Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-08-06
Clarence L. Cul1en's New York Letter.

girls, members of pony ballots and the
like who, for all their youthfulness, had
a dismal sort of precocity in the express
sions of their faces; the searching. ques-
much knowledge. But the flock of chits
that will be seen with the fall musical
comedies look like girls right straight
from school. They were refined young
girls, seemingly; their chatter lacked the
slangfuI, White Way phrases; in moments
of rest between stunts they talked any
thing but the Big Alley patois. They
looked as If they ought to be dancing
around maypole instead of listening TO
the complicated and emphatic commands
of stage manager.
He says that the little things have come
TO stay. that the reason why so many
musical comedies have been unsuccessful
of late is that they've been burdened by
the statue type of show girls-he called
'em ''battleshps," but that's detail.
Broadway, he said. makes or unnlakes
the musical comedy: and Broadway had
shriekingly pronounced for the chorus
girl-With her hair in braid.
~
One has merely to take a stroll on
Broadway, in the theatrical district,
nowadays to see how true his observa-
ton is Because, you see, Broadway is
cluttered during all the daylight hours
with one-time statue" beauties Of the
choruses who now are frantically striv-
ing to get a chorus job without the least
success whatever. There's no work for
them. no matter how tall. sinuous and
svelte they may be. The remorseless
wheel has dropped them on the Stag
heap. You see them gathered in sore
groups. taking about the mizzable little
SHIPS of things that are going to be with
the rh0rnSeS this How cOllI thew
consider the new flock of squads any
thing other than mizzable considering
how they've displaced the type of chorus
girl that used to be?
To clinch the realism of the thing, in
several of the musical comedies the lit
tie things are going to appear through
out the shows in nifty little street
dresses of the kind that young girls wear
In regular civilized life. They are to be
required to wear very little facial make
up-Just enough to offset the glare of the
footltghts-and in every way they are to
be made to look just like young girls
brought straight from high school. so to
speak. and thrust through their stage
PAGES for this occasion only
lis an odd idea. Outside of New York
j think that something a bit unpleasant
will be found in 1t. 1t doesn't seem
wholesome 1t isn't I'm fact But we
give 'em what they want says the
manager-meaning what New York
wants. 1t very often is a source of keen
delight and satisfaction to know that
what N'Yawk wants is by no means
what the rest Of the country wants. But
could that idea be implanted in the mind
Of a New York manager with n.y.
draulic drill? 1t could not. So let us on
and away
New York is the United States and all
America here, and always will be with
New Workers. It's a childish notion, but.
like all childish notions, immovably
fixed. Siasconset, Ipswich and Painted
Post wake UP and take inventories of
themselves and their relative standing,
but New York never!
LEW witty stories are true. But there's
one going around about Nat Good
win that / know to be true. When the
census enumerator called upon Mr.. Good
win during the enurne "a ion he submit =