Variety (Nov 1906)

VARIETY CONSIDINE HERE. John W. Considine, of the Sullivan-Con- sidine circuit, has been in the city for a week past. He will remain for some time. Mr. Considine when seen would not talk. One object of the Eastern trip, however, has to do with a new theatre to be built in a city east of Cleveland. It may de- velop that the town is Buffalo and that Mr. Considine has made an arrangement with John J. Ryan which allows him to build there, Ryan retiring. High grade two-a-day vaudeville will be given. Considine has offered as high as $500 weekly to acts since he arrived. There is a report that the Sullivan- Considine circuit will build a modern house in Seattle also. Mr. Considine has a decisive style of doing business. While he was in the cir- cuit's office on Broadway the other day an artist applied for booking to Freeman Bernstein, the office manager. This dia- logue followed: Bernstein—How much? Artist—A hundred a week. Bernstein—Where did you ever get a hundred ? Considine—What's that got to do with it? Is it worth a hundred to us? LOANS $100,000 FOR IMPROVEMENTS. Toronto, Nov. 17. F. W. Stair, of Toronto, has bought the sixty-five feet of ground immediately ad- joining the Star Theatre and will make improvements and additions at a cost of $100,000. The theatre will be turned around to make the audience face West in- stead of South. The seating capacity will be increased to 1,800. Work commences about March 1. The necessary money for improvements was voted to Mr. Stair at the last meeting of the Empire circuit, the loan being secured by a $100,000 mortgage upon the property. STAGE HANDS' FAD. One of the girls in Weber & Rush's "Bon ion" burlesque company said good-bye to the stage to marry a stage hand at the Eastern Wheel's Birmingham (Ala.) house, when the organization recently played there. This was the second, a mem- ber of another burlesque company having depleted the stage crew by one the week before. The same thing happened in Kan- sas City recently, and the Wheel officials are considering sending out a circular let- ter to stage managers begging them to stop the slaughter. REEVES CLAIMS LARGEST SHOW. Al Reeves is improving his "Beauty Show." Inez McCusker, soprano; Hayes and Wilsie, comedy bicyclists, and the Bohker Ben Jouz Troupe of acrobats have been added. With these features Reeves declares he will have the largest bur- lesque company in the Eastern Wheel. "LAYING OFF" IN WASHINGTON. Washington, Nov. 16. All the Western Burlesque Wheel shows are now "laying off" here for a week be- fore playing. It is caused by the jump between Washington. Some one-night stands through Pennsylvania filled in the gap for a time, but they have been given uj> altogether. MISS BOOTH KEEPS CONTRACT. That Hope Booth with her sketch, "The Little Blonde Lady," is playing at Al- baugh's Theatre in Baltimore this week is through no fault of the Keith Booking Office. A few days before the time she should leave for the Irwin-Luescher Baltimore house the Keith office sent for Miss Booth and insinuated how easy it would be to give her contracts covering a long period provided she did not play Baltimore, which would be in opposition to Kernan's Maryland Theatre. Miss Booth gave a decided negative, und the next develop- ment was when her leading man informed her that, having secured a promise from the Keith office of plenty of time, it be- came necessary for him to immediately rehearse. While there is no positive evidence that the Keith office adopted this course to pre- vent Miss Booth from keeping the engage- ment, the inference is there, owing to the short time left for Miss Booth to secure another in his place. This she did, how- ever, and is giving a satisfactory show at the Albaugh. There were other attempts made to im- pede the showing of "The Little Blonde Lady," but all had the same result. The pathetic part of the story is that the lead- ing man who deserted at the last moment through the "promise" is now repentant, claiming that the promise is the only thing in sight as his reward. POLICE OFFICER'S PREDICAMENT. A plain clothes detective from the pre- cinct who attended the Sunday night show at the Gotham, East New York, this week in the official capacity of police censor had his own troubles in deciding whether or not to make an arrest when "The Sexton's Dream" was put on with scenic setting and costuming complete. After much head-scratching meditation General Bingham's deligated art critic handed himself down the decision that if he interfered with the Frank Mayne act he would create a precedent that would lay choir singers and church sextons liable. MRS. LANGTRY ON WILLIAMS TIME. The first week of Mrs. Langtry's time in the Percy Williams houses will commence next Monday at the Colonial. There was some doubt expressed when the English actress played Keith's Harlem Opera House in opposition to Williams' Alhambra, whether she would be allowed to keep her contract, it having contained the usual condition about playing against the manager booking. Mr. Williams does not say whether the date for the Alhambra will be played there or in some other one of his theatres. AFTER COLORED THIEF. Philadelphia, Nov. 16. An alarm has been sent out here by the police to arrest on sight a colored man, about twenty-six years old, five feet high, weight 175 pounds, with brown skin and clean-shaven face; also neat dresser. Complaints of thefts in the theatres' dressing rooms have been made. The negro is held accountable. He has called at the houses here, asked for seme one on the bill, and after his departure jewelry has been missed. He is well informed on theatricals. "THE PERFORMER'S" NEW EDITOR. Commencing with the issue of Novem- ber 10 C. C. Bartram assumed the office of editor-in-chief of "The Performer." An announcement to that effect appears in the November 3 issue of the paper, received in New York this week. "The Performer" is the organ of the Variety Artists' Federation and had been edited by W. EL Clemart. Owing to other engagements Mr. Clemart was obliged to give up his editorial duties and Bartram's selection has met universal ap- proval. On November 3 at the Empire, Green- ock, Mr. Bartram made his farewell ap- pearance on the music hall stage. As the Ixuidon representative of "Das Pro- gramm," "Variety" and other journals Mr. Bartram has evidenced particular fit- ness for. hjs new position and the best wishes of the vaudeville world go with him. He is secretary of the V. A. F., an influ- ential member of the I. A. L., and has been termed "the most popular artist in England." ESCAPED LIGHTLY. Over in England the song publishers are confronted with a new difficulty which bids fair to cause them considerable un- easiness. Unauthorized sheet music Is peddled on the streets of London by huck- sters, who resort to all sorts of devices to evade the clutches of the law. One was recently arrested and arraigned before the court. Forty-seven pirated copies of music were found in his possession, and he pre- sented an ingenious defence. The prisoner also had in his possession a larger number of legitimate prints and denied that he sold the pirated copies. These he maintained he gave away with legitimate copies, making the presenta- tion with a view to inducing trade. As he was not the possessor of a huckster's license the only punishment that could be meted out was a fine for peddling without a permit. FROM USHER TO MANAGER. Providence, R. I., Nov. 16. Harry Parkin, formerly treasurer of the Westminster Theatre (Eastern Bur- lesque Wheel), has been advanced to the management of the house. Mr. Parkin entered the Westminster as an usher. During his stay of fourteen years he has filled every position. Mr. Clough, assistant treasurer, moves up one notch through Parkin's promotion. FLYNN'S NEW PARTNER. William E. Atwell, formerly a partner in the Interborough Amusement Company under the firm name of Atwell & Havel, has entered into a business agreement with James D. Flynn, taking the place recently vacated by Clinton Wilson. Wiltofi and Harry Greene are operating low-priced vaudeville in Flushing, Jamaica and Hemp- stead, L. I. A NEW MISHLER'S THEATRE. Altoona, Nov. 16. I. C. Mishler announces that he will begin immediately to rebuild the Mishler theatre here which was burned to the ground Oct. 19. The work of construe tion will be rushed and it is hoped that the completed house will be handed over by the middle of January. CHEVALIER AT $2,500. Albert Chevalier, the English character singer, will play four weeks over the Williams circuit, opening at the Colonial November 2(>. Chevalier has been on tour with Yvette Uuilbert. The joint engagement ended and Mr. Williams engaged the coster singer at $2,500 weekly. No offer has been made for the other end of the pair and it is not known whether Mile. Guilbert would accept a vaudeville engagement on this side, although it was reported by one agent that she demanded an equal amount if she did appear. MRS. RICHARDS ASKS DIVORCE. Allene Richards, the prima donna, just now at liberty, has brought suit for divorce in the Supreme Court of New York against Harry H. Richards, who is now somewhere in the wilds along the Sullivan- Considine circuit with a singing act billed as "the operatic duo." The other end of the duo is Mamie Taylor, whom Mrs. Rich- ards names as corespondent in her suit. Efforts have been made to serve Richards, but up to date Herman Roth, Mrs. Rich- ards' attorney, has been unable to locate the husband. EASTERN'S NEW CHICAGO HOUSE FACT. Chicago, Nov. 16. The deal entered into during the re- cent visit of L. Lawrence Weber and Jules Hurtig for a new Eastern Burlesque Wheel theatre has been completed. The new house to be operated by the Columbia Amusement Company will be erected on the property at 208 Wabash avenue. It may cause some change in plans of the many projects afoot for new burlesque theatres and music halls here. WHITE RATS' CONCERT SUNDAY. To-morrow (Sunday) night at Corse Payton's Lee Avenue Academy in Will- iamsburg, Brooklyn, the White Rats will give an entertainment. Between fifty and sixty acts, all members of the order, have volunteered, and there is also a chance that Mr. Payton, who has donated the en- tire theatre for the occasion, may also appear. MISS EARL WILL STAY. Vaudeville has withstood the test for Virginia Earl, who has concluded to re- main in it as a feature. For next season, or perhaps before, Miss Earl will produce a sketch requiring a less number of per- sons than she is carrying in her present act. WEBER UNDER PENALTY. Emphatic denial is made that Johnny Weber contemplates leaving the manage- ment of the "Broadway Gaiety Girls." As a matter of fact, Mr. Weber is under contract to Jas. H. Curtin, who owns the show, and is required to carry out his agreement under a forfeiture of $500. KEITH'S, COLUMBUS, NOV. 26. Columbus, Nov. 16. The work of remodelling the old Empire, now the Keith home for vaudeville in this city, is rapidly nearing completion and announcement is made that it will open November 26.