Edward Irham Cole | |
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![]() Portrait of Edward Irham Cole in about 1920. | |
Born | Edward Irham Cole 3 December 1859
Croydon, Surrey, England |
Died | 1 July 1942
Marrickville, New South Wales, Australia | (aged 82)
Occupation | theatrical entrepreneur & film director |
Spouse(s) | (1) Ada Dale (2) Lavinia Catherine ('Vene') Smith |
Parent | Irham Cole & Isabella (née Jackson) |
Edward Irham Cole (3 December 1859 – 1 July 1942) was an Australian theatrical entrepreneur and film director whose productions represented a synthesis of Wild West show and stage melodrama (often with a bushranger theme). He managed a theatre company, called the Bohemian Dramatic Company, that performed in semi-permanent and temporary tent theatres. [1] During 1910 and 1911 Cole directed a number of silent films, adapted from his stage plays and using actors from his theatre company.
Cole arrived in Australia as a young man and worked for a time in Adelaide before moving to Wilcannia. [2]
He started in showbusiness as a lecturer, calling himself "the Bohemian" and giving presentations on various topics. [3] [4] [5] [6]
He later joined the company of Texas Jack, an American showman in the Buffalo Bill mould. He established the Bohemian Dramatic Company, which toured the country performing shows. At its height, the company included over 60 performers and 20 horses, and was transported in its own train.
In 1910 and 1911 Cole made a series of films adapted from his shows, which cost over £1,000 in all. The longest was reportedly 1,5000 feet. [7] They were sometimes screened accompanied by lectures and songs. [8] [9] Cole toured Tasmania in 1911 and 1912.
By 1926 the company was down to a size of 24 and touring mostly only country areas. [10]
Cole's company was still touring in the 1930s as 'Cole's Varieties', run by his son-in-law, Bill Ayr. [11]
Cole and his wife ran a small factory at Marrickville in Sydney which manufactured cowboy outfits for small children. [12]
In the 1930s Cole began making waxworks. In the 1940s he was involved in a saddlery business at Blacktown. [13]
Cole married his leading lady, Vene Linden (real name Lavinia Catherine) (1877 - 1948). They had several children: Frank, Roy, Mabel, Belle, Rose and Myrtle.
Roy predeceased them. Mabel married Cole's leading man, Bill Ayr. They had three children, Ned, Tom and Millie. [14]
In later years, Millie and Ned Ayr would be actors for the company while Tom Ayr handled most of the managerial duties of Cole's Varieties. [15] [16] [17]
In 1931, Cole's wife engaged in a court case against her sister for ownership of their father's cottage. [18] [19] [20]
Cole died on 1 July 1942. [21] His wife died on 8 November 1948, aged 71, survived by their children Frank, Belle, Mabel, Rose and Myrtle; a son, Roy, had predeceased her. [22]
Edward Irham Cole | |
---|---|
![]() Portrait of Edward Irham Cole in about 1920. | |
Born | Edward Irham Cole 3 December 1859
Croydon, Surrey, England |
Died | 1 July 1942
Marrickville, New South Wales, Australia | (aged 82)
Occupation | theatrical entrepreneur & film director |
Spouse(s) | (1) Ada Dale (2) Lavinia Catherine ('Vene') Smith |
Parent | Irham Cole & Isabella (née Jackson) |
Edward Irham Cole (3 December 1859 – 1 July 1942) was an Australian theatrical entrepreneur and film director whose productions represented a synthesis of Wild West show and stage melodrama (often with a bushranger theme). He managed a theatre company, called the Bohemian Dramatic Company, that performed in semi-permanent and temporary tent theatres. [1] During 1910 and 1911 Cole directed a number of silent films, adapted from his stage plays and using actors from his theatre company.
Cole arrived in Australia as a young man and worked for a time in Adelaide before moving to Wilcannia. [2]
He started in showbusiness as a lecturer, calling himself "the Bohemian" and giving presentations on various topics. [3] [4] [5] [6]
He later joined the company of Texas Jack, an American showman in the Buffalo Bill mould. He established the Bohemian Dramatic Company, which toured the country performing shows. At its height, the company included over 60 performers and 20 horses, and was transported in its own train.
In 1910 and 1911 Cole made a series of films adapted from his shows, which cost over £1,000 in all. The longest was reportedly 1,5000 feet. [7] They were sometimes screened accompanied by lectures and songs. [8] [9] Cole toured Tasmania in 1911 and 1912.
By 1926 the company was down to a size of 24 and touring mostly only country areas. [10]
Cole's company was still touring in the 1930s as 'Cole's Varieties', run by his son-in-law, Bill Ayr. [11]
Cole and his wife ran a small factory at Marrickville in Sydney which manufactured cowboy outfits for small children. [12]
In the 1930s Cole began making waxworks. In the 1940s he was involved in a saddlery business at Blacktown. [13]
Cole married his leading lady, Vene Linden (real name Lavinia Catherine) (1877 - 1948). They had several children: Frank, Roy, Mabel, Belle, Rose and Myrtle.
Roy predeceased them. Mabel married Cole's leading man, Bill Ayr. They had three children, Ned, Tom and Millie. [14]
In later years, Millie and Ned Ayr would be actors for the company while Tom Ayr handled most of the managerial duties of Cole's Varieties. [15] [16] [17]
In 1931, Cole's wife engaged in a court case against her sister for ownership of their father's cottage. [18] [19] [20]
Cole died on 1 July 1942. [21] His wife died on 8 November 1948, aged 71, survived by their children Frank, Belle, Mabel, Rose and Myrtle; a son, Roy, had predeceased her. [22]