Show World (December 1909)

December 11, 1909. THE SHOW WORLD 5 Enterprising Seattle Firm Making Plans for a Handsome Playhouse for Touring Attractions. SEATTLE, Wash., Dec. 6—Nego¬ tiations for the erection of a new playhouse, to occupy a site north of Pike street, are in progress. This an¬ nouncement was made during the week. Russell & Drew desire to have a new theater erected for them and are now negotiating for such a struc¬ ture. The site said to be the one on which Russell & Drew desire to have the playhouse erected, is the Schwa- bacher property on Fifth avenue, near Pine street, abutting the Alhambra theater. Fair Association Meets. LA PORTE, Ind., Dec. 5.—The La Porte Courity Fair Association held its meeting here and organized for the season of 1910. J. A. Terry was again selected to take care of the attrac¬ tions. This fair uses more vaudeville attractions than most state fairs and was the first county fair in this coun¬ try to put in night shows. No failure has marred its record since it began to give the people a good clean show. Superintendent Terry believes in early starts, and will soon have his talent under contract. He expects to con¬ trol his own midway this year, also, instead of depending on the regular carnival companies. Foreclose on Theater. HARTFORD, Conn., Dec. 6.—Ru¬ dolph Simons, of New York, through his counsel, Klett & Ailing, brought , foreclosure proceedings yesterday to secure possession of the Scenic thea¬ ter. He seeks to foreclose on a mort¬ gage of $4,800. Those named as de¬ fendants in the case are the New Eng¬ land Engineering Company, Max J. Unkelbach, George Hallaby, Peter Perukas and Louis Clark, all of whom have claims against the property. Majestic Nears Completion. EVANSVILLE, Ind., Dec. 6.—The last brick of the new Majestic thea¬ ter has been laid, and in the celebra¬ tion of this event the American flag has been nailed to the flag pole on top of the. building. All of the out¬ side work is now completed and work on the interior will commence at once. Manager Edwin Raymond now says that the theater will be complete for the opening performance on Christmas day. Working on Morris Theater. SAN FRANCISCO, Cal., Dec. 8.— Construction work on the American music hall, the new vaudeville theater to be conducted under the direction of the William Morris Company, was begun today, with the demolition of the row of frame shacks in Ellis street between Powell and Stockton, the site chosen for the new playhouse. The architects, O’Brien & Warner, have promised' that the building will be completed by July 1 next. Hirsch to Build Airdome. HATTIESBURG, Miss., Dec. 6.— Announcement has been made that E> N. Hirsch, the well known amusement promoter, will erect a modern air- dome and pavilion at Kamper Park here next summer and the traction company will do its part toward the realization of the pleasure resort. Continuous vaudeville will be featured at the pavilion. New Poli Manager. BRIDGEPORT, Conn., Dec. 3.— E. Culver, former city editor of the Post, of this city, has become manager of the Poli theater at Meri- dian This is the second reduction roll has made in the staff of the Post, as a year ago he acquired S. J. Breen to manage his Springfield house. LONDON LETTER BOXING ACTS INJURE ENGLISH MUSIC HALLS Introduction of Fistic Encounters on Stage Has Tendency to Drive Respectable People Away—Other London Notes. By Fred Martin. LONDON, England, Nov. 27.—The programs of many London music halls seem to be deteriorating very much of late. There is quite a re¬ vival in boxing which never has been and never will be any good to vaude¬ ville. At the South London they have a scrapping matinee each week as they do at the Surrey. Next week there will be a big sparring contest at the Euston Palace and Freddy Welch is top of the current bill at the Canter¬ bury. It seems quite like fifteen or twenty years ago, when Tom Smith and Jack Knilton in “A Grand Parlor Scene,” was a characteristic jtem of an English music hall program, but in those days most decent women and youngsters left vaudeville houses sev¬ erely alone. And it’s a certainty that they have made this branch of show business what it is. There was no grievance against boxing or its exponents but there are recognized halls for the “noble art” and its disciples all round London. Boxing acts are not only keeping many performers out of work but they are also driving the very people away who have endowed vaudeville with prosperity. Another thing that is cheapening vaudeville a great deal is the amateur competition. These affairs are being held everywhere, once it was dis¬ covered that a fine house could be ob¬ tained with very little expense attach¬ ing. There is nothing wrong with this trawling system if it is operated, say, once a year, by a reputable syn¬ dicate and the winners get a start in show business, but when it becomes a weekly event with no better object in view that to provide sport for the roughest of the rough it is time a halt was called. Often the remarks hurled at refined girls who have been fooled into entering these competi¬ tions are simply vile. The Rexos, who submitted an ex¬ hibition of their achievements in roll¬ er skating a few days ago to the Stoll people report the receipt of con¬ tracts covering the tour. Rexos in¬ forms me that they will carry their own platform and be back in London early in the new year. Messrs. Rich¬ ard Warner and company will handle their bookings. Paul Barnes, who was featured as an attraction of this week’s Coliseum program, has been kept at home by sickness. Frank and Jen Latona were brought from the Stratford Empire to deputise. It looks like an easy trip for this duo and Hill and Whit¬ taker to regular London work in the near future. George Edwards promises “The Count of Luxemburg,” as a successor to “The Dollar Princess,” at Daly’s. Frank C. Bostock seems to be do¬ ing pretty well with “The Jungle,” which is at present located at the City Hall, Manchester. There are forty cages, which makes a larger show than that offered at Earl’s Court last year. A feature is being made of the show’s sixty lions and tigers. The press department appears to be well equipped, for the show is getting some fine writeups. Next Tuesday we shall see H. B. Irving in a modern play called “The House Opposite.” It will be present¬ ed at the Queen’s theater. Brodie, “the bloodless surgeon,” was in London last Monday at the Gau- mont studios where a film of his act was taken. He is on tour again in Scotland but says he will avoid uni¬ versity towns until recent case has been re-tried. It is computed that five million dol¬ lars are invested in British rinks which employ seventeen .thousand people. Alice Eis and Bert French^are due at the Hippodrome on Monday with the Vampire dance. The Tivoli will play a similar show on the same day and in about a fortnight’s time every program will include one. So soon as Stoll began to do good business with Russian dancers everyone wanted Russian dancers, and now we have boat loads of them. Barton and Franklin, the Scotch musicians, are making a hit this week at the Holborn Empire. They appear in New York in February. The Oakes Duo were brought along to the Pavilion to deputise for Mal¬ colm Scott the other night and made quite a hit. Chung Sing Soo finished the second week of his first tour of the Gibbons halls last Saturday. He is at Coven¬ try now, but so pleased is Walter Gibbons with his act that he can have the tour again if he wants it. Chung and his wife are pleasant show folk. There is no sitting on the throne— just the old white tent greeting. Chung figures that he will die a show¬ man—and not a bad death anyway— if you are so successful as he is. Henry Ainley, Beerbohm Tree’s leading man, goes over to vaudeville at Christmas. He will do a sketch by his wife. Stoll has booked him. Rice and Prevost are at the Berlin Wintergarten. Other contributors to the same program are Horace Goldin and The Great Willard. Callahan and St. George are making their first appearance at Gibbon’s Kil- burn Empire this week. They are doing their usual act, “The Old Neighborhood.” The old man who can’t get a light is voted one of the finest pieces of character acting seen on this side. A swell artists’ club is going to be opened just off Leicester Square, next door to the Little German club. Fresno Theater Opens. FRESNO, Cal., Dec. 4.—The Fres¬ no theater, formerly the Novelty, opened here this afternoon, under the management of E. Fried. High class vaudeville, two a day, will be given. New House at Crisfield, Md. CRISFIELD, Md., Dec. 5.—Plans have been accepted for a new theater, to be built at this place. It will be built by Tawes & Gibson, and will cost $25,000. MANAGER GETS A FINE FOR AN IMMORAL SHOW. Clergymen Make Trouble for a To¬ ronto Man and the Judge Grows Severe in His Arraignment. TORONTO, Dec. 6.—F. W. Stair, manager and proprietor of the Star theater, was fined $10 and costs in police court for allowing an immoral show to be given in his theater. Colonel Denison, in commenting upon the case, said that if the actors concerned had been brought before him he would have taken care they were put where their reappearance would have been long delayed. The offence complained of took place some two weeks ago in a week¬ end performance. The act had been previously approved by the police cen¬ sors. Some clergymen heard com¬ plaints of the show later and with others dropped in to watch it, with the above result. Colonel Denison was emphatic in his warning as to penalties for future infractions. T. M. A. Election. SANDUSKY, Ohio, Dec. 6.—At a meeting recently held by Sandusky Lodge No. 66, T. M. A. elected the following officers: Chas. Bang, past president; John Leitz, president; Charles Rice, vice-president; Frank Weiland, financial secretary and treas¬ urer; George Ladd, recording sec¬ retary; N. Bloker, marsthal; Clark Dunlap, secretary; Dr. P. J. South- wick, physician, and Alfred Killian, R. Pitzer and Col. R. J. Diegle, trus¬ tees. This organization will give a dance on Christmas Eve which will no doubt be . a big affair. Note:—Mr. Jno A. Himmelein, well known theatrical manager, is spending the winter months in Sandusky, oc¬ cupying a flat in the Wildred flats.— J. J. M. Oklahoma T. M. A. Benefit. OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla., Dec. 4. —Local Lodge No. 85, T. M. A., has decided to give a benefit performance in the form of a midnight matinee on Dec. 31, at which time all vaudeville performers playing that date in Okla¬ homa City are especially invited to as¬ sist. The show will take place im¬ mediately at the fall of the curtain on “The Gingerbread Man,” aftd the affair promises to be a very fine one, as it will combine the elements of a late performance and a watch party. New T. M. A. Officers. SAN JOSE, Cal., Dec. 4.—The fol¬ lowing new officers have been in¬ stalled in the local T. M. A. lodger J. D. Downie, president; George Files, vice-president; William Anthes, treas¬ urer; Alphie von Bendeleben, secre¬ tary; James Hallett, financial secre¬ tary; George Thompson, marshal, and George Hansford, sergeant-at-arms. Mme. Zeisler Does Not Appear. LONDON, Ont., Dec. 6.—Mme. Bloomfield-Zeisler, the Chicago pian- iste, failed to appear here in concert December 2. It is said the pianiste was not satisfied with the financial ar¬ rangements made by her manager. Money was refunded to those who had purchased tickets. Cissy Loftus Quits Stage. TORONTO, Ont., Dec. 2.—Cancel¬ ing all future engagements and alleg¬ ing ill health as the cause, Cissy Lof¬ tus announced here at the American Music Hall that she would retire from the stage, probably' for good, and would join her husband, Dr. Brock¬ man, at London, Eng. She hopes to sail this week. Act Has Narrow Escape. HURON, S. D., Dec. 4.—The Two Grazers had a narrow escape from asphyxiation recently at Evylith, Minn., but suffered no serious after effects.—MURPHY.