Show World (May 1909)

4 THE SHOW WORLD M ay 8,1909 REPERTOIRE METHODS CAPTURED CHICAGO Jack Bessey’* Success at the Criterion Makes It Certain That Plan Will Become General. BILLPOSTERS’ ASS’N. TO MEET AT ATLANTA. Week of July Twelfth Selected After Strenuous Appeals by the Georgia Authorities. The City of Atlanta, after strenuous efforts, has at last succeeded in con¬ vincing the Associated Billposters and Distributors of the United States and Canada to hold their nineteenth annual convention in that city, during the week of July 12. President Chennell states that it will be one of the best attended and most important meetings the organi¬ zation has ever held, since its incep¬ tion in July of 1891. Atlanta has certainly worked hard to bring about this meeting, and its accomplishment reflects great credit upon the enterprise of the city. An invitation, which was sent to the as¬ sociation was signed by the governor of Georgia, the mayor of Atlanta, members of the Chamber of Com¬ merce, the Board of Trade and many prominent business men and presented to the association by a committee of three members of the city council of Atlanta. In addition to the three thousand or more members of the organization, the advertising agencies representing the association as solicitors and the poster printers who are in various ways interested in the proceedings of a billposters’ convention, there will be special invitations to every national advertiser and to every publisher of a trade publication to be in attend¬ ance at the meeting, where it is as¬ sured in advance by the Chamber of Commerce of Atlanta and the city officials, that there will be such a welcome extended as will tend to make the affair a veritable love feast. Repertoire companies are invading the big cities with a degree of success which makes it reasonably certain that stock companies, organized on the plan of the traveling repertoire company, will be seen in many of the big theaters next season. The first proposition of this nature in a large city was inaugurated under con¬ ditions which may be said to have been unfavorable—unfavorable because the Criterion theater in Chicago had not been doing a big business and favorable because the stock company installed was one of the best known on the road and with a leading man of personality, whose success in the past has endeared him to theatergoers throughout the middle west, and whose work entitles him to first rank among stock players. While similar ventures had met with success in centrally located theaters of averaged sized cities, Jack Bessey’s ven¬ ture in Chicago was taken as the test by which to form a conclusion of the draw¬ ing powers of organizations of this kind and when a crowd was attracted to the Criterion last Sunday night which would have filled the house twice over, and that on a stormy night, the man who would not' be convinced gave up in dis¬ gust and went away muttering “It’s a go, alright.” is under the personal direction of Jack Bessey, is now in its fourth week at the Criterion and the business has increased so rapidly that there is no longer any question of the success of the venture. Jack Bessey has proved the same big favorite in Chicago that he is in Daven¬ port, Rockford, Eau Claire, and dozens of other middle west cities. The large crowds drawn to the thea¬ ter have not been of the same class as those attracted by melodrama earlier in the season. It is no uncommon sight to see half a dozen automobiles in front of the Criterion at night and evening dress is as common at that theater as at any of the down-town playhouses. The picture which appears upon the front page of this issue is a good like¬ ness of Jack Bessey, the star of the Criterion stock company, who has be¬ come a great favorite at that theater, being received with" more enthusiasm than any stock leading man who has ap¬ peared in Chicago for some years and whose name has already become a household word on the North Side. He started in the show business twenty years ago with Senter Payton and has been associated with some of the best stock companies in the country. Bor the past nine years he has been at the head of his own company playing leads and managing the same. He is now under the management of the Rowland- Clifford Amusement Company, _ which will no doubt locate Mr. Bessey in a big stock house for next season. KLIMT PLAYERS TO MOVE TO ACADEMY NEXT SEASON. Season Has Been Fairly Successful at the Bijou and Company May R e . main There All Summer. The engagement of the Klimt Players at the Bijou, to fill the spring weeks left open by the closing of the Stair & Havlin attractions, has been fairly successful and it is possible that the company will continue throughout the entire summer. Instead of remaining at that house next season, as was the original plan, the company will open next fall at the Academy the Bijou reverting to Stair & Havlin combinations. Klimt & Gazzolo have given up their offices in the Grand opera house building and have removed to Suite 1002, 226 La Salle street. They will have two or three attractions on the road next season, in addition to the stock on the west side. ; In speaking of the outlook, Frank Gazzolo said: “We look for a profit¬ able season. While the circuit for popular priced shows may not be so large as it has been, it will, by very reason of its shorter limit, assure those who are fortunate enough to get in, a larger profit than heretofore. I do not believe that melodrama is dead. The masses will always demand an entertainment along mel^^^B lines. Many of the houses which have gone into pictures will probably con¬ tinue pictures for next season. The field was becoming overcrowded and competition was too keen. The ap¬ parent disruption of the circuit will be the means of accomplishing a great amount of good.” Florence Huntington has replaced Adelaide Nowak in The Writing on the Wall, with but one rehearsal. The Hickman-Bessey company, which ABOUT PEOPLE WHO ARE NOW IN CHICAGO Fred Raynolds is .here, having closed with The Angel and the Ox. Frank Weed, late of The District Leader, is here for a rest. Pauline Coons, who recently closed with the Morgan stock company, is now in Chicago. Albert H. Graybill, manager of Himmelein’s Franklin stock company, is here engaging people. Ogden Wright is home after his tour with The Time, the Place and the Girl. Matt Sheely is located at his “old stand” in the office of the National show print. Walter Rolles will go in advance of The Flower of the Ranch next season. James Bradbury has been compelled to withdraw from the cast of The Golden Girl at the La Salle theater on account of illness. Frank O. Ireson, who has been with W. B. Patton in The Blockhead, is here renewing acquaintanceship with his many friends. Cecil Kirke, who plays Bob Rick¬ etts, the cowboy lead in In Wyoming, is making a big hit at the Alhambra this week. He is a very clever actor. Fred G. Conrad is moving his office from the Tribune building to the McCormick building at corner of Dearborn and Randolph. Alfonse Goetler, manager The Time, Place and the Girl, is spending a week in Chicago visiting Meyer Cohen. Thompson Kress, who recently closed as business manager of The County Chairman will manage a summer show for Wm. H. Swanson. Harry Todd returned last week from Los Angeles, having closed with the stock company which is securing pictures for Selig. George C. Denton, who has closed with James J. Corbett, has decided to spend the summer here in prefer¬ ence to New York. William F. Pfarr, who has been with The Cow Puncher for two sea¬ sons past, is here undergoing an op¬ eration for his throat. Blanche Edwards spent a few days this week at her home in Grand Rapids, Mich. She will join the Mar¬ tin stock company. Mary Mannering and her company are here this week rehearsing The Miss Gower, which opens at the Gar¬ rick next week. Gertrude Barcklay has been in Chi¬ cago since Will Cooper left for Eng¬ land. She had been associated with him in vaudeville. Countess Olga von Hatzfeldt suc¬ ceeds Georgia Caine at the Princess theater, where The Prince of Tonight is the attraction. C. H. McKinney, who piloted Texas Jack for its tour of the Stair & Havlin time, is back in town. The company ends its season at Detroit May 15. The season has been fairly successful. Harry Guys, who has been in bed for the past four weeks following an accident in a Waldorf-Astoria eleva¬ tor, is now on his feet and anticipates resuming work in a very short time. Lee Parvin will remain in the city for some time. He states that In Wyoming opened at the Alhambra last Sunday to the biggest business the theater had had in three months. George Alison will be the leading man with the Neill Stock company at St. Paul this summer. His wife, Gertrude Rivers, will also be with the organization. Edna Marshall, who was featured as Salome in Clarence Bennett’s eastern Holy City company for the past two years, has joined the Wood¬ ward Stock company at Omaha, Neb. Frank Sardam, who had The Dis¬ trict Leader the past season, has an office in the Schiller building, and will put out The District Leader and a new musical comedy next season, ac¬ cording to present plans. Harry Prentice, of the Prentice troupe of acrobats, met a lot of his old friends at the Sherman House this week. He is widely known in the profession, not only for his acrobatic ability but for his goodfellowship. George J. Elmore, here earlier in the season as manager of Mittenthal Brothers’ Wanted by the Police, is stage manager of The Catspaw, which opened at the Studebaker Sunday night. Tom Morrow is engaged in selling corset forms to corset manufacturers, having accepted the position when Selma Herrman closed the season at the Alhambra in A Bad Man’s Wife. Mr. Morrow had been in advance of that attraction. Marie Flynn, who recently was a member of the McLean stock com¬ pany at South Bend, Ind., is here ac¬ companied by her mother. They were joined here by her father, and the trio will go to New York in a few days. Don McMillan was to have gone on the road with the Hickman-Bessey company, under the direction of Guy Hickman, but there was a change in plans and he is still with the Hick¬ man-Bessey company, which is in stock at the Criterion. Christian G. Kiessling, treasurer of the Chicago Opera House, has caught the Cupidian contagion which has been spreading rapidly among the box office men of this city. Chris has an¬ nounced that he will soon become the happy husband of Florence Norman. McLain Gates played the heavy in The Irish Rebel, a sketch by J. Rey¬ nold Davis, author of The Cowboy and The Thief, which was tried at the American Music Hall last Sun¬ day night. It ran 23 minutes and was well received. The act will probably play the Pantages time. Frank Winninger is in the city every day or two, as his company is at Hammond this week. Last week the organization did $1,000 gross at Kenosha, with two stormy nights. The weather was so bad one night that the gross was but $18. When this is taken into consideration the week’s business was excellent. Bobby Gaylor, who has been ill with a severe attack of the grip, went back to work at his desk in the White Rats office last Saturday, facing one of the worst storms of the - Bobby is the sort of man who won’t be kept down. He has laughed t doctors and medicines for so long time that it has become a habit Leslie Hunt, who is with Clifford Dempsey in vaudeville, is here this week, as the act is laying off. The recent trip over the Sullivan ■& C sidine time was successful and the is likely to secure more bookings from that office. Mr. and Mrs. Clif¬ ford Dempsey (Bertine Robinson) and Mr. Hunt are in the act. M. W. McGee and Eva M. Hays, who were with The Cow Puncher (eastern), are now at their home in Chicago. They are planning to spend the summer at some lake resort ana will leave the city when they feel that warm weather is here to stay. Mr, McGee was manager of The Cow Puncher and reports 36 weeks oi fairly successful business. He will occupy the same position next season. W. M. Brown, who has been alien of the Cow Puncher (eastern) an< who is signed for the same posits next season, is_ spending a short time in Chicago, fie says that he went all season wfthout getting® cross word from either the home office or the manager of the company, whict would indicate that an advance agents life is not always so bad ah been represented. Will Kilroy will have two . panies next season—The Candy Kjt and The Cowboy Girl. His Candy Kid company closed the season at the National last Saturday, doing on the week. If the weather had been favorable the receipts would have likely equalled those of any attraction which has yet appeared at that the ter. On Wednesday night, when the" was a terrible storm, more than worth of reservations were uncalie for, and on other nights the weatn was so bad that the Englewood to would have been foolish Hventt out. The show made a big hit the National, as it does everywhere Kilroy’s The Cowboy Girl ay 8 at Nashville, Tenn. 1