The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-14
7HE HIppODROME'S BIRTHDAY
HI6R inks MARK FRED TH0NP-
s0N'S THINNING OFT.
people From Broadway Furnished
rnn For a Houseful-BlS stage Tank
rull Of Water and Girls Other Tanks
rnu of Other Things Bashful Coler.

IuI Of utnpT lIllSs- Ddtihu VIZ
s,g, voiced mink checked, lazy moving
IN, man who looks exactly as If he had
49, ont of one Of George AIDES college
ss,. n,rrlke hat. haggy clothes and all,
t.-e a new playhouse at Sixth avenue
"a For,v.thlr1 street a year ago, getting
l.trW Gates to bet a million on III game.
. yes,ar5av morning Fred Thompson
..iabr,,ad he winning out. The free show
=. M, IN to mark the Hippodrome's first
brtbiay wIIl godown in Tenderloin history
n-,,dUav theatrical managers sent him
their stars to Join in the trolio. M chorus
,irl not less than a thousand OF her, came
- her hes. frllls and fought her way through
n,o,ntajns Of lobster salad and lakes OF
p;srer, Marie Dressler cut capers and
5dded the author Of The Reuben and
'ba Maid Pete Daley cavorted with
saob,n,iae grace. Bird S. Coler also
ran,
so,bD4ttea and stage hands went swim
,,i,y in rhe big tank and padded tubs for
n-gss n real money. All the people OF the
pp;,nndronle. who hadn't seen a show from
,bs front for a year, sat in the best seats
rhooping It UP and dodging out at inter-
,als 10 soothe some Of the finest thirsts
in the Borough Of Manhattan
T, was a few minutes past midnight, that
beipg Friday morning, that the Hippodrome
bi,b inks began. As soon as the show
r,s over the actors and ~actorines, from
P,se La Harte. the only leading lady who
s,ar drove an elephant down Broadway or
,ook an infant pig shopping, to big Maize
NcGufin. who holds a spear and Is part OF
tho soenev. secured the makeup of their
,aces and rushed for the auditorium.
Presently the show people from Broadway
arrived. Little Marie Dressler came in
ritb Big Joe Weber, and after them the
shov girls Of the music hall, Some brought
along their human meal tickets. Peter r.
DALEY and his diminutive dancers entered
inst ahead Of the best Borough President
Brooklvn ever had" In half an hour the
big auditorium was full.
John ". Gates, almost by
chorus girls vino had preempted his box,
grpned pleasantly. Charles F. Murphy
sat in another box. Playwrights and COM
nos4rs and actor folk were scattered here
and there in the audience. Beaming Bill
Thompson. press agent extraordinary,
nus,leI No and down the aisles exuding
smiles and fat cigars.
Charles Ross was master OF ceremonies.
&c came 70 the front of the great sta ge
which. stripped Of scenery, looked as big
AZ an acre field, and made a speech. He
ald the Hlppodrome had entertained
100000 persons during the year and then
he handed a few %oratorical flowers to
Thompson 4 Dundy. Fred Thompson,
sitting in a sta ge box, ducked to the cheer
4 $500 al - tha oafA RnaS i~ntrn6npnd
Pete Daley.
After a long walk Daley got to the foot
lights and snag a song about pinching
things, a song full of takeoffs on the Hippo
drome and its people.
Come here!" yelled a confederate in the
wing.
Where" said Daley, shading his eyes
and looking across the vast expanse OF the
stage. To the next town?
He finished his SOM stunt with a verse
about Washington, first in war. first in
peace and last in the American League"
and then the dancing girls came on, swinging
up and down the stage with the corpulent
Peter to the noisy cheers of the houseful.
And now, said Charley Ross, Il will pre-
sent to you a lady who needs no introduce
uon, a lady Who"
NV God" said Marie Dressler, sitting in
srear box. does the man mean me?'
She caught up her expansive skirts and
nn down the aisle, a big blue plume on
Der nifty hat bobbing eXcitedly. Disdain-
ing hand. she hoped on to the stage and
rn 70 Ross, planting a smacking kiss on
The brow Of the master of ceremonies,
For" she confded to the laughing
III srL;nr-, . 7 49,, -,,al, nm emotional Girl |
do 60 gtTe way to my feelin's.'
For twenty minutes Miss Dressler held
The stage, and the stage somehow fitted it
sf to her and didn't look so large and lone
some, Maurice Levi took charge OF the
orchestra and served as a target for Miss
Dressler's larking and punning.
Ross called Joe Weber and the little man
came running from back Of the house. II
almost required opera glasses to locate him
on the spot Miss Dressler vacated. He sang
Q minute or two and then a whistle blew.
From all parts Of the auditorium the show
girls Of the music hall started up, feeling
their hack hair and giving quick tugs al
their skirts, and then scurrying for the
stage, They lined up behind the minute
Joseph and gave the newest wrinkle in the
old, old Florodora sextet teaser, while
Weber sang a song about the good old town
Of Cincinnati, Ohio.
Before these things happened Stage
Manager Temple, beloved OF the Hippo
drone chorus from his easygoing ways,
stepped to the footlights Juggling a giant
horseshoe Of lilies and roses. He made a
sensible speech p~raising Fred Thompson,
and, calling Thompson to the stage, presented
MN with the flowers. Mr.. Thompson's re-
Ply was only a little longer thar the appen.
G!r to Bill Nye's history Of the United States
De retired hlushing. Temple was brought
back and got a basket of flowers for him.
self
There was a movement on foot, accord
ING, 70 the press agent, to present the Hon
ord ) Coler with a bouquet, but it came
70 nothing.
Within ten minutes the big circular stage
Which covers the tank was Let down and the
Ns'er g.shed in The stage hands and
Eoier'y men and half a dozen fearless
aoFus glris n the Hippodrome put on bath
hs suits and plunged in. II didu't require
much ina citation TO believe the tank a Sec
! nIav
Howard Fielding. who handles little ele.
Nahts and things that Thompson d Dundy
dnhsiron abroad, took charge Of this part
" ne show He stood on the rim Of the tank
sa announced the tank events. First
,neIe Wa a creased pole stunt. A CREASED
SGe va set horizontally over the water
rrmh a Tnsoiois ham at the perilous end
Two dozen barefoot boys and girls tried
oVa,k hat pole and grab the ham. They
v%a slp and 60 head first in the tank,
tmlutT g and choking. At the enc a
M. t0 with z IA val beaI faalip0 him calf ooipo