Variety (September 1919)

« Vol LVI, No. 2 NEW YORK CITY, SEPTEMBER 5,1919 Entered as stoond ilui ma' a, IMi, at the Poit Offlss H. Y„ under the A«t of : SETTLEMENT OF STRIKE LOOKED FOR BY END OF CURRENT WEEK - . s Meetings of Managers With Theatrical Unions Early in Week Presaged Early Adjustment. Managers Arranging to Reopen Productions. Strike Makes Late Season For New Shows. Fourth Week. / The fourth week of the strike may have seen the end of it. The strike was expected to have been settled by yesterday (Thursday) just four weeks to the day from the date (Aug. 7) it started. Several conferences were held Mon- day and Tuesday, looking to an ad- justment with the terms not disclosed. It was reported the managers mostly concerned themselves with interview- ing representatives of the stage hands and musicians. These were reported opposed to a settlement that did not include a closed shop in the theatre for the unions. The # Actors' Equity Association did not insist upon a closed shop. The A. E. A. started the strike against the Producing Managers' Asso- ciation. If the strike has been settled when this Variety reaches the stands or is shortly adjusted, the season will start very late for new productions. These must be rehearsed from three to four weeks for dramatic plays and straight comedies or farces while a longer time will be needed for musical shows. The strike broke up a hundred or more rehearsals, closed or stopped 44 attractions from appearing and left but one Broadway show open after a strike had been called upon it. That is "At 9.45" (William A. Brady) at the Play- house. ' The deciding factor in bringing the managers around to a realization that recognition of the A. E. A. might be the best policy is said to have been their appreciation of the fact that to go through with the strike meant a long battle with the American Federa- tion of Labor. George M. Cohan and Arthur Hopkins are said to have vis- ited Samuel Gompers in Washington last week, when the managers' version of the strike and its causes was placed before the president of the A. F. of L. Just what bearing the Washington trip by the two managers had on the situation was not immediately dis- cernible, but from that date onward reports' commenced to spread that a settlement would shortly arrive. By last Saturday the rumors were posi- tive, Monday they were definite and Tuesday an open secret. Tuesday rep- resentatives of both sides admitted something might happen that night. Sudden action though was not ex- pected that day through the managers preferring that, the adjustment should be accomplished with some little grace- fulness on their part, their stand against recognition of the A. E. A. having been obstinate and given much publicity. Another point the managers wanted granted them was that there would be no sympathy strike called against the actors during the life of any contract the P. M. A. might enter into with the A. E. A. The Vahiett Daily Bulletins, repro- duced in this issue, carry much detail of the strike day by, day, inclusive of the abrupt closing of the six legit thea- tres in Boston at the Labor Day matinees. \ {' SAM SCRIBNER'S PARTY, Last Saturday noon, Aug. 29, John, Lottie and Maude DeAlma lunched % at t the Knickerbocker 'Hotel as the guests of Samuel A. Scribner, general manager of the Columbia Amusement Co. Forty years ago on the same date those four were members of the Rog- ers and Campbell United Shows, a little wagon circus that traveled throughout the Middle West, and they are the only members of that organization alive today. Mr. Scribner was ring master of the show and sung motto songs in the concert and played the tuba in the brass band. The De Almas did an acrobatic act. John DeAlma is now working for Mr. Scribner in the position of stage doorkeeper at the Gayetjr, Brooklyn, and resides- in that city with his wife, Lottie. Maude DeAlma, long retired from the business, is the wife of Lew Livingston, business manager of one of the burlesque shows directed by Mr. Scribner. SOCIETY GIRL NOW STAR. Lawrence, Mass., Sept. 3. Miss Elsie Rizer, the Washington society girl who opened here Mon- day in "Little Teacher," by Harry James Smith, has had a sensational rise to stellar honors according to a num- ber of distinguished Boston | people who came out to see her today. As a very young girl, she appeared, they say, in support of Wm. Faversham in "Julius Caesar," making a hit on Broadway as Lucius. Shortly after her father persuaded her to leave the stage, but last year she did her "bit" by head- ing the War Camp Community Co. in Newport, where she pleased not only gobs and doughboys, but the society crowd as well. ••> Papers here are enthusiastic over her work at the head of the. Colonial Company. The Telegram says: "Miss Rizer won favor. There was steadily increasing applause and a number of curtain, calls. She has an appealing voice and a delightful smile," The Evening Tribune declares "Miss Rizer has a gentle manner, yet when called upon showed emotion and firmness. We look forward to seeing her in a more intense role." . "H~3 POLICE RESERVES WITHDRAWN. An official order was issued la'st week withdrawing the Police Reserves from duty at theatres in Greater New York and the reassignment of regular mem- bers of the fire department to that de- tail. ■', REALISTIC STAGE HONEY. Providence, Sept. 3. A quantity of stage money printed in this city was seized last week by secret service agents from Providence and Boston. The secret service men declared that the "bills" looked too much like real money; many of them have been pass- ed on foreigners. ROCK AND WHITE SEPARATE. The dissolution of Rock and White was announced this week through a statement sent out by Flo Ziegfeld, stating Frances White, alone, will be a member Of the next Ziegfeld "Mid- night Frolics." William Rock was pre~t viously announced to have engaged to stage the new Sam Shannon pro* duction, "What's the Odds.". ' Rock and White lately returned from London where they appeared' in "Hullo America" at the Palace; The couple have been stage partners for several years, following the former' Rock and Fulton (Maude) act. They first met on the Coast. Since coming East Miss. White mar- ried Frank Fay. Later they were di- vorced. Before leaving England it be- came reported Mr. Rock was engaged to a young woman of the "Hullo America" company and intended, to marry her over there but technicali- ties that could not be corrected be- fore Rock's boat sailed, prevented the marriage taking placer It is under- stood she is now on her way to this side and will become.Mrs. Rock short- 5 ly after her arrival. »Mr. Rock de- scribes his fiancee as "the prettiest girl in England.". ; \ ^ PROSPEROUS MIDDLE WEST; Chicago, Sept 3. ff . One-nighters in this section are pr-^-. perous, from accounts of theV-ftw^i^W shows now oufc, \^HgpZ&&<*$L A musical show from this city '^SfWO^M i.ng around the better ohe-nU^te^v'"^.^ mostly, reports stands formerly return- V A "§- ing $300 to $400 a night now running from $800 to $1,000, with a large ad- vance sale and the higher priced seats first- in demand. While the scarcity of attractions at this early stage of the season may be partially responsible for the gross the shows^out are drawing, the traveling managers believe it is a permanent condition for this season anyway. mm Read the Bulletins > Readers of Variety anrequested to look over the reproductions of Variety Daily Bulletins in this issue. They ere of dates, Aug. 28, 29, 30, Sept. 2 and 3. Many of the items in the Bulletins are of such a character that they ordinarily would be found in the general news columns of the weekly Issue of Variety. They have not, however, been repeated., Those who ere not interested in the technical news of the progress of the strike, such ae the Bulletins mostly cerry, may quickly detect the geaeral news Items In them by their beads. The reproduction of the Bulletins is for the information of the prof as* sional readers outside New York City. The Bulletins in this isrue are on pages 15 to 38. ' ' • . ■ ' ■/ ' I . ... ■ A. ■". MMshr