Finding Aid

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Scope and Contents

Material found in this collection provides insight into the day-to-day responsibilities of a crewman and superintendent on a Chautauqua circuit, as well as manager of a touring play and later a partner in a booking agency. Box 1 includes schedules, payroll, and names of talent. The Kodak photos include snapshots of Chautauqua as well as talent during their time between performances while on tour. Box 2 chronicles Moyer's years with Redpath-Horner and Horner-Moyer.The latter took over scheduling Junior Programs, as started by Mrs. Dorothy MacFadden (not to be confused with Junior Chautauqua), as well as other famous individuals and groups. Correspondence and lists of talent round out the collection.

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Biographical Note

L.E. Moyer grew up in Gage, Oklahoma. One year out of high school, he joined the Redpath-Horner Premier Circuit as crewman in 1922. In 1923 he transferred to the five-day Sterling Circuit as superintendent. Moyer continued working with the Redpath-Horner Chautauqua system each summer for about six years as he attended the University of Oklahoma in Arts & Science, followed by Law School. During the 1928-1929 season, Moyer was manager on the tour of "Naughty Marietta," and moved to the Redpath office in Kansas City in January of 1929.

Charles F. Horner, who managed the Redpath office in Kansas City, eventually moved to Washington, D.C. in 1933. A couple of years later, his son, Bryan, moved to Kansas City following college. Moyer and Bryan worked together about seven years, operating as Horner-Moyer, Inc., a concert management entity, until 1943. Soon after this, Moyer moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma as Executive Director of the Tulsa Community Chest. He lived there for four years, then moved back to Kansas City, Missouri as Executive Director of the Kansas City Community and Council of Social Agencies. He and his wife eventually wound up in California, where he was an officer in the Men's Garden Clubs of America.

In a letter dated December 4, 1960 to Cliff Hotchkiss, author of the book The Chautauqua, An American Phenomenon, Mr. Moyer writes, "During Bryan Horner's and my time with the business, we operated concert & lecture management from Coast to Coast, with tours of the Tipica Mexican Orchestra, Ted Shawn & His Dancers, and others, that extended from Symphony Hall, Boston to the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco. It was the most extensive, geographically at least, that the business ever operated. Our tours extended through Canada also, and to Cuba, and one season for Shawn that included His Majesty's Theatre, London."

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Related Materials

Records of the Redpath Lyceum Bureau, MsC 150  Please note the list of additional mini-collections of Chautauqua material at the end of the Redpath finding aid.

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Box Contents List

Box 1

Large black book with notes from 1916 to early 1930s, including talent and their wages; circuits; petty cash account, etc.; small black address book for Premier Circuit, 1928

Large black address book, 1930?; red book containing addresses, accounts from 1930s

Dark green "Addresses" book [n.d.]; red book including addresses, talent, travel costs [1932-1933?]

Photographs (mainly Kodak) and one unidentified postcard. In addition to the identified images, there are 103 unidentified pictures. Captions are Moyer's.

----1a. L.E. Moyer, the canvas fence in back ground
----1b. L.E. Moyer and unidentified woman
----2a. Junior group
----2b. Junior group
----3. Junior group
----4. Junior Chautauqua parade down main street of unidentified town
----5a. Me [Moyer]--in our living quarters--the dressing room at back and just off stage
----5b. Al Baker on Premier
----6a. A member of the Reddy Concert Company
----6b. Witte and Ed Moyer
----7a. On the "narrow gauge" (railroad) in Colorado
----7b. Ed Moyer and Witte
----8. Where we swam at Temple
----9a. LIttle Vick Moore, my crew man, keeping me from entering the gate
----9b. Harold Witte and a group having fun back stage
----10a. A former Prin. of Kansas City, Kansas High School who was Supt. part of time and Harold Witte
----10b. Boy friend crewmen--Alice Sroutham--Little Vick Moore, son of Vick Moore of U. of Texas. Dean of Man. at Texas U.
----11a. Witte and man was N.Y. actor in one of play companies, who once told me pronouncing names of Okla. towns made him think he was swearing.
----11b. Twitte or Witte?
----12a and 12b. Harry Lieghty at Clarksville
----13a. Verna, Harry and others at Clarksville
----13b. Harold "Jenks" Witte, Kelsey Driskill and L.E. Moyer in lake in park at Wamego, Kansas, Summer 1922
----14. Elizabeth Shirley Abernathy. The little girl you met at the McKinney Chautauqua. June 18-24
----15a. Kelsey Driskill our Supt. from Elk City, Okla
----15b. Kelsey Driskill Supt., Jenks Witte of U. of Ky. crew foreman, and my self at Wamego, Kansas summer 1921
----16a. Harold Witte nearest bank---at Mangum, Oklahoma, 1922
----16b. Swimming with party at Mangum, Oklahoma 1922--me on left of three in foreground
----17a. Witte and me at Wamego, Kansas
----17b. Jenks Witte and Kelsey Driskill
----18a. Kelsey Driskill and Harold Witte in City Park, Denver--1922
----18b. In Colorado--Big Thompson Canyon, I think
----19a. Me in boat with Agnes Kenoflokova
----19b. Back of my head in Colorado
----20a. Our Junior supervisor from some place in Kansas wrings out a bathing suit
----20b. Harold Witte and Kelsey Driskill
----21a. Some one against the canvas fence back stage
----21b. Colorado again
----22a. Harold WItte and Agnes Kenoflokova
----22b. Reddy Co. Mgr. and Agnes Kenoflokova, violinist
----23a. A Chautauqua concert group
----23b. Actor who was in "Forty Five Minutes from Broadway"
----24a. Remember the face but not the name
----24b. Against the fence
----25a. At Clarksville
----25b. Ed Moyer back row right
----103 unidentified snapshots

Box 2

Business correspondence, 1922-1944, between Moyer and Redpath-Horner. Includes 1922 and 1923 contracts as crew man; 1925 and 1928 contracts as superintendent

Personal correspondence, 1922-1954, including Moyer's contract as crew man with Redpath-Horner of Kansas City, Missouri; Harold Witte, Adrienne Lenz, Audrey Ellis, Alice Grantham, Verna L. McKee, H.J. Loose, Martena Davis, Tom Faris, Vic Moore, and Herb Kennedy; newspaper clipping

Horner-Moyer, Inc.

----"A Gotham Chorine Plays the Sticks". Story about touring with a Chautauqua company through the Southwest and South

----"The Fighting French" by "Al" Barboro. Newspaper account of Count Byron de Prorok's presentation on Africa.

----Correspondence 1940-1943

----Contract agreement between E. L. Moyer and Fiske Miles in selling of Horner-Moyer concert and lecture management bureau

----Horner-Moyer calendars, including list of talent for 1934, 1935, 1939 (2), 1940-1941, Summer 1941, Summer 1942, Summer 1943

----Blank forms: printed advertising; invoices; agreement forms; talent form; railroad schedule

----Brochures: Season 1939-1940; 1940-1941; 1941-1942; 1942-1943

Junior Programs, Inc. 1937-1943(?). Horner-Moyer route books for 1941-1942 and 1942-1943 seasons, as well as promotional material, including posters, book jackets, newspaper clippings, photographs, music, advertisements, etc.

Naughty Marietta

----Address and expense account book, 1928-1929

----Autograph/address book, 1928-1929

----Correspondence: 1928-January 1929. Includes letters, telegrams to/from Charles Horner; accounts of expenses; information including transportation, personnel, stage set-up; schedules; challenges. A January 1929 letter to Moyer from Charles Horner notes a decision to pull the Company as it's becoming too expensive; many towns were canceling due to the flu.

 

Redpath-Horner, Inc.

----Correspondence, newsletters, Official Lyceum Price Lists [amount paid to talent], Minutes of Lyceum meetings [including talent lists and amount paid], arranged chronologically from 1922-1941

----nine-page typed comments attributed to Charles F. Horner; writes of Chautauqua in general, platform managers, Junior girls, communities, and especially the young men working as crew members

----blank forms [weekly report, engagement contract, premier contract, contract with Associated Chautauquas of America]; postcard to Chautauqua Guarantors; 2 programs from Lyceum meetings

----Lucius Pryor Concert Service, 1931-1932

----Criterion Male Quartet (?) schedule, 1923

----Partial list Redpath Feature Attractions, 1929-1930

----Horner-Witte Concert Bureau listing, 1930-1931; 1931-1932

----Redpath talent listing for 1939-1940

----Sterling Circuit of Redpath-Horner Chautauquas, 16th year, 19--

----Horner Institute of Fine Arts, Summer Normal Session, 1925