Variety (Feb 1906)

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xo VARIETY ARTISTS' FORUM > »- "the Artists' Forum" is for the artists exclusively. Any lust complaint any artist may have or considers he has will he printed In this department. Or any comment that an artist may desire to make. Also any artist or act that disagrees with a reviewer on Variety In his review of the artist's work or act may have his criticism of the criticism printed In this column, and It will be answered by the reviewer. Confine your letters to 150 words and write on one side of paper only. Chicago, Feb. 5, 1900. Editor Variety: Sir—I suppose I really ought to treat Mr. McAllister's peevish letter with con- tempt. I will say, however, that 1 can only repeat what I have before stated. I am perfectly convinced that the late Mr. A. J. Morris wrote every line of the lyrics in question, and that he did so with out the assistance of Miss Bene, whatever Mr. McAllister will say to the contrary. As to Mr. McAllister saying that he has a letter from a friend of mine, advising him that I had the songs taken down in short- hand while Miss Rene was singing. In the first place no friend of mine would or could write such a base fabrication. 1 do not believe that any such letter can exist. If it does, then the person who wrote it does not speak the truth, and to gain some end has written a falsehood. There was nothing inane or silly in my letter, but there is certainly a great veiu of stupidity in Mr. McAllister's letter when he says he tries to provoke me by telling the truth. It would be useless to sue him in this country. He would not dare to call me a thief in an English paper or to my face. Men who rush into print as Mr. McAllister doefe are generally great cowards when face to face with a woman they try to insult. I do not fear Mr. McAllister or any other coward. Let him come right now with this so-called proof he has, and prove what he said. May Belfort. Editor Variety: Sir:—I have just read in Variety a let- ter signed George W. Walker, relative to colored performers forming a club. I would like to draw their attention to the fact that the "Associated Vaudeville Ar- tists of America," formerly known as the "Actors' Union," granted me permission last year to organize the colored artists. I have spoken to several of them, but en- countered quite some apathy on their part. I will take the question up again and you will hear from me later. Will you kindly publish this so that those who are inter- ested may write to the secretary of the Associated Vaudeville Artists of America, Lew Morton, 8 Union Square, New York City, for information. Our association is only what you are advocating every week, an organization for mutual benefit. Joe Hardman. Sisters' Hospital, Buffalo, N. Y., Feb. 1. Editor Variety: Sir: I am going to take advantage of the opportunity through the columns of your paper to inform the members of the theatrical profession of the thoughtful way I have been treated while here in Buffalo. Through the management of Mr. Shea's theatre I have been treated with every con- sideration. I was forced to close my en- gagement on Monday, the 22d, for the Buffalo and Toronto houses. I am an honorary member of the T. M. Association and was not in the hos- pital very long before the members of the Buffalo Lodge sought me out. Their at- tention to me during my illness 1 can never forget, and I want the whole theatri- cal profession to realize what a comfort it is to belong to the order. 1 am still in the hospital, convalescent. There is scarcely a day that passes that I am not visited by members of the associa- tion or some thoughtful little token in the way of flowers or fruit brought to me. I am taking this means to thank not only the Buffalo Lodge, but I wish to have the whole association know how grateful I am to the order for the sympathy and pleasure it had given me while compara- tively "a straDger in a strange land." Again thanking you for the space you are kind enough to give me in your worthy paper, I am most merrily, cheerily and gratefully yours, Fanny Rice. Frankfort, Ind. Editor Variety: Sir—In a recent number of the Variety I noticed au article as to stage hands de- manding tips. Now, if consistent with your views, 1 would like to use enough space in the Variety to show the imposi- tion of a manager, Mr. Chas. Walsh, local manager of the Crystal, for Mr. John H. Amons. who has small variety houses in Marion, Kokomo, Anderson, 'Logarfsport, Elkhart and Frankfort. I was present when Mr. Walsh called the house force to- gether and said: "Mr. Anions will cele- brate his birthday February 22, and I will assess you people as follows: 1 l»»nsf uiknager $3.00 Treasurer 8.00 Stage manager 3.00 Poor keeper 2.00 Singer, Ills. Bongs 2.00 Musical director 3.00 Electrician 3.00 He also stated that the rest of Mr. Anions' houses would do the same, as they wanted to give Mr. Amons a diamond pin. As you or any one else knows that there are a lot of people out of work the men all took the best side of the question and must buy Little George Washington Amons a diamond pin. Martin W. Fox. New York, Feb. 6, 1906. Editor Variety: Sir—1 beg to ask you to give the follow- ing letter from the old and reputable per- formers, Messrs. Ferguson & Mack, a little notoriety. Having been associated with the Hymans two years in Johannesburg and representing them here I naturally always spoke with knowledge both of the Hymans and South Africa, but my good opinions seemed to carry little weight when a few American performers came back here and roasted the country and the management out there in general. This letter, absolutely unsolicited, will perhaps prove to some skeptical pro- fessionals that South Africa and South Africans treat all well who treat them well. Ida Carle. Cape Town, S. A., Jan. 1, '06. Miss Ida Carle. Dear Friend—We sail for London Jan- uary 10th, arrive 27th. We open at the Queens Theatre, Glasgow, Scotland, Feb- ruary 12th. We are very well pleased with «>ur engagement in South Africa. The Hy Hutu Brothers used us like a couple of l>ords. They are gentlemen. We have been very successful over here, making a great hit. We have improved our act very much. It is now going stronger than ever before and we are in our twelfth week. Yours truly, Ferguson d Mack. DOINGS IN LONDON. London, Jan. 26. Have not had time to do or see very much. The first thing I heard on my ar- rival was the sound of a very familiar air, and one which I soon recognized as "My Irish Molly Oh!" this having been very successfully sung by "Miss Madge Les- sing." Further on some street Arabs were waltzing to the strains of "Die Old Apple Tree," painfully drolled out by a barrel organ. A novel experiment was tried this week by the management of the Palace Theatre, with a view to expediting Miss Kate Ant- ler's double journey and double change of costume, necessitated by her appearance both in "The Spring Chicken" (a musical play) at the Gaiety Theatre, and in "Hero and Heroine" (a sketch) at the Palace. A motor omnibus was fitted up completely as a dressing room, the whole of the inside being draped with pink and white chintz, and a dressing table and mirror with elec- tric lamps fixed just as in the actress' room at the Gaiety Theatre. Miss Antler has exactly forty-five min- utes from the time she goes off the stage in "The Spring Chicken" and her return to take up her part, and in that short interval she has been appearing in an entirely dif- ferent costume in "Hero and Heroine" at the Palace Theatre. She had been previ- ously using a brougham and changing her costume at the Gaiety Theatre, but owing to the risk tried the new idea with suc- cess. ...* WEBER & RUSH, EXPORTERS. Weber and Hush are working upon a novel idea. They will send an American chorus abroad this summer, to play the European houses. "The American Beauty Chorus" is to be the title of the organ- ization. The girls will be selected from the ranks of musical comedy over here and will work in conjunction with European stock companies. They will carry the book of a musical comedy which is described as being much on the order of the old Weber and Fields' burlesques. The book has been translated so that the principals of the piece will speak their lines in their native tongues, but the girls will sing the choruses in English. Twenty-four girls will make up the ex- portation, 16 of them being dancing girls and the other eight purely show girls. CARRIE DE MAR TO STAR. Joseph Hart has written a play for his wife, Carrie DeMar, who will be seen in it as the star next season. NOVELTY RE-OPENS 19TH. Percy G. Williams' Novelty theatre in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, will re-open on February 19, when Karno's Mumming Birds in "A Night in an English Music Hall" will be the feature. AGAIN 1 The artists forming the company en •raged by Robert Grau to play the last half of last week at the Nelson, Springfield. came back to town or went on to other engagements with just enough money to enable them to pay the railroad trip and with Grau's I. O. U.'s for the rest. The show received a black eye through the failure of Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Drew to appear as announced, and the Eight Cor- nallas were engaged by P. F. Shea to take their place. The Coma lias were not only paid their money in full, but forgot to re- mind the treasurer that they had had a $tiO advance, and were caught at the sta- tion just in time, where the manager of the acrobats explained that he had not been able to return to the hotel and give it back. The others were paid what there was, and given notes for the remainder. The company included Marie Jansen, Sey- mour and Dupree, Koppe, Johnson and Welles, Charles Duncan, the Clark sisters a nd Lavelle'8 dogs. WANTED TO DIE. May Yorke, one of the Yorke sisters with the Dreamland burlesquers, attempt- ed to shuffle off this mortal coil in Denver last week. A row with her two sisters in the same company was the immediate cause, but a young man was at the bot- tom of the trouble. Kittie Yorke, her sis- ter, declared him to be her prospective property and charged May with having attempted to steal him away from her. May changed the topic by swallowing cor- rosive sublimate tablets, and after that an ambulance surgeon did most of the talking. He pumped her out, and she is all right again. BERNSTEIN-LEVITT-TOUBE DIS- SOLVED. The destinies of the Bernstein-Levitt- Toube agency are now being directed by Freeman Bernstein alone. He recently purchased the interests in the concern of the other two members and now controls the agency. Ira Toube has gone into the business of promoting carnivals out of town, and Victor D. Levitt is devoting his time and attention to the management of his theatres, the Family and Passaic of Poughkeepsie. POLI AND WILMER OUT. There is not the best of feeling exist- ing between S. Z. Poli and Sidney Wil- mer, of Vincent and Wilmer. The two managers have come into direct contact in several business transactions, which have strained the relations between the two. Nothing serious is apprehended. FINE FOR WILLIAMS. Acton Davies in the Evening Sun of last Monday discovered that Arthur Prince was making his metropolitan debut at Hammerstein's last week, and gave a half column of appreciation, all of which was very nice for Percy G. Williams, who had had the English ventriloquist on his bills the preceding three weeks. "PETE" DAILEY HAS "IT" AGAIN. Peter F. Dailey, who was "The Press Agent" for a little while, will collect n few "skirts" and again prance before a vaudeville audience shortly.