Sharon Blanchard
As a producer and director, as well as National Supervisor of Drama, Esse W. Ljungh was a dynamic force in the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's radio programming during the so-called 'Golden Age'. In a study of Ljungh's activities with the Winnipeg Little Theatre in the 30s, the author of this article discovers stage roots for Ljungh's later radio drama work, as well as reveals some of the history of the Winnipeg Little Theatre.
Comme réalisateur et comme metteur en ondes Esse W. Ljungh a exercé une influence puissante sur la programmation de la chaîne anglaise de Radio-Canada, à l'époque de l''âge d'or' de la CBC. En retraçant l'apport de Ljungh aux activités du Winnipeg Little Theatre au cours des années 1930, l'auteur démontre les sources théâtrales de sa contribution radiophonique, signalant en même temps des aspects mal connus de l'histoire de ce Théâtre à Winnipeg.
From its beginning in 1921 to its demise in 1937, the Winnipeg Little Theatre was a showcase training ground for aspiring theatre people. Among its members were several who went on to make significant contributions to Canadian arts, radio drama in particular. George Waight and Tommy Tweed are examples, as is Esse W. Ljungh, the subject of this essay. Study of his involvement with the Winnipeg Little Theatre reveals not only stage roots for his eminently successful career with C.B.C. radio, but opens a small window, so to speak, on the nature and quality of the work done by the Winnipeg amateur group in the mid-30s.
Best known as a radio producer-director and as National Supervisor of Drama at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Ljungh's first love was the theatre. As a youth in Sweden, he performed whenever he could, sometimes obtaining small roles with visiting theatre companies; he also studied acting privately for two years while still in secondary school. Later in Stockholm, he took summer courses at the renowned Royal Dramatic Theatre School where he studied elocution, speech, fencing, dancing, theory and history of theatre under the guidance of such teachers as Gerda Lundequist and Ivan Hedquist.1 On the strength of these studies and his acting experience, Ljungh auditioned for the full-time program at the Royal Dramatic Theatre School but was not among the six students accepted each year. His disappointment was great; without the kind of training the School offered, he had to look elsewhere for a career. His search eventually brought him to Western Canada.
When Ljungh decided to immigrate at the age of twenty-three, he knew Canada was predominantly an English-speaking country and reasoned that since English was not his mother tongue, a career on the stage would not be possible. He was both right and wrong. After three years on Saskatchewan farms, first as a hired hand and later on his own land, Ljungh found a job in Winnipeg as Editor of the Swedish Canada News, a position he held for eleven years. Through contacts made at the newspaper, he became involved with the Winnipeg Little Theatre and there a partnership of sorts was formed. Ljungh was given the opportunity to grow and develop as an actor and the Little Theatre was able to feature Ljungh in ever more-demanding and important roles.
From March 1934 to October 1936, Ljungh appeared in nine Little Theatre productions, including classics such as Peer Gynt, Cyrano de Bergerac and the Merry Wives Of Windsor, as well as short plays, skits and spoofs such as 'Au Salon de Coiffure' and 'Little Red Riding Hood'.2 Contemporary reviews found in Winnipeg's two major newspapers, the Winnipeg Evening Tribune and the Winnipeg Free Press, reveal the critics' reactions to Ljungh's performances, to the Winnipeg Little Theatre as a company, and to the productions themselves. Clearly the Winnipeg Little Theatre was popular and received enthusiastic reviews, but critics did not hesitate to point out faults and production problems. Ljungh too became popular, his stage career gathering considerable praise, as we shall see.
According to theatre programs held in the Manitoba Provincial Archives, Ljungh's first Winnipeg Little Theatre role was as the drunken Lignière in Edmond Rostand's Cyrano de Bergerac. The play opened on 16 March 1934 and ran four nights. The reviews did not mention Ljungh, but Lignière was a small role and Ljungh unknown as an actor. The cast was large, 78 players in all: 'In one scene alone, showing the Hotel de Bourgogne theatre in the French capital 300 years ago, some 50 actors and actresses appear.'3 Simply in terms of logistics, the task must have been formidable. Yet, the reviewer for the Tribune went so far as to say, 'The most notable feature of the production was the splendid handling of the crowds, soldiers, cadets and others.' C. Herbert Richardson was praised for his set designs and Pauline Boutal's costumes were 'the most gorgeous ever seen on a Winnipeg stage.' In summary, the reviewer commented that 'the combined beauty of costumes and settings was at times breathtaking.'4
The large cast and elaborate sets were not the only challenges to be faced in producing Cyrano de Bergerac; the flamboyance of Cyrano as a character and the verse made heavy demands on everyone concerned. It is enlightening to read the opinion of French scholar, Professor W.F. Osborne, which was printed in the Free Press Saturday section on readers' views:
I for one expected a failure of the first order, probably a failure so dismal that no one would again be lightly tempted similarly to fling himself in the face of Providence.
How did they come out? I for one say, magnificently. I saw Coquelin the Elder play the part in 1898, when the play was only a year old. I do not suggest that the local performance equalled what I then saw; but that memory was what fixed my standard, and I say that, judged by that standard, with all due reserves made, the local rendition was a spirited and moving one.5
Other professional reviewers were somewhat less kind than Osborne and pointed out faults such as the inaudibility of some cast members, including Cyrano, and the bad lighting of the balcony scene. It was also recommended that the players agree on the pronunciation of Cyrano.6
In spite of these shortcomings, the general consensus was:
The Little Theatre in this production has aimed higher than it ever has before. It has strained every nerve and resource to do the play justice, and we give it all credit for a sincere, carefully thought out, and thoroughly rehearsed performance.7
The impact of Ljungh's first foray onto the Winnipeg stage was obviously slight; however, his performance must have been meritable because we find him back again in December in a musical comedy titled Madame Sherry - and in a more substantial role. This time the Little Theatre attempted not so much to uplift, as to divert and entertain. Lilting, effervescent, 'bright and sparkling, carried off with a smart and by no means unsophisticated swing,'8Madame Sherry recalled 'the "good old days" when road shows used to come to town:'
This production stands up well in comparison with the work we used to see. The settings and costumes are on a scale far beyond the 'lavish' opulence flaunted by the old billboards. The stage is peopled beyond the dreams even of the advance agent by lovely, graceful damozels and handsome young blades. For principals, instead of the jaded and slightly-battered professionals of the old days, there are bright young voices which have no trick save that of a spontaneous and genuine enthusiasm.9
Given six performances, Madame Sherry ran from 11 to 15 December 1934. It had been performed once before to Winnipeg audiences on 15 May 1911 at the Walker Theatre. 'The famous theatrical firm of Woods, Frazee and Lederer played it at the historic theatre as a road show,' the advance notice in the Free Press recalled,
in a season that boasted the personal appearances of Marie Dressler, Vesta Victoria, James T. Powers, Olga Nethersole, Robert Mantell, and scores of other names that meant something in the history of the stage.10
The plot of this musical comedy centers on the unexpected visit of Edward Sherry's rich old Uncle Theophilus:
The deception which has to be entered into on his appearance manages to involve not only two budding romances, but the domestic affairs of the French janitor and his Irish wife, with unending complications that finally resolve themselves into four happy unions.11
The role of the French janitor was played by Esse Ljungh and that of Uncle Theophilus by T.W. (Tommy) Tweed, later well known as the irrepressibly funny Daddy Johnson in the Jake and the Kid series.12 With the popular Tommy Tweed in the cast, it is no surprise to find Ljungh overshadowed in the review. According to the Free Press critic,
The three broadly comic characters of the evening were all excellently acted, Norrie Duthie as Catharine, E.W. Ljungh as Phillippe, and T.W. Tweed as Uncle Theophilus. Tom Tweed carried the most conspicuously comic part without a single let-down, although now and again his exuberance almost overpowered the other players. His well-known flair for comedy found ample scope in this part which he took with real distinction. The same might be said of Mr. Ljungh, in a smaller but equally amusing role.13
Madame Sherry was directed by Bartley Brown who had previous musical comedy successes to his credit. The choreography and dancing received special commendation; in particular, Brenda Bennett's dancing which was thought to be both inspired and the work of a real artist.14 The singing was also highly praised although no specific mention was made of Ljungh's musical abilities. We shall see more of these in later productions.
Next the Winnipeg Little Theatre put Ljungh's comedic skills to use as Dr. Caius in Shakespeare's Merry Wives of Windsor. The play opened on Friday, 8 March 1935 and was given only four performances, a short run for so successful a production. Even rehearsals drew applause from onlookers:
That was the unusual experience one night this week during rehearsals of 'The Merry Wives of Windsor.'
....
Players in the happy comedy scenes came off 'the stage' amidst a ripple of handclapping from backstage workers who happened to drop in to see how the play was getting on.15
The performance brought ecstatic reviews from both major newspaper critics. Particularly glowing was the Free Press, which called it the Winnipeg Little Theatre's 'triumph of the season':
The play as presented was Shakespeare, not in leather binding, but rollicking with life and humor, moving the large audience to enthusiastic outbursts of laughter and applause.
Every moment of the play was pure delight. From the rising of the first curtain on the quaint old Windsor street to the frolicking finale in the eerie shades of Windsor Park the illusion was complete. Simple but artistic settings and costumes richly colorful and perfectly in period, set the atmosphere for the spirited Elizabethan comedy, and from the moment the first actor came on the stage the play was on.16
Bartley Brown, who had directed Madarne Sherry, played Falstaff in a manner which 'left almost nothing to be desired.' The review went on:
In scintillating contrast to the lusty humor of Falstaff was the irresistible pantomime of Dr. Caius, played by Esse Ljungh. In scene three when he discovers Simple in his closet his antics reduced the audience to helpless laughter and later in the duelling scene he again steals the play.
So enthusiastic is this critic that he adds, 'To praise all the parts individually, and they all deserve it, would take too long.' He nonetheless goes on to commend a goodly number, among whom the director, John Craig, has 'the touch of a master hand in bringing them all so happily to life. It was a merry play, every moment of it, and the direction was really inspired.' The lighting was beyond criticism and the costumes by Pauline Boutal complemented everything 'with a harmoniousness and freshness of color that was delightful.'17 The sets by Herbert Richardson 'were particularly worthy of note, especially the mighty oak in Windsor Park, a simple arrangement with curtains, miraculous in its effectiveness.' 18 Even the scene changers were given a special vote of thanks for the swiftness with which they accomplished their task.
Ljungh's next role was as The Manager in 'Au Salon de Coiffure' (or 'Permanent Waves') written by H.A.V. Green, K.C., one of the founders of the Winnipeg Little Theatre. Given only two performances, 12 and 13 April 1935, this parody of the Ballet Russe was part of an evening of short plays. The program read:
The originators of this 'comer-stone,'20Parker, Richardson and Gosling, received 'hearty congratulation for the brightest amateur ballet that has been seen on a Winnipeg stage to our knowledge.'21 Although 'Au Salon' was last on the program, the Free Press discussed it first, but the reviewer felt it best not to reveal the plot. The Tribune had no such reservations. Joining in the spirit and tone of the evening, The Tribune began at the beginning:
The curtain rises to the strains of the Volga Boat Song, revealing the southwestern pergola of a char, Mlle. Douglas, suitably draped in awning stripes. Her toe work (using one toe at a time), is sublime. M. Ljungh, the eminent danseur, was in superb form; he is what the German balletomanes call a 'high' dancer. His melodies of motion, though shrill, are suave.22
For those not familiar with detailed descriptions of dancing styles, a word may be in order. A high dancer is one whose jumps are high, light and sprightly. Shrill yet suave melodies of motion, in conjunction with high dancing, indicate an expressive, extroverted, perky performance. It is perhaps amusing to note that the reviewer has shown himself to be less than an expert in matters of dance in that he has confused his dance traditions.23
The Tribune went on to explain that 'A Rich Lady, Mlle. Parr, complete with rhinestone lorgnette,' next arrives on the scene and the action is taken up from there with never a let-down:
She and her dog get a pretty run-around from the beauticians, but the Bankrupt Lady, Mlle. Parker, who slinks in for a finger-wave, gets parking space only. Her lover, M. West, pays; his trench-coat alone is worth the price of admission. M. Pepler, pint-size husband of the Rich Lady, drags her into a furious Apache dance. The beauticians (Mlles. Hayes and Green), who early showed their utter lack of scruple by doing a tap dance, rob the proprietor, who expires in an agony of financial embarrassment. The dynamic sweep of this ballet slew him. It slew the audience, too.24
According to the critic, this presentation of 'Au Salon de Coiffure' also served as a comment on the problems ballet as an art form faces in Canada. 'Ballet springs from passion;' he stated,
here it was a passion for the ridiculous, but other passions have verve also. Every dancer in town should see it, for it gives dancers and non-dancers fighting it out on the stage, and the non-dancers score a good, clean win. Their movements are sincere and significant. The dancers know how to move, but not why; they visibly 'work to unlearn' meaningless formulae in order to hold their places in the line of action.25
One is tempted to wonder whether the dancers were so bad that the non-dancers looked good, or whether the reviewer was just joining in the general spirit of the parody by adding his own theoretical statement.
'Au Salon de Coiffure' was so popular that it was repeated 9 to 11 January 1936. Ljungh appeared again as the Hairdresser and, as before, the ballet told the story of 'the Rich Lady and the Poor Lady who went to the beauty salon and what happened to them there. It "rolled them in the aisles."26
After the April 1935 production of 'Au Salon de Coiffure,' Ljungh took part in the Second Annual Sock & Buskin Review presented 8 to 11 May 1935. The Sock & Buskin was a club made up of theatre people who were closely associated with the Winnipeg Little Theatre. The Review was distinctive in that, with one exception, 'all its material - blackouts, comedy skits, songs, dances and novelties - was original, written and conceived by local writers.27In the Sock & Buskin Review, Ljungh appeared in a sketch, another ballet, 'Little Red Riding Hood', in the subordinate role of The Wolf. The program explains:
This ballet is based on the familiar fairy story. Red Riding Hood is on a visit to her grandma's house in the forest. Unbeknownst to our little heroine, a wolf who has eaten the grandma up, masquerades in bed as Little Red Riding Hood's relative. Before the girl enters the house, she makes friends with the flowers and the big tree outside. Then she enters the house where the wolf lies in waiting ... but wait and see ...28
The Ballet was choreographed by David H. Yeddeau and directed by Brenda Bennett who had choreographed and appeared in Madame Sherry several months before. The notices were complimentary of the Review as a whole, but 'Little Red Riding Hood' received no special attention.
Between May 1935 and the second presentation of 'Au Salon de Coiffure' in January 1936, Ljungh did not appear in any Winnipeg Little Theatre productions. Perhaps his wily friends, Winston McQuillen and Neil LeRoy (whose name occasionally showed up on Little Theatre programs), were already trying to inveigle Ljungh into radio work. When he again graced the Dominion Theatre stage, he did so three times in rapid succession. First, as already mentioned, in the repeat performance of 'Au Salon de Coiffure' in January 1936; second, in his highly acclaimed portrayal of Peer in Peer Gynt in February; and third, as the Blind Beggar in John Masefield's Lenten play Good Friday done March 1936.
Henrik Ibsen's Peer Gynt, with Esse Ljungh playing the title role, was a huge success and established a Winnipeg Little Theatre box-office record.29 Scheduled for 12 to 15 March 1936, it played to standing-room only audiences and its popularity was so great that the run was extended. Ljungh's performance was enthralling, so much so that reportedly when the police arrived to take away the people sitting in the aisles, the law enforcers joined the law breakers on the floor.30
Touted as 'perhaps the most ambitious production in the history of the Winnipeg Little Theatre or any other local theatre organization,'31 it was also a financial success. The cast, typically large, numbered 74 and John Craig's direction was again praised 'for handling a large group of players with coherence and skill.'32 There were seventeen scenes and John Russell's sets 'achieved remarkable effects through great economy and simplicity. Typical of this were the silhouetted trees and later, the silhouetted Pyramids.'33 Katherine Howard, for costume design, and Herbert Richardson, for lighting, were singled out and a word of commendation was also extended to everyone concerned for excellent team work. To all these riches was added the presence of a twenty-five-piece orchestra conducted by Marius Benoist: 'There was the thrill of hearing a symphonic orchestra in a theatre, playing Grieg's incidental music to a classic of the stage.'34
Although the foregoing are important to a successful presentation of Peer Gynt, Peer is its central figure. Ljungh's performance was called 'magnificent' by the Free Press reviewer,35 'outstanding among the treasures' of the play by the Tribune critic, 36 and a great achievement by E. Court, a member of the audience.37
The only criticism, and it was unanimous, was that the play had been too severely cut. The acting script was based on the English translation by Charles and William Archer38 and some important parts of the fourth act suffered most:
Theatregoers not familiar with the Ibsen work [were] decidedly at sea during the fourth act of the chronicle because of this and one wonders if the cutting could not have been done with more attention to flow of incident.39
Or, as more emphatically put by one member of the audience, Grace Gray:
From the rise of the curtain on the coast of Morocco, 'Peer Gynt' became a mystery to which only those who prepared the acting version held the key. Ibsen would most certainly have disclaimed all authorship of the play from that point on. Granting the necessity for cuts, there was no possible excuse for the total lack of coherence.40
It would appear that most people were more forgiving. The Free Press reviewer wrote,
To capture, even in small measure, the glow that tints one of the most complex dramatic canvasses in dramatic literature with warmth and a full bodied intensity is reward enough for any group of ambitious thespians. To succeed, as the Little Theatre succeeded Wednesday night, in making 'Peer Gynt' a vivid experience for at least four-fifths of its lengthy course, is something to be properly grateful for.41
Ljungh's performance received much scrutiny and praise. Peer's portrayal 'calls for an actor of uncommon skill,'we are told:
Mr. Ljungh has the nationality and the vision to make him live. His interpretation is never static. Like the peaks and crags of Peer's Norway, the portrayal shifts from lyric intensity to boisterous jollity and is able to encompass tenderness en route.42
The Tribune critic gives a more complete description of the wide range of emotions and changing life perspectives required of the actor. He must trace 'the inner and outer course of the mountain youth through a tangle of idle dreaming, self-deception, degradation, and disillusioned old age:'
The power and resources of the player seemed to dwarf all others about him, and it was not due merely to the advantage of lines.
Mr. Ljungh carried the audience with him through his boyish day-dreaming, his youthful impulsiveness. He was tenderness itself when Solveig came to share his hut. His sorrow at the death of Mother Ase was eloquent and moving. Yet in the Peer of middle age, his comedy flair, his expert pantomiming, revealed other aspects of this Swedish actor's art. The blustering captain of industry gave way to the bewildered old man, who did not understand the Button Moulder's charge that Peer was neither saint nor sinner, but 'only so-so'.43
As a stage actor, Ljungh's portrayal of Peer Gynt is his crowning achievement; he was 31 years old and had been in Canada only eight years. A month after the closing of Peer Gynt, Ljungh appeared as the Blind Beggar in John Masefield's dramatic Lenten poem, Good Friday. Four performances were given on succeeding nights beginning 18 March 1936 at the Dominion Theatre. A prelude and a song introduced the play: the prelude was too long and the song badly chosen, according to one reviewer. Once dispatched with, however, the cast managed to find 'just the right key in which to pitch its interpretation. There was an unhurried flow of the tempo and a meaningful portrayal of the various somberly dramatic incidents.'44
The play is set on the day of the crucifixion, but Christ never appears on stage. Pilate is shown making his decisions with his wife, Procula, pleading for Jesus' release. The Blind Beggar, or Madman, as he is sometimes called in the text, remains on stage much of the time watching or commenting on and occasionally participating in the events. When Jesus has died, a Centurion comes to see Pilate to relate the day's ominous and sorrowful happenings, and the play ends with the Blind Beggar alone on the stage:
Every character in this drama, so well directed by John Craig, is depicted with sympathy and realism. George C. Waight, as Pilate, makes of that Roman a sensible, likeable, just man. Margot Syme, as Procula, was excellent in a smaller role. Esse W. Ljungh, the beggar, was outstanding in a difficult, emotional part.45
The Blind Beggar fulfills a vital function in the play: 'He unlocks the door to its real meaning,' explains the reporter for the Free Press, 'and he paints for the beholder its most significant word patterns. Esse W. Ljungh has just the artistic resources to bring to this part its real essense.'46
Six months passed before Ljungh again appeared on stage as part of the Winnipeg Little Theatre and it was his last. Maxwell Anderson's social indictment, Winterset, based on the then well-known Sacco-Vanzetti case, was presented from 15 to 17 October 1936 at the Winnipeg Auditorium. Winterset was a controversial play and the Little Theatre production took place only one year after its New York première.
Written in blank verse, the story centers upon Mio Romagna, son of one of the condemned men, who,
aflame with the injustice of his innocent father's hanging, seeks revenge and finds instead death in a blind alley on New York's waterfront. Not, however, before Miriamne, a child-woman, has taught him that there is something sweeter to live for.47
The poetry and story line make it a difficult play to do well, so we should not be surprised that the Winnipeg Little Theatre was only partially successful. They made of it a melodrama and lost 'to a very great extent, its poetical intent,' the Free Press critic explained:
Thursday night one was thrilled, but not moved - as one should have been - by its beauty. There were moments, too, when hysteria got the upper hand. It is, however, a sincere production that does credit to cast and Director John Craig.48
Ljungh played the small part of Lucia and received short but special mention. According to the Tribune, 'the popular Esse W. Ljungh provided the play's few lines of comedy as the excitable Italian organ grinder.'49
Although the organ grinder was Ljungh's last role with the Winnipeg Little Theatre, it was not meant to be. Hamlet was 'the talk of London and New York'50 in 1937 and the Little Theatre, true to its ambitious nature, planned to present the play as its fifth and final production of the 1936-37 season. Esse Ljungh was to play Hamlet.
In early March 1937, due to diminishing attendance, lack of rehearsal space and inadequate theatre facilities, the decision was made to close the Winnipeg Little Theatre after its fourth production of the season. In the Director's Report for 1936-37, the only director's report which survives, John Craig related the sad news:
The Executive Committee decided that 'Hamlet' the fifth production not be given. Naturally after months of work and planning this was a great disappointment to myself, to Mr. Esse W. Ljungh who had learned the role, to Prof. John Russell who designed the settings to be used and Madame Boutal who had completed the costume sketches as well as to the large cast already selected, and to the special committee of people who spent hours of labour on the necessary cutting of the script.51
The main reason for the decision was a lack of funds. The projected cost of Hamlet was $900. 00, a paltry sum by today's standards, but one which would have pushed the Little Theatre's indebtedness beyond the $2,708.28 already owed.52
The cancellation of Hamlet and the demise of the Winnipeg Little Theatre came as a shock to Ljungh and to the others involved. Now without the Little Theatre, Ljungh had no stage on which to play, even as an amateur. However, he was already involved in the radio-drama production of early series, such as 'The Fusby's' and 'Just S'posin'53; he had also directed a production in French of Gounod's opera Romeo and Juliette.54
Over a relatively short time period Ljungh had appeared in an impressive number of productions: nine in three and a half years. For a professional actor, this would be a dismal record especially if the runs were confined to one week each; however, Ljungh was holding down a full-time job and these were the days of the Great Depression. As Editor of the Swedish Canada News, Ljungh received a salary of $6.50 per week and free rent. He often worked a sixteen-hour day because he also did odd jobs around the printing plant:
I was doing linotype and setting headlines and I was reading the proofs and being the editor and translating all of the copy that was coming in. ... I was cutting linoleums and making all kinds of advertising signs, etc., which were run off on a homemade press. I was looking after the furnace in the store in the apartment building ...55
It is a wonder that Ljungh found time for anything else!
The variety of characters Ljungh played deserves consideration. Out of eight roles, six were comedic and two strongly dramatic; within the six comedic parts were a drunk, Lignière, (always difficult to do well); a French Janitor who demanded some singing ability; a Shakespearean funny man; a dancing Hairdresser; a dancing Wolf; and an Italian organ grinder. Noticeably, he often played a foreigner which allowed him to adapt his accent; he was apparently an excellent comedian who could sing and dance, and who received enthusiastic reviews. In addition, he was a powerful dramatic actor, proven by the critical acclaim of his portrayals of Peer Gynt and the Blind Beggar, and by the fact that it was he who was chosen to play the coveted role of Hamlet in the Little Theatre's scheduled production.
As said before, the stage was Ljungh's first love; therefore, the actor in him did not die when he turned to radio production. Those who worked with him in later years tell of his amazing ability to mimic anyone and anything, and describe the incongruity of Ljungh at age 40 or 50 imitating a gaggle of teenage girls. He possessed a spontaneity and lack of selfconsciousness which often made his rehearsal demonstrations excruciatingly funny.56 That Ljungh was a good actor, everyone supposed, but he rarely, if ever, referred to his successes in Winnipeg.
Ljungh's advice to aspiring producer-directors has always been: spend at least one year as an operator-technician to get to know radio's technical limitations and possibilities. Perhaps a corollary should be added. A producer-director, interested in radio drama, should have a rich and varied theatre background. Not only Ljungh, but the other three Canadian masters of radio drama, Andrew Allan, J. Frank Willis and Rupert Caplan, all possessed strong theatrical roots. There can be no doubt that Ljungh's theatre experience and training contributed to his greatness in radio-drama production.
Sharon Blanchard
Montreal
CHRONOLOGY OF WINNIPEG LITTLE THEATRE PRODUCTIONS IN WHICH ESSEW. LJUNGH APPEARED*
16, 17, 19 and 20 March 1934
Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand
Presented at the Dominion Theatre
Directed by John Craig
Ljungh played Lignière
11, 12, 13, 14 and 15 December 1934
Madame Sherry Book and lyrics by
Otto Hauerbach
Music by Karl Hoschna
Presented at the Dominion Theatre
Directed by Bartley Brown
Ljungh played Phillippe -janitor
8, 9, 11 and 12 March 1935
The Merry Wives of Windsor by William
Shakespeare
Presented at the Dominion Theatre
Directed by John Craig
Ljungh played Dr. Caius
12 and 13 April 1935
'Au Salon de Coiffure' (or 'Permanent
Waves') by H.A.V. Green,
written especially for the occasion
Presented at the Dominion Theatre as part
of an evening of short plays
Choreographed by Jean Parker
Ljungh played The Manager
8, 9, 10 and 11 May 1935
Sock & Buskin Club produced its Second
Annual Review, 'Mud in Your Eye'
Presented at the Dominion Theatre
Ljungh appeared in the amateur ballet'Little
Red Riding Hood', author unknown, directed by Brenda Bennett
Ljungh played The Wolf
9, 10 and 11 January 1936
'Au Salon de Coiffure' (or 'Permanent
Waves') by H.A.V. Green
Presented a second time at the Dominion
Theatre as part of another evening of different short plays
Choreographed by jean Parker
Ljungh played The Manager
12, 13, 14 and 15 February 1936
Peer Gynt by Henrik Ibsen, incidental
music by Edvard Grieg
Presented at the Dominion Theatre
Directed and produced by John Craig
Ljungh played Peer Gynt
18, 19, 20 and 21 March 1936
Good Friday by John Masefield
Presented at the Dominion Theatre
Directed by John Craig
Ljungh played A Blind Beggar
15, 16 and 17 October 1936
Winterset by Maxwell Anderson
Presented at the Winnipeg Auditorium (Concert
Hall)
Directed by John Craig
Ljungh played Lucia
*Copies of the programs may be obtained from the Manitoba Provincial Archives, Aileen Garland Collection (MG 10 G2 box 2).
Notes
1. Creative Canada compiled by the
Reference Division of McPherson Library, University of Victoria (Toronto:
University of Toronto Press, 1971), Volume 1, p 195
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2. Calgary Herald article dated 27 March 1971
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3. Winnipeg Free Press, Saturday, 10 March 1934,
p 16
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4. Winnipeg Evening Tribune, Saturday, 17 March
1934, p 25
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5. Winnipeg Free Press, Saturday, 24 March 1934,
p 18
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6. Winnipeg Free Press, Saturday, 17 March 1934,
p 6
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7. Ibid
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8. Winnipeg Free Press, Wednesday, 12 December
1934, p 5
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9. Winnipeg Evening Tribune, Wednesday, 12 December
1934, p 6
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10. Winnipeg Free Press, Saturday, 8 December
1934, p 11
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11. Winnipeg Free Press, Wednesday, 12 December
1934, p 5
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12. Tommy Tweed was from Medicine Hat, Alberta,
met Ljungh in Winnipeg and moved on to Toronto before Ljungh did. Tweed
was an excellent actor, both dramatic and comedic, but he is best remembered
for his funny roles. He also wrote adaptations for radio, sometimes serious,
'The Brass Pounder from Illinois,' and sometimes humorous, 'A Short Exegesis
of Parkinson's Law'
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13. Winnipeg Free Press, Wednesday, 12 December
1934, p 5
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14. Winnipeg Evening Tribune, Wednesday, 12
December 1934, p 6
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15. Winnipeg Free Press, Saturday, 2 March
1935, p 10
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16. Winnipeg Free Press, Saturday, 9 March
1935, p 10. The next four quotations are all from this review and
have not been footnoted
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17. Winnipeg Free Press, Saturday, 9 March
1935, p 11
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18. Ibid
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19. From a copy of the program kindly provided
by the Manitoba Provincial Archives. It is clear from the program that
the piece was written especially for the occasion
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20. Winnipeg Evening Tribune, Saturday, 13 April
1935, p 23
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21. Winnipeg Free Press, Saturday, 14 April
1935, p 32
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22. Winnipeg Evening Tribune, Saturday, 13 April
1935, p 23
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23. Many thanks to Professor Iro Tembeck of
the Theatre and Dance Department at the University of Quebec at Montreal
for her help in interpreting this passage
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24. Winnipeg Evening Tribune, Saturday, 13 April
1935, p 23
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25. Ibid
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26. Winnipeg Free Press, Saturday, 4 January
1936, p 14
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27. Winnipeg Evening Tribune, Saturday, 13 April
1935, p 17
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28. From a copy of the program kindly provided
by the Manitoba Provincial Archives. It is clear from the program that
the piece was written especially for the occasion, as was 'Au Salon de
Coiffure'
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29. Winnipeg Evening Tribune, Monday, 8 March
1937, p 4
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30. Personal interview with Esse W. Ljungh by
Sharon Blanchard 23 to 25 March 1981
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31. Winnipeg Evening Tribune, Saturday, 8
February 1936, p 16
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32. Winnipeg Free Press, Thursday, 13 February
1936, p 7
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33. Winnipeg Evening Tribune, Thursday, 13 February
1936, p 5
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34. Ibid
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35. Winnipeg Free Press, Thursday, 13 February
1936, p 7
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36. Winnipeg Evening Tribune, Thursday, 13 February
1936, p 5
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37. Winnipeg Free Press, Saturday, 22 February
1936, p 21 in the Saturday section devoted to Readers' Views
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38. Winnipeg Evening Tribune, Saturday, 8 February
1936, p 16
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39. Winnipeg Free Press, Thursday, 13 February
1936, p 7
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40. Winnipeg Free Press, Saturday, 22 February
1936, p 21 in the Saturday section devoted to Readers' Views
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41. Winnipeg Free Press, Thursday, 13 February
1936, p 7
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42. Ibid
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43. Winnipeg Evening Tribune, Thursday, 13 February
1936, p 5
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44. Winnipeg Free Press, Thursday, 19 March
1936, p 6
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45. Winnipeg Evening Tribune, Thursday, 19 March
1936, p 17
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46. Winnipeg Free Press, Thursday, 19 March
1936, p 6
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47. Winnipeg Free Press, Friday, 16 October
1936, p 4
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48. Ibid
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49. Winnipeg Evening Tribune, Friday, 16 October
1936, p 2
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50. From the 'Director's Report, Winnipeg Little
Theatre, Season 1936-37' by John Craig, copy kindly provided
by the Manitoba provincial Archives (MG 10 G 16)
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51. Ibid
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52. Winnipeg Evening Tribune, Monday, 8 March
1937, p 4
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53. Personal interview with Esse W. Ljungh by
Sharon Blanchard 23 to 25 March 1981
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54. Ibid
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55. ROGER LEE JACKSON, 'An Historical and Analytical
Study of the Origin, Development and Impact of the Dramatic Programs Produced
for the English Language Networks of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation,'
Ph.D. Dissertation, Dept. of Speech, Wayne State University, 1966, p 57
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56. Personal interview with John Scott by Sharon
Blanchard, Wednesday) 28 January 1981
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