Variety (Dec 1905)

VARIETY. MAUDE FEALEY IN VAUDEVILLE. Maude Fealey, the former leading lady with the lit** Sir Henry Irving, looked upon the vaudeville cup when it shown brightly, and the inevitable result fol- lowed. Miss Fealey may possibly present a sketch in Boston tomorrow (Sunday) night as a "trial." On the stage at a very early age, Maude Fealey steadily worked onward and upward until the distinction of hav- ing been the main support of the la- mented knight belonged to her, almost alone of all American actresses. But the tempter appeared in the per- son of Roberl Grau. In grand, quite elegant language, with a word picture of a flowing mint in present day vaudeville, Miss Fealey was sufficiently interested to be tempted. Urged on by Robert, temptation led to desire, and desire to the actuality. Over one hundred short plays were read by the lady before a decision was readied. The one jelected requires the jerid of two persons besides the principal, but Miss Fealey has still another in re- serve which will allow full scope for her emotional abilities. i Whether Robert Grau will continue as booking agent or no is undecided at present. Miss Fealey has been quietly Investigating some of Mr. Grau's re- marks and finds a decided difference of opinion between managers and agents over the monetary consideration a 4 star" is entitled to. A CARNEGIE. Here's where another of the Carnegie name projects herself into the spot light circle. B. A. Myers is authority for the information that Loraine Carnegie, who is soon to make her debut as a soprano singer, is a bona fide, first water, name Mown into the bottle niece of the Laird of Skibo. She is a member of the Phipps family, of Pittsburg, and is said to have secured their consent to her going on the stage. Also, If all that's heard be true, the good Ironmaster has likewise smiled his acquiescence. Miss Carnegie's .theatrical assets con- sist of a soprano voice, for which her sponsors make high claims, and her fam- ily connections. The latter item is by far the more valuable. By virtue of its charm Miss Carnegie is to be permitted to do a dignified turn resembling that of Mabel McKinley. Arrangements for Miss Carnegie's stage debut were completed only a day or two ago. and the date of the event is not yet fixed. LITIGATION OVER THE WESTERN ESTATE. Lillie Western, one of the best musi- cal artists ever in vaudeville, left an estate of some $40,000 to $50,000 at her death recently. With this as a bone of contention, there have been nasty po- lice court troubles between her foster- mother and the people with whom she has been living the past fifteen years. GRACE LEONARD WEDS COAL MER- CHANT. Lawrence, Mass., DeL\ 28, To the theatrical world, perhaps, the marriage of Miss Grace Leonard to Guy Carpenter, a Toledo, O., coal merchant, will be most interesting. Miss Leonard, who has appeared in male impersona- tions for the last eight years with a large measure of success, was a feature of the bill at the Colonial Theatre, Law- rence, Mass., of the week of De.ember 17. Saturday, December 23, previous to the afternoon performance, she became a bride. Rev. Dr. William E. Gibbs, of the Lawrence Universalist Church, tied the knot at his home. Tom Moore, singer of coon songs, and Miss Helena Castano, whirlwind dancer, were respectively best man and bridesmaid. Following the per- formance a reception was tendered the newly married couple on the stage at the Colonial by Mrs. Barr, of Ban* and Evans, comedy sketch artists. With the exception of the bridegroom and the minister all those connected with the affair were theatrical folk. Mrs. Carpenter appears at Portland, Maine, this week and at Fall River, Mass., the week of January 1, 1906, after whieh she will accompany her husband West to settle down in a comfortably furnished heme. HODGSON TO LEAVE ORRIN BROS. CITY OF MEXICO, Dec. 29.—It is un- derstood here that Fred A. Hodgson will sever his connection with the Orrin Brothers' Circus as general manager on February 1, next. KATIE BARRY'S NEW SKETCH. Katie Barry, the funny little English- woman, who left "Fantana" for vaude- ville, and has been appearing alone in it since, has a new sketch in view requir- ing the services of three people. They will be engaged and the new act shortly seen. ABORN OUT OF VAUDEVILLE. Milton Aborn, the former booking agent, announces that he has abandoned the placing of variety acts, and will de- vote all time and attention hereafter to the properties of Aborn Brothers—Mil- ton and Sargent. James H. Jee, a foreign leaper, will open at the Colonial January 22. One agent remarked upon hearing: "Gee, I hope he is used to jumping weeks." CE BIERE MAKES ACKNOWLEDG- MENT. Horace Goldin has spread broadcast the advertisement that "a certain party" has purloined his new trunk trick, with- out permission or credit. De Biere, the illusionist, who is now appearing over here, admits that he is the "party" and inquires "why not?" "It costs money to have something new thought out, and I haven't any too much. I took the trunk trick from Goldin.'and he can call me what he likes. I would do the same thing again." THE EX-HEflDLINER Did you help to make things pleasant for the actors' children Sunday night at Pastor's? If not you missed sevecal^in- teresting things. It is the one time in the year when these youthful mummers forget to pose, and behave like flesh and blood children. But to those who have watched this Christmas work for stage children out- grow its swaddling clothes and become a fixture of the holiday season, the real feature of last Sunday evening was Mrs E. L. Fernandez. To see that portly in- dividual corral all the newspaper men and swing out her little sign 'Hands Off' was diverting, to say the least. The papers next day told the tale all too eloquently. They said "Mrs. Fernandez this" and "Mrs. Fernandez that," espe- cially dealing with her efforts to estab- lish the work and to nurse it through its aenemic infancy. With the real founder of the good work so recently gone to her long and well-earned rest, any co-worker of ftnei sensibilities and feelings than Mrs. Fer- nandez would have paid tribute to her memory in talking with the reporters, but there is a certain class of women who in their anxiety for self aggrandize ment will not give credit to either the living or the dead. A lot of us looked at each other and .smiled sadly as we listened to her vaporings. We remem- bered how Aunt Louisa's personal mag- netism and convincing womanliness had won the first big subscriptions for the work from men outside the profession. In memory we could walk into her Third avenue sitting room and watch willing helpers in the days when there were no funds to pay clerk hire. And above all, we could see Aunt Louisa's face at the festivals themselves and feel the grip of her friendly hand. lire. Fernandez oozes Christinas charity and good feel- ing with all the alacrity that a turnip yields up blood. .*unt Louisa was the Christmas spirit personified. And yet with the funeral flowers hardiy faded the festival so dear to her heart, the work dropped only when the flesh was weak, only those of us for whom her memory will never die. thought of her that night—and we were not permitted to reach the reporters. Talking of Christmas, 1 saw one of Maud Allison's gifts, which,'while not the showiest present she received, will certainly make her glad 3G5 days in the year. Girls, do you recall the button box that you always forget to tie up when you pack your hotel trunk and how long it takes you to play "Button, Button. Where in Time is that llutton?" Do you remember how often, oh how often, you have gouged your fingers on nee lies that had slipped out. of a he haggled house- wife? And the spools that roll under the hotel bureau along with the dust of ages? Well, Maud Allison has them beaten to a stand still now. Santa Claus (thai wasn't the name on the card, how- ever) sent her a portable sewing screen that is simply great. It is in two sec- tions, covered all over with green denim or canvas, and when it folds together it will just fit into the tray of your trunk. Wednesday I dropped into Proctor's Fifty-eighth Street house, with the in- tention of going back to see the Eight Shetlands. I wanted to know what t!r stage door Johnnies of Vaudeville were .like. Since we have Truly Shattuck and her girls, the Shetlands. the Ponies and other sextette? or octettes cf chorus girls in variety, I felt sure we must have vaudeville Johnnies. But after the Shet- lands came on I told kind Mr. Mindll of the Proctor press department gently but firmly that I did net care to go back. One glace at their make-up convinced me that Johnnies around the Fifty-eighth street stage door would be scarce as ben's teeth en a farm. Your Broadway chorus girl spends hours making up, and the wardrobe mistress sees that she has every needful accessory for her costume SheHmds. sit up and take notice! You need dickies with those coaching coats in your first entrance. Your little throats may be very pretty and plump, but they look hollow behind the big lapels of those lavender coats, topped by silk hats. You look as if you hadn't taken time to dress. Lace jabot-stocks or even plain white linen dickies would make you look as if you had come into vaudeville to make a hit. You need not think that just anything will do for vaudeville. We had girls who could give you pointers on dancing long before you organized for business. Do less "guying" and "gag- ging" and spend more time on your make-up. Can it be possible that Lillian Burk- hart is working her way toward New York on rubber shoes? Every once in a while you see an announcement of her appearance in the West or Mid-West (she's in New Orleans now), but we get nothing frcm the fair Lillian's best press agent, her"own facile pen. Considerable speculation, complimentary and other- wise, has been roused by Miss Burkhart's reippearance In vaudeville, but there is no mystery about it. When she became Mrs. Goldsmith, of Los Angeles, some three years ago, it was a part of the marriage contract that she should be per- mitted to make excursions into vaude- ville whenever she felt its call. Perhaps the task of counting the silver showered upon her as wedding gifts, and furnish- ing her lovely home in Los Angeles (Lil- lian would rather furnish than eat) has palled, and so she is playing her old bookings once around. The last time that Lillian came to New York it was on a sad errand, that of burying her father. Miss Burkhart never posed as an angel and was never painted thus, but she was a good daughter and her old father's faith in her was a bright and shining light in her often checkered career. One night when she was playing at Hurtig and Seamon's a young-chap- about Harlem found himself seated next to a bowed, gray haired man who nearly split his hands open applauding Lillian. When she bad recited the inevitable epilogue, bad bowed her last bow and the bays were (hanging the cards on the stage, the old man turned shining eyes en the voting blood. "She is great, yes?" The young chap nodded good humoredly and the old man leaned back, a beautiful expression on his face. "Yes? And she is a good (laughter— mine!" THE FX HEADLINED