Mail-Order Bride Farces...for Entertainment?

Mail-Order Bride Farces…for Entertainment?

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Victorian Americans loved live entertainment. In this era prior to motion pictures (or television)–theater performances, opera, musicals, orchestra performances–were all highly sought after. And not just in the settled cities of the east.

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Live theater was a significant source of entertainment in the Old West. The historic city of Tombstone, Arizona, sported at least six different theaters during its short-lived heyday. Traveling troupes, entertainers, and musicians included Tombstone in their circuits. Newspaper articles regale costuming, quality of performances, and announce coming attractions. Advertisements alert theater-goers to upcoming opportunities.

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But did you know one specific type of entertainment were farces? And their sole purpose was to poke fun at the idea of mail-order brides?

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McFee’s ‘Matrimonial Bureau’

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Kristin Holt | Mail-Order Bride Farces...for Entertainment? McFee's 'Matrimonial Burea' at Woods' Opera House advertised in The Sedalia Democrat of Sedalia, Missouri. Sunday, 22 November, 1896, pg 2.

The Sedalia Democrat of Sedalia, Missouri. Sunday, 22 November, 1896, pg 2.

The Sedalia Democrat. Sedalia, Missouri on 22 November, 1896, pg 2.

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As referenced in Sedalia Missouri, above, McFee’s ‘Matrimonial Bureau’ was a fiercely popular show, performed widely in the United States throughout the 1890’s.

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Kristin Holt | Mail-Order Bride Farces...for Entertainment? The Press-Visitor of Raleigh, North Carolina, on 3 November, 1897.

The Press-Visitor of Raleigh, North Carolina, on 3 November, 1897. Note the “ripped-from-the-headlines” mention: “American heiresses to marry titles.”

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Kristin Holt | Mail-Order Bride Farces...for Entertainment? McFee's Matrimonial Bureau Farce for the Stage advertised in The Atlanta Constitution, December 25, 1896.

The Atlanta Constitution, of Atlanta, Georgia, on 25 December, 1896, pg 5.

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Kristin Holt | Mail-Order Bride Farces...for Entertainment? McFee's Matrimonial Bureau plays at Capital Theater. Daily Arkansas Gazette of Little Rock, Arkansas on November 28, 1897. Part 1 of 2.

1 of 2). McFee’s at Capital Theater. Daily Arkansas Gazette of Little Rock, Arkansas. 28 November, 1897, page 3.

2 of 2). McFee’s at Capital Theater. Daily Arkansas Gazette of Little Rock, Arkansas. November 28, 1897, page 3.

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McFee’s wasn’t the only show to poke fun at mail-order brides…

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BACHELOR’S MATRIMONIAL BUREAU

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Bachelor’s Matrimonial Bureau, as reported in Pittsburgh Daily Post. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on 3 October, 1897, pg 11.

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THE SULTAN OF SULU

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Kristin Holt | Mail-Order Bride Farces...for Entertainment? Sultan Opera Overview pic. with matrimony bureau to marry off ex-wives. Farcical show advertised in Chicago Daily Tribune on January 18, 1902.

Sultan Opera Overview image, a farce about the sultan’s matrimony bureau to marry off his unwanted ex-wives. Chicago Daily Tribune, of Chicago, Illinois, on 18 January, 1902, p 43.

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Kristin Holt | Mail-Order Bride Farces...for Entertainment?. A quote from within the Sultan Opera Overview. Chicago Daily Tribune of Chicago, Illinois, on 18 January, 1902, p 43. "The Sultan is released on a straw bail and organizes a matrimonial bureau so as to marry off his expensive ex-wives and stop the alimony, and so on."

A quote from within the Sultan Opera Overview. Chicago Daily Tribune of Chicago, Illinois, on 18 January, 1902, p 43. Pokes fun at the idea of marrying off expensive ex-wives.

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WIRRWAR (translated: Complications)

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Kristin Holt | Mail-Order Bride Farces...for Entertainment? "Wirrwarr" as a Light and Merry Matrimonial Burlesque (Farce at the Irving Place). Advertised in New York Times, New York, New York, on 26 October, 1904.

New York Times, New York, New York, on 26 October, 1904, Page 9

New York Times of New York, New York, on 26 October, 1904, p 9.

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The Matrimonial Bureau

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Kristin Holt | Mail-Order Bride Farces…for Entertainment? Huntington Historical Society presents an amusing comedy entitled, "The Matrimonial Bureau," a two-act farce interspersed with music. Advertised in The Brooklyn Daily Eagle of Brooklyn, New York. Dated August 9, 1914.

Huntington Historical Society presents an amusing comedy entitled, “The Matrimonial Bureau,” a two-act farce interspersed with music. Advertised in The Brooklyn Daily Eagle of Brooklyn, New York. Dated August 9, 1914.

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Mail Order Brides on the Silver Screen…

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Kristin Holt | Mail-Order Bride Farces...for Entertainment? Mail-order bride love triangle movie shown on silver screen. Advertised in Manitowoc Herald-Times of Manitowoc, Wisconsin. Dated January 13, 1932.

Manitowoc Herald-Times of Manitowoc, Wisconsin, on 13 January, 1932.

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… and MAIL ORDER BRIDES on a high school stage

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It wasn’t long and the long-loved trope of mail-order bride farces made its way off professional theater stages and onto high school performance schedules.

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Kristin Holt | Mail-Order Bride Farces...for Entertainment? Mail Order Bride High School Play, reported in The Perry County Democrat of Bloomfield, Pennsylvania, on 13 February, 1935.

Mail Order Bride High School Play, reported in The Perry County Democrat of Bloomfield, Pennsylvania, on 13 February, 1935.

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People today are still drawn by the inherent humor to be found in the situations surrounding mail-order bride marriages. Though live theater has become less and less popular, shows like Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (Broadway musical, 1954) illustrate the familiar theme, still play upon occasion, and are available on video.

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