Variety (September 1908)

VARIETY CONSIDINE COMING NEXT MONTH. Seattle, Sept. 24. John W. Cons id in e, chief of the Sulli- van-Considine Circuit, will leave for New York City October 6. Upon his arrival there, it is said, there will be develop- ments in the western situation as it is now. In Seattle, the S.-C. Pantages' and Or- pheum Circuit are operating; also the same condition exists in Spokane and Portland, while in Butte, S.-C. opposes the Orpheum alone. In all four cities, the Orpheum operates in theatres controlled by the Sullivan- Considine Circuit under an agreement, while the Pantages' houses, in conjunc- tion with the Western States Circuit, sup- posed to be actively opposing Sullivan- Considine all along the line, are booking their acts from east to west under the patronage at least of the Orpheum people. It is quite a complicated situation. In Seattle, the variety business just <M>w is at its greatest ebb. There seems to be no antagonism on the surface between the three circuits. The Orpheum is looked upon as superior to the other shows. Pantages and Sullivan-Considine are racing very evenly in bills and patronage. There is a feeling, however, that before the season shall have gone very far, there is going to be a spirited fight made in which all three circuits will be concerned. The Orpheum has the advantage in theatre and capacity, but from acts com- ing west from the Sullivan-Considine time, the indications are that circuit is actively "going for" every other vaudeville house in the West. JEROME AND SCHWARTZ'S ONE WEEK. For just one week for just one thou- sand dollars have Billy Jerome and Jean Schwartz agreed to play in Hammerstein's vaudeville house during November. Lykens & Levy, who induced the writer and composer to accept the engagement, offered more time, but Jerome and Schwartz preferred to "try out" for $1,000 before going farther in the variety busi- ness. Mr. Schwartz will manipulate the piano with his compositions while Mr. Jerome may parody his own lyrics in the songs. Both announce "song plugging" is barred in the Schwartz and Jerome act. The boys are now in training. ANNE SUTHERLAND FOR VAUDE- VILLE. Anne Sutherland, the comic opera star, last seen as principal in 'The White Horse Tavern," has made known her de- sire to appear in vaudeville. She has se- cured a comedy sketch and has placed her future in the hands of M. S. Bentham. GERTRUDE HOFFMANN'S FINAL DAY. The long engagement of Gertrude Hoff- mann at Hammerstein's comes to a close to-morrow (Sunday) night. On Monday Miss Hoffmann appears at the Grand Opera House in a Shubert production, pre- senting her "Salome" and "Spring Song" dances; also imitations. Miss Hoffmann will be featured with the show, remaining under the Shubert 4JMnftagement until May next, when she Y,ttIJr>Mali for Europe. "LIKES IT BETTER EVERY DAY." When Charles E. Blaney, who is asso- ciated with William Morris in the tatter's independent vaudeville circuit, was asked this week what his present opinion of vaudeville was (Mr. Blaney having said before the season opened he would await the outcome) the melodramatic magnate replied, "I like it better every day." Mr. Blaney stated there would prob- ably be an announcement shortly regard- ing his future vaudeville plans, but at present he had nothing to give out, add- ing that several of the Blaney theatres over the country were under contract just now to play the Stair & Havlin attrac- tions. IN A NAMELESS SKETCH. To-night (Saturday) Harry Corson Clarke leaves the cast of "The Mimic World." Mr. Clarke and Margaret Dale Owen will appear in a nameless sketch over the Morris time. The billing will read "A Few Minutes with Harry Corson Clarke, Margaret Dale Owen and Company." Prizes may be of- fered in each city played for the success- ful suggestion of a title which is accept- able. MORRIS "SUNDAYS" AT THIRD AVE. The William Morris office is placing the Sunday vaudeville shows at Blaney's Third Avenue Theatre, which plays melo- dramas the remainder of the week. The shows over on the East Side are brought intact from Blaney's, Yonkers, where a Sunday performance is not per- mitted. ADA REHAN FIRMLY DECLINES. All overtures for Ada Rehan's appear- ance in vaudeville were effectually squelched early this week when Lykens & Levy received a communication from her sister, Mrs. Oliver Doud Bryon, stat- ing Miss Rehan "would not consider vaude- ville at any terms under any conditions." The agents had made a last grand splurge to secure the late Augustin Daly star. MUSICAL ACT ON BRIDGE WHIST. A. Baldwin Sloane delivered to Dorothy Tennant this week a one-act musical skit on bridge whist. It requires four people. Miss Tennant, who was with John Drew last season, looked upon vaudeville, but she may sign with Charles Frohman, leaving Mr. Sloane's piece to others. KERNAN'S SECOND IN BALTIMORE. Baltimore, Sept. 24. The Auditorium, part of James L. Kernan's new million dollar enterprise in this city, opened on Monday with vaude- ville, Nat Wills headlining the show. Kernan also owns the Maryland, the regular vaudeville house of Baltimore. In the advanced announcements sept out by the Auditorium. Mr. Kernan says the first week is a "try out" to catch the overflow from the Maryland. The two houses are situated just around the cor- ner from each other. Business has been good at both. Jean Kernan manages the Auditorium. The first program ran off better than ex- pected at the Monday matinee. BLANCHE WALSH WOODS' STAR. Blanche Walsh appears to have given up her quest for a vaudeville vehicle. Two weeks ago she was reported as searching about for a suitable sketch in which to enter vaudeville. On Monday of this week Al H. Woods announced that he had placed the dramatic actress under con- tract to head a company in a new play by Jules E. Goodman. Presumably all vaudeville bets are off. The title of the play Miss Walsh will star in is "Test," written by Jules Good- man. It is one of the many pieces recent- ly submitted to Miss Walsh by Jenie Jacobs, the agent. Miss Jacobs, in this instance, arranged for Miss Walsh's star- ring tour with Mr. Woods, having com- pleted all preliminaries on both ends. GOLDEN PERMANENT MORRIS STAR? George Fuller Golden may become a permanent star on the Morris Circuit, following his appearance this week at the Lincoln Square, where he occupies the place made vacant on the program through the absence of Howard and Barrison. During the week Mr. Morris tried to prevail upon Mr. Golden to accept in- definite time in the Morris houses, appear- ing every other week, resting when not playing. Mr. Golden met this proposition with favor, and if his health permits, will likely accept. SUNDAY VIOLATION ON HIPPODROME. A police court summons was served on Sol Manheimer, connected with the Shu- berts, on Tuesday, last, on a complaint that the New York Hippodrome, man- aged by the Shuberts and Max C. Ander- son, had allowed a performance to be given there last Sunday evening in viola- tion of the Sunday law. Manheimer was paroled for further examination, and to secure counsel. The performance upon which the com- plaint is based was the benefit for the Metropolitan Turf Benevolent Association. A vaudeville program was gotten up by Paul Durand of the Feiber & Shea offices. On Thursday Mr, Manheimer was dis- charged. MAUDE NUGENT'S RETURN. On Nov. 30, Maude Nugent (Mrs. Billy Jerome) will return to vaudeville after an absence of about three years. Miss Nugent will be placed through her agents, Lykens & Levy, and will present an elaborate act in "one," with several songs, each accompanied by a change of costume. ~ The latter will be an important item in Miss Nugent's act, the singer having or- dered a wardrobe costing $3,000 for her reappearance. Miss Nugent's songs will all be especially written for her. Charley Johnson leaves the Watson show this week. Snits Afoore replaces him. "MIND READING" OPPOSITION. Seattle, Wash., Sept. 24. The Sullivan-Considine and Pantages' Vaudeville Circuits; will come together with a bump here Sunday, when the S.-C. firm will have Chester D'Amon, the "thought transmitter" as its feature at the Star Theatre. In the Pantages house, John T. and Eva Fay will tell the audience what it is thinking about. The competition to be regarded as the bestf "doners" seems destined to be very keen. Both acts have clashed in the East frequently. WEATHER INTERFERING WITH BU8DIE88. Chicago, Se*pt 24. The weather k interfering with theatrical patronage in this section. Excepting at the Colonial where "The Yankee Prince" is playing to capacity at every performance, all the local bouses have been affected. No Improvement is looked for until the heat gives way to coolness or rata arrives. Business at the burlesque theatres has been extremely slow this week, partly at- tributed as well to the poor shows in town. The weather is making the theatrical con- ditions just now all over the Middle West. CANCELLED WHOLE SEASON'S ROUTE "The Smart Set," a colored organisation under the management of Barton & Wis- well, has had a whole season's route can- celled by the Stair * Sarita-atlea, be- cause of the enmity displayed against it through the South. The show was to have made an exten- sive tour below the Mason and Dixon line. It did indifferent business in the early weeks, and at the* suggestion of E. D. Stair the Southern time was thrown up. "The Smart Set" is the largest colored or- ganisation that has ever toured that terri- tory. All the Texas dates were eaaceBov and this threw the route into such con- fusion that the rest of the season was likewise scratched. The company leaves Savannah next Tuesday and will open in Boston the first week in October. After that a new route will be arranged. BECK IN MISSOURI. St. Joseph, Mo., Sept. 24. Martin Beck and Martin Lehman have been journeying through this part of the country. They visited St. Joe Sept. 18, and Toledo the day following. Although a former attempt of the Orpheum Circuit to establish vaudeville here was a costly experiment, it is rumored Mr. Beck might renew the trial. The former Orpheum stand was the Tootle. NUMBER DAILY SHOWS REDUCED. Chicago, Sept. 24. The first annual meeting of the South- ern Advanced Vaudeville Association was held this week at the Piedmont Hotel, Atlanta, Ga. General business was dis- cussed. At the first meeting about ten months ago, when the various stockholders joined to draw the plans for the enterprise, the Association had twelve houses, each play- ing from six to eight shows daily. The circuit claims at present about twenty- five theatres in the South, and shows re- duced to three or four a day. HARRY WOODRUFF IN CHICAGO. The Majestic, Chicago, will be the scene of Harry Woodruff's return to vaudeville, although out there it Is a de- but, the former star of "Brown of Har- vard" having appeared but for two weeks previously in the "twice-daily" division. Lykens & Levy have placed Mr. Wood- ruff for three weeks in the West, when engagements at the Hammerstein's and the Williams' houses may follow. He will reappear in "A Bit of Instruction," with one masculine assistant. It is a comedy sketch.