The New York Clipper (March 1919)

THE NEW YORK CLIPPER March 12, 1919 CIRCUSES AND CARNIVALS PREP ARE FOR BIG SEASON Two Hundred and Fifty Companies Getting Outfits into Condition for Early Openings Next Month. Many Organizations to Tour Middle West With the advent of Spring, some two hundred and fifty outdoor travelling shows, consisting of large and small cir- cuses, wild west organisation* and car- nival companies that have bean hibernat- ing in Winter quarters since the close of the season, will take to the road, openings this year, being- scheduled much, earlier in most instances than in previous seasons. Outdoor showmen are extremely opti- mistic in their outlook for the coming sea- son, basing their calculations for a record- breaking money-making year, on the fact that the theatres have done a remarkable business throughout the country during the Winter. The demand for entertain- ment, the outdoor men contend, will con- tinue right along and the tented aggre- gations and carnivals have strengthened their shows accordingly, with a view to getting their full share of the amusement- seeking public's coin this summer. Among the first of the eastern carnival companies to take to the road is the Mon- arch Shows, which open in Scranton, Fa-, on April 19th. 'Mike Ziegfer will be the general manager of the organization, which will consist of seven attractions and three rides. A free act or two and a band will also be carried. On the same date, the Williams Standard Shows, Ltd, will open in upper New York State territory- The Williams' Shows is a twelve-car organiza- tion, and will carry ten attractions, four rides and a forty-piece band. The Victoria Shows, operated by Finn and Witt, also open on April 19th, at Lowell, Mass.. with ten shows and three riding devices. Finn and Witt will also carry a couple of free acts. The Traver Exposition Shows consisting of seven at- tractions, three rides and a big free act, will start the season at Hackensack, N. J., early in ApriL Bistany*B Whirl of Mirth Carnival is scheduled to open at Newburgh, N. Y., around the 1st of May. Other east- ern carnival shows that will open lip in April and May are The Greater Sheesley Shows, Winner and Curran's Big Combined Shows, Worth Penn Amusement .Com- pany's Attractions, Ketchum's American Exposition Shows, Alexander and Foster's Greater Exposition Shows, and the Harris Amusement Company's Shows. The Middle West will contribute an unusual number of carnival and various other kinds of outdoor shows this season. Some of these have already opened, among the first to get under way being "The World at Home Shows," which opened at Jacksonville, Fla., on March 8th; the Ruben and Cherry Shows, opening at Montgomery, Ala., last week; the Brown and Dwyer Shows, starting the season at Savannah, Ga., on March 3rd, and the Johnny Jones Shows, playing their initial date at Orland, Fla., March 3rd. The following western outdoor shows and circuses have set their opening dates for early in April: Bernardi's Exposition Shows, starting at Twin Falls, Iowa; Pat- terson Shows, Pola. Kans.; Dodson Shows, Peoria, TJL; nines Brothers Hannibal. Mo.: Fleck's Carnival, Detroit, Mich.; Patter- son and Kline Shows, Pola, Kans.; Hagen- l>eck-Wallace Circus, West Baaden. Ind.: C. A. Wortham, San Antonio, Tex.; Con T. Kennedy Shows Kansas City, Mo.; Cos- mopolitan Shows, Macon, Ga.; Walter L. Main Shows, Havre de Grace, Md.; Rice and Dorman Shows, San Antonio, Tex.; John Robinson Shows, Peru, Ind. The Heuman Bros. Show wintering at Hammond, Ind., are preparing to send out their overland circus in April. Herbert L. Kline, who will have a show entirely composed of rides this season, is getting things in shape for an early opening, the Clifton-Kelly Shows will start out in May, and the Nat Reiss Shows plan to get going in and around Chicago in a couple of weeks. The Reiss Shows will play in the Chicago territory until July, after which it will make a tour of the middle western towns. The outfit will carry twenty-five cars this season. COURT UPHOLDS NORDICA WILL TRENTON, N. J., March 8.—The long drawn out contest over the will of Madame Nordica was finally ended yesterday when the Court of Errors and Appeals upheld the will made by the diva in 1914, a few months before her death on May 10 of that year, at Batavia, Java. By a previous will, executed in 1910, Madame Nordica had made her husband, ' George W. Young, a New York banker, sole beneficiary, but by the later instru- ment, the singer bequeathed E. Romayne Simmons, her accompanist and secretary, $30,000; her maid, $5,000, and a com- panion, $1,000, while the residuary estate was left to the testator's sisters, Mrs. Imogene Castillo, Mrs. Annie Baldwin and Mrs. lone Walker. Nordica's husband re- ceived property of the Securities Company standing in' his wife's name at the time of her death. There was also an explana- tion in the will to the effect that, as Nor- dica had, during life, advanced to her hus- band more than $400,000 in cash, she had given him the full share to which he was entitled. This will was filed a few weeks after Nordica's death and Young at once began suit to retain the property as.left him under the first will. The action was car- ried from court to court until it reached the Court of Errors and Appeals, which found no proof to support the claim made by Yonng that undue influence on the part of interested beneficiaries had caused Nor- dica to make the second wilL WILMINGTON LIKES "YESTERDAY" Whjdmoton, DeL, March 10.—The premiere of "Yesterday," musical romance with music by Reginald DeKoven and book by Glen McDonough, took Wilming- ton hy storm on its presentation at the playhouse to-night. The play is well constructed and the story is coherent. The music is beautiful and Hlustrative of the plot. DeKoven has shortened the ballads and songs to re- frains, avoiding tiresome voices, and has only introduced music where really help- ful to the plot . ... In the dramatic climax, the play is the center of interest, the music merely low orchestral accompaniment, an idea origi- nated by DeKoven. The costumes and scenes are artistic and harmonious. Ruth Miller's singing was beautiful, but not heavy enough. ^^ Sidonie Bspero was encored in every solo. EmBie Lea made a hit as a dancer. Vernon Styles sang to the best advantage in The Fantom Rose," a song which was DeKoven at his best. It is by far the most worth while musi- cal offering seen in Wilmington this sea- son, "Maytime" being the only previous production to in any way approach "Yes- terday." " TWIN BEDS" TO REPEAT DeapKe the fact flat it played the Doquesne Theatre, Pittsburgh, for six weeks last season and two this season, Twin Beds* wSl return to that city for a' return engagement, beginning Easter, under the management of A. S. Stern, who the one-night stand right*. FAY INCORPORATES Wilmington, DeL, March 10.—Edward M Fay, Meyer Harzberger and Leon Samuels, all of Providence,' R I., last week organized and incorporated the Inde- pendent Theatre and Vaudeville Company here with a capital of $250,000. M. R. Sheedy, of New York, is also one of the incorporators. Fay is manager of the Opera House in Providence, and Samuels is said to be a merchant there, as is Harzberger also. Sheedy is the head of the Sheedy agency in New York. They operate, besides the Providence house. Fay's Theatre in Rochester and the Knickerbocker in Phila- delphia. THREE OF "GOING UP" After reconsidering, a proposition to dis- pose - of- the one-night stand rights to "Going Up," Cohan.-and Harris have de- cided to operate the.play themselves next season and will have three companies pre- senting the piece on the road. GOLDSMITH TO BE LEADER Re porta' in political circles last week' were to the' effect that Freddy Goldsmith, the lawyer who tries many theatrical cases, would-shortly he made leader of the Tam- many District now controlled by Rosa Williams THEATRE RESERVES TO DANCE The theatrical regiment of the New York Police Reserves, will.hold a masque and civic beR on Tuesday evening, AprH 1st, at the New Amsterdam Opera House. New York. FRISCO REVUE IS READY San Francisco, Mar. 6.—"Let's Go," the first of the big musical revues promised by the Casino management, is scheduled to open next Sunday. The theatre is closed this week in order to make necessary alterations and to in- stall plate glass runways to be nsed in this big "Fauchon and Marco Revue and Frolics." One of the runways will extend out over the orchestra seats and one will be placed above each of the boxes. On these glass platforms, the show girls are to disport themselves and dance. With this production, the Casino win become a dol- lar playhouse with performances every night and matinees Wednesdays, Satur- days and Sundays. Lew H. Newcomb will be the new house manager, succeeding Lester J. Fountain. SHUBERT EMPLOYEE GETS 3 YEARS Frederick Wolfram, the former Shubert bookkeeper, who was accused by them of having embezzled over $28,000 during the three years he was in their employ and who pleaded guilty to an indictment charg- ing him with forgery in the second degree, was sentenced last Friday by Judge Grain in the Court of General Sessions to serve a term in Sing Sing prison of not less than three years and three months nor more than six .years and six months. Lee Shubert personally went before the judge and asked that no clemency be ex- tended to liis recently trnsted employee, GUILD ELECTS OFFICERS The New York Theatre Guild, which will soon move into the Garrick Theatre, elected a board of managers last week, in addition to the director, Rollo Peters. ' The board consists of Helen Freeman, Lawrence Langner, Phillip Moeller, Jus- tus Sheffield, Lee Simonson and Helen Westley. An advisory board has. also been appointed which includes the names of Pedriac Colnm, Alice Kauser, Joseph- ine A. Meyer, B. Iden Payne, Ridgely Tor- rence, Rita Wellman and. Margeret Wycherly. - CALUMET THEATRE REOPENS Marqitettf, Mich., March 8.—The Calu- met Theatre, in this city, win open to- night' after undergoing repairs for two weeks. The house has been improved in many ways and wfll start with "Pony- anna," the Klaw and Erlanger production. . FRIARS HOLD FROLIC The Friars; held their annual mid-winter frolic last Sunday night -at the- Playhouse. John Pollock was thefrolicker. The Friars orchestra started things with an overture, followed by Adeline Mitchel and Francis La Mont in "Through Thick and Thin," put on by Billie Burke. Fol- lowing "The Man Off the Ice Wagon," Matin as Briggs, Jack Roseleigh, Dorothy Shoemaker and Nan Bernard presented "A Man of Principals." J. C. Nugent did his monologue, . foUowed by a playlet called "High Low Brow," written by S. J. Kauf- man. Carolina White sang some songs and was followed by The Perfect State," by Harry A. Jacobs and 6. S. Kaufman. "She Done it for Money," was done by Harry KeUey, FVanklyn Faraum, Paul Nicholson and Maude Eburn. Larry Connor, in a sketch called "efficiency," "Cupid's Comeback," with Pearl Gardner, Jeanne Engels and Fransy Shiota, and a short comedy entitled "U. S. 8. Pinafore," concluded the bill. The theatre was provided by William A. Brady. "AFTERMATH'' CAUSES DISPUTE Providence, March 10.—"The After- math" has been the cause of a controversy here between newspapers 88 to whether it is or is not proper for a - government official to give his approval of a- play. General Blue had witnessed the play in Washington. with a number of other offi- cials and gave the producer a letter com- mending the show. This was featured by the Providence Journal as a news item, as the play is appearing here this week. But the next day, the other Providence papers came out against endorsements of shows by any government official. In the' mean- time, the press agent is praying for the editorials to keep going. The cast of "The Aftermath" includes Jane Meredith, Rose' Coghlan, Mona Kingsley, Grace Carlisle. Robert Fraser, Malcolm Duncan and Richard Gordon. HAMILTON, O., TO GET HOUSE Hamilton, Ohio, March 8.—The St Charles Hotel was taken over last week by BroomhaU and Schwalm at a considera- tion of $53,000. The firm intends to recon- struct the building and make it a modern theatre, with a seating capacity of 1,600. It will open a motion picture policy and later on put in vaudeville. BroomhaU and- Schwalm are now oper- ating the Jefferson Theatre in this city with legitimate, vaudeville and motion picture attractions, the Grand, a vaudeville and picture house and the Jewel, which caters oi-ly to motion pictures. With the new house completed, this firm win have con- trol of the show business in this city. TWO SHOWS CLOSE IN BOSTON ■Boston, March 10.—Mclntyre and Heath are now playing their last week in this city at the Majestic Theatre and will be followed by Mary Nash in "The Big Chance." "The Crowded Hour" wfll also close at the end of the week and win be replaced at the Park Theatre. by "Adam and Eva," the Comstock, Elliott and Gest play. Ruth Shepley, Otto Kroger, Ro- berta Arnold, Courtney Foote, William B. Mack, Adelaide Prince and Jean Shelby will be in the cast of the latter .play. WOODS COMPANY SAILS 19TH A. H. Woods, now in London, win soon present "Business Before Pleasure," in that city.' The company will be headed by Gus Yorke and Robert Leonard, who were in the first Montague Glass play put on in England. Others engaged are Vera Gordon, James T. Ford, Wfflis Claire, Jack Grey and Royal C. Stout. The company wfll sail March 19th.. "FO LUES" HAS, $36,900 WEEK St. Louis, March 10.—A record week's business for the ■ Ziegfetd "Follies" was attained here last week when the show played to a total of $38,900. THOMPSON WELL AGAIN Frederic Thompson, who built the Hip- podrome and Luna Park, and who has been ill for two or three years, is back on Broad- way, again greeting old friends.. '.' TO PLAY RETURN ROUTE "Maytime." with Winiam Norru and Peggy Wood, has been rooted for a return trip over the Subway circuit It wfll open In Newark on March IT.