The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1911-07-31
WHERE OLD JOKES
ARE BORN AGAIN
ANCIENT HuMoR GOOD MATE
RIAL FOR COMEDIANS" IN THE
LoW-PRlcED sHows-JoE MIL
LER MUST BE REVOLVING IN
HIS GRAVE.

From the st. Louis Republic: Joe
Miller must be revolving in his grave
like human pinwheel. He has rea-
son. The real reason Is that weird
and uncouth individual who dances,
sings and cracks his heels and stale
and ancient jokes around the moving
picture circuits. He even dares to
murder the revered Joe MilIer's that
Joe himself stole from Aristophanes,
and the thin-cheel1ed testers who
amused Ashurbanipal.
There are human gorillas among
them. These gentlemen. who should
have been apprenticed at an early age
to an iron molder or structural iron
worker, insist upon considering them
selves light comedians "The chicken
that crossed the road" is new beside
some of the hoary and ancient ones
that they fling out over the helpless
audience.
However, the audience does not care
very much. 1t only costs dime, any
way, and the pictures themselves are
always good. Some OF the comedians
are funny, too but not In just the
way that they intend. Still, every
body is good natured and the fans
keep them cool and contented in their
minds.
This has been hard year among
those lesser actor folk who dance a
little and sing little and do nothing
very we'll The season was lean one
and they are willing and anxious to
pick up a few dollars by going the
~ 4ha
has aroused the emulations and aspi-
rations in the breasts of the ambi-
tious Consequently there is plenty
of talent for the enterprising man
ager to pick from.
Musical comedy of weird variety
has made it's appearance in the local
show houses where the films are
shown. Dull, stale and lifeless stuff
it is, but it helps to kill an idle hour
or so for the weary ones who have
put in hot day of it down town.
Like jointed dolls the imitation
chorus ladies'" move across the stage
in weird time to weirder music. They
sing little ditties Of machine made
harmonies. They whoop it up with
"whoop-la-la and a whoop-la la"
and they prance ha-ha and they dance
ha-ha, and give distinct imitation
of a real thing 1t has been known
to make a tremendous hit with the
moving picture audience.
Most of the ladies' who sing in
moving picture circuit companies have
that deep and chesty voice that sounds
like full grown man singing an alto
part. When they strike up in full
voice the windows rattle and the cleo
trio lights burn dimly. Worst of all
these heavy voiced damsels insist on
singing deeply sentimental and very
sad songs that are filled with tears
and vows and clinging kisses. Still
the audience does not mind very much.
1t only costs dime, anyway.
Where do these actors come
from?" is the constant question that
the newcomer always asks when he
first glimpses this latest innovation
of the moving picture houses.
From everywhere" is the answer
Many of them are boys and girls
hardly out of school yet. They can
dance a little and sing little and
their friends have told them that they
were sure to make a success. The
moving picture stage is the nearest
one TO ln6In ana luG SdSlSSL 10 MAKE
a first appearance upon. Some Of
them are broken down professionals
who are making last strong effort
to get upon their feet once more. The
girl with a voice who can be found
in every neighborhood sooner or later
consents to sing before the film audi
ence.
The human gorilla always makes a
hit. Not that he really looks so very
much like a gorilla or that he would
be flattered If he were so addressed.
But his actions are gorilla like and
his wit is even less nimble than that
of the nervous chimpanzee or the
orang -outang. He lumbers across the
stage like an ice wagon and comes
to pause in the middle Of the spot
light and poses like grizzly bear.
With a mighty effort he unloads what
he has to say upon the shrinking
audience. 1t only costs dime, any
NAV