Variety (July 1915)

VARIETY WITH THE WOMEN Sartorial star of the early week bill at the American this week, was Mar- garet Farrell. With a really sweet voice which she seems to be learning to use, and if Miss Farrell doesn't spoil it by getting in some of the raw tones many small-time people adopt as music, she ought to make quite a suc- cess out of it. The other night, it was rather refreshing to listen to. Some of the "refreshment" may have been due to her appearance—first in an evening dress of a mint-colored green, a brocaded chiffon apparently, with a three tunic skirt, the centre tunic of sequin-covered net. The top tunic was banded with white fur,—which is emi- nently proper for hot weather trim- ming just now—and the bodice was a short green jacket over an underblouse, low-cut, of the sequin. Miss Farrell's second song was cos- tumed with a Pierotte dress, a vivid blue satin over scarlet, which varied the regulation style by using a white jacket waist, cut to deep points over the hips, and the front filled in with an embroidery of glittering beads. The third song was given in a quaint hoop skirt and the sort of hat that grand- mother used to make, and the last ap- pearance was in pink and black—a pretty enough dress, but not overly be- coming. Pink and black do not make an artistic color combination, even when an artist-dressmaker uses it, and two heavy black lace ruffles and a black lace waist do not make an effective or a becoming combination, especially for a dress seen back of the footlights, where every part is thrown into sucl) prominence. Miss Farrel was followed by a hodge- podge called "Springtime" that is best passed over in sorrowful silence. There were three girls in it, nicely dressed in the pale-pink, high waist, ingenue sort of costumes so popular this spring. Two kept all their talent in their feet, but insisted on singing instead of danc- ing. The other one is evidently new and didn't do anything but sit around and look cute, a part she did very well. "Jack and His Jills" was quite en- tertaining, the dilemma of a young phil- landerer engaged to one girl, with sev- eral others still hanging about, being a proposition that can always get a laugh. Jill No. 1—Dora, was quite prettily dressed in flowered chiffon over pink silk, with a floppy leghorn hat boasting the conventional "come-fol- low-me" streamers, in black velvet. Jill No. 2—Helen—wore a blue-violet charmeuse dress that was simple in style but rather pretty. The dog act that opened the show had two women, dressed respectively in dark blue and dull red—the sort of dresses that would be referred to by your best enemy as "neat." This week's first-half bill at the Harlem opera house was evidently de- signed to cool off the overheated busi- ness man—it was pleasantly diverting, breezy, not too noisy, not overly ex- citing—about right in temperature for a close, warm night. The various femi- nine members of the bill dressed to suit the thermometer, evidently. There was Dorothy Richmond, for instance, with auburn hair. She wore a "butterfly" dress of pink chiffon, hung with a tunic of opalescent beaded net, with a waist that carried a but- terfly design, and a hint of butterfly wings, in the way the net was draped. The opalescent beading charmingly suggested the glimmer and shifting color of the butterfly, and helped make a very pretty costume. Leona Thurber (Thurber and Madi- son) in an act called "The Shopping Tour" wore a cool frock of white shadow lace, with one of these new style skirts of a filmy inconsistency, a ruffling of lace and net, with the net scalloped with white satin. A sash of black velvet ribbon ran about the hips, and ended in a flat bow in back. And over this she wore a (the new name is "paddock coat") of black satin—a snug-fitting jacket of black satin, trim- med with silk-covered buttons, and end- ing in a long tail in back. A hat of ma- line and velvet trimmed with Paradise completed the costume. The Sully Family went in for start- ling effects. One of the girls came out in a really very good-looking suit, a skirt of black and white-striped satin and a long Directoire style coat of white linen, pipe and trimmed with black. And the other wore a demure enough pink silk affair—an indefinite style that was mostly made of ruffles, but flared out when she danced to show a lace petticoat considerably decorated with blue ribbon bows and loops. The other two girls on the bill wore simple, nice looking frocks—one a white lace ruffly dress, the other a white chiffon, over blue, with tiny puff 6leeves, and a tunic ending in pointed scallops, each point tipped with a rose bud. The weather wore the most or worst, though. STILL UP TO 1,000. The Primrose Four will continue to live up to its billing of "1,000 Pounds of Harmony" through having annexed Norman Stanley, a light weighted lad of 218, to fill the vacancy in the ranks that will be left by the exi£ of Tom Murphy. Murphy has arranged to team with Frank Marino for a two act. The Primrose Four holds a big time route for next season. Th^ act and its gross tonnage, as officially announced, is: Bob Gibner 280 Bob Webb 265 Chas. Reinhardt 248 Norman Stanley 218 1,011 Bicycle Act Dissolves Again. Mosher, Hayes and Mosher, the bicy- cle act, have dissolved partnership this being their second experience. Al- bert Hayes, the "straight" man of the trio will do a comedy single. Ben Linn and Marie Stone Married. Ben Linn was married to Marie Stone at the Little Church Around the Corner June 28. Linn is in vaude- ville. WHAT EVER BECAME OF Tragedians? Problem plays? High divers? Treasurers with autos? Nemscy and Yllis? Actresses without dogs? Moving picture chase? Pantomimists? Nickel plated shows? Frogmen? Carnival profits? Hypnotists? Ponies? Electrical marvels? Medicine shows? Penny arcades? Summer snaps? Alan Dale? Paine's Fireworks? Flea circus? Dutch comedians? Musical acts? Kiralfy's spectacles? Village choirs? Disrobing acts? Stout burlesque choristers? Turkey outfits? European plans? Imitators? Park novelties? Twenty-two act bills? Ballyhoos? Shillabers? Two-a-day stocks? Laughing songs? Good Parodies? Wax Exhibitions? Street singers? Benefits for attaches? Corse Payton? Tell all first letter? Red vests? Child prodigies? Trick pianists? Chatter songs? Apache dancers? Female wrestlers? "Uncle Tom's Cabin?" O. M. SAMUEL. WILL VON TILZER MARRIED. The office staff of the Broadway Music Publishing Co., of which Will Von Tilzer is general manager, learned this week William had taken the bene- dict's leap. The bride's name was Hattie Fox prior to the ceremony. No one seems to know where the nuptial knot was tied or where the couple is honey- mooning. PARK HIP THROUGH. Chicago, June 30. After a vain effort to interest the North Side population in a venture new to Chicago the management of the Federal League Park Hippodrome gave up and the vaudeville show will be discontinued after Sunday. On week nights the park played to almost nothing. Pictures may be shown during the summer. CARRIE MOORE NOT COMING. Carrie Moore, the celebrated Aus- tralian comedienne, who was scheduled for a tour of the big tr.iic theatres in this country, has finally decided to de- fer her visit \intil next year. If you don't advertise In VARIETY, don't advertise. OBITUARY. San Francisco, June 30. Fredja Ramsey, "The Trojan Wo- man," a Chicago Little Theatre attrac- tion, touring the Pacific Coast, was killed June 21 by a fall from a horse. Miss Ramsey hired a livery stable horse and slipped from thesaddle, sustaining injuries which resultCttsin death. Charles C. Burnham, better known as Dad, formerly with the Ferris stock company, and late of the Ernest Fisher stock, succumbed to heart failure in St. Paul last week. George B. Reno, the ccmedian, died June 22 at his home in Grand Rapids, Mich. He was 46 years of age and is survived by a widow, parents and brother. For several years Mr. Reno led his act, "A Misfit Army," in vaude- ville. His name in private life was George Cobb. Gabreille Passpart, the 20-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. W. Passpart, died June 25 in Berlin. Her mother was with her. Mr. Passpart is the international vaudeville agent, who has long been connected with the Orpheum Circuit as its European representative. Mrs. Passpart will shortly join her husband in New York, where he has been for some time. The young girl's' death resulted from an operation for appendicitis. The father of Herman and Hattie Timberg died June 26. William Theodore Eisfelt, one of San Francisco's oldest and best known musicians, died June 23 of old age. He is survived by a widow and brother. LOUISE MEYERS LEAVES STAGE. Through marriage to Max Blumen- thal last Saturday, Louise Meyers has retired from the stage. She was under contract to Flo Ziegfeld for three years at a weekly salary of $300. He agreed to her release. Mr. Blumenthal is a popular sport promoter. CHARITY AT HOME. Mrs. Dennis O'Brien, wife of the theatrical lawyer, held a house party at her home Monday night at an admis- sion fee of $2 per person, the proceeds (which amounted to nearly $600) go- ing to the vacation fund for the poor children of Yonkers. Among those who entertained the gathering were George M. Cohan, Frank Fogarty, Mary Pickford, Clif- ton Crawford, Bert Levy, Dolly Jar- don and a Pickford picture. Several minor vaudeville turns also responded. Leases Park Place, Newark. Kdward Forsberg and George Jacobs, who formerly controlled the Columbia, Newark, have formed a the- atrical partnership and have taken over Proctor's Park Place theatre, Newark, and will install dramatic stock there next Labor Day. Proctor for sometime operated the Park with pop vaudeville. He is now waiting for his new Newark house to be completed for a continuance of his vaudeville-picture policy there.