DIY History | Transcribe | Keith-Albee Collection | Keith-Albee managers' report book, September 21, 1903 - March 14, 1904

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Keith-Albee managers' report book, September 21, 1903 - March 14, 1904

Page 99a

Criticism, Keith's Bijou, Dec. 7th, 1903.
STEREOPTICON: Usual collection of slides.
MOA & GOODRICH: Garden 4; 8 minutes; 3 shows. Very old timey skating act in alleged comedy make up. It is so long since we have had a skating act in the house - I think 8 or 9 years - that the falls these fellows make made the women laugh. They are not much on fancy skating, but the act went all right here for an opener though I would not advise it for the other big cities. They are very cheap and cheesey as to make up.
KENWICK & DE VERE: Olio; 15 minutes; 3 shows. Man and woman, man little bit old timey looking and the woman young and plump. She opens the act with a song, goes off; he drifts on with a little monologue and song, then they get together and have a few cross fire gags that get quite a few laughs, and though not of much value they made good all right in this spot.
HANVEY & DOANE: C.D.F. 15 minutes; 3 shows. Man and woman, man with a very bad make up of silly kid, woman rather nice looking though she seemed somewhat amateurish. Hanvey was with a comedy quartette until recently and sings the songs that he sung with that quartette with a fairly bad tenor voice, but the character of the songs made them go as they were of the "home and Mother" order. In order to allow him to change from the silly kid to a dress suit for the last song in one, the woman does what she announces as a bit of ragtime but it was only passable. I would not advise the act for the other houses until the man gets a make up more befitting his character work. He might pass through with this remedied up about number two or three in the other houses. Went better night show.
JOHN LE CLAIR: Garden 3; 18 minutes; 3 shows. Juggler whose act in general is familiar to all the other houses, but he has some new billiard ball stuff with a mechanical hat that was new to me and apparently also to the audience for it got them very strongly. I think he is doing a better act in general than he did formerly as he seemed to have gotten over the habit of dropping things.
JOHN HEALY: Street in one; 20 minutes; 3 shows. Just the same as ever. John can make one or ten thousand laugh, and as we had somewhere between these two numbers in the house to-day that declaration holds good.
ECKHOFF & GORDON: C.D.F. 23 minutes; 2 shows. Can close 1 - 4 or 5 mins  Man and woman in comedy musical act new to me and, I guess, new to this part of the circuit. The woman is rather nice looking and well dressed and simply there to do straight for the man, as she did not play any music at all. Man handled his instruments well and showed a good sense of comedy. The act was a distinct hit. They introduced the old Monroe & Mack potatoe cutting act and got quite a bit of fun out of it.
JOSEPHINE WILKINSON: Drapery 1; 12 minutes; 2 shows. Young lady vocalist, booked, I believe, chiefly on account of her vocal value. She just got by with three selections, which she did not handle particularly well  She is pretty well down on the bill on account of expectation of local following, and will probably have to hold her there on that account. She is a bit shy on looks, dress and voice. She told me to-night she is in bad voice on a/c of a cold.

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Criticism, Keith's Bijou, Dec. 7th, 1903. STEREOPTICON: Usual collection of slides. MOA & GOODRICH: Garden 4; 8 minutes; 3 shows. Very old timey skating act in alleged comedy make up. It is so long since we have had a skating act in the house - I think 8 or 9 years - that the falls these fellows make made the women laugh. They are not much on fancy skating, but the act went all right here for an opener though I would not advise it for the other big cities. They are very cheap and cheesey as to make up. KENWICK & DE VERE: Olio; 15 minutes; 3 shows. Man and woman, man little bit old timey looking and the woman young and plump. She opens the act with a song, goes off; he drifts on with a little monologue and song, then they get together and have a few cross fire gags that get quite a few laughs, and though not of much value they made good all right in this spot. HANVEY & DOANE: C.D.F. 15 minutes; 3 shows. Man and woman, man with a very bad make up of silly kid, woman rather nice looking though she seemed somewhat amateurish. Hanvey was with a comedy quartette until recently and sings the songs that he sung with that quartette with a fairly bad tenor voice, but the character of the songs made them go as they were of the "home and Mother" order. In order to allow him to change from the silly kid to a dress suit for the last song in one, the woman does what she announces as a bit of ragtime but it was only passable. I would not advise the act for the other houses until the man gets a make up more befitting his character work. He might pass through with this remedied up about number two or three in the other houses. Went better night show. JOHN LE CLAIR: Garden 3; 18 minutes; 3 shows. Juggler whose act in general is familiar to all the other houses, but he has some new billiard ball stuff with a mechanical hat that was new to me and apparently also to the audience for it got them very strongly. I think he is doing a better act in general than he did formerly as he seemed to have gotten over the habit of dropping things. JOHN HEALY: Street in one; 20 minutes; 3 shows. Just the same as ever. John can make one or ten thousand laugh, and as we had somewhere between these two numbers in the house to-day that declaration holds good. ECKHOFF & GORDON: C.D.F. 23 minutes; 2 shows. Can close 1 - 4 or 5 mins Man and woman in comedy musical act new to me and, I guess, new to this part of the circuit. The woman is rather nice looking and well dressed and simply there to do straight for the man, as she did not play any music at all. Man handled his instruments well and showed a good sense of comedy. The act was a distinct hit. They introduced the old Monroe & Mack potatoe cutting act and got quite a bit of fun out of it. JOSEPHINE WILKINSON: Drapery 1; 12 minutes; 2 shows. Young lady vocalist, booked, I believe, chiefly on account of her vocal value. She just got by with three selections, which she did not handle particularly well She is pretty well down on the bill on account of expectation of local following, and will probably have to hold her there on that account. She is a bit shy on looks, dress and voice. She told me to-night she is in bad voice on a/c of a cold.