The sun., 1918-11-11
HIPPODROME. STARTS
DRIVE WITH A BANG
Experts Agree That War
Work Campaign Show
Broke All Records.
$1,000 FOR JOLSON SONG
Comedian Gets $4,000 From
William Fox Before His
Voice Gives Out.

Even that penurious gentleman who
once said he would refuse to give MP as
much as two bits to see the Statue Oh
Liberty do n clog dance, would giaoy
have set himself back the price OF adj
mission TO the all star performance given
at the Hippodrome last night by the
Allied Theatrical, Motion Picture and
Hfus,c Team for the benefit of the United
War Work Campaign.
The programme. arranged by T.. F.
Aibee. was conceded by press agents,
theatrical fans and even by the
audience, to be the biggest and most
palatable dish of vaudevtle ever
handed out in the whole gosh
United States of America. To all these
encomiums Mark A. Luescher. the puo.
licity genius OF the Hippodrome' addeu
the final word of praise when he ad-
matted modestly that II was also the
greatest show his we'll appointed httie
playhouse had ever seen.
Whole pages from Who's who in the
vaudeville and musical world plus the
scombined roster of the Friars ana the
Lambs were spread all over the pro-
gramme and even spilled over the list
OF those present in the audience. Inere
seats in the orchestra that Raymond
Hitchcock, the master of ceremonies
found 1t necessary to interrupt the per
formance every now and then In order
10 bow to one OF his friends.
story Never Was Finished.
Mr.. Hitchcock also took time to tell
the story OF the two Irishmen who
started for Berlin TO kidnap the Kaiser.
By easy stages between each act the
master of ceremonies got the. two Gets
a. far as the German capital and then
left them there without divulging the
outcome of the expedition.
Hours before the show began every
seat in the house was sold. Then a
hurry call was sent to a nearby lunch
room for extra chairs. which were placed
on the stage to accommodate the over
flow. Half an hour after the curtain
went up. an eel equipped with shoe
horn would have found 1t impossible to
slide into the house.
Among the headliners on the pro-
gramme was United States Marshal Tom
Mccarthy, one of the big stars in At
torney-General Gregory's Federal Cir
cult. 1t will be recalled that Big Tom
established reputation in the Red Cross
campaign by raining Off the Kaiser's
yachting cup at a performance In the
frankly admitted that the trophy was
made of pewter instead OF gold. The
Marshal must have had some idea OF
repeating this performance. for he came
tripping out on the stage with his arms
full Of Hun helmets, breastplates. az
eentimeter shells and few other Ger
man trinkets picked up on the battle
nsld.
ForEets His Real Trade.
The Marshal placed the trinkets or
the table and Immediately became sc
engro.sed In his speech appealing for
donations to the War Work Campaign
that he forgot all about auctioning of
the trophies. From the performers be-
hind the scenes he got contributions
amounting to s4,955. E. F. Albee added
$1,000 to this and William Fox, chair
man Of the Allied Theatrical. Motion
Picture and Vaudeville Team OF The
Cnited War Work Campaign. contrib
uted $2,50O. Later Mr.. Fox parted witt
another $4,000 under the influence Of
the spell woven around him by Al Jol
son Of the Winter Garden.
Jolson began his performance by sing
ing "Tell II to the Marines" He fol
lowed with several encores. but still the
audience would not permit him to leave
the stage.
IL
songs responded the nimble w1tte,
Al. "but l want money for the Wa
Work drive and l want II in big gobs
Pm no piker"
How would you like $4,000 for ever,
song you singT' queried Mr.. Fox from
one Of the boxes.
Jolson snapped up the proposition. A
the end of three songs he was carried of
the stage in a state of exhaustion.
,.,tNh Cn1l Nalr - ~
stage and on and the money taken II
at the box Office II was roughly esti
mated that the War Work drive. whicl
officially began this morning, was en-
riched about $4,000 by the perform
ance.
started by statuesque Singer.
The statuesque Marguerite Fontrest
who posed for Foringer's picture. 9TH
Greatest Mother ON Earth" opened tn
performance by singing The Sta
stirring her audience into patriot
fervor Miss Fontrese toyed daintily wit
q big American flag attached to a
eight foot pole.
Between Miss Fontrese and AL 10
son. who brought up the rear OF I'll
programme, there were a score or NOR
features Some OF the others on til
bill were Julia Arthur, Lillian Russell
Phyllis Nelson Terry. Sergeant Irwin
Berlin, Irene Franklin and Burto
Green. Blanche Ring. Frisco. Loret'
Macdonald. Bert Kellys Jazz BAN
Trixie Friganza, Belle Baker. Juliet, Va
and schenck. Sophie Tucker, Graf
Campbell. Charles King and Phi
Baker, Clarence Whitehill Ave
Comedy Four. Pelham Bay Nav
Band, Gus Edwards Attaboy Revu
Wellington Cross, Ben Ali Troupe (
z5o. Keith Boys Band. the Cansino
Robert Emmett Keane. VIII and Gordo
Dooley. Mollie King. Lester Sheehan an
Pearl Legacy.
Before the show began the B.
Keith's Boys Band added to the trouble
of the traffic cop stationed in front I