The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, March 15, 1903, Page 13

= ely dog I saw you l a dog was he?” g I know who was me. I w o t e coat a a gray i before 1 at made and es of blackberries. this region who ays better than e veteran theatrical e clined to “Ring out & ew,” as are those of ger g To him there are ke the old times. t 1e old-time min- The year of 82 at school. Tt began be- was in its prime almost darkies lived ns and had a char- eir own they were a ows built to be funny was the fashion to — THE f THIRTEENTH | DISTRICT | A NEW LITERARY MAS- | TERPIECE OF LOVE AND 1 POLITICS IN WASH- INGTON BEGINS IN THE NEXT | SUNDAY | CALL | introuuce 3l kinds of vaudeville acts. ‘I'ne show was made up of songs and dancing, with an after-plece in the form of a short farce lajd fn some-characteristic scene— a negro's cabin, for instance, or a cotton patch. The old walling melodi the tumming of the banjo, the black faces— ok. that was a great time! I'd like to see scmebody revive one of those shows.” There was & large number of comy nies. Some of them traveled, ofhers re- mained as stock companies In one town New York and Boston each supported its own troupe. The Christy minstrels were among the most famous. Some of America's biggest singers started out 85 negro minstrels. There s Sheridan Campbell, known to Broad- way as “Sher.” Willlam Castle was an- other. They both began with Christy and black faces and later went fdto the dig- nified Richings and Hess grand opera companies. : Tom Pendergast was one of the favor- ites of that day. He was one of the Christy troupe and he.was affectionately known as “The Pride of Broadway.” He was as handsome & fellow as walked and even his burnt cork failed to hide this fact Neil Bryant, Matt Peel, Milt Barlowe— do the names take any of you back? Some of the old minstrels are Mving vet, as well as some of those who worshiped at their shrines. For worship it was. The popular and handsome burnt gorkist of that day was a= the matinee idol of now He was applauded *ill delicate, perfumed gloves burst, he was laden with flowers, he was deluged with adoration. Some of th e who are living to remem- ber the als upun which their dusky art ‘placed them are George Wilson, now 62 years old; Dockstader, who is using his art unon the vaudeville stage at a salary that makes many a legitimate actor turn green. and Primrose, who lacks only five vears of three score and ‘ten ugene and Leon were two who made themselves famous as female imperson- ators, for the fair nalden of minstrelsy had not yet been Introduced—that is, with one great exception. Eugene {s said to have been the handsomest wench that ever trod the hoards when his makeup was complete, His glad rags were some- thing wondrous. He was as greceful as a cat and his hands were drolly littls things that he used for all the world like a woman. In general. women were excluded from the old minstrel stages as rigorousty as in EShakespeare's time. but the Buckley serenaders made the exception. They were the Boston troupe. Swain, Bishop and Fred Buckley were the three who established and managed the company, and Buckley’'s wife, known by the stage GHOEGE 4 - DAFETS Tlors ~Fore: name of Miss Julia Gould, was the so- prano. Their afterpieces were travesties on the popular English operas of the day. They were given in blackface just as the rest of the show was, “Lucretia Borgia,” “The Bohemian Girl,” “Fra Diavolo” were some of their successes. And in this work of the old Buckley Serenaders m: be seen the real origin of the m of 1903 Around the Fifth-street corner the The- ater Republic is starting out to show what real twentieth century minstrelsy is, and it is to consist largely of bur- lesques upon the current things theatrical. A burlesque Sherlock Holmes is to be the beginning. So when you look upon this latter day show you can hark back to the Buckley Serenaders with their impu- dences, for Wallace Trwin's clever pen is sassing the dignified Gillette much as those old-timers sassed Caroline Rich- ings. Selby Oppenheimer, the young manager who is responsible for the new show, says: When gas as a lighting fluid stood at the top, and the old horse cars trudged their weary ways along the city’s high- ways, there came upon the town & strug- gling band of players, who afterward es- tablished themselves in popularity by the class of minstrel entertainment that they dished out at the old Standard Theater At their head was Billy BEmerson. prob- v ably the greatest man In his chosen ve- cation_the world Pas ever seen, and by Pbis side were Charile Reed, Billy Bireh Burt Haverly. Chauncey Oleott, Bill Courtright, = Hu hey Dougherty, Burt sh Lew Simmons, Billy Rice and a hort of othe in their day. It member, when 1 nild, able to at tend only s. sitting fn_that littl iron seat Sta d, and laughing at the = nd songs of this great array of artists, and wondering why it was that only a black man could sing Tor Billy Emerson always dres shows up In blaek face. That vegue in those dayvs. A song. a other song, and then the first The old favorites are gone, C. changcd.. The davs of eleotric lights hold sway. and th trolley car has superseded the he and driver, and so be it with the minstre men, for now from the Republic the old line of work is to be revived on a new basis, for only the comedians on the end are to be in black-face. The singers will wear the conventional evening dress of the ballroom #nd dinner party, and tt songs will be of this Jatter day, while the jokes will be on fresher topics. The scale of the new is much grander than the old, the settings and surroundings more costly, the electric lllumination will altogether change historic first part. be for there will the gag, and the inter dle. New faces must nefessa found. Some successors to the Em regime are Richard J. Jose, the co tenor; Willlam McDonald, the b S y Harris, a New York baryto er, who had his sc flllam H. Wes ing contingent; also . liam Keller Mack, one of the few polite minstrels now lef duplicate of Hu black-face hum The song and dance team, the trapeze artist, the monologist and the male trav esty are ell ted, and in thel presented a musical produ on our local tong wars, by W win, with * musie by Com- peser Leo Bruck, and a short satire on “Sherlock Holmes” by the same men, in troducing a bevy of pretty girls and sev- eral new and original mechanical effects Imagine a chorus of young ladies i days of Emerson and Reed! Yet | years so have minstrels chapged, new are coming with the clang of sopra nos and contraltos, as well as the sweet- voiced tenor, the barytone and the basso. Exit Billy merson and “Are You There Moriarity.” Enter Billy Mack an “I'm a Jonah Man.” Exit Chauney Oleott and “Kathlesn Mavourneen.” Enter Dick Jose and “Good-by Dolly Gray.” The style of the jokes is, above all, modern. They can speak best on t point for themselves. For instance: “How are you getting along with your wife? Is she well?™ “I guess go.” She's got you guessing again, sh?" S never get married again as long as Well, if you ever do get married again, you take a tip from me Yes, what s 1t7" “Wait until the 13th of the month falls on Friday, then get married.” What for? “Then you'll have something to blame it on.” And: ““What are you doing in town, 817 “Why, I'm here on my wedding tower.” “What! How long have you been mar- ried?" “Why, only a week.™ “Well' who's your wife, and where Is she?" Why, T married o!d John Jay's darter. trom Fresno s 1 had $20 T left but 1 found the s $20 each, ar allroad fa wife to hum and kim on alone, THIRTEENTH DISTRICT A NEW LITERARY MAS. | TERPIECE OF LOVE AND FPOLITICS IN WASH- | INGTON BEGINS IN THE | NEXT SUNDAY | CALL THE i | VIR Y o