Los Angeles herald., 1906-06-27
DOLL DANCE IS
CAUSE OF WAR
MANAGERS CLAIM RIGHT OF
PRODUCTION
Rival Theaters Take Contentious, to
Court When Harry James Gets
Restraining Order From
Judge conrey

Tnere Is war 10 tne kIlle, ana n usS-
perate war. on between Harry James
with his comedians Rice and Cady at
the Mason opera house and jeff White
with Kolb and Dill at the Hotchkiss
theater.
Hostilities were precipitated yester-
day when James and his attorneys went
before Judge Conrey in department five
Of the superior court and swore out
restraining order against the Hotchkiss
company to prevent the members from
appearing i'm the famous Doll Dance
Last night, while Deputy Sheriff Bert
Franklin occupied a prominent seat in
the Hotchliss audience just to see what
occurred, little Miss Charlotte Vidot,
otherwise known as Mrs. Kolb, tripped
mechanically out on the stage and with
eyes dancing just trifle more than a
dolls eyes might dance went through
the unnatural motions of the dance as
she has done for the last ten days,
while the officers looked on in stunned
surprise.
"The doll dance is mine" says Harry
James, manager of the Travesty stars.
"iTaint," is the ominous response of
the tall Dutchman at the Hotchkiss,
and he strops his foot for a long, thick
kick at the Broadway theatrical ag-
gregation.
Asks for Injunction
Ever since the rival German shows
arrived in Los Angeles there has been
friction and both shows have bid hard
for the crowds.
Then came war and devastation
when, for it's second performance, the
Kolb and Dill company staged the
Beauty Shop" All went well at the
first performance until the second act
opened on the beauty shop and, Incl
dentally, the doll dance. A young
woman from the chorus at the Mason
was in the house at the time, and she
thought she remembered that dance
and she told Harry James.
About that time James remembered
that he had bought doll dance and
paid big royalty for it in the produc-
ton of "Pousse Cafe,' which he will
stage next week.
He sent word to Kolb to quit dancing
that dance or there would be trouble
in a big hatfull.
Kolb grinned and said nothing but
the dance continued.
Yesterday James and his attorney
swore out a petition for injunction
against Kolb, Miss Vidot Dill, Jeff
White and Mrs. Hotchkiss, in order
ing that "Pousse Cafe" dance.
Issues Restraining Order
Judge Bicknell, representing James,
hurried the petition before Judge Con-
rey and he issued restraining order
restraining the Hotchkiss people from
presenting the doll dance from the
"Pousse Cafe or any other part of that
opera.
The case will be heard before Judge
Wilbur in department eight Monday,
and then 1t will be settled as to who
owns the doll dance. James also asks
for $500 damages and for all the money
which the Hotchkiss theater received
from patrons who visited that house to
see the doll dance alone. How the
court is going to figure out that amount
is yet a question.
In the meantime the Hotchkiss peo-
pie decided that their dance was not
from "Pousse Cafe" and did not have
a single word in it from that opera.
They expect to produce the words of
both songs and the music in court next
week, and spectators will probably
have the satisfaction of hearing vari-
Gus actorines sing that doll song in the
superior court TO show the difference in
music while some stylishly dressed
actress walks stiffly up and down the
the doll dance.
kolb Grows Excited
Last night when Kolb, who repre-
sents the long German in the Hotch-
kiss company, heard about the re-
straining order he became so excited
that he lapsed into his language of the
stage, and for the moment patrons
who happened to be in the rotunda of
the theater were treated to a rare sight
of Kolb without his makeup going
through the various extravagant ges-
lures of the German comedian.
we'll, we will see about dis bisness,'
said Kolb. Il told dem fellers extinct
ly dot dere was going to be a dance
on the Hotchkiss stage if L had to did
DAT dance meinself.'
Here Kolb made a mighty sweep of
one leg as though about to start the
dance.
''Dey will find dot we will git shipped
dot mazuma ourselves before dere is a
fierceful finish Of dis disagreements." 4"
continued Kolb.
why, tomorrow morning" he re-
sumed, collecting himself, II believe l
will go down to court and file an IN
junction to restrain Rice and Cady
from appearing in the big and little
German stunt because I happened to
play in that kind of a stunt before
they did.
Will Fight the Case
81 and Mr.. Dill and Mr.. Tohl made up
that doll dance as we would any act.
and / can prove that the entire COM
position is all our own, so that there
is no more argument to 1t. We have
not a single line of 'Pousse Cafe stuff
in the dance, and so we cannot be held
responsible for any contempt of court
when we stage IL tonight"
II was with Mr. Kolb when he made
up that dance and 1 know that he and
Mr.. Din did all the composing for it,"
said Manager Jeff White last night.
IT do not see how we can be held
liable because we have a doll dance
in our performance. Operas since the
earliest history have had doll acts,
ana ours is as different as any Of the
others, so / do not see where we can
be accused OF having taken anything
from 'Pousse Cafe
I'VE shall fight this case and / do
not have the slightest doubt that we
can convince any court of our right
to that dance as we stage it,"
HE NEEDED A REST ANYWAY