Variety (February 1909)

VARIETY SAVOY OPENS ON TIME. Atlantic City, Feb. 4. Oomstock A Goat's Savoy Theatre opened Monday on time to. .the minute . with a vaudeville show headed by Lam- berti. The house was packed at the night ■how. Admission was from 10 to 60 cents. Two hundred people were counted the same evening in the opposition house on Young's Pier. Business at the Savoy has kept up. Both the bill and the new vaude- ville policy of the theatre were voted as the correct thing by the natives. The local press has been unusually cordial in its greetings to the venture. The Savoy is booked by Wesley A Pincus, of New York. Two shows weekly are given, the house exchanging bills with the Family, Chester, Pa. The two open- ing programs in both were: Lamberti, Ed- win Forsberg and Co., Lou Anger, Eugene Trio, The Boldens, Sam Alexander and his tiger "Nero," Unita and Paul, Hutchinson and Bainbridge, Nellie Burt, "Telegraph Four" and "Hoopville." Trouble was looked for during the first shows, due to the bitter feeling existing between the opposition managements. Nothing of moment occurred. With Lamberti, the feature of the Savoy show, came a story of an attempt to whisk him out of the Savoy bill by the o r ?osition through its agency, the United Booking Offices. Upon the granting of the United fran- chise for Atlantic City to the Young's Pier Theatre, the United claiming the one for this town previously given to Com- stocx A Gest had lapsed, Wesley A Pin- cus, who were then booking through the United Offices, were informed to either sever their connection with the agency or the Savoy. The agents elected to remain with the Savoy, leaving the United Offices, which then declared the Savoy "opposition," and started to "steal" its headliner, Lam- berti. He was notified by wire not to play the Savoy, and when this reached Wesley A Pincus, the agents informed the United Booking Offices that unless Lamberti ap- peared as the headHner at the Savoy on Monday, Franklin and Green, a Wesley A Pincus act, billed as the feature at the Percy G. Williams Greenpoint Theatre for this week, would play the American (Morris), New York, instead, in the same position. This happened last Saturday while Franklin and Green were at Shea's, Buf- falo. Burt Green was approached in that house by a messenger telephoned to by the United, and asked if he intended to fulfill the act's engagement at Greenpoint. Mr. Green replied that Franklin and Green were booked by Wesley A Pincus and would play wherever their agents told them to. This squelched the attempt to "pull out Lamberti from Atlantic City." At the Morris office last Saturday it was said that Franklin and Green had been proffered to them and Wesley A Pin- cus were told they could play at the American as the headliner, with a contract for twelve weeks to follow. Franklin and Green's salary, had they appeared upon the Morris time, would have^been $1,000. Lamberti was placed upon the Morris Circuit through Wesley A Pincus this week, opening at the Lincoln Square, New York, next Monday. PENN'S FUTURE DOUBTFUL. Philadelphia, Feb. 4. What may be the oper ; ng wedge for the second invasion of this city by Will- iam Morris was the securing' by lease of the William Penn Theatre in West Phil- adelphia. Title was given last week to a corporation in which W. W. Miller, Gustavo Muller and other stockholders in the Girard Avenue Improvement Company are interested. Mr. Miller is of the firm of Miller A Kaufman, who have the Girard Avenue Theatre, a popular pries house and Forepaugh's, now running mov- ing pictures and vaudeville. It was in the later house that Morris tried his in- itial vaudeville venture this season. It is understood that the new lessees of the William Penn satisfied P. Hurley, the builder, who has first claim on the theatre, 'and the several sub-contractors with a second mortgage with an agreement to have the theatre finished and opened by next September. It is also reported that Stair A Havlin will furnish the bookings. The William Penn is one of the theatres William Morris includes in the list of houses in which he will play vaudeville next season, and it would cause no sur- prise if an agreement were reached to this end before the house is thrown open to the public. BERNSTEIN PUTS IT OVER. • Boston, Feb. 4. He said he would do it and he has. Freeman Bernstein, the Boy with the Oil, recovered judgment this week for $010 in the suit brought about through the disbanding of "The Cash Girl," in which May Ward was the "girl." Tom J. Barry, Boston's theatrical law- yer, represented the Bernstein side. The properties and costumes of the show are held here by an attachment, and to pre- vent a possible mishap when the sale occurs under the judgment there will be another suit started now for $1,800 as a protective measure. After that Miss Ward may be "The Cash Girl" again. KEENEY'S REPORTED CHANGE. It was reported on Wednesday that Frank A. Keeney's Theatre, Brooklyn, would leave the United Booking Offices and, commencing Monday, Feb. 15, change the policy to "10-20" vaudeville, booking through Ed Gallagher, who has taken offices at 1440 Broadway. Keeney's, Brooklyn, has been opposed by the Fulton, booked by William Mor- ris. The theatres are but a short distance apart. BENEFIT IS FOR CHARITY FUND. Chicago, Feb. 4. All members of the White Rats who will play in Chicago for the week com- mencing Sunday, February 28, are re- quested to communicate with Bobby Gaylor in the Chicago Opera House Block. Mr. Gaylor is the official representative of the Rats here. Preparations are going forward for the benefit to be held at the Grand Opera House on that date, and Mr. Gaylor is desirous of reaching volunteers who will be in the city. The benefit is in aid of the Charity Fund, not for a club house in Chicago, as erroneously reported. WOODS' "DREAMLAND" SPECTACLE. 'Dreamland," Coney Island, which will be under the management of Sam W. Gumperts the coming summer, will hold an immense spectacular production to T» presented in the "Dreamland" enclosure by Al H. Woods. Two hundred more people will be en- gaged to open in what was "The End of the World" building last season. BIG BANQUET TO FOGERTY. One of the largest banquets in Brook- lyn's social history, and a unique com- pliment in the annals of vaudeville to one of its artists, was tendered Frank Fogerty, the "Ain't I Right Boys?" monologist, at the Academy of Music, on Tuesday evening last. The dinner was gotten up by Mr. Fogerty's legions of admirers on both sides of the big Bridge. Four hundred and eighty of the best-known men in all walks of life sat down to the heavily ladened tables, with Mr. Fogerty the guest of honor. The tickets to the banquet were $6 a plate. There was no surplus. An honor- ary committee of 100 told the caterer to "go the limit," and the "plate price" was set to keep out a mob. FINEST OUTSIDE CHICAGO. Joliet, HI., Feb. 4. At six p. m. Tuesday afternoon the final papers were signed which insures Bloomington the finest theatre outside Chicago there will be in the State. The new house will have a seating capacity of 1,000. Architect Pitmore, who designed the Majestic, Chicago, will draw the plans for the Bloomington building. Max Goldberg, manager of the Grand, this city, will be the sole owner and manager of the new house. "HAVANA" COMING TO CASINO. On Monday "Havana" and James T. Powers will open at the New York Casino. It is a musical play in three acts, writ- ten by Geo. Grossman, Jr., with lyrics by Adrian Rose and George Arthurs. In the support are Mile. Courtenay, Ernest Lambert, William Pruette and Suzanne Willis. Eddie Foy and "Mr. Hamlet of Broad- way" leave the Casino to-night (Satur- day), going to the Lyric, Philadelphia, which house "Havana" is leaving. GALLAGER & WOOD SEPARATE. Ed. Gallager and Joe Wood have amicably agreed to separate. Gallager, who has won a considerable degree of suc- cess as a producer of comedy acts, pro- poses to embark in a new venture. He will set up offices and devote himself to searching out and developing new ma- terial. Selecting promising acts on the smaller time, he will suggest improvements and work out new vehicles where it seems advisable, taking personal direction of these turns and seeking time for them on the important circuits. Upon the dissolution of the firm Gal- lager sold out his interest in the business. The consideration was not made public. It was said this week that M. R. Sheedy, the New England manager, had become in- terested in the business with Wood. BARNES SETS HIS FIGURE. Besides figuring out a vaudeville specialty which can entertain an audi- ence, Stuart Barnes, the singing mono- logist, can also Ague the value of it. There have been reports that the Wil- liam Morris office has offered Mr. Barnes contracts for all of next season. Mr. Barnes is said to have communicated that information to his agent, Geo. Homans, who delivered it to the United, on which time Mr. Barnes is at present traveling. , Someone in the United called up Barnes on the telephone, asking him to call, but the monologist replied he was busy play- ing in theatres, and his agent would have to attend to his business matters; but, says the report, Mr. Barnes added that any offer for next season must include a week- ly salary of $400 for himself, as, said Mr. Barnes, his agent, Geo. Homans had told him (Barnes) that owing to some "split- commission" thing about which he (Barnes) knew very little, Mr. Homans claimed he could no longer afford to give Mr. Barnes his attention on a commission basis; and, continued Mr. Barnes, as he considered Mr. Homans a very good busi- ness man, and as he (Barnes) expected to have a great deal of business next season for Mr. Homans to took after, he (Barnes) had engaged Mr. Homans on a salary as his business manager, and as Mr. Homans' services were expensive, he (Mr. Barnes) felt compelled to increase his weekly salary $100 to pay his agent as business manager. But, said Mr. Barnes, as he did not know anything about "split-commissions" he (Barnes) was exceedingly well satisfied with the arrangement, and would the United kindly excuse him from further conversation as he (Barnes) had to go to London in May to work eight weeks, and would the United continue the negotiations with his business manager, Mr. Homans 7 The illustrated example is thusly: A business manager with com- mission split $400 weekly An agent with commission (no split) 300 weekly Increased cost in salary $100 "Grand scheme, that 'split' thing," said a manager this week with a house which can play to $4,800 gross on the week, when he heard about Mr. Barnes. KILLED IN HOLD-UP. Chicago, Feb. 4. As a result of a blow received from a highwayman, who held up Charles Frosto (Prosto and Weyman) in-this town a few weeks ago, Frosto died at St. Luke's Hos- pital, where he was taken after the as- sault. The deceased leaves a mother, four sis- ters and two brothers. One of his sisters is Madelyn Marshall. The remains have been removed to Fairibault, Minn., for interment. FANNY RICE'S SHOW CLOSES. Rochester, Feb. 4. Fanny Rice's show will close in this city Saturday night, and Miss Rice will return to vaudeville for the remainder of the season. She has authorized Louis Pincus, of New York, to make the necessary ar- rangements.