Variety (August 1911)

i8 VARIETY AN EVERYDAY MAN Chicago, Aug. 23. The reopening of the Cort with Thos. W. Ross In "An Everyday Man," was rather a more auspicious event than the attempted reopening a few weeks back, when Fred Miller, Jr.'s nautical venture, "The Larboard Watch," was offered, only to stop ticking in its sec- ond week. Owen Davis' latest work has appa- rently gotten away to a good start. While the melodramatic comedy car- ries a certain amount of the hero and villain thing throughout, nevertheless it is well balanced, and judging by its reception should enjoy a long and profitable run. Davis, who is well known to melodrama patrons, has made a partially successful try for a classy job. Still the manufactured thrills are always apparent. While the everyday man looks perfectly natural in all respects, he occasionally wan- ders from the everyday man's routine, straying Into the hero and villain class. This is especially noticeable at the finish of the third and last act, when the hero foils his opponent's crooked game by steering the calcium on his character and winning out the heroine. As for the plot, it is as consistent as the plot of any Owen Davis melo- drama, a style of entertainment in which the plot Is of second Importance to the title only. In "An Everyday Man" the chief characters are the hero and heroine (who eventually do the conventional matrimonial trick), the villain and arch villain and several others who handle the comedy department. As Mr. Ross is starred, he is the natural hero. Florence Nash, who heads the female list, is the pretty heroine. Ross makes a splendid everyday man and a splendid hero, in this Instance a ris- ing attorney. Miss Nash is equally as good In her part, principally be- cause she Is pretty, vivacious and chock full of magnetism. C. Morton Home is the villain, one of those fop- pish English kind, not sufficiently fop- pish in this instance, but enough so to be classified as a "fop" villain. Home could improve his accent and thus possibly "hog" the comedy of the piece. Despite this defect however, Mr. Home carried his role to the suc- ONE-NIGHT WEEKLY CIRCUIT. Q. E. McCune has a circuit of eigh- teen towns In New York, Connecticut and New Jersey, in which he will play vaudeville (seven acts) one night weekly. Specified nights will be set aside in each town at the local combination houses and the dates will be played by regular travelling organizations in the same manner as an ordinary road show. Each show will have an ad- vance agent and a musical director. The three agents are Harry Sloan, Mike Coyne and Sam Maurice. Two of the companies open Monday night, one at New London, the other at Glovers- ville. cessful point and did so without act- ing the least bit foolish. The theme deals with a young at- torney who, a few months prior to the rising of the curtain, had met his Ideal girl in Europe. Unfortunately he failed to become acquainted with her, and figured her as out of his life. The opening scene is a trout lake camp. His sister has lnvrted him to visit her, partially because he Is her brother, but principally because her chum is badly in need of legal advice. He comes, and discovers the prospec- tive client to be none other than his girlie of the European suburb. The first act Is consumed In assur- ing the audience that the two follow- ing promise some real Owen Davis meller drammer. The two following live up to the promise. The hero, after several embarrassing experiences, finally wins out and marries the young and pretty heroine, despite tne va- rious near-successful attempts of the also young but villainous villain cap- ably assisted by his equally designing and villainous father (C. B. Wells). W. H. St. James, playing opposite Mr. Wells, helped considerably in spots, while Chas. Keane made a val- uable addition to the cast through his role of guide, good because it was dif- ferent from the others. Rosa Rand and Sarah McVickar (the former essay- ing the role of Miss Nash's aunty, while the latter played the landlady of the camp), were excellent In their respec- tive parts. Maidel Turner was delight- ful at all times, and for honors ran second to Miss Nash only, and this simply through lack of opportunities. There were several others who helped fill in, but to Mr. Ross and Miss Nash fall the bulk of the work. In the sec- ond act the couple had the stage to themselves most of the time. Some time ago a prominent producer suggested that the public would fall for the Owen Davis brand of show in the first class houses. The new Cort show seems to back up this assertion. The audience liked it immensely and "An Everyday Man" should stick foi a long visit. At any rate, the house has offered one or two that fall away behind the Davis show, and inciden- tally, as many more that have regis- tered several notches above it. Wynn. RIGGS FAMILY FIXED. Harry Riggs, who was with Mort H. Singer's "Miss Nobody from Starland" last season, has signed a three years' contract with Joseph M. Gaites and has been assigned one of the leading roles in "The Enchantress," which will go into rehearsal shortly. His brother, Bernard Riggs, opens with E. ,J. Carpenter's "Forty-Five Minutes from Broadway" Sept. 3 at Long Branch, playing Victor Moore's role of Kid Burns. Charles F. Riggs, daddy of the Riggs boys, has signed as business represen- tative with Frazee & Lederer, to pilot one of the "Madam Sherry" companies. The Savoy, Wilkesbarre, will open Sept. 4 with vaudeville and pictures. ' HAMMERSTEIN'S. What appears to be a great show for the house downstairs does not work Into an over good roof enter- tainment.- Atop "The Corner" is not exactly a morgue but It contains the remnants of many a broken heart. The first eight acts on the bill which would probably contain at least five real hits in the theatre proper went for naught up In the air. Not one received more than a few scattered hands. It was well up to the sixth number before the audience took on a settled air. Belle Baker hit the seventh posi- tion and caught the house when it was just about settled. It would have made little or no difference to Belle had she been a few numbers later or earlier. The one little party with the willing hands was all she needed. My, how that boy can ap- plaud. He would make the claque at the Alhambra, London, sound as though they were applauding with rubber pads. If they divide this week's salary according to worth Little Two Hands should receive $145 and Miss Baker the remaining $5. Miss Ba- ker has been at Hammersteln's be- fore, but never with as poor a selec- tion of numbers. Her first got noth- ing, not even from the Busy Bee. The second, a "rag" affair, showed where Miss Baker has profited by watching Blossom Seeley. It Is a bad number at best and alongside of the many corking "rags" lately written, sounded foolish. Lillian Shaw was next fea- tured by Miss Baker, and it began to look as though Belle Blanche was not going to be the only imitator on the bill. The closing number, not really called for, Introduced the style that Artie Hall first showed to the varie- ties. Miss Baker might take a fur- ther look by calling at the Rathskel- ler where Baby Doll Morrison puts over a rag number. Then Belle's "acquired" education would be com- plete. Stella Mayhew, way down near the closing, held the audience seated as few have done ahead of her this sea- son. Miss Mayhew was a big hit, but she is doing something unknow- ingly this week. She is showing the true worth of some of the "music- publlsher-made singers" who have lately broken into "big time" vaude- ville. A Stella Mayhew on a few bills would soon chase the crowd back to the illustrated songs or the chorus. Collins and Hart, old time roof fa- vorites, have lost none of their cun- ning. The boys did splendidly. Aida Overton Walker, closing the intermis- sion, went exceedingly well. A clever girl, Aida, ably assisted by Bob Kemp and a regular act. Belle Blanche was up against the roof proposition. Her bully singing voice, however, saved the day. The one verse used before her first imi- tation might be dropped. It is in poor taste, especially for an imitator. That Old Mule still has a good many laughs In him, and Hickey's Circus was a genuine laughing hit. "That Mule" is probably the ideal roof act. Welsh, Mealy and Mont- rose, Bert Fitzgibbons, Van Der Koors, Louis Stone and Kit Carson FIFTH AVENUE. Unless the "paper" for the week was in the house, the Fifth avenue theatre played to considerable money Monday evening. If it wasn't "paper" it is difficult to figure just what drew, for there is nothing on the bill calcu- lated to drag people out of their way. Then again the assemblage was especi- ally demonstrative, applauding to the full every act disclosed—with but one exception. Mile. Olive (New Acts) succeeded a one minute overture, at 8.21. She filled the position adequately. Carroll and Cooke were billed as "No. 3" but Were shoved up to second spot. They were received very well. Will Cooke had several locals which only "got to" the vaudeville people present. They are better known as "asides." The Aurora Troupe showed a lot of original tricks on bicycles and other paraphernalia. Probably the best is a three-high, head-to-head balance with the understander riding a wheel. Cameron and Gaylord followed with their "On and Off" sketch. "No. 6" was Linden Bfeckwith and her rich soprano voice. It is worthy of note that good singing always goes well in vaudeville, provided one doesn't get too lengthy. Miss Beckwith had a dramatic recitation with orchestral ac- companiment, entitled "Devil May Care," which might readily be dis- pensed with. "Reading" does not ap- pear to be her forte. Charles Rlchman and his company In "The Fire Escape," after an ex- cellent start and a warm round of wel- coming applause for the star on his first entrance, simmered down until at the finish, it fell with a thud. It was the only act on the entire bill that did not get half a dozen or more bows or curtains. But all that the auditors omitted to bestow upon the Richman skit was showered upon Burnham and Green- wood, announced by card, and replac- ing Mack and Walker, the programed turn. From the moment Charlotte Greenwood reached the centre of the stage, starting her grimaces and ec- centric pedal evolutions, she was "it." The act finished with two solid minutes of applause. Covington and Wilber, with their protean playlet, were the closing num- ber. They make a grave error of judgment in disclosing the simplicity of their changes, at the close of the act. It tends to detract from the sen- sationalism, on the theory that noth- ing is wonderful when you know it Is easily accomplished. "The Pathe Weekly," showing re- cent events in the eye of the public, displayed nothing of consequence on the screen. j 0 lo. Ethel Jacobs has opened an agency of her own for the booking of "small time" houses. Miss Jacobs was for- merly with Joe Wood. She should not be confused with the only Jenie Ja- cobs, of the Pat Casey Agency. were the first portion of the program that suffered. "Paris by Night" and the Bedini and Arthur burlesque that followed caught the other end of the program. Dash.