Variety (November 1909)

10 VARIETY London, Oct. 27. A 'find" off the streets called Samuel Marks appeared last week at the Oxford. He does a few heavy characters and will prohahly he working steadily from now on. The wife of Henri Grau, the music hall manager, died last week in London. Hymack, who has heen playing the Em- pire opens at the Majestic, Chicago, Nov. 8. Carl Hooper has announced his inten- tion of running open air picture shows next summer. Mr. Hooper is on the hunt for vacant lots all over. Fred Ginnett has left for the States again, taking over one of his sketches. Another effort will be made by the Gib- bons Circuit to secure a music hall license for the Camden Town theatre, called by the town name. Last year the bill was posted, and everything was ready, when a license was refused. This hall, if granted the license, will be in direct op- position to the Bedford. The Coliseum and Hippodrome will ap- ply for a license to permit the selling of regular booze at these two halls. Just now ginger beer is the best. At the Hip- podrome, prohibition has a bad effect on the attendance since the shows provided are alike to those at the Palace, but at the Hip there is no place to go when an act like the Wicsenthal Sisters is on. Alice Esty, a former operatic star makes her first London appearance at the Hackney Empire this week, since her trip through the Provinces. Rice and Provost, who finish at the i'alace this week will immediately . leave tor the continent, where they have about two months booked. Sadie Jerome, sister of Daisy, and also said to be an American girl, has brought suit against the Tivoli management for not placing her among the headliners. Sadie states she was promised this. When it wasn't handed to her, Sadie went into court. Sadie's salary is some- thing like $!M) per week. She recovered judgment, amount not stated. Minnie Kaufman and Chinko are work- ing the Pavilion in Liverpool this week. Fred St. Onge and Co. finished at the Palace last week. They are to play the Pavilion on the Barrasford time. It is quite probable the troupe will play out the rest of the tour before returning to London. Commencing Sept. 6, next, the net returns to the Palace for eight weeks. McMuhon and Chappellc are among the "romiTfg trttrrfetiomr slated - for - th«^ Coli- seum. Just for an instance this week at the llippdrome, Willesden, there are six "singles" out of eight acts on the bill. Zona Yevcy is playing along the Broad- li"jul Tour, hs the feature attraction. Quite hii interesting argument is on LONDON NOTES VARIETY'S LONDON OFFICE. 411 ITKAVD. W. 0. (Mali for American* and Europeans In Europe If addressed care VARIETY, as abore, will prompt!/ forwarded.) between this act and Callahan and St. George. It seems the two turns played together some weeks ago. After this engagement it was noticed that the Vevey act commenced to use a church drop, similar to the one of Callahan and St. George's. The Americans have placed the matter before the V. A. F. It is not known what action will be taken by Miss Vevey. She is booked for America next spring. Jim Corbett is back on the Barrasford tour this week, at the Hippodrome, Leeds. Marie Lloyd returns to the Oxford this week for a run. An amusing story is told of Alice Pierce, the impressionist, when she played a hall in Edinburgh. There was a fellow on the bill with her then who was doing a few characters that were made famous by Henry Irving. He announced to the audience a few impressions of that noted actor. That was where the trouble started. Miss Pierce, who closed the same show when she appeared told the audience that the word "impressions" was hers, and she alone had the right to use it. The fellow, though threatened with law suits by Miss Pierce, continued using the word and from all accounts is still. It might be some sort of an ex- planation to state that this fellow was almost a riot that week in Edinburgh. Jim and Jen Latona have returned from South Africa. Russell and Held are expected to arrive on this side in about a month's time. Alfred Butt, of the Palace, left last week for a trip on the Continent, re- ports saying that he will go as far as Russia. The object of Butt's visit is not known. The Empire Comedy 4 are now work- ing in Germany after a visit to the States. Following the Continental time the quartet will return to open at the London Coliseum. Blake and Amber make their first Lon- don appearance with a new act at the Empress Brixton, Nov. 1. A very fine affair was "pulled off" at the Vaudeville Club on Sunday evening a week ago, when the first smoking con- cert of the year was held. Joe Elvin was in the chair. There was no end to the i aleri"t~ appear irTg ~ffoffi "~trfwr tmtit "two (morning). Many fine voices and lots of good fun. Perhaps the two laughing hits belonged to George Formby and Harry Tate. Formby sang a couple of his new ones. They sure were screams. Harry went back to his old job and gave a few imitations of different vaudeville people. Her was a howl in the imitations of some of the club'* regulars. Charles Pond also sent over a funny bit in the form of one of his character sketches. The least that can Ik? said of the enterta'inment is that it had any vaudeville show in town call- ing for help. Much credit goes to Mr. Elvin for the way the affair was managed, and Tom Case for the selection of artists. Daisy Harcourt returned to London this week to play the Hoi born Empire after a run of six weeks around the Bar- rasford tour in the Provinces. A French dancing act was placed into the program at the Palace last week, and a very poor spot handed them. Two girls, Laugier and Cochin, and two men called Ricaux and Aveline, all from the Opera in Paris, were made to follow Sousloffs with one act between. The SouslorTs do all the hard dancing that is attempted by these people and their 'value was de- creased accordingly. Outside of this the act seems to be but an ordinary one, but they might have had a better chance. "Ma Gosse," the much talked about French playlet which is having a run at the Moulin Rouge in Paris, was put on at the Palace last week by an almost wholly English company with a Frenchman in the lead. The act is daring, with lines as strong as any that have been delivered in the halls here, but the comedy finish atones along with the splendid way in which the piece is acted. It is about a party of English people in Paris, bent on seeing Parisian low life. They are brought into one of the haunts of the "Apaches" by a guide. The frequenters are seated around a table, some playing cards, while others arc singing ana drinking. "Ma Gosse" enters. She is a striking looking person with short fluffy hair, wearing a black silk skirt that would not admit a postage stamp inside of it with her. There is much talk between her and another of the characters. "Ma Gosse" has a lover but he says she must leave him this very night for good. There is a dance executed by two characters that hacks the "Apache" affair off the signs. The dance is rough and the man does not handle the girl gently. This dance should cause lots of talk. After the dance the girl's lover appears. It looks like a fight between the two men, the other fellow having declared his love for "Ma Gosse." Meanwhile the English people (two men and two women) are apparently very interested in the proceedings. When the fight seems imminent they grow nervous. And when the two fellows start with knives, the English visitors quickly throw money on the table and leave the place. Before Heavwg -one--of -the —Frenchmen,. falls stabbed to the death. When the visi- tors are far away, the "murdered" man arises. All present change into evening clothes, including those that were dressed as "Apaches," also the principals in the duel. It develops this is a game worked nightly. The bunch of frequenters are amateur actors employing this means of securing money. From the talk, it is a paying business. It is an excellent idea and ought to get away big anywhere. For the week "Ma Gosse" made a record at the Palace, drawing capacity business every evening, after the opening. It is the first time the Palace has experienced such a succession of packed houses since Maud Allan left. The Kramers, at the Coliseum a few weeks ago, reported doing great things on the Stoll Tour. The Alhambra has added another show during the week, a Saturday matinee. £l The Four Fords, now on the Barras- ford Tour, are reported by the Barras- ford office as a big hit in both the towns played so far. The Great Lafayette objects to the word "again" in the recent report in this column of the trouble over a license for a child in his act. "T. G." /ays there was no "again"; it was the first. The Manchester Chronicle lately had an inter- view with Lafayette, giving the American showman . considerable space, including a photograph of himself. Off the reel the first thing Lafayette said to the inter- viewer was "When a man trims me the first time, it is his fault; when he trims me the second time it is my fault." Perhaps the readers of the Chronicle didn't just "get" that literally, but those who know Lafayette will. "Beauty," Lafayette's Virginia hound, is still his constant companion. Since Lily Lena arrived in London she has been interviewed about her American success and trip over there. Miss Lena gave America and Americans a great "boost" in the papers. She will return to the States the early part of No- vcml)er. QUIT UNDER FIRE. Philadelphia, Nov. 4. After several months of bitter opposi- tion from Hargreaves Opera House, The Family, Chester, Pa., this week passed from the hands of Maurice Boom & Harry D'Esta. Knoblauch & Hersker, who oper- ate a circuit of vaudeville theatres in Pennsylvania, have leased The Family, to take effect Nov. 15. After trying combinations, burlesque and pictures, the Opera House in Chester this season started out as a popular priced vaudeville establishment, opposing the established house. The town was no* big enough to support two vaudevill houses. Both lost money. 9 Mrs. Catharine Aker, mother of Nan Aker, of Gill and Aker, died as the result of an operation at her home in Newark. Oct. 30. She was taken ill some weeks ago while traveling in the west with her daughter. Mrs. Dora Rose, mother of Julian Rose, died in New York Oct. 17. Burial was held at Washington Cemetary. Walter M. Sherman, correspondent at Worcester, Mass., for Variety, dropped dead in the Hotel Carlyle of that city last Monday. He was a popular favorite in the town.