Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1922-01-26
PLUCK WONF0R
GRACE LA rue
career Of Star, Here Tonight
4 sads From Choir to Broadway
v Via European Vaudeville

# ambition, pluck, and persever-
.,.a ever planted a girl on the top
= tbe heap-it did Grace La Rue!
She started buck and wing dancer
nd doing flip-flops for living and
10 1anded-some years later a
lke;ocfeld Follies favorite, a musical
comedy star, a vaudeville 'headliner,'
concert artistic and feature act
:, +bp highest class music halls of
onaon and the continent. Now she
:, co.starring with Hale Hamilton in
.bo John Golden comedy, Dear Me,
10 he seen at the Rylander tonight.
Her story is an interesting one.
Rom on a Missouri farm she start
Cd singing as far back as she can
rompmber. At eleven, she had the
yoicp of a boy soprano so secured
position in a church choir in Kan
sss CITY. But in year or so her
voice broke just as boy sopranos
do The La Rue's hadn't a world of
money but Grace had ambitions, so
she had to rely on dancing to send
herself along. She learned to buck
and wing (jazz and the shimmy were
unknown in that day. and secured an
engagement with company. She
made her own dresses so that every
mare dollar might be saved for sing
oc grand opera was her
goal
In this way she came to study with
Victor Wofreil IN New York and Her
man DcVrios IN Chicago. She then
met Nm. LanFow, who had been a
ps.ma donna with the Royal Opera
in Berlin and was a first class OPP
cratic coach Nine, Lankow wanted
her to 90 to Berlin to study, but Miss
la Rue felt the time had not yet
come
Better and better engagements in
musical comedy came her way and
finally owing to the combination Of
her Well-Lnlmed voice and ability TO
design and wear dashing gowns and
hats, She became 'headliner' in
Vaudeville, the featured performer in
New York, Chicago and other big cit
les on the Keith circuit She was
never without offers, but believed
that the time had now come to study
in Europe.
She retired from the stage on this
side and studied under Nine. Dous-
set in Paris. Later she went to Lon
don and sang for seven months at
the Empire, probably the greatest
music hall in the world. On her re-
&nrn to this country Andreas DIPPED,
Former director of the Metropolitan
opera house sent her on costume
concert tour-after the manner of
Yvette Guilbert. In this she was ex-
tremely successful, for there is no
woman on the American stage today
who can sing song of the ballad
lype-a personality song-as can
Grace La Rue.
BUT with herself firmly established
IN vaudeville, in musical comedy and
On me concert stage, Miss La Rue
ueclded there were other fields to
conquer. She wanted to be success
oh the dramatic stage. She met Hale
hamilton, himself New York and
London favorite of no little maeni-
lude' and he had the play-also the
part for her. Miss La Rue became
MRS. Hale hamilton,-but that. is
another story.
j, The play was Dear Me. and next
'Llng was to find a producer. Man
ayers IN New York were anxious to
;I .aI Vne genial, popular Hale Ham
i'YV"' out not so Grace La Rue. "She
geg IN musical comedy. Or why
G IVY she stick to vaudeville where
~ guy can get $4,000 a week." they
T d'u' But Hale Hamilton was firm.
s r,S %lle must star with him, or they
wouldn't star at all. Furthermore #
was his play.
~, t.nally they went to John Golden
= -"IS astute manager is always ready
\; lake chance. He took one with
I sna Ilrst play, Turn to the Right
, nl,u ne TOOK one with Frank Bacon's
Kay, Lightning" and with "Tbe
amS' Year" and "Three Wise Fools"
w w" I'"Ii dozen other big successes
, "DJ'' ne star them jointly? Sure he
: Go] n but on one condition. Miss
A., ','r must be given an opportunity
Wv, @',& few of her famous songs
f"' 70 wear a frock OF her Justly
c .+''"" gowns in the justly-famous
", -, . La Rue way They play was
~. y5.a.Il.en and the rest is history. for
''.' Me- ran six months in New
'.'.' Tive months in Chicago and It's
'-.'.l'a engagement starts next Sep /