Christmas is Coming.

[Currie]

Christmas is Coming.

But, before I get into that, here’s a nice story about the drummer at the Kinnaird Picture House, Dundee. At the time this interview took place the movie “The Somme” was playing and that would have kept him very busy. A comedy film, “Changing His Spots,” was the support. Little does the drummer know that “the talkies” are just a hop, step, and a jump away, and are to hit the Kinnaird in July, 1929.

In 1928 this was the view expressed in an article in one Dundee newspaper.
“The “talkies” represent the latest brainwave of enterprising cinema caterers. Whether or not the talking film will revolutionise the cinema is at present a matter for conjecture. For those picture-goers who like peace—and they are not few—the speaking picture will be an unpleasant change. And can the illusion of the reality of a film be kept up even with this innovation? It may serve its purpose by attracting newcomers who are lured by the novelty.”

My Great-uncle used to be in the orchestra of a Picture theatre in my neck of the woods. I never got to meet him, but it seems that he was more into pianos and clarinets and the like.


Evening Telegraph, Dundee, Monday, November 21, 1927

THE MAN WHO MAKES THE STORM RAGE.

Cinema Drummer’s Many Tasks—Big Drums And Little Drums—
Face Slappings And Sea Storms—Musician And Acrobat.

It used to be easy to be a drummer.
The smallest boy in the army used to march proudly in front of the band beating his drum, and so long as he managed to keep the right time he was a success.
But the drummer of to-day ranks as a musician, and if he happens to play the drums in a cinema orchestra he must be something of an acrobat as well.
Cinema patrons all enjoy the music and the orchestral effects which add so much to the success of tho film, but they do not stop to consider the hard work and the ingenuity required behind the scenes before these effects can be obtained.
And the man who is usually called upon to attend to the odd assortment of instruments required for these effects is the drummer.
The kit of the up-to-date drummer is a very comprehensive one.
It includes the bass drum with which most people are familiar, and which is commonly called the “big” drum.
He also has a side drum and a variety of instruments such as cymbals, which are usually controlled by the feet, castanets, tom-toms and gongs.
Mr James Blades, of the orchestra of the Kinnaird Picture House, Dundee, in a description of the other instruments in his kit said that the tympani drums are very important items. These can be tuned, and have a range of one complete octave.

Getting the Effects.

The glockenspiel, too, has a part to play, and a very musical part it is, This instrument is made of steel bars varying in length and the sound is not unlike that of small bells.
The tubular bells, a totally different instrument, consisting of long steel tubes, supplies the music of church bells.
“My favourite instrument,” continued Mr Blades, “is the xylophone which is not unlike the glockenspiel, except that the notes are made of wood rested over resonators.
“All these instruments are necessary in a first-class cinema orchestra, and their use can alter the whole character of a piece.
“The skilful use of the castanets and tambourines carry the listeners in imagination to Spain; the tom-toms take them to the glowing countries of the East. Gongs and cymbals suggest Chinese and Japanese music, and the stately music of the tympani drums, with their deep resounding notes,
lend beauty to the classics.
“An army on the march calls for the crisp staccato notes, and the roll of the side drum combined with the bass drum and the cymbals.
“These are the instruments with which I provide music. Unfortunately there are times when I would like to be playing an instrument, but am too busy knocking on a door or slapping a man’s face to do anything else!

The Roar of the Storm.

“When a man on the screen is having his face slapped, I smack together two pieces of wood. When a stormy sea is being screened, and the waves are lashing mountains high, I release a cylinder of compressed air, and turn a small barrel containing peas, which provides the roll of the shingle.
“Many cinema enthusiasts marvel at the realistic storm effects which are given, but how many know that these are obtained by the ingenious use of a cylinder of compressed air, a slight use of the cymbals, the roll of the tympani drums on the top of which is a wire brush such as housewives use for cleaning pots!
“Thus are wonderful effects obtained from very lowly objects.
“In addition to all these, I have a tray of whistles and other toys continuously beside me, and at the correct moments I have to blow instruments which cackle like hens, quack like ducks, crow like cocks, cry like babies, chirp like canaries, ring telephone bells, door bells, church bells, dinner bells, sleigh bells, rattle chains, knock on doors, slap people on the face, and fire off a pop gun every time any of the actors pulls a cork.
“It is no joke getting all those effects in at the correct times, so now you understand why a cinema drummer must be a bit of an acrobat as well as a musician.”




Next we have a Reverend gentleman arguing that schoolchildren, if given a holiday on Christmas Day, would not know what to do with themselves.


Dundee Courier, Tuesday, November 18, 1913

CHRISTMAS OBSERVANCE EXTENDS IN SCOTLAND,
AND DUNDEE SCHOLARS ARE TO HAVE A HOLIDAY.

Should Christmas Day be observed in Dundee schools?
Opinions differed at a meeting of Dundee School Board yesterday, when the question of Christmas and New Year holidays was discussed.
The Rev. Henry Williamson considers that the children should be at school on Christmas Day, while Mr C. J. Bisset was of opinion that Christmas Day was the worthiest of all days to be observed. Mr G. K. Smith presided.
Mr Peter Reid moved that the school New Year holidays should extend from Christmas Day to the first Monday of the new year, 5th January, and he was seconded by Mr C. J. Bisset.

NEW YEAR WEEK ENOUGH.

The Rev. Henry Williamson moved as an amendment that the holidays should consist of the New Year week only. He considered that a great number of the children would not know what to do with themselves on Christmas Day. He thought the New Year week was quite enough. Mr W. B. Inglis seconded.
Mr C. J. Bisset said the observance of Christmas in Scotland was growing year by year, and was now so marked that it would be unusual on their part if they didn’t desire to observe Christmas—a day which some of them regarded as the worthiest of all days to be observed, and a day upon which probably all, or nearly all, the children in the schools had special reasons for rejoicing and gladness.
Mr Reid’s motion was approved by 9 votes to 2.

ENTERTAINING THE CHILDREN.

Mr Williamson suggested that some place be taken over to provide some form of entertainment for these children. He maintained it was the duty of the Board to take care that the children were not thrown on the streets, and to see that they were not injured by this vacation.
The Chairman—If any outside body came to us with a proposal we might consider it, but I don’t think we can do anything by ourselves.
Mr Williamson—I think we are entitled to do something for them.
Mr Mackay suggested that the matter should be left with the clergy of the city to test to what extent they could control these children on one day in the 365.

CHANGING THE SPRING HOLIDAY.

A letter was read from Dundee High School requesting the co-operation of the Board in a representation to the Town Council to have the Spring Holiday altered from 6th April to 13th April.
The Chairman pointed out that as the leaving certificate examinations were fixed for the 6th it would mean that 70 children in the Harris Academy would be brought into school while every other person was on holiday. It was a reasonable request, and it was agreed to approach the Town Council on the matter in conjunction with the High School.




The next story is about when Santa Clause ceases to be a reality for a child and becomes just a myth. I don’t have any childhood memories at all of Santa Claus. Not like today when there’s a picture taken every year of little whatever, from age zero to much too old, sitting on Santa’s knee. This year it would be a worry.


Aberdeen Journal, Tuesday, December 27, 1927

PAINS AND COMPENSATIONS

Each year about this time there are thousands of youngsters suffering—although they would not deign to call it that—not so much from the physical effects of a merry Christmas as from their first taste of disillusion. They have ceased to believe in Santa Claus—the traditional aerial sleigh-rider in red coat and hood, with fur-trimming, beard and eyebrows all of snowy white. Even the best of parents are a somewhat poor substitute for so vivid a figure of nursery mythology. No longer will these growing children strive to keep awake on Christmas Eve, listening for the first distant tinkle of the sleigh bells and the patter of reindeer’s hoofs on the slates. They will speak of these things with a new-found and, to their more sentimental elders, not unhurtful cynicism. And yet somewhere behind that new and harder tone is hidden a good deal of regret. Both cynicism and regret are mental growing pains.

One by one the myths of childhood are put out of the realm of belief—fairies by girls and dragons and suchlike by boys. But are never really banished into oblivion, or not for long; one day not so very far distant these growing young cynics will gain a new angle of vision. In time the beliefs of childhood, with others added to them, will have a very live if ghostly existence in make-believe, imagination—call it what you will. To this literature the stage and, now, the films add considerably. We are all children to the end of our days in this way A full grasp of this peculiarity, especially of modern humanity, has led not a few to fame and fortune It would be a far less happy world wanting this faculty and those who have it in abundance. One of the compensations of being quite grown-up is that we recapture not belief, but its shadow. Sentiment and imagination bring us again, no youth, but its unageing ghost; no spirit of fear or horror but one of infinite charm and solace.



Dundee Courier, Thursday, December 22, 1904

SANTA CLAUS.

I used to watch for Santa Claus
With childish faith sublime,
And listen in the snowy night
To hear his sleigh-bells chime.
Beside the door on Christmas Eve
I put a truss of hay,
To feed the prancing, dancing steed
That sped him on his way.

I pictured him a jolly man,
with beard of frosty white,
And cheeks so fat that when he laughed
They hid his eyes from sight;
A heart that overflowed with love
For little girls and boys,
And on his back a bulging pack
Brimful of gorgeous toys.

If children of a larger growth
Could have a Christmas tree
From Father Time, one gift alone
Would be enough for me.
Let others take the gems and gold,
And trifles light and vain,
But give me back my old belief
In Santa Claus again!

—Minna Irving in Pictorial Comedy.




And to finish up here’s a quick Christmas turkey recipe. First slaughter your turkey.

Dundee Courier, Wednesday, December 24, 1902

What About To-Morrow’s Turkey ?

Most housewives have ideas of their own on how to cook a turkey, but perhaps they will be interested to know that one famous chef says he doesn’t roast his birds in melted butter, as is usually done, but rather greases his baking pan, and then pours hot water into it. This, he claims, keeps the turkey from sticking during the early part of its baking. A half cup of water barely covers the bottom of a big baking pan, and it is perfectly correct that this should be so. The turkey is to be roasted, not parboiled, and the water must be scarce.

“His Turkeyship” is prepared for the cooking by a stuffing which is made of bread crumbs chopped with one whole pork sausage, two stalks of celery, and three large chopped chestnuts. Four cut-up oysters can be added. No water is used, and the stuffing is put into the turkey dry. Do not stuff the turkey full, but leave room for the moisture to penetrate. A light, dry dressing is much better than the pasty interior. The turkey is now wrapped in thin slices of fat salt pork, and this supplies all the moisture and all the fat that is needed.

When the bird is half-done the strips of pork are removed and the turkey is browned. This should be done evenly, not in patches, and when completed the bird should be a dark brown, not burned, but all brown, shining, and very tender. It makes little difference whether he be cooked very rapidly or at a medium heat, providing he be not cooked so slowly that he dries. Now the turkey is taken out, and a platter, specially prepared for him, is brought forth. This is heated, and is covered with green, and for this the pretty watercress plant is as decorative as anything.

If you like you can trim the sides of the turkey with lemon slices and with beet slices. If the skin be broken, this is a good way to cover up defects.

A chef advised a woman seeking his aid to lay her turkey upon a small round table. “Now,” said he, “study the beast. Note his defects. If there is an abrasion in the skin at the side, cover it with a slice of lemon. It there be other defects, let a tiny bit of beet cover it. A quarter of an olive will look very nice there, and so on.” But of course the perfect bird perfectly cooked requires no such little deceptions.



Merry Christmas everyone.
Alan

[garibaldired]

Love these extracts, Alan Thank you for posting them.

I especially loved the opinion on talkies not appealing to those who go to the cinema for some peace and quiet.

Merry Christmas!

Best wishes,
Meg

[SarahND]

That was my favorite line also, Meg! Sounds like a challenging and interesting job to provide the sound track from whatever materials come to hand!

I never had the opportunity of believing in Santa Claus either -- My highly intelligent older sister learned to read when very small and started in on the encyclopedia. She innocently asked our parents what a "myth" was and then proceeded to tell the rest of the children what was what. This was before my birth, so it was all over before I came on the scene.


Sarah

[garibaldired]

Oh, Sarah, that's so sad!

[Anne H]

Great Alan!

I too liked the ''Talkies'' write-up. Certainly don't get much peace and quiet at the movies these days!

I remember years ago a program on TV where they showed all the tricks of the trade on making the sounds of galloping horses, running water, etc. It was fascinating.

Sarah: So sorry you missed out on the wonders of Santa Clause when you were young but I bet you had fun at Christmas nevertheless.

A Very Merry Christmas everyone!



Anne

[Currie]

Thanks all,

There was one problem with the first screening of a “talkie” at the Kinnaird Picture House. I was hoping to find a copy of it online, so we could judge for ourselves, but no luck with that.

Dundee Courier, Tuesday, July 9, 1929

Crowded audiences yesterday witnessed the presentation at the Kinnaird Picture House of Dundee’s first “all-talkie” and “sound” programme. The feature film obtained by the management for this big event is “The Cohens and Kellys in Atlantic City.”
It is in a way a pity this film is the first on the list of “talkie” attractions at the Kinnaird, for, though the sound synchronisation is perfect, the dialogue is difficult to follow. This is not due so much to any mechanical defect as to the very pronounced American accent of all the characters and which the British ear finds difficult to follow. In spite of this, however, the film was well received, and when we remember the fact that this invention is only in its infancy we cannot but feel that there is a great future for it.


Those who wanted a bit of peace and quiet were not to be left out. At the end that same month “The Cinerama” in Tay Street, was screening the silent version of the world’s first talking feature film, “The Jazz Singer” starring Al Jolson.




Next is an article about some visitors from Canada who had been living there for many years. There’s no mention of any newly acquired accents, so I guess the natives could understand them well enough.

Dundee Courier, Monday, December 23, 1929

SURPRISE VISIT TO DUNDEE
Canadians Back to Their Native City

Two natives of Dundee who have lived in Canada for most of their days decided to have a holiday in their native town.
They arranged that the exact time of their arrival would be a surprise to their friends, and it was not until the C.P.R. liner Duchess of Richmond docked at Greenock on Saturday that they wired to their respective destinations in Dundee that they would arrive that afternoon.
The planners of this surprise visit were Mrs William Rattray and Mrs David Kirkpatrick, who went out to Manitoba 22 years and 35 years ago respectively. They formed two of a party of some 300 people from West Canada presently on holiday in this country.
Mrs Rattray’s brother is Mr William Menzies, of Hilltown, while Mrs Kirkpatrick is now staying with her nephew, Mr T. Bennett, at 4 Park Avenue.

Two Feet of Snow.

In an interview with a “Courier and Advertiser” representative yesterday, Mrs Rattray expressed her delight at being back in her home town again.
“It is very cold out there just now,” said Mrs Rattray, who lives at Northwood, near Verdun, Manitoba, where her husband is a farmer.
“When I left the snow was lying two feet deep, and it was 2 degrees below zero.
“This is the first time in 22 years I have been away from my family at Christmas time. Out there there is more of the Christmasy feeling in the air, what with the snow, the chill nip in the air, and the jingling of sleigh bells.
“Our nearest neighbours are about a mile off, and it is really cheering to pay visits at Christmas time and also to entertain the parties that come to see us.
“The young folks set out for dances, some in sleighs and some on horseback. They put on overalls to protect their dresses, and off they go, usually to the schoolhouse several miles away.”

Firm Friends.

Mrs Rattray said that she met Mrs Kirkpatrick when first she went to Manitoba, and they had been friends ever since. They were the only two Dundonians in the district, as far as they knew, and that tightened the bond of friendship.
Mrs Rattray is married to a Kirriemuir man, who was for some time an attendant at Westgreen Asylum. There is a family of six.
Mrs Kirkpatrick said that, although so far away from their home town. they never lost interest in it. Both Mrs Rattray and she always had the “People’s Journal” sent out, and another paper they always read was the “People’s Friend.”
They were to be in Dundee for three months.




Looking forward to a Scottish Christmas that isn’t rainy, foggy, dismal, murky or frosty? There’s not much chance of that if this article is anything to go by. I’m hoping for a Christmas here that’s any, or all, of the above, but I’ll settle for rainy.

Dundee Courier, Monday, December 27, 1920

Are the Seasons Out of Gear?

Christmastide was shorn of much of its glory by the unseasonable weather conditions which prevailed in Dundee. The Christmas waifs who sang their carols in the Maryfield district of the city had a cheerless task, and they looked like a ghostly band with their lanterns shedding their rays
through the murky gloom.
Christmas morn was bleak. Rain fell heavily, while a thick fog enveloped the city. Fortunately the conditions improved as the day advanced, but never once during the week-end was there even a touch of frost to give one the impression of the old traditions appertaining to this festive season.
Indeed, one begins to wonder if the seasons have not got out of gear during the past few years. The older generations can remember of the real Christmassy weather which used to prevail many years ago, and to the childish mind it must seem strange to see the old-time Christmas pictures of the earth with its white mantle betokening a crisp, frosty air. The records of the past few years, so far as the weather conditions in the city are concerned, provide dismal reading, as will be seen from the following table:—

1913—Rain and fog.
1914—Rain and fog.
1915—Dismal and rainy.
1916—Murky.
1917—Rainy.
1918—Frosty.
1919—Frosty.
1920—Rain and fog.

In the good old days the Christmas weather was brighter, filling one with the real spirit of the time.




I’ll post this as a warning about Christmas Eve. You never know how many evil-doers will be lurking about. Lock your doors, barricade your windows, and batten down your chimneys. I’ve changed the boy’s name in this article, but I’m not sure why I bothered.

Evening Telegraph, Dundee, Thursday, December 26, 1907

PERTH'S BOY BURGLAR.
BREAKS INTO SHOP ON CHRISTMAS NIGHT.

Big List Of Charges.
An Extraordinary Career.

In Perth Police Court to-day a boy, nine years of age, named Edw*rd M*cd*n*ld, 35 Castle Gable, Perth, appeared before Bailie Macpherson on a serious charge. The indictment set forth that (1) on 7th December, from the shop at 51 High Street, Perth, occupied by John Adamson, draper, he stole a lady’s skirt; (2) on 12th December he stole two chisels from the building in the course of erection in Kinnoull Street; (3) on 12th December broke into the office at 32 Mill Street, occupied by Daniel Court, coal merchant, and stole 3½d; (4) on 14th December, from the shop at 27 Scott Street, occupied by John Geddes, draper, he stole a pair of trousers; (5) on 15th December, from the stable yard in Mill Street, occupied by John Masterton, he stole three whips; and (6) on 15th December, 1907, he again broke into the office at 32 Mill Street, occupied by Daniel Court, and stole a halfpenny.

NINE CHARGES.

The Fiscal stated that, in addition to that, the accused on Sunday afternoon stole a table napkin from the window of the Grand Temperance Hotel, in Kinnoull Street, and then he broke into the stationer’s shop in Kinnoull Street, occupied by Mr Inglis, and forced open a lockfast desk, and stole a purse with a small sum of money. Then, on Christmas night, he broke into other premises in the High Street, but got nothing. There were in all practically four charges of housebreaking and five charges of theft, all within the space of a fortnight. The accused was only about ten years of age, but did not live with his mother, his grandfather keeping him. The Fiscal thought it was a clear case for the Fechney Industrial School. During the time accused had been stealing he had been associated with a well-known thief, against whom a number of previous convictions were
recorded.

“MAKE HIM A PROTESTANT.”

Some difficulty was experienced in finding out the boy’s religion. His mother, who was present in Court, stated she attended the Roman Catholic Chapel, but the lad’s grandfather, with whom he resided, was a Protestant.
Bailie Macpherson—I don’t think there will be any harm done if we make him a Protestant. (Laughter.)
The accused was sent to the Fechney Industrial School till he attained the age of sixteen.
As showing the precocity of the accused, it is stated that in one of the places entered a note in huge, sprawling characters was addressed to the proprietor:—“How do you like to have your lock and door picked? By two men you know.’’




How would someone wearing a back-to-front baseball cap cope with this bit of etiquette?

Aberdeen Journal, Wednesday, January 3, 1894

A MAN RAISES HIS HAT.

When he bows to a lady or an elderly gentleman.
When he is with a lady who bows to any person, even if the other is a total stranger to him.
When he salutes a gentleman who is in the company of ladies,
When he is in the company of another gentleman who bows to a lady.
When he is with a lady and meets a gentleman whom he knows.
When he offers any civility to a lady who is a stranger to him.
When he parts with a lady, after speaking to her, or after walking or driving with her, &.




And to finish up.

Dundee Courier, Wednesday, December 25, 1901

CONCERNING CHRISTMAS.
ITS EVE IN THE CITY.
SCENIC SCRAPS FROM THE STREETS.

Christmas! The word is as magical as the season. To young and old it conjures up fair visions of happiness. It is wrapped round in warm kindly associations that shield the fair name so fraught with meaning from every icy blast that blows of the indifference that has stolen untold wealth from sentiment, and it wears a perennial freshness that never loses charm. Christmas! It is the great Festival of the Heart and Home. The wintry snow may whirl in blinding fury without, and the keen wind bite with all its cruel force; they may not mar the merriment within, the peace, the gladness, that belong to the joyous Christmastide.

The little newsvendors advertise their papers in ear-piercing tones, and the monotonous ting-ting of the cars, as they move swiftly on their way, has its part in the busy hum of a ceaseless traffic. The lamps are lit, and suburbanites hurry to boat and train. Comedy and tragedy walk side by side. This poor little chap, shivering in rags that speak eloquently of the poverty of his home, summons up a smile at two sonsy country lassies who rush over the High Street, with two long woolly legs protruding from a toy in the parcel that bids fair to strew its contents over the streets long before they reach the station. The gleam from a lamp-lit window illumines the fair face of another country maid, who is hauled back from entering the inviting shop doorway by her companion, who repeats earnestly, ‘‘Weel, I’m tellin’ ye, I widna ging in there. It’s an awfu’ high-class place, ye ken. Ye jist pay dooble for everything.”

A smart city fellow is guiding his pretty companion at a window all a-glitter with jewels in the choice of a gift for her mother. He advises an ornament of some description, but she, knowing the maternal likes and dislikes better, says, “No, no, I needn't get that. Mamma never wears anything.” And the blue eyes fixed on some silver vases do not see the smile that creeps slowly over the young fellow’s face, and his jocular thought that the costume a la Garden of Eden is scarcely suitable for Christmas time he keeps to himself.

A rosy ploughman ushers a whole bevy of comely lasses into a favourite emporium, and the crowd at the door makes way for him as he enters crying, “Get the fleure-walker. Whaur’s the fleure-walker? He'll tell you which storey to ging till.” All the way out west the shop windows are insistent upon the season.

From the car one gets a glimpse of many a home festivity. A message laddie staggering under a load of goods for some western mansion lays his load for a minute at the gate-step of a house, where the drawing-room window is thrown open as if it were a June evening. The room is in darkness, save for the lights at the piano that shine upon a singer who revels in the glorious music of the “Adeste Fideles.” It is a sacred service given with picturesque effect, for the uplifted face of the boy in the roadway brightens as she sings, and he joins softly in the hymn of praise. When the music ceases he shoulders his burden again, and turns the corner into a quiet terrace with the refrain, “Come, all ye faithful” forming solo work now for his shrill voice.

For the world of childhood the happiest hour of all the year has come. The gate of Fairyland stands open. Myriads of children in fancy stand at its portals to see old Santa issue forth, and to the music of his sleigh bells they fall asleep, to dream of Christmas joys till the dawn of Christmas Morn.

The road to the Carse stretches out into perfect peace and quietness. The sound of a tolling chapel bell comes out from the city, but no other sound breaks the stillness, and the deep toll has a solemnity that carries the listener far from the city on this modern Christmas Eve to the quiet plains where shepherds watched on that long-gone night, and, answering the behest of the herald angels, turned towards Bethlehem, saying, “Come, let us adore Him.”



Merry Christmas again,
Alan


(I first typed Mary Christmas, but corrected it. Did you know that scotlandspeople only has a couple of records by that name. English records have hundreds, too many to count. There’s a Richard Xmas marriage in England in 1875. I suspect the Scottish Mary's are imports.)

[Anne H]

Now we can all go to bed and have sweet dreams of what Santa Claus might bring.

Merry Christmas!


Anne

[SarahND]

Sarah

[WilmaM]

Happy Christmas Talking Scotties Everywhere