By Mary E. Mortimer
Roscoe Cleveland Ails was born January 30, 1890, in Vanceburg, Kentucky to Walker and Cynthia Ails. The Ails family lived in the Kentucky mountains and his father dealt in cattle and horses. As a child, Roscoe enjoyed the neighbors getting together for dances. His first time out of the mountains was on his nineth birthday when his father took him to a small Kentucky town for a business transaction. From that day on, he was obsessed with leaving the mountains and becoming a performer.
Ails’ first noted performance was in Portsmouth at the Grand Opera House. From Portsmouth he went to New York, where he succeeded in getting into vaudeville. One night while he was at the Bal Tabarin he was asked to entertain the audience. The next day offers came from Jones & Green, the Palace Theatre, and the Palais Royal. He accepted the Palais Royal job offer and in two weeks, he had played a total of 78 shows.
The famed “Broadway Dancing Comedian” became a nationally recognized actor and a popular performer on the Orpheum and Keith vaudeville circuits. He appeared on Broadway in the hit shows “New Moon”, “Rio Rita” and “No, No, Nanette”, and he performed throughout the United States. Ails had roles in “See, See, Senorita”, “The Policy Girl”, and “Darling Enemy”.
In 1925, Ails bought Crystal Beach Island at Indian Lake and made it his summer home. He built an outdoor training area to keep in good physical shape for his dancing and acting performances. It was also reported that “Every imaginable sort of bathing beach equipment will have been installed on the island before next year. Many further improvements will be made on the island next summer. Crystal Beach is naturally endowed to be a superior bathing beach. The whole island is sand, and, strange as it may seem, seventy-two trees form a refreshingly cool shade over the spot.”
Two years later, Ails purchased the lease on Cottonwood Island, owned by the State of Ohio, cleared it of underbrush and renamed it Artists Isle. There he built a bridge to the island and erected ten log bungalows for his theatrical friends to stay in when they visited Indian Lake. Ails stated “the players who will be drawn to the island will spend their time amusing the public. A large platform will be erected for the purpose of giving the public every sort of entertainment from a song and dance to a six-act vaudeville.”
Numerous beauty pageants, including “Miss Ohio”, were held at Indian Lake during the 1920s and 1930s. Roscoe Ails sponsored the “Miss Artist Isle” pageant for a few years starting in 1928. The first year, 16-year-old Dorothy McWilliams won the “Miss Artist Isle” title and competed at the “Miss Ohio” pageant at Cedar point. McWilliams was the winner of the Miss Indian Lake contest in 1927. Ails also entertained many of the contestants at Crystal Beach Island.
Ails advertised “Log bungalows for rent at Artist Isle – $35 per week. All fully equipped for eight people and have lavatories, shower baths and a rowboat. Free privileges to Crystal Beach.”
In 1928 Roscoe Ails bought the lease on Willow Island from Lewis Hall, Sheriff at Troy. The island was owned by the State of Ohio. He planned to build rental cabins similar to the ones he had constructed on Artist Isle right away.
Ails married his dancing partner Shirly Dahlman, known on stage as Shirly Dahl, in June 1930. They spent their honeymoon on Artist Isles.
In July 1931, Warner Brothers Theatres, The Indiana, The Ohio and The Circle, held a contest where the winner received a two week stay at Artist Isles. Ails appeared in Warner Bros. pictures “Murder in Your Eyes” and “In the Corner”.
Roscoe Ails served as the Master of Ceremonies at the Old Vienna Garden at Russells Point for seven years. During those years, they had a chorus of ten girls, six novelty acts, singers and an eight-piece band, and the acts changed on a weekly basis.
Ails moved to Texas around 1949 where he performed in Dallas and Houston. Later he moved to St. Louis where he performed at the Club Burley. Roscoe Ails passed away in August 1986 in St. Louis, Missouri.
Visit the Logan County History Center at 521 E. Columbus Ave., Bellefontaine, Ohio 43311, to learn more interesting aspects of Logan County History.
The History Center is open for tours Wednesday – Sunday from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm.
