Variety (November 1914)

VARIETY LONDON VARIETY'S LONDON OFFICE If CHARING CROSS ROAD (CABLE "JESSFREE, LONDON.") JOSHUA LOWE, In Charge Mall for Americans and Europeans in Europe, if addressed care VARIETY, as above, will be promptly forwarded. WITH THE WOMEN London, Oct. 20. Probably the most characteristic ex- emplification of the phlegmatic tem- perament of the Briton is revealed in the publication in daily newspapers the Prime Minister had gone to the coun- try for his "week end." It is difficult to imagine the Prime Minister of a country in the throes of warfare leav- ing for a holiday while his nation is battling for its very existence. The former handsomely equipped London offices of the Hamburg-Ameri- can line, which have been boarded up since the beginning of the war, are now being utilized as a recruiting sta- tion for the English army. Already 20 per cent, of the £16,- 000,000 contributed by the public to the Prince of Wales' National Relief Fund has been distributed to relieve the distress occasioned by the war. In regular sequence nearly all the English dramatists have burst into print, "in the interests of humanity" suggesting ways and means of secur- ing a cessation of hostilities and the return of universal peace. One of the first was Hall Caine, quickly followed by Bernard Shaw, and so on, the latest one being Arnold Bennett, who has a piece running in London which is at present not doing its full share of busi- ness. Pretty good personal press agents, these English playwrights. The public is beginning to be pretty well "fed up" with national anthems. One cannot go to a theatre, music hall, restaurant or in fact any other public place where music is discoursed without having to stand up while four different national anthems are being fiddled. The usual procedure is to be- gin with the Russian, then the Belgian, then the "Marseillaise" and finally "God Save the King." This consumes several minutes and in a restaurant is quite long enough for one's soup to grow cold. The seventeenth annual meeting of the Drury Lane Co. was held yester- day and the regular 10 per cent, divi- dend voted. There was an additional sum of £50,000, which would have been divided among the shareholders under normal conditions, but which was placed in the reserve fund to meet possible contingencies. It was de- cided not to revive "Sealed Orders," owing to the present uncertain condi- tions and to present once more the "Sleeping Beauty" pantomime and call it "The Sleeping Beauty Beautified." The Drury Lane operates under a char- ter granted 250 years ago by Charles II. Since 1897 it has pale an average of 10 per '' nt, on the capitalization to the com, ;my formed in that year. Variety's Lon-lon representative, present at the premiere of the new Empire Revue entitled "By Jingo, If We Do I" was discussing with a promi- nent English manager the absence of the fast set of men who were wont to frequent the Empire in the old days. "The war has nothing to do with their absence," said the manager. "They are no longer attracted by the women who parade the mezzanine floor. You will note that they are rather shabbily clad. Whereas in the past they were the smartest women in Europe." The advertising for the local presen- tation of "Mr. Wu" now has a line reading "the play with a punch in it." This phrase was first invented in New York by Leander Richardson for one of William A. Brady's productions, which, unfortunately, failed to attract paying patronage. It seemed to have caught the fancy of the newspaper writers and press agents and was pret- ty generally annexed by them in de- scribing alleged virile dramas. The "Wu" management is probably the first to use it on this side. Max Laube, who does an act in vau- deville, sails for America Oct. 24, on the St. Louis. Max was an "alien enemy" caught here without funds when the war broke out. He was rather desperate and appealed to the American committee for assistance, asking for a loan, which he promised to pay back when he secured some work. They inquired into his national- ity and he told them, truthfully, that he was an Austrian unable to secure work here and was anxious to go to America. The next question they asked him was whether he had any family. He replied that he had a wife and several children. His reason for making the statement that he had a family, which was not the truth, was that he figured that he would thus be more apt to secure the desired relief. The American committee, with true hu- manity, told him to send his family around and they would be taken care of, but that he himself could not be assisted. Max also appealed to the War Office for permission to leave Eng- land, announcing himself as "Max Laube, the Human Bird." Somewhat startled at the description of himself, the War Office asked him if he was an aviator. Ernest Edelsten is one of the agents who has been annoyed with an accusa- tion that he is a German. He felt called upon this week to insert an announce- ment that he is a loyal British born subject and declaring that his birth cer- tificate reads that he was born on July 14, 1866, at Hackney. The announce- ment compels Ernie to disclose hi9 ape. He is a pretty spry old buck, and none of us would have suspected that he *as close upon the half century mark. Elsie Ferguson in her new play "The Outcast," opening at the Lyceum, Mon- day night, plays a woman of the streets who improves amid new environments. Miss Ferguson proved herself capable of all the emotions. The first act she dressed flashily in black satin with a showy red hat topped with a white plume. Conditions changing, Miss Fer- guson looked very chic in a black dress and furs. A neglige in white chiffon edged with fur, over which was a man- tle of gold lace. The last dress was a blue chiffon over white, with mole- skin furs. Lydia Lopokova in "The Young Idea" will be a distinct success in New York or I miss my guess. A pretty and inter- esting story has been woven around the youthful dancer. As a child Eu- phemia Kendal (Lopokova) has been sent to Munich to be educated, where she remains ten years. Her teacher was an old Russian, a free thinker. Happiness, health, strength and ad- vanced ideas were the mainstays of Euphemia's education. After gradua- tion she returns to her father's home, finding him married to his stenog- rapher, a shrew and bent on breaking into society. Euphemia has been taught to dress for health. She arrives in a blue gown, opened up the sides to the waist with tan russian boots. The costume wouldn't do for Broadway but it was very becoming on the stage. Euphemia has also been taught free speech, and her swearing is a revelation to the home circle. On the boat she meets a Mr. Smith who claims to be a chauffeur, but is a millionaire's son. Her step-mother makes life unbearable so she proposes to Smith, who finally consents to marry her, but not until his real identity is revealed. During the action of the piece Lopokova dances and she held up the second act. The audience went wild over her. The step-mother has a mother, once a cook. The part was played by Kate Mayhew, and Miss Mayhew kept the house con- vulsed, with quaint lines. For her dancing Lopokova wore a pink chiffon tied at the hips with an immense tulle bow. Eleanor Gordon (the step-mother) wore an ugly red dress, covered with black lace in the first act In the sec- ond Miss Gordon looked better in a lemon yellow velvet gown covered in lace the same shade. Charles Robinson and his "Carnation Beauties" at the Gayety, Toronto, this week, with Mr. Robinson the whole show, is rather weak. There aren't any beauties in the production. Gladys Wilbur has the principal role. She is a very large brunet with a good voice. What Miss Wilbur needs is real clothe^. Not any of her three changes v/erc pretty. May Bernhardt wears an ugly wig and makes a better looking man than woman. Mabel Lee is a cute little Miss. Her dressing far surpassed tre others. The chorus all dress in riothes that have seen better days. Alicr Lloyd packed Shea's, Buffalo, : a'nnlay night to the doors. Her son^c are now worked up, and each one i»ocs over with a bang. All of Alice's new dresses are beautiful. The cue mostly admired is a green and blue ruffled dress with which is worn a flat leghorn hat trimmed in cherry velvet ribbon. Julia Gonzalez opened the Shea show last week in purple tights and spangled bodice. The Mo- nctta Five are three women and two men. One of the women is so good lcoking she easily outshone the young- er ones in looks and dressing. The Barry Sisters (with George Felix) are dandy little dressers. They dress alike, excepting the coloring. Their entrance is made in white skirts with one in a red jacket and the other in green, with hats to match. Emily then dons a pink taffeta and Clara green chiffon over white. For the encore, very good looking blue and gray dresses are worn. Bertha Creighton, who once must have been an emotional actress around Buffalo, shows emotion in her dressing and stage setting. Imitation tapestries are hung on the walls and each chair. Her dress was far from pretty. The skirt and waist 'were brown velvet brocade with chiffon tunic, and a pink sash. A hat and coat were also of the brocade making. Dolly Davis was much better dressed. She wore pale blue and gold. NEW ACTS. Benny Yanger, prize fighter, has a new sketch called "The Show-Down." George Mayo and Co. in "The Ar- rival of Joseph." "Isaac, You Tell Her," by James Horan, with four people from the Jew- ish Theatre Co. (making their debut in English), namely Samuel Harwood, Adolph Erber, Edgar Bates, Sadie Gould. Chan Shu Ying, formerly with the Chung Wha Chinese Comedy Troupe, new protean singing act. Marie Nordatrom-Dizey, new songs and imitations. Will Jennings (formerly of Jennings and Renfrew) and George ("Pork Chop") Evers, new combination in blackface. Picture Actress Wins Freedom. Los Angeles, Nov. 4. Mrs. Myrtle Jones, well known here as a moving picture actress, was grant- ed a divorce from J. Park Jones, also an actor. The mother was given cus- tody of their three-year-old son. WHO IS WHO. SSIiT 8 !! 6 * 6 * to brain-storms. 5?22*~f° cl f. 1 P*rt»lte: drink buyer £JKfcd ta,,m time »*l«Mnan. RUMMY—Barroom monologtst. LOON—Funny to look at YAP—New Yorker In Plttsburc OINK—Sidewalk orator. ,MBOUfl " S9JT5—JB:*t«inporaneou« expressionist. HICK—City nun In Tillage. rAJfE^ 80 *.* 6 ' "J 11116 ' P»»lcure. "me time. 10OITT—Over-dressed. OOOF—Egotistic special let. COKE— Saturated ecitacy. DINOB—Over-exposed. WAP—Plttsburger In New York. SHINE— Plttsburger In New York. STIFF—Walters* delight GAZABO—Large Imagination. HINEY—Wears oval shaped hats SAS C ?T,? r S lte w ,0 ^ B '- wr,8t watcn - cft ne. BUG—Bulletin board fiend. GAZABO—Don't step lively In subway HUNKEY—Saves W) per cent, of each dol- lar. IIINKY—Fortune In clothes and no trunk MEDIATOR-Offlclal meddler. ', WUFF—Big noise.