The Billboard 1909-02-27: Vol 21 Iss 9 (1909-02-27)

The Billboard FEBRUARY 27, 1909. Frank H. Swain since closing with the Buffalo Bill Wild West, not lost any time, week to rest up. for bis Six Rickey Girls, by fire in Buffalo, N. Y., the week of February 8. The act was to open February 15 but all celed until April 5, to give him time to rebnild. The act is booked solid in parks and airdomes for the summer season. W. H. Barnes’ Princess Trixie, this country, in EB on the Percy Williams New wonderful horse, has recently been returned to York time and opened a fifteen weeks’ tour on the a i ur| will be featured on | the Pay Streak at the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Ex| Proctor time at Philadelphia, last week. ing the summer ‘‘Trixie’’ position in Seattle, June 1-October 15. The team known as Harry and Hazel Clark has dissolved partnership, and Harry Olark has joined hands with Parber and Palmer, who will present this season an eccentric musical novelty in whieh the old abrobatic dog, King, will be featured. The act will hereafter be known as Barber and Palmer, assisted by Harry M. Clark, and will open in Chicago, February 21. Chas. H. McCulogh, of Richmond, Ind., has secured the management and opened the Orpheum Theatre at Columbus, Ind., Monday, February 15, to capacity business, playing advanced vaudeville, booking through the Gus Sun Agency, in connection with the New Wigwem at Martinsville, Ind. Miss Kitty Faye, who is at present appearing in vaudeville in a one-act playlet by 0. M. Young, called Queen of the Prairie, will be seen in a border playlet next seasen, My Jack, by the same author. She will be assisted by Mr. Young and Geo. G. Goodale. The Milmars and Baby June have finished sixteen weeks’ time on the Geo. . Webster Circuit, and will open on ‘the Sullivan and Considine Circuit at the Family Theatre, Butte, Mont., February 27. A. B. Wurnell, The Dancing Barrel | Jumper, who recently concluded his engagement with the North Brothers’ Comedians, will open on the Pantages’ Circuit, March 1, doing his acrobatic novelty on roller skates. Frank Maury, who has been winterat Ironton, O., joined the James Adams Vaudeville Show No. 2 to resume his duties as agent of that organization. The show opens at Rock Hill, 8. C., February 20. Frank Keeney has taken the Third | Avenue Theatre and will open vaudeville beginning February 22, and will be known as Keeney’s Third Avenue Theatre, booked by Ed. Gallager, of 1440 Broadway. B. and D. Bennington closed their season of stock at Columbia, Tenn., and will play dates until May 1, when they open with Mildred’s Comedians in stock, at the Airdome Theatre, Columbus, Ga. Billy F. Scott, black-face comedian, | formerly of the team of Scott and Rhoades, | bas closed a very successful season in the South | and has returned to his home in Grand Rapids, Mich., for a rest. The Aherns have just completed 25 weeks of the National Association time through Ohio, Indiana and Pennsylvania, and opened on = Wm. Morris time at Philadelphia, February DeClee and LavVellie, sensational aerial gymnasts and jugglers, are rehearsing a new act, which will be featured-with the Ginnivan Stock Company, the coming season. November 19, has — with the exception of one | Mr. Swain had the misfortune © to lose all of his scemery and electrical effects | after being exhibited fur a year | urope. The attraction has lately been seen — Gossip of the Performers and what They are Doing in These Latter. Days of the Season—Frank H. Swain | Loses all the Scenery and Fffects for his Six Rickey time has been can| | Girls in a Fire and Cancels Time Booked The VAUDEVILLE PROFESSION BLANCHE RING. ses 5 WA IZ 7 Bc She has forsaken musical comedy for er an sS 1 @ and.-is now ‘‘doing a singing act’’ on the Keith Proctor time. The Aerial Budds have been compelled to cancel all time owing to the illness of one of the members of the team, who is now confined to a hospital in Columbus, 0. Arthur H. Bell, the ventriloquist, will team with Arthur Mitchell (of Mitchell and DeLisle) in a novelty ventriloguial act. They will be ready about April. On account of having contracted a severe cold, Miss Maud Douglas, “The Dainty soprano,”’ bas been obliged to go to ber home in Philadelphia for a few weeks’ rest. After five weeks of Lyceum work, “Chald’’ Saunders returned to Hammerstein's, New York City, for another engagement, witb Western time to follow. The Dancing Johnsons have just closed on the Ted Sparks Circuit, and are now playing a return date on the J. R. Weber time. The Norrises, novelty musical act, opened on the Pantages’ Circuit, February 22. DRAMATIC. A Texas Ranger, both Eastern and Western companies, under the management of Jack Hoskins, report business excellent. The Eastern show has made quite a record as a onenight stand attraction in that it wpened the season of 1907-08 on August 10, and closed July 7, at Manistee, Mich.; opened the 1908-09 season on August 10, and the show will close July 1 at Manistee. According to the management, Mr. Hoskins had-received many letters advising him to stay out of+the territory he is now playing, but his confidence inthe merits of his attraction, caused him to let this advice go by unheeded, but so far the business done has beep most gratifying. Following is the roster of the Katherine Rober Stock Company, now playing a successful season at the Burtis Auditorium, at Au burn, N. Y.: Ed. Fiske, manager; Miss Katherine Rober, Leander Blanden, W._D. Stedman, | George Connor, B. Bertrand, M. Sargent, / Carl Breman, Wm. E. Warren, W. J. Shultz, Chas. Robinson, Louis Wolford, Wayne Camp bell, Miss Arline, M. Bennett, Edith Bower, Sarah Kyles, Katie Kosgriff, Jessie Howe, Nellie Hancock, Jennie Hart, Katheryn G. Kirk, Winifred George. The Curran Comedy Company, managed by Robt. E. Walker, has just concluded its thirtieth week of the season, Whieb so far has been uniformly successful. The company goes | under canvas April 1, playing to the Pacific | Coast. A fourteen-piece band will be one the features this summer. The company consists of 28 people. James Myrle MacCurdy, the wellknown actor and playwright, will appear, next season, and for a term of years, under the man | agement of Chas. H. Wuerz’s Attractions, in a new sensational comedy drama by himself called | The Yunkee Doodle Detective. Billy the Kid, one of Chas. H,. Wuerz's attractions, is now playing its twentyninth week this season, to satisfactory business. , The regular season will close at Newburg, N., Y., on agree 24 and reopen July 31 at Mt. Very non, N. Y. 4 Claude Norrie has withdrawn from, the cast of It’s All on the Quiet, to play Jack ** Temple in Mrs. Temple’s Telegram, for balance of the season, under the maha of Jus. B. Delcher. o . Al. White, in advance of W. F. Mann's Tempest and Sunshine Company, is one of the hustlers now in the State and his work is getting the business for his attraction. ERNEST COOKE—ARTIST AND MANAGER. —_— By FREDERICK MORDAUNT HALL Many years ago, a struggling, yet enthusiastic boy, who was a circus rider, yearned for the life of an artist. With his pennies, over in the old country, the youth bought pencils, and in the time that he was not working or being thrashed with a leather whip, this youth went into a small room and cooped himself up in what he called his studio. ‘There he copied all the pictures he could find, most of them being those of riders and clowns in shows. When he received a vacation he spent most of the time in an art gallery, wishing that in the hazy future be might be able to have an oil painting in an art gallery. But work for him’ was circus riding and his only wish was that he might be able to choose his hobby, art. The boy was Ernest e, manager of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West, who belongs to the oldest family of showmen in the world. He has seen life as a clown as well as a rider. As a mapager, Mr. Cooke is one of those men by his who compel good work and honesty, comely presence and gentleness, rather than by harsh commands. He has always foumd it difii cult to dismiss even the lowest employe ‘and has frequently given to men the chance that | has been the turning point in their careers, although at times it seemed that they were wholly eserving. Mr. Cooke has many a time reasoned with a man and thus done more to the scapegrace than a hundred salvationists could possibly have done by singing a thousand mns. The men he bas had around him this last season have refrained from using the objectionable expletives commonly heard about a show, ause they knew that Cooke did not swear and that he did not like it. Men who might have been careless about their labor have gone about it with a vim, because they had a word of praise from Ernest Cooke. They have worked earnestly, not because of fear of the chief, but because thev liked him. And this same Ernest Cooke—it seems hardly imaginable—was once, and not so long ago, the clown that brought laughter from German, French and English audiences. In fact, he was the star clown of the universe. ces as a mirth-maker were in demand everywhere, and they were weer * to pay him what was then a large salary. e was the ‘‘Silly Billy’ clown, and at the present time there is noone who knows Ernest Cooke, “who would “any time have thonght that the man who can so well hold down the managerial position with a big organization, could possibly have convulsed an audience with laughter; could have painted his face or worn the ridiculous costume | of a clown. But he did. Moreover, he is just as proud of it as he is (and has a right to be) of his work with the Buffalo Bill Show this last season. Cooke, when he was in his teens, found himself in Ireland. He had been subjected to cruel treatment from a_ stepfather, who, found the boy drawing on pieces of paper, would take them away from him, and threaten» punishment with the dreaded whip should he be Panght idle again. Yes, it was called idleness when they found the boy Cooke working hard at his hobby, which ought to have been his vocation. He went to a phrenologist who, it was alleged, a more certain knowledge of the formation of the head than the usua have, and was told he ought to paint. Cooke said that he could draw, but had never been able to buy a box of paints. “I'll buy them for you and we'll see what you can do. then.’’ said the phrenolozist. It was only a few days after this that the youth returned, not only with the box of paints, | but also with a wonderfully colored drawing. | It had been his first attempt, but the mark of | the artist was there Crude though this drawing and its coloring might have been, it attracted men who would willingly have financially helped the boy to study art, but that was out of the question, as he had come from a family of circus people and was apt and clever in his riding on a bareback horse. His stepfather would not hear of such ‘‘an absurd change in the boy’s career.’’ He even went so far as to threaten those who told the boy that he could ultimately become a great artist. Hence, Cooke continued as a rider of barebacked horses, frequently himself lashed by the deadly whip of the ringmaster. Cooke can remember the time when he was practicing, the time when he was the moneymaker of a certain number of his family. He can remember the time—aye, many «a time— | when his stepfather, treating him as if he had | been an animal, brought blood from the boy’s when he| run of these men | legs because the legs were not held up high enough, and also, many occasions when he was mercilessly hauled down from the horse and beaten because the jump was not good. After years of riding, Cooke came over to this country, and it was when riding in New York that he fell from his horse and broke his ankle. It was all up then—this career that his relatives had chosen for the boy. his former cleverness and agility went for nothing. But Cooke |; Was not daunted, and it was then that he thonght of becoming a clown. Like everything else he did, young Cooke made the clown busi ness tell. People heard of the ‘‘Silly Billy’’ clown, and they wanted to see him. If there {was a bad program on at a certain show and “Silly Billy’ | for all wanted to see the fun maker. | By that time Cooke was his own master and | he went, for the fun of the thing, to copy the | old masters in the different picture galleries in | Europe. He showed these pictures to an art dealer and was astonished w he was offered | $200 each for the pictures he thonght to be worthless. But, by that time, the life of the show business had gained its hold on Cooke, and though he loved his hobby, it was life in the open that he looked forward to, most. In the many towns that he visited with shows, instead of taking a camera with him, Cooke took a drawing pad, and brought away souvenirs of the places in this manner. Louis E. Cooke, general agent for Buffalo Bill’s Wild West for many years, one of the most appreciative men in the show business, as well as one of the cleverest, thought so well of the work of Mr. Ernest Cooke as an artist that he placed several of the latter’s paintings on the walls of his hotel in Newark. Thousands have seen and admired a picture of Colonel Cody. It was used al astel over was there, they got the audience, | | Taylor, | | | | | | the country and it was a wonder to many when | they found that the manager of the show had painted it. Others—just as many—saw pictures | of Indians, among them one of Chief Iron Tail, that brought forth praise for the artistic skill displayed. And yet, Mr. Cooke is so modest that few of his associates know that Cooke is an artist as well as a manager of shows. No man has ever heard a bad word sald against him, and if they whisper it to themselves it i# only becanse he may have been too lenient with some employe. | | PLAYHOUSE NOTES. | The Crown Theatre, a new vaude ville and house at Mobile, Ala., was 0 F 21, under the management of J. H. and C. B. King. Bookings are thaougb the Empire Theatrical Exchange. The —— is the house staff: J. H. King, manager; Buc assistant manager; . A. Gunoinson, stage manager, and L, Johnson, chief usher. Prof. Taylor is leader of the orchestra, whicb consists of five pieces. Fred. W. Hartmann, formerly manager of the Lyric at Danville, Ill., has leased the Lyric at Fort Wayne, Ind., and assumed charge February 20. r. Hartmann managed the Danville house ever since its ning three years ago and a great share of its financial suc. cess is due to Mr. Hartmann’s good management. The Christy Amusement Enterprises are remodeling their Gem motion picture theatre in Springville, N. Y. A large balcony and a stage is being installed, and various other improvements made. The theatre in the future will be conducted as a vaudeville and moving picture house. The Stainach-Newell System will by this time next year have another house op their circuit. They are building a $50,000 theatre in Port Chester, N. Y. This will make four houses they control and manage, the other three being located at Yonkers, White Plains and Mt. Vernon, N. Y., respectively. Mr. Jack Young, formerly treasurer of the Grand Theatre in Atlanta, Ga., has been made menager and Mr. Rex B. Mooney, formerly of Chattanooga, treasurer of the Grand Theatre, Atlanta, Ga. ese two gentlemen take the places of Messrs. Hirsecher Brothers, who recently resigned. The management of the Duncan Op | era House, East Las Vegas, N. M., has changed, the new management being Jas. S. Duncan, Jr. Mr. Duncan assumes charge March 1, Bernard Q. Lustig, formerly of the Arcade Theatre, Toledo, O., resigned last week Mr. Lustig will go into the real estate in Toledo. ?