The New York Clipper (December 1919)

December 3rpr9WT w.«smra.*w»*.wMr.y» T -i3— Founded in 1853 by Frank Queen Poblished by the CLIPPER CORPORATION Orland W. Vaughan....President and Secretary . Frederick;.C Muller«-rw a. /.J.........Treasurer 1«H Broadway, New York . Telephone. Bryant 6117.6118 WALTER VAUGHAN. EDITOR Paul C Swinehart, Managing Editor New York, December 31, 1919. Entered June 24, WW, at the Post Office at New York, N. Y., as second class matter, un- der the act of March 3, 1879. THE CLIPPER !• issued «»ery WEDNESDAY. Forms Close on Monday at 5 P. M. SUBSCRIPTION One year. In advance. $5: six months. J2J0: three months. $1.25. Canada, and foreign pott- age extra. Single copies will be sent, postpaid, on receipt of IS cents. ADVERTISING RATES FURNISHED ON APP LICAT ION Chicago Office—Room 841, State Lake Bldf. Uaixy F. Rose, Manages. San Francisco Office—830 Market St. R. Cohen, Manages. , Address All Communications to THE NEW YORK CUPPER 1M Broadway, Now York RttuUrtd Cable Ad&rtss: "Atrraoam." The Clipfee can SB osiaihed wbousui «»d ebtail, BE our agents. Gorringe American News Agency. 17 Green Street, Charing Cross Road. London. W-. C, England; Brentano* News De- pot. 37 Avenue deTOpera. Paris, France; Gor- don & Gotch, 123 Pitt Street, Sydney. N. S. W.. Australia. Warns American Parformors Editor N. Y. Clipper: Dear Sir: American performers, coming to England,, take a tip from me. English performers will not welcome you with open arms, and, to tell the truth, they 'hate Americans. It is too bad that all the - flat head actors and red nose comedians couldn't come to America and see the way they are treated by American performers and managers. English contracts are as good as gold, but read them over and be careful before yon sign same: In fact, it would he well .to take them to your attorney and let him read them over. We will take the .case of Leon Enrol, who was counted as a good performer in America, and Midgie Miller, an American feature, who were signed by Albert De Courville to, appear in "Joy Bella," at the London Hippodrome, where George Robey, one of England's best red-nose comedians, was the star. Did Miss Miller and Errol work? Miss Miller did not and I timed Errol and he did exactly seven minutes in the same "Photo Gallery" bit that he did with Raymond Hitchcock in "Hitchey Koo," Oh, but what a difference." I don't see the names of these two -Yankee performers mentioned in the reviews of "The Joy .Bells." The English theatrical papers tried to lead the British public tb believe that Al Jolson committed a crime at the Palace Theatre, New York, on the appearance of Wilke Bard As for the Burlesque question, they have as. many burlesque shows over here as in Che States, only they call them "Revues." Some are on a par with the Columbia Amusement Company shows. But that goes as far as the word "some" is concerned- But no American managers could break into this end of the game. CHARLES TAYLOR. Advertising Brings By FRANK PARRISH Advertising is telling who you are, where you are and what you have to offer to the world. If nobody knows who you are, or what you have to offer, you do no business, and the world is the loser through giving, you absent treatment. . . • Advertising is the proper education as to where the thing can be found and, therefore, it is a necessity. We all know that necessity is the mother of invention. Necessity is ballast. We are part and parcel of one another but a little of the kindly glue of the human brotherhood put on through the medium of printers' ink, is needed in order to fasten us together. This is a vital question. The difficult art of advertising is an art seldom understood by actors, actresses and other professionals, and, in many cases, by big men in the commercial and financial world. Adver- tising, like all art, is a matter of much technical skill, plus creative ability. And yet it is an Art that each Artist must follow when going into public life. Only by advertising can buying power be stimulated, and to adver- tise well is to demonstrate the fact that you have the goods. Some ex- pense may keep a man down, but he who indulges in it for advertising is pretty sure to keep up, for advertising is a sheltering tree. Actors and actresses who realize the value of publicity know it is the very life blood of their existence, and the more power an act has, the more it needs advertising as a matter of self-preservation. Now, to be of real value to the reader, we will reveal the secrets on "judicious, constructive advertising" that we have carried out. None of us, in life, receives anything that is worth having save through work- ing for it. Effort is the price of success. Wisdom is knowing and doing. Success in life depends upon nobility of purpose and persistence of effort. Few of us need to know more, but most of us need to do more, and through the greater doing, there will come the. greater knowing. After building a meritorious act through study, practice and financial investment, we have spent a lot of time and money in finding out how to create a demand for ourselves in the show business. We are not con- fined to ourselves alone, our agent or a few managers, among hundreds. We did not expect our agent to do all the selling; we helped him along by advertising. When an agent is submitting a list of acts, the adver- tised one will be chosen nine times out of ten. Advertising will make your act salable at all times. You will not t have any time for layoffs and the time filled will more than pay for your advertising. When you get a big time route, let them know about it through advertising. The buyers are busy people and they have no time to watch where each act is booked. It is up to you, through advertising, to let them know you are prospering and it also creates new outside buyers who will be ready to buy you when your big time, bookings ex- pire. Then you will cash in on your big time success as a result of your advertising efforts. Success is a matter of general average and there are times when they all have to find outside buyers if they are tb progress. Moral: Watch yourself go by. Without advertising comes decay. This is not only true of the. grocer or dry goods merchant, but equally true of the actor and actress. 4 YOU a SMILE.- , F. P. A., the Tribune column writer, is writing considerably about John 2hey. How about, Ethel CIS ton, 9a Payne and CliflO Craw4d? -*" CHALLENGES CHECKER PLAYERS Editor N. Y. Clipper: Dear Sir:—Looking over the columns of your paper, I noticed a tournament of checker players is being held in the rooms of the N. V. A. I herewith challenge that body, indi- vidually' or collectively, to play me a series of ten games, the loser to forfeit the sum of S3 00 and the proceeds to be donated to the benefit of the X. V. A. checker club. O.LOPEZ. December 15, 1018. Address N. Y. Clipper. SAYS POOR SHOWS START RAZZING Editor New York Clipper: Dear Sir:—In asking you to be good enough to give me a little space, for what I should like to say on the recrudesence of "razzing" in some New York vaudeville houses, I know it is possible that you may not be in full accord with my sentiments. But I feel pretty sure that a good many of your readers will agree with them, and I think the time is ripe for their presenta- tion. I will observe, first of all, that most of these outbreaks have occurred in theatres whose patrons are resident New Yorkers and not the ephemeral visitors of the Times square district. I deplore this form of rowdyism as much as anyone; but, in condemning it, I cannot also lose sight of the fact th»'.; something must be wrong somewhere tor it to exist at all. And the rougher element are not wholly to blame. I am aware that it is generally they who give vocal vent to their disapproval, but it is also an undeniable fact that there is a far greater portion of an audience whose only reason for not similarly rebuking the fare offered is the fact that they are ladies and gentlemen. They merely content themselves by saying: "How do they get away with it," or "This is the last time I visit a vaudeville.house." MORE AND MORE EACH DAY. There was a little girl, her name was Kate. She came down stairs in her nightie, They put her up upon the stage, ' And called the show "Aphrodite." BROADWAY SHOWS—RENAMED. "Aphro's Nightie." "Linger As Long As the House Sells Out, Letty." "The Royalty Vagabond." OUR OWN REVUE. (Entrance of chorus girls.) We are the girls of the chorus. Kind people have sympathy for us. They think we're abused And often misused. By managers cruel who adore us. But we would not trade with.the gay prima donna For we know we have a million things on her. Why, we ride around in a limousine swell While she has to take the subway or "L" UP AND DOWN MAIN STREET. ' Felix Adler sang grand opera at the Opera House the other night. He is still in good health. John Pollock has accepted a position as Martin Beck's chief expressman. Jeanette Kahn spent last Sunday in house-hunting. As soon as she finds a cozy homo for two, Henry Chesterfield will be looking for a new secretary. NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS: "Resolved," said the vaudeville actor, . "that I Will never kick because my salary is too ; high. You'll never hear complaint on any score If I should stop the show; resolved, III not be sore. And, if when New Year rolls around again," My salary should increase some five per cent or ten, Resolved that I will never raise a kick, But to iny resolutions I will stick. 1 * The managers, therefore, do not become conscious of the real amount of displeasure that does exist, and the offending turn continues on its way unrebuked by those who possess the power to command real attention. ''' " And yet these insipid turns can always gain applause. No matter how weak the act, someone is bound to applaud, and friends, professional applauders and the very-eaaily-pleasecl are able to make them- selves heard out of all proportion to their importance and ability to judge the merit of an act. There are too many acts around today whose only assets are a big amount of what is commonly known as nerve, to- gether with a flashy, expensive wardrobe. A real performer could entertain in a bath-robe, and superb self-assurance which, really, ia an utter inability to see one's self as others can, and numerous changes of costly clothes cannot compen- sate for total lack of talent as an enter- tainer. Flinging around of legs, arms and other movable parts of the anatomy does not mean, presenting u dance. I am, sir, yours with sincer ity and re- spect. ARTHUR NEALEL 158 West 65th St., Dec. 25, 1919. A BROADWAY EPISODE. I remember- ONE NIGH T IN ROME when I went out in THE STORM with LIGHTNIN' flashing and, before long, we met MY LADY FRIENDS. Among them were APHRODITE. IRENE and an UN- KNOWN WOMAN, who talked of NOTH- ING BUT LOVE for a certain CLAR- ENCE, a ROY AL VA GABOND. Finally, we aU said NIGHTIE NIGHT and CLAR- ENCE .took THE GIRL IN A LIMOU- SINE, while she made ROLY BODY EYES at him, which made h im t hink of FOR- BIDDEN subjects and WEDDING B ELLS. So he told the driver to look for THE SIGN ON THE DOOR of HIS HONOR, ABE POTASH, and was about to have the ceremony performed when she said it was all a JEST and that she already had TOO MANY HUSBANDS. Twenty-five Yean Ago Isabel Irving appeared in "The Ama- zons'' with the Lyceum Stock Company. "The Silver King" was played at Moroseo's Grand Opera House, San Fran- cisco. A. M. Palmer secured the rights to dramatize "Trilby." Adolph Phillip arranged with Klaw and Erlanger for their joint management of the Luiputians. New plays: "A Cork Man" with Her- bert Cawthorn, Eric Pollock, Susie For- rester and Leola Belle; "The Littlest Girl" with Bob Billiard, Little Dorothy, Theo- dore Babcock.