The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, August 9, 1903, Page 46

ERTIE gayly a r Fisct ki - - r release of . s Mr. F $irth S s e Mr. Max M Weber & Fiel t him ha the b a thought Howard would, and e him only $100 a week for cos- me erything. but made him put $1000 guarantee—thought they’d have m_ back weeks Less, B on their han Howard didn't h ald Mr. Dill e borrowed the mones ddle Dee Dee' at Buffalo we spoke Howard in a couple of ve a cent—"" and put Every be going ir agains Thes up a good va Kolb like gambic house for twen- big uffal with & Ha show then theaters under packing the ong the line. Weber & Fields mad—why not! T were getting only $100 a week for the whol tfit. The t véry much wise after ink Fischer pays management pret ey nes T confesse ket price of comedian ¥ saw the have e suc New that four Who of ignorance of burlesque a week,” the iformed me But show East and was here-t any price. An ess of Fischer's York among to keep on a show for eight weeks to packed houses of only 350,000 people the original company yourselves are here, Mr. Kolb?" | Miss Amber, Hope and Emerson, Miss Vidot and Barney Bernard.” he supplied. Blake and Hermsen joined us here.” Have yo rivals down at the Grand Oy asked, Mr. Kolb looked paternally over at Dill, Dill looked trustfully up at Kolb, then they both smiled and the tall man said We saw the end of thelr first show. Mr. Dill here helped Caverly with his first Dutch make-up. He put his pillows on him—that before we used the rubber pad You used to sweat ittle bit under those feathers,” to Dill Dill smiled lazily, took the unlighted cigar out of his mouth and gently pro- tested: “A little bit!" But 1 shall never forget ppearance.” his partner s the funniest 1 no the managers we're five able besides asked -house?” I was Max's first grinned. *Ju ever saw. He had ripped 2 white up the back to fit his extension at the front, dyed his nose with the red of an artificial flower and wore & chin piece made out of the tail of @ squirrel.” WE GO THE 2ACH LANVZESY, T D I, NG T 4 T Y TN QF L BT THE 7% A7 QUAETET BEHD X T I TEECHITE AP 7 WU 2L T ZHZ Yoy ALE 22— 4 oLk T3 ANCEHE : fAAwvao fo 2 Kolb and Dill, Who Frankly Admit That the Feature of Their Work They Most Enjoy Is the Weekly Salary. How long have you been together?” I ir years,” Kolb replied And I've been getting the worst of it ! the time, Dill laughed ‘Don’t you sometimes get hurt?” I olb replied: “Not at all—barring all things like getting a leg broken. Mr. Dill fell at the end of ‘Twirly-Whir- 1y's’ first act, for instance, and he went on ain in the third act and did his t sitting on a fence at the back.” “But how— Oh, it’s all in the game,” the comedian replied, with a certain pride. “‘Of course, Max collapsed afterward, but he was on the boards again in a week or two on crutches.” “One could make a good story of the dangers of the stage,” 1 suggested. Come to me when you want to write Dill said cheerfully. “I've had my wrist broken four times, sprained my ankles—all sorts of things.” s better since we dropped the ‘cane’ busine hat's too dangerous,” Kolb contributed. ““The ‘cane’ business?” I queried. “Like this’” and Kolb got up, picked a hook-headed cane from a corner, passed it over to Mr. Dili and said: “Show her, Max The short man took the.cane and Kolb said to him: *“Aw, you, I'm going.” turn- ing away. Then Dill hooked the tall man by the arm as he was walking off and sald: “Wait a moment,” ete. Twice they @id this, then Kolb angrily snatched the cane from Dill and brought It within a Joreathless ace of Dill's skull. 1 gasped, as Kolb said: “That's the ‘cane business” but it cost us too much in linfment. Of course, Mr. Dill wore a block under his wig when I hit him, but—"* “But the block generally got the best of it,” the victim laughed, as if it were quite the best of all possible jokes. “The pad has its dangers, too,” went on, droppifig back into his chair remember kicking Mr. Dill once—where was it? No matter. But my foot slid over the pad and got him under the chin. He managed to take the bow with me, but dropped llke a shot when we got off the stage. I get hysterical—sort of— when anything like that happens, and he looked so funny that when I found he was not so badly hurt, I went to laugh- ing and couldn’t stop. That cured him, for he laid after me with a policeman's property club, chased me out of the theater and round the park just as I was. And I went, too!" “I was mad,” Dill said comfortably. “*And you enjoy that sort of thing?—the kicking and so on?" I queried. “We enjoy the salar: Kolb answered, “and we're here to make money for the management. The gallery likes nothing better than to have me kick Mr. Dill in that rubber pad, or this—"" and he dealt out a resounding slap on Dill's jaw. “You didn’t get next to that?’ he laughed. “No more do most folks. But Mr. Dill really gets that on the hand he puts up to ward it off.” “And where do you come in on this?” I question Mr. Dill. “Oh, I broke his nose just once for fun,” Dill testified, looking Kolb-ward with an adoring air. “I'm béginning to understand the dif- ficulties of getting understudies for Dutch parts,” I confessed. *'Taint easy,” Mr. Kolb confirmed. ““The schools are turning out matinee idols every day, but not Dutch teams. The legitimates say we ought to be on a laundry wagon, and that any fool can do wcoden shoe stuff, and the managers kick Kolb at the price. But they have to have u and I don't see any, Dutch teams wandér- ing round loose. Art, oh, art! I figure out art in theatricals by tune salary at the end of it.” “I know scmetimes, ant grin which kind of art takes best he pursued, with a triumph- They were doing ‘Faust’ at Louls, and hired us to do specialties between the Hopkins Theater in St. they “Oh!" T said, “That's what the legitimates said,” Mr. Kolb laughed. “But talk about a hit! The people crammed the place to see Kolb and Dill, and the legitimates stood be- hind the curtains jeering at the ‘varie :;r . We got 8§75 a week between us en. “Yours not_quite the ordinary Ger- man turn?’ I said. “No. olb replied. “No sauerkraut, sausages, or ‘my vife.' It was quite dif- ferent, in fact. ' When we went on the Keith circuit they asked us what sort of setting we wanteéd—a garden set or a bare stage. ‘Not for me,’ I sald. ‘We want the palace arch.’ " * ‘The palace arch? " T interrupted. “‘Oh, the swell sef Kolb explained. “They use it about twice a year at the Orpheum—when Camille d@'Arville sifgs, for example—gilt chairs, fur rugs, the ‘medallion’ (carpet), easels and potted palms. It looks like St. Peter's. We went on in automobile coats, evening dress, and, of course, when we got to the rough stuff we made twice tue effect we should have done, in bum clothes. We got a laugh before we opened our face. . . We followed Della Fox on the bill that time. Her voice was just as bad as mine is now. They asked us whom we wanted to follow, and there was noth- ing deader than Della then—she had to give the ushers $3 a night extra to ap- plaud.” “But you prefer this kind of work?" “Oh, yes,”” Kolb answered, and Dill looked cheerful -agreement. “There is something to keep you interested all the time. When you've done your turn in vaudeville, you're through, in a strange town, with only your hotel to go to and nothing to do. Here you can have a home —" and he looked around happily upon the cozy room. “Mrs. Kolb hds been very busy here,” 1 ventured, also looking about me “I put that up,” Kolb said, naively vain, as my eyes wandered to the brown fish net that drapes the whole room. “I climbed hundreds of steps in Dago tow to get that. Forty-five yards of it the are And 1 made this.” “Thi was the most craftsmanlike frame of a little Chinese sketch. Then he showed me a vase that he had covered with cigar bands, from which the usual portraits had been removed and those of the Fischer burlesquers ingeniously substi- tuted. Then a tautly-built shelf for bric- a-brac the comedian showed me. and various other carpentering exploits of his leisure moments. Mrs. Koib's predile tion is for the thing Japanese. Dainty bits of Satsuma, cloisonne, embroidery, mosales, brasses, ivories, are strewn pro- fugely about the little room, that, indeed, is what Mr. Kolb calls it—"‘a home."” “There is a particular pleasure in being at Fischer’s, too,” the comedian resumed, “apart from all this. There is such har- mony among the cast. Every one tries to help the other fellow along. When we have a good turn Barney Bernard throws everything our way. When the laugh goes his way we try to get him another. Now in ‘Twirly Whirly’ we were just ‘feeders’ for him, but we didn’t throw down our tools just for that, and he never says we're getting all the fat. Perhaps you don't know just how wonderful that is. But that's where the big success of Fischer’'s has come iA.” You make up a lot of your own stuff, of course?” “Quite much,” Kolb said. “This last show, for example, was a twenty-five minute affair at Weber and Flelds. We spin it out to three acts “How do you make it?” “Oh, the manager says, ‘T want some- thing here and here,” and Mr. Dill - and Mr. Bernard and I get together and sug- gest things. The best suggestion Is chosen, perhaps a race course scene, and then we work it up. I say, ‘I'll say this,’ and Bernard comes back at me with something. That's all.” “And what next after this?" “Well,” and Kolb put his hand on Dill's shoulders, “Mr. Dill and I have been thinking for the last six months of Lon- don, of arranging a high-class specialt and doing it gratis, perhaps, at the Hip- podrome, to break in. We think very favorably of the plan. Then if. Weber & Fields follow us there they'll be imitating us!" and Napoleon of comedy laughed his mest at the Machiavellian scheme. “After that we must go,” T said, and asked, as the two rose to say good-by, “how tall are you, actually?" “Six feet and a half,” Kolb replied, “but I lose doing this "—sinking his head in his shoulders. Then raising the aforesaid shoulders, he said, “but I gain doing this,” wonderfully seeming to gain a: least a foot. “And you are Mr. Dl “Five feet and five and a half inches, the short man answered, “and here is where I lose,” his head sagging on his sghoulders and his legs bowed a la Grop- pengeiser. “And 1 guppose it keeps me stout playing fat parts,” he chuckled sweetly. “He's picked up awful since we came here!” Mr. Kolb affectionately concluded. 200 N Friday afternoon next w be given the first concert of the 1903-1904 segson by Herr Fritz Scheel and the San Francisco Symphony Orches tra. On Tuesday the rehea sals will begin, and until Friday, life for the local orchestra will be one long, grand rehearsal. 1 saw Herr Scheel on the evening of his arrival, tired from his six days’ travel, but still the flery en- thusiast that left here four years ago for Philadelphia triumphs Scheel will have almost seventy men his baton, those princivally who re he r Ma gni, He brings with him music galore, of the mnewest schools, and of the old. Here are some o the hat are among those to be the ten concerts that will Tschatkowsky will be newly his Symphony No. 3 and 1. that will 1 Friday after- tone poem, “The Lake of orite “Pathetiq sym- D be given. is Finlander, tion of being ernment gende, 3’ who has the curious distine supported by the Finnish Gov ent as the national musician—a musical laure- ate Then Grieg has some new symphonic dances; there is a symphony by Gern- stein, “Mirjam aA overture us der Improvisator”; a ‘Lustspiel verture by Rezincek; the Vorspiel from the second act of Max Schilling's “Ing- welde'": two Konigskinder, by Fritz Voll- bach: the “King Lear” overture by Ber- z: a ballet suite by Glazounow: “Liebes- fruhling” overture by the new Schumann, Georg. Then the Handel Grosse Concerto may be given for the first time here 1 a large list of other fine numbers. Brahms Is twice on the list of sym- phonies, Beethoven, of course, and all of the older favorit From thesé the con- ductor will surely be able to make some excellent programmes, distinguished alike for novelty and beaut) The first prom-~ ises admirably Here it is Overture, “In Spring,” Goldmark; Sym- phony No. 2, C maj., chumann; Suite, op. 43 o. 1. Tschalkowsky (first time); overture, “Tannhauser,” Wagner (by re= quest) Mr. Shafter Howard, business manager for the soclety, desires me to announ: that the membership fee has been reduced from $6 a year to $3, and that applica- tions for membership may be made to him at room 91, Crocker building. An encouraging interest in the concerts has already been displayed and a large mem- bership is almost assured thing Tickets for the concerts will be on sale to-morrow morning at Sherman & Clay’s music store, and the concert of this week begins at 3:15 sharp on Friday afternoon next at the Grand Opera-house. And now here Is what some of the New Ay of the Philadel- heel last season: York people had to phia orchestra and Mr H. E. Krehbiel of the New York Trib~ une thus expresses himself “Philadelphia is not likely to lose any of its self-respect if it should chance to learn that it exceptionally favored in the possession of such an organization as that which proved its quality before a New York audience last Wednesday, and that the proper appreciation and adequate support of its concerts would go far toward ju fying a large claim to musical culture on the part of its eitizens “There is no reason why Philadelphia should not maintain such concerts. It has a large population, great wealth and much culture. “Mr. Scheel is obviously a master of his craft—a disciplinarian who obtains re- sults. He presents his demands plainly unmistakably, and receives a prompt and ingrudged response. His men seem t vield a willing obedience. Positively lifting was the elastic nerve with wheih Goldmark’s ‘Spring’ overture was played ! Wednesday, and the greater part of Brahms' first symphony was like it.’ Mr. Fink of the Evening Post said: The symphony was preceded by the pring’ overture of Carl Goldmark, who is a master of orchestral coloring. Here it was made evident at once that the claims of Philadelphia critics that their city now has one of the best three or four orchestras in America are well founded Mr. Scheel has been so fortunate as to be able to pay for first-class players, among whom are some importations from abroad and some Philadelphians who were glad to return to their own city as soon as employment in a first-class band was assured them. The result is an or- chestra good In all its departme Its playing was a delightful surprise, a d so was the conducting of Mr. Scheel, who is, indeed, worthy successor of his former ; Bulow. He assoclate, the great Hans v makes his men follow his minutest wishes, he phrases with the keenest intelligence. he overlooks no significant detalls, and he knows how to rise to a climax. He is, in a word, a conductor with ':‘fl‘\::tl‘ar:lr:r‘u'" Philad phia must ngral ed o such an orchestra.” - Heard Along '{he Rialto will be here next “The Prince of Pilsen month = Virginia Har to come here in November. i < P ¢ bt t here At the cl¢ f her engagement her Miss Anglin will depart directly for Lon- don. & - 2 Henry Miller has secured the rights to the greatest French success in years, «Business in Business. P K Gerieral Lew Wallace, the author of «Ben Hur,” is to visit this city during the G. A. R. encampment. . .o Grace George is to present “Pretty Peggy at Wyndham's Theater, London, beginning April 14. Miss George is the youngest woman ever put forward in a stellar capacity in England. Wilton Lackaye will open in “The Pit"” in Philadelphia, Instead of in Chicago, as was originally Intended. The initial per- formance of the play is scheduled for the second Monday in Novemper. - o Rose Coghlan has been engaged by Charles Frohman te play an important role in his production of Stephen Phil- lips' “Ulysses,” which will be presented at the Garden Theater, New York, some time in September.