Spaniards Like Baby Esther
Diminutive star escorted by Primo de Rivera at Social Function. Baby Esther, who has a reputation of being the highest paid child artist in the world, has left Berlin for Oslo, Sweden, where she is to play at the Victor Bernaus Theatre. She will return to Berlin to open up at the Kabarett de Komiker. Baby Esther has been a sensation in Western Europe. In 1929 she played for six weeks at the Wintergatan, Berlin, where she was the big hit, and returned there for a short stay in May of this year.
In Stockholm recently she was the chief attraction at the China Theatre. The next day King Gustave of Sweden, for whom she had danced in 1929, recognized her and her mother, Mrs. Jones of Chicago, on the Ex-position Grounds, and lifting his hat, the King said to her in English: "Here is Little Esther. I am very glad to see you back in Stockholm."
Last year while Baby Esther was in Stockholm, the proprietor of a leading restaurant, named Brenda Tomton, who has been in America refused to serve Baby Esther Jones, her mother and her manager Sydney Garner. Without a single exception, the newspapers of the city condemned the proprietor, and a Swedish nobleman who was present, to show his disapproval, invited the whole party to his house.
The Nya Daglight Allehanda, leading daily of Stockholm (May, 14, 1930) speaking of this incident, said after Baby Esther's triumphant return from Spain: Little Esther became so popular in Spain, with the Spanish people, that she was accented by persons of the highest standing, including some of the big military men. One day the little Negro girl was invited to tea at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and she was treated not like a little artist but as a little princess. Soldiers were standing to attention when she passed with his excellency, Primo de Rivera, who was so charmed with her personality that he could not resist imprinting a big kiss on her left cheek. "In seville Baby Esther attended a bull fight and she was soon recognized in the big crowd, which gave her three cheers. Marcial Lallanda, one of the greatest bull fighters in Spain, after payin his respects to the President, came right over to where the little star was sitting and tossed his hat to her, saying he was going to kill the bull in her honor. Now what does Brenda Tomton think of all this?"
Baby Esther's rise to stardom has been phenomenal. She is only eleven years of age, and six years ago she was dancing the Charleston with other children on the sidewalks of Chicago. Since then she has played in most of the leading theatres of Western Europe, including the Casino de Paris and the Empire Theatre of Paris. Two weeks ago Paris carried a special article about her, with a picture. She earns $800 a week, and has so many offers that it is impossible for her to fill them.
She has also been filmed. In addition to her manager, Sydney Garner, her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Jones of Chicago, ravel with her. While in Stockholm she and Miss Josephine Hall of Chicago appeared on the same bill.
