Show World (December 1910)

December 17, 1910. THE SHOW WORLD 19 PRINCIPAL INSURGENT IN VAUDEVILLE William Morris’ “Twenty-Two Act Policy” Another Tricky Play by the Man Who Will Not Down—Big Bills the Rule Throughout the Country William Morris, one of the most in¬ teresting men in vaudeville, has recently introduced an inovation in the way of "twenty-two" act vaudeville bills, which have been received with such favor by the theatergoers that the idea is being copied widely by managers in the middle _.Stan will si7.A of their west,"who w'ill increase the size of their bills during the holiday times at least. Morris is the sensation of vaudeville history. Working against odds which would have been enough to discourage ten ordinary men, he has been licked a dozen times but always unwilling to admit defeat, has bobbed up again with something new and something sufficient¬ ly clever to worry the opposition. William Morris’ name has a magic nower in .the vaudeville world. The name has bifen identified with opposition for so long that it is taken to mean in- dependence There have been many rumors of com¬ binations to buy out Mr. Morris in the last year. Many of them are believed to have been founded on fact. On sev¬ eral occasions it has looked as if Mr. Morris would acept the amounts ten¬ dered him and retire from the field, but so far he has stood his ground. Mf. Morris’ fertile t“‘- *- - prise of modern ! ’ latest innovation, tl number of acts, came at a nme wneu new ideas were needed to keep his houses on a paying basis and his re¬ sourcefulness has caused a great deal of comment lately. e playing of a large William Morris seems to be favorably impressed with what is known as the ’’twenty-two-act” policy, and it is said that the same policy will be extended to two more theaters on his circuit on December 26, making five theaters play¬ ing the big shows. The Plaza in New York will make the change sure and it is likely that the Princess in St. Louis will follow suit. Dan Fisher, manager of the St. Louis house, was in New York recently in conference with Morris. This will be the third change of policy for the Plaza. The “Twenty-two-act” shows are now playing the American in New York, the American in Chicago and the Orpheum in Cincinnati. The long bills at the American Music Hall in Chicago give many acts a chance to be seen at the best of the Morris houses. Of the nineteen acts playing there this week eleven have been seen in the outlying vaudeville houses of Chi¬ cago which causes the managers of the family theaters to feel their importance. Of the long show there was only one or two acts which J. C. Matthews had not seen before and Norman Frieden- wald, who sat by Mr. Matthews at the Monday matinee, is representative for eight or ten of the acts seen at that house this week. The big show idea has caught such favor with E. P. Churchill, who owns the Temple theater in Grand Rapids, Mich., that the policy will be continued for four weeks at least. Walter F. Keefe, prominent In the Theater Book¬ ing Corporation, which provides the at¬ traction for the house, states that busi¬ ness was big early in the week and that Mr. Churchill was more than pleased. big anniversary week biee TOR THE AMERICAN, DAVENPORT going t< tttto.. _„ mmmm on an “Anniversary Week” bill starting December 26 and will play eleven acts with two shows a day. After a single week of the long shows he will return *o his five-act policy. The American, which seats 1,000, opened December 20 of last year and has done a big business. Berkell has no opposition and is de¬ termined to have more picture opposi¬ tion at least so he is remodeling a pic¬ ture theater at an expense of $4,000 and Will open it January 1 with his son-in-law, Johnny Filiber, as manager. I have always booked through William Morris, ’ remarked Berkell the other day, ,?" a a , w years ago I was for a time onl X. house on Arthur Fabisch’s Five years with one agency is a Pretty good record."