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The Remarkable Hands of Mary Nash
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The last (for now) of our little look at famous actors and actresses from Albany. This one, Mary Nash, was said to have been born in Troy in 1884 (the Morning Telegraph begs to differ, as we will see), but grew up and was schooled in Albany. The family appears living on Broadway (the…
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Harry Lash: Vaudeville Performer, Groucho’s Double
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Continuing our discussions of 1920s star performers who started out in Albany. Today: Harry Lash, vaudeville performer and a double for Groucho Marx. Harold Lashever was the son of Max and Dora Lashever, immigrants from Russia whose language was German. Max came here in 1890 and worked in clothing manufacturing, living on West Van…
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Albany Dancer Olga Beauman
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In 1927, Albany seemed to have no shortage of prominent players in the performing arts. Alongside the mentions of Ward Crane and Elizabeth Hines, the Times-Union also featured dancer Olga Beauman. “Struttin’ to Fame,” the T-U wrote, “Perhaps, is Miss Olga Beauman, popular young Albany dancing instructor, who has just joined the footlight folk…
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Elizabeth Hines, Ziegfeld Girl
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While we’re speaking of Albany-born stars (well, we were), we found a brief mention of Elizabeth Hines in a 1927 Times-Union. ON BRIGHT BROADWAY – Miss Elizabeth Hines, Albany girl, has long been one of the sparks. She represents her native city in musical comedy, appearing as star in Ziegfeld and George White productions.…
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Albany’s Movie Star, Ward Crane
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In the early days of film, one of the first stars was Albany’s Ward Crane. Born in 1890, Ward Crane was a “young good looking boy … very popular with his classmates at C.B.A. and quite a young man about town. Ward Crane went to New York where the first movie studios were located,…
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Much Ado About Windshield Stickers
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We ran across an odd little article from the Times-Union in 1928 that raised more questions than it answered: “Harnett to Rule on Smith Auto StickerA ruling may be made within a few days on the use of Al Smith windshield stickers. Motor Vehicle Commissioner Harnett will return next week from the Democratic convention…
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The Library and the Law
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Since we recently featured the old Schenectady Public Library, which sat at the corner of Union Street and Seward Place for nearly 66 years, thanks largely to the beneficence of Andrew Carnegie and Union College. A 1930 article in the Schenectady Gazette proclaimed that “Book Thieves Here Are Rare,” and went on to offer…
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Three Stories about William Holding’s Auxetophone
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While researching Professor William Holding, who led a very busy orchestra that played on the Day Liner and in the Ten Eyck Hotel’s grill, we ran across a story about the Professor related by old time columnist of old times, Edgar S. Van Olinda. Then we ran across it again. And again. And each…
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The Musical Holdings
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We spoke yesterday of Claude Holding, the accomplished musician who then became an accomplished hotelier, building the Wellington Hotel on State Street. His story, and his father’s, tell a tale of times long gone. William Holding, Claude’s father, was often called Professor Holding and was one of Albany’s most well-known orchestra leaders. He led…
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The Wellington Hotel and Its Musical Owner
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We’ve shown the top postcard before, but thought it would be nice to put together these three postcard views of Albany’s famous Wellington Hotel, the longest survivor of the grand hotel era in the Capital City. It started as a small hostelry on State Street with only 17 rooms, when it was bought in…