Renée Harris (1876-1969), professionally known as Mrs. Henry B. Harris, escaped the Titanic disaster to become Broadway’s first woman producer during the Jazz Age. One of the best-known survivors of the 1912 sinking, her life and work have never been examined until now with the publication of Broadway Dame by Randy Bigham and Gregg Jasper.
All posts by Jazz Age Club
Murray’s Cabaret Club by Benjamin Levy
It is not often that a book like this comes along – a glowing pictorial history of one of London’s major nightclubs in the 20th century – so this is a gem. Beautifully produced and lavishly illustrated, Levy takes us through the genesis of Murray’s Cabaret Club that was situated at 16-18 Beak Street under the aegis of Percival Murray from the early 1930s through to the 1960s.
Rome ‘The Eternal City’ in the 1920s
Rome ‘The Eternal City’ in the 1920s
Described as the Capital of Civilisation, Rome was known as the ‘Eternal City’ because civilization had endured there for thousands of years. As a result the passion to visit Rome had never died and was felt by the modern traveller as much as it was by the citizens of the Roman Empire, the medieval pilgrim or the renaissance artist. Naturally, the attraction of Rome has always been its classical monuments and the Vatican.
Bobbie de Lys
Bobbie de Lys – Female Impersonator in the 1920s
The enigmatic Bobbie de Lys was a female impersonator and singer who made a name for himself in the Jazz Age of the 1920s and 1930s and was described as a ‘wonderful male prima donna.’ Little is known about him except a few adverts in the The Stage periodical and a series of stunning postcards published in the mid-1920s.
Frank Leveson
Frank Leveson
Frank Leveson (Frankie) was described as a ‘Dapper Dane’ by the entertainer Billy Milton and was part of the smart society set in Jazz Age London with the likes of Noel Coward, designer Gladys Caltrop, Gladys Cooper and Ivor Novello. He made a name for himself as an exhibition dancer in the 1920s but had another career as an interior designer eventually becoming manager for Syrie Maugham’s business in the late 1920s.
Continue reading Frank Leveson
Dolly Tree and Myrna Loy
Dolly Tree and Myrna Loy
It is always annoying when you research, write and publish a book (Dolly Tree: A Dream of Beauty) and then you find an important quote, that should have gone in the book which has just been unearthed.
The costume designer Gene or Gene Boshko
Gene or Gene Boshko
A while ago I acquired a few delightful costume sketches sighed ‘Gene’ and dating from the 1920s. Further research has revealed that the artist was named Gene Boshko – but who was Gene or Gene Boshko?
Dolly Sisters and Mr Selfridge
The Dolly Sisters and Mr Selfridge
More interesting commentary about the Dolly Sisters and Mr Selfridge, in advance of the last series of the ITV show, Mr Selfridge is unveiled this time from the Daily Star.
The Dolly Sisters in Pictures
The Dolly Sisters in Pictures
A new sampler showing some of the content of the book The Dolly Sisters in Pictures is available now
Dolly Sisters and Mr Selfridge
The Dolly Sisters and Mr Selfridge
The commentary about the Dolly Sisters and Mr Selfridge, in advance of the last series of the ITV show, has started already with the latest feature from The Mail on Sunday.
