Show World (June 1909)

THE TWENTIETH CENTURY AMUSEMENT WEEKLY Published at 87 South Clark Street Chicago, by The SHOWjiSORLP Publishing Co. Enteredas^SKondClassMa^^^^ Y/ARP£A/A.PATR/CK, OENSRALD/RECTOR. „„!& Art Volume V—No. 1 CHICAGO June 26, 1SC9 WHITE RATS LEARN COST OF LEGISLATION Eleven Thousand Dollars Expended in Last Session of New York Legislature Without Avail JAMES B. GENTRY IS GRANTED A PARDON. Actor Sentenced to Life Imprisonment, Freed After Fourteen Years— Always Claimed Innocence. PHILADELPHIA, Pa., June 18.— After nearly fifteen years of endeavor upon the part of the Elks and kin¬ dred organizations of theatrical men, James B. Gentry, sentenced for life for the killing of Madge York, an actress, in this city, has been granted a pardon by the Board of Pardons, sitting at Harrisburg. The murder of Miss Yorke, for which Gentry was sentenced to be h^inged and finally sent to prison for life, was committed on the afternoon of February 17, 1895, in Philadelphia. Miss Yorke was playing with the “Baggage Check” company. Gentry, who was filling an engagement in Bos¬ ton, had, his friends alleged, been seri¬ ously ill with the grippe and was drinking heavily. He had an engage¬ ment to meet Miss Yorke in New York early in February, but through a misunderstanding he missed her at the railroad station. Believing she was receiving attentions from another he went to Philadelphia and shot her. Gentry has always maintained that he has no recollection of the murder of Miss Yorke; that his mind was a blank, until he found himself in a hos¬ pital in this city. ALBANY, N. Y., June 21.—In their efforts to further the passage of their bill to amend the general business laws in relation to employment agen¬ cies, the White Rats of America ex¬ pended $11,646.50 during the session of the last legislature. In spite of this amount, which came out of the treas¬ ury of the organization. Mayor Adam of Buffalo practically killed the meas¬ ure by vetoing it when it came before him for approval. The measure was successfully piloted through both the senate and assembly, and a number of hearings were given on it which were attended by the cream of the histrionic talent of the country. Upon all of these in¬ teresting occasions there was fun in¬ termingled with the seriousness of the hearings, for an actor can play many parts and combine a smile with a tear with commendable readiness. The White Rats measure never finally came before Governor Hughes, though the executive had arranged for a final public hearing in the executive chamber. Of the amount expended for the fur¬ thering of the bill in question, an item¬ ized statement of which was filed to¬ day according to law with the secre¬ tary of state, several big entries ap¬ pear. James C. Sheldon, who acted as promotor, received in expenses and for services $2,343.45. Harry Mont- ford, secretary of the board of di¬ rectors of the White Rats of America, who was in Albany during the con¬ cluding days of the session, received $1,301.25 in expenses. Tim Cronin, well known in the amusement world, is credited with $891.75 for expenses. Mr. Cronin is president of the White Rats Political League. Dennis O’Brien, general counsel for the organization, is down on the expense list for $191.65. The expense list for the theatrical organization is the last that has been received by the secretary of state from the legalized lobbyists this year. —CARDOZE. SUED FOR DIVORCE; CHARGE IS DESERTION. PHILADELPHIA, Pa., June 23.— Jesse J. Cole, whose stage name is J. C. Mack, was sued for divorce by his wife, Marie Cole, the charge being desertion. Mack was preparing for his closing sketch at the Grand Opera house, when Attorney I. Irwin Jack- son had the summons in divorce served upon him. The subpoena was allowed by Judge Wiltbank, of Com¬ mon Pleas Court No. 2, after Lawyer Jackson filed the libel, showing that the couple have been married since 1892, but living apart for the past three years. They have two children. It is charged that the alleged deser¬ tion occurred three summers ago when the Coles were residing at Pit¬ man Grove. When asked ii there was any foundation for the intimation that Mack had an “affinity,” and that she played in one of his sketches, the at¬ torney said he must decline to answer. OPPENHEIMERS GIVE COMPANY ITS NOTICE. ST. LOUIS, MO., June 20.—The members of the musical comedy com¬ pany playing at West End Heights were handed their two weeks’ notice tonight by the Bros. Oppenheimer, who only had an eight weeks’ con¬ tract with Louis Obert for the house. The final week will probably be filled in with vaudeville. TThe public did not take kindly to the musical shows.— WEBB. Maud Allan Booked. t R. J. Johnson will bring Maud Al- g Ian to this country at a reputed salary ijr of $2,000 for each performance. Her if; salary on the other side of the pond h' was never more than $50 a perform- ance. Miss Allan’s dances were sup- posed to be the embodiment of ar- i tistic Terpsichore. She will not do ; Salome in America. STOCK MANAGERS PLAN FOR THE ENSUING YEAR From 20 to 35 Weeks is the New Schedule for Good Companies in Association Houses The Stock Producing Managers’ as¬ sociation gathered in New York last week, after electing directors pro¬ ceeded to fix up things for the coming season. They decided that the stock business should be enlarged, broad¬ ened and increased, to meet present demands. From twenty to thirty-five weeks is the new schedule for good companies. Percy G. Williams, the president, presided at the informal business meeting, urging the broadening of the work of the association. W. W._ Wittig, of Minneapolis, was elected vice-president, and the follow¬ ing are the new directors: Charles B. Marvin, of Chicago; George F, Fish, of Indianapolis; James V. How¬ ell, of Columbus; Edwin Tanhouser, of Chicago, and O. D. Woodward, of Kansas City. Among those who participated in the deliberations were Sherman Brown, the second vice-president; Charles Levenberg, of Providence, treasurer; Will Gregory, secretary; Grant Laf- ferty, of Philadelphia; John Craig, of Boston; William Carey, of Rochester; James Moore, of Portland, and B. F. Elbert, of Des Moines, a newly elected member. Harmony prevailed in the discus¬ sions, and the keynote of the whole session was progress. TWELVE POUND BOY BORN TO BURKHARDT’S. A twelve-pound boy was born to Mr. and Mrs. Charles J. Burkhardt in Chicago at 8:05 p. m., June 20. The Burkhardts have a home in Chicago, and while Mrs. Burkhardt is not a professional she generally travels with her husband and has many friends in the amusement business. NOTICE TO PERFORMERS WITH THE SELLS-FLOTO SHOW. THE MANAGEMENT OF THE SELLS-FLOTO CIR¬ CUS HAS GIVEN ORDERS THAT THE SHOW WORLD MUST NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES BE SOLD WITH THAT SHOW. PERFORMERS ARE HEREBY NO¬ TIFIED THAT THEY CAN SECURE COPIES OF THE SHOW WORLD AT ALL NEWS STANDS ON SATURDAY OF EACH WEEK. IDEAL OPERA COMPANY HAS COME TO GRIEF. Sid Riley Appeared Before the Curtain and Said Salaries Were Not Forthcoming. FORT MADISON, Iowa, June 21.— The Boston Ideal Opera Company, which played here a week recently to light houses on account of bad weath¬ er, came to grief the last night of the engagernent during the second act of “The Mikado.” Everything seemed to be moving along smoothly when there was a sudden commotion on the stage and the performance stopped. A mo¬ ment later Sid Riley, the musical di¬ rector, appeared before the audience and announced that some of the actors had refused to appear any more un¬ less they were paid their salaries. As there was no money to pay with, the performance was called off and the audience dismissed. The company came here from ^Bur- lington in a distressed financial con¬ dition, doing a very light business there, and there not being enough business here to “raise the wind” the result as above stated was inevitable. Part of the company returned home to Chicago and the rest left this morning for St. Joseph, Mo. TOM WATERS CANCELS HIS EUROPEAN TRIP. Tom Waters, the well-known piano- logist and musical comedy star, who was to have opened at the Tivoli, Lon¬ don, England, on July 5, for a few weeks’ engagement, has postponed his trip abroad for a year. Mr. Waters will play the Temple, Detroit, June 28, with Newport and Philadelphia to fol¬ low. On Aug. 9 he begins a tour of the Orpheum circuit which will last twenty-six weeks. DURBAN NOW MANAGER OF SCRANTON PLAYHOUSES. SCRANTON, Pa., June 22.—Chas. L. Durban has been appointed and has succeeded C. M. Southwell as the manager of the Lyceum and Academy theaters here.—REESE. MORRIS WILL BOOK COLISEUM THEATER. It is reported that John Loeffier has taken over the Coliseum theater at Danville, Ill., and Morris vaudeville will be offered there opening in Sep¬ tember. The house will be remodeled during the summer. K. & E. JOIN JOE WEBER IN LATTER’S THEATER. NEW YORK, June 19.—Klaw and Erlanger and Joseph Weber entered into an agreement this week whereby they will jointly operate Weber’s theater for five yearS, beginning August 1.—REVELfc. New Minneapolis House. MINNEAPOLIS, June 21. —It is announced that Minneapolis is to have a theater to be erected this winter to be used solely for producing Yiddish plays. A site has virtually been agreed upon in North Minneapolis in the heart of the Jewish district. The plans while still in a tentative state pro¬ vide for a three-story building of fire¬ proof construction—BARNES.