Variety (September 1925)

VARIETY VAUDEVILLE Wednesctoy, September 2, 1928 EXIT THE MONOLOGIST By WALTER C. KELLY "The Virginia Judo*" • » Back in the closin;; years oi the last century I etood one snowy Sunday evening on the stage of the old Grand opera house at Sih ave- nue and 23nl street, New York, bowing my grateful aeknowledg- mentti to the riutoua acclaim of a capa:lty house, this being my first f)rofessional appearance in the role Of "Tht \'ii-.t?lnia Judge." Laughter had l)eei so spontaneous tmd continuouo that I became un- certain as to whether the audience was guying my etTorts or meant it fts a real tribute to my talent and material. My doubts were'eoon di.s- polle when dear old Ted Marks, the J -presario of the Grand's Sunday night concerts, crashed Into my dressing room wit> an immediate ofTe. for the following Sunday of double salary, which meant $lt. Since that eventful night I have traveled to far corners of the earth end me. the aristocrats and proleta- Tlats of the Engllsh-speakiii;i world. London. Bombay, Johannesburg, Melbourne, San Francisco, Boston, Washington and New Orleans, and every other city of Importarce have since confirmed the judgment of that 8th avenue audience of the last century. i And yet, despite that for all these years the public, press and circuit owners and local managers have showered me with every jourteay and still shower me with offers, I cannot help but feel that we are witnessing the passing of the monol- oglst from the field of public en- tertainment. But I do not in the least attribute this to any lack of popularity with either public, press «r manager. In tUs form of entertainment, the three causes which I believe will bring It about are, first, the dearth of competent recruits, owing to the fact that no other effort in the field of public amusement requires or de- mands such originality or makes such heavy demands upon the ner- vous system. This will probably cause a smile among the laymen and that portion of the profession who appear in singles or group acts, In which orchestra, scerery, cos- tumes, shapely llnibs, etc., all con- tribute to the genera, effect. 50,000 Acts In proof of this statement, how- ever, I need but point to the fact that there is in vaudeville . this ■Writing, or available for it through the medium of cabarets, lay-offs, ^ etc., j,t least 50,000 acts that may be safely divided as follows: "jazz band.s, 1,000; acrobats, 5,000; hoof- era, 23,000; Mammy singers, 7,995; musical acts, l.OOO; singles, doubles, trios, etc., sketch teams, mind readers, "My next Impression will be," cartoonists, old-timeni, tab- Jolds. "appearing in person," nut comics, sister acts, quartets, etc., 12,000; monologists, 5. These figures are app-oximately correct and are i plendid proof of my contention. The second c;uise, which I believe has largely contrib- uted to the pasulng of not only the monologist, but to most all worth- while efforts In vaudeville, can be largely attribute . to the sordid com- mercialism of the small-tlmo cir- cuit owners who have, through their choice of programs, so pol- luted the public taste that v.-hatever clean and Intelligent pitronage they once held have lost all inter- eat In either the programs or the pert<onalitles therein. The majority of acts on all small-time bills, oon- BClous of their mediocrity, .-nake no demands for billing or notices, and gradually become a herd with no pride of name or place In their chosen field, content with the serf's reward of food and lodging. Tiie result of this policy has been BO fatal to the development of talent or artistry, that in the past ten years the small-time has not de- veloped one conspicuous succe.ssful or outstanding artist in any field; and it one po.ssesslng the divine spark .should arise amongst them, three-a-day and four on .Saturday and Sunday would speedily destroy toth his or hir health and ambition. Lauyhs and Films My third brief and final rea.son In l)olieving Uiat Miss Beatrice Hereford, Julius Tanncn, Senator For'l, I). D. H. and myself are prac- tically through, is that_ the movie magnate.s would pay one million dollars for a film that could get as many laughs as any of the above named artists do in 20 minutes. This la nwely a mecbamlcal fact. It may yet be our good fortune to reach and collect from as big an audience through the medium of the radio as the screen does with its unlimited I egativea. Until then, I fear that the dulcet voice and compelling hu- mor of myself and comical col- leagues will be restricted to a very narrow field. However, to the memory of J. W. Kelly, Jim Glenroy, Hughey Dough- erty, Nat Wills, Jim Cullen, Joe Welch, Lew DocksUder, Kube Dlck- ingson, George Fuller Golden, Frank Kogarty and Charlie Case, this last thin line of defense, I pledge we shall not be silent. We shall speak, and the hills will answer, though in Lincoln 'tis lost on the air. v" . Exeunt Raconteur ARTHUR HORWrrZ—^ BROKE; OWES $47,000 Vaudeville Agent Names 12 Lawyers as Creditors— Returning East McCUTCHEON-GLASS Reformed Dancing Team Reopening at Rendezvous Wallace McCutcheon and Bonnie Glass expect to reopen as a reformed dancing team when Miss Olass re- turns to New York. The couple will probably first ap- pear at the Rendezvous (cabaret). Mr. McCutcheon Is with Carroll's "Vanities" and will continue in the show. <( Ape Dance'* Accident "The Ape" dance number slated to close the Hippodrome show this week never opened because of an injury to Don Atino's ankle at the Monday momiiig rehearsal. In the gorilla costume, after a dance number, he was slated to swing himself and WilUe May across the stage in pendulum fashion, a couple of spills at last week's rehearsals indicating the danger in this. It culminated Mon- day at the final rehearsal. Amer- ique & Neville substituted. Chicago, Sept. 1. Arthur Horwits, vaudeville agent, filed a bankruptcy petition here yesterday, scheduling Uabillties of 147,600 and no assets. Practically all the Items listed were debts con- tracted by bis former wife. The banliruptcy may establish a precedent In Illinois courts in the number of lawyer's bills named in the petition. There are T2 lawyers so listed and there would have been more if Horwita could have in- cluded the lawyers who obtained for his wife her divorce, but this the law will not permit. Attorney Philip A. Lozowick, who Is handling the bankruptcy, states Horwits has made a separate agreement with his wife and her attorneys. During the past year or more Horowitz has been operating in Chicaga following his New York troubles and in that time has es- tablished a reputation as an inde- pendent agent. It is expected that he will return to New York next January. $2,750 for Pearl White According to reports in New York when Pearl White returns to New York for appearances in the Ketth- Albee vaudeville theatres, she will ask for $2,750 weekly. MACT AND SCOTT IH N. Y. Macy and Scott will play their first New York City engagement at the Jefferson, New York, the first half of the week of Sept. 10. The pair have been working together for the past three years but have yet to play the metropolis. Claims $1,000 From Vfrna Hsyworth Sammy Burns claims $1,000 due for services rendered In staging the act of and wriMng hpocial Ivrics for Vema Hayworth. He has started suit for the amount. Walter Percival in "Big Boy" Walter Percival is rehearsing for the Leo Donnelly role In the Jolsun "Big Boy'' show. Mr. Donnelly held over In the part from last season. "KING'S" START POSTPONED The opening of Joe Cook's star- ring vehicle. "HoWs the King?" has been i>ostponed from Sept. 7 to Sept. 14 at Ford's, Baltinnore. The piece is now in rehearsal at the E^rl Carroll. The cast includes Charles Alex> ander, John Price Jones, Clarence Senna. Claude Ailister, Florence £d- ney, Albert Reed, John Nunn and Virginia O'Brien. Barl Carroll is producing. NEW ORLEANS ICANAOERS Chicago, Sept. 1. Two changes in the management of the Orpheum Circuit theatres In New Orleans will become effective Aug. 30. J. A. Bertran will manage the Orpheum, with Victor Meyer, formerly treasurer of tlie Orpheum, assigned to the managerial end of the Palace. Quits Act Sol Brilliant (Brilliant & Clnss) was called home Au?». 26 to attend Ms sick father. He left the act at Pnntages, Portland. Ore. Class is continuing Jhe Pan book- ings an a "single." INSIDE STUFF ON VAUDEVILLE A similar bit of business occurs in the new Charlie Chaplin picture, "The Gold Rush," and Harold Lloyd's "The Freshman" (not released antll Sept. 20). It is the bit of both comedians when on a dance floor commencing to lose their trousers. Not worked exactly in the same manner, but closely enough in idea to cause wonderment that two pie. tures holding it should contain the same idea while both were in the making. "The Freshman" was shown at a pre-view in New York about a month ago. Also in the Chaplin picture is a piece of comedy business new to the screen, and which will receive much credit for originality. It Is, how. ever, a slight variation of the "finger dancing" as x>erformed for a long while by Ward and Culhane in vaudeville. Later Marty Culhane did the same thing in Broadway cabarets. Chaplin adds his exquisite pantomime to the bit, thereby taking it out of the usual. In "Sally of the Circus," where W. C. Fields scores tremendou.sly for his first attempt in comedy films and indicating that his pantomirhle period of long years as a vaudeville Juggler is going to make his fortune on the screen as a funny fellow, there are any number of laugh bits the picture fan will accept as creations. They are creations, of Fleid's, but not first played by him before the camera. Most of the bits are from Fields' acts or in the shows where he has been the principal come, dlan, like "Poppy" and Zlegfeld "Follies." The water bit, the big laugh of "Sally," has been done by Bill in the "Follies." Bill Fields has ^tablished himself In pictures by his very first, an extraordinary feat. In "Sally" Fields did not denote an lota of camera shyness, the drea^ of producers with all first time stars. His per. formance in "Sally" as the gypping but good-hearted carnival fakir has led already, from reports, to several picture offers to him. Fields Is under contract to Philip Ooodman, who is going to star him In a new piece, "The Showman." Like all vaudevillians of the older school, biq Fields is loyaL Goodman gave Fields his stage chance in "Poppy," when he spoke lines for the first time, and Mr. Goodman has stated that he would take Bill's flip of the finger more readily as an agreement than his signature. "Sally" is an adaptation In a way of "Poppy." This can happen and did—husbands writing letters when stewed and forgetting what they wrote. The wifo of this iMtrticular chap went to Washington some weeks ago to visit her folks. She set a time for retunlng and dear husband in answering her letter oomposed a beaut in which he referred to mother-in-law in unmistakably uncomplimentary terms. He admitted, later, it was raw stuff. Wifie didn't turn up when expected, but soon afterwards her sister came to town. Husband asked her what the trouble was and she toM him he never could square himself, going into details as to the content of his letter. He said he didn't rememt>er writing it but supposed it must be so. And now a divorce is possible. The husband lauglis about that, but says the wife won't stand for the decree. James J. Corbett is going over the Orpheum Circuit with Jack Norton as the champ's final vaudeville tour for a while. After next season, or before next season ends. Jim will g9 upon his lecture tour. As a lecturer James J. will enjoy one distinction—be will talk for one hour and a half without taking a drink of water, nor will he hare any kind of a stand or pedestal upon the rostrum with him. In the lectures he has thus far given, Jim says he- has found that the pedestal, glass of water and pitcher detract. That is, he takes the monologulst's idea of centering all attention upon himself. Mr. Corbett is in demand by colleges for lectures on his athletls career for the boys. When speaking to boys in colleges or high school^ James J. tells of his very interesting youth, how he had to take to athletics to promote his own health; what they did for him and how, when he announced himself ready to fight John L. Sullivan, his frien4s thought he had picked a new route to suicide. Jim makes his talk airy but punchy, and it's amusingly Interesting for all ages of both sexes, aided, of course, by his engaging address. A female impersonater now around Chicago got his experience while an undergraduate at the University of Michigan. As a result of his work in one of the college musicals, he received several i>rofessional offers, but took them Jokingly. "He graduated as an electrical engineer and found himself wortt exactly $38 a week to the business world. Meanwhile the girl he ha* married at college was to l)ecome a mother. It was then the young man renlembered the professional offers with the result he is now earning $350 and $400 a week playing picture houses. The McCreas, former vaudevillians. have established a farm near Wolf Lake, Mich. They are becoming wealthy breeding muskrats. Their muskrat farm Is one of the only two in the United States. It is located on a registered lake, which the McCreas own, and in which they built a four-foot concrete fence. Starting with 1,000 pairs, the mu^rats multiply so rapidly that the McCreas expect to be able to kill 5,000 thii winter for the fur market, with another 5,000 later in the season. The McCreas formerly did a ring act under the name of Loves and Wilbur. Billy Van recalls that 20 years ago when a Louie Roble burlesque show played around 33d street with a song having for a ohorus tag line, "What the hell?" the police threatened to close the theatre if the song were not eliminated. Apropos of the present "musical comedies" on Broadway. A story is about a stormy scene occurring when the vaudeviUing wife of a former vaudevilUan read the complaint in a divorce action her husband tiad started against her. The wife, it appears, had been influ- enced through an agreement on weekly payments. Payments lapsed for a few weeks whereupon the wife thought she would try to find out what she had been ctiarged with in the papers thAt her husband told her "amounted to nothing." Searching the court records she found «h« had been charged with about everything but murder. The wife started the scene that has not yet ended. Sam Bernard, back from a long European vacation, says he Is unde- cided what to do. None of the present Broadway revues or anything like them will tempt Mr. Bernard's return to the stage. He ha.s entirely recovered from the indisposition that kept him on the ground last season. ELSA MOST (NEWELL and MOST) "There are very few women on the stage gifted with a real sense of comedy—Elsa Most stands alone in her particular line." —THE NEWS CHICAGO. "Elsa Most, with her brother. Bill Newell, carried off the comedy hon- ors of a fine bill. Elsa has a unique and charming style and we will not be surprised if a big producing manager lifts her out of vaudeville." —DETROIT FREE PRE^SS. It is understood that the American consul at Berlin Is now refusing to vise passports of Germans coming over hero under contract unleM they furnish a bond over there ensuring their return to Germany. Ed Schiller, of the Loew staff. Is one of the few to return from abroad without raving over one or more of the European caidtals. Mr. Schiller said he didn't think so much of Europe In any spot, and was glad to get back. The Colonial. Sioux Falls, S. D., denies the report In Variety W* week that it will run a colored bill of four acts every three '"'^"''*^!^ ,, provide the meager colored population of that city amusement by the^ own race. The Colonial folks are of the Impression the reiicit * circulated by antagonistic Interests. House plays high grade pu tures only.