Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1902-08-18

midnight sun" The other three lee
lures which will, it is expected, com
plete his series of five subjects.
will be Portugal "Sweden.' and
Denmark" Mr.. Holmes season will
begin Nov 3. in Chicago and sur
rounding cities.
The Wizard of Or al the Grand
opera house, Chicago, is said to be
the finest spectacle ever seen in that
city. Fred Stone. whose creation of
the scarecrow in 1.-The Wizard of o.
is the unqualified hit. has had an
extraordinary career. He began as
boy gymnast in an amateur circus.
doing splits and spinning cart wheels.
These arc technical circus terms.
but they ought to be comprehensive.
Mr.. Stone attracted the attention of
Burr Robbins. who had a small wag-
on show that travelled from village
10 village. Mr.. stones ambitions
were quickly gratifed. He was pro-
NOTED to do the high wire ascension
act over the canvas before every per-
Torrance. After two seasons of this
fatiguing routine the circus stranded
at St Joseph, Mo, where he Joined
forces with Dave Montgomery. an
end man with degenerate species
of minstrelsy, known as The Haver-
~ Minstrels" Montgomery taught
Stone few dancing steps that en-
abled them to execute a conventions
al song ambulance specially. They
came TO the front very quickly, and
at the end of a few seasons partner
ship, they were doing terpsicho-
rean stunt that put them in the fore
most vaudeville houses of this coun-
try. Julian Mitchell, who had n
quick eve for budding genius. chose
them for two small parts in Charles
production of The Girl
From Up There in which they made
their re-entry in London. The Girl
From Up There" did not duplicate
Edna Mays first overwhelming tri-
umph in The Belle of New York"
but ii made Montgomery and Stone
favorites in the British
At the end of the first
nights performance three of the
great pantomime producers APP
preached them with offers for the
coming Christmas. season. They ac-
cepted the proposition of Robert
the leading Liverpool mana
ger, who had in tow a spectacular
"Oberine,' a show eN-
lctly ON the lines of The Wizard of
o." When Julian Mitchell took
Fred Hamlin's summer spectacle
in hand he cabled at once for the two
principal comedy characters. the
'Scarecrow" and the Tin Wood !
man." Il know only one man who
can make anything out of Baum's
creation" said Mitchell, land that
is Fred Stone, the greatest living
eccentric dancer
The Illinois theatre@ Chicago, will
open its third regular season Satur-
day evening. Aug. 50, with the Klaw
& Erlanger production of the Drury |
Lane spectacle. The Sleeping Beauty |
and the Beast" This spectacle was !
The annual Christmas offering of the |
Drury Lane and was imported intact |
by Klaw q Erlanger. 1t was the |
largest Importation of theatrical
ever made into the United |
States, for the London production in
1olved an expenditure of more than
$4,000. In the course of its prepar- |
alton for the American stage Klaw |
4 Erlanger paid over $4,000. The |
original London production took !
four hours and half in playing |
time. but Klaw d Erlanger had the |
story revised and made more com |
pact by John j. McNally and j. Chez |
yer Goodwin so that now the great |
spectacle is given in three hours.
There are more than 500 people ON |
The stage in ''Ihe Sleeping Beauty |
and the Beast and the scenery, me |
and electrical equipment |
will occupy 10 65-foot baggage cars.
Two special trains Will he required to
transport this organization and its
para phernalia from New York to Chi /
rago. Not only is 'rhe Sleeping
Beauty and the Beast" the most gil |
yantic attraction ever offered on the !
American boards, but its presenting
company is the most remarkable
ever assembled together under one |
in this country. Among
the stars in the organization are
those princes of fun-mallers Harry
Bulger. Joe Cawthorn. VIII Mozart, |
John Hyams, John Page. Viola Gill
lette, Leila Mcintyre, Gertrude Me-
Kenzie and Phoebe Coyne. There are
of handsome young wo-
men and superb ballets such as have
never been seen here before. There
are over one thousand expensive and
beautiful costumes in The Sleeping
Beauty and the Beast many of
them hand-painted. The scene at the
closing of the second act is the most
gorgeous exhibition of possibilities
of stage art that has ever been wit
messed in any theatre. 1t is The
Dream of the Year. representing the
four seasons. For spring the scene
shows farmers blowing in the fields.
sheep peacefully grazing on the hill
side and companies of young women