Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 17, 1922)
THE SUTTDAY OREGONTAN, PORTLATTD. DECEMBER T7, 1923 - " wtlw' 8fT avvVWvsN . - ' ' V :V-Pii f f Vx . - v? m m H V"iV p -l" f : 'ir:i; p I :;) it L if 4 V, 17 i $ 3? 'vr iJ "TVi - r j - fi 1 BKeaafe , , t .C . x rl r , v ' - j ' trTA : f - "- - -V.sr&' 1 -: : !Wl 1 I you offer up a fervent prayer fot ' M -'' : 0 I A 'VWi ! ; ' 1 LAJ .: YZ O - 1 , the opportunity to push him in front H " j - i f" 1 v - ' A? ' ' - ' 1 rv ..Wf'A of a freight train. I , V ' V -; Xi 1 fl yvW , t' i , j ,1, , ' ' fc ' 1 "Yet, with aU this caustic criti- I a ! 5 8 aS?M ! J ' KTJ - 'Sw cism, I feel honor bound to pay 'f AY I flFw,f A V?" 1 ! ' 1 , ' ' tribute to that army of fun lovers, . - !-: J! LljLi I fi 0?,t ' V' ' ' 1 - ffV the theater-going public, the echo 1 - i -f ; , " 3 xJ&7 3ti3 ' ,1 ' t- L 7 1 - " of whose laushter and applause will F I 1 ' 1" f V-'' r I y T T ' " 1 f ' ' S l : H 'AV ? $ I - CXi ' be to me the sweetest symphony of - I L! vi f , N lf ' v - t J , 1 - i -,-1 " " decline years.". lV I. ' T I ' J J 1 ' ' v J t iWXVmk' Ik H. Burnside, general director . -,1. M' ' ' , i E I, - C A ' -g7 M Wk t& of the New York Hippodrome, gives ' mmmmmmm 4 2?! , ' 4 ' - - ? J v 1 i,,,,-lArf- er to the old village choir for mMWWiiBf V W ' I ' - V I r- the training of capable singers. . L . t -M v . ' , I W t t Mr m t T v , v 3 Eleven of the 16 principal singers in ' - - f ' ' , v'i .'T ite "f K . , . HI " J$ , 1 11 "Better Times" at the New York I - J "f1 tV X J? t i -? V. 'II , . i 1 4 , " Hippodrome began their .careers as feWpiI . If s , x 1 A IV, it. , ' 7 - Aj 1 7M choir singers, and one, Miss Sarah , X 1 - "H I i wS-" ' " ? ICVC: & " j J " v " ' -M Edwards, still retains her church ' f f - ' . .',J I jR - s JkX B5SS. - j n soloist-s position in addition to ap- ( . i v, : 1 JJ" (! ' ' " V 7 " " V 4 x - 4 ffrSl pearing at the H-ppodrome. . i , -A . - 1 jf , . , J . (QKf lv" v. ,MPJ AVAnDEVILLB artist who writes all his own acts and still has time to do acts and entire plays lor other actors Is John B. Hymer, who, with his company. Is present tag "Tom Walker in Dixie," one of the headline numbers on the Or pheum vaudeville programme which closes its Portland engagement at the Hellig theater this evening. Hymer has a summer home in Maine. Throughout the season of his work In vaudeville he maps out his work and when he gets to the summer retreat he starts in on it. Hymer Insists that there Is nothing o good as dictation to keep one's writing within reasonable limits. Merely hearing a phrase from one's own tongue will frequently be suf ficient to cause it to be discarded, r "By dictating a writer gets dra matic . construction he gets the Toice, the gestures and the picture. My present act, 'Tom Walker in Dixie.' was written in just this man ner," f "Walter C. Kelly, renowned In raudeville as "the Virginia judge," and known to thousands of Portland vaudeville patrons, will be in one of the headline spots, on the new Orpheum vaudeville programme. Sharing the honors with the droll, whimsical judge is' John B. Hymer, who, with his company, presents "Tom Walker in Dixie," which Hy mer calls a fantastic novelty crea tion. i Walter Kelley is a monologist who Is different. His quaint narratives are supposedly the actual happen ings of the little Virginia court house where mostly those called to the bar are real southern negroes. , Hymen, author of many famous Taudeville sketches, and co-author with Samuel Shlpman of Fay Bain ter"s famous stage success, "East Is West," offers a negro characteriza tion aa his role in "Tom Walker in Pixie,'' which carries its character through many' hilariously funny ituatlons. ; Before the season is out those "Six Characters in Search o-f an Author" will have .extended their investigations all over the country. The San Francisco stage guild has arranged to play the Pirandelll travesty next month and the Little theater in Memphis and the Plays arid Players club in Philadelphia are seeking permission from Brock temberton to follow suit. ! Princeton university will also see the comedy for two special perform ances early in the hew year. , - ; Edward Corbett is the latest dis ciple of literature to think up a play. He has laid aside his mimeo graph to put the finishing touches to his script tentatively called "The Twilight Age," and it Is said the work has already been accepted for production. J jaul Kleist and company In "The Land of Dreams" have an up-to-date novelty with a stage setting that is unusual. Musical Instruments In novel ways are introduced, the whistling solo with a mandolin be ing especially notable. Kleist has cultivated a whistle to suirh shades of expression that he can whistle words almost as plainly as spoken. The act is brought to a climax when a miniature battleship appears. i Did you ever sit In the theater next to one of those pests who ln alats upon talking business with an kinfortunate victim four seats away? Jle is one or tne many or nis type whom Walter C. Kelly, "the Vir ginia judge," would like to scalp, figuratively speaking. The Judge is entertaining Orpheum vaudeville audiences with his headline act on She bill which opens at the Hellig heater today. ( ' "In the presence of this comfort destroying creature," the famous humorist says, "you lose all desire ,tn be funny. The hatred and sorrow on your countenance gives the lie to the comedy of your speech and thus you unwillingly cheat a whole audience of your best effort. Your nnlv solace is in the quiet seclusion pf your dressing room, where Anne Nichols, whose "Abie's Irish Rose" is still doing business at the Republic theater, and a company of which also played Portland,' and Sidney Howard have been elected to membership In the ranks of the American Dramatists. Mr. How ard's last effort was "Swords," pre sented by Brock Pemberton a year ago. The films have lost another ac tress, for the time being at least, in the person of Virginia Magee, lead ing woman with Richard Barthel mess in his recent picture, "The Bond Boy." Miss Magee Is making her debut on the stage in "The Little Kan garoo," the Oliver Morosco musical comedy, which will come to New York on December 20. James T. Powers and Marjorle Gateson have the leading roles. John Barrymore has been gener ally acclaimed a. the, best Hamlet of modern times. At any rate) he Is close to it and his performance, coupled with Arthur Hopkins' pro ductions of the Shakespearean trag edy, is selling out the Sam H. Har ris theater at every performance In New York. "Bits of 1923" comprises the main attraction for the 11th week of the Lyric musical comedy company's reign of fun at the Baker theater. Cleverly conceived by Lou Davis, this new offering Is full of the sparkling stuff which makes for enjoyable entertainment. All ' of the various well-known Lyric An-makers appear in varied ensembles and features which Port land audiences rarely have an op portunity of seeing in a high-class revue. Marie Kich, prima donna of the company, whose clever work'has occasioned much comment this sea son in the various Lyric productions, is to be featured in a novel jazz number, "Gypsy Blues." Assisting will be the Pacific Four, the Lyric's quartet who have proved so popular at that shrine of musical comedy this season, and the Uttle-ladies-of-the-ballet which theatergoers know best as the Rosebud chorus. Life; appears to be divided Into two ' distlnet classes those who form the great majority, and the others who are outstanding by their possession of an outstanding ability and personality. One of these is Cecil Cunningham, whose name has been scintillated to the eyes of mil lions by the incandescent lights of the Great White Way, who for the past several seasons has been the dominating cause of the success of the Greenwich Village Follies. Miss Cunningham, after playing for three successive years with only Sunday as a night of rest, has signed a Pan tages circuit contract and will be headline feature of the new bill opening tomorrow. As a mimic of other performers, as a singer of unique songs. Miss Cunningham is justifiably spoken of as "in a class by herself." This year's expenditure for cos tumes at Oberammergau is said to have totaled more than 90,000 marks. While this sum is not so huge as it sounds, by reason of the depre ciated mark, yet it amounts to a considerable item for the villagers. and represents only a part of the great expense of producing the Pas sion Play. Owing to the great scarcity of material, dyes and so forth, much that did duty In' 1910 is being used this summer. Probably few in the vast audiences noted the difference, however, and certainly the costum ing was one of the marvels of the wonderful performances. No two garments seemed alike, and elabo rate as they all were, there was nothing in the least degree bizarre or unsuitable. The amount men tioned is said to have been contrib uted in one gum by a generous friend of Oberammergau from another country. George Gray Barnard, the famous sculptor, has invited Charles S. Gil pin, who plays the title role in Eugene O'Neill's graphic drama. The Emperor Jones, which comes to the Hellig theater Thursday, De cember 21, for an engagement of three nights, with a matinee on Saturday, to become the central fig ure in a group that was suggested to the sculptor's mind by a scene that Gilpin does in the play. Mitzi, the captivating prima donna comedienne, who will be seen in Lady Billy" at the Hellig theater December 28, 29 and 30 with a spe cial Saturday matinee, is an artist whose voice alone would be anyone else's fortune. She is tiny, pretty, full of dash and not only can she act charmingly, but In her delight ful costumes how charming she can look. The charm of "Lady Billy" lies In an interesting story, with a back ground of songful musical numbers, and a foreground most of the time with Mitzi as the central character. Zelda Sears wrote the book and the lyrics, and Harold Levey, a pro tege of Victor Herbert, composed the musical numbers. In the neighborhood of six months ago, Alexander Pantages, head of the vaudeville circuit that bears his name, declared that he intended to engage the highest-priced acts available on the vaudeville stage and to prove to the entertainment world that these could be presented at popular prices. About three months ago "Variety," the-authorlta-tive theatrical publication, was au thority for the statement that Mr. Pantages was paying the highest salaries and, as a result of this, was engaging the highest-grade talent. Since that time a series of notable announcements has been made, to be followed each week with super headline attractions. A notable arrival in the city to day was Alexander Chernyoff, whose name has been synonymous with the greatest In concert pianists for the last decade. Chernynoff,' In a very select programme, will be one of the outstanding features on this week's vaudeville bill at the Pantages the ater in a repertoire seldom heard on any other than the concert stage. The headline feature of the bill is Miss Cecil Cunningham, until a few weeks ago the headline performer of the Greenwich Village Follies, New York City. played at the Princess theater. New York, where it ran an entire sea son. Extended engagements in Philadelphia, Boston and Chicago followed the New York run, and the attraction created a furore in each city. The play is said to be novel in conception and construction. Its like has never before been seen -on any stage, and the producer has provided a background of superb the public auditorium of the Amer ican light opera company, begin ning Sunday, December 31. The company, which virtually took Port land by storm with a repertoire of light and comic operas, many of which had not been heard here for years, will include. In addition to the operas- presented before, two of the popular grand operas. The company will bring with it all scenic settings, like nothing ever the stars who made such a pro shown before the footlights. Acting like Gilpin's Is seen only once in a decade or more, and it is doubtful if any other player of our time - could successfully play the difficult role, as It calls for expres sions of all the human emotions. from mirth gradually changing to slight alarm, to fright and to the depths of despair. Through it all there Is a touch of realism which almost convinces the spectator that he or she is witnessing scenes from real life and not acting. HEIIilG BILLS GREAT PLAT Charles S. Gilpin Will Appear In "The Emperor Jones." The biggest dramatic novelty of the season, Eugene O'Neill's un usual play, "The Emperor Jones." Is announced for the Heillg theater next Thursday for an engagement of three nights, with a special matinee Saturday. Charles S. Gilpin is starred in the role of emperor, and the presenta tion is under the management of Adolph Klauber. Both play and star achieved instantaneous suc cess the first night the piece was "IiADT BELLY" IS MEDIEVAL Mitzi's Musical Comedy Haunting Love Story of Koumania. An old Roumanian castle, with Its haunting love story of the long ago, Is the setting for "Lady Billy," the new musical comedy in which Henry W. Savage is now presenting Mitzi on tour. She comes to the Hellig theater Decem ber 28, 29 and 30, with a special matinee Saturday. Mitzi's singular charm, eprightli ness and drollery, which have cap tivated American audiences in "Sari," "Pom Pom" and "Head-Over-Heels," are intensified in her new est character conception the irre sistible "Lady Billy," a young Rou manian countess whose adventures take her from an old-world castle to American city life, in an amazing an amusing series of guises and disguises. "Lady Billy," which is Mr. Sav. age's most pretentious musical of. fering for the season, is an orig inal story by - Zelda Searsv who is also the author of the lyrics.. The composer, Harold ' Levey, a young American and the protege of Victor Herbert, may also be hailed as i "Savage discovery." The sumptu ous staging of 'Xady Billy" Is the achievement . of John McKee, re membered for his novel stagings of "Madame X," "See Saw" and "Shav ings." In the arrangement of dance numbers ror xay Billy" he was aided by Julian Alfred. A novelty of "Lady Billy" is the absence of a chorus. According to the new Savage experiment, the "chorus girls" are superseded ,by an octet of young women who qualify as actresses, dancers and .singers, and a quintet of special dancers. LIGHT OPERA TO RETURN Engagement for Week of Decern, ber 31 Is Announced. Much interest is being shown in musical and theatrical circles over the week's return engagement at nounced hit during the November engagement, including Paula Ayers, Theo Pennington, Edward Andrews, George Olson and the others. While the repertoire for the return en gagement has not been definitely set- tied, the operas given before will be repeated and the list will be in creased to take in the entire reper toire of the company. ROMANTIC SOUTH. FEATURED New Orpheum Show Offers Fine Vaudeville Attractions. Something savoring of the ro mantic south marks the headline features of the Orpheum vaudeville programme, which opens its Port land engagement at the Hellig theater with the matinee this afternoon. There are two - dis tinctive headline numbers, with Walter C. Kelly, . "the Virginia Judge," in big ' type and opposite him in that ranking John B. Hymer and company, presenting Tom Walker in Dixie," a fantastic comedy novelty. The high tone of this - bill is maintained by the other acts, which Include Charles B. Middleton anS Leora Spellmeyer, in their western comedy, "Lonesome Land"; Guy and Pearl Magley, in "Dance Stories , Frank Ward and dollies, in which Mr. Ward employs the ingenious toy- creations of Madame Georgene Averill. a former Portland woman; Scanloni Denno brothers and Scan Ion In "Old Ideas Renewed," intro ducing their original wait! qua drille, and EUy, billed as "the lit tle marvel," the youngest girl Juggler in the world. George Jeffery and his Orpheum orchestra will have a conspicuous place on this pre-holidav programme and the screen will have interest ing numbers of Pathe news, topics of the day and AeBop's fables, to gether with some new natural color views of Oregon scenery on the Oroscope, an exclusive Orpheum feature. Kelly is known far and wide in the vaudeville world as "the Vir ginia judge." He is a funster of extraordinary talent in fact, he is a master at extracting . laughter with his droll humor and his quaint philosophies. Hymer, superfine delineator of negro character. Is featured in the second headline act. Press and pub lic have been unstinted in their praise of his present sketch, which was written and produced under the personal direction of Hymer, who is co-author of the famous stage play, "East Is West" Novelty is the keynote of Hymer's work as an author and an actor and that the present sketch contains the full measure of novelty, with a distinct Dixie flavor, is the promise made In advance of the opening perform ance. AT HE1LIG THEATER 3 Matinees, 3 Nights, Commencing Sunday Matinee, December 17th 2:10 2:15 2:30 2A0 2:51 39 3:21 3:57 4:17 4:37 Orchestra, George E. Jeffery, Director Aesop's Fables and Topics off the Day ELLY, The Llttl Marvel FRANK WARD & DOLLIES JOHN B. HY1V1ER & CO. Presenting "TOM WALKER IN DIXIE" A Fantastic Comedy Novelty Written and Produced under the Personal Direction of Mr. Hymer. co-author of "East is West" SCANLON, DENNO BROS. & SCANLON Chas. B. MIDDLETON & SPELLMEYER Leors WALTER C. KELLY THE VIRGINIAN TUDfK Guy and Pearl MAGLEY Pathe News S:10 8:15 8:30 :40 09 21' 9:57 10317 10:37 S Mats. Sun. - Mm. Tum. 15b - 25c 50a 500 Choice Start 50o sundayi and Holiday! 15c t 75 Gallery Always 15c a Nlihti Sua. Mm. Tum. 15c . 25c 50c 75c . 750 Choice Start SI Suadayt aai Hoiidaya ISa ta 11.35 ROTARY MINSTRELS BOOKED Club, to Give Benefit for Portland Dental Clinic. The snappy Jokes and antics of the gool old-fashioned end men. the lilting' music made popular by the colored gentlemen or the soutn, and dances from bunk and wing to Prim rose style will feature the minstrel show to be put on by the Portland Rotary club at the Munclpal audi torium February 19. At that time the club will stage its show to aid in financing the work of the Port land Dental clinic in correcting and caring for the teeth of the school children of the city. Clarence De Fries, Portland pho tographer and an expert in things dramatic, has been chosen to di rect tne show. It was under his di rection that the Rotary club min strels of two years ago went over with such big success. Mr. De Fries has announced that the show this year will surpass anything of the kind attempted by the club previ ously. More than 300 specialty men be long to the Rotary club and each one is pledged to sell ten tickets. With 3000 assured sales, the dental clinic as a consequence will receive a worthy contribution to its cause. BEAUTY TOPS PANTAGES BILL Cecil Cunningham of Greenwich " Follies Is Headliner. Alexander Pantages, head of the vaudeville circuit drama that bears his name, has scored another no table "scoop" in the theatrical world. Miss Cecil Cunningham, the beautiful star of the Greenwich Vil lage Follies of last season, has signed a Pantasres contract and will (Concluded on Paife 7.) TICKET SALE OPEXS TOMORROW HEILIG I THIS WEEK THUR-FRI-SAT atVi - SPECIAL PRICE ' MATIXEE SATURDAY ADOLPVeKLAUBER THE HOST QfrnmmYoPiheomwY EUGENE iff m O'NPII L s U LiLi 3 with, the amazing acior originally produced fa the Pnmncfowa. vlaverr COfllttG HERE AFTER AM ENTIRE SEASON AT TriE PftlrKESS THEATRE - MEW YORK AMD LONG RUNS IN BOSTON - CHICAGO and PHILADELPHIA PRICES, INCLUDING WAR TAX: Eve's Floor 2.T5-$2.20 Bnl. 1.65-1.10t Gal. $!fe-55c Sat. Mat. Floor X20-C1.65( Bnl. $1.10; Gal S5c i A I. i main 7 inTiiir ar m n , n.ni