The tragic death of Edward Morgan (aka Ted Gibson) - actor on Empire Builders

I started this blog within days of the 85^th anniversary of the opening and dedication of the Cascade Tunnel, located in the Cascade Mountains of the state of Washington. This event was shared with the nation in a one-hour broadcast, at the conclusion of which it was announced the Great Northern Railway was launching a weekly radio series called Empire Builders. Because I lucked into that timing, I elected to try to post something about every one of the 103 succeeding Great Northern broadcasts, with a blog submission on the 85^th anniversary of each of those dates. However, although I am again writing today about something that happened 85 years ago, this is not about a specific broadcast. It is about a man with a connection to Empire Builders whose funeral service occurred 85 years ago today.

Photo of T.W. "Ted" Gibson, NYPL photo archives. Date and photographer unknown.

That man was Edward Whitmore Morgan. As an actor of both stage and radio, Morgan adopted the pseudonym “Ted W. Gibson.” My information about Morgan remains sketchy, but here are a few of the facts that I have about him. He was born in the state of New York in 1888. He had a sister, Katherine (“Kate”), born the year before. Their mother, Mary H. Morgan, was widowed at the time of Edward’s death. She was also listed in the 1930 U.S. Census as “head of household” at 2016 Mansfield Place, Brooklyn, New York. Edward and his sister Kate lived there with their mother, as well as another widowed woman, May Lopez, a hotel housekeeper who was a boarder in their home.

Portion of the 1930 Census - completed on Census Day (April 1, 1930) -
just days before Morgan (Gibson) died.

As Ted Gibson, Morgan appeared in the theatrical productions of  “Turn to the Right” and “Abie’s Irish Rose.” I’m unable to report in what capacity or on which broadcasts of Empire Builders he appeared. I have yet to locate anything like billings for all cast members for each program – I doubt they exist. I do know that Gibson was billed alongside both Virginia Gardiner and Lucille Husting in an NBC radio performance of “The Beggar on Horseback,” which aired over WEAF in New York on February 7, 1930 – just weeks prior to his death. Virginia Gardiner appeared in nearly as many broadcasts of Empire Builders as the Old Timer, Harvey Hays, in the first two seasons of the series. Lucille Husting joined the cast of players when Empire Builders moved to the new NBC digs in Chicago in the late summer of 1930. No doubt she came to the Great Northern production with top recommendations from Gardiner, and perhaps Hays. Gibson and Hays appeared together in “Abie’s Irish Rose” in 1927. It was a tight community of personalities among stage and radio performers in those days.

And speaking of Hays, it turns out Morgan paid the Old Timer a visit the evening before his death. Police reports stated that Morgan and Hays spent much of the evening together at the St. Paul Hotel in Manhattan (which I suspect is where Hays was living at the time). At 10:55 that night, three neighbor men came upon him near his mother’s home on Mansfield Place. He had a head injury and needed help to get home. He told his mother that he had not been drinking. His mother reported that she later saw him go into the bathroom and rub salve on his head. The next morning he was found in a coma. A doctor was summoned, but Morgan died before the doctor could arrive. It was a Saturday – April 5^th, 1930.

When Morgan was eulogized at a service on the 8^th, the police were still trying to sort things out. An autopsy was performed right away, on Saturday night, and it was confirmed he died of a fractured skull, caused by blunt force trauma to the head.

Mary and her daughter Kate both told police they believed he died at the hands of robbers. The police were inclined to suspect he merely injured himself in a fall. When he made it home on Friday night he made no mention of being assaulted. Another odd element of the police report was that when Morgan returned home from visiting Hays, he stopped at a drugstore near his home where he had cashed a check that morning in the amount of $25, and that he was still owed $7, which he collected Friday night. When he was discovered injured, the money was gone, yet he was still wearing a ring with a diamond in it. The police had difficulty accepting he was robbed by someone who left the ring behind. The police retained the theory that he was injured in a fall. However, the autopsy of Saturday night seemed to contradict the notion that Morgan died of an accident. By April 17, the newspapers declared he was murdered by “thugs.”

 

Edward Whitmore Morgan
(aka Ted W. Gibson), circa 1930.
R.I.P.

 

300407 - Topic: Mount Tacoma

 
 

 
So here’s the thing. If you’ve been reading many of these blog posts, you’ve come to understand a few facts about me.

·       I am kind of obsessed with the Empire Builders radio series.

·       I have a great deal of admiration for the men and women who participated, in a multitude of ways, in bringing Empire Builders to the air.

·       I can sometimes get a little critical, even flippant or snarky, in my reviews of the continuities used on this radio series. This is going to be one of those times.

Of all the stories used for Empire Builders, and even accounting for the possibility that 30-minute radio programs in the late-1920s/early-1930s could be pretty unsophisticated and still be immensely popular . . . given all that, this has got to be one of the most patently dumb scripts they came up with in 103 attempts.

Did young women of that era actually make life-changing decisions – including choosing a husband – based on such absurdly arbitrary mechanisms as the flip of a coin? Do young women (and men, for that matter) still make such monumental decisions in the same fashion today? Well, yes, sadly – I suppose some of them do. Like, tattoos, for example.  Sigh.

Anyhow, you’ve been warned. I do like much of the content of this broadcast, but the main story line just seems dumb. That said, let’s get on with it.

Most aficionados of the Great Northern Railway are well-versed with this railroad’s extensive promotion of Glacier National Park, and perhaps a few other tourist attractions along its line. One of the whole points of this advertising campaign was to shine a favorable light on still other lesser-known attractions. Not many may realize, for example, that in the early days of the GN the railroad promoted places like Lake Minnetonka (and the Lafayette Hotel), Lake Chelan, and travel across the Great Lakes (via the GN-owned subsidiary Northern Steamship Company). Over the years, the GN also aggressively promoted travel to Alaska, California, and the Orient. I even have a brochure they put out for travel the Caribbean.

In the state of Washington, a handful of significant cities were enough to lure many visitors, particularly for attending conventions. The GN also promoted travel to a pair of wilderness areas in Washington, although travel to each of these entailed travel arrangements beyond just riding a Great Northern train (an advantage enjoyed by Glacier National Park). These locales were Mt. Baker National Forest (established January 21, 1924) and Mt. Rainier National Park (established March 2, 1899). This night’s broadcast used Mt. Rainier as its primary setting.

Great Northern Railway advertising pamphlet, circa 1925. Author's collection

Mt. Rainier, which has a peak elevation of 14,411 feet, is a presently dormant volcano. It was named in 1792, by Captain George Vancouver, in honor of the captain’s colleague, Rear Admiral Peter Rainier. The mountain was already known among the local Native Americans as Tahoma (or Takhoma, or Tacobet). Many people in the Pacific Northwest have long insisted Rainier is an inappropriate name for the mountain, and over the years have made various attempts to restore its name to one reflective of the indigenous inhabitants of the area. At the time of this radio broadcast, many residents of the city of Tacoma expressed their appreciation for the Great Northern Railway in commenting in the program on the generally popular alternate name of Mount Tacoma.

Luella was the name of the young woman protagonist of this night’s broadcast. I can’t say for a fact, but she was most likely portrayed by Virginia Gardiner (who did indeed appear in this program). Luella was caught up in reading cheap dime-store romance novels whose heroes were dashing cowboy types of the Wild West. Even while riding aboard the Empire Builder train to the state of Washington, Luella found no greater pleasure than losing herself in her books and their lure of romantic fantasies. It turns out Luella had two suitors (although I’m at a loss as to why, based on her being such a head case): Ralph and Bill. Luella was travelling on the train with her Aunt Martha. Ralph was also along for the ride, and seemed to occupy his time bemoaning the fact that he and Luella were not already married.

RALPH:          (SIGHS) I wish this was our honeymoon trip.

LUELLA:        Why, Ralph --- why?

RAPLH:          (DESPONDENTLY)  Then we wouldn’t have to have your aunt along and I’d toss all your strong men back to their silent plains. If I had to sit and listen to her talk for another two hours I think I’ll jump off the train. Just talk, talk, talk --- say! You aren’t even listening to me.

LUELLA:        Oh, pardon me, Ralph, but this book is so fascinating I can hardly stop. Just listen to this … “Bronco Pete was a man’s man. Standing six foot two in his stocking feet, he was a tower of sinewy strength – an Apollo in bronze. Two guns glistened in their holsters, and two eyes glinted fearlessly from beneath the broad sombrero. Bronco Pete had killed sixteen men, but he never killed without cause. No man in Graveyard Gulch was more gentle and courteous to frail womanhood than he …” Ah, Ralph, --- that’s the kind of man I want to marry.

RALPH:          Huh! A fine looking thing he’d be in a drawing room. Why, take a man like that, and twenty years from now he’d look like that old polecat sitting up ahead there. See him? --- that funny-looking old codger with the Santa Claus whiskers.

Harvey Hays as the Old Timer.

 

Ralph shuffled off to pout, and the Old Timer came along and engaged Luella in a conversation. Luella apologized for Ralph’s comments, and tried to explain that Ralph was just jealous of Bill.

PIONEER:      (OFF)  How’s that, Miss?

LUELLA:        Did you hear Ralph calling you an old polecat? I hope not – I mean – I’m sure he didn’t mean it. He’s just jealous of Bill, that’s all.

PIONEER:      (UP)  I see. He calls me an old polecat because he’s jealous of Bill.

LUELLA:        Yes. You see, he’s jealous of all you Westerners because I like Westerners. Bill’s a real Westerner – he lives in Tacoma.

PIONEER:      I take it, then, that you have two young men on the string.

LUELLA:        Yes! Isn’t it just too thrilling? Bill wants me to marry him and live in Tacoma, and Ralph wants me to marry him and live in New York. Which one do you think I should accept?

I’ll play the part of the Old Timer for a moment. “Gosh, I don’t know… let me get out a quarter and I’ll help you decide. Call it! Ooops – wouldn’t you know it? The coin landed in that deep pile carpet at my feet and is basically stuck on its edge. Looks like you’ll just have to make an intelligent decision on your own.” Or not. Let’s continue.

Luella tried to get the Old Timer to help her decide not which beau she should favor, but which city: New York or Tacoma. The Old Timer wisely avoided choosing sides, but offered that he could tell her about Tacoma.

PIONEER:      Well, you couldn’t ask for a better climate, nor for a prettier place to live. You can stand on one of those hills that rise up from Commencement Bay and watch the sun a-settin’ out in Puget Sound. Look east, and you see the Cascade Mountains in the distance. Look northwest, and you see the Olympic Mountains. An’ that ain’t all. Tacoma’s called “The City With a Mountain In Its Dooryard” – because – no matter if it is thirty miles away – you can always see Mount Tacoma, and it looks a lot closer.

LUELLA:        Mount Tacoma? You mean –

PIONEER:      Yes, Mount Rainier. Tacoma is the Indian name for that grand old peak, but the white man came along and called it Mount Rainier, and now people call it by both names.

LUELLA:        Why, that’s where we’re going now. We’re going to spend a whole week in Rainier National Park, and Bill’s going to join us there at Paradise Inn.

Paradise, eh? I’ll bet this airhead will be in her happy place with both of her suitors tripping over themselves to win her affections, but I doubt this will be much of a paradise for either of them. We’ll just play along for now and see where this takes us. This just doesn’t sound like the makings of blissful chemistry, stirring Luella and her two boyfriends in the same pot. Nothing violent will come of it, I hope. Perhaps between Aunt Martha and the Old Timer, the players in this odd, triangular romance will keep calm and carry on. It just so happened the Old Timer was on his way to Paradise Inn at Rainier National Park too.

LUELLA:        Oh, I’m so glad! We’ll all be there together, and maybe you can help me.

PIONEER:      Help you? Why, how could I help you?

LUELLA:        Oh, I’ll probably need help, all right. You see, Bill and Ralph will both be there, and I suppose I’ll have to decide which one I’m to marry. Oh, it’s such a problem! Ralph has a lot of money, but Bill – well, Bill says there’s a great future for him in Tacoma. He’s just out of college, you know.

PIONEER:      What’s his line of work?

LUELLA:        He studied electrical engineering.

PIONEER:      Then he’s dead right when he says there’s a great future for him in Tacoma, and there’s a reason for it, too. There’s more hydro-electric power going to waste out there in Washington and Oregon than there is to any other part of the country – enough power to just about run all the factories in the world. All around the Tacoma district, there are rivers and swift mountain streams, formed by the glaciers meltin’ up in the mountains. All they got to do is harness these streams for their power.

LUELLA:        Then why don’t they?

PIONEER:      Bless you, Child, that’s just what they’re beginning to do. Out at La Grande, the City of Tacoma has a hydro-electric plant that generates 32,000 horse power, and up in the Olympic mountains they’ve got their five million dollar Lake Cushman plant that’s good for 50,000 horse power. Power rates for factories, they say, are cheaper than in any other city in the whole country. And Big Business is really moving into the Northwest, because they can see that there’s where the future of industry lies. Tacoma’s one of the biggest lumber manufacturing cities in the world and when more big factories – factories of all kinds – move out there, more power’s going to be needed, and young fellows like your Bill will find that they got in on the ground floor.

True to form, Empire Builders reported mostly factual information once again. The dam and power plant at La Grande, Washington, were originally constructed in 1912 (and later upgraded and/or replaced, I believe). Here's a Google Maps view of the dam in relation to both the city of Tacoma and Mount Rainier:

Screen capture from Google Maps

Contemporary photo of La Grande power house. Photographer unknown.

Luella was eager to get to their destination. She asked the Old Timer what time they should be arriving at Tacoma (after stopping at Seattle). The Old Timer whipped out his timetable, and Luella commented on the goat on its cover. This got the Old Timer talking about the Great Northern’s trademark, the Rocky Mountain Goat. Luella asked the Old Timer what a billy goat had to do with a railroad company. The Old Timer straightened her out.

PIONEER:      (CHUCKLES)  Now, that is kind of a hard one. ‘Course, this Great Northern goat isn’t a Billy goat at all. It’s a mountain goat! Ever see one?

LUELLA:        No, did you?

PIONEER:      Yes, I’ve seen ‘em, but believe me, it ain’t no easy matter to get in seein’ distance of one of ‘em, they’re that shy and retirin’. Fact is, a mountain goat isn’t really a goat at all. He belongs to the deer family. Maybe you’ll see one on Mount Rainier – that is, if your eyesight’s good.

LUELLA:        Oh, wouldn’t that be just splendid. Where’s the best place to look for them, Old Timer?

PIONEER:      ‘Way up in the highest, roughest crags of the whole mountain. These mountain goats are smart, you know. They get up on the most unscalable peaks, where neither man nor beast can get near ‘em. And they’re that sure-footed they climb around cliffs and crags where dog my cats, there doesn’t seem to be anything to cling to at all. And maybe that’s how the Great Northern happened to use the mountain goat for its trademark. Was a time, you know, when the Great Northern did just about the same thing with its tracks across the Cascade Mountains out there in western Washington – just chiseled ‘em right into the sides of the rock walls … ‘Course, that’s sort of out of date now, ‘cause the Great Northern doesn’t have to climb like that anymore – it goes under those mountains through that eight-mile tunnel they’ve got … Then again, maybe the Great Northern got that idea from its railway going through so much mountain country where there’re lots of mountain goats, and the goat stands as sort of a symbol for wild mountain scenery. I dunno exactly, but I do know one thing, that now an’ then, when some tourist manages to get a shot at one of ‘em – that is, with his camera – he’s the happiest man alive.

Wm. P. Kenney

About the origin of the GN’s mountain goat trademark – there’s a story in GN lore that attributes the idea to William P. Kenney, who apparently suggested the goat as the corporate trademark shortly after Glacier National Park was established and the GN had opened some of their tourist facilities there. Kenney was vice-president of the company’s Traffic Department at the time, but eventually took the helm as president when Ralph Budd left to run the CB&Q. But I digress.

 

Luella had a light bulb go off. She figured out how to solve her dreadful dilemma. She would send her two fellas off on a camera hunt, and first one to come back with a photograph of a mountain goat would prove his worth, and be rewarded with her hand in marriage. Yeah. That sounds rational. Sure. “Bring me a photo of a goat, and holy matrimony shall be ours ‘til death do us part.” I want a girl, just like the girl, who married dear old Dad. Or maybe I’ll try to find someone with a half a brain. Just sayin’.

PIONEER:      Say, Miss, you don’t mean to say you are going to try to take a picture of one?

LUELLA:        Oh no, not me. Listen – it’s like this. Bill and Ralph will be in Rainier Park with me, and they both want to marry me. Well, I want to marry the one that loves me the most – the one that would be the bravest and the most daring –

PIONEER:      Young lady, do you mean ---

LUELLA:        I’m going to marry the first one that gets me a picture of one of those Great Northern goats!

                        (PIONEER LAUGHS)

Seems like the Old Timer was trying to be as diplomatic as possible, under the circumstances. Laughing was probably the most appropriate reaction. At least the author, whom I assume was Bierstadt, was willing to treat Luella’s proposition as a bit silly, to say the least.

The next part of the story found our odd assortment of folks traipsing around the base of Mount Rainier, variously running in terror from a tourist-conditioned local bear, admiring the glaciers and wildflowers, and sliding down a snow field on “tin britches.” Eventually the Old Timer happened upon Ralph, and he asked him about his photographing endeavors. Ralph snapped at the Old Timer about it being none of his business.

PIONEER:      Oh, I’m just naturally curious, I reckon, but I heard you were out to get a good picture of a mountain goat.

RALPH:          Yes, fine chance! I never even saw a trace of one.

PIONEER:      I’ve got a pretty good picture of a mountain goat here myself – one I took up on Cowlitz Glacier last summer.

RALPH:          You’ve got a picture of a mountain goat? Here, man – let me see that. Oh, say – that’s a beauty! Here, I’ll give you ten dollars for it!

PIONEER:      No, no, I don’t want your money, son. If you think that picture will do you any good, why – you’re welcome to it.

RALPH:          Say, thanks awfully. You don’t know how much this means to me.  (RECEDING)  I – I’ll see you later. So long!

Okay, this is from Glacier Park, not Rainier. But the photographer, T.J. Hileman, was an official photographer of the Great Northern Railway.  Author's collection

 

Well, you can see where this is headed. Ralph used his noggin, and no small amount of good fortune. He stumbled upon what you might call a shortcut to the finish line. The Old Timer took a front row seat at the finish line to see it play out. He was especially interested in how Ralph would make out, what with his obvious advantage over Bill at this point.

PIONEER:      (CHUCKLES – THEN WHISTLES)  That’s him, January – that’s the fella that called me ah old polecat!

(DOG BARKS)

Both goat-chasing suitors showed up at Luella’s door at almost the same time. Bill got there first, and as Ralph arrived, Bill announced that he had at least three nice shots of a mountain goat. Ralph challenged him for a look-see, and Bill explained that the images were caught on film, but he hadn’t yet developed the photos. Ralph triumphantly exclaimed that he had not only shot a photo of a goat, but arrived with a developed print of it. To make matters worse for Bill, he suddenly realized there was no film in the camera, and therefore did not even have undeveloped mountain goat photos after all. But Bill distinctly remembered loading the camera that morning . . . hey – wait just a doggoned minute!

BILL:              Why – – – I can’t understand it. I put in a fresh roll of film this morning. Somebody must have taken it out – – – SAY, Ralph! Didn’t you hold my camera when I took that snow slide this morning?

RALPH:          Don’t be a poor loser, Bill – – – and don’t be accusing me of something you can’t prove … you low-life – – –

Uh-oh. Didn’t I say something earlier about hoping there would be no violence? Things were quickly becoming more tense. Luella got the boys to calm down, and asked to see Ralph’s goat photo.

RALPH:          Here you are, Luella. I came in about an hour ago and got my picture developed right away.

LUELLA:        Why, Ralph – you’re wonderful! How on earth did you manage to take such a nice picture?

RALPH:          Well, I walked up to Mr. Goat and I said “Don’t move now, and look pleasant, please, because this is for a fair lady.” And do you know, that old goat actually smiled.

AUNTY:         Remarkable!

BILL:              Well, you win, Ralph. I – I guess I’ll be going now.

LUELLA:        Oh, Bill, I’m awfully sorry – really.

Gosh, gee, shucks, oh well – maybe next time. Oh, right – there is no “next time.” Drat. Curses. Poor, poor, Bill. Those are just the breaks I guess. Gosh. But it’s okay – Luella is awfully sorry. Really. At this point I’m thinking Bill ought to count his blessings for missing this close call, and move on. Not only are there other fish in the sea, there are plenty of others that are actually worth going after. But wait! Maybe Bill’s not out of the woods after all! C’mon, Bill – fight it, man, fight it! Too late.

PIONEER:      (OFF)  Hey, Bill!

BILL:              Hello, Old Timer.

PIONEER:      (UP, CHUCKLING)  Me an’ January have been pacing up and down out here, jest waitin’ for you. We sorta figured you’d be out ‘fore long. Is your friend Ralph still inside?

BILL:              Yeah, he’s inside – – –and I guess I’m outside – – –

PIONEER:      Y’know, Bill, I never did take to Ralph very well. (CHUCKLES) You know, he called me an old polecat once.

BILL:              Yeah? Why didn’t you sock ‘im?

PIONEER:      No, I’m not that way, Bill. Me, I believe in returning good for evil. Why, just a few minutes ago I gave Ralph a nice picture of a mountain goat he wanted pretty bad.

BILL:              What? You gave him that picture?

PIONEER:      Sure! But just to show you I ain’t a-playin’ no favorites, here’s another picture just like it, only this one’s been enlarged and put on a postcard. Thought maybe you might want to mail it to your girl sometime.

Just then, Luella was approaching. The Old Timer and his dog January made their exit, so Luella and Bill could talk.

LUELLA:        (UP)  Oh, Bill, I don’t know what to do! I broke my promise.

BILL:              What promise?

LUELLA:        I said I’d marry the one that got me the mountain goat’s picture, but I thought all along that you’d win. Well, I can’t help it if you didn’t. I love you, and I’m going to marry you anyhow.

BILL:              Luella, Darling ….  (PAUSE)  Oh, by the way, here’s a postcard the Old Timer just handed me.

LUELLA:        Bill! Why, it’s the same goat!

BILL:              Yes, it’s Ralph’s goat all right, and we’ve got it!

A brief musical bridge brought the drama to a close, and John S. Young wrapped things up with some final thoughts on the attraction of Rainier National Park.

ANNOUNCER:



            Rainier National Park is one of those many delightful mountain retreats that make the Pacific Northwest the summer playground of America. The Great Northern Railway will be glad to send you a booklet on Rainier National Park as well as literature descriptive of the mountain vacation lands of the Pacific Northwest. Address your request to the Great Northern Railway, Saint Paul, Minnesota. This railway maintains travel offices in nearly all of the large cities from which this program is broadcast, and its representatives will be glad to assist you in planning a delightful summer’s vacation. You will find the address in your telephone directory under Great Northern Railway.



This program, on which you have again heard Harvey Hays as the Old Timer and Miss Virginia Gardiner, as well as Bob MacGimsey, harmony whistler, and Andy Sanella in a guitar solo, has come to you from the New York Studios of the National Broadcasting Company. This is John S. Young announcing.

Postscript: Yes, mountain goats really are still among the wild inhabitants of Rainier National Park.

Until next week, keep your dial tuned to Empire Builders!

======================================================================================================================================

LATE UPDATE (April 12, 2015):  I found the letter shown below as I was working with some of my other Empire Builders papers. It serves as another tangible example of the positive response many people had to the radio broadcasts (even if the storyline was sometimes dumb).

 

 

300331 Topic: Spokane

The focus of this night’s broadcast of Empire Builders was Spokane, Washington, and its iconic hotel, the Davenport. But that just addresses the milieu of the story. For fans of old time radio, this broadcast is more significant in the fact that it was written by Raymond Knight (1899-1953), and he played a leading role. And perhaps because he was the author of the story, it is not too surprising he even spoke the opening lines of the dramatization.

Here’s one short write-up about this episode:

A modern romance of the West, in which an incorrigible “wise cracker” succeeds in spite of himself in winning the girl and is, in turn, won by the West. The locale is Spokane and it all takes place in one of the banquet halls of the famous Davenport Hotel. The story was written by Raymond Knight, prototype of the principal character. Mr. Knight is production manager of the Empire Builder broadcasts.

 As usual, announcer John S. Young provided the introduction. Rarely were any of the participating artists named in the earlier days of the broadcast series, but by the time of this program, attention was drawn to the names of some of these people on a more regular basis.

OPENING ANNOUNCEMENT:

You are listening to Empire Builders, a presentation of the Great Northern Railway, featuring Harvey Hays as the Old Pioneer, Virginia Gardiner, Andy Sannella and his orchestra and Bob MacGimsey, harmony whistler. Tonight you will also hear for the first time on this program, Raymond Knight, director of the Empire Builder programs since their inception, who will play the part of Joe.

(MUSIC WITH WHISTLER UP AND OUT)

 

Ray Knight’s character, Joe, started up the dialog by launching a series of disparaging comments about Spokane and the West in general. He was speaking with his fiancée, Virginia (played by Virginia Gardiner), in the lobby of Spokane’s Davenport Hotel.

JOE:                Say, Virginia, the west doesn’t look so wild and woolly tonight. Here we are in the Davenport Hotel in Spokane, and they’ve got everything in the lobby but a picture of me. Really ought to have one, at that. Bet I’m the only man west of the Mississippi with spats on.

VIRGINIA:     Joe! Can’t you be serious about anything? Please try not to be funny tonight. I’m quite serious about loving Spokane and the West, and I’m not going to have you poking fun all the time. Besides, you’ve just got to be on your best behavior tonight at the Chamber of Commerce dinner.

JOE:                Ah, the Chamber of Commerce dinner! Stuffed olives, stuffed shirts, cold filet mignon, warm ice cream and speeches! I’m going to love it, too.

Not surprisingly, it isn’t long before the Old Timer appeared, and was introduced to Joe by Virginia. In the process, we learn one more little tidbit about the Old Timer that had not previously been revealed.

PIONEER:      Proud to meet you, sir. Virginia tells me you’re thinkin’ o’ settlin’ down here.

JOE:                Me? No, sorry! New York’s my permanent home. Say did you ever hear of New York – It’s a little island we bought from the Indians.

PIONEER:      Now let me see – Yes, I’ve heard of it some place ---  (CHUCKLE)  oh yes – sure enough I was born there.

The Old Timer and Joe exchanged some banter about the differences between living in the east and living in the west. Joe’s comments dripped with disdain and a certain amount of prejudice against Spokane and the western U.S. in general. The Old Timer, meanwhile, tried in vain to convince Joe he ought to give the area a try. Eventually, the three of them decided it was time to head off to the banquet. The Old Timer revealed that he was in fact one of the evening’s speakers. A musical transition ensued, and the scene shifted to the banquet room at the hotel.

(DINING ROOM SOUNDS UP WITH ORCHESTRA PLAYING A MARCH NUMBER. CHANGE TO WALTZ AND CONTINUE FOR FAIRLY LONG TRANSITION AND FADE OUT)

JOE:    Well, darling I’ll have to admit that that was a real dinner. They do feed you out here. (SOUND OF GAVEL, RAPPING FOR ATTENTION) Oh Lord! I knew we’d have to suffer!  (Sings: “The speeches are coming, hurray, Hurray!”) – “Unaccustomed as I am to public speaking – Holy cats, who is this?

VIRGINIA:     Joe, not so loud. That’s Professor Winterbottom. He’s – he’s one of these perpetual toastmasters that every city has.

 

Brochure boosting Spokane, circa 1914.

Winterbottom proved to be a bit of a blowhard after all, carrying on in eloquent form about the marvels of the Spokane area. Throughout the professor’s speech, Joe couldn’t resist quietly heckling the man with a series of snide comments. Virginia grew impatient with him and repeatedly pleaded with him to tone it down. Another speaker, a man named Hamilton, was introduced to the assemblage. There was no explanation of his position, but he may have been representing the Chamber of Commerce or similar booster organization. His comments were somewhat shorter than the professor’s and a little better received. He concluded his statements with these words:

Spokane for each of us holds some particular charm. The unspoiled wilderness is at our doors – the finest hunting and fishing in the Northwest is but a stone’s throw away. Lofty mountains beckon us a few short miles from the lofty buildings that line our streets. Here is the spectacle of a great city in the midst of the great open spaces – busy, hustling, young, and lusty. Here is the story we must each of us pass on to our friends. Spokane is literally, as my friend Winterbottom has so aptly put it, the Capitol City of the Inland Empire. There is little more to say. Tell your story of Spokane to your friends – do your duty to your city, spread the fame of Spokane wherever you go!

With a good deal of hearty applause, Hamilton’s comments even stirred a softening of Joe’s demeanor.

VIRGINIA:     Why Joe! You’re applauding!

JOE:                Oh! Oh – er – so I was well, why not? That was a darn good speech and that chap was so sincere. There may be something in it after all – of course I’ll never admit it – but he certainly had a few facts.

It was at this point that the Old Timer was called to the dais to speak. He startled both Joe and Virginia with what he had to say.

PIONEER:      Folks, I don’t rightly know whether I’ll dare to talk or not. (LAUGHTER)  No – – I may be used to speakin’ to you over the radio but I’m not used to makin’ speeches, face to face, but I promised I’d try, an’ I’ll do it’r bust. (chuckles) Y’see, I’ve been part n’ parcel o’ this here Northwest since ‘way back when, and askin’ me to make a speech ‘bout it’s like handin’ a boy two pies. He don’t know where to begin, an’ neither do I. (LAUGHTER)  But like our friend Mr. Winterbottom I’m a goin’ to tell you a story too. It seems there were two young people and their names were Joe and Virginia, I knew back East a few years ago. They’d knowed each other ever since they was youngsters, an’ they was practically engaged to be married. But the girl, she wasn’t satisfied with the East, and so one day she told the young fellow what was on her mind – it happened this way – – –

With another musical transition, the story evolved into a dramatization of the Old Timer’s story, a dialog between Joe and Virginia. It was told that Joe was holding down an important position in New York, with a contract that still had a year or two on it. In the meantime, Virginia had obtained work for the Spokane Chamber of Commerce, and felt compelled to follow the opportunity and move to eastern Washington. Virginia beseeched Joe to come and join her there when his contract was up. He promised to come out to Spokane, alright, but only if in possession of return train tickets for them both.

The Old Timer paused in his storytelling to see if the audience wanted him to continue. Of course they said yes, and he pressed on.

PIONEER:      Our second scene is in the observation car of the Oriental Limited where I was aheadin’ out here to Spokane – I had just gone in to sit down and watch the scenery and –

                        (MUSIC)    (TRAIN EFFECTS FOR BACKGROUND)

PIONEER:      Why, why, Miss you’ll excuse me, but can’t I help you? What’s the matter? Not bad news, I hope?

VIRGINIA:     No – no, it’s not – not bad news. I’m just – just so lonesome!

                        (SOBS LOUDER)

PIONEER:      Lonesome! Why, why, Miss, I’m old ‘nough to be your father – your grandfather for that matter. Let’s you and me talk this over. This is no place to be lonesome – just look at that magnificent scenery – them mountains –

VIRGINIA:     That’s just it – all these great mountains and forests – and I feel so small! And I don’t know a soul –

The Old Timer was clearly the man to know, if you wanted to accomplish any networking. Virginia and the Old Timer got to chatting, and Virginia explained how she was on her way to Spokane to work for the Chamber of Commerce there.

PIONEER:      Is that so! Why the president of the Spokane Chamber of Commerce is an old friend o’ mine. I’m goin’ to Spokane too – goin’ to stay at his house for a week or so! Well, say – can’t I sorta be your guide out here? I traveled all over this country in the old days when the Indians were still hostile – an’ I know every foot of it.

Virginia let on that she had a feller in New York who wasn’t too keen about the west, and she didn’t have much faith in his ever changing his mind on the subject. She loved it where she was, and just hoped like the dickens that he would change his mind and join her there. In the meantime, though, Virginia was still anxious about not knowing anyone where she was headed.

PIONEER:      Don’t you worry ‘bout that! I know ‘most everybody out here – an’ I’ll see you get acquainted. You’re going to have a wonderful time! And when your young man comes out, he’ll be just as crazy about it as you are. Why, you’re a sort of pioneer – comin’ way out here from New York! Just the same as the pioneer woman o’ fifty years ago!

VIRGINIA:     Oh, do you think Joe’ll like the West? He –

PIONEER:      Like it – why Ma’am it never fails. They always like it.

(SOUND OF CHIME GONG)

PIONEER:      (continuing)  There’s the first call to dinner! I’m so hungry I could eat a catamount raw! An’ these Great Northern meals – why I’m always eatin’ so much on these trains I’m ‘fraid I’ll lose my figger! You come on in an’ have a snack with me, an’ I’ll tell you some more about Spokane and the Northwest! An’ you can tell me about the young man. What’s his name?

VIRGINIA:     His name’s Joe Stuart, and –

A musical bridge brought the radio listeners back once more to the banquet hall of the Davenport Hotel, and the Old Timer at the dais. He finally revealed to the folks in attendance that he had been talking about the young man and woman who were seated with him at dinner.

PIONEER:      An’ so this young lady came to Spokane. As I told her and as you all know she wasn’t lonesome very long – an’ she’s a better Spokane booster than even Mr. Winterbottom. Here she sits, right alongside me, blushin’ just like a school girl. Stand up, Virginia, an’ let the folks see the best booster in Spokane!

                        (LOUD APPLAUSE)

VIRGINIA:     (embarrassedly) I’m not really the best booster in Spokane, Old Timer. For example, I haven’t succeeded yet in convincing Mr. Stuart that Spokane’s the finest town in the country –

JOE:                Oh yes, you have, Virginia. You’ll pardon me, Mr. Chairman, I know. I’ve just got to make a speech myself. Sort of contagious – must be the air out here – strengthens the vocal cords. Do you mind?

With that, Joe jumped up and surprised Virginia with a few things he had up his sleeve.

JOE:                Now I’m going to begin my speech by telling you the difference between an Easterner and a Westerner. You know when Westerners go to the East, the tradition is that they are strong silent men, given to doing and not talking. Well do you know why they don’t talk? It’s because they’re scared to death that if they get to talking, the Easterners will find out what a swell place the west is and they’ll all move out here and then there won’t be any room for the westerners and they’ll all have to move east to find breathing space. (laughter)  But now you take the easterner. According to tradition when he comes to the West he does nothing else but talk about how wonderful the East is and he talks so fast you can’t get a word in edgewise – Ladies and Gentlemen, the reason he talks too fast is because he’s scared to death that if he stops talking, the westerners will ask him a few questions about the east and he’ll have to tell the truth! (LAUGHTER)  And that, ladies and gentlemen, has been the trouble with me, ever since I arrived in Spokane. I knew if I ever stopped talking I’d be lost, and since I’ve been here I’ve stopped talking so often – to look at your scenery, and drink in your fresh air and eat your good food that I am lost! Tonight finished it – this dinner that the Hotel Davenport served us was my Waterloo, because I was so busy using my mouth for the eats that I forgot to use it for the east. It’s all over with me now.  (APPLAUSE AND LAUGHTER)  I’ve been out here now for nearly a week –

Virginia was a bit startled by all this, and challenged Joe about what he’d been up to, saying she believed he had only arrived in town the day before. Joe began to spill the beans, but at his own pace. He explained that he had toured the area to get a feel for the place, and the Old Timer asked him what his verdict was.

JOE:                Well to tell you the truth I’ve seen so much in such a short time that I’m a little bit staggered. As a newspaper man back home said recently “Radio announcers are nothing if not accurate – and they are not accurate.” Now I am not an announcer – but neither can I be accurate in this case – I can only give you a few impressions – Among other things I have noticed that the American Northwest has a completely even temperature, that is – it is the same everywhere. I am positive of this because in every city which I have visited the citizens have assured me that their community has the best temperature in that part of the country. (laughter)  I have also been impressed with the big way you do things out here, especially as I passed thru Montana and North Dakota on my way to Spokane, where for miles and miles on either side of the Great Northern tracks you have cleared away the trees so that the easterners might see the view. Any other definite impressions at this time are impossible because I’ve seen so much in such a short time. At the present moment the impression I have of the Inland Empire is of great wheat fields spouting out a stream of enormous trees into a huge apple orchard composed of lead, copper and zinc mines, which is run by water power made up of alfalfa, poultry and vegetable ranches and which produces for twenty-four hours a day a constant flow of the most beautiful scenery and the best fishing and hunting I have ever seen. In other words – I am sold!

Next, Joe alerted the audience to a more specific and personal announcement.

JOE:                Fellow citizens – I take this opportunity to announce that my wife and I will be at home after – well, say 3 o’clock tomorrow afternoon – at our new residence on – let me see, where’s the address of that house I bought this morning – here it is – 303 Maplecrest Avenue… Drop in and see us any time.

Virginia was knocked a bit off balance by this . . .

VIRGINIA:     Joe – your wife?

JOE:                Certainly – You and I are being married at noon tomorrow.

VIRGINIA:     (gasping)  We are?

JOE:                Yes, I’m taking the day off.

VIRGINIA:     The day off?

JOE:                Yes – I landed a swell job yesterday morning and I’ve got lots of work to do.

VIRGINIA:     But Joe – you got a job – and bought a house and getting married all in two days!

Professor Winterbottom once again stepped to the dais and kept the proceedings moving along.

W:                   And now, my friends, let us all join in singing our city’s song – “Hello, Miss Spokane, Hello!”

(APPLAUSE. ORCHESTRA UP WITH SONG – ALL SING. FADE LOW ENOUGH TO HEAR!)

 

Sheet music, circa 1914. Yes, there really is a song called "Hello, Miss Spokane."
You can't make this stuff up.

As almost an afterthought, Joe mentioned to Virginia that he forgot to ask her something. She replied “ask me what?”, and he said “to marry me –will you?” By now, the radio show’s 30 minutes was just about up. No time for formalities or getting on a knee and whatnot. Happily ever after, those two, I’m sure.

 

If you care to know more about the historic Davenport Hotel in Spokane, follow this link to a video history called “The Davenport Hotel: Grand Again”, a roughly one-and-a-quarter hour program from KSPS Public Television: http://video.ksps.org/video/1476681581/ 

 

If a book is more your speed, here’s another link to a listing on Amazon for a thorough treatment of the Davenport: “Spokane’s Legendary Davenport Hotel” by Tony and Suzanne Bamonte (published 2001): http://www.amazon.com/Spokanes-legendary-Davenport-Hotel-Bamonte/dp/0965221970/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1427634501&sr=1-1&keywords=davenport+hotel

 

Until next week, keep your dial tuned to Empire Builders!