Variety (February 1909)

8 VARIETY "GETTING BACK" ON EYLEY. When Hurtig & Seamon's "Trans - A t- Mntie*" nlay the firm'* 12fith Street Music Hall next week, the company will be known as "The Girls of the Moulin Rouge." That title will be held to for the remainder of the season. "The Girls of the Moulin Rouge" has been adopted for the new name through Tom W. Ryley, of 'The Moulin Rouge," at the Circle, having tempted The Whirlwind Millers a dancing act formerly with the Hurtig & Seamon show, to transfer their presence to Mr. Ryley's company. "The Trans-Atlantics" has been a standard burlesque title for several sea- sons under the Hurtig ft Seamon banner. The report about is that if anyone drops in to see the re-named Hurtig & Seamon show the latter end of next week, there may be noticed other resemblances to the portion of the title adopted. After all, however, it may not be neces- sary for Hurtig ft Seamon to formulate retaliation plans. Up to Thursday, the Millers had not joined Mr. Ryley's "Mou- lin Rouge" show, nor did the manage- ment or any one connected wKh the piece at the Circle have any Information of their whereabouts. New York and surrounding cities were scoured in a search for the absentees, who were under an iron-bound contract to open Monday last. Mr. Ryley had in- vested about $800 for costumes for the pair, Miss Miller having had expensive gowns built for her while "The Trans- Atlantics" played Philadelphia. The Circle people seemed to think the Hurtig ft Seamon firm had spirited the dancers away. "The Trans-Atlantics" are at the Gayety, Hoboken, this week, and Mr. Ryley's deputies watched each lance there in the hope the missing light turn up. It is said there may be another reason why the Whirl- wind Millers do not care to open in New York at the present moment, although no one would be surprised to see the act back again in the fold with the show at the Music Hall next week. MM «U • « perfarmanci dancers mij NEW ORLEANS WATCHING. New Orleans, Feb. 4. The authorities are watching the bur- leque shows at Greenwall's (Eastern Bur- lesque Wheel). The result was noted last Sunday when Harry Bryanfs "Extrava- ganaa" opened to a capacity matinee, and played to the smallest attendance at night Greenwall's has ever held. PAY taoo/MO FOR BURLESQUE. Toronto, Feb. 4. One of the local papers finds cause for complaint in the fact that this city pays more than $200,000 a year into the box offices of the two burlesque houses (Star end Gayety), while many of the theatres playing "highbrow" attractions do not re- ceive the public support to which the news- paper believes they are entitled. "Toronto is burlesque mad," complains the journal. "POOL" DECLARES DIVIDEND? A story was abroad this week that the nineteen-show pool of the Western Bur- lesque Wheel had declared its first divi- dend, each participating manager receiving $600. The names of two managers were given as those who had received their share, but in other quarters the statement was denied. "THE MAJESTICS'" BIG BUSINESS. While the reports of extraordinary busi- ness alt-:.«Ud.by..|i»jJrw5n , s "Majesties" have been accepted as a regular occurrence on the Eastern Wheel this season, "The Majesties" gave a surprise to even its most ardent admirers when playing Hyde ft Behman's Olympic, Brooklyn. Mr. Ir- win placed a high-water mark in the box oAee of that house since its entry into tho Eastern Wheel by taking down $6,212.80 during the show's stay there of six days. The following week (last) "The Majesties" played to the limit of capacity at the Murray Hill at every performance. J. Herbert Mack, manager of the Murray Hill, added four players to the orchestra for the Irwin show's engagement; also gave Mr. Irwin whatever additional men or accessories were requested. Contrary to a rumor about, "The Ma- jesties" will not sppear at Joe Weber's Music Hall at the close of the burlesque season. Next week "The Majesties" play Wald- man's, Newark. At the Western Wheel house, Empire, in that city, Maude Odell, the English poser, may be the extra at- traction to draw against the opposition. EVER CHANGING. Clark's "Runaway Girls," an Eastern Wheel organization, will have a new first part arranged for it by Billy Lytell, the emergency repair man for the Columbia Amusement Co. The Four Franks and Bert Wiggin will leave "The Runaways" to be replaced by Frank Carroll and Gloie Eller and Duncan and Hoffman. In "Hyde's Blue Ribbon Girls," Maddox and Melvin, Armstrong and Ashley and Gramlich and Hall will replace the Three Perry Sisters, Billy Evans and Ward and Raymond. The changes will take place at the expiration of the show's engagement at the Gaiety, Brooklyn, this week. Considerable talk was going about this week as to what a leading firm in the Eastern Wheel always posing as "reform- ers" would do with one of their shows, reported as notoriously poor, and "killing" business wherever appearing, both for itself and "the show behind." It is said that this show has been in very bad condition almost since the season opened, and although the firm owning it has been active in insisting that other companies on the Eastern Wheel be re- organized or strengthened, nothing has been ventured in reference to their own company. Due to their supposed power in the eastern organization, the other eastern managers are saying nothing publicly, al- though the fact is a scandal among them- selves. THINKS WELL OF STAR ft GARTER. Clarice Vance will be the added attrac- tion at the Star and Garter the week of Feb. 14. Miss Vance is playing at the American Music Hall this week. She attended a performance of the Al Reeves show on Sunday and was so im- pressed with the theatre and the class of audience that her consent to sing was obtained. EMPIRE'S LATEST ROUTE. "Morning, Noon and Night," which re- cently toured the Stair ft Havlin circuit, wlTPbpen FeB.~T6 "in* Washmgto'n "as a Western Wheel burlesque organization, under the joint management and owner- ship of M. M. Thiese, T. W. Dinkins and George Rife. This addition takes care of the new week introduced into the wheel by the acquisition of Wheeling, W. Va., on the routes. The original intention was to close up the St. Joseph-Des Moines week, jump- ing a show from the west into Wheeling when that house was ready to open. This plan was abandoned in favor of using the "Morning, Noon and Night" piece, for which there was a large stock of paper and a complete production. Wheeling will break the jump from Pittsburg to Washington. Feb, 15 "The Washington Society Girls" will go from Pittsburg to. Wheeling instead of Wash- ington. This leaves the Washington house without an attraction. "Morning, Noon and Night" will fill in the gap and con- tinue on from that point. The principals of the new show will be Vinnie Henshaw, Sam Mann, Ted Burns, Excelsior Four and the Ascott-Eddie Trio. The new arrangement puts the whole wheel back a week. T. W. Dinkins prof- its by this, for it brings his "Yankee Doodle Girls" into Washington Inaugura- tion Week instead of the week before. CHANGES IN "BIG GAIETY." Atlanta, Feb. 4. Besides Murphy and Magee, Eckhoff and Gordon have also left Rice ft Bar- ton's "Big Gaiety." The show is at the Bijou this week. Lena Lacouvier and Miskel, Hunt and Miller, a new musical act, have joined. Miss Lacouvier is to be principal boy, and will be featured when the present supply of "paper" is exhausted. H. Bernard Denny, the "go-get-'em - advance" is still ahead of the show, "pull- ing down stuff" where other "advances" have never thought of trying. MOZART MANAGERS' GATHERING. Lancaster, Feb. 4. All the managers on the Mozart Cir- cuit will assemble here on Feb. 7 for a day of chat and conference. The present Family on the Mozart Cir- cuit in this city will be torn down at tho expiration of the season. A new "Mozart" theatre will be erected on similar plans to the "Mozart" in Elmira. The Lancaster new vaudeville house will have 700 more seating capacity than the present Family. STAIR ENJOYING HIMSELF. Toronto, Feb. 4. The pictured post cards received here from Europe, sent by F. W. Stair, man- ager of the Star, bear proof that Mr. Stair is enjoying himself mightily on the foreign trip. The only plan known of Mr. Stair's for next season is to send out "The Big Re- view" once more with Sam Dessauer as the manager. Collins and Hart will open at the Folies Marigny, Paris, June 1, for the month, sailing May 15, following the close of the season of "Little Nemo," the Klaw ft Erlanger production the team is with. Netta Vesta closes her engagement with the Princess Stock Company, San Fran- cisco, to-night (Saturday) and will leave the Golden Gate for the east immediately. Miss Vesta replaced Maude Lambert in the cast, but found the work too arduous. EASTERN'S "SOUTHERN TIME." A meeting of the Board of Directors of the Columbia Amusement Co. (Eastern Burlesque Wheel) was held yesterday (Friday) when the subject of the "south- ern time" for next season was taken up. What decision would be reached was noc known in advance. The "southern time" is composed of At- lanta, Birmingham and New Orleans. The Bijou, Atlanta, is in its first season as a burlesque house. Business at the outset came in so meagrely that the town was despaired of, although it is reported to have picked up lately. Birmingham is said to have improved in patronage when the traveling eastern shows "let out" in that town. Previously Birmingham had been looked upon as hopeless. Greenwall's New Orleans, has kept to its mark by playing "extra attractions." Millie De Leon, "The Girl in Blue," was recently smuggled into the house for a week's engagement, playing to over $6,000. The "lay oft*" week following New Or- leans, with the expensive "jump" to Kansas City, decided the eastern people some weeks ago to forego the southern time upon the new house in Louisville opening, but this plan was knocked awry by the complications arising through the construction of the Gayety in the Ken- tucky town. After the Court of Appeals' decision, saying the permit issued to R. K. Hynicka, of Cincinnati, for the building of the house was illegal, political influence was brought to bear upon the City Fathers. It is now anticipated by Mr. Hynicka and the Columbia Amusement Co. officials that an ordinance will eventually allow of the completion of the theatre, and that it will open by the commencement of next sea- son. This void in the eastern route to be made through the removal of the three southern weeks was to be filled in by new houses at Minneapolis and St. Paul. The eastern franchises for those cities have been granted to a trio of Minneapolis men (S. R. Simon, Fred. A. Lembeck and Harry Harris), who have closed all arrangements for Minneapolis, where building of the new house will shortly start. The Minneapolis promoters, however, do not feel as though they could take up the burden of building two new theatres at one and the same time. This is operating against the immediate invasion of St. Paul by the east, and an attempt is being made to induce the Minneapolis holders of the St. Paul franchise to enter into an agreement with some St. Paul people who are anxious to erect a "Gayety" in that city. There will probably be a union of interests which will allow the deal to go through. The signing and sealing of the Minne- apolis project has blocked the proposition for the evacuation of these northwestern cities proposed between the Eastern and Western Wheels. An understanding had been reached at one period between the opposition burlesque circuits that were the east to remain clear of Minneapolis and St. Paul, the west would give up thoir theatres in Albany and Providence. Though a definite settlement was almost reached on this, the matter dragged until Minneapolis was closed. The Ritchie Duo will play vaudeville around New York. Mr. Ritchie returned from a western visit this week.