“United States Beauties”

Singing and comic dialogue.

"Miss Gloria," "One Night Opera," "Little Gray Mother,"

After looking at the two pieces presented by Billy Watson's "United States Beauties" at the Yorkville this week one is tempted to say the title is all wrong. The pieces are entitled "Miss Gloria," which opens the show, and "One Night Opera." There is also an olio consisting of one of the chorus girls in two numbers and a comedy mule, called the Ham Tree mule. The latter was the big laugh of the show. The principal trouble with the show is the comedians drag out the bits that separate the numbers and the chorus slows down the entertainment when on the stage. The reason for renaming the show would be apparent to anyone who witnessed the finale of the first act. Here Gertrude Sommers, a fine big healthy appearing specimen of womanhood shines particularly. She stands, both physically and artistically, head and shoulders above all of the women in the show, and in white tights made a most stunning appearance. In looks and figure she is a second Jobyna Howland, and women of that type are mighty few and far between. Two other principal women are Sable Dean and Sylvia Brody. They do the majority of the work, leading the numbers, but neither has much in voice nor looks. The general color scheme seems to be red for both the principals and chorus, and it is worked to death in the show. Of the men, Charles H. Boyle, one of the comedians, stands out. He is doing a tramp and getting away with it nicely. Jules Jacobs has the usual role that goes with the name of Krausmeyer. Her works opposite Boyle. Bert Marion, as a rube, does acceptably what there is for him in the piece. Harry Stanley is the straight man with a good appearance, some acting ability, but no voice to speak of. He tries a couple of ballads. In offering "Little Gray Mother" just before the closing of the first part he flatted horribly on several occasions. All of the men retain the same types during the action of both pieces with the exception of Charles P. McGunniss, who does a "cissy" in the first part and a blackface boob in the afterpiece. During the action of "Miss Gloria" (book by Harry Montague) there are a dozen numbers, counting specialties and the opening and closing choruses. Between them are familiar bits of business. What there is to the book is supposedly lost in the bits that have been injected. "One Night Opera" is by Charles H. Boyle. There is mighty little opera to it, and as for the one-night end of the title. It tells its own story. There are six numbers in this section. The scene is the barroom of a small town hotel, giving opportunity for the usual sloppy weather tricks of the principal comedian, in this instance it is the bartender. After the curtain rings down on the closing act the stage must be almost an inch deep in water. The chorus makes an unusual number of changes, with the costuming running principally to short dresses and tights. While wearing the former it might be adviseable to insist that all of the girls wear silk stockings for with three or four in cotton coverings it detracts from the general appearance of the girls and the Lord knows they should take every possible chance to improve their natural beauty. The Yorkville seems to be attracting a better class of business at present. The two upper floors are particularly saleable and Tuesday night they held almost capacity. The orchestra floor was fairly well filled in the 75-cent section and almost capacity in the fifties. A large number of women were in the audience and they seemed to enjoy anything that was worth while in the comedy.

Variety, 40:13 (11/26/1915)