The New York Clipper (August 1919)

Copyrighted, 1919. and published weekly by the Clipper Corporation. 1604 Broadway. New York. Entered it tka Pott-office at New York, June 24, 1879. at accood-class mall matter nnder Act of March 3,1879. Founded by FRA&K QUEEN, 1853 NEW YORK, AUGUST 6, 1919. VOLUME LXVn-No. » Prico, Tea Carta, *4.00 a Year A, L ERLANGER TO BUILD 12 THREE TO BE IN NEW YORK A. L. Erlanger early this week admit- ted that he is planning to build twelve new theatres throughout the United States. To that end he baa completed arrangements with - Marshall and Fox, architects of Chicago, who not only have been retained to draw the plana for each house, but will also supervise the con- struction work. The theatres will be erected on a uni- form basis, each house having the same style of architecture, the same color acheme and the same sort of decorations and furnishings. Each row of chairs will be far enough apart for people to pass in and out without disturbing others. The twelve theatres are divided among five different cities throughout the coun- try, as follows:- Three in New York, three in Chicago, three in Philadelphia, two in Boston and one in Detroit. Whether the new theatres in the va- rious cities are all to be on the sites of old ones', or whether new sites have been acquired and just where these sites are located, Mr. Erlanger refused to state. ■ However, he did state that the first new theatre to be erected would be on the site upied by _ the Forrest Theatre in lphia, which wQl be demolished year to make room for the new lanned. Nor would Mr.-Krlanger amount of capital that his fu- ■ SAYS ACTORS BEAT HIM Atlastic Cm, Aug. 4.—John Wood- ruff and Jesse Bcrkowitz, actors, and a nurse, Lois Gilbert, were arraigned before Magistrate Sontheimer here last week charged with assaulting Ixmis Middleman, a tailor. The latter alleged that he had been told by Lois Gilbert to come to her home if he wanted to collect a bill of $35. He declared that.when he' came to her apartment she struck him and then called the actors to assist her in doing him bodily .damage. In defense, it was alleged that Middle- man, upon not receiving the payment of the $35, seized the nurse and attempted-to choke her. She declared that the acton, who were lodgers, replied to her calls for assistance and administered the beating to Middleman. MANAGERS AND ACTORS HOLD _ DISCUSSIO N AT SEC RET MEETING Representatives of A. E. A. Are Told that Manager* Will Not Do Business with Wilson or Mountford and That Otherwise They Will Fight the Thing Out RAISE "TOLLIES" ADMISSION Flo Ziegf eld has raised the price of ad- mission to the lower floor of the "Follies" at the New Amsterdam Theatre. Oh Mon- day of this week all orchestra seats were set at $3.50. Previous to this week only seats in the first ten rows were priced at $3.50, the remaining eight rows on the lower floor being set at $3 each. The uniform $3.50 scale which Ziegf eld is now charging for orchestra seats is the highest price now being asked for seats to shows of that class at any theatre in this country. The price is exclusive of the war tax, which adds thirty-five cents to the cost. DEMPSEY SIGNS FOR $15,000 Chicago, 111., Aug. 1.—Jack Dempsey, the world's champion boxer, signed a con- tract at the Morrison Hotel, this city, last Wednesday, with Linnick and Jacoby, for fifteen weeks' -consecutive work with a vaudeville show at $15,000 per week. He is to get the money in advance, each week. Dempsey demanded the deposit of a. $250,000 bond in the Greenbaum Bank to _ bind, the contract, which is bf commence tSpkl tJMsf.wfll mtaiL; «£££>■ Aug. IS, The deal was put over by Jones, tie new theatres will pursue, ,,. l ££ u # ffia Schafer . * - ' ...her any individual, group or cor- '""?""■ . ^w" notation is behind him in his plan to build a number of theatres throughout the country. ._" Interest . attaches to Mr. Erlanger's plans at this time by reason of the fact this is the first definite sort of announce- ment .he has -made with regard to his fu- ture theatrical activities-since it became known that he is no longer engaging in joint theatrical enterprises with his erst- while partner, Marc Klaw. LOEW IN OIL DEAL Four Worth, Tex., Aug. 2.-^John W. Considine, the theatrical manager, has formed a new oil combine here in which, it is rumored, Marcus Loew, the vaudeville magnate, is largely interested. Considine is on his way to New York after pur- chasing 3389 acres of the Banger fields. Others associated with Considine are J. Martin, of San Francisco, Phil Ohlnn, George Wmgfield, Sutro Brothers and sev- eral other well known financial men. AC QUITAL'" GOING WEST "The Aeanital," the Cohan and Harris melodrama which opened at Atlantic, City ■ recently, will not come to -New York'early this season, as was originally intended. The show, after a few weeks on the road, wQl be sent to Chicago, where it will be opened for an indefinite ran. At the elusion of the Chicago engagement, piece will be brought to New York. Lillian Tucker has left the cast and has been replaced by Ann Mason. . con- la DEAD ACTOR COMES TO LIFE San Fbahcisoo, Aug. 2.—Carlton Chase, who has been touring India and has Just returned to- this city, surprised his many friends, who had thought him dead. A report to that effect had : reached America, and his death was reported in the news. ':'.■■• ACKERMAN TO PUT ON REVUE Sis Frahcibco, CaL, Aug. 2.—Irrinx Ackerman, of Ackerman and Harris, is back in town after a four weeks' stay fn New'York, where he contracted for a big revue to appear at the Casino in September. ARRESTED FOR BURGLARY Bah Fbahcisoo, Gal, Aug. 3.—Fred Adams, appearing In "An American Ace," has been arrested here on complaint of C. R- Kingdom. He is charged with having entered the letter's room and stealing' sev- eral articles of jewelry from his trunks. He is also under arrest for raising a thirty dollar check to eighty doUare, A secret meeting waa held in the office of Sam H. Harris on Monday afternoon between, representatives of the producing managers' association and a selected group of members of the Actors' Equity Associa- tion to take up the. natter of adjusting the existing differences between the two organizations. This is the first of a aeries of meetings which are to be held. Sam Harris, William A. Brady, Arthur Hopkins, Morris.Gest and John L. Golden, represented the managers' association, and on behalf of.the actors'-organization, Don- ald Brian, Bruce MacBae, vice-president of the A. B. A.; Frank Gillmore, Grant Stewart, Brandon Tynan, Charles Cobnrn, De Wolff Hopper and Howard Kyle were present. The latter was there upon the invitation of the managers. . The meeting is said to have been an in- formal one, and the managers discussed the situation fully with their visitors. They informed them that they were willing to do business with the' Actors' Equity, but under- no circumstances would they do- business with Francis Wilson, president of. the A. E. A., or with the association as long as Harry Mountford was in any way associated with it. They informed the call- era that the organization must disentangle itself from the A. A. A. A. Not Oat they objected to labor in any way, as they had gotten along -with labor organisations, hav- ing had no trouble whatever with them in their theatres, hut if they were to do busi- ness with them the A. E. A. might invoke the '''closed shop" rule, and in that, way keep from 'the'theatrical field a good deal of talent which would otherwise find .in- gress into the profession. ' v They informed the callers that they did not approve of the tactics, employed in calling "mob" .meetings such aa were held at the Morrison Hotel, Chicago, on Sun- day night, and in the Hotel Aster last week. The managers then said that if the A. E. A. would come to the terms they re- quested they would gladly discuss the sit- uation with them and make a five-year contract with the organization which would be. iron-clad and that if any member of the association broke it they would forfeit a bond of $10,000. The actors were also told that the managers would pay them pro-ratio per performance based on their present earning capacity. Should.an actor get $100 a week at present for eight per- formances they would pay $12.50 a per- formance, and in case he played a Sunday or holiday matinee he would get paid in accordance. It was also suggested to the actors that their constitution and by-laws provided that at any time twenty members in good standing: could request a special general meeting for the purpose of transacting any imperative business. They were told that this matter was of considerable importance and' that it would warrant the calling of a special general meeting, at which to bring to the attention of the members the situa- tion as it existed with respect to the man- agers' attitude, and if the majority of the members were then willing to have the managers treat with the organization, ' minus Wilson, and renounce their affilia- tion with the A. A. A. A. they would be glad to immediately confer and draw up a new contract. The visitors said that they would take the managers' views under advisement and confer with them again later. Bnt, even though the managers were con- ferring with the few selected and repre- sentative members of the A. E. A, in an informal way it was learned that activi- ties were being directed toward the estab- lishment of a new organisation in opposi- tion to the A. E. a., and that daring the past few days more than COO applicants had applied for membership in the Actors' Co-Operative Association, which they con- template as the new rival organisation. It waa also reported that George M. Cohan had obtained a three-year lease on a floor in the premises at 109 West Forty-fifth street, where the new club rooms of the organization would be located. Sam Harris, when asked, stated that he knew nothing of the lease of the premises for a club room, bat was later Men hover- ing about the premises with Morris Gest, making inquiries sbout the building and the work being done there. Another- step the managers made os Monday waa to appoint William A. Ovist*, manager of the Century Theatre, to a posi- tion, similar to ..the one Pat Casey holds with the Vaudeville i Managers' Protective A ssocia t i o n. Ovistt will assume this posi- tion in addition to his century Job and re- ceive a salary of $100 a week for the ex- tra work. It is likely that Oviatt will have a hand in the formulation of the plana for the new' acton' organization. It is planned that the new organisation win be a frater- nity for actors only. No player save one who has actually been engaged on the stage wul be accepted. The same rule will be applied also to set ream who desire admission. One of those who is in back of the new organization said that either Henry Miller or John Draw would be placed as tempo- rary chairman of the society until regular elections could' be held. It is figured that the names of these two representative ac- tors would carry much prestige among the rank and file of the actors. Mr. Miller recently resigned from the Actora* Equity Association, and it la said that Drew did likewise. However, mem- bers of his family deny this. Howard Kyle, who was reported as being one of the prime movers in the new organization, stated that aa yet he had not taken any inch steps, aa he was still a member of the equity organisation He stated that un- less the few leaders now in control of the 'Equity tender their resignation without delay the majority of the leading acton and actresses who compose its members are prepared to Institute proceedings ' - (Continued on pages 8 and 3*.)