built from 1882 to 1913 by F. Drewett in 1882; and by Howie, Brown and Moffit in 1912-13. It is also known as Great Western Hotel. The property is privately owned. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.
The Carrington is the only 19th century grand resort hotel still in use in New South Wales. It also retains much of the fabric of its major phases of development and continues to occupy the commanding position in Katoomba that it has done since its construction. It was built in 1883 by Harry George Rowell, a large hotel owner from Sydney, and was owned by a series of prominent families over the next century. Today it is still operating as a high class hotel providing accommodation and restaurant services.
WHERE GREG POPPLETON WILL BE PLAYING
From 1885 Carrington began to make additions to the premises including an additional wing, dining hall, two drawing rooms and a music room, resulting in 119 bedrooms and seven suites of rooms, two tennis courts and flower and vegetable gardens.. He told a newspaper reporter in 1890 of the improvements he had made. The article read,
“Among the additions and improvements to the building are the following — a wing built (in 1886) of cut stone, and having a southerly aspect, consisting of 20 single rooms, and called ‘the bachelors’ wing.’ Early in 1888 Mr. Goyder, having taken advantage of his right, purchased the hotel, and, finding the accommodation insufficient, added 50 more rooms. This addition stands in the courtyard and is joined to the main building. It is higher than the remaining portions of the hotel and adds to the imposing appearance of the pile. A music-room has also been added to the drawing room, and is separated from it by large folding doors. The floor of the music room is of polished tallow-wood, and is partly covered with Austrian rugs, which are easily removed for dancing. The piano is a Brinsmead, and is considered one of the finest grands; its tone is full and soft. The dining hall is also new; it measures 60ft, by 40ft. The floor is carpeted, and everything conducive to comfort is present. The ceiling is lofty, the lighting good, and the table decorations and menu leave nothing to be desired. This hall is capable of seating 200 guests. There are now 135 rooms in the hotel, among which are seven suites of private apartments, most comfortably furnished and conveniently situated, including one of the prettiest bridal suites to be found in the colonies.”
6.30pm ARRIVAL for 7.00pm START at the Kelvin Club, Melbourne Place, Melbourne
FEATURING MAGIC and MUSIC – SORCERY and SWING Vaudeville brought back to life as you dine in style in the sophisticated Kelvin Club
In singer, Greg Poppleton’s 1920s band, Melbourne’s finest trad musicians…
Ian Smith – sousaphone and cornet Jason Downes – saxophone and clarinet Peter Baylor – guitar
The Kelvin Club will be transforming into a “Roaring Twenties” speakeasy for this not-to-be-missed event!
“Moonshine” and canapés served on arrival – together with intimate close-up miracles from The Gentleman Magician.
◆ THE SORCERY… The engaging magic of Bruce Glen, The Gentleman Magician
◆ THE SWING… The superb 1920s-1930s music of Greg Poppleton and his band
ENJOY DINNER AND DANCING ACCOMPANIED BY THE MUSIC OF “TIN PAN ALLEY” – FEATURING…
Greg Poppleton – Australia’s only authentic 1920s-30s singer Ian Smith – sousaphone and cornet Peter Baylor – guitar Jason Downes – clarinet and alto saxophone
Hear the captivating crooning of Greg Poppleton and his band
Unique storytelling magic by Bruce Glen, The Gentleman Magician
Fabulous 2-course dinner
Authentic speakeasy
A glass of authentic sparkling wine ‘Moonshine’ and canapes on arrival
The Great Gatsby never had it so good!
Greg Poppleton 1920s singer and The Gentleman Magician Bruce Glen – Sorcery & Magic Show
Venue: Kelvin Club, Melbourne Place, Melbourne 3000 Time: 6.30pm arrival for 7.00 pm start Dress Code: 1920s Guys in ties, Girls in pearls Single Tickets: $95 per person + booking fee Inclusive of sparkling wine “moonshine” and canapés on arrival, 2-course dinner, entertainment, GST
Bruce Glen’s Magical Soirées are best described as ‘storytelling magic shows for adults – but not necessarily grown-ups’. They feature cutting-edge magic that seemingly defies the laws of physics – set amid intriguing stories that are guaranteed to leave you wondering. Bruce’s unique performance style has seen him invited to the famed Edinburgh Fringe; Adelaide Fringe and Fringe World Perth.
In 2015, he presented his ‘Imaginary Magic’ show in Sydney (ten sold-out shows) as part of the SMH Spectrum Now Festival. In addition, at sold-out Edinburgh International Magic Festival shows and at the famous London headquarters of The Magic Circle, Bruce left audiences gasping in disbelief – and also wondering if he had actually read their minds!
GREG POPPLETON BIO
Greg Poppleton is Australia’s only authentic 1920s-30s singer with band. Recent performance highlights: 2020 Sydney Festival, resident band Great Art Deco Ball, resident 1920s band Gin Mill Social.
Ted Fio Rito, band leader, composer and pianist, under the radio pseudonym ‘Vincent Valsanti’, is this week’s Phantom Dancer feature artist in a 1934 Cocoanut Grove radio transcription.
Since I’ve been playing radio transcriptions made in 1934 of ‘Valsanti’ from the Cocoanut Grove Los Angeles over the past three weeks, here’s a little about the Ted Fio Rito / Valsanti / Cocoanut Grove story along with videos from the era.
The Phantom Dancer – your non-stop mix of swing and jazz from live 1920s-60s radio and TV hosted by me, Greg Poppleton.
The Cocoanut Grove at Los Angeles’ Ambassador Hotel was a lavishly appointed club – part of the massive 23-acre Ambassador resort, which also included four restaurants, a bowling alley, a billiard room, a shopping plaza, and even a movie theater – decorated in Moroccan style and featured full-sized palm trees reportedly salvaged from Rudolph Valentino’s film “The Sheik.” In addition to the decor, which also offered a night sky filled with stars (thanks to about 1000 small light bulbs), an elevated stage, and both dining and dancing room for several hundred patrons, customers came for the smooth musical entertainment provided by a series of dance orchestras and popular vocalists – many of whom would later go on to star careers in radio, recordings, and the film industry.
In the 1980 book, “Are the Stars Out Tonight?”, former Ambassador PR Director, Margaret Tante Burk, recalls the Grove’s opening night:
“…on the night of April 21, 1921… the new club officially opened its Moroccan style, gold leaf and etched palm tree doors… The Cocoanut Grove was aptly named, guests agreed as they were escorted by the maître de and captains down the wide plush grand staircase… Overhead, soaring about the room were cocoanut trees of papier mache, cocoanuts and palm fronds which had been rescued from the sandy beaches of Oxnard where they had served as atmosphere of the 1921 classic, The Sheik. Swinging from their branches were stuffed monkeys blinking at the revelers with their electrified amber eyes. Stars twinkled in the blue ceiling sky, and on the southernmost wall hung a full Hawaiian moon presiding over a painted landscape and splashing waterfall.”
Ray West Orchestra in 1930…
Due to the foresight of Abe Frank, the manager of both the hotel and the Grove, in the mid-1920s the Ambassador had been equipped with a small radio studio, allowing the music of the various orchestras to be broadcast and enjoyed well outside the confines of the nightclub. From the late 1920s well into the 1960s, live “remote” programs broadcast from the Cocoanut Grove were a popular feature of nighttime radio, allowing millions of people to enjoy the music they would otherwise be unable to afford to hear in person. These broadcasts, aired live nightly for two full hours, only increased the reputation of the Grove as “the place to be” when it came to top notch West Coast entertainment.
From the beginning, the Cocoanut Grove’s glamorous atmosphere attracted the top names in Hollywood for dining, dancing, and mingling. This celebrity connection was always well-publicized by the Ambassador and for a very good reason, too: tourists coming to Los Angeles for a vacation wanted to see the stars and there was no place where the stars came out quite so regularly as the Ambassador Hotel. On an average evening, it was common to see such well-known celebrities as Joan Crawford, Jack Oakie, or Jean Harlow coming to see Bing Crosby or Russ Columbo sing with Gus Arnheim’s Orchestra or dance to Jimmie Grier’s band as they accompanied Loyce Whiteman, The Three Ambassadors (Martin Sperzel, Jack Smith, and Al Teeter), or popular tenor Donald Novis. Even though there was a nationwide depression, Hollywood stars and executives still needed to be entertained — and the Cocoanut Grove was often their first choice.
From 1930 to 1943, six Academy Awards ceremonies were hosted at the hotel. As many as seven U.S. presidents stayed at the Ambassador, from Hoover to Nixon, along with heads of state from around the world.
It was the place to be even in the 1960s…
In 1968, the Ambassador Hotel was the scene of the shooting of Bobby Kennedy.
Due to the decline of the hotel and the surrounding area, the Ambassador Hotel was closed to guests in 1989. In 2001, the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) purchased the property with the intent of constructing three new schools within the area. After subsequent litigations to preserve the hotel as a historic site, a settlement allowed the Ambassador Hotel to be demolished in 2005.
VALSANTI
Ted Fio Rito used the pseudonym ‘Valsanti’ for these Cocoanut Grove transcriptions because of an existing recording contract.
Fio Rito was a pianist, hammond organist and the composer of such classic tunes as, “I Never Knew,” “Toot, Toot, Tootsie, Goodbye,” “Laugh, Clown, Laugh,” “Roll Along, Prairie Moon” and “Alone at a Table for Two.”
He started his career as a pianist with a series of bands led by Harry Yerkes, then moved to Chicago in 1921 to join Dan Russo’s band. The following year, he joined with Russo to become the co-leader the Oriole Terrace Orchestra, which he eventually took over when Russo departed in 1928.
Before coming to the Cocoanut Grove in mid-1933, Fio Rito had spent a number of years touring the East Coast and Midwest, including many engagements in Chicago, St. Louis, Kansas City and Cincinnati. An early radio enthusiast, Fio Rito’s band was frequently heard on the air from various nightspots – preparing him well for the regular broadcasts scheduled to emanate from the Grove during his stay.
Musically, the orchestra that Fio Rito brought to the Grove was sweet, smooth and clever, playing highly danceable music accented with temple blocks, rapid triplets, and even an occasional solo on the Hammond organ by its talented leader.
Due to an existing recording contract, Theodore Salvatore Fiorito’s singers also adopted pseudonyms for these transcriptions. Muzzy Marcellino, Fio Rito’s guitarist and primary vocalist, sings as Jack Howard. Howard Phillips sings under the name of Bill Thomas, and Fio Rito’s vocal trio The Debutants appear as The Three Keys.
Watch Ted Fio Rito from the Cocoanut Grove in this 1934 Paramount short ‘Star night atthe Cocoanut Grove’ also featuring Mary Pickford and Bing Crosby. You’ll hear the extreme high and low four octave voice of Jimmy Durante’s future comic foil Candy Candido in what is thought to be his earliest film performance….
Ted Fio Rito, band leader, composer and pianist, under the radio pseudonym ‘Vincent Valsanti’, is this week’s Phantom Dancer feature artist in a 1934 Cocoanut Grove radio transcription.
Since I’ve been playing radio transcriptions made in 1934 of ‘Valsanti’ from the Cocoanut Grove Los Angeles over the past three weeks, here’s a little about the Ted Fio Rito / Valsanti / Cocoanut Grove story along with videos from the era.
The Phantom Dancer – your non-stop mix of swing and jazz from live 1920s-60s radio and TV hosted by me, Greg Poppleton.
The Cocoanut Grove at Los Angeles’ Ambassador Hotel was a lavishly appointed club – part of the massive 23-acre Ambassador resort, which also included four restaurants, a bowling alley, a billiard room, a shopping plaza, and even a movie theater – decorated in Moroccan style and featured full-sized palm trees reportedly salvaged from Rudolph Valentino’s film “The Sheik.” In addition to the decor, which also offered a night sky filled with stars (thanks to about 1000 small light bulbs), an elevated stage, and both dining and dancing room for several hundred patrons, customers came for the smooth musical entertainment provided by a series of dance orchestras and popular vocalists – many of whom would later go on to star careers in radio, recordings, and the film industry.
In the 1980 book, “Are the Stars Out Tonight?”, former Ambassador PR Director, Margaret Tante Burk, recalls the Grove’s opening night:
“…on the night of April 21, 1921… the new club officially opened its Moroccan style, gold leaf and etched palm tree doors… The Cocoanut Grove was aptly named, guests agreed as they were escorted by the maître de and captains down the wide plush grand staircase… Overhead, soaring about the room were cocoanut trees of papier mache, cocoanuts and palm fronds which had been rescued from the sandy beaches of Oxnard where they had served as atmosphere of the 1921 classic, The Sheik. Swinging from their branches were stuffed monkeys blinking at the revelers with their electrified amber eyes. Stars twinkled in the blue ceiling sky, and on the southernmost wall hung a full Hawaiian moon presiding over a painted landscape and splashing waterfall.”
Ray West Orchestra in 1930…
Due to the foresight of Abe Frank, the manager of both the hotel and the Grove, in the mid-1920s the Ambassador had been equipped with a small radio studio, allowing the music of the various orchestras to be broadcast and enjoyed well outside the confines of the nightclub. From the late 1920s well into the 1960s, live “remote” programs broadcast from the Cocoanut Grove were a popular feature of nighttime radio, allowing millions of people to enjoy the music they would otherwise be unable to afford to hear in person. These broadcasts, aired live nightly for two full hours, only increased the reputation of the Grove as “the place to be” when it came to top notch West Coast entertainment.
From the beginning, the Cocoanut Grove’s glamorous atmosphere attracted the top names in Hollywood for dining, dancing, and mingling. This celebrity connection was always well-publicized by the Ambassador and for a very good reason, too: tourists coming to Los Angeles for a vacation wanted to see the stars and there was no place where the stars came out quite so regularly as the Ambassador Hotel. On an average evening, it was common to see such well-known celebrities as Joan Crawford, Jack Oakie, or Jean Harlow coming to see Bing Crosby or Russ Columbo sing with Gus Arnheim’s Orchestra or dance to Jimmie Grier’s band as they accompanied Loyce Whiteman, The Three Ambassadors (Martin Sperzel, Jack Smith, and Al Teeter), or popular tenor Donald Novis. Even though there was a nationwide depression, Hollywood stars and executives still needed to be entertained — and the Cocoanut Grove was often their first choice.
From 1930 to 1943, six Academy Awards ceremonies were hosted at the hotel. As many as seven U.S. presidents stayed at the Ambassador, from Hoover to Nixon, along with heads of state from around the world.
It was the place to be even in the 1960s…
In 1968, the Ambassador Hotel was the scene of the shooting of Bobby Kennedy.
Due to the decline of the hotel and the surrounding area, the Ambassador Hotel was closed to guests in 1989. In 2001, the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) purchased the property with the intent of constructing three new schools within the area. After subsequent litigations to preserve the hotel as a historic site, a settlement allowed the Ambassador Hotel to be demolished in 2005.
VALSANTI
Ted Fio Rito used the pseudonym ‘Valsanti’ for these Cocoanut Grove transcriptions because of an existing recording contract.
Fio Rito was a pianist, hammond organist and the composer of such classic tunes as, “I Never Knew,” “Toot, Toot, Tootsie, Goodbye,” “Laugh, Clown, Laugh,” “Roll Along, Prairie Moon” and “Alone at a Table for Two.”
He started his career as a pianist with a series of bands led by Harry Yerkes, then moved to Chicago in 1921 to join Dan Russo’s band. The following year, he joined with Russo to become the co-leader the Oriole Terrace Orchestra, which he eventually took over when Russo departed in 1928.
Before coming to the Cocoanut Grove in mid-1933, Fio Rito had spent a number of years touring the East Coast and Midwest, including many engagements in Chicago, St. Louis, Kansas City and Cincinnati. An early radio enthusiast, Fio Rito’s band was frequently heard on the air from various nightspots – preparing him well for the regular broadcasts scheduled to emanate from the Grove during his stay.
Musically, the orchestra that Fio Rito brought to the Grove was sweet, smooth and clever, playing highly danceable music accented with temple blocks, rapid triplets, and even an occasional solo on the Hammond organ by its talented leader.
Due to an existing recording contract, Theodore Salvatore Fiorito’s singers also adopted pseudonyms for these transcriptions. Muzzy Marcellino, Fio Rito’s guitarist and primary vocalist, sings as Jack Howard. Howard Phillips sings under the name of Bill Thomas, and Fio Rito’s vocal trio The Debutants appear as The Three Keys.
Watch Ted Fio Rito from the Cocoanut Grove in this 1934 Paramount short ‘Star night atthe Cocoanut Grove’ also featuring Mary Pickford and Bing Crosby. You’ll hear the extreme high and low four octave voice of Jimmy Durante’s future comic foil Candy Candido in what is thought to be his earliest film performance….
24 MAY PLAY LIST
Play List – The Phantom Dancer
107.3 2SER-FM Sydney LISTEN ONLINECommunity Radio Network Show CRN #546
The Rivoli Show is a music and dance spectacle created by the Dance Makers Collective. The Greg Poppleton Trio (Greg Poppleton 1920s vocals, Grahame Conlon guitar and banjo, Cazzbo Johns sousaphone) introduces the hour show. The Rivoli Show was a sold-out hit of the 2020 Sydney Festival.
It played at the beautifully restored Art Deco Malachi Gilmore Hall in Oberon on Saturday night 9 April and a Sunday matinee on 10 April. Here are some photos…
Greg Poppleton, Australia’s only authentic 1920s-30s singer at The Rivoli show in front of his vintage microphone.
THE RIVOLI SHOW
A celebration of social life before social media, when to meet was to talk, laugh and move to music together.
The Rivoli is an immersive dance hall meets dance theatre performance, The Rivoli is a tribute to the iconic dance halls across Australia that were a celebration of social life before social media.
Dancemakers’ Collective dancer, Katina Olsen, taking a band photo as the audience take to the dance floor at The Rivoli
A hit at Sydney Festival 2020, this joyous production will celebrate the launch of the iconic Malachi Gilmore Hall in Oberon… after four decades of waiting for dancers to return to the dance floor.
The Rivoli features some of Australia’s best dancers and a stellar live band, The Greg Poppleton Trio. It is Dance Makers Collective’s most ambitious work yet, The Rivoli, an ode to a bygone dance era.
“a thoroughly entertaining and surprising work.”
“…energetic, lively and moving.” Callum McLean
Cazzbo Johns on sousaphone with Greg Poppleton’s 1920s-30s Trio
Grahame Conlon, banjo, in Greg Poppleton 1920s-30s Trio
DANCE MAKERS COLLECTIVE
DMC emerged in 2012 when a group of ten driven independent dance makers in Sydney gathered to take charge by working together to create new work in an environment where local opportunities to do so were slim. Over a few pizzas and some wine, each of us pitched ideas for short works to each other, and conceived of a program called Big Dance in Small Chunks – ten artists, ten works, ten minutes each. This informal get-together was where DMC was born.
After that meeting, we met with our now long-time partner and friend FORM Dance Projects in Parramatta and asked them to present our work in their 2013 program, which they took on with great enthusiasm. We asked our now long-time friends Legs On The Wall, Bangarra and Sydney Dance Company if we could use their rehearsal spaces to develop the work, successfully undertook a TRIP Residency at Tasdance, ran a crowdfunding campaign and approached a small arts charity Ars Musica Australis for some financial support. We applied for funding to (then) Arts NSW and secured enough funding to start developing the work, which came as a welcome shock to us as a brand new collective of artists, many of us in our first year of practice. We applied in two successive rounds to the Australia Council, unsuccessful both times, but we pushed on anyway and presented the program of works by rehearsing part-time to develop it, and underpaying ourselves.
When Big Dance in Small Chunks premiered in 2013 at Riverside Theatres, it was triumphant. The season was the most highly attended dance show in FORM’s program that year and was awarded Most Significant Dance Event of 2013 in Dance Australia Magazine’s annual critics’ awards. Jill Sykes wrote of the show in the Sydney Morning Herald at the time:
“The first showing by the Dance Makers Collective has imagination, thoughtfulness, individuality, performing ability and commitment. Even a sense of humour. It is a promising start by a group of independent artists in NSW, and worth catching in what will hopefully be a beginning rather than a one-off.”
And it was just the beginning.
Following the success of Big Dance in Small Chunks, DMC secured funding and mentorship support through the Australia Council’s (now defunct) JUMP Mentorship program. This enabled us to launch our second project WEBISODES, a series of short dance films created by each of the ten members, our first foray into dance on film which has been viewed by more than 10,000 people since being published online in 2014. In that same year, we supported three of the ten works presented in Big Dance in Small Chunks to be pushed further into longer works, curated in a Triple Bill again presented by FORM Dance Projects at Riverside Theatres, this time in 2015.
In these works, we started working more collaboratively together than we had before. Up until this point, we supported each other by working for one another as performers, providing feedback to each other, but essentially each of us were individual makers with ideas for works we wanted to make, to steer alone, but with some help from our peers. Our working methodology began to evolve from this relatively common way of making to a much richer, collaborative making process, which shifted even further in our next show.
DADS, which premiered in 2016, was a turning point for us and our most ambitious project to date. In DADS, DMC co-choreographed one full-length show, where each member shared equal responsibility for the show’s development. The show was also our first foray into community-engaged practice, where we took up residence at Dance Integrated Australia in the Northern Rivers region of NSW and worked with a local men’s group the Dustyesky Russian Men’s Choir, interviewing them about their dance experiences and recording their rehearsal in the pub in Mullumbimby, which formed the soundtrack for our opening sequence. We collaborated with our fathers, asking them for their advice about the show, they built our set, gave us dance moves, curated the show’s music and provided interview content that threaded together the narrative arc of the work; oh, and they danced with us in the show too!
DADS was shortlisted for the Australian Dance Award for Outstanding Achievement in Independent Dance in 2017.
After the success of DADS, and proven successes before that with our other three projects, DMC decided to take the next step and transition to a more independent company. Until this point, we relied heavily on our partners because DMC was an unincorporated entity, a group of individual artists with a name to work under, but no formal legal structure. We were, and still are, committed to a democratic model of working where members share not only in the creative process in the studio and on stage, but in the strategic direction of the company. To maintain autonomy over this as a group of artists, DMC formed a partnership of its now 9 members; this enabled us to apply for our own funding and manage our own projects without relying on other incorporated bodies.
As a partnership, DMC secured two successive rounds of strategic funding through Create NSW, a project grant through Create NSW, and a project and career development grant through the Australia Council. The strategic funding rounds we secured, Making Spaces and Emerging Organisations, enabled us to form new partnerships with local councils and Western Sydney based arts companies and local government arts centres including PYT Fairfield, Urban Theatre Projects, Blacktown Arts and Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre.
With this strategic funding DMC piloted new programs that launched in 2019, these were:
1. Mobilise (dancer training intensive);
2. Future Makers (youth dance company);
3. Thrive (schools incursions) and;
4. Dance On (dance classes for seniors)
At the same time, DMC seeded a range of new short works with our Making Spaces funding, which allowed us to work in community centres across Western Sydney by giving each member in DMC residency time of 4 weeks across an 18 month period from 2018-2019. Several of these seeded works have had presentation outcomes, these include:
1. Marnie and Melanie Palomares’ work The Space Between, a site-specific duet performed at the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra as part of the BOLD Festival and at Articulate Project Space in Leichhardt as part of de Quincey co’s PLATFORM 2019;
2. Carl Sciberras’ work with collaborator’s Todd Fuller (visual/projection artist) and Mitchell Mollison (composer) Figure Out, a live drawing, live sound, live dance performance installation for children performed at the WOW Festival at Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre;
3. Rosslyn Wythes’ Converge/\Diverge, a series of collaborative projects with ceramicist Holly Macdonald which have been presented in Brussels;
4. And Rosslyn Wythes’ Eco 1000, a site-specific solo about the Bathurst 1000 performed as part of ArtState 2018
Making Spaces also seeded a new duet between DMC members Katina Olsen (Wakka Wakka and Kombumerri woman) and Anya McKee called Women’s Business, which will undergo further and final development in 2020 for presentation in 2021.
Whilst piloting these programs, and developing and presenting these short works, DMC also developed The Rivoli, which was an even more ambitious community-engaged project than DADS which had a sold-out premiere season at Sydney Festival in January 2020. With funding from Create NSW, Cumberland Council, City of Parramatta, the Australia Council and Sydney Festival, this large-scale site-specific work brought together members of the local community, DMC’s new youth company Future Makers, a live swing band and 8 DMC performers at Granville Town Hall.
Given the breadth and scope of our program and projects, DMC became an incorporated association in 2019 and established a volunteer board consisting of members of the company and skilled professionals working outside DMC.
Once establishing ourselves as a company, DMC successfully secured for the first time Annual Program Funding through Create NSW. This funding enables us to continue our programs in 2020 as resident company at PYT Fairfield. The General Manager and Engagement Officer, DMC members Carl Sciberras and Melanie Palomares, work side-by-side with the remaining collective members to design and create opportunities for artists and the public to engage in rich dance experiences. This flat organisational structure enables us to lead together and adapt the program based on the emergence of ideas from within the company, and in response to opportunities that arise externally that align with our values, aims and objectives.
DMC is an exceptionally nimble creative enterprise that provides opportunities for artists in Sydney to create work together, and for a range of other demographic groups to engage in dance in various ways. We are a leader in our area of practice and exist as a beacon for others not only in dance, but in the arts more broadly, seeking to change the status-quo and embrace new ways of operating.
ABOUT THE MALACHI
The recently restored Art Deco Malachi Gilmore Memorial Hall occupies a prominent position in the main street of Oberon. Its asymmetrical façade is a striking Inter-war Art Deco addition to the streetscape of Oberon Street and the town generally.
Facade, Art Deco Malachi Gilmore Hall, Oberon NSW
On its opening in 1937, The Sydney Morning Herald wrote,
“The Malachi Gilmore Memorial Hall recently completed at Oberon has for its architectural basis the famous Pharos pylon of Alexandria. This historical pylon had a height of 460 feet. It was built by Sostratus of Cynidus. The architects of the Oberon Hall conceived the idea of making it a minor replica of the Pharos pylon. This design was accepted by the parish priest (Dr. A.J. Gummers) and the representatives of the late Malachi Gilmore, who was a native of Ireland. This was a startlingly bold design, but now that the hall has been completed it is a really beautiful building without being in the least incongruous. It is one of the architectural landmarks not merely of the town, but also of the whole district between the Blue Mountains and Lithgow. Tourists admire the bold outlines of the new building.
Alternative facade view, Malachi Gilmore Hall, Oberon NSW
Many, ignorant of the antiquity of the design (the Pharos tower was supposed to have been erected 283BC, and was favourably commented on by Pliny and Strabo, ancient historians), regard it as ultra modern in conception. An old hall adjoining emphasises the bold outlines of the new building. A striking feature of the front of the new building is the use of glass bricks supplied by the Australian Glass Company, Sydney. The remainder of the building is stoutly built in brick and concrete. The hall measures 110 feet by 40 feet. It is used mainly for Roman Catholic social functions. . . Mr H. A. Taylor, Sydney, was the builder of the hall.”
The façade is rendered concrete with a complex massing of curving and rectangular shapes presenting a stepped skyline to the street. The emphasis is generally horizontal except for a central portion with a vertical pier rising to a height of nearly 14 metres. The metal-framed windows create a grid-like pattern and are stepped in size and proportion to match the stepped façade. Glass bricks form a large curved wall. The building’s name is rendered in stylized lettering on the façade.
The interior of the façade section of the building is largely intact and contains a foyer with fireplace, gallery, cloak rooms, bio-box and rewinding rooms at the front. In the main hall the walls are decorated with plasterwork, with some original Morene Art stucco work. The flooring of the foyer and main hall is West Australian jarrah hardwood. Under the main hall is another floor with slab concrete flooring supporting “supper rooms” and opening at ground level onto the large parking area at the rear of the property. The foyer is approximately 65 square metres (700 sq ft) and the hall has 279 square metres (3000 sq ft) of dancing space. Curiously, the hall was built in reverse of the architect’s plans.
Foyer, Malachi-Gilmore Hall, Oberon NSW
Some major, although not structural changes were made during the 1980s, disconnecting the façade from the main hall section of the building. A stud wall now blocks the view that was formerly available from an upstairs viewing area onto the main hall (this vewing area has been converted in part to an office and in part left as open space). Similarly a stud wall blocks the view that was formerly available from the mezzanine level projection room into the main hall. At the time of renovation two new bathrooms were built in the façade section. A section of the stage in the main hall section was also cut out to make room for an elevator to convey goods from the rear parking area.
Glass brick wall Malachi Gilmore Hall, Oberon NSW
Thorne, Tod and Cork point out that one of the building’s eccentricities is that “the auditorium does not match the façade in any way. The former is a rather plain country hall with a stage, proscenium, stalls and small gallery” (1996, 302). According to Scott Robinson of the NSW Art Deco Society, “The Malachi Gilmore Hall is a most unusual combination of a diminiative (sic) Modern “picture palace” front (with its vertical fin and roof) and Modern Movement rectiliniarity of the stepped massing of the building behind the front” (quoted in the Heritage Inventory nomination form submitted by the Friends of the Malachi Gilmore Hall, 2001). Ross Thorne’s 1983 “Theatres/Cinemas in NSW” states that the exterior of the hall is “unique in a kind of west-coast USA 1930s design style with a vague Frank Lloyd Wright influence produced by the feeling of horizontality (in parts). It also has a very strong vertical element at the front, and glass bricks in the manner of Depression Modern”. Thorne, Tod and Cork’s “Movie Theatre Heritage Register” states, “there is nothing quite like it elsewhere in New South Wales. Even by today’s standards, the building is unusual and futuristic” (1996, 302).
Cinema projector from the days when the Malchi Gilmore Hall was also Oberon’s picture theatre
The architectural significance of the hall has been widely recognised and is reflected in the large number of heritage listings: Oberon Shire Council LEP, RAIA Register of Twentieth Century Buildings, the Register of the National Trust of Australia (NSW), the Register of the Art Deco Society, and Ross Thorne’s Movie Theatre Heritage Register.
The Great Art Deco Ball. Greg Poppleton returned by popular demand to the highlight of the Blue Mountains 1920s Festival – the Great Art Deco Ball – celebrating 12 years in 2022 at the wedding cake-like, Carrington Hotel in Katoomba.
Greg Poppleton 1920s-style singer and dancers…
The Blue Mountains, just west of Sydney, is largely a national park with a string of towns through its centre along the western highway from Sydney known for their beauty and arts. Katoomba is the largest of these towns.
This year, because of Covid, the Carrington Hotel’s famous Great Art Deco Ball was moved from its traditional February date to Saturday 2nd April.
It was a dazzling Hollywood entertainment experience ‘1920’s style’ of dining and dancing. Stepping out in the fashion of a bygone era in the Grand Dining Room of the historic Carrington Hotel, Katoomba.
Full dance floor at the 2022 Great Art Deco Ball…
Greg Poppleton, Australia’s only authentic 1920s – 1930s singer, brought the ‘twenties’ to life adding a little vintage glamour to the night!
Step out in the fashion of a bygone era and dance the night away, enjoy a sumptuous 3-course dinner, with prizes for best dressed.
In Greg’s band: Geoff Power cornet and sousaphone, Grahame Conlon banjo and guitar, and Richelle Booth clarinet and bass saxophone.
Richelle Booth on the bass sax…
CARRINGTON HOTEL
The Carrington Hotel is a heritage-listed former spa, hotel and power station and now hotel and public bar located at Katoomba Street, Katoomba in the City of Blue Mountains local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by John Kirkpatrick and Bosser in 1882; and by Edward H. Hogben with Goyder Brothers in 1911-13; and built from 1882 to 1913 by F. Drewett in 1882; and by Howie, Brown and Moffit in 1912-13. It is also known as Great Western Hotel. The property is privately owned. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.
Geoff Power on the mighty sousaphone…
The Carrington is the only 19th century grand resort hotel still in use in New South Wales. It also retains much of the fabric of its major phases of development and continues to occupy the commanding position in Katoomba that it has done since its construction. It was built in 1883 by Harry George Rowell, a large hotel owner from Sydney, and was owned by a series of prominent families over the next century. Today it is still operating as a high class hotel providing accommodation and restaurant services.
Grahame Conlon on banjo and guitar…
THE GRAND DINING ROM
From 1885 Carrington began to make additions to the premises including an additional wing, dining hall, two drawing rooms and a music room, resulting in 119 bedrooms and seven suites of rooms, two tennis courts and flower and vegetable gardens.. He told a newspaper reporter in 1890 of the improvements he had made. The article read,
“Among the additions and improvements to the building are the following — a wing built (in 1886) of cut stone, and having a southerly aspect, consisting of 20 single rooms, and called ‘the bachelors’ wing.’ Early in 1888 Mr. Goyder, having taken advantage of his right, purchased the hotel, and, finding the accommodation insufficient, added 50 more rooms. This addition stands in the courtyard and is joined to the main building. It is higher than the remaining portions of the hotel and adds to the imposing appearance of the pile. A music-room has also been added to the drawing room, and is separated from it by large folding doors. The floor of the music room is of polished tallow-wood, and is partly covered with Austrian rugs, which are easily removed for dancing. The piano is a Brinsmead, and is considered one of the finest grands; its tone is full and soft. The dining hall is also new; it measures 60ft, by 40ft. The floor is carpeted, and everything conducive to comfort is present. The ceiling is lofty, the lighting good, and the table decorations and menu leave nothing to be desired. This hall is capable of seating 200 guests. There are now 135 rooms in the hotel, among which are seven suites of private apartments, most comfortably furnished and conveniently situated, including one of the prettiest bridal suites to be found in the colonies.”
Geoff Power soloing on trumpet…
The book Greg Poppleton’s 1920s-30s music for your event, email Tony Jex at OzManagement tony@ozmanagement.com
Zelda, Magazine of the Vintage Nouveau, is a glossy annual published by the multi-talented US actor, cinematographer and stills photographer, Don Spiro.
If you’re a fan of what matters in Nouveau Vintage in the USA, then this magazine is for you. Even the ads for newly tailored vintage suits and cravats are a great resource for those of us worldwide who look sharp.
In this, the latest 2022 edition, the Zelda annual invites you to “enjoy a vintage cocktail, and listen to some old jazz while you page through the articles in this issue…”
WHAT’S IN THIS YEAR’S ZELDA
“We start with researcher and historian Garret Richard’s take on Trader Vic’s tropical tequila classic cocktail, El Diablo, followed by Eff’s Style Emporium’s review of the allure of that vintage summer fabric, Palm Beach Cloth.
We have interviews with Jazz-Age-style singer Greg Poppleton and New York burlesque star Dandy Dillinger.
We’ll catch up on the undertakings of Philadelphia bandleader, Drew Nugent and we’ll learn about the history of the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum.”
“We’ll learn from Queen Esther how influential accomplishments people of color have gone unacknowledged, and Mr. Burton will enlighten us about appreciating vintage style without vintage values.
We’ll introduce you to the sites of jazz age arts and culture in Atlanta, Georgia, and our Recipe Box feature about the U. S. Department Of Agriculture’s Circular 109 from 1918, “Cottage Cheese Dishes,” appropriately shows how to enjoy tasty recipes in hard times, and with social activities returning, we are thrilled to showcase various Jazz Age and Prohibition-era events that our readers have attended in On The Town.”
It’s an honour to be published in this year’s Zelda.
Actor - Singer - Voiceover 