[Dixielandjazz] FW: Orange Blossoms photo. Bob-lo

[Rob McCallum]

Hello all,

The closing of Bob-lo and the selling of the 2 riverboats (turn of the
century steam ships I believe, I can't recall if they had paddle wheels, but
they were very large and shuttled people from Downtown Detroit to the
amusement park and were a mainstay on the Detroit River) was certainly a big
loss.  The island was redeveloped for private residences @ 10 or 15 years
ago, and my understanding is that the landowners made a fortune.  Bob-lo, as
an amusement park, had been losing money for years.  For jazz content, there
was a large ballroom on the island that had hosted the big bands, I don't
know if that structure was torn down when the island was redeveloped.

Regarding Lake Orion, that area has experienced a tremendous amount of new
development since Chrysler moved it's world headquarters to Auburn Hills and
the Palace Sports Arena (where the Pistons play) was built.  It's certainly
not the sticks anymore, though there are still some apple orchards and
pumpkin patches in the area.

All the best,
Rob McCallum

----- Original Message -----
From: Bill Haesler <bhaesler@nsw.bigpond.net.au>
To: dixieland jazz mail list <dixielandjazz@ml.islandnet.com>
Cc: Carole Nowicke <cnowicke@indiana.edu>
Sent: Saturday, January 11, 2003 7:16 PM
Subject: [Dixielandjazz] FW: Orange Blossoms photo.


> Dear DJMLers'
> As I had hoped, Carole Nowicke has given me permission to post her
comments
> regarding my reply to the Orange Blossoms (Casa Loma band) thread.
> I have edited some minor 'non-subject' material.
> Kind regards,
> Bill.
>
> Hello, Bill,
> > On Labor Day, 1925, Goldkette's 'Orange Blossoms' consisted of:  Henry
Biagini
> (trumpet & leader); Ed Arnold (trombone); Gene Prendergast and Ray Eberle
> (altos); Reggie Comben (tenor); Tommy Gargano (drums); Oscar Legassey
> alternating with Irish Henry (tuba); Al Cox (banjo) and Ed Murray (piano).
>
> LeGasse' (his brother composer Homer spelled the name LaGassey--and
nephew,
> Homer, Jr.  was an award-winning automobile designer) is the chap I'm
trying to
> identify for a memorial article, he died this summer at age 99.  His legit
job
> from 1940-1970 was as tubist with the Detroit Symphony. He was a fine
bassist as
> he was trained as a cellist.  Oscar also played in the WWJ radio
orchestra, the
> WWJ "Sophisticats," the Fox Theatre orchestra, the Michigan Theatre
orchestra,
> and a number of other groups before joining the DSO. He knew theatre
orchestras
> were on the way out. While he was playing the Michigan and Orange Blossoms
he
> did so well (overtime at Michigan was $28-30 an hour--a lto of money in
the
> '20's!) that he owned three automobiles!  He loved cars.  Was still
driving at
> 99.
>
> > During the winter of 1925-26, while the band was at Webster Hall,
Detroit,
>
> I'm wondering if that may be where my photo is from?  It's not Greystone
> Ballroom. There are no dates or identification on these photos, they just
have
> them marked ca. 1928,but I think they are a bit earlier.
>
> > Comben was transferred to the Detroit Athletic Club. His replacement was
> 'Spike"  Glen Gray Knoblaugh (also spelled Knoblauch, and later known as
Glen
> Gray ).
>
> Just found out that Glen Gray attended Illinois Wesleyan Univ. When the
current
> jazz studies prof Tom Streeter (bass trombonist)  took over there, the
then-Dean
> would run kids out of practice rooms for playing jazz (1970s!).  They
thought
> there was still something shady about jazz even that recently!
>
> > it was in his possession and Knoblaugh was in the alto chair. At the
beginning
> of summer, 1926, The Orange Blossoms played at Lake Orion, outside of
Pontiac,
> Michigan, and in Mid-summer were shifted to the......
>
> That is incredible!  Lake Orion is a good 50 miles from Detroit and that
would
> have included a lot of unpaved roads--some of which were only paved in the
> 1980's.  I think wealthy people had little cottages out there in that time
> period, but it's pretty isolated, and besides a pretty good restaurant
> specializing in lake fish, there's nothing much there. I'm from a town
even
> smaller than Lake Orion, about 10 miles away.
>
> >Bob-Lo Boats, cruise ships operating in Lake Erie, later playing at
the.......
>
> Bob-Lo I know a bit about. They cruised the lake and the Detroit River,
taking
> passengers to an amusement park on Bois Blanc (Bob-Lo) Island. I went to
> pre-school with a little boy whose father's family owned the Browning
Lines,
> which operated the ships. A preservation society is trying to save one of
the
> boats.  About the only memory I have of Chuckie Browning was that we went
to his
> house one day so that I could ice skate on a pond with him, and fell
through
> some thin ice and nearly drowned.
>
> > trumpets; Walter "Pee Wee" Hunt on trombone; Doc Snyder and Larry Teal
on altos.....
>
> I knew Larry Teal slightly. He was chairman of the music department at the
> commnity college in my county.  At that time I didn't know he was
"anybody."  He
> was still working at the college in '87.  I was back in the area and was
hired
> to do "whatever" on a couple musicals and plays a friend (head of theatre
arts)
> was running--so for one I was head of wardrobe.  I'd always have to take
Larry's
> tennis whites out the washing machines so I could get my sailors' costumes
clean
> for Guys and Dolls. Larry at one point had a music studio where one of my
> trombone interviewees taught, and Oscar LaGasse' and Harold Hall (oboeist)
did
> the carpentry work to turn the building into partitioned studios for him.
>
> > Under Henry Biagini's leadership the Orange Blossoms played for six
months in......
>
> Oscar and the oboeist both said that the men didn't like Hank Biagini.  I
didn't
> get any specifics.
>
> Thank you so much!
> Carole
>
> Carole also added this in her last post, which may interest our DJML
ex-Marines.
>
> It's funny what bits and pieces people don't know though. I was talking
with the
> librarian of the Marine Band and asked him if he had any programs from the
Chevy
> Chase Lake concerts and dances. He didn't know the band played there, but
I have
> several years of (copies) of programs.  It was a new subdivision on the
train
> line from Washington, DC, out to Chevy Chase, Maryland. The builders had a
lake,
> amusement park, and dance pavilion, and part of the Marine Band played out
there
> daily from May-August. Seems amazing now to think one could just hire a
military
> band like that.
> Carole.
>
> Don Ingle, I have sent Carole a copy your reply to this thread as every
little
> could help her in her quest.
>
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