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6 THE SHOW WORLD December 11, 1909 DOYLE’S FATE RESTS WITH LABOR LEADERS. Grievance Committee of Chicago Fed¬ eration Turns Agency Matter Over to Executive Board for Final Investigation. According to the report of the griev¬ ance committee of the Chicago Feder¬ ation of Labor, which took the case of the Actors’ Union against Frank Q. Doyle, the Chicago booking agent, under consideration and his failure to come to a satisfactory agreement with it, the matter is now in the hands of the executive board and final action will be taken within a few days. In case the board cannot secure an amic¬ able understanding, Doyle’s houses will be marked unfair and every union affiliated with the Chicago Federation ■of Labor will be instructed to act ac¬ cordingly. The Actors’ Union claims that Doyle continues to stand pat by his declaration to pay what salaries to artists he saw fit. To some artists it is claimed he pays the union scale and more but others he does not. The union wants him to give all artists with whom he contracts $25 (single) and $50 (double) for the week. Good Bill at the Wilson. The bill tor the latter part of this week at the Wilson Avenue theater is a popular one with the patrons of that house. The program has several features of unusual merit, among which mav be mentioned: Wells and Wells, comedy acrobats, who offer ■some diverting feats; Barry and John¬ son who present a burlesque on melo- -drama called “Held for Ransom,” which is not as funny as it might be owing to the strained efforts of Barry; George Yeoman, German monologist, whose fun-making is not always as delicate as it might be; Thomas J. ■Quigley, who sings illustrated songs and has a good tenor voice, which he knows how to use; Fernandez-May ■duo, who offer a novelty musical act which is really novel and has many .good features, and J. W. Winton, the Australian ventriloquist, who is clever in his line and offers a very enter¬ taining act. Mr. Winton has two dum¬ mies and a dog and one of his feats is to shut one of the dummies in a trunk, and then proceed to make it talk in muffied tones. This is one of his best “stunts,” and brings him much enthusiastic applause. The show closes with Edison films, showing the ■drill of school children at Newark, N. J., a special film that has attracted wide attention, and “Then and Now,” a silent drama contrasting the Thanks¬ giving of the Puritans with the pres¬ ent. The theater has been doing great business, and J. E. Marshall, the treas¬ urer of the house, has been keot busy taking care of the big crowds that besiege the box office at each show.— BUCK. Give Special Performance. SPOKANE, Wash., Dec. 3.— A special performance was given at the Orpheum for the shriners, night of the 2nd, after the regular evening performance and packed the house. Alice Lloyd headlined the bill. Her songs were enjoyed immensely, and when she sang her song “Never in¬ troduce Your Bloke,” all joined in the •chorus.—SMITH. Victoria Wants Theater. VICTORIA, B. C., Dec. 5.—The Board of Trade members have sub¬ scribed nearly $40,000 toward the building of a theater for this city, and it is believed that $100,000 will soon be in the fund. A site has not yet been selected. Critic Is Punished. LONDON, Dec. 3.—Colles, critic of the Times,, had his ears boxed in the lobby of Queen’s Hall, during a per¬ formance, by an irate vocalist, R. Kennerly Rumford, who resented •Colles’ printed opinion of the singing •of Clara Butt, Rumford’s wife. THEATRICAL MANAGER THREATENS QUEER SUIT Police Interference with|Yiddish Opera Company May Bring About Big Lawsuit TOPEKA, Kan., Dec. 6.—As a re¬ sult of police interference with a Yiddish opera which was to have shown at the Grand last night, it is probable the City of Topeka will be¬ come a defendant in a damage suit brought by B. DeVault, manager of the DeVault Grand Opera company. Before leaving here early today, De- Vault announced that he intended if possible to make the municipality pay for the loss done him by their refusal to allow him to play, because of the Sunday-closing law. The play was to have been staged entirely by Jews, and for people of their own nationality, although other religious sects were not to be barred from attendance. Police Chief R. W. Eaton stopped the production after it had been the privilege of Mayor Will¬ iam Green to grant a permit to show here, the executive holding that un¬ der the municipal ordinances persons observing Saturday as the Sabbath were exempt from the legislation. An invasion of the dressing rooms at an inopportune time will be a fur¬ ther cause for action, the leading woman, Madame Bertha DeWolf, also Miss Annette Devine, a member of the cast, having suffered humiliation therefrom. The police department head took the stand that under the Topeka or¬ dinances if the first day of the week is not observed as Sabbath, and one wishes to take advantage of the labor laws, they must observe the seventh day (Saturday); else they are liable. This DeVault says has always been done by his company, but the police doubted his word, hence the perform¬ ance was stopped, and action against the municipality is probable. A personal investigation was insti¬ tuted by the writer and other inter¬ ested parties, and the consensus re¬ sulting was that DeVault has reason¬ able cause for action. The general feeling of the Jewish nationality here is against the police chief’s move¬ ments, and will work to thwart his political aspirations.—WAGNER. BLUE LAWS TO CLOSE ALL SUNDAY THEATERS Connecticut Town Stirred by Threat That All Sunday Shows Will Be Eliminated This Coming Year HARTFORD, Conn., Dec. 5.—Lo¬ cal theatrical circles were stirred of late as they have not been in many years by the receipt of the letter quoted herein. Prosecuting Attorney Dickenson said when interviewed that complaint had been registered with him some time ago by the ministers in Hart¬ ford. . It is understood that the managers of the various theaters conferred about the matter but what decision or understanding they reached is not known. Between 6,000 and 10,0000 people patronize the moving picture shows in this city and the larger number of these frequent the popular Sunday night concerts. As a class, that is, generally speaking, they are people whose Sabbaths falls on another day of the week, or those who would not attend on a week night. They belong to that large class of Americans and cosmopolitans who believe in the lib¬ eral Sunday, but who would be at a loss for some place to go and pass a few quiet hours on Sunday by watch¬ ing these picture shows and listening to the songs. It is urged by those who patronize the moving picture Sunday night shows that the bills are absolutely clean and entirely free from any sug¬ gestion of evil. Naturally, the indica¬ tion that the prosecutor intends to put the blue laws in operation has caused consternation among these people as well as in the camp of the theater managers themselves. All the local theaters give Sunday night shows at present and the busi¬ ness at all houses is large. Below is a copy of the letter received by the theater managers: “Hartford, Conn., Nov. 18, 1909. “- Theater, “Hartford, Conn. “Gentlemen: — Complaint has been made to me of the fact that you keep open a place of amusement and sell tickets of admission thereto on Sun¬ day. “The supreme court of this state has held this to be a violation of the Sun¬ day laws and the General Assembly of 1909 has left this law unchanged. I must, therefore, inform you that I shall be obliged to prosecute all vio¬ lations subsequent to January 1, 1910. “In this connection I feel it my duty to call your attention to the fact that a conviction under this statute oper¬ ates to revoke your license to carry on a place of amusement. “I trust, however, that I shall not have to proceed to that length. “Respectfully yours, “EDWIN C. DICKINSON, “Prosecuting Attorney.” Eugene Willard .in Town. Eugene Willard, one of the best known yodlers in the country, arrived in Chicago last week, after successful work upon various lyceum circuits and more recently on the Goudron time. He is not only a yodler but a mono¬ logist and singer of some repute. He is dickering for W. V. M. A. time at present. Mr. Willard was held up nine hours by a wreck on th'e Wisconsin Central at Stevens Point while en route to this city, also, he attempted to leave Min¬ neapolis and was held up by the switchmen’s strike, which began an hour before his train was scheduled to leave, and was delayed in the yards for three hours. Theater Deal at Spokane. SPOKANE, Wash., Dec. 7.—The Washington theater owned by The Washington Columbia Theater com¬ pany, has taken over The Washington theater building and business. Prac¬ tically the same stockholders are in both companies. The new organiza¬ tion is to be incorporated by F. C. Robertson. The meeting of the stock¬ holders, was attended by George Turner. Aaron Kuhn, Mose Oppen- heimer, Jacob Goetz, Harry Rosen- haupt, Dan L. Weaver and others, and formal action was taken making the transfer.—SMITH. Renold Wolf’s Latest. Renold Wolf, who writes many bright things for the New York Morning Tele¬ graph in a recent issue had the follow¬ ing: Famous sayings of the great— Ethel Barrymore—“I love my art, but, oh, you kid!” THEATRICAL MECHANICS TO HAVE CLUB ROOMS. Newly Organized Association in • Rockford Planning to Have a Comfortable Lounging Place. ROCKFORD, Ill., Dec., 6.-The ’ Theatrical Mechanics Association, one of the largest of its kind in, the United States, has opened a charter in Rockford and is making plans for club rooms in some of the apartments formerly used by the Brown Tea Pot. The Rockford chapter has now thirty- two names on its list and others are coming in. In order to be eligible for membership one must have-had three years’ experience altogether,.fin at least two play houses. Each year a benefit show is staged by the mem¬ bers for their local chapter, and local vaudeville lovers may expect some fine bills at that event. News From Jacksonville. W JACKSONVILLE, Ill., Dec. ! 6.- Outside of the picture shows the theatrical business is extremely; dull here and has been all season long. About one attraction a week is the capacity of the Grand’s offering. The management is running pictures the balance of the time. Rentfrow’s “Jolly Pathfinders” did an enormous business Thanksgiving week. “Marcelle,’|with Louise Gunning and Jess Dandy, did only fair business Nov. 29, probably through lack of proper advertising as the show and stars are not well known here. The Bijou, Gaiety and Majestic continue to please capacity business with pictures and songs. The former* house runs one double vaudeville ^ It is unofficially announced that the Grand opera house building has been sold by the Independence, Iowa, Realty company to one Mr. Kane of Denver. The details are very meager as the transfer has not yet been recorded. It is understood that the sale will not conflict with Manager Anderson’s lease, however. H. C. Benson after closing with the Sells- Floto band spent a few days in this city and is now in Chicago looking over several offers. Theo. Stout Jr. is visiting his parents here after closing a successful season with the Norris and Rowe shows.—HOWARD. H Robbins Goes South. B. W. Robbins, head and front of the American Posting Service, against which the billposters are striking, will go south it is said to remain for some time in the sunny climate of Florida. The billposters are still at outs with this company, and the matter will be taken up later by the local union. Rob¬ bins has a few non-union men at wont for him, but very little posting is be¬ ing done, and this is all along com¬ mercial lines. Conditions at Keokuk. KEOKUK, Iowa, Dec. 8.—A packed, house greeted “The Soul Kiss” Dec. 3’ and the general opinion of the the¬ ater-goers was that it was disappoint-; ing. — Hickman and Gray, managers- of the Bon Ton theater, are furnish-, ing their patrons with splendid pro¬ grams and business has been good.— At Dodge’s theater, C. S. Abell, the manager, reports a fine business*! The Colonial, a brand new house which will be devoted to pictures and; vaudeville under Frank Sansom’s man¬ agement, will open about Jan. 1.—The Innesfallen company, which pla^H the Grand last week, was disappoint¬ ing, the company being at a disadvan¬ tage owing to the absence of three members, who left the show at Fort Madison without giving any notiee.rf> Guy Hickman is visiting relatives here. —MARTIN. Switches Service. CLINTON, la., Dec. 6.—B. Sodini, manager of the Family theater here has quit the Patents company ser¬ vice and signed with the Independ¬ ents.—FERGIE.