Variety (January 1914)

14 VARIETY ALL. FOR THE LADIES About Woim§— Mostly By PLAIN MARY "The Girl on the Film" (44th Street theatre) is a de- lightful musical comedy, formerly played at the Gay- ety theatre, Lon- don. The cast is mostly English, and it is interpret- ed in real English fashion. George Grossmith, Connie Ediss and Emmy Whelen are the three principal funmakers. Mr. Gros- smith is proprietor of a moving picture concern; Miss Ediss is manageress, and the rest of the company are picture actresses and actors. "The Girl on the Film" recalls the moving picture scene in Lew Fields' "All Aboard" on the Roof of this same theatre last sum- mer. Miss Ediss is likeable as the plump little manageress, and in the first act appears dressed as "Carmen," ready to play a part in the movie to be produced. She seems so short and wide in this dress it is a surprise to see her dance around the stage like a featherweight. Miss Ediss (besides her other charms) has a broad Cockney accent that never fails to bring a laugh when she tries for one. In the second act Miss Ediss appears in a boy's nor- folk suit, cap, heavy woolen stockings and brown boots. The audience laughed so heartily Miss Ediss was forced to wait several seconds before continuing. She explains she had been doing a little cycling and had arrived ahead of the company (Miss Ediss has the tiniest feet ever seen on so heavy a girl). The remainder of the movie company arrive and a rehearsal takes place. Mr. Grossmith is Napoleon in this scene. Miss Whelen first appears as a drummer boy, afterward as the miller's daughter. She is pretty and clever, but doesn't send over the foot- lights a favorable impression. After the performance it is Miss Ediss who is kept in mind. Madelien Seymour is sweet as Linda, the miller's niece. She has two of the prettiest numbers, but her voice is weak at times. She is at- tractive and looks decidedly English. Mary Robson as an Italian movie actress does some good work. Miss Robson never gets away from the char- acter (too bad we couldn't see more of her). She is only in the first and second acts. Miss Robson is a dark- eyed beauty and perfectly suited the role portrayed. Oyra and Dorma Leigh arc clever dancers, with limited chance to display their talent. They execute a Gypsy dance in the second act and in the last a whirlwind waltz. Mr. Grossmith and Gertie Birch do a tango and Brazilian Maxixe in the final act that should make these cabaret ballroom dancers take notice. Mr. Grossmith is an unusually good dancer and is capably assisted by Miss Birch, who is graceful and pretty. There arc many beautiful chorus girls. They wear some good looking clothes. Miss Ediss looks well in the last act in a cerise brocade velvet evening gown. Miss Whelen is attractive in a white chiffon dress, heavily embroidered with rhinestoncs, also a light blue char- meuse afternoon frock. Miss Robson was lovely upon her first entrance in a blue charmeuse peg-top skirt, over which was a short cutaway coat of green, with a vest and collar of gold lace. A small black velvet hat is worn. Miss Seymour is neat in a blue satin gown made on simple lines. It is far more becoming than the glaring yellow dress worn by her in the last act. Plenty of catchy music in this piece. Roshanara, the dancing girl from India (?) (Palace), presents one of the best acts of its kind ever in this coun- try. She is a pretty young girl, with a slender, almost childish, form (a re- freshing relief from the usual coarse voluptuous type of woman generally seen in this sort of act). Roshanara executes four dances. Each has a story. There is nothing extraordinary about the dances, excepting the snake dance. Roshanara does not use snakes, only her arms. These are twisted and turned so cleverly they look like snakes. Four large green stones are worn, two on each hand, to resemble snakes' eyes. It is a great illusion. Roshanara will become popular over here, for her beauty, grace and refine- ment, if for nothing else. Louis Mann and Co. in "Elevating a Husband" make a most enjoyable sketch. Mr. Mann portrays the "Hick" husband splendidly. Emily A. Wellman plays the "high-toned" wife. She is a capa- ble actress and a charming picture in* a blue evening gown of soft satin with sweeping draperies of chiffon. Mar- garet Templeton (same sketch) is at- tractive in a white satin gown. Jimmy Duffy and Mercedes Lorenz have a nice little act, and although given a hard position (after intermission) they became favorites. Miss Lorenz is a nice looking girl who would appear to better advantage in better clothes. Her dress was neat but the color is not becoming. It was difficult to tell whether it was white or gray. The Stewart Sisters and Escorts are trying to get away from the ordinary, but some of the present numbers won't carry them very far. The girls dress well, and their feet are very trim look- ing. That is something all dancers should take care of. Audiences must look at the feet of dancers, and if the least bit untidy it spoils everything (my opinion). Joseph Cole and Ger- trude Denahy, the. dancers from Frisco, have in their routine what they call a "Viennese Rag." It is funny. All the trot dancers do the same routine but each has different titles for their dances, although the steps look the same. We have had the "Hungarian Rag," "Brazilian Rag," "Frisco Rag" and now the Viennese. Why not have a local for a change? What's the mat- ter with "The Brooklyn Twist" or "The Yonkers Fling"? John C. Rice and Sally Cohen have a new sketch called "Mary and John" (Hammersteins). The sketch is good and well played, but I like their old Tct better. Miss Cohen is wearing some attractive clothes. She looks well in an all-white dress of some pretty soft cloth. With it is a short coat and small hat of black velvet. Bertee Beaumonte (Beaumonte and Arnold) is some kicker (I mean high kicker). The kicks seem to be the feature of the turn, which opens as a sketch. Miss Beaumonte is a female doctor who gives advice to her partner (he needs a lot judging by appearances). After being seated at her office desk for a few moments Miss Beaumonte jumps up, sings and dances without any warning whatsoever (as soon as I saw the wide opening on either side of the black skirt when she first appeared I knew Miss Beaumonte would dance before long). Her last costume, a yellow and white dancing frock of chiffon, was the most becoming. Paul Seldom's "Poems in Marble" is one of the best features at Hammerstein's this week. The act improves with age. Some of the poses are new and each is perfect. Mr. Sel- dom still has the same woman assis- tant, a girl blessed with a beautiful slender form that helps the act con- siderably. "Clownland" (Colonial) is attractive- ly costumed. The black and white idea is very good. The men wear black and white satin clown suits and the girls wear short skirts over long panta- loons. Some of the costumes were smeared with white powder. It ap- peared very careless, to say the least. Miss Desmond (Ceballos and Des- mond) is dressed differently from the other girls. She has a short black vel- vet dress decorated with several white pompon balls of wool. Mabel McCane k makes five changes of costume. Each was pretty. I like the first gown best of all, but it is not so becoming to Miss McCane because she wears her hair in curls. The handsome evening gown doesn't go well with the hair worn "kid" style (Miss McCane looks much better after she has removed those curls). The gown mentioned is white chiffon with a drapery of old rose brocade velvet and a short, wired overskirt and corsage of white net, heavily embroidered with crystal. Rita Boland (Elsie Janis Trio) is neat in a white chiffon and crystal frock. The black gown for the opening number is not suitable. It causes her to appear older than she is, and it was a surprise when she changed to the white frock. A hoop skirt of blue flowered taffeta is worn also. The two girls of the Four Harveys are dressed neatly, al- though they appear a trifle bare on the wire with nothing on but tights and scanty bodices. But it gives every- body a chance to admire their "sylph- like" forms. If that is the idea, the costumes are a success. The girls per- form some remarkable tricks. The "Turkey Trot" on the wire is a hit. The Harry Hastings Show is at the Columbia theatre this week. Mr. Hast- ings appears to have done a little cheat- ing this season. The show is not as good as some he has been responsible for in the past. The piece is entitled "Dinkle's Daughter," with the second act a continuation of the first. Harry Lester Mason and Tom Coyne are fea- tured. Gustave Dinkle (Mr. Mason) is proprietor of a bathing pavilion. He has two daughters whom he. wants married but has trouble finding suitable husbands. He finishes by raffling them off. Flossie M. Gaylor is the homely daughter of uncertain age and Ollie Olden is the pretty young one (Mr. Hastings selected the right girl to play the pretty one). Ernie and Val Stan- ton do a specialty, also play parts. Ernie does two characters, one a crook and the other a deaf and dumb servant. Both are good. Billy Meehan is a clev- er, nice-looking young chap. He is the juvenile. Violet Pearl works hard all through the show and leads most of the numbers. She seems to be the live wire, although with a little opposi- tion in Ollie Olden. Miss Pearl is the best dressed woman in the company. (I trust that won't start anything.) She appears to decided advantage in a purple gown. It seems to be a sort of a shawl arrangement. In this cos- tume Miss Pearl sings "Across the Rio Grande." She shows several other be- coming gowns. Miss Olden leads sev- eral numbers, assisted by the chorus girls. The last she had was "Naughty Melody." Eight "cute" little ponies in cerise shawls helped to make this the success it was. For it Miss Olden has a pretty cerise soubret dress. Adele Luis, the leading woman, was out oi the show when seen. Val Stanton gave an imitation of Frank Tinney (with Tinney's permission). Some of it was all right, the rest poor. The show is only fair, principally through lack of comedy, as a burlesque show never was and never will be good unless there is something to laugh at (of course, there are laughs there if you keep your eyes open,.but they are not meant to be funny). The Five Bennett Sisters (City thea- tre, first half this week) have a very good act and are making a big hit. These girls can do anything in the athletic line. They fence, punch bags, box and wrestle. It seems a pity these girls can't get the right kind of a man- ager. They should be playing "big time." It is funny to see girls put on boxing gloves and go to it. One of them receives several hard jabs un- der the nose while boxing; to get even she pulls out a handful of her op- ponent's hair. It makes a good laugh- ing finish. Grace Dixon sings several popular songs, has a good strong voice and rather a nice appearance. The City theatre audience was inclined to be rough with her Tuesday afternoon, un- til she sang a song with several "off color" lines in it, then they became interested. Miss Dixon was well dressed in a white satin gown trimmed with crystal beads. A blue gown worn by her wa^ also neat looking. Louise Alexander, who is dancing at the Cafe De Paris (evenings) and Healy's (afternoons) is one of the pret- tiest cabaret dancers around town. Miss Alexander has a fresh-looking complexion that seems to be the envy of the women visitors of the night restaurants. If it is real it is lovely, if artificial it is cleverly "put on." Miss Alexander is dancing a "Brazilian Maxixe" with a male partner. It is making a hit. for several of the older people as well as the young have the •'Maxixe" bug and arc trying their luck with a couple of these new steps and twists. Many laughs may be had in the dancing-restaurants if one observes closely and "gets" some of the dancers