Maple Avenue Evening High School - Progress Yearbook (Los Angeles, CA)

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All other entertainments given throughout the year were received with equal enthusiasm and approval. 9 4 Below is reproduced comments printed in various publications on en- tertainments given by the Cellar Players of the Maple Avenue Evening School for entertainment of various lodges and associations: In the Cellar, night by night We Players play with all our might, And day by day, in every way, We're getting famous - people say . From San Pedro Daily Pilot Jan. 30, 1922 CELLAR PLAYERS PLEASE BIG CROWD AT Y. M. C. A. Before a crowd which filled the Y. M. C. A. building on Harbor boulevard to capacity, the Cellar Players of Los An- geles appeared Saturday night in three excellently given one-act plays. The entertainers so pleased the crowd with their clever work in presenting the playlets, that Sec. Lorimore, has booked them for a return engagement here in March. The first playlet was The Pot Boilers , the second, The Person In the Chair , and the last, In 1 9 9 9 , which was especially entertain- ing and kept the audience in continual laughter. Hollywood Daily Citizen, Feb. 16, 1922 Several schools became interested in the patients in the tuberculos annex at the hospital at Sawtelle, through Miss Annabel Thornton. Two plays were presented, under the direction of Miss Lucy Hummel. They were The Pot Boiler , by Alice Gurtzenberg and a skit by William DeMille. From HTRESTLE BOARD Henry'S. Orme Lodge No. 458. March, 1922. ANOTHER BIG NIGHT COMING April the 26th has been set aside' by our Worshipful Master for an evening of entertainment for the members of the Lodge, their friends, and families, The famous Cellar Players will give three one-act plays in the Commandery room. These players have become very popular under Miss Hummel's direction the past two years, and the evening promises to be one of a very pleasant nature. The evening will be one of special interest, due to the 'fact that one of the plays to be presented was written by a member of Henry S. Orme Lodge, Wm. C. De Mille. Jot -the date down now, and you won't be sorry you did not hear about it in time. Copy of letter received from the secre- tary of Henry S. Orme Lodge 458, F. 8: A. M. C. J. Cresmer, C. Vernon Lewis, Worshipful Master , Secretary HENRY S. ORME LODGE NO. 458, F. 8: A. M. May 4, 1922. Dear Miss Hummel: This is to convey to you the sincere appreciation of the members of Henry S. Orme Lodge for the delightful program so kindly arranged by yourself for the pleasure of the members and their friends on the evening of April 29. We will also appreciate if you will express to the members of your company our hearty thanks for the pleasant and profitable evening and one that we will all remember as a very happy one. Cordially yours, C. Vernon Lewis, Secretary. Page Seventy-five

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Upon arrival aboard the Mercy the players were greeted by the Marine Band. The rooms of the chaplain and one of the officers became for the evening theatrical dressing rooms . The sailors, all who were well enough. gathered on one end of the ship and here, without the aid of stage or scenery, the players entertained them. The players and their plays were enthusiastically received and applauded, it was, indeed, with a bit of regret that the players bid their adois and stepped once more into the ever-ready little chug boat for the return trip. ' Entertain Masons Quite in contrast from this program was the one given for the Los An- geles Eastern Star Chapter in the Masonic Temple. This was given at the request of Mr. Schroeder, manager of the Morosco theater and patron of the above named Chapter, who had heard of the Cellar Players thru a per- formance previously given at the Henry S. Orme Lodge. Once again the players performed without the aid of a proper stage, scenery, lights and etc. The spacious Chapter room was crowded with handsomely gowned women and prominent men from the extreme rear of the room to within a few feet of where the play was staged. This fact, however, did not seem to effect the players in the least, even the fact that Mr. Schroeder, him- self a theatrical expert of note, stood close by throughout the performance, did not seem to disconcert them. On the contrary, these things rather seemed to act as a stimulus and, did the players react? well, judge for your- selves after I tell you that Mr. Schroeder later proclaimed that two of the playlets given were worthy of Orpheum time. 1 Scene in The Vampire and the Camel Page Seventy-four

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From- 'fTrestle Board?', May, 1922. Were you present at the Henry S. Or- me entertainment April 29th? Almost every one that ever 'heard of Henry S. Orme Lodge was there, but for the be- nefit of a few who were unable to be present we will say that you missed some wonderful entertainment. V A The Worshipful Master and Brethren are deeply indebted 'to' Miss Hummel, director of the Cellar Players, and great- lv appreciate her efforts in putting on the playlets by her troupe, which helped to make Henry S. Orme's First Annual Theatrical Night such a wonderful suc- cess. Extract from The Camp Fire , Golden State Camp No. 7110, Modern Woodmen of America. June, 1922. That entertainment given at our hall on 3rd of May by the Cellar Players was a dandy, wasn't it? Watch out for the next one. - Miss Lucy Hummel is a hummer , isn't she, when it comes to directing a play? And her students do credit to her a so. The prologues, prepared and delivered by Miss Doris Mortlock, were catchy and fitting and they proved talent of an ex- ceptional order on the part of their author. Jess Crandell, as Poor Old Jim , in so many ludicrous situations on account of the habit of drink, which he was try- ing hard to master, had the house roar- ing with laughter from start to finish, while Earl McConnell, in his part as Cole, in the Brink of Silence , won the hearts of the audience as they fancied him sac- rificing his life upon the altar of love for those whose happiness he valued more than all else. Dick Todd, Arthur Olson, Jean Waver- ly, Marguerite Hummel, Peggy Taylor, John Mortlock, Consuelo Crafts, Bertha Klosen, Doris Mortlock, Nell Van de Viere, Edward Nugent, Araxie Jamgo- chain, Helen Moore, and Catherine Vidor played splendid parts, to name one is to name them all. Miss Hummel deserves praise for the work she is doing in the City Schools. .Page Seventy-six' Copy of letter: . A . ' OLIVER MOROSCO Chas. C. Chapman Bldg. 8th 8: Broadway Henry A. F. Schroeder, 4 Western Manager Los Angeles, Cal., June 13, 1922. Miss Lucy Hummel, 823 E. Adams, City. Dear Miss Hummel: A Herewith wish to sincerely thank you for the playlets put on by you at the Los Angeles Eastern Star Chapter No. 168, on the evening of June 5, 1922. Wish to say that your sketch Poor Old Jim , and In 1999 , are worthy of Orpheum time, as to subject, your direc- tion, and pupils' adaptability, and would suggest your trying to get bookings for them, and reap the reward which your merit so richly deserves. With sincere good wishes, I remain, Yours very truly, Henry A. F. Schroeder. From The Camp Fire , Nov, 1922. Did you attend the entertainment on October 11, provided by our Entertain- ment Committee? If you did, you will agree with me that it was good. It was furnished by the Cellar Players, a dra- matic club of the Night School, Maple Avenue. All the players did credit to themselves and their Director, and the City Night School of Los Angeles should claim the hearty support of its citizens when it can develop such talent asvthis club exhibits. ' The work in all the plays was all so well done that it is difficult to pick out the outstanding lights in the casts, but perhaps it would be fair to say that Ar- thur Olson in The Pot Boilers , and in In 1999 , deserves special mention. Others deserve mention also but to men- tion one would mean all should be named. It is an exceedingly well-balanced cast of players.