Edward Irham Cole

Edward Irham Cole (3 December 1859 – 1 July 1942) was an Australian theatrical entrepreneur and film director whose productions represented a synthesis of Wild West show and stage melodrama (often with a bushranger theme). He managed a theatre company, called the Bohemian Dramatic Company, that performed in semi-permanent and temporary tent theatres.[1] During 1910 and 1911 Cole directed a number of silent films, adapted from his stage plays and using actors from his theatre company.

For the Canadian politician, see E. J. Cole (mayor).

Edward Irham Cole
Portrait of Edward Irham Cole in about 1920.
Born
Edward Irham Cole

(1859-12-03)3 December 1859
Croydon, Surrey, England
Died1 July 1942(1942-07-01) (aged 82)
Marrickville, New South Wales, Australia
Occupationtheatrical entrepreneur & film director
Spouse(s)(1) Ada Dale
(2) Lavinia Catherine ('Vene') Smith
ParentIrham Cole & Isabella (née Jackson)

Biography

Cole arrived in Australia as a young man and worked for a time in Adelaide before moving to Wilcannia.[2]

He started in showbusiness as a lecturer, calling himself "the Bohemian" and giving presentations on various topics.[3][4][5][6]

He later joined the company of Texas Jack, an American showman in the Buffalo Bill mould. He established the Bohemian Dramatic Company, which toured the country performing shows. At its height, the company included over 60 performers and 20 horses, and was transported in its own train.

In 1910 and 1911 Cole made a series of films adapted from his shows, which cost over £1,000 in all. The longest was reportedly 1,5000 feet.[7] They were sometimes screened accompanied by lectures and songs.[8][9] Cole toured Tasmania in 1911 and 1912.

By 1926 the company was down to a size of 24 and touring mostly only country areas.[10]

Later Years

Cole's company was still touring in the 1930s as 'Cole's Varieties', run by his son-in-law, Bill Ayr.[11]

Cole and his wife ran a small factory at Marrickville in Sydney which manufactured cowboy outfits for small children.[12]

Personal life

Cole married his leading lady, Vene Linden (real name Lavinia Catherine) (1877 - 1948). They had several children: Frank, Roy, Mabel, Belle, Rose and Myrtle.

Roy predeceased them. Mabel married Cole's leading man, Bill Ayr. They had three children, Ned, Tom and Millie.[13]

In later years, Millie and Ned Ayr would be actors for the company while Tom Ayr handled most of the managerial duties of Cole's Varieties.[14][15][16]

In 1931, Cole's wife engaged in a court case against her sister for ownership of their father's cottage.[17][18][19]

Cole died on 1 July 1942.[20] His wife died on 8 November 1948, aged 71, survived by their children Frank, Belle, Mabel, Rose and Myrtle; a son, Roy, had predeceased her.[21]

Filmography

Select theatre credits
  • The Indian Hero
  • Who is the Woman?
  • The Anarchist
  • East Lynne
  • Uncle Tom's Cabin
  • Captain Moonlite
  • The Gaol Bird
  • Cast Aside
  • With the Colours
  • Hand's Up (1900)[23] – story of Ned Kelly
  • Prairie Scout (1903)[24] – performed in the open opposite Redfern Train Station
  • Buffalo Bill (1904)[25]
  • The King of the Road (1904)[26] – bushranger drama about Ben Hall
  • Sentenced for Life (1904)[27]
  • The Mining Partner (1904)[28]
  • Jo the Girl Miner (1905)[29]
  • The White Slave (1905) – Haymarket Hippodrome, Sydney
  • With the Colours – Haymarket Hippodrome, Sydney – drama set during the Second Boer War[30]
  • A Priest's Silence (1905)
  • Golden Heart (1906)
  • Kia Ora (1906) – Haymarket – a four-act Maori drama[31]
  • For King and Empire (1906) by E. I. Cole – about a European War of the near future[32]
  • The King of the Roads (1906) – Haymarket
  • The Coal Strike (1906) – Haymarket – saga of labour and management[33]
  • Hands Up: Or Ned Kelly and His Gang (1907) – Haymarket
  • Whirlwind, the Bushranger (1907) – Haymarket[34]
  • Thunderbolt, the Bushranger (1908) – Haymarket – about Captain Thunderbolt[35]
  • Buffalo Bill and Dick Turpin (1910)[36]
  • The King of the Roads"/"Under Two Flags/The Hand of Justice (1911) – series of plays performed at Launceston[37]
  • The British Spy (1911–12) – Hobart – play set during the Second Boer War[38]
  • Golden Heart (1912) – a Spanish-Mexican drama
  • It Is Never Too Late to Mend (1912) – Hobart[39]- play based on the convict era novel
  • A Convict's Sweetheart (1912)[40]
  • Arrah-Na-Pogue (1912)[8] – Irish drama
  • Postmistress of the Czar (1912) – Kings Theatre, Hobart – Anglo-Russian military story[41]
  • The Heart of the Bush (1912) – Kings Theatre, Hobart – Australian bush story[41]
  • A Woman's Honour (1913)[42]
  • Dick Turpin (1914) – Hippodrome
  • Captain Starlight, or Robbery Under Arms (1914) – Hippodrome[43]
  • The Covenant's Trust (1915)[44]
  • Buffalo Bill (1919)[45]
  • Meg of Golden Heart/The Octoroon (1919)[46]
  • The Ruby Ring (1919)
  • The Kelly Gang (1920)

References
  1. Andrew James Couzens (2019), A Cultural History of the Bushranger Legend in Theatres and Cinemas, 1828-2017, London: Anthem Press (ISBN 1-78-308892-3); Chapter 4: 'Hippodramas and Edward Irham Cole', pages 67-85.
  2. He married in south Australia Ada Dale the mother of all his children (5/4/1884) Children: Mable Ada,Ethel May, Isabella Maude, Frank Watteau, Ada Dorothy, Rose Juanita, Myrtle Celia Irham, she died due to childbirth 5/8/1895. Roy must have been to his 2nd wife? My grandfather was one of his Actors, John Reid (Lollie) Wilson he married Ethel May Cole.
  3. "The Bohemian Lecturer." Windsor and Richmond Gazette 24 Nov 1894: 7, accessed 31 December 2011
  4. "A Newspaper Case". The Armidale Chronicle. NSW: National Library of Australia. 12 June 1897. p. 4. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  5. "THE BOHEMIAN LECTURER IN COURT". The National Advocate. Bathurst, NSW: National Library of Australia. 7 April 1898. p. 3. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  6. "MORPETH POLICE COURT". Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate. National Library of Australia. 23 August 1897. p. 7. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  7. "BOHEMIAN PICTURE PLAYS". The Bendigo Independent. No. 13, 133. Victoria, Australia. 15 February 1913. p. 5. Retrieved 17 July 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  8. "BOHEMIAN DRAMATIC COMPANY." The Mercury (Hobart, Tas) 30 Mar 1912: 3, accessed 31 December 2011
  9. "Advertising". The Bendigo Independent. No. 13, 134. Victoria, Australia. 17 February 1913. p. 1. Retrieved 17 July 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  10. "THE STROLLING PLAYERS." The Horsham Times (Vic) 5 Oct 1926: 1, accessed 31 December 2011
  11. "STAGE IS GAMBLE SAYS SHOWMAN". The Daily News. Perth: National Library of Australia. 24 December 1938. p. 7 Edition: FIELDS GREEN. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  12. "THE TRAVELLING THEATRICAL SHOW." Examiner (Launceston, Tas) 5 Dec 1939: 4 Edition: LATE NEWS EDITION and DAILY, accessed 31 December 2011
  13. "DAYS OF DRAMA IN PIRIE". Recorder. No. 12, 249. South Australia. 14 July 1938. p. 4. Retrieved 9 March 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
  14. "Veteran of the Stage Recalls Early Adelaide." The Mail (Adelaide) 16 Jul 1938: 4, accessed 31 December 2011
  15. "DAYS OF DRAMA IN PIRIE". The Recorder. Port Pirie, SA: National Library of Australia. 14 July 1938. p. 4. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  16. "Time Marches On from Redskins to Bare Skins". Smith's Weekly. Vol. XXI, no. 27. New South Wales, Australia. 2 September 1939. p. 14. Retrieved 9 March 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
  17. "IN EQUITY". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 17 March 1931. p. 6. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  18. "IN EQUITY". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 31 July 1931. p. 5. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  19. "IN EQUITY". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 5 August 1931. p. 6. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  20. "Family Notices". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 3 July 1942. p. 10. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  21. "Family Notices". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 9 November 1948. p. 12. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  22. "Advertising". Bendigo Advertiser. Vic.: National Library of Australia. 15 February 1913. p. 1. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
  23. "THE WILD WEST SHOW." The Brisbane Courier 4 Jan 1900: 4, accessed 31 December 2011
  24. "BOHEMIAN DRAMATIC COMPANY." The Sydney Morning Herald 17 Dec 1903: 6, accessed 31 December 2011
  25. "BOHEMIAN DRAMATIC COMPANY." The Sydney Morning Herald 4 Jan 1904: 8, accessed 31 December 2011
  26. "THE BOHEMIAN DRAMATIC COMPANY." The Sydney Morning Herald 9 Jan 1904: 9, accessed 31 December 2011
  27. "BOHEMIAN DRAMATIC COMPANY." The Sydney Morning Herald 18 Jan 1904: 3, accessed 31 December 2011
  28. "DRAMA UNDER CANVAS." The Sydney Morning Herald 25 Jan 1904: 4, accessed 31 December 2011
  29. "GARRISON ARTILLERY CONCERT." The Sydney Morning Herald 18 Nov 1905: 14, accessed 31 December 2011
  30. "THE HAYMARKET HIPPODROME." The Sydney Morning Herald 13 Dec 1905: 12, accessed 31 December 2011
  31. "THE HAYMARKET HIPPODROME." The Sydney Morning Herald 3 Mar 1906: 17, accessed 31 December 2011
  32. "HAYMARKET HIPPODROME." The Sydney Morning Herald 28 Apr 1906: 14, accessed 31 December 2011
  33. "BOHEMIAN DRAMATIC COMPANY." The Sydney Morning Herald 1 Oct 1906: 3, accessed 31 December 2011
  34. "THE HAYMARKET HIPPODROME." The Sydney Morning Herald 8 Jul 1907: 3, accessed 31 December 2011
  35. "THE HAYMARKET HIPPODROME." The Sydney Morning Herald 21 Mar 1908: 14, accessed 31 December 2011
  36. "BOHEMIAN DRAMATIC CO." The Horsham Times 19 Apr 1910: 3, accessed 31 December 2011
  37. "BOHEMIAN DRAMATIC COMPANY." Examiner (Launceston, Tas) 19 Sep 1911: 6 accessed 31 December 2011
  38. "BOHEMIAN DRAMATIC COMPANY." The Mercury (Hobart, Tas) 18 Jan 1912: 3, accessed 31 December 2011
  39. "BOHEMIAN DRAMATIC COMPANY." The Mercury (Hobart, Tas) 17 Jan 1912: 3, accessed 31 December 2011
  40. "BOHEMIAN DRAMATIC COMPANY." The Mercury (Hobart, Tas) 15 Apr 1912: 6, accessed 31 December 2011
  41. "KING'S THEATRE." The Mercury (Hobart, Tas) 17 May 1912: 3, accessed 31 December 2011
  42. "BOHEMIAN DRAMATIC COMPANY." Examiner (Launceston, Tas) 26 Sep 1913: 3 Edition: DAILY, accessed 31 December 2011
  43. "The SHOWS they saw In 1914'S WARDAYS." The Mail (Adelaide) 25 Nov 1939: 5 Supplement: Magazine, accessed 31 December 2011
  44. "AMUSEMENTS." Barrier Miner (Broken Hill, NSW) 27 Nov 1915: 5] accessed 31 December 2011
  45. "ENTERTAINMENTS." The West Australian (Perth, WA) 6 Sep 1919: 8, accessed 31 December 2011
  46. "ENTERTAINMENTS." The West Australian (Perth) 12 Nov 1919: 8, accessed 31 December 2011
Sources
  • Andrew James Couzens (2019), A Cultural History of the Bushranger Legend in Theatres and Cinemas, 1828-2017, London: Anthem Press (ISBN 1-78-308892-3).
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