The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1914-12-31
PARIS MUSIC HALLS
RIOT OF VULGARITY
American Tourists Largely to
Blame for Bad Quality
Of Shows.
PROM the chIcago Tribune.

Is the quality OF the early summer bills
at the Paris music halls. They are, 80
far as we have been able to discover
them, unutterably stupid. and usually
the worst of the LIST Is the most pros
porous. H4
There is a reason for this. One Of the
things the tourists invariably brings to
Paris with him Is a desire TO be
shocked. To be here and not to be
shocked is to have the whole trip
spoiled. Therefore he CASUALLY egged on
by herr arranges his playgoing sched-
characteristic" which is to say the
warmest OF prevailing entertainments.
Al the Law Allows.
This. after a period OF years, has re-
suited in placing the Partisan music
hall manager in rather an awkward
position. He has done all that the law
permits him to do and done Il over and
over again. There Is nothing left. The
living picture, which for years served
as an excuse for the Introduction of
naked ladies, powdered, painted and
framed. and Is still used for that pur-
pose in many of the halls, has become
q worn excuse and nothing more, even
to the Travel club Of Portland, Me.
In fact, so common has the nude
woman become as flashy feature Of
the finale in all Partisan revues that
claque. At the Marigny, the other
night, an undraped nymph rode In
astraddle the neck OF a husky chorus
faun and the audience all but yawned.
Another, strapped to shield as pink
and white captive slave and carried on
the shoulders of four nervous natives,
aroused neither comment nor applause,
even when her foot slipped and she
gently kicked one bearer in the ear.
Familiar American Music.
A second handicap for the Partisan
producer appears to be the music. All
that which Is acceptable as having the
music hall spirit and swing evidently
Is composed in America, and by the
time II gets back here IL Is a feeble
echo of all the tunes the tourists have
been hearing for the last five years.
The principal dance at the Marigny
right now Is "Sumurun," the Olympic
offers pale imitation of winter gar
den show Of three years ago, while the
Moulin Rouge and the Folies Bergere
are trailing with the best efforts Of
our tunesmiths of from three to Ave
years ago.
The comedy, of course, is awful. To
employ fittingly ancient comparison,
there Is only one thing sadder than a
French comedian, and that is two
French comedians. Unfortunately, they
usually work in pairs. Neither Is II
because you do not understand them
that they are SO impressively unfunny.
Their own countrymen usually take to
the promenades as soon as they become
active, and the only laughs they ever
get are from such hilarious invention
as hanging an umbrella upon an arti-
fetal wart. The rough comedians en-
gagged to put over the low comedy in
Mr.. Ziegfeld's follies were as gentle
and refined as Melville Ellis by COM
parison.
Dancing 10 Weird.
And the dancing! Only one thing
funnier than the French chorus girl
trying to dance can be found on this
side Of the ocean. and that Is the Eng
lish matron trying to one-step. The
French Tottie is 1.-the and lissom. but
evidently not naturally light on her
feet. Therefore, when the local Ned
Weyburns. inspired by visit to Ameri-
ca and a desire to copy the American
style Of chorus figures. attempt to teach
them how 1t is done, the result is anus
ing. Even the daintiest of them wab-
bic about with the conscious awkward
ness OF an alcoholic ballet girl, and
where. here and there in the line. there
happens to be an imported American
girl, or Gaiety girl from London, she
can do nothing to improve the ensemble
because he French sisters can't move
fast enough to get out OF her way.
So far we have found nothing rn.
sembling novelty in the halls. At the
Marigny, Max Linder. apparently a To-
cal popular comedian, is combining a
cinema feature with comedy sketch.
A dramatic prologue introduces a Pa
risian called away on political errand
to nearby town. His infantile mis-
tress insists on going with him. AS they
leave their apartments, Juggling q very
large hand trunk, the cinema takes up
the story and they are shown at the
station. where the wife. clinging to her
husbands mock, is carried away with
him on his journey.
Hides Her in Bathtub.
Arriving at the village, where the
presence of the mistress would be en-
barrassing, the youth tries to ship her
back home, but is finally compelled to
pack her in his trunk and In this fash
ion carry her into the home of an iras-
chile uncle.
Again the picture ends and the re-
hinder Of the playlet is acted, the
somewhat boisterous fun being ex-
tracted from the effort of the youth to
keep the mistress concealed, first in the
bed, later in the bathtub of his suite,
and her final exposure when the uncle,
however) tries to take a path In the
same tub In which the young woman is
hiding.
Still, If the bills are bad, there is al.
ways the promenoir in the French and
English music halls. And the prone
noir, at least for the men Of the par