The New York Clipper (May 1917)

THE NEW YORK CLIPPER May 2, 1917 ^^^r^ %J* LOEW AGENTS TO FIGHT FOX OFFICE CANCELLED ACTS CAUSE TROUBLE Tbe Vaudeville Artists Representatives, an organization composed of agruts who book acta in the Loew offices, held a meet- ing last Friday at which it was decided to adopt summary measures shortly, regard- ing tie arbitrary cancellation of standard acts playing Pox time. The agents con- tend that, alter many acts have played either the Loew, United or Moss circuits and have come to be considered standard acts, they are cancelled as soon as they hit Fox time. On an average, five or six of them are cancelled after the first perfor- mance each Monday and Thursday, the agents declare. This treatment of acts, has been going on all season, the agents declare, and the Loew agents who have placed acts in Fox houses seem to be greatly put out over the matter. They have taken the question up with the Fox people but get no satisfaction they say. They declare that the system is very harmful to them. All season, they state, they have been booking acts under conjunc- tive contracts, by which, after a turn com- pleted the Fox time, it went right into Loew time. However, when man; of the turns received a cancellation notice in the Fox houses, they refused to work the Loew time, going to other circuits. This move on the part of performers naturally hit the pockets of the agents, and. after persistent efforts to remedy the situa- tion they began to rebel and have decided to take matters into their own hands, they state. The agents that are booking acts through the Loew office are Irving Cooper. Chas. J. Fitzpatrick, Mark Levy, Harry Pincus. Billy Atwell. Frank Rohm Agency. Louis Pincus, Wesley & Duffus, Abe Thalheimer. M S. Epstein, Lou Leslie. Samuel Baer- witz, Tom Jones, and Harry Shen. EGAN PLANS RECRUITING WEEK Next week is what Chris Egan style* "recruiting week at the Royal." In eon- junction with the recruiting station now outside of the theatre, Major Hughes, of the United States Recruiting Office, and Majors Corbett and Wright, of the Second Field Artillery, will address the audience at each performance. There will also be five-minute recruiting talks from the stage by prominent Rronx officials. A battery of field artillery will parade in front of the theatre. ANNA CHANDLER SUIT DROPPED Mrs. Anna Dreyex, who retained ao attorney to begin suit against Anna Chandler for $10,000 damages, which she said she sustained through the actress alienating the affections of David Dreyer. has decided to drop the suit. Dreyer is Miss Chandler's pianist. MABEL HAMILTON TO DO "SINGLE" Mabel Hamilton, formerly of Clark and Hamilton, will return to vaudeville in a "single" act written for her by Blanche Merrill. M. S. Bentham win manage the act BLANCHARD TRIAL POSTPONED The trial of Charles A. Blanchard, which was to have been heard last week, has been postponed until May 21. OFFER NEW ACT AT KEENEYS Harry Lang, Bnd Williamson and Jack Howard opened Monday at Keeney*a, Brooklyn, with a new act. 81ST EXECUTIVES CHANGE Eddie Cline, formerly treasurer of the Alhambra Theatre, is now treasurer of the Eighty-first Street Theatre. Frank Girard, formerly manager of the Orpbeum Theatre, Brooklyn, is now house manager of this house, which will remain open all Summer, playing vaudeville and feature pictures twice daily as heretofore. BLACKFACEACTS ARE REGAINING POPULARITY HODGES TO BE DRUGGIST Robert Henry Hodges, who was active in the White Bats movement, and, as a result, was placed on the "undesirable" list of the Vaudeville Managers' Protect- ive Association, is negotiating for the purchase of a drug store at Freeport, Long Island. It is said that Hodges will no longer pursue his theatrical career. MULLER AND KIRK REHEARSING Maud Muller, formerly of Muller and Stanley, and more recently doing a single turn, and Ethel Kirk, formerly of Kirk and Forgarty, are rehearsing a new act which will shortly be shown in a local house. The act is going to be styled after the old Melville and Stetson turn. MANY PLAYING ON BIG TIME ATLANTIC CITY TO OPEN LATE Atlantic Cttt, N. J., May 1.—Keith's Theatre here will not open its season until July 2. The management expects to equal the Palace Theatre, New York, in tbe excellence of its bills. That vaudeville is seemingly, going back to the days of minstrelsy and blackface, is becoming more and more apparent with the increased number of bookings that blackface performers are receiving on the big vaudeville circuits and the hearty ova- tions such acts are now being accorded by vandeville audiences. With his ear to the ground, Lew Dock- stader has been quick to catch the trend of the times and is preparing a new min- strel production which will soon see vaude- ville. Probably never before has the Orpheum Circuit had so many blackface and min- strel acts making its rounds. Among them are the Seven Honey Boys; Blue Bert Kenny, of Kenny and Nobody ; Ren Deeley : Harry Fern; Lew Dockstader, and Walter Weems. Among the blackface and minstrel acts on tbe U. B. O. time are Mclntyre and Heath; Tennessee Ten and Eddie Leonard. JULIAN ELT1NGE Julian Eltinge closes his season in Chicago, May 19th. "Cousin Lucy" has been doing a capacity business all over America, this having been Mr. Eltinge's longest tour and covering more territory than ever before. Mr. Eltinge will now start rehearsals on the playlet he wrote for Miss Jane Oaker, and it will be seen in the vaudeville houses within a fortnight. TINNEY IN COCOANUT GROVE When the "Century Girl" closed Frank Tinney returned to Freeport where he in- tended taking a well earned rest. But it seems that Tinney's contract with the Dillingham-Ziegfeld offices require seven more weeks before he will be at liberty, so, starting last Monday night, he inter- polated his act at the Cocoanut Grove as part of the performance and will finish out the season there. BROWN AFTER WALKING RECORD George N. Brown, who has just com- pleted a tour of the Orpheum Circuit, is going to try to lower the world's walking record between Philadelphia and New York, and has retained Dixon Van Valk- enberg, publicity director of the Winfred St. Claire companies, to train him for the proposed hike, which will be made some time in June. DARLING AIDING U. S. Lieutenant Daley, of the Eighth Coast Artillery, is making a plea for recruits from the stage of the Colonial Theatre dur- ing the intermission at every performance. He pays a high tribute to Manager Al Darling, claiming that Darling was the first to put a recrniting station in front of his theatre. WILKENS SIGNS WITH MUTUAL Jacksonville, Fla., April 28.—Charlie Wilkens, formerly of Wilkens and Wilkens, has signed a two year contract with the Mutual Film Co. and will appear as star comedian in a series of comedy pictures to be made by the American Film Corpora- tion, to be released through Mutual. He will make a trip to New York about June 1. AUTO TOUR FOR TOWLE Joe Towle, who, beginning Aug. 5, will play the entire Orpheum tour, opening at the Orpheum, San Francisco, will make the trip to the coast in his new Stutz roadster, leaving his summer home at Free- port the middle of July. SAM MANN CLOSES Sam Mann and his company of six hava closed their season for the Summer after playing eight weeks with Aaron Hoffmann's new act "The Question." They resume early in August. LEVAN HAS NEW ACT Ed. Levan has prepared a novel ar- rangement of melodies and illuminated slides, which he will shortly introduce ia the two-a-day. He calls it a historical education, accompanied by martial mel- odies. LOWE WITH DURAND Maxim P. Lowe, formerly of the H. B. Marinelli office, but who*recently conduct- ed his own vaudeville office, is now lo- cated in the offices of Paul Durand. HUSSEY HAS NEW ACT Jimmy Hussey will do a new act in the form of a sketch next season in which he will be assisted by four others. No title has as yet been given the sketch. ACROBAT SURRENDERS GUNS George Bratta, a vaudeville acrobat, surrendered five revolvers to Police Head- quarters last week because he was an unnaturalized German resident. LOEW THEATRE FOR LOUISVILLE LotnBvnxE, Ky„ April 28.—It ia re- ported that Marcus Loew is planning the erection of .a $250,000 vaudeville theatre in this city. NEW BANKOFF & GIRLIE ACT Bankoff and Girlie are preparing a new girl act. Their old act will again take the road with a new couple of principals.