Variety (February 1909)

VARIETY 11 •FOUR POUNDS TO CHIC AGO." «i 'Hello, Fired," called out an acquaint- ance of Fred McNaughton who met him on Broadway one day thii week. "Where are you working thii week?" "Aw, go on; don't kid me; didn't we work last week/' replied Mr. McNaughton as he meandered into the New York Cen- tral ticket office. "How much to Chicago," asked Fred, who is from England, where the largest transportation account one can pile up in a single ride is something like $3.58. "Twenty dollars," said the man behind. "Four pounds; blast me, son, I said Chicago." "If you want to send four pounds to Chicago, send it by express," said the clerk. "This is a ticket office." "All right, sonny," replied Fred. "Now, don't get bally, old chap. I want to ride to Chicago. C-H-I-C-A-G-O. Do I say it right?" "Well, twenty dollars, and if you want to sleep it's five dollars more, and if you take the fastest train it's thirty-five dol- lars all together. Do I say that right t" bawled the clerk with a "you-make-me- tired" air. "Oh, my Qodl All that money to Chi- cago," moaned the "straight" of The Mc- Naughtons. "I could almost go to Lon- don for that. Where is Chicago?" "Between here and 'Frisco," was the reply. "And how much is it to 'Frisco?" "One hundred and twenty dollars, with sleeper." "Say," said Fred to the clerk, "you know I am a professional, and if you are running a game here, it's all right, old chap, but don't try to give it to me," and Mr. McNaughton reeled out of the place to a cold-dispelling parlor. HEAD SACRIFICED TO "ART." In "The Girl from Rector's" at the Joe Weber Music Hall this week, Dallas Wel- ford appears in the second act with his head smoothly shaven. Mr. Welford's part calls for a bald head. In Trenton, Mr. Welford notified Phil Mindil, the manager of the show, that he could find no wig suitable for the role, and with Mr. Mindil's permission he would sacrifice his head to art. Mr. Mindil consented. When the police stopped the night per- formance of the show at Trenton, "last Saturday, there was returned to seat holders $1,080 from the box office. It is estimated "The Girl From Rector's" re- ceived $22,310 worth of free advertising through it. BOOK ACTS "ON APPROVAL." A booking agency recently organized to supply low-priced vaudeville acts to the moving picture places on the lower East Side of New York has started the pretty scheme of booking in turns "on approval." On Monday morning they send a motley collection of stage aspirants, amateur and professional, to the different houses. These candidates are permitted to play the afternoon shows, and after- ward those that please the management are retained for the balance of the week. A benefit for the Home for Crippled Children will be given to-morrow (Sunday) night at the New York Theatre. Cohan A Harris are arranging it. ANOTHER "SUNDAY" DECISION. In holding Gould and Suratt. and Syd- ney Grant for Special Sessions on a charge of having violated the Sunday law by their performances at the Colonial and Ameri- can Music Hall on a recent Sabbath, Mag- istrate Cornell last week laid down several astonishing rules. Attached to the papers in the cases were written opinions ad- dressed to the Special Sessions Justices. Magistrate Cornell ruled that Gould and Suratt had executed a dance, basing his interpretation of a "dance" upon a defini- tion in a Roman Catholic dictionary. In the Grant case he decided that imitations came under the head of a "dramatic per- formance," as forbidden in the Sunday ordinance. A remarkably broad observation con- tained in the opinion expressed, in effect, the opinion that any actor appearing on a public stage on Sunday committed a viola- tion. On the same day that the Gould-Suratt and Grant cases were heard, the case of a magician came up before Special Ses- sions. Testimony was introduced to the effect that the magician gave a perform- ance in an Eldrige Street vaudeville theatre, during which he produced objects from mysterious sources. The police tried to make this come under the classification of "juggling," but the court dismissed the complaint summarily. Lawyers who are watching the situation take a good' deal of comfort from this decision. PLAYS WITH BROKEN RIB. Kimball, the equilibrist, came to New York last week after finishing an engage- ment in Rome, N. Y. On Friday night of the engagement while he was spinning a heavy table above his head, he slipped and a corner of the table struck him in the side as it fell. He suffered extreme pain from the injury, but managed to work three shows the following day. Becoming worse when he reached New York he went to a hospital for examina- tion. The surgeon looked him over care- fully and then observed: "There's nothing the matter with you except two broken ribs and bruises enough to cripple a giant." NEW MUSIC PUBLISHERS. The Atlas Music House has located at 128 West 36th Street, New York, having lately opened for business. Geo. J. Green is manager of the Pro- fessional Department. Coroner William J. O'Gorman is said to be interested. AGENTS GIVEN DECISION. Boston, Feb. 4. A verdict for Lykens & Levy was rendered in the action brought by the former firm of agents against Rock and Fulton for commissions. The judgment is for $285. Lykens A Levy sued the act to recover the amount claimed to be due them for nine weeks played around New York by Rock and Fulton, who were booked direct, the agents alleging an exclusive booking contract which the artists ignored. Augustus Dreyer, a New York attor- ney, with Tom L. Barry of Boston, ap- peared for Lykens A Levy. The judgment has been appealed. PARIS NOTES BY EDWARD 0. KENDREW. Paris, Jan. 26. The news of the production of "The Merry Widow" at the Apollo Music HaU is this week confirmed in a few of the French journals. This is another example of the little attention that is paid by the press of the gay city—so admirable in certain fields of g>ud literature—to theat- rical and vaudeville topics. But for the monotonous puffs or entre jUeta (often fauw filets) communicated to all the dailies ajike by the secretary of the estab- lishment, and which are paid for, though not appearing as a direct advertisement, the public would never know what is being done at any given theatre or music halh With the exception, perhaps, of Oomoedia and likewise, he Journal, which show some enterprise in dramatic news, all inde- pendent theatrical reports are very scant- ily treated. Beyond the first night critiques, of course, in serious journals, no reliance can be placed in any paragraph. As a matter of fact French editors do not even pretend to give theatrical information in the form of news, and the only knowl- edge the public have of what is happening in the world of amusement is from paid- for "puffs," of which no one takes any particular notice. Such news items as the reported dissolu- tion of partnership between Debaata A Rosenoerg, the present Apollo managers, and the closing of that hall next week, are naturally not mentioned; the departure of the two principals in the revue, Miles. Mealy and Paulette Darty, who were each drawing $68 per night, has not been spec- ially referred to in any French publication. It is probable that the Apollo will close soon, until M. Franck has the "Joyeuse Veuve" ready, in March, and for which he is seeking some English or American art- ists capable of playing a leading role in French. Ross and Fenton open at the American, Chicago, next Monday.' The popular Parisian revue is always well mounted and invariably well played. The latest production on these lines was presented at the Moulin Rouge last week. The authors of "En l'air Messieurs," Quinel and Moreau, are well-known revue writers without particular talent, who have been in the habit of furnish- ing the Parisiania. It is a good It is a good show, with fairly clever topi- cal allusions, such as the police court in the air, the school for strikes, the scandal during the performances of "Le Foyer" and the Stanheil case. The numerous spectacular acts are well sustained, such as the Japanese fete, the disappearance of the old Maison Dorfce restaurant (which many Americans still remember as a fash- ionable resort), Notre Dame des Apaches, where they sing and dance between two nocturnal murders. "The Twelve Man- chester Babies" are retained and earn much applause by their pretty dancing, which I cannot say for the whole of the troupe. The Moulin Rouge is famous, and few foreigners visit Paris to-day without going to the Red Mill at Montmartre. It is, however, a summer hall, and pays well then, but must consequently suffer to some degree from lack of patronage during the winter. From the manner in which they put on revues there it deserves success all the year round. Costantino Bernard! is a big draw at the Alhambra, nowithstanding his show has been cut from two hours to an hour and a quarter. His imitation of vaude- ville artists is splendid; perhaps a little too realistic, for he has the entire act of De Dio, and much business from other notable numbers. Barrasford's program at his Paris Alhambra this week is Prof. Norton, Bradshaw Brothers, eccentric ac- robats, R. A. Speedwell, Shang Hal, Chinese magician; Harry and Paul, eccen- tric act; the Hovyn's ditto, Sims and Sims, musical comedians; the Barrois, acrobats; the Klein family, cyclists; pictures and the quick change artist above mentioned. Tanagra, a Spanish danseuse, was intro- duced into the revue at the Olympic on Jan. 21. Can this be an off-set for the likely appearance of Belle Otero in the Folies Bergere revue, of which not a word has yet been breathed, but for whom a special role was prepared some weeks ago, with the expectation that Mme. Caroline would be ready towards the end of Jan- uary? M. Bannel is distributing a capital hand- bill in the form of an imitation pocket book, inside 1 of which is a bank note pro- jecting f ronPa flap and a memorandum reading: "(Jail at Folies Bergtoe to book two seats." I hear from a reliable source that Warner, Limited, the international agents, are trying to dispose of their Paris branch, 46 Rue Richer. Mr. Ru'ez presented r, musical play, an- nounced as usual as an operette, at the Parisiana on Jan. 16, entitled "La Poudre d?Escampette," by Celval and Charley, music of Goublier, the chef tforokettre of this small but fashionable music hall. The plot is amusing but nonsensical, though it tries hard to teach a good moral les- son: When your wife deceives you, do not shoot her lover but kill him—with ridi- cule. The play is advertised as an Anglo- French operette, and this may be prin- cipally because a troup of Tiller girls dance frequently. After the great suc- cess of the Franco-British revue at the Folies Bergere we shall be treated to all kinds of samples of the entente oordiale! —but Whisky is still the cordial pre- ferred by many. "ON THE INSIDE." The "inside" of the new 14th Street Theatre, to be erected by Sullivan A Kraus, to play the popular priced attrac- tions in the downtown district, seems to be that the Academy of Music, which covers that field in the vicinity at present, will be torn down next May to make room for a large office building. The Consoli- dated Gas Co. is reported to have been the purchaser, and will erect the structure. Accordingly the "deal comes out," and "Big Tim" Sullivan got the *jnfo" a little ahead. r