Myra Brooks and the Redpath Chautauqua tour of 1927

Chautauqua was an American social movement which was popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Remnants of the original Chautauqua movement still exist today. In the Teens and Twenties, touring Chautauqua groups -- assemblies which included speakers, musicians, performers, preachers, and "specialists of the day" -- brought culture, educational programs, and entertainment to small towns and rural communities across the country. 

In the summer of 1927, Louise Brooks' mother, Myra Brooks, was a featured speaker who toured the American Midwest as part of the Redpath Chautauqua. I have managed to reconstruct Myra's tour through newspaper archives, and document most all of her engagements.

 

More often than not, Myra M. Brooks (as she was billed) gave an afternoon talk on the topic of "Girls of Today". For most of her engagements, Brooks was paired with the Ellenor Cook Company, a small group that performed "folk songs and dances from many lands" (namely Russia, Poland, and the Balkans). On a few occasions, Brooks gave a talk on the subject of "Abundant Living," and was paired with the Albert Vierra Hawaiians, musicians whose performance was titled "An Evening in Hawaii." Aside from a few clippings, not much exists online about either the Ellenor Cook Company or Vierra's Hawaiians. But the images shown here should give a taste of what they were like.

If Brooks received any sort of press ahead of her appearance, it was often mentioned that she was the mother of the actress Louise Brooks, thus adding to her credibility as an authority on the subject of "Girls of Today". However, I don't know that Myra M. Brooks necessarily authored the subject of her talk, as I have found a few earlier Chautauqua talks with the same title given by Florence Heintz (who was possibly a National Camp Fire Executive).

Typically, the Redpath Chautauqua was promoted as stopping in a town or community for five days, with any given act performing on one of those days. After their performance, an act or pair of acts would sometimes move ahead to the next stop while other acts stayed on and did their bit. Some of the other individuals and acts who appeared as part of this Redpath Chautauqua tour were the Chicago Male Quartet, a group of singers, Bohumir Kryl and his band, R.B. Ambrose, who gave a lecture on applied electricity, Australian Tom Skeyhill and his "thrilling lecture" on "Mussolini and the Blackshirts," and Ruth Bryan Owen (the daughter of William Jennings Bryan) who gave a travelogue lecture on the Holy Land. There was also Philip La Follette, the son of the famous Wisconsin Senator and himself the future two time Governor of the Badger state, and Edwin Whitney, head of the Whitney School of Expression in Boston, who delivered a monologue rendition of The Message from Mars. (The latter was based on a once popular stage play which was turned into a film in 1903, 1913, and 1921.)

I consulted two different newspaper databases, and found that some newspapers from 1927 are either no longer extant and not available online, and thus, this tour schedule is likely not complete. There are some evident gaps. For each stop, I listed on which day and what talk Myra M. Brooks gave (always in the afternoon), along with the act with which she was paired.

Murfreesboro, Tennessee -- June 18, 1927 (in a big tent on Tennessee College campus)
despite downpour of rain, there was a record crowd
Ellenor Cook and Miss Eugenia Folliard
Myra M. Brooks "Girls of Today"

Nicholasville, Kentucky -- July 3, 1927
Vierra Hawaiians "An Evening in Hawaii"
Myra M. Brooks "Abundant Living"

Lexington, Kentucky -- July 4, 1927 (at Stoll Field at the University of Kentucky)
Ellenor Cook Company
Myra M. Brooks "Girls of Today" 

Marshall, Michigan -- exact date not known, etither July 5, 6, 8, or 9
Vierra Hawaiians "An Evening in Hawaii"
Myra M. Brooks "Abundant Living"

Brookville, Indiana -- July 7, 1927
Vierra Hawaiians "An Evening in Hawaii"
Myra M. Brooks "Abundant Living"

Battle Creek, Michigan -- July 9, 1927
The local paper reported "The lecture by Myra M. Brooks in the afternoon on Girls of Today, while humorous and entertaining, was also instructive and provided much food for thought."
Ellenor Cook Company
Myra M. Brooks "Girls of Today"

Georgetown, Kentucky July 12, 1927
Ellenor Cook Company
Myra M. Brooks "Girls of Today"

Danville, Kentucky -- July 14, 1927
The local paper stated "Mrs. Brooks charming personality reflects very definitely the practice of the principles about which she will lecture."
Ellenor Cook Company
Myra M. Brooks "Girls of Today"

Bedford, Indiana -- July 19, 1927 (in a tent on the Voris Lot)
Ellenor Cook Company
Myra M. Brooks "Girls of Today" 

Columbus, Indiana -- July 20, 1927
Ellenor Cook Company
Myra M. Brooks "Girls of Today" 

Logansport, Indiana --  July 25
The local newspaper gave Brooks a long review.
Ellenor Cook Company
Myra M. Brooks "Girls of Today"

Huntington, Indiana -- July 26, 1927
Ellenor Cook Company
Myra M. Brooks "Girls of Today"

Elkhart, Indiana -- August 1, 1927
The local newspaper reported: "Mrs. Myra Brooks, who is associate editor of a leading psychology magazine, and is vitally interested in young people, spoke on 'Girls of Today.' She reminded the audience that she has a daughter herself and is familiar with the problems of youth. Mrs. Brooks' daughter is Louise Brooks, a movie actress. . . ." Notably, Rolled Stockings, had just recently played at the Lerner Theater.
Ellenor Cook Company
Myra M. Brooks "Girls of Today"

Battle Creek, Michigan -- August 3, 1927
Ellenor Cook Company
Myra M. Brooks "Girls of Today"

Port Huron, Michigan -- August 5, 1927
Ellenor Cook Company
Myra M. Brooks "Girls of Today" 

Waterloo, Indiana -- August 11, 1927
The local paper stated "Myra M. Brooks, well known writer and teacher, will give her challenging lecture 'Abundant Living' which sets forth a new psychology of increased health, beauty and youth."
Vierra Hawaiians "An Evening in Hawaii"
Myra M. Brooks "Abundant Living"

Benton Harbor, Michigan -- August 15, 1927
Ellenor Cook Company
Myra M. Brooks "Girls of Today"

Racine, Wisconsin -- August 17, 1927
Ellenor Cook Company
Myra M. Brooks "Girls of Today" 

The Records of the Redpath Chautauqua are held at the University of Iowa. Despite the documentation shown above, I could not find mention of Myra Brooks in those particular records. There are a small number of records for Ellenor Cook and for the Vierra Hawaiians, but none for Brooks. I have emailed the University to ask if they knew of other records which are not online which mention Brooks.

The advertisements shown below, which both mention Myra Brooks, appeared in the Port Huron newspaper.