June 21, 1923
MUSICAL COURIER
48
AMUSEMENTS
B'way at S1st St. “Subway to Door” EDW. BOWES, Mng. Dir.
CAPITOL
World's Largest and foremost Motion Picture Palace
Beginning Sunday, June 24th
Return Engagement
POLA NEGRI
99
In “
CAPITOL GRAND ORCHESTRA
Erno Rapee Conducting CAPITOL BALLET CORPS—SOLOISTS
(Presentations by Rothafel)
Theaters under direction of Hugo Riesenfeld
RIVOLI BROADWAY at 49th ST
Hamilton Theatrical Corporation presents EMIL JAMMINGS In "PETER THE GREAT”
With Dagny Servaes as Catherine Directed by Dimitri Buchowetzki A Paramount Picture
Special Russian program of music and films RIVOLICONCERT ORCHESTRA
RIALTO BROADWAY at 42d ST.
CHESTER BENNETT	presents
JAME NOVAK In ״DIVORCE”
Story by Andrew Bennison—Directed by Chester Bennett An F.B.O. Picture
Riesenfeld’s Classical Jazz	Famous Rialto Orchestra
cessful. The publisher states that they are in their third edition, having been issued only last year.
Chappel Harms, Inc., New York
On May 11, in Springfield, Mass., Stella Sauvet Topping, a pupil of Lilian Mechin, gave a recital by radio. Five of her numbers were compositions by Bernard Hamblen, the English composer. The numbers were Roses of Memory, Smile Through Your Tears, Jesus of Nazareth, King! Remembrance, and When Singing-Birds Were Mute.
Sam Fox Publishing Company, Cleveland
During the week of June 3 the Strand Theater, of New York, had as a feature number a piano quartet. There
SAM FOX,
the head of the American publishing firm of Sam Fox Company, publishers of Cleveland, bidding adieu to David De Croot, a musical director, at the Picadilly Hotel. Mr. De Croot is one of the most popular of the orchestral conductors in London. Mr. Fox was very enthusiastic over the excellence of Mr. De Groot’s orchestra which he heard many times during his recent visit in London.
were four girl pianists on the stage at one time playing popular numbers. The selection which attracted the most applause was Nola.
J. Fischer & Brother, New York
During the past season, concert programs by our notable artists and young singers just beginning their career have shown a large percentage of selections from the' house of J. Fischer & Brother. One of the numbers at the first of the list is The Bitterness of Love, by James Dunn. John McCormack was one of the first to introduce this to recital audiences and Eleonora de Cisneros has always included it in her group of American composers. Communications relative to Mr. McCormack’s recent recital in Dublin show that he has sung the song there twice.
Another selection which belongs to this group is A Fairy Story by the Fire, and there are Dily Strickland’s Bayou Songs, particularly Dreamin’ Time and Ma Li’l Batteau. Among the popular recitalists who have introduced them is Sophie Braslau.
Another composer who has found considerable favor is Gertrude Ross, particularly with her arrangements of early California folk songs.	M. J.
Musical Comedy, Drama and Motion Pictures
fering. On Friday evening at the first performance David Mendoza conducted the orchestra through a splendid reading of Offenbach’s Orpheus overture. The cadenza for the violin was played by Eugen Ovmandy, concertmaster, and it must be said that his performance was as fine as anything we have ever heard in this theater.
The solo feature was the excellent dancing of Doris Niles in her original interpretation of Danse Arabe, from The Nutcracker Suite. The writer has seen Miss Niles dance this number upon several occasions, but last Friday evening she seemed to give it a finer interpretation than heretofore.
Mr. Rothafel arranged a very effective scenic presentation for Amy Woodforde-Finden’s well known number, Indian Love Lyrics. As usual, these special offerings created by Mr. Rothafel are worth while. After the feature, Douglas Stan-berry, a soloist with the Capitol male ensemble, sang On the Road to Mandalay. The number was enthusiastically received. In fact, there were so many interesting features to the musical program that it is difficult to comment in detail.
The Rivoli.
There was much of interest in the program shown at the Rivoli last week. To begin with, a splendid reading was given by the orchestra (Josiah Zuro and Emanuel Baer, conductors) to Rossini’s La Gazza Ladra. This was followed by a special arrangement by Edgar R. Carver of Love’s Old Sweet Song, in which the orchestra, Miriam Lax and Wendell Hart participated. At the conclusion of the rendition there were storms of applause for all concerned, the lighting effects being appropriate and everyone entering into the sentiment of the song wholeheartedly. The Rivoli Pictorial came next, followed by an interesting historical review, New York—Yesterday and Today, shown at the Rialto the preceding week.
Helen Sherman, coloratura soprano, created an excellent impression in two songs, Highty Lak’ a Rose, Ethelbert Nevin, and I Know Where a Garden Grows, John H. Dens-more. Her voice is of fine quality, clear and sweet; she sings with expression, and in addition possesses a charming personality.
The feature picture was Only 38, with May McAvoy, Lois Wilson, Elliott Dexter and George Fawcett, the beginning of which was not very promising but which developed in interest as the film progressed. Martha Graham danced with spirit Chapi’s Serenata Moresca. The program concluded with a Pathe comedy, Our Gang in Dogs of War. “Our gang” _ certainly has some talented little actors and actresses in its membership.
The Rialto.
The Czar und Zimmermann overture (Lortzing) opened the program here last week with Littau and Laurier conducting ; it was splendidly done and warmly applauded. Riesenfeld’s classical jazz was unusually fine.
C Sharp Minor at the Wurlitzer this week labelled his offering New York. It was most interesting to hear again so many of the old-time favorite songs which have lasted all these years—such as The Side-walks of New York, Sweet Rosie O’Grady, etc. But to include among such favorites the organist’s own New York, evidently his own contribution for the city’s $1,000 prize, seemed very much out of place.
Elizabeth Bartenieva, a Russian soprano, made her “first American appearance” in an aria from Tschaikowsky’s Jean D’Arc. The feature picture was Alice Brady in The Snow Bride. The program closed with Reginald Denny in The Widower’s Mite.	May Johnson.
The past week had only one new attraction and that was The New Passing Show at the Winter Garden. As nearly as we can gather on the reports of the opening, it can be safely said that the new Shubert production is a tremendous artistic success. Even the most conservative of the critics agreed in many respects that The New Passing Show will hold its own among the season’s finest and most spectacular revues. There were many who suggested that certain of the low comedy scenes could be and should be removed. The opening performance was quite long and if some of the scenes were eliminated, this would greatly enhance the entire production. No doubt after the . first week there will be many changes.
The season has decidedly closed. The new productions coming to town are practically all musical offerings which, of course, is customary for this time of year. This week George White’s Scandals will begin at the Globe, and Helen of Troy, N. Y., at the Selwyn. There are over fifty percent of the local theaters dark and only about twenty-two attractions were listed for the past week. However, with the coming of the musical attractions, this percentage will be raised a bit.
Hugo Riesenfeld, managing director of the Rivoli, Rialto and Criterion theaters, is returning to New York. He has had a vacation in Europe of over two months. He should have spent his entire time in resting and enjoying himself, for this was his first vacation in years, but we feel sure that when we see him he will have a great deal to say regarding conditions on the Continent, proving conclusively that he has spent much of his time in investigating presentations of the motion pictures in all of the large centers. No doubt Mr. Riesenfeld’s idea of having a vacation is enjoying a lot of hard work. A card of greeting was received by us from Brussels and he promised to have some very interesting things to say for our readers and particularly those of them who are motion picture fans.
The Capitol Theater is celebrating this week the third anniversary of Mr. Rothafel’s reign over the big picture house. A special musical program has been arranged in celebrating this occasion. Advanced notices last week promised that “Roxy” (as he is affectionately known) would himself conduct the orchestra at the nine-thirty performance in the evening.
Owing to the great interest manifested in the film version of Sinclair Lewis’ novel, Main Street, the management of the Strand Theater is holding over the picture for a second week. There are many excellent features to the film and much of it is of a superior quality, both in direction and in sincerity. Owing to the length of the film the musical background has been curtailed.
The Capitol
It was comedy week at this big theater. The feature was Ben Turpin in The Shriek of Araby. Of course it would be utterly impossible for one not to laugh at Ben Turpin unless one enjoys a very bad disposition or is suffering at the moment from indigestion. This film is certainly not a feature production and should never have been a long film. Had it been cut to a short comedy it would have been a riot. And another strange thing is that it should have been held away from New York for such a long time, as it was evidently a takeoff on Valentino’s film, The Shiek. The cpmedy was one of Our Gang films, produced by Hal Roach. These youngsters are a scream, and while Firina was not so funny as she (?) usually is, nevertheless she was again the star. If Firina keeps on the way she is going, we predict she will be starred despite her three or four years.
The musical background was far superior to the film of-
for the Sunrise, A Kiss in the Dark, and Love Sends a Little Gift of Roses. Miss Madden was the soloist at the opening of the series and will be one of the principal singers for the summer season.
Letters continue to come in to the publishers of Openshaw’s ballad, Love Sends a Little Gift of Roses. Singers and teachers alike acclaim the worth of this big success. The following letter speaks for itself:	“Owing to the many
requests for Love Sends a Little Gift of Roses, I am endeavoring to sing it in Massey Music Hall, April 3. There will be no program made in this case as I am appearing in conjunction with a lecturer. The song is very beautiful indeed and of a type of which we have far too few. (Signed) Audrie Rubanni.”
The following letter shows that as soon as the song was published discerning musicians were first in the field: “I have been singing Love Sends a Little Gift of Roses since it was first published. I sang it all through the South as an encore, when it was not sung as much as it is now. I think it is beautiful and always pleases the audience, and I shall continue to use it. (Signed) Lillian Croxton.”
Witmark & Sons, New York
On Monday even.ng, May 14, Emily Beglin, soprano, was the assisting artist at an organ recital by Sherman Kreuz-berg at the Hanson Place Methodist Church, Brooklyn. Miss Beglin’s second group contained The Light, Lamie Love, and Can It Be Love, all by Frederick W. Vanderpool.
White-Smith Company, Boston, Mass.
At a recent concert in Richmond, Va., given by Marguerita Sylva, the selection which seemed to arouse the most interest from the American composers, was Cadman’s A Cry at Dawn. The Cadman number was also used at her recital in Manning, N. J. Another song which Mme. Sylva is enthusiastic over is Call Me No More.
Constance Eberhart recently gave a concert in Forest Hills, N. Y., and Park Ridge, N. J., and programmed From the Land of the Sky-Blue Water. A Cry at Dawn, and The Moon Drops Low. The- public is never weary of these numbers which are destined to be American classics.
Dr. Victor Laurent and Lula Root sang Cadman songs at a recent Kitty Berger musicale held at the Waldorf-Astoria. Selections from the cycle, From Wigwam and Tepee, were among the numbers.
G. Schirmer, Inc., New York
Homer Nearing recently recorded his piano solo. Love Song, for the Duo-Art. This set of piano studies—Prelude, Falling Leaves, and Love Songs—has been unusually suc-
FROM THE PUBLISHERS
T. B. Harms, Inc., New York City
On June 11, at the Goldman Band concerts now being held at the Mall, Central Park, Lotta Madden was the
LOTTA MADDEN
is scoring success with A Kiss in the Dark and Love Sends a Little Gift of Roses.
feature artist. Her three ballad numbers, which the people received with much applause, were: The World Is Waiting