Variety (March 1909)

8 VARIETY *xn>. NSW ACT A SURPRISE. Without preliminary booming or inti- mation, Bert Kalmer and Jessie Brown re- turn to Hammerstein's next week with a new act. The team, a lately organized one, played the house a couple of months ago. At that time the impression obtained that they were in line to do a "classy" singing and dancing turn, somewhat on the pattern of Rock and Fulton. Billy Rock even offered to coach them as the succes- sors to his own act. With Rock and Fulton and DeHaven and Parker out of the field, Kalmer and Brown are returning to be reviewed in the new offering "with nothing to beat." They have a special setting, and about $1,000 worth of new costumes. Edw. 8. Keller is the agent for the act. Mr. Keller has made many suggestions for che new number, and was the first to pro- pose it to his charges. Mr. Keller also directed the bookings for Rock and Fulton. BIO WESTERN ACT PREPARING. Chicago, March 4. J. L. Veronee has in preparation a con- densed version of Lillian Mortimer's melo- drama, "Bunco in Arizona," which closes the regular season the latter part of April. In condensing the play, Miss Mortimer will select the best parts from the last act, which calls for fifteen people, includ- ing six real Indians, cow punchers and ponies. It promises to be one of the biggest western dramatic offerings attempted in vaudeville. The cast presenting the play in the popular-priced houses at present will be employed. IN JAIL AND ILL. Bloomfleld, Mo., March 4. Harry Hofman is confined in the county jail here, charged with assault and bat- tery. His trial has been set down for March 22, with bail placed at $600. Hofman is ill and knows no one in the town. He was arrested for an altercation with a couple of young natives who had insulted one of the women in the show Hofman was traveling with. He appeals to his friends to forward funds to pay a lawyer for his defense. Hofman may be addressed care Sheriff Oscar McNeill, Bloomfleld, Stoddard County, Missouri. BYRNE'S ORIGINAL FARCE. An announcement of a forthcoming "original pantomime farce" has been given out by John F. Byrne, formerly of "8 Bells." The piece will be called "Teddy's Dream, or a Strenuous Time in the Jungle." The pantomime is in preparation, and from the title will probably have to do with Mr. Roosevelt's proposed African in- vasion. ENGLISH ARTISTE'S DEBUT. Chicago, March 4. Mabel Phyllis Irving, an English artiste, who came direct from London to open at the American Music Hall for William Morris, is making her vaudeville debut this week. This is Miss Irving's first appearance in the varieties. In London the was with Beerbohm Tree in "Oliver Twist" and ap- peared in musical productions on the other side. PICTURE DEPARTMENT. Chicago, March 4. The Western Vaudeville Association has added a department for booking vaudeville in moving picture theatres. This is the first time the Association has consented to handle the business of the moving picture houses. It is an indi- cation the 5 and 10-cent shows are pros- pering, and making every effort to im- prove. UP-STATE HOUSE PURCHASED. Arthur Klein of the Percy G. Williams staff has taken the lease of the Family, Gloversville, N. Y., from J. B. Morris, and the house will go under Mr. Klein's management March 16, with bookings by the new manager in New York. Acts playing United theatres in Albany, Troy, Utica and Syracuse will probably be favored for the town the gloves come from. STERNAD*S THE HU6TLIR0 Chicago, March 4. Jake Sternad is organizing another vaudeville act which he will add to his already long Btring. This time it is a "production" employing about twenty people. Nearly every prominent vaude- villian is now threatened with Jake's im- minent proposition to bo featured in an act he is devising or contemplating. Sternad and his associate, Jack Kohl, have many acts to route. Pat Casey books them. The department of the "pro- ducers," on the second floor of the Ma- jestic Theatre building, is a prolific one, and the senior member of the combina- tion is also a connoisseur of fabrics and costume material. PEKIN COLORED AGAIN. Chicago, March 4. The Pekin Theatre, running with vaude- ville all season, is again occupied by a colored stock company, which made the little South Side playhouse popular. Manager Robert T. Motts has re- engaged Harrison Stewart and most of the former members of the company. Musical pieces will be given. EVANS ALL RIGHT. Washington, March 4. Geo. Evans will probably resume his part in the Cohan & Harris' Minstrels Monday next. He did not feel strong enough after his recent operation for ap- pendicitis to venture it here this week as expected. BOOM BOOKING. Maurice Boom has again taken charge of the bookings for his theatre, the Fam- ily, Chester, Pa. He is handling the at- tractions through the office of Joe Wood, selecting the attractions himself from Wood's lists. GERRY ON THE JOB. The Gerry Society was in a state of intense excitement from Monday until Wednesday. They were on a clue leading to the American Theatre, where Harry Von Tilzer was assisted by two young- sters, boy and girl, in opposite boxes, dur- ing the chorus of "Taffy." The Gerry officers after the Wednesday night performance placed Mr. Von Tilzer and Superintendent Geo. F. Dempsey in custody. The parents were allowed to have their children. CELEBRATING A PREDICTION. Tbe above Is the picture of an unprogramed acne 00 the atage of the Savoy, Atlantic City, last Saturday night. It waa a banquet tendered by Conufock A Goat, tbe mauagera, and Wesley at IMocus, tbe booking agents of tbe bouse, to tbe artists on tbe bill for tbe week, togetber with other guests. Mr. Wesley says tbe Joyful event will re-occur every two weeks to commemorate the prediction made by tbe manager of the opposition vaudeville theatre on Young's Pier that tbe Savoy, with vaudeville, "wouldn't last two weeks" from the date of Ita commencement. Saturday nlgbt'n spread wu the second since tbe prediction waa ottered. Mr. Wesley announce* It will be a fortnightly happening. The manager of tie opposition hasn't been Invited yet. There Is no need, atntea Mr. Wesley, to bave blra present as he bis had uncontrovertible evidence In tbe matter of hln box office receipts ever since tbe Sflvoy opened with the Wcaley it FIncua bookings. Among tbe group In the picture are Morris Gent, F. Bay Comstock, Louis Wesley, Jos. Plncus, Harry Brown (house manager), Harry Bailey ( repre s e ntative for Wealey & Plncus), Nicholas Blddle (New York Herald), Fred Scctt (manager Apollo. Atlantic City), Bob Delaney, Jaa. F. Dolan, Ida I«nbarr, Mr. end Mrs. Geo. Fuller Golden, Taxes Keltoon. Mabel Carew, Albert Beed, William Zlnelle, Whitman Brothers, the representatives of the local press, atage crew, and orchestra. The Savoy plays two shows daily, sod Is sow holding Its program for tbe full week. 30 LBS. GAINED WHILE ILL. Atlantic City, March 4. Geo. Fuller Golden, who came here ac- companied by Mrs. Golden, has gained thirty pounds since attacked by pneu- monia at his home in Saranac Lake dur- ing the winter. Mr. Golden has not looked as well in years. He says the pneumonia seems to have had a peculiar effect upon the affection of the lungs Mr. Golden was previously annoyed by, and the bronchial symptoms have about passed away. MABEL BARDINE COMING OVER. Mabel Bardine, the American actress who started wide discussion in London last summer by producing the sketch "Nell of the Halls/' will open Monday for a ten-weeks' tour on the United time. Miss Bardine's sketch waa produced just after the dose of Rose Stahl in the Eng- lish capital with the playlet, "The Chorus Lady." Both sketches were built from the same story and were practically identical. Miss Bardine at the time de- nied all knowledge of Miss Stahl's vehicle. $i f ooo BILL FOR 10-CENT HOUSE. Three Stair & Havlin theatres, the loca- tions for the present withheld, will turn over to popular-priced vaudeville within a few weeks. All arrangements have been completed and a booking agent appointed. Immediate contracts with combination at- tractions will be played out, when the vaudeville policy will be inaugurated. One of these places has instructed its agent that first-class features will be de- manded. The weekly show will figure up to $1,000. A 10-cent scale will obtain. IMPORTANT MICHIGAN OPENING. Chicago, March 4. The new Temple, Grand Rapids, Mich., opened Monday, under the management of E. P. Churchill. The inaugural bill consisted of Seven Belfords, Eight Mad- caps, James and Sadie Leonard and Rich- ard Anderson, Frank Tinney, Merritt and Love, Yuille and Boyd, Pero and Wilson. The Western Vaudeville Association has charge of the booking. HAWKS SAVED HIS JOB. Wells Hawks is still press representa- tive for the New York Hippodrome, much against the will of a certain A. Toxen Worm. In one of those whimsical mo- ments with which A. Toxen occasionally indulges himself, he demanded Mr. Hawks' resignation. Hawks had some sort of a notion that he was working for the Shu- berts and the Hippodrome. Under this impression he paid no attention. The report is the Ringlings would have liked Mr. Hawks to attend to the publicity work for the circus this month at the Garden. A large money consideration is understood to have been offered by the circus men for the handling of the New York engagement only. TREASURER IN FRANCE. Montreal, March 4. There's a new treasurer at Bennett's, Montreal. Mr. Bennett's former French custodian of the cash is understood to be in France. No charges of any kind have been pre- ferred, but it is said that when the present incumbent of the office balanced the books, $600 was placed in the profit and loss account.