The Comedian, the Legend, Jack Benny

This past weekend here at the Baldpate Inn was special, due in part to the play Seven Keys to Baldpate, which premiered on Friday and Saturday. For those of you that have visited the Key Room here at the Inn, you are probably familiar to the Seven Keys to Baldpate radio play and the stage play of the same name which we show at our Keythedral Theatre. The voice most notable to visitors when they listen to the radio play is that of comedian Jack Benny.

 

Born Benjamin Kubelsky on Valentine’s Day, 1894 in Chicago, IL, Benny picked up the violin at the age of six, which would become a trademark later in his career. By 17, he was playing violin at local vaudeville theaters. It was during this time that Benny came into contact with the famous Marx Brothers, who not only were working in the same theater as Benny, but would form a lifetime friendship with him as well. After serving duty in the U.S. Navy from 1917 to 1921, where he was considered a comedian and musician by fellow soldiers, Benny would start a one-man act called "Ben K. Benny: Fiddle Funology". It was around this time that he changed his stage name to Jack Benny due to legal pressure from famed violinist, Ben Bernie. 

One night in 1922, Benny was invited over to a Passover Seder by friend Zeppo Marx, where he would meet the love of his life, Sadie Marks, but better known by her stage name, Mary Livingstone. Benny and Livingstone would go on to get married, along with becoming comedic partners, too. Ten years later, after a four-week comedy show stint at nightclubs, Benny was invited onto TV host and writer Ed Sullivan’s radio show. This would eventually lead Benny to get his own radio show, The Jack Benny Program, later that year. The weekly radio show, which ran for a total of 30 years (from 1932 to 1948 on NBC and from 1949 to 1955 on CBS) is generally regarded as a high-water mark in 20th-century American comedy. This radio show would be followed up with a TV show of the same name from 1950-1965.

(Group photograph of Eddie Anderson, Dennis Day, Phil Harris, Mary Livingstone, Jack Benny, Don Wilson, and Mel Blanc)

Here at the Inn we  are honored to have keys to Jack Benny’s dressing room at Paramount Studios. We are glad to have the opportunity to have this key on display for visitors!

 

 

 

Come see!

Cameron

Key Room Museum Curator

Happy Fourth of July!

        To celebrate our nation's independence, we are featuring our key to the U.S. Capitol. It was donated to the Maces' on January 10, 1936 by William R. Eaton, a Senator for Colorado in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Though this key may look unremarkable, it unlocks a grandiose building and past replete with trial and tribulation.
        The predominant symbol of the legislative branch, not to mention the U.S. government and America as a whole, the Capitol Building was first commissioned in 1791 to be built on land selected by President George Washington. The first designer was dismissed a year later and, as suggested by Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, a competition was held instead. Unfortunately, none of the entries were deemed "wholly satisfactory." It wasn't until October 1792 that a plan was selected and approved by the commissioners and Washington.
        Although work on the three-sectioned building began in September 1793, some rooms were still incomplete due to budget constraints when Congress, the Supreme Court, the Library of Congress, and the D.C. courts moved into the building in 1800. With the allocation of funds by Congress and the appointment of Benjamin Henry Latrobe, construction was renewed until the War of 1812 diverted money away from the project again.
        By 1818 a new architect, Charles Bulfinch, was supervising construction. The following year chambers for the Supreme Court, House, and Senate were all ready for use. By 1829 Bulfinch’s work was considered finished, and his employment with the government ended.
        Modifications and improvements continued until 1850 when, despite the Capitol’s vast size, it couldn’t fit all the senators and representatives from newly admitted states. Another competition was held, and, once again, none of the entries were exactly what Congress wanted, leaving President Millard Fillmore to select a plan and architect. He chose Thomas U. Walter.
        Under Walter’s direction extensions for the Capitol, Treasury, Post Office buildings, and Marine barracks in Pensacole and Brooklyn were completed, as well as designs for the Patent Office building and the restoration of the Library of Congress after a fire burned it in 1851. Construction paused during the Civil War. During this time the Capitol functioned as a military barracks, hospital, and bakery.
        After the war the Statue of Freedom and a new dome, including Brumidi’s The Apothesis of Washington, were added, extensions completed, and the building modernized. Work to fireproof the Capitol began in earnest after a gas explosion and fire in the north wing in November 1898.
        For the next several decades, basic cleaning and refurbishing occurred. In 1958 work began on the East Front extension, managed by J. George Stewart. This expanded the front of the building by almost thirty-three feet. It also included repairs to the dome, the construction of a subway terminal under the Senate steps, cleaning both wings, birdproofing, furnishing the new rooms, and improving lighting. All this finished in 1962.
        Major projects since then included restorations for the country’s 1976 Bicentennial anniversary, renovations of the West Front, strengthening the structure’s masonry with steel tie rods, replacement of sandstone blocks with limestone, and the conservation of various artistic structures throughout the building.
         The latest and greatest project at the Capitol was the Visitor Center. The center opened in 2008 and is almost as large as the Capitol itself! Yet this massive structure is actually located underground so as to not ruin the view of the Capitol itself.


         Every year millions of people visit the Capitol Building. While us here at The Baldpate may not receive millions of visitors each season, we likewise contain years of history and stories to be shared with the public and are a key part of the Estes Park community and Colorado history. Visit http://www.aoc.gov/history-us-capitol-building for more information about our Capitol. Hope to see you soon at The Baldpate to see this remarkable key for yourself! Have a happy Independence Day!

Caitlyn
Key Room Museum Curator

The Curtain Rises

With the opening of Baldpate’s Keythedral Theater 2013 summer series , it seems fitting to feature our “Key to the Curtain”. This unique key was donated in 1929 by Melville Burke, the then head of the Elitch Gardens Players.



The laughing face on the key’s bow represents the comedy face of the Greek theatre masks, and the “E” that is the bit of the key signifies the Elitch Gardens Players.

Although for Coloradans today Elitch Gardens is synonymous with amusement park, when it first opened in Denver in 1890, it was primarily a botanic garden, zoological park, and cultural center. Two years later the Elitch family opened the Elitch Theatre. This summer stock theatre, the oldest in America, entertained audiences for one hundred years. It was renowned for the talent that performed on its stage, including Grace Kelly, Cecil B. DeMille, Lana Turner, Mickey Rooney, and Antoinette “Tony” Perry—the namesake of the “Tony Awards.” Some of these actors you can see in Charles Mace’s photography collection in The Baldpate’s dining room, as well as in the Inn’s guest registers.


Mace's photograph of Lana Turner

 



Mace's photograph of Mary Elitch

 

During the time Melville Burke was the troupe’s director in the 1920s, the Players often pranked new actors by asking them to find the “key to the curtain.” Since curtains have no keys, this request was a fool’s errand. That is, until Melville Burke requested the prop department make a key to be added to The Baldpate Inn Key Collection.

Near the end of the twentieth century, the Gardens’ popularity waivered. While the park’s new location in downtown Denver was purchased by Premier Parks, Inc. in 1994 and transformed into today’s Elitch Gardens, the Elitch Theatre was revived by the Historic Elitch Gardens Theatre Foundation. This non-profit organization’s goal is to renovate the theatre and return it to its former renown. 

 

Here at The Baldpate Inn, our Keythedral Theater is in no danger of shutting down or being abandoned for an amusement park! This season our theatre will feature productions by Encore! Encore! and The Fine Arts Guild of the Rockies with the stage version of Seven Keys to Baldpate and Marriage is Murder, respectively:

Doors open for Seven Keys performs at 6 p.m. on June 28^th and July 5^th, as well as at 1:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. June 29^th and July 6^th.

Marriage is Murder, by Nick Hall, performs August 9^th, 10^th, 11^th, 16^th, 17^th, and 18^th. Doors open at 6 p.m., as well as at 2:30 p.m. matinees on Sundays.

Come by to enjoy the Inn’s connection to early Colorado theatre and, most especially, to enjoy our own summer stock performances at our Keythedral Theater.

Caitlyn

Key Room Museum Curator

 

Dracula Lives Again

If you read last season’s blog posts or have been by the Key Room recently, you have probably seen the addition of a replica key from one of Dracula’s castles. Although this key joined our collection almost a year ago, we just received the key’s official documentation from Bran Castle.

          As mentioned in the letter itself and in a previous blog post (http://baldpatekeyroom.blogspot.com/2012/07/america-and-dracula.html ), Bran Castle was built in the 14^th century in Transylvania’s Carpathian Mountains. The picturesque fortress is located in an area that was an economic crossroads and suffered many military invasions. Vlad Tepes, also known as Vlad the Impaler or simply Dracula, is thought to have resided here during his reign from 1456-1462. During this time he instilled order throughout the country, though at high costs. His nickname “the Impaler” derived from the way criminals, foreign enemies, and those who spoiled his notion of a perfect society were punished: impalement. This is one way he became connected to Bram Stoker’s fictional vampire (although, another “living vampire” named Countess Elizabeth Bathory inspired Stoker’s count more than Vlad Tepes did). Since then Bran Castle has been called Dracula’s Castle, even though it was modernized and beautified by Queen Marie after World War I. In 1958 it solidified its place in history by becoming a museum that tourist still frequent today.

From 1836 to 1920, the key whose replica we received was used to unlock the main gates to Bran Castle.  In 1937, though, during Queen Marie’s residence, it opened a secret passageway from the inner courtyard to the Royal Park outside, where the queen rode horses every morning. Today, the key rests in the famous Key Room as part of The Baldpate’s key collection. Come by and decide for yourself whether it looks like the key to Dracula’s Castle or Queen Marie’s beautiful Bran Castle!

 

Caitlyn
Key Room Museum Curator

 

Key of the Day: The Boilermaker Special 5 Key (BMS 5)

Hello all! This is Cameron, one of the Key Room museum curators at the Baldpate Inn this season, wishing all the proud papas a Happy Father’s Day!

For such a special day I wanted to present a unique key that is special in its own way called the Boilermaker Special Key, or the BMS 5. This artifact comes all the way from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. *Interesting Fact about Purdue University: The school has produced 23 astronauts, which includes Neil Armstrong, the first American to walk on the moon.

For those not familiar with Purdue, their nickname is the Boilermakers, with their mascot being the Boilermaker Special. Resembling a Victorian-era locomotive, though operated as an automobile to be driven on streets, the idea for the mascot was suggested by Purdue Student Israel Selkowitz in 1939 who, along with the school board, thought it best represented the school, especially its engineering and railroad heritage. The first model of the Boilermaker Special was created in 1940 and was operated by a driver with room for a passenger. A few models later the Boilermaker Special Five was created on September 23, 1993. Student members of the Purdue Reamer Club have operated and maintained the BMS models.

This version of the mascot came equipped with nostalgia as it had installed the brass bell from the BMS 1 along with the brass whistle from the BMS 3. Able to hold up to 14 passengers, the BMS 5 was able to “kneel” which provided easier access for young children and the elderly to hop on and enjoy a ride. The BMS 5 was discontinued in 2011 in favor for newer model. We here at the Baldpate Inn are very honored by the Purdue Reamer Club’s donation and proud to showcase this memento in our Key Room along with a letter of authentication which provides a brief history on the BMS 5 for visitors.

Come See!

 

A Day Spent With Amazing Kids

Today in the key room I met the two most interesting and lovable kids from Michigan, their names were Lauren and Connor. I spent an hour with them in the key museum talking about the featured keys and how fascinated they were by the many keys found in the museum. We completed the scavenger hunt and talked about each key individually. We talked for a long time and their mother took a picture of us. Lauren and Connor were so fascinated with the museum that they didn't want to  finish their lunch or a piece of one of the delicious pies that we make daily. I was so impressed by these two because they were interested in learning and taking the time to talk about what the key musuem was all about. Before they departed I took the time to draw  them a picture where I designed a key and put their names on each.  I had such an amazing time with the two of them and before Lauren left, she gave me a BIG hug and told me Good Luck in school! (Smiling!) What an interesting day and I have to admit being a New Orleans native it's been a great experience so far. I have met so many interesting people from all parts of the United States and a lot from my hometown in New Orleans.

Roam with the Gnome

The Key Room has a new activity for kids and adults alike! Come find where the Gnome hid some of our most intriguing keys by picking up our scavenger hunt.

This week, Coleton Tanner, age 5, found all 10 keys with a little help from his parents. By showing me his favorite key on the scavenger hunt, he was awarded a very prestigious prize: the Junior Key Keeper Award.

Come unlock the mysteries of our keys by Roaming with the Gnome. If you can complete the task successfully, you might walk away with an award!

Lauren
Key Room Museum Curator