El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1919-08-19
Chorus Girls
Just Haze An
AWtuIOM Time
1t Is Not All Peaches And
Cream; Strike And Union
Brings 1t Out.

New York, Aug. 1s.-Chorus girls
have a horrible time Of it on Broad
way. Contrary 10 the generally &C
cepted condition OF things. they do.
It is all coming out in the strike.
Heretofore. chorus girls have been
written about and pictured as riding
in limousines and wearing wonderful
furs and dining at expensive restau-
rants. While only the high lfhjys
have been touched in these stories,
the general public has come 10 be-
lieve that the life Of a chorus girl
was one long round Of happiness.
Not so, according to the union
strikers.
Two Of the gay white ways pref
test young things today wove verit-
able verbal tapestry Of frightfulness.
depicting drudgery. hunger and abuse
as the principal compensation of a
chorus career.
Kitty Astor. an English girl, tall.
with snappy brown eyes and the Golf
fure Of a ''vamp," did most OF the
talking, with petite VfoIette Hazel
another -Shubert girl" in The role Of
feeder" When Violette would sug-
gest some new angle Of their numer-
Gus grievances, Kitty would snatch up
the theme and discourse volubly.
we are fighting TO do away with
the cause of 90 per cent Of the i'm
mortality among chorus girls-pov-
erty,' said Miss Aston Her long jet
eardrops danced violently with the
emphatic shake Of her head.
Long RehearsaIs without Pay.
Imagine poor working girl re-
hearsing sixteen weeks-longer some
any pay. We re-
hearsed eight weeks without pay.
Then we went to Philadelphia 10 open
Monday We didn't open until Thurs
day, and at the end OF the week we.
were paid for only half a week-SI5
each And that wasn't money, il was
in cancelled L o. Us which We had
given for money advanced during the
long rehearsals. Well, after five
weeks in Philadelphia we Jumped to
presented each Of US with a bill for
$40 for shoes.
We played one week in Atlantic
City and returned 10 New York Here
We were told that there would be
three day layoff without pay. Instead
of three days we were laid off four
weeks without pay. IN Atlantic City
The cost OF living was so high that we
had to live four in a room at a room I
ng house, each paying s. a week for
-ent alone.
And Then Another Shoe BILL
But the worst Of all was when I
hey came TO Us with another $50 shoe 4
1ill after the four weeks layoff in /
lew York had finished and the show I
lad reopened-"
Then Violette boiled over with a 4
more recent grievance.
Just think" she said with earnest
less that simply compelled thought. /
on the night re actors struck on 4
Broadway they told Us to get on our
q T.
o 20 on We did. But there was no
how And the next night when we
sked them IL We were to be paid for
last night they said. well. you didn't
york last night. did you?' 80
The Moth and the Flame AEnIn.
Miss Hazel admitted that her ad-l
ent into Broadwsy's tinsel life was
he old story of the moth and the
lame. She was attracted by the
right lights and Just longed to tell
er friends that she was "On the stage
n Broadway" Most of the girls are
rawn to Broadway by the same at
raction, she believes, and it requires
My a short experience with hard
oiled" stage managers to dim the
litter OF Rislto life.
Those stage managers" said Miss
stor, the eardrops rioting again
I've heard them use the fOuiest Ian
uage to mere working girls. The
Hest names men Know pour from ,
heir lips, and the red blooded men Of
he company don't dare knock them
own for fear Of losing their jobs.
producers Encourage Vice.
And some OF the producers not
My know about immoral conditions
breed on girls by poverty. but openly
ncouraged it There is one producer
'ho viii say:
" Well. haven't you got a John 70
ny your mealsT when you ask for .
lore money. They expect the girls
, work up a personal following :
mong men no viii pay money into ,
he box office to see them dance"
Lee Shubert said:
The only stage choes for which
II girls have to pay are those which
ley can and do use for street wear.
-e buy all costumes, including all
-Ockings Long rehearsals are the
lult OF high paid stars who spend
leir nights carousinE at parties.
hey are the ones who keep the cho-
Is girls rehearsing for long periods.
ct the stars didn't admit chorus ,
iris TO their union until il seemed as
Rough the little girls were going TO
acome the whole show during fre