Variety (November 1918)

mPM ' ' .' ■ '" ' '^^"'■' • " 'C'A B t 'E S ■' -'• '''WB^M^'^^^^^^^^^^ ENGLAND SUFFERS WITH PLAGUE; MAY FORCE THEATRES TO CLOSE um^ ^■ ', m. ■w tv^!,;i, r,V MMMMBMHiPiW Several English Cities Obliging Two-Hour Intermission Be- tween Performances, Stopping Twice-Nightly Shows. London Feels Effect in Decreased Receipts. Marked Increase in Influenza Cases. ■ * London, ©ct. 30. There has recentljr manifested itself a marked increase in the number of new influenza cases throughout Eng- land, which now amounts to a good- sized epidemic. Local health author- ities have taken cognizance of this serious condition and are adopting various methods for combating the. spread of the disease. In a number of important cities, in- cluding Liverpool and Portsmouth, an interval of two hours has been ordered between performances so the theatres may be fully aired and fumigated, which does away with the giving of two shows nightly—the custom in most of -the provindal music halls and a . number of legitimate houses. There is a possibility that unless the plague is immediately checked, the- atres and cinemas throughout the country will be closed until the epi- demic is under full control. This condition has had a marked de- pression on the receipts of all the London playhouses. A. A. CERTAIN TRADE UNION. , London, Oct. 30. The Actors' Association is certain to become a trade union. Among the dramatists who have joined are Sir James Barrie, W. J. Locke, Michael Morton, Louis N. Par- ker, Harold Terry, Somerset Maug- IfSm, Horace Annesly Vachell, Temple Thurston. * The Assocfation will endeavor to secure payment for rehearsals, ade- qua^salary for the chorus people and a surhdard contract. WAR MAP AT THEATRE. London, Oct. 30. During the performances at the Comedy and Vaudeville theatres, Andre Chfirlot is throwing a war map on cloth to the audiences, showing the latest movements of the enemy. The spectators are entranced. "PIFF PAFF" OPENS. Paris, Oct. 30. Th'e Capucines opened Oct. 29 with a revue, "Piflf PaflE," by PeGorsse and Michel Carre. Pari* May Have "Going Up." London, Oct. 30. Sir Alfred Butt is negotiating to open his new Palace, Paris,^located in the Rue Mogador, with a French adaptation of "Going Up.", Ayneiworth in "Tails Up." London, Oct. 30. Allan Aynesworth, celebrated as a legitimate actor, will shortly assume the role in "Tails Up" at the Comedy made vacant by the death of Arthur Playfair. Deri* Keane Out of Cast. London, Oct. 30. Doris Keane is absent from the cast of "'Roxana" at the Lyric and is be- ing temporarily replaced by Mona Mancan, knp.\yn. .jn^,.th.e. yaricti.es. as.. itoiis^: ^lagnef. MILITARY AVIATION FARCE. . Paris, Oct. 30. Cora LaParcerie produced at the Renaissance Oct. 26 a military aviation farce, "Chouquette et son," by Henne- quin, Guillemaud and DeGorsse. It was fairly well received. Gaston Dubosc is very amusing. COCHRAN'S FRENCH CO. London, Oct. 30. Charles B. Cochran is organizing a French company to present ten opera bouffes in London, the works includ- ing Offenbach, Planquette and Audran. He proposes presenting Sacha Guitry in the repertory while Seymour Hicks appears in Guitry's Theatre in Paris. WAR BONDS FOR TICKETS. London, Oct. 30. The War Savings Matinee at the Victoria Palace Oct. 26 was organized by Jack Hayman. War bonds sold acted as admission tickets. Large sales were realized. One purchaser bought $125,000 in bonds to secure a box. WIZARD'S COMPETITION. London, Oct. 30. Walter Ceretta Jeans, a member of the Magic Circle, is offering a diamond star, valued at $5,000, for a competi- tion for wizards to appear at Mas- kelyne's St. George's Hall. HARRY THORNTON DEAD. London, Oct. 30. Harry Thornton, of Thornton and Delilah, is dead of influenza, aged 35. Thornton once won a $1,000 prize for playing the piano continuously for 22 hours. TOM STUART RECOVERINa London, Oct. 30. Tom Stuart, although reported dead of pneumonia, is improving. RENE ROME DIES. London, Oct. 30. Rene Rome, entertainer, wife of Fred. Rome, the author-comedian, is dead. GUITRY'S REVUE. Paris, Oct. 30. Sacha Guitry produces tonight (Oct. 30) at the Theatre Vaudeville a revue with Jane Pierly. COURT REOPENED. London, Oct. 30. The Court reopened Oct. 29 with a revival of "Twelfth Night," with Leah Bateman as Viola, Mary Grey as Olivia and Herbert Waring as Malvolio. English Rights to "Blue Bird" Sequel. London, Oct. 30. Laurillard & Grossmith have secured the English rights to Maeterlinck's "Les Fiancailles," the sequel to "The Blue Bird." "Officers' Mess"^' at St. Martin's. London, Oct. 30. Andre Chariot's production of "The Officers' Mess" replaces "The Live Wire" at St Martin's. Maflge Lessing in the Halls. Madge Lessing is appearing in the varieties. Anna Peters, formerly. in musical comedy, is now treasurer of Loew's Seventh Avenue Theatre. CAMPS'BIGGEST BENEFIT. 'Whit reads like'the.HggestlbM^^^ in point of "names" given at a camp was presented last Sunday afternoon (Oct. 27) at Fort Totten, L. L In the order of appearance (24 turns) were Brown Brothers, De Wolf Hopper, Miss May, W. C. Fields and "Shorty," Miss'Bridwell, Irene Frank- lin and Burt Green, Ann Pennington, Manlynn Miller, Frank Carter, Nora Bayes, Lew Cooper, Houdini, Col. Lil- lian Russell, Sailor William J. Reilly, Barney Bernard, Irene Bordoni, T. Roy Barnes, Bert Levy, Eddie Cantor, Leo Carrillo, Lillian Bradley) Will Rogers, Mr. Hickman, Blutch. John L. Golden and Ned Wayburn arranged the show for the soldiers. De Wolf Hopper and James J. Corbett' were the announcers. Silvo Hein, Leon Flato, Dorothy Russell and Claire McKowcn (Mrs. James B. Mc- Kowen) were the accompanists. An audience of 5,000 were in front of the stage on the parad^ ground. Jhe show was. given in the open. Civ-, ilians were required to pay a slight fee for a camp fund. Men in uniform had free admission. A singular point in connection with the benefit that while the performance held many noteworthy stars of the profession on the billing, each and every one appeared. The turns ran from three to five minutes and the artists held strictly to the schedule asked of them. Miss Russell appeared in the uni- form of a sergeant of Marines. She explained that while called Colonel, Sergeant had had been the rank con- ferred upon her. Houdini, when show- ing a soldier how to escape from a German pair of handcuffs, was met by the reply from the uniformed lad: "I don't think we will ever have to try." Messrs. Hopper and Corbett "framed" an angry discussion at the commence- ment as to which one should be an- nouncer, ending when Hopper with threatening mien doubled up his fists, whereupon Corbett retired in haste. The performance concluded just about as dusk arrived. (The "Shorty" appearing with W. C. Fields is a youth well known to the "Follies" people, "Shorty" invariably accompanying Fields around and about.) STRIKING FEEDERS BACK. The striking press feeders returned to work in the printing plants of New York Tuesday morning, finally obey- ing the order of the War Labor Board, which directed that they do so. They returned, however, only after a meet- ing of the Board in New York Monday, presided over by former President William H. Taft. The feeders are receiving their for- mer weekly wage, subject t& the ad- justment of the amount, $24, by the War Board. The Board at the same time will readjust the wages of all unions in the printing plants, a pro- posal made by the Printers' League of New York when the feeders first walked out. Up to Thursday morning last week the union pressmen worked with non- union feeders, not being in sympathy with the feeders' demands, inasmuch as the feeders walked out despite a contract between them and the print- ers not expiring until February next. The agreement provided for the arbi- tration of any differences, but the feeders ignored all of its provisions. After Wednesday (Oct. 23) the press- men, in meeting, decided they should not work with non-union feeders, leav- ing'the press "rooms'bare, atid"^ after Wednesday in the latter part of the week that printing came to a dead stop in the New York plants. Several of the weeklies abandoned their last week's issue, combining it with the current week. IN LONDON. ' :, v; ,,„.,.,. ..,.,-:,;;;;■ ;.•,^,„v■;;.. .„.., vXondon,' Qct.: 4^: * -;.i-..fc^; "Twelfth Night," to be revived by J. Bernard Fagan at the Court The- ' atre, Oct. 29, will have a new Viola, Leah Bateman, "a granddaughter of Mrs. Crowe, consequently a member of one of the great theatrical families. Gilbert Porteus is arranging for a~ W|st End season, whefi he proposes to present Sardou's "La Tosca," with his wife, Ethel Irving, in the name ^nrt. This catM^t take place until after the run of "The Chinese Puz- zle," in which Miss Irving plays the lead. - Terry's Theatre, for the last eight- years a cinema house, will at Christ- mas revert to its former status. Al- bert de ^Courville has secured it to present light plays and musical pieces. It wa« at this theatre the late Edward Terry made a fortune of $250,000 with "Sweet Lavender." George Robey has set himself to the task of collecting $100,000 at a concert at the Coliseum on Nov. 3 in aid of J: Havielock Wilson's Endowment Fund for Aged and Convelescent Merchant Seamen.- • Under the patronage of King and Queen a matinee, organized by Harry Tate, will be given at the London Hip- podrome Nov. 7, in aid of the Prison- "" ers of War Tanks Fund. B. J. Dale, the composer and pro- •- fessor at the Royal Academy of Music, who was on a holiday in Germany when war broke out, has been repatri- ated. Ernest Rolls is rehearsing for Lon- don production a new musical comedy, "Laughing Eyes," by Whorton David, with music by Herman Darewski. Ivy Shilling and Dorothy Brunton, talented Australian artists, are pre- - senting evory Anzac visiting "Shang- hai," at Drury Lane, with autographed photographs of themselves. Grossmith and Laurillard are look- ■ ing for a theatre to produce the great spy play, 'The Man with the Club • Foot.'' . COPY CHARGE UPHELD. Daniel Makerenko has filed a com- plaint with the N. V. A. alleging that C. H. Kola, a dancer, and I. M. Hoyt have taken copies of the music, cos- tumes, scenery and special effects from his act, "A Dream of the Orient," which he produced earlier in the sea- son in connection with Hoyt, who is now playing the act under the title of "A Bachelor's Romance." Hoyt and Kola were summoned to the club rooms for. explanations. It was ruled the act entitled "A Bachelor's Romance" would be compelled to secure new settings, music and effects, as it was an infringement on the rights of Makerenko. $50,000 FOR MUSIC The War Department, upon a re- quest' from General Pershing, has ap- pointed a committee to purchase $50,- OOO worth of the latest popular music, to be sent to France for the soldiers there. The music will include a large num- ber of orchestrations of each song, also whatever else the committee may decide is necessary to go along with it, - Sergt? Irving Eerlin has been - ap^~ pointed on the committee and trans- ferred from Camp Upton to New York to serve upon it. Cedar Rapids, which was scheduled to open Oct. 30, will open Nov. 3.