THE SUTTDAY OREGONTAN, PORTLATTD. DECEMBER T7, 1923 -
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-: : !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
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