The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1908-06-06
NEW YORK LETTER.
Get the Hookv'-Gotham's Unique Theat-
FicaI Recommendations Mixture
Of Humanity and Humor.
Spectators Judges.


| Spectators Judges.
New York. n " June 4, 1908.
Special Correspondence of The Chief.
"Ladies and gentlemen: the McCor-
mick Brothers are the first artists
on the amachure program; they are
dancers.
IL was Amateur Night" at one OF
the Keith and Proctor vaudeville
| houses, and the amusing announce
ment Of the fair aired, fat-cheeked,
| forty odd little man who introduces
the ambitious aspirants for histrionic
honors and proclaims the natures OF
said aspirants' various turns, always
with the accent on the final syllable,
started ripple of laughter which
spread from the little fishes in the
parquet to the big gods in the gallery
and lasted pretty much throughout the
entire evening.
Their First Bow in Thespia.
| "Amateur Night you must know,
happens every Wednesday evening.
Immediately following the profess
sional vaudeville bill, which is de-
cidedly first,class Offering in itself,
amateurs who fancy they have talent
| for the stage are permitted a try-out
| before the audience in the hope OF
winning one of the three monetary
| cries which are awarded to those
contestants who, IN the judgment OF
the audience, have performed the most
| original stunts and displayed the most
marked ability.
Audience Discriminating Judge.
And a surprisingly just, discerning
! and human audience it is, to be sure.
| IF the amateur has one spark Of clever
ness or magnetism the critical specta-
tors are quick to recognize it and ap-
plaud with vigor, regardless of the
! performers caste or color, but woe
unto the hapless one who tries and is
! found wanting!
! Enter the Famous Hook"
| "Get the hook"' Jaw, let US alone!'
"Aiu't it awful, Mabei?" and similar
classic expressions of their disap-
prevail resound from pit to dome, and
the ''hook." q great big gilded> crook
affair, is reached from behind the
wings for the artist who is falling to
make good and who is forthwith yanked
! ANONYMOUSLY from the scene of his
downfall.
Sometimes persistent aspirant will
attempt to stick it out and win his au-
| dience in spite of itseff-a scheme
| which has occasionally been found to
| work-and then the clamor of pro-
| tests arises to a perfect pandemonium
~ which even the orchestra joins with
a sounding OF brass add cymbal. The
poor deluded and bewildered performer
| is then escorted from the centre of the
stage with extra ceremony by the man
with 'tthe hook, Z" followed by a hunkey
with big drum which he beats funere-
ally to the time of the exiting ones
retreating footsteps. The man who
| ''never smiled again" couldn't pos
sibly have gone down in history as
the original Gloomy Gus if he had
ever witnessed an Amateur Night. "
The Curtain Rises.
But back to the Mccormick Brothers.
They entered awkwardly with sheeLish,
downcast faces and stumbling gaits.
They were lily clad and ordinary
looking, but they did know how to
dance, and although the audience
greeted their appearance with jeers
and cat calls, the brothers ~ re-
tanned their composure and danced
themselves doggedly into favor. They
retired amid goodly amount OF ap-
plause and shower Of pennies aad
other small coin, one way in which
the audience sometimes evinces its ap-
prevail.
Human, Female Siren .sGets Her's'
"Miss Wilson, vo co list" was next
announced by FairFat and Forty odd
with praiseworthy gravity, and the
lady appeared frightened out OF her
wits, granting she ever had any,, and
pale with agitation.
1.-THE hookn bawled the gallery
when the would-be operate star had
omitted three waiIing notes, and she
got hers.
When Listeners Produced Sympathy.
This grotesque attempt at melody
was followed successfully by the
"Night Wood Quartette. (which passed
muster: Archibald Archie.'' con-
testant of the previous week who
claimed through the official announcer
that the audience ''had not gave him
fair treatment:" he got the hook
AGAIN., and trio of musical artist
made up of a big chap with a guitar
aud two pale-faced under-fed looking
kids who sang "Harrigann in an of
key TO the big fellows accompaniment.
Here's where the real human sympathy
of the audience evinced itself, and the
pitiful little chaps were generously ap-
plauded and showered with coins.
Unbleaehed American Wins Crowd.
"Miss Florence Wills, song and
dance artistic, proclaimed the official
announcer, and then guess what hap