Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-06-10
Atlantis City
Theatre Folks
on the Beach
What "Vaudevillians" and
Other Entertainers Do
With Themselves

ATLANTIC CITY, June 10.
Ten average members Of the theatrica
profession when on vacation. create NOR
excitement and have more fun than a hun
dred people who pursue other walks in life
30 the big crowd OF actors and actresses
here now are making things lively In th'
central part Of the city. They go to bee
late and get UP In time to eat their soft
boiled eggs and toast" at the time wher
other people are tucking away the secont
meal OF the day. but during the time they
are in evidence they do make things hum
They walk more in a day than they do In 9
whole season on the road, and snim the
saline breezes with satisfaction to get the
odor of stuffy dressing rooms and grease
paint out of their nostrils; they romp or
the beach like kids just released from
school; they motor inland to play golf OF
ramble through pine woods; the female
members of that profession shop and gossip
but there Is one thing they do not do, and
that is visit cabaret shows, They seem to
shun anything theatrical while they are
lcafing and resting. and even "shop-talh''
ts seldom INDUCED In. AT times you will
hear tales of hits made on the road, or
boasts of offers at big salaries for the COM
ing season, but the real people talk about
everything else but the theatre Another
oddity is that the "Johnnes," or much
talked-of stage door mashers, are not in evil
dence here, or II they are they keep shady
and quiet
They would get an exceedingly short
ehrift IL they didn't The stage celebrities
mngle with the lesser lights of the same
profession here, but not with other visitors,
keeping in their own circle, and therefore
having more enjoyment. big influx of
theatrical people is expected here today and
will swell the theatrical colony to large
proportions. Most of those here now, and
those who will come later. will stay until
the end of July or the middle of August.
The vaudeville actors who journey down
here on Sunday to appear at the sacred"
concerts given at one of the theatres fire.
quently have trying experiences when they
leave the resort. Most of them are booked
to appear in theatres in distant cities, OPEN
ing at n Monday matinee, and they have
to hustle to catch the "leven-lectrc," as the
last train out of here is usually called
Those who are on the program late have
TO make a run for the train, frequently
dashing into the station at the last moment
clad in their stage clothes and with the
makeup still on their faces. Last Sunday
night promenaders on Atlantic avenue were
startled when they saw a jitney, driving at
full speed dashlng along, while two ''wop"
comedians. made up to resemble Black
handlers, leaned out of the vehicle urging
the chauffeur TO greater speed. They caught
the train by the wink of an eyelash and
evidently washed up as the train was speed
Ing across the Jersey meadows A. company
of seven appeared as the tail lights of the
train were disappearing in the distance, and
as they were due in Washington the next
morning an automobile mad to be chartered
TO get them to Philadelphia. 1t was cool
night and some OF the actors were thinly
clad, but they used their grips" and suit
cases as windi-shields and started off as con-
tented as " they We're riding in Pullmans.
n
New York theatrical paper last week,
resulted In much profit for the owner of a
hotel in this city. He had sent letters to
the members of company making its first
appearance here, inviting the members to
stop at his hotel. and agreeing to advance
them money until salary day, inasmuch as
he appreciated the fact that many weeks of
rehearsals. without pay would make lean
pocketbooks for many of the performers
who played minor parts The theatrical
Journal published the story as n good joke
but the theatrical people thought other
wise and packed the hotel to the roof. The
proprietor made good on his promises. and
the theatrical people are now sounding his
praises and the joke is on the newspaper.
The town is movie mad" and all the
films shown are advertised in such a man
ner that strangers are apt to think they are
theatrical productions instead of screen
pictures. In self-defense the managers of
all the regular theatres have had larger
signs than ever painted and placed in front
of the housese. These signs bear the words
s-rhis is not a moving picture"
Walter f. Herring, president of the Globe
Ticket Company, a concern which prints
seven-elghths of the tickets used by the
theatres of this country, is n very happy
man today, inasmuch as he Is chaperonng
an excursion party of 800 made up of his
Philadelphia employees and their families.
They will see everything have a dinner
especially provided for them and be enter
tained by stunts by number Of theatrical
people vacationing here.
ziegfeld's 'Follies of 1915" opened here
last Tuesday night and while many blase
people say 1t is just like a cirrus. same
thing every year. the regular theatre-goer
knows different and is booming the pro-
duction In loud tones and the business has
been enormous all week The show ran
until after midnight on the first night and
eince that time not only pruning knife but
good sized AK has been used TO weed
out sufficient material TO cut down the
show to the required length The scenes
have been switched around, one or two
speclaltiest eliminated entirely, new songs
and numbers added and the production is
now as fit as a fiddle for the New York
opening next week. The hits OF the show
were made by Fannie Brice, Ina Claire,
Ann Pennington, William C. Fields, Bird
1lllIman and Bert Williams. but II was the
gorgeous scenery of Joseph Urban, beauti-
ful costumes and stunning chorus that
caught the public. Lew Fields. who staged
Astep This Way" here a few weeks ago,
With an immediate New York production
after here slipped one over on the man
ayers OF the "Follies," by using Shake
apeare as one OF the characters In his
comedy and big Hawaiian number, so the
use of similar numbers by the latter pro-
duction robbed them of some OF their efrec-
tlveness. but the .'Follies" is In a class