Variety (August 1919)

■G&VM 'rf-PfP^fff 3 V ; p^lf-^ '\:^¥%< ?# r -■—• - ~ •-vV.*J^ '->'i\i'> ',-»-" ; - ■. ■. -: --. . ■•"'.'^ " ■. ■ ■ " "■' '*"';*** •>i c Xvlfee* ' r* ■'>"? Vol. LV, No. 10 PskHAadWart* a« IBM Brtadwy, If*. W W WM L ST. T.. E?* NEW YORK CITY, AUGUST 1,191» Enteral ej second claw matter Reatmfcer «, tW5. at the Poet Office at Nc« Tart, N. Y., under the Aet of Marek i. ten. "WHITE RATS" TITLE DROPPED TO BE REPLACED BY NEW NAME Vaudeville Artists' Organization Known as White Rats Since Founded by George Fuller Golden in 1900. Recent Affiliation With Actors' Equity Association Obliged Chancre. Now Vaudeville Branch of Newest Formation, the Four A's. 6 The name of the White Rats as a r title for an actors' organization is passing or has passed. A new title is to be chosen in its place. That may have been done by this time. ' The action is the result of'the af- filation of fc rthe White Rats with the Actor's Equity Association in what is .known as the Four A's, a sort of pa- rent body holding an .international charter with the American Federation of Labor. The Rats portion of the Four A's is technically known as the vaudeville branch._It was a part of the agreement between the A. E. A. and the Rats that the name of White Rats be abandoned. The actors'. Equity is said to have demanded that the. change be made. Its principal reason was yfhat the Rats as an organization had - received much publicity in connection with agitation and strikes that were not successful. ■* The White Rats organization was I formed around 1900 with George Ful- 5ler Golden, now deceased, its first big jvchief. Golden was the first to expound his ideals and theories for the pro- tection of vaudeville artists. His the- ories in the main were substantially based, and many of-them have been realized by vaudeville artists. Golden was greatly beloved by his fellow ar- tists and held their esteem to •the .time of his death several years ago. Under Golden's leadership the Rats went on ;: strike in 1900 for the abolition of the | bookine office commission of five per ''., cent. Previously variety acts had paid | their aeent a commission of five per \ cent. The booking office charging five made tbe total commission ten per i cent., if the act engaged an agent. The booking office which imposed the jEfive per cent, charge was the Mana- gers' Association in the St. James ; Building. D. F. Hennessy was general i manager of it. The association then booked for many of the present day 5: big'time managers. The Rats did not succeed in having the commission 5 barge removed. Mr. Hennessy is now ■ ckarge «f the popular prieed book- ing department of the Keith Exchange. Following the unsuccessful efforts, the Rats was dormant for a few years, • until Variety, then a young paper, started a series of articles on why ar- tists should organize and recommended' the Rats be built up. This revived interest in the organization. The Rats removed from'a small room in the St. James Building to the corner of Broad- way and 46th street. Later it built a clubhouse on the site of the present home of the National Vaudeville Ar- tists. The clubhouse was lost to the Rats at the collaose of its' second strike, starting Jn December, 1916, and ending in the spring of 1917. ' The Rats has had manv Big Chiefs, as its presidents were called, Among them have been artists prominent in the profession. It was- a secret so-, ciety, and its members took an oath- bound obligation when iniated. The present Big Chief of the Rats is James W. Fitzoatrick. He is the vice-president of the Four A's. and in that caoacity has the direction of the vaudeville branch. Since the defeat by the managers in 1917, the Rats has maintained an office address in New York for the purpose of receiving dues and mail. Its mem- bers alleged the officers had a follow- ing, but no definite line on its current membership has been obtained. The Rats, as an organization,'received a heavy blow thrdugh the formation of the N. V. A., a society of artists formed in opposition of the Rats, and which artists were obliged to join. The Fed- eral Trade Commis«ion. in its recent inquiry into vaudeville, dwelt upon this phase during the examination. The Rats was popularly supposed to have been the real instigator of the Federal investigation. Many suggestions in the past to change the name of the White Rats met with rebuffs from the older and loyal members. They wanted the name to always remain as a memorial for Golden who coined it. The word Rats we* derived frem ®Wr s?elt Backward*. 8 WEEKS TO LEAVE ENGLAND. After anyone in Engiand has decided to, leave for America it will be eight weeks from that time before they can tail. So aays Fred DeBondy, the H B. Marinelli representative/who re-./ turned to New York from Havre last Thursday. He left New York for Lon- don June 30. Mr. DeBondy said he remained in. London but a. few days, finding there was nothing worth ac- complishing in his vaudeville book- ing line. .'■■'■ Reports of bad food in England just now are not borne out by DeBondy's statement that he had no fault to find with the eats. But the agent says he didn't like the transportation system as he found it at present over there, nor the baggage scheme, while the re- peated reporting at polyce stations in every new town visited got to his nerves. The police station plan is a rigid one and must be. followed by all alien trav- elers* oyer there.- It is necessary to register when entering a city and when returning to it. Finding the sailings so congested, DeBondy left London : for Havre to catch the French boat, Touraine. The Marinelli representative says his credentials mentioned his connec- tion with the Marinelli firm as a di- rector and there was no secret about his visit to London nor his American firm. He claims the story of any trouble encountered.™ England' by him was but the work of English agents. DeBondy strongly affirms he had no trouble at all. ..•....■ ;.. • SURATT GOES TO NORWAY. Whether to escape the heat or Broadway or capture a title in Norway may be the reasons why Valeska Suratt has gone to that country. She left New York the other day quietly and with no objective of the trip given out to her friends. Grace LaRue Trying Out New Play. San Francisco, July "30. Next Sunday at the Fulton, Oakland, Grace Larue Will try out and appear in a new play, named "The Wonderful Workshon," author unlftiown. She will be supported by Hale Ham- ilton and the Fulton Players. Miss Larue is in her second week (current) as a feature at the local Or- pheum (vaudeville). Secretly Married. Evelyn Gosnell and Timmie Sinnott of "The Even in r Mail'* have been se- cretly wed for about six weks. Miss Gosnell was one of the hits of the A. H. Woods production "Up in Ma- bel's Room." Sinnott has been editing the sporting page of the Mail and con- ducting a tolnmn on tfcj1 -publfcatioa, SHAW MAT COME. London, July 30. William A. Brady, while here last month, discussed with "George Bernard- Shaw going; to America to deliver a series of lectures during the coming Autumn, No definite conclusion wai reached, but it is understood that far the; first time Shaw is seriously com sidering crossing the water to preseat his views personally to American au- diences. •>;' 1 .William. A. Brady, at his office her# confirmed the fact that he was dicker ing with Shaw to lecture here under the Brady management. . "We reached ,no' final conclusion," said Mr. Brady. "Mr. Shaw promised me that he would consider the matter, seriously.^ TartTto go back there "in the fall. He has promised to give me his answer, then, and I think it wilt be a favorable one, despite the fact that he says, he "thinks the noise here will drive him almost crazy The-plan. is for the dramatist to tour the coun- try, giving twenty-five lectures in all." $10,000 GUARANTEES FOR CHOIR. More than one-third of the tour of the Vatican Choirs and Singers from the Roman Basilicas was bopked with* in five days after the announcement of the plans for the concerts, according to J. J. McCarthy and Theodore Mit- chell, who are handling, the business details of the proposed concerts. : * .. ; To date 25 concerts have been con- tracted for, each with a guarantee that tbe Choir's share will not be leas than $10,000* per performance. The dates thus far set are Baltimore. Philadel- phia, Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis, Des Moines. .Omaha, St. Louis, Oeve- land, Columbus. Davton, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco. Oakland. Los Angeles, Mon- treal, Ottawa and Toronto, The $10,000 guarantee a performance surpasses the figures' reached by the Caruso concert tour of last spring and the regular Grand Opera guarantees for a full performance. -mm ■•'■■■^''ffijjatvL. 'Via ■■ .,.-'' i! Wk A NEW SONG "PLUG » Chicago. July 30. A song ptugger works between the acts at the Garrick, where "Scandaf is Maying. This is the first time this has hap- pened in a legitimate theatre this sea- son. The house seems to take kindly to the innovation. Frank Q. Doyle Producing Girt Acts. Chicago, July 30. Although Frank Q. Doyle has taken on the production of srirl act* for vaudeville, he continue* his vaudeville | *■*• "■*•.■;.--•- .--. ••-.-■<.,,,,, ' .. \ .•.■ Jir'fSm • ■--•'$» :•.-. l.£M \ :-. ■ . !■ -