The Billboard 1924-03-22: Vol 36 Iss 12 (1924-03-22)

QOEANTT . +o MARCH 22, 1924 The Billboard (COMMUNICATIONS TO OUR CINCINNATI OFFICES) Dan Holt, comedian with the Lasses White Minstrels, has signed with that show for next season. Homer Meachum, playing vandeville since the Hill-Evans Minstrels closed in Pittsburg, Pa,, bas a nice route booked, Members of the Al G, Field Minstrel Band and John Fingerhut’s Concert Band exchanged visits while showing Lakeland, Fla., recently. Many instances of by-gone days were talked over. Herbert Swift has forsaken the durnt cork to locate In Marianna, Fla., where he bought Smith's restaurant and betel, Mr. Swift promises special attention to troupers and says of The Billboard will be in the office at all times for their benefit. copies “Ryr-Gosh" thirty-four weeks itt. dates with in which fifty local Haley ts has completed of contin gagements in and around burg, Fa.. and is playing return bis ‘“‘Junior Follies of 1924" kiddies take part. Edna director. wus en musical “My show went over big pens Murray (“Slim’’) Livingston, referring to the home ent minstrel show he produced for the C. M. ¢ tal ai Club at Homestead, Pa., where he makes his headquarters. ‘‘Slim™ says he is in the producing game up to his neck. The minstrel season is drawing to a close and the boys will soon abandon the burnt cork and all the pleasant associations that go with it for other vocations and vacations. Don't forget, fellows, to keep others posted of your activities during the “off season’’ thru the minstrel! department. Joseph M. White, former minstrel vocalist, received word last week that he was the first American tenor to be heard in England over radio and received heaps of publicity in one of the prominent London papers. Mr. White was beard singing ‘‘Ten Thousand Years From Now’, @ Witmark song. Broadway Minstrels recently Georre Stevens’ opened their season at the Crown Theater, Cleveland, O., and are reported meeting with continued success in t! McGuire Circult of Cleveland suburban houses. The combination, headed by Red Gould and Tom Greeley, will tour the Buckeye Cirecult later. John W. Ransone made his first appearance in Cincinnati in many years when he played at the Grand Opera House last week In one of the principal roles in “The First Year’’. Ransone, who made his professional debut with the Haverly Minstrels, is one of the original members of the Boosters’.Club of Cincinnati. Word has been received that Ranks Winter, famous ballad s'nger with minstrel shows fo years gone by, is now In big-time vaudeville, Mr, Winter, known as the author of “White Wings", will soon play Macon, Ga., where he was born, while on his way to Albany, Ga., where his brother lives. Gus Mill's Big Minstrels is the title of @ new organization which opens early in August to Play picture houses, ording to advice from Hank Brown, who says he will be owner and manager Mr. Drown further states that Hi Tom Ward and twenty other people will with the show, including a band and orchestra, be = Bill Doran and his brother, Leo, received a great reception when the Al G. Field Show played in their home town, Poughkeepsie, N. A Florentine Council, Knights of Columbus, of which they are members, pretented them with a number of gifts and applauded them to the echo every time they appeared. Billy Doss has been engaged for several more seasons with the Lasses White Minstrels. Billy is one of the biggest drawing features ever assoctated with the White Company and is one of the most talented black-face comedianea and singers on the American stage. Milly's beforethe-curtain Interpolation of songs and comedy, offered while scene shifters are prepartag the special drop for the vocalism of “The Blackville Harmony Ciub’’, would certalniy be a great success in vaudeville. At the close of the minstrel season Lasses White and wife will proceed to New York, where Lasses will record several more numbers i records he made for that firm last season proved big sellers all over the route of the Lasses White Minstrels. Mr. and Mrs. White will remain in the metropolis until after the baseball opens and then leave by boat for Galveston, Tex., from wh':h city they will go by rail to their home in Dallas, Tex, J. Frank Garry, former minstrel and now in the nome-talent producing b advises that the show he recently produced for the L. 0. O. M. in Bucyrus, O., was a splendid success in every way and that he will return there the latter part of April to stage a show for the Elks. While rehearsing the show in Bucyrus Frank talked over old times with Joe McGhee, who appeared tb with the “Listen to Me’ Company Mr. now has Allen Richards as a partner. maintain headquarters in Columbus, 0. season Isinessa, ere Garry They Professor Meredith, for two years bandmaster and musical director with the Gus Hill and Honey Evans Minstrels, is playing bass in Andrew Goettel's string orchestra at the Avon, a picture theater in Watertown, N, Y. For the past seven years he has been bandmaster of the Gananoque (Ont.) Band. His daughter, Madeline, graduated from the Boston Conservatory of Music in the class of 1923, was recently heard in piano solos from radio station WGI, Medford Hill, Mass Boy who was John Silbermann, marimba soloist and head of the Silbermann Musical Entertainment Company, of Logansport, Ind., contributes a review from The Pharos-Tribune, of Logansport, of a recent performance of the Lasses White Minstrels at the Luna Theater. “The show is full of amusing incidents and came to a close entirely too soon to satisfy the capacity crowd,"" were the concluding remarks of the T#gansport critic. Mr. Silbermann, who saw the show, says ‘every word of the chronicler is true, but the cl'pping lacked about fifty per cent of expressing the real value of the company. W. E. (‘Mike’) McFs Metown, 0., and w e is sojourning in Midven the Lasses White Minstrels played at the Sorg Opera House there he followed the bors all over town, heard the band concert in front of the theater at night and derived much enjoyment from the performance, he Mr. McFee, who closed with Neil O'Brien's Minstrels about two months ago, contributes some flattering words regarding each member of the White organization and concludes by remarking: “‘More power to our friend, Lasses. I can see the day, and it is not far distant, when be will reign supreme in his brand of entertainment As a conscientious worker and producer of high-class and cleancut entertainment he surely deserves it all." Says. When Jack (‘““Smoke"') Gray and wife, Alma Arliss, both former members of Nell O'Brien's Minstrels, played a three-day engagement at the New Lyric Theater, Bridgeport, Conn., with Ed Daley's “Brevities of 1923°°, Columbia esque attraction, a party was given in their nor by Claude Root and Jack Overholt dancers and also former members of the O'Prien Company, at former's home “Smoke"’ brought along his ukelele and strummed some “mean’’ harmony to Alma‘’s accompaniment the mouth organ. Then the boys got out the dancing mat and had a dance contest which was going on fast and furions till someone yelled ‘“‘eats."” They exchanged tales of the O’Brien Show across the table until the wee hours. the Lasses White and his minstrel boys were guests of the Wabash Entertainers at a feed and entertainment when the company played Wabash, Ind., recently. Starting soon after the minstrel show concluded its performance before a packed house at Eagles’ Theater, the party at the Maccabee Hall extended into the early hours of the morning. Boob Schmalzried, the Lane Brothers, Jack Dale, Eddie Allen and Simon Pfiel entertained with songs. The local singers were followed by Lassegs White’s Black ville Harmony Four, dancing by the members of the White Company and syncopation by the musicians, Lasses had a cold, but told a few good = stories. Charles Lane said it was a real time and one the minstrel boys will never forget. “Charlie’’ is in and around La Salle, Til., for a few weeks entertaining Legion posts and says he’s having a real tme. When the Julian Eltinge and Tom Brown “Black and White Revue’ played La Salle Tuesday night, March 11, Charlie renewed acquaintance with Black-Face Eddie Ross. Charlie doing 11:45s. Next season will find “Happy" Harry Foote is and has been for the past fifteen years In the amateur minstrel producing business, working almost exclusively with Elk, Shrine, Rotary and Kiwanis organizations in Southern territory. He also had professional shows of bis own on the road. Foote started In show business with a concert company before his voice changed and was at one time noted in the West as ‘The Silver-Toned Boy Soprano’. At the age of seventeen he joined Geo. M. Noble’s Dramatic Company in reper toire, starting at the bottom of the ladder under Mr, Noble’s excellent training, and, before the season was over, was playing res; ble parts. Jumping from repertoire and stock engagements to the chorus of an opera company, be acquired knowledge that has put him in a business that today is making the show world wonder. Mr, Foote was at one time one of the best known dancing teachers and ballet susie masters. He taught large and successful schools at St. Joserh, Mo.; Norfolk, Va.; San Antonio, Waco, Ft. Worth and Dallas, Tex., and belonged to three associations of masters of dancing. He has played in diferent bands and orchestras, and once had a profess onals ladies’ concert band on the road. Mr. Foote played with Pryor’s Band of St. Joseph, Mo.; the Fourth Regiment Band and many others, Today, at the age of 54, he is showing no gray bair or age indications, and puts on dances and ble work with pep and ginger that some men thirty years younger can not duplicate. His connection with Thompson & Dundy of Hippodrome and Luna Park fame gave him considerable knowledge of the amusement park game and his ability to produce indoor and exposition activities is being demonstrated every year. ensem THEATRICAL MUTUAL ASSN. By DAVID L. DONALDSON, Grand Sec’y-Treas. 899 Main Street, Buffalo, N. Y. The Theatrical Ing the past few very much alive is bright. The Mutual Association has durmonths shown that it is still and the k for this year members have awakened to the fact that it fs well to belong to a real beneficial order. Appe als hare been thru t) lur and the aneeel ha annual reports coming outh to time all get out and boost, been in vain, for the in show that every lodge is on its toes striving to increase its membership and everyone seem have the welfare of the order at heart. The secretaries are doing ‘noble work and the officers in general are working hard to instill new life into their lodge, VariOus lodges have started drives, have interested their fam friends in the welfare of their lodge. Some took care of the poor at Yuletide, have made it a point to look after the road men, and, taken as a whole, the past seven months have been a success. made from time to s not ese oC s to others Hes and others Now, do not let this cease, but keep up the good work for the next seventeen months and let us go to the next Grand Lodge session filled with enthusiasm and determination to make this the largest and grandest order in the country supported by people from the amusement line, It is with pleasure we hear of lodges situated near one another holding joint meetings, or members of one lodge visiting another. This is the spirit to have, and not center yourselves in one little spot with a fence around you so no one can see what you are doing. Throw open the gates and invite your neighbors to pay you a vis't and you will soon see and appreciate the good that there jis in these visits. It will broaden the scope of our motte and I am sure you will all become wiser and better members thru this brotherly feeling. Grand Lodge members’ cards have been sent out to the various ledges for distribution to the WANTED FOR LASSES WHITE «cs MINSTRELS SEASON SINGERS—Good Top Tenor. 1924-25, Singers who double Band DANCERS—Who com double Band. MUS.CIANS—To enlarge our Band and Orchestra, seful Minstrel People write. ADDRESS BILLBOARD, CINCINNATI, 0, Two weeks’ siletce a polite negative, ‘ & wih peal ~\) OVER 1500 NUMBERS LISTED BALLADS AND NOVELTIES A 2 PART 3 PART AND ALL QUARTETS ENTERTA ° OPERA TO JAZZ AL RNY GOOD THINGS # SUGGESTIONS FOR ALL ENTERTAINMENTS ESPECIALLY MINSTREL SHOWS Zi Enclose 2¢ postage for either or 4 “cents s for both RATe SONS 1650 BROADWAY NEW YORK) HOW TO PUT ON : agen SHOW tical instructions die amateur and pre jecslonah e « t opening ™ bed, complete good selection of r gags, metructions . list of suitable songs, mt » book sent post o~e? < { 5M% HAROLD ROSSITER CO., 331 W. Madison St., Chicago, UM. ™ Ve VE GOT your pom gp oo In fact, T have siz v numbera of the be st Minstrel First Pa including Joke logues, Cross-Fire an Comic Recit irket, at $1.00 per number, or any -two-hour bill), for $2.50 Meet Mr. Bo nd Mr. Whiffie = in a clean, strel a ram, Farcical laug AFTE RPIBCE DICK UBERT, Billboard, $2.50 order. ‘1493 ye N. ¥. GC. Gneram. SHOW GUIDE 350 _En Men’s Jo kes, 26 Songs, 9 ete! Mor ace and Pr Rehearsals and Makestart to finish, 25c. THE cO., 197 lton Street, 1924 Edition Just Out! DO YOUR OWN WIRING! AND SAVE 50% 448 PAGES 186 ILLUSTRATIONS ALL THE LEADING THEATRICAL ELECTRICIANS USE THIS BOOK The Nationa! Electrical Code explained and illustrated. New illustrated chapters on Qutside Wiring and Insi Wiring for all sys tems for both dire and alternating currents; House and Residence Wiring, Garag 5 Theatre and Moving Picture House Wiring, Electric Sign Wiring, Amuse: Park Wir ing. Leather Cover. Gilt Edges. Pocket Size. $9.0 _ Sent Postpaid m BR pt of Price. H. C. CUSHING, Jr. 14 West 40th Street, NEW YORK many Grand Lod I bers with a feeling that t will i i thers know that they once \ active n the work of the Grand Lodge and aps it may revive their interest In our ler and be the means of Dringing back to r recollection the time that they. went yme from a Grand Lodge session very proud of the fact that they were taking to their lodge the hor ling office in the Supreme Lodge a i now out of office, it behoores get busy to prevent any. drastic action that may cau only those who are delegates to e convention being the real and only Grand Lodge members. This was — — oe Ti ees har Ate tl ile i tl an iO A