Variety (September 1913)

VARIETY 17 Horace Goldin and Co. Magic and lUuaions. 48 Mini.; Full SUge (Special Settings). Palace. It was 5.12 when Horace Goldin started to close the afternoon's per< formance at the Palace Monday, and six o'clock when he finished. Forty-eight minutes of Goldin! It's too much. For his return visit to America Goldin has not advanced in his vaudeville special- ty of magic, disappearances and illu- sions. In fact he has stepped back- ward. Goldin's greatest charm when he started for the top of the magicians' way, was speed. He started, never stopped until finishing, and without talking. Now he's talking, jumbling everything in and out, concluding with a variation of Lafayette's "Lion's Bride," calling it "The Tiger God," us- ing a tiger instead of a lion as Lafay- ette did, but finishing in a Palace set very much the same as Selbini did with her authorized version of Lafayette's conception. If Goldin has the author- ized right, he hasn't announced it. This portion running 25 minutes includes some moving pictures, a setting in "four" resembling a scene from "Kis- met," several people on the stage among whom are some "dancing" girls, and a couple of "disappearances" in the final scene. Opening Goldin does mag- ic, small stuff, while impersonating magicians known by fame in this and other countries. Goldin talks during these "impersonations." After come the illusions and disappearances, one or two new—to Goldin, and some strange small tricks have been introduced. A disappearance by Goldin, that of piano and player dropping out of sight, was first used over here by Thurston. The magician uses more people than for- merly, and from the elaborate equip- ment, it looks as though he contem- plated an entire evening's performance over here if vaudeville threw him back- ward. Twenty minutes of Horace Goldin and what he did on Hammer- stein's Roof in that space of time are infinitely to be preferred to 50 minutes of Goldin with over half of it wasted- Goldin doesn't require the "Tiger God." It may give him an opportunity to pantomime, but that's hardly worth while either. The Goldin act as it is may make an impression in Sioux City — it won't get much in any big town. The best thing Mr. Goldin can do while in vaudeville over here is to live up to liis speed rep, cut the present turn down to 20 minutes, and try to keep abreast of some of his competitors. Sime. Grisantos. "The Magic Lamp.'* Colored Drawings. Olympia, Paris. This draughtsman, who works with a lamp reflecting the designs on a white screen, has arranged his glasses so that the natural colors are reproduced. Grisantos formerly did black and white work under the name of Nikohatas, and is clever with his pencil. The turn is billed as "The Magic Lamp." Ken. If 700 don't advertlM In Y.UUETY. dont •dTcrtla* at nO. Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Wilde. Shadowgraphs. 15 Mtns.; Fonr. Palace. Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Wilde sound as though they came from England. The act has just reached New York from the Orpheum Circuit. It is a shadow- graph turn, with Mr. Wilde reversing the usual order of things in these; he talks. All the time, even to informing the audience the subject of his finger creations. Among these are silhouettes of noted personages, not bad at all. When the act should finish the couple return for an encore, but it is the first portion that might be given alone, or sufficient of both sections taken out to make up ten minutes only. Near the finish Mrs. Wilde sings. Up to that moment she had not been important. A peculiar thing about the silhouettes is that when Wilde's arm is between the strong light in the rear and the sheet, the light may be seen through the shad- ow of his flesh. With less announce- ments and a briefer turn the Wildes could be used once easily. On the Pal- ace bill in the "No. 2" spot after a long opening turn and in a house that by its very atmosphere demands speed all the time, the shadowgraphists ran very slowly, but did well. Sitne. Ball and West *'Since the Days of '61" (Duolog). 20 Mins.; One. Union Square. The character of an old vet taken by one of the two men in this new act to New York really constitutes the turn. His facial makeup, clothes (semi-uni- form), voice and a humorous articula- tion, also ejaculations, with comment as he variously speaks to a policeman and a son of his war comrade give the duo- log its necessary laughs. There is a touch of pathos and the vet has the stage to himself for a strong finish, the orchestra playing "Marching Through Georgia" while he is drowsily seated on a bench recalls the old days, when he marches oflF the stage with military precision. The other member doubles as the policeman and the son, but is in- conspicuous in both roles against the strong character of the Civil War relic. Placed properly the act will always get attention, but its strength for a bi^ hill in the east is doubtful because of its necessary slowness. The repartee is nearly sure fire comedy, and in this tlir man playing the vet might see possi- bilities as a single. With a few stories the character could stand alone. Out- side of a little heaviness in the facial makeup the Old Vet is there in evory way. i^itnv. Brown and Williams. Dancers and Skaters. 10 Mins.-; One. 125th Street. Brown and Williams open in "one" and after a hardshoe double routine switch to full stage for a loose, eccen- tric dance of the scarecrow type and close with roller skate clogging. Will get over well in the pop houses. Mark. Lincoln Beachty. Monolog and Pictures. 26 Mins.; One. Fifth Avenue. For his opening performance at the Fifth Avenue, Lincoln Beachey, aero- naut, did too much talking, a fault eas- ily remedied. The act opens with a couple of slides containing testimonials of Beachey's prowess with flying ma- chines, by Orville Wright and Glenn Curtiss, followed b^^ moving pictures of some of Beachey's famous flights. Then he appeared, a bright, intelligent-look- ing chap in a tuxedo suit, talking for 11 minutes; more pictures, and then talk for 18 minutes more. He told of his record-breaking flight to a height of 11,642 feet and concluded with some humorous anecdotes connected with his work. At one point he made a state- ment that he would never fly again-^ unless Uncle Sam went to war and needed him. That was when he should have stopped. It was a corking "kind applause" finish. As a freak headliner, with his talk shortened a bit, Beachey will make a classy turn for the best houses. Jolo. Harold Heaton's Co. (2). "Dressing for Dinner." (Dramatic). 16 Mins.; Full Stage. Wilson, Chicago. Harold Heaton, a newspaper cartoon- ist, is offering a little dramatic act in which he appears. The sketch tells the story of a powdered and painted fop near the doddering age, and a young flower girl who enters his apartments as he is dressing for dinner. There is much dialog of one kind or another, and in due time, the flower girl picks up numerous expensive toilet articles and hides them in her basket. Then she discovers a neat gold photograph frame on the mantel. About to pinch that, she discovers the picture therein contained is familiar. It is the picture of her mother. The perfumed roue is her father! He begs her to remain and comfort him in his old age, but the girl leaves with a sneer. She flings back word to him uj)on going out that per- haps after all she had been stringing him all the time. The little play is well acted, and has a new idea. It went very well at the Wilson, There is no reason why it should not make good. Kerd TRUANT GIRL POUND. Buffalo, Sept. ^. Through the story published in Variety, Margaret Helbig, the Buffalo j^irl who disappeared from Boston re- cently in company with Grover Rosen- thal, was apprehended last week in Baltimore, where the couple were in vaudeville under the team name of King and Rosey. Rosenthal was charged with a viola- tion of the Mann white slave act and held in $3,000 bail for a hearing before United States Commissioner Bond of Baltimore. The girl returned home with her parents. Previous to their discovery the girl's parents had searched all over the coun- try without finding a trace of the tru- ant. THB FIGHT Whatever else may be said of Bay- ard Veiller's play, "The Fight"—and there will be plenty said, of it, for and against—there will be but one verdict with regard to its construction—"ex- cellent." This Veiller chap has melo- dramatic writing at his finger tips. As to the subject, that is for you to decide. No one should be permitted to do it for you. And your decision will rest entirely upon the point of view. Those sponsoring the ventuce will argue that it teaches a great les- son, will open the eyes of many as to conditions in every city. That's twaddle. You know, and we know you know, and also that we know, the piece >vas produced for the purpose of mak- ing money. It is in line with the all- prevalent craze for plays bearing on the subject of the social evil. That be- ing so, it is probab'y the best con- structed of all, so the chances are it will enjoy a long and prosperous run at the Hudson. In this connection it may be timely to remark that not so many years ago the same Hudson theatre management closed one of Al. Woods' pieces at the Harris because the newspapers declared it to be "indecent." But times have changed, and here we have presented for our view the interior of a house of prostitution, showing the cigarette- smoking piano player, the over-dressed and bedizened "madam," the "girls" in the long pink silk kimonos, and all the other details which are so carefully and minutely described in "The House of Bondage" and similar novels. There never was a deeper-dyed vil- lain than the one portrayed by Edward R. Mawson in "The Fight." He is a senator who comes to the bawdy place in search of innocent girls under 16 years of age and pays liberally for them. In the quest for victims the dragnet includes his own daughter. Do you imagine for a moment that such a thing brought him to a realization of his depravity? Why, he simply palms it oflf on the heroine and says she lured his child to the house and that he came there on rescue bent. The role was magnificently played, as was also a political leader by Wil- liam McVay. Numerous characteriza- tions were in the hands of William Holden, Robert Kegereis, Clara Mer- sereau, Margerie Wood, Frances Stam- ford, and others. But the big part, the leading one - the stellar one—more so than the lead- ing female role in "Within the Law" was in the hands of Margaret Wycher- ly, who brought to it a strength and sincerity difficult of duplication by many. There are so many good parts in "The Fight" that had Miss Wycher- ly slackened up for a single instant she would have been oversliadowcd. The main thing, however, is that "The Fight" is a corkiiigly constructed and written melodrama, and in the face of the present demand for plays on the subject matter it bids fair to yield a snug nest egg for all concerned. On departing from the thealre one could not but reflect that "The Toor Little Rich Girl" occupied the sta^e of the Hudson nearly all last season. Jolo.