J. A. Lipman

Jonas Alfred Lipman (25 April 1877 – 18 March 1958),[1] frequently referred to as "Joe", was an Australian philanthropist, actor, producer and director of theatre and film. He was described as "a colourful extrovert" with "a flair for the wheeling and dealing of the film trade".[2]

History

Lipman was born in South Australia,[3] the son of Judah Moss Lipman (c. 1852 – 7 July 1911) married Sylvia Selina Hyams (died 24 August 1918) on 9 March 1881. He was educated at Prince Alfred College. As a young man, Lipman was active in Jewish artistic circles, performing in and directing plays.[4] He left Adelaide in March or April 1903[5] for Western Australia, initially for a matter of months, then more permanently,[6] to manage his father's business interests in Coolgardie. In that prosperous gold-mining town Lipman was active in theatre, partly in connection with the local branch of the Australian Natives' Association.[7]

His father was the most prominent businessman in the town, and perhaps the wealthiest; Judah Lipman ( – 7 July 1911),[8] owner of the Cremorne, the Grand Hotel, the Brewery and much else beside. Judah's youngest brother Abraham, also known as Alfred, managed the Halfway House, then the Grand Hotel for brother Judah, died of pneumonia at Coolgardie in 1897.[9] Judah was a son of Jonas Lipman (c. 1835 – 21 January 1880)[10] and Hannah Lipman of Port Adelaide.

Lipman left Western Australia in July 1905, announcing his intention of joining a troupe touring India.[11]

By 1909, he had returned to Adelaide, where he was involved as actor and director with an amateur theatre group, The Actors' Club. A noted performance was One Summers Day (Henry V. Esmond) held at the Unley Town Hall in July 1910 in aid of the St Paul's choir fund.[12] This was followed in September by The Dilemma at the same venue. Following these two successes, The Players staged Charley's Aunt over two nights at the Theatre Royal in December and revived in June 1911 at the Unley Town Hall. In each of these Lipman was both stage director and leading man to packed houses and critical acclaim.

By 1914, he had moved to Victoria, working as stage manager and director for the Comedy Theatre at the refurbished Daylight Pictures Co. building on the Lower Esplanade, St Kilda, adjacent the Palais de Danse.[13][14] The first productions, changed weekly, were: The New Baby (Arthur Bourchier); Our Girls (H. J. Byron) and The Three Hats (aka Three Hats Slightly Mixed and similar), an adaptation of a farce by Alfred Hennequin. The Comedy Theatre, a summer favorite, did not survive beyond March 1915. In 1916 and 1917 Lipman made several buying trips to the United States, and reported on the rise of Broadway.[15]

He wrote Just Peggy while in the USA. signed the lead actress, Sara Allgood, having seen her perform on stage in J. Hartley Manners' comedy Peg o' My Heart,[16] and filmed it in Sydney.[17] His best known film is probably Mystery Island (1937).[18]

Some of his stage and film work is credited to his pseudonym, Rigby C. Tearle.

Lipman was head of several Australian motion picture distribution and exhibition companies, particularly of British films, from the late 1910s to the early 1930s. In 1918, as head of Quality Features he picked up a film Damaged Goods[19] on the theme of venereal disease. In 1920, when it was playing at the Princess Theatre, Melbourne, he was fined for showing the movie, judged as obscene.[20] The same year he helped established the company United Shows Inc.[21] Three years later he helped set up the Australian Releasing Corporation.[22] and Australasian Films Ltd. He also represented British International Pictures Ltd from around 1929. Lipman managed to achieve a great deal of success in his lifetime through his many business and personal affiliations- at one point he was reported to have purchased the rights to Charlie Chaplin for £1,000,000. His close friend and mentor was Harry Warner, of Warner Bros fame.

Personal life

He married Gertrude Solomon in 1917.[23][24][25] 'Gertie', as she was known, was a part of the powerful Australian political dynasty the Solomon Family.

Gertrude and Joe had two children, Robert Alfred and Judith Sylvia.

He died in Strathfield, New South Wales in March 1958.[1] His widow died four months later.[1]

Select credits

References

  1. ^ a b c New South Wales, Australia, Index to Deceased Estate Files, 1859–1958
  2. ^ Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production, Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998, 81.
  3. ^ "Picture Shows". The Mail. Adelaide. 7 September 1918. p. 6. Retrieved 8 January 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. ^ "Adelaide". Jewish Herald. Vol. XXIV, no. 596. Victoria, Australia. 2 January 1903. p. 10. Retrieved 23 February 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. ^ "Adelaide". Jewish Herald. Vol. X[?]XIV, no. 603. Victoria, Australia. 10 April 1903. p. 10. Retrieved 23 February 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. ^ "Adelaide". Jewish Herald. Vol. XXV, no. 630. Victoria, Australia. 22 April 1904. p. 10. Retrieved 23 February 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. ^ "Coolgardie". The Kalgoorlie Miner. Vol. 10, no. 2938. Western Australia. 24 February 1905. p. 4. Retrieved 23 February 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  8. ^ "Concerning People". The Register (Adelaide). Vol. LXXVI, no. 20, 173. South Australia. 8 July 1911. p. 15. Retrieved 23 February 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  9. ^ "Death". The Western Australian Goldfields Courier. Western Australia. 29 May 1897. p. 17. Retrieved 25 February 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  10. ^ "Family Notices". The Express and Telegraph. Vol. XVII, no. 4, 859. South Australia. 23 March 1880. p. 2. Retrieved 25 February 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  11. ^ "News of the Day". Coolgardie Miner. Vol. XI, no. 3308. Western Australia. 26 July 1905. p. 2. Retrieved 23 February 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  12. ^ "Amusements". The Advertiser (Adelaide). Vol. LIII, no. 16, 141. South Australia. 11 July 1910. p. 7. Retrieved 23 February 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  13. ^ "Comedy Theatre". The Prahran Telegraph. Vol. 53, no. 2764. Victoria, Australia. 17 October 1914. p. 5. Retrieved 23 February 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  14. ^ "Comedy Theatre". Malvern Standard. Vol. 16, no. 43. Victoria, Australia. 24 October 1914. p. 5. Retrieved 23 February 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  15. ^ "Music and Drama". The Mercury (Hobart). Vol. CVI, no. 14, 697. Tasmania, Australia. 13 February 1917. p. 7. Retrieved 23 February 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  16. ^ "The Catholic Club". The Freeman's Journal. Sydney. 8 August 1918. p. 15. Retrieved 8 January 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  17. ^ "Peg Pictured". The Sunday Times (Sydney). No. 1699. New South Wales, Australia. 11 August 1918. p. 18. Retrieved 23 February 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  18. ^ "Mystery Island". The Sydney Morning Herald. 7 October 1936. p. 14. Retrieved 8 January 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  19. ^ "All Set for After-the-War Business". The Moving Picture World. November 1918. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
  20. ^ "Damaged Goods". The West Australian. Perth. 19 February 1920. p. 4. Retrieved 8 January 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  21. ^ "Registered Companies". Daily Commercial News and Shipping List. Sydney. 28 April 1920. p. 8 Supplement: Weekly Summary. Retrieved 8 January 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  22. ^ "Companies Register". Daily Commercial News and Shipping List. Sydney. 21 March 1923. p. 5 Supplement: Weekly Summary. Retrieved 8 January 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  23. ^ California, Passenger and Crew Lists, 1882–1959
  24. ^ Australia, Marriage Index, 1788–1950
  25. ^ Australia, Electoral Rolls, 1903–1980
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