Variety (April 1909)

VARIETY ARTISTS' FORUM Ceaflne year sitters to ISO words aatf writ* •■ on* side of pape r only. AnonyaotM eoaunaafcattona win not bo prlaUd. Nam* of writer must bo slgnod and wsl »• hold In etrlct confidence, If desired. OBITUARY. Letters te to paellaied la tale eeloma mast to writtoa omolaalvoly to VAJtHTY. DapUcated letten win not to prlated, Tbo writor who daplioates a lottor to too Forom, olthar Were or after It ayyoan bar*, will not to permitted the privilege of It agoia. New York, March 30. Editor Variety: If you will permit me the necessary space in reply to Jack Sutton's letter, I will say it is the worst audacious flaunt of bravado I have ever known. I have witnesses who can and will tes- tify that I was on the very spot, which was Brown's gymnasium, this city, spring of 1907, and witnessed Sutton when first practicing his family to copy my act; this was one year after we had produced my origination. Upon my lawyer thereupon notifying Sutton of infringing my patent hights, he formed a clique with others then aspiring copies, in order that each of the clique might bear a part of expense in defense of a suit. The profession is not asleep—managers and others who are real showmen all know very well the Curzon Sisters first introduced the serpentine dance suspended by their teeth in mid-air on a novel re- volving apparatus which caused them to fly through space in the position of "Human Buterflies. The apparatus which also made possible the double revolving spin was invented, produced and patented by myself. Anything further will be answered by me in our coming suit of infringement only. «/. W. Curzon, (Mgr. Curzon Sisters). Denver, Colo., March 27. Editor Variety: As I have received over three hundred letters and telegrams in regard to my wife's accident with the leopard—and as nearly all started with "I saw in Vari- ety," etc.—will you kindly allow me space ■to thank all of our friends, and say that Mrs. Vernon will soon resume her part in BILL BEFORE HOUSE. The new employment agency bill was expected to be reported out of committee for second reading on Wednesday. In such case it will probably come before the lower house next week for passage. From there it goes to the Senate where the same proceeding will be gone through with. Nearly two hundred artists and others interested in the measure attended the public hearing before the Committee on General Laws of the Assembly late last week. Eight artists' societies were rep- resented. FOUR HURTIGS GOING AWAY. A mass of Hurtigs leave for Europe May 24. After that date New York will miss Jules, Louie and Joe, while Dayton will have to struggle along until Max returns. The brothers will travel abroad, and Jules hopes to perfect arrangements on the other side to present "The Wizard of Oz" at London, Paris, Berlin and Vienna, in the language of each country. my act. She will not be scarred in any manner. Vernon. Providence, R. I., March 29. Editor Variety: In Variety last week, it was stated that Lilian Lippman did her own conception of the "Salome" dance. I wish to state it was I, Alvora, who taught her step for step, and went even so far as to let her use my wardrobe. She only did the dance for two weeks until I rehearsed the dancer who is now doing it, Miss Brown. It was not the dance that made her ill. She was sick before joining the show. I can prove the above by every member of "The Golden Crook" company. Alvora. New York, March 31. Editor Variety: In answer to Rush's review of Gotham Comedy Four at Bijou, Brooklyn, I would respectfully say that the Gotham Comedy Four has a comedian who has managed this act through all its changes, and who has used about the same idea of a routine of business before the Empire City Quar- tet was in existence professionally, and who portrayed the character of a Hebrew in the act years ago, not only in America but in Europe, Africa, Australia, China, Japan and the Philippine Islands. As for doing the clowning of the co- median of this Arm and general arrange- ment of this act, must say that this is ridiculous, and had the reviewer been a little better posted on the history of the two comedians in this line of business he would find that the Gotham comedian is the father of comedy quartets of the present day in Europe and America. *~ Eddie Long? (Gotham Comedy Four.) ROSSOW SAILS. There is a probability of reopening the whole controversy between Herman Ros- iow and the two Rossow midgets which was compromised out of court a short time ago. Before Rossow had settled all details of agreement, he suddenly took passage last Saturday on the Baltic on his way to Berlin. According to friends of the midgets this leaves the dispute in about the condition it was before the compromise was ef- fected. WORKING ON "MARATHON RACE." "The Marathon Race" with treadmills and a dramatic story will be presented in vaudeville by Tim McMahon and Junie McCree. Kingsley Benedict, who played the hero in "The Futurity Winner," has been engaged for the leading role. The number will be ready to show in two or three weeks. Amy Ellsworth (Charles and Amy Ellsworth) died March 21 at her home, 95 E. 11th St., St. Paul, at the age of 42. The deceased was a native of Ger- many. Hannah Morgan, the two-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Lou Morgan (Morgan and West) died March 26 in Boston. Arthur Brill, manager and director of Ronacher's, Vienna, died late last week in that city according to a cable received by the New York Marinelli office this week. Brill is said to have been one of the ablest and best liked of the continental managers. Adele Reno, formerly of Yule, Simmons and Reno, was found dead in a hotel at Yonkers, last week. She had retired from the act and was working as pianist in Yonkers when death overtook her. The body was taken to Boston for interment. George H. Hall, stage doorkeeper at the Hippodrome, a position he had held for three years, died at the French Hospital, New York, on March 30. COL. HOPKINS WELL AGAIN. Philadelphia, April 1. Colonel John D. Hopkins stopped off here on his way to New York and looked over the local field with Charles H. Yale for a day or two. Colonel Hopkins has been recuperating at Atlantic City, hav- ing recently left a hospital in St. Louis, where he was confined for nearly seven months. Colonel Hopkins spoke enthusiastically of the prospects for the coming park sea- son, he being heavily interested in this form of entertainment in the west. He declares the wonderful growth of the mov- ing picture and cut-rate vaudeville busi- ness has ruined the popular-price houses. Colonel Hopkins is headed for New York. McGRAW, THE AUTHOR. Besides the manager of the New York "Giants," John J. McGraw has devoted some of his time snatched away from the duties of general manager of his billiard parlors to place together a vaudeville sketch called "The King." It treats of baseball, and will be played by Barney Fagan, who will have the as- sistance'of five or six other people in the act. Bob Cummings is one of the cast so far selected. Reich & Plunkett are attending to the routing. QUARANTINE DECLARED OFF. There is free passage now for animal acts across the Canadian border. For sev- eral months all animal acts have been barred at the frontier, due to the presence of the "hoof and mouth disease" among cattle in several American States. The embargo has now been raised from all except split-hoof animals, such as sheep, goats, pigs and the like. One of the first acts to go through was the Hippo- drome Polar Bears, playing on the Ben- nett Circuit this week. Dog and horse acts are admitted without delay. "SKIGIE'SAYSRINGIINGS' AS GOOD AS HE EVER SAW Camel Almost Bit Him. Thinks Mrs. Wulffls "(Betting Fat." Curton Sisters Look Like "Angels. 99 SKIGIE. "SKIGIB" la ten jean of age. His comment Is not printed to be accepted eerlouely, bat rather ' as the JUTenlle Impreulon. Tble article la written by "BKIGIB" without a program, his uaual aid. I am glad the circus is in town again. (Mingling Bros/, Madison Square Garden.) I have never missed a year the circus has been in town, and I think this circus is as good ss any circus I ever saw. They had a very good bend in the cir- cus, and the clowns were the best I ever saw at any circus. The girls who fly in the air (Curzon Sisters) were very good, and they do the same thing I saw them do at the Hippo- drome. There were some people next to me last night, and when they went around a man said they looked like angels. The horses that jumped through bar- rels (my pop won't tell me the names of the acts) were very good (Schumann Horses). There was another horse net I liked, too. There were eight hones (Jsmas Button's "Eight-Horse Act"), end they did a peach stunt. There was a lady I saw at the Hippo- drome (Mrs. Maude Wulff). She is get- ting fat. They had a pig act I liked (Lil Kerslake), and they had the horse (Hip- podrome) races, and they let the girl beat. The chariot races were very good, end the men that ride at first after the grand parade (finale of "Introductory Pageant") are very good, too. Before the circus started I went down and saw the animals and the baby camel, and the elephants held their mouths open and I threw peanuts in. The "loop-1 he-loop" ("double somer- saulting automobile") is very good, end the girl (Mile. La Belle Roche) is very good. The auto turns e double somer- sault. The acts in the air ere fair. I liked the way they dropped in the net et the finish (The Jordans). There was one man (clown) end his ears lit up all the time and there is en act where the elephants telephone each other and the elephants are very big. The camels are very greedy. If you give one a peanut all the others went some, and I almost got my finger in e camel's mouth because I held the peanut out instead of having it on my bend. They have some zebras hitched to e wagon in the parade and the boy who drives them has to throw stones at them to make them go, and one of the men Ha id of all the animals to teach anything to the zebras were the worst.