Variety (October 1911)

12 VARIETY mgams^m BALTIMORE BUILDING TWO DESPITE PL ETHORA OF HOUSES Maryland Metropolis Beehive of New Theatre Construc- tion for Local and Out of Town Capital. Nixon Interests Concerned. Baltimore, Oct. 11. Quite a stir in local theatricals has been caused by the announcement that plans are on foot for the erection of two new theatres and the enlargement of a third. The first house is to go up on N. Howard street near Franklin in the immediate neighborhood of the Mary- land, Auditorium and Academy of Mu- sic. The house will be erected by the Nixon Interests and devoted to small time vaudeville. The location looks good for a night business but a little out of the way for the matinee crowds. The other new theatre is to be erect- ed on the north side of Lexington street, between Park avenue and Howard street, just above the New theatre. It will be a fireproof struc- ture, about 85 by 125 feet, and will have a seating capacity of about 2,000. Otto G. Simonson, a local architect has been commissioned to prepare pre- liminary sketches of the proposed building, which will cost in the neigh- borhood of $175,000. It is understood that out-of-town capital will be used in financing the enterprise, to be de- voted to vaudeville and pictures. The theatre to be enlarged is The Wizard on Lexington street, near Charles, at present playing pictures and under lease to Messrs. Fuld, Bo- hannon & Loewy. The house has a capacity of about 800. It is proposed to install two galleries, enlarge the first floor and build a large and com- modious stage. The capacity when improved will be about 1,800. These three houses it is said will be ready for occupancy by the early Spring. LOOKS LIKE A "PULL." Kansas Ctiy, Oct. 11. When Edouard JoBe left here after playing last week at the Empress, it was not thought likely he would ap- pear at the Miles house, Milwaukee, this week. It is said to make that certain, Mr. Jose's baggage was shipped by mis- take to the south. Jose was booked by the Miles peo- ple, but Sullivan-Considine did not want him to play against them. That may explain the route the baggage took. Chicago, Oct. 11. Instead of appearing at the Miles, Milwaukee, this week, Edouard Jose is laying off in this city, with a doc- tor's certificate for an explanation. FATHER AND CHILD MISSING. Philadelphia, Oct. 11. The sudden and mysterious disap- pearance of Ferdinand Slnghi, son-in- law of Sigmund Lubin, the picture film manufacturer of this city has stirred up sensational stories which have filled the local papers with all sorts of rumors. Singh! and his three- year-old son went out for an auto ride Sept. 30 and have not been heard of since. Various reports followed the disap- pearance, the newspapers hinting strongly on family differences as the cause. Mr. Lubin declared that his son-in-law has been suffering from overwork and that he would soon re- turn and bring the baby back with him. Slnghi is said to be in Chicago where he has engaged with a moving picture concern. He was general manager of the Lubin factory at a big salary. Slnghi played the piano in Keith's Bijou, before marrying Edith, the pretty daughter of Lubin. CUT OUT LURID FILM. Detroit, Oct. 11. "The James Boys in Missouri," a picture film was jumped on this week by the police. Some of the officers saw the posters advertising the pic- tures and notified the proprietors the pictures would not be allowed to go on. "White Slaves," another sensa- tional film, was banned by the police here this week. REVERSIBLE PICTURE HOUSE. Henry Stedeke is building a new house at 59th street and Third avenue costing $15,000 and to be styled the Queen's theatre. It will seat 299. Straight pictures are intended for the program. There will be two entrances. E. C. Horn's Sons have designed a roof that may be taken off and the place trans- formed into a summer place of amuse- ment. LOOKING FOR SOUTHERN COIN. Rio Janeiro, Oct. 3. Imre Kiralfy has been here on busi- ness connected with the Anglo-Latin Exhibition to be held at "White City," London, from May to October, 1912. The Brazilian Government is ex- pected to pony up enough money for a big coffee showing at the London exhibition. MAE MURRAY IN PRODUCTION. "Echoes of Broadway" will bring Mae Murray into vaudeville, along with one Haskell, the two leaders heading eight show girls. Jack Rogan is putting the act on. Edw. S. Keller is attending to the bookings. It will play the National, Boston, next week. Miss Murray is a well known Broad- way musical comedy girl. A FLING AT BAYONNE. Bayonne, N. J., Oct. 11. The Jessie Mae Hall stock company, after playing on Long Island under Al. Trahern's management, opened here this week. CHICAGO AGENCIES* MOVED. Chicago, Oct. 11. For some time past the relations between Frank Q Doyle and Alfred Hamberger, the printer-manager, have not been of the friendliest/ Now comes an authentically reported move which is calculated to result in a "war to the knife" between these two rival agency heads. The announcement is formally and officially made that the Louise Amuse- ment Co., of which Hamberger is the managing director, is making exten- sive preparations to occupy a suite of offices directly adjoining the Doyle agency in the Chicago Opera House building, where it is proposed to carry on a wide and aggressive book- ing campaign. Hamberger claims to have an alli- ance with some booking concern and this statement is given color by new and very recent lettering on the new offices which read: "New York and Western Booking Agency." It is proposed to vacate the present Louise Amusement Co quarters in the offices of the Ea^l J. Cox Agency in West Madison street. Just what ef- fect the removal will have on the latter's circuit is difficult of prophecy. At present Hamberger controls the President, Apollo, Century, Ellis, Monroe, Homan and Langley, all small-time houses that play split- week bills of fairly good acts. The Langley, seating 1,100, opened Oct. 7. It is at Sixty-third street and Langley avenue, and plays not more than five acts, one booked for the entire week, also the policy in the other houses. Manager Hamberger's vacation of the Cox offices means the loss of these houses to the Metropolitan circuit. They may be followed by others, now booked by Cox, including the Grand in South State street. For some time past, the Cox offices have been the Eldorado of the ten per cent, agents of lesser note. The desertion of the Hamberger crowd will make the pick- ing there rather barren. PASSED "THE NIGHT RIDERS." Portland, Ore., Oct. 11. Arthur S. Phillips, manager of the Majestic, who was arrested last week for allowing "The Night Riders" to be shown after one of the board of censors had ordered the film taken off, was exonerated after a private performance before the Mayor and city officials and Grand Jury, now in session. KINEMACOLOR THEATRE. The Kinemacolor company has taken a lease on Mendelsohn Hall, doomed to be destroyed ere another year, and renaming it Kinemacolor theatre, will open Oct. 14 with the Coronation pictures. After two weeks of the King George film, new colored pictures will be shown. FROM CHURCH TO CHURCH. Hartford, Oct. 11. The Scenic Theatre is to move from its present location, formerly a church on Main street, to Asylum street in a building, which was also a church. The Scenic is a picture house. FOX CIRCUIT BOOKED SOLID. By a shift in his arrangements, Ed. F. Kealey is now booking the eight "big houses" on the William Fox "small time" circuit, as a wheel, starting a solid show off at the City, from where it rotates upon the "split week" plan to the New York, Nemo, Washington, Gotham, Folly, Grand Opera House and Newark. Besides these eight three-a-day houses, the Fox circuit has other thea- tres, and is now playing about 80 acts weekly upon its time. The new mode of booking Is the easiest he ever imagined, says Mr. Kealey, practically meaning he books one house a week, the shows starting at the City for both halves of the week. VIRGIN MUSKEGON. Chicago, Oct. 11. W. S. Butterfield and his associates in the Bijou Theatrical Enterprise Co., have purchased a site in Muskegon and intend building a new vaudeville theatre to be opened by spring. Muskegon, a well-known summer resort, is now without a regular theatre. Ground was broken this week on the new venture. LEASE ORPHEUM, JERSEY CITY. The Orpheum, Jersey City, has been leased by Walter Rosenberg for nine years, with immediate possession. The house was held by the Blaney Amusement Co. Mr. Rosenberg will open it Oct. 16, giving a "pop" vaudeville entertain- ment of eight acts and pictures. The Orpheum has a capacity of 1,800. "SHREDDED WEEKS." New Orleans, Oct. 11. They've gone the "split week" one better down here. One Haskins, who is willing to make affidavit he is a regular booker, is offering artists a four-weeks tour, the artist playing seven different towns weekly. Has- kins' styles them "shredded weeks." Harold Christy arrived in this city Saturday, after playing three of the "shredded weeks." He grew real charitable, took the money he saved while working this time, and bought a pencil from a blind man. NEW PHILADELPHIA KEYSTONE. Philadelphia, Oct. 11. The new Keystone of M. W. Tay- lor's opens Monday, as another of the Taylor chain. The house seats about 2,600. It will charge 10-20-30. Six acts and pictures will make up the program. Bookings will be made by Mr. Taylor through his own agency here and the Freeman Bernstein office, New York. Besides a couple of other big "pop" houses here booked by Messrs. Taylor and Bernstein, the Taylor new Ger- mantown theatre will go upon his books In December. CRANE OPENS SOUTH. "The Senator at Home," the new piece In which William H. Crane will open under the management of Jos. Brooks is to take its start in the south very shortly. For several years Mr. Crane was under the direction of Charles Froh- man. He shifted to Mr. Brooks after returning to New York last week.