Variety (February 1914)

20 VARIETY Murray's on 42d street is back in line again, doing a large business. Nearly all the New York dancing cabarets held a special event night Washington's Birthday. Shanley'i» at 43d street, has been widely advertising a 75-cent lunch that has commenced to bring business to the big restaurant from the matinee goers. Jack Mason and Lois Whitney won the trot contest Monday night at the fancy dress ball given on the New York Roof. Mr. Mason had just left the premiere of "The Midnight Girl," in which he had staged the numbers and did not expect to compete upon entering the roof to see the affair. He will now go to work on the numbers for the Sam Bernard revival of "The Girl From Kay's." De Leyer is dancing at Murray's, in costume. His dress is a cross between that of a Mexican vaquero and a Span- ish picador. De Leyer is French. He is the first of the professional dancers about New York to distinguish himself as such on the floor by other than eve- ning clothes. "The Queen of the Movies" music appears to be the best liked for rag dancing in the cabarets. It is the show at the Globe, New York. There are three pieces in it that some or- chestras play. One, "In the Night," the Paul Lincke composition (he also wrote "In the Shadows"), was much in popular favor on the Continent last summer for trotting. Mrs. Al Reeves (Alameda Fowler) and Victor Dresypool won the one- step contest for the amateur champion- ship of Greater New York, held at Hcaly's (66th street) Wednesday night of last week. Around 25 couples com- peted. Mrs. Reeves' prize was a silver loving cup, standing over two feet high. The judges were Guilline de Leyer, Guy Chervon, Kenneth Ander- son and Oscar Strauss. The ballroom of the new Strand theatre will open by April 1, it is ex- pected. The decorations will be elab- orate. Designs have been drawn for them by Henry Erkins, the architect, who designed the Cafe de Paris and Murray's interiors. Everett M. Braw- ner has the place under lease. It will seat around 650 people, with a dance floor 72x31. The principal entrance will be on 47th street, but two eleva- tors besides will lead down to the Broadway front. As a result of correspondence be- tween Joseph B. Franklin, general manager of the Fifth Avenue Enter- tainment Co., (Inc.), which handles bands, orchestras, clubs and cabarets, and George Anderson, personal man- ager of Fritzi ScheflF, the story that Miss Scheff was considering a caba- ret proposition was printed some time ago. After the story appeared Fritzi Schefl claimed the report was unau- thorized and unfounded. Mr. Ander- son's note on the Baltimore hotel writing paper, written in Kansas City, Jan. 20, was as follows: Joseph B. Franklin, New York City. Dear Sir:—Miss Fritzi Scheff will be at liberty May 15. What is your prop- osition? Very Truly Yours, George Anderson. The reply was to be expected at Miss SchefTs next stop, Rome Hotel, Omaha. Mr. Franklin was repeatedly urged by a prominent Chicago hotel to make a contract with Miss Scheff and it was for this purpose that correspond- ence with Mr. Anderson was opened. The fancy dress ball given at the Jar- din de Paris (New York Roof) Mon- day night was very successful, about 1,000 people assembOng to dance until a late hour. Among them were 50 couples (in original costumes designed by themselves) from the Art Students' League, National Academy of Design and other local artistic associations. Thursday on the Roof was "Sari" night, with members present from that show. Cold weather is bad for the theatres, which suffer unless there is an advance sale that compels attendance. Not so the dancing cabarets. As a slight indi- cation of the hold dancing has on New York just now, it may be said that on the coldest night of the past two weeks the dancing cabarets held the usual quota, without the weather diminish- ing the crowds at all and increasing the receipts. When the cabarets can pull with the weather their greatest opposition, there's no denying people want to dance. Talk is daily heard how long the craze will last. The other day one fellow ventured to say it would be over by June. Another man in the party offered 1100 eyen that next summer will see more dancing in and around New York than last sum- mer did—and there was some dancing going on in these diggins then. Montreal, Feb. 25. Archbishop Bruchesi of this city has placed his ban on the tango, and the faithful may no longer, if they wish to remain faithful, indulge in that form of terpsichorean enjoyment. The com- mand is incorporated in a letter written to all Roman Catholics in the diocese. It reads in part as follows: "I wished to wait before speaking on this ques- tion, persuaded that such a dangerous and unseemly amusement would soon be despised and abandoned. At all events I forbid it absolutely as bad and scandalous, and I likewise forbid all the other new dances which resemble it. I appeal to all truly Christian women, and I beg of them to band together against these licentious dances and the indecent fashions of the day." In the same letter the prelate recommends his flock not to attend moving picture shows, "where virtue runs so many ARTISTS' FORUM Cenfln* lettcn to ISO wordi and write on one tide of paper onljr. Anonjrmoua oommunlcationa will not bo printed. Name of writer must be alsned and will bo held in etrlct confidence, if dcelred. L«ttera to be publlehrd in this column maat be written excluilTely to VARIBTT. Doplloatod letter* will not be printed. The writer who duplicates a letter to the Pomm. either before or after It appears here, will not be again permitted the priv- ileges of It San Luis Obispo, Cal., Feb. 17. Editor Vaiubtt: I feel it my duty to inform you of a very sad occurrence which happened Feb. 12. I was playing the Grand, Santa Maria, with my act, "Fred Webster's Seven Melody Maids." On the 12th, two of my girls were cleaning their stage dresses in gasoline on the back porch of the hotel. Marie Rosenburg, one of my violinists, a beautiful girl of 22 and a native of Indiana, in rubbing the silk between her fingers caused a friction which ignited the bucket of gasoline, and she was literally burned to death. Although every effort was made and the best of care given her, she died from the effects of the burns, which covered her whole body. The main object of this letter is to inform you of the most noble stand ever taken by the population of a small town in a case of this kind. Santa Maria is a town of 2,500, and as soon as the facts of the sad case were known, and we had informed the peo- ple that Miss Rosenburg was the main support of her widowed mother resid- ing in Terre Haute, the business men under the auspices of the Chamber of Commerce arranged a' benefit. Every- thing was put at our disposal. The printing office turned out thousands of handbills; the newspaper gave us alt the space we could possibly use; the town band volunteered; the opposition house (Gayety) gave the theatre (hav- ing a larger seating capacity). Nine acts of local talent gave a splendid performance, and tickets were sold by everybody at $1. We realized $425 from this benefit, and the Christian church besides gave us all their receipts from the Valentine festival, which amounted to almost $50. The remains were sent to Terre Haute, according to her mother's wish, and after all expenses were paid $150 was sent her by wire. It is my opinion the theatrical people, through you, owe a vote of thanks to the people of Santa Maria, California. Fred J. Webster. New York, Feb. 20. Editor Varibtt: I notice in Varibtt today a Barney O'Neill at the 23d Street bills himself as "The Chauncey Olcott." I, Bryan Lee, have used that billing for over five years and can prove it by press notices and programs. It is up to Mr. O'Neill to do the honorable thing and change his billing. Bryan Lee. Boston, Feb. 21. Editor Variett: In opening I wish to express the conservative opinion there is no truth in the report I dropped dead of heart failure during the flood at Indianapolis. For almost a year my partner has been meeting people who told him what a swell fellow I was when alive and now the worm has turned and he promulgated the ultimatum that he is going to tell people I got so mean he had to kill me. Am still working with Walter Du Barry and cannot understand how such a silly report received such a wide cir- culation. For ten months this ridicu- lous story has been going the rounds, and at first I thought I would ignore it; but when people inquired of my mother I thought it had passed the joke stage. Tom Lei^h. risks, and where money is foolishly wasted which could be spent for bet- ter and more useful purposes." The letter has been followed by a flood of endorsation on the part of the Protestant clergy, who up to the moment, appear to have found nothing wrong with either the tango or the movies. Managers do not seem to ex- pect any diminution of business throuRh the Archbishop's letter. Ottawa. Feb. 25. Though the tango, the hesitation waltz and the other "modern" djinccs have been banned by the heads of the Roman Catholic Church in this district the tango suppers and teas at the New Russell Hotel are increasing in popu- larity. Philadelphia, Feb. 25. City Treasurer William McCoach dealt cabaret shows a body-blow yes- terday when he took steps to compel all liquor licensees who run vaudeville entertainments in conjunction with their cafes to take out a theatrical license, which costs $500 a year. In accordance with this decision all cab- arets will receive bills for the theat- rical license from the Board of Mer- cantile Appraisers, and it is likely that the proposition will go into court be- fore it is finally settled. Mr. Mc- Coach based his action on an Act of Assembly dated May 20, 1913. San Francisco, Feb. 25. The Mandarin Cafe, which adjoin? the Gaiety theatre, has closed as the result of an attachment. When mus- ical director Frank Pallma had a little difficulty with the Gaiety folks some weeks back Yen Mey, the proprietor of the Mandarin, placed Pallma under an iron-bound contract for a year to direct the music of the cafe. Later Pallma went on a vacation for a month with the full permission of Mey, and when he returned was not wanted. Pallma sought legal ad- vice and placed an attachment upon the cafe, also Yen Mey's personal bank account.