[78-L] Glen Ellison questions

[Philip Carli]

This may seem gratuitous, but I had some questions (and an addendum) about Glen Ellison:

1) Did he do anything except imitate Harry Lauder on Edison (supposedly he was a concert baritone at one time)?
2) What happened to him?
3) Does anyone enjoy his work? (If you choose to read this as a loaded question, well, all right...not meaning to deliberately offend, but I'll keep my own counsel)

I found a Net entry for a defunct Western NY weekly paper called the _Lake Shore News_  which reports on him and pianist Alta Hill doing a Tone-Test in Wolcott, NY (about 40 miles NE of Rochester, in rural Wayne County) on December 3 1920.  As a travelling musician myself, this sounds like a potentially grim gig, depending on how far they had to come.  Wolcott, then and now, is pretty small. SMALL.  Rather reminiscent of Gottschalk's concert tours during the Civil War, where he played some tiny places.  The audience in Wolcott apparently enjoyed Ellison and Hill, though...

[Lake Shore News, Thursday, 9 December 1920]
GLEN ELLISON ENTERTAINMENT PLEASES HOSTS OF HEARERS.
   The musicale given in Leavenworth Hall last Friday evening by Glen Ellison, baritone, assisted by Miss Alta Hill, pianist, and the Edison "phonograph with a soul" was an unqualified success. It was free, and so, of course, the assembly hall was crowded, but the fact that it was free is no measure of its quality. Many entertainments for which standard prices are paid for tickets fall far below it.
   Mr. Ellison is a singer of remarkable talent, and a born entertainer as well. His Lauder and other Scotch selections were of a popular nature, and were sung with a combination of humor and sentiment that captivated the audience. The specially prepared phonograph records enabled him to rest at times while the machine took up the strain, keen attention being required to detect the change, and he also sang a duet with himself.
   Not content with singing, Mr. Ellison also recited with equal ability, proving his mastery of both humor and pathos. His closing number, in which he committed the audience to the kindly care of Allah, was both unique and effective.
   Miss Hill played very agreeably, both in accompaniment and in piano solo selections. Accompanying a phonographic song may be an easy feat, but it does not so impress a casual listener. Miss Hill accomplished it, however, with every outward evidence of ease. She possesses the further attraction of being easy to look at as well as to hear.
   The Rev. Duncan Salmond, who introduced the entertainers and did not omit a few kind words for Scotland, the native land both of Mr. Ellison and himself, further stated that the entertainment had cost $300. Without inquiring too closely whether Mr. Salmond figured both direct and overhead costs into this total, we may say, heartily and emphatically, that it was worth it; and Mr. and Mrs. J. A. Murphey, who were its sponsors, are to be congratulated upon its success, and deserve a vote of thanks for bringing artists of such talent to Wolcott.
   That the program was designed as an advertising device does not detract from its cleverness; and, anyhow, this write-up is not an ad., but is as free as was the entertainment.

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