Episode 50: Critic's Choice
Despite her own dire circumstances, one hostess continues her duties in supporting the arts. The show must always go on.
Supreme hostess Cobina Wright hosts a party to celebrate the Met opening of Deems Taylor’s new opera and Noel Coward. It’s another fabulous party, but everything seems to be an endless loop as things change while still staying the same.
Archival music provided by Past Perfect Vintage Music, www.pastperfect.com.
Instagram Gilded Age mentions: @MansionsoftheGildedAge, @TheGildedAgeSociety, and @GothamsGildedAge @AsTheMoneyBurns & @PastPerfectVintageMusic
Publish Date: February 03, 2022
Length: 20:56
Opening Music: My Heart Belongs to Daddy by Billy Cotton, Album The Great British Dance Bands
Section 1 Music: Eeny Meeny Miney Mo by Harry Roy, Albums The Great Dance Bands Play Hits of the 30s & Tea Dance 2
Section 2 Music: The Very Thought of You by Al Bowlly, Album More Sophistication
Section 3 Music: Eeny Meeny Miney Mo by Harry Roy, Albums The Great Dance Bands Play Hits of the 30s & Tea Dance 2
End Music: My Heart Belongs to Daddy by Billy Cotton, Album The Great British Dance Band
AS THE MONEY BURNS
Podcast by Nicki Woodard
Episode 050 – Critic’s Choice
00:00
[Music – My Heart Belongs to Daddy by Billy Cotton, Album The Great British Dance Bands]
AS THE MONEY BURNS is an original podcast by Nicki Woodard. Based on historical research, this is a deep exploration into what happened to a set of actual heirs and heiresses to some of America’s most famous fortunes when the Great Depression hits.
Each episode has three primary sections. Section 1 is a narrative story. Section 2 goes deeper into the historical facts. Section 3 focuses on contemporary, emotional, and personal connections.
00:27
Story Recap
Barbara Hutton and Doris Duke finally made their big debuts, but it is Louise Van Alen who snagged her Prince. As others grow hungry, some elites rethink their priorities.
Now back to AS THE MONEY BURNS
Title
00:45
Critic’s Choice
[Music Fade Out]
Episode Tag
Despite her own dire circumstances, one hostess continues her duties in supporting the arts. The show must always go on.
00:59
[Music – Eeny Meeny Miney Mo by Harry Roy, Albums The Great Dance Bands Play Hits of the 30s & Tea Dance 2]
Section 1 – Story
[Music Fade Out]
01:13
A few rows back in a dark auditorium, a small man with spectacles sits in anxiety watching the performers on stage rehearsing the new opera “Peter Ibbetson.” The former music critic turned composer Deems Taylor hopes for a second chance after his initially successful 1927 “King’s Henchman” faded quickly. At first hailed as America’s greatest opera, it’s not often that an American composer’s work is presented at the Metropolitan Opera House. Would Deems be able to pull off a second and even bigger success? The critic within him is daunted by the task.
01:50
This new work is based on the 1891 George du Maurier novel Peter Ibbetson. It is an ambitious piece mixing many musical elements, all but melodies.
The pressure is on. Deems is a former newspaper New York World music critic and commentator. Crossing to the other side is both a dream and terror. Commissioned in 1929 for another American opera at the Met, Deems started work right away but twice abandoned other stories that did not lend to the fully operatic experience.
02:22
What a cast – Canadian tenor Edward Johnson in the lead role of Peter Ibbetson, American baritone Lawrence Tibbet as the villainous uncle Colonel Ibbetson, and Spanish lyric soprano Lucrezia Bori as Mary Duchess of the Towers.
A 1930 Time cover girl, Lucrezia Bori was the guest of honor at supreme hostess Cobina Wright’s luncheon back in October 1930 before the Met’s season opening.
02:50
From her new apartment, Cobina will throw another party for Deems’ opera along with Noel Coward’s play. A highly coveted invite already covered in the papers. Meanwhile Cobina scours the newspapers fearing another potential gossip item might appear about her husband William May Wright, aka Bill. She avoids the blatant gossip rags knowing all too well the horrors contained within, but still she must at least glance to provide more lively commentary for the upcoming party.
03:17
Alas she stumbles across an article in the Miami Herald detailing the attitudes of her husband towards marriage. Correction – her first now ex-husband writer Owen Johnson. A short marriage over before World War I and the hot love affair with Jimmy Cromwell in Paris. Three times a widower, Owen is on marriage number 5 and claims all marriages should have an expiration date of 5 years. Cobina chuckles then sighs.
Two creative artists married with volatile fights. Owen would vanish for a time leaving Cobina alone with her three stepchildren. It was the first time she put aside her dreams in pursuit of love. She would end up in Reno for a divorce then back on stage.
03:56
Up in the Met’s Diamond Horseshoe, Cobina revisits familiar grounds. Calmly, she watches Deems fretting below as she elates in hearing the notes being hit. Oh, how she misses performing every time she gets near a stage. It never truly leaves the blood.
As she listens, it all brings her back to the early days of when she first came to New York and met the brilliant Owen Johnson, her stage dreams, and his ardent courtship. The former Oregon pioneer girl put on fancy and flamboyant sophisticated European airs insistent she was dedicated to her art.
04:30
Undeterred and slightly smitten, Owen would take her to his father another famous writer Robert Underwood Johnson’s salon, and there Cobina met many of New York’s society and artists, including Damrosch, Toscanini, Eleanor Roosevelt, and even former President Teddy Roosevelt. Once Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla were highly involved in a conversation in the corner. Glittering among these notables, Cobina learns to listen emphatically and on occasion shows off her vocal talents to acclaim. She is however warned that her youth and beauty will be a downfall to her talent as they will afford her opportunities and distractions away from the tireless work needed for her ambitions.
05:12
Glancing around the ornate work inside the Met, Cobina remembers Owen’s early encouragement of her operatic pursuits. When operas and the arts flourished shortly before World War I. Italian Puccini’s Madame Butterfly at the Met against the scandalous Salome performed at the brief rival Manhattan Opera House by her mentor Mary Garden, who warned the young Cobina that to be successful at opera one must give up everything especially marriage & family.
05:40
Instead Cobina gave opera up for love. Not for Owen, whom she left and returned to pursue the arts in Paris. But for Bill, to become Mrs. William May Wright and have his child their lovely daughter Lil’ Cobina.
It was a beautiful life until the Crash shattered the underbelly. Now Cobina wonders if she could return to the stage. She sings from time to time at a recital or private party, but she never made it to the Met. Dreams so long ago, so fresh and anew, always bubbling under the surface.
06:14
All the operas, all the performances, players rotate, once the hero next the villain, son then father, understudies, starring roles, supporting roles,… Same themes, same roles, new interpretations, different conductors, the passages of times. Orchestra players may become composers. Talent becomes commentators or fundraisers. And that is on the stage, the audience can be just as steadfast or drastically altered, marriages, divorces, fortunes made and lost.
The eternal march of time. Everything changes, nothing changes, the endless loop of history repeating itself. How replaceable all things can be? Cobina’s world dizzyingly spins around.
The empty seats of the Met fill with people enthusiastically waiting for the brand new opera.
07:10
Saturday, February 7th, 1931
“Peter Ibbetson” premieres at the Met. It’s a sensation from the first 16 notes to the final curtain call. Ambitious and bold in range, highly praised. Repeat performances over the years to come. A testament to the American ability to contribute to music. The famed line from the main titled character Peter, “Life is the dream. Death is the awakening.”
07:39
Another sensation over the next few weeks, Noel Coward’s play “Private Lives” takes Broadway by storm with costar Gertrude Lawrence. The story of a divorced couple reunited while both are on their second honeymoons and the chaos that ensues. Supporting roles of the second spouses are performed by Jill Esmond and Laurence Olivier.
07:58
Deems and Noel will be the honored guests at Cobina’s party at her new home at 322 East 57th Street, not too far from the East River and Sutton Place. Tallulah Bankhead, Fred Astaire and his sister Adele Astaire, Gertrude Lawrence, Sir Guy Standing, Mrs. Auchincloss and Mrs. Zabriskie (Zebriski) are among the guests.
08:17
Once rumored to have slept on the benches in Central Park, Noel Coward is now a critical darling, a popular wit, and a regular guest of the Wrights. He once disappeared from their lovely Sands Point home to escape Bill’s loud snoring via milkman but returned later. All the guests are familiar and regulars too. Always willing to see who else is at Cobina’s parties. Hint of a rumored event comes with an onslaught of calls of those waiting to get in. Artists, intelligentsia, and bluebloods mingle in formal and informal fashions. Still nothing is as grand as her Circus Ball. Will she ever throw another one?
Oh the good times and fun she used to have. All before the Crash left so many in its wake. Cobina fights off the encroaching numbness of despair as her guests’ merriment fills the air. Long time friends ask if she is alright, as Cobina forces back tears.
09:09
For their party, the Bohemian Wrights are touted for taking over the role now left vacant by the newly married Conde Nast. Only no one is fully aware how dire their financial predicament is becoming.
Will Cobina find herself eating at one of the many soup kitchens? Will they be sleeping on benches in Central Park too? Will their story be riches to rags?
The whirl of life around her, the same parties, the same people, new and different, some more haunted than before. No one truly certain of their fates and desperately trying to fool any critics amongst them.
09:48
[Music – The Very Thought of You by Al Bowlly, Album More Sophistication]
Section 2 – History & Historiography
[Music Fade Out]
10:00
Without a doubt, part of the fun of this series is the continual overlap with notable people from all walks of life. One can never tell nor truly be surprised when someone noteworthy pops into the story.
Deems Taylor was popular in New York society long before his two operas. He had associations with one elite 1920s literary circle the Algonquin Roundtable, a group of celebrated wits that gathered for lunch frequently. Founding member Robert Benchley’s son Nat Benchley refers to Deems as “the dean of American music.” Deems could have also been referred as a friend of Dorothy. However that special implication might not have been what it means today. For a short period, he was the boyfriend of the vivacious wit – poet – satirist – critic Dorothy Parker, one of the primary Algonquin regulars. Unrelated, the “friend of Dorothy” phrase might have first appeared in the sequel 1909 novel The Road to Oz, and the gay connotations associated with “Dorothy” came later as a result of Judy Garland, who played Dorothy in the 1939 Wizard of Oz film.
11:03
As he ran in the circle of highly notable people, Deems was asked for a recommendation by the Met for someone to compose an American opera. He proposed himself hence his first opera the King’s Henchman in 1927. That immediate success was then staged 16 times within 3 seasons at the Met until 1929 and toured 46 cities in 1927 & 1928. It was the first live opera broadcast on CBS Radio in September 1927. A few more performances in the late 1930s occurred before fading into oblivion. Now in 1931, Deems would tempt fates, critics, and audiences with Peter Ibbetson. It would be a far larger success from a work that was derived from an already popular work.
11:49
The latter opera based on the work of popular novelist George du Maurier, whose other Gothic novel Trilby gave us the iconic character Svengali. A man who seduces, dominates, then exploits the titled character Irish girl Trilby as he transforms her into a famous singer. The character himself would be turned into multiple films titled Svengali played in 1931 by famous actor John Barrymore and in 1983 by Peter O’Toole.
As for Peter Ibbetson, du Maurier’s 1891 creation would have many incarnations. First it was adapted as a play in 1917 with John Barrymore and his brother Lionel Barrymore playing nephew and uncle. Constance Collier played the female lead Mary, Duchess of Towers. Later Constance would write the libretto for Deems Taylor’s opera, and much of the opera’s staging would come from the play. The play itself would later be adapted for radio in 1939 for the CBS Radio Series The Campbell Playhouse. Orson Welles played the title role, and other cast members include Helen Hayes, Ray Collins, and Agnes Moorehead.
12:54
Du Maurier’s children and grandchildren also achieved their own critical success. Son is actor Sir Gerald du Maurier who was made more famous with his association to J.M. Barrie plays premiering both in 1902’s The Admirable Crighton and in 1904 in the dual role of George Darling / Hook in the play Peter Pan. From Gerald, George’s granddaughters are painter and artist Jeanne du Maurier and writers Angela du Maurier and Dame Daphne du Maurier, the latter of Hitchcock fame. Also through George, daughter Sylvie Llewelyn Davies along with five grandsons were the inspiration behind J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan both the 1904 play and 1911 novel.
13:37
Previously, I have mentioned the complications of reconstructing this era. The constant battle with people misremembering chronology of dates, corrections in names, incorrect associations, plus rumors and scandals along with truths and lies. Entangled webs tripping me up while trying to unravel and clarify. This is the tricky part of memory but the beauty of this format and method of story, I might revisit the same scenario from a different angle or perspective when needed.
14:04
When I wrote Episode 24 The Last Party, I was struggling with the chronology and precision of dates in Cobina Wright’s autobiography published in 1952. I couldn’t verify the date of the party, but it felt extremely close to the Crash. That episode was recorded in February 2021 during a very busy period and thus I wanted a very focused episode featured on an immediate realization and feelings involving of a significant and swift loss of fortune. Later in December 2021, I found a newspaper article detailing a party she threw with similar names. Cobina threw lots of parties with overlapping guests.
14:43
Now in January – February 2022 I am rooting out all the details of the February 1931 article. And now what looks like might be the same party – now verified over a year later. Other details are becoming confusing as other elements of the story surface. She claims the realization and party was on Friday, while the newspaper articles indicate Saturday. Now of course for whatever reason elements could have blended together either due to blurring memories or the need for more concise retelling of events.
15:14
What is very clear and undisputed, Deems Taylor was commissioned to write a second work for the Metropolitan Opera in 1929 for which he eventually delivered “Peter Ibbetson” in February 1931 to critical success.
No matter which day Cobina threw that party, it is inevitable she learned from her husband Bill Wright that they had lost their fortunes before a big social event. A secret they will keep a little longer until other factors eventually expose their situation very publicly.
15:42
This is why I stress the importance of emotional facts in telling these tales. Because it’s pulling back the layers to get to the experience of going through these events. And this specific date detail might be superfluous to overall timeline of Cobina Wright’s life because essentially her life spirals out of control over the next few years.
There will be other details and facts to uncover both emotional and more concrete that will have a larger implication in why our characters make their choices and how those choices impact the rest of their lives.
16:15
[Music – Eeny Meeny Miney Mo by Harry Roy, Albums The Great Dance Bands Play Hits of the 30s & Tea Dance 2]
Section 3 – Contemporary & Personal Relevance
[Music Fade Out]
16:30
It’s amazing how this one period of time yields so many links to the present. It’s like watching a favorite old film or television show and uncovering another connection. An endless loop that grows wider and wider as it becomes more encompassing.
Within the arts, there is always the debate and conflict between being a critic’s choice or popular darling. The former praises talent and skill, while the other brings monetary rewards. The goal is of course to be both, and yet that is definitely far more challenging and difficult to do. Popular and beloved works always find a way to be revived and remade over and over, sometimes to both critical and commercial success.
17:08
While Deems Taylor’s operas were initially successful and highly praised, they have not lasted as popular into modern times. However he made another unmistakable contribution. Deems would serve as the Master of Ceremonies in Disney’s 1940 film Fantasia, and Deems also assisted in selecting the musical scores including at the time then controversial Sacre du Printemps (Rite of Spring) – the controversy stemmed from the earlier ballet depiction by famed Russian Ballet Vaslav Nijinsky in the 1913 performance with highly sexual and vulgar choreography dominating and obliterating Stravinsky’s score. In contrast, the beautifully animated Fantasia was a hit illuminating the music and inspiring many musicians since then. Ironically, Stravinsky hid his distaste of the cinematic adaptation.
17:57
Like her grandfather, Daphne Du Maurier would have great successes from adaptations of both a novel and short story, which were converted into the popular Hitchcock films 1940 Rebecca and 1963 The Birds respectfully. Rebecca was remade by Netflix in 2020 with Lily James, Arnie Hammer, and Kristin Scott Thomas.
And let’s not forget of course the Barrymore overlap, the long reigning acting dynasty comes down to John Barrymore’s granddaughter Drew Barrymore, whose range has grown from child actor to female producer to now a daytime talk show host.
18:32
Finally, there is the highly popular and critical success J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan and its countless variants, including the film depicting its origin and inspiration in 2004’s Finding Neverland with Johnny Depp, Kate Winslet, and Freddie Highmore.
It seems the further we go, we inevitably return to the same things, same stories… Interconnected through time and imagination.
18:58
Last week HBO premiered The Gilded Age by Julian Fellowes – the era when many of the fortunes inherited by our characters were made. For those wanting more of that time period, I would like to point out a few Instagram accounts featuring the era in glorious photographs of people and buildings.
19:13
@MansionsoftheGildedAge on Instagram and Facebook is cultivated by historian and architect Gary Lawrance, who also runs the @TheGildedAgeSociety Instagram account and leads many webinars through New York Adventure Club, www.nyadventureclub.com. Gary is a master of details, from the elements used in creating the various buildings to their inevitable demise and relocated relics.
19:38
Another lovely Instagram account @GothamsGildedAge features stories involving scandals, scoundrels, and secrets from the era. Wonderful period photos displaying the fashions, personas, and locations.
If you want a live experience or commentary while watching HBO’s The Gilded Age during its Monday 9pm EST / 6pm PST debuts, please join their chats at @MansionsoftheGildedAge, @TheGildedAgeSociety, and @GothamsGildedAge.
Hook
20:04
[Music – My Heart Belongs to Daddy by Billy Cotton, Album The Great British Dance Bands]
Next when we return to AS THE MONEY BURNS…
Heiresses must always fight off fortune hunters willing to break their hearts for money. But there is another heir who presents a whole other level of danger.
Until then…
Credits
20:24
AS THE MONEY BURNS is an original podcast written, produced, and voiced by Nicki Woodard, based on historical research. Archival music has been provided by Past Perfect Vintage Music, check out their website at www.pastperfect.com.
Please come visit us at As The Money Burns via Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. Transcripts, timeline, episode guide, and character bios are available at asthemoneyburns.com.
20:56
THE END.