Lola Cotton
Lola Cotton | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 15, 1892 Waterloo, Iowa, United States |
| Died | July 9, 1975 San Diego, California, United States |
Lola Carmelita Cotton (born November 15, 1892, in Waterloo, Iowa; died July 9, 1975, San Diego)[1][2] was, as a child, a vaudeville mentalist and hypnotist, whose performance career flourished from about 1899 to 1915. Her shows were particularly popular in Los Angeles, California and New York City.
Girl phenomenon
[edit]As a six-year-old[3] she performed feats of memory at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles.[4] A particular venue often headlined her ability to solve a psychological puzzle.[5]
At Keith's,[6] 14th Street (Manhattan) between Broadway (Manhattan) and 4th Avenue,[7] owned by Benjamin Franklin Keith, she performed a mind reading act in April 1903.[6] Her routine included mental telegraphy with a touch of mystery added. Initially she was introduced by a man who proceeded through the audience. He pointed to objects which members of the audience suggested while Cotton was blindfolded. A sample of the dialogue which transpired between Cotton and her interlocutor is What is this? A gold nugget. Right. And this? A railroad pass. The number. The number is 10,961. It is dated April 28. She named all types of things from buttons to the color of a woman's eyes. Then the man requested the audience to call out numbers. He transcribed them on a board. They read 38171562, 49078399, 672872217. Without hesitating Cotton said the totals of each column with her eyes remaining blindfolded.[5] At the Orpheum in October 1899 she made the combination moves of the Knight (chess) on a chessboard while blindfolded. She could begin from any number on the board. Her moves were carried out so rapidly that one's eyes could barely follow her.[3]
The Eight Vassar Girls and singer Charles Vance entertained at the Alhambra Theater,[8] 2110 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd., New York City,[9] in April 1907. Cotton was among the attractions in this vaudeville show.[8] Billed as a hypnotist, she was in a September 1907 production staged at Keith & Proctor's 125th Street Theatre,[10] in Harlem, New York.[11] She appeared with singer Emma Carus at Hammerstein's Victoria Theatre of Varieties,[12] 1481 Broadway,[13] in March 1908.[12] A few weeks before she was again at the Alhambra Theatre with Gertrude Hoffman. The latter gave an imitation of Eva Tanguay singing I Don't Care. The song had sparked a rivalry between the two women.[14]
Family
[edit]Lola was the daughter of John L. Cotton, a San Diego barber and actor, and Della (Delia) Lorette Cotton.[15]
On May 20, 1914, Lola married Roby Charles Jonesin San Diego, though only for a month. On May 23, 1914 – three days after their wedding – Lola deserted Roby on the grounds that, "her husband's love was too violent in its nature to meet with her approval."[16] A month after their wedding, Lola filed for divorce on the grounds that Roby, a special policeman with the City of San Diego, had threatened to kill her.[17] In 1915, Roby married Mabel B. Slaff, then divorced her in 1918, then, subsequently married Bertha Kamer (1888–1988).
On August 21, 1915, Lola married Earl Frank Brown.[18] Together, they had a son, Frank Leo Brown (1918–1976).
References
[edit]- ^ Classifieds: Deaths-Funerals – Brown, Lola C. San Diego Union, July 11 & 12, 1975
- ^ California Death Index, 1940-1997
- ^ a b The Playhouses, Los Angeles Times, October 10, 1899, pg. 8.
- ^ Plays and Players-Music and Musicians, Los Angeles Times, October 8, 1899, pg. C1.
- ^ a b Vaudeville At Keith's, New York Times, May 3, 1903, pg. 22.
- ^ a b In Vaudeville, New York Times, April 26, 1903, pg. 26.
- ^ Display Ad 8--No Title, New York Times, April 26, 1903, pg. 11.
- ^ a b 'Vaudeville, New York Times, April 28, 1907, pg. X1.
- ^ Cinema Treasures, RKO Alhambra Theatre, Retrieved 1-2-08.
- ^ Novelties In Vaudeville Theaters, New York Times, Sunday, September 8, 1907, pg. X1.
- ^ Silent Era Theaters, New York, New York, Retrieved on 1-2-08.
- ^ a b Vaudeville, New York Times, March 15, 1908, pg. X2.
- ^ Cinema Treasures, Hammerstein's Victoria Retrieved 1-2-08.
- ^ Vaudeville, New York Times, March 1, 1908, pg. X1.
- ^ Deaths: Cotton, San Diego Union, pg. 5, col. 8, January 8, 1923
- ^ Spouse Desertion Credited to Telepathy – Torrid Affection of Police Husband Cause Cause Assigned by Bride, San Diego Union, Section 2, pg. 1, col. 3, June 26, 1914
- ^ Child Brides Desert Husbands, Charging Threats Against Lives – Barber and Special Policeman Found Guilty in Justice Court, San Diego Union, Section 2, July 3, 1914
- ^ San Diego Obituaries – Earl F. Brown, San Diego Union, pg. B-12, col. 1, October 2, 1968