New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-12-14
Hobbies Suit
Cecil Better
Than Hubbies

There are few things about Cecil
Cunningham that are different-so diff
ferent that there isn't any forgetting
the lady once you have met her. (Yes,
Cecil is feminine this time.) For in
stance, she can be funny about any
thing, and when she is funny she is
very droll, indeed. She is keen on
coffee for afternoon tea, prefers her
toast dry and very crisp, puts hobbies
ahead of bubbles, actually as we'll as
figuratively, and injects more original
ity, .vivacity and ginger into ten min
utes' conversation than some people get
rid of in a lifetime. All this and a
whole lot more was learned over the
tea table at the Claridge, while Cecil
drank coffee assiduously, bemoaned
the worlds lack of lyricism and hu-
morously sketched her career of ups
and downs.
And as for her views on matrimony!
They came with startling emphasis and
decision. In "The Rose of China" at
the Lyric Theater she is an Amazonian
person who pursues man all the way
to the land Of Cathay and openly de-
husbands are widows. But, speaking
for Cecil Cunningham and not fer the
Rose of China, she said:
II think the fundamental require
ment of matrimony is unselfishness
Women are not unselfsh. Men are not
unselfish. What can one do about it !?
Love is sacrifice. Where do you find
it? 1t amt! The best thing q woman
can have in life is hobby. I have
never come across a man who could be
a hobby and a hubby, too. It's the
woman's fault, just as much as the
MANS"
Miss Cunningham is given to cpl
gram. What she doesn't tell in words
she effectively conveys in gestures and
expression. She has red hair, the
warm, curling kind. and eyes-well,
any one who has seen her roll them in
"The Greenwich Village Follies" will
remember. Her voice is rich in inflec-
ton and her enunciation is extraordi-
narily good. She has wholly ire
pressible sense of humor. And, to re-
duce the experience of the tall, stun
ming Rose of China to sentence, she
is we'll seasoned, on the boz rds, having
had round of church choir, chorus,
vaudeville, operetta, straight musical
comedy and grand opera. Her greatest
desire now is to play straight comedy
without the aid of music. She doesn't
believe that one big hit is enough to
establish any one. In other words, her
motto is: Keep on going.
"Oh! for more Gilbertian operettas!"
she sighed when asked what she
thought the public really wanted. "The
poor public. 1t must take what is
inflicted on it. Usually it likes a good
musical show better than anything
else-not too highbrow, but tuneful
and enduring. There is such a dearth
of good lyrics. It is either a case Of
fitting words to tune or hastily COM
posing tune to suit the words. Such
thing as collaboration between mu-
stefan and poet, that their compost
lions may dovetail, is rare"
Personally Miss Cunningham gives
all her songs an individualistic turn.
1t is inconcewable that a manager
could ever be quite sure what this
purposeful young woman might spring
on him. Many of the songs she sings
have been written specially for her
spur of the moment. She likes con-
trasts. For instance, one of her favo-
rite acts in vaudeville is to sing a
song like "Annie Laurie" just as dain-
tily and beautifully as she knows
how, and then to do travesty of it
in the vain Of the cabaret singer. She
is quick as a flash to seize an oppor-
tunity and does an original burlesque
without any forethought.
"The whole thing is knowing the
temper of ones audience" declared
Miss Cunningham. "And you do learn
all about that in vaudeville. 1 don't
know of any experience, really, that is
more valuable than term on the cir
cult. l have made it a practice on
the first day out to see the act imme-
diately preceding mine so that could
readJust my performance to get an
immediate response from my audience"
1t was really her fine enunciation
as much as anything else that started
Miss Cunningham on her theatrical
way. Erlanger, who is a martinez on
the subject, heard her read lines from
"The Pink Lady," He liked her voice.
Every information was clear and carry
ing. But the part called for violin
selection
Can you play the violin 7" asked
Mr.. Erlanger.
mo, but III learn how" was the re-
tort.
And she did-that is to say. she