Show World (June 1907)

44 THE SHOW WORLD June 29, 1907. F ROM two-a-day to star in a big musical production—such is the phenomenal jump made by Joe Whitehead, of the Captain Careless company, this spring. Joe is a funny man, in fact he is a comedian from head to toe. When not entertaining his audiences, he is making fun for the gatherings in the Sherman House lobby. Last spring Whitehead was playing week stands in vaudeville with the Grierson Sisters (one of whom is Mrs. Whitehead) and while he was making good, his name was unknown to the great majority of playgoers HARRY ARMSTRONG. One of the most conspicuous figures in Chicago Theatricals is Harry Arm¬ strong, the booking agent. Mr. Arm¬ strong is popularly known as the “Man with the corner on chorus girls.” He has a list of 1,080 bewitching sing¬ ing and dancing "show girls” on his books. Of this number more than 600 were given engagements last season. For the coming season Mr. Arm¬ strong lias orders for talent for the following musical attractions: The Royal Chef, The Isle of Spice, In Com¬ mand, two companies of The Time, The Place, and The Girl and two com¬ panies of The Umpire, The Isle of Bong Bong, Piff, Paff, Pouff, and two companies of A Knight for a Day. Besides these company bookings, fourteen of the prominent bands the country r Hfe *: I list. Mr. Armstrong's for the reason that vaudeville com¬ edians are not press agented—they stand on their merits. B. C. Whitney and Kohl and Castle put their heads together when they were selecting the cast for Captain Careless and de¬ cided that Joe Whitehead was the comedian to create, fjie part of Big¬ amy Little, the man ivho is sent to Europe to paint an advertisement on the Rock of Gibraltar. And Joe made good. While Gus Sohlke’s chorus maidens are tramping about and doing the time-honored stunts, Joe is always striving for a laugh. As a dancer he ia immense and his bits of stage business are clever and unique. He bears his honors meekly and accepts the fact of his being a star as a huge joke. “Say, take it from me,” he said the other day. “This comic opera biz may be all right for Frank Daniels, but for mine that little twenty min¬ utes in vaudeville goes. Any time you think this is a cinch, come around to my dressing room and watch me do the quick-change act.” Yet they sent for Artie Dunn and the little comedian, after watching a performance, refused to follow Whitehead, in spite of the fact Eat he was looking for an engagement Joe will do, all right, all right. Rose Stahl was sitting in her room at the Annex. It was a big room, and afforded a beautiful view of Lake Michigan. The writer knocked with fear and trembling, for was not this the star who had created the sensa¬ tion of the year on Broadway and who was he to walk where angels (celestial, not theatrical) feared to tread? But it was not any haughty, Leslie Carterized, distant woman who opened the door, but just plain Rose Stahl, the daughter of a little old German editor in New Jersey. You were made to feel at home in an instant, and invited to sit down and look at the lake. While the writer racked his brain for some conversa¬ tional wedges weighty enough for the creator of Patricia O’Brien, he com menced to answer questions, and anon woke up to the fact that Rose Stahl — the great Rose Stahl — was asking him about the newspaper business. Then, by degrees, he real¬ ized that after all a star is only a human being and he sat up and took notice. The lady who, as Patricia says, “it is always a bad season for bad shows,” was complaining, for all the world like an eighteen-year-old mati¬ nee girl, of the smoky dirty Illinois Central tracks, which she said re¬ moved the charm of her view of the “I’m saving my money,” she said, “and when I get enough I am going to buy up the Illinois Central Rail¬ road and throw it into the middle of Lake Michigan.” The writer laughed, and thanked his stars that'this star was quite a talker, for he had only to listen, and did not need to trade $25 a-week re-' porter talk for $500-a-week leading lady conversation. Miss Stahl likes Chicago audiences better than those of New York, for which we thank her. She also likes the manner in which Chicago people accept “The Chorus Lady.” We had a nice little talk and I left delighted. Moral: Don’t think because her name is in big letters on the bills, that she is more to be praised than chatted with. Mike Donlin, assistant manager of the Whitney Opera House, and Mabel Hite (Mrs. Mike Donlin) the clever comedienne in “A Knight for a Day,” are one of the most devoted couples in the profession. Mike gave up a high-salaried job with the New York Giants to be with his wife, and they are inseparable at all times. The other day Miss Hite stood in front of the Whitney for half an hour prior to a matinee performance, waiting until Mike could get away and run across the street to a little restaur¬ ant to eat lunch with her. “Where is Mike?” is one of her stock expres¬ sions, and it is heard every day by the members of the company and at¬ taches of the popular little Van Bu- ren Street house. “The Romance of Mable and Mike” is one of the dain¬ tiest in the history of the local stage. The Central States Theatre Company Waukegan, Illinois East St. Louis, Ill. Princeton, Illinois " ' ' arg, I”' ’ ,ii. Spring Belvide Valley. Illinois Figan City, Indiana nammond, Indiana Logansport. Indiana La Porte. Indiana Collinsville, Illin, Suite 62, Grand Opera House, CHICAGO TELEPHONE 3047 CENTRAL Directors: leorg-e H. Nicolai James Wingfield Edwin Clifford Ed. W. Rowland I Frank Gazzolo Philip RosentM _ _ Counsel I Stair & Havlin, Representatives Bissonette & Newman THE WEST POINT CADETS I One of America’s Greatest Novelty Gymnastic Acts; Now Playing their Second Season with Gregory’s Moscow Permanent Address 167 Dearborn Street, . Chicag Care B. E. Gregory Fireworks Co. I KLIMT and GAZZOLO Amusement Company -(INCORPORATED)- ( FRANK GAZZOLO Managing Directors: -I GEORGE KLIMT (JOHN BERNERO Suite 64 GRAND OPERA HOUSE, CHICAGO STAIR & HAVLIN, New York Representatives. London Dime Musee (INCORPORATED) 314-316 State Street, CHICAGO, ILL. Performers and Freaks Wanted at all Times. WILLIAM J. SWEENEY, Open all the Year Round from 10 a. m. to 10 p. m. Manager JOE WHITEHEAD PRINCIPAL COMEDIAN CAPT. CARELESS CHICAGO OPERA HOUSE THEATER FOR SALE Building on corner lot 50x125 with Eight Stores and Large Auditorium, ij first-class neighborhood. Seating capacity 800. Complies in every resped with Chicago city ordinances. Rents, $2,000 a year. Worth $20,000. Offer! invited. Address, Main Office. F. E. RUTLEDGE St CO„ receiver Real Estate and Renting Experts 234 la skllb st„ chickoC