Variety (February 1914)

20 VARIETY AMERICAN. The American had aaveral good acta In tlia bin last half of last week. The big hit waa Bddie HerroD and Co. in a comedy sketch, "Birda of a Keatber." It telle of two crooks (male and female) who meet for the Orst time. Bach pones as a rube and triea to rob the other, but at the Qnale a third partj trims them both. The sketch Is well written and extremal J well played by Mr. Herron and a clever young woman. Inglls and Redding haye what Is com- monly known In show ouslness as a "nut acL" They sing and dance, but the rest Is kidding. Mr. InglTs appears to have copied several single men who work the same way he does, but he became popular, and everyone waa satisfied. Miss Redding is a capable asalst- ant She flita around tiie stage In a sprightly manner, a la Eva 't'unguay, assisting her Bartner considerably in winning laugha. [abel Cameron, Alan Devltt and Co. had an- other comedy sketch, "The Groom Forgot." The act Is all right In Its way, but would never start a riot, it might do better If played by a different company. PIsano and Bingham are a comedy team (man and woman) in character. The man Is an Italian and the woman an Irlah cook. Mlas Bingham has a nice voice, pleaalng face, but looked all wrong in the comedy makeup. It seams rather foolish to be singing straight while made up for comedy. The couple sing several songs and talk a little while aoatad on a bench, doing fairly well In second poeitlon. Paul Floreos, with his xylophone playing, gave the ahow a good lively atart The Florence Family of acrobats closed the first half with a clever routine. The two females In the act at first looked and walked like men, but they didn't remove their wigs at the flnlah, however. Whether male or fe- male, the oootumea worn by them were a scream—evening gowns of blue satin much spangled and cut on lines created In Queen Ann's time. Roy La Pearl, the baritone, haa a setting somewhat novel, the Interior of a blackamlth'a shop, with Mr. La Pearl the smith. He sings several songs, some of the popular kind, and waa well liked. Kathlyn Kay la a "alngle," with four published mem- bers doing little clever or original. The Aerial Buda have a turn deserving of aomi" thing better than smal time. They work faat without pausing for applause, generally looked for In this kind of act. They closed the ahow and took several bows at the finish. Jfory. HAMILTON. Last Friday night hardly breathing room, and many atandeos during the show. Every- body left with the same opinion that It was a good show. The show started off nicely. Increased In speed and went rlgbt along at a ripplngly en- tertaining gait For a pop ahow It had a lot of thoae booked in before looking like thirty centa. This "Anniversary Bill" had speed, claaa and quality and for a pop show waa above the average. Nelaon (New Acta) opened well and was fol- lowed by Hattle 'Tlmberg, the singing and dancing violinist As Miss Tlmt>«rg works after the fashion of Yvette naturally snecomea in for compariaon with the latter. Mlsa Hat- tle haa Improved considerably. She dresses better and haa hit upon a good Idea to blend that light blue, tran«parent dreaa with those pink undreaalngs. In a spot the effect is there. Miss Tlmberg works like a Trojan and dances most gracefully with the violin. She waa a big hit with the Hamilton audience. The Dixon Trio (New Acts) also got big applause and were followed by Williams ana Weston. Theae men with the talk and song parodiea held attention and got applause but they could rearrange their routine and atill bat out a good average. They have several Jokeo that date back to the paleoioic age. Herman Lleb and Co. added dramatic claas to the bill and the "Dope" aketch brought him many curtaloa. An unusually strong act for any pop ahow. Ben Linn aang himself hoarae and kicked up his usual didoes. Jenkins and Covert provided entertainment, although they aeemed to carry the act a little too far. The team haa aome snappy lines and for a family audience proves the right sort. The Flying Munlchs rushed their aerial work through In four minutes. The girls (if they are both girls) should pay more attention to makeup. One of the "girls" looks for all the world like a boy in female attire, although there's no uncovering of head at the doee. The "girla" do the flying with two men atop the bare at oppoaite sides of the stage. The picturea for the most part were satia- fying. One in particular, "Wild BeasU at Large" (Vltagraph) deals with circus animals running loose in a smal town and creating wild terror among the inhabitants. It's full of comedy and will get the laughs anywhere. JIarfc, 125TH STREET. Proctor's 125th Street house is making a special feature of the Mutual Oirl, exhibiting the latest styles, every Friday, told In story fot-m. Last week's reels seemed to hit the feminine auditors Just right Of the 11 vaude- ville acta shown the second half of last week, seven are under New Acta. They are Frank Coombs. Kelley and Catlin. "The Frollcers," Dunn and Dean. The Albergs, Jordan and Francis. Minerva Courtney and Co. Jeanne Fletcher, a high class vocalist, ap- peared and departed minus casualties. The Four Aivers, a gymnastic and contortion turn, only mustered three of the men and offered a very amateurish act Three Xyles, man, woman and boy xylophonists, with boy doing some stepping that is technically good but without spontaneity, are much Improved since last seen. They would fit nicely to open a two-a-day bill. BImberg and Day, with cross- fire and violin and piano, uae Raymond and Caverly's entrance and Ed. Wynn's hat stuTT. Jolo. STOCK PITTSBURGH STOCK SHIFTS. Pittsburgh, Feb. 4. The stock company situation here is undergoing an unusual number of changes. Both houses are soon to show new faces. Thurston Hall, leading man for six months of the Duquesne stock com- pany, will be replaced next Monday by Edmund Breese, who will inaugur- ate his season with "The Master Mind." Manager Harry Davis an- nounces that Mr. Breese will be paid the highest salary ever paid in stock. Mr. Hall made thousands of friends here, many of whom are writing the newspaper critics expressing their re- gret in his leaving. He goes to New York where he will take a brief rest. Frederick Esmelton (Bryant), one of the principals in the triple divorce tangle in which others named are Mrs. Louise Power Bryant, Adele Blood Davis, Cadder Russell Davis and Miss Mary Hall, is no longer stage director of the Pitt. His successor is P. E. McCoy. Incidentally it is announced Miss Hall, after several days in New York, will return to the cast of the play following "The Blindness oi Virtue" now in its third week, having broken the record for a run of any kind of a show here in years. William Bonelli will soon leave the Pitt Players. He was doing leading "heavies" and will be succeeded by Benjamin Kauser, brother of Alice Kauser, the play broker. There is also a rumor Denny Harris will soon quit the Duquesne to devote himself en- tirely to managing the house. William Moore Patch, director of the Pitt, declares he is looking for an- other theatre in Detroit where great dissension has arisen following his resignation from the management of the Washington. CLOSING NOTICE WITHDRAWN. Haverhill, Mass., Feb. 4. Closing notices have been removed at the Orpheum, where the Mayer Stock Company is holding forth. New pieces have been announced to follow "Madame Sherry," the present offer- ing. Rumor has it that Prince Ellwood, the comedian of the company, leaves Saturday night, together with other members of the company. Manager Louis B. Mayer at one time strongly favored converting the house into a picture theatre. ENGLAND IN BAD. Cincinnati, Feb. 4. A story comes from Washington that Gertrude Bondhill will return to the stage, although she was only married a month ago to John Arthtir Ray, American Consul at Sheffield, England. It is reported that Miss Bondhill did not like England. Her husband will be stationed there two years longer. Miss Bondhill is said to be rehears- ing in her old role of ingenue with the Poli Stock Co. She is a Cincinnati girl and was formerly with the Orphe- um Stock Players. TAKEN IN FOR ASSAULT. Westbrook, Me., Feb. 4. Al. Luttinger, head of the Al. Lut- tringer Stock Company, and Grace Turner, known on the stage as Lillian Lucas, were arrested Saturday night, while waiting to board a train for Au- gusta, where they are playing this week at the opera house. The arrests were warrants for assault and battery sworn out against them by W. Rexford Poole, manager of the Scenic theatre where they had been playing, and Dorothy Ihayer, formerly leading lady in the company. The trouble arose over a breach of contract, eventuating into a squabble. The defendants were dismissed by Re- corder Crockett Monday morning and left immediately for Augusta to fulfill their engagements. SU>NEY SHlELdS AT READING. (Miss) Sidney Shields, who has been playing with her own company in vaudeville, was engaged this week to play leading roles with the Wilmer & Vincent stock at the Orpheum, Read- it g, Pa. Miss Shields opens Feb. 16 and will play opposite to Robert Hyman. REPORTS ON THE ILL Philadelphia, Feb. 4. Maud Gilbert, who recently closed as leading woman of the Jefferson stock, Portland, Me., has returned to her home in this city under the care of a trained nurse and physician. H. Percy Melden, the Shubert the- atre stock director, Milwaukee, has fully recovered from the accident in which he broke three ribs. There is little change in the condition of Severin Dedeyn, the leading man- manager of the Gaiety stock, Hoboken, remains about the same. His improve- ment is slow. MRS. DOC IN STOCK. Pauline Neff, known in private life as Mrs. Doc Munyon, is now a stock actress. Tuesday she was engaged by Jiiy Packard for the Metropolis stock. LOIS HOWELL IN PHILLY. Philadelphia, Feb. 4. Lois Howell, former leading woman with the Poli stock, Springfield, Mass., has been engaged as the successor of Adra Ainsley, heading the Blaney- Spooner stock at the American here. SMALL POX SCARE. Niagara Falls, N. Y., Feb. 4. Until the small pox scare abates in this city, the Kenneth Bisbee Players at the International have moved to Lockport. They expect to resume here. ANNA LEON AT AVENUE. Wilmington, Del., Feb. 4. Anna Leon has assumed the leads of the new Orpheum Players at the Ave- nue theatre, where Harold Claremont 19 the principal man. The company opened in "The Sign of the Four." KEENEVS NEW COMPANY. The newly-organized Frank A. Keen- ey stock company, opening at the Metropolis in "We Are Seven," Feb. 9, has a heavy advance sale. Keeney last week engaged Phil Leigh and Rita Villars, favorites with the Cecil Spooner stock, and Estelle An- drews, late of the Lindsay Morrison stocks in Boston and Lynn. Others who will support Victor Brown and Jean Murdock will be George Bennett, Esther de Rochte, Florence Hill and Harold Crane. Claude Miller will be stage director. Keeney tried to get "The Blindness of Virtue" for the second week, but was unable to land it, as the show has a forthcoming date at the Royal, Bronx. AFTER ONE WEEK'S ROYALTY. Joseph Byron Totten is the author ot "Arms and the Woman." Charley Clancy accepted the piece for one week's production by the Blaney-Spoo- ner Amusement Company. This week Totten, through his attorney, Jacob VVeissberger, filed action against Bla- ney for royalty for the one week's production. MADE PLAYERS TALK. Philadelphia, Feb. 4. The rejuvenated Orpheum Players opened Monday night in the rebuilt Chestnut Street opera house under the Keith management, and everybody made a speech. It was a real house- warming in which the capacity audience joined heartily. The play was "The Case of Becky" in three acts by Ed- ward Locke. At the end of the first act, in re- sponse to continuous applause, Harry Andrews, the stage director, made a brief speech of appreciation and then introduced the players in turn. Each was called upon for a speech. Berton Churchill, the leading man hoped he would win for himself a place in the hearts of the people of this city. Adelaide Keim's short address ex- pressed the same wish. George Bar- I'ier, a native, said he was glad to get back after seven years' absence, and Allen Murnane, Ina Brooks and Ralph Remley also made remarks suitable to the occasion. NEW LEE AVE. CO. The Lee Avenue stock house, Brook- lyn, reopens under the direction of Edwin F. Reilly next Monday with the opener, "In the Bishop's Carriage." Arthur Jarrett, a former Corse Pay- ton lead, will be leading man, and Florence Pinckney will be leading woman. Others cnRaged are William A. Mortimer, stage director; Erma Earle, Adelaide Dalton, Mary Stewart, Francis Herblin, William G. Slider, Bobbie Livingston, Clarence Chare, Harry Mack and Alfred Estes. LONDON MAY GET CORSE. Corse Payton may decide to go to London and embark in the theatrical business there. He has received a ca- ble the London opera house is to be had. In case Corse turns down the Lon don proposition he and Joe Payton have their eyes on another at home stock proposition.