Other Avenues for Profit
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This handbill for boxing matches at the Strand Theatre in Albany advertises a match between Texas Tanner and Cyclone Davis. Boxing was a popular form of entertainment at the venue.
Courtesy of Middle Georgia Archives, Charles Henry Douglass, Jr. Business Records, 1906-1967.
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Lulu Hurst, also known as "the Georgia Wonder," first gained local attention in 1883 by demonstrating a mysterious ability: objects held by others (often strong men) could not be controlled once she touched them. In 1897 she published an autobiography, where she revealed the secrets of her "marvelous power."
Courtesy of University of Georgia. Libraries.
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This illustration of Lulu Hurst's chair act appeared in Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper on July 26, 1884. Hurst is depicted touching a wooden chair, and four men gather around the chair, seemingly unable to lift it. Her performances employed clever manipulation of physics and subtle suggestion, often generating great controversy.
Courtesy of Hargrett Library via the New Georgia Encyclopedia.
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View of conductor Enrico Leide (standing, foreground, center) and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra on stage at the Howard Theater (later the Paramount Theater) on Peachtree Street in downtown Atlanta.
Courtesy of Atlanta History Center, Atlanta History Photograph Collection.
Without the security of government funding or private investment, most American theaters had to diversify their productions to stay afloat. This included hosting activities such as concerts and musicals as well as less conventional events like boxing matches and magic acts, like "Georgia Wonder" Lulu Hurst. Some theaters offered these productions as an expansion of their creative mission. For example, highly popular vaudeville performances occupied a space between art forms, incorporating theater, music, and dance. The variety of events booked at these theaters in the early 1900s obscures the financial insecurity many faced, even before fierce competition from the film industry.