Variety (Jan 1906)

VARIETY. ^tm I * --^Ai Shows M W66in-^ iii^ wanted: protection. The inventor who patents his idea finds protection for the product of his brains under the patent laws, and if he so desires, he may protect his invention in European countries for a comparative- ly small outlay. It is one of the absurdities of our legislation that the man who invents a new combination of wheels is fully pro- tected while he who combines words only is afforded but nominal guara;)tee that he will not suffer from theft. If there should be enacted a copy- right law that should give to the orig- inator a guarantee that others will not be permitted to freely help themselves to products of his brain, there would be a marked increase in the value of variety acts. As .the matter now stands a man who gets out a new act does so in the posi- tive knowledge that it will be a matter of weeks only before others will steal his Jokes and business and make offer- ing of his wares in places of importance before he is able to do so himself, with the result that when the originator does come along with his new act, he is branded as a thief by audiences already wearied of inferior reproduction of hl» jokes, songs or tricks. Could he be offered positive assurance that he would at least be permitted to enjoy the fruits of his labor for even a limited period there would then be an incentive to originality not at present existent. Ezra Kendall, in his monologue days, once sought to solve the problem by sending to all managers and vaudeville newspaper men a copy of his copyright- ed monologues as soon as produced, with an appeal to them to protect him in his work. •;v.-■■■■.';;■■•.,. .:• "■■.■::■. On one occasion his copies were mailed from the West one week and the next a very inferior entertainer was of- lerlng the same stuff at one of the New York houses at which Kendall was booked some five months later. More than that, one Western man- ager furnished an impersonator friend with a copy sent him so that the mimic was enabled to give an "imitation" con- sisting of some five minutes of the cream of the monologue without even having seen Kendall. Another resident manager sold his sets as fast as re- ceived to a semi-professional entertainer who gave out the stuff at cheap club and lodge affairs long before Kendall was able to make use of his own material in the important theatres. No assistance will ever come from the manager, who is too often indifferent to matters of this sort. Help will not come from the artists themselves. It must come through the enactment of strict laws making the penalty for in- fringement sufllciently severe to act as a deterrent. An artist's society could secure this legislation. It is sadly needed. ALHAMBRA. The announcement of Ida Rene, "dis- euse," is something of a staggerer to a lot of the people who have read the bills and some are disappointed that she does not dance, but for all of that the Al- hambra audience knows a good thing when seen and applause for her work is generous this week. Oddly enough. Miss Rene makes her greater hit with her last song which is the least effective of the trio, but which is more intelligble to an American crowd. Barring a ten- dency toward over emphasis of gestui^ Miss Rene is an artist. Her voice is flexible, of good quality and most ex- cellently used. After a plague of coon songs Miss Rene comes as a most pleas- ant diversion. It is to be regretted that she will remain with us for so short a time. Arthur Prince is one of the few ventriloquists who are really such. Now- adays the comedy or the mechanical tricks determines an act s value, but Mr. Prince makes appeal with genuine ven- triloquism. He spoils some of his effect by holding the stage too long, and his awkward position on the arm of a sofa and his handling of a newspaper with one hand are bad, but as a workman he Is finished and effective, even though some of his jokes are more English than intelligible. His speaking while drink- ing is capitally done and he makes bet- ter use of a cigar than most, through permitting the smoke to be driven from his mouth when he speaks and holding it back when he speaks as the dummy. He makes his points a little too quietly. One of his best is lost in this way, when he tells the dummy not to speak while he is talking and the dummy is made to say "Impossible." The Five Mowatts are in trim again and do nicely with their club work. The air is kept filled with clubs throughout thoir act, and they work to good effect. The three Dumonds have not as good a selection of numbers aa on their last trip, a fault easily remedied, but the fiddling Du- mond is as clever as ever with the bow and gained interest for a classical selec- tion. He could make the hit of his life playing "Dearie." The Camille trio do their bar work with some comedy which might be toned down a trifie with good results. They work well when they do work but there is little stick acting, they giving more time to their comedy. Smith and Campbell have a good routine of talk and score one of th« laughing hits. It should not be necessary for the straight man to repeat the other's oddities of ex- pression. Nick Long and Idalene Cotton pleased with "Managerial Troubles," and made new friends while the Two Pucks are going to the rear. The mono- logue offered by the boy should be cut out at once and the boy should be dis- abused of the idea that he is as clever as he seems to think himself. Charles Serra does some very good equilibrlstic work and there are the pictures. F. Daly Burgess, who has been playing throughout the West for a long time, is slowly working eastward and will open at Pastor's in June. It is said that his dog "Finnegan" actually talks. It is said that Ben Teal Is to manage a now production shortly, In which Sey- mour (sometimes called "Steal-more") Hicks will sing for the first time a song written by Cobb and Edwards especially for him. , HAMMERSTEIN'S. There are plenty of big names on the Hammerstein program this week, in- cluding Virginia Earl's debut in vaude- ville, recorded under "New Acts." Au- gust von Biene plays his solos on the 'cell(,'. and looks as soulful as a whole ;;roup of angels In an old masterpiece. The man's calm posing is funny to those who are gifted with a sense of humor, and these are best pleased when they listen with their eyes shut, for, though his bowing is not as strong as it should b^, and the tone suffers, he is a mu- siclanly artist, and his work appeals to the cultivated as well as the popular ear. His clowning appeals only to the un- thinking. He was compelled to give a third number by applause that was genu- ine and sincere. Al Shean and Charles Warren made the laughing hit with their too familiar "Quo Vadis." They should try and work out the Captain Kidd act, tor the present offering is staling a little, although it still evokes yells from the audience. The other act, if devel- oped, would give both men far greater scope. Captain Bloom offers his wire- less telegraphy demonstration, which In- terests mildly. To many In the audi- ence it is a novelty still, for the act has not been seen much about New York, and to those to whom the device is new it has a real interest. One good feature of the act is its freedom from apparent faking. Many acts of this sort seem to be faked when they are not. The ap- paratus in the audience removes any possibility of misunderstanding. Col. Bordeverry, with his rifle and pistol shooting, gets through in good shape. The funny little Frenchman takes him- self so seriously that he is good comedy. Some of the tricks are effective, but others suggest trickery too strongly. The Nichols Sisters are doing better than they did at Proctor's last week, but they are still furnishing the greater por- tion of the laughs themselves. A per- son unversed in vaudeville ways would Imagine them to be suffering from hy- .sTcria, when In reality they are merely trying to make up for the apathy of the audience. They should eliminate the al- leged jokes and confine themselves to songs. There are more new songs than jokes, and they are easier met up with. The Jokes that the Nichols have are un- worthy the name for the greater part. Callahan and Mack made a ten-strike with their specialty, though they are but third on the bill. There is & real appeal to sentiment In this turn, be- cause they do not lay on the pathos, but content themselves with little talk and much effective pantomime. It is the sort of act of which we should have more, for really naturalistic acts are rare in vaudeville. The Reiff Brothers dance as well as they can, but the stage is sadly In need of refiooring, and they find it difficult to display their work. Their dancing is far better than their singing. Vic. Woodward opens with tambourine juggling of a good grade, and they close with the pictures. .•-,.;•;:.■.•.;:'..-■ KEITH'S ,:■ ■^-■':..;.-'■■': ■ Four new acts lend novelty to the Keith bill. They will be found in the New Act department. The laughing hit is the "From Zaza to Uncle Tom," shown by the Murphy-Nichols Company, though the mechanism of this act creaks fright- fully. One can almost see the wheels go round, so carefully carpentered is the work, and yet it goes almost with a solid scream in spite of some unneces- sarily broad business. It lacks the spontaneity of the earlier offering and yet it gets more laughs because ot the horseplay. Clarice Vance should get a blue pencil and cut out her first song. It hurts her first Impression even with her friends. Ford and Wilson bill them- selves as blackface comedians and gro- tesque dancers. One may accept all of the announcement except the second word. They are not comedians and many of the bits were cut out after Mon- day afternoon by E. F. Rogers, who most carefully wields the knife on the first show. They would improve did they both work as men and leave the wench out. The opening act is A. R. Carrlng- ton, who calls himself "The Drummer Boy of Shiloh," but neglects to state whether of the Shiloh of the Civil War or the free love colony up in Maine. On the group of flags let down as a backing for his work he announces, among other things, "Traditional Ar- gelus Bells" and "Prehistoric Trumpet- Bugle and Drums Mllltair," whatever that may mean. The only real work he does is on the drums and the xylophones. Prehistoric trumpet calls would be far more interesting. Not much credit at- taches his xylophone playing and the drums grow tiresome after the first few minutes. Neff and Elliott believe in signs and call themselves original, if their comedy is original they are very much older than they look—very much older. They do little dancing and their talk is not at all up to date. Rennler and Gaudier dance and sing and seem to please in both departments, though most of the audience would rather see them dance than hear them sing. The dancing is good, but better than that, they display the act well. The three Armstrongs do comedy cycling of a mild sort and the comedian manages to men- tion the name of a catarrah remedy even in a cycle turn. The tricks are old and not big. One good thing is the balancing of the wheel on the backs of two of the team instead of the customary table. This, alone, will not save the act. Del- more and Oneida have a perch act. Perch acts are pretty much the same, since the field is limited, but they put out a good act of the sort, dressing well and keeping the pole painted. Phil and Nettie Peters scored with some tjjlk. There are also the pictures and the four new acts. Natalie Rossi, who hails from Paris, will appear at the Hippodrome on April 16 In a high school act. Alexander Steiner, the agent, has notified the Keith Booking Agency. In writing, not to collect any more com- missions due him. The Keith people demanding a full five per cent, was (he cause of Stelner's actl6n, who further threatens to sue for an accounting of f. past transactions. <(^