JIM RAY-JAMES -- DIRECTOR AND CHOREOGRAPHER

 Jim Ray-James, whose real name was Jim Ray, appeared off-B'way under the name of  "Ray James" as Yellow Feather in the original cast of "Little Mary Sunshine" beginning in 1959; appeared in a dozen off-B'way shows under the name of "James Ray"; and as Jim Ray-James, he choreographed "New Girl in Town" at the Equity Library Theatre and was U/S for the part of Eddie Ryan in "Funny Girl" on Broadway.  "New Girl" was directed by Jay Broad, later the manager of Theatre Atlanta, but there is no evidence that Broad brought Jim Ray-James to Atlanta.   Jim Ray-James' first known Atlanta show was "Johnny Moonbeam" for the Atlanta Children's Theatre (Actor's Equity) which he directed.

In 1974 he was named Set Builder for Chris Manos' Theatre of the Stars which played at the Civic Center.

Following the 1974 summer season, he began teaching dramatics for Carolyn Fleetwood.

Probably through Miss Fleetwood, he began directing for the Children's Civic Theater, founded by Edith Russell and Herschel Harrington.  Here he explains his name.

A history of the Children's Civic Theater for whom Jim Ray-James directed "Oliver!" in 1976.

Later that same year, he opened his own drama and dance studio in north Atlanta, in an ad where he lists his credentials.

He freelanced non-stop as director of school productions.

In 1979, Jim Ray-James began his association with Doraville which continued for almost twenty years.  This 1994 article states his age as sixty-seven, meaning he was born in 1927.

His last mention in the Atlanta papers was in 1996 for a production of "Guys and Dolls."

For a master index of all of Bob Foreman's photo-essays, click here.

January, 2025

HERSCHEL HARRINGTON AND EDITH RUSSELL

 Herschel Harrington and his wife Edith Russell moved to Atlanta in 1942.  

They lived at 229 Ponce de Leon.

His shop was on Exchange Place, downtown.

His shop was then on West Paces Ferry, located relatively close to, and behind, the Buckhead Theatre building. 

From 1950 until 1958 -- nine years-- his studio was located in the old Rhodes Hall carriage house.

 Unfortunately no photos of the carriage house survive.  In this aerial shot, it would have been to the left of the stable.

I remember this "permanent" switchboard at Chastain.  It was an eight dimmer Ward Leonard, inoperable in 1967.

In 1959, he relocated to 132 10th Street rear, at the intersection of Juniper, and Herschel Harrington Studios remained at that location for forty-four years-- until 2002.

For a master index of all of Bob Foreman's photo-essays, click here.

January 2025

A FEW MCTERNAN SCHOOL PHOTOS -- COLUMBIA BOULEVARD, WATERBURY CONNECTICUT

 

April, 2024.

MISS ELIZA COLLINS -- SOCIAL NOTES

Barnard College was where Miss Collins (right) went for coffee before Starbucks.

March, 2024

MY FRIEND GARRY FROM CINCINNATI (PARTS I & II)

Part I

My friend Garry is from Cincinnati, Ohio, and GAWD can he tell you some stories!  His father and his grandfather were both "tube men" and despite the fact that they were German, they supplied Cincinnati with all her tubes, big and small, during both world wars.

Garry grew up with WLW, not only because they bought most of his family's tubes, but because station owner Mr. Crosley, below, did everything in a big way.

As a small tyke, there was nothing Garry liked more than the canals, and he required no adult supervision to enjoy them.

Always industrious, the made his first money blowing up balloons for the indigent.

To make his journey to school easier, Garry took the railroad down from his home.

He was sent to the best German school in Cincinnati, and classes were held in the topmost portico.

While there, he made his own ink.

He learned to drive a Crosley at a young age.

By the time he was a teenager, Garry played the banjo in intimate settings.

To earn spending money, he lettered cue cards for Ruth Lyons at WLW-T.

It was about that time he met Rod Serling and gave him most of his story ideas, except for the lousy ones.

For being a nice guy, Garry was given the coveted "ball and chain award" from WLW-T entertainer, Paul Dixon.  It seemed as if the fun would never end.

However, in the late 1960's, Garry's family decided to move to Atlanta, Georgia so that Garry could receive the sort of theatrical training that was simply not available in Ohio.  Garry went ahead of them via auto-gyro.

And so Garry bid a fond adieu to the city he called home.

October 2023

Part II

 Garry loved to talk about old Cincinnati and how town fathers-wannabe who thought they might marry themselves a little Pocahontas were burned at the stake and piled up in distant heaps.

When he described the exciting day his forebears discovered Kentucky was just across the Brooklyn Bridge, you almost felt like you were there. 

He used his allowance to hire an osteopath to help Cincinnatus with his chronic back problems.

"Down thar's Mr. Wurlitzer's place," Garry would tell his playmates in his Ohio twang.  "I guess I sold him enough tubes so's I ought to know."

Garry was befriended by Mr. Wurlitzer at his stately mansion "Org-O-Blo" and Wurlitzer, a fellow German, told Garry which schools to go to and which schools to graduate from.

In appreciation, young Garry came up with the "Nipper" logo which a proud Mr. Wurlitzer adopted as a hood ornament for his fleet of vehicles.

At Halloween Garry would throw eggs at the old Taft residence and stick pins in the doorbell.  "Bunch of smartacres they are," he'd say.  "Hope I never t'meet any boy who went to their school or he'd know what t'for!"

Every Christmas, he would visit the town orphan asylum and give them candy.

From his earliest days, Gary was regarded as a budding genius.  He simultaneously taught his kindergarten class the value of Christian living and the value of Pi.

Even when at play, Garry was always thinking of new ideas.  For his sixth grade class project he directed the building of stairs for the children too poor to afford the incline railroad. 

 

In gratitude the Mayor gave him the use of a water-cooled laboratory (with a window) on the top floor of the twin water towers.  It was here that Garry perfected binoculars and a new style of lingerie.

From his laboratory's rarefied height, Garry admired two of the town's best hotels and offered to help them.   For the Netherland, Garry used old thyratron tubes to fashion a rooftop beacon which could be seen all the way to Kentucky.

In payment, Garry and his folks would eat there for free.  One day, while breakfasting himself, Garry suddenly exclaimed, "Mom!  Pop!  Why can't figures be rear-animated?"  The manager overheard him and Voila! a table-side ice show was born.

But Garry reserved his best work for the Hotel Alms.  First he strung up an antenna to help direct auto traffic via radio waves.

While Garry was working on the antenna, the Alms manager bemoaned the fact that his back room patrons complained of their parking lot view, especially after it was labeled.

"That's simple!" exclaimed Garry.  "Have you any old cloud machines?"  And yet another problem was solved with a handshake and a smile.

When Garry moved to Atlanta, he applied many of his Cincinnati ideas, but gave the credit to his Atlanta employers.

END PART 2

For a master index of all of Bob Foreman's photo-essays, click here.

November 2023