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- Cosway's Corner -
Amrbose J. Small - big mystery
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- Ambrose J. Small's legacy: theatres and
a Cold Case
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- By John Cosway
Ambrose J. Small is no stranger to Canada's cold case files.
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- The self-made millionaire theatre impresario went missing
without a trace just over 90 years ago, a day after he sold seven
Ontario theatres and numerous other theatre holdings for $1.7
million.
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- We can safely say Small, who was 52 when he vanished in downtown
Toronto on Dec. 2, 1919, is dead. The when, where, why, how and
whodunit remain a mystery.
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- Small may be long gone, but some of the Ontario theatres
he built or bought during his meteoric rise as a theatre impresario
remain to entertain thousands annually with a mix of professional
and amateur live theatre, concerts and films.
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- The Ambrose Joseph Small story is a jumbled web of money,
show business, gambling, alleged swindling, womanizing and a
childless marriage in Rosedale, so rumours of the why in his
disappearance and apparent murder have been numerous.
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- A jealous wife? A disgruntled business associate? Mobsters?
Thieves off the street?
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- Dec. 2, 1919, was a sunny day. With a $1 million cheque from
Trans-Canada Theatres Ltd., deposited and $700,00 more due within
five years, Small reportedly had $100,000 in cash on him when
he lunched with his wife before meeting with his lawyer.
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- The lawyer, F. W. M. Flock, told police he last saw Small
at his office in the Grand Opera House theatre on Adelaide Street
West at 5:30 p.m. Same-day sightings of Small in Toronto and
London were dead-ends and a $50,000 reward was never claimed.
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- The mustachioed, blue-eyed man in the dark tweed suit, soft
felt hat and dark overcoat with a velvet collar, had simply vanished.
Just like Jimmy Hoffa.
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- Small wasn't a big man, in height or weight. Stood about
five-foot-six, weighed about 135 pounds. But he always had big
ideas when it came to entertaining the masses in lavish theatres
he built or bought.
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- Historians say the former newsboy worked in his father's
hotel-saloon in Toronto as a teenager before branching into live
theatre odds jobs and then into management.
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- A 1921 New York Times story said the self-made, childless
millionaire was worth about $12 million when he vanished.
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- There were all kinds of theories. One was he left everything
behind, including Theresa Kormann, his wife of 17 years, to start
a new life.
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- The "new life" theory gained support when Harvey
Blackstone, the famous magician, signed an affidavit saying:
"On April 8th, 1920, I saw Amby playing roulette in a gambling
casino in Juarez, Mexico."
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- Small, born Jan. 11, 1866, in Bradford, Upper Canada, was
legally declared dead in 1923. His body was never found.
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- Love him or loath him, Small's legacy 90 years later includes
a lasting link to live professional and amateur theatre in Ontario.
Plus a ghost or two.
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- Most of Small's theatres were grand, in style and name.
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 The Toronto Grand
Opera House on Adelaide Street West opened in 1874 and was the
pride of the city when destroyed by a fatal fire five years later
that killed a carpenter, his wife and five-year-old daughter.
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- The 1,750-seat theatre, owned by Alexander Manning, was rebuilt
and Small bought it in 1903, apparently adding a secret, smaller
office where he reportedly dallied with numerous mistresses.
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- Sold by Small in 1919, the Grand Opera House entertained
thousands each year until it was demolished in 1927. The 68-storey
Scotia Plaza stands there now, with a small nearby lane called
Grand Opera Lane telling the tale of the previous tenant.
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- Before demolition began, police asked wreckers to be on the
lookout for any evidence of Small's body. Nothing was found.
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- The 1,100-seat Grand Opera House on Richmond Street in London
was also searched thoroughly by police after it was suggested
Small's body was incinerated in the theatre's furnace. Nothing
was found, but ghostly incidents were reported for decades.
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- "Many believe that Mr. Small's ghost still keeps a benevolent
eye on his beloved theatre," says the London theatre's online
history notes.
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- The London theatre, an historic site, was built by Small
and Colonel C.J. Whitney of Detroit. It opened Sept. 9, 1901.
Small was actively involved in the operation of the
theatre until the day it was sold to Trans-Canada Theatres.
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- Famous Players purchased it in 1925 and movies were screened
there until 1933, when it was sold to London Little Theatre.
In 1977, it underwent a $5 million facelift, reopened in 1978
and now enters a new decade as the 839-seat Grand Theatre, with
a hectic professional regional theatre schedule.
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- Before and after the movie years, the theatre saw the likes
of W.C. Fields, Sidney Poitier, Jessica Tandy, Leonard Nimoy
and Donald O'Connor perform on stage.
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 Another one of Small's
former theatres is the 776-seat Grand Theatre in Kingston, built
in 1879 and since pampered with four major facelifts. The most
recent extreme makeover was a three-year renovation completed
in 2008.
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- The theatre has a fascinating history. It began in 1879 at
Martin's Opera House, built by local businessman William C. Martin.
It thrived for just under 20 years, with operas, band concerts,
minstrel shows and celebrities like Oscar Wilde.
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- Then, on Dec. 6, 1898, it burned to the ground.
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- That would have been the end of the story if not for Small
and E.J. Barker Pense. They rebuilt the theatre and it opened
Jan. 15,1902. Renamed the Grand Opera House, the show went on
with Al Jolson, Harry Houdini, Sarah Bernhardt and other stars
gracing the stage.
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- The Grand became a movie theatre in 1938 when purchased by
Famous Players. Movies were screened until 1961. When a new owner
planned to demolish the theatre, a citizen's group successfully
campaigned to have the city buy the building.
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- Peterborough also has ties to the Ambrose J. Small mystery
- the 1,500-seat Grand Opera House on George Street, launched
Nov. 12, 1876. Small bought it in March of 1919, just nine months
before he sold his holdings and vanished. It was demolished in
1939.
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- Small's surviving theatres and a handful of other historic
theatres in the province speak volumes about the dedication of
supporters. They know once a theatre is gone, it is gone.
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- The 91-year-old Regent in Picton, the 80-year-old Capitol
in Port Hope, the Grands in London and Kingston and others remain
vibrant thanks to energetic community groups and volunteers intent
on preserving a way of life that dates back to the late 1800s.
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- The landmark 350-seat Regent on Main Street in Picton, for
example, has been run by the non-profit Regent Theatre Foundation
since 1994. The Edwardian theatre has been designated an historical
building.
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- The same can be said for Port Hope and its Capitol Theatre,
opened on Aug. 15, 1930. as an "atmospheric" movie
theatre specifically designed for the new "talkies."
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- The Capitol thrives today with a mix of live theatre, concerts
and movies.
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- Meanwhile, Small's fate aside, he remains a big draw for
authors, moviemakers, theatregoers, radio drama producers and
cold case mystery buffs.
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- Not too shabby for a gambling man who cheated on his wife,
reportedly swindled business associates and couldn't self-produce
a theatre production worthy of an audience.
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