 Near the turn of
the twentieth century, as the last vestiges of Muskegon’s lumbering era
faded from the horizon, a community that catered to theatrical
entertainers was started by C.S. "Pop" Ford. Lying in the shadow of a
massive dune known as Pigeon Hill in a portion of the city of Muskegon known as
Bluffton, Ford found a captive market in the actors who performed at the
summer show house at nearby Lake Michigan Park.
Click image to view video from 1995.
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The
Keatons
1579 Edgewater
“Jingles Jungle” was the
summer home of Joe, Myra, Buster, Louise, and Harry “Jingles” Keaton.
The cottage served the family until Buster’s move to Hollywood. The
original structure was removed and rebuilt in the ‘50s.
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Pascoe’s
Place
Razed in 1960.
The unofficial meeting place
for Colony members, this watering hole was renown around the world for
their perch dinners and nickel brews. Proprietor Frank "Bullhead"
Pascoe
a big, kindly man ruled the unpretentious tavern with a firm yet
friendly hand until his
retirement in 1944.
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"Big
Joe" Roberts
1535 Edgewater
A well-known figure on the vaudeville stage, Roberts performed in a
variety of acts over the years. With the trio, Roberts, Hays and
Roberts, "Big Joe" toured the country performing a routine known as
“The Cowboy, the Swell and the Lady”
with his first wife, Lillian Stuart Roberts.
Roberts would go on to play the "heavy" in many of Keaton's silent films.
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additional details. |
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Lancton
Lucier Co.
1860 Walnut
Paul Lucier
and his wife, Iva Lancton toured the vaudeville stages as the
Lancton, Lucier Co. The couple performed comedy sketches. A
founding member of the Actors' Colony, Paul served as the organization's
vice president.
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The
Millards
1852 Walnut
A fiddle player, Charles
“Pop” Millard, his wife Kate and their daughter Mildred worked the
vaudeville circuit until 1923.
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Earl
and Wilson
1854
Cherry
A musician who played the violin and the cornet, Lew Earl drifted into
vaudeville with his wife, Florence Jackson, performing a comedy talking
and singing act with the Keith vaudeville circuit. The first
performer to reside in Bluffton, Earl was referred to at the
“Mayor of
Bluffton”.
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Max Gruber's
Oddities of the Jungle
1831 Cherry
The home of Max and Adele
Gruber and their novelty animal act, "Oddities of the Jungle.
The show
featured the talents of an elephant that could bowl and ride a tricycle,
a trained zebra and a great dane. The animals were kept in a barn behind
the house. Max retired from the road in the late thirties, and the
barn was converted into an apartment complex christened
“MEMORIES”.
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Samaroff
and Sonia
3296 Wilcox
Donat and Ella Butowick
toured the world as “Samaroff and Sonia.” Featuring gymnastic dancing
and acrobatic dogs, the couple presented their act at the request of
England’s King George in 1913, and performed at Grauman’s Chinese
Theater in 1928 prior to the world premiere of Charlie Chaplin's
film, "The Circus".
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additional details. |
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Rawls
and VonKauffman
1709 Edgewater
William “Mush” Rawls joined
the Actors’ Colony in 1905, and married his onstage partner Ella
VonKauffman in 1909. The couple settled in Muskegon permanently. In
1957, “Mush” traveled from Muskegon to Hollywood to appear on the
popular TV show, “This is Your Life” for an episode honoring Buster
Keaton. On the show, Rawls recalled Buster’s days in Bluffton as a
member of the Colony.
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Gardner
& Beard
1845 Walnut
Home of “Happy” Jack
Gardner, a singer, songwriter and
comic, and his musical partner and
wife, Edna Beard.
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Flemen
and Miller
1545 Edgewater
Toured the world with his comedy act, Flemen known for his singing of
George M. Cohan's composition, "It's a Grand Old Flag." In 1910,
before coming to Muskegon, he formed his own actor's booking agency in
Chicago known as Flemen Entertainment Bureau. Married to May
Flemen, they appeared in vaudeville in sketches,
“Between the Lines” and
“Back to Boston.” |
Wick and
Follette
The details about the lives of Jack "Pinky" Wicks and Elsie Follette
have been lost in time. Members of the colony, they performed at
club gatherings. Still performing in 1916, word is they moved west
as the entertainment industry settled in Southern California. |
Ed
Gray - The Tall Tale Teller
Referred to as the
Colony's historian and resident poet,
the vaudeville monologist's "amusing stories and
droll imitations” taken from life "kept the audience convulsed with
laughter to the very end.”
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Rex
Faulkner
A founding member of the American Newsboys
Quartette with his brother Harry, Faulkner later paired with his wife,
Lillian Jewel, a fourth-generation marionette operator from England, for
a long career on the stage. Members of the Colony beginning in 1909, the
couple moved west with a number of other colony members.
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Lex
Neal
A childhood friend of Buster Keaton's during
their days in the Actors' Colony. Neal later found work in Los Angeles
as a screenwriter for Keaton Credited with working on Go West
and Battling Butler, Neal later worked with Harold Lloyd, as a
writer on the film, The Freshman, Speedy and others.
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Cobwebs
and Rafters
Edgewater
Late in the summer, the group built a rustic, one-story clubhouse to
serve as their headquarters. The building was located on waterfront.
Known for its exposed framework and unpainted state, the building was
fittingly christened "Cobwebs and Rafters." |
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Pigeon Hill
One of the largest dunes on Lake Michigan, this mound of constantly
shifting sand soared nearly 300 feet in the air and covered
some 40 acres at its base. It dwarfed the surrounding
landscape and served as a backdrop for the homes
in the Actors' Colony.
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additional details.
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Lake Michigan Park
Featuring entertainment facilities including a large bathhouse
pavilion, a dancing pavilion with bowling alleys, a 600-seat
theater, a lunch room, and in later years, an amusement park with a
Ferris wheel and a roller coaster. Located at the end of the
trolley line in Muskegon, it was referred to as the "Coney Island of
the West" in advertising. Now known as Pere Marquette Park, it
features one of the cleanest beaches in the United States.
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additional details.
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A roster of Actors' Colony members from the 1908-1930 period.
This roster is not necessarily a complete list of
show business participants and includes some non-theatrical area
residents who were active in some Colony activities. Also included are
some out-of-town theatrical people who were occasional visitors.
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Postcard Images of the area
View a variety of postcard images
of Muskegon and the Bluffton area from the era.
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