The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-06-23
AMATEUR NIGHT. ON sowERY.

TO shine as vaudeville star. says the
| New York sun So he and jim Bludsoe.
| OF Cherry Hill, formed an alliance They
got together an outfit consisting OF a
large hammer. piece of hagstone. and
/ a pine board about four inches thick. a
foot wide and three feet long. Then they
called upon the manager Of Bowery
theater. They told him Of their ambi-
non
'.We'se de real tings." said suskind,
an II youse'H gice Us er date wen
make & hit dat'H make de wise guys Of
! vodeville take a sneak up de alley Say
mister. give Us er trial. an if We don't
bring de chink in de house wese don't
! want er cent. See?'
After some elaboration the manager
SAID: Come around and see me in a few
days. Near the close of the season
/ am going 10 make Friday night OF each
week amateur night. I will give you
! chance then. and if your act is all right
/ 1 viii engage you for my road show next
/ season.
! Susklnd and Bludsoe were on hand. and
( their friends had seats in the gallery
To cheer them on. They were second on
| the bill. Suskind placed the pine boayd
/ on his head and held it with his hands.
| over the board Bludsoe placed the flag
! stone.
Suskind then sat in chair and the act
was ready. BIudsoe welded the hammer.
The master Of ceremonies told the audi
/ ence that Bludsoe would try 10 break the
stone with three strikes Of the hammer.
Bludsoe took deliberate aim and brought
the hammer down with all his might.
| The hammer just missed landing on Sus-
kinds skull. The second blow was little
better. but the third Just struck the edge
of the stone and grazed Suskind's neck
This was too much for the manager and
he promptly called halt. In a jiffy he
hustled the pair of the stage and breath
ing q sign Of relief called the next act.
Amateur night on the BOwery has its
instructive as well as its humorous side.
The talent developed thus far is a trfie
above the average and some of the per-
formers have shown flashes of future
greatness on the variety stage
The last amateur show had an OliO
which comprised eight distinct acts. rang
ing from a wire walker 10 a Dutch act by
two East Side Italians. The latter team
We're about IS and 20 years Old. They
We're on the bill as ''Niley and Steel and
their makeup was trae TO tradition, with
the exception that they forgot TO wear
lonS-haiTed wigs. after the style Of some
of the stellar German comedians.
Nilev. the feeder OF the two, was I'M
dersized, as is customary in acts of this
kind. He had an expansive paunch and
seemed TO enjoy the sensation of appear
ing before an audience. They had resur-
rected all the antique jokes they could
think Of. and wound up with a regular
clog dance and fip-fop.
II was only when Niley asked his part
ner why a chicken crossed the street that
the apathy of the audience disappeared.
On the BOwery such jokes are sacred An
indignant spectator promptly threw cab
bage at the pair. 1t found an abiding
place on Nilcy's paunch. Nilcy fell back
against the scenery with a thud, and sat
down gasping for wind. When he recov-
cred his speech he yelled:
"Da mugga whatta threwa da cabbage
IS 2 bissa de stiff
But before he had time to hear the re-
tort that followed the stage attendants
grabbed him and hustled him into the
wings When order was restored the next
act began.
1t was given by the Quinn brothers. and
they gave an excellent display of jig
dancing. They danced for nearly twenty
minutes, and the crowd showed their ap
prec.atiOn by throwing money at them.
The youngest of the two. c0mpactiy
built lad. seemed TO have the better wind.
He danced until the blood rushed to his
face, and the perspiratiOn was streaming
down his brow.
Keep L up. Chimney. youse de goods
yelled an admirer in the gallery. Give
us de mobile buck an de Allen street
wing. Let er so. Chimney, Let er
go"
Chimney, after going through a number
of intricate gyratiGns. finally fell in sheer
exhaustion upon the stage. Then the
crowd cut loose in real earnest and
cheered the dancers.
We viii now have a Hebrew imper-
sonauon by an irish lad named Ike
Levy" the master Of ceremonies an
nUunced as the Quinn brothers hobbled
triumphantly off the stage.
\ tall lanlly fellow. made up after the
fashion Of Dave Warield put in an APP
pearance. He slowly straddled toward the
foouights. waved his arms, and then drew
his hands into his coat sleeves until they
Were invisib.e. Then facing the audience |
he began long harangue about his wife /
Rachael and his mother-in-law. Then he !
wound up with a parody on a popular /
song. He was getting along famously un- |
til he tried 70 deliver few gags. Then |
his troubles began
You're comedian-nit.' some one /
shouted
Get OFF, You're rotten" yelled an
other.
"Vamoose.' cried a third
IN q jiny things We're certainly coming /
his way. Had he been an expert hurdler. /
he could not have lodged things better. /
Missiles of all descriptions We're flung al I
him from an parts II the house. He |
made his escape and the show was r.
sumCd.
The last act on the program intro
duced Sweeney and S8ylcs Irish comedi- /
ans What they lacked En- real talent thsy /
made I'D for in unalloyed nerve. Sweeney.
despite his Irish name was Semitic IN au-
pCarance and seemed 10 take himself .
rather seriously. HIS partner was as timid
AS deer ana a-ueorcd 70 have q present.
iment of a catastrophe later on.
After iuduiging IN sldeW Tx converse
ton they began knocking each other about
an over the stage. Sweeney. who out
weighed his partner 10y al least ten
pounds went at Saylcs In too realistic
fashion.
Every time the latter uttered joke
Sweeney poEcd him in the eve or on the /
Jaw with all the strength at his com
uand.
once ne landed hard right In Jim
Jefriss fashion on S8vles' jaw which
must have made the latter believe Dc
WAS an astroioger. All of this Sayles
took gooi-uaturrdly.
Tho spectators. especially the occupants
% the gallery. witnessed the punching
powers of Sweeney with keen delight and
apuleuded. This made Sweeney hjt an tho
harIar and 81 was not long bgore SayIss
= EeIed
Tie retaliated in kind He smashed
Sweeney ou the ear win his clirrhed hst
and punched him on the mouth untl
sweeney g l.Ps wsr, c.t
The manager. who stood in fhe wings.
Jaw trouble brewing and told them 60
cent it out. Bur h.s mandate had uo
eject and in moment Sweeney ar3
SarIes went AZ each other lire two long
=hareucu and were wiDiuE each other up
lif over Che 81 ~.