Variety (Dec 1905)

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' VARIETY 3 - y\niETY A Variety i'uper for Variety Peopl.- Published every Saturday by THE VARIETY PUBLISHING COMPANY Knickerbocker flMMfti nullrtlnj?. New York City. , , J SUBSCRIPTION RATES. Annual V *2 foreign ••.; i? 3 Six and three months In proportion. Single copies Ave cents. Variety will be mailed to a permanent uddresH or as par route, as desired. ADVERTISING RATES ON APPLICATION. " First Year. No. 1. - VARIETY In its initial issue desiras to announce the policy governing the paper. We Want you to read it. It will bo Interesting if for no other reason than that it will be conducted on original lines for a theatrical newspaper. The first, foremost and extraordinary feature of it will be FAIRNESS. What- ever there is to be printed of interest to the professional world WILL HE PRINTED WITHOUT REGARD TO WHOSE NAME IS MENTIONED OR tHE ADVERTISING COLUMNS. "ALL THE NEWS ALL THE TIME" and "ABSOLUTELY FAIR" are the watchwords. The news part of the paper will be given over to such items as may be obtained, and nothing will be sup- pressed which is considered of interest. WE PROMISE YOU THIS AND SHALL NOT DEVIATE. The reviews will be written conscien- tiously, and the truth only told. If it hurts it is at least said in fairness and impartiality. We aim to make this an artists' paper; a medium; a convplete directory; a papor to which anyone connected with or interested in the theatrical world may rend with the thorough knowledge and belief that what is printed is not dictated by any motive other than the policy above outlined. Wi5 WANT YOU FOR A SUBSCRIB- ER. If you don't read VARIETY you aro missing something. Do_vou want to read a paper that's honest from the title page to its last line? That will keep its columns clean of "wash notices." That WILL NOT BE INFLUENCED BY ADVERTISING? That's VARIETY, To insure you receiving VARIETY iiEGULARLY, send in your subscription now. You will find it coming to you regularly to any permanent address given, or "as per route." The only positive way to get VA- RIETY is to subscribe for it NOW. This paper is for variety and variety only in the broadest sense that term implies. Is honesty the best policy? Variety will give the answer in its fifty-first number. The recent reversal of a lower court decision by the Appellate Term of the Supreme Court in this city where the question as to an artist's right of recov- ery under what is known as a "Sunday" contract was Involved is an important question. The Appellate Term in its findings said that the artist could not recover, having contracted to give an illegal performance, thereby nullifying the contract in its entirety. The Supreme Court is popularly sup- posed to dispense good law, so that de- cision may be accepted as final in so far as the strict interpretation of the law is concerned. But the wording of the con- tract which the court had before it must also be considered. If the contract mentioning Sunday by name or date read in the usual form, as it is supposed it must have, there was no distinction made as to what kind of a performance the artist was to partici- pate in. On the theory that if a per- formance is allowed by the law or police on Sunday, it is a legal performance, and therefore the artist is not commit- ting an illegal act in taking part, the agreement to take part in that perform- ance would be legal provided the artist insisted that "Sacred Concert" be in- serted in his contract. Another and more plausible way of getting around the question, however, and one which would protect both the artist and manager, would be for the contract to read the full agreed price for the we~k (6 days), with a memorandum or separate agreement wherein the artist agreed in considera- tion of the payment of the price con- tracted for, he would give his services, without charge, to the manager on a certain Sunday in such manner as the manager may direct. ^ Under such an agreement, the man- ager would not be obliged to pay the artist the contract price until he ful- filled the Sunday date. The-two agree- ments could not be classed as one, and the validity of either would not be af- fected. Dave Robinson, the hustling manager of the Alhambra, did good work this week for his house and in behalf of Smaun Sing Hpoo, "the Little Black Man," who is playing there. After each performance, Mr. Robinson caused the little fellow to be placed in the window of the box office, which he hardly fitted. The theatre emptying at the time caus- ed a congestion In the lobby and street, well advertising the bill for the week. The Sunday night vaudeville perform- ance at the Casino may be seen for $1 hereafter, commencing to-morrow night, instead of the regular theatre price as heretofore charged for these perform- ances. B. A. Myers, the booking agent, was insistent upon this point, and finally induced the Schuberts to see the ad- vantage of a popular scale. Paul Durand, formerly in the office of the Marinelli agency, is no longer con- nected there. Mr. Durand left an ach- ing void, always having had the details of the business at his finger tips. Nicholas E. Kaufman, who was ap- pointed executive for the Artisen Loge for this country upon Willy Zimmerman leaving for a tour, left for Europe last week. A new executive now reigns. A report has it that James H. Moore cleared $165,000 net (not "nit") at his Temple Theatre in Detroit last season. It seems too much to be true. B. A. Myers expects soon to have in full blast a Connecticut circuit. On Monday night the first of the chain at Hartford (Hartford Opera House) will open under his management in opposi- tion to Poll's in that city. Thompson & Dundy provide each for- eign act brought over with return tickets on the understanding they shall work no other place while here. The majority do not have occasion for the return part of the transportation. Richard Pltrot, who has made a very long stay on the other side, is expected back in a couple of months or less. Charles Bornhaupt, who is also over there, will sail for home about Jan. 4. Nanon Jacques, a vocalist who has made infrequent appearances in the vaudevilles, announces that she will head a new act around February that will be a startler. It is understood that Henry W. Savage made an extremely advantageous offer to Miss Jacques for a three years' contract. Nanon's father insisting upon accompanying his daugh- ter during her travels spoiled her pros- pects in that direction. A story goes about James T. Powers that while booked to play the Amphion, was asked to cancel the engagement. Powers replied "No, sir. I have given my word and I wouldn't break It for $10,000." Notwithstanding previous reports, William Morris will not book exclusive- ly for W. T. Grover's houses after Janu- ary 1. Mr. Grover running three acts at his New Imperial (old Montauk) in Brooklyn before the stock company commences work caused the sparks to fly off the edge of the negotiations. One of the burning questions of the minute Is: "Did Martin. Beck stop In Texas on hi3 way from New Orleans to San Francisco?" There has recently been established in Texas the Majestic Circuit, controlled by the Interstate Amusement Company. These ten-cent houses would give the performer a num- ber of additional weeks down South if his salary was small enough to enable Mm to take the headline salary of the lesser places and terms might be ad- vantageously arranged. The probabili- ties are, however, that the Orpheum people will not bother with the lesser fry, though the ten-cent house is becom- ing more or less of a feature in the West and Southwest, and, as Mclntyre and Heath have it. he "did not even hesi- tate." The Chicago managers like to travel. Martin Beck is probably back In Chi- cago after a trip over the Orpheum Cir- cuit, and Mr. MiddMon has just return- ed from a ten-day trip to French Lick Springs. Early in January George Cas- tle will start on a three weeks' trip to California, and John Murdock will go somewhere sometime when he Is a little less busy with office affairs than he is ;»' nresent. I lis current trips are as far as Schlessinger & Mayer's for planked whiteflsh. | Alfred Meers, the English wire walk- er, met up with a new word the other day. He used it in an advertisement and then casually mentioned the expres- sion to a friend. "What does 'mot 1 mean?" he asked in a broad accent. It was explained (hat it meant a clever saying. "That can't be the word then," he declared. "It's one that means a silly fellow. It's spelled m-u-t-t." When it was broken to him that a matt was slang for a small yellow dog with a scandal in his family, Meers changed his advertisement to read "a chump in vaudeville," and he got the change In just In time to save himself from being classed with the other dog acts. PROCTOR'S EXTRAORDINARY DE- MAND. - F. F. Proctor, the vaudeville man- ager with a circuit embracing Albany and Troy, has caused quite a stir among artists through his demand that his con" tracts be lived up to according to the Proctor construction; which is without any regard to the rights of the artists In the matter. Were the artists in this country prop- erly organised, an indignation meeting would have been held ere this. As it is the members of the International Artia- tcn Loge of Germany who are now play- ing over here have had a conference on the subject and the matter has gone to the German head in Berlin. The trouble arose over Sunday per- formances. In New York city the Proc- tor houses have Sunday performances. Performances on this day are not per- mitted in the up-the-State houses. Artists who were booked for the week af Albany and Tfray were notified, after contracts were signed, that they would be expected to play one of the New York theatres of the circuit designated by the Proctor management on the Sunday fol- lowing the closing'up the State. The artists objected strongly. Not. alone was it not so mentioned in the contract, hut Mr. Proctor generously of- fered only one fare to each act. It wan pointed out that their services on m Sunday in New York city were of value and no provision had been made for that iu the Proctor demand. Some were willing to play New York the Sunday preceding their opening at Albany or Troy, but not following. They were given the alternative of acceding or being cancelled over the circuit. Paul Sandor, a foreign animal act, was notified after contracts were signed, to play Albany three days, Troy three days and New York Sunday night Mr. Sandor replied tartly to Mr. Proc- tor, saying he had not contracted to play "by the day," and unless his con- tract was fulfilled, he would institute suit under it. He was told to play as originally agreed. Nicholas B. Kaufman, the new execu- tive of the Artisteu Loge in this coun- try left for Germany last Saturday, and wiil present what the members here con- sider a gross imposition, in strong language to the home body for Its a<' tion.