Show r a lt It Lake House a aFrank Sister t o oT I II I T 1 W orId s Most Beautiful Theatre I. I Bv i Frank Becker L S I JJ j S T AI D been mulling around in the f I new Pantages theatre some time A before the opening In fact the tho scaffolding had not riot yet been torn auditorium and ana down from the great marveling at the I was tho the foyer with the beauty of ot that great space dim boxes looming out In the tho half- half obscured by the towering tracery tracery tracery tra tra- tra- tra lights beams The two crossed criss-crossed cery of side of the columns on either great eat b arch the proscenium supporting stage they had received Stood out because of tho the sliders gliders t the first attentions appall appaU vastness of it was more Tho Iho because of the stairways stairways stairways stair stair- that time at ins ing I auditorium leading up to the ways were still at dome where hero painters work seemingly lost in distance interior fabrication has Since ince all tho been torn down and the whole finished fin I finished fin fin- Lakers sadly that Salt I feel and chance to come should have havo had a it was being the thing as have sen There was such greater created I chance chante to measure what what It all meant stands the sister of tho the it Today as In America it most beautiful theatre infinite thoughtful Inspection requires of time and the pains pain to measure skillful effort eUort that made it po possible sible I found John Ghiloni in the modeling cheerfully modeling some clay room and cartouche with wonderful leaves curlicues Deftly he hA molded tI the thA e soft ot oft pliable j i clay while the piece took form torm surety incredible with before the eyes S of of touch John was the chief modeler and mostly responsible for all the plastic plastic plastic plas- plas ornamentation of tho the whole theatre tic tic inside and out Still he was smiling million mil mu- John I asked how many lion Ilon touches of your deft fingers do suppose have been necessary to produce you all those flowers fruits frescoes frescoes frescoes fres fres- coes funiculars fronts and 5 tell teU said John we of at them eight months worked on part and I lost count Eight months I echoed why you scarcely more than a have been here month yourself How do you get that stuff- stuff way and where do you get that I explained Well you see sec patiently e John When we built the million dol A lar theatre in Los Angeles we made duplicates of ot every piece of plaster ornamentation ornamentation or or- of the auditorium When Pantages vantages started the Salt Lake theatre Hi w we sent these duplicate casts over here I and put Out them thorn in place yvo Wo We had worked on ont them fi eight months Yes but this is a different theatre 4 I said You cant can't twist those plaster things around to suit yourself have to said John this auditorium is exactly the same a as the thc Los Angeles theatre Do you mean to tell me I demanded demand demand- ed that that great proscenium arch those wonderful columns that great dome the boxes the mezzanine and balcony fronts the dimensions are the 0 same as in the Los Angeles house Tho The dimensions and tho ornamentation tion are exactly the same with a few i trifling discrepancies which we were he said And Andi easily able to remedy I i let me tell you something more I II I have heard qualified critics say that I Ix Los Angeles theatre is the most jj I f the p-the s I aj J f St r beautiful in America You are soon 1 to have a sister of that beautiful ei i piece of work in Salt Lake Jm n Holy smoke that ought to put Salt Lakes Lake on the map Youre already on said John whirling If Ifo 0 The The news set my mind had spent a a. rail mil mil mil-I flo Alexander Pantages i o oj-Aexander oj tl tl dollars dollare in Los Angeles a city of sT persons in building a combined I tj theatre and office building which had hadS f S S been en pronounced the most beautiful In Ine had then spent another another'S e America and S 'S ai half balf million in Salt Lake in a duplica- duplica tl ti tion of at the theatre what a sublime tips tiP faith he must have in the future of p Salt sait Lake Furthermore and nd besides rc D x since this is the next new Pantages t I tl i theatre to be finished after the Los Angeles house there are arc certain reHe reft re- re He ft fc and improvements here that la i do not appear there With each new 81 aa palace of this meteoric vaudeville king thought or a new com com- comfort j there Is a new tort fort not conceived by the architects before When this house housen W i and builders i n was finished it was not only twin sistI sis- sis fl f tI ter iter to the most beautiful but ht had hijI even more refinements tr fl John Ghiloni was busily modeling m- m c and the big escutcheon which you willi will pie see in tho the or border near the thes the's i s 's sl i ceiling coiling of the foyer was ready for fr frt f forthe r t the finishing touches I questioned him S about bout his dark past t My father fath Louis Ghiloni who is with me learned the art of clay modeling moda mod mod- a cling eling in Italy he said zaid and taught F I it to me inc after I was born in this country It is practiced in Italy mostly most most- 4 ly IY y both for ornamentation and statuary ry I grew up in in- it and md although I have va never attended an art institute I have hae worked in many of the big studios studios stu- stu stu stu- r dios of New York Yes I can do statuary statuary stat stat- uary full figures busts has bas 7 and such but I like this ornamentation S work better It seems to give a freer rein to the imagination I like spaces and beautiful distances All his fellow artists and artisans I call him bIn Johnny I got th the habit be because because because be- be I cause he has such a cheerful tion How many theatres have you done for Pantages Johnny Johnny Johnny-I i I asked This is tho the fifth firth one I decorated the tho Spokane Tacoma Vancouver and Los Angeles theatres for tor Mr Pantages Pantages Pantages Pan Pan- working with Fred Willis plaster plaster plaster plas plas- ter contractor of Seattle He lIe handles most of these contracts for the big boss I worked two years on the decoration decoration decoration dec dec- oration of the buildings of the San Fr Francisco exposition I finished a a. big theatre at Gary Indiana and the cathedral Corpus Christi Christ In Chicago Practically all aU the modeling herO here has been done by my father Mr Siro SIlo Manelli Manelli Manelli Ma- Ma nelli of San Francisco and myself Johnny told me roe about a tI tine time e In Chicago Chi I cago ho saw an offer of a com corn commission commission comI I mission from a firm in Detroit He Ho answered and told them the salary he wanted They accepted and he ho went over When he entered the tho office tho bosses looked at each other and one said See what that kid wants Johnny showed them their telegram and anti they nearly passed out It seemed they doubted his ability to make good but he lie demanded a lump of ot clay and seeing the tho head of ofa ofa ofa a a- satyr on the wall began rapidly to model it It was a wood n carving said Johnny stiff and conventional 1 I slapped my clay on the board and be bean began began be- be gan an poking it with my fingers Pretty soon it looked like a a. satyr all aU right but it had a wicked leer that the other lacked lacke l. l It had real whiskers and ana its ears were perked The bosses grinned all aU over because they had been looking for something that was not wooden although they wanted a modeler to make models for forwood forwood forwood wood ers carvers It developed eloped that they had thirty wood carvers for the decoration decoration decoration deco- deco ration of one of the most beautiful ships on the Great lakes Johnny held the job for thirty months and the said boat is now giving artistic pleasure to thousands of travelers He told me something about the process process process pro pro- cess of making the finished plaster casting but I got all aU balled up After the clay models are completed completed com corn they are coated with shellac and are plastered again with clay asa asa as a sort of oL counter mold With this second mold removed there thero Is room ro room m for pouring in a form of glue which looks like rubber The glue takes the form of the original model and in turn becomes the mold into which the plaster of paris is poured When the plaster hardens it is lifted andin and andin andin in pure white you nave Kave a duplicate of the beautiful arabesques flowers or what not of the original clay model The glue mold comes of off intact in intact intact in- in tact and will serve for a number of I d duplicate up li cats The process of casting the plaster isan is isan isan an interesting one and I watched them then in the open space on the floor of the auditorium as they handled bandied beautiful pieces weighing hundreds of ot pounds I They go about it deliberately enough and never seemed hurried but plaster of paris sets quickly and every operation operation operation opera opera- tion must be timed to the minute With the glue mold resting in its fitted bed they pour the liquid plaster plaster plas plas- ter into the matric so that every tiny crevice will be filled Then they sop handfuls of fluffy hemp in the liquid plaster and packed it over the face of I Ithe the mold This is the stuff of which ropes are made because of the tensile I I strength It serves to hold the casting casting casting cast cast- ing together with unbelievable power More plaster is is- added until the desired desired des de de- de- de s sired red thickness Is attained attain d while iron bars are bent about it On the big castings wooden beams are laid across and are fastened to the casting by mushy ropes of hemp and plaster which when hardened become like steel clamps When the whole thing hardens the tho husky workmen grab the beams lift the casting from its bed the glue mold is torn away and the deed is done It then goes to the plasterers who put it where it belongs But that is another story |