Kinsey Players
February 8, 1979

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pix 1 Kinsey Players in 1938 — Front row, the song and dance chorus line (left to right): Kathryn Fortner (Jemofsky), Mary Jane Davis (Bushkuhl), Bette Graf (Murdock), Esther Davis (Munsey), Jean Graf Graves, Jewel Parsons and husband James. 2nd row: E.H. Graf, owner-manager, Madge Kinsey Graf, Lottie Ansphach, George Colbert and wife Jo Anne, Eddie Mason and wife Babe, Hugo Imig, father of “Toby”. Top row: Floyd Anspach (husband of Lottie) and Robert Merrick, both canvas and prop men, Mrs. Charles Graf, mother of Harry. Otto “Toby” Imig and wife Esther and Dave Hemminger.

pix 2 Kathryn Kinsey Travis

pix 3 James Travis

pix 4 Patricia Travis

pix 5 “Toby Imig”

pix 6 Esther Imig

Friendly Kinsey Kept Them Comm’ Back

Kathryn Kinsey, another daughter of M.L. and Beth Kinsey, was a child-actor with the original Kinsey group. She later married James Travis, one of the Kinsey actors, and to them wa born Patricia “Pat” (now Fostorian Mrs. James Beeson). In later years the Travis family left the show and became part of other theatrical companies in California and Ohio. Still later, after Travis died, Kathryn returned to Ohio, anf ro many years owned and operated a costume shop in Findlay, called “Little Theatre Shoppe.”

Fond Memory

Your editor spent some time with Pat Beeson recently, going over this story and reviewing mementos of the Kinsey days. One keepsake was a miniature-sized script, which her father had written for her when she was a child-actor and appeared in Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Admittedly, the lines were few, but they must have created a big moment in the life of a small girl many years ago. Among the many photos in her album was one taken about the time of her appearance in Uncle Tom’s Cabin. .but on that occasion as a younger dancer. The photo appears among today’s illustrations.

Others who were associated with the Madge Kinsey Players were Esther Davis, who in later years married Bill Munsey of John B. Rogers Co., and still resides here, and her sister Mary Jane Davis, who later married Richard Rushkuhl and now resides in Tiffin. At one time Mrs. Bushkuhl had a dance studio in Fostoria and was also with John B. Rogers Co. She still stages a show yearly for Calvert High School, Tiffin.

There were others who were associated with the original Kinsey Company or the Madge Kinsey Players who will be remembered by older Fostorians. They were: Tony and l3ernice Toniottu, who came to the Kinsey’s from the Black Hills Passion Play, where they were active in the winter season: Lottie Anspach, sister of Hany Graf, played the piano for musical parts; Dave Hemminger, Greg Rouleau and George Numan, all actors. Kinsey fans will also remember Esther Fortner, who started handling the ticket booth to help out and kept the job for 40 years. She later married Toby Imig.

Customers Were Friends

There were many tent-shows in the Midwest back in those days, and several that played Ohio, but the Kinseys’ were the most popular and lasted the longest. Why? It probably goes back to ML. Kinsey’s belief and practice when he started..”the people who come in the front door of the Kinsey tent are not customers but friends.” That belief and practice was carried on throughout the life of the two Kinsey companies.

Several other practices certainly didn’t hurt the company’s image with the people in the towns where they played year after year. All the humor and comedy wasn’t just in the lines of the players. There was popcorn and candy sales before the show. It was fun-time creating a friendly atmosphere which the audience liked.

The Collier’s article included a humorous story about the candy sale which could have happened at any of the tent-shows throughout the country, including Kinsey’s, and illustrates the fun and friendliness that always prevailed. The candy sellers’ spiel went like this. .“You can never tell what you will get out of a box of candy. Two years ago a boy and a girl found prize coupons in their candy. The boy’s called for a pair of lady’s hose and the girl’s called for a safety razor. I suggested that they exchange, which they did, and that was how they met. They got married and last night they came back to the show. With them was a bouncing baby boy. You can never tell what you’ll get out of the candy.”

Playing the same towns year after year. .the actors “boarding” in the same homes year after year helped to create a strong friendship between the players and the spectators. There were three generations of Kinsey players and three generations of friendly spectators.

Attending Was Tradition

A man approached Madge Kinsey one time in Mount Vernon, Ohio with a child in his arms and said that his father had brought him to the show years before and he was carrying on the tradition.

Another time, in Mansfield, Madge Kinsey found a note in her automobile. It said. .“Miss Kinsey, I notice your car parked here and as I notice the name of Kinsey I recall what a thrill I used to get out of seeing your father and mother in their offerings on the stage years ago. I could not refrain from dropping this note in your car to let you know that, after years, and many of them have rolled by, a person often times in their younger days are impressed with some little incident of this kind that will always leave a favorable and impressive recollection, which even years of time will not erase. (Signed) C.D. Huff, 158 Huff Realty Co.” What else, other than the nice, friendly players, and the fun-time during the candy and popcorn sales, brought the audiences back year after year?

The stage presentations must have been good and suited the audiences. The comedy presentations gave the audience good old fashioned belly-laughs. One of the actors who was expert in the comedy department was Toby Imig. With his makeup of red hair, freckled face, peaked eyebrows, raspberry lips and outlandish and grotesque costumes he filled his part as “Toby” with expertise. “Toby” was a character that filled a comical part in other tent-show companies and soon the name “Toby” was applied universally to comics in all tent-shows. Each “Toby” played a part to suit him. The Collier’s article described “Toby” Otto Imig as “quiet, unassuming and playing what might be described as a sympathetic “Toby.”

Remember These Hits?

The Kinsey presentations were varied. There was “Pollyanna”, “Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm”, “Dottie Ray”, “The Little Girl God Forgot”, “Ten Nights in a Bar Room”, “Within the Law”, “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”, “Tempest and Sunshine”, “St. Elmo”, “The Millionaires Son and the Shop Girl”, “Lena Rivers”, “Our New Minister”, “East Lynne” .. .and many more, which those who were Kinsey fans will fondly recall.

The Madge Kinsey Players played their last show in 1954. What kind of lives did the Kinsey tent-show people live? From searching the material for this article I would have to say. .busy, regulated, happy, decent lives, with lots of hard work.

Before each show-season started there were rehearsals for the new presentations. Then after they were on the road there were still more rehearsals. When they moved from town-to-town there was the job of taking down the big tent, plus all the other paraphernalia and then setting it up again at the next stop. .just like the circus. And some of the actors and actresses helped with tearing down and setting up.

New plays called for new props, new costumes, programs, etc., and all this was handles within the group. Madge Kinsey, the leading lady, even helped pop corn and make new wardrobes.

And The Rain Came

When the Kinsey groups scheduled their visits to Fostoria rain usually came along with them... almost on schedule. The farmers in the area couldn’t work then so they came to the shows.. except if the wind accompanied the rain and leveled the tent, which happened more than once. Esther (Davis) Munsey recalls that on one occasion everyone in the show was busy with needle and thread putting the tent together again. She also recalls that if they didn’t get time they did open air shows.

In between the summer shows, the Kinsdy folks stayed in various towns in Ohio, including Fostoria, and found extra jobs to tide them over until the next season.. They were willing to make the sacrifice because they loved to act.

Youth Problems

Uncle Hany Graf was very particular about who the girls dated. He personally investigated every boy who was a prospective “date” before he allowed the girls to go out. Later, one of the girls reminded Graf that maybe the parents of the boys didn’t want their sons dating show-girls.

Traveling around created problems in educating the young people. Bette Graf attended 15 different schools before she graduated from Fostoria High School; and her sister Jean had attended 13 before also graduating from Fostoria High School. Even so, Bette was a class officer during her two last years in school. Other school-age girls with the group were Mary Jane Davis and sister Esther, Kathryn Fortner and Pat Travis.

It was always difficult to stop writing about interesting people and events, and that’s my problem in this case. There are more interesting sidelights and humor that could be included, but it’s time to stop.