Variety (October 1914)

VARIETY WITH THE WOMEN The costumes this fall, on the street and stage, are very inartistic. Is the war responsible for this? Perhaps France is unable to send over models. America has always claimed it could create, but the fashions this fall tell another story. Nothing new is shown. The smart- est looking women are wearing last spring's styles. The fall models are anything but smart. Hats are in the same class, nothing new. A clever play, "The High Cost of Loving." A bit risque, but not offensive. There is a laugh in every line. The women in the cast are well dressed. Alice Fisher wears three gowns, each made on won- derful lines to suit Miss Fischer's largeness. An evening gown of green was a combination of velvet and chif- fon, and fitted perfectly. and scalloped at the bottom, showed nice underdressing trimmed in gold. Blue slippers and half-hose and a be- coming jockey cap of silver were also worn. The Courtney Sisters wore eve- ning gowns, cut on the conventional lines of a season gone by. Daisy Harcourt (Hammerstein's), grown somewhat stouter, has chosen for her wardrobe two draped evening dresses; one is a pale lavender char- meuse, and the other pink taffeta. If "Tipping the Winner" lasts long enough, perhaps Miss Taliaferro and Miss Green will arrange to have more modern costumes. Miss Green, in the first act, wore the prettiest dress of the evening, but the others weren't what are expected in a Broadway per- formance. Beatrice (Billie) Allen, dancing in the New York, seems to have the right idea in dressing. A black lace dress made in flounces with a broad satin belt, is very pretty, but it is Miss All- en's feet that seem to attract, they are always so prettily slippered. The Billy Watson show at the Columbia this week is cleaner in ward- robe than it is in dialog. The chorus is composed mostly of heavyweights but not too much so. In a military number the girls wear fleshings and are good to look at. Lillian Franklin, of the principals, is a good-looking brunette who dresses with taste. A Spanish costume of yellow, over which is a shawl of many colors, is pleasing to the eye. An elaborate gold evening dress was also worn, but Miss Franklin looked her best in white tights. Ruby Marion was stunning in a crea- tion of cerise and gold. Maggie New- all, in an eccentric number, wore a green dress made to bring out her boy- ish lines. Miss Newall hasn't a curve in her body, and is a clever girl who some day will be snatched up by a Broadway producer. Florence Walton, dancing with Mau- rice on the New York Roof, is another example of the absence of smart mod- els. While Miss Walton's dancing frocks are neat in color and design, they lack that freakiness that is looked for in the dressing of exhibition dances. There seems to be all new faces in the feminine part of Shanley's cabaret. Miss Martin, a tall, comely girl, looks very nice in a costume of different laces and a wide belt of pink char- tneuse. Mrs. Seabury, dancing, is a Mae Murray type of girl, only less fragile. She wore a blue and silver brocade dancing frock, made in the old style harem effect, with black velvet holero. The Misses Cort and Harte appeared in simple taffeta evening dresses. The Rose Gardens is pretty and nice, to drop in after matinee for tea and a dance, but when the dances are 20 min- utes apart dancers who dance for the love of dancing, will protest. The one step, fox trot and hesitation might fol- low each other with less breathing space, even in the afternoon. It will make the Gardens more popular, surely. Decima McLean (Australian Mc- Leans, Palace) is a pretty girl wearing a green dress trimmed in gold. Miss McLean has also pretty hair and im- presses this on the audience so much you watch the hair and not the feet. Jane T .Iaven, with the Robert Ldeson sketch, wears an ugly neglige. Mabel Hamilton was the best dressed woman <>n the Palace bill Monday. A simple white beaded tulle, cleverly empired Mrs. Gene Hughes (Colonial) is the same well dressed woman as of yore. Mrs. Hughes affects trains . on her gowns, but the street costume made in the present redingote would be far more graceful if it were walking length. Mrs. Hughes' company in- cludes three women. Mrs. Hughes might see to the voice and accent of at least one of them. Ruth Roye (once Ruth Becker, if 1 correctly remember) is wearing at the Colonial this week a pretty crystal robe costume, over which is a short cape- like coat. When Miss Roye discards the coat, it reveals her sleeveless waist. She is too thin and short to wear this style of gown. Girls, take a good look at your figure before decid- ing on the sleeveless gown this season. Naomi Glass (Colonial) is wearing a triple lace flounce dress that could be improved if it were cut lower in the neck and the cape discarded. Cabaret dressing seems tu be out of proportion to salary received for caba- ret singing, if judgment is to be taken "» the change of base Paula Loomis found for herself. Miss I oomis, the Monde singer at Shanley's for so long, lias left professional singing, to accept a position in a cloak and suit house where she will display clothes other people have paid for. In the cabarets says Miss Loomis, the high cost of gowning left it impossible for her to have a balance on her salary account weekly. When at Shanley's Miss Loomis was one of the best dressed singers about. PALACE LOSSES. it looked Monday afternoon as if there would be an all new program at the Palace in the evening, the changes in the bill coming so rapidly. Weston and Leon could not appear through one of the girls having bron- chial trouble. Fannie Brice also left after a cold grabbed her. The Aus- tralian MacLeans, opening at the mat- inee, are said to have become miffed at a remark heard and also quit, al- though they had done very well at the first show. The Courtney Sisters and Stepp, Goodrich and King were the Monday evening substitutes. After the MacLeans had walked out, their entire big time route was can- celed, but restored the next day, and the turn reopens Oct. 19 in Chicago. The objection made by the Palace management is said to have been against Miss MacLean waving her glorious red hair about. Mr. Mac- Lean mentioned she had waved it ail over the world, where they had played. Tuesday night Norah Bayes was out of the Alhambra bill, and Brice and King filled in for the evening. Wednes- day, Ruth Roye dropped out at the Colonial. Both departures were said to have been caused by colds. SIX NEW FOREIGNERS. Six foreign acts, four of which are making their first American appearance are in New York this week, all booked by Rose & Curtis. The acts are Mr. Hymack and "The Edge of the World" at the Alhambra; Gobert Belling and the Australian MacLeans at the Palace; Rigolettos Brothers, Royal; Lucy Gil- lette, Orpheum, Brooklyn. About 22 other foreign acts are con- tracted for through Rose & Curtis to appear in the big time vaudeville houses by Jan. 1. W. R. MEETING DATE. The regular meeting of the White Rats will be held at the club house next Tuesday, Oct. 6, at 11 P. M. Big Chief Frank Fogarty will preside. I AM THE QUEEN OF DIAMONDS. SHUBERT WOULD OUST LOEW. The Shuberts have offered, through a circular, to sell the furnishings of the Herald Square theatre, possession to be given May 1, next Marcus Loew has a lease on the, theatre which expires April 30. The Herald Square is to be demolished for an office building, but should there be a delay in the plans, Mr. Loew could probably hold over, something the Shuberts seem determined to provide against by selling the contents (which they own) in advance. Some time ago Marcus and Lee ver- bally expressed their opinion of one another, and there has been no peace cement between them since. ALICE LLOYD, LIFE MEMBER Alice Lloyd unknowingly secured the honor ot becoming the nrst woman life member of the White Rate thia week, when purchasing a life member-, ship in that order from Frank Fogarty, its president. The renewed activity of the Rate. under the forceful direction of its new president, has made a large number oi life members. Miss Lloyd, who re* turned from England last Friday op the Mauretania, caught the general en* thusiasm prevailing while abroad, and upon arriving in New York, informed Mr. Fogarty she would like to join the Rats. Alter being listed among the life membership crowd, it was discovered Miss Lloyd was the first woman to take advantage of this opportunity. Dr. Herman this week purchased $2,000 worth of the White Kats Club- house bonds, besides taking out a life membership for each of his two sons. The hrst lay lite member of the Kats is John J. McGraw ("Mugsy"), mana- ger of the New York Giants, who joined the order and took out a life member- ship Tuesday. Who Wants to Be My Kins of Hearts. RUBY NORTON AND SAMMY LEE. Ruby Norton and Sammy Lee are now appearing with the Sam Bernard show, The Belle of Bond Street," at the Illinois, Chicago. Both are featured in this production, and the Chicago press has been unusually kind to them. Miss Norton's singing is the vocal feature, and she has been selected to lead many of the best numbers. Sammy Lee is a dancer of class. Both do solo work during the performance, and their dancing in the second act is the big applause winner, aside from some of the results attained by the star. They have been seen in vaudeville together in past years and more recent- ly were featured with "The Firefly" here and with the Bernard show in Europe until the early part of the cur- rent season where they had the honor of appearing before royalty. They will remain with 'The Girl of Bond Street" during the remainder of the current season and next year will again cast their lot in the two-a-day with a new act now in preparation. The couple's pictures are on the front page of this issue. "POOR PAULINE" OH, WHAT A HIT!