John Ralston (baritone)

John Morgan Ralston (ca.1882 – 17 April 1933) was an Australian baritone (or perhaps bass-baritone) singer noted for his work in musical comedies and Gilbert and Sullivan operas.

Biography

Ralston was born in Brisbane, Queensland, the second son of J Ralston.

He began singing as a boy soprano at St. Mary's (Anglican) Church, Kangaroo Point, Brisbane in 1894[1]

He began acting with Pollard’s Lilliputian Opera Company,[2] led by Tom "Pollard" Sullivan, which toured Australasia and the East with considerable success, until its disbandment in 1905 in Perth after a tour of South Africa (during which he married the company's danseuse). It was while engaged with this company that he came to the attention of J. C. Williamson, with whose Light Opera Company he remained the rest of his life; in operettas and particularly in Gilbert and Sullivan. But his most memorable part came in 1924 when he played Franz Schubert in the Sydney premiere of Lilac Time and made it his own as far as Australia was concerned.[3]

Though only 51 years old and having a magnificent physique,[4] John suffered from poor health and was forced to stand down due to heart problems during tours of North Queensland[5] and New Zealand. He travelled with the company to Perth and played, to great effect, The Grand Inquisitor in The Gondoliers,[6] The Sergeant in Trial By Jury and Poo Bah in The Mikado[7] and was scheduled for the company's production of Lilac Time, but was unable to take his place on stage. He died in a Perth private hospital and was buried in that city.

Family

He married an actress, Rose "Rosie" Evesson (1884– ), youngest daughter of Charles Evesson of Woollahra, New South Wales in Durban, South Africa on 22 October 1903.[8] They had three daughters, the first two were both actresses:

  • Edna worked as an actress in the US, returned around 1930. She later advertised as a ladies' hairdresser.[9] It is possible she married a violinist of the Melba company[10] but it is known that after her father's death, she and her mother lived together.
  • (Marie) Mascotte (19 September 1906 – 23 November 1988) was an actress and swimmer[11] who made third place in the Miss Australia Contest in 1926.[12] She married drummer and bandleader Philip "Phil" Harris (1904–1995) of Nashville in 1927. They divorced in 1940.[13] She appeared in movies as "Marcia Ralston".[14] Harris later married Alice Faye.
  • Pauline Jeanette married Norman Robert Barlow on 9 May 1936.

Their home was 26 Canterbury Road, St Kilda, Victoria. Mrs. Ralston later lived with daughter Edna at "Surrey Court", 137 Ormond Road, Elwood, Victoria.

Selected parts

Gilbert and Sullivan

Australian compositions

References

  1. ↑ "Church News". The Brisbane Courier. National Library of Australia. 6 May 1933. p. 5. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
  2. ↑ "Late John Ralston". The Mercury. Hobart, Tas.: National Library of Australia. 24 April 1933. p. 5. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
  3. ↑ "John Ralston Dies in Perth". The Chronicle. Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 20 April 1933. p. 43. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
  4. ↑ "The Late John Ralston". The Sunday Times. Perth: National Library of Australia. 23 April 1933. p. 7 Section: First Section. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
  5. ↑ "Personal". Townsville Daily Bulletin. Qld.: National Library of Australia. 20 April 1933. p. 4. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
  6. ↑ "The Gondoliers". The Daily News. Perth: National Library of Australia. 6 March 1933. p. 7 Edition: HOME EDITION. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
  7. ↑ "Fun, Fancy and Fans". The Daily News. Perth: National Library of Australia. 20 March 1933. p. 3 Edition: Home. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
  8. ↑ "Family Notices". The Sydney Morning Herald. National Library of Australia. 12 July 1904. p. 6. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
  9. ↑ "Advertising". The Argus. Melbourne: National Library of Australia. 23 February 1949. p. 19. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
  10. ↑ "Personal". Townsville Daily Bulletin. Qld.: National Library of Australia. 20 April 1933. p. 4. Retrieved 30 June 2013. Confirmation of this has proved elusive and is likely to be false.
  11. ↑ "Theatrical Swimmer". The Mail. Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 30 August 1924. p. 10. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
  12. ↑ "Miss Australia". The Register. Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 2 July 1926. p. 3. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
  13. ↑ "Divorce For Australian Actress". The Courier-Mail. Brisbane: National Library of Australia. 19 September 1940. p. 5. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
  14. ↑ "Miss Edna Ralston". The Argus. Melbourne: National Library of Australia. 27 May 1933. p. 11. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
  15. ↑ Heroes of the Dardanelles National Library of Australia collection
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