Frank L. Blum Jr.

1928-2018

Frank was many years a familiar face around SLOC. Frank was the type of gentleman that never worried about having the leading role. Rather, he was a wonderful chorus/character actor. Like Ron Fragomeni and others, Frank’s work behind the scenes was just as important as his on stage credits.

The first time that I meet Frank, was in the production of, The Music Man(1983). Frank and I were both in the chorus–my first time at SLOC and Frank made me feel welcomed. The show was at Proctors and during the scene we had a real live horse carting in the band wagon with the instruments that Professor Hill had ordered for the kids. The “Think Method” was to be displayed.

At the end of Act 1 9scene 9) a horse pulled the Wells Fargo Wagon on stage. The wagon was full of the musical instruments (and band uniforms) that the kids would use to make music, using Prof. Harold Hill’s “Think Method.” The horse’s name was Candy’s Apple Dandy, and she was the nervous type/stage fright. The result was that Candy would do her “business” on the stage. While others looked on in shock, Frank was not the least perturbed. Frank would have a smile on his face, a chuckle emitting from his throat, and with his trusty snow shovel, he would just shovel up Candy’s emissions! This went on through production week and the run of the show. Frank gave new meaning to the phrase, “shoving s…!

SYNOPSIS

Occupation:  President of the Schenectady paper Box Company. Renamed: SPB Industries

Past president of the Society of Packaging AND handling Engineers

Advocations/Hobbies: Travelling, listening to Barbershop Singing, Model Rail Roading, visiting Disney World, and of course Musical Theatre

 

SLOC credits:

  • Stage crew: Guys and Dolls1963
  • Board Member: 1970-1971VP Company Operations: 1964

Chorus (Townspeople): Music Man1962

Waiter: Can-Can1965

Singing Ensemble: My Fair Lady1966

Roman Slave: Forum1970

Elevator Boy:  Mame1971

 

Frank, thank you for your service to SLOC.

 

Alan Angelo

Historian

July 19, 2018