Variety (May 1919)

8 I i§& VAUDEVILLE .... Y. MCA.PRAISING ARTISTS BRANDS ARMY "A SEWING CIRCLE" Reply to Complaint from a Lieutenant Stationed at Coblenz. ; Army Admits Professionals Were 98 Per Cent. Efficient. Major-General Haan Issues Letter of Praise to "Songs and Skits" Unit. Many Rumors Nullified. '■v.* ^: ■;.-VABiBTr received a complaint dated ,-v^Apirll 29 at Coblenz, Germany, the headquarters of the American Army of Occupation, anent the conduct of volunteer entertainers. The specific misdoing stated on the part of the writer, a lieutenant (non-professional) attached to the First Army Corps, is that he had seen "two intoxicated women wearing the uniform of the Y. M. C. A. on the streets." The writer /mentioned reports of spicy tales going about, but that while he knew them to be untrue, the average soldier did not. His complaint was practically nullified in the letter which said "ru- mors start and spread from nothing and nowhere in the army." •The letter was shown to one of the "Y" officials in charge of overseas en- tertainment in New York, and it brought forth a statement in praise of the American entertainers. The of- ficial said: "The truth of the matter is that within the past few months the A. E. F. has developed into the greatest sewing circle the world has ever known. If an entertainer in the exuberance of -spirits happens to chuckle an officer under the chin, its 50-1 that it is en- tirely harmless. But it gives the army a lot to talk about. •Through bur bureau and the Over- seas Theatre League, we have sent oyer many entertainers and a great many are women artists. It's quite •"Sible some.got officeritis. They get ' here in New York; they get it mo and so it is quite likely they got it in Coblenz. "Just the same, I think they are all 100 per cent. Why even the army said they were 98 per cent, efficient, and when the army goes that far it means something. Anyone who takes the time to throw pebbles now is small potatoes in my opinion. They have done a lot more than we in the 'Y' were able to do. This is my war job, recruiting artists for over there. It has taken me away from my regular job for 20 months, but I feel that my part is negligible. My hat is off to the entertainers who went across. What they put up with and the con- ditions under which they lived make a remarkable niche in the history of the A. E. F. They 'went through* no matter what the conditions. To me they were the best soldiers of all. "And yet not a single entertainer who has returned would give up that period of their lives which was their service over there. Those who went over gave to our boys that touch of home and that spirit of backing them up that is as fine as any support any of us could have lent. Just wait until the army speaks. It will tell of the work of our women entertainers over there, and I predict that it will be the greatest endorsement of our stage women ever issued. Here is a line in advance, in the form of a letter from headquarters, the same town from which your complaint was issued." HEADQUARTERS SEVENTH ARMY CORPS AMERICAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCE8 GERMANY. . April 22, 1010. Major General W. G. Haan, Com- manding Seventh Corps. MIbs Draco Fisher and the members or her Unit, the "Songs and Skltti Company." SUBJECT: COMMENDATION. 1. From reports and personal observations From: To: that bnve come to the Corps Commander, it gives me great pleasure to commend most heartily the excellent work that has' been done by the "Songs and Skltts Company" In entertaining the American Soldiers of the Seventh Corps and others. '*■'. 2. Everyone has recognized the excellent work that has been done by the professional people constituting this unit. The cleanliness of their performances and the high sense of duty tbat is always manifest in this Unit wherever it appears, has been an Inspiration to our men and has gone a long way in making tbem satisfied with their rather diffi- cult lot at the present time. 3. Permit me, on behalf of the Seventh Corps, to thank you all for the excellent work tbat you have done for the soldiers of my command. (Signed) W. <?. EAAN, Major General, U. S. A. DOG WITH WAR RECORD. _ At Miner's Bronx last Sunday, Free- man Bernstein presented before the audience a Belgian dog with a war rec- ord. The dog was a letter carrier at the front. Its sweater has two wound and two service stripes. The animal's name is Jack. Besides his wounds, both eyes show the effect of being gassed. The dog, in a state of collapse, was picked up on the road near Vitry La Vine by Private Jos. Bent, of Co. A, 117th Supply Train. His record with that company runs from July IS to Nov. 25, 1918. Mr. Bernstein paid $125 for the dog at Camp Upton, where Bernstein is pre- senting a carnival show. CAMP UPTON PERMANENT. Camp Upton, L. I., May 21. From the present plans of Secretary of War Baker, Camp Upton will be the nearest army base to New York. The camp will be permanent. It will hold between 15,000 and 20,000 men as a garrison throughout the year. This means that the Liberty theatre will be operated the year around. It is understood that Camp Dix, N. J., will also hold a permanent garri- son of approximately the same size. ILL AND INJURED. Edward Temple, stage director, was removed to St. Luke's Hospital last week to undergo an operation. Jimmy Miller of the Harry Burton office is confined to his home with an attack of "Flu." Edward Reilly, manager of the Flat- bush, Brooklyn, stricken with appen- dicitis last week. Now convalescent at his home in Brooklyn. Ray Dean and Emma Dean went off the bill at the Empress, Des Moines, due to an attack of pneumonia which hit Ray. The races had to get along last Sat- urday without Jake Lubin, the Loew booker. Mr. Lubin was battling with rheumatism. Monday the rheu had it on him, but Tuesday Jake returned to the office. Mrs. William Sully, the mother of the Sully Family, is at the Longacre Hotel, New York, recovering from the auto accident near Camp Merritt, N. J., in which she was quite severely injured. Marie Hart slipped from the slack wire just before her act was due to close the show at the Fifth Ave. last Thursday afternoon, and sustained a broken arm. Miss Hart was to show with her Revue and was testing the wire in the dark. "FOLLIES'' BY SOLDIERS. "The Zig Zag Follies" is the title of the soldier show of the 78th Division, better known as the "Lightnin' Divis- ion," composed of troops -from New Jersey, northern New York and Dela- ware. The entertainment section of this division returned to New York last week and are at present rehearsing at the Morosco Theatre, preparatory to a tour of the towns from which the men of the division hail from. C O. Tennis is laying but. a route for the show which is to open some time next week. The men in the at- traction are picked entertainers from the shows of 303d Engineers, 311th In- fantry, and from several of the battal- ion shows with the outfit. The show is to be in revue which was conceived by Lieut. McNamara and later de- veloped by Major Hoyt and Lieut Cur- tis. Among those in the cast, which includes a number of former profes- sionals, are Jack Scannell, Fred J. Adams, George Baird, Harry Rappe, Badoloti and DePalma and Hy Kost. SOPHIE TUCKER'S SHOW. William Morris and Sophie Tucker have decided to produce a show for Miss Tucker, as per their original plan. The book, music and lyrics will prob- ably be written by Tommy Gray and Earl Carroll The intention at present is to pre- sent the piece about July 1, perhaps in New York, for a run, or in Chicago. Among tentative engagements for the cast are Felix Adler and Williams and Wolfus. Miss Tucker will remain at Reisen- weber's meanwhile. She goes into the Paradise Room there June 15. The Sunday night concerts at the Central (Shuberts) have been assumed by Miss Tucker on the percentage playing ar- rangement she formerly had for the Bayes theatre, also belonging to the Shuberts. ANOTHER CAMP BILL. Another camp vaudeville road show has been organized by George Sammis and booked by Pauline Cooke. Miss Cooke is generally attending to the gathering of the camp shows Mr. Sammis has been sending out. The latest combination opened at Camp Dix, N. J., May 15, and is split- ting this week. It'will travel four and one-half weeks in the East. The show has Gruett, Kramer and Gruett, Murphy and Lang, Wells, Vir- ginia and West, Gilbert Sisters, Wil- liams and Bernie, Daly Brothers, Alice Manning, and Walter James, who acts as special announcer. _pe if i ■ :■ '. ■■ i I 1 m. >.-■ ■t<:ii '-'1 I ■ ; IN AND OUT OF SERVICE. William Gahagan, U. S. Navy, dis- charged this week and joins the Johnny.: Ford, Signe Patterson act as pianist. Dick Gerard, author of "Sweet Ade- line," returned from France this week.. Gerard was a Red .Cross lieutenant Lew Brice, Army of Occupation, A. E. F, 51st Div., returned from Ger- many this week and was discharged. He will rest for the summer. Bill Vodery, the composer, is re- ported in France, in command of the Bandmasters' School over there. Lew Preston, 306th Inf., 77th Div., : A. E. F., was discharged this week and will rejoin -Mark Linden' protean playlet, "The Wager." Corp. Lew Jacobson (Lew Pres- | ton), 77th Div. A.'E. F., expects to be ': discharged this month. After the sign- • ing of the armistice Mr. Preston joined the "Liberty Players," the Division's § theatrical troupe. Jack Scannell, formerly with Blanche I Ring in musical comedy, returned from France with the 78th Division last week. He was with the ambulance ' section of the outfit Since the arm- . istice he was assistant director of en- ; tertainment for the division and rout- , ed the 24 battalion shows that they had. He was mustered out of service Mon- day. Lieut. Bruce Weyman, Aviation Corps, A. E. F., discharged from the service ..this week, after being in the hospital for six months. Lieut Wey- ; man, who was baritone soloist at the Strand for two seasons, enlisted at the beginning of the war and went through several aerial combats un- harmed until Nov. 11, the day the armistice was signed. An engagement with a German aeroplane that morn- ing, in which he incidentally downed his opponent, resulted in Weyman falling a distance of 6,000 feet and suffering two broken arms, two broken legs, three fractured ribs and a broken jaw. Weyman will join one of Charlie Maddock's vaudeville productions in a week or so. and NEW ACTS. La Paiva, dancing single. "Canberries," three people. Dennis Chabot, piano, violin singing (Frank Evans). Janet Moore, pianologue (Frank Evans). Rolland and Ray, two-act (Tom Fitzpatrick). Earl Cavanaugh and Ruth Tompkins, two-act (Lew Golder). 'The -Peacemaker," four people (Mandell & Rose). "The Girl in the Frame" with Vera Calhoune (Lew Golder). Emma Haig (Haig and Lockett) and Joe Niemeyer, dancing. La Paiva, formerly of the Four An- chors, dancing, single. Hart Sisters, Aerial Act (Chas. Fitz- patrick). Adonis and Co., dog act (Harry Pin- cus). O'Connor and Dixon, reunited (Bob Baker). Minerva Courtney and Harry Irwin in comedy skit (Hughes & Smith). Kirke Brown and Margeret Fields, comedy sketch. O'Brien and Buckley, comedy sketch (Frank Evans). Frank Belmont (Hirschfield) and Mary Stockwell, comedy sketch (Frank Evans). AI Hawthorne (formerly Hawthorne and Englis) and Johnny Cook, chief rooter at the Polo Grounds. "Here Comes the Bride" with Nelson .Snow, Peggy Fears and Ann Sands, principals (Jack Morris). Keegan and O'Rourke, Cook and Vernon (formerly Cook and Savo), Harry Adler and Dunbar (formerly Adler and Arline), Henry J. Kelly "sin- gle" (formerly Kelly and Mayo) (Joe Michaels). IF TOU DON'T ADVERTISE IN VARIETY— DONT ADVERTISE ' I I /' • /' ■ -i — : :