Show World (June 1909)

June 5, 1909- THE SHOW WORLD SI amusement EVENTS IN ST. LOUIS ST. LOUIS OFFICE OF THE SHOW WORLD.—BASIL WEBB, Manager—201 GEM THEATER BUILDING _ PTENTY OF OFFERINGS FOR ST. LOUIS SUMMER. St. Louis, June 3. Summer gardens are booming in St Louis this summer, and it looks as though opposition will be exception¬ ally strong this season. There are three dramatic stock companies in St. Louis, Delmar, Suburban and Eclipse, playing such stars as Leslie Carter, Julie- Herne, Amelia Bingham, Nat Goodwin, Ethel Barrymore, Virginia Harned, Annie Russell, James O’Neil, James Hackett and others just as great. There are two stock musical shows, at Delmar and at the West End Heights, with stars like De Wolf Hopper, Edna Wallace Hopper, Grace Van'Studdiford, Rice and Cady, and others appearing. There are three vaudeville houses, namely, Forest Park Highlands, Mannions and Lemps. There are two bands, El¬ lery's at the Coliseum and Creatore’s at Lemps. Besides this, all the pic¬ ture theaters down town are doing fine [(business. If St. Louis gets through with this program this sum¬ mer without mishaps it will stamp this city as one of the greatest amuse¬ ment cities in the world. Beauty Turns Thespian. St. Louis, June 3. Adrienne Kroell, the winner of the beauty contest which was recently held in this city under the auspices of the Republic, has decided to follow the path set down by every prize beauty and go on the stage. She will make her first appearance at the Su¬ burban theater next week, playing a part In Amelia Bingham’s production of Madame Sans-Gene. It is to be hoped that Miss Kroell has some qualifications outside of beauty, for although looks help considerable, they are only a part of the battle. A New Comic Opera. St. Louis, June 3. Sam Murphy, a well known adver¬ tising agent, called at this office to¬ day and stated that he had secured the American rights of The Modern Witch, a comic opera written by Ger¬ ald La Thangue, ah Australian com¬ poser. Murphy states that he is act¬ ing for some other parties who at present desire to remain unknown. However, he states that it has been decided to produce the show in this city and to take it on the road next season. La Thangue has quite a repu¬ tation in the Antipodes as a _ com¬ poser and Murphy states that his lat¬ est achievement is going to prove to be one of the sensations of next sea- Actor Has Trouble. St. Louis, June 1. George H. Hamill, an actor, is in trouble here by reason of the fact, al¬ leged by the court, that he has wives tod inany. He is being sued for di¬ vorce in this city by Carrie Kellar Hamilton in Judge Sales’ court. She claims that she was married to him August 10, 1904, and that they sepa¬ rated in July, 1906. Mrs. Leah Judd Hamilton of Aberdeen, S. D., has a similar suit pending against the de¬ fendant. Vaudeville at Lemp’s. St. Louis, June 2. Lemp’s Park opened Sunday with high-class vaudeville. Its headline fftMMKS include the Scott Sisters, in a novelty rolling-globe act, and the Vandervilts, novelty barrel contortion¬ ists and ring equilibrists. The park has been greatly improved and pre¬ sents a handsome appearance. . Lights and Shadows of a Great City ts presented by the Stanley Stock company at Eclipse Park this week. SUMMARY OF THE WEEK. By Basil Webb. St. Louis, June 3. The principal event of the week -was the .opening of the Delmar Operatic theater under the management of Dan Fishell. The offering was Floradora, and the star was Edna Wallace Hopper, and a pair like this are very hard to beat. At the opening last Sunday night, however, two dark horses won the premier honors, the dainty little Dorothy Webb and the beautiful Ann Tasker being the recipients qf the prin¬ cipal verbal bouquets showered by the press in last Monday’s editions. Business on Sunday and Monday was of the capacity order and Mana¬ ger Fishell looks like a man who has backed a hundred to one shot and won out by a neck. TWO ST. LOUIS ATTRACTIONS, Amelia Bingham at her opening at the Suburban last Sunday in My Wife’s Husband, proved her right conclusively to be called the most popular star with the St. Louis public. Very rarely, in the his¬ tory of the stage, has such an ovation been witnessed as that which was accorded Miss Bingham last Sunday. The play was excellent and everything points to a record breaking week at Manager Oppenheimer’s theater this week. Mazie King with her dancing girls is the big attraction at the Forest Park Highlands this week. She,is a veritable queen'ainpn^: toe dancers and is creating as nearly a bijg sensatigjg as Gene* rgidir last winter in the Soul Kiss. ' Lew Dockstade'r played a flying visit to the Century theater on Sunday last and stayed over Monday. Judging from the business he did it looks as though it would have been well for him to have stayed all week. So much has been added to his production since it was here last winter that it almost seemed new. As usual, the production at the West End Heights was excellent in every way. It is one of the typical Weber and Fields burlesques and Rice and Cady shone in it. Unfortunately, however, the public seems to have some grude against this theater and the attendance up to now has been nothing like it should have been. Mannions Park vaudeville theater opened this week and played to capacity. Dolly Bremser, a local soubrette, proved to be the hit of the bill. It is some time since she has appeared in this city and she has vastly improved. Crowds at the Coliseum Palm Garden in which Ellery’s Band the feature, are growing larger every night. This is very satisfactory, as the entertainment presented is certainly worthy of support. Frank Tate returned from New York the other day; but at present nothing has leaked out as to what transpired there. Nate Erber, the manager of the Mid West Theatrical Exchange, visited Chicago the other day and closed an important contract to supply a chain of moving picture theaters in Illinois and Iowa with vaudeville acts. GRAGE VAN STUDDIFORD TO PLAY AT DELMAR. St. Louis, June 3. . Dan S. Fishell, the manager of the operatic house at Delmar, succeeded in landing the greatest operatic catch in the world for his theater. He re¬ ceived back from Miss Van Studdi¬ ford signed contracts which call for her appearing at Delmar theater for two weeks: durihg the month of Au¬ gust. It is not definitely known yet what Miss Van Studdiford is to re¬ ceive for her engagement, but Fishell positively ‘ states that as far as he knows the contract calls for' larger remuneration than has ever been pre¬ viously paid to an individual star. It has riot yet been decided as to what productions the star will appear in, but it is positively certain that one of them will be Red Feather. PERSONALITIES. St. Louis, June 2. Bone Stevens, the advance agent of Dockstader’s Minstrels, blew into the city and made his customary amount of noise. Bone still blithers about Brooklyn, the “Garden City of the World.” Jeff Casper, Dick Lichtner and Freddie Ernst assisted him to the depot and succeeded in getting him out of the city. Bone, needless to say, went on his way rejoicing. George Hedges, the publicity boom¬ er, is disgusted with his fate. He misses the sweet smell of the paste boiler in the advance car, he misses the lurid paper of the Wild West Show, he has not even a chance to charm the ladies at the summer gar¬ dens for Fate in the guise of Lyman Howe has ordained that he shall drum his heels down at the Garrick when every other respectable theater is closed. John Nick, who has been connected with the principal picture shows in this city, is being trained for a new branch of the world of entertainment. Bill Porteous, who has engineered most of the spectacular automobile smashes in this country, is teaching Nick the ins and outs of this kind of driving. They are both going to at¬ tend the big automobile meets and pull off this smash. The cars are set going at about 50 miles an hour and then meet head-on in collision. Por¬ teous, commonly known as Dynamite Bill, has been very, successful in these smashes heretofore, never having met with the slightest injury. He claims it all lies in the confidence you have in the man driving the other car. He believes that.Nick will be every bit as good as his old partner Ollie Savin. Harry Buckley,-the treasurer at the Garrick theater, has decided to take a rest this season after the house closes. He . intends, to visit New York and then to stay at several of his Irien'ds’ houses on Long , Island. He will be back early in August to resume his present position.