The Washington times., 1935-10-22

the week of November 25. If Law.
renee Schwab can get his new
musical May Wine" ready he will
take up the week of November 10.
Producer Max Gordon, between
rehearsal intermiSSions of Pride
and Prejudice" which opens to-
night, took time out to glance
over an impressive mound of mail
orders for The Great Waltz"
which opens November II. All
sent in before the scale of prices
was even announced. Top, by the
way, viii be $3.50.
Little Sarah Berner, Major
BoweS' Sunday night find, went
into the Fox show yesterday and
had the happy experience Of be.
ing forced to speech at each per.
Torrance. The kids great. I Sug.
gest she eliminate the counsellor.
at-law" telephone impression for
some Hollywood cameo movie
folks knows better, space her car
bonS little more leisurely. These
things will come when she gets
over her first day nervousness.
What of Future?
What becomes of the Major
Bowes amateurs after a one round
tour Of the movie houses? I think
they have the same opportunity
to survive as entertainers as the
amateur idea has in its rejuve-
mated radio form.
Those with genuine talent will
stick around. Others will 60 back
to the grocery wagon or filling
station job which served until
they heard the Sunday night call
for radio beginners.
Those who hope to make
vaudeville a career should know
that they have picked one of
the most precariouS businesses in
the world in which to make a
living. One in which the idle
weeks far outnumber the four
showS-a-day engagements.
They may take the word Of
Collins and Petersen, one of the
most successful comedy acts in
vaudeville, that 20 weeks work a
year is a very, very high average
for a vaudeville team. Another
high priced standard headliner
told this department he had six
weeks OF gainful employment in
the theater between September,
1884, and August, 1885. In be-
tween he worked in night clubs.
When the enthusiastic anna
teurS think of the future, as they
occasionally must, let them ask
themselves: Gould I go out on
that stage and entertain for 10
minutes all by myself" If they
feel they are equipped to pass
this test then there is a chance.
But those who are carried along
on wave Of good will, on an
audience desire to give a begin
ner a lift for just ordinary talent,
are unfortunate if the applause
misleads them.
Personally. think the amateur
craze is a fine thing for what's
left of vaudeville. It has shown
me that audiences in the four
a-day show movie theater are
eager for new faces and fresh
talent. Customers are just a wee
bit tired of routine vaudeville
with its bands and dance acts, its
microphoae and hooters, its al
most complete lack of novelty.
I hope this doesn't sound as
though I am a hard-hearted
Scrooge in this matter. I recog.
nize that youth desires some
form Of self-expression, that al.
most every kid in the adolescent
period feels he or she could
make success on the stage, in
the movies, as a dancer, crooner
or musician. They grope for the
opportunity to prove it.
My contention is that vaude-
vile recruiting fields in which
to try out such ambition are
scarce, and too cften barren. So
the embryos gravitate to the
network microphone without
seeing that the road ahead on
the stage is long and hard and