The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-03-08
RISE OF THE CHORUS GIRL.
She Has Now Attained the Zenith o
Her Success


Her Success.
So many stories Of late regarding the
chorus girl have appeared that a re-
view Of the chorus girl question is
apropos.
The subject has now reached a peri
cd where her every little doing is
chronicled. If she has a pocketbook it
is snatched away; if she slips on the
pavement a $4,000 suit is brought
against the city. Her whims are daily
rehashed, until it Is about time to call
a halt.
There is one man in town this week
who knows the chorus girl as she is,
and he is Augustus E. McCune, bust
ness manager of those eminent play
ers, Louis James and Frederick Warde
Mr.. McCune relates some inside facts
on the chorus girl question" that come
as a surprise to the outside or general
public. Said Mr.. McCune:
Last summer the question that agi-
tated managerial minds along Broad
way was, Where can we get some
chorus girls p There was time when
the comedy, well proportional girls only
were in demand, but desperate cases
require desperate remedies and the
only way for managers to protect
themselves was to take any and all
applicants. During the past few sea-
sons so many musical comedies, farce
comedies, opera and spectacular per-
formances7 have been put on the road
that almost any girl with pretty face.
Shapely figure and an ordinary voice
can get work If she wants it. And In
all the chorus girls history she WAS
never before in a position to command
| such a good salary. ssa -
Why, L was the most worried man
in New York last summer endeavoring
| to get girls for our big spectacular rro-
duction of The Tempest - My work
was all the harder, as when 1 did land
one or two and told them of the at
| traction, they asked: What is "The
Tempest and who is it by?'"
chorus girls, says Mr.. McCune, have
| become independent. Formerly thew
were glad to make application for
work; now they wait for the appIica-
| ton to come to them and then ask
what kind of attraction they are sup
| posed to sing for and where does the
company play? Only a few seasons
| ago II manager paid a chorus girl
salary of more than $12 to SIS week
he would have been considered i'm
provident. The latter went only to
the choicest article. Now SIS is com
mon figure. More girls are drawing
1t now than were getting SIS two years
ago. -
There Is at present a pronounced
opening in theatrical work for the
young woman who is possessed of suffi-
cient physical beauty to be put in the
front row, and at the same time is
able to sing well enough for chorus
work, which does not require very
high order of musical education. -.
In fact, inasfnuch as the choruses
are becoming a most important factor
In the success of the latter day the
atrical productions, the managers are
often willing to engage a young woman
for her beauty alone and hope that
the audience in looking at her will
| forget that she cannot sing.
Obtaining the right kind of chorus
girls Is not an easy task, but itis COM
difficulty entailed in getting girls to
elevate the stage" -.
The. cynical might say that devotees
OF Shakespeare are not Of the lobster
| purchasing class" and that II would
be absurd to expect a Weber & Field
| girl to join Shakespearean spectac-
ulaE production 1t Is feminine vanity