A fondly remembered summer theater company produced plays and musicals on the top of Mt. Tom in Holyoke, Massachusetts. An idyllic spot of picnic groves, restaurant, ballroom, dance pavilion, amusement park, and zoo, Mountain Park also featured a theater called the Casino. At one time, it was the home of what was reputed to be the largest summer theater in New England.
From 1941 through 1962, the Casino was home to The Valley Players, a theatre company which helped nurture, or even launch the careers of many young actors, Hal Holbrook among them, who first performed his famous one-man show “Mark Twain Tonight” here. Future Tony nominee and native of nearby Westfield Anne Pitoniak appeared here as well.
Mountain Park was created in the late 19th century when the first train and trolley and mountain tram cars made their way up Mt. Tom. An early vaudeville theater was built here, later replaced by the Casino. In 1911 the Casino Stock Company produced stage plays here, but folded after one season. Vaudeville acts and silent movies shown at the Casino drew in the crowds. Stage plays were attemped again in 1924, and a 1935 renovation of the Casino led to more plays here showcased by the Works Progress Administration (more on the WPA theatre project another time). One Depression-era member of the company was future film star Wendell Corey.
Carlton and Jean Guild created the Valley Players here in 1941. They had been involved in other New England summer theaters, and along with collegues Dorothy Crane, Lauren Gilbert and his wife Jackson Perkins, Walter Coy, Louise Mudgett and Joseph Foley, were looking for a site for a new company. All would function on the administrative staff or perform in many of the plays produced by the Valley Players, or both. Joseph Foley went on to do some live television, was Gabriel Gurney the principal for the first season of “Mr. Peepers”, until his untimely death in the summer of 1955 in Holyoke.
The Valley Players was an Equity stock company. During 1943 Mountain Park was closed due to the wartime gas rationing. The heyday for the Valley Players was throughout the 1950s (coinciding with what is generally perceived as the golden age of summer theatre in New England), but the dawn of the 1960s brought rising production costs, lower attendance, and the curtain was brought down in 1962 with Tennessee Williams’ “The Glass Menagerie.”Mountain Park closed in 1987.
Here are a few programs from The Valley Players. “Bell, Book & Candle” with Hal Holbrook was the final production of 1953. “Holiday” from July 1954 featured Si, (later billed as Simon) Oakland, later seen in many future film and TV productions. Hal Holbrook also appeared in “The Velvet Glove” July 1953, one of his earliest appearances with The Valley Players. The following month he had a part in “The Happiest Days of Your Life”.
Ralph Edwards, who at the time was the host of the “Truth or Consequences” gameshow on radio, and would also be the host when this show eventually moved to television, appeared in “Nothing But the Truth” in August 1942.
I’d love to hear from anyone who attended a show by The Valley Players, or was involved in any way in their productions.
Note: the postcards of the Casino Theater are from the Imagine Museum website. These programs for The Valley Players came to me by way of an old family friend (and collectibles & antiques dealer) Gail Watson. My dearest thanks to her.
As a teenager during the Valley Players' last few years I was one of the crew that directed theater-goers to spaces in the Casino's parking lot. Actually, there wasn't much of a lot - flashlights in hand, we pointed drivers to spots among the trees surrounding the place. When the show was a hit we stuck around to help folks exit the park; otherwise, they were on their own. The hits then were mostly musicals: "The Boy Friend" and "Little Mary Sunshine" among them. Besides the two bucks we were paid per night (three on weekends) we were sometimes given popcorn and we could watch the show for free on any night we worked. As a result, even today I can do a creditable job on most of the songs from those two shows.
ReplyDeleteBrad... is this you?
Deletehappened to read your blog.i remember you, jim,but i'll bet you don't remember me.my name was bob Russell I changed my first name to brad when I joined equity in 1968.bill guild was my best friend and my job that summer was cleaning the theater and working in the box office.jean guild played linda loman in 'death of a salesman' and we also did 'the miracle worker ' with sue ann gilfilin'glass menagerie 'was the last show and tom was played by ray girardin.jean and carlton were very sweet to me and we remained friends for years. I can honestly say it was the happiest summer of my life.ted tiller directed the last show.grace carney played Amanda. grace lived to be in her mid ninties I remember you and always had trouble pronouncing your name.i'm an actor and have lived in new york since 1966. BRAD RUSSELL
DeleteThanks so much for stopping by and sharing this. I love to hear about the experiences of the staff. The two bucks may not have gone far, but at least you've got some show tunes in your repetoire to amaze people at parties. Or not.
ReplyDeleteDear Jacqueline T. Lynch. My ex-husband and still close friend, William S. Guild, is the son of Valley Players' Producers, Jean and Carlton Guild. Bill remembers all the shows, actors; as a boy would sit in dressing room w/ Hal.. who was just developing Mark Twain, watch the process of transformation. Bill got his Equity card at 18 by dint of intense effort: sweeping/cleaning that huge house; them moved to St Mgr. He's a wealth of information regarding The Valley Players. If interested, how do I send his email address?
DeleteSincerely, H.J. Brandon
Ms. Brandon, thank you so much for commenting on this post and offering this information on Mr. William Guild. I'd love to know more about the Valley Players. In fact, I'm considering writing a book on the Valley Players (and later incarnation as the Mt. Tom Playhouse). Mr. Guild's memories of the theater would be invaluable. If Mr. Guild, or anyone, should like to contact me to share any information on the Valley Players or Mt. Tom Playhouse, my email is: JacquelineTLynch@gmail.com. I would be happy to conduct interviews by phone or in person (when possible) if one prefers that instead of writing down one's memories.
ReplyDeleteThank you again.
I began my theatrical career with the Valley Players at Mountain Park. I remember loving every day that summer of 1962, when I was 18. I understand that was the final year of the Valley Players after a long and illustrious run and I am so glad I got to experience a technical apprenticeship with the company. I commuted all the way from Williamsburg Mass. every day. I still have three letters from Carlton Guild, dated February, March and May of 1962, explaining details of the program, the schedule and the commitment he and Jean Guild were expecting from me. I wish I could remember all the plays we did but I am certain we did “Dark of the Moon” and I think “Little Mary Sunshine” among the others. Names I remember are Mr. Ganser, who was the technical director and a fellow apprentice whose last name was Vogel. I’d often give him a ride home to Northhampton.
ReplyDeleteI am still designing sets and lighting for theatre and loving it. I cherish those days at the Casino that led to my career. Jim Othuse
Mr. Othuse, I can't thank you enough for chiming in with your Valley Players memories. I can see where your experience as a young man with this group would have been a great start to your career in theatre. I hope others will share and preserve their memories of this fine summer stock company.
ReplyDeleteI am hoping you can help me. I came across several Holyoke Playhouse playbills from the 1920's. When I do a search I am led to Mt. Tom Playhouse. Any leads would be appreciated. Thanks
ReplyDeleteHi, Ms. Yelle, and welcome. As noted in the post above, the Casino theater on Mt. Tom, Holyoke did present plays off and on in the 1920s and 30s. I'm in the process of researching a book on theater in its various forms on Mt. Tom, but I'm afraid I don't have any more detail for you right now, other than what I've written in the post above. I'd love to see those playbills. Where did you find them? Do they list the names of productions and actors?
ReplyDeleteHi Jacqueline: Thank you for responding so promptly. I would be happy to show you these playbills. They are from the late 20's. They are not dated except that I discovered an ad that noted there was still time to open a 1929 Christmas Club at a local bank. How we came upon them is an interesting story in itself, I'll save for another time. My 17 year old daughter discovered them at a tag sale we went to in Otis, MA. It had ended and everything was free for the taking. They contain lots of information about production along with merchant ads and includes list of actors and actress. One with Thelma Ritter, others were Mabel Griffith, W.O. McWatters, Eunice Keeler, Tommy Martelle, Jay Holly, Charles Richards, Arthur Howard, Elizabeth Somers Vincent Coleman and Ruth Abbott. to name a few. They were referred to as the Playhouse Players. I hope this helps. Thank Cyndy
ReplyDeleteI'm intrigued. I think very little is known, or at least preserved, about this era in theatre on Mt. Tom. Most of the material I've seen is from 1941 onwards. How fun to see Thelma Ritter's name among them. I know she did stock for years before she ever found her way to Hollywood after the war as a middle-aged woman, and there, of course, her career took off. If you'd care to contact me privately, my email is JacquelineTLynch@gmail.com. I wish I had more to tell you for your own sake.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone recall the ingénue in the 50s, who was related to Margarite Cansino (Rita Heyworth)?
ReplyDeleteSuzanne cansino ,now deceased
ReplyDeleteMy father used to work the concession stand in the casino and as a little boy, I delighted in sneaking into the theatre when the curtain went up and watched the actors from behind the seats. If caught, Carlton Guild could give a pretty nasty look and tell my father that I must stay out. But I found my way in...now years later, I wish I still had those programs that I so cherished.
ReplyDeleteThis is delightful. Thanks for jumping into the discussion, Don. I know what you mean about old programs; I collect them from many theaters when I can, and I hope to use ones I've obtained from the Valley Players for my book.
ReplyDelete