WOMEN OF THE WEST' -- Part 5

CRABTREE

Posted By: David (email)
Date: 2/15/2005 at 12:13:58

LOTTA CRABTREE (Con't)

'Fairy Star Of The Mother Lode'
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In the winter the family returned to San Francisco for more voice and piano
lessons for Lotta. Then in the spring, they boarded a stagecoach and headed
into the Sacramento Valley. Mary Ann did impersonations of various
celebrities while her daughter was doing a remarkable soft-shoe number,
gleaned earlier from a minstrel player. They sold Taylor's Gold Digger's
Song Book and sometimes earned as much as $400 a night. Often the take
depended on the previous day's work for the miners: if luck had been good,
the coins dancing on the stage were numerous; if luck had been poor, money
was scarce. But Lotta continued to shuffle, sing ballads of the day, and
mimic other actors. Never at a loss for material, Lotta and her mother were
discovering a hungry world eager to be entertained.

When Lotta was 10 years old, her father, who had returned home, tried to
persuade the owner of Maguire's Opera House in San Francisco to hire his
young daughter. When he declined to do so, Crabtree fired his pistol,
grazing the surprised Tom Maguire, who went away unscathed and unperturbed.
Two years later, Lotta was hired to perform at Maguire's Opera House, the
previous incident seemingly forgotten. She was the youngest member of the
cast in those days but was a strong contender for success. With Mary Ann's
boundless confidence, a theatrical future seemed near at hand.

The Crabtree family was close-knit despite the father's wanderings, and now,
with two brothers shipped off to school in Europe, they were all proud of
the sister who was making it possible.

Performers in those days were versatile, engaging in comedy skits and
serious drama, singing and dancing, and playing several instruments. Their
performances were well received in small theatres and melodeons. True,
their efforts were geared for a solidly masculine audience, but Mary Ann was
always present, demanding that her daughter be respected and treated as a
young lady of class.

By the late 1850s Lotta was known as "La Petit Lotta, the Celebrated
Danseuse and Vocalist" and as "Miss Lotta, the San Francisco Favorite." She
was a budding star.

The discovery of fantastic wealth in the Comstock Lode in 1859 opened up
another location for traveling entertainers. Tom Maguire had built another
theatre in the booming Nevada town, and Lotta and Mary Ann soon ventured
eastward. The miners were rough and bawdy but loved all musical
entertainment. However, the Civil War was just beginning, so performers had
to slant their acts in the direction of the audiences' sympathies or be
faced with leaving town in a hurry. It's said that Lotta and her mother
made such a mistake in one theatre. After the curtain fell to a silent
audience, they quickly retreated to San Francisco.

Undaunted, Lotta played in the American Theatre for fire benefits and in
amusement parks of northern California. About this time, Lotta met the
famous actress, Adah Isaacs Menken, who helped her perfect her theatrical
talents. Lotta also learned to smoke long black cigars from this flamboyant
woman. Little did she know that later in life this would become a trademark
of sorts.

To Be Continued . . . During the California years.
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Copied by Nancee(McMurtrey)Seifert
February 3, 2005
iggy29@rnetinc.net