Variety (June 1915)

VAUDEVILLE CABARETS Castles in the Air, over the 44th Street theatre, has a revue. It must be rented by the month, since it opened Tuesday night, June 1. More appro- priate bad the opening been en Memo- rial Day. Just when e\erybody with a revue in a restaurant is wondering who started it, the Castles in the Air got the bug. But the Castles weren't ihcre, so they must have seen a rehearsal. There's very little to this latest res- taurant show that charge? a dollar ad- mission, excepting Molly- King. That's because Miss King does everything that is her own. She doesn't need an author. It's quite some advantage, as you will see if you pay a dollar to go up in the air. There were others on the dance floor trying to give a show and at the tables around the dance floor, but those on the floor trying to give a show remained on the roof long- er than those seated at the tables. The reason for this was those on the floor giving a show. May be complicated, but it will only cost a dollar to get the key. The Castles in the Air revue is called "A Midnight Fantasy" and billed to start at 11 p. m., which is as wrong as it was not to have started it at 11, and more wrong to have started it at all. The thing isn't laid out right somehow, and a peculiar part of these menu melanges is that they never do seem to be laid out right. Besides Miss King there is Harry Delf, who put on the numbers that Harry Carroll and Ballard MacDonald wrote; and Mr. Delf did some of his work with Miss King. They would have an ex- cellent vaudeville act—in vaudeville. One of the .first Don'ts of the cabaret floor is "Don't Talk." Mr. Delf did, not too much, but enough. Then there was pretty Clara Inge, of per- sonality on the stage, who had to start the two acts off each time. This she did by singing. Olga Cook is a blonde also, and she sings. Edward Miller sings. His first song was about Ken- tucky, a state that is growing lyrically famous of late. Rodriquez, the Span- ish dancer, appears to be slowly play- ing ?.|! • the- midnight shows in New York. ' Sh<'s* there, ,-tqo, both on the roof and • w.hen c^jtanet^ag. An ec- centric d£»V er . niuyed ovefr /rom Rec- tor's. He was *a m?/re and the people kept on rating. Resides were Bonnie Glass and Rudolph', dancing as ever; so by this time the Castles revue looked like a composite of all the others. A long intermission was mostly used for the purpose of the public paying their drink checks. One party left in such a hurry their wine bottle still contained wine. This surprised the waiter, who, after looking the bottle over from all sides, tipped it upside down to verify the truth. He should have been doing a turn on the floor, that waiter, but he admitted he had become confused through having aU his tables taken at one time. Cake-walks seem to be the main strength of the 11 p. m.-Midnight Fantasy. They came in a hurry in the second part, as though it were a Cake- walk Contest. When Molly King and her pretty self, with gowns almost as pretty, was in sight, the show was worth the watching, but when Miss King yasn't on the floor no one could be blamed for going up in the air after paying a dollar. The chorus was large, physically, and almost numerically. There must have been a dozen girls. The show maybe costs $1,500 weekly. They are paying salaries for this revue, which isn't over four months late. Well, they went and done it. Done it good, too. Now the reformers, agi- tators, young girl savers and foolish wives' protectors are in unison to put the. dancing cabarets out of business. So far they have the aid of the munici- pal authorities, principally the police, and the newspapers. Between all of these the cabarets should have a pleas- ant little summer. The Eugenia Kelly case was the starter, and the cabarets are fortunate enough that it was only the Kelly case. That wasn't so bad in itself, and compared to some of the things the cabarets have been respons- ible for, it was nothing at all. Pro- prietors of Broadway dancing places have but themselves to blame. They knew the certain classes frequenting their resorts that had no business there meaning good to any but them- selves, and the proprietors should have barred them out. When a cabaret manager will stand for a bunch of girls and boys to whom 46th street would be a "swell hangout," the cabarets got nothing beyond what was to have been looked forward to. The crowd around Miss Kelly was high grade in its class alongside some of the other gangs the cabarets have stood for. It has been often mentioned in the Cabaret De- partment of VxRiETr that many unde- sirables were allowed to freely mix in the Broadway places. Variety's Anni- versary Number published a cabaret JAMBS KYRLB MacCURDY Supporii'ii ny Mrs. J anus Kyrle MacCurdy and Sylvia Starr, is presenting his own play, "TUT ON YOUR OLD GRAY BONNET" at the Fulton Theatre, Brooklyn, this week (May 31). • article that said sooner or later some- thing would happen. If the Kelly case only serves to clean or close up the "dansants" (afternoons) it will have accomplished more than the very worthy purpose Mrs. Kelly, the mother, sought, in, her drastic measure against her daughter. And the danc- ing cabaret business was bad enough before the Kelly affair happened. Be- sides which they are now attempting to make the restaurants playing revues pay the theatrical license, $500 yearly. But still it mustn't be forgotten that the dance thing has lasted over two years. Lillian Bradley, she of the voice and the blonde locks, who has become most famous through being able to put over a "musicale" at the Hotel Plaza (charging admission), is now beseeching recognition as the first fe- male beer agent in the world. To properly complete her function as a promoter of the foamy, Lillian must drink the beer now and then or more often. This habit of drinking beer, af- ter doing the cabarets for months in the company of wine buyers (some- times) is threatening the lines of the golden beauty's sylph-like figure. (No, Lillie did not write this notice her- self.) She is very active as a beer ex- ploiter, and still does the cabarets, "buying" herself, just like a wine agent, only you have to order beer once in a while, of course, to let Lillie believe she is earning her salary (re- ported very large, much more than a single singer would receive in these days of depression). Besides asking credit as the first, etc., Lillie wants it made known here that the name of the beer she thinks she likes is Moerlbach. Healy's at Long Beach opened last Friday night. Fair crowd of New Yorkers, with a few who still live on Long Island, careened down there in cars to be in on the event. If Long Beach ever expects to become inviting to New Yorkers, it wouldn't be a bad idea to fill up some of the valleys in the road on the way there, unless the resort is working for the restaurants to heighten an appetite throrgh the jouncing. The Healy's, Long Beach, revue will go on in a couple of weeks, when the weather steadies down, but the opening was very enjoyable, with many notables present, including Ber- nard Granville and his bride, nee Elea- nor Christie. The Trouville, at Long Beach, is doing the biggest business just now, Castles-by-the-Sea is second, Healy's, third, and the Nassau among the also-rans. The action by the authorities against the cabarets for playing a theatrical production under the guise of a "re- vue" at the concert hall license fee may result in several of the restaurants stripping their shows down to a straight cabaret bill, as formerly. The official action will likely be welcomed by a number also, who will readily ac- cept the excuse to dispense with the "revue" in favor of the old style pro- gram. Mr. and Mrs. Vernon Castle will be sponsors for "Castles-By-the-Sea" at Long Beach this summer. They may not be there in person, but, however, will receive $750 as weekly salary, on the condition that they do not dance elsewhere in public while the Long Beach place remains open. In addition, the Castles are paid $500 a week for the use of their name. The New York Roof will have Bes- sie Clayton and the Clayton Orchestra as its special attraction, commencing June 14. The orchestra will be in- creased to 14 players for the Roof run. Ida Fuller's Dance Revue left the New York Sunday. Monday a new show opened. It contains Nana, the dancer, Gladys Lester and Langdon Matthews, who also dance, and Janet Mclllwaine, with her dancing partner. Ned Wayburn's Revue, "Splash Me," opens at the Hotel Shelburne, Brighton Beach, June 8, playing twice nightly. It will have as principals Edna Whistler, Marie Lavarre, Sam Ash, Charlie Daly, and (Miss) Evan Burrows, a dancer from the Coast. Miss Whistler was recently married to William Hulbert, a manufacturer of perfumes. The Brazilian Nut and Senor Arboz are dancing at Rector's. Paul Salvain let his free revue pass away last week, and put in a regular bill once again on the stage downstairs and the floor above. When the papers printed Sal- vain's name as Salvin in connection with his revue, Mr. Paul did not pro- test. Louis Stepp left New York Tuesday night for Vernon, Cal., where he will join the staff of entertainers at Baron Long's road house. Chief among them at present is Eddie Van Shaick. George Whiting, who returned from an Orph- eum circuit last week, advised Stepp to go to Long's. The Grand Central Palace has been running a five-cent dance place with a big play from the East Side. It's worth spending a little while there to look over the dancers. Just above the dance floor is a skating rink, doing but a light business. Nora Bayes is due to join "The Mid- night Frolic" on the Amsterdam Roof next week. This removes Miss Bayes from the list of turns in the White Rats Star tour, bound for the Coast. Nigel Barrie and Alison McBain of "Nobody Home" have replaced Maurice and Walton at the Biltmore. MOSE HAS ANOTHER. That Mose Gumble just won't be stopped in his profession of keeping acts busy singing Remick & Co. songs. The latest is from Detroit, where Brad- ford and Whiting, two boys in the home office of the concern, wrote "Tulip Time in Holland." Mose says this is going to be a bigger hit than "Apple Blossom Time in Burgundy." Mose also men- tions that what he said about "Dublin Bay" and all the others, goes double for this one.