The recent postings of photos of Ollie and dogs is a superb
collection that should interest any fan of Olive Thomas.

One minor criticism is the posting of Don the Inebriate Dog with
Ollie from the Frolic of 1915. It was from 1916 and the circumstances
might prove interesting.

The Frolic was really a continuous show that changed over time. It
really wasn't the same show week after week but there were times the
Frolic was completely revamped. Remember, one of the goals of the
Frolic was to develop new talent for Ziegfeld's other shows. From the
beginning, Olive Thomas was a sensation and a huge draw.

By the summer of 1916 and after the end of her public relationship
with Flo Ziegfeld, Ollie made it known that she was bored with the
roles she had. (Gene Buck promised that all she had to do was stand
there!) Ollie admitted this in an 1919 interview with Florence
Lawrence that she developed an "overblown case of higher ambition".
This is when Ollie became part of the opening scene singing in a duet
in a gypsy costume. The act following her was Don the Inebriate Dog.
Ollie had two other parts in the Frolic at this time, the most
important being the Midnight Frolic Girl raised over other girls
representing various countries and praised as the epitome of all
forms of beauty. It was the closing scene of the show.

The Frolic started at midnight and ended close to three in the
morning. During this period, Ollie was also appearing in promotional
films produced by Ziegfeld and distributed by William Randolph
Hearst. This may explain why Ollie is listed as being offered a
better part in the Follies of 1917 before leaving for Hollywood. The
difficulty in this is that Ollie had to be at a studio on 27th street
at 8 am to do this. At the University of Texas' Ransom Research
Center, there is a similar candid shot of Ollie sleeping in a chair
with Don the dog in a similar position. Unfortunately, Ollie is
falling out of her costume and her right breast is exposed. The poor
girl was just plain tired.

Is it any wonder that Charles Higham in his biography of Ziegfeld
suggesed that drugs use was not uncommon among the girls and would
haunt Ollie to this day? At the every least, this should suggest that
Ollie worked very hard for Ziegfeld despite being his paramour and
moments when she threw tantrums about rehersals. It should also
suggest that Triangle was less work. Still Ollie's parts were
important. When Marjorie Cassidy, Ollie's traveling partner to
California, failed to be offered a contract, she returned to the
Frolic... as the newest Miss Midnight Frolic in a show where everyone
came to see Don the Inebriate Dog.

Your Partner in Limburger