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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 21, 1919)
4 D THE OMAHA SUNDAY BEE: DECEMBER 21, 1919. I ,1 MUS I C By HENRIETTA M. REES. THE deith of Cleofont Campa nini comes as a distinct shock . 1 to music lovers all over the country. Although he had been ill for some time, and critically ill for over a week, hopes for his recovery had been held out, until the last few days. His death is a great loss to the musical activities of the middle west Under his direction the Chi cago Opera company has grown from a small organization to one of the greatest opera companies of the world. During his lifetime he had conducted all the big operas of Spain, Italy, France and South America, and been actively connect ed with the greatest opera compa nies. He brought out many famous ' singers, among them Galli-Curci, and he engaged American artists when ever their talent and experience jus tified him. He was a thorough mu sician, as well versed in the manage ment of the productions as in the art of interpreting hem. The times when he conducted in Omaha, his authority and musicianship were constantly in evidence, and many ar tistic results were achieved both in the orchestra and behind the foot lights. He had won for himself a high position in the world of music, and his death will be mourned by thousands who knew the fruits of his labors. - The opera house in New Orleans was totally destroyed by fire De cember 3. This structure was built in 1859 and contained priceless rec ords, pictures, programs and other : things of great historic value, in view of the fact that grand opera vas first given in the United States in New Orleans by a company ini tiated from Paris in 1791, according to Musical America. Most of the singers who were singing there this season were artists who had been engaged by the late Oscar Hammer slein for his projected opera sea son. Here many operas of Rossini, Meyerbeer, Auber and Mozart had their first American appearances, ac cording to the same journal. When "Aida" was performed in New Or leans for the first time all the stage settings and costumes used at the first production oi the opera in Cairo were used at the New Orleans performance. When one remembers that this opera was written at the order of the khedive of Egypt to celebrate the opening of the Suez canal one can well imagine that it must have been a gorgeous perform ance for an American city in those days. The demonstrations against Fritz Kreisler which have occurred in one cr two cities where he has appeared in recital are only other instances of the hotheads and sometimes only DANCING I PRAIRIE PARK Twenty-sixth and Amu Av. ' TUESDAYS, THURSDAYS AND SATURDAYS By the Ben Hur Dancing Club Colfax 4923. half-informed people who want to inn. the world. Not only their own world, but yours and mine and everybody efse'a, and they t want to run it without any experience or naming in our lines of 'endeavor, either. The chances are that not one out of every hundred of them ever attends concert. Why should they set themselves up as so much more patriotic than anybody else? Music lovers are just as patriotic a they, and if the music lovers were convinced that an artist was a real enemy of their country, they would not support his concert, for the hotheads seem to forget that there is no law which compels them to attend it. But Kreisler did much for the stranded musician of all nationalities in Vienna before America entered the war, when all means of continuing his aid were cut off. At all times his conduct toward this country throughout the war has been above reproach. A local manager, or the committee of some representative musical club would not engage an artist, for a local recital if they were not assured of his sincerity in regard to this country, They are too depended upon the support of the local music lovers, if they are not too patriotic themselves. But the musical people are much more liable to be correctly informed about the status of an artist, than the others, and if they, are willing to give an artist a clean bill of health, their judgment should be respected. While one report says members of the American Legion caused a recital by kreisler to be cancelled in one place, another report says Kreisler has been invited to play for the New York chapter on De cember 28, appearing on the same program with John McCormack, and that he will do so. The very fact that this chapter of the American Legion would extend the invitation, ought to quiet any sudden action on the part of the nontljinkers. Mme. Luisa Tetrazzini, prima donna, who 10 years ago was promi nent in coloratura roles in grand opera, has returned to America and entered upon a concert tour. The premiere ' of "Boudour," a ballet by Pavley and Oukrainsky, librettists, and Felix Borowski, com poser, was produced at the Chicago opera last week, making a tremend ous' success. It is described as a gor geous spectacle, and the music as "bearitijj every mark of. elegance, melodionsness and grace. There are also moments of dramatic intensity and tense rhythmic passages, and the music in design and develop ment' follows' the plot of the ballot closely."' Mr.. Borowski is a well known Chicago compeer and critic and his organ numbers and violin and piano compositions are well known. musical journals in spnuiug ui ,l ;- . .... inc premiere ui nyiiruuuc, aay that the only indecent thing they see about it is the trashy-tune "Alexan dria" which is suddenly introduced in uinci wise cicvcny aiiau&cu cpisuuii; music. Katharina Scores One on Petruchio AT the last performance of "The Taming of the Shrew" at the Shubert in New York city, E. H. Sothern in the role of Petruchio failed to catch the vase of flowers which Miss Marlowe, as Katharina, throws at him, and as a result he is now the possessor of a "black eye." So for once, Katharina scored over Petruchio. Miss Julia Marlowe, who will ap pear here this season with E. H. Sothern in . Shakespearean reper toire, recalls that when she made her first appearance in Boston at the Hollis Street theater, playing Parthenia in "Ingomar," there was only about $60 in the house, so she stepped to the footlights and in vited the audience to move down front. Miss Marlowe was then 16 years old and this was her first year as a star. That Boston was not long in awakening to the fact that a new' genius had arisen in the theatrical world is attested by the packed housei which always greeted her there after her first visit to Bos ton. When Gordon Craig produced "Hamlet" for the Moscow public, the theater marked an eooch. Amer ica knows . Craig's work only through report and illustration, but with the E. H. Sothern and Julia Marlowe production of this tragedy this season, playgoers of this coun try will see some radical changes in the stage, management and decora tion of this play. The drama has been newly studied and many lm portant innovations have been made . . , ,t . i, into me pusiness oi ine piece. Especially interesting is the new arrangement of the play scene. The iignung: ana scenic aevices em ployed in the new Sothern and Mar lowe "Hamlet" give promise of be ing the most significant advance in classical production in America. Vaudeville Volleys PAT ROONEY and Marion Bent, supported by a large company, presented their new vaudeville act in New York. It is an elaborate affair, lavishly staged and costumed, called "Rings of Smoke." Edgar Allan Woolf, au thor of many playlets that success fully toured the Orpheum circuit, is responsible for the Roney-Bent pro duction. Bennett and Richards, the vaude ville comedians who have been ap pearing abroad for the past four months, returned to this country last Wednesday. Nat Nazarro, jr., the juvenile comedian-musician-dancer, assisted by the Atlantic Fleet Jazz Band, has just started on a tour of the Orphe um circuit. Loretta McDermott, the petite jazzerine, who has been assisting Frisco, "the original," will shortly be seen in an act of her own, in which she will be suported by Mel Craig, Joe Horolik and a jazz band. Harry Holman, the rotund come dian, is now offering for two-a-day approval a new sketch, written by himself, entitled "The Ttferchant Prince." - ' Mazie King, often alluded to by Orpheumites as Miss Terpsichore, is busily engaged rehearsing a new dance offering. It will be lavishly staged and contain many original features. Harry Mayo and Basil Lynn, who toured the Orpheum circuit last sea son, have dissolved partnership. Mr. Lynn has secured another partner, and Mri Mayo, for the present, is going it "alone." Kathryn Dahl, who pleasingly sang her way over the Orpheum cir cuit two seasons ago, will shortly present a somewhat different, sing ing and talking offering written es pecially for her, by William B. Friedlander. If all the land above the sea level' were spread uniformly over the world it would form a shell about 660 feet thick. Movie Notes By WEIR TODAY you can step into a movie house and journey around the world in (five reels. A few years ago a similar trip took one into "steen" different kinds of railroad trains and tram cars, seven packets, five stage coaches and 49 restaurants. , C. Gardner Sullivan has in prep aration a new story for Enid Ben nett, the Thomas H. Ince star, which offers her the most ambitious role yet attempted by the star of such successes as "The Virtuous Thief," "Stepping Out," "The . Haunted Bedroom" and "What Every Wom an Learns." By far the best J. Warren Kerri gan screen play of the year and the best Leah Baird play from the famous successes of Augustus Thomas are December releases an nounced by the W. W. Hodkinson Corporation for distribution by the Hodkinson sales organization through Pathe Exchange, Inc. "The Lord Loves the Irish" is the title that links the star of the Irish name with an Irish-American story by an obviously Irish author, Monte M. Katterjohn. "The Lord Loves the Irish" is a Robert Brunton produc tion possessing all of the technical beauty and finesse that Mr. Burn ton bestows upon pictures made at his big California plant, and it is directed by Ernest C. Warde. They Art All Blue-Eyed and Blond Up There Myron Selznick has purchased two more stories for his stars, "The Point of View," by Edith Ellis, which was originally a stage play, and "The Pride of Patricia," by Elizabeth Redfield, an original story. These will be produced in the near future. Some criminals never reform, and in a figurative sense, this may be true of H. B. Warner, star of "A Fugitive From Matrimony" which was made by the Jesse D. Hampton studios for, Robertson-Cole. Mr. Warner became famous as a "crook" in "Alias Jimmy Valentine" and taken up his old ways in the new picture in which he impersonates an escaped Sing Sing prisoner Big Time Vaudeville v At the .Orpheum "Tea for Three" At the Boyd "Chocolate Soldier" At the Brandeis . . Doc WaggnerY Saxaphones r , From Ak-Sar-Ben Vaudeville (No War Tax) ALL COMBINER IN ONE SHOW At the Empress Acterf Benefit Show (I I At the There's never been a real honest-to-goodness Variety show in Omaha. - But tnere's one on its way. It'll be here Friday moon. December 26, at the Boyd theater. Billy Byrne, who tells Martin Beck what to use c ieum stages, is general manager. He's making the show up wit-.! actors in all Omaha theaters this week. - The show will be a combination of the best in Omaha Decem ber 26. They'll all put on acts. Proceeds go to the Actors' Benefit fund of America. For nearly three years, actors have been giving their time to help every patriotic and charity drive. Now it's a show for their own needy members. : We'll show them we're grateful. It'll Cost Only $2.50, But It Oilghta Be $8.00 . a 21 ieatre SPONSORED BY THE ELKS' LODGE W ESTERN MICHIGAN boasts of more blue-eyed blonds bearing resemblance to Kath erine MacDonald, acclaimed the "American beauty of the screen," than any other section of the coun try. At least, that is the claim of the photoplay editor of the Grand Rap ids Herald and the judges in a cop test to determine the girl who looked most like Miss MacDonald. The star of "The Thunderbolt" and "The Beauty Market" started something when she learned of this contest. She wrote the editor asserting there was a possibility that her producers may later desire to use her double in some picture. She also promised to send autographed photographs of herself to 16 of the contestants de clared to look most like her. The cash and other prizes offered by the newspaper created mild interest compared with the announcement by Miss MacDonald. When the young hopefuls of western Michigan learned of the possibility of appear ing on the screen as the double of the "American i Beauty" the editor was fairly deluged with their photo graphs. The weary judges who had to pass on them insist that prac tically every blond, artificial and otlw erwise, in western Michigan, between the ages of 16 and 40, participated in the contest. These judges, it is re ported, have since v taken a much needed vacation. . Two features calculated for popu lar distinction are announced on the bill at the Orpheum for the week of December 28. One of these, reg istered to headline, will be Henry Santrev and his society jazz band, heading of which is a novelty to Mr. Santrey who is well known as a baritone. It is not common for an established vocalist to lend himself to this sort of acrobatic music, but Mr. Santrey is well pleased with his success in the new line and being registered all over the big two-a- day circuits as one of the most pop ular of top-liners. The Man Hunt is to be the specially featured pro duction. It is a somnambulistic comedy by Harlan Tnompson. Isolda Illian heads the cast. Cohan and Harris will present at the Brandeis January 19, 20 and 21 "A Prince There Was," the newest comedy from the pen of George M. Cohan. It has been described as a modern fairy story, with its char acters all so much up to date that one of them is a . moving picture actor. One of the scenes is laid in a New York boarding house far from the bright lights of Broadway. Cohan and Harris promise a first class production and an excellent company headed by James Gleason, and including Ena Lewis Willey, William Slider, Josephine Williams, John Bedouin, Lucile Webster, John E. Sanders, Adelaide Wilson, James Bradbury, jr., Marie Nelson, Joseph Oddo, Will T. Goodwin and Muriel Nelson. Vg A. H . Blarik. lCf 1 OFFERS ' ' ' ' ' , ' j AH Dressed Up in Misery! GOSH! how he longed for the boys back home in the lumber camp! And the good old "hoe-down," and hobnails pounding in time with Lem Barton's mouth organ. But here he was adorned for a terrible night among the elite; proprietor of a "tony" modiste shop ! A bushel of fun, a smashing battle for a good woman's name, a pretty romance of love, and some mighty big pulls at your heart you'll see them all in "John Petti coats." A Mack Sennett Comedy, "Ladies Tailor" Rialto News. 9t "Ireland Must Be Heaven That's what we say after seeing this greatest of all Kerrigan pie turetl You'll say so too, when you see it, for its the most human, in-terest-compelling, gripping drama, this popular magnetic idol has aver made! The story runs the gamut from the shamrocks and blarney tone of picturesque Ireland to the great scene in which the hero, a member of the fighting New York police force, break up the most desperate gang of counterfeiters in the United States. Whatever you do, don't miss it! l OVERTURE Selection from the Irish Operetta "Eileen" New Moon Orchestra Direction Robert Cuicaden. Edwin Stevens and his sweet-toned New Moon Pipe Organ. oh ( c- o & I r and hi oyw conj3wP wJ I J: