Little Brother The Minstrel Show
From kittySubject: Mothers' Club ...Sr. T.M. and Medicine ShowsAs I remember it, when the Mothers Club needed a larger place to put ontheir shows, they went to Scottish Rite's Moolah Temple. Does that ring a bell, Sister? I have a vivid memory of the Medicine Shows that stopped in Dogtown. Their performances were given in the vacant lot on Tamm and Manchester, right next door to the Wack family's home. They put on minstrel shows too but the emphasis was on their product... SNAKE OIL IN THIS 8 OZ. BOTTLE , and so cheap. Real con men and women they were too. What fun it was to attend their shows. Later on Kitty writes:When I was in my early twenties - which would be the early l930's, St. JamesParish had a Drama Club. I was in ONE play only. I do not remember thetitle of the play, but I do remember I played opposite the really reallyhandsome Dan Sheehan. The Sheehan family lived on the East side of Tammbetween Wade and Manchester Aves. The Sheehan family operated the Sheehan Realty Co. which was located in the now famous (to Dogtowners) building at the northwest corner of Tamm and Manchester. The plays were put on at the Moolah Temple on Kingshighway near Oakland. I do not remember how long the Drama Club lasted, I'm sorry to say.Kitty
Little Brother The Minstrel Show
Kitty responds on Victoria:GRAPE ORCHARDSOh yes I remember the grape arbors. We had a very nice one in the back yard on Wade. The dark blue grapes were so good. On hot summer days my cousin Tom (a girl my age who was called Tom because when she was born she was so little she was called Tom Thumb, and ever after just Tom.... we almost forgot her given name was Margaret) and I spent many happy hours playing with our paper dolls in the arbor. I wonder if anyone else remembers those paper dolls? We were avid readers in that grape arbor, too, and Tom was crazy about E.A. Poe. Favorites were Murders In The Rue Morgue and Telltale Heart.That grape arbor kept us relatively cool on hot days and sort of hidden from younger brother and sister. You might say our families "didn't have much" but had lots of fun that didn't cost much. That's it for grapes. No wine making but Mom did make beer and we had a lot of exploding bottles too... KittyFri, 24 Nov 2000Paper DollsFrom: sister thomas duggan