INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced fiom the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the origmal or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter 6ce, Wiile others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Oversize materials (e g., maps, drawings, charts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, b%inning at the upper left-hand comer and continuing fi-om left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. Each original is also photographed in one exposure and is included in reduced form at the back o f the book. Photogrq)hs included in the origmal manuscript have been reproduced xerographically in this copy. Higher quality 6” x 9” black and white photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contact UMI directly to order. UMI A Bell & Howell Information Conq)aiy 300 North Zed) Road, Ann Arbor MI 48106-1346 USA 313/761-4700 800/521-0600 UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA GRADUATE COLLEGE DORIS EATONTRA VIS: AN ORAL HISTORY OF HER UFE IN THEATRE, RLM AND DANCE A Dissertation SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE FACULTY in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy By DAWN MARIE COSTELLO Norman, Oklahoma 1997 DMI Number: 9722744 Copyright 1997 by Costello, Davm Marie All rights reserved. UMI Microform 9722744 Copyright 1997, by UMI Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. UMI 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, MI 48103 DORIS EATON TRAVIS: AN ORAL HISTORY OF HER LIFE IN THEATRE, FILM AND DANCE A Dissertation APPROVED FOR THE SCHOOL OF MUSIC BY E. L. Lancaster, Co-Chairperson deout, Co-Chairperson 6L âulcodèr Kenneth Hoving ©Copyright by DAWN MARIE COSTELLO 1997 Ail Rights Reserved ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to express my gratitude to Dr. E.L. Lancaster for his wisdom, steadfastness, encouragement and guidance. I am indebted to Dr. Roger Rideout for introducing me to Doris Eaton Travis and starting me on this journey. I thank my committee members Dr. Eugene Enrico, Dr. James Faulconer and Dr. Keimeth Hoving for their guidance and enthusiastic support To my family and friends, thank you for your continual encouragement and support I extend a special thank you to Doris Eaton Travis for sharing her life and her joyous self with me. It has been a supreme pleasure. IV TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.................................................................................... iv TABLE OF CONTENTS...................................................................................... v ABSTRACT...............................................................................................................vii CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION..................................................................................... 1 Purpose of the Study............................................................................ 2 Need for the Study................................................................................ 2 Related Literature................................................................................... 9 Limitations................................................................................................. 15 Procedures.................................................................................................... 15 Overview of the Remainder of the Study............................................ 18 II. BACKGROUND FOR THE STUDY................................................... 19 The Musical Revue and Florenz Ziegfeld............................................ 19 Silent Film................................................................................................ 22 Social Dance Instruction and the Arthur Murray Dance Studios........................................................... 29 III. A CAREER ON THE STAGE............................................................ 34 The Eaton Family.................................................................................. 34 Show Business Chronology of the Eaton Family.................................. 36 Preparing for TheFollies ............................................................................. 41 The ZieÿeldFollies ..................................................................................... 43 General Impressions of Working For Ziegfeld.............................. 48 Segregation of Cast: Principals and Chorus, Black and White......................................................................... 51 191 8................................................................................................. 53 191 9................................................................................................. 57 192 0................................................................................................. 59 The Eatons Continue on Broadway........................................... 60 IV. SILENT FILM........................................................................................... 64 In Pursuit of the Silver Screen........................................................... 64 California: Years in Transition............................................................ 68 V. A CAREER IN DANCE...................................................................... 71 The Arthur Murray Dance Studios; Beginnings.................................... 71 On the Way to Detroit............................................................. 74 Dance Facilties at the Statler Hotel............................................... 79 Running the Studio................................................................... 80 Expansion Throughout Michigan.............................................. 84 Doris' Views of Developments in Social Dance................................... 87 The Tango................................................................................... 88 The Fox-Trot ............................................................................... 88 The Two-Step.............................................................................. 89 The Waltz.................................................................................... 89 Swing............................................................................................. 90 Latin Dances................................................................................ 90 The Growth of Latin Dance................................................................. 90 Social Programs Developed at the Studio............................................ 97 Social Unrest Outside the Studio............................................................. 101 The Television Show............................................................................ 102 Closing the Doors.................................................................................. 106 VI. SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 109 Sum m ary.................................................................................................... 109 Conclusions................................................................................................ 109 Dance as Sociology..................................................................... 112 The Follies as Sociology............................................................ 115 Social and Theatrical Dance as Vehicles for Women’s Expression and Opportunity................... 116 Recommendations for Further Study................................................... 123 APPENDICES A. Permission Form.......................................................................... 124 B. Examples of Typical Questions for Doris Eaton Travis.............................................................. 126 C. Programs of the ZiegfeldFollies of 1918, 1919 and 1920............................................................ 134 BIBLIOGRAPHY................................................................................................ 148 VI DORIS EATONTRA VIS: AN ORAL HISTORY OF HER LIFE IN THEATRE, HLM AND DANCE BY: DAWN MARIE COSTELLO CO-MAJOR PROFESSORS: E. L. LANCASTER, Ph.D. & R. R. RIDEOUT, Ph.D. The purpose of this study was to document through an oral history the life of Doris Eaton Travis from the beginning of her career in entertaimnent as a child actor in the Poli Theatre Stock Company in Washington, D. C. and later in the ZiegfeldFollies of 1918, 1919 and 1920 to the end of her professional career with the Arthur Murray Dance Studios in 1968. This study chronicles not only her work on Broadway with the ZiegfeldFollies, but her transitional work in silent and early sound films, her contributions to trends in social dance via the Arthur Murray Dance Studios, and her development and implementation of a televised instructional program on social dance. This study was based on interviews with Doris Eaton Travis. Through these interviews, Doris provided an oral narrative of her career from 1918 to 1968. Data were collected through: structured,