Elsa Lanchester on stage

[Richard]

Not really monster, but I was going through some old paper tonight and found this program from the 1952 - 1953 Duluth Playhouse season. Elsa Lanchester was in Duluth for a Saturday October 11th and a Tuesday October 14th performance in 1952. Since I wasn't born yet, I couldn't have made it to this show. Kinda cool anyway, that she once was in Duluth.
I thought there might be some who would enjoy seeing this program. Here is the cover and 2 pages from the 12 page program.

Richard

[artistguy]

Wow.. Richard...that's really great stuff... thanks for posting that program!

[fmofmpls]

Very cool Richard! Does the Hotel Duluth still stand? Is the building still there? If so, I'm inclined to believe that the ghost of Elsa Lanchester haunts that locale. 

[gracebuster]

I really thought she was so pretty.

[BlackLagoon]

I really thought she was so pretty.

Agreed!

[mike c]

Always loved her unique beauty... a real 'lass', you know? Beautiful artifact Richard, thanks for sharing it.

Mike C.

[MedeaZorba]

Oh, man. Cool!

[Richard]

Very cool Richard! Does the Hotel Duluth still stand? Is the building still there? If so, I'm inclined to believe that the ghost of Elsa Lanchester haunts that locale. 

Terry, I think the 'Elsa' performance was in the Denfeld Auditorium at the time. I may check up on this at the library on their microfilm newspaper archives. The Duluth Playhouse has been in a few locations since it's inception. Currently it's part of the historic depot complex, which also houses some fantastic railroad pieces in the collection. 2 seasons ago, I saw "Scrooge" with a friend from work at the Depot. It was a production of the Duluth Playhouse.
As to the Hotel Duluth (the advertisement shown in the program), it still stands as part of a larger hotel complex. The Black Bear Lounge is gone though.
As with Elsa Lanchester, I'm amazed how many HUGE names have been to Duluth over the years. I think of this as a small community and it is, but some fantastic performers have appeared here.
As example, the Winter Dance Party of '59 came up at work recently (we were talking about Lew Latto ~a local radio guy~ leaving the air). Latto was the evening's MC for the performance at the National Guard Armory here in Duluth in 1959. Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, the Big Bopper ~and~ Bobby Zimmerman from Hibbing (now known as Bob Dylan) in the front row watching the performance. 

Here is a quote from Dylan~
"when I was about 16 or 17 years old, I went to see Buddy Holly play at the Duluth National Guard Armory, and I was three seats away from him, and he looked at me and, ...I know he was with us all the time we were making this record in some kind of way."
-Bob Dylan

(Accepting the 1998 Grammy for Album of the Year)

You mention ghosts, Terry. I think there are alot of those (or at least memmories) in that Armory (which has survived the wrecking ball for about a decade but it's still very "iffy").

Oh, and the Denfeld Auditorium~ it's still being used today.