Variety (December 1914)

8 VARIETY THE DANCE CRAZE. The dancing craze that has swept this country during the past two years made heavy inroads upon theatrical re- ceipts. The turning point toward the wanin 0 end was reached some time ago. however, but simply through the mul- tiplicity of the places that had sprung up. Only quite recently did a decid- ed drop in general attendance occur, and this made its appearance simul- taneously in the smaller dance places and the elaborate establishments. Be- tween the time this is being written and its publication, there is a very large possibility that one of the big- gest small priced dance places in New York, one that made its proprietor at least 12,500 a week for a long while, HARRY L. NEWMAN. "THE AMBASSADOR OF COMMERCE" General Sales Manager and Promoter (or the WATERSON, BERLIN & SNYDER ENTERPRISES Wishes Every One in the World a Merry Christmas and a Successful New Year will have discontinued its week day dancing, probably opening only Sat- urdays and Sundays. In the dance places where a small fee was charged for admission and an- other for each dance, the fad merely wore off. To that class of people, while it lasted dancing resembled more than anything else the hold rol- ler skating once got on the public. Too much of the same thing killed both. The restaurant-dancing cabarets in New York became too expensive. It was a heavy drain on the men who frequented them often, and a still heav- ier tax on the husbands whose wives vied with the professional dancers in the matter of dressing. The crowd that dropped in up and down the Broadway line became fair- ly familiar with one another, by sight. It is a fact that women were often dis- tinguished by their d/rs§. The women's dress, ihe j/ran very dressing as a whole/ran very similarly, and with so many women of the same types dancing continuously, it looked like a family party travelling about. The expense of cabaret dancing is heavy. The investment of the gaudily lixtured resort, the cost of professional dancers and entertainers, and the up- keep of the establishment mean an ultra-high priced menu card. Where an admission is charged at the gate, the patrons appear to accept it for granted they are free to refrain from spending, if they chose. But the free entrance that calls for some class in appearance of the dance enthusiasts through the location of the dancing cabaret carries with it an obligation "to buy" that cannot be successfully passed up by a man without seeing the reproach in the glance of his waiter. A round of mixed drinks for four peo- ple that would cost at a Broadway bar perhaps 80 cents or a dollar will mount up to 12.60 in a cabaret, with the charged water instead of selzer usually ordered. It seems never to have been figured out by the men, excepting a few, that champaign is the cheapest drink in a cabaret-restaurant or dancing hall if the party is drinking liquor. A sensi- ble girl would suggest to her escort to buy her a pint of wine, and she would "stall" over the pint an entire evening, whereas a continuously ordering of mixed drinks would have run the check up to three times the amount the pint cost. Of course the fellow's inclina- tion "to buy" usually entered into this consideration. Sometimes after he had had a drink or two, they couldn't come fast enough. But the big check in the cabarets tumbled like the rest. One of the best known cafe men along Broadway in telling about the reduction in size of the checks, pointed to a party of five who were then leaving the place. The same party (three women and two men) often called there, said the head waiter, and seldom left without set- tling a bill that ran between $60 and $100. This night, and for a month or so before, the same party had never spent more than $10 at any one time in that dancing cabaret. The effect of the afternoon dancing or "dansants" was felt all along the line. Husbands ordered their wives, and brothers told their sisters, to keep away from "matinee dancing." It was good advice, for the afternoon affair was crudely handled. Women, espe- cially after matinees in the theatres, flocked to the dance places, most of- ten in pairs. Always a crowd of male idlers hung around these places, and if the women didn't become acquainted with some of them, it was no fault of the men or the attendants. Several women who could take care of them- selves really visited the dansants for a cup of tea and to pass the time while watching the dancers. Other women, and these were in the majority, dropped in for excitement, and they got it. Mixed in with these after- noon crowds were women from the streets and crooks, the latter notori- ous among their own crowd. In one dance place one afternoon a woman of family, undoubtedly from Harlem, sat at a table with one of the best- known confidence men on Broadway. He looked good, and she thought him a banker, no doubt. Numberless in- stances have been noted by the con- stant patron of the Broadway places, of little weak looking "bums" (to let them down lightly) suddenly develop- ing into well-dressed young men, and taking on a snobbishness that was as unreal as it was funny. Also girls who had previously been seen relishing a glass of beer in some dump, became very dressy after a few calls at a danc- ing cabaret. These "girls" were al- ways the best dancers. They would enter dancing contests with partners, and several of them became profes- sionals. One of these after-profes- sionals was first seen in a dowdy dress drinking asbinthe and smoking a cigar at four in the morning. She was about 20 years of age. Absinthe is a pretty popular drink among the younger girls who go to the dance places. An auto accident some weeks ago that had* a serious ending involved three ybung girls, and the youngest had been an absinthe fiend for some months. The dance places draw their own pe- culiar crowds. One Broadway restau- rant-dancing cabaret has an heterogen- eous attendance that takes in everybody and every class. This place will en- dure after many others have passed away. A couple of other Broadway re- sorts draw from the classy sections only, and one is almost certain success- fully to pass through the depression. The third dancing cabaret that will survive is the cheap dance hall kind. Remaining out of the craze will be just about a sufficient public to support these three kinds in a city like New York, although places like Bustanoby's will always have a call as they did in the early days of the dance. Outside of the biggest cities where the author- ities take no steps to stamp out "mod- ern dancing" in public, the "inside stuff" of these places and their crowds must kill them off from profitable sup- port sooner or later. The strict restaurant-cabaret that depends upon its entertainers to draw food customers has also felt the de- cline, but wholly through the guests of the feederies growing tired of the same style of show. It is song and dance, dance and song. But the restaurant- cabarets will continue an entertain- ment feature, changing it as often as their public demands, though it is a complex question to the restaurateur to find something new his people will take to. But the dance craze was a mad whirl while at its height. It has left in its train a collection of wrecks, of people and homes, that statistics can never gather. PARRILLO and FRABBITO. The Italian Minstrels from Sunny Italy U. B. O. and Orpheum Time. Booked Solid. J-SULLrS" DRAMATIZED. Pint Time on Any Stage—An Adlib Con- oootion, "SULLY'S CABARET BARBER SHOP" The Further It Goes The Worse It Gets. Slapped Together In Three Haircuts and a Shave By Arthur Hammereteln and Loney Haskell. Assisted by the Cast PLOT.—Sully's Barber Shop is situated in the Putnam Building (No charge for thU ad.)—Is patronized principally by actora. managers, booking agents, authors and ped- lars. Sully Is the butt of the gang. All day long they get his goat. He thinks he Is an actor. The management of this theater Is giving him a chance to prove whether be Is a BAD ACTOR or a GOOD BARBER. Every performance different stars will Introduce spe- cialties. We hope you will find this harmless and amusing, and hope Sully does not lose any customers. Cast. The Boss Sully (Himself) Bootblack I - n Anarchist J Daye <»«»«> A Fresh Customer Buster Keaton Barber Shop Quartette.. .Russaks' Harmonists A Con Merchant f A Prospective Buyer •{ Geo. Lemalre Burglars I Frank Conway An Actor Harry Fox An Author Tommy Gray Manicurist Rosle Dugan Shadow \ n „ A Paul Swan Disciple} Dave Ferguson EVA TANKWAY By Grace Drum Characters by United Booking Office Stock Co., Agents and Other Nuisances. WAIT FOR THE GRAND FINALE. The program tells the entire story of "Sully's Cabaret Barber Shop," pro- duced for the first time at Hammer- stein's Monday. It's a local event, and drew in all of the regulars Monday af- ternoon. Sully, the barber, is receiving $100 for his appearance this week. He drew his salary four times over Monday alone. Sully has accepted himself as an ac- tor. Sunday he notified his foreman that after the Hammerstein week the foreman would have to take charge, as the United Booking Offices would sure- ly route the "Sully" act. Following the matinee Monday Sully informed an agent he was ready to accept time any- where. On the stage Monday afternoon Dave Genaro started Sully, who is an ex- citable individual (although through "standing" for "the bunch," Sully was enabled to open his second shop). Mr. Genaro slapped Sully on the face and head. Sully returned the slap with in- terest, finally throwing Dave to the floor, George Le Maire in blackface looked after Sully, to see he didn't be- come confused, nor lose any laughs. Frank Conroy, also in blackface, work- ed in the act, a revision of an old af- terpiece. It closed the Hammerstein show. Monday night someone pre- sented Sully with a basket full of bad fruit. Harry Fox "pulled" a couple of nif- ties, "Buster" Keaton wanted a hair cut with his hat on, Loney Haskell asked Sully if he wanted to go out that night with a chicken, and when Sully replied in the affirmative, Loney hand- ed him a prop bird. Tommy Gray had some comedy talk with Rosie Dugan, as the manicurist, and Dave Ferguson did a "nance," making application for Rosie's job. Someone by the name of Grace Drum thought she was imitat- ing Eva Tanguay during the act, and Bob Russak worked in his six harmon- izers to play barbers. A sign just above the box office says, "Free List Suspended." It didn't stop the rush to see the cheapest headliner Hammerstein's ever had. Nearly all the principals in the act are on the Hammerstein program this week. Sully muffed a few of his cues, but otherwise did well. He was "natural."