Variety (November 1918)

8 VAUDEVILLE If' a---- 'h- IN THE SERVICE FORMING "COMMUNITY OPERA." [This Department has been carried weekly in Vasietv since we declared war. It has noted a list of theatrical men in the Service that seldom ran less than two colMtnns, and more often much beyond that,] 1 - H-tW '■ " I CASUALTIES. Will Campo (W. S. Power) again wounded. • The ton of Tom Garland, English ventriloquist,, wounded in Meaopo- tamia. The eon of E. F. Jlarper, of Devon- port, England, seriously wounded at Salonika. (Reported to VARiBTr from Paris.) Thomas F. Keenan, Co. A, 107th Inf., A. E. F., died Oct. 4 in a hospital in France. The deceased was a cousin of Will J. Kennedy. Teddie Woodhouie, English female impersonator, died in France from wounds received in action. Enlisted as Scott Barrie, of Leeds. Alfred W. Banan died Oct. ll at Governor's Island, N. Y., from pneii- monia "following influenza. The de- ceased before enlistment was a mem- ber of the Majestic Musical 4. Lennie Mayme (so known profes- sionally in England, where he was a light comedian) killed in action in Belgium in October. Enlisted with the British Army as Private P. Bramwell. Philip Kearney Mindil, Jr., aged 19, son of Philip Mindil, newspaper man and theatrical press agent, was killed in action with the 107th Infantry (the old New York 7th), Sept. 29, in the Cambria attack. Young Mindil en- listed in the U. S. Army when scveei- teen and was one of the youngest regulars with the Pershing troops. He was attached to a machine gun corps. Capk. Ray Hodgdon, wounded be- hind the ear when struck by shrapnel in France in October, has recovered and left the Base Hospital to reioin his company, with hi» regiment (105th Inf.) and division (27th) again ordered into 'action. Capt. Hod^don's com- pany ("H") was reorganized, having had left of its full complement of 250 men, one lieutenant, one sergeant and 16 men. The others, out, were mostly wounded. Capt. Hodgdon was very well known in the business end of vaudeville before going into the ser- vice, he also having been at the Mexi- can border. Shortly before his injury in France a shot destroyed the Cap- tain's billet and also all of his personal belongings. William R. Phillips, former Lasky employe, now a Corporal in Co. M, 361st Infantry, is reported as severely - wounded in France. SERVICE. Albert Pollet (pictures), 2d lieuten- ant at Camp Bowie, Fort Worth, Tex. Joe Baker ("Vacuum Cleaners ), rejected; under weight.^ Lawrence Fitzgerald (Aeolian Hall), Tank Corps, Camp Holabird, Md. Howard Heck (Carnegie Hall box office). Marine Corps, at lona Island. John Seney (Edward Zoeller Trio), Navy, promoted to Gunner's Mate. Earl Sanders (Orpheum offices) passed a physical examination Monday, but does not go to camp. Horace E. Tureman (formerly con- ductor of the Broadway orchestra, Denver) has entered a southern camp. '"'Wllift»<Dbi;)'Ariii5fr6n^, Class A-i/- in a training camp in Texas by the middle of Novejnber. Murray White ("Syncopated Violin- ist"), Aviation Camp at Garden City, Lieut. J. T. Green (Green, McHenry and Green), Motor Transport Corps, is with the A. E. F. in France. Carli D. Elinor (pictures), attached t6 lS7th Ambulance Co., 115th Sanitary Train, 40th Div,, A. E.< F. in France. Sergt. Walter Gilnert, discharged from Camp Sevier, S. C, after five months' service, on account of heart trouble. Fred C. Berlinghoff (son of Henry Berlinghoflf) has left Fort Totten for Camp Eustis, where he is attached to Battery E, 30th Regt. John ("Scottie") Provan is back in New. York after eight months in France as a Y. M. C A. entertainer with the American Expeditionary Forces. Sergt. Irving Berlin may leave for France next week, to complete the work assigned hini, of procuring over here popular music and spreading it for the best entertainment of the boys over there. Sergt. Berlin's friends are hopeful that he will leave as a com- missioned officer. They all agree his untiring work while in uniform de- serves it. No one will doubt his stead- fastness to the entertaining needs of Camp Upton, to which he was attached as a private, when informed that now Irving Berlin gets up before eight every morning—from habit VOLUNTEER CAMP SHOWS. At Base Hospital, Tottenham, Eng- land, Oct. 8, under the auspices of the Red Cross, the following A.merican acts appeared: Lee White, Clay Smith, Lou Edwards, Betty Washington, Je- rome and Carbon, Nella Webb, Torino. Pelham Bay, Nov. 5, Fiest Entertain- ers, Catherine Powell, Maude Ray- mond, Rath Brothers, Mae Melville, Harry Jolson. General Aeronautical Hospital, Gar- den City, L I., Nov. 6, William Carl- ton, Catherine Powell, Fred Brown, Gladys Buckridge Harry Jolson, P. O'Malley Jennings, Lillian Boardman, Mae Melville, Paul Clemons. General Hospital No. 3, Colonia, N. J., Nov. 7, Thomas Wilfred, Gladys Buckridge, Harry Crawford, Fred Brown, O'Malley, Jennings and Board- man, Mclntyre *and Heath. Naval Training Station, Base No. 3, Bensonhurst, L. I., Nov. 8, Billy Cripps, Catherine Powell Beverly Sitgreaves, Rae Mann and May Kessler. Army General Hospital No. 1, New York, Nov. 8, Jazzarimba Orchestra, Milo, Helene Vincent, Ann Chandler, Harry Crawford, Jennings and Board- man, Mae Melville, McDermott and Heagney. An organization of men formerly in 'the theatrical profession has been formed at Camp Travis, San Antonio. They are called the "Gloom Chasers." The "Gloom Chasers" have been giving entertainments weekly for the last four months. Among them are Billy Does, Eddie Dunn, Eddie Mulhern, Virgil Reynolds, Charles Clark, Frank Ellison, Sergt. Paul Chapman, Cpl. Clarence Jordan, Cpl. William Walsh, Ernest McCroskey, Cpl. Bar&dt, Ter- rence Bandkinson. With the epidemic abatement, the Friday night shows at Larchmont have been resumed, the bill being furnished graturtously Wch week by E: F. Albee.^^^^ Washington, D. C, Nov. 13. Under the direction of the Army and Navy Commission on Training Camp Activities, the War Camp Com- munity Service is undertaking the ad- vancement of a comprehensive mu- sical organization, to- rank with the largest, not only in this country, but in Europe. "Community Opera" will have its own building here. Young men and women with talent Will be given an opi^ortunity to sing with the greatest. It is planned to have a corps of com- petent teachers under whose direction those showing ability and who are worthy of further study will be given lessons. Composers will be welcomed and developed. Arrangements are being completed for the appearance o| the greatest artists in America to sing the leading roles, with a chorus that is now be- ing trained under the direction of Prof. Peter Dykema, who has charge of the musical division of the War Camp Community Service. Another plan, for which the Em- bassies here have promised theif as- sistance is the exchange of French and Italian artists for the purpose of bringing foreign artists to this coun- try and sending Americans to Europe. An orchestra has been organized by Mr. Christiana of the Washington Col- lege of Music. The first opera to be produced is al- ready in rehearsal. "PUYERS'mN"ATCAMP. Camp Dix, Nov. 13. "The Players' Inn" opens here this week. The Inn is a splendid little hotel erected by the Young Women's Chris- tian Association and designed exclu- sively to take care of women profes- ■ tionals who play the camp theatre. -It is patterned after a similar hotel built by the Y. W. C. A. at Camp Upton. A neatly furnished room with running hot and cold water is available to women artists for 50 cents'per night. In the past theatrical companies were compelled to journey some miles into the city, as at other cantonments, and besides the inconvenience, it entailed a cost of several hundred dollars weekly. At a majority of the camps, special barracks have been set aside by the commandants and fitted up for the men in the visiting attractions. MORE CANTONMENT THEATRES. Additional Liberty theatre construc- tion for the cantonments has been ordeced by the Commission on Train- ing Qimp Activities, other than an- nouncM-several weeks ago. Camps in which the theatres are in coume' of construction or will be built are Bragg, N. C, Eustis and Lee Hall, Va. Camp Mills, at Mineola, L. I., orig- inally announced for one theatre, is to have two houses. Mills has been a tented camp, but is to be made into a permanent cantonment. ' Camp Greene at Charlotte, N. C, listed for a tent theatre, will have a regularly equipped house. Peace is not expected to halt can- tonment entertainment pr Liberty theatre construction. PUYING WITHOUT SALARIES. The Marie Dressier show, starting a six weeks' tour of the camp thi-eatres, beginning Dec. 2, is mostly made up of vocalists. Sieveral of the singers were recruited from church choirs but the routine as^ rehearsed is said to be a corking combination of popular airs. ''■'Miss Dfewler wiira^ "CARRY ON" BY SOLDIERS. Syracuse, N. Y., Nov. 13. The Fort Ontario Players, from Gen- eral Hospital No. 5, Fort Ontario, Os- wego, N. Y., opened ^at the Weiting, Monday, in "Carry On." Production slated to show at New York after its local engagement. "Carry On" is a». military medley. ."Carry On," "Kid." "The Instrument of God" and "The Flying Prince," four playlets, comprise the program. The Players are fortiinate in having many professionals in-the'ir ranks, and the production bears all the earmarks of a regular theatrical performance. Adelina O'Connor, wife of Col. Henry D. Thomason; Izetta Jewel and J*an- nette Perry take the female roles. CoL - Thomason is the commander of Gen- eral Hospital No. S and but recently wedded. Miss O'Connor is late of "The Yellow Ticket," while Miss Jewel has played with Otis Skinner and James K. Hackett. "The Instrument of God" is the one tragedy on the program. In it the Kaiser meets his fate. Miss Jewell . has the heavy work in this skit,^a!s the Baroness. Sergt. Jay Strong ap- pears as Count Von Triste. "The Kid" IS the sentimental playlet and gives Miss-'O'Connor and Glenn Hunter a chance to shih)e. Sergeant Hunter, a professional, also plays the Prince in "The Flying Prince." His work 'is admirable. Miss O'Connor is dainty as the "Kid," and later gives another delightful characterization as the Prin- cess. Miss Perry does excellent work in the same piece. There is a novelty number introduc- ing E. S. Sabine as a female imperson- ator. His Spanish dance is nearly per- fect. The four playlets are well, staged, the'settings are better than some road productions carry and th^ orchestra, is very satisfactory. The show will open at the 44th Street Roof theatre on Monday. Sergeant Edward Goodman, formerly head of the Washington Square Players, directed the show and yvrote two of ' the playlets. PRESIDENT APPROVES PLAN. The President has written a letter of approval to the Stage Women's War Relief endorsing the countrywide drive for the War Orphans of the Al- lies, which they are to launch in New York on Nov. 24. The play "When a Feller Needs a Friend has been contributed free 6i royalties and will be produced first in New York by an all star company; later will be released for general pro- duction throughout the country by amateur societies, etc. "OH YOU BABY" CANCELED.. "Oh You Baby'" due t6 start over the oantonment circuit next week, with Devens the starting point, has had its route canceled, following a review oi the attraction by members of the board of review of camp shows. The comment was that the show was not up to standard. Several other attractions have been advised as to improvements, but in the case of "Oh You Baby," the camp time is off. The show was put out by Joe Mann and Harry Stewart. CAMP HUMPHREYS' FIRST. .<Qamp,Humphreys, Ya^tNpiv. 13.. _. hew theatre is beiriii rushed to '