Variety (November 1915)

VARIETY CABARETS The Pekin opened a new show Mon- day night It was collected, prepared and staged by Dan Dody, who was present in a new Tuxedo. Dan gave the suit a great workout, always re- maining standing, and when leaning over to speak, holding himself so the shirt wouldn't crease. Harry Von Til- zer blew cigar smoke on Dan's front, saying it looked painted and that was the proper test. Ted Snyder offered to take Dan to all the cabarets if the suit would last that long, and Dan in- formed Ted he had an indefinite lease on the garments. Meanwhile the show was going on, acts and numbers, with chop suey the feature all over the place. At the Pekin you must know just what kind of chop suey to order or the waiter kind of turns up his nose as though you are a stranger in town. Mr. Dody is running the show from seven until any time, 22 turns in all, eight of them songs with a leader and the chorus of eight girls, in bright new costumes. The other fourteen turns are by the principals. Devere and Malcolm, Josie Harmon, Marcelle, Georgie Sage and Herman Walters are the singles, dou- bles and leaders. Dan has contributed several little production novelties for a free show, and the entire perform- ance brightens up the Pekin that needed brightening. The "Chin Chin" song from "Hip Hip Hooray" at the Hippo- drome is among the numbers, placed in this show by special permission from Charles Dillingham (Mr. Dody says). It is attractively costumed. Nearly all the music publishing houses were rep- resented by songs on the floor and at the tables. (They bought a drink every time Dan came around, and he prom- ised all of them to put in another num- ber of theirs next week.) According to Dan, the big production number was the jockey song that happened just be- fore everybody came in. Dan said the girls had on real jockey suits and looked good. Then he smoothed out his Tuxedo tie, brushed his fast grow- ing grey locks back and remarked what a pipe it was to put over a cabaret. The Pekin was packed Monday night with professional managers, publishers and downtown salesmen. The sales- men were the noisiest and had the best looking girls with them. This Dan Dody show will sure do business for the Pekin. It's a nice place to spend the late end of an evening, and if you are hungry they will slip you more chop suey on one dish over there than you can get elsewhere for double the price. Speaking of table stallers, the rum- mies are out again. The rummies arc the gang of male free and casies */\\-> only work the dansauts and at night,. It looked at the opening of the season as rhough they had been frightened off for a while, but the rums are bac'<, as strong as ever, but more widely scat- tered. Some of the Broadway places have made a sincere effort to rid their places of this class of loafers, but some others are not so particular, One prominent Broadway restaurant throws them out promptly at six in the after- noon and invites them to remain away, but they are on hand again the next afternoon. There doesn't seem to be much doubt about these rummies drawing women into a place. One of the magazines for November has a nice little cabaret story, told by an admitted crook, who de- scribes how he and his companions worked the cabarets with the aid of a rummy, termed by the crooks, Premier (known in the slang vernacular as "the steerer"). The crook tells how they took one elderly widow (who liked the Premier) down the line for $20,000. The crooked author also confesses the cab- arets have given dignity to the smug grafter who is now meeting decent peo- ple in the restaurants. The Strand Roof Wednesday night last week saw the first drummers' con- test of the season. The drummers (all colored) were Buddy (of Castles in the Air), Battle Ax (of the Winter Gar- den), Bill Bailey Jones (of Reisenweb- er's), and Pippin Reeves (of the Strand). The judges were Jerome Kern and Max Hershfeld. Each of the con- testants was allowed to drum several minutes when the judges decided as follows, Battle Ax and Buddy tied with 12 points each, Bill Bailey Jones, 8, and Pippin Reeves, 7. The last two did only straight drumming which practically put them out of the contest. The ec- centricitional drummers easily took the house and impressed the judges, al- through rhythm was considered with the playing. The tie was drummed off with Battle Ax starting first. He seemingly had abandoned hope of beating Buddy or wished to make it possible for that gentleman to win handily. Hale and Paterson withdrew from the new Reisenweber revue, "Full of Speed," this week and were replaced by Natalie and Ferrari. Margaret Ir- ving and Emilie Earle were also dropped from the cast after the open- ing. Mabel Lea has been engaged for a principal role, while the prima don- na's part has not as yet been filled. Margaret Mudge played one perform- ance and decided to reject the proffered contract. Paul Durand, the smooth faced agent who yanked Lubowska out of Rector's for vaudeville, thinks he can perform a similar operation with Eva Burrot'Rli Foratine, who is dancing at the Hotel Waldorf-Astoria. Mr. Durand has an act in mind for the young woman to center herself in. She has a three months' contract with the hyphenated hosieliy. Healy's at 66th street is all docked ort for Horse Show Week. The floor tables are fashioned around with stiaw in the form of a stable stall (that might road "table stall" when speaking of a cabaret for some of the best check dodgers in the world are on Bread- way). Al Tucker and his Fox Trot Orches- tra open a six months' engagement at Jacksonville, Fla., Nov. 7 under the di- rection of J. B. Franklin. Lauratana and his orchestra under the same man- agement will play a winter season at Atlantic Beach, Fla. At Voll's, under the Alhambra thea- tre, the amateur cabaret entertainer is invited to ejrfiibit his talents. A sign is displayed inviting all of the patrons who have any musical or vocal talent to takt part in the performance. Joe Carroll was among the passen- gers of a large limousine totally wrecked Sunday en route from Hast- ings to New York. The occupants escaped unharmed. Lieutenant Percy Richards, "The Man in White," played his first cabaret engagement at Henry's restaurant on 36th street Saturday night. He is an operatic singer. The Castles in the Air has cut out its admission price in an effort to at- tract patronage. The dance place atop of the 44th Street has not been ex- tensively patronized this season. OBITUARY. Jack Bentham, 47 years old, died Oct. 16 at his home in Grand Rapids. He had been ill for ten years, most of which time he was blind. For 20 years he was identified with traveling organ- izations having been a member of Dockstader's and Fields' minstrels at various times. His last engagement was with Chas. T. Byrne in a musical act. He was buried from the Elks' Club. QUEENIE DUNEDIN now playing the Orpheum Circuit, has just received a letter from abroad in- forming her of the death of her brother, Guy Soulsby of the Royal Field Artillery, British Army, who was killed at the front while in active service. He was 21 years of age. Miss Dunedin has an older brother who is now fighting in the trenches and who has distinguished himself for bravery. The bad news of the younger brother was a great shock to Miss Dunedin. Stuart Johnson was found dead in his room at the Globe Hotel, Sunday afternoon. He was 45 years old and is survived by a widow known as Anna Lashelle, in the "No. 2" company of "A Full House." The deceased ap- peared last in "Seven Keys to Bald- pate." Frances Pritchard (of the Winter Garden) and the Cameron Sisters (ap- pearing in "Town Topics") have been added to the cabaret in the Hotel Knickerbocker grill. Jimmie O'Brien and Adele, princi- pals in the Healy revue, New York, last season, are featured in special numbers at the Lambs' Cafe, Chicago. Maurice and Walton are back in Chi- cago, the dancing feature at the Royalc, where the Castles appeared during the Chicago run of "Watch Your Step." "Special nights" (theatrical) have been inaugurated at the Planters' Ho- tel, Chicago, and the result has been marked from the business end. George Franklin White, the advance agent, died Tuesday at the farm of Campbell Casad, Middletown, N. Y. His father is the dramatic editor of one of the leading dailies in a Western city. HAL GODFREY Who Diod Nov. 11, Ifll To prove Dooth cannot asoko 017 lovo forest jenieTacobs William T. Hesse, aged 29, died at his home in Brooklyn Oct. 25. The deceased had been in vaudeville and circuses for 18 years. He leaves a wife and son, the latter but 7 months of age. Rigo and his Gypsy orchestra close Sunday in Detroit after eight weeks and will go to Kansas City for a long term engagement. Col. John T. MacCauley, dean of the theatrical world and known to thou- sands in the profession, died Nov. 4 at his home in Louisville, Ky. Marion Harris, a cabaret singer from Chicago, has been engaged for the new Charles Dillingham production, "Stop, Look, Listen." The father of L. N. Scott, proprietor of the two leading theatres in the twin cities, Minneapolis and St. Paul, died last Saturday at the age of 83. Healy's at 66th street is again doing record business, playing to a late crowd that nearly readies capacity all the time. Rector's is also drawing late. Ronald J. Mclntyre, father of Jim Mclntyre (Sutton, Mclntyre and Sut- ton), died Nov. 1 of heart failure. He was 62 years old. Patsy Spencer closes this week at Lauber's to go to Nevada on account of ill health. Edward B. Adams, formerly an actor, who appeared with his wife, Lillian Hcrlcin, died in California Nov. 8. Ben Gross, formerly cabaret manager at the Alamo, has entered the tobacco business with an office in the Strand. Jacob Miller, son of I. Miller the theatrical shoe merchant, died Nov. 2. The reopening of the New York Roof as a dancing cabaret is now tenta- tively set for Thanksgiving Eve. Sophie Tucker established a time rec- ord for the Palace, Chicago, this week hIh-ii on Monday night she worked 39 minutes, singing in that time 16 popu- lar songs.