The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1923-05-05
ELKS MINSTREL
SHOW PLEASES
BIG AUDIENCE
Voted Best of the Minstrel
Shows Given Under Draper
Direction
M ANY NOV ELTI e s

What the Governor of North Car
olina said to the Governor of South
Carolina is history but what Mr..
Gallagher now says to Mr.. Shean is
the current gossip of the sIday. Mr.
Shean positively liked the Elks min
strcl show last night and Mr.. Gal
laghcr said it was absolutely good
excluding their own act Of course,
and the audience answered For .iseAs.
The 1928 edition of the Elks
Ministries differs from the old
time minstrel show like the 1928
sport car differs from Henry Ford's
first attempt. They're both auto
mobiles, but the 1928 model has IL
score of extras pleasing to the eye
and enjoyable to the passengers.
Picking stars in an all-star show is
bad business. Its hard to compare
Joe Bres lows dancing to Verne God
dard's matinee idol steps of Mr..
.Shean's shuffling but in common
parlancc they all were the snakes
hips with the audience. 1t also is
difficult to compare the pep of the
harmony hounds to the soothing
melodies Of Hank Halverson, George
Humphrics, Frank Gale, Rex Berndt
and others but they were all voted
diamond studded front teeth by the
audience.
Critically speaking the minstrel
show, which gave the first Of two
performances at the Auditorium last
night, is nicely balanced. Not be-
tween good and bad, Of course, but
in variety Of entcrtainmcrT.. The
first half is made up of spccialties
while the last half is the brilliant
ensemble Of the modern minstrel
show.
Show Starts in High
George Russ and Clint Draper. dir
cctor of the show, took the burden
of the opening act, and started the
performance in high. The first
scene was in IA music store, which
unlike a drug store, actually offered
music for sale. The proprietor got
along pretty we'll after chasing out
crap shooting jazz hounds of Draper
and getting rid Of Harry Larson who
gave an imitation of a radio on a
summer night when he started tun-
ing the piano with hammer and
saw. until VIM. Laist started to
ordering music in German, Joe Bel
anger demanded service in French,
Bob Loubck ordered in Bohemian or
Czccho- -Slovakian or thercabouts and
then sang in Norwegian dialect, and
Joe Breslow capped the climax by
crying for service in Iiddish.
Henry Duemcland put hammer
and saw to the only good use he
knows for them-producing some
real music to the piano accompan-
iment of his wife and then respond
ed to an encore with harmonica
solo, while Frank Gale introduced d
the zither solo, and other added
novelties.
How Director Draper ever train
cd eight live wines to perform as
mechanics dolls will remain a mys-
terry to the audience, but they never
missed step and were particularly
handsome in their uniforms and lots
of paint. The toy dance performed
by Norman Flow, leader, Harry Lar
son, Neil Omay, L. =. Monson, Cur
tis Dirlam, L. R. Wyciskala, H. j.
Holta and VIM. Anderson, was real
hit of the evening, as three or four
enc0res proved. Joe Breslow's dane.
ing formed brilliant background
Harmony Hounds" Please
Harry Wagner I'D Larry Spence,
Art Dargan and Mat. Neibauer in
lively and tuneful music around 9
piano and were casfed back severa
times, while D. E. Shipley and San
Paine in "The Wondering Minstrels'
and Miss Gladys Alderman ant
Verne Goddard in skit "ln th'
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