Variety (Dec 1906)

VARIETY BUTLER'S PROPOSITION. Although Col. James J. Butler, presi- dent of the Empire Circuit (Western Bur- lesque Wheel), declined to give the details of the conference held between himself and Richard Hyde, of Hyde & Behman, last Sunday, while admitting that such a conference was held to talk over Hyde's proposition for a merger, it is learned from other sources that the Colonel came back at Mr. Hyde with a counter pro- posal which was immediately voted out of the question by the Eastern Wheel man. Col. Butler's idea was to organise an entirely new corporation, for $1,000,000, calling it the Empire Circuit, and buy in all of the travelling burlesque shows of the Eastern Wheel members for $500,000, to be paid for with the stock of the new corporation. The amount claimed to have been paid into the present Empire Circuit Co., about $300,000, was also to be in- cluded, and $100,000 worth more was to go toward purchasing the stock of the Co- lumbia Amusement Co. (capitalised at $200,000). This would total up to $900,000. The $100,000 left might be placed on the mar- ket. Col. Butler argued for his scheme that the profits yearly would give a dividend of fifty per cent on the capital. In sup- port of this statement he attempted to show that each of the forty shows which would then play on the circuit would aver- age yearly profits of $10,000 each, yielding $400,000. With other receipts, including the profits of the houses now owned by the Empire Co., and also including booking commissions, estimated at $20,000 per sea- son, the profits would be swollen to about $600,000, net, which would leave $100,000 for the sinking fund after the dividend of $500,000 was deducted. No provision was made for the pur- chase of the theatres now owned by the Columbia Amusement Co., ncr was any- thing said as to the future of the man- agers on both wheels who would be "wiped ont** under this plan. MELODRAMA ON EAST 14TH ST. The intention is declared of Charles E. Blaney's to build for himself a melo- dramatic home on Fourteenth street be- tween Second and Third avenues. There is no "thriller" house on the lower East Side excepting the Third Ave- nue Theatre at Thirtieth street and the Thalia Theatre on the Bowery. Mr. Bla- ney thinks the Fourteenth street location excellent and may have by this time se- cured a site. HITE AND JONES SPLIT. Walter Jones and Mabel Hite will play together the time they have booked, which extends to about the first of the year. After that Jones will do an act in his original tramp makeup, backed up by a quartet of male singers. Miss Hite will essay a single singing and dancing specialty. MOSS-STOLL BUY ANOTHER. London, Nov. 23. An important purchase by the Moss- Rtoll circuit is that of the Grand Theatre, Birmingham, for $200,000. The present manager is J. W. Turner, the operatic tenor. The Grand will become a part of the Moss-Rtoll tour in March next. MORRIS LOSES THREE HOUSES. ('inoinnati, Nov. 30. Thief house** will be lost to the Morris booking office through the deal between the Olympic Theatre Company and the new Anderson-Ziegler corporation. To-morrow (Saturday) the Olympic Theatre will pass under the new management, and stock will be installed there by the John Robinson Company on Monday, according to present plans. John J. Ryan will turn over all his interest in the Lyric Theatre, Clev^ land, to John W. Considine, of the Sulli- van-Considine circuit, which formerly ran that house. The other Ryau theatre, the Majestic, at Erie, Pa., may continue with vaudeville, but will be booked either by the Western Vaudeville Association or the International Theatre Company in Chi- cago. All bookings given through the Morris ORIGINALITY WILL BE PROTECTED. Favorable responses to the recent let- ter addressed by Will M. Cressy, president of the Vaudeville Comedy Club, to vaude- ville managers and agents requesting that protection for originality be extended to artists who originate, after such claim is proven, have been received from nearly all recipients. A few managers and agents have ignored the communication, but the following leaders in the manage- rial end of the vaudeville profession have signified their hearty endorsement of the movement through their replies: E. F. Albee, general manager of the Keith Circuit; Martin Beck, general man- ager of the Orpheum Circuit; Percy G. Williams, of the circuit of that name; Lee Shubert, of the Shubert Brothers; Klaw &, Erlanger, William Morris, Tony Pastor; W. B. McCallum, manager of office for after this we«ek m any of the Cook's Opera House, Rochester; Charles Ryan houses have been cancelled. The arrangements entered into between the Olympic people and the opposition giw the Anderson-Ziegler Company a ten years lease of the Olympic Theatre, with an option for ten more. The rental, amply secured, will ensure the stockholders in the Olympic company an annual return of at least ten per cent. The Anderson-Ziegler Company of Cin- cinnati is the new corporate name of th- concern which takes over the Olympic. It offered to buy all the outstanding stock of the Olympic company, but the latter's stockholders to a man were so well satis- fied that no one would sell. The new corporation will control the Columbia. Wal- nut Street and Olympic theatres in this city, with the Grand Opera House in In- dianapolis. Rud. Hynicka Ls credited with the engi- neering of the Olympic transfer. George Cox, the political leader, interested with Anderson in the Shuberts' ventures, is be- lieved to have influenced Mr. Hynicka, who became angry upon receiving a wire last week from William Morris that he (Morris) must book all shows or every- thing could be considered at an end. Mor- ris' w r ire was caused through D. F. McCoy, the local manager for the Olympic, hav- ing secured two acts direct from Chicago to complete his bill. Upon receiving Morris' message Mr. Hynicka placed himself in communication with the other side and within two days the deal was put through. The Olympic opposition is estimated to have cost Anderson & Ziegler from $1,000 to $1,500 weekly since the season opened through the increased cost of their Colum- bia Theatre's bills, with other expenses. NOT THE AMMONS-DUBOIS HOUSE. Cincinnati, Nov. 30. John H. Amnions, of Amnions & Du- bois, who have a chain of nine vaudeville theatres in Indiana, positively denies that John J. Ryan secured a lease of the Am- mons-Dubois new building in Indianapolis and says that they will conduct the the- atre at popular prices and book high-class vaudeville acts in conjunction with their circuit. $2,000 FOR VIRGINIA HARNED. M. S. Bentham has tendered an offer to Virginia Harned to play twenty weeks in vaudeville with William Oourtenay in the one-act playlet entitled "The Love Letter." The salary held out to her is said to be $2,000 per week. Lovenberg, manager of Keith's, Provi- dence, R. I.; P. B. Chase, of Chase's, Washington and W. L. Dockstader, of the Garrick, Wilmington. The cheaper priced circuits west of Chicago have readily fallen in with the idea. John W. Considine, president of the Sullivan-Considine Circuit, wrote to Mr. Cressy saying: "I will stop any one playing my house that you assure me is using stolen material." E. J. Fischer, of Goldsmith &, Fischer's Northwestern Vaudeville Circuit, writing Mr. Cressy under date of November 21 from Seattle, emphatically states that his company will render all assistance to the club in bringing pirates to terms. BIG NEW HOUSE FOR DULUTH. Duluth, Minn., Nov. 30. Plans have been perfected for building a new $150,000 theatre in Duluth by the Western Vaudeville Association. From the best information a site has been se- cured. The plans are being prepared by Chi- cago architects. The building is to be five stories high and will have a seating capacity of 1,800. The architecture will be similar to that of the Majestic Thea- tre in Chicago. The Association wants Duluth on its circuit to "break the jump" between Minneapolis and Winnipeg. LYRIC CONTINUES. Cleveland, Nov. 30. The policy of the Ryan house here (Lyric Theatre) will not be changed, ac- cording to C. H. Peckham, local manager. The talk of the past week that Ryan's Olympic under its new management would play stock led to a belief that the Lyric also would revert to that form of enter- tainment. TOMMY ROSS WILL PLAY. Thomas W. Ross has finally signified his willingness to accept vaudeville engage- ments, but stipulates that he shall receive $1,000 a week. He will probably consent to a slight reduction in price and begin his tour at Keith's, Philadelphia, within a fortnight. LEO DITRICHSTEIN AND ACT READY. Leo Ditrichstein is actively engaged in writing a new farce for presentation on Broadway and is anxious to fill in about five weeks of his immediate time in vaude- ville with a sketch entitled "Who's Got the Button?" AFFILIATION COMPLETED. Indianapolis, Nov. 30. Through Max Berol-Konorah, president of the International Artisten Loge of Ger- many, announcement is made that the home body at Berlin has ratified the terms of affiliation agreed upon at the con- ference in New York City between the Artisten Loge, White Rats and Variety Artists' Federation of England. The Artisten Loge accepted the terms without change. The White Rats and the English society have alreadv voted in favor of the alii- ■ ance. The action of the I. A. L. marks the completion of the international affiliation between vaudeville artists on both sides of the ocean. Mr. Konorah, who is playing at the Grand Opera House here with the Or- pheum Road Show, his mysterious act "Menetekel" being one of the show's features, did not go into the subject be- yond the bare statement of the affirmative vote. It will require some time yet to ar- range details in order that the societies may work hand in-hand, and Mr. Konorah stated whatever of importance transpired in the future would be given to tn» press.. BENTHAM AFTER CASINO. M. S. Bentham is negotiating with the Shuberts to take over the Casino for Sunday night concerts on his own account. He has a similar intention with regard to another theatre farther uptown. The Casino had a short run of Sunday night concerts last spring when the Shu- bert Brothers agreed to divide the profits with the booking agents. The receipts nrver attained a height that necessitated a division. ANDERSON OFF FOR EUROPE. Sometime during December, around the 15th, Max C. Anderson will sail for Europe to look over the novelties on the other side, botjft on behalf of the New York Hip- podrome and his vaudeville theatres, with such other matters in mind as may have arisen within the past two months, the exact nature of which is unknown. ELFIE FAY'S FEW WEEKS. Klfie Kay will play at Hammerstein's Victoria Theatre week of December 10, remaining in vaudeville for only a few weeks, after which Miss Fay will start rehearsals of a new play in which she will be starred under the direction of the Mittenthals. ALBAUGH HANGING FIRE. When asked regarding the rumors that he would take the lease of the Albaugh Theatre in Baltimore, lately under the management of the Irwin-Lueseher O., Frank A. Keeney. the Brooklyn manager, said he was after the house and would take it provided the lease could be se- cured upon his terms. NEW ONE FOR INTER-STATE. Chicago, Nov. 30. The Inter-State Amusement Company has practically closed a deal for the erec- tion of a new theater at Chattanooga, Tenn. It will open shortly after the first of the year.