Variety (December 1919)

VOL. LVH. No. 2. PubiUbed Week!) *t 1536 Broadmr. TUnti Square. New York. N. Y., bj Varleu. Inc. Annual Subscrip- llon. II Stntle coplex 15 rati NEW YORK CITY, DECEMBER 5,1919. Entered aa iceond class matter December It, 1905. at the Poat Offlo* at New ■Torte : '"v' : ' N. T.. under the Act of March I. lltl. > MARTIN BECK IS AT THE HEAD OF REORGANIZED ORPHEUM CIRCUIT Western Vaudeville Managers' Association of Chicago Merg- ing With Orpheum—Main Offices-in New York—Mort Singer, Orpheum's Business Manager—Finn & Heiman Circuit Taken In—Morris Meyer- f eld, Jr., Chairman, Board of Directors. Martin Beck is president and director general of the Orpheum Circuit, Con- solidated, the title of the reorganized Orpheum Circuit. Mort H. Singer- Is tho business manager, and Morris Meyerfield, Jr., chairman of the Board of Directors. This information followed the is- suance of a formal notice sent out by the Orpheum Circuit Monday, an- nouncing the change of > title, and stat- ing stock will be offered for sale in January. The reorganization has been underwritten by the Central Trust Co. oS Chicago, and Richardson, Hill & Co. or Boston. The capitalization is 150,- 000,000. Among the assets arc included all of the Orpheum theatre properties, with allied interests. In tire latter is th Finn & Heiman Circuit, acquired by the new corporation. It has about 18 theatres In the Middle West and Is the main booking strength of the Vaudeville Managers' Association; The Interstate Circuit, technically booking through the same Chicago office as Finn & Heiman, and of which Karl Hoblltzelle is president, remains with the Orpheum, under the consolidation, with a definite booking agreement be- tween the two, though the Interstate ha*s not been purchased. The Western Vaudeville Managers' Association will be merged with the Orpheum, and while retaining its Chi- cago office, will have Its headquarters along with the main officer of the Oc#heum Circuit, in the Palace theatre building, New York, where the Orpheum has been locat-i since that building was erected. The offices in New York and Chicago \wlll be linked by specially leased .telegraph and telephone wires. The successor to Mr. Singer as direc- toi of the association has not as yet been named. Mark Heiman, the active head of Finn & Heiman, will occupy an executive position in the new organiza- tion and also be on the Board. The capitalization of the reorganized Orpheum Circuit is looked upon as very* conservative, considering the properties turned in. From Chicago west to the Coast north and south, the Orpheum ^Circuit is a Gibraltar of strength, flnan- h i daily and theatrically. Its* expansion within the past 15 years has been steady ■and continuous under the direction of Mr. Beck, who was general manager for the circuit up to the time of its re- organization. Mr. Meyerfield was the Orpheum's president since the Orpheum commenced operations. ••'"'.; The new organization will be operated by departments, with a head for .each. These will consLt of purchasing, book- ing, building, Insurance and legal de- partments. Mr. Beck, when requested to give ' some details of his new company aa It affected vaudeville (with which the Orpheum exclusively deals) said: "The reorganization strengthens vau- deville, for the B. F. Keith interests and ourselves. It will afford us the oppor- tunity to do all possible for the artists and derive every benefit that may be gained by both of us for our theatres, artists and employes." Mr. Beck remarked that Orpheum's employes were to receive first considera- tion and intimated the insurance de- partment had been created with this In mind. Although the Orpheum's headquarters remain at the Palace building, the Orpheum is wholly distinct from the Keith Circuit, with no direct connection other than an agreement over territory each shall book, the country being mar- ginally divided between them, with Keith East and the Orpheum West Previous reports that the proposed reorganization of the Orpheum was for the purpose of extending the circuit through new theatres of large capacity that will give the Orpheum two houses in many cities, were verified by Mr. Beck. The Orpheum Is building or in- tends to build. 1 Los Angeles, San Fran- cisco, Minneapolis, Memphis and Kan- sas City It already has a second house in several Orpheum towns. In the second house of each what Is known as "The State-Lake policy" is played. The State- Lake theatre of Chicago last spring opened with a policy of big time vaude- ville at popular prices and has been a tremendous success in that city, without {Continued on Page 28.) FBEFEBS PUBLIC AS CENSOB, Springfield, Mass.. Dec. 3. "Let the public be Its own censor," la the gist of Chief of Police W. J. Quilts's report, who has just finished * two weeks' probe into the theatrical condi- tions in this city, at the request of Mayor Arthur A. Adams. The investiga- tion was made In answer to a petition from the Christian Endeavor and Cp- worth League, complaining of alleged -■conditions and asking that a censorship of all city theatres be established. Chief Quilty in bis report said: "I find that the theatres in this city are conducted in a proper manner. The managers are co-operating with the po- lice to see that nothing objectionable Is witnessed, and I am ame nothing will be. "The department will continue to ex- ercise supervision over the playhouses, but not by way of censorship, and Ig- noring the point of the religious societies that the public is not competent to cen- sor what it shall see." 4 >r- SCALE FOB COMMISSION. Sybil Vane has been sued for $3,000 by Daniel Mayer, agent, according to papers filed in the County Clerk's office, Mayer asks for an accounting under an agreement dated .Jan. 3. 1918. which provided he was to receive 10 per cent, of Miss Vane's earnings as a concert singer and 25 per cent, of her earnings as a picture actress. Miss Vane has been appearing in vaudeville of late. Mayer was formerly an English the- atrical agent coming over here during the war. FOKINE DEBUT AT $7 PEE. Michael Fokine, Russian dance expo- nent and director of Russian ballets, will make his first American stage appear- ance Deo.. 30 at the Manhattan with his wife. Vera Fokine, equally noted as a Russian danseuse. They will offer a program of dances, and wHUaspear under the management of Morris Gest who brought Fokine here to stage the dances for "Aphro- dite." Tickets for the opening performance will be $7 each, running second in scale only to the "Aphrodite" premiere. The Fokines will probably be sent on tour by Mr. Geet ■VV LOEW HAS LOTS OF MONEY. , Chicago. Dee. 1. ;; "- Marcus Loew has returned East, leav- ing behind him a smell of millions and a burning odor of activity such as Is unique In the.c waylaid parts, Hitherto unpublished developments unveiled this week In reference to'jthV ,;■' Loew enterprises. Include: . • •..> -\[/< >'v Loew. besides' the . Ackerman-Harrls circuit merger, has purchased a central " site In St Louis for a new house to seaV 7 i £200: he will break ground in In«:-;.v' dlanapolls, in March, for a new house, ' within a stone's throw of Keith's, ts '-> seat 3,600: In Memphis he la building two houses simultaneously. "i^;;;! Loew is right now building, or pre- paring to build on sites already pur- chased and paid for, 19 theatres. Loew signed a 25-year booking con- tract with Saze Brothers to book their Miller Theatre, Milwaukee, first offering ";""' to buy outright. v .. Loew will offer before next season be- gins a consecutive and unbroken route of at least 60 weeks, with 18 weeks la New York and a "figure 8" tour from ". New York south, then westerly inttV Chicago, then north to the coast south, then east to Texas, up through Chicago again, continuing northeast to Montreal, south back Into New York. Speaking of the Loew proposition Aaron J. Jones said. ..w "Marcus Loew has so much money that h« can do anything he wants. With 4,000,000 shares, selling at more than tat per share, be is holding J,300,000 In tht treasury, idle. Figure it out He Has probably 170.000,000 in -ash available. c ; "He proposes to standardize tht. Loew type and brand of vaudeville until every community' that can support one will'' have a Loew theatre. • , . ■ . "'--.• ■ ■ .- .-. ■ ■ ■ m MAXIMUM ON ADS. Chicago, Dec. 8. : The Chicago "Tribune" has out all Sunday advertising space to 60 lines (less thai. SV4 inches single column), because of the paper shortage. . The paper recently announced that It was turning down thousands of dollars In advertising, sometimes as much as $5,000 a day. ALTOONA WITHOUT LEGIT. HOUSE. T T TWO NEW SHUBEBT HOUSES. Plans have been drawn by H. E, Krapp, the architect, for two new thea- tres to be built by the Shuberts. The one Is to be located on 49th street on the north side just west of Broadway and is to cost $500,000. The other, a $300,000 house, is to be built in Boston, the location not being given. Altoona, Deo. S. The Mlshler closed Saturday (Nov., 28) as a legitimate house, and in future will show pictures. It was the only legiti- mate house in the city. All the December bookings, Including Christmas, have been cancelled. m m 1 ■;/U ■ ■■■ m ■ -y ■ im Ueon Errol Arriving. London. Dec. 3. Leon Errol sailed for New York Nov. 27 on the Lapland. $3 SCALE IN BROOKLYN. With the Al Jolson show headed for Brooklyn at the Crescent Christmas; • week, for the first time in the history! of that town it is going to have a $3 scale.