The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-07-12
II Is getting harder every year. rot only 10
get them. but TO keep them.'
ANOTHER MANS STANDARD.


Another authority on the subject OF
chorus girls is Julian Mitchell. Mr.. Mitch
ell acts as stage manager for Weber Dc
Fields, and has his own peculiar notions as
20 the requirements a chorus girl should
fulhII. says he: Every chorus girl should
present an attractive appearance; second,
che should possess intelligence; third. dane
ing ability. and. fourth. a good voice. The
ideal chorus girl should weigh about Ia
pounds. be about five feet two or three
inches in height and possess a good figure
II Is not essential that a girl should be able
10 read music. 1t Is our policy TO give the
girl a typewriter copy Of the lyrics and
then. TO put IT abruptly. drum the airs
into her by constant repetition"
Though each OF the aforementioned
managers has placed different stress on
the Importance OF each OF the qualifica-
lions which all agree should be possessed
by the modern chorus girl. yet the require
ments I'm each case are almost Identical.
The ideal chorus girl must have n good
voice. a pretty face and symmetrically pro-
portioned figure. and although our great
cities are filed TO overlooking with stage
struck maidens, who exc out scant hveli-
hoods behind counters. in factories or as
stenographers, there are comparatively few
amons the number who can meet the re-
q~uireuents OF the managers.
ID6eed. so small is the number that can
come up to the mark that In the average
chorus all the voices come from the rear or
the stage. Dame Nature evidently did not
consider the theatrical business when she
created a sapply for every demand. or else
we demand too much. for the front rank OF
a chorus. or show girls" as they are more
called. rarely possess any artic-
uIate melody that could be termed a voice.
They are large, their figures are superb and
they make an attractive appearance, and
are engaged for the especial purpose Of
filling the front rows Of the house. Little
or nothing in the way of real work is re-
quircd of them. and it is the girl i'm the
rear. less favored OF face and figure, who
furnishes the music. 1t costs about 500 to
dress the show girl" while the wardrobe
of the real worker sometimes costs less
than s12.
As a rule, the age OF the chorus girl
ranges between seventeen and twenty-five
years, and rarely does the time of service
exceed eight years. She is not particu-
larly well paid. though the present scarcity
of the real article tends to increase her
wages. The salary, except in some very
special case. ranges from SIS 10 s25 a week,
the latter stipend going to the show girls.
Out OF this she must buy her own stage
shoes.
Even though a girl is not pretty. she may
possess the faculty of making up well, or
have features which make a good stage APP
pearance. and IL is a well-known fact that
a great many plain girls appear to better
advantage behind the footlights than their
more beautiful companions. Strong fea-
lures make up best. n large nose being es-
pecially desirable. A small nose is abso-
lutely lost In makeup. A girl can change
the size OF her eyes. too, and even the size
and shape OF her mouth and color can be
added at will. so that after all 1t is the cast
of features that the manager gauges his
raw material from rather than a bright eye
or a cupid's bow mouth.
Ordinarily, managers prefer girls Of aver
age size, as they are easier TO handle. and
seem to be able TO catch the dancing steps
with far greater ease than do those of
larger stature.