The New York Clipper (March 1919)

•p -3 er a * \ -■ >■ «r -- v • •-? -? ■■« -v » — THE NEW YORK CLIPPER March 12, 1919 FIGHT AMERICAN INVASION OF ENGLISHHALLS BRITISH A CTQR3 AROUSED Losbok, Eng.. March 10.—English per- formers are up in arm* against the threat- ened influx of American acta into British mnaie halls. The artists have the backing of the Variety Artists' Federation, and it promises to be a "war to the knife," for the English performer is not going to stand idly by and have the bread and butter taken literally out of his month. There is no doubt but that the agent ia the man to blame for the condition which threatens. He was necessarily in- active while the war wag on, but, the mo- ment the trace was signed, he renewed his activity and his importations to this country have grown to an alarming ex- tent in the last four months. The sending of American entertainers to France to amuse the soldiers aided the English agent :o the extent that he only had to cross the channel to secure con- tracts. That he followed this course is undoubtedly true, for numerous perform- ers, when they had finished their duty to the "boys," came to England and are now playing our halls. Many more have been brought directly from the States and still more are being contracted for through the American representatives of English agencies. ,. ■ Of course, the English artist realizes that there must always be an interchange of artists between Great Britain and her Allies, including the United States, but it has been estimated that there are already in this country twenty-five foreign acts, the majority of which are American, for every British act abroad. This, in itself, is sufficient to place the English artist on his guard, for, with the demobilization of the forces, there are hundreds of artists returning weekly, and at the present time there are in this country twice as many acta as can be em- ployed in one year. In other words,; if every act here were given work, no one act could play more than 28 weeks in a given season. - The enormous business "being done by music halls throughout the country is a temptation to the. agent to place artists at inflated salaries, and the offer of inflated salaries to American artists is a tempta- tion they can not be expected to resist. ARDATH HAS NEW ACT Fred Ardath has a new act playing the Palace. Staten Island, the first half of this week. It then comes to the Greenpoint and the Fifth Avenue. m. The act was written by Ardath, The musical numbers were provided by Wally. Brooks, who stared "Flo Flo." Ten peo- ple are included in the cast, the four prin- cipals being X. Ellis Kirkham. Harry War- den. Muriel Day and Dorothy Newmark. FILES CLAIM AGAINST LA MOHT Max Laufee has requested the N. V. A. to collect a salary balance which he alleges is owed to him by Bert La Mont, the producer. Laube asserts that he played in one of La Mont's acta for a certain period of time and La Mont paid him all that was coming to him. except- ing the sum in dispute. The N. Vi A. complaint board has asked La Mont to furnish them with hia side of the affair. QUJGLEY BOOKING ANOTHER bostos. Mar. 0.—The new: Olympia. at Lowell. Mass.. will be booked by the Quiglev agency hereafter. Four acta win berun during each, half In addition to notion pictuxw. TOUCHES" FATHER-IN-LAW Arthur Horwitz, the booking agent in the Putnam Building who recently filed a petition in b a ni'i i T p 't cy^ wa» examin ed be- fore Referee McGrane Coxe last week and when asked how he earned a living replied that: "I touch my" father-in-law every little while.'? • ~ >-','-'?y-> ... m, - He also testified 'that, together with his wife and child, be is living, at present, at the home of his wife's parents, Mr. and Mrs. M. S. Livingston. Horwitz shed some light on the manner in which the business of Arthur J. Horwitz, Inc. of which he ia the active head, is con- ducted. He said he was employed by the corporation and was a director up to the time of the filing of the petition. He said the corporation made no money and, there- fore, he drew no salary. "When the corporation started I drew money from it. That was about eight or nine years ago," he testified. "But busi- ness went to the bad, and the directors pulled out and the corporation has been dying a natural death, slow but sure." Horwitz testified that the controlling in- terests in the corporation were Frank A. Wade, of Lawrence, Kan.; J. Magann and Fred Mardo, of Boston. He stated that those in .the office of Arthur J. Hor- witz, Inc. besides himself, who attend to the booking of acts, are Era Horwich, .and a young man by the name of Hyman Shafter. . Shatter, whom Horwitz described- as "the boy" afterwards, stating that his age is "25 or 26," receives a weekly salary of $27.50, from the corporation and "the stenographer (presumably -Miss Horwich) gets $20." - In conclusion. Horwitz testified, in an- swer to a question by his attorney, Harry Sacks Hechheimer, concerning his losses last year: "I lost close to $6,500 in the soap busi- ness," he said, "and several hundred dol- lars in a tropical company, trying to Bell stock." The examination - of Horwitz before the referee was conducted by Levine and Sha- piro.- attorneys for the trustee. Bernard H. Sandler. SAYS EX-PARTNER LIFTED DANCE William Dooley, of Wm. and Jed Dooley, has filed a complaint with the N. "V. A. ngainst Eddie Nelson and Dell Chain, in which _ he alleges that a certain burlesque Egyptian dance, now being. performed by the latter act. is his property. The dance, according to Dooley, was done by him with identically the same props, music and busi- ness wh3e he was teamed up with Eddie Nelson. The N. V. A. .is investigating. ARDELL RETURNING TO VAUDE Franklyn Ardel] will not go on tour with "The Crowded Hour" when the show leaves the Selwyn Theatre on March 15. having arranged to go into vaudeville. He win appear in "his. former vaudeville ve- hicle, a comedy -sketch showing the funny side of the real--estate business, and wm open at the Riverside on March 24. The Harry Weber office is handling-the act - - ■' . >T. f ' . ACTS GET ORPHEUM ROUTES Muriel Worth has been routed over the Orpheum Circuit, opening at Memphis last week. Other.acts receiving full Orphenm routes last week were Frank Dobson and Company, presentina>'The Sirens," opening in Chicago April l>*T*e Reckless Eve," a Friedlander* musical'revue,' opening March 16 in'pnluth, and. Bessie Rempel, opening in Chicago next week. ■'-- SAYS KUTNER IS USING GAG Ed. Lowry has filed a complaint against Solly Kntner, of "The Mimic World," in which he" states" that Kntner is using a gag in the above mentioned act that be- longs to him (Lowry) by right of priority. The N. V. A. will delve into both sides of the controversy: this week ana determine who is entitled to the performing rights. CONTEST OVER KEITH WILL WITHDRAWN DOCUMENT ADMITTED TO PROBATE Boston, March 10.—The notice of a contest over the will of the late A. Paul Keith was withdrawn today and the will admitted to probate by Judge Preston in the Probate court here. The will disposes of an estate said to total more than $4,000,000, which is to be divided equally between Cardinal O'Connell of Boston and Harvard University. Many friends asso- ciated with the deceased and his lata father in the theatrical enterprises which they controlled, were also beneficiaries. The notice to contest the will was filed January 10 by Thomas Branley, an \__cle of the deceased, of Cantlebar, County Mayo, Ireland. In the petition asking for the allowance of the will the next of kin named were. Mrs. Martha Washington Stevens, of Boston, and Thomas Branley. Mrs. Stevens was given $6,000 fey the terms of the will, but Branley waa given nothing. Frank P. Harrison, William H. Harri- son, Agnes Harrison and Mary G. Tighe joined Branley in his effort to break the will. In filing his notice of contest, Branley did not disclose the grounds on which he proposed to break the will. No announcement was made as to whether or not a settlement was arranged with the contestants. CHARGES LIFT OF SPECIALTY Emma Earle, in a complaint filed with the N. V. A. on Saturday, asserts that Alice Hamilton played on the same bill with her several months ago, and, during the course of the engagement, gained a knowledge of a certain "old lady specialty," which the complainant has per- formed in vaudeville for years. Since the engagement referred to, Miss Earle de- clares that her "old lady specialty" has become a part of the Hamilton act, and, as a consequence.of the.alleged lifting pro- cedure, has requested the N. V. A. to call upon Miss Hamilton to cut the material in question out of her act forthwith. ; WILLIAMS OPENS MARCH 17 . Bert Williams, opens at the Colonial on March 17, with five weeks of. Keith time in and around New York .to follow. He will continue as a principal in the "Mid- night Frolic," his vaudeville dates being so arranged that he win be able to appear nightly as usual in .the. ZiegfeH show on-"' the New Amsterdam Roof. MEYERFELD TO GO ABROAD' ' Los Angeles— March 8.—Morris Meyer- feld, Jr., president of the Orpbeum Circuit, will sail for Europe within the next two weeks for' the 'purpose of looking Over -the foreign field'fwnovelties. He will remain- abroad for three-months or' more, dividing his time about equally between London and Paris; ' ' "" i." " WEBER OUT AFTER MATERIAL Harry Weber is due-back-in New York on .Wednesday following a three weeks' scouting trip for new material throughout the: Middle . Western territory. Weber is" understood, to have dng up, .several likely" looking embryo h.eadliners which he will secure showings for in the big time houses. FORM NEW TWO-ACT Genevieve 'Honghton, formerly of Lord (Johnny) and Houghton, and Billy SuHy, of the Sully Family, have teamed up in a new aingihg and dancing act with which .they will open next week. They will be known as Houghton and Sully. . SAY ACT LIFTED THEIR GAGS Dickinson and Deagon have filed a com- plaint with the N. V. A. Complaint Bureau, in which they allege that La Pearl and Blondell are infringing on several lines in their act. Among the jokelete which Dickinson and Deagan claim La Pearl aad Blondell have lifted from them are, "I don't swear, but I know the words," "Papa got so tough that we had to kBl him," and "You're more than eight years old." The lines in question are alleged to have been used by Dickinson and Deagon for the last eight years. The N. V. A- is looking into the complaint. MAXWELL REVIVES "FIRE CHEEP" Joe. Maxwell has revived his old act, "The Fire Chief and, supported by a singing company, will soon show it in the local houses. The act ia feeing rehearsed and brought up to date in the vocal de- partment and Eugene Walters is supplying some new dialogue. Maxwell will be seen in his old role of the Chief, and the act will be ..ready to open within the next week or two. "The Fire Chief," one of the best of the many Maxwell acts, was for years a standard vaudeville attraction and played all of the country's leading houses. EASTMAN ACT EXPANDED The singing and dancing act presented by Gretchen Eastman and two male assistants at one of the Proctor houses a couple of weeks ago will be expanded into a full- fledged revue and, after certain alterations and additions are made, will be given a trial in the suburbs.* John Guiran, the dancer and one or two others, wHl be added to the cast if negotiations now pending are completed. The singing juvenile, who r„ade such a good impression in tile act as orig- inally presented, will be retained and given greater opportunity. • A. AND H. OPEN NEW HOUSE San-.Jose, March 8.—The Hippodrome, a new vaudeville house,, was opened here last week. It seats 2,000 and has standing room for. many more.. Two hundred thou- sand dollars was expended in building the structure, which was erected by a group of prominent business men of San Jose, headed by T. S. Montgomery, president of the Garden City Bank & Trust Company. Ackerman and Harris will conduct the the- atre, which will be included on the Hippo- drome circuit. HAS NEW MUSICAL ACT Libby Blondell, who appeared in bur- lesque until' last season, when she left to appear in . a musical - stock company at Camp Mills, L. I., is rehearsing a new musical act designed for vaudeville called "The Bridesmaids," in which she will be featured There are to- be nine people in the act besides Miss . Blondell, the other principals being Al Findlay and Homer Dennis. The latter was recently in the east of The Eyes of Youth." The act ia scheduled to open next Monday. CLAIMS BOXING INFRINGEMENT Ernest Du-PHle registered a complaint against Tqney.and Norman with N.7V..A. last week,, in which he alleges'that the latter 'act is. using a .programme, billing that constitutes an. Infringement on the. underline that he. (Dn KBe) has been identified with since 1914. Du Pille's billing, is "You know what I mean," and Tony and Norman's is claimed by Da PLUe' to fee, "You see what I mean." The complaint board will take np the question of priority during the week. "POP" DE COSTA INJURED ."Pop** De Casta, father of Harry De Costa, the'song writer, now with George MacFarlane. and stage door tender at the Colonial, was severely injured on Wednea- ' day night after being bit by an automobile.