Material Type

Artifact

Date Range From

1960

Date Range To

1970

Materials

METAL, PLASTIC, CLOTH

No. Pieces

1

Height

10

Diameter

35.7

Description

SILVER CLOCK WITH PLASTIC COVER OVER FACE; CLOCK FACE HAS GREY BACKGROUND WITH BLACK NUMBERS, BLACK TEXT ABOVE HANDS “SIMPLEX”, BLACK HOUR AND MINUTE HANDS AND RED SECONDS HAND. BOTTOM OF CLOCK HAS SILVER KNOB; BACK OF CLOCK IS BLACK METAL. BACK OF CLOCK HAS SILVER MOUNTING HOOK SCREWED ON AND BLACK COVERED BOX COVERING INTERNAL MECHANISMS. BLACK BOX HAS PAPER LABEL WITH DIAGRAM AND TEXT “TYPE, 804-006, CLOCK CIRCUIT VOLTS 115, VOLT AMPS 4.6, CYCLES 60, SIMPLEX, TIME RECORDER CO., GARDNER, MASS., U.S.A.”. BLACK BOX HAS TWO BLUE WIRES THAT ATTACHES TO WHITE CONNECTOR, WITH TWO BLACK AND TWO WHITE WIRES ATTACHED; WHITE WIRES CONVERGE INTO WHITE POWER CORD WITH PLUG AT END. POWER CORD HAS BLUE AND BLACK SCUFF MARKS. BACK RIM OF CLOCK HAS BLUE-GREY PAINT SPOTS AND CHIPPED BLACK PAINT; BACK OF CLOCK HAS TWO EXPOSED SPOTS WITH ONE LOOP TO HANG ON WALL AND TWO BLACK CORDS. EXPOSED PATCHES SHOW ORANGE CLOTH UNDER BLACK BACKING. OVERALL VERY GOOD CONDITION.

Subjects

TIMEKEEPING T&E

Historical Association

FURNISHINGS

History

THE CITY OF LETHBRIDGE RECREATION AND CULTURE DEPARTMENT DONATED OBJECTS FROM THE YATES THEATRE IN LETHBRIDGE UPON RENOVATIONS TO THE YATES THEATRE IN SEPTEMBER 2017. THE OBJECTS DONATED WERE USED IN THE YATES AFTER ITS CONSTRUCTION IN THE 1960S. ON DECEMBER 18, 2017, COLLECTIONS TECHNICIAN KEVIN MACLEAN INTERVIEWED ED AND LINDA BAYLY REGARDING THEIR INVOLVEMENT WITH AND MEMORIES OF THE YATES THEATRE. ED AND LINDA BAYLY IDENTIFIED THE OBJECTS DONATED FROM THE YATES AND RECALLED THEIR OWN EXPERIENCES WITH THE OBJECTS. ON THE WALL CLOCK, ED BAYLY ELABORATED, “THAT [CLOCK] WAS IN THE AUDITORIUM. IT WAS THE ONLY CLOCK IN THE AUDITORIUM THERE. THAT’S THE ONE YOU’D CHECK TO SEE IF THE SHOW WAS ON TIME STARTING ON TIME OR NOT. MOST TIMES IT WAS.” “[THE PLAYGOERS] STARTED ON TIME. [I] ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT WAS IMPORTANT TOO, IF WE ADVERTISED THE FACT THAT THE SHOW STARTED AT 8:00 O’CLOCK THAT WE START AT 8:00 O’CLOCK. NOT AT 8:30 OR QUARTER AFTER. THIS WAS VISIBLE, YOU COULD SEE IT. IF THERE HADN’T BEEN A CLOCK THERE IT WOULDN’T MATTER TOO MUCH BECAUSE PEOPLE WOULDN’T HAVE KNOWN REALLY. I ALWAYS FELT WE HAD AN OBLIGATION TO THE AUDIENCE, IF THEY ARRIVED ON TIME, WE START ON TIME. IF THEY’RE LATE, WELL THAT’S THEIR OWN FAULT.” “THE STAGE MANAGER [WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR STARTING ON TIME]. IF THEY DIDN’T, THEN THE DIRECTOR WOULD REMIND THEM TO GET WITH IT.” “IT WAS PART OF THE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT. [IT WAS] ON [THE WALL] AS LONG AS I CAN REMEMBER, ALWAYS IN THAT SAME SPOT. IT HUNG TO THE RIGHT [OF THE DOOR TO THE HALLWAY].” LINDA BAYLY ADDED, “BETWEEN THE DOOR AND THE STAGE, OR THE CURTAIN.” “I REMEMBER COMMENTS AND SOMETIMES A LITTLE BIT OF PANIC BY THE FRONT OF HOUSE MANAGER WHO HAD TO SEE THAT ALL THE AUDIENCE MEMBERS WERE IN THEIR SEATS READY FOR THE SHOW TO BEGIN AT, SAY, 8:00 O’CLOCK, AND LATE ARRIVERS NOT GETTING THERE IN TIME. THEY DON’T WANT TO START PERFORMING, CLOSE THE DOORS. IF YOU WERE IN YOUR SEATS AND READY, EVERYBODY HAD THEIR EYE ON THAT CLOCK TO MAKE SURE THAT IT STARTED ON TIME. WITH EVERY PRODUCTION FOR MUSICAL THEATRE OR PLAYGOERS THEY’D SAY 'FOR A 15 MINUTE INTERMISSION.' THE PEOPLE WOULD GO OUT AND GET THEIR REFRESHMENTS AND COME BACK IN AND LOOK TO SEE IF IT WAS 15 MINUTES FOR SURE. SOMETIMES WE HAD TO FUDGE MAYBE A MINUTE OR TWO TO GET PEOPLE BACK IN THEIR SEATS. EVERYBODY KNEW IT WAS THERE AND PAID ATTENTION TO IT. THE FOLKS IN THE LIGHT BOOTH KNEW WHAT WAS GOING ON WITH THE LIGHTING BOARD AND THE SOUND. THEY HAD A CLEAR SIGHT TO THE CLOCK AND WORKED HARD TO KEEP TO THE PROPER TIME ALWAYS.” “[THE CLOCK] APPEALS TO ME BECAUSE IT SEEMED TO BE SO INTEGRAL TO ALL THE AUDIENCE MEMBERS. IT’S NOT DIGITAL AND THESE OTHER THINGS HAVE BEEN UPDATED. I DON’T KNOW IF IT WOULD BE IN USE ANY MORE, BUT THE EQUIPMENT THAT THEY HAVE HAS EVOLVED INTO SO MANY NEW THINGS THAT THEY COULD BE REPLACED QUITE EASILY. THE CLOCK COULD BE REPLACED TOO BUT SENTIMENTAL IS THE FEELING I GET ABOUT IT AND THAT IT WAS IN THE YATES.” MACLEAN ADDITIONALLY INTERVIEWED JEFF CARLSON ON NOVEMBER 15, 2017. CARLSON WORKED FULL-TIME IN THE YATES THEATRE PRODUCING, WRITING, AND DIRECTING WITH NEW WEST THEATRE, LETHBRIDGE. CARLSON ELABORATED ON THE CLOCK, “[IT WAS] MY FAVOURITE THING EVER. THE GLOWING, GREEN CLOCK ON THE WALL…MY ENTIRE TIME AT THE YATES. IT WAS MY SIGN-OFF ACTUALLY AT NEW WEST FOR TWENTY-FIVE YEARS. YOU HAVE CAROL BURNETT WHO WOULD PULL THE EAR, WAYNE AND SCHUSTER HAD THEIR FAREWELL SONG, MINE WAS ALWAYS, “WELL I CAN TELL BY THE GLOWING, GREEN CLOCK ON THE WALL THAT IT’S TIME TO LET YOU FOLKS GO HOME”. I GOT GOOSE BUMPS AGAIN JUST SAYING IT. IT’S THE FIRST TIME I’VE SAID IT IN A DECADE SO THAT ONE IS VERY NEAR AND DEAR TO MY HEART. I’M ALWAYS HOPEFUL THAT IT WAS A BULB OF SOME KIND IN THE CLOCK AND NOT PAINTED WITH IRRADIATED PAINT AS SO MANY THINGS BACK IN THE DAY WERE. THAT’S A PRETTY GOOD MEMORY FOR ME.” “WE USED TO HAVE TWENTY THOUSAND PATRONS COME TO SEE NEW WEST OVER THE COURSE OF A SUMMER OR A YEAR. EVERY TIME I WOULD SAY, 'I CAN TELL BY THE GLOWING…' YOU COULD SEE THE ENTIRE AUDIENCE WOULD LOOK SO I KNOW THAT AT LEAST TWENTY THOUSAND PEOPLE A YEAR LOOKED AT THAT CLOCK. THAT’S AN AWESOME THING.” ED AND LINDA BAYLY RECALLED THEIR YEARS SPENT WORKING WITH THE YATES THEATRE IN LETHBRIDGE, WITH ED BAYLY NOTING, “I WAS MANAGER AT THE YATES FOR 35 YEARS. I WAS INVOLVED WITH THE LOCAL DRAMA GROUPS FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS BEFORE THAT SO THAT WAS PARTIALLY THE REASON THAT I WAS CHOSEN FOR THE JOB. I HAD THE CONTACTS." “WHAT I REMEMBER MOST OF ALL WAS THE FACT THAT THE CITY PUT THE FUNDING FOR THE YATES UP TO THE PUBLIC IN A PUBLIC PLEBISCITE, AND IT WAS TURNED DOWN TWICE BEFORE THEY WENT AHEAD WITH THE MONEY THAT THEY HAD AND BUILT THE PLACE. PEOPLE WERE SAYING, 'WELL, WHAT DO YOU WANT THAT FOR, NO ONE’S EVER GOING TO USE IT.' THEN WE HAD THE OPENING AND FRED WEATHERUP, WHO WAS THE OWNER OF ENERSON MOTORS, BROUGHT IN SOME GO-GO DANCERS AND THEY HAD CARS PARKED OUT IN FRONT OF THE YATES, AND THAT SORT OF BROUGHT IN OTHER PEOPLE THAT WEREN’T REALLY INTERESTED IN THE ARTS AND THEY GOT A CHANCE TO SEE THE PLACE.” “THE REST OF THE PROVINCE GOT THE JUBILEE AUDITORIUMS WHICH WE DIDN’T. THOSE ARE WAY BIGGER OF COURSE AND A LOT MORE EXPENSIVE. WE WERE VERY FORTUNATE IN THIS MATTER–WE HAD A BEQUEST FROM THE YATES FAMILY THAT PRETTY WELL PAID FOR CONSTRUCTION OF THE BUILDING. AFTER A VERY FEW YEARS, YOU [STARTED TO] WONDER HOW YOU GOT ALONG WITHOUT IT BECAUSE IT WAS IN CONSTANT USE, AND STILL IS. IT WAS VERY WELL BUILT AND IT WILL CONTINUE TO SERVE THE COMMUNITY FOR ANY NUMBER OF YEARS BECAUSE WE’RE IN THE PROCESS OF RENOVATING IT, ADDING ON TO IT.” “I WAS HIRED ON BEFORE THE BUILDING WAS FINISHED SO I WAS THERE DURING THE CONSTRUCTION OF IT. I HAD SOME INPUT. IT WAS EXCITING. [THE] JOB WAS DIFFERENT ALL THE TIME. THEY HAD THESE GROUPS COME IN, AND…IT WAS AN EVERYDAY EVENT FOR ME. THEY ALL USED TO SAY, 'HOW COME YOU STAY SO CALM?' AND I WOULD SAY 'WELL, BECAUSE I DO IT EVERY DAY, AND YOU ONLY DO IT ONCE A YEAR.'” LINDA BAYLY SPOKE ABOUT HER OWN EXPERIENCES WITH THE YATES THEATRE, NOTING, “I WAS THE SECRETARY IN THE FRONT OFFICE AND WORKED WITH MAKING BOOKINGS FOR THE BUILDING AND GENERAL SECRETARIAL WORK AT THAT TIME. ED WAS THE TECHNICIAN FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS BEFORE HE BECAME HE MANAGER. HE HAD TO MAKE SURE ALL THESE RULES BACKSTAGE WERE LOOKED AFTER AND ATTENDED TO AND COMPLETED.” JEFF CARLSON ELABORATED ON HIS TIME WITH THE YATES THEATRE, STATING, “I SPENT MY ENTIRE PRETTY MUCH LIFE…IN THE YATES, IN THE GENEVIEVE YATES MEMORIAL THEATRE. I STARTED GOING TO THE YATES PROBABLY IN THE ‘70S WITH THE KIWANIS MUSIC FESTIVAL AND SCHOOL BAND AND CHOIR EVENTS…BACK IN LAKEVIEW ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. AFTER THAT I STARTED ACTING IN THEATRE AND EVENTUALLY PRODUCING AND DIRECTING THEATRE UP UNTIL LESS THAN A YEAR AGO.” “[AT THE TIME] I FIGURED 'NOW THIS IS FUN, I LIKE THIS, I THINK I’M OKAY AT IT' SO I GAVE MYSELF SOME DEADLINES. I SAID, 'I’LL PURSUE THIS UNTIL I’M THIRTY AND IF I HAVEN’T MADE A CAREER IN IT BY THEN, THEN I WILL DO MY FALLBACK EDUCATION OR POLITICAL SCIENCE OR RUSSIAN HISTORY.' I HAD BITTEN OFF A BIT OF IT AT THAT POINT. BUT, BY THE AGE OF THIRTY, I WAS WORKING FULLTIME IN THEATRE, WRITING, DIRECTING, PRODUCING PRODUCTIONS FOR NEW WEST THEATRE AT THE YATES.” “[I WAS] PROFESSIONALLY EMPLOYED AT THE YATES BY [THE] LATE ‘80S, EARLY ‘90S. THERE WAS A MIX THERE BECAUSE WE WERE DOING FULL-TIME THEATRE PRODUCTIONS BY THE LATE ‘80S BUT THEN I TOOK TIME OFF TO TAKE A TOURING COMPANY THROUGH ALBERTA AND B.C., FOR NEW WEST THEATRE. [I] ENDED UP LIKING IT SO MUCH THAT I STAYED IN VANCOUVER FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS. [I] CAME BACK FOR A TWO-WEEK VISIT ON MY WAY TO TORONTO TO GO INTO FILM AND TV. AS I WAS HERE FOR TWO WEEKS, THE ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR QUIT AND THEY SAID, 'PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE – ', AND SO I SAID, 'I’LL DO IT FOR A YEAR.' THAT IS NOW TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO. IT WAS JUST CIRCUMSTANCES.” “WE [HAD] REPLACED THE SEATS IN THE YATES AND REPAINTED THE WHOLE THING. IT WAS PROBABLY ONE OF THE MISTAKES THAT WAS MADE, IN MY OPINION, WAS THAT BLUE COLOUR WE PUT ON THE WALLS. THEY CHANGED [THE PAINT COLOUR] TO THIS LIGHT BLUE THAT CAUSED THE LIGHTING DESIGNS TO BE SUCH A CHALLENGE.” “WE DID EVERYTHING. WE RAN THE LIGHTS, HUNG THE LIGHTS, FOCUSED THE LIGHTS. THEY MADE ME SEW COSTUMES. I REMEMBER MAKING A POODLE SKIRT FOR A SHOW IN 1986. I’VE LEARNED HOW TO MAKE A POODLE SKIRT. IT WAS TERRIBLE, BUT I LEARNED HOW TO MAKE IT. IN MY DEGREE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LETHBRIDGE, YOU HAVE TO GET SO MANY, WHAT THEY CALL ‘BACKSTAGE CREDITS’, IN RUNNING BACKSTAGE SHOWS, HANGING THE LIGHTS, DOING WARDROBE. THEY WAIVED THAT REQUIREMENT FOR ME BECAUSE, GROWING UP IN NEW WEST AND DOING EVERYTHING IN NEW WEST, THEY KNEW WE DID EVERYTHING. WE BUILT THE SETS, PAINTED THE SETS, HUNG THE LIGHTS, DID EVERYTHING. I WAS VERY FORTUNATE.” FOR MORE INFORMATION INCLUDING THE FULL INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTIONS, PLEASE SEE THE PERMANENT FILE P20170029001-GA.

Catalogue Number

P20170029001

Acquisition Date

2017-08

Collection

Museum

Less detail