Canadian Film Weekly (Dec 26, 1945)

Page 12 Canadian FILM WEEKLY that symbolized his profession caused -popular entertainment, Famous Players and his personal eminence to grow at the same time, since each was an inseparable part of the other. Out of the union of his talents came several forms of theatre presentation, all new to Canada and one, compact opera, new to the world. “A Canadian Ziegfeld,” they called him. Local reviewers were reduced to the phrase, “Jack Arthur surpasses himself.” He was sought to take his place among the greats of the theatre in its world headquarters, New York, with promise of fitting remuneration. That’s a. story that belongs later in this account. ACK Arthur had his first meaningless look at this world on Sword Street, in the Dennistoun section of Glasgow, Scotland, in which country both his parents were born, and his speech still gives occasional evidence of it. Thom Arthur, his father, followed the family craft of baker and confectioner, often allied endeayors in those days. Jack’s musical inclinations came to him naturally from his mother, known professionally as Madam Gifford, a concert singer of note who toured Scotland with Sir Harry Lauder’s company. He started his musical career with a quartersized fiddle at three and gave his first recital when he was five years old. His first stage appearance was made in the arms of his nurse, while Madame Gifford sang to him. At seven, accompanied by his toys and togged in a Little Lord Fauntleroy costume, he joined Lauder’s tour as a child prodigy and he remembers sharing a railway compartment with the comedian. Lauder, in the absence of Madame Gifford, was charged with the safety of her son and, due to the lad’s liveliness, was none too cheerful about the asSignment. The theatre became so much a part of his life that when he was taken to church for the first time, he caused a sen sation by shouting impiously, “What time does the curtain go up?” Music came so easy to him that he decided that he would rather be a scheol teacher, an idea that grew out of admiration for his mentor, Craig by name, a forthright fellow who excelled in athletics and believed in afterschool solutions, via the manly art, of physical feuds among his pupils. The Glasgow schools held scholarship contests and Jack came 13th out of 25 chosen. The passing of his mother changed his course. Thom had always talked vaguely of moving to Austrdlia and the desire to leave be Jack Arthur Presents = (Continued from Page 10) hind the scene of his sorrow caused him to make up his mind. But he chose Canada. The HMS Pomeranian docked at Halifax after nine days and the Arthurs went on to Toronto, where the elder took a job at his trade, registered the younger at Victoria Street Public School and arranged for the continuation of his musical education. Not long afterwards Thom opened his own shop on Queen Street East, won distinction for his oatmeal cakes and meat pies, joined the Sons of Scotland and & group interested in keeping alive the memory of Robbie Burns by frequent readings of his immortal poetry. The year after his arrival Jack was entered in competition for a scholarship at the College of Music, predecessor of the present Toronto Conservatory of Music, and triumphed unexpectedly, since he had not been practising. Toronto had fewer musical artists in those days and the young virtuoso’s victory led to regular engagements as an assisting artist. In popular demand by orchestras, his flair for leadership soon asserted itself. When he was 15 years old he organized and conducted a 45-piece orchestra which gave three public concerts. Jack rated himself quite a lad musically and otherwise until Thom chipped his enamor and Young Virtuoso, Age 11; Native Habitat, Old Scotia; Locale, Glasgow; Year, 1900 Jack Arthur, carrying proof of his profession, wearing proof of his eminence and holding proof by the leash that, regardless of fancy garments and long-hair leanings, pooch a prop? he is all boy. Or was the December 26, 1945 with silence inspired him to invade other and more distant haunts of his profession. S° now Jack Arthur, the semi prodigal son, was a trouper with Raymond & Poore’s company and, in spite of the last-billed partner’s refusal to award the post of conductor to an unproved musician he hadn’t even heard, it didn’t take the tyro long to fit into life on the road. Poore had offered him a spot among the second fiddles but the exprodigy, with youthful pride, said no. Said no, mind you, with his fingers crossed, for he had arrived with three dollars in his pocket and too much pride to write home if necessary. Poore’s compromise between conducting and second fiddling was first fiddling and Jack took it. This Poore had played with John Phillip Sousa’s band and knew a good musician when he heard him. The good musician was Jack and he heard him practising between shows. Jack’s reward was a solo spot between acts, with no change in his status as a pit scraper. But there was compensation. Poore, with seeming helpfulness but understandable vigilance, always stood with the ticket taker asthe patrons entered, leaving in enough time to prepare himself for the stage with costume and makeup. Jack was nominated to replace him during the pre-curtain period and with the task went the right to wear Poore’s $400 diamond shirt stud, which gleamed under the lobby lights and won so much attention that its temporary wearer strutted standing still. Then, of course, there was the daily ego-nourishing street parade. For Thom’s offspring was still boy enough to know that money wasn’t everything. Not if you could parade down main streets every day in a Zouave costume — baggy pants, red velvet vest and Turkish fez. No siree! Ten weeks later the show closed in Ashland, Wisconsin. Jack, whose differences with his father had evaporated through correspondence, decided he liked being left to his own devices and vices. He was, in the preferred phrase of the craft, “at liberty.” Less than two weeks later, after answering an ad in Billboard and being promised the return of his fare, he set out for Hickman, Kentucky, to join Hisenbarth & Henderson’s Floating Palace, a real honest -to-gosh showboat, the largest on the MisSissippi. Having developed the usual improvidence of the trouper, he had borrowed money, added it to his own, bought a railroad ticket and sat up all the way. At Union City, Tennessee, where he awaited a change in trains, there was a map of the (Continued on Page 23) s ~