Olive Thomas: New Amsterdam Theatre, Part ll

Olive Thomas

In 1920, Olive Thomas a former Ziegfeld girl and a silent screen actress was on a second honeymoon in Paris with her husband Jack Pickford. The two had been out partying and drinking when they returned to the Hotel Ritz.

Olive in search of something to calm her nerves found in the suite’s bathroom a large blue flask that smelled like alcohol, she thought it was a sleeping draught that would help her. She drank it down. As this liquid flowed down her throat it burned.

She screamed waking her husband in the next room. Too hazy to understand, she had ingested the topical mercury bichloride that Jack was using to treat his chronic syphilis.

Jack tried to induce vomiting but this did not work. Olive was taken to the nearby Neuilly Hospital. In the hours that followed she had fits where she would gain consciousness briefly. She apologized to Jack, who stayed by her side, and then called for her mother.

The amount of toxic fluid she ingested shut down her kidneys and she tragically passed. Jack accompanied Olive’s body back to the U.S. Her funeral service was packed, it was held at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in New York City. She was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx in September of 1920.

Olive Thomas Pickford's
mausoleum at Woodlawn.

Rumors flew about her death, it was speculated that it was actually a suicide or murder—all untrue. While alive the couple had been dubbed, “the gayest, wildest brats who ever stirred the stardust of Broadway.”

After the scandal of her death, the Hollywood studios used Thomas, the Arbuckle scandal (1921), which I discuss here and the murder of William Desmond Taylor (1922) to instate “morality clauses” into actors’ contracts.

My favorite true ghost story author, Tom Ogden in his book Haunted Theaters retells several stories that indicate Olive Thomas’ spirit returned to haunt the New Amsterdam Theater shortly after her death.

Olive’s ghost often appears partly faded. She has been seen both backstage and in the lounges at the New Amsterdam. She is seen wearing her green beaded dress with the matching headband and sash.

Main stage

New Amsterdam
Theatre

A workman at the theater in 1952 saw her ghost twice. He noticed the name “Olive” written across her sash. Both times this figure disappeared right in front of him as she held a large blue bottle in her hands.

He recognized her without this ID for he had worked at the theater as a young man during the time she was a Ziegfeld girl.

As many old buildings the New Amsterdam fell into massive disrepair over the years. One preservationist group tried to restore the building in the 1970s but failed. In 1979, the building was declared a New York City landmark.

In 1993, Disney bought the building and spent $35 million restoring it. The man in charge of this restoration, Dana Amendola began to receive reports from workmen that the building was haunted.

These reports did not surprise him for research he did on the history of the theater mentioned Olive, her tragic death and the fact her ghost lingers.

Several night watchmen told him that they had seen a glowing image of a beautiful young woman on the main stage. They also saw this apparition in the dressing rooms.

One watchman stated he captured this image within the beam of his flashlight. “The beads from her Follies dress, headpiece and sash sparkled in the glare.”

This man said this figure held a big blue flask. He challenged her. “Miss, stop, who are you? You shouldn’t be here.”

He said a demure smile formed on the woman’s lips. She then turned and drifted across the stage. He watched as she walked right through a solid outside wall.

Olive’s ghost when seen always carries this blue flask. The male witnesses said she often flirted with them. She whispered, "Hi fella and then would bat her eyes before disappearing."

She was also heard calling out, “Hey, how re doin’?” At other times night watchmen and workers found items moved without explanation.

Production of Aladdin at
theatre.

After Disney re-opened the theater to the public, cast and crew have reported seeing Olive's ghost. She appears at night after audiences have left.

She has made the sets shake and she has caused all the lights to blow out in the upper floor offices. Her ghost tends to appear more often when changes are made.

She has also been seen on the Amsterdam’s rooftop floating near where the old glass dance floor used to be.

Two portraits of Olive hang in the theater. Today actors that perform in the various Disney productions often acknowledge Olive’s presence as they pass these two pictures. They stop and say, “Goodnight Olive” or they say, “Welcome Home.”

In Part l of Olive Thomas: New Amsterdam Theatre I talk about Olive’s scandalous time as a Ziegfeld girl and her marriage to Jack.

Here is a brief video with Dana Amendola talking about Olive's ghost at the New Amsterdam.

Paris’ Père Lachaise Cemetery

Chopin's grave

The Cimetière du Père Lachaise located on a hill overlooking Paris is visited more than any other cemetery in the world. 

The reason for this is twofold. This cemetery is the final resting place for a large number of famous creative, talented people plus the cemetery has some of the most spectacular, beautiful, macabre and sad gravestones, tombs, sculptures and mausoleums of any found in the world.

Burials in this Paris suburb began in 1804 and today 200 years later the Père Lachaise has over 1 million graves. The cemetery still accepts new burials but it has a long waiting list. The reason for this is limited space so graves are “leased” for 10, 20, 30 years, etc. When the family stops paying the remains are removed to a different cemetery so space can be reused.

Here are just a few of the famous permanent residents buried at Père Lachaise:

Harriet Toby an American
a ballerina who was killed at
age  23 in a plane crash
in 1952.

Balzac--writer, Karel Appel--painter, Isadora Duncan--dancer, Rosalie Duthè--courtesan, Sarah Bernhardt--actress, Frederic Chopin--composer, Molière--playwright, Jean de la Fontaine--poet/fable writer.

Marcel Marceau--mime, Jim Morrison--singer, Marcel Proust--writer, Gioachino Rossini--composer, Oscar Wilde--writer, Georges Bizet--composer/conductor, Georges Rodenbach--poet, Edith Piaf--singer, Gertrude Stein--writer, Eugene Delacroix--painter.

Oscar Wilde's tomb is normally
covered in bright red lipstick
kisses left by admiring women.

People who have visited Père Lachaise often mention the ghosts they have encountered along its shaded cobblestone paths.

One story mentions Marcel Proust and Maurice Ravel. They were a loving couple in life -- it is said they rise at night from their graves and go in search of each other.

Adolphe Thiers who was the prime minister under King Louis-Phillippe in the 19^th century is said to “tug” on visitors clothes if they venture too close to his resting place.

His grave is the most
visited.

The Doors lead singer Jim Morrison is often seen roaming near his grave. 

His grave was almost the victim of the cemeteries “lease” policy when families that have deceased loved ones near his resting place gathered together when the Morrison 10 year lease was up and tried to have him moved--they did not succeed. 

The bust which was placed on the 10th anniversary by a fan was later stolen. The family pays to have the graffiti cleaned off. 

Recent photo of his grave.

There are also many other stories of visitors seeing spectral lights, translucent figures, and other disembodied spirits roaming throughout the cemetery.

The following is a 5-minute montage of pictures of the various incredible grave markers at Père Lachaise.

The Phantom of the Opera: Fact or Fiction?

The story of the Phantom of the Opera was initially published in a series of articles in La Galois and then in a book in 1911 entitled, Le Fantôme de l’Opéra written by a French journalist, Gastón Leroux. When the story was first published, it was not popular, and the book went out of print.

Leroux whose specialty was investigative journalism based his story on true-life events. In fact, many who have researched this subject believe with just a few exceptions the story has several elements that are true.

The opera house in the story was based on the real Opera Garnier in Paris. The Opera Garnier does have underground tunnels, and it also has an underground lake. Leroux used this setting in several dramatic scenes in his story.

Chandelier at Opera Garnier

There was an incident where a chandelier did fall in the Opera Garnier setting the building on fire and killing a woman. Leroux used a falling light in his story as a distraction so his Phantom could kidnap Christine.

The “romance” between the Phantom and Christine in the story is just a fantasy, but it is believed that Leroux based both characters on real people.

The Phantom is based upon a man named Erik who was born in a small village in Normandy, near Rouen. He was born with a horribly disfigured face, so his parents abandoned him when he was eight. A circus basically took him, and for 7 years he was used as an attraction.

He escaped in Persia and worked as an entertainer for the Shah. Later he worked as an architect’s assistant--he designed and built several harems, which gave him a greater understanding of architectural design.

Paris' Opera Granier 

Now confident, he returned to France. In Paris, he so impressed Charles Garnier that he was signed on as one of the contractors that built the new opera house--the Opera Garnier. He worked 12 hour days until the project was completed.

He was no longer the deformed child that had suffered cruelly. He now was a gentleman who wore a mask to hide his distorted face. He also wore a dress suit, a cloak, and a large felt hat. He was respected and earned enough money to live a comfortable life.

Just as in the story the real-life Erik had his own personal "Box 5" at the opera house. He even had a hollow column built next to it where he could come and go without being seen. 

Erik did fall in love with a singer who performed at the Opera Garnier. But finding himself rejected he kidnapped this singer after an evening performance. She was found 3 weeks later, and shortly afterward she left Paris.

After this, a legend was spread that Erik was so heartbroken that he walled up the door to his apartment beneath the opera house and died of starvation.

Years later when the new Opera Bastille was built this small apartment was supposedly discovered by a workman who found a skeleton wearing a gold ring that Erik was known to wear. It is said Leroux used this “legend” about the real Erik as inspiration for his story.

Under Opera Garnier

The character Christine was based upon a soprano by the name of Kristina Jonasdotter. It is believed she was Leroux's inspiration because of the overwhelming similarities between her and his character.

Jonasdotter was taught to play the violin by her older brother at a young age in Sweden. Her family was impoverished, which made it necessary for her to play this instrument on the street to earn money. She was sent to Stockholm and then to Paris to continue her lessons.

Jonasdotter’s beautiful singing voice like the character in the story was discovered by accident. She started to sing at concerts and took the stage name, Kristina Nilsson in the 1860s. According to historians Nilsson had an incredible vocal range and was very beautiful with “a lovely figure and clear blue eyes.”

The Haunting

Another interesting fact about this story is that the Opera Garnier was considered to be haunted by a phantom--the French term for a ghost--at the time Leroux wrote his story.

Leroux used some of these tales to inspire his story. The performers at the opera house firmly believed there was a ghost that haunted the building and the tunnels that lay below.

These performers placed a horseshoe above the entrance to the right stage wing for good luck but also to protect them from a ghost they considered to be malevolent in nature.

The Grand Staircase

It was believed that someone was secretly living in the opera house and many felt it was the ghost of the real Erik. In fact, many claimed that near Box 5 they heard “ghostly’ voices and whispers when the area was unoccupied.

Other witnesses stated that they saw this phantom running through various parts of the opera house. Even eerier these witnesses reported this figure wore a black cape and a mask over its face.

Renata de Waele in 1993 wrote a narrative that compared the fictional to the real stories. She worked in public relations at the Opera Garnier for many years. Some of her speculations have been proven others have not. So reality is blurred with fiction which leaves the curious with an intriguing mystery.