Variety (February 1914)

VARIETY 19 FIFTH AVENUE. Eight acts and two reels of pictures were shown to an indifferent audience at the Fifth Avenue Monday. One picture was given during an intermis- sion, after the fourth act. The attend- ance was light. Several new turns were on the bill with some bearing the "Small Time" stamp. Consequently it could hardly be termed a good show. Emma Carus, "When Woman Pro- poses" and Harry Breen were the ones looking like "Regulars," and the only three to gain real applause. Miss Carus in fourth position suc- ceeded in waking them up with her Irish "Suffragette" song, and the danc- ing of Carl Randall also made the hou.se take notice. Mr. Breen was third and had to work hard for atten- tion, but finished well. The expres- sion on faces in front was funny while "The Nut" was going wild. Someone asked, "Is he acting, and does he get paid for it?" "When Woman Proposes," a Paul .\rmstrong comedy playlet, was greatly enjoyed. Ruth Allan is feat- ured in the principal role. She is capably assisted by Leonard Hollister and a company of six. Charles and .Xdclaidc Wilson were second and worked well, l)ut started nothing as the people were still coming in on them. Their act is much too long as it stands and could be improved by new songs. It is programmed as a "Hodge Podge of Melody and Merri- ment." Thc^ "Hodge Podge" des- cribes it very well. Renollo and Sister opened the bill with a sensational Loop-thc-Loop bicycle turn. The act is really thrilling. A couple of comedy acrobats (The Peers) closed the show. The two men work as "Dutch" and "Irish" in a scries of bumps and falls and on bars, winning plenty of laughs with the aid of a large broom used as a slap stick. The X'crsatile Trio, and Brooks and Hrowne, New Acts. KEENEY'S, NEWARK. Keeney's pop vaudeville house, at Bradford place, in close proximity to Broad and Mar- ket Btroots, Newark, has the busy nwn by the hands and feet. Keeney's was formerly the new (Corse) Payton thi-atre, which played several weeks of stock and switihcd to vau- deville and pictures when Frank A. Keeney took over the lease. The new hous;> has a seating capacity of •J.:{01. with 1.1 (Wi on the ground floor. The prices are 1.')-25-.'?r). with the box seats at "lOc. Last Thursday night there was hardly a va- eimt-seat In the vast auditorium, while the mezzanine baxes were well taken. The upper tiers were also comfortably filled. The house looked like a big profit. At the rate the folks are turning out at this house Keeney will be returned a big winner on bis deal with Pay- ton. An idea of the distance the "acts" must throw their volies can best be gained by siz- ing up the long range the picture man has to pr.ijeit his lights upon the stage. It's exar^tly 4K» feet from the curtain to the booth walls. This movie booth Is built on the outside of the theatre and away up by the roof. Three shows a day are offered, with the hou.se distributing a |)rogram timing the aj)- pearnme of each art and picture. This is something none of the other pop houses do. It's of great help to the patrons. J. B. Mo- Nally. a .Vewark native and a prominent Elk, is the house manager, with Arthur Oliver specially engaged to keep the house In the .\ewark print. The ushers are young women who wear eai)s of a boudoir design. (All this in .Vewark at pop prices.) Right acts and four reels supply the even- ing's entertainment. They are booked by Marry A. Rhea, in .\'ew York. The show the last half of last week gave the Newark audi- ence big satisfaction. JU(lK*ng from the ap- plause and attention on Thursday night. The greater part of the audlenr got in for the riosing act of the seeond f' ■. for when it showed for the last perfc ' there was a hasty exit on the part < .'ds of the house. E. J. Basten opened quietly b cyc'lng HAMMERSTEIN'S Another long show. No intermis- sion. Audience late in getting seated and early to get out. Bill as a whole ordinary with considerable rough and tumble comedy. It was a little too much. Fred Karno's "A Night in An Eng- lish Music Hall/' with Dan Kayner as the "drunk," is back. It was "No. 12." Frank Sheridan scored with "Black- mail" C"No. 6") while a laughing hit was chalked up by Ida May Chadwick in "Wiggins' Training Farm." The Chadwicks appeared tenth. Adelaide and J. J. Hughes (eighth) pleased. Nobody expected much of Ed Vinton and his dog, but they hit a soft spot and rang up one ot the hits of the night. Much of Vinton's talk fell by the wayside, but everything that dog did caught on. Anna Chandler sang several num- bers before the audience realized she was really there, boine applause for "Cleopatra," but her bacon was saved with me •'Dancing All Around" song. Miss Chandler should not take too much lor granted. Self assurance sometimes hurts. Ameta closed the show and gave the bill Its real touch of novelty, bne has served the old serpentine aance up on a more modern platter. Rinaido played with his olutime ability and went big especially with his pop num- bers. He reiuscd encores. Kinaldo was "No. IJ." In succession followed Joe Loganny's Lunatic bakers and ilickey uroiaers. Ihe Bakers have a livciy buncii ot ground tuinulers who holU their own in coinparisun with the otiicr bogaiiny troupe wiin which Joe hiinselt travels. Ine Hickeys would have gone much better had meir's not been too much ot the style of work ahead. They did very well considering tile tune, piacc and handicap. Ihe iMchol Sisters did nine minutes in "one." The girls need some new talk, but at that did well lor a "come back." "No. 11," an earlier spot would have been to tiieir advantage. Mayme Remington's picks got something on the dancing. Hopkins and Axtell had tiic audience coming in on them. Harry LaVall opened the show, Lew Kemp was second, with Bissett and Evelyn third. Mark. turn. He could speed things up considerably. More real comeuy wouiu ulso help. Curtis and FredericKs ure pleasing tiitei tamers, vntli a hougvpouge of aoua, dance una talk. They have good wtagc apptaraiKe anu sliow no lu- cliiiation to stall like the majority of "two- luan-teams." • Waiu TS' Is playing the pop houses and proving a comedy s.rium. Its one oi those "rough house" alTairs with low comidy by- play .that seems lu strike a hapi)y response on the small time." There are some be- whiskered builesquo bits anu grewsoiiit; hospi- tal reminders tnat ure overworked to get laughs. As long as the siiiull time falls for this sort of a turn It's all right. Wald and Brown (.\ew Aits) were followed by Beth Stone and Co. .Miss Stone has changed her act and is now showing the tango alon;? with some new wardrobe. She's assisti'd by .Jack Connors, who has some tall work to do in handling her without slipping all around the stage. A little more pep would not go amiss. Inez McC!auley anu Co. in Archie Colby's The Girl from Childs " caused gtnuinu laughter, the slang going well In .Newark. That "waitress bit'" at the dose had em howling. Holman and Wright were assumed namt'.s. The show was dosed by Warren Travis in his spectaiuiar "strong art," that laiks good showmanship. The run of pictures Thursday w;ih of the ordinary type, the l)est ri.-ults comin.; fioiii a Luhin. "The Cat-h of tlic Seasiri." A litH.- more attention to the movie sulijecis wcdiM help the <lajly program and also make it bet- ter for all the acts. .Vark 125TH STREET. Since Wm. C Matthews has managed Proc- tor's 125th Street theatre he has maue some marked changes about the uptown theatre. Those take In everything from the back of the stage to the front ot the house. Matthews has weeded out the old crowd and his newly in- stalled staff Is doing more efficient work. Each week a 10-act show with a varied dis- play of pictures with 'Our Mutual Olrl" (Pic- ture Reviews) a specialty billed feature every Friday. The answer is the show and pictures In addition to the divers ways of advertising are turning the trick. Last Friday night a big audience enjoyed the show keenly. The bill was full of diversity and entertainment. Eddie Badger and his eccentric musical turn started things olT nicely. He responded to an encore with his phonograph horn-vlolln specialty in "one." Perry and Elliott fol- lowed. This team has changed its patter con- siderably with the returns more favorable. The woman's voice was hoarse and raspy, due to a cold, but she managed to make herself heard. They got a laugh on "He goes to bed between 0 and 10" and the reply, 'that's too many in one bed," but it's a Joke that could Just as well be omitted. Buchanan and Devens (New Acts) and Pauline Bazton were "No.4" anad "No. 5" re- spectively. It's now noticeable there's no break with the pictures between every two acts. The Three Whalens stopped the show. Two womon and a young man who occasionally plays the piano combined songs, kidding and horseplay in a manner thoroughly relished by the audience, it's a bully turn tor the pop time. That bigger woman works up a lot of fun in the closing number. They have sev- eral old Jokes, the most ancient being "There's something nice about you," spoken by the young man as bis arm encircles one of the girls, and of course she asks 'What's that"? and the old reply, "Me." They also got quite a laugh on the I had an awful fright in 12r>th street." and the boy says "Yes, I saw him with you; he's an awful looking thing." The King Brothers look classy, work classy and are classy for the pop timers. The boys will add strength to any bill hereabouts, as they are there on looks and tricks. After the "Mutual Girl" pictures Steve Jen- nings (New Acts) showed with a lot of the folks quitting for tbe night. In succession followed Selma Walters and Co., Howe and Howe and the Knickerbocker Qirls, all under New Acts. Mark. GOING BACK TO BILL. The origin of certain vaudeville jokes occasionally prove interesting. In the small time houses one hears an old favorite, to-wit: "I'll kill my- self—if you do I'll never speak to you again." William Faversham's present revival of "Othello" discloses that even Will- iam Shakespeare used it in the fol- lowing verbia;ic: "I would incontin- ently drown—if thou dost we'll never love thee more." INJUNCTION AGAINSTBUILDING BuflFalo, Feb. 11. Theatrical circles are stunned by George Kling, a gardener, who has be- gun a taxpayers' action to prevent the lebuilding of the Lafayette because the plans do not provide for an eight-foot passageway on either side of the main structure. A temporary injunction was obtained, which is returnable today. .\ motion was made Monday by one of the Aldermen for the Council to waive the rule to require exits on re- modeling theatres that have stood ten years where the state fire board and l,uilding l)urcau have* issued a permit. The interests of a rival theatre arc supposed to be behind this action. LOST CHILD-BRIDE. Cincinnati,'Feb. 11. Joseph Campbell, who admits that Iiis song. ".Sweethearts of '61" sold 100,000 copies, has lost his cliild-bride, iiee Dovey May Cainphcll. Cani[)l)t'll tfbictantly consented to nn annulinent f>f the niarriaj^e. The ijirl's parents c!aini she did not get their consent. (^'llnpI)^'ll was vnl^'irly referred to l.y llie newspajjcrs as the "abattoir pocf." as lie works for the Cincinnati .Abattoir Co. OBITUARY. Abraham Lincoln Hammerattin, the youngest son of Oscar Hamjnerstein, c-ied in New York Feb. 5. He was popularly called "Abe." Frank Carlton (formerly Carlton and Terre) passed away Jan. 28 in Chicago. He was taken to San Antonio for burial by his wife. Mrs. Mary A. Cassady, mother ot* Eddie Cassady, of Dufnont's Minstrels, and James J. Cassady, of the Thomas E. Shea company, died at her residence in Philadelphia Feb. 5 after a short illness. Frederick Bond died Feb. 9 at his home at Whitestone, L. I., aged 53. He was well known to the profession, having served his apprenticeship as a call boy at Wallack's and rising to stardom some years ago. A large delegation of the theatrical people playing in the city of Baltimore attended the funeral last Friday morn- ing of Louis P. Samanni, chief clerk at the Hotel Kernan and for years one of the best liked hotel men in this city. Harry Hardy, manager of "Broad- way Jones," died in Memphis, Jan. 6. Harry Hicks, stage mechanic, died in San Francisco, Jan. 23, of tubercu- losis. Pittsburgh, Feb. 11. While counting out the day's re- ceipts and making out the salaries of the vaudeville teams whose three-day run was up, John Windle, proprietor of a vaudeville house and an adjoining picture theatre in Beaver avenue. North Side, was stricken with heart disease aii'd died Jan. 28. At about the same time the actors and actresses were pre- paring to leave the city and were pounding on the office door. Finally they appealed to Thomas Windle, a brother, who opened it. Doctors say Windle's death struggles were desper- ate, judging from the twisted position in which the body was found. He was 33 years old. Mrs. J. F. Henderson, mother of V'cta Henderson (Godfrey and Hen- derson), died suddenly at her home, 2209 East 14th street, Kansas City, Feb. 2. Harry Spear, who acted as stage manager at the old Wigwam, died Jan. 16, at City and County Hospital, San I'Vancisco, of tuberculosis. /\ widow w<dl known in imisical comedy circles, survives. Johnny Williams died in San Fran- cisco Jan 25. The deceased was a well known advance a^eiit and leaves a sister. NIRDLINGER GOES AWAY. ['Iiilad(li)liia, Feb. 11. IVcd .\'i\<)ii .\iri!linuer has gone ^ontli tot ;i couple of week«<, for a rest. ir .>f>ti don't a<iv(>rtiM«. In VAKIKTV. ili»n'S a<lv<>rtlNe at alL