The Angel of Broadway

She was a Salvationist…
Daughter of Captain Andrew Crawford and Adjutant Bella lCark Crawford, Rheba grew up in The Salvation Army. As a toddler she sat on the curb by the drum at outdoor meetings, and wore blue and a bonnet like the rest! At age ten, children at school taunted her for being an “old Salvation Army kid.” Her father told her that a good soldier must endure taunts and insults.

She was given a challenge…
The Army had not been successful in establishing a permanent foothold on Broadway. “New York Number Three” (Broadway Corps) had been opened and abandoned twice. Crawford was asked to re-open it.

“Was I thrilled? No understudy, with her first big chance to play a star’s role, ever had a grander or more glorious feeling. I prayed a little, cried a little – and made up my mind to do or die.”

She was not giving up…
On her “first night,” Crawford took her stand near the Astor Hotel just as the pre-theatre crowd was at its thickest. She mounted a soapbox and tried to speak. Everyone looked. Few stopped. Voices shouted out: “Hey, blondie, gotta date?” Someone else “booed,” and another shouted “Wassa matter, kid? Can’t you answer? Watcha got on?”

“I gave up. I quit like a quitter. I turned and fled. Back in my room I cried till I could cry no more. And then I got up off my knees and looked at the picture of my father and I promised him I would be a good soldier.”

“I went back to Broadway the next night. I spoke to the finish. I went back again – and again. Broadway was ‘getting’ me. And I was ‘getting’ Broadway. ‘New York Number Three’ was back to stay.”

She was famous…
Rheba Crawford became famous overnight. She attracted as many as 5000 people when she spoke in Times Square. Numbered among her close friends were the Barrymores, the Shuberts, George M. Cohan, Olga Petroya and other stars.

She was named…
Described as having Irish-blue eyes and red-golden hair, picturesque names seemed to fit her: “The Angel of Broadway” – “The Prettiest Girl in The Salvation Army” – “The Sunshine Girl” – The “Vamp of The Salvation Army.”

She was loved…
Famous actors, street loungers, thugs, bankers, theatrical managers came from all walks of life to listen to the words of Rheba Crawford. After the meetings, they wanted to talk to her – not about her message, but about herself. They offered her large sums of money to appear in the movies and on the stage. They also asked her to dine with them. “I get a sheaf of letters every day, most of them are from men. I get more invitations to dinner in a week than I could accept in a year. But I accept nothing.”

She was criticized…
Some said she was too spectacular, and that her beauty made her too conspicuous on Broadway. Others said her crowds blocked the traffic.

She was innovative…
“To stay on Broadway, you must be a good showman. You must have tact, sympathy, and the ability to sense the feelings of your audience. You must know the psychology of the crowd. You must give them your best, and let them know you are giving it. Broadway loves its jazz, so I jazz up the hymns a little. I keep constantly in motion. Eva Tanguay doesn’t use more pep in a performance than I do.”

She was arrested…
The police broke up Crawford’s Sunday night rally at Long-acre Square and arrested her for preaching Jesus Christ. The charge of “blocking traffic” was dismissed in court the next day.

She was passionate…
“If I have made any impression on Broadway, Broadway has also left its stamp on me. It has helped me, as I like to think I have helped it. Where I have given, it has returned the gift. Its people, I am glad to think, are my people, and my God, I pray, will some day be its God. I am going on to try to make it so.”