A MIXED BAG.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19256, 21 August 1924, Page 5

A MIXED BAG.

By The Gleaner It is said that over 300 acts arc now working on the Fuller circuit in Australia and New Zealand. More new acts are booked to arrive and more are to follow. The once popular star. Miss Carno Moore, was amongst those who contributed items at the benefit recently tendered to Miss Maggie Moore at His Majesty’s Theatre in Sydney. London at the present time is much on the whirl, and with its inflated population should be a showman’s paradise. Over 82,000 people recently attended a searchlight tattoo at Aldershot, and the takings were over £IO,OO0 —double the amount gathered last year. During tne week-end over Ascot Sunday 11,400,000 passengers were carried by trains, buses and trams. A record traffic of 400.000 passengers were carried by the bus services running to and from Wembley on the Saturday. Attendances running from 50,000 to 90",000 have been attending the Rodeo stunts at Wembley. The bout which took in Christchurch between Parker and Zimmerman was a rather tame affair. Parker is quick and fairly clever but minus a punch, whilst Zimmerman is a slow man with a good punch which generally fails to land. According to Tom Webster, the famous cartoonist, the Spanish fighter Paolino beats his opponents by walking into them and then Crumples up their arms like a concertina by butting into each blow. Reports by the latest mail show that the Frenchman, Coquclin Delisle, won the Olympic shooting competition with 398 points out of a possible 400, the American lad, Dinwiddle, being second, with 396. Dinwiddie is only 17 years old, and *s a high school boy, of Washington. The winner, Delisle, who twice scored a possible of 100 and twice 99, is an art student of 23, who has never before been an Olympic competitor. Ern. Baxter, ex-feather-weight champion of Australia, recently arrived in Auckland on a scalp-hunting expedition. He is open to meet any likely opponents in the light-weight division, and is also prepared to stand up to light -welter-weights. Mr E. J. Carroll, recently returned to Sydney from America, announces that Pauline Frederick, the film star, and Pavlova, the world-famous dancer, will shortly appear in Australia under his management.

Judith Anderson, who has been engaged by Hugh Ward for an Australian dramatic tour, played small parts with Julius Knight before going to America with the usual hope of “breaking into the pictures.” She got her first chance in drama with William Gilette in “Dear Brutus,” but made' her mark later with Frank Keenan in “Peter Weston.” It was then that she assumed the name of Judith.

Reports from Christchurch state that Mr W. G. Atack. who will retire from the secretaryship of the New Zealand Boxing Council shortly, was recently lauded by members of the Christchurch Sports Club executive for his long period of service to boxing. At the club’s executive meeting, Mr A, L. Jones said that there could not be found a man anywhere in Now Zealand who took a greater interest in the sport. A letter should be sent to him expressing appreciation of his services, and regret at his retirement. Mr Moss Baffin described Mr Atack as the “father of boxing’’ in New Zealand. He had done yoeman service for boxing. Other members spoke in a similar strain, and it was decided to send a letter as suggested. Madge Elliott has a remarkable stage record. She made her first appearance on the stage as a member of the ballet in the Melba Grand Opera Company in 1911, and then transferred to the ballet of the J. C. Williamson Musical Comedy Company, remaining with this organisation until now, rising through • various stages of progress from dancer, principal dancer, small-part artist, to leading lady. It will thus be seen that practically Miss Elliott’s entire stage career has been spent in the one company. Mr Hugh D. MTntosh is on his way to Australia from London. It is thought he is making the trip in connection with vaudeville interests. The well-known Australian heavyweights, Herb. Thompson and Vic. Rowe, intend visiting the dominion shortly, and during their sojourn here will ue prepared to meet any of the heavyweights. Miss Ada Reeve’s energy and vivacity are both amazing (says a Melbourne paper). Closing a long season in pantomime, she was immediately back in vaudeville again, though her present sojourn at the Tivoli has been but a brief one. Pantomime boy or vaudeville girl, it is all in the day’s work with Miss Reeve, and her clever character songs, whether sentimental or fanny, are as popular as ever.

Real Chinese men and women were engaged to appear in the production ot “East of Suez” at the King’s Theatre, Melbourne, in which Muriel Starr and Frank Harvey play the leading roles. To add additional realispi a good deal of the furniture, hangings, drapings and bric-a-brac were lent by a well-known Chinese collector of art treasures. A pair of vases from the Ming dynasty are said to be worth £IOOO.

Miss Irene Franklin, the girl who made red hair famous, has been here before, singing “Keep Dem Golden Gates Wide Open’’ (says the Australasian). They have been opened wide to let Miss Franklin return with her powers greatly matured and the recital side especially improved. There have been no recent dispatches from Sydney to New Zealand by Tivoli Theatres, Ltd., but (says a Wellington paper), A. R. Shepard is at present in Sydney seeing acts with a view to further engagements for that territory. One night the late Irving Saylcs, popular corner-man in vaudeville guyed a couple in one of the boxes, and won them a little temporary notoriety (writes a Sydney Bulletin correspondent). Presently a note was thrown from the box. Irving opened and read it, and gave the people it came from no more of his regard. After the show Sayles declared that the note was a message of fondness from the lady, and blew a kiss from two lips like" twin black puddings. Late that night, while Irving was taking refreshment in a bar, his partner in crime nicked his pocket of the note, and read it aloud to the assembled drinkers. It ran : “You peanut-headed Zulu, if you throw off at me again I will come down and batter your monkey face.” No wonder Sayles took the hint. The offended gentleman was the then heavy-weight champion of Australia.

New acta recently booked in London by Sir Benjamin Fuller, which will shortly appear in New Zealand:—Clivalli’s Miniature Circus, featuring ponies, dogs, monkeys and pigeons—an act that has been a feature over the big time in both England and America; Evison and Hcstor (direct from London Coliseum). English comedy stars; Frank Wilson, novelty instrumentalist ; J. E. Sutton, F.nglish entertainer at the piano; John Moore, the celebrated Scotch baritone; Jenny Roy, Scottish comedienne and dancer; Bohemian Three, in an artistic vocal and harmony act; Calland and Hooper, in a pot pourri of singing, dancing, comedy and music. The largest building in the world devoted exclusively to amusement is to oe built in New York. Mr Tex Rickard has bought a number of old ear depots on Eighth Avenue (says lieu ter), and is going to build on the site a great structure to take the place of Madison-square Carden, of which he has a lease at present. He will vacate Madicon-square Garden next summer, and an office building will be erected in its place. The new building, to be called “The New Garden," will be completed in October, 1925, and will have seating capacity for 25,000. It will be used for ice-skating carnivals, boxing matches, six-day cvcle races, and other "shows, and one of its features will bo a swimming-bath.

The following story from abroad will be appreciated by those who have watched men of eminent attainments whose greatness has gone flat like a punctured balloon when they have tackled the game of golf ; —Despite his learning, the professor hail never been any shakes at golf. He tried hard and often, but the effort of hitting the ball squarely down the lairway completely baffled him. One day, after a particularly trying round, he was walking home with his caddie. “I wonder •why it is, Donald," he said morosely,

“that a man like myself, who has mastered the arts, sciences, and languages, cannot play this confounded game ot golf?" "It’s like this, sirr, ’ explained the Scot, “ye may ken a’ aboot these wee sina‘* affairs, but it tak’s brains to play the gowff.’’ From a managerial point of view a vast sea of faces topping people filling every seat in a theatre is a very pleasant sin-fit, but it is not so to those who arrive too late to secure one of the aforesaid seats. This was a common occurrence during the Grand National Week, when the Nellie Bramley Company were holding the boards with popular attractions in their extensive repertoire. After the Christchurch season the company go over to the West Coast, and they workdown to Dunedin, where a four weeks’ season will be played.