The New York Clipper (June 1919)

Copyrighted, 1919, and published weekly by the Clipper Corporation. 1634 Brosdwsy. New York. Entered it the Post-office at New York. June 24,1879, u eccond-cUw mail mutter under Act of March 3,1879. . Founded-by . FRANK QUEEN, .1853 NEW YORK, JUNE 4, 1919 VOLUME UCVn-No. a Price, Tea Cents, $4X0 a Year CAMP CIRCUIT #0 QUIT JULY! NO FURTHER NEED FOR SHOWS The Army Circuit of camp theatres will cease to exist as such, on July 1, when the offices which have been maintained in the New York Theatre' Building. will be given up and the booking of shows on any- thing approaching a large scale cease. This aoolishment of the booking offices is due to the fact that the need for en- tertainment in the camps is rapidly be- coming; nil, many of the cantonments now being' practically empty for days at a time. Even when they are filled, though, the chance of packing a theatre is very slight, officers say, for the men who are sent to them now are mostly all to be mustered out, and their thoughts are on other things than entertainment. The greatest show in the world to them is to see their discharge papers. Barry Stubba, who has had charge of the booking of shows, sent in bis resigna- tion some time ago, but will remain in an advisory capacity until the office is closed. Early thiH week, he stated that he Intend- ed taking a full year's rest before entering any new business. Arrangements have been made, however, for the furnishing of shows to any camp that may wish such at any'time, Near New York, there will be five camps in operation—Upton, Dix. Merritt, Mills and Stewart, at Newport News. Should any of these wish entertainment, the officers have been instructed to communicate with J. R. Bant a, manager at Camp Merritt, who will arrange to.give them what they want. He will have charge of those five camps. Such camps as will remain open in the South or Southwest, and find them- selves in the same predicament can buy a show from either the Keith time, booked by' Jules Defanar, or from the Interstate time. It is not expected, however, that there will be muoh of a demand. Since the shows have been finishing the circuit, there has been heard considerable complaint regarding the percentages paid to different managers, some stating that Freeman Bernstein, George Sammis and Bob Martini, have been getting a larger split than, the rest. It was even stated that they were given 80 per cent, of the gross, while other managers had to be con- tent with 70. When Bernstein waa asked about it he said: "Sure I did. I got mine, kid, and I'm gonna keep it. and they can yell' their heads off. It's all over now. In two weeks I'll be on my way to South America, to pnt out a show. And I'll get mine there, too, see. That's me." Other complaints heard referred to the guaranteeing of some shows and not of others, which placed certain managers at a considerable disadvantage. It is prob- able that, if the circuit were to be oper- ated next year these complaints would nave to be investigated* and tome means found to make them unnecessary in- the future. But, as Bernstein says, it's all over now.' HAD THE WRONG MURRAY How Mae Murray's bank account in the Harriman National Bank was attached through an erroneous conflict of names in a judgment creditors proceeding was re- vealed last week when Nathan Burkan, her attorney, made a -motion in the City Court to vacate the attachment. According to the motion papers, The Packard' Twin-Six Auto Hiring Company obtained a judgment for $60 against Marion Murray, said to be an actress. The suit was brought to recover money due for auto hire, and when the judg- ment waa not paid, the attorney, repre- senting the plaintiff, being erroneously in- formed that Mae Murray was the .real defendant, started supplementary pro- ceedings in the .City Court against Mae Murray and obtained a third party order from the court directing the Harriman National Bank not to pay out any money '■(•longing to Mae Murray. However, the affidavit submitted by Mae Murray in support of her motion to dismiss the proceeding convinced the at- torney for the plaintiff" that he was pro- ceeding against the wrong party, so the matter, as far as Mae Murray is con- cerned, has been dropped. SPANIARDS GOING INTO CORT A season of Spanish musical shows will be inaugurated at the Cort Theatre, open- ing June 16, two days after "The Better 'Ole" finishes 'its seven months' stay at this house and moves to the Booth The- atre. The Spanish Opera Company, recently organized, which is headed by L. Moaquera, formerly one of the heads of the defunct Spanish Players Company, which played at the Park Theatre six weeks ago, has leased the Cort Theatre for the summer and will present Spanish musical shows there under a partnership arrangement with John Cort. The title for the first show has, as yet, not been chosen by the Spaniards, but it became known last week that the play is practically all set, the cast consisting for the most part of players who recently appeared at the Park Theatre. UNDECIDED ABOUT DEFENSE The Vaudeville Managers' Protective As- sociation, the United Booking Offices and other respondents in the Federal Trade Commission's investigation of the vaude- ville situation, have not yet decided whether to enter a defense, although nearly' two weeks have elapsed since the Government rested its case. Maurice Goodman, counsel for the Keith interests, upon whom fell the burden of conducting the cross-examination at the hearing, stated Monday that he had. not gone through all of the evidence in the case and until he had done so he would not be able to determine whether a defense is neces- sary., ..-,.. MAYER DENIES K. Jk E. DEAL Chicago, Jane 2.—Levey Mayer flatly denies that lie, J. Ogden Armour and Julias Roeenwald have purchased or wonld purchase Marc KlaWe interest in the Kiaw and Brlanger firm. Mayer, in answer to the question concerning the reported deal said "It is a tissue of falsehoods." Denials were also given oat by Armour and Rosenwald. THEATRICAL BUSINESS HIT BY CA NADIAN BOLSHEVISM Selwyn's 'Tea for Three" in Hotbed of Unrest Near Winnipeg. Ethel Barrymore and Margaret Anglin Companies aI*o Affected. Many Vaude. Performers There The theatrical business last week, for the first time in its history, found itself face to face with Bolshevism. Throughout Winnipeg, Reglna, Saska- toon, Edmonton, Calgary, Victoria, To- ronto and other cities in Canada a general strike has spread that is directly affecting theatres and other places of amusement. And the Selwyn office was the first to be affected. They have a company of "Tea for Three" in Canada, which is now in the strike-ridden territory, headed for the Coast. Elsa Ryan is the featured player In the show which was to have opened in Winnipeg Monday, then going to Brandon, Calgary and Saskatoon. Travelling in advance is Mabel Ryan. She arrived in Winnipeg early last week and found local transportation, communica- tion, light and other facilities tied up by reason of the strike situation. ' To bring the company on to this city, she knew would be futile, so she attempted to com- municate with the Selwyn offices here. She tried to telegraph, but found the tele- graphers out- on strike. Then she tried to telephone, but that did her no good either. for the telephone operators were also out on strike. Finally she wrote a letter, and finding that it would not be forwarded be- cause the mailmen were also striking, ahe resorted to strategy. She went to the railroad station and ex- plained her predicament to the conductor of an eastbound Canadian Pacific train. He volunteered to take her letter with him and mail it at the first place not affected by the strike. She gave him the letter and thanked him. And that is how the Selwyns managed to receive first hand information from the strike-ridden 'territory. Since then Mabel Ryan has sent another letter to the Selwyns the same way, in which she told them that the last town in which the show played was Sudbury. Late last week the Selwyns managed to send a reply to her, instructing her to use her own judgment in the matter and jump the company to Seattle, Washington, if necessary. Margaret Anglin, in "Billeted." and Ethel Barrymore, In "The Off Chance," with their respective companies, were booked to play Toronto last week, bat when ' the strike situation there grew ominous, the Klaw and Erlanger offices communi- cated with, the managers and told them to book the shows around the strike ter- ritory or else close entirely and bring the companies to New .York, it being the sea- son's end anyway. The Orpheum Circuit theatres, located In Calgary, Winnipeg and Vancouver, are closed for the summer months, and there- fore were not affected. However, the - Pantagea Circuit lias houses in Winnipeg, Begina, Saskatoon, Calgary, Vancouver and Victoria. . Accord- ing to Walter F. Keefe, Alex Pantagea* New York representative, the bill at Win- nipeg last week included The Comlllalta, Argo and Vad Sisters, Novelty Minstrels, Juliet Dika and Submarine F-7. At Begina and Saskatoon the bills in- cluded Booth' and Leander, Harris and Noland, Lawrence and Edwards, Revue de Luxe, Le Boy and Dresner, Primrose Min- strels. Those booked at Edmonton were Amorce and Obey, Betty Brook*, Lots and Lots, Meyers and Weaver, Bert Melrose, Song and Dance Revue. . At Vancouver, the following acta were booked: Hail] and Golder. Van rout and Rayner, Rucker and- Winifred, IJM Jtt s Russell and company, Tom Kelly, Camp Dix Jazx Band. Those booked to play in Victoria were. Alice Teday, Joe Reed, Caites Brothers and company, Race and Edge, Abrama and John. Booked for Calgary were Diss Monks, Nadcl and Follette. Cliff Clark, Leila Shaw and company. Empire Quar- tette, Joe Fanton and company. MINSTRELS EARNED $60,000 Neil O'Brien's Minstrels earned a profit of (60,000 on the season, it was learned hist week, playing to a total gross of $370,000 for the thirty-seven weeks the show waa out hut season. When the minstrel show closed for the season, May 3, in Wheeling, W. Va., Oscar Hodge, the principal owner, had' practically completed forty weeks of booking with the Klaw and Erlanger office for next season, the show opening again in Poughkeepsle on Aug. 11. This has been the most successful sea- son ever experienced by the O'Brien Min- strels since the troupe was organized by Hodge and O'Brien in 1910. The show lost money during the first three years of its existence, but baa continued to show a profit at the end of each season sine* 1014. O'Brien receives a share of the profits. Last season the show carried forty-five people, but next season the troupe will - be augmented by the addition of five more Hodge managed the Dockatadar show for three years, leaving Dockatader in 1910, when he organized his own minstrel show with O'Brien. BEATS WOMEN ENTERTAINERS Saw Fbahcisco. May 8L—Joseph Mur- phy, known in pugilistic circles as "Spud" Murphy, was. arrested early yesterday morning after attacking and beating two women and a policeman In a cafe a tKesrny . and Jackson streets. Witi. four friends, Murphy entered the Sf'SL.^i suddenly flew into a rage and kicked Mazie Crawford, an entertainer, who was seated at a.table. In the face and : g*j ••5?«t -go**- H « fl»« attacked Maxine Crawford, snother entertainer with, a beer bottle, striking her on the head. Leaving the cafe-Murphy started a fight with Policeman Harry Gurtler, whom be kicked In the face four times. With the assistance of Policemen Martin Porter and John Murray, Murphy was subdued and waa booked at the' dry prison on three charges. The police did not know at' the time, of his arrest that Murphy had beats* the cafe girls.