Variety (February 1909)

VARIETY JACK LEVY TELLS A STORY On Tuesday while Jack Levy was. seated in his offico, wondering how much money he would win from John B. Hymer play- ing pinochle next Sunday, a large man who looked like an undertaker or a deputy sheriff entered Mr. Levy's private count- ing room. "You are Mr. Levy, I believe," observed the tall fellow. Jack nodded his head, not caring to commit himself through oral evidence, when the stranger continued: "I understand, Mr. Levy, you are the richest vaudeville agent in the world." "You may be right," answered Mr. Levy, "excepting Jules Ruby, but I hope any confirmation of your inquiry will not divulge the amount of my wealth." "Oh, no," replied Jack's visitor, "I am merely calling upon you to obtain the financial rating of the other agents. I represent the Society for the Investigation of Theatrical Conditions, and I have been referred to you." "Well," replied Mr. Levy, "you couldn't have made a better pick. Of course, you won't mind if I lie a little for my friends." "No, Mr. Levy, we don't object to that if you give us a general idea," said the caller. "Then take down these names," said Levy. "First there is Bill Lykens, my former partner. Put down M. S. Ben- tham, a business associate. Here," sudden- ly spoke Jack, "take this list of licensed agents, write down the names you want to know about, mail them to me and I'll give you a report on each and send it back." As Mr. Levy's caller thanked him and left the office, the agent said: "Isn't it funny how everybody thinks I am wealthy? I'm not rich, but if you want to make a story out of what happened to me twenty years ago, and how I nearly *had a perpetual income for life, I'll tell it to you." Receiving his cue to proceed, Mr. Levy continued: "In '89 I was 'flat broke.' Didn't have a dollar and thought I didn't have a friend. One day while standing on the corner of 23rd Street and Broadway, a fellow came out of the old Fifth Avenue Hotel. He said 'Hello, Levy.' 'Hello' said I, and I recognized him as a 'con man.' "'Want to make money quick?' said he. 'Do I want to make some money?' I said. 'I'll jump off the Brooklyn Bridge if somebody will float a dollar bill be- low it.' 'Well,' said he, 'I think you are a square fellow, Jack, and if you will stand on this corner until a man hands you a bundle, saying 'Are you right,' and you answering 'Right I am,' and then bring that bundle to me, I'll get you some money quick.' "'T'uat's easy enough,' I answered. 'Go ahead. I'll stay here for a week.' " 'Don't forget the word, 'Are you right' and 'Right I am,' he said as he left. "It was twelve o'clock then, and I stood there until about half-past three when a fellow with a bundle as big as a bed tick came along and said 'Are you right?' 'Right I am/ I answered, and he said 'Take this bundle/ "I thought sure it was a fool joke of some kind, but I didn't care much, and I took that bundle to the man who had posted me. He opened it in the room while I was there, and I never saw so much money in my life. I didn't think there were so many greenbacks in the world. 'Do you know how much money there's there, Jack?' he said. I couldn't speak. 'There's two million and a half in cold cash. If I had been caught carry- ing it, I would have been taken in and lost every cent. I took an awful long chance on you, Jack. My hair com- menced to turn white after three o'clock, but you're here now and what do you want?' "Well, sir, I was scared to death. I didn't think it could be on the level. I made up my mind not to get mixed up in anything so I just posed. 'Me, not a cent/ I said. 'Glad to do you a favor/ "He couldn't believe it, but I insisted and started to walk out of the room. 'Here, Jack/ he called, 'I can't understand you. I never would have believed it of anyone. You won't take any money. Well you'll get a letter from me about this/ "I almost ran when I reached the street. Thought sure I would be picked up by the cops. But next morning I got a letter. It said that on every an- niversary of the date I took the bundle of money to him, I could draw the in- come of one million dollars by standing in front of the Fifth Avenue Hotel, and waiting until the same words were spoken to me. "I tried it the first year after. It worked fine. For eighteen more years, I stood one day in each in front of the Fifth Avenue Hotel, and just stuffed the wad handed me in my pocket. Then they tore down that hotel. I don't know where to stand now. The fellow has died since then, and I don't know who to go to. "It's all off, I guess, but that's the secret of the report of my wealth. I got the income for years. If I hadn't been a fool, I would have saved up my money, and bought the Fifth Avenue Hotel my- self. But we can't look so far ahead, can we?" And Mr. Levy, reconciled to his large loss, called out, "Katheryn, telephone Hymer that the next time we play, we will throw out the sevens and the eights." BOSTON THEATRE LEASED. Boston, Feb. 4. Klaw & Erlnnger have leased the Bos- ton Theatre from B. F. Keith. Oscar Hammerstein holds a contract to present grand opera in the house for two weeks from March 29. The new lessee? take possession immediately. The Boston has had a wavering policy all this season, and has been the cause of some talk. The transfer of the house to Klaw & Erlanger has no significance, ex- cepting that it keeps it away from the Shubcrts, and probably removes it from the debit account of the United Booking Offices as an "opposition house," Keith having taken over the place a couple of years ago to remove it out of the range of Klaw & Erlanger's "Advanced Vaude- ville." Cohan & Harris' Minstrels will be the first attraction, opening Feb. 15 for two weeks. LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE AP- POINTED. At the weekly meeting of the White Rats on Tuesday last Tim Cronin, Denis F. O'Brien and Harry Mountford were appointed as a legislative committee to appear before the Judiciary Committee of the Massachusetts State Legislature at Boston next week to invoke the aid of the law-makers in passing an amendment to the statutes of that State which now permit body warrants for debt to be issued against persons within its boundaries. The White Rat Committee will be joined by Judge J. Abbott Brackett, of Boston. The amendments to be pleaded for will require that an application for an attachment can be entered only by a resident. The committee will bear en- dorsements from the leading theatrical organizations and members of the pro- fession. Tuesday afternoon at the headquarters of the Rats, a woman giving her name as Bessie Kerr, entered the rooms, saying she had been engaged for the Manhattan Opera House, and wanted to borrow |10. An ambulance removed her to Bellevue. "Delusional insanity" was the medical ex- planation of the woman's condition. A renewal of the lease for the Rats' quarters over Churchill's has been exe- cuted. EX-MAYOR M0N0L06IST. Chicago, Feb. 4. It is stated that S. M. Becker, former mayor of Milwaukee, is preparing to go in vaudeville to lecture on the recent earthquake, with moving pictures and other views. Mr. Becker is a young millionaire and if he enters vaudeville it will prob- ably be for the novelty of it and not for profit. Jake Sternad probably had something to do with it. Sternad met the ex-mayor when the walking contest was at its height last year, from Chicago to Milwaukee, when Sternad had to be tossed into an automobile and taken home with frozen feet. STOPS BOOKING IN ALBANY. Albany, N. Y., Feb. 4. Next week will probably be the last the William Morris office of New York will book acts for the Majestic here, the "10-20" house which opposes Proctor's. The Majestic will continue with its shows, and nothing is known why Morris gives up the booking end. ACTOR SHOOTS ANOTHER. Louisville, Feb. 4. Cameron Clemens, with Violet Balck's sketch, "In the Subway," billed at the Mary Anderson for this week, was shot in the theatre last Sunday by Willis Browne, also a member of the cast. Browne claims Clemens referred to him as a "super" while he was a regular actor. Clemens was hit in the knee. The sketch went on Sunday nig.it, missing only the matinee. BIJOU OPENS IN BROOKLYN. Hyde & Behman's Bijou opened in Brooklyn, Monduy, with vaudeville at ten and twenty cents. The opening bill is Long and Cotton, De Dio Circus, Roscoe and Sims, Gertie Everett, La Nole Brothers, Gilroy and Church, one other act, an illustrated song singer, and two picture reels. The Bijou is in opposition to the Colum- bia, the recently opened "10-20" house in the same section of Brooklyn, booked through the United. M. A. Shea, who is again placing the extra and special attractions for the bur- lesque shows playing the Hyde & Behman theatres, is booking the acts for the Bijou, where two shows daily are given. The Brooklyn concern will experiment for a couple of weeks with the Bijou under their awn management before deciding what disposition shall be made of the theatre. Offers have been made for it. The bill next week at the Bijou will be headed by Louis Chevalier and Co. Others are Rice Brothers, Phil Her- mann, Gertrude Dudley and Co., Vaughner and Paterson, Ross and Moore, and Jacob's Dogs. "MUST SEAT" FALLS DOWN. New Orleans, Feb. 4. Judge Baker, sitting in the Criminal Dis- trict Court, has reversed the decision of the police magistrate who held Manager Bistes of the Orpheum Theatre for trial upon the charge of not having seated everyone in his theatre while the curtain was raised. The higher court holds that the provision of this statute, which went into effect Sept. 1, does not relate to vari- ety theatres, the Justice probably having in mind at the time the style of enter- tainment offered, obliging a continual lowering and raising of a curtain or "drop." Manager Bistes submitted to ar- rest for a test of the law. Brindamour, "The Jail Breaker," opens on the Sullivan-Considine time at Winni- peg, Feb. 15, commencing a tour of fifteen weeks over the circuit. Brindamour's manager, Burt J. Greene, lost his father, who died in Washington last week. CLARICE VANCE. The front page is decorated this week with descriptive facial poses by Clarice Vance, "The Southern Singer" while deliv- ering Jerome H. Remick & Co.'s huge song hit, "It Looks Like a Big Night To Night." During her rendition of the story song Miss Vance expressively enacts the verses describing the inebriated condition of the person who looked forward to the "Big Night TorNight." For the present season the soft-pedal expounder of "coon" melodies is a feature attraction upon the Morris Circuit, and one of the big successes on the very large all-star bill at the American Music Hall, Chicago, this week. Miss Vance's success as a Morris stellar light has been pro- nounced. Many believe Miss Vance is the most popular singer on the stage among those who appear alone upon the boards, either domestic or foreign. The belief is based upon the ground that she neither changes costumes, grotesquely makes up, dances or moves about during her stage time, simply singing songs, with no artificial or other means than her own unique conceptions of the numbers by vocal intonation or expression for an aid. There is no one just like Miss Vance before the footlights, and there is no one who approaches her individuality of style.