Rare Books

Elephant gay : a colored shadow play

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Description: Shadow show of color silhouette puppets and props. Accompanied by a cloth shadow screen to be used as the "stage" and a booklet with script, and music of the play: "Elephant gay: how the elephant gained his trunk. A colored shadow play adapted from the Chinese by Pauline Benton and Lee Ruttle." Includes a 1 page prospectus. The colored plastic puppets were an attempt to reproduce the colorful translucent painted animal hide puppets of the plyingxi (shadow theater) and were intended to be easily manipulated by novice performers. Issued in a decoratively printed cardboard box in red and blue.
Type: Rare Books(Opens in new tab)
Publication date: [1940]
Call number: 654663
Creator: Benton, Pauline(Opens in new tab)

The Red Gate Players introduce the actors and plays of the Chinese shadow theatre

Rare Books

Introduction to Chinese shadow puppetry for American audiences. Contains the synopsis of several popular shadow plays, including "Elephant gay", "The monkey stealing the peaches", "The temple of the golden mountain", "The white fox spirit" and others.

654664

Chinese Shadow Plays

Visual Materials

One book entitled Chinese Shadow Plays, by Pauline Benton, "Developed as a China Study Unit by the Red Gate Players", published by Industrial Arts Cooperative Service, New York, ca. 1935. This instructional booklet is 19 numbered, typescript pages in length; the last two pages are illustrations of Chinese figures in traditional costume. The (faded green) front cover bears the name of the publisher next to the right of its logo. The back cover, and the insides of the covers, are blank. The book provides an historical background and how-to instructions for creating Chinese shadow plays, which utilize transparent, animated parchment figures behind a brightly lighted screen. Included is a list of materials needed, and sections on production, staging, scenery, costumes and music. A bibliography is also included. Laid into the book are three ephemeral pieces about the Red Gate Players. "Stage Craft, Chinese Shadow Plays" is written in ms. at the top of the front cover. "Mabel Spofford" is written in ms. in the center of the front cover.

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Elephant Brand

Visual Materials

Image of an elephant pushing a giant orange, landscape with cactus, palms, mountains, and fluffy clouds in the sky."Extra Choice"--text, top centered."Rubidoux / Fruit Company.

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The Barnum & Bailey musical elephant prodigies

Visual Materials

Image of a central image of five elephants playing horn instruments with female circus performers also playing horns while standing on the elephants' backs, with four vignettes of the elephants in various performances, captioned "Entirely New Elephant Performances," "The Gallant Pachyderms," "A Swiss Bell Quintet," and "The Grand Overture," and a small vignette of a head-and-shoulders portrait of elephant trainer Harry J. Mooney.

priJLC_ENT_000059

The shadow of a crime

Visual Materials

Image of an advertisement for The Shadow of a Crime by Hall Caine featuring a woman in a long dress and cape standing by the side of a road as a man on horseback rides away through the trees.

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Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey "first and only genuine sacred white elephant ever permitted to leave his native land

Visual Materials

Image of the white elephant Pawah being led down the gangplank of a large ship handled by several men in Indian dress who either lead the elephant or bow before it; a second elephant is visible walking out of the hold; several reporters take photos of the event at bottom right among a crowd of onlookers.

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Elephant gay : a colored shadow play

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