MOUNT VERNON — It’s great when I can throw things out there for History Knox readers to get involved.
Last week I posted a photo of a theatrical production that took place in or near Mount Vernon, probably in the 1920s. I had no further information about the picture, other than the name of the photographer, who was indeed active in Mount Vernon in the 1920s.
I hoped that by putting it out there, our readers would be able to get us closer to solving the mystery, and I was not disappointed.
Debi White Lehman figured out the location by comparing the mystery photo to a photo from the 1926 Mount Vernon High School yearbook of a play production. The play celebrated in that year’s production is called Bab, based on a popular novel of the era by Mary Roberts Rinehart.
“If you look on the upper sides,” Debi writes, “you will see the curtain looks the same as the other photo. In my opinion, the front of the stage and position of the piano make a plausible case that your mystery photo is from the old high school on Mulberry Street.”
I think she’s right!
Joseph Adler further comments, “In the mystery photo the other four music stands have horizontal electric bulbs illuminating the sheet music. The one next to the piano is for the conductor, and in the HS photo it’s clearer that it has two small electric lamps with shades, not candles. Definitely looks like the same stage and roughly the same time period.”
Janis Comstock-Jones was particularly interested in the play, Bab. She said that she found a copy of the novel at a yard sale in the 10th grade, and that it turned into one of her all-time favorite stories.
“I think of it as a true love story starring a very brave, caring young woman,” Janis writes. “Ever after I have been hooked on Rinehart and films based on her work. She had a talent for humor in her characters. I would love to see something revive her popularity like the PBS Mystery Theater anthology. Maybe the local theater folk could do a revival?”
It would be interesting to see if any copies of that script are still floating around town.
A quick search about author Mary Robert Rinehart informs us that her popular mystery The Door is the origin of the long-running joke, “the butler did it,” because in that mystery the butler, in fact, is the murderer.
Meanwhile, we’ve narrowed the mystery photo down to very likely being a play put on at the old high school on Mulberry Street. Considering that the photographer credited on the image passed away in the early 1930s, this puts the play earlier than that. I think the hair styles in the mystery photo also push it back into the 1920s.
It is unfortunate that neither picture is close up enough to prove that any of the same individuals are in both photos, that would narrow the time frame down. The size of the casts would lean towards the mystery photo being of a musical production, whereas the 1926 photo has the smaller cast of a mystery.
Thanks to readers for chiming in to help crack the case. And, for what it’s worth, this time I don’t think the butler did it.
