Variety (September 1913)

VARIETY 21 UNION SOUARB. (Estimated Cost of Show, $2,600.) The big feature of this week's bill at the Union Square is on early, for the headline turn. It is Eddie Foy, the producer and father of the Seven Other Foys, besides Mrs. Foy, who took a bow with their children. It's some family this Eddie Foy has, for vaudeville, in or out of it, but even if he and they made the audience laugh, Foy Senior didn't get a smile from his offsprings. But the act was one riot, and Papa Foy had to make three speeches before the house would let the Foy Family go home. The show ran fast Monday night, starting at 8.25 and over at 10.35. Of course the program doesn't reach the class of the Palace bill (seen the same afternoon), but as a variety bill the Square had it over the Palace show like a tent. The shift of the headline brought several other changes in the positions, giving Jean Le Bonita (New Acts), an xylophonist, the next to closing spot. He should have been on early, very early. Robert Fulgora in the switch got "No. 2," and in that spot did a clean- up. Fulgora in his impersonations and quick changes has something different, adding dialog to characterizations, also impersonations of "Great Men." The audience liked it. As a lightning changer Fulgora has a little something on them all. He strips on the stage, and keeps stripping, until you wonder where all the clothes came from and where they go to. A little expenditure for a set and it looks as though Ful- Rora could get his former act away , over now. He can hold them with his delivery and makes the act extremely interesting. The old Bedini and Arthur act is given by Roy and Arthur. The crockery breaking and sharpshoot- ing did as well as ever. Bedini's grace and class are missed, but the comedy remains much the same, and the act is still there. The show was closed by the Three Melvins, acrobats on the Bard order. They give the most attention to the flying hand-to-hand catches, doing many of these in various styles. The three boys work cleanly, without a miss or any attempt at a stall, excepting for the finishing feat. The flier is an acro- bat with perfect sang froid and gets a lauRh or two through it. The Mel- vins do nicely. Built well, each of them, they are attractive physically also, although the two younger boys arc light. The Skaters Bijouve, opening the show. Harry Tighc and Co. in an enter- taining college sketch, and Ball and \\'est are under New Acts. Sime. FIFTH AVENUE. (Estimated Cost of Show, $2,975.) The higher price seats at the Fifth AvcMiuc Monday afternoon (Labor I^ay) were not all sold, probably be- f^anse the day was sultry and oppres- •^ivc. It's a pretty good show this week -not an inordinately expensive ' n(\ but a good vaudeville bill. (irc^nire and F.lmina. a man and a w.iuian. who balance all the furniture "'11 the stage, opened the show well, I'ut should be spoken to for two seri- 'Mis breaches. The first and most fla- grant was a hole in the woman's tights as big as half dollar When the man attempted to balance a huge leather- covered sofa on his head and walk up a ladder with it, and didn't succeed, he informed the audience it was be- cause the act had been laying off and bookings were bad. The fact that he was playing U. B. O. time was prima facie evidence of this. When the audi- ence tittered at the man's unsuccessful tfTorts the woman in the act added to the failure by remarking "it is no laughing matter." Reisner and Gores offered a good singing, dancing and talking act as second turn and fared nicely. Manager McCune was a trifle off with his de- scriptive programing, announcing Chas. Keane and Co. as "that genial come- dian and his merry deputies." It is a serious sketch of western life, entitled "Sheriff Bob," wherein a sheriff who is after a train robber who killed his h-other encounters him and learns that he is a brother of a girl he has fallen in love with. There is too much talk in the sketch before it leads up to the (knouement. All three characters are, 1 owever, fairly well impersonated. Les Copeland offers the characteri- zation of a hesitant-speaking "coon" with a good dialect, singing and ac- companying himself on the piano. He offers some good ragging for an en- core. Paul Kleist has some unique me- chanical effects in a comedy pantomime black-art act and scored a hit—the first emphatic one of the day. Mabel Berra, prima donna, hasn't many competitors in her line in vaudeville with voices of her calibre. Lincoln Beachey (New Acts). Henry E. Dixey presented his orig- inal "Mono-Drama-Vaudologue," which displays his versatility at its best. Cameron and O'Connor in "Hired and Fired" were next to closing with their comedy skit of a couple of actors job hunting. Hanlon and Clifton, with their artistic acrobatic turn closed the show, ten acts in all. Jolo. ISOLATING LITTLE FAI^LS. Little Falls, N. Y., Sept. 3. Reardan & Schultz and W. H. Lin- ton, who control the theatres of this city, have agreed upon a plan for the winter whereby they expect to keep out all opposition. The-C-ity Opera House is to handle the vaudeville, opening Thursday with four acts, while the Hip will hereafter play pictures only. The Hip and the Gem, formerly charging five cents ad- mission, will charge ten cents in the future. If TOO don't •dvertiM In VARIETY, don't ■dTertiM nt nil. CORRESPONDENCE UeleM othcrwitt loted, tht foHoiriBf reporti are fw the oBTtnt week. •^"*»^»J;"™*" CHICAGO (DASH) In Charge ▼ABISTT*B CHICAiBO OFFICBl MAJ2BTI0 TBEATRb BUILDING HAYMARKET.—May Howard came back last w»t'k at the Haymarket, with her own com- pany In the burlesque field. The business proved conclusively May's name carried some weiRlit. liesides May In the cast there was Frankie Bailey, and you can't go far wrong when paying fifty cents to see her In tights. Wesldes the tights Frankle wore a couple of gowns that won't be touched this season on either Wheels. These gowns were so strong, however, that they made the other costumes In the show, none to good at best, look Just that much worse. The costuming and scenery of the .show are In keeping with one of the old Miner western wheel shows and the whole frame-up of the troupe has the same ear marks. The redeeming feature was the life Installed into the number.^*. There were many and the speed of these gave the show the appearance of being fart. Twenty girls worked hard and should be given all the tredit roming to the troupe, for they made It seem like a show. The comedy composed of old time bits did not do at all. There was but one funny bit In the enteratlnment and that came In the specialty of Pearl Bros, and Burn?. Aside from this a general overhauling Is needed In the comedy department. Irene Meara is the soubret. and Irene shows real life out In front of the chorus. The little girl should develop. She has plenty of ginger and with the proper coaching will malie a very good dancer. Her dressing is not quite what 18 ezpetced of soubrets these days, but Irene passes easily. Patricia Markey, a big good looking blonde, gets under the wire in the money. Patricia would l>e a strong card in tights if she didn't have Frankle Bailey along- side her. A show with two women like Frankle and Patricia shouldn't need much else. They, however, show too strongly for the looks of the rest. Earl Shehan, the Juvenile, leads a few numbers with a very small voice, but he makes up in his dancing. Barl overdoes his dressing somewhat. The short trousers with his dress clothes are a bit of a scream. He works hard and with Irene Meara puts over a couple of neat dances. They need working, however, and should put in a few hours a day. It will be worth it to them later. Pearl Bros, and Burns, straight Irish and Dutch, supply the comedy. There Is little for them to do outside of what they supply themselves. "They could roughen things up to advantage. At present they get nothing until the finish when they do their specialty. There is room for comedy and they should be able to work it in themselves. J. W. Clifford in also of the MARINELLI Corner Broadway, 42nd Street and Tth^Avenue (Heidelberg Building, 6th Floor) NEW YORK I MANAGERS, call, write or wire if you care to t>ool( and present to your Public the best Artists, Acts, Novelties or STARS of all descriptions, to make up an interesting, varied, up-to-date and money-making PROGRAM. ARTISTS wanting to play all over the WORLD come and see us, write or wire. .LONDON H. B. MARINELLI, Ltd PARIS BERLIN NEW YORK comodv forces but doesn't aid to any eztont The show needs strengthening in several de- partments. From a production standpoint It is not there and the cumcdy Ig weak. DASH. HALSTEI) EMI'KKSS (Harry Mitchell, mgr. • agents, S-C). Edna Aug, fresh from the country where she has been for several months, found gront favor with the three overflowing audiences Sunday. Miss Aug has brought to- gether some new material, and uses the old plentifully, and she had everything all her own way. This player has a way of gettln£ right over the footlights Into the good graces of an audience, and this intimate style of entertaining tli klcd the Halsted contingeat Immensely. Lucille Savoy, billed as "The Singing Venus," was another high point in the program. Miss Savoy has some very effective poses, and her singing adds greatly to the en- semble. The art was a prime fav(»rlte. "Be- hind the Footlights." a sketch showing the stage as it appears to the players, had a good spot and was well received. Houghton, Mor- ris & Houghton gave exhibitions of motor- cycling and also did some neat work on bi- cycles. The act is showy and made an effect- ive closing nunih(>r. Adelyno Lowe and Co. opened the bill with her novelty act, dis- ploylng some good bar work after a gay little society scene. The Leo Deers entertainers were on In second place with songs and piano ninslc. People w«re turned away at both night shows. REED. .MAJESTIC (Lyman R. Glover, mgr.; agents, Orpheum). Nothing happened at the Monday afternoon show to even cause the semhlnnee of a stir until Charles Olcott put In his appearan'e In "E" place with his com- edy pianolog. From that time on the show had JiiinpH and spurts of excellence and sags and slumps of mediocrity. Even Frank (SHt- ers) Oakley, almost always a sure fire winner, lagged a little. His pantomime which was put into the place of the Australian Hny Scouts caused much laughter among the children and baseball fans. "The System," one of the In- numerable flock of crook plays hnd headline position. The Oct Is far too long, but It has moments of excitement Lawrence and Frances Cameron opi)eared to advantage in "A Bit of nroodway." Stuart IJarncs, on next to last, could scarcely be heard and after he had been on awhile, a f:ood share of the audience start- e<l for th«' doors. The Four Bards, a standard gymnastic act. <loHed. Woodward's Posing DoKH opened, ami Alf. flrani and Ethel Hoeg were on seeond. Cliarles B. Lnwlor and his two dauchters were on in third place. Their act. which ustmlly m)e« big. seemed to drag a bit, an<I they haij a .hard time to make any lmpr'?sslon on the audience. The bill was far too long, so much so the pictures which usually start thln^a. were eliminated. The house was not completely sold out Monday afternoon, but thn stifling heat and the fact that it was a holiday, may have accounted for this. It was a dull bill, however. REED. PALACE (Mort Singer, mgr.; agent. Or- pheum Circuit). The program at the Palace this week starts off like a good small time entertainment and It Is pretty well under way before It begins to look like a dollar's worth. The prices at the Palace are still 75 cents on the lower floor, the only dollar seats helni^ the boxes. Monday night there were Just I'lght dollar seats sold, the lower floor had four or five empty rows In the rear, the balcony had a couple of rows out (balcony at the Palace Is usually filled) and the gallery was also light. "A Persian Oarden" in which JiOuls Simon and Kothrvn Osterman star, wan the class novelty and hit of the program. The tabloid musldnt comedy makes a strong bid In the proper dfrectlon. It Is complete. The comedy gets over and the one song of the piece "Persian Rose" Is enough In Itself to corrv a full musical comedy to success. It must make some of the tabloid musical com- edy producers out this way feel a trifle em- harraKsed when they see this piece. Scream Welch. SIg Mealy with .Johnnie Bell as the new member of the trio, did well In an Import- ant position. Musical Cuttys came In under the biK time caption. The act with two new girls, a new man or perhaps two, went just OS well as ever. The new girls should be re- hearsed a llttl*' In the old Cutty bow. It Is worth while. Adele Oswald received flowers and was a good sized hit. She Is sticking too (Insely to one music publisher. Miss Oswald, take a look around. Hilda Thoma.s and TiOU Hall wer»< changed with tlie Cuttys after the first show from ".'"i" to ".'5." Miss Thomas is dolim tr;ivcstv work that has been done to death by r^nuhnt^ Hall play, the piano well luit ilor^Ti t jihiy It enough. Meredith and <1(>K "Sh'io/ti " slarti'd It off followed by Quinn iuid .Vlilflitll 'I,t moil City" l.s pretty familiar and tlir linvs v.ii; have to dig somelhlrii^r new if they wl.|i t(i sfiiy In fjist. <«impony. .lamcH Thorntfin w;i'- nfvf (o closing and he tore off a lilt. The Itiinilalls, n -hootlnn a*!, closnd the Khow HASH. AUDITORIUM (Bernard TTIrlfJi. m»r.).— "Thf Whip." o|)<ni(l Ratiirdny nik'ht. Big advaiK i( sale. CDHA.N'H (;. (). li (Il.irry IlldlriK". tngr.) "••^top Thlff" Hi'CtriN tr» luivc tilt [Milillc fancy. conr (U .1. H.rttKinn. rnjri- ). "The Kllxir of Yoliili" niriririK < tkI nf 'Mil< iik" run. ^;AHI{r('K f.Iolio .1. 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