Variety (October 1908)

VARIETY ARTISTS' FORUM Confine your letters to 180 words and wrlto on ono oldo of popor only. AnonyaoiM roniinnlntltrni wlB net bo printed. Nonio of. wrltor must bo tlgnod ond wW be hold In strict confidents, If doatrod. Oakland, (nl., Sept. 2. r i. Editor Vabikty : 1'iracy is rotten. For five years I have done a Tariff Travesty, which has been the hit of the bill from 'Frisco to Pueblo. And on the bill with Hammerstein's acts, too. In this act I use a folding go-cart filled with goods of obvious foreign manufacture, and a sign across the front reads "Made in Europe." I can't explain the props for fear of pirates. But I want to say if this Hurt (Jreen uses this sign on his go-cart, he is stealing the bread und butter out of my wife's face. 1 know Johnnie Reilly brings a dummy on in his go-cart, too, but if Green's dum- my is not collapsible, it doesn't interfere with Reilly's, which is. Neither of them has any right to" use "Made in Knrope" and if they get out here with any stolen HtufT Luhelski won't stand for it. A Real Artitt. New York, Sept. 28. Editor Variety : Jiist slip this into the Artist's Forum as a warning to artists, especially female acts, against a certain house which I played last week. The manager and pro- prietor makes it a practice of committing breaches of propriety, such as peeping through knot-holes into the ladies' dress- ing-room, et<\ This has happened several times, and if 1 hear of it again, I am going to tell you hi* name. I shouldn't wonder, though, if by keeping it back from this letter, forty or fifty managers of little houses will sus- pect themselves. /1/. ./. King. V. S. Tie also has a habit of cutting salaries. New York, Sept. 2(». Editor Variety: Since introducing "Salome," 1 have had absolutely nothing to do with my billing, and the line on the Colonial program (which Variety quoted), "The Sensation of the Season." was never authorized by me. This note is to inform von I am fur from being egotistical, for I've known of "swelled heads" being punctured quickly in theatricals. I'! I'll Til Hf/ll'llf. Cardiff, England. Sept. IS. Editor Vabikty: Regarding the article in your last edi- tion which has arrived in England, where I am accused of performing someone else's trick, would say that, not having sullicient time to-day to write you as I would like to on this matter, I will do so next week, but you can take it for granted that it is an absolute falsehood. Had it not been for Horace Gold in, the accuser would not have been on the stage. I have never seen nor heard of him performing such a trick. It is nothing new for "copies" to scream a theft by accusing the originator, as I will prove to you later they are accus- tomed to do. Horace Goldin. [Mr. Goldin, in the above letter, refers to Oswald Williams, the English illusion- ist., who wrote to William Morris (with whom he is booked for an American ap- pearance) alleging Mr. Goldin used his (Williams') "double disappearance" trick in New York during the past summer. —Ed.] Cincinnati, Sept. 20. Editor Variety: I wish to say that Will Campbell mis- states when he says my dark stage open- ing and light effects were not and could not have been used in 1001 in the houses I mentioned, as the letters inclosed will prove. Why doesn't he name some of the managers and houses where he opened his net with a dark stage, being discovered on same at rise of curtain, prior to 1001. The necessary proofs should be furnished. Tt would l>c a hard matter to trace lht; origin of the flood and spot lights the same as he used from front and side of stage at the time I saw his act. I have never used flood or spot lights in my act, and "my light effects" have never been used by him or any other act to my knowledge. My stage setting and light effects are entirely different from any other act I have seen or heard of, and any one that says that same is a copy of their act is trying to create a false impression. As to calling my act a "copy act," cer- tainly all club juggling acts are a copy from the original. fiert Dell. (Fonda, Dell and Fonda.) THE CHORUS GIRL. BY FRANK WIESBEJUi. While the various periodicals and daily newspapers are liberally devoting space in hiographing notable stage persouages, and commenting at length on other theat- rical events, the chorus girl is apparently effaced from the benefits of printer's ink. Still her varied experiences with either musical comed-y or burlesque, particularly the latter, are enough to inspire columns of anecdote and volumes of narrative. The damsel who holds a foremost place among her associates in the front line is pretty and shapely; she has a whim- sical sense of humor, seasoned by a fluent current vocabulary. She is an extraor- dinary example of her sex. Qualifications and accomplishments are hers; she says so herself. She recites her talents to "gentlemen" admirers who she avers flock to the box oflice on her account. She has every grace and charm, everything except limitations. In burlesque the chorus girl is more die latory ami inflated with a galaxy of ideas reflecting her own brilliancy. The season has barely started before she apprises the manager she can give the prima donna or the soubrette "cards and spades" in singing or acting. She tells her "friend," between bites in a restaurant where Anger bowls are common, that next season she will have a part unless she resigns. She has had several good offers. As a matter of fact, she has been re-en - gsigcd to lead the Amazons in a tropical "novelty" number. However, she may wear blue tights, while the others must don red: which is equivalent to playing a part. She also tells her escort how she PRINCESS RAJAH. Tin iHinimx I'crtdnn dancer, whose HticriKHfui eicrmr.-mcnl i* » fcuturc in *'I•■ <■:• m I h ml'' M'oney Island) lust summer, made Iht known to \«>w York. Is iilxnii in rlnjr in u welcome uirimion upon Hie "SnlniiM'" cmzc The new <>n» Is called the "Murwiir'" diiiice, iiml nc« onling to Iht own desr -rlptlon Is composed of seven different Oriental dime. *. Hiirii'K Princes* Hiijnli's Mop nt llendcrxon's iIk* dancer received numerous letters of commcndiil l«> i. Including the follow inn: •*All»:in.v. N. Y.. Sept. llth. IMS. •TKINVESS RAJAH. Henderson 'h Music 11 :•) I . Coney Island. N. Y. "Allow us to ooiiffrntulHte you on your wonderful und realistic pcrfominne* SHlonie.' which wp hbw on Sntunliiy evening Our pnrly wns Justly curried nw»y dancing. It Ib certainly far ahead of the other 'Salome iipproaobes your artistic and original dance. "\\v nre entire striiiurers to you. lm* diem It proper i< iis vniir hltrli i|iuilltv of expressing in motion the wonderful "i Signed i MHS It. dunces we siiw in New ii. the 'It.ince of liy your Kriieelol York City. None c\prc-«. our ii'linii :it imi for lieimty, us s i| > of 'Slllollie. ' fi I.AWItKN'CK AMi COMPANIONS." Well broke into the business. She had the talent from babyhood. The chorus girl is diplomatic. If her escort is a salesman for hosiery, she tells him innocently how very fond she is of lani'v hosierv. He leaves with less sam- pies than when he "arrove." The same story for perfume and silk salesmen, and other brands, but the "silk house" man always receives the preference. The chorus girl likes to talk; she ad- mires anybody who will listen to her. When her "escort" takes a kaleidoscopic peep at her dressing room, and gets a flash of wall clothes and make-up boxes and cracked looking-glasses and near shelves; when he "stakes" her to chop suej (of which she is very fond); when he "blows" her to lobster supper, she talks. She jab- bers. She spars for time. She tells her life's story. The young fellow tries to look interested, but he is "stalling." Con- versation isn't his aim. She says lolrater was her daily fodder be- fore she went on the stage. Corn bif and cab doesn't sound as well. She irat stingy with information about "the com- pany." She tells of the "jealous has- beens" with whom she has had to con* tend for "forty long weeks." She accuses her co-chorister of trying to "cop out" her prospective "friends." Her harrangue is periodically punctuated by "she makes me sick." In the restaurant she likes to sit near the orchestra. She is fond of classical music. When she isn't translating French and Latin on the bill-of-fare, she is send- ing in "requests" to the leader. The or- chestra plays something from Beethoven. She says, "I just love hard music. I used to play the piano; but I don't think I ever played Sonata. It wasn't published then." She remembers "II Trovatore" and "Car- men" from the "phonograph." Speaking of Verdi and Bizet, she picks "Rainbow" iind "Taffy." If her escort has passed an "acquain- tance" period she tells him she is in debt to the .show. The show is all right, she says, hut it takes a half season's salary to pay for tights and shoes and things. 'Ms girls don't get no dowries when we join." she remarks. "I've been with the company now for eighteen weeks and haven't saved a cent. I owe the manager $.'I2.7.">. I guess I'll be paying it all sea- son. Augeline you know who I mean— l lie girl 1 spoke to when we walked out of the dressing room, well, she's got about •*7"» *avcd and lots of good clothes. I guess her loiisin in ISiooklyn sends her money.'' Then* is a sentimental side to the life of the chorus girl. She is a harmless and sincere proposition easily vexed and high- ly sensitive. She encounters hardships under which more plastic human clay would I e crushed. Hut she bears her trials ;ind tribulations with remarkable forti- tude; even laughs at her troubles and won't take life as a tragedy; it is a com- ely. Seventy live per cent, of her kind has entered the profession through necessity rather than choice; adverse circumstances have forced them into this field. They come from department stores or shops. The stage is more lucrative. The dining rooms, hotels and factories con- tribute their quota. The stage holds a glamour. It contains visions of financial independence and diversion, not afforded by the unroinant i.- en\ irons of a Counter or hasherv.