The Billboard 1924-12-20: Vol 36 Iss 51 (1924-12-20)

' ) : tt) i SO Om RA icp 8 gh 2 a pew 2 eigk Deer kam >: Fees z. toe: “Follow Me” The third edition of I. M. Weingarden’s Follow Me opened at the Lafayette Theater, New York, December 8 for a two weeks’ stay. It was the fifth or sixth appearance of the Chicago producer's attraction in the Harlem house. One o° those sudden attacks of illness prevented the Page being among the first nighters, and other events scheduled have preeluded covering the show up to the time this goes to press. However, beginning cf the show, which was. most promising. We have the word of such prominent “first nighters” of the district as A. W. Jaxon, Joseph Trent, Albert Mordecai, Beeman the “real estater” and Andrew Tribble that the show is “good, clean, fast, funny and_ entertaining.” Those words also are the description furnished by Page, Jr., who has rehearsed with a flop or two himself and knows singing and dancing. The show opened to a packed house and repeated that sort of business for the whole of the first week. Jerry Millis is proud of what his company is presenting and has invited his mother to sit in the-front row, and Jerry declines to inflict a poer show on his mother. He is one stage manager who has no deiusions. The outstanding hit of the show is the Novelty Quartet, and those boys have harmonized so effectively that all Harlem is talking about them. It is well, we are told, that they are spotted right down before the finale. The Mixup, a bit by Whitman, Ross, Gorzas, Sutton and Pope, is declared to afford laughter that is long and loud. The show is in two acts, with a prolog and 16 scenes. Many familiar folks are in the cast. Ernest R. Whitman is doing leads and @ramatic bits. Sussie Sutton, leading lady; Alice Gorgas one of our cleverest imgenues, and Cli.ff Ross, the droll comic, are in their usual places. Eddie Matthews, the comedian who has succeeded to the part once played by Billy Higgens, seems to be well fitted for the task he has taken over, and takin: Billy’s place is no sinecure. Blake an Bronson provide the show with the dance feature, and they deliver. Charles Shelton and Totts Davis are in the cast with useful bits. Walter Batie does a dance single that hit. Eunice Washington, a blues singer of good voice and neat appearance, hit with the gallery, especially in the Doodle Doo Doo number. Others in the show are: Jessie Taylor, Lucile Tarver, Thelma Jordan, Marie Jordan, Myrtle Dillard, Lillian Russell, E:mice Washington, Mary Evans, Stella Johnson, Lillian Dennie, Mary Scott, Eva Overstreet, Bessie Wil'iams, Mary Wells, Lena Leggitt, Alma Sutton, Ethel Pope, Tillie Matthews, Geneva Davis, Walter Batie, Yank Bronson, Franklin O, Couse, Atta Blake, Herbert Bunting, William Garrett, Henry Davis, Paul Johnson, James Davis and Van Jackson. J. C. Weingarden is manager of the company and E. Lavigne is agent. While in New York a number of changes in the chorus was made that will improve the ensemble effects both as to singing and peppy action. Hudgins Faces Appeal In Decision Won Against Big Theatrical Producer Johnnie Hudgins, colored comedian, famed in burlesque as the star of Chocolate Dandies, and featured now in the Club Alabam, recently was granted a decision in his favor by Judge Mitchell in Part I, special term of the Supreme Court of New York. B. C. Whitney, owner of the Chocolate Dandies Company, featuring Sissle and Blake, has served notice that he will appeal to the Appellate division with a view of restraining Hudgins from appearing with any other management, which he claims is in violation of a contract with the Sissle and Blake show. The bill of particulars filed by Nathan Burkan, attorney for the plaintiff, sets forth that Mr. Hudgins’ services are unique and cannot be replaced, This is the first time that such an allegation has been made with reference to a Negro artist. The appeal gives especial emphasis to the claim. Hudgins is reported to have received $125 with the B. C. Whitney Company, and to now be under contract to the Shubert interests via Arthur Lyons, .an agent, for approximately $500 per week, with special performance appearances, record privileges, cabaret work ail reserved to Mr. Hudgins. In addition the Shubert ‘interests assure him feature publicity, denial of which was the motjvating cause for his retiring from the Sissle and Blake organization. Incidentally, his defection greatly weakened the show, a fact admitted in the papers filed by the complainant, B, C. Whitney. New York papers have accorded, in one instance, front-page publicity to the incident, and some of them treated it with the sort of comedy effects with which they usually adorn stories concerning Negroes. This, however, does not alter the value and the distinction that Mr. Hudgins has achieved. Mrs. Abigail Hubbard, colatura soprano of Boston, singing the compositions of Nevin, Scott, Horseman, Anan and Verdi with Anna Blum as accompanist, and Coral McCay, the reader sharing the program, had a very successful appearance in the Auditorium of Bethel A. M. E. church in that city recently. New England critics are quite generous in their praise of the soprano. one night we caught the~ The Billboard —— A 4 @t A\JACKSONS In the Inter Colored Actor Showman EMausician ts v @ NGE, oxxEd awd fas Y est at* ; & &e 4 Tica \ Fri (Communications to 1493 Broadway, New York, N. Y.) Our Carnival Man Calls —_ Dan Michaels, guiding spirit among the three Michaels Brothers, who for the past two years have been struggling to establish the Negro in the carnival business, is now in New York and has becn a caller at The Billboard office. Dan believes that with 97 colored fairs in the country, and more than 12,000 lodges belonging to a dozen major fraternities with which to deal, there is a wide field of u: fulneys for a carnival operated by Neeroc :. He has backed his belief with his time and money and a lot of days with a grit that replaced for the time every other asset, an admits that the sledding has been hard, and that he has not found the degree of co-operation that he had hoped for. His Race secured from very few fair officials that degree of favor that he felt was warranted. “But,” says Dan, “there have been enough to encourage me to continue, and next season will see an even bigger organization touring under our title. .For/this we thank W. H. Crockett, of the Tidewater Fair Association of Suffolk, Va. Twice he has assisted us most substantially, and always has used his influence in our favor whenever possible. M. W. Ward, of the Chatltam County Fair at Siler City, S. C., is another who las extended us courtesy and a business chance. C. Bager, of Concord, N. C., is another fair official who has the right conception as to how to advance our group interest. “Caesar R. Blake, Jr., of Charlofte. N. C., and his fellow townsman, a Mr. Bumry, were men who, as responsible heads of a great fraternity, recognized in us an opportunity to demonstrate the purposes of their fraternity, and we are grateful to say that they did it, and did it nobly. “The Elks in several that is the I. B. P. O. E. W., in a number of cities, were fine men ta do business with. They provided some excellent dates and some _ spiendid co-operation. Sea Breeze Park, near Wilmington, N. C., is a spot where the Negro amusement owner will find a splendid chance. The whole property is owned by the Race. “We played Mullen, S. C., and found it a good town with fine appreciative Reorle with broad vision. At Fairmont, . C., tho rain interfered. considerably with business, we found the people pleasant to hand and to do business With. Both are good stands. “Savannah, Ga., is a fine town to play, but it should be played in summer. fe played there in the winter under the very good auspices of Weldon Lodge of Elks. They treated us fine, even if business did not reach the expected figures. “We found, too, that white fraternities are not averse playing a Negro organization. At Pooler, Ga., a town without a colored resident, we played under the auspices ef a white Masonic lodge, and the engagement was a pleasant one. We layed Guyton under similar auspices. here was not an untoward incident in either place. In one of them the mayor sold the tickets. “During the past season we have carried seven cars conveying seven rides, six shows and an average of 25 concessioners. The list of people varied from 75 to 150 people. ‘ “We had troubles, of course; some were those incident to the business, some grew from misplaced confidence and yet others grew from my own previous businesses in the territory; but with all of it, I am convinced that there is a great field for the Michaels carnival, if our fair officials will realize that in doing business with Michaels they are helping an organization that was sent out in direct response to their demand as reflected by statements in the National Negro Fair Association.” Michaels will remain in New York over winter and has set on foot the organization of the Travelers’ Benefit Association, a beneficial society that is intended to relieve the colored outdoor show people of distress such as Michaels has himself endured on many occasions while trying to advance himself in the show world. Desdunes’ Band in Theater The Dan Desdunes Band, of Omaha. Neb., which has played more fairs, bazaars and celebrations than any other musical group of the Race in recent years, is taking a fling at the stage. The band has contracted to appear in a 20-minute act at the Rialto heater, the largest picture theater in Omaha, week of January 10. This presentation may be followed by others. While the stage appearance will be new to the band, its con Southern cities, * ductor will be quite at home, as he once was a member of the team of Desdunes and Harris in minstrelsy. In those days he also directed the band. Been married recently? Or become engaged? Or has the stork paid you a visit? If sa, don’t forget to let the editor of The Billboard know all ahout it. Send in all the details, and the notice will be printed the following week, Florence Mills Disappoints Ethiopian Art Recital With no explanation whatsoever volunteered, the management of the Ethiopian Art Theater School, of New York, was obliged to announce at the conclusion of its program that Florence Mills, of the Dirie to Broad cey producti vho been billed heavily as the steUlar attrac tion of the school concert, had not appeared. About 500 people were visibly disappointed. The incident is a_ bit unusual since this Httle ladv has peen very dependable in the mat.er We non-commercial donations of her name and services, Willie Butler and his saxoplne orchestra, the California Syncopators, another donation, was detained by an engagement elsewhere and did not show up until late in the afternoon. However, when they came their offering gave new life to a program that was inclined to drag a bit. Lydia E, Mason, pianiste, and Josephine Heathman, soprano, were perhaps the high spots of a 15-number program, Richard B. Harrison, reader, and Mrs. esse Zachary, the actual stars, were accepted as such by virtue of Harlem's familiarity with them. The affair, one of a series to help the building fund of the movement, was an artistic success. Blanche Smith Eckies and John Eckies each did a series of songs and sang the duet from Aida. Ardelle Mitchel'-Dabney and Cecile DeSilva were contributing artists. The students of the school tendered some very promising work. Albert W. Noll presented a mixed chorus of 60 voices in two numbers, one a spiritual arranged by Burleigh. A male glee club, under the direction of Max utzman, rendered four harmonies. Both of these disclosed cloge and careful instruction on the part of the instructors, as well as indicated that there is no dearth of potential talent in the student body. While the Rennaissance Casino, also donated, was comfortably filled on the first floor, the boxes were all empty, save for one or two occupied by newspaper foiks. Considering that the program ws staged at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, December 6, the most convenient hour and day possible in Harlem, the paucity of people is mute testimony that the business side of the movement is not maintaining anywhere near the degree of efficient work that is so evident in the professional departments, If the school is to succeed something besides thé glamour of names famous in other movements of entirely different character will have to be identified with the business end of the institution. Fred R.' Moore, publisher of The New York Agé, and President Brown have worked assiduously but virtually alone in these phases of school affairs. The local papers and trade journals have been exceedingly generous in their support, but the school is languishing, and the noble work of Anne Wolter and her associates is being hampered by some “dead wood” officials whose whole interest in the school was exhausted when the first catalog bearing their names left the print shop. They had acquired another claim to local distinction, so why worry more? The art theater presents its second dance program in the very near future. Benbow Visits ; William Benbow, owner and star of Benbow’s Revue, to say nothing of bein a Deacon, Shriner, Elk and member o several other fraternal organizations, was a visitor at the New York offices of The Billboard December 3 He had jumped from his show in Baltimore to the bi city to purchase some new costumes an scenery, for which he proudly displayed soostang? bills while talking with the age. He also passed us a clipping from The Baltimore Afro-American, whose reviewer witnessed the performance of the com any at the Regent Theater in that city. Ve reprint the opening paragraph, which tells it all: “Constructed, like the modern Fourth of July celebrations, on a safe and sane basis, ‘Bendow's Revue is immensely entertaining. Knowing the limitations of houses where it is necessary to crowd a maximum of show into a minimum running time, the producer has built a snappy little plot without a dull me@nent.” Margie Cohen, Harry Brock, Odell Irvin, Loveless and “McClain, Henry Coleman and Henry Mitchell are praised in the details that followed. So were the Strayhornes, recent additions to the show. The article closes with the statement that “they all work hard and produce results.” The week of December 8 the company, numbering 29 people, played the Howard Theater, Washington, D. C, John C. Smith's Orchestra donated:an entertainment program to the members of the Juniors of the 135th Street Y, M. Cc. A., New York, on December 5, “became interested. DECEMBER 20, 1924 Picked Up by the Page Thursday afternoon we made our usia! chase around the Rialto district secking what we might find; and everywhere we went, we got word that the OLD ROLL TOP DESK man from Chicavo had been there and just gone. That big fellow covers a lot of ground when hy hits Broadway. There's nothing basnful about the way he lets the town know that he has arrived, whether it be by aeroplane, or the more ordinary Broad. way Limited, Missing him, we picked up a few other interesting bits, such as the fact that PEARL CRAWFORD, the little stenographer Whose, smile has. brightened Offices of s evéral publishing houses, is with the CHARLES MATSON office now. She types as readily as she smiles. Ran into the FLETCHER TANGO BAND in the office of that Same artist’ representative, afl 10 of them. They have been in New York since they closed their season with MARIE LUCAS, Was invited to accompany them to a famous Broadway resort of the exclusive class where they were playing a special engagement. Time did not permit acceptance of the bid. In the TUNE SHOP, next door to Matson in the Gayety Theater Building, we encountered an honest-to-goodness quartet that JOE YOUNG, brother of the wellknown BOB, has brought from Baltimore to sing in THE MAGNOLIA LADY, the piece that Ruth Chatterton is starring in on the big street. CLARENCE DEN. NIS, ANDREW JOHNSON, OSCAR WAINWRIGHT and SUTER TOYE are the harmonists. CARRINGTON DANIELS, who plays piano and the ukulele, sings some in the same production. There we also met PEGGY O'’NEIL a white singer, who has recorded many numbers on the Columbia records, and ROSA HENDERSON, who had just come in from Philadelphia for some new music for use in her husband's tabloid show at the Standard Theater. She looked enticing, all done up in furs. Just as we were getting enthralled with what Miss Henderson had to say about Philadelphia doings, about VIRGINIA LISTON and the show she had in rehearsal to open in the Regent Theater, Baltimore, about “SLIM’ MASON’S fraternal affairs, etc. EDGAR DOWELL interrupted to tell us that the Magnolia Quartet is going to record some Tune House numbers soon. Across the Hall at the HANDY, “home of the blues,” we met BONNIE WINDSOR, whom Mr. Handy says can do most everything. She sings well, plays the piano, writes lyrics and can plug a number to perfection. She once played the home town of the Page, so we promptly Another interruption to meet DONALD REDMOND, the young Peidmont (W. Va.), fellow who s responsible for the unique musical arrangements for which the FLETCHER HENDERSON Band has become famaais. , Mr. Handy also told us about the banquet of the AUTHORS and COMPOSERS’ Society at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel De cember 4, Besidas JOHN PHILIP SOUSA and our own boys, SHEPARD EDMONDS, MACEO PINKARD, HENRY CREAMER, SPENCER WILLIAMS and W. C. HANDY, there were about 400 9 distinguished writers at the afair. For the first time that has come notice one of our artists has actually been sought for an important engacement. The Winter Garden booking authorities actually sent for ALBERTA HUNTER. She played the date with the prospect of going into a Shubert production soon. BILLY PIERCE has taken office and training room space in Room 307 Javeyx Building, and is conducting his own business with the following staff TIM BRYMM, composer and’ musical conductor: WALTER RROGSDALE, music arranger; DAISY SMALL and WILLIE COVAN as dance instructors, and ARTHUR GRANVILLE as office manager ED. HENRY, columnist of THE PHILADELPHIA TRIBUNE, steps “F to take a_ wallo at Micheaux’s film, BIRTHRIGHT. He saw it at the Royal Theater, Philadelphia, and disagrees violently with the paper’s reviewer, WALLY PEELE. Always held a high esteem for Friend Ed., but he seems to be all wrone this time. According to his philosophy. any exposure of unpleasant conditions is bag. Our plays, films and books must not be true to life. They must be glossy versions of what we should like to b vain hopes, etc. Just how an evil can be cured while we smugly igpore its existence I can't see, Ed's philosophy is wrong, or he is without knowledge of the country, and we can hardly believe the latter, for he ds a much-traveled man The sooner the Race faces facts unflinchingly, the sooner we will progress HEERIE JEEBIES ts the name of 4 four-page leaflet that Percival Prattis. a clever writer on the staff of the A N. P., is publishing in association with Charles C. Dawson, who is an artist of rare quality. The pages are illustrated with some drawings by Dawson_ that merit a place in. publications of the widest circulation. Hope some big publisher just sees that first issue of HEBBIE JEEBIES. ALBERT PIZARRO and his_ TASMANIAN TRIO of acrobatic dancers start a tour of the Pantages Circuit at Newark, N. J., December 22 that. will o our take them to the Pacific Coast and back. To accept the engagement, the act was DE oblig arou! 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