Variety (March 1921)

10 I BURLESQUE ', Hj m Friday, March 18, 1&21 BOWERY DEAD, BURLESQUE SHOW DROPS FAMOUS TITLE Name Illuminated Billboards for 22 Years—Orig- inal Troupe Had Cast of Stage Notables — "Nov- elty Shop-E very thing" Next Season. MARCUS SHOW BADLY PANNED BY CRITICS Marcus Threatens Libel Ac- tions—Does Big Business. SOME SHOW. Announcer Bllljr Dodge Good Talker Lew Harris Miss Oslla Number Mae Dix Miss Ima SJn«er Hallle Deans Boxo Tommy Snyder Slim, his pal J»ik Ormsby Mrs. Otto Moble Evelyn Stevens Officer Pinch BUljr Dodgo Francois Billy Dodge Tlllie Film Fannie Palmer Millie Keel Ruth Plckford Mr. Harris Billy Dodge Stevs Billy Dodge HOME BREW. Noah I.ott Willi* Lands* Helen B. Ware Alice Law lor M. T. Noodle Robert C. Mills* I. Will B. Goode Leo F. Dai* Nott< r Hum Harry Lander Ima tJoodfrlend Hobby Moor* Gotta Hare Lipp May Lamoit O. U. Vampire Ameta Pynes Sheeza Dandy Henrietta Byron A. Kopp Feiii ratty After 22 years of continuous ser- vice as a burlesque show title. "The Bowery Burlesquers" title is to be dropped at the expiration of the current season. When the show that has carried the "Bowery" title for over a score of years goes out on the Columbia circuit next sea- son it will be known as Joe Hur- tigs "Novelty Shop—Everything." The "Bowerys" is next to the oldest title on the Columbia wheel in point of continuous service, the only show antedating it being "Hose Sydell's London Belles." "The Bowerys" was originally pro- duced In 1899 by Hurtig & Seamon. The cast contained Loney Haskell, Truly Shattuek, World's Trio (Lulu Ryan, Perry Ryan and Emma Woods), Polly Moran, Louis Auber, Vinie Henshaw, Tom Carter, the late Andy Lewis, Nelson Sisters, Gladys Van, Princess Yutakme and Oracey and Burnett. It opened at Binghamton, N. Y., in August and played thraughout the season until the following June, with three re- peats at the Dewey, New York; HurUg & Seamon's, New York, and Sam T. Jack's, Chicago, its first season out. Joe Hurtig was the manager of the "Bowerys," its first season. This was before the wheels be- came organized. The "Bowerys" was routed from New York direct with local managers by Hurtig & Seamon. It was Hurtig & Seamon's lirst road show venture. In discussing his reason for drop- ping the "Bowerys" title after so many years, Joe Hurtig said he had decided on the change reluctantly, but times have changed and bur- lesque audiences have changed with them. "The Bowery" as a title does not have the same significance it had years ago, the modern genera- tion of burlesque patrons taking if anything a bad impression from the word Bowery. Mr. Hurtig also said the modern trend to class in bur- lesque was hardly in accord with the Bowery title. In addition to changing the Bow- rry title, two of the remaining three Joe Hurtig Columbia shows will carry different monickers next sea- son. "The Girls from the U. S. A." will become "Odds and Ends," and • Social Maids" will be called "Tick | Tack Toe." "The Big Wonder Show" title remains as usual. "Girls from Happyland" and the Ed Lee Wrothe show franchises will be operated next season by lions & Clamage, but not under those titles. The longest period of use for a burlesque show title is that of the Rcntz-Santley show, which played approximately from 1877 to 1112, 35 years in all. SINGER'S NEW TRIAL Court Allows Immediate Appeal in Verdict of $2,180 Given Dandy. A Jury verdict of $2,180 allowed Ned Dandy in Boston last week against Jack Singer was ordered stayed by Judge George A. Sander- son, before whom the case was tried, and on motion of the defendant's attorney a new trial was allowed, with date to be set. Edward M. Dangel, the Boston at- torney, appeared for Dandy, who sued under his own name of Nathan Fried. He allaged a breach of con- tract against Singer last season, when Dandy appeared* with the "Behman Show," under contract tor $100 weekly. Dandy contracted to play in blackface. After joining he changed to whiteface. When the show reached Bridgeport, according to Singer, Dandy suggested he be released. Singer agreed, he says, and gave Dandy a ticket to New York. When the "Behman Show' 1 reached Boston Dandy served an attachment in a suit for $10,000. The attach- ment was boncTed and the show pro- ceeded, with the trial up last week. Singer, believing, he says, there would be no trial, did not concern himself with the preparation of the action, going to Boston without witnesses. SLANDER CHARGE. Ben Bard Sued Over Diamond Ring Altercation. Ben Bard, songwriter and actor, with the "Powder Puff Revue," was served at the Columbia theatre last week with a summo iu in a Supreme Court slander action by Louis Ma- ratsky, the jeweler. No complaint was attached to the summons. The action revolves about a diamond pin sale upon which Bard 1 paid a $20 deposit. Syracuse, N. Y., Mar-h If, With threats of libel suits against at least one local paper ringing through the air, A. B. Marcus, to- gether witn Ws "Marcus* Show of 1920," shook the dust of Syracuse from his feet Saturday after the final performance of a somewhat turbulent three-day stand at the Empire. The first half of the pres- ent week the show is at Ithaca. Syracuse reviewers had little char- ity for the Marcus Show. T t came here with a reputation for naughtl- oess that had been won through various enforced closings in other cities. The closing orders were based upon the Marcus advertising and display posters. If the authorities had waited to see the show they would have approved it as first- class Sunday school entertainment. As far as the dialog is concerned, the Marcus Show is as clean as could be asked. As far as display of feminine charms goes, the same ap- plies. Syracuse is used to bare knees, etc., in musical comedy, in vaudeville and in burlesque. There was nary a pink knee to please the boys who flocked to the house on Thursday night's opening. The Marcus Show art was banned by the city authorities and ordered from the billboards some days be- fore the show arrived. But the local "gay boys" had had their appetites whetted by the posters, and as a re- sult the house was sold out Thurs- day. Not only that, hut a few hun- dred standing room tickets v.?re sold at $1.10. And a few hundred others were turned away. There was also a heavy dance for the other performances; in fact, the Saturday matinee was pretty well sold out Thursday. And Ihis in spite of the fact that the Wieting was playing Sam Bernard and Irene Bor- doni in "As You Were." Friday the local papers without exception panned the Marcus enter- tainment. Panned it is putting it weak. No show in years drew the unkind remarks that went to the Marcus Show. It got under A. B.'s skin. He had a sign painted in which he offered personally to re- fund the admission after the first act. But his manager wouldn't let him place it in the theatre lobby. Marcus still insists that ho has a TioVri' «« a*„iai~ * ♦ 4.x. regular show. And he maint-ins $20 deposit, an altercation occurred in a restaurant on Seventh avenue and 48th street, with Bard threat- ening to administer corporal pun- ishment to the Jeweler. Bard has retained Julius Kendler and Monroe M. Goldstein to defend his interests. NEW CAPITOL'S QUIET TRADE The Capitol, Washington, the newly erected American Burlesque Circuit house*picked up the second week with Strousc and Franklin's "Round the Town" as the attrac- tion. Business was below expectations the first week, the condition being blamed upon President Harding's quiet inaguratlon which affected the theatres universally. The new house seats 1,800. DROPPING ERIE, PA. The Colonial, Erie, Pa., a two-day etand on the American wheel route. was dropped ' Tallowing the en- gagement of the "Cute Cutles" March 17. The American shows male Erie Wednesdays and Thurs- days since the Avenue, Dctrjlt, dropped out, as apartial fill in for that week. The shows lay off the first two days of the week, unless booking at their own option Independently. Friday they play Newcastle and Saturday Uniontown an heretofore. This Is th© week between Cleve- land and Pittsburg. ROAD DIRECTOR SAYS— A burlesque road musical director in commenting on the controversy that has arisen between the house and road leaders, as to which is responsible for the poor condition of musical scores in burlesque houses, claims the musicians in a certain Columbian whec. house are so in- competent it was necessary to print a small red flag on an ensemble, so that the music would stop at a given point. The road leader said he took it for granted any musician would rec- ognize the regulation musical sign calling for a "rest," but after re- peated blunders at this particular spot, the road leader decided the red flag danger signal would be the only means of getting the desired re- sults, and according to the road di- rector, his theory proved correct. Mike Sacks. Marcus declares the critics are all wrong. Moreover, when he gets back to New York, he Informed Empire attaches, he in- tends to start legal action. No bush town critics can say those cruel things and get away with it, says A. B. Further, Marcus says he got damages from a Boston sheet al- ready. '» COOPER GETTING BETTER. Jimmle Cooper, featured comic of "The Beauty Trust" (American), who has been put of the show since Feb. 15, following an operation for the removal of a growth on his vocal cords at St. Luke's Hospital, rejoins tho troupe at the Academy, Buf- falo, week April 4. THROWING OUT "JOLLITIES Instead of the Sam Howe- iftsow (Columbia) carrying tho title of "Jollities of 1922" next season, it will be called Sam Howe's New Show. Using the "Jollities" title this season, it had been Howe's Inten- tion to carry the name as a perma- nent label with the year such as '22, '23 tacked on each succeeding season. Such a large number of Frolics, Frivols, Gaieties, etc., bobbed up Howe decided to drop the "Jollities " thing. Rochester, N. Y„ March 16. What the critics did not say about "The Marcus Review of 1921" at the Lyceum last week is hardly worth repeating. To repeat what they did say would sound as if they had a grudge against the show. It was characterized as burlesque of a crude sort, and 1 at least one critic went to the extent of leaving no doubt that be considered the gen- erously exposed parts of anatomies as unattractive from even a physical point. Paris, March 16. Mme. Sarah Bernhardt announced hero this week that she would open at the Prince's, London, April B, in "Daniel," under the Cochran man- agement. She will take her own company across thS Channel. ^The combination of the weather and the Chaplin picture, "The Kid," cut into the usual capacity attend- ance at the 14th street amateur night (Tuesd'uj. • • • The last two rows on the lower floor and the boxes were light when the opening of "Some Show" flashed on. "Tho Kid" is showing at sev- eral of the neighborhood houses, and the Olympic, situated right in the center of the section, had to bow to the drawing power of the "deaf and dumb" comic. Barney Gerard is the sponsor for "Some Show," which retains mainly the book used last season with Tommy "Bozo" Snyder held over and elevated to featuredom. Snyder does pantomime in a dirty tramp makeup, but has no trouble making them laugh on this wheel. Several times he got out of bounds so far as good taste was concerned, but they liked the stuff. A comedy prop taxlcab with a scene built around it reminiscent of Harry Tate's and several other mo- toring acts, was the high light of the first half from a comedy stand- point. "Bozo" as a ragged passen- ger, accompanied by Billy Dodge billed as a Frenchman but without any recognizable dialect, wrecked the machine in a manner that tic- kled the laughs out of the gang in staccato sequence. Jack Ormsby was the second comedian doing a putty-nosed ec- centric character minus dialect. Ormsby did a bit of acrobatics that looked as though he might be a graduate from that school. He han- dled his lines acceptably and helped the cot.-cdy portion consideribly, working opposite Snyder in most of his scenes. Lew Harris, a raucous voiced straight, and Dodge in semi- straight and minor roles, completed a fairly strong male east. Of the women Hallle Dean, the soubret. was the class, though han- dicapped by an unmusical voice. Her grace and personality when reading lines made them forget the vocal deficiencies. Evelyn Stevens was a heavy prima donna, mani- festing obviously much burlesque experience and wearing several good looking gowns. She led numbers acceptably, handling most of the serious efforts with fair pipes. Mae Dix. a shapely redhead, could be classified as the ingenue, also contributing several show-stopping numbers by judicious use of the shimmy. One number heavily en- cored, she soloed a jazz song clad in a tight-fitting one-piece union suit. The shim at the end of the lyric was good for several recalls. Miss Dix was also light on the vocal ability, but got over nevertheless. Fannie Palmer and Ruth Pick- ford stepped out of the chorus on one ' or two occasions, attempting double harmonizing with indifferent results. The book remains the same as last season, with only one or two slight additions. Ono is an aero- plane finish to the first half, which is preceded by a description of a race in the air, with Bozo as one of the entries. This has been lifted bodily from "Going Up," even to the reading of the bulletins report- ing progress. Four or five prop planes Illuminated by electric bulbs swinging back and forth complete the "flash." The sets also are probably hold- overs and look familiar. The 16 choristers work hard and often and are much responsible for plugging up the lapses when Snyder isn't on the stage. The latter while funny needs a strong comedy assistant and a new book before "Some Show" can hope to be rated better than a second-class burlesque entertain- I ment. Con. LEW BRICE SIGNS With "Tittle Tattle" for Remainder of Season MARION PAID $750. Dave Marion paid Harry Jolson $750 in settlement of the action on trial at the time between Marion and Jolson. The latter had started suit for breach of contract against the burlesque manager, dating back some seasons ago. The judges charge to the jury seemed to favor the Jolson end. While the jury was deliberating, the attorneys agreed that notwithstand- ing its verdict, they would allow $750 to be the settlement, Marion to pay Jolson that amount. When the jury returned, it en- tered a verdict for Marion. Lew Brice, brother of Fannie, and featured in vaudeville with The J Tour Rcsep, bar, signed, with . an American Burlesque Wheel attrac- tion for the balance of the season. Lew is joining "Tittle Tattle" and will finish the current season with it. Fanny Brice is a product of burlesque following which she vaulted into legitimate via vaude- ville. Lew Brice has been a dancer with several of the Shubert attractions. He was In a Wintergarden show of a few seasons back. SUNDAY DOESN'T HELP. Burlesquo managers playing the Star, Cleveland( Columbia), report the business for seven days with Sunday In, to be less than formerly, when the house only played six days. Murl McCarthy at Orpheum, Seattle. 0««ttle, March 16. Mini McCarthy is the new lead- ing woman of the Orpheum's musl- nai stock. Eugene Levy, manager, fctteiy engaged her when in Callfor- •1 ii ia. Fights at 8chenectady t N. Y. Miles, • Schenectady, n. y., dark for two weeks, may reopen as a light club, if plans of a New York pro- moter malerlize. The promoter has opened negotia- tions With C. N. Miles and is await- ing His Verdict before applying for his license. Jack Singer's "Home Brew" show, at the Columbia, featuring Harry Lander as comedian, makes no pre- tense to production splash beyond the average dimensions of a Wheel outflt, but-, thanks to its arrange.- ment and to the sure-fire burlesque comedy, it works out into a capital entertainment of the characteristic quality. Lander is a funmaker of parts. His methods are best when they are legitimate, and he hag a knack of getting laughs across with- out horseplay when he wants to. This being so, it is regrettable that he does not confine himself to intelligent comedy entirely and let the hokum and threadbare stuff alone. And it is doubly regrettable that ho chooses to revert to the dirty tramp characterization that has pretty well been eliminated from the stage. Lander makes his tramp as un- savory as lie can and appears to glory in it. In the fishing bit late in tho performance he talks about endlessly, and from first to last appears to take pains to emphasize the unwholesome angle of his char- acter type. He couh 1 be just as funny, and reasonably clean at the same time, and there is not and never was .-.ny humor In offensively dirty clothing and makeup. Lander is damaging a real gift for effective, quiet humor by his mis- taken attitude toward his perform- ance. Some of the patter between himself and Willie Lander during the seme mentioned is screamingly funny. The early talk in the mov- ing picture studio was equally amusing, and the cafe table stuff midway between was as good laugh- ing .burlesque material as is to be found anywhere. The trick elephant stunt is funny also in its cruder way, but some of Lander's inci- dental business was distinctly ob« jectionable. Willie Lander is a thoroughly capable assistant funmaker. His best bit was the Greek restaurant stuff, although one wonders If the bit was inspired by a similar inter- lude in one of the preceding organi- zations, which the two Landers fol- low pretty closely. Or is the mate- rial anybody's? Robert C. Miller is tho only other man in the organization who gains prominence. He is a clean-cut juve- nile and contributes several agree- able numbers and incidental dances. So much for the men. There are three principal women, all of them good looking and practiced in the arts of approaching the Wheel audi- ences without too aggressive meth- ods. Incidentally the layout of the show develops a capital trick of ar- rangement. Alice Lawlor is a plump, red-headed, pony-size sou- bret who is kept under cover until the beginning of the second half of the evening. She has the first single number of the evening, directly after the opening chorus. There- after she does nothing of note and the audience is left to forget her. Then, when the show is half gone, she suddenly Is disclosed as a world- beating singer of "blues" numbers by way of a single specialty that stopped the show cold and caused the Columbia crowd to refuse to let it go on for ten minutes. They had forgotten Miss Lawlor when she appeared for her specialty, dressed in the most intriguing frock of plain black, cut almost to the waistline in the back and with a six-Inch skirt of black fringe. The costume alone, snugly filled out by Miss Lawlor, was an episode in itself. Then she rollicked through four "blues" numbers, with an incidental step or two, and took the hit of the proceedings. Henrietta Byron made a statu- esque prima donna, a smooth co- worker with the comedians in their bits and a distinct asset to the stage pictures. Also she has an agree- able voice and an entirely likable personality, not to speak of nice- looking apparel. A blue evening gown on her first appearance was a. beauty. The third of the trio is Ameta Pynes, a lively dancer for all her plumpness, and wearing a scintillating smile. In a suit of white tights and tunic as leader of a chorus drill, she made a satisfying picture of sumptuous curves ar«l undulations. But her singing left much to bo desired. The production probably repre- sents a considerable outlay, and most of the choristers' costumes are good looking. A notable exception was the model worn for the opening chorus, an atrocious affair. This was as ugly as the policeman's uniform of blue velvet and blue tights dis- played later on was attractive. The show has seve *al specialties which must cost money and have no part in the general proceedings. One is "Tarzan," the "human monkey," who created no end of Uproarious merriment at tho Co- lumbia, and Sam Wilson, a wierd offering of a dress-suited negro singer, who delivered himself of a number of Yiddish songs In a dia- \i -« i that sounded authentic. A real typical negro singing In Yiddish and wearing a dress suit With all the eclat imaginable is a novelty if 3' 011 like, but what's the use? Jtush. ■