Show World (June 1909)

THE snow WORLD June 5, 1909, 8 MAX ANDERSON HAS VALERIUS OUTWITS CHANGED HIS MIND THE MAN IN A HURRY Dramatic Stock Company at Sans Sooci Gets Two Weeks Notice And Impossible to Get Out of Riverview, Once Inside, Without Passing Musical Show is Booked. Numerous Attractions. Max Aaronson Anderson has changed his mind. The dramatic company at Sans Sonci theater received its two weeks’ notice last Saturday night, as was an¬ ticipated in these columns last week, and at the end of the engagement of Virginia Harned a musical comedy show will be installed in the trans¬ formed rink. The Chicago public jpypi therefore not have opportunity of see-o ing Henry Miller nor Wilton Lack- ave, nor any of the other big dramatic 1 stars which have been advertised to appear at that theater. It is difficult to determine the ex¬ act cause of the whole trouble, but speculation in this direction will not only prove interesting, but instructive. Max Aaronson Anderson contends that the dramatic company has not paid. Others will say that it has not had’time to prove its profit-earning capacity, while still others will assert that the prices are not right, that they are either too high or too low. But from information at hand, it would seem that Sam P. Gerson was op¬ posed to a dramatic stock company from the very beginning and wanted a musical show. Gerson usually gets Anderson’s ear, but it appears that he got it just a few days late in this instance and that the dramatic com¬ pany had already been recruited in New York and contracts for three weeks’ work at $1,650 a week had been signed with Virginia Harned and her supporting company had been en¬ gaged. It is also said that a contract for sixteen weeks had been signed with Harry McRae Webster to di¬ rect the stage, although he refused to discuss the matter when ap¬ proached. It is understood that many of- these preliminary arrangements were entered into by Anderson with¬ out consultation with Gerson. Ger¬ son is said to have desired the man¬ agement of the park theater when the season at the Bush Temple had come to a close, but H. E. Rice obtained that job through some sort of part¬ nership agreement with Anderson against the wishes and without the knowledge of Gerson. The Family Counsel. Saturday night Nate Aaronson, a brother of Max Aaronson Anderson, and who is said to be an actor, was on the grounds at the park. He ex¬ pressed himself as being thoroughly satisfied that his brother was paying too much money for stars and that a musical comedy show could be put in for one-third the cost. He boasted that he could obtain some of the lead¬ ing lights in the musical world for six hundred a week. Also, it was learned that a female relative of Anderson’s was fond of Edna Wallace Hopper, and was “sure she would come and play.” Anderson did not appear to have any particular opinion of his own upon the matter, but he had con¬ fidence in his brother and the female relative and Gerson and Rice and Webster and a few others in degrees which seemed to vary from time to time. It is possible that Anderson did not give the dramatic company a fair trial. The house opened Sunday a week to capacity. The remainder of the week was, from a weather stand¬ point, the worst conceivable for parks and until Saturday night business was light. Saturday night proved the first of good park weather since the open¬ ing. A large crowd came to the park. The theater got something like four hundred persons. Miles F.. Fried, general manager of the park, voiced this opinion on Sat¬ urday night: “It takes three con¬ secutive days like this to get them coming as they should. Most of the concessionaries are aware of this, and therefore have hot lost heart because of the light business of the week. Tonight has been only fair with the attractions; tomorrow and Monday, if clear, will bring a good profit to all.” Dramatic Company Excellent. But Anderson had had his mind ■changed. The musical comedy thing loomed up before him like an - ava¬ lanche of box office receipts; hence, when a telegram arrived from New ■ York late Saturday night announcing that a musical show had been signed, Anderson ordered the two weeks’ no¬ tice be given the dramatic stock. Among competent critics, it was generally believed that the entire pro¬ duction of Iris and of Anna Karenina was equal to any high-priced produc¬ tions ever seen in Chicago,—and this, at popular prices. The company had worked conscientiously against al¬ most insurmountable odds and had won out. The elite of the fashion¬ able Hyde Park section had scarcely begun to hear of the high class drama¬ tic stock. Harned was booked for three weeks, they argued; the weather had not been fit for their sensitive selves to venture out o’nights, — per¬ haps next week. But it is too late. Anderson has changed his mind. Anderson Is Responsible. From reliable sources it is learned that all bills in connection with the engagement of the dramatic company have been or will be paid and that Anderson is financially responsible. As is known, Anderson has under¬ taken some daring ventures in this city. He and Gerson were associated in the Whitney management for some time until Whitney and Gerson had a falling out over money matters. Gerson 'next appeared as manager of the Bush Temple with Anderson as partner. It was well known that the Bush had been a “lemon” under the Thanhouser management and that Thanhouser was glad to get out. Just how it has fared under the new regime is not known. It is now said that Anderson has purchased a controlling interest in The Catspaw, which, after having been a frost when produced at the Studebaker, was sent to the storehouse by Jos. Gaites and that he is about to take an interest in a wheel show for next season. All things con¬ sidered, it would appear that Ander¬ son intends to break into the show business, perhaps encouraged by his success in the film manufacturing firm of Spoor and Anderson and assisted by the counsel of Messrs. Gerson et al.—W. M. Parker Factories Busy. Abilene, Kan., June 1. The Parker factories are crowded to the utmost, filling orders for amusement devices. Canton Mc- Comb, who is a well known designer of amusements, is located at the fac¬ tory at present in the capacity of chief draughtsman. A number of new and attractive amusements are promised the public next season. Balloonist Draws. Vincennes, Ind., June 1. Lakewood opened May 23. The leading attraction was two success¬ ful ascensions by Jack Casselle, the balloonist, who with the First Regi¬ ment Band, attracted over 10,000 peo¬ ple. McDaniels with his Atlantic City Band is at Lakewood for three days, beginning May 30.—BELL. • Doc Valerius must have spent many sleepless nights in scheming how to force the sight-seers to pass every concession when at Riverview. When the pleasure-seeker finds himself in the midst of attractions and wishes to get out of the grounds the shortest way possible a prize could be safely offered if a way could be found that does not lead him past a dozen amuse¬ ment places. The walks are so arranged that all roads lead to Creation and other big attractions and it is an interesting puzzle to seek a way out of the cen¬ ter of the grounds. The attaches of the parks have tired of this amusement now, how¬ ever, and the ladies spent the major¬ ity of their time in figuring out the pull of the various cashiers, for it is said that no one lands a job there un¬ less some politician is urging their appointment. Up to this time the secret of the selection of all but two has been bared. Two girls are still known as “the mysteries.” The Monitor and the Merrimac is still the chief attraction at Riverview, and is getting its share of the money. E. W. McConnell, who has the con¬ cession, is at Seattle but is expected to return to Chicago shortly. Smith Warner states in his announcements that Creation will be ready by June 5. Joe Noel is in charge of the Pots¬ dam Railway and Pat Edman is his assistant. This is a very attractive ride and one which has proven very popular this season, when the weather has been at all favorable. “Chutes” are Popular. Joseph Sauve is in charge of the chutes, Ben Cramer is his assistant and Ed. Fitzgerald is ticket taker. The chutes at Riverview cannot han¬ dle the people as fast as the old ones at the old Chutes park, but it is an attractive amusement place and is always popular with pleasure seek¬ ers. Mr. Sauve has been connected with chutes for many years, having been at the old park of that name for eight years before coming to River- Gus Besse is in charge of the vel¬ vet coaster, the only coaster in exist¬ ence with an arrangement by which the cars can be stopped any place on the structure. He is in his third sea- Len Swink has been a frequent visi¬ tor at the park lately and it is said he is trying to place some stuff. The Navassar band has proven quite a favorite at Riverview, and the girl musicians play some spirited numbers which call forth more spontaneous ap¬ plause than did the organization pre¬ viously heard there. Circle D. Ranch. Circle D. Ranch Wild West has failed so far to attract Chicago folks in great numbers when in an en¬ closure like at Riverview. The per¬ formance is well worth seeing, how¬ ever. It is under the general man¬ agement of Will A. Dickey with Jim Ward as business manager. Cora Fielding is the bucking horse rider, Buffalo Vernon does trick roping, Arthur Long does steer throwing, Si Compton, who had his arm broken, is much better and will be riding Black Diamond again shortly, and Snap Wilderman and Lita Farrell do trick and fancy riding. Mr. Dickey got bumped into the fence recently and in¬ jured his knee cap, and while he could not 1 ride last week kept employed in the arena. Lem Foster has an exceptionally good band for a 12 piece organiza¬ tion and parades around the park af¬ ternoon and night at the head of In¬ dians and cowboys. One of his band boys got a blank cartridge through his cheek at a campfire recently,' but was playing the next day. . Sj Kp B. Gray and Jimmy Kennedy re¬ cently joined Circle D. coming from the lot Ranch.—E. E. M. f Car Strike Hurts Park, Evansville, Ind., May 31 . The first week of Oak Summit was quite a success and quite a good show was presented. For the second week the Herald Square Opera com¬ pany is presenting a repertoire of musical plays. Owing to the street car strike that was declared the 29th it is doubted if attendance will be good, as the park is three miles from the city and no cars are running at this time.—OBERDORFER. PROWLERS HOLD THEIR - SEA SERPENT HUNT. Organization of New York Celebrities to Visit Dreamland and Search for the Ocean Monster. New York, June: 3. Tomorrow night the Prowlers’an organization of local celebrities is the profession of entertainment, will hold their first annual sea serpent hunt. The members will gather at eleven o’clock at Brown’s Chop House and proceed to Dreamland, Coney Island, as the guests of Senator WillianrH. Reynolds, president of Dreamland, and S. W. Gompertz, general man¬ ager. The program of the entertain¬ ment has been arranged by Campbell B. Casad, the “Tom Cat,” and other members of the entertainment com¬ mittee. The members and their guests’*will assemble at the back yard at Keen’s English Chop House, 70 West ’36th street, where Manager Paul Henkel will supply them with hot coffeej ap¬ ple jack and foot warmers. They*will then take sight-seeing coaches and. headed by Captain Louis Sorcho’s deep-sea diving automobile and steam calliope whistling the latest popular tunes, they will parade to Long Acre Square and thence down Broadway to the Williamsburg Bridge and on to the Island. Arriving at the entrance of Dreamland, the Prowlers will be met and escorted by Dreamland’s band of eighty pieces, a cavalcade of Blake’s ponies, ridden by monkeys, a company of Bontoc Head' Hunters, playing tom-toms, and the business and press departments of Dreamland. The party will then make a tour of the park, in which time such promi¬ nent members of the club as Irving Cobb, Roy McCardell, Bozeman Bul¬ ger, Worden Wodd, Hayden Claren¬ don and Judge George H. McAdam will act as bally-hoos. At the end of the parade, they will be given an Irish banquet of frankfurtersjand beer. Then the sea-serpent hunbjwill take place. Assisted by the deep-sea divers, the valiant Prowlers, with the trembling search-lights playing on them, will courageously hunt the wily monster of the Seaside hotel press department. If the gallant hunts¬ men are successful, the sea-serpent will be slain and its head born tri¬ umphantly back to “the back yard as a trophy of the club. After, the hunt all the shows in Drea.mland^will be visited and many impromptu stunts pulled. Poor Business Reported. The Beggar Prince is reported to have bad business in the southwelg|