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If you are thinking of traveling to Budapest, Hungary, you are in the right place. Budapest, the capital of Hungary, has a very rich history dating back to the millennium BC. Hungarian tribes who came to Eastern Europe towards the end of the 9th century established the Hungarian Kingdom. Once even part of the Roman Empire, Hungary established its own kingdom after the empire collapsed. It later became part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. During the reform period (1825-1848), the city experienced its first development boom. The Hungarian National Museum and the Chain Bridge connecting the two banks of the Danube were also built during this period. With the unification of the three cities of Buda, Pest and Old Buda in 1873, an unprecedented development took place in Europe. After the Second World War, the country, which was dominated by the communist regime, passed to the parliamentary regime in 1989 and was declared a republic. About a third of native Hungarians live outside Hungary. In particular, the native Hungarians living in Romania had to leave the country during the war. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCJ7Us_R7pI[/embed] In the 1960s and 1970s, a major construction work was started, especially around the castle, with the opening of the Elisabeth Bridge to traffic, the development of the underground network, the renewal of the old city centre. The city has started to develop in terms of tourism with the hotels opened both around the castle and on the banks of the Danube River. Soon there was a surge in tourism, known as 'goulash communism'. Visitors came to the city from Eastern and Western Europe as well as the USA. Europe's first underground railway network was built in the city, which currently has a population of two million. The country, which joined the European Union in 2004, started to develop after this process. Today's Budapest was formed in 1873 as a result of the coming together of Buda, Pest and Old Buda. The Buda part of the city was established on the hill to the west of the Danube River and forms the historical district of the city. In Budapest, which consists of 23 regions, the regions are also numbered apart from their names. The city's parks, the UNESCO-protected Andrassy Avenue and the Opera House were built together. Heroes Square and the Hungarian Art Museum were built specifically for the 1000th anniversary of the foundation of Hungary. In the same period, the Parliament Building was built at a great expense. The city, which suffered a lot of material and moral losses after the Second World War, was in a very bad condition in the 20th century. The city, where most of the original buildings were destroyed, has been spectacularly rebuilt. However, traces of bullets from the war are still found on some buildings. The buildings around Buda Castle, which is the most popular and historical part of the city, bear the traces of baroque architecture. The historical texture around the castle has never been touched or destroyed. Hosting many festivals, the city has been recognized as the largest arts and cultural center in Central Europe. The Budapest Spring Festival, which attracts visitors from many parts of the world, has been held since 1981. Budapest's largest museums and art venues are always opened with this festival. The festival is celebrated not only in the concert halls of the city, but also in parks and squares. Another big festival is the Budapest Summer Festival. It attracts enthusiasts with a rich cultural program for 12 weeks. Especially in the open-air theater on Margaret Island, very special opera and theater works are staged. Varosmajor Open Air Theater is located in one of Buddha's favorite public parks. In the venue where the famous names of the music world meet, Hungary's traveling theaters are also staged as well as Budapest theatres. The world-famous Sziget Festival is one of the biggest popular music and cultural events in Europe. The Sziget Festival attracts tens of thousands of international visitors to Budapest every August.

With its unique atmosphere and location, Sziget Festival is one of the most popular events in Budapest. In the country where many famous scientists grew up, the famous Hungarian inventor Erno Rubik, the creator of the Rubik cube, is one of the scientists who grew up in Budapest. Budapest has one of the most important spa cultures in Europe. There are many hot springs and baths in the city with Roman, Greek and Turkish architecture. Known as the 'City of Baths', Budapest is the only city in the world rich in thermal waters with healing properties. Budapest is a city where you can enjoy traditional baths dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries. Rudas, Kiraly and Veli Beige baths, which are among the best baths, are from the Ottoman Period. In Budapest, where there are very good universities, the education period of universities varies between 3 and 4 years. The oldest university in Hungary, the University of Pecs, was founded in 1367. Where Is Budapest? Let us share with you some of the things you need to know when traveling to Budapest. Budapest, the capital of Hungary, is located in Central Europe. Budapest, Hungary's largest and most populous city, is the seventh largest city in the European Union. When To Go To Budapest? A humid climate prevails in Budapest, one of the most popular cities in Central Europe. In the city, where the temperature in summer is close to twenty-five degrees, the winter months are quite cold. Visiting the city in the winter months, when the temperature is below zero degrees, will make it very difficult to travel. In the city, which receives the most precipitation in autumn, popular periods are divided into two. The number of tourists increases exponentially until the end of the summer months in the city, which started to become active with the rising temperatures in March. Especially the months of June, July and August are the most crowded and popular periods in the city. However, those who want to enjoy Budapest in a calmer and slightly cooler weather can also prefer the period from March to May. Best Places To Visit In Budapest Budapest, a large part of which is under the status of UNESCO World Heritage List, is known as one of the most beautiful cities to be seen in Europe. Defined as the “Queen of the Danube” from thermal spas to museums, Budapest has magnificent locations that will appeal to all kinds of travelers. We have compiled places to see in Budapest, the pearl of Hungary, with the magical atmosphere of the Danube River, which has inspired many artists. Buda Castle The place where the Buda Castle, called the castle, is located, is a cultural point with the oldest history of Budapest. This hill on the Danube is definitely a must-see when you come to Budapest. In the northwest of the town of Kale is the Hungarian Military History Museum, which contains 28,000 artifacts from the 15th century. After the museum, it would be a good choice to visit the Music Museum, which is very nearby, and see the works in neo-baroque style. There are also very famous caves in Budapest, which is rich in natural riches. The cave, which was accessed from the Labyrinth entrance of Buda Castle, was later strengthened. The cave, some of which have wells where red wine is produced, has a rather mysterious appearance. There are many historical artifacts and monuments in Trinity Square on Tarnok Street, parallel to the castle. The baroque-style Trinity Monument in the square was built in 1691 in memory of those who lost their lives as a result of an epidemic. This monument, the Buddha Monument, which represents the center of the Old City of Buda, lost its function when Buda and Pest were combined. The Hungarian wine house in the cellar here offers its guests the best wines of Hungary. Mathias Church, located in the Castle Square, has gained a very good appearance as a result of the help of famous Hungarian artists for its restoration. Famous Hungarian artists such as Karoly Lotz and Bertalan Szekely participated in the restoration carried out in 1895-1903.

The Fishermen's Castle was built in the last period when the Mathias Church was renovated. In the castle, which has 7 towers, each tower represents a Hungarian tribal leader. The reason why the Fishermen's Castle was built is that fishing was done near the Castle Square in ancient times. Every corner of the Castle Square, where the history of Buddha began, is worth a historical monument. While visiting this place, it is almost like a journey in history. Castle Square is one of the must-see places in Budapest. Thermal Pools In Budapest, which has natural thermal pools besides its caves, the pools are the focus of attention of local and foreign tourists. Budapest is built on a hillside consisting of about 125 thermal springs. These waters, which were never used until Roman times, started to be used with the Ottoman Period. These thermal pools, which have been found even in nightclubs in recent years, are generally used for healing purposes. There are many baths from the Ottoman Period such as Kiraly, Rudas and Veli Beige. These baths, where the old architecture is preserved, are very popular. Consisting of thermal baths and pools, Szechenyi Bath has 18 separate pools. These are thermal pools, steam baths, fitness pools. All pools are suitable for both men and women and children over 14 can also use it. One of the Ottoman baths, Kiraly Bath attracts the attention of many local and foreign tourists. In recent years, this distinction has been abolished in the bath, where men and women were served in separate sections in the past. The Kiraly Bath, with its building showing traces of Ottoman architecture, is open seven days a week. Most of the baths offer serious medical treatments as well as services such as massages and a red wine bath. You must specify these preferences when purchasing tickets. Each of the baths, which are quite clean and popular, has a different architectural structure. Some of the baths, whose opening hours vary according to the days, are only open at weekends. Baths can be used for about two hours on weekdays and one and a half hours on weekends. There are also special terms of use that vary accordingly. Budapest Fine Arts Museum With a history of hundreds of years, Budapest is a very rich city in terms of historical artifacts and works of art. The Fine Arts Museum is just one of Budapest's museums. In the museum, where the largest collections of Old Masters are exhibited, there are also paintings by famous Italian, Spanish and Dutch artists. There are also high-ceilinged exhibition halls where large paintings are displayed with its magnificent and impressive building dating from the 19th century. In the museum, where smaller works are exhibited in custom-made cabinets, there are also large halls that have been carefully prepared in terms of architecture, such as the Renaissance Hall. After hosting Hungary's collection prepared with painting, drawing and special style printing techniques in 1870, the museum, where Egyptian art works and antiques are also exhibited, also includes an old sculpture gallery, an old painter's gallery and modern collections. The palace next to the museum is the city's contemporary art museum and hosts many traveling exhibitions. He donated a collection of Hungarian artist Victor Vasarely's most important works to the museum. Known as the best of the museums in Eastern Europe, the Budapest Fine Arts Museum attracts the attention of tourists. It was merged with the National Hungarian Gallery in 2008. The combination of these spaces, which have works of different styles, drew quite a reaction. This project, for which a very high budget was allocated, was not accepted by the Hungarian art authorities after it was realized. The museum, located in Heroes Square, was closed to the public in order to be restored in 2015. There are also paintings from the 13th century in the museum, which is expected to open in March 2018. Danube River Cruise The Danube

River, whose Hungarian name is Duna, starts from the north of Budapest and continues to the south, and its width is about 640 meters. Reaching the shores of 10 countries, the Danube is the soul of Central Europe. Home to countless cultures and civilizations, the river is an ancient trade route and buffer zone. The Danube is the second largest river in Europe after the Volga. The Danube River, which determined the borders of the Roman Empire, served as a bridge connecting many nations. The river, which has inspired many artists, has also gained world fame with its wines. There are many things to do to enjoy the view of this majestic river. It would be a good choice to stroll along the banks of Buda and Pest of the Danube before meeting the stunning architecture of the city. Steel statue shoes, located on the banks of the Danube River near the Hungarian parliament building, were made in memory of the Jews who lost their lives during the Second World War. The monument with 60 pairs of shoes was designed by director Can Togay and sculptor Gyula Pauer and completed in 2005. Boat trips are another way to explore the Danube. There are numerous tourist boat trips in Budapest. Trains from Vigado and Buda on the Pest coast stop by the city's many beautiful shores. Guidance is provided in many languages on tours organized by many excursion companies. The ships that cruise the entire Danube River also offer the opportunity to stop and tour in places such as Margaret Island. You can also taste Hungarian wines on private Danube Boat cruises offered by Taste Hungary. Budapest Parliament Building A magnificent example of neo-gothic architecture, the House of Parliament is over 100 years old, combining Renaissance and Baroque characters. Located in Kossuth Square, the Parliament Building is located on the Pest side of the city. With its style that smells of history and art, it is a must-see for every visitor to Budapest. The design of the building began in 1880 and it was officially inaugurated in 1896 on the 1000th anniversary of the founding of Hungary. Budapest Parliament Building, completed in 1904, is famous for being the third largest parliament building in the world, with 691 rooms, 20 kilometers of stairs, and a height of 96 meters, which is the same as the St. Stephen's Basilica. No expense was spared in the construction of the building and approximately 40 kilos of 22-23 carat gold were used for decoration. Welcoming around 700,000 visitors each year, the Parliament Building is one of Europe's most impressive and busiest tourist attractions. With a tour that lasts about 50 minutes, you can witness the luxury of seeing the privileged rooms of the Parliament. You can start with the red carpet-covered stairs at the entrance and continue the tour with the most impressive floor, the magnificent architecture of Imre Steindl. The Holy Crown of Hungary (St. Istvan's Crown), a replica of which is exhibited in the Hungarian National Museum, is definitely one of the works worth seeing in all its splendor in the Parliament Building. Among the places included in the tour and you will see are the Main Entrance Hall, the Holy Hungarian Crown and Crown Jewels, the National Assembly Hall, the Great Cupola Hall. During the tour, photography is allowed at other points, except the Great Cupola Hall, in order to protect the Holy Hungarian Crown. During the general session of the Assembly, visitors are allowed to watch between 8 and 10 am on the first day of the week. The Parliament Building is one of the most magnificent buildings in the world, which should be seen by travelers who love art, history and tourism. You would not be able to visit Budapest without seeing the Parliament, which reveals the wealth and beauty of the 19th and 20th centuries. Budapest Fisherman's Bastion Undoubtedly one of Budapest's most popular tourist attractions, the Fisherman's Bastion was designed as a watchtower in the 19th century to offer the best panoramic view in the city.

The majestic building, with its imposing 7 towers on the hills of Buda, is known more as a historical Budapest tourist attraction than a rooftop bar. With its ornate design, romantic Danube River and unique views of Budapest, it is not difficult to understand that the Fisherman's Bastion is the most popular tourist attraction recommended in the city. Although its architecture, which resembles a trench that feels like it was built to be protected during the war, strikes the eye at first, its modern structure was never designed with this in mind. The Fisherman's Bastion, built between 1895 and 1902, is one of the must-visit places in Budapest with its appearance as if it were straight out of Walt Disney movies. Inspired by medieval times, Bastion refers specifically to the early medieval times (of Neo Roman origin). The venue, which is open day and night all year round, continues to serve with its cafe and restaurant. With its dazzling view, the Fisherman's Bastion is waiting to enchant its visitors with its refreshing cocktails, beers and wines in summer and, on the contrary, heart-warming drinks in winter. A romantic and private dinner, a touristic visit, relaxation with a sip of drink, you can find all of these at the Fisherman's Bastion. Designed by the Hungarian architect Frigyes Schulek to create an airy and accessible space, the Fisherman's Bastion represents the 7 tribes that make Hungary Hungary. Nowadays, this magnificent structure is mostly enjoyed by tourists. Fisherman's Bastion, where many organizations are held, is the point-and-shoot place for those who want to see the city from a bird's eye view. The Fisherman's Bastion has a view of the Danube River coastline, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List, as well as the view of Buda Castle. The best of Budapest's rooftop bars await you, with a historic setting and a breathtaking view. St. Stephen's Basilica St. Stephen's Basilica (Budapest Cathedral), built in memory of Stephen, the first king of Hungary, is the largest church in the country with a capacity of 8,500 people. Although it is a 'Cathedral' in the architectural sense, in 1931, Pope XI. It was given the title of 'Little Basilica' by Pius. Construction of the basilica began in 1851 and was inaugurated in 1906 by the Austro-Hungarian Emperor Franz Joseph. The collapse of the dome during its construction in 1868 caused the basilica to be completed late. After the architect Jozsef Hild, who designed the original plan, died in 1867, one of Europe's leading architects, Miklos Ybl, took over the business. Ybl, who designed new plans after the collapse of the dome in 1868, unfortunately could not see the completion of the basilica when he died in 1891. But all the plans were implemented as he planned. St. Stephen's Basilica, designed in Neoclassical style by the first architect Hild, was completed in a Neo-Renaissance style in line with the plans of the second architect, Ybl. The height of the dome is 96 meters, just like the Budapest Parliament Building. The fact that the basilica has the same height as the Parliament symbolizes the balance between church and state in Hungary. The first king of Hungary, St. Stephen is the patron saint of the church. His mummified right hand is hidden in a glass bell on the left side of the main altar. The interior of the basilica, decorated by the most famous artists of that time, is truly worth seeing. The most important work of art is the mosaic-based oil painting of Gyula Benczur. EspeciallySt. It should be noted that the work where Stephen holds the crown and asks Meryem if she will be the protector of Hungary is quite remarkable. Stephen's Basilica with the largest church bell in the country, weighing 9.5 tons, climb 364 stairs or take the elevator to the observation deck for a panoramic view of Budapest. (Open from April 1 to October 31). Do not go back without seeing the magnificent St. Stephen's Basilica in Budapest's Deak Ferenc ter square.

Margaret Island Margaret Island, which we can define as Budapest's Central Park, is an island located in the Danube River between Buda and Pest. Margaret Island, known as 'Rabbit Island' in the Middle Ages, was used as a noble hunting reserve. Following the Mongol invasion, Hungarian King Bela established a nunnery on the island and vowed to send his daughter Margaret there if he could save the country from the Mongol invasion. After the Mongols left the country, King Bela kept his promise and sent his 11-year-old daughter Margaret to the monastery, so the island was named after Margaret. It is possible to reach the island by boats that tour the Danube River. Another option is to take the tram number 6 to Margit Bridge and arrive at the island after a short walk. Located between the Arpad Bridge and the Margaret Bridge, the island spans an area of 96.5 hectares, 2.5 kilometers long and 500 meters wide. If you are traveling with children or your family, walking around the island may not be a good option. Therefore, you can choose various vehicles with rental options on the island. You can rent a bicycle from the operators at the end of Margaret Bridge or try different options such as golf carts and electric scooters. Now the island has become a public park connecting the city with the Margaret Bridge. Margaret Island is an ideal place for the locals of Budapest to spend the afternoon relaxing, exercising and walking. The island, surrounded by greenery, offers a little escape for those who are overwhelmed by the noise of the city. Margaret Island, located in the heart of the Danube with its water parks with slides, a water tower and magnificent nature views, is a must-see paradise in Budapest. The charming water tower on the island was built in 1911 with its elegant decorative curves and ornaments in the Art Nouveau style. The tower, which is the source of water to Margaret Island, was opened to visitors in 2012. Margaret Island has since not only hosted the Budapest Summer Festival, but has also been used as a showroom for art and exhibitions. Climbing the tower and being mesmerized by the magnificent view of Margaret Island and Buda hills is another reason to visit this place. Having been to Margaret Island, it would not be possible to return without entering the famous thermal pools of Budapest. If you are tired of the relaxing thermal waters, you can prefer the adventure pool, wave pool and slides on the island. The Musical Fountain, the Dancing Fountain, the historical ruins of Margaret Island, the Japanese Garden are other beauties that must be seen on the island. Szechenyi Chain Bridge Beautiful during the day, beautiful at night! Let's start with the fairy tale story of the bridge that connects Buda and Pest, which is divided by the Danube River. British engineer William Tierney Clark, who built the Szechenyi Chain Bridge in Budapest, was so confident in his work that he said that if any fault was found on the bridge, he would throw himself off the bridge. One day, a little girl started to cry because the lion figures on the bridge had no language. Learning of this mistake, Clark threw himself from the bridge into the arms of the Danube, as he had promised. However, since the bridge was not very high and the weather was hot, engineer Clark managed to escape unharmed. Completed in 1849 and the oldest of seven bridges over the Danube, the Szechenyi Chain Bridge is 375 meters long and 16 meters wide. This unique bridge is located in the middle of Budapest, between Szechenyi Istvan Square (formerly Roosevelt Square) and Clark Adam Square. Although there are many bridges in Budapest, this bridge, which is considered the symbol of the city and dazzling with its night lighting, is a beauty that should be seen. The Szechenyi Chain Bridge is worth seeing, especially with the fireworks displays during the Hungarian National Celebrations on August 20. Considering that approximately 12 million tourists

visited Budapest, the capital of Hungary, in 2017, the number of tourists passing over this bridge can be described as millions. Let's not forget that the Chain Bridge, one of the most romantic spots in Budapest, is used as a place where brave men propose marriage. With a view of Buda Castle, Hungarian Parliament Building and Gresham Palace, a walk in the sky witnessed by the stars is more than enough to make the Szechenyi Chain Bridge unforgettable. Do not forget that you are standing on this magnificent bridge and winking at the banks of the Danube, which belongs to the UNESCO World Heritage List. Heroes Square Held in 1896 to celebrate the thousandth anniversary of the founding of Hungary, Heroes' Square (Hosök tere) is the city's largest and most impressive square. Located on the famous Andrassy Boulevard near the City Park, the square is surrounded by two important buildings, the Fine Arts Museum and the Budapest Art Hall (Art Palace). The Budapest Millennium Monument, located in the middle of the square, was erected here to commemorate the 1000-year-old history of the Hungarians. Archangel Gabriel (Gabriel) standing on the central pillar, holding the Holy Crown of Hungary and the holy pilgrimage of Christianity. On the stand just below the column, there are 7 Hungarian leaders on horseback. Statues of kings and other important historical figures stand on columns on either side of the middle column. The most logical way to reach Heroes Square, one of the most visited spots in Budapest, is to use the metro line. In the city, which was opened in 1896 and has the oldest metro line in the world, you can choose the M1 metro line to go to Heroes Square. The square, which hosts many political organizations, was created by the famous sculptor Zala György. If you have time, make sure to see Heroes Square once during the day and once at night. It is impossible not to be enchanted by the magnificent sculptures. If you want to witness Hungarian history more closely when you come to Budapest, do not come back without stopping by Heroes' Square. Vaci Street Vaci Utca Street, which is parallel to the Danube River, is one of the most beautiful pedestrian shopping streets not only in Budapest but also in the world. It can be said that the street is one of the must-see streets in Budapest with its colorful atmosphere, cleanliness, attractiveness and customer service quality in the stores. Let's take a brief look at the history of Vaci Utca Street. In the Middle Ages, Budapest was surrounded by a city wall typical of that time at the point where the current Deak Ferenc Utca Street is located. When Vaci Utca was first built, this was a central boulevard where one of the entrances of the city was located and which turned into Vörösmarty Square over time. Vaci Utca Street, which was established during the 18th century, and the great buildings are still standing in all their glory. It is known that the history of many mansions along the street dates back to the 19th or 20th century. When it was first established, Vaci Utca was a popular location for wealthy families of the city. The street is now teeming with retailers, shopping malls, gift shops, hotels, restaurants and cafes. On Vaci Utca Street, which is known as one of the most exclusive spots in the city, you can eat delicious Hungarian desserts and relax with a glass of drink. Come all the way to Budapest, take a walk on Vaci Utca Street and enjoy feeling like an old Hungarian nobility. Terror House Museum After surviving two bloody regimes, it became clear that it was time for Hungary to do something in memory of its victims. At the same time, it was time to reveal the troubled times of Nazi and communist Hungary. In December 2000, the “Central and Eastern European History and Society Research Public Foundation” purchased the building to establish a museum to showcase these two bloody periods. The Terror House Museum, created by many architects working in different fields, was completed in February 2002.

The decorative black frame, striped walls and granite floors at the top of the building immediately distinguish the museum from the billiards on Andrassy Boulevard. Terror House Museum manages to attract attention with its spirit and design details in accordance with its historical importance. Visitors are provided with a wealth of information about the floors and rooms of the exhibition at 10 touch points. The museum, which is the only example of its kind, has turned into a monument in the building, which was established to commemorate those who were held captive, tortured and killed. While presenting the fearful times of the country in a concrete way, the museum also tells people that the sacrifices made for freedom and the suffering are not in vain. After all, the struggle against the two most brutal systems of the 20th century ends with the victory of the forces of freedom. If you want to understand what Hungary has gone through throughout history and witness its painful past, you should definitely visit the House of Terror Museum in Budapest. Pinball Museum The museum, which contains 130 machines from the ancestors of the pinball (tilt) machines of the end of the 19th century to the latest models of the 21st century, is a must-see museum in Budapest. As stated by media channels such as the BBC and New York Times, Europe's largest pinball exhibition, with its 130 machines, reveals the entire history of this game. You can try the pioneers of the first pinball games of the 1940s and the exciting latest machines at the Pinball Museum. Located in the basement of a building in Budapest, the museum is a pinball paradise, unearthed by a fanatical team of pinball enthusiasts. In addition to the dozens of machines on display, the only Hungarian-made rare Mesovonat machine stands out for its superiority in the museum. In this unique museum, which has its own cafe, many different activities such as birthday parties, meals, teamwork and New Year's organizations can be held. For travelers who want a change instead of seeing magnificent historical buildings and sights in Budapest, Pinball Museum is definitely a different place to visit. Entertainment awaits you in full swing at Europe's largest ongoing interactive pinball exhibition. Central Synagogue (Dohany Street Synagogue) Known as Dohany Street Synagogue, Great Synagogue or Tabakgasse Synagogue, the synagogue is the largest in Hungarian Neolog Judaism and in Europe. It was built on the site of the home of the father of Zionism, the Austro-Hungarian journalist Theodor Herzl. To get acquainted with Jewish Budapest, the Central Synagogue is definitely the right place to start. Established between 1854 and 1859, the synagogue was designed by the Austrian architect Ludwig Forster. The synagogue, which has a total capacity of 2,964 people, measures 53 meters in height and 26 meters in width. In the design, where the Moorish architecture of North Africa prevailed, Byzantine, Gothic and Roman styles were also used. The Central Synagogue, located in the 7th district (Erzsebetvaros) of Budapest, is one of the most visited spots by tourists with its magnificent architecture and historical-smelling design. It would be a good move to visit the Hungarian Jewish Museum right next to it, where Jewish clothes and traditions are located. Hungarian State Opera House The Hungarian State Opera House, which was decided to be built in 1873, was built by the famous architect Miklos Ybl as a result of the public tender. The construction, which started in 1875, was completed in 9 years despite minor delays. The opening, to which the Emperor and King Franz Joseph were invited, was held on September 27, 1884. Miklos Ybl's neo-Renaissance palace has remained unchanged for 130 years and has been a favorite of opera and ballet lovers. Every year, thousands of visitors enjoy visiting Budapest's most impressive 19th-century national monument. The Hungarian State Opera House

is shown as one of the best opera houses in the world with its acoustics and a hall with a capacity of 1,200 people. In front of the building is the statue of Ferenc Erkel, the famous opera composer, pianist and conductor. Erkel is the composer of the Hungarian national anthem and the first musical director of the Opera. As the Opera House is under restoration and partially closed until 2020, visitors on the Opera Tour can take a short guided tour and see the splendor of the building's interior decoration up close. These tours also include a short concert. Tours are available in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish. You can visit the Opera House during the day to discover its magnificent architecture. Also, watching a performance at the Opera House will be one of your unforgettable experiences. So when you visit Budapest, you should definitely watch an opera at the Opera House. There is no doubt that it will be an experience you will tell your grandchildren about. Transportation In Budapest When you travel to Budapest, you should also know how to get there. You can reach the city center from the airport with lines 51 and 38 by train and line 200 by bus. Trains and buses run until 23.45 at night and are reasonably priced. The journey takes about 30 minutes by both means of transportation. Those who will arrive in the city after 23.45 at night can use the 900 bus line, which operates between 23.45-04.45. The center and historical places of Budapest are very suitable for walking. Traffic is restricted in Pest and Castle Hill, the center of the city. However, Budapest has an extensive transportation network that offers a wide variety of possibilities. There are tram and bus lines spread all over the city. There is a metro network that is fast and makes transportation very easy, and there are HEV trains that provide transportation to the suburbs. The most suitable metro lines to reach the touristic places of the city are the ones numbered 2-4-6. It is also possible to reach every part of the city with red open buses. All means of transportation terminate towards 11 pm. You can use the night buses named E to travel at night. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push(); For those who want to visit the Danube River, it is possible to watch the beautiful view of the city from the Danube River in Budapest, where Danube River ferry services are organized. Tickets can be bought from the metro line, as well as from newsstands and street stands. Budapest Cuisine Your trip to Budapest continues, if you can't decide what to eat, then it's time to talk about what to eat in Budapest. When you come to Budapest, it is a must to taste the local cuisine of Hungary. There are restaurants, cafes and small local shops all over the city. It is also possible to see the traces of the Ottoman period in Hungarian dishes. Some of the delights in Hungarian cuisine are hearty soups, stews, sweet cakes and pastries. Hungarian dishes are often flavored with local spices. The soups of Hungary, where meals always start with soup, are quite famous. Meat soups, such as the world-famous goulash or sweet fruit soup, are the most popular. Goulash, which is made in different styles in all parts of Hungary, is sometimes made with green beans and sometimes just vegetables. Meat dishes are usually served together with potatoes, pasta or rice in Hungarian main dishes. It accompanies the meal in pickles or salads consisting of seasonal vegetables. Pörkölts and paprikas, the most famous meat dishes, are made from beef, pork or mutton. Hungarian-style sour cream is also served with the meal. Borjupaprikas is also among the flavors that must be tried. Stuffed Cabbage and fried foie gras are some of the famous Hungarian delicacies made during Christmas or Easter holidays. Since there are so many vegetable dishes, in Budapest, where vegetarians can find suitable dishes, Foleks is the best of vegetable dishes.

Among the famous Hungarian wines, Tokaji is one of the favorites of travelers. Cafe and Restaurant Suggestions Arany Kaviar, Costes Downtown, Babel Budapest; It has a very distinguished menu of Russian, Eastern European and Central European dishes. The restaurant, which also has a large selection of wines, is one of the most luxurious in Budapest. Töltö, one of the more affordable restaurants, has pizza, burgers and other food options along with local delicacies at Bors Gastro Bar. Book Café - It is one of the most preferred places to drink coffee. New York Café - Located on the lower floor of a nostalgic building near the Oktagon, the café is a must-see, especially with its interior decoration. Hard Rock Café - One of the ideal places to go for delicious dinners at the standards of Hard Rock Cafes all over the world. Shopping In Budapest Wouldn't you like to beautify your Budapest trip with shopping? Shopping in Budapest is quite different and enjoyable. The reason for this is the stores where there are many boutiques and special design products in the city. Although shopping areas, markets and shops are spread all over the city, it is much more famous and different in the center. Budapest's shopping center is located in the city center of Pest. Vaci Street is the most famous shopping street in Budapest. The pedestrian-only street starts from Vörösmarty Square. Vaci Street, which has many restaurants, cafes, shops and boutiques, has been a frequent destination for tourists for shopping. Very close to this street, the street full of shops called 'Fashion Street' is located in Deak Ferenc Utca. The street with world-famous stores and this area in general are ideal places for shopping. Other shopping areas of Budapest are the main streets in the city center. One of them, Andrassy Street, is a place with the most glamorous and expensive shops. Design products are very popular in Budapest. The monthly design market (WAAP) showcases the city's local fashion. Budapest Design Week, held every October, and Budapest Fashion Week, held every April, are an important part of the city's interest in shopping and fashion. You can also see the special creations of talented Hungarian designers in Budapest's famous 'The Room' shop. The Central Market Hall is the largest indoor market in Budapest. There are many stalls selling a wide variety of vegetables, fruits, food and crafts. Budapest Nightlife Budapest's nightlife is very active and lively in every period. The city offers its visitors an excellent entertainment opportunity with laser shows, light shows and popular clubs and concert venues. You can encounter a different concept every time you go with the concepts and food options that change every week. Having fun with a boat party while watching the beautiful view of Buda and Pest on the Danube can be one of the best options. Boat parties dominated by popular music attract tourists with their affordable prices. Fröccsterasz is one of the must-see bars with its lively and diverse alcohol menu, which is especially popular among the young. With its large terrace, delicious food and warm ambiance, it always attracts the attention of tourists and locals. If you visit the bar in winter, you can continue your entertainment in the open area with the advanced heating system. Prices are moderate in the bar, where you can feel the authentic breeze of the famous Erzsebet Square. Akvarium, one of the best nightclubs in Budapest, is a very good meeting point for the city's art, music and excellent nightlife. One of the most attractive features of the club is that there is a large outdoor pool in the venue. The club, where there are live concerts, exhibitions, special dance events, is the center of entertainment with its open air environment and excellent sound system. Prices are moderate in the Akvarium, where food is also served throughout the night. If you want to see everything about Budapest, you should definitely see TUTU Budapest.

TUTU, which embodies the atmosphere of the multicultural city, promises a very active and different entertainment with its nightclub theater, dance house, music and sound system. Szimpla, the club that hosts magnificent concerts of world-famous musicians and is always full, has received full marks from its guests. The interior design is among the firsts of Budapest with its structure reflecting the post-modern culture. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push(); Having fun in Corvinteto, which has a large open space and alternative music dominates, is also among the options. The entertainment that started in the evening shows itself with the movement of the dance floor later in the night. At the club Ötkert, which is never empty on weekends, it is necessary to queue for entry at 11 pm. Even if the party takes a long time to start, the fun can be continued inside. Budapest will be the right choice for those who love classical music or opera. With its historical and magnificent stone building, the State Opera is definitely worth seeing. Lukacs Bath, one of the most popular venues in Budapest with its thermal pools, is open from February to May. You can increase the dose of fun by having a drink in the large pool and jacuzzi at Lukacs, which has a large bar. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push(); Apart from all these, some places may cause problems for tourists in the invoice part. Before choosing venues, it would be good to see if there are any warnings to avoid unpleasant consequences. When you travel to Budapest, do not leave without tasting the nightlife! Budapest Festivals Budapest offers entertainment to its visitors throughout the year with festivals, cultural events, concerts, exhibitions, fairs and national celebrations. You can make your holiday much more dynamic with big events such as Budapest Spring Festival, Sziget Festival and Budapest International Wine Festival. Spring Festival (April) It is the biggest cultural event of Hungary and Budapest with classical music, opera, jazz and local music. Numerous venues throughout the city welcome both Hungarian and international artists. The festival is growing exponentially every year. More than 50 shows and exhibitions take place during the three-week festival. The festival has become one of the most important cultural events in Europe with a series of opera, concert, ballet and theater performances. Many tourists come to visit the city during this period to see the festival, which is used in more than 40 places and takes place in public areas. The Great Chess Festival has also become a part of the Spring Festival. Chess Festival, which is considered as a part of Budapest culture, takes place with the participation of world famous chess players. Sziget Festival (August) One of the biggest and most important cultural and music festivals in Europe and Budapest, Sziget Festival is held on Buda Island on the Danube. The festival, where world-renowned musicians take the stage and more than a thousand performances are exhibited every year, is seen among the top 5 festivals in Europe. The festival, which also takes place with the participation of Hungary's famous local artists, is one of the largest open-air events in Europe. It is possible to have a great time during the festival with a wide variety of food stands and different entertainment options. Since the tickets of the festival are sold out very quickly, it is necessary to act quickly when ticket sales start. Budapest International Wine Festival (September) The Budapest Wine Festival offers the perfect opportunity to taste world-famous and award-winning Hungarian wines. It is possible to taste the wines of other countries during the festival. The festival, which can attract the attention of even those who are not very interested in wine, also attracts attention with its high quality and special dishes by famous chefs. It also reflects the cultural side of Budapest with its cultural programs, concerts and workshops.

Budapest Public Holidays New Year (January 1) National Holiday (March 15) Labor Day (May 1) Saint Stephen's Day (August 20) Republic Day (23 October) Religious Day (November 1) Christmas (25-26 December) Useful Information For Budapest Emergency Assistance: 104 Fire: 105 Police: 107

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stllimelight · 6 years

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Go See a Play! What's Happening Aug. 16 - 22

Go See a Play! What’s Happening Aug. 16 – 22

By Lynn Venhaus Managing Editor Voices are unleashed at the St. Louis Fringe Festival now underway in the Grand Arts Center.

Voices are soaring in the St. Louis premiere of “The Light in the Piazza” and Kurt Weill’s “Lost in the Stars.”

Voices are having fun in “Mamma Mia!”, “The Great American Trailer Park Musical” and “The Robber Bridegroom,” which all end their run this weekend.

Voices are…

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rabbitcruiser · 4 years

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Astor Place, Manhattan (No. 2)

Astor Place was once known as Art Street. From 1767 through 1859, Vauxhall Gardens, a country resort, was located on this street. The area belonged to John Jacob Astor, and Astor Place was renamed after him soon after his death, in 1848. In 1826, he carved out an upper-class neighborhood from the site with Lafayette Street bisecting eastern gardens from western homes. Wealthy New Yorkers, including Astor and other members of the family, built mansions along this central thoroughfare. Astor built the Astor Library in the eastern portion of the neighborhood as a donation to the city. Architect Seth Geer designed row houses called LaGrange Terrace for the development, and the area became a fashionable, upper-class residential district. This location made the gardens accessible to the people of both the Broadway and Bowery districts.

Astor Place was the site of the Astor Opera House, at the intersection of Astor Place, East 8th Street, and Lafayette Street. Built to be the fashionable theater in 1847, it was the site of the Astor Place Riot of May 10, 1849. Anti-British feelings were running so high among New York's Irish at the height of the Great Famine that they found an outlet in the rivalry between American actor Edwin Forrest and the English William Charles Macready, who were both presenting versions of Macbeth in nearby theatres. The protest in the streets against Macready became so violent that the police fired into the crowd. At least 18 died, and hundreds were injured. The theater itself never recovered from the association with the riot and was closed down shortly afterwards. The interior was demolished, and the building was turned over to the use of the New York Mercantile Library.

From 1852 until 1936, Astor Place was the location of Bible House, headquarters of the American Bible Society.

In the mid- to late-19th century, the area was home to many of the wealthiest New Yorkers, including members of the Astor, Vanderbilt, and Delano families. Editor and poet William Cullen Bryant, and inventor and entrepreneur Isaac Singer lived in the neighborhood in the 1880s. By the turn of the century, however, warehouses and manufacturing firms moved in, the elite moved to places such as Murray Hill, and the area fell into disrepair. The neighborhood was revitalized beginning in the late 1960s and 1970s.

The New York City Department of Transportation's "Reconstruction of Astor Place and Cooper Square" plan called for some changes to be made to Astor Place beginning in 2013. The street would end at Lafayette Street rather than continuing east to Third Avenue. This allowed the expansion of the "Alamo Plaza", where the Alamo Cube is located, south to the southern sidewalk of Astor Place between Lafayette Street and Cooper Square, and the creation of an expanded sidewalk north of the Cooper Union Foundation Building. The Astor Place subway entrance plaza was also redesigned, and Fourth Avenue south of East 9th Street and the western part of Cooper Square was converted to be used by buses only, with a new pedestrian plaza created on Cooper Square between East 5th and 6th Streets. The traffic pattern of the area changed significantly, with Astor Place from Lafayette Street to Third Avenue becoming East Eighth Street eastbound, and the formerly bidirectional Cooper Square bus lane becoming northbound-only. The $16 million project was first proposed in 2008, then abandoned and re-proposed in 2011. Construction started in September 2013, and the work was completed in November 2016.

Source: Wikipedia

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elviajedelilly · 4 years

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MIDTOWN EAST, MURRAY HILL, GRAMERCY, FLATIRON DISTRICT Y STUYVESANT TOWN

Como Lilly se ha perdido viendo la magnífica torre Chrysler, vamos a empezar nuestro recorrido en su distrito, llamado Murray Hill. De hecho, en el post de hoy vamos a recorrer gran parte de la zona este de Midtown, pasando por Midtown East, Murray Hill, Gramercy y Stuyvesant Town. ¿Estáis listos?

MAÑANA

Empezaremos por Murray Hill, donde podemos bajar a la misma parada de la Grand Central, construida en el 1913. Allí pasaremos un ratito observando la magnífica estación, uno de los escenarios más emblemáticos y utilizados del mundo del cine. Uno de los lugares favoritos de Lilly dentro de la estación es, en realidad, uno de los menos conocidos: la “Whispering Gallery”; una gran intersección que se encuentra justo detrás de They Oyster Bar & Restaurante (por cierto, muy aconsejable si te gustan las ostras y tienes un poquito más de presupuesto). El efecto que da nombre a esta galería es el de la transmisión de sonido a través de sus arcos. Si te pones a uno de los extremos donde se unen los arcos y susurras, tus secretos se escucharán justo en el punto que se encuentra en diagonal al lugar donde estás. ¿Vedad que es curioso?

Al salir de la estación por la calle 42, si miramos a nuestra izquierda, nos encontramos unas magníficas vistas: la torre Chrysler se alza fuerte y majestuosa, destacando entre el resto de edificios de la zona. Un dato curioso es que, si seguimos bajando dos calles más (42 con la 2ª avenida), nos encontramos con las oficinas de Pfizer (que seguro que os suenan bastante si veis las noticias últimamente).

Tras conseguir la foto perfecta del edificio, continuaremos nuestro recorrido por Midtown East y Murray Hill. Cogeremos la calle 42 dirección oeste, y subiremos a la 43 por Madison Avenue. Allí encontraremos la escultura “Kneeling Fireman Statue”, una preciosa estatua en honor a los bomberos fallecidos en el atentado del 9/11.

A estas alturas, Lilly ya empieza a tener un poco de hambre, y seguro que vosotros también. ¿Y que hay más neoyorquino que desayunar bagles? Así pues, no podemos perdernos una parada obligatoria: Los bagles de Milk N’Honey NYC. La elección favorita de Lilly són los Bagles con medio everything Bagel y medio Plain Bagle; con el filling medio Plain Cream Cheese y medio Scallion Cheese. Algo que mucha gente no sabe de los Bagles es que se pueden pedir medio y medio. ¡Así puedes probar los dos y no quedarte con la duda!

Con la tripa llena, nos dirigiremos paseando hasta St. Patrick’s Cathedral, unas cinco calles más arriba subiendo por la famosa quinta avenida. El precio de entrada es un poco caro (desde 28$ por adulto), pero es realmente recomendable. A demás, justo delante del edificio, encontramos el Rockefeller center. Sin embargo, éste ya no se encuentra dentro de Midtown East, de modo que lo dejaremos por otro post. Una vez visitada la catedral, cogeremos la calle 51 e iremos paseando en dirección Este hasta llegar a St. Bartolomew’s Church, una catedral muy bonita por fuera donde podemos sacar unas cuantas fotos. Para aquellos amantes de la arquitectura, dos calles por arriba, subiendo por Park Avenue hasta la 52, encontrareis el mítico Seagram Building, del famoso arquitecto Mies Van Der Rohe.

Una recomendación si eres de los que adoran la carne y quieran vivir una experiencia de lujo en la Gran Ciudad, es el restaurante The Grill, que se encuentra en el mismo Seagram. Sin embargo, entendemos que no son horas de ir y el presupuesto no da para tanto… (aunque si realmente te apetece comer un banquete de carne por la mañana, ¡Ya sabes dónde ir!).

¡Seguimos con nuestro viaje! Como ya hemos visitado toda la parte oeste del distrito de Midtown East y Murray Hill, ahora nos toca la parte este, siguiendo la orilla del East River. Para ello, vamos a caminar un poquito: cogeremos Lexington Avenue en dirección Sur (Downtown), unas 6 calles, hasta el cruce con la 47; y bajaremos por esta calle hasta pasada la Segunda Avenida. La siguiente parada muy recomendable si sois fans de descubrir nuevas culturas es el edificio de la “Japan Society”. Allí podréis comprar todo tipo de productos importados del Japón, así como realizar o asistir a distintos talleres o actuaciones representativos de la cultura del país. ¡Muy recomendable! En salir, dirección al río, nos encontraremos con la United Nations Plaza. Allí se encuentra el famoso monumento del rifle con un nudo en el cañón, nombrado “Non-Violence Sculpture”. Las Naciones Unidas ofrecen tours muy interesantes, así que los recomendamos al 100%.

Justo delante de las Naciones Unidas encontramos el jardín de Tudor City Greens, un precioso parque de acceso completamente gratuito donde no puede faltar una breve parada para descansar y tomar unas buenas fotos para Instagram ;) Descansad bien, porque nos espera una larga caminata por la calle 42 para volver a nuestro punto de inicio. Dos calles más abajo bajando por Lexington Avenue encontramos el museo AKC Museum of the Dog. El nombre ya habla por si solo: allí encontraréis todo lo que se puede relacionar con el mejor amigo del hombre, el perro.

¡HORA DE COMER!

Y al fin llegó la hora de comer. Como bien dices “a gustos, colores”; por eso hemos decidido no marcar ningún restaurante en la ruta. Si a gustos colores, en Nueva York, “a personas, restaurantes”, y si es a Murray Hill aún más. Sin embargo, sí tenemos ciertas recomendaciones, y todas ellas se encuentran en el distrito. Como venimos de Midtown West y nos dirigimos hacia Gramercy, esta zona nos viene de pasada.

Así pues, os recomendamos los siguientes restaurantes:

· Zengo. $$ 40 con la Tercera

· Wagamama. $$ 39 con la Tercera

· Tuttles. $$ 39 con la Segunda

· Tempura Matushi. $$$$ 38 en Tunnel Exit St.

· Café China. $$ 37 entre Madison y la Quinta

· Baby Bo’s Cantina. $$ 34 con la Segunda

· Rocky’s pizzeria. $ 33 con la Segunda

· Vezzo. $$ 31 con Lexington

· Bangia. $$ 31 entre Madison y la Quinta

· Empellon Al Pastor Rooftop. $$ 30 entre Lexington y la Segunda

· Tavern 29 $$ 29 con Park Avenue South

Otra alternativa muy interesante para comer es el Eatly, en el Flatiron District, Gramercy. Si aún no tienes hambre y decides esperar, es una muy buena alternativa. El Eatly se encuentra justo en el edificio del Flatiron building; y es una Marketplace donde se puede encontrar una gran variedad de tiendas, cafés, restaurantes y talleres de cocina italianos. ¡Una experiencia gastronómica muy interesante!

Por otro lado, si no te apetece el italiano, también encontramos el Madison Square Eats, justo al lado del Madison Square Park, en la Quinta avenida. Muy recomendable en verano, en éste mercado de comida al aire libre encontrarás todo tipo de menús y meriendas.

TARDE

(METRO) Ahora que ya hemos llenado el estomago, llega esa hora después de comer en la que toca hacer la digestión. Y para ello, no hay mejor que Madison Square Park. El famoso parque es perfecto para sentarse en los bancos, relajarse un rato o incluso echar una breve siestita en la hierba. O si eres de los que prefieren pasear para hacer bajar el festín, puedes dar una vuleta al parque por sus calles contiguas. De hceho, justo en la calle 22 con la Quinta avenida, solo una calle más abajo que el parque, encontramos el famoso Flatiron Building. ¡Si ha yas comido allí ya lo habrás visto… pero si no es así, no te lo puedes perder!

Rodeando el parque también encontrarás la torre One Madison, en la calle 23, así como el edificio de la Corte Suprema de Nueva York en la calle 25 con Madison. Si continuamos paseando por el distrito, podremos disfrutar de una bonita tarde de compras. Algunas opciones muy entretenidas son el Union Square Holiday Market, si es que visitas la ciudad en época de Fiestas. Si quieres productos gastronómicos de calidad, también puedes pasarte por el Union Square Greenmarket: éste esta allí todo el año.

Si te gusta la ropa vintage, te recomendamos las tiendas de “Vintage Thriftshop” y “City Opera Thriftshop”, donde encontrarás ropa del todo original y a precios realmente bajos.

Cuando ya empiece a caer el sol, nos dirigiremos a nuestro destino final: Roosvelt Island. Para ello, iremos a buscar la línea naranja, verde o amarilla (la que nos quede más cerca) dirección UpTown, y bajaremos a la Lexington Avenue con la 59. Seguiremos andando por la 59 hasta encontrar el puente por el cual cruzan los coches hacia Roosvelt Island. Para cruzar al río e ir hasta la isla, aconsejamos coger el teleférico. Éste fue el primer teleférico de todo Norte America, construido el 1976, y es conocido por aparecer en la película de Spider-Man del 2002. Cuando lleguemos a la Roosevelt Island Tramway, en la calle 59 con la Segunda, podemos acceder al transporte mediante la Metrocard (los niños por debajo de 44 inches entran gratuitamente).

Una vez en Roosvelt Island, debes saber que hay una línea de autobuses gratis que son completamente gratuitos para transportarse por la isla. Lo más impactante de la isla es su increíble vista sobre la Skyline de la ciudad, así que te recomendamos que intentes llegar a su vértice Sur antes de la puesta de sol, al Franklin D. Roosevelt Park ¡Las vistas son espectaculares! A demás, si tienes la suerte de ir en época de flores, gran parte del parque está cubierto de preciosos Cherry Blossoms (Cerezos).

Otras actividades a realizar en la isla y donde puedes acceder en bus són la colina que separa la isla en dos, el tétrigo Smallpox Hospital (edificio en ruinas), el faro de Blackwell Island Light y las ruinas de Blackwell House; una de las casas más antiguas de la ciudad.

Finalmente, puedes coger la parada de (METRO) para volver a Manhattan. Nuestras recomendaciones para cenar son las mismas que has leído anteriormente, así que si no has tenido la oportunidad de ir a comer allí, ¡Ahora es el momento!.

Y aquí termina nuestra aventura. Esperamos que te haya gustado y que no te hayas cansado mucho porque aún queda mucho por recorrer… nos vemos el próximo día. ¡Lilly se muere de ganas de que la acompañes otra vez!

MAPA

https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1itbs59t6obCu5rG3gD6wKZdmO0V5aMez&usp=sharing

#creativitat2020 #newyork #midtown west

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elcinsultan · 4 years

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Giacomo Colosimo , better known as Big Jim Colosimo, was an Italian-American mafia crime boss who built a criminal empire in Chicago based on prostitution, gambling, and racketeering. Immigrating from Italy in 1895, he gained power through petty crime and the heading of a chain of brothels. He would lead the Chicago mafia from about 1902 until his death in 1920. When prohibition went into effect in 1920, Johnny Torrio, an enforcer Colosimo imported in 1909 from New York, pushed for the gang to enter into bootlegging, but Colosimo refused. In May 1920, Colosimo left Chicago to marry his second wife, Dale Winter (he had deserted his first wife). After Colosimo returned to Chicago a week later, Torrio called him and let him know about a shipment arriving at his cafe. When Colosimo appeared at the cafe to wait for its delivery, he was shot and killed. The initial murder suspect was his new wife but no one was ever arrested for the murder. It was widely believed that Torrio ordered Colosimo's killing so that the gang could enter the lucrative bootlegging business. Torrio reportedly brought in New York colleague, Frankie Yale, to murder Colosimo. Al Capone has also been suspected as Colosimo's assassin. After his death, Colosimo's gang was controlled first by Johnny Torrio and then Al Capone. It became the infamous Chicago Outfit.

Three weeks after his marriage to the beautiful singer Dale Winter, James Colosimo remained giddy, and nervous. Known as “Big Jim” or “Diamond Jim” for his obsession with the gems, Colosimo reigned as boss of a whorehouse empire in Chicago’s Levee vice district. Celebrities, powerful pols and opera performers crowded his Colosimo’s restaurant, with a café-cabaret and separate late-night fine dining room.

On May 11, 1920, Colosimo and Winter set a date for dinner in the city’s fashionable and exclusive Loop area, along the shore of Lake Michigan. But Colosimo phoned Winter to tell her he’d be late, due to a sudden appointment. “Angel, just got a call,” he said to her. “Gotta meet a guy at the restaurant. It’s important.”

Colosimo had his chauffer drive him in his Pierce-Arrow to the restaurant that afternoon. Inside the still-closed restaurant, he asked a porter, Joe Gabrela, if he’d seen a man looking for him. Gabrela said no. Colosimo entered his office. Soon, Gabrela noticed a man in the dining room. “Mr. Colosimo’s in the office,” he told the man before leaving the room. Then the restaurant’s accountant noticed Colosimo exit the office. About a minute later, he heard a gunshot.

Colosimo had just peered out a windowed door to the large foyer of his café toward the street, when a gunman strode behind him and fired a .38-caliber revolver into the base of his brain, killing him instantly. The suspect fled, but Gabrela provided police with a detailed description. Chicago Police, acting on tips, shrewdly theorized that Brooklyn mobster-killer Frankie Yale did it. Gabrela did identify Yale in a photo lineup. But as things often wound up in gangdom in those days, his fear got the best of him. Taken to view a live police lineup in New York that included Yale, Gabrela declined to finger him. Practically everyone knew it was Yale, but lack of evidence meant no murder charges filed against anyone.

Johnny Torrio, Colosimo’s righthand man and Yale’s former saloon partner in Brooklyn, leapt into action. He organized an extravagant funeral for his dead boss that would serve as the template for future over-the-top, flowery send-offs for murdered mobsters of the 1920s. In a tribute to Colosimo’s political influence, mourners at the funeral inside his home included the all-powerful First Ward alderman and Cook County Democratic committee member Michael “Hinky Dink” Kenna, the second First Ward alderman “Bathhouse” John Coughlin, several other aldermen, a couple members of Congress, a state legislator and a few judges. About 5,000 people, some holding banners for the Democratic Party and street laborers union, trailed a hearse carrying Colosimo’s body in a $7,500 silver and mahogany casket to Oakwood Cemetery.

When people outside Colosimo’s brownstone watched Torrio enter Kenna’s waiting car, they realized who had moved in as Big Jim’s heir apparent in the First Ward. The Chicago Outfit was born.

Torrio most surely planned Colosimo’s assassination, enlisting Yale, his friend, former business partner and experienced hitman. His motivation to off his boss, acknowledged by history, came from his understanding that Prohibition, effective that January 17, clearly offered massive profits, based on his and Colosimo’s existing model of payoffs to police and local office holders to look the other way from Colosimo’s many prostitution houses in the area. Torrio read that the federal Prohibition enforcement agents would be political appointees, not subject to U.S. civil service rules. In other words, low-paid, low-skilled hacks, ripe for bribery and inattention to liquor smuggling.

But Colosimo, still in rapture with his new bride, disagreed with Torrio, fearing the prospect of federal law enforcement without the protection he was used to. Better to keep things the way they are locally, in the Levee and Loop, he thought. He nixed Torrio’s idea to make a major racket out of bootlegging.

However, it is rarely reported that Colosimo did in fact approve Torrio’s scheme to reopen closed breweries to make and sell illegal, real beer to underground merchants and barkeeps in Chicago. Earlier, before Prohibition, Colosimo invested $25,000 in a brewery operated by one of his saloon owners, Jake “Greasy Thumb” Guzik (one author claimed Guzik garnered his nickname for serving beer with his thumb in the stein). Still, this didn’t go far enough for Torrio. Just as he convinced Colosimo to expand the brothel business to the rising suburbs and towns bordering Chicago, he rightly predicted that unbridled bootlegging of beer and hard liquor would produce far more money — millions. Colosimo was dead set against going much beyond prostitution in Chicago and the suburbs, and his popular restaurant. For Torrio, to build this new domain, his shortsighted boss had to go.

Colosimo, born in 1878 in Palermo, Sicily, moved with his parents to the Windy City at age 1. He would not have reached his height as top pimp in Chicago – the nation’s brothel capital – without Hinky Dink Kenna’s well-paid protection. Hinky Dink and Bathhouse Coughlin represented the First Ward, when wards had two city alderman each, from the 1890s to the early 1920s. Two masters of influence and graft, Hinky Dink, thin, stoic and not quite five feet tall, and the floppish, flamboyant Coughlin, helped themselves to payments, not only from the vice businesses in the Levee, but on everything awarded by the city council in their ward – licenses, permits and utilities needed for hotels, banks, shops and clubs in the Loop as well as federal and state offices, the police, courts and jails. Colosimo, as Torrio after him, served at the pleasure of Kenna as his vice gang underlings and made sure he received his cut of the proceeds. Kenna let the illicit gambling operators and brothel madams run as long as they, as precinct captains, delivered him the votes to win elections.

Colosimo’s links to Hinky Dink started in the 1890s when Jim was an engaging young bootblack inside Kenna’s rowdy Workingman’s Exchange saloon. Kenna took a liking to the kid and later arranged for a city patronage job as a street cleaner. Colosimo ingratiated himself with Italian immigrants and got them to support Kenna. The boss in return promoted Colosimo to street cleaning supervisor. Colosimo organized his Italian men into a street cleaners union.

By the early 1900s, prosperous Chicago had been a bastion of illegal but tolerated prostitution for decades. Colosimo, with Kenna’s approval, made the move to the brothel business by marrying Victoria Moresco, a madam – six years older than Big Jim — of a pair of dollar-a-go whorehouses. Kenna elevated him to precinct captain to deliver the Italians to the polls. Colosimo was second only to Ike Bloom, the First Ward’s vice money bagman, in political power, under bosses Kenna and Coughlin.

In 1909, the dangers of Chicago vice life intruded on Colosimo’s rising stardom. Black Hand extortionists, by letter and then at gunpoint, demanded Colosimo pay them $50,000. He needed a bodyguard. Victoria knew someone who might be right for it – her cousin, Johnny Torrio (born in southern Italy in 1882), who co-owned a saloon called the Harvard Inn in Coney Island, Brooklyn, with Frankie Yale. They offered to pay Johnny’s expenses and put him up in their Chicago brownstone. Torrio, weary of years of gang wars in the New York area, decided to make the move, and sold his share in the Harvard to Yale.

Unsure of the calm, squat, chubby Torrio, Colosimo told him about his problem. Torrio, a veteran Black Hand-style extortionist himself in Brooklyn, assured Big Jim he had it covered. Driving a horse-drawn carriage with two Colosimo gunmen hiding inside, he lured the three extortionists one night with the promise of a payment. The gunmen stood up, shot and killed two of them and mortally wounded the third. Colosimo hired Torrio as his bodyguard. As time went by, Colosimo noticed Torrio’s talent for finances and leadership and delegated responsibility for managing prostitution houses to him as a “male madam.”

In the 1910s, Colosimo rose to vice boss and Kenna’s collector in the First Ward, thanks both to Hinky Dink’s sway with police, judges and prosecutors, and Torrio’s business acumen. With the Loop district’s thriving businesses and fancy residences, the First Ward developed into perhaps the richest area in the whole Midwest.

For Torrio’s headquarters, Colosimo bought a four-story building at 2222 S. Wabash Avenue. Torrio opened an office, a saloon – the Four Deuces – a gambling house and fourth-floor brothel. While there, his old friend Frankie Yale sent him a letter, asking if he could give a 19-year-old roustabout bar worker of his, Alphonse Capone, a job. The teen cut up a man in a fight and needed to leave New York. Torrio made Capone his front door bouncer and then, after seeing his violent side, his bodyguard.

By his death in 1920, Colosimo had unknowingly fathered the shell of an organization that Torrio, and Capone who succeeded Torrio in 1925, would transform into the Outfit, one of the most powerful crime syndicates in American history.

Big Jim Colosimo

(February 16, 1878 - May 11, 1920)

#Big Jim Colosimo #Chicago #Mafia #Mobster #Gangster #Italian Mafia #American Gangster #Goodfellas #Wiseguys

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classic-laugjhing-hollywood · 4 years

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Marie Dressler (born Leila Marie Koerber, November 9, 1868 – July 28, 1934) was a Canadian stage and screen actress, comedian, and early silent film and Depression-era film star. In 1914, she was in the first full-length film comedy. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1931.

Leaving home at the age of 14, Dressler built a career on stage in traveling theatre troupes, where she learned to appreciate her talent in making people laugh. In 1892, she started a career on Broadway that lasted into the 1920s, performing comedic roles that allowed her to improvise to get laughs. From one of her successful Broadway roles, she played the titular role in the first full-length screen comedy, Tillie's Punctured Romance (1914), opposite Charlie Chaplin and Mabel Normand. She made several shorts, but mostly worked in New York City on stage. During World War I, along with other celebrities, she helped sell Liberty bonds. In 1919, she helped organize the first union for stage chorus players.

Her career declined in the 1920s, and Dressler was reduced to living on her savings while sharing an apartment with a friend. In 1927, she returned to films at the age of 59 and experienced a remarkable string of successes. For her performance in the comedy film Min and Bill (1930), Dressler won the Academy Award for Best Actress. She died of cancer in 1934.

Marie Dressler's original name was Leila Marie Koerber. She was born on November 9, 1868, Cobourg, Ontario. She was one of the two daughters of Anna (née Henderson), a musician, and Alexander Rudolph Koerber (b. April 13, 1826, Lindow, Neu-Ruppin, Germany – d. November 1914, Wimbledon, Surrey, England), a German-born former officer in the Crimean War. Leila's elder sister, Bonita Louise Koerber (b. January 1864, Ontario, Canada – d. September 18, 1939, Richmond, Surrey, England), later married playwright Richard Ganthony.

Her father was a music teacher in Cobourg and the organist at St. Peter's Anglican Church, where as a child Marie would sing and assist in operating the organ. According to Dressler, the family regularly moved from community to community during her childhood. It has been suggested by Cobourg historian Andrew Hewson that Dressler attended a private school, but this is doubtful if Dressler's recollections of the family's genteel poverty are accurate.

The Koerber family eventually moved to the United States, where Alexander Koerber is known to have worked as a piano teacher in the late 1870s and early 1880s in Bay City and Saginaw (both in Michigan) as well as Findlay, Ohio. Her first known acting appearance, when she was five, was as Cupid in a church theatrical performance in Lindsay, Ontario. Residents of the towns where the Koerbers lived recalled Dressler acting in many amateur productions, and Leila often irritated her parents with those performances.

Dressler left home at the age of 14 to begin her acting career with the Nevada Stock Company, telling the company she was actually 18. The pay was either $6 or $8 per week, and Dressler sent half to her mother. At this time, Dressler adopted the name of an aunt as her stage name. According to Dressler, her father objected to her using the name of Koerber. The identity of the aunt was never confirmed, although Dressler denied that she adopted the name from a store awning. Dressler's sister Bonita, five years older, left home at about the same time. Bonita also worked in the opera company. The Nevada Stock Company was a travelling company that played mostly in the American Midwest. Dressler described the troupe as a "wonderful school in many ways. Often a bill was changed on an hour's notice or less. Every member of the cast had to be a quick study". Dressler made her professional debut as a chorus girl named Cigarette in the play Under Two Flags, a dramatization of life in the Foreign Legion.

She remained with the troupe for three years, while her sister left to marry playwright Richard Ganthony. The company eventually ended up in a small Michigan town without money or a booking. Dressler joined the Robert Grau Opera Company, which toured the Midwest, and she received an improvement in pay to $8 per week, although she claimed she never received any wages.

Dressler ended up in Philadelphia, where she joined the Starr Opera Company as a member of the chorus. A highlight with the Starr company was portraying Katisha in The Mikado when the regular actress was unable to go on, due to a sprained ankle, according to Dressler. She was also known to have played the role of Princess Flametta in an 1887 production in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She left the Starr company to return home to her parents in Saginaw. According to her, when the Bennett and Moulton Opera Company came to town, she was chosen from the church choir by the company's manager and asked to join the company. Dressler remained with the company for three years, again on the road, playing roles of light opera.

She later particularly recalled specially the role of Barbara in The Black Hussars, which she especially liked, in which she would hit a baseball into the stands. Dressler remained with the company until 1891, gradually increasing in popularity. She moved to Chicago and was cast in productions of Little Robinson Crusoe and The Tar and the Tartar. After the touring production of The Tar and the Tartar came to a close, she moved to New York City.

In 1892, Dressler made her debut on Broadway at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in Waldemar, the Robber of the Rhine, which only lasted five weeks. She had hoped to become an operatic diva or tragedienne, but the writer of Waldemar, Maurice Barrymore, convinced her to accept that her best success was in comedy roles. Years later, she appeared in motion pictures with his sons, Lionel and John, and became good friends with his daughter, actress Ethel Barrymore. In 1893, she was cast as the Duchess in Princess Nicotine, where she met and befriended Lillian Russell.

Dressler now made $50 per week, with which she supported her parents. She moved on into roles in 1492 Up To Date, Girofle-Girofla, and A Stag Party, or A Hero in Spite of Himself After A Stag Party flopped, she joined the touring Camille D'Arville Company on a tour of the Midwest in Madeleine, or The Magic Kiss, as Mary Doodle, a role giving her a chance to clown.

In 1896, Dressler landed her first starring role as Flo in George Lederer's production of The Lady Slavey at the Casino Theatre on Broadway, co-starring British dancer Dan Daly. It was a great success, playing for two years at the Casino. Dressler became known for her hilarious facial expressions, seriocomic reactions, and double takes. With her large, strong body, she could improvise routines in which she would carry Daly, to the delight of the audience.

Dressler's success enabled her to purchase a home for her parents on Long Island. The Lady Slavey success turned sour when she quit the production while it toured in Colorado. The Erlanger syndicate blocked her from appearing on Broadway, and she chose to work with the Rich and Harris touring company. Dressler returned to Broadway in Hotel Topsy Turvy and The Man in the Moon.

She formed her own theatre troupe in 1900, which performed George V. Hobart's Miss Prinnt in cities of the northeastern U.S. The production was a failure, and Dressler was forced to declare bankruptcy.

In 1904, she signed a three-year, $50,000 contract with the Weber and Fields Music Hall management, performing lead roles in Higgeldy Piggeldy and Twiddle Twaddle. After her contract expired she performed vaudeville in New York, Boston, and other cities. Dressler was known for her full-figured body, and buxom contemporaries included her friends Lillian Russell, Fay Templeton, May Irwin and Trixie Friganza. Dressler herself was 5 feet 7 inches (1.70 m) tall and weighed 200 pounds (91 kg).

In 1907, she met James Henry "Jim" Dalton. The two moved to London, where Dressler performed at the Palace Theatre of Varieties for $1500 per week. After that, she planned to mount a show herself in the West End. In 1909, with members of the Weber organization, she staged a modified production of Higgeldy Piggeldy at the Aldwych Theatre, renaming the production Philopoena after her own role. It was a failure, closing after one week. She lost $40,000 on the production, a debt she eventually repaid in 1930. She and Dalton returned to New York. Dressler declared bankruptcy for a second time.

She returned to the Broadway stage in a show called The Boy and the Girl, but it lasted only a few weeks. She moved on to perform vaudeville at Young's Pier in Atlantic City for the summer. In addition to her stage work, Dressler recorded for Edison Records in 1909 and 1910. In the fall of 1909, she entered rehearsals for a new play, Tillie's Nightmare. The play toured in Albany, Chicago, Kansas City, and Philadelphia, and was a flop. Dressler helped to revise the show, without the authors' permission, and in order to keep the changes she had to threaten to quit before the play opened on Broadway. Her revisions helped make it a big success there. Biographer Betty Lee considers the play the high point of her stage career.

Dressler continued to work in the theater during the 1910s, and toured the United States during World War I, selling Liberty bonds and entertaining the American Expeditionary Forces. American infantrymen in France named both a street and a cow after Dressler. The cow was killed, leading to "Marie Dressler: Killed in Line of Duty" headlines, about which Dressler (paraphrasing Mark Twain) quipped, "I had a hard time convincing people that the report of my death had been greatly exaggerated."

After the war, Dressler returned to vaudeville in New York, and toured in Cleveland and Buffalo. She owned the rights to the play Tillie's Nightmare, the play upon which her 1914 movie Tillie's Punctured Romance was based. Her husband Jim Dalton and she made plans to self-finance a revival of the play. The play fizzled in the summer of 1920, and the production was disbanded. In 1919, during the Actors' Equity strike in New York City, the Chorus Equity Association was formed and voted Dressler its first president.

Dressler accepted a role in Cinderella on Broadway in October 1920, but the play failed after only a few weeks. She signed on for a role in The Passing Show of 1921, but left the cast after only a few weeks. She returned to the vaudeville stage with the Schubert Organization, traveling through the Midwest. Dalton traveled with her, although he was very ill from kidney failure. He stayed in Chicago while she traveled on to St. Louis and Milwaukee. He died while Marie was in St. Louis, and Marie then left the tour. His body was claimed by his ex-wife, and he was buried in the Dalton plot.

After failing to sell a film script, Dressler took an extended trip to Europe in the fall of 1922. On her return she found it difficult to find work, considering America to be "youth-mad" and "flapper-crazy". She busied herself with visits to veteran hospitals. To save money she moved into the Ritz Hotel, arranging for a small room at a discount. In 1923, Dressler received a small part in a revue at the Winter Garden Theatre, titled The Dancing Girl, but was not offered any work after the show closed. In 1925, she was able to perform as part of the cast of a vaudeville show which went on a five-week tour, but still could not find any work back in New York City. The following year, she made a final appearance on Broadway as part of an Old Timers' bill at the Palace Theatre.

Early in 1930, Dressler joined Edward Everett Horton's theater troupe in Los Angeles to play a princess in Ferenc Molnár's The Swan, but after one week, she quit the troupe. Later that year she played the princess-mother of Lillian Gish's character in the 1930 film adaptation of Molnar's play, titled One Romantic Night.

Dressler had appeared in two shorts as herself, but her first role in a feature film came in 1914 at the age of 44. In 1902, she had met fellow Canadian Mack Sennett and helped him get a job in the theater. After Sennett became the owner of his namesake motion picture studio, he convinced Dressler to star in his 1914 silent film Tillie's Punctured Romance. The film was to be the first full-length, six-reel motion picture comedy. According to Sennett, a prospective budget of $200,000 meant that he needed "a star whose name and face meant something to every possible theatre-goer in the United States and the British Empire."

The movie was based on Dressler's hit Tillie's Nightmare. She claimed to have cast Charlie Chaplin in the movie as her leading man, and was "proud to have had a part in giving him his first big chance." Instead of his recently invented Tramp character, Chaplin played a villainous rogue. Silent film comedian Mabel Normand also starred in the movie. Tillie's Punctured Romance was a hit with audiences, and Dressler appeared in two Tillie sequels and other comedies until 1918, when she returned to vaudeville.

In 1922, after her husband's death, Dressler and writers Helena Dayton and Louise Barrett tried to sell a script to the Hollywood studios, but were turned down. The one studio to hold a meeting with the group rejected the script, saying all the audiences wanted is "young love." The proposed co-star of Lionel Barrymore or George Arliss were rejected as "old fossils". In 1925, Dressler filmed a pair of two-reel short movies in Europe for producer Harry Reichenbach. The movies, titled the Travelaffs, were not released and were considered a failure by both Dressler and Reichenbach. Dressler announced her retirement from show business.

In early 1927, Dressler received a lifeline from director Allan Dwan. Although versions differ as to how Dressler and Dwan met, including that Dressler was contemplating suicide, Dwan offered her a part in a film he was planning to make in Florida. The film, The Joy Girl, an early color production, only provided a small part as her scenes were finished in two days, but Dressler returned to New York upbeat after her experience with the production.

Later that year, Frances Marion, a screenwriter for the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) studio, came to Dressler's rescue. Marion had seen Dressler in the 1925 vaudeville tour and witnessed Dressler at her professional low-point. Dressler had shown great kindness to Marion during the filming of Tillie Wakes Up in 1917, and in return, Marion used her influence with MGM's production chief Irving Thalberg to return Dressler to the screen. Her first MGM feature was The Callahans and the Murphys (1927), a rowdy silent comedy co-starring Dressler (as Ma Callahan) with another former Mack Sennett comedian, Polly Moran, written by Marion.

The film was initially a success, but the portrayal of Irish characters caused a protest in the Irish World newspaper, protests by the American Irish Vigilance Committee, and pickets outside the film's New York theatre. The film was first cut by MGM in an attempt to appease the Irish community, then eventually pulled from release after Cardinal Dougherty of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia called MGM president Nicholas Schenck. It was not shown again, and the negative and prints may have been destroyed. While the film brought Dressler to Hollywood, it did not re-establish her career. Her next appearance was a minor part in the First National film Breakfast at Sunrise. She appeared again with Moran in Bringing Up Father, another film written by Marion. Dressler returned to MGM in 1928's The Patsy as the mother of the characters played by stars Marion Davies and Jane Winton.

Hollywood was converting from silent films, but "talkies" presented no problems for Dressler, whose rumbling voice could handle both sympathetic scenes and snappy comebacks (the wisecracking stage actress in Chasing Rainbows and the dubious matron in Rudy Vallée's Vagabond Lover). Frances Marion persuaded Thalberg to give Dressler the role of Marthy in the 1930 film Anna Christie. Garbo and the critics were impressed by Dressler's acting ability, and so was MGM, which quickly signed her to a $500-per-week contract. Dressler went on to act in comedic films which were popular with movie-goers and a lucrative investment for MGM. She became Hollywood's number-one box-office attraction, and stayed on top until her death in 1934.

She also took on serious roles. For Min and Bill, with Wallace Beery, she won the 1930–31 Academy Award for Best Actress (the eligibility years were staggered at that time). She was nominated again for Best Actress for her 1932 starring role in Emma, but lost to Helen Hayes. Dressler followed these successes with more hits in 1933, including the comedy Dinner at Eight, in which she played an aging but vivacious former stage actress. Dressler had a memorable bit with Jean Harlow in the film:

Harlow: I was reading a book the other day.

Dressler: Reading a book?

Harlow: Yes, it's all about civilization or something. A nutty kind of a book. Do you know that the guy said that machinery is going to take the place of every profession?

Dressler: Oh my dear, that's something you need never worry about.

Following the release of Tugboat Annie (1933), Dressler appeared on the cover of Time, in its issue dated August 7, 1933. MGM held a huge birthday party for Dressler in 1933, broadcast live via radio. Her newly regenerated career came to an abrupt end when she was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 1934. MGM head Louis B. Mayer learned of Dressler's illness from her doctor and reportedly asked that she not be told. To keep her home, he ordered her not to travel on her vacation because he wanted to put her in a new film. Dressler was furious but complied. She appeared in more than 40 films, and achieved her greatest successes in talking pictures made during the last years of her life. The first of her two autobiographies, The Life Story of an Ugly Duckling, was published in 1924; a second book, My Own Story, "as told to Mildred Harrington," appeared a few months after her death.

Dressler's first marriage was to an American, George Francis Hoeppert (1862 – September 7, 1929), a theatrical manager. His surname is sometimes given as Hopper. The couple married on May 6, 1894, in Grace Church Rectory, Greenville, New Jersey, as biographer Matthew Kennedy wrote, under her birth name, Leila Marie Koeber,. Some sources indicate Dressler had a daughter who died as a small child, but this has not been confirmed.

Her marriage to Hoeppert gave Dressler U.S. citizenship, which was useful later in life, when immigration rules meant permits were needed to work in the United States, and Dressler had to appear before an immigration hearing. Ever since her start in the theatre, Dressler had sent a portion of her salary to her parents. Her success on Broadway meant she could afford to buy a home and later a farm on Long Island, which she shared with her parents. Dressler made several attempts to set up theatre companies or theatre productions of her own using her Broadway proceeds, but these failed and she had to declare bankruptcy several times.

In 1907, Dressler met a Maine businessman, James Henry "Jim" Dalton, who became her companion until his death [Death Record 3104-27934] on November 29, 1921, at the Congress Hotel in Chicago from diabetes. According to Dalton, the two were married in Europe in 1908. However, according to Dressler's U.S. passport application, the couple married in May 1904 in Italy.

Dressler reportedly later learned that the "minister" who had married them in Monte Carlo was actually a local man paid by Dalton to stage a fake wedding. Dalton's first wife, Lizzie Augusta Britt Dalton, claimed he had not consented to a divorce or been served divorce papers, although Dalton claimed to have divorced her in 1905. By 1921, Dalton had become an invalid due to diabetes mellitus, and watched her from the wings in his wheelchair. After his death that year, Dressler was planning for Dalton to be buried as her husband, but Lizzie Dalton had Dalton's body returned to be buried in the Dalton family plot.

After Dalton's death, which coincided with a decline in her stage career, Dressler moved into a servant's room in the Ritz Hotel to save money. Eventually, she moved in with friend Nella Webb to save on expenses. After finding work in film again in 1927, she rented a home in Hollywood on Hillside Avenue. Although Dressler was working from 1927 on, she was still reportedly living hand to mouth. In November 1928, wealthy friends Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Neurmberg gave her $10,000, explaining they planned to give her a legacy someday, but they thought she needed the money immediately. In 1929, she moved to Los Angeles to 6718 Milner Road in Whitley Heights, then to 623 North Bedford Drive in Beverly Hills, both rentals. She moved to her final home at 801 North Alpine in Beverly Hills in 1932, a home which she bought from the estate of King C. Gillette. During her seven years in Hollywood, Dressler lived with her maid Mamie Cox and later Mamie's husband Jerry.

Although atypical in size for a Hollywood star, Dressler was reported in 1931 to use the services of a "body sculptor to the stars", Sylvia of Hollywood, to keep herself at a steady weight.

Biographers Betty Lee and Matthew Kennedy document Dressler's long-standing friendship with actress Claire Du Brey, whom she met in 1928. Dressler and Du Brey's falling out in 1931 was followed by a later lawsuit by Du Brey, who had been trained as a nurse, claiming back wages as the elder woman's nurse.

On Saturday, July 28, 1934, Dressler died of cancer, aged 65, in Santa Barbara, California. After a private funeral held at The Wee Kirk o' the Heather chapel, she was interred in a crypt in the Great Mausoleum in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, California.

She left an estate worth $310,000, the bulk left to her sister Bonita.

Dressler bestowed her 1933 Duesenberg Model J automobile and $35,000 to her maid of 20 years, Mamie Steele Cox, and $15,000 to Cox's husband, Jerry R. Cox, who had served as Dressler's butler for four years. Dressler intended that the funds should be used to provide a place of comfort for black travelers, and the Coxes used the funds to open the Coconut Grove night club and adjacent tourist cabins in Savannah, Georgia, in 1936, named after the night club in Los Angeles.

Dressler's birth home in Cobourg, Ontario, is known as Marie Dressler House and is open to the public. The home was converted to a restaurant in 1937 and operated as a restaurant until 1989, when it was damaged by fire. It was restored, but did not open again as a restaurant. It was the office of the Cobourg Chamber of Commerce until its conversion to its current use as a museum about Dressler and as a visitor information office for Cobourg.[66] Each year, the Marie Dressler Foundation Vintage Film Festival is held, with screenings in Cobourg and in Port Hope, Ontario. A play about the life of Marie Dressler called "Queen Marie" was written by Shirley Barrie and produced at 4th Line Theatre in 2012 and Alumnae Theatre in 2018.

For her contribution to the motion picture industry, Dressler has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1731 Vine Street, added in 1960. After Min and Bill, Dressler and Beery added their footprints to the cement forecourt of Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, with the inscription "America's New Sweethearts, Min and Bill."

Canada Post, as part of its "Canada in Hollywood" series, issued a postage stamp on June 30, 2008, to honour Marie Dressler.

Dressler is beloved in Seattle. She played in two films based on historical Seattle characters. Tugboat Annie (1933) was loosely based on Thea Foss, of Seattle. Likewise Hattie Burns, in Politics (1931), was based on Bertha Knight Landes, the first woman to become mayor of Seattle.

Dressler's 152nd birthday was commemorated in a Google Doodle on November 9, 2020.

#marie dressler #classic hollywood #classic movie stars #golden age of hollywood #early film #silent era #silent hollywood #silent movie stars #1910s movies #1920s hollywood #1930s hollywood #comedy legend #hollywood legends

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beliamh-its-me · 3 years

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Performance overview & Research

The overarching theme of My Country is inspired by the question, ‘How united is the United Kingdom?’. The idea behind the theme derived from the contrasting verbatim scripted opinions surrounding Brexit. Through acknowledging the vast amount of opinions and stories, we compared each region to the referendum results. Not only did this support our theme, it helped to structure the fictional manifestations of regional characters. For example, Caledonia’s persona has been based off the Scottish remain vote totalling 62.0% (BBC, 2016). So, in order to amplify this, Caledonia is extremely defensive and angry in a way to foreshadow the verbatim lines. Brexit links to the exploitation of corruption within the UK’s patriotism, something amplified in the script. A poignant line, to support the theme comes from Theresa May, ‘...a vision that works not for the privileged few’. The message shows the government promoting the UK as a satisfied minority, proposing changes are needed. This idea finishes the play, leaving the audience questioning the current political climate. We aspire to start a conversation, about politics and its importance. May, quickly became the Conservative party leader. Offering an idea that Brexit was a distant idea, until it was not, accompanied with unsettling optimism. Another issue that arises is the name ‘Brexit’. Broken-down it means ‘Britain’ and ‘Exit’. This means Northern Ireland is excluded from the branding, linking to a long history of division within the UK, and is played on in the script. The major element, being the lack of spoken lines from NI through verbatim, to create the sense of lesser respect for NI’s opinions. The theme of delight breaks tension in the performance. During the fictional scenes, there is shared food, facts and laughter! This is important in remaining partial, but mostly to celebrate the UK for individuality. The constant return of the characters throughout the verbatim sections, create a sense of familiarity. The creative vision is synonymous with the medium, Zoom. The Guardian (2019) reported that Farage’s party accounted for 51% of all shared content on Facebook and Twitter during the campaign. Meaning that Brexit was a social media operation. We used this to incorporate the fictional characters. This is shown through using Facebook inspired videos that indicate joining a ‘Pub Chat’ group call. This implies the characters oversee the verbatim characters, and join the audience in watching the performance. Further, creating a sense of realism as the audience form a relationship with the fictional characters. Both parties are learning about the Brexit repercussions, however the voices of the nation’s get drunk instead resolving the issues within the discussion. This imitates life, as Brexit was unclear.

The creative vision started with explicit use of the Facebook page however, due to complications of practicality, we decided to use the page as an implied structure, through ‘Pub chat’ videos. This was determined after wanting to use a link to the page, to display images alongside monologues. The page distracted the words being spoken, so we refrained. Click here for rehearsal footage

In two ways we have portrayed to the audience the right atmosphere. First, creating a sense of urgency through breaking up scenes with movement and digital influence. This mirrors the masses of campaigning prevalent at the time, and allows information to form in an unbiased way. The second aspect is placing the audience vote before the ‘vote’ scene. This immerses the audience and clarifies a timeline of the performance.

We discussed other avenues to separate the fictional characters from verbatim. Through development of the first scene, we determined that costume would support our intentions. All fictional scenes have Union Jack hats and tops. This is so we can physically change our aesthetic to make transitions easier for the audience. Click here for rehearsal footage.

Research:

My Country- a work in progress, is a verbatim play created by Carol Ann Duffy and Rufus Norris (2017). Duffy is an award-winning writer for her work writing raw and expressive poetry and plays. Duffy’s work includes Take My Husband (1982) and Standing Female Nude (1985). Rufus Norris has acted, written and directed numerous plays/operas such as, Market Boy (2006), Cabaret(2007) (BBC, 2013). Together these playwrights have been able to create an enticing piece surrounding the Brexit debate, with views from numerous angles of the leave/remain spectrum. Verbatim interviews promise direct access to actual lived experiences and make them authentic (Fisher, 2011). To convey Brexit and the volume of controversy surrounding it, verbatim is one of the best ways to express the UK’s concerns fairly. The final vote was 51.9% Leave, 48.1% remain (BBC, 2016). This shows that it is almost impossible to depict the UK’s opinions without using both sides, especially when looking at regions such as Northern Ireland and Scotland who have a troubled history with England. Summerskill (2021) see’s verbatim as ‘Documenting aspects of historical material which tend to be missing from other sources relating to lived experience (p. 24). With the combination of media, technology can thicken participant’s experience, through building different versions of reality, or spaces (Burnett, 2019). This supports our intentions to blend education with theatrics. It also justifies our ideas to improve audience connection. Our audience, typically, were under the voting age during the referendum. This means that, although the effects of Brexit will deeply govern their lives, they had no say in the matter. With the use of verbatim we can transfer the thoughts, feelings and facts from the UK to give the audience an education. Although Brexit has happened, the British Youth Council (2020) are still fighting for young people to be ‘stakeholders in [their] future’. Through reminding them of the past we could motivate them to work on their future in this country. The challenges of creating a political performance entail removing any bias, to allow a genuine response from audience members. If it is done correctly, the abstract creation of political theatre can initiate enquiry and evaluation instead of negative confrontation (Kritzer, 2008).

When looking at companies to influence ideas throughout the creative process, I wanted to draw on two avenues:

The first, being movement to enhance the digital platform. As the creator of the ‘Feast’ and ‘Europe’ sequences, I wanted to make sure that we were utilising the ability to make smaller gestures, whilst still adding abstract and full-bodied movement. I drew inspiration from DV8, a physical theatre company. DV8’s published work of Can We Talk About This?, depict a woman talking in verbatim whilst holding a tea cup. The movement around her is abstract and exciting. The idea to have a focus whilst also conveying deeper dramaturgical control is powerful and I wanted it to be seen within the above-mentioned scenes.

The second, the incorporation of portraying political information. I have drawn on a slightly abstract perspective for this influence. This American Life (2020) by Ross Gay explores delight, which is one of our themes, in this there is a podcast of a boy getting the bus for the first time. Although he is surrounded by the excitement of childhood, he still speaks of death and anxiety. This is something echoed in our piece, a lot of the audience members have been treated like children in the eye of Brexit, but are being given the platform to learn it as they maybe should have at the time. We use our polls to give the audience the chance to express this.

The link below will take you to a specific research document for this performance, containing sources for performance material and references.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1X5ibI5xWIoWm3bK9W6aAgplQtarR-Hq5gq8m9uGf1u4/edit

The link below will take you to the social media page:

https://www.facebook.com/RuleBritannia1922

Bibliography

Afflick, R. (2020). ‘British Youth Council urge Government to consult young people on Brexit’. British Youth Council, 31 January. Available at: https://www.byc.org.uk/news/2020/british-youth-council-urge-government-to-consult-young-people-on-brexit (Accessed: 12 March 2021).

‌BBC (2015). ‘EU Referendum Results’. BBC News. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/eu_referendum/results (Accessed: 2 March 2021).

Burnett, C. et al. (2019) ‘Conceptualising Digital Technology Integration in Participatory Theatre from a Sociomaterialist Perspective: Ways Forward for Research’, Research Papers in Education, 34(6), pp. 680–700. Available at: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ1229827&site=eds-live&scope=site (Accessed: 12 March 2021).

DV8 (2021). DV8 Physical Theatre. Dv8.co.uk. Available at: https://www.dv8.co.uk/media-portal (Accessed: 8 May 2021).

DV8 (2021). DV8 Physical Theatre. Dv8.co.uk. Available at: https://www.dv8.co.uk/projects/can-we-talk-about-this/foreword-by-lloyd-newson (Accessed: 12 May 2021).

Fisher, A. (2011) ‘Trauma, Authenticity and the Limits of Verbatim’, Performance Research, 16(1), pp. 112–122. doi: 10.1080/13528165.2011.561683

Gay, R.. (2020). The Show of Delights - This American Life. Available at: https://www.thisamericanlife.org/692/the-show-of-delights (Accessed: 12 May 2021).

Kritzer, A. (2008) Political Theatre in Post-Thatcher Britain: New Writing, 1995-2005. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan

My Country: A Work In Progress by C.A. Duffy (2017)

Savage, M. (2019). ‘How Brexit party won Euro elections on social media – simple, negative messages to older voters’. The Guardian, 29 June. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/jun/29/how-brexit-party-won-euro-elections-on-social-media (Accessed: 26 April 2021).

Smith, N. (2013). ‘Rufus Norris: Who is the new National Theatre director?’ BBC News, 15 October. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-24532470 (Accessed: 10 March 2021).

Summerskill, C. (2021) Creating verbatim theatre from oral histories. Routledge: New York.

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the-marx-brothers-will-live-on · 4 years

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Arthur "Harpo" Marx (born Adolph Marx; November 23, 1888 – September 28, 1964) was an American comedian, actor, mime artist, and musician, and the second-oldest of the Marx Brothers. In contrast to the mainly verbal comedy of his brothers Groucho Marx and Chico Marx, Harpo's comic style was visual, being an example of both clown and pantomime traditions. He wore a curly reddish blond wig, and never spoke during performances (he blew a horn or whistled to communicate). He frequently used props such as a horn cane, made up of a pipe, tape, and a bulbhorn, and he played the harp in most of his films.

Harpo was born on November 23, 1888, in Manhattan. He grew up in a neighborhood now known as Carnegie Hill on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, on East 93rd Street off Lexington Avenue. The turn-of-the-century tenement that Harpo later called (in his autobiography Harpo Speaks!) "the first real home I can remember" was populated with European immigrants, mostly artisans—which even included a glass blower. Just across the street were the oldest brownstones in the area, owned by people like David L. Loew and William Orth.

Harpo's parents were Sam Marx (called "Frenchie" throughout his life) and his wife, Minnie Schoenberg Marx. Minnie's brother was Al Shean. Marx's family was Jewish. His mother was from East Frisia in Germany, and his father was a native of Alsace in France and worked as a tailor.

Harpo received little formal education and left grade school at age eight (mainly due to bullying) during his second attempt to pass the second grade. He began to work, gaining employment in numerous odd jobs alongside his brother Chico to contribute to the family income, including selling newspapers, working in a butcher shop, and as an errand office boy.

In January 1910, Harpo joined two of his brothers, Julius (later "Groucho") and Milton (later "Gummo"), to form "The Three Nightingales", later changed to simply "The Marx Brothers". Multiple stories—most unsubstantiated—exist to explain Harpo's evolution as the "silent" character in the brothers' act. In his memoir, Groucho wrote that Harpo simply wasn't very good at memorizing dialogue, and thus was ideal for the role of the "dunce who couldn't speak", a common character in vaudeville acts of the time.

Harpo gained his stage name during a card game at the Orpheum Theatre in Galesburg, Illinois. The dealer (Art Fisher) called him "Harpo" because he played the harp. He learned how to hold it properly from a picture of an angel playing a harp that he saw in a five-and-dime. No one in town knew how to play the harp, so Harpo tuned it as best he could, starting with one basic note and tuning it from there. Three years later he found out he had tuned it incorrectly, but he could not have tuned it properly; if he had, the strings would have broken each night. Harpo's method placed much less tension on the strings.[citation needed] Although he played this way for the rest of his life, he did try to learn how to play correctly, and he spent considerable money hiring the best teachers. They spent their time listening to him, fascinated by the way he played. The major exception was Mildred Dilling, a professional harpist who did teach Harpo the proper techniques of the instrument and collaborated with him regularly when he had difficulty with various compositions.

In the autobiography Harpo Speaks! (1961), he recounts how Chico found him jobs playing piano to accompany silent movies. Unlike Chico, Harpo could play only two songs on the piano, "Waltz Me Around Again, Willie" and "Love Me and the World Is Mine," but he adapted this small repertoire in different tempos to suit the action on the screen. He was also seen playing a portion of Rachmaninoff's "Prelude in C# minor" in A Day at the Races and chords on the piano in A Night at the Opera, in such a way that the piano sounded much like a harp, as a prelude to actually playing the harp in that scene.

Harpo had changed his name from Adolph to Arthur by 1911. This was due primarily to his dislike for the name Adolph (as a child, he was routinely called "Ahdie" instead). The name change may have also happened because of the similarity between Harpo's name and Adolph Marks, a prominent show business attorney in Chicago. Urban legends stating that the name change came about during World War I due to anti-German sentiment in the US, or during World War II because of the stigma that Adolf Hitler imposed on the name, are groundless.

His first screen appearance was in the film Humor Risk (1921), with his brothers, although according to Groucho, it was only screened once and then lost. Four years later, Harpo appeared without his brothers in Too Many Kisses (1925), four years before the brothers' first released film, The Cocoanuts (1929). In Too Many Kisses, Harpo spoke the only line he would ever speak on-camera in a movie: "You sure you can't move?" (said to the film's tied-up hero before punching him). Fittingly, it was a silent movie, and the audience saw only his lips move and the line on a title card.

Harpo was often cast as Chico's eccentric partner-in-crime, whom he would often help by playing charades to tell of Groucho's problem, and/or annoy by giving Chico his leg, either to give it a rest or as an alternative to a handshake.

Harpo became known for prop-laden sight gags, in particular the seemingly infinite number of odd things stored in his topcoat's oversized pockets. In the film Horse Feathers (1932), Groucho, referring to an impossible situation, tells Harpo that he cannot "burn the candle at both ends." Harpo immediately produces from within his coat pocket a lit candle burning at both ends. In the same film, a homeless man on the street asks Harpo for money for a cup of coffee, and he subsequently produces a steaming cup, complete with saucer, from inside his coat. Also in Horse Feathers, he has a fish and a sword, and when he wants to go to his speakeasy, he stabs the fish in its mouth with his sword to give the password, "Swordfish." In Duck Soup, he produces a lit blowtorch to light a cigar. As author Joe Adamson put in his book, Groucho, Harpo, Chico and Sometimes Zeppo, "The president of the college has been shouted down by a mute."

Harpo often used facial expressions and mime to get his point across. One of his facial expressions, which he used in every Marx Brothers film and stage play, beginning with Fun in Hi Skule, was known as "the Gookie." Harpo created it by mimicking the expression of Mr. Gehrke, a New York tobacconist who would make a similar face while concentrating on rolling cigars.

Harpo further distinguished his character by wearing a "fright wig". Early in his career it was dyed pink, as evidenced by color film posters of the time and by allusions to it in films, with character names such as "Pinky" in Duck Soup. It tended to show as blond on-screen due to the black-and-white film stock at the time. Over time, he darkened the pink to more of a reddish color, again films alluded to it with character names such as "Rusty".

His non-speaking in his early films was occasionally referred to by the other Marx Brothers, who were careful to imply that his character's not speaking was a choice rather than a disability. They would make joking reference to this part of his act. For example, in Animal Crackers his character was ironically dubbed "The Professor". In The Cocoanuts, this exchange occurred:

Groucho: "Who is this?"

Chico: "Dat's-a my partner, but he no speak."

Groucho: "Oh, that's your silent partner!"

In later films, Harpo was repeatedly put in situations where he attempted to convey a vital message by whistling and pantomime, reinforcing the idea that his character was unable to speak.

The Marxes' film At the Circus (1939) contains a unique scene where Harpo is ostensibly heard saying "A-choo!" twice, as he sneezes. It is unclear, however, whether he actually voiced the line, or if he mimed it while someone said it off-camera.

In 1933, following U.S. diplomatic recognition of the Soviet Union, he spent six weeks in Moscow as a performer and goodwill ambassador. His tour was a huge success. Harpo's name was transliterated into Russian, using the Cyrillic alphabet, as ХАРПО МАРКС, and was billed as such during his Soviet Union appearances. Harpo, having no knowledge of Russian, pronounced it as "Exapno Mapcase". At that time Harpo and the Soviet Foreign Minister Maxim Litvinov became friends and even performed a routine on stage together. During this time he served as a secret courier; delivering communiques to and from the US embassy in Moscow at the request of Ambassador William Christian Bullitt, Jr., smuggling the messages in and out of Russia by taping a sealed envelope to his leg beneath his trousers, an event described in David Fromkin's 1995 book In the Time of the Americans. In Harpo Speaks!, Marx describes his relief at making it out of the Soviet Union, recalling how "I pulled up my pants, ripped off the tape, unwound the straps, handed over the dispatches from Ambassador Bullitt, and gave my leg its first scratch in ten days."

The Russia trip was later memorialized in a bizarre science fiction novella, The Foreign Hand Tie by Randall Garrett, a tale of telepathic spies which is full of references to the Marx Brothers and their films (The title itself is a Marx-like pun on the dual ideas of a "foreign hand" and a style of neckwear known as a "four-in-hand tie.")

In 1936, he was one of a number of performers and celebrities to appear as caricatures in the Walt Disney Production of Mickey's Polo Team. Harpo was part of a team of polo-playing movie stars which included Charlie Chaplin and Laurel and Hardy. His mount was an ostrich. Walt Disney would later have Harpo (with Groucho and Chico) appear as one of King Cole's "Fiddlers Three" in the Silly Symphony Mother Goose Goes Hollywood.

Harpo was also caricatured in Sock-A-Bye Baby (1934), an early episode of the Popeye cartoon series created by Fleischer Studios. Harpo is playing the harp, and wakes up Popeye's baby, and then Popeye punches and apparantly "kills" him. (After Popeye hits him, a halo appears over his head and he floats to the sky.)

Friz Freleng's 1936 Merrie Melodies cartoon The Coo-Coo Nut Grove featuring animal versions of assorted celebrities, caricatures Harpo as a bird with a red beak. When he first appears, he is chasing a woman, but the woman later turns out to be Groucho.

Harpo also took an interest in painting, and a few of his works can be seen in his autobiography. In the book, Marx tells a story about how he tried to paint a nude female model, but froze up because he simply did not know how to paint properly. The model took pity on him, however, showing him a few basic strokes with a brush, until finally Harpo (fully clothed) took the model's place as the subject and the naked woman painted his portrait.

Harpo recorded an album of harp music for RCA Victor (Harp by Harpo, 1952) and two for Mercury Records (Harpo in Hi-Fi, 1957; Harpo at Work, 1958).

Harpo made television appearances through the 1950s and 60s, including a 1955 episode of I Love Lucy, in which he and Lucille Ball re-enacted the famous mirror scene from the Marx Brothers movie Duck Soup (1933).[19] In this scene, they are both supposed to be Harpo, not Groucho; he stays the same and she is dressed as him. About this time, he also appeared on NBC's The Martha Raye Show. Harpo and Chico played a television anthology episode of General Electric Theater entitled "The Incredible Jewelry Robbery" entirely in pantomime in 1959, with a brief surprise appearance by Groucho at the end. In 1960, he appeared in an episode of The DuPont Show with June Allyson entitled "A Silent Panic", playing a deaf-mute who, as a "mechanical man" in a department store window, witnessed a gangland murder. In 1961, he made guest appearances on The Today Show, Play Your Hunch, Candid Camera, I've Got a Secret, Here's Hollywood, Art Linkletter's House Party, Groucho's quiz show You Bet Your Life, The Ed Sullivan Show, and Your Surprise Package to publicize his autobiography Harpo Speaks!.

In November 1961 he guest-starred with Carol Burnett in an installment of The DuPont Show of the Week entitled "The Wonderful World of Toys". The show was filmed in Central Park and featured Marx playing "Autumn Leaves" on the harp. Other stars appearing in the episode included Eva Gabor, Audrey Meadows, Mitch Miller and Milton Berle. A visit to the set inspired poet Robert Lowell to compose a poem about Marx.

Harpo's two final television appearances came less than a month apart in late 1962. He portrayed a guardian angel on CBS's The Red Skelton Show on September 25. He guest starred as himself on October 20 in the episode "Musicale" of ABC's Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, a sitcom starring Fess Parker, based on the 1939 Frank Capra film.

Harpo married actress Susan Fleming on September 28, 1936. The wedding became public knowledge after President Franklin D. Roosevelt sent the couple a telegram of congratulations the following month. Harpo's marriage, like Gummo's, was lifelong. (Groucho was divorced three times, Zeppo twice, Chico once.) The couple adopted four children: Bill, Alex, Jimmy, and Minnie. When he was asked by George Burns in 1948 how many children he planned to adopt, he answered, "I’d like to adopt as many children as I have windows in my house. So when I leave for work, I want a kid in every window, waving goodbye."

Harpo was good friends with theater critic Alexander Woollcott, and became a regular member of the Algonquin Round Table. He once said his main contribution was to be the audience for the quips of other members. In their play The Man Who Came to Dinner, George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart based the character of "Banjo" on Harpo. Harpo later played the role in Los Angeles opposite Woollcott, who had inspired the character of Sheridan Whiteside.

In 1961 Harpo published his autobiography, Harpo Speaks!. Because he never spoke a word in character, many believed he actually was mute. In fact, radio and TV news recordings of his voice can be found on the Internet, in documentaries, and on bonus materials of Marx Brothers DVDs. A reporter who interviewed him in the early 1930s wrote that "he [Harpo] ... had a deep and distinguished voice, like a professional announcer", and like his brothers, spoke with a New York accent his entire life. According to those who personally knew him, Harpo's voice was much deeper than Groucho's, but it also sounded very similar to Chico's. His son, Bill, recalled that in private Harpo had a very deep and mature soft-spoken voice, but that he was "not verbose" like the other Marx brothers; Harpo preferred listening and learning from others.

Harpo's final public appearance came on January 19, 1963, with singer/comedian Allan Sherman. Sherman burst into tears when Harpo announced his retirement from the entertainment business. Comedian Steve Allen, who was in the audience, remembered that Harpo spoke for several minutes about his career, and how he would miss it all, and repeatedly interrupted Sherman when he tried to speak. The audience found it charmingly ironic, Allen said, that Harpo, who had never before spoken on stage or screen, "wouldn't shut up!" Harpo, an avid croquet player, was inducted into the Croquet Hall of Fame in 1979.

Harpo Marx died on September 28, 1964, (his 28th wedding anniversary), at age 75 in a West Los Angeles hospital, one day after undergoing heart surgery. Harpo's death was said to have hit the surviving Marx brothers very hard. Groucho's son Arthur Marx, who attended the funeral with most of the Marx family, later said that Harpo's funeral was the only time in his life that he ever saw his father cry. In his will, Harpo Marx donated his trademark harp to the State of Israel. His remains were cremated, and his ashes were scattered at a golf course in Rancho Mirage, California.

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chiseler · 5 years

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Peep Shows and Palaces

For all their immense impact on popular culture, movies began humbly, and for a while it looked like they might never be more than a minor amusement. The first movies shown to the American public, Edison's Kinetographs, appeared in the early 1890s. Because neither Edison nor anyone else had yet invented viable projectors, the first short film loops weren't shown on screens. One viewer at a time dropped a penny in the Kinetoscope peep show machine, turned the crank and watched the one-minute loop through the eyepiece. The peep show's appeal was as limited as its technology, and it never caught on outside of penny arcades.

Projectors came along soon enough anyway. Interestingly, given film's later impact on live performance, the first commercial screening of a projected movie in the U.S. was in a vaudeville theater: Koster and Bial's Music Hall on Thirty-Fourth Street, where Macy's is now, in 1896. Other vaudeville theaters followed suit. At first they screened films as what were called "chasers" -- acts at the end of the bill that were so bad or boring they cleared the house, making way for the next paying customers and the next cycle of performers. Because the films often just showed vaudeville acts recreated in silent pantomime, audiences shrugged and walked out on them.

As soon as projectors were developed, small-time showmen were traveling the country with them. They'd come into a town, identify a willing merchant, and set up a "store show" after regular business hours, screening their short films to the accompaniment of a local pianist, with maybe some local live acts as well.

The sea change came when store shows evolved into the nickelodeon (nickel Odeon), a permanent venue for screening short films. When a smal nickelodeon opened in Pittsburgh in 1905, its debut offering was Edwin S. Porter's twelve-minute Western (shot in Jersey and Delaware), The Great Train Robbery. Porter, the visionary head of Edison's movie production studios, pioneered directorial techniques still used in movies today. Both Porter's film and the nickelodeon concept were instant sensations and spread with amazing speed to other cities. In three years there were some ten thousand nickelodeons and small movie houses around the country.

There were around a hundred and twenty-five nickelodeons and movie houses in New York City by then, not counting the vaudeville theaters that also showed films. A third of them were on the Lower East Side. Many were in storefronts strung along the Bowery and other main avenues from Union Square down. Several were crowded around Union Square itself. The neighborhood's new immigrants flocked to movies, which, being simple melodramas and comedies enacted in silent pantomime, presented no language barrier. Nickelodeons and movie houses spread quickly to other immigrant neighborhoods in Manhattan, like the German Yorkville, Jewish Harlem and the Italian East Harlem. As they'd done for decades at live theater, working-class audiences participated fully in the movie, yelling advice to the actors, screaming, crying, leaping into the aisles, throwing things at the screen. Into the twenty-first century movie theater managers would struggle to impose order and quiet.

Although many of the venues on the Lower East Side were the cramped, dingy little nickelodeons of movie lore, some were much grander. In 1908 Tammany Hall's Big Tim Sullivan and his partner George Krause leased the Dewey Theater, their thousand-seat vaudeville house on Fourteenth Street (which they'd named for Admiral Dewey, hero of the Spanish-American War), to William Fox. Born Wilhelm Fried, Fox was a German Jewish immigrant from Hungary. He started a two-hour program combining short films and vaudeville acts, and charged a ten-cent admission. The Dewey was an early avatar of the plush movie palaces to come, with nice seats and uniformed ushers, and it was a huge success. The Dewey made movie-going safe and attractive for the middle class who had stayed away from the rowdy, smelly nickelodeons. Fox next rented the Academy of Music across the street, an 1854 opera house that had converted to vaudeville in the 1880s, and enjoyed similar success there. He went on to found the Fox Film Corporation, ancestor of Twentieth Century-Fox.

By 1915 studios in both New York and Hollywood were making feature-length films. The nickelodeon faded into history, more vaudeville houses were converted into cinemas, and soon the grand movie palaces, built solely and lavishly to screen films, began to appear. By the time sound was added in the late 1920s, movies were indisputably the dominant form of mass entertainment and starting to kill off vaudeville.

Marcus Loew rose up from the Lower East Side to help drive those developments. He was born in 1870 at Avenue B and East Fifth Street, in what was then known as Kleindeutschland, Little Germany or Dutchtown. His father, recently emigrated from Vienna, worked as a waiter. Marcus began hawking newspapers on the street at age six to help the family make ends meet; by nine he'd quit school to work six days a week at a printing plant. He earned thirty-five cents a ten-hour day, making his weekly paycheck about fifty dollars in today's dollars. Soon he and a young partner were running their own small printing business and putting out a weekly shopper, the East Side Advertiser. By the mid-1890s he was a partner in a fur company, Baer & Loew, operating from a loft on Union Square.

In 1903 Adolph Zukor, who'd come up through the fur business in Chicago, opened a penny arcade, Automatic Vaudeville, around the corner from Baer & Loew on Fourteenth Street. Loew and Zukor became lifelong friends even after Loew decided to go into the arcade business for himself. He called his operation People's Vaudeville and opened his first one in a storefront on East Twenty-Third Street in 1905. He was on his way to building a chain of arcades in New York and other cities when he visited a newfangled nickelodeon in the Midwest and saw the future. Returning to New York, he converted People's Vaudeville to a nickelodeon. He also experimented with another type of amusement using film, called the scenic tour. A storefront was made up to look like the inside of a rail car. Films of passing scenery played outside the windows, while clackety-clack sounds and swaying seats added to the illusion. Amusement parks have rides today that are not significantly different in concept, just higher-tech.

Pretty soon Loew was building a chain of combination film-and-vaudeville houses, mostly on the East Coast. Loew's State Theatre in Times Square, opened in 1921, was one of the most popular movie-and-vaudeville palaces in the city. New Yorkers decided that Loew's should be pronounced low-eez, and you still meet some older ones who do. The State survived through various incarnations -- films from Some Like It Hot and Ben-Hur to The Godfather had their world premieres there -- until it was torn down for a Virgin Megastore in the 1990s.

Needing product to put in his theaters, Loew had bought William Morris' booking agency for live acts in the 1910s. He then acquired the film production houses Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures and Mayer Pictures to create MGM. By the time of his death in 1927, Loew's movie theaters, showing primarily or exclusively MGM films, had spread around the country and across the Atlantic to England. Meanwhile, what his friend Zukor started as an arcade with peep shows on Fourteenth Street grew up to be Paramount Pictures.

by John Strausbaugh

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go-redgirl · 5 years

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Diahann Carroll, Pioneering Actress on ‘Julia’ and 'Dynasty,’ Dies at 84

She also landed an historic Tony Award, plus an Oscar nomination for her performance in 'Claudine.'

Diahann Carroll, the captivating singer and actress who came from the Bronx to win a Tony Award, receive an Oscar nomination and make television history with her turns on Julia and Dynasty, has died Friday. She was 84.

Carroll died at her home in Los Angeles after a long bout with cancer, her daughter, producer-journalist Suzanne Kay, told The Hollywood Reporter.

Carroll was known as a Las Vegas and nightclub performer and for her performances on Broadway and in the Hollywood musicals Carmen Jones and Porgy & Bess when she was approached by an NBC executive to star as Julia Baker, a widowed nurse raising a young son, on the comedy Julia.

She didn't want to do it. "I really didn't believe that this was a show that was going to work," she said in a 1998 chat for the website The Interviews: An Oral History of Television. "I thought it was something that was going to leave someone's consciousness in a very short period of time. I thought, 'Let them go elsewhere.' "

However, when Carroll learned that Hal Kanter, the veteran screenwriter who created the show, thought she was too glamorous for the part, she was determined to change his mind. She altered her hairstyle and mastered the pilot script, quickly convincing him that she was the right woman.

Carroll thus became the first African-American female to star in a non-stereotypical role in her own primetime network series. (Several actresses portrayed a maid on ABC's Beulah in the early 1950s.)

Baker, whose husband had died in Vietnam, worked for a doctor (Lloyd Nolan) at an aerospace company; she was educated and outspoken, and she dated men (including characters played by Fred Williamson, Paul Winfield and Don Marshall) who were successful, too.

"We were saying to the country, 'We're going to present a very upper middle-class black woman raising her child, and her major concentration is not going to be about suffering in the ghetto,' " Carroll noted.

"Many people were incensed about that. They felt that [African Americans] didn't have that many opportunities on television or in film to present our plight as the underdog … they felt the [real-world] suffering was much too acute to be so trivial as to present a middle-class woman who is dealing with the business of being a nurse.

"But we were of the opinion that what we were doing was important, and we never left that point of view … even though some of that criticism of course was valid. We were of a mind that this was a different show. We were allowed to have this show."

Julia, which premiered in September 1968, finished No. 7 in the ratings in the first of its three seasons, and Carroll received an Emmy nomination and a Golden Globe for her work.

As the sultry fashionista Dominique Deveraux — the first prominently featured African-American character on a primetime soap opera — Carroll played a much edgier character for three seasons on ABC's Dynasty and its spinoff The Colbys, delightfully dueling with fellow diva Alexis Carrington Colby (Joan Collins).

While recuperating after starring on Broadway in Agnes of God, Carroll had found herself digging Dynasty — "Isn't this the biggest hoot?" she said — and lobbied producer Aaron Spelling for a role on his series.

"They've done everything [on the show]. They've done incest, homosexuality, murder. I think they're slowly inching their way toward interracial," she recalled in a 1984 piece for People magazine. "I want to be wealthy and ruthless … I want to be the first black bitch on television."

Carroll made perhaps her biggest mark on the big screen with her scrappy title-role performance in Claudine (1974), playing a Harlem woman on welfare who raises six children on her own and falls for a garbage collector (James Earl Jones).

The part was originally given to her dear friend, Diana Sands. But when Sands (who had played Julia Baker's cousin on several episodes of Julia) was stricken with cancer, she suggested Carroll take her place.

"The producers said, 'How can she do this role? No one would believe she could do it," Carroll said. "I remember the headline in the paper: 'Would you believe Jackie Onassis as a welfare mother?' … The very coupling of the name Jackie Onassis and Diahann Carroll is very interesting, if you think about it. There question was, how do we make anyone believe that she has [six] children? And to be nominated for an Academy Award, to do that, it was the best, the best."

Carol Diahann Johnson was born in Fordham Hospital in the Bronx on July 17, 1935. Her father, John, was a subway conductor when she was young, and her mother, Mabel, a nurse. She won a scholarship to the High School of Music & Art, where Billy Dee Williams was a classmate.

At 15, she began to model clothing for black-audience magazines like Ebony,Tan and Jett. Her dad disapproved at first, then began to reconsider when she told him she had earned $600 for a session.

Her parents drove her to Philadelphia on many weekends so she could be a contestant on the TV talent show Teen Club, hosted by bandleader Paul Whiteman. And then she won several times on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts program, where she first billed herself as Diahann Carroll.

After enrolling at NYU to study psychology, she appeared on the Dennis James-hosted ABC talent show Chance of a Lifetime in 1953 and won for several weeks. One of her rewards was a regular engagement to perform at the famed Latin Quarter nightclub in Manhattan.

Christine Jorgensen taught her how to "carry" herself onstage, she said, and she moved in with her manager, training and rehearsing every day. She soon was singing in the Persian Room at New York's Plaza Hotel and at other hotspots including Ciro's, The Mocambo and The Cloister in Hollywood, The Black Orchid in Chicago and L'Olympia in Paris.

She soon dropped out of college to pursue performing full-time and was brought to Los Angeles to audition for Otto Preminger's Carmen Jones (1954), landing the role of Myrt opposite the likes of Harry Belafonte and Dorothy Dandridge.

At the end of 1954, she made her Broadway debut as the young star of the Truman Capote-Harold Arlen musical House of Flowers. Walter Kerr in The New York Herald Tribune called her "a plaintive and extraordinarily appealing ingenue."

She was cast to play Clara in Preminger and Rouben Mamoulian's movie adaptation of Porgy and Bess (1959), but her voice was considered too low for her character's Summertime number, so another singer dubbed for her.

She met Sidney Poitier on that film, thus beginning what she described as a "very turbulent" nine-year romance with him. (Carroll then had first non-singing movie role, playing a schoolteacher opposite Poitier, Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward in 1961's Paris Blues).

She would become renowned for her phrasing, partially a result of her studying with Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio.

In 1963, she earned the first of her four career Emmy noms for portraying a teacher yet again on ABC's gritty Naked City.

Richard Rodgers spotted her during one of her frequent singing appearances on Jack Paar's Tonight Show and decided to compose a Broadway musical for her. After scrapping the idea to have her portray an Asian in 1958's Flower Drum Song, he wrote 1962's No Strings, a love story revolving around an African-American fashion model (Carroll) and a nebbish white novelist (Richard Kiley).

His first effort following the death of longtime collaborator Oscar Hammerstein II, it brought Carroll rave reviews and a Tony Award, the first given to a black woman for best actress in a lead role of a musical.

Soon after hosting a CBS summer replacement variety show in 1976, she retired from show business and moved to Oakland. Landing the role of Dominique — the half-sister of John Forsythe's Blake Carrington — in 1984 put her back on the map in Hollywood.

She told the show's writers: "The most important thing to remember is write for a white male, and you'll have the character. Don't try to write for what you think I am. Write for a white man who wants to be wealthy and powerful. And that's the way we found Dominique Deveraux."

More recently, Carroll had recurring roles as Jasmine Guy's mother on NBC's A Different World, as Isaiah Washington's mom on ABC's Grey's Anatomy and as a Park Avenue widow on USA's White Collar. She also appeared in such films as Eve's Bayou (1997) and on stage as Norman Desmond in a musical version of Sunset Blvd.

She was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 2011.

Carroll recorded several albums during her career and wrote the memoirs Diahann, published in 1986, and The Legs Are the Last to Go: Aging, Acting, Marrying, Mothering and Other Things I Learned Along the Way, in 2008.

She was married four times: to Monte Kay, a manager and a casting consultant on House of Flowers; to Freddie Glusman, a Las Vegas clothier (that union lasted just a few weeks); to magazine editor Robert DeLeon (he died in an auto accident in 1977); and to singer Vic Damone (from 1987 until their 1996 divorce). She also had a three-year romance with talk-show host David Frost.

In addition to her daughter, survivors include her grandchildren, August and Sydney.

Duane Byrge contributed to this report.

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OPINION: May Diahann Carroll rest in peace! She was a great actress for many years.🙏

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