The billboard (Sept 1911)

SEPTEMBER 30, 1911. > FITZGERALD'S LETTER. . ^(ContiiiDed from pase 22.) , . & cood one and he is bound to' make a bit wbererer be may appear, for his name and fame will precede him over the entire world whererer lovers of sport may be found. - One ot the leadtnc professional ridler skaten la the state ot <New Jexser is Jobn Klrkbrlde of ^rinston. Kirkbrlde has been racin? for ■boat five years, and has met and defeated some of the best men in the country at this ■port. Prior to turning professional three years ■so, Kirkbride defeated every amatenr of note and won afteea consecntlve races at the Olym- pic Park BInk. Irrlngton. This record was made while he was a contestant for the silver loTlnK cup offered .by-the park manacement to the skater nlnnlne the Ereate'st nmnber of aces datlns the season. Since joining the iirofessional ■ ranlcs, *Kirkbride has -met and de- feated snch men n9 ."Lucky" Mason, Barker, Bcibectson, Blower, Cogger, McCormack - and "■eoHie" Blacldinui, on the Olympic Park Rink. In Ms first year as a mpney-chaser :■ Eirk!>rlde took part in two marathon races, finishing fotirth in .one and-fifth in the other. Kirkbride Is one of the first Eastern skaters to take up the professional circnijt scheme, and stated that If sucb a circuit was formed, he would be *'Johnn r-on -tbe-Spot." JUIJAN T. PITZ QEEAI.D. " SKATING NOTES. Bobert McLean, nha through the absence of :Champlon Xamy .from-the: amatenr ranks this winter, will try and wear LBmy'a shoes, has spent a-good part of his, sammer vacatiaa.in the PtttiAnrg Athletic Club. . Uac went there tO; accept a li^t position dnring his school vacation, and has done' quite a bib'of swimming to keep In shape, and from all reports will have little difflcnlty in ronnding Into shape for his hat^t season }n the skating game. . Hanager Ci West^of the Majestic, Rink. . Blanchester. Ohio, Is making extensive repairs and redecorations in- his rink and will open about October 1. The rink has bad three snc- eessfnl seasons, but Hgr. West expects 1911-12 to exceed any previous. years,- as good acts ot •U kinds wUl be booked. • lied Martin, 'the ^ California champion. Is ■tin ahowinir the Chicago professionals how to skate. Sonday, September 10, he showed his keeW to a fast bunch of skaters in-a one-mlle professional race defeating Al. Krueger, who finished second, and: Henry Becker, ^ third, in the *ast time of 2:37.- - Tn the race skated at Rlverriew Bink, Chi- cago on ]>I>or Day, Fred Martin claims to have Skated the mile on the banked track In ...2-iiilnateB and 32 seconds. -This mark eqnals ,the woTld'a record made by Anie Moore In 190a atifha same rink, if the time was cor- rect. i »^ has at last 1>een beard from. He la reported as being -an. Englishman now and In/fhe ;tatnre will make his home In liverpod. It ib also' rnmiMfM . that Mr. Moore wHl soon .have a. partner.'-bift not a skatInK partner, one that he -win have to team with for life. V In. the profeaslanal race held at Blvervlew i Riiik^''CliIa«o, ^finday nigbt, September 10, a (ree^for-all Bghi' between skaters was an added attraction. After the mix-np was quelled it was'found that Dan Dritfcoll suffered a deep scalp : wonn& Mo arrests were made. Skaters from the states: of Xew Tork, Kew Jersey and Conneetlent. ate all anxious for a protesalanal racing' (drcnlt to start, and are waiting for'some'oS the rink managers to make a move, John Davidson, a brother of Harley and an- otlier member of tbe^-^great family of skaters and -athletes. Is-^at present in Snssia. John nT3 the skating game is good over In Europe. Madison GatBeiis.' "CBMai^^ ts ready for the opening nl^^ September 18. Tbe skating fans wUl'.liave a: new maple floor to skate on, and ■n new-and t^^antiful decbrations to gaze upon. Bodney Meters, the St, Iionis, Mo., boy. and Cliarlea tu Franks and his daughter Idllian, are performing In fcance. , THE KISS WALTZ ENRAPTURES. (Contlnned from page 4.) of Brown, Bigelow and Eva Davenport to the disparagement of Flora Zabelle and Bol)ert fTarwlck. In fact. lie does ail he can to differ with the other metropolitan critics. Where they praise the score as pretty, luring and dreamrinspiring, he condemns the pervading melody as ''not intoxicating": to the remain- der of the score he shows no great animosity. . . Dale .' evidences -no hesitation to inclnde the ■:■ plot^'for a knock and proclaims the work of Edgar Smith "quite Inianltoos." The waltz ' her typifies as disapirointing. But to offset the . aenbm. of Ills spleen we have -the preponder- ance and tmanimlty of' his brother critics who saw the selfsame |)erformance and returned tlieir verdicts in decided favor of the new Shn- bert production. The following excerpts from the dailies r which accorded the most detailed criticisms inform ns of their approval: , The Times—''The Kiss Waltz, produced last evening at the Casino la a mtisical cocktail. In other words. It Is a mixed drink—a com- bination of Viennese operetta and American mnslcal comedy, with a little French spire thrown in for flavor and color. Last night's ' audience, which was a notable, one, received the play rapturonsly, and there is reason to believe that the final verdict will be a favor- able me. for there Is mncb to amuse and en- tertain about tbe play and little to bore. 'The book was never stapid and pome of the lines, notably those allotted to MIsp Eva Davenport, were very funny. 'The Knight ot EVERY NUMBER A WINNER 12 6RMD PRIZES -- 68 SMALLER PRIZES. No Blanks—Every Player Wins. RAFFLE CARD GAME. Outfit costs but $6.00; brings In J10.7S. Vou sell It for fl.BO, giving you | iirufit of $1.50, and the dealer $3.25 ou each outfit. 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In case you are uot en- tirely satlsflod. return tho outfit, and we will gladly refund your money. ^ BULLY PROPOSITION FOR SALESMEN Mall us SOc, and we will ship you by express our complete outfit of salea. men samples and full Information of our commission selling plan, this amoont to be returned after receiving fii8t order, A good talker can easily clear fsaw a week on this offer. THE A. W. SOLUM CANDY CO., 2910-12 Eiston Ave., CHICAGO, ILL Tkara to but One BEST—Those Made by WELDON, WILLIAMS ft UCK rORT SMITH, ARKANSAS UK nUKCISCO, CAL lUWEAPOUS, HlWl. the Bath iir the household of Eathi Fnhttnger,' n:e are totd, *is Saturday.* ' **Bat. after oil, it is'the company, wblcb la every respect Is good, the dances, the costumes and the movement of the piece, which brings it op to the level of a biff success, which it assnredly should be. Almost from the be^n* nlng a speed is struck in these matters 'which is not allowed to flag, ' except for the purpose of contrast now and then. "Flora ZalKlle played what in the original piece must hare been the most important part, as it WAS the only one of the women who had macli- to do with the plot. "To Miss Zabelle and Itobert Warwick fell the Kiss Waltz, and thej- .did it extremely well, with, a sensuoDsness and grace vrhiclt caught the bouse. Later 3Ilss Zabelle sang- a Frencb waltz very prettily. Eva I>avenport found a part more suited to her style of comedy than she has had a ehahce to disport herself in for years. She was very fimny. Charles Bigelow played his part w^. bat bad less opportunity. Connt Arthur Wildenbeix bad one song of which he made tbe most." The World—*'Tbe Casino cnrtain fell at 11:30 last night'on a Casino triamph of the old. un- doubted brand* but with modem improrements. So much fetching new music, so many pretty girls in tbe cboms, so mach brilliancy of scen- ery and costumes bad not been seen for a long time in the favorite old playhonse. And with all else was an amazing diversity and. novelty of stage dancing and turning of. stage tricks. "If it Is gathered from so mncb declaration that The Kiss Waltz scored a mighty hit at its first New Tork production, why, that's all, and that's the- way of it. There are Vienna md Composer Ziehrer to thank for a brilliant addition to the list of operetta treats previously boaftinir The Merry Widow. Madame Skerry and The Pink Lady. And there will be those to swear that the last comer is the best of aU. "Tbe waltz? Oh. yes. it is there! The or- chestra plays it In the overture, it is danced in the first act and re-danced in both acts, and mltacnlonsly soon New York will be singing tbe music to the accompaniment ot a>i the restanrant orchestras. Like Its predecessors from Vienna it is that kind. *'The plot? As nsufll in such cases, it does not matter. It Involves a composer worshioped bv the fair ladies of Vienna society, a titled husband not too jealous to flirt a little on his own account, a baroness wlio^ insists on being loved truly, and a lot of other people. "There are specialties galore in the two acts of the operetta. A whimsical dancing trio by Mr. Brown. Miss Ryan and Miss Rowland- near the end of tbe first act- most be mentioned particularly, since the first-night witnesses seemed to want it never to stop." ARLISS TRIUMPHANT. (Continued from page 4.) is that Mr. Arliss created on the lines laid down by-Mr, Parker an ideal faithful to the famous English statesman in its larger aspect, and then witb the aid of sxdendid Imagination, proceeded to make it a living, breathing figure. "It cannot be granted that the drama, in which Disraeli stood always in the foreground, was comparable with the character itself. Mr. Parker took liberties with history but such In- cidents as he distorted to serve for the motive and action of the play were not always bandied with skill. Tbe deftness of Pomander Walk was not to be found In the fabric, and sometimes tbe machinery creaked witb an ominous tionnd, "The incidents appropriated were tbe ones wtiich were the crownl*^'* achievement of Xjord Beaconsfield's TH>litical career. At the moment when Russia was casting hungry eyes toward India, and England was in a state of political Isolation, Disraeli conceived the purchase of tbe Suez Canal from the bankrupt Khedive of Egypt, and the creation of a British empire in the Bast." The story is not without its romantic appeal. This is sustained by a thread involving Disraeli as a matchmaker and balm-dispenser of broken hearts in tbe union he contrived between young Charles Viscount Deeford and Lady Clarissa Pevensey. Tbe Times opines as follows: "Mr. Arliss Is an artist who can do all of these things and make them very telling. When the time for the flare-up comes, be knows how to make It errpctive through a sense of authority conveyed, not la noisy declamation, but in a direct, cut- ting; feverish, accamnlative staccato speech, which suggests power in the man and the brain that gives the power. "Mr. Arliss*s make-up is again a verlv table triumpb, and It would seem that, as far as any one could do it, he conveys the pic- torial suggestion needed to complete the Illusion.*' The conservative Tribune concludes with the following peroration to Its cmnment on tbe dra- ma:—"The dramatist adlieres to history aliont as closely as the exigencies of the theatre will per- mit. He is frank enough to crave indulgencn for tbe liberties he has taken and to acknow- ledge that bis aim has been to present the por- trait of a great statesman, together with a pic- ture of the times he moyed in and tbe preju- dices conquered. In this purpose he succeeds. And Mr. Arliss succeeds. "Tbe former's play is tmique in its interest. The latter's performance is of a liigh wSer. Play and performance, author and star, were re- ceived and rewarded with great heartiness. The spirit of the occasion was not nidike that of a first night In the memorable times of Wallack. Disraeli will bave a long mn." COUP DE THEATRE. (Continued ftom page 4.) mtttic form. Edgar Selwyn's new play, The Arab, that bad its first performance at the Ly- ceum Theatre last night, will most lllcely prove an attractive offering. There is no gainsaynig the beaaty of the settings or the realism of the crowded bazaar scenes, the mission grounds and house. Syria seems transplanted to West Forty-Fifth Street—with the usual reservation that theatrical transplanting -must always have. "As for the play, it Is melodrama, of the flavor of Strongheart, but with a more hope- ful ending and more picturesqueness—dae to the locale—and more thrills. "The play's author, Mr. Selwyn. played the role of the dragoman sheik, and found much favor with tbe audience by a remarkably clever d^ineation of a somewhat ccHnplex role. He never lost bis cberaeterizatlon. and bis simu- lation of the passing of the boastful guide into the Christian convert and then to the power- ful sbeik was excellent. Edna Baker appeared in tbe role of the missionary; Edward R. Maw- son played the Turkish governor; Walter Wil- son as an American searcher for antiques; James Sleely. the missionary, and Eth^ Wal- dron, who proved unusually adept at panto- mime, had the nart of Myrza. a Syrian girl." The Sun affords the following appreciation of Selwyn's work: "Whatever else there may be, of good in The Arab, produced last nltsht at the Lyreum Theatre, there Is one role in it so delightfully written and so charmingly played that the rest of the play might be very poor Indeed— which it is not—and still be well worth seeing. Mr. Edgar Selwyn. acto?. should be a very grateful man to Mr. Edgar Splwyn. author, for having snch an entirely • satisfac- tory interpretation made of his work. "Tbe part of tbe Arab is so well drawn and is played with such perfect sympathy and understanding by Mr. Selwyn that the faults of tbe rest of the company seem In- significant. As Jamil Abdullah -A7<am tbe son of a Bedouin sbelk. bnt by circumstances a dragoman. Mr. - Selwyn Feemed truly a child of the desert. He had all the Oriental's guile and the gutleness.*' NEW PLAY A PERFECT GEM. (Contlnned from page 4.) as William Sh.nfcrspeare. Is to literary per- fection. The public went prcpfirril to see the mastery of his touch—and they sow It; the pl:iy was Belnscoan In Its consummation of state- craft and unnnallfieilly auperlatlTc In Its pre- sentation. The vehicle was stronjj—but the color, the iinetuoiisness in which its producer coiiclipd it has made it ImproKnnble. Tiie critics I were forced to bow their heads In resif^natlon ' and humblenrfis. Their taunts and flares, th" most eraphlc of their diction, were powerless against tbe latest Instance ot Belascotsm. lAIan l>aie must be quoted in this connec- tion. His praise Ig xenulne. prompted only by the excellence of wbat he and what bU critical colleaKoes «aw: "A Representntlre from Illinois, a Representative from Sew York, nn other from Kansas, a -fourth from Pennflvlronifi. got tOKether and talked about tbe overcapital- ization ot railroads, the MuIIIns Bill, eraft and other political delicatessen. All this went on while the audience were snuglr ensconced in their seats. Then—presto! PrestLssImo! "Like llBhtninK the aex miestlon shot Into the fray, sllyerlnt; -the politics with Itx own particular light. And from that momejit on to the close of the play, the Intcrrst was Ueeii, absorbing, (jripplnj?. enthralline and 'ong tio- fore the eveninst was over The Woman httj stamped Itself as the flrst real success of the season. "All the world loves a woman mystery Who was the woman In M, DeMlllc's play who bad once upon a time been mixed up sexually In the Immaenlate life of tbe ambitions Insnre- ent Standish? "Here was campnlKU material. Here was n story to work his downfall. Once publish th^ uely discovery, and ta-ta to Standlsh. But who wa« the woman? You know, of course You knew that she was the wife of one man onposlne Standlsh and the danehter of another You knew all that. They didn't. So von can see where the tc-n.stty of the plov comes In. with these men movlne h'aven and earth to discover the Identity of a woman who war nearest and dearest to them. "Abniit -nioiis Inulc and nsyehnloKv. one did Ket a thrill or two; one did savor the extreme CLYDE P. STEEN (Centralis, HI.) A new, but successful playwright in the tield. Formerly of tbe vaudeville team of Dailey ami Weil. Is a newspaper man, both before ami af- ter his vaudeville experience and Is well equipped to handle playwrighting. Has a larfK list of patrons on tbe better circuits and in the better class of TaudevUle. TELEPHONES for the STAGE Made Identical like tbe Real Phones. In use bv all Thcatrei, Aetata and Actresses. Send for cataloeue. B. BOSEN, IS Onioa Sq., Sept. A, Mew. Tork City. Joy of suspense: one did alt with bated breatb, watching developments. "And structurally Tbe Woman is splendM. There Is not a word too much In It. It Just forses ahead to Its conclusion. Even politic! later on takes on a dramatic itlamor, Tho cyni- cism of tbe woman's father was perfectly ir- resistible. Graft—that favorite topic of the liiim- orous cynic—was beaten Into a new form. Wf were told that a reformer Is a jtrafler ual of a Job; that Rraft U a national Instltullun: that graft was not a man's falllnit l>ni bis rellKlon. It sounds easy to voice all the erafi epiKrams In The Woman, but It Isn't. Tliev «honc. They had the Klamor of siKintHneity. and there were not too many of thL>m. but Just enouRb. "A telephone Birl at a switchboard supplied dellKhtful comedy. Nor was tbU runi; In for mere vulvar sport. The girl was a bully character, as a. telephone gin might be (and also mightn't be), and she was placed In tbe position of wishing to save the woman lu the play by withholding her telephone number. Thia was so neatly, deftly and cleverly manlaalatnl that it was one uf the features of tbe play. "The itrlllinK of this girl at the close of tbe second act, Interrupted by (he alow descent of tho curtain, was sonietblug new In piaydom, and It tickled the audience hugely. I've never seen anything more telling and more artistic. But the piece was full of artistic touches. It* staging was Uelasco at bis best. The scene In the 'amen corner' of a Washington hotel was almost too real. It seemed to be life, not stage. The constant entrance of the V'ff boys, tbe waltera, tbe lights on the telephone booths that behaved like the real thing—all »"• IH'anil ifi he loo true to lie theatrical. "Tt was a wonder of stage mnnngement—• perfect Jewel of thought, precision and I'-tre- And It all told < normously. Ot course. H naturally would. There has nev^r been s I'lM produced at this theatre In which the deinllj hiul been so laboriously considered and ski-leuca out. "The cast contained no stellar women, md It was none the worse for that. A (I)! them! .Miss Mary Nash, as the telephone k'lrl, was exquisite throngbont. Jane Peyton. «« the woman, lacked charm and distinction, an" her selection was not happy. Of the mi'" John W. Cope ns her father was perfectly ailnilr able In Ills dry and caustic hmunr that "C" failed. Cuyler Hastings, as the man, «»• funereal and a bit heavy, Eilwln Holt, St^- phen KitzpalrUk and William Ilolden were all compelent. The Woman Is reasaurlPh. • ""J begun to think that pvrry Rnn<I play had ■"■''> produced years ago. It hasn't. Laat nlKn gave us a corker."