1930s California Theater Archive

Long Beach and Berkeley, California, 1941. Hardcover. Very Good. Four volumes. Octavos. Contemporary leatherette three-ring binders to which wood grain and patterned contact paper were later applied. Two albums filled with ephemera and two contain 69 gelatin silver photographs, measuring between 4" x 3" and 6.75" x 5". Overall very good or better with the contact paper covers torn and peeling at the edges, the hinges of the photo albums cracked, and all the ephemera with punch holes, some of which have pulled through. An archive of photographs and ephemera from James Fisher-Northrop, a graduate to Ben Franklin Junior High School and Long Beach Polytechnic High School in Long Beach, California. He went on to attended The University of California Berkley where he played an active role in the early days of its Little Theater Program under the direction of Edwin Duerr.

Fisher-Northrop was an actor for more than a decade, participating in dozens of dramatic performances, as well as holiday shows, anniversary events, graduation ceremonies, etc. His numerous appearances are recorded in two of the albums collecting show playbills, programs, flyers, and occasional clipping for various performances from December 1929 to January 1941. Several are signed by cast member or with Fisher-Northrop's notes; one early program notes students as "Dead," "Gone on Stage," and "Still Teaching." The accompanying photo albums include images of his dramatic performances with most all captioned in the rear with the name of the play, the actors and their roles. Fisher is typically featured as part of the cast but there are several shots of his performing on stage alone, along with off-stage photos of Fisher-Northrop made up to look like an old man captioned "Prosper in 'The Green Cockatee.'"
An interesting collection of amateur theater photos and ephemera from 1930s California.