Variety (March 1915)

VARIETY 13 N KHp Smiling," a 40-minute revue, wm produced it the two Buitanoby placet for the first time Monday eve- ning. It is a Lea Herrick and Percy Elkeles revue. Messrs. Herrick and Elkeles put on the very successful "Keep Moving" piece at Maxim's, the one that followed the Ziegfeld "Mid- night Frolic" and was the cause of the many other restaurants taking on re- vues, through the added business Max- im's immediately drew. Bustanoby's at 63d street gets "Keep Smiling" first, at about 11.15 in the "Domino Room." The 39th street Bustanoby's shows it around one o'clock. It is in two parts, staged by Julian Alfred, with four principals. Fred Walton and his wife, Maud Grey (of "Fads and Fancies") are the two leaders. Hazel Kirk (of "The Only Girl") and Paul England, an English singing light comedian, are the others. In the chorus are eight girls, Lulu Davies, Evelyn Rosewood, Betty Hite, Crissy Joss, Yvonne Shelton, Muriel Griel, Miriam Molloy, Helen Kiesel, nearly all of them also playing in Broad- way shows. "Keep Smiling" can stand more liveliness. Mr. Walton takes part in two numbers, both with Miss Grey. The first is the "Society" num- ber he did in "The Girl from Luxem- bourg," and the second is a "Shadow Dance." This last has speed through the dancing, and while the "Society" bit is slow, it is thorough, with com- edy, and were the remainder of the revue fast enough, would fit in nicely, Mr. England does little beyond lead- ing numbers, by himself or with Miss Kirk. One man principal seems enough with these short shows. It's a matter of girls with them, not men. One fast bright and light singing juvenile to help the girls along is plenty. Mr. England does not fill that sort of a bill. The eight choristers are lively enough and take care of their own numbers better than when led by principals. The octet has two of these all-alone numbers, the opening, and "Sprinkle Me With Kisses If You Wish My Love to Grow" (Earl Car- roll and Ernest Ball). It was quite the best bit of the show, through the song and the way the young women did it. The girls were very prettily costumed for the final song, "Wrap Me in a Bundle" (Rahn, Lester and Van Alstyne). One of the faults with the revue choruses is that the produc- ers dress them up, rather than undress them. They may be frightened at tak- ing a chance with the girls in clothes through working on the floor so close to the tables, but it's worth trying. In the "Bundle" number if the girls had been barelegged instead of wearing silk tights, they would have made as pretty looking a number as any Broad- way show has shown this season. "The Bob-o-link and the Wren" (W. Lackie) was led *by Miss Kirk, but it can't start anything on a dancing floor, and "The Tremolo Trot" (C. Luckyth Roberts) was the finale of the first part, giving it a little action at the ending. The second part finale of the revue was disjointed and needed rehearsing to mark the finish. "All the Girls Are Lovely by the Sea" (T. W. Mudil) opened the second division, led by Mr. England. In this the girls CABARETS climbed up the "rigging" of the sup- ports of the Bustanoby floor, which had been converted into masts. This was funny in its way. The chorus girls were underdressed in bloomers, but as they stood on the small plat- forms about ten feet from the ground with the men and women at the tables looking up at them, several of the girls wrapped their short skirted dresses close to their knees. It was probably a natural precaution and spoke more for the youth of the girls or inexperience than any desire to "act" up there, but the young women a few moments before on the floor in their bathing costumes had thought nothing of the expose when high kick- ing. "Keep Smiling" looks good on the floor. As the idea is youth with looks, it will probably do, but the re- vue could easily stand remaking with two or three principals at the most. These Herrick-Elkeles revues are ser- iously put on, and are not the hastily thrown together "revues" some cab- aret management want to get for about $300 a week. A very pretty girl, called Miss Smiley, formerly a model, went into the show business Monday night, on the Amsterdam Roof, for about four min- utes. She had applied to Flo Ziegfeld to appear in "The Midnight Frolic," confessing it would be her first stage appearance. Ziegfeld gave her the chance, but realizing possible stage fright, told the girl if she became too nervous to slip behind the curtain at the rear of the floor, through which the company enters and exits. Miss Smiley came on in the first Bernard Gran- ville number, walking nervously to her position, but when alined with the other girls and about to do the first step of the dance, she just "walked out," disappearing through the cur- tain. It was not unexpected and no one on the Roof other than the staff knew of the circumstances. Odette Myrtil, the French violiniste, brought over here by Charlie Bornhaupt, gave her first performance Monday on the Amsterdam Roof. She did three num- bers, singing and danch^g while play- ing, also doing an American rag on the instrument. The girl appears to be a type of the French soubrette, fresh and prepossessing in appearance, a bru- nette who does not look unlike the Brazilian Nut on the New York Roof. She has personality also. Ziegfeld has placed Odette under contract for two years, to be used in the new "Follies." The girl with two num- bers would do very nicely on the Roof. She can play the violin, which is great- ly in her favor among the violin play- ers who sing or dance while playing. Business does not appear to have been affected at the Amsterdam by other revues or attractions in the all-night places. The $2 admission there still holds good and the Roof had nearly capacity on the ballroom floor though the balcony was light. Monday night one of the visitors asked the manage- ment if he could secure a front row table every night for four people for the next 30 days. Upon being told he could, the man gave a check Tor $192 to cover the admissions. "All-night clubs" are the thing now in the Broadway cabarets. They com- menced immediately after the recent heart-to-heart talk between the restau- rant proprietors and the police com- missioner. The all-night clubs start in operation at the stroke of two, when the all-night license privilege ceases. From then on until such time as the restaurant may wish to close, it is a "club" and everybody present is a member, by unanimous election. Until the membership rolls are filled, the cabarets are electing members as they are seated about the tables at two in the morning, or as they arrive there- after, without initiation fee or dues. Callers write their names on cards pro- vided, and the strict following of the law is that they receive a membership card (otherwise a season pass after hours). Some clubs adhere to this rule and others just accept the written names as evidence of good faith of the newly elected. Bustanoby's (39th) is the Metamora Club. Rector's calls its organization the Balmoral Cotillion Club. Healy's at 66th street is the Metropolitan Athletic Club. Healy's had an old charter hanging on the walls for years. Tom Healy says it was there when he reached New York in 1885. It had grown tired waiting for some one to use it, so Healy's started the night club with it. With the restaurants where dancing goes on remaining open all night, it resolves itself into the old proposition, of which cabaret is the most popular late in the morning. Healy's has held the record to date and looks as though it might keep it up. Reisenweber's was among the first of the cabarets to secure a club char- ter. This was before the police de- partment "called" the restaurant peo- ple for stretching the closing hours from two until six, before or after. And in this connection there is an in- side story regarding the cabaret clos- ing and clubs that seems to have back- fired upon those who thought to corral extra business for themselves by com- plaining against competitors. But it's only of interest to the restaurant peo- ple themselves, so let it pass. answering the man's question, the hurried to her husband and explained the affair. He walked over to his wife's admirer, who immediately com- menced to apologize for depriving him of a dancing partner, explaining that, of course, marrying him meant the Nut would leave the profession. The husband accepted the news calmly, an- swering "Cie" also, and then Mr. and Mrs. Nut pondered over what to do. They concluded to extricate them- selves by a third party explanation, but the old man wouldn't believe it. He hung around the Roof for four days, waiting for the Nut to make good on her "Cie," but at last became convinced she would not marry him and as far as known, left the city in despair. The cake walk contest last Friday evening on the New York Roof was won by Dave Genaro and hit dancing partner, Ada Portser, against Bonnie Glass and her dancing partner, Ru- dolph. The judges were Dave Mont- gomery, Frank Tinney and Dazie. While the judges delayed somewhat in reaching a decision, the audience did not experience that trouble. It waa Genaro all the way. The only shade Miss Glass had was in her dressing scheme, a much brighter one than Miss Portser wore, and this helped the Glass girl in the high stepping. Now what William Morris should do it to have Mr. and Mrs. Seabury (who first did the cake walk Miss Glass copied) com- pete with Genaro and Portser, who are the New York Roof's professional cake walkers. The Seaburys may not win and they may not be as well known as the Glass duo, but they can cake walk. A good crowd attended the Roof for the contest The Brazilian Nut on the New York Roof has a dancing partner (Arbos) who is also her husband. The Nut is a very agreeable girl and easily makes friends. She has a confirmed habit of replying to everyone and everything with the Spanish "Cie," the equivalent to the English yes. Among her ad- mirers on the Roof was an elderly man, who accepted for granted the Nut favored his attentions. He finally asked her to marry him. When a pointed question is asked the Nut in English, she feins dense ignorance, re- plying "Cie" with a vacant stare. After Churchill's main dining room danc- ing started last Friday night The floor is laid down nightly at ten, taking up the space usually occupied by about 30 tables. The cabaret performance is then given on the dancing floor. Dur- ing the dinner hour there is no danc- ing. The inevitable dancing at Churchill's, may be followed by other restaurants which so far have held out against it. Capt. Churchill would not listen to the dancing proposition down- stairs in his restaurant for a long while. He thought the balcony ballroom would cover all needs. The Churchill floor is drawing business after the the- atre, and it is apt to bump the attend- ance at Rector's, across the street. None of the dancing places around town have been showing unusual draw- ing power late at night during the past three weeks. Willie Solar leaves the Ziegfeld "Midnight Frolic" Saturday, to take in the Johnson-Willard fight in Ha- vana. Upon returning Solar opens on the big time, placed by Harry Fitz- gerald. Conry's Grill in the Strand Theatre building, known as the Million Dollar Cafe, accommodating 200 diners, with a beefsteak cellar, 165 by 65 feet, seating more than 1,000, has opened, without music, professional entertainment or dancing.