Variety (September 1918)

7 BUY BOND ARTISTS’ FORUM Confine letters to 150 vrords and write on one side of paper only. Anonymous communications will not be printed. N^e of writer must be signed and will be held in confidence, if desired. . ^/IJetters to be published in this column must be written exclusively to VABIEry. implicated letters will not be printed. ■ New York, Sept. 9., Editor Vabihtt: I notice several acts claim the origin of the much disputed idea, that of liking the allies to horses. Jean Havez wrote the "Race” or the "World's Handicap” for me nearly one year ago and I have been using the recitation for The Stage Women’s War Relief and other benefits, for the past nine months. I have proof of the above statement. Arthur Upson. Sept. 19. Editor'VABiBTt'; In YABiEiTr Sept. 13 an act doing a policeman and an Italian is accused of using material belonging to A1 Haw- thorne (Hawthorne and Anthony). We are doing a policeman and Italian, and have been doing this act since February, 1916. Prior ‘ to that Mr. Roth did the same act-with Tqih / Murray since 1914. Roth and Roberts. Editor VABiBTr: Winnipeg, Sept. 17. Our show was the first show to go across the Canadian line since the new draft (18-45). Professionals will under no circumstances be allowed to enfier any part of Canada without .necessary credentials which they can get for the asking from their own Local Board. / They must have their registration card showing that they have regis- tered. They must have a permit from their Local Board allowing them to leave the States and enter Canada. This permit is a regular form blapk. Without this permit it will be im- possible to get into any part of Can- ada no matter what any one in the States may say about it. Americans in Canada are also stopped often on the street by officers to show their permits into Canada and failure to have it means arrest. Several in our show were stopped here this week. I was stopped twice, and after showing my registration card was asked for my permit. Joe MeShane, '^(MeShane and Hathaway.) which he is staging for Emily Ann Wellman and Jack Morris. In preparation are "Sweet and . Pretty,” a' 35-minute musical version jof “Charley’s Aunt,” and “The Pursuit of Happiness” an allegorical playlet, to follow Miss Wellmans’ “White Coupons," which Marshall also staged. A musical act writteh by Harry B. Smith and Marshall is additional. Marshall may return to vaudeville again with two girl dancers known as th^e Misses Cloter and Quinn. The-' girls will probably use dinerent names when the turn is ready. H. Bart McHugh and Marshall have in rehearsal a new allegorical musiral phantasy entitled ‘The Pursuit Of Happiness,” with the book, music and lyrics by Marshall. In the cast of six are Mildred Alain, Helen Gunther arid . George Douglas. “Birds of a Feather,” a n^w anatonu- cal fantasy, written by Leon Kimberly for Bert Ford and Pauline Price (Edw. S. Keller). “The Dummy” is to be produced by Arthur Klein from a book by Harry B. Smith with, words and music by Henry I. Marshall. WAR SONG CONTEST SPREADING. The War Animated Song Contest, started at the Fifth Avenue last week, and having its final there Tuesday night, is going to go over the Greater New York small time circuit booked out of the United Booking Offices. This week the Greenpoint started a contest. It will follovy into the 34rd Street, Keith’s, Jersey City, d25th Street and S8th Street, as far as at present laid out. • At the opening of the contest Mon- day night at the Greenpoint it’s re- iTorted the box ofiice showed $200 more than on the Monday night previously, although in New York Monday night of this week was “off” in the; vaudeville theatres, generally. . . The Fifth Avenue Tuesday night held lamost complete; capacity before eiight o’clock. CALLING MUSIC MEN TOGETHER. A confidential notice sent out a few of the music publishers by Milton Weil of The Music Trades Company asks them to be his guests, today (Sept. 27), at a special luncheon at the Re- publican Club, 54 West 40th street, where he will lay before them-the out- line of a plan which is to solve some of the.^oblems of the music publish- ing! business.^.. If, the representatives assembling are in full accord, a general meeting\ will be .called within the near future, when all music publishers will be asked to act on Mr. Weil’s suggestions. The secrecy^ attending this first meeting has caused some speculation among the publishers. A leading pub- lisher, who has been invited, stated it was his belief, plans are about to be started to form a sort of a “Chanaber of :Gomme^ce’^ 'for the music publiish- : ing industry which will make it a dis- tinct factor. GEO. YEOMAN-BIG TIME. Indianapolis, Sept. 25. This week at Keith’s, Indianapolis, is George Yeoman and "Lizzie,” with other big time engagements to follow including a tour of the Orpheum Cir- cuit startng Jan. 12 next. • It’s 12 years since Mr. Yeoman last played a big time house. He has been monologing since and now has a turn written by James Madison. “The Liz- zie” of the title is a mythical person Mr. Yeoman talks to and about during the act. • JAZZ BAND OF 20 PIECES. A jazz band composed of 20 pieces is the objective of Irving (“BuggsO Bochner, who is now in New York, attending to the matter. An amusement promoter,, says Mr. Bochner, suggested the 20-piece jazz- ,^ing aggregation. PLAYING FOR MOSS. Danny Simmons, of the B. S. Moss office, has signed Welch, Mealy and Montrose, Old Homestead 5, and Gal- lerini Sisters for eight weeks on the Moss Circuit. SHACKELFORD RESIGNS. Atlantic City, Sept. 25. Ernest W. Shackelford has resigned from the management of the'Million Dollar Pier. He will leave the resort about Jan. 1. He has been in charge of the pier for the past three years, said to be the most successful since it was built. Mr. Shackelford was formerly man- ager of Young’s Ocean (old) Pier. He has many outside financial interests. COLINI CLAIMS LOYALTY. William Colini who has a dancing act in vaudeville known as "Colini s Variety . Danc.ers,” has recently been annoyed by several rumors intimating he was not an American citizen. Colini arrived in this country 20 years ago and played for the western vaudeville managers and other cir- cuits. , . > He became a naturalized U. S. citizen in Chicago, in 1905 and married a Chicago girl of Irish parentage. Her father held a Chicago city job for many years. Since the war started his two broth- ers enlisted) and are now fighting m France. His act has taken part in many bene- fit performances for the Red Cross and other war charities. The act is now on the big time under the direction of H. B. Marinelli. STERNAD’S CAMP SHOWS. The first of the Jake Sternad cainp shows, consisting of seven acts, will open a tour of the cantonments at Camp Dodge, Oct 3-4-5-6, while on the same date a Sternad vaudeville outfit will start at Camp Coster with still a third of the Sternad units to Open at Camp Grant Oct. 7-8-9. ^ , . Sternad has an understanding with the offices controlling the camp book- ings whereby if the shows, he books fail to, meet satisfaction they can be cancelled, or Sternad can cancel them, if the camps do not prove financially satisfactory. B. B. Circus Closing Nov. 2. Chicago, Sept. 25. The Barnum and Bailey Circus has arrived in the southwest after a coast tour. Business at the coast was bad. The outfit is now playing the Texas stands. It will close its season Nov. 2 at Memphis. ^ . The Ringling Circus is closing two weeks earlier than last season, being Oct. 18 at Clarksdale, Miss. The Hagenbeck-Walace show, which has fared badly this season, closes Oct. 6, some weeks earlier than last year. Billers Strike in Jersey City.- A billposters’ strike is on in Jersey City. Some of the agents in there with feature films and also the local amuse- ment places had some trouble for several days getting up outside bill- ing, with the local press relied upon. ILL AND INJURED. Buhla Pearl (Mrs. Walter Buhl) was operated upon at St. Joseph’s Hospital, Chicago, last week for appendicitis. Bob Dailey, ill for six weeks, re- appeared on Broadway this week, back to his normal self. Johnnie Collins, the U. B. O. booker, injured about two weeks ago in an auto accident, was able to be about Wednesday. B. Iden Payne is reported slightly better at the Flushing (L. I.) liospital, where he was operated on for appendi- citis. He was not out of danger up to Wednesday. F. Ray Comstock, who fractured .his ankle while playing golf on Long Island last month, returned to his office this week with the .aid *f crutcheSt Jo Paige Smith returned .to his office last Friday, after being confined to his home for same days. The agent has been subject to fainting spells ever since he went northward on a fishing trip early in the summer. The following are ill at the Ameri- can Theatrical Hospital, Chicago: g eorgia Kema (“Speedway Girls”), ilda Martin (Haymarket stock bur- lesque), William Cunningham (book- ing agent), Joseph Rossi (Chicago Opera Co.). Frank Wirth, the Australian trick rider and manager of the equestrienne act called the Wirth Family, has re- turned to the Ringling circus, after an attack of typhoid fever. He was in a Minneapolis hospital for six weeks. While Carter De Haven and Flora Parker were going through their act Monday matinee at the Majestic, Chi- cago, their daughter, _ Majorie, six years old, was undergoing- an opera- tioh for appendicitis at the Washing- ton Park Hojspital. .After the turn , Miss Parker collapsem The operation was successful. HF.NRY MARSHALL STAGING. Henry I. Marshall is actively en- gaged in the production end of vaude- ville^ He is concerned in the staging of several acts of his own and others Harry Bailey Managing Camp Theatre. Sol F. Klarberg has been transferred from the Buffalo theatre, Camp Upton, L. I., to the management of the Lib- .ortyi Camp Pike was fdrmerl/ associated with the In- terstate’s Southern houses. Harry A. Bailey recently of the Al- hambra, New York, is now in charge of the Buffalo at Upton. There is also a Liberty theatre at Upton. It is the big house of the camp, managed since opening by Geo. H. Miller. Bert Taub Muriel Worth Back in Now Act. Muriel Worth, who left vaudeville when marrying “Dutch” Leonard, the ball player, is returning to vaudeville in a new act carrying three people. Heo husbaod ha* boen.drafted. Arthur Kelin will direct the turn. Samptor'a New Musical Revue. Martin Sampler is sponsoring a mu- sical revue called "Are Your Therej to play the cantonments. The show is said to be new and framed especially for the Liberty Theatres. MARRIAGES. j (“Love'^Farm”) to Patty Dennison (Winter Garden show, Qhi- cago) at Pittsburgh. Eleanor Kern (partner of Ernestine Gordon) to Sergt. C D- Levandowski, Aviation Corps, at, Berkley, (jfal., last week. ' Carolyne Scoville to Daniel Diehl at Camp Funston, Kan., Sept. 16. Both members of the Milton Schuster show, playing the cantonments. Mrs. Dollie B®®son (nee Weston) to Harry Brown (non-professional) at the Little Church Around the Corner, New York, Sept. 12. They will make their home at, 907 Gervais street, Columbus, S. C. Thomas Robbins of Attleboro and Hattie Atwood of Profile View, N. H., were married recently in Providence, R. I. Mr. Robbins, until a short time ago. in vaudeville (having traveled with Marvel, Priscello and other hypnotists), met his bride while tour- ing New Hampshire. BIRTHS. Ted and Margie Banks, in New York, Sept. 23, son. „ . , Mr. and Mrs. Albert Parker (direc- tor in Douglas Fairbanks’ studio), at Los Angeles, last week, daughter, Mr. and Mrs. John F. Garbrey, Sept, 19, daughter. The mother is profes- sionally known as Pauline Lorimer. Mr. and Mrs. A1 Weston, at Lying-m- Hospital, Chicago, Sept. 16, daughter. Mrs. Weston is professionally Babe OlsrlCa Mr, and Mrs. Samuel Orkin, at Elliott Hospital, Boston, daughter. The mother is Mary Ruby of the ’ IN AND OUT. Walter Scanlon left Proctor’s, New- ark, Saturday through loss of voice. He also cancelled Poll’s, New Haven, first half this week. That anreflre tun purveyor. CHA8. ALTHOFP.