Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-03-28
Behind the Foot|ights
Notes of People You Know In
the Amusement World

Odeon patrons who saw the recent
production of Willard Sponsors Miss
Bob White will be interested in know
ing how j. l.. Mcclure, the principal
| comedian, learned that he had a voice.
Mr.. Mcclure is a Savanna, ILL.,, boy,
and was discovered" as it were, by a
music teacher who had class in Sa-
wanna. AS a comedian Mr.. Mcclure
does not have a singing part, and his
work of the past few years has put
him out of practice Naturally, how
ever, he has a fine voice, and it re-
NAMED for Miss Edna Dunshee, Of Mt.
| Carroll, Ill.,, who was later supervisor
| of music in the Clinton public schools,
to tell him of its qualities and urge that
he cultivate it. Mr. Mcclure went to
New York, after taking lessons from
Miss Dunshee, and worked hard. He
drifted into chorus work and was
| chosen for the role of comedian from
the chorus of his present success. In
a southern town the comedian of the
| company was the innocent victim of
q drunken rowdy who got on ram
page and slashed the actor with a
knife. The man was laid up for weeks,
and the manager selected Mr.. Mcclure
| to take the part. He made SO good
that he has played 1t continuously for
three years. Mr.. McClures wife is Miss
Zillah Harris, one of the sopranos Of
the company.
Nearly everyone who attends the
theatre feels that he knows Otis Bow
ers, one of the old minstrel men of
the country and for many years asso-
ciated with the late Bobby" Beach in
the minstrel organization known as
Beach & Bowers Mr. Bowers Is just
out of Jail at Sioux Falls, S. D., and
| it is no end man joke, either. In South
Dakota man may be imprisoned for
debt and this is the way it happened.
Some time ago the Beach & Bowers
| Minstrel Company gave tent perform
ance at Watertown, S. D. One of the
| seat sections collapsed, and a woman
was injured. They brought suit against
Mr.. Bowers and obtained judgment
| for $500. Now Mr.. Bowers. as it hap
pened, was not financially interested
| in the company at the time, altho his
| name was used, and when service was
secured Mr.. Bowers refused to settle.
He claimed the Judgment unjust, and
said he would spend the rest of his
natural life behind the bars rather
| than pay claim in which he had no
| interest. The law Of South Dakota
provides that the plaintiff must pay
| the defendants board, and since Oct.
| IL, 1905, the Watertown woman has
been putting up 81 per week for Bow
er's maintenance, as he has lived on
the best the land produced. The case
was recently dismissed as the plaintiff
tired of the job.
"The Gingerbread Man." that clever
musical fairyesque that delighted an
audience at the Odeon few weeks
ago. may have some trouble over the
production of the piece on the ground
of plagiarism. Allen Green, of Gales
burg. ILL.,, is plaintiff in a $4,000 suit
for damages, and alleges that the late
Frederick Ranken, who wrote the
opera. appropriated certain characters,
| scenes and incidents from book writ
ten by him, entitled "The Good Fairy
and the Bunnies." Green claims the
book was copyrighted eighteen months
ago, and that the play was written
after the appearance Of the story
Plagiarism is charged, particularly IN
the second act, when the scene IN
.Bon Bon Land is said to be d1rect
limitation Of Mr.. Green's Candy Land"
Rernard 7. Tiemann, a member of the
chorus of "The Gingerbread Man." has
composed some new and original
.sSongs of Our States and Nation" in
which I'm Iowa" is included. Into the
songs the state motto, Our Liberty
We Prize and Our Rights We Will
Maintain" the state flower, the wild
rose; the flag and nickname are
brought out. There is no borrowed
melody and the words have patriotic
| ring. Mr.. Tiemann is a native Of Gin
cinnati. but has lived in New York
for many years. He was left alone
when small boy, his mother dying
when he was but days old. He was
gifted with a fine bass voice, and has
been a member of the choruses OF many
!, of the larger singing aggregatlons OF
the country.
| Virginia Drew Trescott, Formerly
\ Iosie Allen. of this city, has taken up
..When Knighthood Was in Flower"
for the remainder of the season, and is
appearing to good advantage as Mary
Tudor. She is ably supported by iohn
j. Farrell as Charles Brandon. she
was to have appeared here next Sat
urday night, but change in routes
necessitated a cancellation. 1t is pos
I, sible Miss Prescott will be in her nome
town before the season closes.
A monument is to be erected In
/ Central Park. New York, in memory OF
the late Joe Jefferson. The monument
| VIII cost about $4,000 and will be
life-size figure of Jefferson as Rip Van
i Wrinkle 1t will be in bronze, and will
1 stan1 on a granite pedestal
Mrs Leslie Carter. who closed her
/ Boston engagement of four weeks al
she fremont thaater last Saturday,
4 opened ,aon1ay in Chicago, after max
/ ing the trip in a special train con-
/ sisting of nine cars. Less than five
+: hours after tie curtain rang down on
the les. act at Boston, the special
S; ed for Chicago Mrs. Carter open
I ca az tire Cant il "Adrea." and will
also pat on her .DrBarry' and "Zaza'
/ pro auctions Mrs. Carter will have a
rev play by David Bstasco aasl sea-
son.