Variety (June 1916)

8 VARIETY "Hello Henderson's" is the summer free show for Henderson's restaurant, Coney Island, opening last Saturday. It was staged by Gus Edwards, who wrote some of the music, and is under the personal direction of Carleton Hoagland. Mr. Hoagland is also gen- eral manager of the Henderson estab- lishment, that includes a vaudeville theatre. In "Hello Henderson's" Ruby Norton and Sammy Lee (a team) are starred, with Louise Groody, Bobby Watson and Margaret Dana as pro- gramed principals. There are 12 chorus girls, and the assemblage looks impos- ing, both on the floor and the bill. The strength of the Henderson show lies in the choristers. They are of the pony and medium type, mostly all pretty, and continually costumed in an airy style that becomes them, the beach and the summertime. In prin- cipals perhaps for cabaret revues there have been none more important than Norton and Lee. Their work is well known, the couple having appeared in vaudeville and musical comedy. While they lend tone to the floor show, still it is the girls. Mr. Lee does his eccen- tric and other dancing, alone and with Miss Norton; takes part in the opening scene that calls several principals into a lyrical story that has no place in a large restaurant like Henderson's, and Mr. Lee does everything he goes after in a nice workmanlike way, while Miss Norton has a voice that will keep Coney's Bowery surprised all summer, besides which she dances a mild Ha- waiian affair in a peculiar sort of a native costume, that has the straw hung mu? 1 too far below the waist line. Bobby Watson is in the opening, dances some, and does a rube bit in the num- ber, "Drip, Drip, Drip," with Miss Goody, a young woman of sturdy un- derpinnings, who might tear off a wild dance if giver, a chance. She does rather well with her portion. Miss Dana has some toe dancing ability and good looks behind it, while the De La Tour Twins (at other times in the chorus) have a little chance now and then. The numbers are well assorted with nearly all specially written music, but the costuming does not show its value if expensive, nor does the pro- duction end attract attention. Miss Norton is by far the best-dressed girl on the floor. Her opening gown is stunning and her Peacock dress about the only novelty of the show. The "Drip" song sounds aged and there seems no particular occasion for it, excepting to allow a change. The chor- isters are the thing, though, and they should draw business; but Henderson's, like other summer resort cabarets, if holding any girly attraction worth con- sideration at all, should satisfy its pa- trons for the brief period of the run. The chorus girls in the Henderson show are Hazel Furness, Marie Hall, Alice Furness, Josephine Jacobs, Helen Groody, Marion Roberts, Eleanor Ful- ler, Rosemary Wagner, Peggy Carter, Clair Norton. In the "Take It Home" song the girls threw toys to the tables. "Playing Johns for quarters" is the newest game among some girls who visit cabarets. In the upper strata of polite cabaret society it's permissible for a young woman to powder her face now and then. Some dislike to do the powdering in public and seek the priv- acy of the ladies' room for that pur- pose. The male escort of the upper strata, accepting it for granted a young woman out with him would not burden herself with change while in his com- pany, invariably offers, as he arises from the table with her, a coin to tip the maid of the ladies' room. The coin is usually a quarter. Some of the girls not particular who escorts them as long as they are "out," noticed this passing of the quarter every time had become a habit. Then they commenced to talk about the weather, how horrid it was and what difficulty they had in keeping their face cool. The record for face powdering in one evening is said to be 20 times, which, figured at 25 cents each visit, netted the young woman $5 on the evening, with the only use of the ladies' room made by her to smoke cigarettes. r Several girls who hang around cabarets in preference to any other place are out for the record. One young woman stated she would get the record in jig, time the first night she landed a John who didn't object to moving often, and would last until daybreak. "Splash Me, 1916," the season's open- ing revue at the Hotel Shelburn/6, Brighton Beach, got its start May 24. It was produced by Anton Heindl, Who also wrote the special numbers that mostly fill up the program. Louis Weslyn took care of the lyrics. The piece is in "Two Dips," and has 25 people in all, 13 principals and 12 choristers. This is about the largest free revue, numerically, New York has seen. At Brighton it may not be so important just what style of a show is given as long as the visitors to the beach get something for nothing—and being Brooklynites in the majority must also be considered. But judging the premiere of "Splash Me" with the commonly known free revue, it's not fast enough, running too slowly in idea, execution, song numbers and the music itself. If ginger is the essence of a floor show with girls, then "Splash Me" needs plenty of quickening. The chorus girls are brightly gowned in different schemes, making a change that has something of novelty in it at the opening chorus, which started the slow- ness of the whole that kept down to that pace. But a couple of the 17 numbers were popular. The two finales were specially arranged with the first using "the flag" for "pre- pare." The strength of this revue seems to lie in the Six Musical Nosses, who play many kinds of in- struments, adding much tone and vol- ume. They were not used often enough in the opening section, but got a bet- ter opportunity in the second part to exhibit what a splendid musical or- ganization they are. They were always attractively dressed and changed often. Florence Midgley, Cissie Hayden (doing a hoop dance at one time). Edna Ellison and John Roberts are singers, doing solos or leading num- bers. Bissett and Bestry danced in the usual Doyle and Dixon way of nowadays, doing some steps of their own as well. La Joela was a special dancer, but she didn't mean anything. Dan Casler led the large orchestra that did full justice to the music. "Splash Me, 1916," is a big show for the Beach. It looks like a good- sized investment and should be an at- traction there. Perhaps by now it has been whipped in to more closely re- semble the fast-moving revue it was probably intended for. The show plays twice nightly, at 7.30 and 11. Eddie Pidgeon has removed his head- quarters from Reisenweber's-on-the- Circle to the Casino at Brighton. The Hotel Shelbourne, directly opposite the Casino, will be under the direction of Mr. Fisher, one of the owners of the Reisenweber company. At the Casino will be an Hawaiian Room, fit- ted up much after the style of the quar- ters which housed the 400 Club during the winter months in town. Mr. Pid- geon will devote his attention to this room and the entertainment, which is to be one of the salient features. The Hawaiian Room in New York turned out to be one of the most popular fea- tures of the Reisenweber establishment on upper Broadway, due entirely to the manner in which it was conducted un- der the Pidgeon direction. The old 400 Club had none too delightful a reputa- tion when it closed, late last spring, and this had to be lived down under the new management. That this was successfully done is evidenced by the fact that the room cleaned an average profit of $1,000 weekly on its season, now drawing to a close. Messrs. Fisher & Wagner are so well satisfied with the manner in which Mr. Pidgeon guid- ed the destinies of the room, they have "declared him in" on the Casino propo- sition for the summer. opened. One thing noticeable at the Long Beach opening was the prices, boosted to an extent that made even the hardiest Broadway adventurers emit shrieks a* the checks came around Saturday and Sunday. Highballs with the "bunk" domestic soda were taxed at 90 cents a smash. No single drink was lower than 50 cents; and, if a cock- tail or any other drink calls for a dash of anything, the ante shoots up two bits per dash. One party of five had cocktails, chicken supreme ($1.50 each), a couple of more drinks (no wine) and coffee, to find their check had run up to $31.50. The crowd the week-end at the Beach came mostly from the Bel- mont track. Blossom Heath Inn, under the man- agement of Bill Kurth, had a glitter- ing opening last Saturday night The road house was formerly the Villa Men- jbu, on the Merrick Road at Lynbrook, the same road running to Long- Beach. Mr. Kurth has done wonders with the place, entirely remodeling its ground floor plan and making additions, with the result a very large, brilliantly-light- ed ballroom, seating about 600, opened to the guests. A white orchestra, for- merely at Bustanoby's, downstairs (63d street), is giving lively music. With Blossom Heath welcoming the crowds going and coming from Long Beach besides drawing its own people, it looks as though Bill Kurth has struck a regular proposition in this road house. It's about the best situated for transient business York, and will remain year. around New open all the The Trouville, Long Beach, held its official opening Sunday night and it was generally touted as a "swell" af- fair, but those who showed remained but a little while, wandering to either Healy's or Castles-by-the-Sea that also Another shooting-up in a San Fran- cisco cafe, making the second such af- fair to occur within three weeks. Wil- liam B. Martin, a captain of waiters at Tait's, was shot and killed in the Odeon while dining with his wife. The murderer, Charles Koller, a Tait ex- waiter, did the killing because he had been discharged by Martin. Revenge prompted the deed. Martin was re- moved to the Emergency Hospital, where he died. Koller was arrested. Charles O. Swanberg, proprietor of the Portola-Louvre, who was shot in his cafe May 1, through trouble with his floor manager, Wm. Haase, is recov- ering. Haase, who disappeared after the shooting, has not been located. Giolito's, at 108-110 West 49th street, is opening a new summer garden, where, during the hot spell, Giolito's famous table d'hote Italian dinner may be eaten in the cool of the open. Steeplechase Ballroom at Rockaway Beach will be under the Alamo man- agement this summer, supervised by Al Davis. Mabel Ferry has replaced Allyn King in the "Ziegfeld Midnight Frolic" on the Amsterdam Roof. at Carlos IOOLD SHOW." Celebrated Musical Revue, Now at the Bismarck Garden, Chicago. FEATURING ASTIAN and BENTLE Personally Directed and Produced by CARLOS SEBASTIAN Dorothy