The New York herald., 1921-03-14
Boys Have Night
of Their Life at the
Hippodrome Show
Vast Audience Puts S12,0 900 in
Their Clubs Golfers at
Biz Benefit.

Ii was a great night for the Boys
Club.
or course the fact that the berent
given at the Hippodrome last night
nettcd something like $4,000 should DC
taken into consideration in summing up
the results Of the evening, but that was
not the fact that made the big impress
sion on the crowd from Avenue A and
Tenth street, or on the audience that
came from everywhere from Staten
Island to Scarsdale or the talent, which
extended from the Metropolitan Opera
up and down The big. outstanding thing
that hit everybody square in the eye
was the big time had by the club boys
themselves It was the night Of their
life.
When the big semicircular curtain Of
the Hippodrome majestically but incred-
IDLY descended into Mr.. Dillingham; $
cellar the audience out front had thrust
upon its collective retina not the ia
miliar acres Of Hippodrome stage. but
vast stretch Of boyhood From the
footlights. where Francis r. Sisson was
standing, back to the big red curtains,
and from the north end way down to
the antipodes. Tire entire stage was
simply clogged with masculine juvenilitY.
There were fat boys and thin boys and
every other kind Of boy there Is save.
perhaps. wealthy boys. They stood
facing the thousands in front Of them
grinning. glumiy. with shivering knees,
with confident air. with nudging elbows,
each one with his own idea OF just how
boy should act under such unprece-
dcnted conditions. but. ore and all. Tony.
Cuthbert Mike, fzzy, Pierce and Ivan.
whatever his manner OF meeting the
emergency. kept desperate clutch on
his hat
As the BOYS dizzily faced the audience
Mr. Sisson, speaking briefly. told Of how
tho bows are being aided TO get some Joy
and health out OF life. even on the
crowded East Side. through the Boys
Club.
Then a piano struck UP somewhere
and the boys piped up in song. ducking
the high notes. as becomes boys. and
coming out strong a little lower down.
Competition developed, and one side gall
loped a little ahead of the music and
the other side. as IL to reprove them.
Jagged behind a fttle. Both sides sang
louder in an effort 70 drown out the
other and the boys got over their stage
fright in the struggle and began to have
the big time. SO cid the audience.
Movies came next. Somehow the
millions Of boys on the stage, by dint OF
much showing and scrooging. opened up
an aisle in the middle 50 the audience
could see, and sat down into one COM
pact mass with every boy sitting on at
| least parts Of several others. The
movies showed the Boys Club in action,
and it was enough action to gladden.
even a movie directors turbulent heart
| At O'Clock the movies stopped for
minute and the house remained in dark
ness and absolute stiffness in tribute to
the boys Of the club, who grew up and
went West" during the war.
| SO far TIE show had been mostly boys,
but now the grownups got into action in
| a series Of tableaux depicting boys Of
other times and places. including the
Drums of the Fore and Aft (Grace Cross
man and Constance Nasn), Robin Hood
| Betty Thompson). Huck Finn (Beth
MARTINI, Daniel Boone (Frances Fair
child, Hans Brnker Geraldine Thomp-
son) and jim of Treasure Island (Doro-
thy Sharp.
Back swept the great red velvet cur
tains, revealing Toyland. back stage.
| On came the professionals, Charles y.
Coburn as Old Bill, Margaret Mower.
Reggie Sheffield and Naomi johnson.
those juvenile stars Freddie Goodrow.
Lois Bartlett, Frank Hearn and Howard
Lang. the Bad Man himself, Peg o. My
Heart herself. Lightnin' in person. Lulu
Bett not out Of the cocoon and the
Hired Man. who desired to know what
the Bad Mans shootin' was for. Then
tunefully came Emma Trentini and
| lightly Anna Pavlowa and VI. Stepanoff.
David Wark Griffith happened on
about this time with whole army Of
electricians. mechanics, camera men.
property men and actors, bringing with
them a whole set of an interior. which
they proceeded TO set up under his di-
rection. Then. after snappy re-
hearsal. the boys had the thrill Of see
Ing the cameras clicking away at a
scene with real actors getting killed
and nobly taking others crimes on their
| shoulders.
Then came Ruth Draper in a mono-
logue. Gladys Axman IN songs Tito
Schipa OF the Chicago Opera and the
boys own Balalalka Orchestra and own
flfe and drum corps. and finally the end
OF a perfect night, with "The Star
Spangled Banner" closing things up
right