The New York Clipper (July 1917)

July 18, 1917 THE NEW YORK CLIPPER 13 WESTERN OFFICE, Room 210 35 SO. DEARBORN ST. FOR ADVERTISING RATES Phone Randolph 5423 SEASON PLANS TAKE SHAPE RAPIDLY MANAGERS ANNOUNCE OPENINGS One of the surest signs that war, the draft situation or food conditions are not going to interfere to any great extent with the opening of the theatrical season in the Windy City is the fact that several of the producers and managers have already com- pleted their plans and are now waiting only for the Summer son to betake itself a little further Southward before announc- ing that the 1917-18 season is swinging into its stride. Those producers who have not as yet mapped out their courses of pro- cedure have not done so through any sort of skepticism or neglect, but are merely keeping an eye to things in general, while shaping plans for the Fall and Winter. It is expected that within a week or two, all the theatres and producers will have an- nounced definite plans, in addition to those which have already been made known. Among the first openings of the season will be Powers Theatre, on Thursday night of this week, with the musical production, -Oh, So Happy." The Gnrrick Theatre will be next in line, getting under way on July 29 with the Hammerstein operetta, "You're In Love," which closed in New York recently at the Casino where it had a lengthy run. The same week "Seven Chances" will close at the Cort Theatre to make way for the opening of "Upstairs and Down." August 11 will mark the close of "Dew Drop Inn" at the Illinois Theatre, and on the following night "Pals First," the drama from the novel of Francis Perry Elliott, in which William Courtenay and Thomas Wise are co-starred, will make its debut in Chicago, following but a few weeks' lay off after its run at the Fulton in New York. The play is presented by J. Fred Zimmerman, and was dramatized by Lee Wilson Dodd. The Olympic is scheduled to reopen on August 12 with Fiske O'Hara and bis own company in "The Man from Wicklow." No definite announcement as to the length of the O'Hara engagement has been made, bnt through the popularity of this player here and the excellence of his productions it is expected the Olympic will house the company for some time. The Playhouse, formerly called the Fine Arts, will revert to the legitimate about October 1, when Stuart Walker and his Portmanteau Players will begin a season, according to present plans. Alfred Bam- berger's lease on the house for -picture purposes will expire the last week in September, but as far as is known A. L. Perry will continue in his present capacity of manager. Included in the theatres that have not as yet announced their plans are the Black- stone and the Princess, but it is likely their policy will be the same as in the past and that something definite will emanate from the publicity department within a short while. The Palace Music Hall, wherein the summer show under the title of "The Show of Wonders" has been holding forth, will change to vaudeville on September 1. by which time the regular season will have found itself. The burlesque theatres, including the Columbia. Star and Garter. Gaiety, Engle- wood*and the Empire, the new addition to the American Wheel, will officially open their seasons on August 20, though pre- liminary season's offerings will be on view at some of them two weeks earlier than that date. Probably the only theatre that will not make a change is Cohan's Grand, where "Torn to the Right" is rounding out its thirtieth week. MARGRAFF QUITS GARDENS Harold Margraff, the society dancer who had taken a lease on Vista Temperance Gardens, an exclusive dance academy in the Hyde Park section, last week absented himself from the place and permitted the lease to revert to Harry M. Ortinstein, owner of the Gardens. The academy will continue under the management of Ortin- stein, who has installed a door charge of ten cents and has engaged Floyd Young and his jazz band to replace the Kohen orchestra. WEYERSON TO POOL INTERESTS The interests of the Weyerson Booking Agency are to be pooled with two other Chicago theatrical .exploiters in the near future, the names of the parties concerned being kept secret for the time being: The name of the .firm will change Aug. 10, though the present suite of offices in the Baltimore Building will be maintained. TO FEATURE FRANKIE KELSY Frankie Kelsy is to be featured in O'Neal and Greenwald's "The Fountain of Love" act, which will open the latter part of this month, staged by Jerry Mills. Following it will come their "Seven Keystone Cops" act with Billy Gross, which is scheduled to open on the W. Y. M. A. time. McGOVERN NOT GUILTY John McGovern, proprietor of the cafe- cabaret on North Clark Street, was found "not cnilty" of running a disorderly resort recently and will reopen soon. The place was closed by police orders a few weeks ago. ALBERT! AND CROWLEY RE-UNITE Rose Alberti, appearing at the Herman Cafe, and Genevieve Crowley, formerly of the O'Connor and Goldberg act, have reunited as a team. This makes the third year these girls have appeared together. TEAM GOING TO AUSTRALIA Viola Denny and Eddie Dunegan will sail on the Niagara, Aug. 1, from Van- couver, to fill a forty-five weeks' engage- ment in vaudeville in Australia. They are booked by Roy D. Murphy. BLACKSTONE OPENING UNCERTAIN Harry Powers took a business trip to New York last week, but, as far as could be learned, no definite date has been set as to when the Blackstone Theatre will reopen its season. JIM HUGHES DOING SINGLE Jimmy Hughes, formerly of the team of Jim and Alice Hughes, is now doing a single bag punching turn and is hooked by W. D. Downie of the W.V.M.A. office. W. V. M. A. BOOKS. "PAJAMAS" Alen Leiber and his "Pink Pajamas" act left Chicago last week to open an eight weeks* tour of the W. V. M. A. time August 9 at Tulsa. Okln. SMITH TO TAKE REST Robert Smith, assistant treasurer of the Majestic Theatre, will start on a few weeks vacation Monday. He is not sure where he will go. STERLING AND HALL SIGNED Louise Sterling and Marshall Hall have been signed to appear with O'Neal and Greenwald's "Song and Dance Revne." GREEN IS ON VACATION Milton Green, treasurer of the Palace Theatre, is on the first week of his annual vacation at his home in Maniton. CARMODY RETURNS Somewhat tanned Tom Carmody. of the W. V. M. A. offices, returned from an extended vacation last week. LICENSES IN ALL THEATRES MAY BE BOOSTED FEDERAL LIQUOR LAW TO BLAME With the possibility of 2,000 saloons closing in this city within the next few months under the proposed Federal law the city treasury will be minus $2,000,000 annual revenue, and it is already being suggested that the deficiency be retrieved by raising the annual license fee of the- atres and motion picture houses. The present fee is $300 annually. City Collector Chas. J. Forsberg stated last week that he would shortly start work on a schedule revising the taxation figures upon amusements, so as to make up for any loss the city may suffer by the closing of cafes. Lie declared that at present there are close to 7,000 saloons in the city and, with prospects of 2,000 fail- ing to apply for a renewal of their license in November, other provisions must be immediately made to meet the deficit. About one-eighth of the $2,000,000 which will be lost from the liquor tax income will have to be borne by the the- atres and picture houses, it is reported. It is expected that the increase will be graded so that the small picture houses will not hare more than a 25 per cent, increase in their fee while the larger pic- ture houses and theatres will have a 50 per cent, increase to bear. Theatre managers are considerably per- turbed over this situation as the Federal Government will impose a tax on all ad- missions in houses. They expect that, with the advance in taxes and also in wages of employees, it will be necessary to raise admission prices. It is expected that the houses which have a minimum entrance charge of ten cents will have to raise the admission five cents so as to he able to break' even. LILLIAN ROCKLEY ENGAGED Before leaving Chicago for the Coast last week George Choos signed Lillian Rockley, who has been appearing success- fully in local cabarets, for a lead with one of his big acts. Miss Rockley, now at Fountain Inn. will move to New York August 1 to begin rehearsals. . UNA ABARBANELL QUITS At the opening of "Oh. So Happy" at Powers Theatre tomorrow night the part which was to have been played by Lina Abarbanell will be in the hands of Mar- guerite Farrell, who was formerly with Lew Fields in "Step This Way." ARMSTRONG GETS SCHOOT Joseph A. Schont. formerly exhibition dancer at the Drexel Cafe, has been en- gaged by Harry Armstrong for an in- definite season at Terrace Garden (Morris- son Hotel) beginning this week. DANCING TYRELLS ARE ENGAGED The Dancing Tyrells. who recently came into the city when their engagement in Minneapolis came to a clo«e through the passing of the new law against cabarets, were engaged by the North American restaurant last week. LA SALLE GETS DOROTHY SOUTH Dorothy South, late prima donna of the "Princess Pat" show, is filling an engage- ment on the Hotel La Salle Roof Garden, fully recovered from her recent hospital experience. KING CO TO GIVE BENEFIT Billy King and his colored company of players plan to give a benefit at the Grand Theatre, Thirty-first nnd State Streets, in the near future, for the families of those colored wuitcrs who lost their lives or were seriously injured in the recent ac- cident to the Christopher Columbus ex- cursion boat. "JAC" TALLMAN REPLACED Leah Le Ray, soubrette, has replaced Jacqueline Tallman with the "Garden Follies" at White City, Miss Tallmau hnv- ing begun rehearsals with the Star and Garter Show for next season. Babe Ar- buckle has taken the place of Olive Christian with the same show as ingenue. SCANLON AND PRESS SPLIT Eddie Scanlon and Florence Press, who came to the fore with their dancing while members of Valeska Surratt's vaudeville act several seasons ago. have split ami are working single acts. Miss Press is soon to join Carl Randall who is at present touring the Orpheum Circuit. OLYMPIC FOUR SIGNED The Olympic Four, composed of L. S. Woodworth, top tenor; Jack Burton, second tenor; Eddie Landrum, baritone, and J. Harold Eakin, basso, have been added to the cast of the "September Morning Glories" now in rehearsal. LEONARD QUITS ACT Leon Leonard, who had been playing the one lead male role in Menlo Moore's "Little Miss Up to Date" vaudeville act, left it' last Saturday night in Minne- apolis. He is engaged to play the part formerly done by Joseph Santley in "Stop, Look and Listen." WOMAN JUGGLER RETIRES Frank Mathieu, who formerly did a double act with his wife, under the title of the Juggling Matbleus, is now working an eccentric juggling single net. his wife having retired to their home at Fox Lake. FORSTER STAFF ENLARGED Dave Wohlman and Jack Stern have been recently added to the staff of the Forster .Music Company in the Grand Opera House Building, where Tom Pey- ton is wielding the managerial reini. CARROLL GOING TO COAST Harry Carroll, the song composer, who played at the Majestic recently, will con- tinue working in vaudeville until he has made a complete tour of the Orpheum Cir- cuit, singing his own numbers. FRANKIE LA BRACK SIGNED Frankie La Brack, formerly of tbe vaudeville team of Stanley and La Brack, has been added to the roster of the I. M. Weinparden Star and Garter Show as soubrette. ACADEMY HAS FULL SWAY The Academy is the only near-to-town theatre open on the West Side at prea- cnt playing vaudeville. The Virginia, Bijou and lTaymarket closed up a week ago. MARLOWE TO ADD VAUDEVILLE The Marlowe Hippodrome will reopen with a vaudeville and picture policy Aug. 22. The house formerly ran a straight picture program. KATHRYNE HORTER GOES EAST Kathryne Horter, a popular figure among Chicago cabaret entertainers, left for New York last week to take a part with a musical comedy. VAUDE GETS CHARLES CLARKE Charles W. Clarke, the baritone, has derided to give vaudeville a spell of his singing and will appear on the Majesties hill next week. AVENUE REOPENS AUG. S The Avenue Theatre, playing' vaude- ville, will reopen again Aug. 5 under the management of Louis Weinberg.