The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1908-08-16
BLOW FOR THE CHORUS GIRLS.
Managers Decide Nst to Let Them Have
Contests Next Season.

SOShtOoso wow oCeSOu
Some theatrical managers have decided
to eliminate next season two features which
have come TO be almost AZ much q part Of
the show business as the tramp act and the
female drum corps. These features are
amateur nights and chorus girl contests.
The chorus girl contests are harder to
give up than the amateur night. because
they certainly do make business for the
show. The chorus girls get out and hustle
all day long when OF the stage in order to
line up their friends at tho afternoon and
night performances. They 60 into the
thing as II each felt that she would be dis
graced forever II one Of the other girls got
a couple more votes than she.
Chorus girl contests really were the
greatest drawing card Of last years bust
ness, because the scheme was never so
thoroughly worked a. than. but the trouble
they caused has compelled the managers
to decide to cut them out. Chorus girls in
burlesque shows haven't the sweetest dis
positions In the world anyhow and when
one Of them has Q chance to make trouble
for another one she doesn't overlook it.
The contests gave each girl her opportunity,
and In more than one company when the
season ended there wasn't one girl who
would speak to another.
The girl who was outvoted also had some
snippy little insinuation to make about the
probable methods employed by the winner
TO land her voters, and that caused more
than one shoe or makeup box to ny around
tho dressing room. The jealousies that
were aroused In that way caused more than
one company to be almost disbanded in
the middle Of q prosperous season.
The managers might have held padded
clubs over the chorus girls and brought
things around all right II IL hadn't been for
the trouble the contests caused among the
principals Of the burlesque companies. OF
course the principals wVre eliminated from
the voting competition from tho very start,
for it would have been rank injustice to
enter q popular favorite In . field Of
maidens that were Just coming to the post
for their first raoe.
Naturally the principals were forced to
take a back seat while tho contests wore on
and to sec the name Of ons OF the ornaments
Of the back row taking up all the newspaper
space. The principals raised all kinds Of
fuss about this and made life stormy for
the managers.
During the summer the managers got
together and thouGht they had perfected
the contests might be conducted peaoeably
next year. but when they came to hire
chorus girls during the summer they
quickly decided 70 out them out. Every
last ono OF these girls who had made any
kind Of q hit with the voters around the
circuits last year had decided that abe was
too good for chorus girl work and insisted
on being signed as O principal and getting Q
salary to match. That was tho hnish OF
the chorus girl contests.
The chief objection to the amateur
night Il that Il serves no particularly good
purpose. It 10 usually held on Friday
night, the poorest night In the week for
tho chow business, and IL has always served
to draw bigger receipts into the boz Office
than any other night, But managers found
that the shows that didn't have an amateur
night did a. good business or an average a.
those that had Il Ina word, the amateur
night didn't bring In any now business,
the large receipts coming from regular
burlesque patrons who delayed attending
the performance until that night.