Variety (March 1921)

riday, March 25, 1921 VARIETY *3 AY CONLIN NOW PLAYING ORPHEUM CIRCUIT fnderstands that THE GREAT LESTER, a ventriloquist, claims the jhree cushion championship of show business RAY CONLIN <loes not claim championship but will wager LESTER money he can beat him playing three cushions, pool, golf or will run a foot-race. THE SPECIAL MARCUS THE ACTOR AS AN ATHLETE If you walked up to an actor play- tag ono of the small time or Inter- mediate circuits—doing three or four shows a day. leaving the the- atre at night, dog tired, to eat a lata repast and tumble Into bod for ono of those noar restful sleeps—If you approached this gentleman and ad- vised him that he wasn't getting enough of the proper kind of exer- cise, ths chances are that you would here a fight on your hands or for- feit his respect for your sanity. Despite this there are thousands of artists who are in need of just such advice and to whom four, five or six snows sv day would come un- der the heading of amusement if they used a little common sense and gave about five minutes of intelli- gent consideration to the fresh air. food and rest problem. There have been reams of paper and oceans of printer's ink used to emphasise the value of moderate eating and exercise. Most of it has been aimed a the business man who has come along toward middle age end^who can't indulge in the stren- uous activities of youth through physical inability anc lack of leis- ure. TO this class of man golf has proved one of th boons of the cen- tury, and its ever increasing popu- larity is the answer tc the recogni- tion of its benefits. But the actor on the road who doesn't play golf, who is playing several shows dally and who Is thereby chained more or less to the vicinity of the theatre, who is eating a different variety of food, differ- ently prepared, every week or so. who Is voraciously hungry after the last show at light, and who goes to bed with Vs Swomacb hitting >n high, trying to digest the equivalent of enough fuel to operate a boiler factory* this particular knight of the grease paint can prolong his theat • rlcal activities, save doctors' fees and royalties and advance to Olym- pian heights in his profession by adopting mediately the oft preached doctrine of physical exer- cise and' moderation It doesn't mean that an actcr to keep himself physically fit. must join a gymnasium or take to early morn- ing road work, but it does mean that 16 minutes of a setting-up drill performed in his bedroom upon arising, with the windows open, will start the day right, keep him in fair condition and send him down stairs to breakfast with a hearty appetite and a feeling of zest for his day's work that will be discount * before many seasons by the progress that goes hand in hand with good health. Somewhere, some time, someone said that a man was a cracked glass after forty. An equally learned diagnostician has countered with. "A man Is a: old as his arteries." The latter is the odds-on bet. Personality Plus. An acrobat will do three or four shows a day cheerfully and doesn't take it amiss when his partner sug- gests an early rehearsal for some new lift or trick to be added to the routine. His work in time becomes more or less mechanical. So does TdYL°R TRVNKS 210 W. 44th 8T„ N. Y 28 E. RANDOLPH ST. CHICAGO EVERY WOMAN COMES TO THIS STORE FOR GOOD STOCKINGS •'■ - McCALLUM FINE SILK HOSIERY POINTEX SILK HOSIERY in every shade to viatch goirna or shoe* for the EASTER PARADE ALL AT NEW LOW PRICES * Wn m 11 more silk opera hosiery than any other store in the uorhi. . , „. . Men's Wear ■■ • ■ . Ladies' Wear THEATRICAL OUTFITTERS 1580 Broadway NEW YORK CITY TIIRI TO *«tli AYKNI'K the constant repetition of dialog which occurs In the life of a vaude- ville artist And unless the mind Is actuated by the functioning of a healthy body, the monotonous repe- tition of the same voice inflection at the same point in an act will in time smother personality. There are many actor-athletes and many athlete-actors. Of the latter class some of the more prom- inent are Jim Corbett. ex-heavy* weight champion; Jimmy Britt, one of the best lightweights of his time, and "Bat" Nelson, the ex-lightweight king. Corbett, one of the most intelli- gent professional pugilists who ever stepped Into *. Ting, found the stage a natural field for his tremendous personal following. By perseverance, clean living and study he has ac- cumulated a neat fortune by his ac- tivities before the camera and be- hind the footlights. Corbett now is a splendid example of the value of health conservation, and his phy- sique shows no lgns of dlstln gra- tlon, despite the years bf strenuous activity since the adoption of theat- ricals as his life work. Jimmy Britt also finds time to keep the blood pumping through his veins, and though considerably heavier than In his days o hit and get away, can Stlli give a good ac- count of himself with a pair of five- ounce gloves. "Bat" Nelson Is earning a living with his vaudeville act. In which he exhibits his own Invention, "The Dummy Sparring Partner," and ~iso stages a battle royal between five colored me and hlmeslf. The "Battler" shows the scars and gashes of many - battle, but these are only superficial disfigurements. The vital organs of the Nelson that fought Qans are still In wonderful shape and they have enabled the old timer to rehabilitate his fortune after setbacks U at would have driven an ordinary mortal to the nearest river. Among members of the profession who were artiste first and atnletes afterward are some surprisingly able representatives. Baseball play- ers of the profession will be treated in detail in another article. Jack Kennedy, Boyce Combe and Fred Irwin are golfers of the first water and their entries may bs found in many tournaments. All three are members of standard acts, but they find time to devote to their favorite pastime whenever they are within reasonable distance of a golf course. Actors' Tsmptstions. In no other profession ars the temptations for self-lndulgenoe so aecenuated as they are for ths actor. Ths wear and tsar sf sonstaat travel, good, bad and Indifferent ho- tel accommodations, the Irregularity of meal hours—particularly with the vaudeville artist—and the continue! wear and tear on the nervous sys- tem by the constant worry about the details pursuant to the proper presentation of a vaudeville vehicle, will eventually take their toll. But the dally exercise habit, be It for only a few moments in the morning, and the exercise of a little wtil power in the choice and quantity of lquld and solid nourishment will postpone for years the day of reckoning. During the recent world war Wal- ter JR. Camp, on behalf of the gov- ernment, conducted exivauatlve #x- perlmentS and evolved a series of seftlng-up exercises that were found i to ho equally efficacious when in- dUlged In ^y either the young "rookie*' at the training camp or the mlrM!"-aged "dollar-a-year" m-»n at Washington. They were reprinted s<«me .nonths ago in Collier'* Weekly nnrl inn be obtained by anyone in- terested. Lai Industrial corporations ■ I '->nt inuort on n;»K»' '14) Bfantiful Drop* painted or ptafs !n Sat«*n«. Vehrtl tnd Pln»hei Ht.lqut in ooiar i i tl MENTAL PRIVILEGE ALLOWKJ). ally |«r!«« .1. CIRCUIT NUMBER WILL BE ISSUED BY at the opening of Loew's new State Theatre at Broadway and 45th Street, New York City. Be represented in this representative Special Loew Number. It is to embrace all of the details of the Loew organization and be a perpetual his- torical theatrical record of the Loew circuit to date. The advantage of securing publicity in this special issue is manifest. It will be enduring and part of a volume of vaudeville lore that will be referred to for years to come, in the accounting of the phenomenal strides made by the Loew Cir- cuit of vaudeville and picture theatres. Send in your copy now. Regular advertis- ing rates will prevail for the Loew Special Number. . NOVELTY SCENIC STUDIOS bryant 5408 220 WEST 46th STREET new york LOEWS NEW STATE THEATRE mid Office Building in Times, Square NEW YORK CITY •