Variety (October 1913)

8 VARIETY PROGRESSIVE MAKES GAINS; COLUM BIA OF F IN PLACES ''Burlesque Opposition Has More Than a Fighting Chance,** Says a Competitor. Merged Wheel Weak in South, Strong in Northwest. Reports of i u-iiicss on the 'our- l(S(|Uc Wheel this week developed that the new Projjjressive Wheel, the ospositioii to the merged Wheel (Co- lumbia Circuit) has kept up the good pace it started at the beginning of the season. An opposition manager to the Pro- gressive and one of the prominent peo- ple in the Columbia Amusement Co. group informed a Vauikti' representa- tive the Progressive had no really bad Ileuses nor towns excepting the "Penn Circuit" (a circuit of one-nighters in Pennsylvania to fill a lay-off and which has always been admittedly precarious travelling even when played by the former Western Wheel shows). Hut one other doubtful point exist- ed on the Progressive Wheel, said the Columbia man. This is Boston where tb.e two Lothrop houses are played, oi'e on a guarantee (Howard), which might possibly repay for probable losses at the Grand Opera House, the other. In St. Louis and Indianapolis, the Columbian said, the Progressives were going ahead of their competitors in business. Detroit, Toronto, Cleveland and Buffalo were excellent stands for the Progressives, according to this in- formation, with Chicago fair. Two Progressive houses are in Chicago (Haymarket and Englewood theatres). The Columbia manager took occasion to observe he considered the Progres- sives had much more than a fighting chance with the circuit. Regarding his own Wheel, Variety's informant stated business was big at many points, but notably bad ai St. Louis, Louisville, Iiidianapolis, Pater- son, Hoboken and the Empire, Phila- delphia. Providence is a loser for the shows on the Columbia Circuit, according to the statement, but not a loser for the house, which costs about $900 week- ly to operate including a cheap rental, while the shows go in loaded down with a weekly expense up to $1,600. This is unfair, claims the manager, to the travelling shows, and should be altered by a change in terms. Louisville could have been made a winner after the merger, he continued, had the Whallen Brothers swallowed their pride. The Columbia shows now play the Buckingham there, the WhaU Icn's former Western Wheel house. The Columbia gave up the Gayety, shifting to the Buck. While the Buck-^ ingham clientele or most of it would have been drawn over to the Gayety, none of the Gayety people will go to tlu- Huckiiigham to sic the shows. In St. Louis a sitiiiiar condition ex- ists, the manager said, through the Co- lumbia shows playing the Standard, which held the Western Wheel attrac- tions before the merger. The Murray Hill, New York, is not up to its normal business so far this season, from report, while the north- V, estern houses, taken over from the Western people and now playing the Columbia shows, have been doing un- commonly well, much better than had l)een looked for under any circum- stances. Miner's Bronx and People's thea- tres. New York both on the Western Wheel last year, are now doing good business for the Columbia managers, the People's especially turning out a good sized weekly profit. l*ROGRESSIVE GETS PITTSBURGH. Pittsburgh, Oct. 1. Four men, whose combined holdings in moving picture properties are esti- mated as among the largest in the country, will erect a theatre for bur- lesque in Penn avenue, two doors from Barker's Way. They are James B. Clark, film manu- facturer; his partner, Richard A. Row- land, proprietor of a Wilkinsburg the- atre; Albert S. Davis, general manager of the Independent Film Exchange, and Hunt 3- Miller, manager of the Pittsburg Photoplay Company. The house will be in the Progressive Wheel, it is announced. PROGRESS REFUSES TRENTON. The Progressive Burlesque Circuit has declined 40 stands offered to it since the opening of the season. Tren- ton is in this number. "We are in no hurry," declares an announcement from its president, F. W. Stair. "We want only live ones, and where we can't get what we do want we propose to build." The Progressive likewise denies that it was ever party to a contract to play Joe Barnes' house in Terre Haute, which has been tied up by the state building commissioner. NEW ORLEANS OFFERED. New Orleans, Oct. 1. An effort is being made to bring the shows of the Progressive Circuit into the south. Negotiations between Charles Barton, of the new Wheel, and Henry Greenwall, of this city, have been in process for several days, but as yet nothing definite has been arrived at. If the deal goes through the shows will play the Greenwall theatre. FAREWELL, CANDY BUTCHER. The directors of the Columbia Amusement Co. have sounded the deathknell of the candy butcher. At the meeting last week they voted to stop the sale of candy by boys walk- ing in the aisles. The candy and cigar stands will be continued in the lobby. If jron doB't sdvertlM In VABIBTT, don't Mdvcrtlae at all. GOING TO TELL WESLEY. When VxRiBxr appeared on the streets last Friday and Louis Wesley saw the story in it of his "lost" United Booking Offices "franchise" for the Savoy, Atlantic City, Mr. Wesley went directly into the big room of the United Booking Offices for a heart-to- heart confab with John J. Murdock, et al. \ j] According to the story of it, Mr. Wesley refused to be "bulled" or "stalled." He wanted to know what the U. B. O. intended doing in Atlan- tic City. Murdock is said to have pooh-poohed the story as "only in VxRiBTf," but Wesley, frcmi the ac- count, retorted that Variety's story with what he personally knew of the matter seemed to make a complete case. The outcome was said to have been Murdock's promise to inform Wesley some day this week just what the situ- ation would be in Atlantic City, where Wesley has the Savoy and B. F. Keith is represented as having obtained the new Pier theatre, soon to open, for big time vaudeville. No one appears to have positive knowledge that Keith has the house, but there is no doubt that an attempt has been made in the usual way by E. F. Albee, Murdock and the "bunch up there" to double-cross Wesley, after the latter has been paying $150 weekly for the "protection" of the U. B. O. Albee and Co. schemed to trim the Hammersteins on the Times Square U. B. O. "franchise" but failed to get away with it. From all accounts the Keith people will find Wesley as hard to handle. Despite the fact that the U. B. O. has failed to return Wesley's "lost" "franchise," it might still be compelled to tell a court what the charge of $150 has been made for, and although perjury is not an uncommon thing in big time vaudeville's best circles, there are too many in on this particular affair for any to give some- one else "anything on them" by denial of the facts on the witness stand. 8TH AVE. LEASED. The Miner's leased the 8th Avenue theatre Tuesday to Leo Gerechter of Pittsburgh, who will place pictures in the theatre after alterations have been completed. Pop vaudeville may be the eventual entertainment. Through the merger agreement be- tween the Eastern and Western Wheels by which the 8th Avenue was lopped off the circuits, the house can not again be used for burlesque without consent. JOY RIDE LEADS TO COURT. Toronto, Oct. 1. Stella and Elsie Agnes, chorus girls with "The Mischief Makers," Progres- sive Wheel, at the Star, are complain- ants against H. J. Kitchener and F. H. Wyatt, who will be tried by a jury to- morrow on a charge of assault, the case being the outcome of a joy ride. The girls say their companions steered the auto into the open country in spite of their protests. Then they began to scream and struggle and the chauffeur turned back and took them to their hotel. 1 ♦ defendants were admitted to $500 biil. Tluy are em- ployees of the Ontario Motor Car Co. SCHENCK PINCHED IN PHILLY. Philadelphia, Sept. 29. This was a quiet week in vaud. i.lt circles. Maybe a slump in 'ousmesy which most of the houses fell was re- sponsible. So far as the vaideville war is concerned the atmosphere was quite clear except for the smoke left u,^r from the fuming oi Joe Schent.k aticr he was "pinched" while passing throiij»li this city from Washington to .\ew York. Schenck was held in bail for a further hearing and the Nirdliiigcr scouts are on the watch for more of the game. When Mr. Schenck returned to New York he said that while on the train from Washington, waiting at the Broa<I Street station, Philadelphia, a messenger boy came through the car calling "Telegram tor Mr. Schenck." Joe did not notice it. Later the mes- senger who was accompanied by an officer approached Schenck, saying "Are you Jos. M. Schenck?" "No, I am Mike Donlin," replied Schenck. This seemed to convince the ofticer, and Joe was immediately taken into custody. Mr. Schenck said he made no at- tempt to be secretive about his Wash- ington trip. .As Nixon-Nirdlinger has connections in the Capital, he was probably "tipped off" regardini; Schenck's departure from that city. HEUCK STANDS PAT. Cincinnati, Oct. 1. The Gayety, Cincinnati's newest l)ur- lesque house, will not be open until No- vember or December, if then. Original plans were to open it in October and close the Standard. But the .Standard is doing so well that it will be kept running all season, it is said. The Gayety is slated to have smutless burlesque. Work on the Gayety is be- ing rushed. Owing to strikes the con- tractors have encountered delayJ PRODUCER ARRESTED. Milwaukee, Oct. 1. D. Watson Crombarger, owner of a number of vaudeville sketches which are playing on the road, is under ar- rest here charged with fraud. He was formerly a New York man, and,* the police say, used his acquaintance with theatrical men to further dishonest schemes. He was arrested on a warrant sworn out by Henry Trinz, a theatrical man from whom Crombarger had just leased the Juneau theatre here, an- nouncing a stock enterprise. The warrant specifies that Crombar- ger had raised a stock certificate of the Merchants & Manufacturers' Bank giv- ing it as security for two loans of $5.- 000 each. The stock certificates se- cured notes given to Trinz in payment foi the theatre lease. It is charged Crombarger also at- tempted to borrow $4,500 from the First National bank on another Mer- chants' & Manufacturers' bank certifi- cate raised from one to 84 shares. He gove Trinz a check for $2,500, which the latter has been unable to cash. The police detlare that Crombarger secured $10,000 from eastern theatri- cal men. The Juneau stock company will open Oct. 4, with Trinz in charge.