A Smash Hit of 40 Years Ago
"Williams true to Purple .... to the Collegeon the hill...
So sing thousands of Dartmouth men as they start one of the most popular Big Green songs. Except for alumni of the vintage of 1906 through 1909, few realize, however, that this favorite originally appeared upon the Dartmouth scene as the finale of the first original musical show ever given in Hanover.
The show was The Founders and the jet propulsion behind it was provided mainly by Harry R. Wellman '07, now of the Tuck School faculty, and James W. Wallace '07. Together they wrote the book for this musical comedy about the founding of Dartmouth College, and Harry Wellman wrote the music in addition to directing the show. Below, from a student scrapbook, is a picture of the cast which started the ALUMNI MAGAZINE on its way to the College Archives and then to see what Professor Wellman could remember.
"Yes, The Founders probably did cut a new path for student shows," Harry Wellman recalled. "Previous shows had been assembled but from then on original ones were attempted. There were several reasons why: Dartmouth had just beaten Harvard for the first time. We were driving ourselves to greater heights, and if Harvard could have a Hasty Pudding show and Princeton could have a Triangle Club show every year, why couldn't we do something? And don't forget that we had to entertain ourselves in those days; there were no radios, movies or cars. We gathered nightly at College Hall where we made our own music. Paul Felt, Nate Redlon and I played the piano; the rest sang."
To put on an original student show took money and "angels" were found in the persons of three Hanover merchants, A. D. Storrs, N. A. Frost and Frank Davidson. It turned out to be a good investment, for the resulting show was a smash hit. The Dartmouth, seemingly more congenial than nowadays, declared,
"No one can afford to miss seeing this, the most unique play ever presented at Dartmouth."
The first performance was given in College Hall on May 17, 1906, as a feature of Junior Week. A month later a repeat performance was given in Bissell Hall. "The show had to be built from the floor up," Harry Wellman remembers. "Mr. Stewart, the carpenter, erected a special stage and it sure did 'give' with the dances. The people in the front row never quite knew when the whole show might land in their laps. One of the saddest moments I ever spent was while directing the orchestra and watching papooses break through the paper scenery and fall off the back of the stage. Every papoose meant $4.50. I could hardly lead the next number."
An opening-night program now in the College Archives contains a long list of songs, including "It Pays," "Cubanola," "Love Like a Flower Grows" (which was good enough to be published in sheet music form by a professional music firm), "Isn't It Nice to Love," "Martyrs of Old," "The Right Hand Man," "Clothes Make the Man," "Marriage is a Lottery" and the Grand Finale which featured the now-popular "D-A-R-T-M-O-U-T-H." Two years later the finale of The Promenaders produced "Men of Dartmouth."
The scenario for The Founders was mapped out by Harry Wellman and Jimmy Wallace while working at the St. Louis World's Fair. Harry played the piano for several concessions and had free time to hob-nob with the Navajo Indians at the Fair who taught him the snake dances and eagle dances used in The Founders. Another picture accompanying this article shows the three dancing sons of Sam OccomLittle Big Joke, Henry Hit-the-Bottle and Sammy Occom 11. One is now a Life Trustee of the College and another became Dean of the Dartmouth Medical School.
Principal roles in The Founders were taken by Paul Felt '06, Harry Wayman '06, Cedric Wellsted '09, Willfam Bodwell '06, William Bell '06, Arthur Soule 'OB, George Terrien '06, Robert Thompson 'OB, Robert Blood '06, Emmet Naylor '09 and George Grebenstein '07. Twenty braves and ten squaws were also hustled about by Stage Manager Walter Powers '06. Jimmy Wallace doubled as business manager and Walter Rogers '09 backed up Harry Wellman musically as the show's arranger.
Out of the particular crew that produced The Founders, Harry Wellman recalls that George Terrien created a Dartmouth vaudeville troupe. "We played all over the Middle West and really made some money. As soon as that happened, the College took over the idea."
CAST OF "THE FOUNDERS" WHICH MADE CAMPUS HISTORY IN 1906: Back row: Art Blood '08, Bob Pearson '08, Bob Lane '07, Mort Hull '08, John Swenson '09, Ray Brown '07, Herb Mitchell '07, Em Naylor '09, Howard Williams '08, Dick Cunningham '07, Jim Blatherwick '06, Rip Heneage '07, Harold Oliphant '07, Larry Gardner '09, Bill Minsch '07, Walter Sanborn '07, Crick Crocker '07, Jake Mason '09, Jerry Macdonald '07, Warren Currier '08, Husky Rich '08, George Grebenstein '07, Lauris Treadway '08, Gene Brooks '07, Thad Lillard '08, Ted Richardson '07, Jamie Jamieson '07, Phil Paul '06. Kneeling: Paul Felt '06, George Terrien '06, Harry Wayman '06, Art Soule '08, Billy Bodwell '06, Billy Bell '06, Bob Thompson '08, Bob Blood '06, Ced Wellsted '09. Standing right: Bill Grimes '07, Walt Powers '06. Orchestra level: Lebanon import, Shorty Neal '6, another import, Harry Wellman 'O7, director, two more imports, Herb Rainie '06, and Walt Rogers '09 at piano.
THREE LITTLE INDIANS, who later became big ones as Dartmouth men, had prominent parts in "The Founders" as dancing sons of Samson Occom. Left to right, Edmund W. Bowler '14, Dr. John F. Gile '16, now College Trustee, and Dr. John P. Bowler '15.
