Variety (Jan 1906)

VAWBTY. ■\. PASTOR'S. Bert Fitzgibbon, who is yoked up with Tlieodore Morse and Jack Drislane in a team that bears their triple names, must train like a prize tighter for his work. They are In the Pastor bill this week. Fitzgibbon is the mainstay of the com- bination. His work consists largely in "kidding" the audience, but he develops such a high degree of resource and originality in it that he is forgiven the liberty he takes with the front rows. Morse's part of the contract probably did noi call for harder work than look- ing dignified and playing accompani- meats on the piano for his own popular songs. The Drislane member of the trio ap|>eared frcm time to time, to fill in the periods, apparently, when Fitzgib- bon was busy in the wings thinking up new funnlments to spring. As an evidence that most of his work was extempore it was noticed that the stage hands—who are more blase and uninterested than the most seasoned critic—gathered about the wings to wit- ness his clowning. The house liked it thoroughly, and accepted the Tuxedoed figure of Mr. Morse as an Interesting feature of the act. Mr. and Mrs. Mark Murphy were the wetik's added attraction. They are at their best in the Pastor house, where they aro among their unquestioned frieudb, and worked with unusual effect. The two principals have within them- selves the essence of real Irish humor which is a thing apart frcm the spurious imitations of the ordinary witticisms of knockabouts wearing green whiskers and talking with an insistently rolling Dick and Alice McAvoy call their sketch "The Waif's Christmas Eve," thereby getting as far as possible away from "Skinny's Finish" in the title. The act is interesting and entertaining, nevertheless, although at times it ap- proaches dangerously bathos. Harry Thompson has a monologue, Inappropriately entitled "The Mayor's Busy Hour." That's the only inappro- priate thing about It. His Imitations ap- proach i>erfectlon, particularly In his Yiddish and German patois. Thompson jumps from dialect to the i)ure German or Yiddish and there is scarcely a flaw in either. His act Is one of the most technically perfect among the dialect experts in his line, and received well de- served appreciation In the East Four- teenth Street house. The Alpine Family, acrobats, were billed as an importation, and had the English 'alls written all over them. Willie Gardner In roller and Ice skate dances showed the effects of careful re- hearsal In the smoothness of his work, although the Idea Is not particularly novel. Among the others were The Evans Trio, In "Hotel Hilarity;" Potter and Harris. Berend and Denncbuum, musical comedians; Annie Bernstein, who was Annie Morris before she married Joe Bernstein, the Ghetto champion pugilist. She has recently returned from Europe, and was welcomed by the Pastor audi- ences. Miles and Nltram and "Chalk" Saun- ders, were also among the entertainers. AMPHION. The Amphiou bill furnishes no start- ling novelties this week, but its eight acts, all of which are as well known abfiut the local houses as the Flatlron building, made up a well balanced en- tertainment. T? ; : ""■■*:'■■■■:'■ '-■.. Grade Emmet has added a revolver to the already plentiful nolse-maklng paraphernalia of "Mrs. Murphy's Sec- ond Husband." The sketch Is perhaps not of so high an order as several other Irish acts that are familiar to vaudeville followers, but It yields plentifully of effective comedy of an uproarious sort. Pickering Brown, as the pale and anaemic second husband of Mrs. Mur- phy, works rather too hard to be within the character, probably being led astray by the strenuous key In which the whole act Is pitched. Harry Le Claire Is still doing his "Bernhardt of Vaudeville" turn, the only noticeable change being that he has added unto his possessions a spangled drop. .'■■ -• ;■■;. •/:■■■:•■■ ;• •,,■,••■. • ■■', .v ./ : In "Babes In the Jungle," Greene and Werner have a well put up and gor- geously dressed sketch. There are few better coon shouters than Greene, but he rather overdoes the savage business In the second part of the turn. Tlie woman of the team dresses and dances well and works hard. As a whole the sketch Is picturesque and altogether worth while. Bailey and Austin put down the loud pedal pretty strong. Their clowning-s are funny In a rough way, and the nov- elty of their stunts saves them from dullness. They seemingly spare no pains for a laugh and their efforts were amply rewarded. Their act demonstrates that vaudeville audiences have a warm regard for the slapstick, the bigger, thicker and louder, the better. The act has been Improving since It was shown at Hammersteln's. Frank Bush told his usual bunch of stories, among which were one or two that sounded as though they might be new, and the six musical Cuttys gave their excellent act unchanged. Reichen's Performing Dogs oi)eneJ the bill, followed by Sabel Johnson with her sky-scraping notes. HARRIS PRINTS PRODUCTIONS. Chas. K. Harris, the music publisher, has decided to eschew the publication of all music excepting that of "produc- tions." He said the other day that he would probably write but one ballad each year himself. Raymond Hubbell, A. Baldwin Sloane, Maurice Levi and Joe Howard are under contract. Mr. Harris also added that his present in- tention, however, was subject to change without notice. COBB'S "FIND." Will D. Cobb, the "wordwright," says he has discovered a musical genius In Henry Frantzen. now with the F. B. Haviland Co. Mr. Frantzen was a strug- gling lawyer in Seattle. Finally obliged to resort to other means of livelihood, Mr. Frantzen tackled the piano, with so much success that he came on to New York. : '^ DUNN WOULDN'T. Arthur Dunn did not appear at the Sunday night show at the New York Theatre last Sunday, and a letter was read from the stage in explanation. Mr. Dunn's artistic sensibilities were wound- ed by the billing of Emma Cams and Henry Lee above his own act, and he declned to go on. * * «« CLOUDS ARE ROLLING BY. Litigation over the scenic act entitled "The Girl in the Clouds" was brought to a temporary close, at least, through the action of Justice Greenbaum In dissolv- ing the temporary injunction obtained by Mildred Webber Waldrldge against Audrey Kingsbury, who is given as the originator of the specialty. The former asserts that the Girl Is a plagiarism of her act "Parma," written In 1901, but never copyrighted through an oversight on the part of the late Emanuel Friend. GUYER AND KELLY. Charles Guyer, of Guyer and O'Neill, and Harry Kelly will play together after the coming week, which win be the last played by Guyer and O'Neill as a team. What plans Miss O'Neill has for the fu- ture have not been divulged. COLONIAL IS PROFITABLE. The auditor has completed the balance sheet of the Williams' houses for the past year, and It will doubtless surprise many to learn that the books show a de- cided profit at the Colonial for the last four months of 1905. There has been current a belief that the house has not paid; a belief which arose from the bad business of the first two or three weeks In September. Mr. Williams opens that house, along with the others, at the end of August, ex- pecting to sustain a loss for a couple of weeks, as the class from which that house draws its principal patronage does not return to town much before the end of September or the middle of October. The Colonial draws from the fashionable territory to the north, and the fashiona- bles do not hurry back to town. LUESCHER WON'T PLAY KEITH'S. The act known as "The Girl in the Red Domino," was booked to play Keith's Philadelphia house for two weeks, commencing Jan. 22. Both the Keith people and Luescher billed the town like a circus. "The Association" heard "rumors" however, and before" confirmation of contract was had, they learned that Poli had booked the act over his circuit, including Worcester— which was something of a shock to the Keith managers. A threat to cancel the Keith contract did not serve Its purpose, and Mr. Luescher will have no further business transactions with Keith—at present at least, as the Philadelphia booking "is oft." SkiQie" Wants to Know. fire flis flrtlGles Ottenslve? Write and Say. The Aerial wrestlers from the Fay Foster Company are looking for dates in the continuous. Willie and Eugene Howard, of the Messenger Boys' Trio, have left the act, which will be continued by T. P. Dunne, the remaining member. MORE LIGHT, PLEASE. Supt. Stewart of Proctor's Newark theatre recently placed two 8-candle power globes in the dressing rooms of the artists. As no flambeaus were pro- vided, those playing the Newark house are in a quandry how to make up when the moon Is not working on that side of the theatre. ("SKfgrle" Is a boy, seven years old. Hav- ing been a constant attendant at vaudeville theatres since the age of three, he has a decided opinion. "Skigie's" viewa are not printed to be taken seriously, but rather to enable the artist to determine the impres- sion he or his work leaves on the infantile mind. What "Skigie" says Is taken down verbatim, without the change of a word or syllable.) Perhaps no single feature of Variety has attracted greater attention or ex- cited more comment than the criticisms of "Skigie." So many and varied have been the comments that In pursuit of its announced policy of falrneas. Va- riety asks further expressions of opinion from its readers whether they have been criticized by "Skigie" or not. A number of correspondents have de- clared that it i9..unfalr to submit an act to the criticism of a child; others have taken the articles in the spirit In which they have been printed, while a third contingent has contended that the criti- cisms are palpably "faked" by an older person. - / Variety declares upon Its honor thJit not a single line of any of the "Skigie" criticisms has been written by an older person nor has the slightest endeavor been made at any time to color in the slightest degree the boy's opinions. They are precisely what they are announced to be: the opinions of a seven-year-old bey with a normal, healthy mind and suf'h knowledge of vaudeville as has been gained through a pretty constant attendance at vaudeville performances since he was old enough to be taken to the theatre. The comments are taken down verbatim as he is recounting his experiences to other members of his family and he Is not evea aware that his opinions are l)elng printed. While Variety does not believe that a performer's standing Is liable to bo jeopardized by the comments of a seven- year-old boy, but that on the other hand the articles are of value In showing a manager wliat Impression his offerings make upon the child mind, we Invite ex- j)re.ssions of opinion from all who may be Interested. If It Is found that the ar- tlclHs are offensive, they will be aban- doned in deference to the policy already referred to. If you are an artist and interested, whether mentioned in his articles or no, address your letter to Skigie, care of Variety, Knickerbocker Theatre building. New York City. Martin Beck and John J, Murdock ar- rived Monday, when It snowed. OLD TIMERS. Mclntyre and Heath must give up the belt. Fox and Ward, now with the Du- pont Minstrels, have been together 37 years without an argument. That Is seven years longer than the component parts of "The Georgia Minstrels" have looked at each other in partnership.