Variety (May 1919)

~H * URLtSQUE ... ->; : -•'■•"■ m I Hi V • BOSTON'S MAYOR HAS HUNCH TO TALK ABOUT BURLESQUE < ———^^^——— Calls Conference for May 29 at City Hall in Beantown. Invites Mayors of Other Cities to Attend, Also Burlesque People. Advocates Standardization of All Shows and Theatres. i*E EiK" px. *v-. j> :V s s Boston, May 21. Many Bostonians have secured the impression that our nifty little mayor, ■ Andrew J. Peters, is seeking the crown of the late Mark Twain, as a writer. It is a letter the mayor wrote that started the snort on the Rialto here. The letter the mayor wrote went to mayors of other cities and to burlesque managers. It invited all of them to attend a conference in the City Coun- cil Chamber, City Hall, Boston, Thurs- day, May 29. The object of the con- ference, according to Mayor Peters' letter, is to adopt certain standards for burlesque shows that they "may be followed by the managers of the com- panies playing the theatres." Someone has tipped the mayor off to much inside stuff about burlesque, evidenced by the letter which states that rehearsals are to commence in the near future. No information has been obtained as to any replies received by Mr. Peters from mayors of other cities. It is understood a reply sent the mayor's letter inviting the officials of the Col- umbia Amusement Co. to attend the conference was received and carried a polite negative. . Standardization of burlesque appears to be a new thought, by a layman. No one in Boston will even make the positive statement Mr. Peters has ever witnessed a burlesque show. Boston has two first-class burlesque houses with two first-class managers in charge of them. One is the Gayety, presided over by Tom Henry, and the other the Casino, in charge of Charles H. Wal- dron. Boston has always been looked upon as finicky, but it has stood for bare legs, runways, bedroom farces and lurid theatrical advertising. Just why the mayor at this time with the season closing wishes to divert attention to burlesque no one knows and the rea- son is not very apparent since the the- atrical season is closing. Mr. Peters was not a press agent before assum- ing official charge of Boston, with or without suburbs, but show people in their analysis of the mayor's reason for his Mark Twain letter seem to set- tle that Mr. Peters perhaps concluded this would be as good a way as any to attract national notice to him, if the mayors of all the cities playing bur- lesque would accept his invite. When a mayor leaves his home town, it's al- ways important to the town. Some times he says he's going to New York and does; sometimes he says he's go- ing somewhere else but goes to New York anyway, so it may be Mayor Peters, in a spirit of brotherly love for other self sacrificing city hall bosses, thought he saw an .opportunity here to give other mayors another chance to see New York. Boston would be cer- tain to receive the worst of it in a mat- ter of this kind, for if the other mayors even could pass up the pleasures of Broadway again, they would select Philadelphia. The mayor does not seem to have any statistics about burlesque and there is no mob hanging around the city hall wanting to give him any. They don't think it would do any good and they want to be at the conference. The mayor may speak and they want to hear him. The theatrical folks are curious about that conference. After the burlesque conference is over the show people are trusting that Mayor Peters will be thoughtful enough to call a conference between all mayors about the high cost of living, transportation, hotel charges and even the bad booze Boston has grown no- torious for. The Mayor Peters letter received by Mayor Hylan in New York was re- ferred by the Mr. Hylan to the Com- missioner of Licenses. FINAL BURLESQUE CLOSING DATES The following burlesque closings have been officially announced, effec- tive May 24: "Burlesque Review" (Poughkeepsie), "Follies of The Day" (Boston), "Hello America" (Toledo), "Million Dollar Dolls" (Washington), "Mischief Makers," "Parisian Flirts" (Brooklyn), "Record Breakers" (Louis- ville), "Speedway Girls" (Detroit), and "Ben Welch" (Pittsburgh). The ma- jority of the remaining shows on the Columbia and American Wheels, total- ing 20 and 9, respectively, are sched- uled to break up June 2, while the extreme last date for a few will be June 14. NEW YORK EXEMPT ON SMOKING. The New York theatres playing the Columbia burlesque attractions will be relieved next season from the order of the Columbia Circuit prohibiting smoking in the theatres, also stopping the sale of candy or the use of ad- vertising curtains. It seems settled that the Columbia, New York, will continue to permit smoking. Whether Hurtig & Seamon's 125th street house stops is up to the management of that theatre. HALF SALARY FOR REHEARSALS. Barney Gerard will put "Follies of the Day," "Girls De Looks," and "Some Show" into rehearsal soon and an- nounces that he will pay half salaries during all rehearsal periods and that he will pay full salary all next season. BURLESQUE ENGAGEMENTS. Burlesque engagements for next sea- son include Richard Anderson and Al- bert Du Pont with Sliding Billy Wat- son. Harry Lander, tramp comic (Lan- der Bros.), Ned Dandy and Marie Sparrow with Jack Singer's "Behman Show." BURLESQUE ENGAGEMENTS Frank "Bud" Williamson has signed with Hurtig & Seamon for a two-year period. Pam Lawrence Leaves "Bowerys." Portland, Me., May 21. Following a disagreement with some other principal in the show, Pam Law- rence,, soubret of "The Bowery Bur- lesquers" abruptly left the company last Friday, after the matinee. The show was at the Jefferson. Pearson Out of Village Follies. Arthur Pearson who had an interest and a position with the Greenwich Village "Follies" organization, with- drew from it this week. The Green- wich Village crowd expect to produce its "Follies" in about three weeks. WHEN THE BEADS FELL OFF! Philadelphia, May 21. Dolly Evansr billed as "The Egyp- tian Princess" and said to be known in burlesque circles, fell into the net of the Vice Squad of this city last Sat- urday. For several days Dolly has been appearing as the star of a small circus playing in the Frankford Dis- trict . Reports of the show finally reached the police. The squad visited the circus Satur- day and when they saw the dancer ap- pear on the stage clothed in a limited number of strings of beads, they gasped, but when the beads fell to the stage and Dolly appeared almost nude, the police rushed the stage and the crowd rushed the exits. The dancer was held in $500 bail by Magistrate Pennock. Her husband, David Evans, and Edward Penn, man- ager of the circus, were held in $400 bail PRODUCTION ENGAGEMENTS. Jack Waldron (Argonne Players) for "Passing Show." Flo Lewis (Lewis and Joyce) for production at the Prince of Wales, London. Miss Lewis sails in July. "Three White Kuhns" have been en- gaged by Marty Sampter for one of his productions for next season. When J. J. Shubert was in Chicago last week he signed up Henshaw to go with a Shubert production in the falL Johnny Dooley is reported having agreed to appear in the new musical production Harry Carroll and Harold Atteridge are writing. Dainty Marie (Mabelle Meeker) for Century Roof, opening May 26. Miss Marie has been with the Eltinge road show and came East with it.' Sylvia Clark is to play the title role in "Gyp For Short," a comedy drama by Charles Bradley. It is being pro- duced by David Weiss, of. Texas, and will open in a Shubert theatre in New York after Labor Day. NEWS OF THE MUSIC MEN. Belle Brooks Is the assistant head of Gilbert & Frledland'B band and orchestra department George Piantadosl Is the new professional manager of Al. Piantadosl ft Co. Jerome M. Rose Is now connected with the Howard ft Lavar Music Co. Mildred Luber, formerly with F. J. A. Forster, Is now connected with H. Wltmark & Sons. Louis Fordan, professional manager for Shapiro-Bernstein, has left for a trip to Philiy for his firm. Fred Bernard, formerly of Bernard and Shepard. has Joined the professional staff of Jos. W. Stern ft Co. Ben Deohan, Sam Shepard and Henry Dunn are now at the Kensmore Hotel, Nan- tucket, Mass., for the summer. ■ The corporate name of the Irving Berlin-Max Winslow firm will be Irving BerUn, Inc. O'Brien, Malevlnsky & Drlscoll are attending to the corporation's legal affairs. Carl Currier and Eddie Lambert, recently out of service, are now with McCarthy ft Fisher. The boys have rigged up a two-act for the Loew Circuit Mel Morris has returned to the New York office of the J. H. Remlck Musio Co., and will be connected with, the professional depart- ment Mildred Seigal (Waterson, Berlin & S.) has purchased a new Ford Sedan, and rides to work. Heretofore Miss Seigal walked to the office from Washington Heights in an en- deavor to reduce In weight Sam Levy (Waterson, Berlin ft Snyder) was presented with a unique solid gold cigar lighter by the Bronx Liberty Loan Association for services rendered during the campaign. Sam says to use the present will cost a lot of cigar money. Abner Greenberg, the theatrical attorney and erstwhile songwriter and music publisher, has been retained by the J. H. Remlck Co. as legal advisor and counsellor, an office made vacant by the death of Max D. Josephson. About ten years ago Greenberg was pounding the Ivories as a pianist for his present clients. Meantime he studied law and also became well known as a composer. Greenberg, Just now, is staging a "come back" Just to prove that he Is still there as a tune manipulator. Vincent Bryan la his collaborator. PEEK-A-BOO. "Peek-a-Boo" opened Its summer run at the Columbia, New York, May 19. It will be a regular summer run, to business all the time, for there Is small chance of this show not pulling. It would be an injustice to other ambitious and aspiring burlesque producers to classify the Jean Bedlnl production at the Columbia as a burlesque show. There is no burlesque going over the wheels that could stand the production expense and salary list Mr. Bedlnl has provided for this special engagement "Peek-a-Boo" will go over the Columbia Circuit as an attraction next season, with the same production, but not all of the cur- rent principals. It coat Bedlnl $26,000 to stage this show before the curtain went up. It is costing him $2,400 at least, and probably somewhat more, in salaries weekly, unheard of pre- viously in burlesque, And Mr. Bedlnl has value for every cent "Peak^a-Boo" Is a laughing, pretty per- formance. Bedlnl knows that unless he is given a shade in the sharing percentage he can hardly break at the Columbia, even giv- ing 50 weeks for a pro rata charge on the production Item. So Bedlnl must have an ob- ject It may be to put on a show in burlesque at the Columbia, call it burlesque, and make Broadway talk, about it If that is the object Bedlnl has accomplished it, In two ways, in producing "Peek-a-Boo" and staging it There hasn't bor there Is not a better blended performance along Broadway than this Bedini show. It combines vaudeville, musical comedy and burlesque, the latter best exemplified by the principal comics of the cast Bobby Clark and Paul McCullough (Clark and McCullough). Monday night the show ran without a blemish, after two days of the week end before at Perth Amboy. The only flaw was the finale of the first act. sightly but quiet whereas earlier in the same act the Musical Splilers on the brasses bad worked up a noisy ending that suited much better for the first act finale. This was probably changed about Tuesday. There are musical shows In town now, and there have been others In and out during the season that cannot touch "Peek-a-Boo" for entertainment And the Bedini production does not run much behind them in anything else, not costuming particularly. The ward- robe Is tasteful aU the time. There are 20 girls in the chorus and 19 principals, figur- ing the vaudeville turns. Larry Ceballos staged the numbers, and he certainly has that chorus working. They start with ginger and end with pep. Bedlnl put the performance together. He will re- ceive a lot of credit tor It -> Michael Zelenko, who is first violin In the • Columbia Theatre orchestra as a rule, wrote the lyrics and music. Mike has been hiding as a composer. There la a strain of originality in his compositions, and often they are tune- ful. Perhaps "In a Persian Garden" Is the best number composed by Mr. Zelenko to de- tect this. It is very musical. Among the vaudevilllans is Joe Cook. Mr. Cook takes a role or part In the ploUess plot and he Is funny, from the start when he has "A. K." lettered upon one of his table cloths up to snd wblle he is doing a globe roiling (travesty) Juggling act in the Circus Scene. This scene is a laugh throughout excepting for some straight work. It clases with Be- dinl's "World's Worst Acrobats." Neither Clark nor McCullough flopped once when they went after a laugh. All of their comedy business is new, strange as that may seem. A bit with a shirt is one of the beet pieces of low comedy Broadway has witnessed in years. It looks English. For a laugh as UBed, It was a howl on sight. Other vaude- vlilans were the Bolzar Sisters, University Trio, Vlttoria and Georgette and Lalla Bel- bint. Miss Selbini hopped In a couple of times, with her tights, riding a wheel. Miss Selblnl can still ride a wheel and wear tights. The women principals were Lillian McNeil, Frankle James, Emmy Barbler and May Meyers. If Miss Meyers is the girl who does the kicking dances she attracted a great deal of attention to herself. The other girls looked well and did well, also the male prin- cipals. Among the latter are Ben Harney, Jim DeForest, Harry Kelso, Joe Kelso and Ben Grin cell. Mr. Grinnell did a French- man in the second act that he can boast about as much as he likes. One of the Kelsos put over some very good comedy. Everyone seemed fitted. The show runs in two acts and nine scenes. It's set properly and appropriately. Bedini didn't cheat on anything, other than his own performance. He appeared only among the "worst acrobats," disguised by a worried look and a mustache. Some of the scenery Is most attractive in Its painting. There are many little bits that run through- out the performance, always worth watching or listening to, like the bath tub bit with Miss Barbler. "Peek-a-Boo" for entertainment is sec- ond to none on Broadway. It's a S2 show for SI. Bime. If you don't advertise in Variety don't advertise •> 5 I ;, ' .,'