The New York Clipper (April 1919)

8 THE NEW YORK CLIPPER April i5, 1919 PANTAGES ACTS TO OPEN IN DETROIT CHANGE EFFECTIVE JUNE 1ST The Vantages Circuit will change its present routing arrangements on Jane 1, all acts engaged to open on the Pantages time on and after that date, starting at the Regent Theatre, Detroit, instead of the Pantages house in Minneapolis as at present. The Pantages acts will go from Detroit to Chicago, where they will play three days at the People'g Theatre and split the week with St. Louis. The acts will then be routed to Minneapolis, from which point they will proceed to the coast One of the reasons for the changing about of the present Pantages routing plan is that a round trip ticket can be purchased from St Louis to the coast and return for $152.75, which is considerably cheaper than the rate from Chicago to the coast and re- turn. Following their closing at Kansas City, the Pan acts will play the Texas and Oklahoma time in the southwest, closing at Dallas. The above plan was decided upon at a conference held by Pantages and his book- ing chiefs in Chicago last week, and will remain in effect for at least a year, or until such time as the new house that Pantages is building in Toronto is finished. When the Toronto, house is ready the Pan- tages acts will open there. CHANGES IN LOCAL BILLS Montgomery and Allen are out of the Royal bill for the week and have been replaced by Felix Adler. Willie Solar injured his leg on the stage at the Palace on Monday afternoon and was compelled to leave the bill. Ben Bernie replaced him, doubling at the Riverside. Helen Ware was taken ill after the after- noon ahow at the Riverside and was com- pelled to cancel the rest of the week. Later, her physician phoned the theatre that her entire route would have to be cancelled, as she was seriously ill. Norton and Lee re- placed her at the Monday night perform- ance, but another act will doubtless be secured to play the balance of the week. Watts and Hawley are out of the Alham- bra on account of Watts' illness. No one replaced tbem. NAZARRO AND UNGER SPLIT Nat Nazarro and Sol linger, booking agents in the Strand Theatre building, dissolved partnership last week, the dis- solution becoming effective May 1. Nazarro and linger have been in part- nership for the last six months, and their dissolution at this time is due, they de- clare, to an insufficiency of business for both under the existing arrangement. They- are parting on the best of terms, Nazarro retaining the offices heretofore occupied by the firm, and linger establish- ing offices for himself in another part of the building. OPEN NEW ALBEE THEATRE Providence. R. I.. April 14.—The follow- ing is the bill for the opening of the new E. F. Albee Theatre next Monday: M me Marguerita Sylva. Cressy and Dayne, Four Mortons, Walter C. Kelly. Ivan Bankoff and Company. Seven Bracks, Newton Alex- ander and the Lightner Girls, and Libonati. DISAGREE OVER CHINK SONG Newhoff and Phelps filed a complaint against George Whiting and Sadie Burt last week, claiming that Whiting is sing- ing a Chinese number, which, they allege, is a direct infringement on a song writ- ten by W. B. Friedlander, the exclusive ■ performing rights of which they (New- hoff and Phelps) control. The song is a part of an act originally written by Friedlander for Whiting and Burt, and done by them for several weeks. Whiting and Burt turned back the act to Fried- lander about six months ago, and shortly after Friendlander sold or leased the specialty to Newhoff and Phelps. In order to straighten out the dispute that has arisen over the song, the N. V. A. has asked Whiting to submit the words and music of the number he is now using to the complaint board, so that a compari- son of the two songs may be made and a decision arrived at. CHARGE LEWIS WITH LIFTING Laurie and Bronson have filed a com- plaint with the N. V. a; against Syd. Lewis, '" which the team alleges that - Lewis Is infringing on the copyrighted title of their act "Let *Er Go." Laurie and Bronson further assert that Lewis is using the expression, "Let 'Br Go," several times in his act Inasmuch as they claim to have been professionally identified with the use of the remark since they entered vaude- ville, eight or ten years ago, they have re- quested the N. V. A. to ask Lewis to cut it out hereafter. The Complaint Board is conducting tn investigation. DARLING'S DOG DISAPPEARS Al Darling, manager of the Royal, lost his favorite bull pup last week, the canine having mysteriously disappeared from the lobby during intermission. Although Darl- ing has enlisted the aid of half of the population of the Bronx, the whereabouts of the missing pup still remain an unsolv- able mystery. Arthur White, the Keith emergency manager, was bitten by the Darling blue ribbon winner the day before the dog pulled the disappearing stunt. SAIL FOR SOUTH AMERICA Burt sheplianl. the Australian whip king, with his wife, sailed April 12 on the S.S. VeatrU for Buenos Aires, where they will stay six months, after which they will play for three months at the Circus Parish in Madrid, Spain. From there they will go to Paris to play under the management of Rafael Beretta at the Folies Bergere for two months. Richard l'itrot secured the contracts for them. TOM SWIFT ILL Tom Swift and Mary Kelly opened at Proctor's, Tonkers, last Monday with a new act that they intended to break in for a metropolitan showing this week, bnt were forced to quit the bill .after the Tues- day matinee owing to. an attack of illness suffered by Swift. ORPHEUM HANDS OUT ROUTES The Orpbeum Circuit routed a few more acts over the time for next season this week. Pianovflle opens at the Orpheum, San Francisco, Sept 7; the Three Jahns at the Majestic. Chicago, June 22, and.' Morris and Campbell at the Majestic, Chi- cago, June 15. DEVLIN SUSPENDED BY N. V. A. James J. Devlin was suspended last week by the National Vaudeville Artists. His suspension was brought about according to an official of the N. V. A., for "eon- duct unbecoming a member of the organ- ization." WANT BELLE BAKER IN FILMS Belle Baker is negotiating with a well known motion picture producing company - for an early appearance in the films. . BERT WALTON HAS NEW ACT Bert Walton, formerly of Walton and Francis, will open with a new act April 28 at the Greeley Square and American theatres. SUN TO HAVE FOUR NEW HOUSES TO BE READY IN SEPTEMBER Springfield, Ohio, April 11.—Four new theatres will be opened by Gus Sun when the new vaudeville season starts in Sep- tember, it has been announced here. The first one will be built in this city, and will involve an expenditure of $150,- 000. C. Howard Crane, of Detroit, well known as a theatrical architect, is super- vising construction of the house, which is now under way. Associated with him in the erection.of the new theatre is Will- iam Fuller, of this city, acting in the capacity of construction engineer. - The seating capacity of the house will he 1,600, Of which 1,000 will be in the orchestra. The Orpheum, in Lima, Ohio, now on the Sun circuit, will be torn down during the 'Summer, and, in.place of it, a new theatre will be erected. It will occupy, in addi- tion to the ground on which the Orpheum now stands, adjacent property, which will make it possible to build u larger and more modern structure, that will seat 1,000. The Hippodrome, Huntington, West Vir- ginia,. recently destroyed by. fire, and booked by the Sun office is being rebuilt. The size of this house will not he in- creased, but it will be built somewhat dif- ferently, so as to be more up to date. George Shafer's Victoria, Wheeling, West Virginia, is being remodelled so that its seating capacity will be increased by 600. Shows will be presented there until June 1, when the new and old structures will be joined together. NEW SISTER ACT FORMED Madeline Clark and Frances Summer have formed a partnership and will appear on Big Time in a sister act Miss Sum- mer returned some time ago from Europe, where, she had spent seven years in musi- cal conservatories. Miss Clark will handle the comedy. A novelty in the act is a barnyard number with special costumes. Frank Folsom has supplied the patter. LIEUT. METCALF TO ENTER VAUDE Lieut Earl Metcalfe, who served with distinction in France during the war with the "Fighting Sixty-ninth," is to be fea- tured in a new vaudeville production that Joe Hart will shortly place in rehearsal. Anthony Kelly wrote the act, which Js a travesty on the exaggerated drama of the currently popular movie serials. The play- let calls for a supporting oast of five. SAUBER HAS BICYCLE ACT Harry Fisher and his Cycling Models, who appeared last season in burlesque with the "Hello, Girls" show, is rehearsing a new bicycle-musical act with which he is scheduled to open in vaudeville the latter part of this week. There will be seven girls in the act which is owned and booked by Harry Sauber. GOING TO MEXICO Contracts were closed last week by •Hoelin and Richards for Shirley Sherman and Her Five Jass Beauxs to play a ten weeks' engagement in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico, for the Compania Internacional de Variedadas. The act will sail from New York Saturday. MASON & COLE OPEN IN NEW ACT Mason and Cole open on the Loew time this week with a new act entitled "Just for a Kiss." The team will play the Ful- ton, Brooklyn, the last half, of the week. Tommy Curran arranged the booking. .-'.. RESUME REHEARSAL OF ACT Grace Sibyl Meehan, who, up till about a week ago, had had in rehearsal an act by herself entitled "The Doctor of Brook- lyn," and was taken ill with influenza, has resumed work on the playlet. There have" been two changes in the cast, however, Agnes Earl has replaced Florence Stewart and Miss Copes has taken the place of Alice Irwin. J. McConnick Beeten remains with the act. The offering has not been presented in this country as yet, but has been seen in Great Britain and Canada. FRITKfNS DANCERS REHEARSING Fritkin's Dancers, a.new song and dance review, is now in rehearsal at the Amster- dam Opera House. Included in the. cast are Boris Fritkin, Igor Buckdonoff, Leo Fritkovski, Ivan Zeunanoff, Ivan Orion", Anna Fritkovski, Maria Velnova, Elsie Perlovska, Viola Fedrova and Maluta Netchiova. The act carries special cos- tumes and settings and includes both classic and modern dancing. Seasue Phillipoff is the conductor. RUTH ST. DENIS HAS PLAY Berkeley, Oal., April 10.—Ruth St. Denis will appear on the speaking stage for the first time in her career, in August She will be seen in a biblical play called "Merriem," written by Constant and Max- well Armfield. - It will be presented at the Greek theatre of the University of Cal- ifornia. Miss St Denis is at present tour- ing, vaudeville with her husband,. Ted Shawn, in a dancing act HENDERSON'S RE-OPENS MAY 26 Henderson's Theatre, Coney Island, will re-open for the season on Monday, May 26. The.house will play about the same grade of vaudeville show as has been its custom in past seasons. The Keith Exchange will furnish the acts, as heretofore. The Hen- derson restaurant, adjourning the theatre, will re-open on April 10. The restaurant will not maintain a cabaret entertainment this season. • LA MONT HANDLING CURTIS ACT Bert La Mont has taken Sam Curtis' school act under his managerial wing. Curtis was the first to stage a school act for vaudeville, ante-dating the Avon Com- edy Four and the various Gus Edwards schoolroom productions by several years. La Mont will scenically refit the Curtis turn and send it out over the pop circuits with Sain Curtis featured. MIDGETS PRECEDED BY FILM A hundred-foot motion picture, showing the Singer Midgets traveling, their domes- tic life, etc., is being utilized to herald the coming of the act in each of the local Proctor housesi An announcer appears be- tween acts every day in each Proctor house and gives a little talk about the midgets and their forthcoming engagement. ELABORATE "TOO MUCH MARRIED" Billy Grady has called off the current bookings of "Too Much Married," a musi- cal production carrying twelve people which has been playing around New York for die last four weeks. He will elaborate the act a bit and replace one of the prin- cipals before the production re-opens again at the Alhambra on April 21. TEAMS LEAVE TfNNEY SHOW The Leightons, and Boyle and Brazil. closed with Frank Tinney's "Atta Boy" show when the attraction finished its run in Chicago last Saturday. Both teams have received routes on the Keith time that will keep them busy in the middle west for several weeks. "Atta Boy" is playing in Louisville this -week. . RUSSELL LEAVES FLATBUSH Walter Russell, treasurer of the Flat- bush Theatre for the last three years, re- signed last. week. E. Shellenberger is the new. treasurer. .