Descriptive Summary
Access
Publication Rights
Preferred Citation
Acquisition Information
Biography/Administrative History
Scope and Content of Collection
Indexing Terms
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Descriptive Summary
Title: Robert Bromley Collection, circa 1907-1980
Dates: 1907-1980
Collection Number: GPC_b189-b192
Creator/Collector:
Bromley, Robert.
Extent: 4 boxes in collection (2 linear ft.)
Repository:
Los Angeles Public Library
Los Angeles, California 90071
Abstract: Robert Bromley (1907-1981) was a world-renowned puppeteer who popularized the “visible puppeteer” style of puppetry. Bromley
used his marionettes to satirize personality archetypes. His marionettes danced, sang, played piano, flew from a trapeze,
and one even did a strip tease. Over the course of his career Bromley performed all over the United States and in over twenty
countries on five continents in the most famous nightclubs and cabarets of the time, and in his later years, school assemblies
throughout the United States. Bromley performed for notables ranging from royalty to Hollywood celebrities. Bromley was the
first puppeteer to appear on British television (BBC) and was a guest twice on the Ed Sullivan show. Bromley documented his
extensive career in a series of scrapbooks. The bulk of the collection documents his career from the late 1920s to the late
1970s. Contents include photographs, programs, ephemera, personal and business correspondence, and newspaper clippings.
Language of Material: English
Access
This collection is stored on-site at the Central Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library. It is open for research by appointment
only.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item]. Robert Bromley Collection, circa 1907-1980. Collection Number: GPC_b189-b192. Los Angeles Public
Library
Acquisition Information
Gift of Charles Taylor, October, 2021.
Biography/Administrative History
Robert Bromley (1907-1981) was a world-renowned puppeteer who popularized the “visible puppeteer” style of puppetry. Bromley
used his marionettes to satirize personality archetypes. His marionettes danced, sang, played piano, flew from a trapeze,
and one even did a strip tease. Over the course of his career Bromley performed all over the United States and in over twenty
countries on five continents in the most famous nightclubs and cabarets of the time, including the Lido Cabaret on the Champs-Élysées
in Paris, Moulin Rouge, Folies Bergère, the Palladium in London, and La Scala in Berlin. Bromley performed for such notables
as the King and Queen of England and for Prince Rainier and Grace Kelly. Bromley was the first puppeteer to appear on British
television (BBC) and was a guest twice on the Ed Sullivan show. Bromley performed and produced shows far and wide, from Los
Angeles to North Africa to Australia, and many places in between.
Bromley, whose given name was Robert Cressy, was born Minnesota in 1907. He began his puppetry career in the late 1920s while
studying to be a theatrical producer at Yale University. He applied for a position with the famous Yale Puppeteers and was
hired by Harry Burnett, one of the founding members. The surname Bromley was adopted at the request of the Yale Puppeteers
(Harry Burnett, Forman Brown, and Richard "Roddy" Brandon) for alliterative purposes. While in college, Bromley spent his
summer vacations traveling the Northeast performing with the Yale Puppeteers, who also invited him to perform at their Teatro
Torito on Olvera Street in Los Angeles in the early 1930s. After graduating, Bromley did a brief stint as director of a Beverly
Hills theater before going on to work in the miniatures department at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios in the early 1930s. Bromley
built models for crashes and disasters, as well as stand-ins for celebrities for scenes too dangerous to film. As was true
throughout his career, Bromley hand-carved and painted his marionettes, with only a few exceptions. He entertained MGM celebrities
with their life-like puppet counterparts. Marie Dressler was especially impressed with Bromley’s puppetry talent and encouraged
him to start his own puppet theater. After leaving MGM, Bromley took Dressler’s advice and opened his own theater on Olvera
Street. Like his Yale Puppeteer colleagues, Bromley attracted many celebrities to his shows, including Greta Garbo and Charlie
Chaplin. During the mid 1930s, Bromley was appointed director of the Works Progress Administration’s (WPA) Los Angeles puppet
theater, Theatre of the Magic Strings, where he produced and directed many shows, including “Captain Kidd.”
In 1936, Bromley began touring the United States, performing at famous venues like the Savoy Hotel in Chicago and the renowned
Rainbow Room in New York City. In 1939, Bromley accepted an offer to perform in “High Time,” a variety show at the Palladium
in London. This one-year engagement began a four decades-long career of traversing the globe performing in cabarets, nightclubs,
casinos, and theaters. He also performed for thousands of children throughout his career, especially in his later years, while
touring the country performing at school assemblies. He also performed at children’s hospitals and shelters for abused children
wherever he traveled in the world. Throughout his career and extensive travels, Bromley photographed the people and places
he encountered, including rare glimpses into the daily lives of indigenous peoples in North Africa and South America. Bromley
not only documented his storied career through photography and scrapbooks, but also documented life around the globe throughout
the 20th century. In addition to this very personal collection of scrapbooks, Bromley also has collections at the New York
Public Library, the Library of Congress (WPA Federal Theater Project), and the Puppeteers of America.
Scope and Content of Collection
The Robert Bromley collection is composed of personal scrapbooks documenting the life and career of world-renowned puppeteer,
Bob Bromley (1907-1981), who compiled the scrapbooks himself. The scrapbooks are roughly in chronological order, but the timeline
sometimes varies within volumes. The scrapbooks begin circa 1907 when Bromley was an infant and end in 1980, a year before
his death. Over the course of his career Bromley performed all over the United States and in over twenty countries on five
continents in the most famous nightclubs and cabarets of the time, including the Lido Cabaret on the Champs-Élysées in Paris,
Moulin Rouge, Folies Bergère, the Palladium in London, and La Scala in Berlin. Bromley performed for such notables as the
King and Queen of England and for Prince Rainier and Grace Kelly. Bromley was the first puppeteer to appear on British television
(BBC) and was a guest twice on the Ed Sullivan show. Bromley performed and produced shows far and wide, from Los Angeles to
North Africa to Australia, and many places in between. The bulk of the collection documents his career from the late 1920s
to the late 1970s. Contents include photographs (personal travel photos with friends, co-stars, and citizens of the countries
he visited; famous landmarks in foreign countries; autographed photographs of celebrities; publicity photos of Bromley and
his marionettes); programs; ephemera (ticket stubs; foreign currency; travel documents); personal and business correspondence
on original stationery (telegrams, invitations to perform; congratulations and thank you letters; fan letters); and newspaper
clippings (reviews, advertisements for shows; and articles detailing Bromley’s career).
Indexing Terms
Puppeteers--California--Los Angeles.
Marionettes--California--Los Angeles.
Puppet theater--California--Los Angeles.
Documentary photography.
Bromley, Robert.
Los Angeles (Calif.)
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