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About The Augusta daily herald. (Augusta, Ga.) 1908-1914 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 19, 1909)
PAGE EIGHT AL FIELDS THIS WEEK’S CALENDAR AT THE GRAND Wednesday Matinee and Night— AI G. Field’s Minstrels. AT THE BIJOU Continuous Vaudeville, Matinees and night, four perform in' c* daily. AT THE SUPEF.BA Vaudeville Bill that appear* at the Air Dome given at Matinee each afternoon AT THE AIR-DOME Vaudeville every night, two per formanee . AI. G. Fields Minstrels, Wednesday Matinee and Night. Al G. FMlrt, the minstrel man who has made fame and fortune catering to the amusement loving people of this coun try la very pronounced In his views as to the shady show* offered t‘n* public and tells some forceful truths in com menting on some of the stage offerings of the times. The kaleidoscopic sort of entertain ment seems to be the craving of theatre goers In these ulase days of the drama, although lately there has been a healthy hwakening ot the masses and the good, clean drama with a moral atmosphere has attracted greater attention. There Is no denying the fact that af ter all the public is to blame for the lowering of the moral ton** of the sing*-. The public pays the bills. Buy your amusements as you do your clothes and the unsavory offerings of the very few who pander to the morbid will noon dis appear. The theatrical business is peculiar. The intricacies, the Inside workings, the details are lost sight of by those who have not experienced the labor and worry incurred in staging acceptable pro ductions The glamor of the stage and its surrounding*, the exaggerations of almost all theatrical people brag seems to be their strongest asset lias attract ed the impressionable Investor, the •peculator and those who imagine there is easy money in tne business. I o the above class can be charged ninety par cent of tha trashy productions that have brought upon all the profession. There is not a responsible theatrical manager in this country who has made a production outraging decency. It's the piker- the specula tor -the lnterpol%tor, who would debauch any business or en terprise he might engage in, tHfct ha* brought disrepute to the stage It is true and it’s a humiliating admission, there are a few of the lauding theatri cal managers of this country who have lent their financial aid to the Immoral productions that press and public con demn but those gentlemen, with th«i busi ness acumen that has won them for tunes. weru about tha first to condemn the Immorality that passes for amuse ment »nd withdrew their influence and support from the discountenanced produo. lions- The public is the amusement censor of this country and while the tender join element of a couple of the larger cities in this country usually accord the hot-house offering* of a few deprnv ed speculators patronage sufficient to give them a short run. it Is a fact and u pleasant one to consider, the public hue shunned the shady offerings of the past few months, the mayors of several cities refusing them privilege to play in their respective cities. The people of the Provinces U»o called) are the ones who turn these offerings to the wall. Indecency in literature may thrive for n little Ume but there is no known in. stance of the prolonged success of pub lieu*tlon or Individual that tuts promul gated immorality. And so it will be with those who attempt to debauch the stage. Indecency is n misdemeanor every where in this country and there should he no more laxity in the prosecution of those who outrage morallts in word or deed on the stage than those who i\ test the lowest resorts of vice. They do society more harm than the latte**, ns the resorts of the depraved arc pa’rin ixed by the hardened while th* theatre is the popular reaort of the heat peo ple of all classes and more partieulnriy the young. Theatrical business in this country a commercial pursuit and the apologt u for immorality who uses the artistic plea In extenuation of indecency belong* to the Osont Wilde and Bernard Shaw class of literary libertines The stage furnishes education and » laxution; that Is what the reputable peo pie of this country want and will pu for and those who furnish the imtino manta for this generation must giv the public what they pay fo~ There is *»o fear of the stage degenerating o a* * great extent with the press of this country «i a censor. Al G. Fields Greater Minstrels‘come* to the Grand on next Wednesday mat inee and right. •’Paid In Fuir One of the thrstrical offerings of the coming season that will attract much attention is "Paid In Full,*’ Kugene Wallet’a big *uc.e*> that the Wug;«n hrtls A Kemper company Is to send into the South this year for the first time There will le t picked cast In the play, for Its history show* that it always makes so big a hit in every city that the public desires to have it back hence the purpose of ihe managers 1* to make as fine an Impression with it as possible so It will be wanted again. That fs n simple businers proposition by which the public boneflts, as thereby it get* good The company that is coming South in "Paid in Fu'd," is composed of players who ure favorites t >t only on Broadway, but in the rest of the coun try, and arc all well known. The Lion and The Mouse After witnessing "The Lion and the Mouse,** which Henry B. Harris will of- AT THE GRAND WEDNESDAY ij ii’GffljriSji nM i T 15* , Pb*,L ' r.sA > .’wv*" '»*££•//aa - ' e>« 'a'.yr s ’»?*/<3SiT iSCx’ KCXt Al G. Fields Greater Minstrels, at the Grand Next Wednesday, Matinee and Night. fer at. the Grand one is willing to be. II eve that it possesses every essential of u perfectly constructed play. Tn dramatic strength it is unequalled by anything seen on the stage for a gene ration; Its story Is fascinatingly Inter esting and Intensely human; the, charac ters are men and women prominent in the -ocial, financial and political world of tod'V ami they are made to act Just like the types we are familiar with. Charles Klein has written other plays which have brought him very prominent ly before the public, hut he has never created on** that has earned the deep gratitude nil those fe»*l who witness "The Lion and the Mouse." Bailey and Austin, In "The Top ’O Th* World." After making "good" in the hardest kind of weather, subjecting the dangers of the severest critics in both New York and Chicago, Bailey and Austin the erstwhllo "top notchcra" of vaudeville are now Introduced after two seaaonli of probation ns full fledged stars In the fantastical comedy "The Top O' Th* World," which In a greet measure they were responsible for Its Immense suo ceus, com*'* to the Grand in October. A better guarantee of the merits of the attraction are the two long engagements In New York City at the Majestic and Casino theatres, which was followed by several months at the Btudebaker thea tre, Chicago. With seventy odd people, an unique book, clever lyrics, music of the bright and catchy sort, dances that appeal and a big glly, whirly, singing and dancing chorus Is the nucleus of the only legitimate successor to "The Wlsard of Oz" which brought opportuni ties, and afterwards fame and fortune to Montgomery and Htone. The plec« Is in two acts with three scenes, namely Christmas Land, Pa HI In the Mountains and the Palace al Queen Aurora Borealis, on the Plaza In th* City of Illusla. There Is a plot concerns Shollnmn, a parody on nun who started out an expedition ; d the North Pole in a balloon, a uuiker, a little girl who wants to grow tip Immediately, Jack Frost the vll laln of the North Pole Regions, twfl fiiemhv I-Lmulith. ix. all hound round with the thread «*i .i story worked out In an ingeriou* . In this new style ex trr.vnp:*r Th tp are numerous song hits and *l'i nd the Collie ballet. Six young Uhllcm and six dogs go through a scries "f gr. erfu! movements, and the pretty animal- enjoy their work as thoroughly a* do the girls. .--T". ■ ■ • ■ ■■■■-- - - ;,• (.'}•■ '’♦•vrfl.'' * . •• *Mr '• Vl ’ *.•••', ' • ! > »/ ; ... .y_\, t' .... .... V? •* •• i •><- ""jf- jflrJUoPPy uJy.. • Yji t 1 < ■* .' * *,.*’ v David Warfield in “The Music Master,” coming to the Grand. IN NEW YORK By ELLA BUTLER ARGO * r.W YORK They are wearing p' 1 . '- lie Is In PuriH. ’ his far morn Important than .t ?t fir.; pounds, lor It means that our w hlm to accompany him to t;ia Hippo iK < are nee that has been theirs for 'he past year. Of course, I haven’t been to Paris to see the re-introductlon of frills, but a nharmlnf? Georgia woman who has Just returned from abroad with many trunks packed full of Parisian frivolities has told me these things. But why 1 should attempt to write of fashions It Is most difficult to Bay. especially of fashions as they are seen In New York during this time of year when last spring's things are Impossible and when (hare Is no absolute surety as to what the winter's fashions will be. No sooner did 1 assure the Augusta renders of The Herald that the Ws f*r this year was positively modest in their proportions than I attended a very fash ionable opening and discovered that the hats were so absurd that the women trying them on would look -nto each others faces -the faces of strangers, be It understood and break Into laughter Mr. Harry Berasford. In an International Comedy Success “Who’s Your Friend?” A successful drama Is a common occur rence; but a Hucoensful comedy is ab solutely the rarest event in theatricals, and w’hen good fortune Inspires an au thor to present the public with a real genuine comedy; his fortune and reputa tion is assured. Messrs. Harry and Edward rnulton, the authors of “Who’s Your Friend?”, with that odd comedian, Mr Harry Beres ford, have been unusually successful in catering to the public taste, several of their works being decided “lilts’’ espec ially “Erminie” and “Niche." In "Who’s Your Friend?" the Messrs. Pauiton have again duplicated, if not surpassed, all their previous works, and lie leading role being In the hands of Mr. Harry Beresford surrounded by ah excellent metropolitan company with a magnificent realistic production, the >medy has proven to be the funnest seen in years. "Who’s Your rYlend?" is a comedy of THE AUGUSTA HBftALP VAUDEVILLE as irresistible as that which is said to have seized the augurs of old when they met others of their profession who were popularly supposed to give voice to the thoughts of the most high gods. And so, let’s talk about something of which we know something. This is the delicious story I heard yes. terday. A very prominent Augustan has been stopping at the Knit/:erbocker, a rnan as widely famed for his kindliness as for ills remarkable brilliancy of in tellect. He fell completely in love with an Irresistible Irish youth whose duty it is to run one of the elevators and who incidentally wins the hearts of all of us who have enjoyed th© hospitality of this most delightful of hotels. The gentleman from Augusta was lonely, and InCldehtally he wanted to make glad tne heart ’of the elevator boy, so he invited him to accompany him to the Hipper drome. The boy gasped with surprise and pleasure but hastened to assure his would-be-benefactor that the think was quite impossible. Now nothing Is ever impossible to this great and good man, and so he hunted the New* England type, the locals being in the mill district of Rhode Island. Daniel Hake, an elderly inventor, has invented a special dye for woolens, Rival manufacturers are competing to obtain the secret which he refuses to divulge; every scheme imaginable has been work ed. spies have sought work as common mill hands in order to discover the secret dye; but all have met with failure. Like most Inventors, Daniel Hake proves to be a very bad business man, and has contracted a large number of debts in furthering his experiments. A loan broker, whose step-sister is married to the inventor, is cognizant of Daniel Hake’s business affairs and the value of his inventions. To foijce the inventor to accept his terms; and en rich himself, Jabez Vennyman, the broker buys up all of the inventors’ notes and threatens too foreclose. It comes to the Grand next month. Al H. Wilson "It is interesting, as a study of human nature," relates Al 1L Wilson, the sing ing Ambassador of German dialect, who Ib apepuring this season in his new* musical play, "Motz in Ireland," "to ob serve people entering a theatre at night and to s«-e the faces with the various emotions disputed. You will see almost every phase of i n.iracter. For instance, here conns a new; miiried couple, she in her now th*\..i\ gown, and he re spondent in his evening clothes; and then tin* staid old first-nighter, hoping to be pleas,d, but rather expecting to be disappointed; then an elderly couple who are bound to enjoy the evening as they have the many years of lit© to gether To.-' I.Uter, the salt of the earth, who make the world worth living in. ‘Ail sorts of conditions of men’ are there, and to one who has nothing else to do foi .i half hour in the evening, this human nature study, which will sh w all the typ *s of a busy city, can well be rev rmnended. Louis James. As long as Louis James lives there is little chance of the legitimate drama go ing to decay; this season he announces a sp x'taeular revival of that fine his torical comedy "Henry VIJI." and that excellent comedy "The Jealous Wife," greatest period of the classic drama, both gems of an ago that index the With his characteristic efficiency he announces that both plays will be stag ed in a manner commensurate with his past reput; tion, and that his supporting company i c. le*.’ b.. \phie James will he superior to any former organization he has had the honor of presenting to local play-goers. "Strongheart.” "Strong ea:t, which comes to the Grand is a truthful portrayal of col lege life, a gi>v»d plot and a well told story, it holds the attention and inter ests througmnu. “Salomy Jane." Paul Armstrong’s great western com ed> drama "Salomy Jane" which ran an entire year at the Liberty theatre, New York, will he sent to the Pacific Coast this season under the mnnage | tnent of A. G. Pelamater and William | Norris. A few of the principal South- I ern cities will be played en route. The Augustan and the Elevator Boy at the Hotel Knickerbocker. A Costly Talk Be tween Sweethearts. At the Races. Some New Plays : : : : : :::::::::: AT BIJOU, DOME AND SUPERBA up the proper official and begged that the boy would be given an evening off. The official did not demur a moment, but expressed himself as being only too delighted to contribute to the pleasure of an employee of the house, who had made himself sufficiently agreeable to a guest of the hotel to make that guest wish to show him so pleasant an at tention. The evening proved a detftfhtful one to both guest and host. "And was the boy grateful?" asked a friend who heard the story. “Of course he was. He showed it plain ly by his desire to reciprocate my lit tle attention. A twinkle in the great man’s eye made his interlocutor curious. "What did the boy do?" "Well, unfortunately, the courtesy he offered me I couldn’t accept. He asked me, after the play, to have a glass of beer with him." But to fully appreciate the point of this story one must know as only a few of us do, the name of the Augustan. Another Augustan Is the nero of this story, which I had to go all the way to New York to hear. He was very much in love with a New York girl, this de lightful young cotton man, and he had told her that he would call Tier over the long-distance telephone on a certain eve nlng. He had an idea that his firm would give him a large check for a Christmas present and he counted on us ing some of it for the telephone toll. The check was much larger than he ex pected, seemed Indeed quite a fortune, and It was with a light heart that he called up the young lady’s number and recognized her sweet voice. An animated conversation was enter ed into and they talked and talked. Cen tral warned them that three minutes had passed and the young man tried to bring about a pause, hut the girl talked on and on. The minutes flew and still she talk ed. Probably she would have talked until bed-time had she not, fortunately for the young man, been interrupted at her end of the line. Weakley the youth asked for his bill, ft was exactly five cents less than the amount of his Christ mas check. Naturally, we have been to **re races. Everybody goes. This time it was at Sheepshead Bay. The day was golden, the track in perfect condition and the • ' ' :+ ': . - T . Scene From “Paid In Fnll,” at the Grand in the near future- ALL WEEK Big-City Vaudeville Promised At Wells’ Bijou This Week There is a big surprise hi store 101 the* tl:'’sands cf patrons of he » jo the tlc«-tre beautiful, for * ib *v*ek H September 20th, starting with the usual matinee tomorrow afternoon afternoon at 3:30. The management promises a regular big city vaudeville show of the kind that you see at Keith & Proctor’s, Hamer steins, Percy Williams and other prom inent vaudeville theatres in New York City. Of course these big hoNies of fer a larger number of acts than the Bijou, but there big vaudeville houses charge from twenty-five cents to a dollar to see their shows, while the Bijou’s standard price for vaudeville is ten and twenty cents, and what they miss in quantity, they offer in quality, and the audience this week will more than re ceive their money's worth. A great big bill is featured by the "Military Four", "The Boys of Harmony’’ This act comes to Augusta direct from the Keith circuit, and as there has been no high class quartette heard in Au gusta for many a long day, they w\U be more than welcome. This singing four, composed of Wally Mersereau, tenor; Jas. White, second tenor; E. F. Mercereau, baritonne; J. Close, bass, will prove a veritable revelation to the amusement seekers who will crowd the Bijou of week starting tomorrow. The Masseys are comedy jugglers, and one of the very best acts of its kind that This Week At The Air-Dome >The fact that Manager Luck has re turned and is again booking the acts for the Air-Dome insures patrons of the delightful place another week of genuine entertainment. Mr. Luck personally guarantees the w'eek’s offerings as being as good as the house has ever played, and he assures Domers that they will be well repaid by a visit to the show this week. So confident is he of this that the offer is made in good faith that anyone who isn’t entirely satisfied can get the admission price <?ack on appli cation to the box office. Tuttle and May, guaranteed to be one of the best comedy teams ever seen here, will present as the headline at traction the farcical absurdity, "A Pipe Dream." This skit is as full of laughs and ginger as one could possibly wish for, and it is destined to be the big gest hit of the season. Joe Brennan. Irish story teller and singer, late understudy to Chauncey Ol cott. will please everyone, without ex ception, and has an act away from any thing ever seen here in vaudeville. He crowd in a ifood humor and superlative ly attractive clothes. The crow’d In its size and nature was surprising because of course batting is no longer allowed. But, why the excitement? Why, the feverish anxiety over the progress of this horse, that or the other Really it was very puzzling. A young couple sitting near entered enthusiasltcally into the interest felt in each race. One was reminded of the ex citement of "Checkers," when he sings out over and over, "Come on, Remorse" The girl hammered the man on the shoulder again and again, and they both laughed with glee when the steeplechase was over and the favorite came out ahead by a nose’s length. Then the girl said in a voice she be lieved to be low, "Go bet on the next one." "But it’s pretty dangerous," objected the man. “It’s so much fun,’’ pouted the girl. He went, as what man would not? “It’s pretty risky, ’ he asserted "The book-maker told me to look out, as there were detectives on all sides, and I had to just slip the money down In his pocket." "Oh, how exciting!" said the girl. Another race was run and went as SUNDAY, SEPT. 19 has ever left New York. Mr. Jake Wells himself saw this act, and put the stamp of approval on it. Ned Norton is a black face cjmedian, and was until a few weeks ago one of the features of the Cohan & Harris "Honey Boy Minstrel." This young man is just about twenty years ahead of the usual black face comedian seen in Augusta. George Lukins is bated as a musical comedy comedian. He not only plays his various instruments in a masterful way, but he shines as a comedian, and he will have you "laughing" out of your seats. This chap comes to Au gusta strongly recommended. Herbert Lawson is a phenomenal boy tenor, and remains over for his second week. The management has re-engaged him, especially for the benefit of the la dles and children whom he will delight with his wonderful fresh, clear, tenor voice. Herbert will sing several new songs heard here for the first time. The sensational shadowgraph will of. fer new and interesting shadow pictures, with a new* change of subjects tomor row and Thursday. There are four performances daily, at 3:30, 5:00, 8:15 and' 9:30. It is safe to predict that the comfort able and cozy Bijou theatre will be crowded all the week, starting with the usual matinee tomorrow afternoon at 3:30. Will make good from his initial appear ance. Dotty Dale, dainty singing and dancing soubrette, completes the vaudeville part of this entertaining bill, and she will be appreciated and well liked by all. Air-Dome motion pictures will con tinue to set the pace in this class of en tertainment with the largest and most realistic pictures ever seen here. On account of the work going on at the Superba, it will be impracticable to run matinees this week, therefore the performances will all be given at the Air Dome, starting at 8 o’clock and running continuously until 11 each night in the week. It behooves everyone to be on time Monday night in order to secure aeats —there's always a crowd Monday night. As soon as the work is completed at the Superba—and it will be pushed night and day—the two shows a week plan will be inaugurated, giving patrons a complete new show Monday and every Thursday, instead of on Mondays only as at rpesent. these young people evidently wished it to go. “Now one more bet,” said the girl "I tell you it’s too risky.” “What would they do with you if they caught you?” asked the girl. “They would arrest the and woul% put me out of the grounds.” Her face fell, and then she brightened up, Oh, but the car is waiting for us and I could pick you up on the road.” The man still looked dubious. "Have you any money?” “No, but you can give me some be fore you go to make another bet.” He disappeared in the crowd and was such a long time coming back that a presumably uninterested spectator of the little scene became half frantic with ner. vousness while the girl again becam* absorbed in the race. But evidently everything was alright, for a half hour later I saw the two with beaming faces climbing into their automobile. These last plays—possibly because they are the last I shall see in New York for some time—are more delightful than any I have yet enjoyed. "The Dollar Mark,” is a stupendous thing, something over which New York—or that part of it that knows anything about frenzied finance is go ing quite mad. The cast is a strong one, and the production perfect, and yet they say the play is soon to be taken off. The reason whispered is that the story deals too close to resemblance to a true story recently transpiring and that the actors are made up so as to appear the exact counterpart of the chief char acters in this story, who are world-fam ed New York financiers. Be this as It may, the thing is as entertaining as It is daring. You would simply adore "The Fortune Hunter" wiiu John Barrymore. I can’t irfiugine the play being a success with a lesser actor, but Mr. Barrymore makes of it an artistic creation that is little short of perfection. Before giving s new play, Mr. John Drew is presenting for a few weeks his last season’s great success “Jack Straw. Like all of the Frohman pro ductions It is exquisitely done, and the comedy is reahy very funny, but among the players the laurels fall far more fairly to Rose Coghlan than to John Drew. By-the-way, Augustans will be interested in knowing that this favorite of ours is one of the chosen stars for the new theatre, which is expected tb bring about such a marvellous dramatio revolution under the direction of this widely talked of Mr. Adams of Boston. But, of course, you’ve read all thaf In tne papers long ago. As widely talked of as the rival claims of Peary and Cook Is Israel Zangwill’s new play "The Melting Pot” with Walk er Whiteside in the stellar role. It is new to New York, but had already had a year’s brilliant run in Chicago. It is causing a perfect storm of controversy, but Is winning the heartiest approval of those who care for the highest and best in histrionic art. I wish I had space to particularize in regard tb this play, but there is barely time to say that I am thoroughly glad that Is this that is the last play I am to see be fore leaving New York tomorrow.
