It was a melodrama about a woman who locks another in the family burial vault to prevent her from marrying her brother. The play was supposed to open in London at The Globe but wound up at The Strand.

Thorndike was a British actress, and the sister of author Russell Thorndike. Her first public performance was as a pianist at age of 11, but a few years later had to give up the piano due to piano cramp. Her brother suggested she train as an actress. When only 21 she was offered her first professional contract, a tour of the USA with the actor-manager Ben Greet's company. She made her first stage appearance in Greet's 1904 production of Shakespeare's "The Merry Wives of Windsor". She went on to tour the States in Shakespearean repertory for four years, playing more than 100 roles.

Nares had a lengthy stage and screen career and, for most of the 1920s, was Britain's favourite matinée idol and silent film star. In 1910, after a year's acting training, he was playing bit parts in West End productions, including the St. James’s Theatre and the Pinero’s Mid Channel. Over the next few years, he performed with many of the stars of the era including Beerbohm Tree, Constance Collier and Marion Terry. Nares starred in popular West End shows, almost without pause, until 1926, when he set off with his own company for a tour of South Africa. A year or two later, he continued his West End career through the 1930s, starring in this play and in "Call it a Day" at the Globe Theatre the next year.

The show also featured: Dora Barton, H. Worral-Thompson, Josephine Dent, Edwin Morton, Carol Goodner, Christine Silver, George Elton, Charles Lefeaux, Owen Nares, Sebastian Shaw and James Parish. McFadden appears to have only written one other play, the 1945 effort, "Signature" and an effort it must have been as it only lasted for two performances on Broadway.

Other features of the magazine include: the weekly Theatre Gossip column with a caricature of Sir Nigel Playfair and a photo of Lesley Wareing in the title role of Wycherley's "The Country Wife" at The Ambassadors, Leslie Banks and Gillian Lind as Clive and Mrs Clive in "Clive of India" at the Wyndham, and Nora Swinburne, Frank Allenby, Marie Tempest and Claude Horton in a scene from Harwood's play, "The Old Folks at Home" at the Queen's Theatre. The regular column, "The Stage of the Past" number 8, Colley Cibber, 1671-1757; the regular column, "The Stage of the Present", an interview with Patrick Waddington by Dorothy Drake; book and record reviews and several other features.

PROVENANCE: this item comes from the collection of H. W. Roxburgh of Liverpool, in whose extensive collection of theatrical ephemera this item was contained. It was purchased at Fellows and Sons Auction, Birmingham (UK) in Aug, 2007.

The covers and textblock are bright and clean but the staples are rusty and the cover is detached but present.
007643

Price: 10.00 GBP

The revue was originally produced in 1935 and ran for 387 performances at London's Strand Theatre. This revival had book and lyrics by Reginald Arkell and music composed by Alfred Reynolds. Beatrice Appleyard choreographed the ballet and ensembles with Patrick Savill conducting the orchestra and Richard Littledale and Henson staged the production. Starring were Henson and Styles. The cast also included Babette O'Deal, Alfred McQuigan, Richard Ablett, Finlay Morrison, Peter Mosley, George Dale, Michael Rocharde, John Stewart, Wynn Dyson, Dennis Taylor, Wallas Eaton, Gordon Little, Gavin Gordon, Donald Carson, Edwin Styles, Jean Anderson, Pamela Healey, Joy Adams, Corps De Ballet, Philip Howard, Patricia Gaunt, Jean Haines, Mirren Wood, and Henry Caine.

Henson (1891 - 1957) was an English comedian, actor, film producer, theatre producer and director. He worked in silent films and Edwardian musical comedy and then became a popular music hall comedian who enjoyed a long stage career. He starred in comic roles in hit West End musicals such as "To-Night's the Night", "Theodore & Co" and "Yes, Uncle!". He also appeared in a number of films, beginning in 1916, and eventually on television. Henson signed up with the Royal Flying Corps but was removed from active service to run a concert party group called "The Gaieties" in the fifth Army, to give shows for the troops in 1918. He then returned to the West End in musicals and comedies, some of the long-running Aldwych Farces, and a string of comedies at the Winter Garden Theatre.

In 1930, Henson and his business partner Firth Shephard co-leased the Novello Theatre and presented a series of farces, "It's a Boy!", "It's a Girl!", "Nice Goings On!" and "Aren't Men Beasts!". At the outbreak of WWII, he returned to the UK from a tour of South Africa and, together with Basil Dean, formed the Entertainments National Service Association, also known as the "ENSA". In 1945, he starred in a revival of the musical adaptation of "1066 and All That" at the Palace Theatre, London.

PROVENANCE: this item comes from the collection of H. W. Roxburgh of Liverpool, in whose extensive collection of theatrical ephemera this item was contained. It was purchased at Fellows and Sons Auction, Birmingham (UK) in Aug, 2007.

This item is in very good condition except for slight edgewear and a rusted staple.
008525

Price: 7.50 GBP

Chetham-Strode (1896 - 1974) was an English author and playwright. He wrote several plays including "The Guinea Pig" and "A Play for Ronnie" and screenplays for several films between 1935 and 1951 including "Odette".

PROVENANCE: this item comes from the collection of H. W. Roxburgh's extensive collection of theatrical ephemera. It was purchased at Fellows and Sons Auction, Birmingham (UK) in Aug, 2007.

The text is clean, except for very slight edgewear and creases.
008584

Price: 7.50 GBP

In the cast were: Alice Delysia and Rex Harrison. Also in this production's cast were , Winifred Radford, Enid Doughty, Ian Jarvis, Anthony Gordon, Sidney Trevelyan, Hugh Casson, Leo Sheffieeld, Richard Murdoch, Peggy Rawlings, Margaret Davidge, Madge White, Edward Bonfield, Walter Pemberton, Edward Roye, Scott Freeland, Harold de Vere, Mary Radford, Robert Coote, and Harold Colonna. The play ran at The Gaiety Theatre London earlier in the year for 181 performances.

The show is a comedy of the absurd in which a woman who thinks she has a rival for the love of an officer, eventually finds out the rival is his mother.

Delysia (1889-1979), was a French actress and singer, was "from the 1920s until her retirement in the late 1940s, one of the most exciting and alluring stars of the London stage," according to Patrick Newley IMDb's Mini Biography of her. And a brief sketch of her life at the National Portrait Gallery, said she "began as a chorus girl at the Moulin Rouge in Paris... In London she gained her greatest success in a series of revues produced by C.B. Cochran, including "As You Were" (1918) ... and "On With The Dance" (1924) in which she introduced Noël Coward's 'Poor Little Rich Girl'. At the Gaiety Theatre she was the worldly-wise actress in "Mother Of Pearl" (1933)"

PROVENANCE: this item comes from the collection of H. W. Roxburgh of Liverpool, in whose extensive collection of theatrical ephemera this item was contained. It was purchased at Fellows and Sons Auction, Birmingham (UK) in Aug, 2007.

The pamphlet has an inked notation by the prior owner noting the play came from a London theatre, also a rusted staple a one-inch closed tear half way down the foredge and lots of edgewear..
008020

Price: 7.50 GBP

Ilona Ross arranged the ballets. Charles Ross worte and produced the show.

PROVENANCE: this item comes from the collection of H. W. Roxburgh of Liverpool, in whose extensive collection of theatrical ephemera this item was contained. It was purchased at Fellows and Sons Auction, Birmingham (UK) in Aug, 2007.

This item is a bit edgeworn.
008520

Price: 7.50 GBP

Lonsdale (1881 - 1954) was an English dramatist and progenitor of the theatrical family which includes his grandsons, the actors Edward Fox and James Fox; great-grand-daughter the actress, Emilia Fox; James' third child, the actor, Laurence Fox; and the film producer Robert Fox.

His first production was the musical "King of Cadonia" (1908). His next success was "The Balkan Princess" (1910), which, according to wikipedia was little more than "King of Cadonia" with the sexes reversed, but it enjoyed a good London run and a long and wide provincial tour and foreign productions. He also wrote some classic straight comedies, such as "Aren't We All?" (1923), "Spring Cleaning" (1925), and "The Last of Mrs. Cheyney" (1925, which ran for 514 performances).

Reid, (1919 - 1996) was a British actress of stage and screen. Her first professional performances were in a revue in the summer season at Bridlington in 1936. Although she had no formal training she was able to join London's Royal National Theatre as a comedy actress. Her first big success came in the BBC radio show "Educating Archie" as naughty schoolgirl, Monica, wikipedia says.

She reprised her Tony Award-winning performance of a lesbian soap opera star in The Killing of Sister George for the screen version and was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture Actress in a Drama.

PROVENANCE: this item comes from the collection of H. W. Roxburgh of Liverpool, in whose extensive collection of theatrical ephemera this item was contained. It was purchased at Fellows and Sons Auction, Birmingham (UK) in Aug, 2007.

This item is in very good condition except for slight edgewear and Roxburgh's inked notation that this is a "touring" production.
008513

Price: 7.50 GBP

The show starred Emney (in his stereotypical guise as the "posh fat bloke", usually gruff and invariably wearing a monocle)and Richard Hearne. Also in the cast were many of the same cast members as would appear in the London production including Margaret Halstan, Triss Henderson, Norman Prince, Monica Lang, George Burn, Barry MacDonald, Matt Nixon, Harry Lane, Carol Raye, Edward Baxter, Gerald Lawson, Albert Weston, Peggy Hahn, and the Freddie Carpenter Dancers.

Emney (1900 - 1980) was an English character actor and comedian, according to wikipedia. Born to a theatrical family, he grew up in London. His early career saw him working in music hall before making his film debut in 1935. He became a familiar figure to screen audiences, usually playing the "posh fat bloke", usually gruff and invariably wearing a monocle, according to wikipedia.

During the 1950s, he had his own television show, wikipedia notes, which featured sketches and deft piano pieces often composed by him. He had a short spell as straight man to puppets Pinky and Perky.

Hearne, (1908 - 1979) was an English actor, comedian, producer and writer. He is probably best remembered for his stage and television character Mr Pastry. According to the whirligig-tv dot co dot uk site, "'Mr. Pastry' complete with walrus moustache and flapping coat-tails.... [and] ...usual introductory music was 'Pop Goes the Weasel'. He was born into a theatrical family. His father was an acrobat and his mother a dramatic actress; he made his stage debut in her arms at the age of six weeks....." It was in and for this show that he created the character of "Mr Pastry".

PROVENANCE: this item comes from the collection of H. W. Roxburgh of Liverpool, in whose extensive collection of theatrical ephemera this item was contained. It was purchased at Fellows and Sons Auction, Birmingham (UK) in Aug, 2007.

This item has some edgewear and creases.
008579

Price: 7.50 GBP

PROVENANCE: this item comes from the collection of H. W. Roxburgh's extensive collection of theatrical ephemera. It was purchased at Fellows and Sons Auction, Birmingham (UK) in Aug, 2007.

The covers and textblock are showing a bit of age, with a couple of full length folds where there shouldn't be folds and some inked calculations apparently related to ticket prices. But overall very good condition.
007979

Price: 7.50 GBP

PROVENANCE: this item comes from the collection of H. W. Roxburgh of Liverpool, in whose extensive collection of theatrical ephemera this item was contained. It was purchased at Fellows and Sons Auction, Birmingham (UK) in Aug, 2007.

The covers and text are clean and bright except for rusted staple, a few small rust stains and some tanning,
008560

Price: 5.00 GBP

The movie had quite a pedigree. It began life as a stageplay at His Majesty's Theatre in the Haymarked in 1916 and ran and ran and ran, racking up 2,238 performances by the time it closed in 1921. During the run of the play, four men and one donkey had never missed even a single performance. It premiered in 1917 at New York's Manhattan Opera House and starred Tyrone Power, according to the moderntheatre dot info site. It ran for 208 performances. This is very successful by New York standards the moderntheatre dot info site notes.

The show starred George Robey, Anna May Wong, and Fritz Kortner. Its cast included John Garrick, Pearl Argyle, Jetsam, Denis Hoy, Sydney Fairbrother, Laurence Hanray, Frank Cochrane, Thelma Tuson, and Kyoshi Takase.

Robey (1869 - 1954) was an English music hall comedian and star. He was marketed as the "Prime Minister of Mirth", according to wikipedia. His London début was made at the Royal Aquarium, as assistant to Professor Kennedy, a burlesque mesmerist, in 1891. In this act he sang songs, pretending to be under hypnosis. He was soon performing in his own act, wikipedia continues, and was booked at the Oxford Music Hall in June 1891, aged 21.

Like many of his time, Robey's act consisted of patter and song, with elaborate stage costumes, often appearing in drag. He was, according to wikipedia, renowned for his double entendres, and ordering his audience to "Desist" and "Kindly temper your hilarity with a modicum of reserve". Naturally, these exhortations had the opposite effect. During World War I he was known for his enthusiastic participation in recruitment drives for the army. In one theatre he promised "a shiny florin for every recruit who signs on tonight" wikipedia continues. He raised over £500,000 for war charities and at the end of the war he was offered a knighthood for his services, but declined, accepting a CBE.

Wong (1905 - 1961) was the first Chinese American movie star, and the first Asian American to become an international star. according to wikipedia. Her long and varied career spanned both silent and sound film, television, stage, and radio. Wong became infatuated with the movies and began acting in films at an early age. During the silent film era, she acted in "The Toll of the Sea", one of the first movies made in colour and Douglas Fairbanks' "The Thief of Bagdad", wikipedia continues, and Wong became a fashion icon, achieving international stardom by 1924.

Frustrated by the stereotypical supporting roles she reluctantly played in Hollywood, she left for Europe in the late 1920s, where she starred in several notable plays and films, among them "Piccadilly" in 1929. She spent the early 1930s traveling between the US and Europe for film and stage work and was featured in films of the early sound era, such as "Daughter of the Dragon" (1931) and "Daughter of Shanghai" (1937), and with Marlene Dietrich in Josef von Sternberg's "Shanghai Express" (1932), wikipedia explains.

Included in the magazine section is an essay on the record-making and record-breaking history of "Chu Chin Chow", the stageplay and movie. In the continuing series of mini-biographies of theatre people of the past the life of Thomas Doggett (ca. 1640 - 1721), the Irish actor is discusssed. Fay Wray (she of King Kong fame), Elissa Landi and Janice Jarrett are talked about in the "News of the Stars" column. A photo of a scene from Podrecca's Piscolimarionette players at the Royalty Theatre, a photo of Elsie Randolph and Fred Emney (in his stereotypical guise as the "posh fat bloke", usually gruff and invariably wearing a monocle) in a scene from "Mr Whittington" then at the London Hippodrome are published. Also included are the "Studio News", "Amateur Stage" and "London Streets: How They Got Their Names" and other columns.

PROVENANCE: this item comes from the collection of H. W. Roxburgh of Liverpool, in whose extensive collection of theatrical ephemera this item was contained. It was purchased at Fellows and Sons Auction, Birmingham (UK) in Aug, 2007.

The cover is very slightly foxed and the staples are rusted but the textblock is bright.
008480

Price: 7.50 GBP