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Edward Irham Cole

{{Short description|Australian theatrical entrepreneur and film director}}

{{for|the Canadian politician|E. J. Cole (mayor)}}

{{EngvarB|date=August 2014}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}}

{{Infobox person

|name = Edward Irham Cole

|image = Portrait of E. I. Cole NLA collection.jpg

|caption = Portrait of Edward Irham Cole in about 1920.

|birth_name = Edward Irham Cole

|birth_date = {{Birth date|1859|12|03|df=y}}

|birth_place= Croydon, Surrey, England

|death_date = {{Death date and age|1942|07|01|1859|12|03|df=y}}

|death_place= Marrickville, New South Wales, Australia

|education =

|occupation = theatrical entrepreneur & film director

|title =

|spouse = (1) Ada Dale
(2) Lavinia Catherine ('Vene') Smith

|children =

|parents = Irham Cole & Isabella (née Jackson)

|signature =

|known for =

}}

Edward Irham Cole (3 December 1859 – 1 July 1942) was an Australian theatrical entrepreneur and film director whose productions represented a synthesis of Wild West show and stage melodrama (often with a bushranger theme). He managed a theatre company, called the Bohemian Dramatic Company, that performed in semi-permanent and temporary tent theatres.Andrew James Couzens (2019), A Cultural History of the Bushranger Legend in Theatres and Cinemas, 1828-2017, London: Anthem Press ({{ISBN|1-78-308892-3}}); Chapter 4: 'Hippodramas and Edward Irham Cole', pages 67-85. During 1910 and 1911 Cole directed a number of silent films, adapted from his stage plays and using actors from his theatre company.

Biography

Cole arrived in Australia as a young man and worked for a time in Adelaide before moving to Wilcannia.He married in south Australia Ada Dale the mother of all his children (5/4/1884)

Children: Mable Ada, Ethel May, Isabella Maude, Frank Watteau, Ada Dorothy, Rose Juanita, Myrtle Celia Irham, she died due to childbirth 5/8/1895. Roy must have been to his 2nd wife?

My grandfather was one of his Actors, John Reid (Lollie) Wilson he married Ethel May Cole.

He started in showbusiness as a lecturer, calling himself "the Bohemian" and giving presentations on various topics.[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article66445293 "The Bohemian Lecturer."] Windsor and Richmond Gazette 24 Nov 1894: 7, accessed 31 December 2011{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article183183080 |title=A Newspaper Case. |newspaper=The Armidale Chronicle |location=NSW |date=12 June 1897 |accessdate=7 June 2015 |page=4 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article156740635 |title=THE BOHEMIAN LECTURER IN COURT. |newspaper=The National Advocate |location=Bathurst, NSW |date=7 April 1898 |accessdate=7 June 2015 |page=3 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article134882158 |title=MORPETH POLICE COURT. |newspaper=Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate |date=23 August 1897 |accessdate=7 June 2015 |page=7 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}

He later joined the company of Texas Jack, an American showman in the Buffalo Bill mould. He established the Bohemian Dramatic Company, which toured the country performing shows. At its height, the company included over 60 performers and 20 horses, and was transported in its own train.

In 1910 and 1911 Cole made a series of films adapted from his shows, which cost over £1,000 in all. The longest was reportedly 1,5000 feet.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article227864532 |title=BOHEMIAN PICTURE PLAYS. |newspaper=The Bendigo Independent |issue=13,133 |location=Victoria, Australia |date=15 February 1913 |accessdate=17 July 2019 |page=5 |via=National Library of Australia}} They were sometimes screened accompanied by lectures and songs.[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article10213693 "BOHEMIAN DRAMATIC COMPANY."] The Mercury (Hobart, Tas) 30 Mar 1912: 3, accessed 31 December 2011{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article227862550 |title=Advertising |newspaper=The Bendigo Independent |issue=13,134 |location=Victoria, Australia |date=17 February 1913 |accessdate=17 July 2019 |page=1 |via=National Library of Australia}} Cole toured Tasmania in 1911 and 1912.

By 1926 the company was down to a size of 24 and touring mostly only country areas.[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article73015251 "THE STROLLING PLAYERS."] The Horsham Times (Vic) 5 Oct 1926: 1, accessed 31 December 2011

=Later years=

Cole's company was still touring in the 1930s as 'Cole's Varieties', run by his son-in-law, Bill Ayr.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article82569826 |title=STAGE IS GAMBLE SAYS SHOWMAN. |newspaper=The Daily News |location=Perth |date=24 December 1938 |accessdate=7 June 2015 |page=7 Edition: FIELDS GREEN |publisher=National Library of Australia}}

Cole and his wife ran a small factory at Marrickville in Sydney which manufactured cowboy outfits for small children.[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article52365905 "THE TRAVELLING THEATRICAL SHOW." Examiner (Launceston, Tas) 5 Dec 1939: 4 Edition: LATE NEWS EDITION and DAILY, accessed 31 December 2011]

In the 1930s Cole began making waxworks. In the 1940s he was involved in a saddlery business at Blacktown.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article248470783 |title=At 82, he tired of bushrangers |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |volume=VII |issue=14 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=17 February 1946 |accessdate=3 April 2024 |page=54 |via=National Library of Australia}}

Personal life

Cole married his leading lady, Vene Linden (real name Lavinia Catherine) (1877 - 1948). They had several children: Frank, Roy, Mabel, Belle, Rose and Myrtle.

Roy predeceased them. Mabel married Cole's leading man, Bill Ayr. They had three children, Ned, Tom and Millie.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article96280230 |title=DAYS OF DRAMA IN PIRIE |newspaper=Recorder |issue=12,249 |location=South Australia |date=14 July 1938 |accessdate=9 March 2018 |page=4 |via=National Library of Australia}}

In later years, Millie and Ned Ayr would be actors for the company while Tom Ayr handled most of the managerial duties of Cole's Varieties.[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article55942177 "Veteran of the Stage Recalls Early Adelaide." The Mail (Adelaide) 16 Jul 1938: 4, accessed 31 December 2011]{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article96280230 |title=DAYS OF DRAMA IN PIRIE. |newspaper=The Recorder |location=Port Pirie, SA |date=14 July 1938 |accessdate=3 December 2014 |page=4 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article234596622 |title=Time Marches On from Redskins to Bare Skins |newspaper=Smith's Weekly |volume=XXI |issue=27 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=2 September 1939 |accessdate=9 March 2018 |page=14 |via=National Library of Australia}}

In 1931, Cole's wife engaged in a court case against her sister for ownership of their father's cottage.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article16762599 |title=IN EQUITY. |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=17 March 1931 |accessdate=7 June 2015 |page=6 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article16797102 |title=IN EQUITY. |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=31 July 1931 |accessdate=7 June 2015 |page=5 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article16798475 |title=IN EQUITY. |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=5 August 1931 |accessdate=7 June 2015 |page=6 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}

Cole died on 1 July 1942.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17819300 |title=Family Notices. |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=3 July 1942 |accessdate=7 June 2015 |page=10 |publisher=National Library of Australia}} His wife died on 8 November 1948, aged 71, survived by their children Frank, Belle, Mabel, Rose and Myrtle; a son, Roy, had predeceased her.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article32153519 |title=Family Notices. |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=9 November 1948 |accessdate=7 June 2015 |page=12 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}

Filmography

Select theatre credits

=As writer=

=As performer/producer=

  • Prairie Scout (1903)[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article14587177 "BOHEMIAN DRAMATIC COMPANY."] The Sydney Morning Herald 17 Dec 1903: 6, accessed 31 December 2011 – performed in the open opposite Redfern Train Station
  • Captain Moonlite (1906)
  • A Convict's Sweetheart (1906)
  • Hunted to Death (1907)
  • Outlawed by Fate (1908)
  • Thunderbolt, the Bushranger (1908) – Haymarket – about Captain Thunderbolt[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article14947917 "THE HAYMARKET HIPPODROME."] The Sydney Morning Herald 21 Mar 1908: 14, accessed 31 December 2011
  • The Indian Hero
  • Who is the Woman?
  • The Anarchist
  • East Lynne
  • Uncle Tom's Cabin
  • Captain Moonlite
  • The Gaol Bird
  • Cast Aside
  • With the Colours
  • Buffalo Bill (1904)[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article14590654 "BOHEMIAN DRAMATIC COMPANY."] The Sydney Morning Herald 4 Jan 1904: 8, accessed 31 December 2011
  • Jo the Girl Miner (1905)[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article14727156 "GARRISON ARTILLERY CONCERT."] The Sydney Morning Herald 18 Nov 1905: 14, accessed 31 December 2011
  • The White Slave (1905) – Haymarket Hippodrome, Sydney
  • With the Colours – Haymarket Hippodrome, Sydney – drama set during the Second Boer War[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article14723041 "THE HAYMARKET HIPPODROME."] The Sydney Morning Herald 13 Dec 1905: 12, accessed 31 December 2011
  • A Priest's Silence (1905)
  • Golden Heart (1906)
  • Kia Ora (1906) – Haymarket – a four-act Maori drama[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article14756552 "THE HAYMARKET HIPPODROME."] The Sydney Morning Herald 3 Mar 1906: 17, accessed 31 December 2011
  • The King of the Roads"/"Under Two Flags/The Hand of Justice (1911) – series of plays performed at Launceston[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article50493958 "BOHEMIAN DRAMATIC COMPANY."] Examiner (Launceston, Tas) 19 Sep 1911: 6 accessed 31 December 2011
  • The British Spy (1911–12) – Hobart – play set during the Second Boer War[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article10199471 "BOHEMIAN DRAMATIC COMPANY."] The Mercury (Hobart, Tas) 18 Jan 1912: 3, accessed 31 December 2011
  • Golden Heart (1912) – a Spanish-Mexican drama
  • It Is Never Too Late to Mend (1912) – Hobart[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article10199257 "BOHEMIAN DRAMATIC COMPANY."] The Mercury (Hobart, Tas) 17 Jan 1912: 3, accessed 31 December 2011- play based on the convict era novel
  • Arrah-Na-Pogue (1912) – Irish drama
  • Postmistress of the Czar (1912) – Kings Theatre, Hobart – Anglo-Russian military story[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article10223141 "KING'S THEATRE."] The Mercury (Hobart, Tas) 17 May 1912: 3, accessed 31 December 2011
  • The Heart of the Bush (1912) – Kings Theatre, Hobart – Australian bush story
  • A Woman's Honour (1913)[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article50726157 "BOHEMIAN DRAMATIC COMPANY."] Examiner (Launceston, Tas) 26 Sep 1913: 3 Edition: DAILY, accessed 31 December 2011
  • Dick Turpin (1914) – Hippodrome
  • Captain Starlight, or Robbery Under Arms (1914) – Hippodrome[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article55756502 "The SHOWS they saw In 1914'S WARDAYS."] The Mail (Adelaide) 25 Nov 1939: 5 Supplement: Magazine, accessed 31 December 2011
  • The Covenant's Trust (1915)[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article45368568 "AMUSEMENTS."] Barrier Miner (Broken Hill, NSW) 27 Nov 1915: 5] accessed 31 December 2011
  • Buffalo Bill (1919)[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article27616707 "ENTERTAINMENTS." The West Australian (Perth, WA) 6 Sep 1919: 8, accessed 31 December 2011]
  • Meg of Golden Heart/The Octoroon (1919)[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article27667563 "ENTERTAINMENTS."] The West Australian (Perth) 12 Nov 1919: 8, accessed 31 December 2011
  • The Ruby Ring (1919)
  • The Kelly Gang (1920)

References

{{reflist|2}}

;Sources

  • Andrew James Couzens (2019), A Cultural History of the Bushranger Legend in Theatres and Cinemas, 1828-2017, London: Anthem Press ({{ISBN|1-78-308892-3}}).

External links

  • {{IMDb name|1188950}}
  • [http://colsearch.nfsa.gov.au/nfsa/search/summary/summary.w3p;adv=;group=;groupequals=;page=0;parentid=;query=Person%3A%22%2FPerson%2Fkey%2F48778-1%22;querytype=;resCount=10 E. I. Cole] at National Film and Sound Archive
  • [http://acms.sl.nsw.gov.au/search/simpleSearch.aspx?authority=creatorauthorartist&ID=400126 Papers of E. I. Cole] at State Library of New South Wales

{{E. I. Cole}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Cole, Edward Irham}}

Category:1910s in Australian cinema

Category:Australian male actors

Category:Australian film directors

Category:1942 deaths

Category:1859 births

Category:British emigrants to colonial Australia