Orator William Jennings Bryan and the Gibsonian Concert Orchestra. Alton Evening Telegraph, Alton, Illinois, July 10, 1922.

Cameron Sun, Cameron, Missouri, June 22, 1922. Top row, Left to Right: Lloyd Loar, Fisher Shipp, Francis Havens; Bottom Left to Right: Walter Kaye Bauer, James H. Johnstone, Arthur William Crookes. As early as March, notices promoted Cameron Chautauqua.

Since early that morning of July 19, 1922, a procession of people, cars and wagons had moved toward an imposing circus tent in a vacant field near the little town of Cameron, Missouri (population 3000 in 1922). By 3 pm, the tent was packed as The Gibsonians ascended the stage. Resplendent in summer-white tuxedos, Walter Kaye Bauer, Arthur William Crookes, Francis Havens, James H. Johnstone and Lloyd Loar blasted into their opening number, “The Optimist,” a lively medley of “southern melodies” and continued with a variedm program that included mandolin quintets and accompaniments. It was often noted in reviews that the five players together sounded as big as a full orchestra. The projection of the arch-top, f-hole mandolin family instruments clearly contributed to this, as did the well-crafted arrangements and the proficiency of the players. As the program progressed, various members of the ensemble were featured: Bauer stepped forward for a solo filled with rapid arpeggios and double stops in “La Sorella,” a Spanish dance; the haunting “Venetian Love Song” allowed Crookes to showcase the enormous richness of the K-5 mandocello; James H. Johnstone put down the mandobass to lead the banjo ensemble with Jazz improvisations on “Sunny South.” Lloyd Loar recreated his famous mandola solo, “The Rosary,” only this time on his new favorite instrument, the f-hole 10-string MV-5.

Thrilled though they may have been with the instrumental music, the audience was there to see their hometown heroine, Fisher Shipp, now Mrs. Loar. She had grown up in Brookfield, Missouri, just 60 miles up the road. Family members and friends were on the edge of their seats awaiting her appearance. Many of them recalled March of 1920, when a tornado had made a direct hit upon a Chautauqua tent in Omaha, Nebraska, while Shipp was on stage. She had been badly injured and spent several months recovering at her family home. Upon entering an almost identical tent, did that accident loom large in her memory? What trepidations might have entered Fisher Shipp’s mind as she waited backstage for her cue? Shipp, stylistically devoted to the great Sarah Bernhardt with her flamboyant costumes and her larger-than-life stage persona, would have been adamant that the show must go on. Perhaps on this occasion, she might have taken heart from the words of the brilliant Italian actress Eleanora Duse whose style was a complete opposite from Bernhardt. Duse coached a fellow actor on stage fright: “The fear is the gatekeeper to the unseen realm where art flows without effort. Push through the fear, let go the script, allow the truth to channel through you.” Fisher Shipp did just that. Her fans were elated as her readings were filled with passion and her three octave range handled her vocal selections effortlessly. “The Daffodils” touched every heart and “Annie Laurie” left no dry eyes.

The hour went by quickly. It was only with assurance that the group would be back that evening at 7:30 that the audience would allow them to leave the stage. (Account of a fabulous evening set by a reporter from the Journal Gazette included below).

Crescendo, August, 1923. Although this is a later edition of the Gibsonians, the instruments are the same as played in Cameron on July 19.: Two F-5 mandolins; K-5 mandocello; J mandobass; MB-4, MB5, TB5 and CB4 banjos; and Loar’s new favorite, the 10-string MV 5.

Lloyd Loar’s 10-string Mandolin-Viola, just out of the stringing and set-up room in Kalamazoo, was put to immediate use. As may have been the case for the experimental instruments on that tour, it did not receive a label or serial number. Factory order number 11729 Virzi 10093. (Photo courtesy Darryl Wolfe)

The Cameron Sun, Cameron, Missouri, July 13, 1922.

The Gibsonians travelled across the midwest that summer presenting programs almost every day. Chautauqua events were multi-day festivals, sometimes lasting a week. Loar and company often played one day in one town, off to another town for the next day, and then back to the previous town for the next. In some cases, when events were close enough, they played the 3:30pm slot in one town and the 7:30 in another. Between major towns, they boarded trains with all their instruments, costumes and equipment. Rented automobiles or fans with cars carried them to out-of-town locations where some of the events took place, like the one in Cameron. Exhausted evenings were spent in a different hotel each night. Lloyd Loar’s uncle, James L. Loar, had booked the summer tour and made these arrangements. But, there were certain surprises that had to be solved without help from Uncle James. Walter Kaye Bauer remembers:

Walter Kaye Bauer, “A Century of Musical Humor and Show Business Wit", p. 41, Plucked String, 1988.

Moberly Democrat, Moberly, Missouri. Jul 23, 1922. The Mr. Loar praised here is James L. Loar, Lloyd Loar’s uncle, an impresario from Bloomington, Illinois.

A detailed account of an evening show by this group found in the Journal Gazette, Mattoon, Illinois, Aug 26, 1922:

Details from one of the evening programs. Journal Gazette, Mattoon, Illinois, Aug 26, 1922

A partial list of 1922 tour dates compiled from primary source newspaper advertisements and reviews,

Walter Kaye Bauer, with his background in motion pictures and Broadway, makes for sparkling comedy with Fisher Shipp, much to the delight of Mrs. Loar’s hometown audience.

The Finale: Fisher Shipp’s costume “Columbia” for Lloyd Loar’s rousing patriotic composition, “Sons of Liberty.”

William Jennings Bryan takes the stage with one of his fiery orations. What was he so excited about? We will discuss Bryan, Dr. Cadman and other stars of the 1922 Chautauqua circuit in our next episode.

Next Episode: The busy week of August 20th.