On July 29, 1945, the USO hosted its first Music Festival at Point Defiance Park. Over 6,000 spectators were on hand to enjoy the concert. The main feature was a performance of Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" by the 362nd Army Band of Fort Lewis. Cpl. William Sumner of New York City was the featured soloist. Cpl. Sumner was the solo pianist with the National Broadcasting Company before entering the Army. Other performers included the 29th Special Band directed by Sgt. Earnest Hayden and the 25 voice Naval choir from Bremerton, featuring baritone soloist Robert Brown. (TNT 7/29/1945, pg. 1; photograph by F.L. Powell of Tacoma)
On July 28, 1946, over 7,000 people attended the second US Music Festival at Point Defiance Park. Featured performers were the Seattle Elks Band, the Youth Symphony Orchestra of the Pacific Northwest, the Puget Sound Navy Orchestra, the 448th Special Service Band, Sharps and Flats led by Joe Jordan and the Three Dynamos. (TT 7/27/1946, pg 2 and 7/28/46, pg 1; TNT 7/27/46, pg.1 and 7/29/46, pg. 1& 2; Official photograph, U.S. Army Air Forces McChord Field)
ca. 1931. Jack Estes, a photographer for the commercial photography studio McIntire & Davenport, 315 1/2 S. 9th, takes a picture of an unidentified man posing behind a political cartoon. The cartoon shows Herbert Hoover, and the G.O.P. "On the Skid Road".
Former Tacoman George A. Billings, one of the leading impersonators of Abraham Lincoln, was convinced to "make up" and pose for the Tacoma News Tribune while visiting family in February of 1927. He had resided in Tacoma from 1907-08, working in the building and loan business and had returned to Tacoma in 1919 after serving in the first World War. That time he lived in Tacoma for 2 years with his brother Orville Billings. He soon left for Los Angeles where he was involved in various film productions. In 1924, he was approached to play Lincoln, to whom he bears an uncanny resemblance, in "The Dramatic Life of Abraham Lincoln." He starred in the epic and continued to portray Lincoln in vaudeville for the remainder of his career. (TNT 2/12/1927, pg. 1)
George A. Billings, center, formerly of Tacoma, filled his later acting years with portraying Abraham Lincoln, to whom he bore an uncanny resemblance. He was in Tacoma in February of 1927 visiting family and friends and was persuaded to "make up" as Lincoln and pose for the Tacoma News Tribune. He is pictured with his niece Rhea Thompson and her husband L. L. (Lindsay) Thompson, a Tacoma attorney. Mr. Thompson had served as the Washington State Attorney General from 1919-1923. Mr. Thompson was the first Washington native to serve in that office and at 31 was one of the youngest. Mr. Billings was best known for his 1924 film depiction of Lincoln in "The Dramatic Life of Abraham Lincoln." He also toured the country's vaudeville houses portraying Lincoln. (TNT 2/12/1927, pg. 1) (Thompson identification supplied by a family member and www.atg.wa.gov)
Will Maylon and Margaret Nixon of the Maylon Players theatrical troupe are parked in a vintage Winthrop Motor Company car in front of the Heilig (later Temple) Theater at 47 Saint Helens Avenue in June of 1929. The theater's huge arched roofed marquee and glassed-in playbill announce the troupe's appearance in Tacoma. The automobile, a 1904 Reo, was on display at Winthrop Motors; it was still functional and could reach speeds up to 20 mph. TPL-9778; G64.1-053 (T.Times 6-22-29, p. 23)
The Mountaineer Players, a division of the non-profit Mountaineers Club of Seattle, portray Robin Hood and his merry men in a June 9, 1928, performance of "Robin of Sherwood" in an all-natural forest setting. The play had previously been performed in 1923 as the group's first reheased production; since then, a show has been presented every spring to coincide with blooming wild rhododendrons. Plays are still being performed on the 21-acre Kitsap Cabin property near Bremerton, home of the Forest Theatre, believed to be one of the oldest outdoor theaters in the United States. (www.foresttheater.com/theater/theater.html; www.kitsapcabin.org/index.php)
April 21, 1925, saw the return of former hometown girl, Mildred Davis, and her movie star husband, Harold Lloyd. Miss Davis had been a student at Stadium High School prior to her acting career. She and her husband (on right) are posed at Union Station along with Director Joe Murphy and Mr. Murphy's wife. The Lloyds were on the way to New York from California and made a brief stopover in Tacoma. (TDL 4-22-25, p. 1; TNT 4-22-25, p. 1+-article only)
Actors; Lloyd, Harold; Lloyd, Harold--Family; Actresses; Davis, Mildred; Murphy, Joe; Murphy, Joe--Family; Railroad stations--Tacoma; Union Station (Tacoma); Railroad travel--Tacoma--1920-1930;
