Variety (January 1914)

20 VARIETY GIRL ON THE FILM By Skitfe. SKIOIE. Now 15 yean of age. Variety printed "BklgleV first notice when be was seven years of age, the boy expressing bis opin- ions wblcb were taken down verbatim. Later he himself wrote the "Sklgie" Btorlos wblcb appeared in Variety, using a typewriter. It Is seldom of late yeam be has seen a the- atrical performance, excepting around holi- days. The first act of "The Girl on the Film" (at the 44th Street theatre) is supposed to be in the offices of the Vioscope company. They are supposed to be getting ready for a big release, which will be known as "The Miller's Daughter." Everything is already for the picture to be taken, but the woman who is going to play the miller's daughter hasn't turned up. Max Daly, the head of the firm, gets a telegram in Italian. They figure that it must be from the woman who io going to play the miller's daughter, as she is an Italian. She finally ar- rives, but no one can understand her, a.^ she does not speak English. Wini- fred, the daughter of General Fitz- eibbons, has dressed up as a boy so that she can apply for the part of a drummer boy. She understands the Italian language, so whatever is said to the Italian actresses has to pass .through Miss Fitzgibbons. Max Daly has gone wild over the Italian actress, and Winifred is in love with him. So she fixes that ske sees Signora Gesti- culata to her hotel instead of Mr. Daly. The act ends with the company going off to Poggleford to take the picture. Act II is in Poggleford, at a farm where there happens to be a mill. Cornelius Clutterbuch is thanking the people for making him mayor or something like that of Poggleford. He is telling he is going up to Lon- don to see the War Department about having some protection down there so that they can protect themselves from the Germans in case they are attacked. He goes in the house and gets ready, then leaves to catch the train. After he has gone, Linda, the secretary of the Vioscope company, comes in and sings a song. The windmill in the back of the stage started to go around, but it got stuck or something hap- pened to it and an arm reached out to start it going again. This caused a laugh all over the house, and poor Linda didn't know what the audience was laughing at. The whole company comes in and they start to get ready for the picture. Mr. Daly has dictated r» letter to Winifred for the Italian actress, and Winifred put down some- thing that wasn't nice. When the for- eign actress got it she came in raving ond saying or rather singing her indig- nation at receiving such a letter or something on that order. She quits the company and it looks as if the feature release was poing to do a flop, when Winifred turns up and says that «he can get a miller's daughter for them in ten minutes. She goes out .-.nrl changes her clothes and comes back. Mr. Daly is very much sur- prised. Nobody knows she is a girl, so they all think that she is a boy dressed up as a girl. In the meantime .Mr. Clutterbuch has returned, having missed his train. He goes in to change his things and to get his pipe. Then the picture starts. Mr. Daly comes in as Napoleon on a white horse. He dismounts and tells his groom to take the horse away. Then an officer comes up to report some- thing to him and he gives his reply. J hen they inarch a prisoner in front oi him to be shot. Just then the mill- er's daughter appears and begs for her lover's life, but Napoleon says no. They are just going to shoot him when Mr. Clutterbuch comes out and sees them. He yells "the Germans" and rings the town bell. Immediately the whole town turns out and queers the picture. They are at the Army League Soiree in Act III, where they are go- ing to show the picture for the first time. It is a ball for charity or some- thing like that and they are going to finish up with one of the famous Max Daly's pictures. Oy-ra and Dorma Leigh do a waltz in this act that was the hit of the show. Mr. Grossmith does a tango with Gertie Birch which i* very pretty. They show the pic- lure and General Fitzgibbons who is there recognizes his daughter in it. He demands that the picture be stopped and that it should be de- stroyed. There is the usual happy ending, in which Max Daly falls in love with Winifred. At the end of the show there were four or five cur- tain calls. Mr. Grossmith and Connie Ediss were about the two best things in the show. Miss Whelen as Winifred was very pretty, but there was something about her that didn't fit in just right. Madelein Seymour as Linda was very nice, although her singing was not the best in the performance. Paul Plunkett did not create a favorable impression. Altogether it was a very Rood cast and some of the musical cumbers were very pretty. 10LE "Iole" is cute. And it is charming, as much so in the mounting as in the story of the Robert W. Chambers dramatized book. But you don't have to know the novel to appreciate the play. That should be something in favor of the show that opened Mon- day evening at the Longacre theatre, presented by H. H. Frazee. Mr. Chambers and Ben Teal wrote the book and lyrics. The first night Frank Lalor had to drag Mr. Teal upon the stage after the first act to ac- knowledge the aplause. Mr. Lalor lrter said Mr. Chambers ran out of the theatre. The audience continued applauding, just what for they them- selves perhaps did not know. It wasn't for the authors or the actors, but probably just because they liked the show. The music was written by William Frederic Peters. Every little while a song breaks up the smooth running. With the music inferior to the lyrics, if is ofttime an obtrusion that is re- sented. Especially in the first act, set in a peach orchard, is this true. The house liked that first act from the out- set. "Iole" (called I-O-Lee) is the tale of a poor poet with eight daughters and re money. He lives "close to nature" and has brought up his children the same way. One of the girls suggests to an admirer they go in swimming to- gether. The admirer marvels at the youthful unworldiness of the daughter and promptly falls in love with her. The half-starved poet (Mr. Lalor) who will not talk business with the man who holds a mortgage on his home, re- tains an idea that his daughters, if well matched, will provide for his support during his life. The octet of daughters in pink pa- jamas in the peach orchard is a picture, almost a vision, that will linger long. They sing, talk and dance, all directed in their stage movements by Mr. Teal, who comes forth in "Iole" as a stage producer of many accomplishments. In this particular play he has done every- thing he has done very well, exception- ally so. Mr. Lalor as the poet undoubtedly is giving his own conception. He makes ii quite amusing. The dialog of the piece is human. "High brow stuff" is there but it's frequently turned off by easy expressions. Carl Gantworth gives his role a really manly touch, and Leslie Gaze stands out as the im- poverished, but loving lover. Among the girls Feme Rogers as Iole, and Hazel Kirk as another daughter, have the opportunities. Miss Rogers won directly into first favor. A little less of the music would not have injured "Iole," but the show is there, all there. As a pretty, light en- tertainment that's well worth while, it's odds on "Iole" will not be outdist- anced this season. Mime. UAMMttUMElN'S Nothing new or startling. Bill moved slowly. Show quite ordinary for Hammerstein's. Nothing alluringly attractive in outside frames. "The Lure of Paris" film remains on the program. Picture a bad one photo- graphically and scenically. The big moments fall flat through inanimate acting and "phony" clashes between the women. Fourteen acts and several did a flop for a "Corner" showing. The big to- boggan got the Will J. Ward "Mati- nee Girls" act. This has Gus Edwards as sponsor and he has something to answer for. It slops and puddles around for about 25 minutes and ends with a thud. Williams Brothers and Adele Sims (ill. songster) were "No. 1" and "No. 2" respectively. Conway and Leland, the one-legged acrobats, gave the show its start. A lot of our two-legged boys are unable to do nearly as well. The Paris photoplay was "No. 4," running 16 minutes. It's too bad a tossup wasn't made between the "Matinee Girls" act and the picture for this spot. O'Brien-Havel Co. played the old "Monday" act with Miss Veleska doing Bessie Carmichael. She's a sprightly blonde. Deiro had things easy with his ac- cordion. The "pop" stuff is up to the minute and helps him. Morris and Allen have gone better on previous appearances. Their Irish songs struck a tough bunch Monday night. Bert Errol was a hit although he broke one of his songs long enough to adminis- ter a rebuke to some talkative persons down front who were making uncom- plimentary remarks. / Typical vaudevillians are Barry and Wolford, who have originality that keeps them well stocked with songs the other acts can't beat them to. Their "old timer" number went big Mrs. Gene Hughes and her "Youth" sketch got over. The playlet runs a trifle long, but there's some wholesome fun which holds it up. Eva Shirley was first after intermission. She doesn't seem able to get hold of the right song repertoire. Sam and Kitty Morton found the going to their liking and made the best of it. They were the big hit of the show. Sherman, Van and Hyman, following "The Matinee Girls," might just as well have put on their act in the subway. The Crottons closed. Mark. PALACE Bert Williams is again the big draw at the Palace, and from his reception Monday night the "house" was there to see him. An audience, late in get- ting seated, filled the big auditorium comfortably. There was a rush at the box office around curtain time. The colored entertainer worked at a disadvantage, a severe cold manifest- ing itself to such an extent that he had to beg off. He put in a busy 20 min- utes. The bill ran altogether to dancing with two acts and the Vernon Castle pictures giving 'em a run for their money. One turn flopped lamentably while another failed to show. Despite these shortcomings the program gave satisfaction, thanks to the remaining acts familiar to variety hall frequent- ers. The Ramsdell Trio opened and held attention principally on the man's clever footwork. Chris Baker sang two songs and faded so quickly the audience didn't know that he had showed at all. He offered a parody on a popular song that reeked to Heaven. John and Emma Ray gave the show a start with Johnny's mug- ging and funmaking. Ray's makeup is a picture no artist can paint, and every time he screws it up and does that funny little laugh he helps his batting average. Belle Blanche found big favor with her imitations. One of the best enjoyed turns of the evening was "The Darling of Faris" with some stellar work by Mario Molasso and Anna Kremser. The lat- ter took a fall down a flight of steps Monday night that must have jarred her peace of mind. The act never ap- peared to better advantage and has been rehearsed along a more finished ond classier line. After intermission Owen McGiveney appeared with his "Bill Sykes" char- acter act, Tony Hunting and Corinne Francis failing to appear in the spot ahead. McGiveney kept the house on tdge with his wonderful changes. He made such a deep impression Bert Williams, following, had to go slow before he could thaw them out. The Asahi Troupe closed, and not a per- son walked out. Mark.