The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-01-21
THE BURLESQUE SHOW
1T HAS TO BE RECkONED WITH
NOW IN THEATRICAL AFFAIRS.
Something About the Inside Organic
xatiOn of n Road Company
Chorus Girls.

The burlesque business-the kind that Is
| transacted in the vaudeville houses of the
| larger cities-has come to ar important
item in the theatrical business of the
country. Burlesque shows are becoming
| more and more plentiful every year. In
the theatrical profession the out-and-out
| burlesque show is an organization that
carries a lot of women who can sing
| and dance, and opens and closes with a
| skit of some kind and has an clio OF vau-
| deville numbers between.
The Bowery Burlesquers, who were here
| last week, are a fair sample of the straight
burlesque show. In the same class with
this organization are the Partisan Widows.
the Dainty Duchess. Social Maid, ETC.
Mr. Joseph Hurtig. junior member of the
firm of Hurtig & Seamon, who is travelling
with the Bowery Burlesquers as the road
manager claims for his company that it
is the Four Hundred Of burlesque shows
The Hurtigs are Jews who went from
Cincinnati to New York several years ago
and established a theatrical agency. Jo-
seph Hurtig claims the distinction of being
the youngest theatrical manager on the
road. He is twenty-one years of age, and
this Is not his first season out by any
means. Hurtig tells joke himself of
his younger days when he was helping
out in the New York office. His firm ad-
vertised in the New York papers for lot
of young women to pose as models. They
were really wanted to form living pic
lures" with burlesque show. One morn
ing a very handsome girl applied for
place as model and young Hurtig thought
IL best to explain to her what she would
have to do. He frankly asked her If she
objected to wearing tights. The young
woman blushed most profusely and then
became indignant. She soon realized,
however, that the young man did not mean
TO offend her and then explanations fol-
lowed. She had been model in cloak
factory and seeing the advertisement she
supposed il was something in the same
line. When she found that 1t was models
for living pictures that were wanted. she
made haste in getting away. She was
the most beautiful girl / ever saw" said
Mr.. Hurtig, in telling friend about his
experience.
SAM T. JACKS SUCCESS.
Managers of burlesque shows the country
over 'concede that the late Sam I. Jack
was the most successful manager in this
line of business the country has ever seen.
In fact, he was the originator of the real
burlesque show, and 1t Is said that his
attractions have made more money than
any other Of the kind. Joseph Hurtig says
that high-class burlesque show will make
$4,000 year. The average organization of
this kind will carry from fifteen to thirty
people The young women who make up
the choruses of these shows come from
the large Eastern cities mostly. Some of
them have been clerks, others stenog-
raphers and some leave luxurious homes
to travel about with one of these shows.
1t Is claimed that with the Bowery Bur-
lesquers there is young woman whose
father is worth a half million dollars. He
resides In Cincinnati and is personal
friend of one of the Hurtigs. In selecting
chorus Of young women for his show,
the burlesque manager has his musical d.
rector interview the applicants as they
call in response to an advertisement. First,
the girl must have voice which the direc-
tor thinks he can train IL she shows that
she will be able to sing little. then some
attention is paid to her personal appear
ance She Dies not need to know note of
music, but If she has no voice they have
no use for her. 1t is the ambition of ev-
cry manager TO take out company OF as
pretty choristers as can be found. SO that
the applicants are carefully In
spected as to personal appearance.
1t is Claimed that the average chorus
girl In the vaudeville or burlesque show
will earn SIS or $50 week. These girls pay
their own hotel bills. They must pay for
their own stage wardrobe, which consists
Of Two or three pairs of silk tights and
society gown or two. The management
of the show furnishes the wardrobe and
keeps the pay for it out of the girls sal
airy. From 81 to 50 week is kept out
until the wardrobe is paid for Managers
say that many of these young women send
money home each week some of them
have mothers to support and many pa
thetic story is poured into the ears of the
manager when payday rolls around to
prevent the wardrobe money being de-
Quoted. At the close of the season these
companies usually disoand in the East and
the majority of the girls seek positions
with the summer opera companies in the
concert gardens
NOT THE SAME HERE.
Some of these burlesque companies do not
always give the kpd of performance in
Indianapolis that they do in other cities.
Much of the business is cut out when
the show comes to Indianapolis. because.
in the language of the manager, 1.-The town
won't stand for it"
One of the veteran variety and burlesque
managers of the company is Thomas Mia
CO. who comes here nearly every year
with his City Club. He began the show
business nearly fifty years ago as a circus
clown and has had all sorts of experiences.
He has been shipwrecked and he has been
III TdllTodU NTtChS, ouI WlliiSi HAS I1dOe
money. In New York he Is known as
1.-THE man with the glazed-shirt 'front.' be-
cause OF the diamonds he wears. Some of
the specialists with these burlesque shows
draw comfortable salaries. Joseph Hurtig,
of the Bowery Burlesquers, claims that
last season his firm paid Turly Shattuck,
the handsome vocalist, $125 a week and
at the close of the season offered her $50
a week if she would remain another sea-
son. She declined to do so because the
vaudeville business was distasteful to her.
as she claimed Miss Shattuck is now
In, in