FRED MONUMENT
AUSTRALIAN VARIETY THEATRE ARCHIVE: RESEARCH NOTES See last page for citation, copyright and last updated details.
(-1954) English-born singer (baritone), songwriter, teacher (singing), entertainer, radio host, stage and musical director, character actor, film prologue specialist.
Born at Wood Green, London, possibly in the mid to late-1880s, Fred Monument intended pursuing a business career after he completed his schooling. A passion for singing led to him being trained by Bernard Flanders and in 1906 he won a gold medal at the East London Musical Festival. After making the decision to become a professional singer Monument reportedly found initial success through appearances at the Queen's Hall under the direction of Henry J. Wood (later Sir Henry J. Wood). In 1910 he accepted an engagement with Herbert Fordyce's Patchwork Musical Company as principal baritone and the following year moved into variety entertainment as a member of Roland Henry's Comedy Entertainers. 1912 saw him win the Grand Prix at the London Musical Festival1 and visit the USA. He then decided to try his luck in Australia. Within days of his arrival he secured an engagement with Edward Branscombe that involved touring Australia with the entrepreneur's Green Dandies Telegraph (Brisbane) 8 June troupe for two years beginning November 1912. 1932, 6.
Shortly before the Dandies opened for a season at St Kilda, Melbourne October 1914, Monument left to take up residence in Brisbane for a year. During his time in the Queensland capital he became involved with such organisations as the Brisbane Musical Union, Queensland Irish Association, Brisbane Liedertafel, and Royal Society of St George. He also performed in, and sometimes helped produce, charity concerts and patriotic fundraising events. One of the highlights of 1915 was his starring role in the world premiere production of The Stenographer Girl (1915). The comic opera, which he also directed, was put on by the Brisbane Patriotic Comic Opera Company at the Tivoli Theatre (31 July - 6 Aug.). In October 1915 Monument left Brisbane to rejoin the Green Dandies in Sydney.
After severing his association with Edward Branscombe in mid-1917 Monument initially found employment with J. and N. Tait (1917-1918) and Harry Rickards Tivoli Theatres Ltd (1918). As a member of the Tait's musical comedy company he appeared in such productions as The White Chrysanthemum, Very Good Eddie, Aladdin (1917) and Jack and Jill (1918). His time on the Tivoli circuit (Sydney and Melbourne only) included the revues Honi Soit and Time Please. The 1910s also saw Monument establish his reputation as songwriter. One of his biggest original song hits of the decade was "Wattle-Blossom Time in Australia." It featured in the Fullers' 1916 pantomime, The Bunyip.
1 2 3
All images courtesy of the National Library of Australia2
1 "The Dandies." Northern Miner (Charters Towers, Qld) 27 July 1914, 6. 2 1. "Wattle Blossom Time in Australia" was co-written with George Hurdle and published by W.H. Paling (Sydney) ca. 1916. 2. The "Heart Songs" collection published by W.H. Paling (Sydney) ca. 1919. 3. "Sunrise" published by Suttons Ltd (Sydney) ca. 1928. Although the Oscar-winning Sunrise (1927) was a silent film, theme music was often used when it was shown in America and elsewhere. Monument and John Merton may have been commissioned to write the song by its Australian exhibition company. In 1919 Monument left Australia to tour the East with Athol Tier's company. Known destinations were Java and the Straits Settlement. Late the following year, after concluding seasons in Perth and Fremantle, Monument co-founded the Futurists Costume Comedy Company with ex-Royal Strollers comedians Cyril Northcote and G.W. Desmond. The eight-member ensemble then spent some three years touring overseas. Newspaper reports indicate that they travelled extensively through Java, the Federated Malay States, Ceylon, Burma, India, Afghanistan, Uganda, Rhodesia, and South Africa among other countries.
Upon his return to Australia in late-1923 Monument worked in vaudeville and as a between-films entertainer before securing a role in Ada Reeve's Aladdin pantomime. A tour of Australia and New Zealand (1923-1924) with Reeve's company was followed by a New Zealand engagement with George Story's Revue Company. By early 1925 Monument was back in Brisbane, the city which then became his permanent home. Over the next five years he was largely associated with the Cremorne Theatre, appearing with such companies as the Topics of 1925 and the Crackers. During the final years of the silent film era he also established his reputation as a prologue specialist in Brisbane, presenting introductory and/or explanatory segments, either alone or in company with other actors, to such films as Don Juan and Mare Nostrum. His career in Brisbane during the 1930s and 1940s included a final professional engagement - with Graham Mitchell's Serenaders (1935) - and appearances at numerous community events, concerts, smoke nights, as well as work at various city and suburban cinemas as a between-films entertainer.
Western Mail (Perth) 1 Dec. Mirror of Australia (Sydney) 22 Punch (Melbourne) 12 Dec. 1918, 1916, 28. Jan. 1916, 15. 17.
Although settled in Brisbane with his family from 1925 onwards, Monument occasionally left the city to work elsewhere for brief periods. In late-1927, for example, he accepted an engagement in Sydney with Clay's Theatres. The following year he toured North Queensland with the Billy Cass Revue Company (aka The Cameos) and reappeared in Sydney at the new Empire Theatre (along with Fred Bluett), followed by a season at the Garden Theatre, Darlinghurst (for Norman Barrington and Leonard Stephens).
Monument is believed to have made his radio debut on 21 March 1926 with 4QG. The broadcast was an attempt to connect with American radio stations. In 1929 he established a highly popular "argumentative" radio partnership with comedian Bert Harrow. Monument became an announcer for 4BK when it began broadcasting in October 1930 and moved to the newly-formed Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC) in 1933, remaining with its Brisbane station, 4QG, as an announcer until at least the end of 1935. His later radio commitments included such plays as The Unlucky Lady (1942), Cracked Ice (1946), and Finish Under Fire (1946).
Monument also recorded a number of his own songs for the Parlophone label, notably "Wandering On," "The Prisoner's Child" (1927) and "Hustling Hinkler" (1928). These were given national airplay during the late-1920s.
Although he retired from the professional stage in 1936, Monument continued to be active as a community entertainer/emcee and radio actor/performer/ soundman (mostly for 4QR) up until the late-1940s. He also reportedly worked as a traveller for Edward Dunlop at some stage.
► See also: Edward Branscombe's Dandies (Green Dandies) • The Futurists
Prahran Telegraph (Melbourne) 5 Apr. 1913, 6.
Additional Notes:
1. For the 1918 Australian premiere of Honi Soit, Monument was one of several cast members who were involved in a five-minute novelty film that preceded comedian Barry Lupino's entrance into the show. Shot in Albert Park and Collins Street, the film starred Lupino. Hugh Steyne, and Billy Rego were also featured.
Charles Porter. Broadcasting in Queensland (1961), 756-757.
► "Hustling Hinkler." Written and sung by Fred Monument. Parlophone A 2418 (1928). Access via "The Popularity of Aviator Songs." National Film and Sound Archive. [sighted 22/10/2017]
1912-1916
► See also Edward Branscombe's Dandies (Green Dandies)
1912
Earliest known Dandies advertisement to include Fred Monument Punch (Melbourne) 24 Oct. 1912, 40.
Punch (Melbourne) 19 Dec. 1912, 27.
1913
Table Talk (Melbourne) 13 Feb. 1913, 23. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article146323333
Prahran Telegraph (Melbourne) 5 Apr. 1913, 6. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article165145454
Telegraph (Brisbane) 22 Nov. 1913, 14. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/176946216
1914
Brisbane Courier 3 Oct. 1914, 7. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/19987554
Ballarat Star (Vic) 14 Sept. 1914, 8. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article154510585
Brisbane Courier 3 Oct. 1914, 6. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/19987421
Monument left the company before the season began. "Music and Drama." Brisbane Courier 28 Nov. 1914, 12. Public Opinion (Melbourne) 24 Sept. 1914, 8, 10. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/19998778 http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/153583440/178 93281
cont... Prahran Telegraph (Melbourne) 3 Oct. 1914, 5. Brisbane Courier 16 Dec. 1914, 2. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/76597786
1915 1916
Sun (Sydney) 16 Jan. 1916, 15. Queensland Figaro (Brisbane) 16 Oct. 1915, 16. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/221365970 http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/84404573/8740550
Brisbane Courier 24 Feb. 1915, 8. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/20006431
Telegraph (Brisbane) 23 June 1915, 3.
Telegraph (Brisbane) 24 July 1915, 3.
Sun (Sydney) 23 Jan. 1916, 13. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article221358352
Brisbane Courier 12 Aug. 1915, 7. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/20038016
1917
Perth
WA Sportsman (Perth) 2 Feb. 1917, 4. cont... http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/210711198
Truth (Perth) 3 Feb. 1917, 4.
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article210480725 cont...
Advertiser (Adelaide) 7 May 1917, 7. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/5584321
cont... West Australian (Perth) 23 Feb. 1917, 8. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/27291040
Adelaide
Monument's final season with the Green Dandies Critic (Adelaide) 27 June 1917, 9. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article212170699
Critic (Adelaide) 2 May 1917, 11.
Northern Times (Newcastle, NSW) 2 July 1917, 3. ►
Graphic of Australia (Melbourne) 7 Dec. 1917, 32. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/153077401/17884534
Sun (Sydney) 28 Sept. 1917, 7.
Argus (Melbourne) 26 Dec. 1917, 10.
Northern Times (Newcastle, NSW) 4 July 1917, 4. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/122219834
1918
Mr Fred Monument. As the Slave of the Lamp in "Aladdin" at King's Theatre, Melbourne. Photo by Talma and Co., Melbourne. Punch (Melbourne) 14 Feb. 1918, 39.
Sunday Times (Sydney) 26 May 1918, 14. Sunday Times (Sydney) 16 June 1918, 10.
Scenes from the Five-Minute "Movie" incidental to the action of Honi Soit. The new revue at the Tivoli is full of quaint novelties; one of these is a film which precedes Barry Lupino's entrance. The above photos show incidents in the moving picture in which the chief arts were played by Barry Lupino, Hugh Steyne, Billy Rego, and Fred Monument, and acted at Albert Park and in Collins Street last Tuesday week. Table Talk (Melbourne) 5 Sept. 1918, 18. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/146592747
cont... Argus (Melbourne) 31 Aug. 1918, 34.
"Dorothy Leigh, the maid with charms, and Fred Monument are side by side" (middle right). Graphic of Australia (Melbourne) 19 Dec. 1918, 18. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article153586774
Mirror (Sydney) 25 Oct. 1918, 11. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/136729425
A Pantomime Quintette - Some "Jack and Jill" People That it will be a pantomime of big surprises is the confident boast of the combined firms, J. and N. Tait and Bailey and Grant for their Christmas pantomime extravaganza, Jack and Jill. The two top pictures are of Bert Bailey ("Ginger") and Violet Collinson, who will make a charming principal girl. From the centre Barry Lupino smiles down at the thought that he is to be dame for the first time in an Australian panto. In the bottom row are Gracie Dorran ("Jill") and Fred Monument (the baritone). Table Talk (Melbourne) 12 Dec. 1918, 18. Sydney Morning Herald 26 Oct. 1918, 2. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article148560889
1919
Good Friday night (Melbourne).
"Music." Australasian (Melbourne) 26 Apr. 1919, 27. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article140222354
Daily Mail (Brisbane) 5 July 1919, 2.
"Our Northern Neighbours." Sunday Times (Perth) 7 Sept. 1919, 1. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article58004591
1920/1921
1920 1921
cont...
Daily Mail (Brisbane) 17 Apr. 1920, 3. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/215597689
Call (Perth) 11 June 1920, 7. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/210394652 cont...
...
...
Daily News (Perth) 26 June 1920, 1. ...
"Young Australia." Voice of the North (Newcastle, NSW) 10 ► See also: The Futurists Nov. 1921, 14. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article112426960
1923
Argus (Melbourne) 24 Dec. 1923, 16.
Argus (Melbourne) 3 Dec. 1923, 14. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article1991227
Sporting Globe (Melbourne) 31 Oct. 1923, 13. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/page/20629751
cont... Critic (Adelaide) 5 Dec. 1923, 25. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article212254482
"The Theatre and its People." Table Talk (Melbourne) 27 Dec. 1923, 20. Geelong Advertiser (Vic) 21 Nov. 1923, 1. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article146467373
1924
Mail (Adelaide) 23 Feb. 1924, 13. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/63858780
Daily Mail (Brisbane) 29 Mar. 1924, 2.
cont...
Ballarat Star (Vic) 5 Mar. 1924, 6.
Sydney Morning Herald 21 Apr. 1924, 3. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/16137958
New Zealand
Press (Auckland, NZ) 14 July 1924, 1.
Evening Post (Wellington, NZ) 17 May 1924, 4.
cont...
Evening Post (Wellington, NZ) 25 Nov. 1924, 10. https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/EP19241125.2.1 27.22 Final Aladdin season Auckland Star (NZ) 30 June 1924, 8. https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/AS19240630.2.122
1925
Brisbane
cont... New Zealand Herald (Auckland, NZ) 5 Jan. 1925, 10. https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH19250105.2.128
Telegraph (Brisbane) 25 July 1925, 19.
cont...
Press (Auckland, NZ) 16 June 1925, 13. https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19250616.2.110
Telegraph (Brisbane) 17 Dec. 1925, 3. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/179615380
1926
...cont
Daily Mail (Brisbane) 21 Mar. 1926, 9. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/220647624
Telegraph (Brisbane) 9 Jan. 1926, 4. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/177839772
Brisbane Courier 22 May 1926, 15. Daily Mail (Brisbane) 28 Jan. (1926), 2. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/21042298
Radio debut
cont... cont... Brisbane Courier 2 July 1926, 10. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/21027359
Brisbane
cont... Telegraph (Brisbane) 16 Oct. 1926, 3. Maryborough Chronicle, Wide Bay and Burnett Advertiser http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/177791892 (Qld) 3 Sept. 1926, 4.
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article153171246
Maryborough (Qld)
Daily Mail (Brisbane) 17 Oct. 1926, 12.
"The Spell of Music: Night of Melody - Philharmonic Concert." Maryborough Chronicle, Wide Bay and Burnett Advertiser ◄ (Qld) 4 Sept. 1926, 8. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article153172588
1927
Daily Standard (Brisbane) 20 Jan. 1927, 2.
cont... Telegraph (Brisbane) 19 Mar. 1927, 3. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/179357553
cont... Brisbane Courier 1 Feb. 1927, 18. Queensland Figaro (Brisbane) 26 Mar. 1927, 4. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article21101286 http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/84898773
cont... Brisbane Courier 30 Mar. 1927, 24. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article21116515 cont... Telegraph (Brisbane) 15 June 1927, 10. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/180105912
Sydney Wollongong (NSW)
Illawarra Mercury (Wollongong, NSW) 9 Dec. 1927, 3. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article135884898
Propeller (Hurstville, NSW) 11 Nov. 1927, 3.
1928
Brisbane
cont...
Sunday Mail (Brisbane) 16 Sept. 1928, 12. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/12 8505185
aka The Cameos Townsville Daily Bulletin (Qld) 11 Apr. 1928, 3.
Sydney Brisbane
Sun (Sydney) 28 Oct. 1928, 36. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/224688333
cont... Truth (Brisbane) 16 Dec. 1928, 22. Sun (Sydney) 3 Nov. 1928, 7. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/198316057 http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/223250574
1929
Telegraph (Brisbane) 7 May 1929, 17. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/189187420 Brisbane Courier 19 Jan. 1929 18 http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/21368207 4QG "Night Session" 4 June
4QG "Night Session" 7 June
The Week (Brisbane) 31 May 1929, 37. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/187921155
Truth (Brisbane) 3 Mar. 1929, 8. Queensland Times (Ipswich) 13 June 1929, 5 http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/198319260 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article118478358
Queensland Times (Ipswich) 15 June 1929, 15. 1930
4QG 21 Feb.
World's News (Sydney) 19 Feb. 1930, 19. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/131489917
4QG 7 Mar.
Daily Standard (Brisbane) 7 Mar. 1930, 5.
http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/186359932 Telegraph (Brisbane) 22 Jan. 1930, 10. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/181993771
4QG 7 Feb.
Telegraph (Brisbane) 7 Feb. 1930, 17. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/page/19773095
4QG 12 Feb.
The Week (Brisbane) 7 Feb. 1930, 34. Queensland Times (Ipswich) 18 Sept. 1930, 9. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/182581464 http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/115370366
1931
Truth (Brisbane) 29 Mar. 1931, 9. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/206274514
Telegraph (Brisbane) 10 June 1931, 6. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article182923687 1932
Telegraph (Brisbane) 6 Jan. 1932, 13. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article184047644
Telegraph (Brisbane) 8 June 1932, 6. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/180031313
Telegraph (Brisbane) 28 Sept. 1932, 11. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/181159736 1933
Telegraph (Brisbane) 25 Jan. 1933, 6.
Telegraph (Brisbane) 1 Feb. 1930, 6. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/197913613
1934-1954
1934
Telegraph (Brisbane) 5 Sept. 1934, 15. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/181372104
Queensland Times (Ipswich) 17 Oct. 1934, 9. ► http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/118556179
1935
Telegraph (Brisbane) 4 May 1935, 8. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article182434127
Daily Standard (Brisbane) 21 June 1935, 12. ► http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/183669044
1936 1939
cont...
Courier Mail (Brisbane) 29 Sept. 1939, 13. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/40893258
Courier Mail (Brisbane) 17 July 1936, 21. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/38471825
1938
Courier Mail (Brisbane) 15 Dec. 1939, 4. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/40902444
1942
Telegraph (Brisbane) 17 Mar. 1938, 17. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/183435019 Courier Mail (Brisbane) 15 Aug. 1942, 6. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/50124741
1946 1954
Courier Mail (Brisbane) 18 May 1946, 6. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/50282899
Daily Examiner (Grafton, NSW) 10 Aug. 1946, 4. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/194938933
cont...
Courier Mail (Brisbane) 1 July 1949, 6. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/49906279
Brisbane Telegraph 13 Apr. 1954, 21 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article217145805
Please note: There is currently no explanation for the above reference to Fred Monument being known on stage and radio as Leighton Stone. A search of Trove and other online sources has failed to locate any person by the name Leighton Stone in being involved in any Australian entertainment industry between ca. 1920 and 1954. No reference to this being his birth name has been located either.
Brisbane Telegraph 17 Sept. 1949, 3. http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/212746145
Australian Variety Theatre Archive: Research Notes
First published by Clay Djubal: 23/1 0/2017 • Last updated: 10/05/2018
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