Variety (November 1918)

^^^?»<??«SS)?«^5^?||f^f^^ VARIETY ■!'■!(' r ii Tnd* UMk BtHMNd PubllahMl WMkly by YABHTT. be. nam ■«■«» W«w Ttrh SUBICBIPnON Annual |S P«Ml|n |6 Sln^A CoplM, U mdU ValLIL Nail With the epidemic passing away and theatres reopening after their abnpr* mally enforced closing period, will not the theatre owners and managers give more thought to this matter with its causes than they apparently gave while the houses were being shut? The theatre is first rushed to when there is a calamity that causes sorrow and privation. The theatre always lends itself in those matters, for it is the medium of public contribution to emergency funds. But just why the theatre should be selected as an inno- cent victim when it is not needed otherwise, as in the case of this epi- demic, is a serious question. The the- atrical mana{[ers should solve it now, to guard against the future. Til* record of the epidemic has brought out so many contrary phases in conditions, geographical locations, matters of physical health and ventila- tion, that there remains no one con- crete reason why the theatre should have ever been closed as a safeguard against the spread of influenza. That New York, the most populous and with the most theatres of any city, did not order itself closed, through the sanity of Health Commissioner Copeland, leaves what should be ac- cepted as a conclusive argument against the closing of the theatres elsewhere, excepting perhaps in those municipalities where every place, but food and drug stores, were ordered closed. Any health officer anywhere who ordered the theatres closed and left the department stores open would have to prepare a remarkable expla- nation to satisfactorily back up this arbitrary and biased exercise of. in- vested authority. If infienza spread its contagion in mixed gatherings where could they be found more mixed (other than in transportation cars) than in department stores? The theatre is not congested. Com- missioner - Copeland guarded against that from the first as one of the earl- iest of his most sensible recommenda- tions to prevent an unnecessary spread of the disease in Greater New York. No standees were allowed to crowd one another in the metropolitan the- atres. All theatres have seats with so much space allowed to each. There is another specified space .between rows. Each floor is graded as to price, draw- ing approximateljr the same class of people to respective locations. The theatre and picture men supinely submitted to the closure order wher- ever issued . They did so under the belief the public health might be en- dangered. They did not wish to go against public policy. But it's not pub- lic policy when gross discrimination is Msily. seen, where .the most dangerous spots are overlooked, to attack the theatre, the centre always of the lime- light. One followed the other, health officers doing what they may have be- lieved to be right, if political influence were not directing them, but always somehow (and with the papers also overlooking) not seeing the places where any closing action should have been first aimed at. If this is not a mutter thLt deeply concerns the theatre, its managers, players and staffs, in dollars and cents, then there is no occasion to worry over the next time. But it does. Every- one in the show and- picture business has felt it. Unless something is done the theatre will again be the mark at the very first fear in the future of any similar thing. The managers might well prepare themselves now with sta- tistics of this epidemic, gathering proof that the theatres remaining open spread no .contagion, did not pass the disease around, since in those cities (and there were two large ones, New York and St. Paul, besides which Chi- cago did not want to close—the state ordering it) that did not issue closing orders the' epidemic abated in less time on the average than in those cities which closed the theatres. The •tatistics as gathered might be given to every theatrical press de- partment if no organized effort among theatricals is made to set the facts before the public. The press depart- ments, or an organization, could make it a point to see the daily newspapers throughout the country were made ac- quainted with and published the sta- tistics^ also the theatre man's argu- ment against ever closing the theatre, since the Government did not deem that necessary during the war. Nearly everjrthing of late that has cropped up seriously affecting the the- atre, and more particularly the revenue tax and epidemic, has been the strong- est sort of a reason why the theatre should be nationally organized, per- haps internationally now, with Amer- ica in league wiih her allies of the world. The managers alone are not solely concerned in these things. The players are mightily interested. There- fore, everyone who has aught to do vrith a theatre should believe that a thorough co-operative organization of show interests should be maintained in some way to combat oppressive meas- ures by local, state or national offic- cials. The longer it is delayed the more and bigger change of the oppres- sion again happening and becoming more oppressive. The theatrical and picture business would be a tower of strength morally, financially or polit- ically, if together. Now, alone, divided and subdivided, they or either of them appear to mean nothing as a preven- tative or influentially, excepting in their own sphere. And naturally their own sphere is a little one as compared to what the whol« might and would be. Root and White have vaudeville partnership. dissolved EHott Foreman has returned to the box office of the 44th Street Theatre. The Friar* will hold an all-star frolic for the benefit of the Allied War Charities at the Metropolitan, Nov. 17. Mike Barnes, the Chicago fair book- er, is here securing material for next season. . Stanley Ford and Paul Burns have withdrawn from the Nora Bayes show, "Ladies First." Ada Schwartz was granted a divorce from Joe Mills (Mills and Lockwood) at Cleveland, 0. Frank G. Howe, at one time stage manager at Miner's, is now stock man- ager of the HirlfertlOpwa Hotise: '"" Fred H. Brandt has severed his con- nection with the Shea-Brandt booking office, Cleveland. M. Shea will conduct the business alone. - Frank Tannehill and Felix Adler are writing a musical play, designed for eight principals and a chorus of 12, the show to be-ready in February; Herman Groth, brother of Emil Groth, manager of B. S. Moss' Regent, has been appointed manager of Moss' Hamilton. George Roberta is putting a company together to play "Bottled Babies,'^ a southern route being laid out, starting about Thanksgiving. S. H. Dudley, with Dave Marion's show last season, is playing vaudeville dates when not looking after his two picture houses in Washington. - All eCfortt to find the will of the late Hollis E. Cooley have failed so far. Unless one is found his estate will go to the State of New York. George V. Hobart't new play, "Dough- boys," will shortly go into rehearsal. William Harris, Jr., will produce it in New York before Christmas. Maude Powell, the violiniste, starts a second tour of the camp theatres next Monday, her first date being Camp Custer. O. C .Van Zandt, formerly of Chi- cago, has taken up his residence in New York, and is in charge of the John Ringling office in the Palace building. The Mune Musical Festival, to have been held at Portland, Me., was post- poned through the epidemic and will take place in the same city, week Nov. 18. Richard Walton Tully has departed for his annual vacation on the coast. The author-producer has a ranch in California. He is a graduate of the U. of Cal. Although the Globe dramatic critic- isms are unsigned, Karl van Viechten, former critic of the New York Press, is reported writing them for the present. Sunday concerts at the Grand opera house, Brooklyn, are now being booked out of the Plimmer office. Ely Sobel is supplying the six-act bill. The house plays stock during the week. The Third Avenue Theatre is dark. Bad business closed it. First, the pop time, dramatic stock, then musical tabs. Martin Dixon figured he could save money by closing the house. The Danish Consulate has been asked to try and locate Henry Paulo, a Dan- ish artist, whosp original Danish name is Henry Lavrentius Hansen, born in Copenhagen, in 1888. Joe Howard (Howard and Clark) re- turned to New York the latter part of last week. He explained the report of his death in Cleveland gained credence through a Josephine Howard dying. The Strand, New York, is being temporarily managed by Max Spiegel, one of the owners. A permanent .suc- cessor to the late Harold Edel will be chosen within the next fortnight. The No. 1 "Hitchy-Koo" being sent out by E. Ray Goetz will start Nov. 18 in Stamford, Conn. In the cast are Frank Shea, Sam Collins, Carrie Rey- nolds, Jack Pierce, George Sullivan and Eva Martin. Harrison Hunter, Englishman, vvho XTtatefV the fble'of the Gcrmari spyin "Allegiance," will be seen as another Hun plotter in "By Pigeon Post," open- ing next week. He says this German is more so than the other. Sam Bernard believes—and says he is going to back his judgment by doing it—that he can take "Friendly Enemies" to London as soon as the war is over and-make England like it a^inuch » New York Bob Baker, a vaudeville agent was reported to have been $10,000 ahead on the races, according to gossip around the Putnam building. As Baker tells it, he was really "cleaned" by the "ponies." . . . Al. Spink is managing the Comstock & Elliott show, "Oh, Boy," with Wil- liam L. Wilken in advance. The show has Anna Whcaton, and has not lost a week since starting early in the season. It played the subway circuit during the epidemic. George C. Tyler has ih preparation a new play written by Louise Carter, a former stock actress. It was originally written for Isabel Lowe. William H.° Gilmore, general stage director for A. H. Woods, is understood to be in- terested in the production. Ciccolini, the Italian tenor, late of vaudeville, who was engaged for the preliminary tour of the Chicago Opera. Co., has been re-engaged by that or^ ganization-for the regtilar season and: opens in Chicago as principal tenor in "La Traviata," opposite Galli-Curci. Arthur LeMarr has succeeded James Whittendale as advance agent for the May Robson show, the latter to handle the advance for the new Rose Stahl show by E. E. Rose, which opens about Thanksgiving. The Stahl show is yet to be titled. The father of Johnny Dooley, who has followed the sea for 32 years, was an officer aboard the tanker "Somer> set," which sailed from here Aug. 4 and is reported four weeks' overdue. He was aboard three ships which were torpedoed, but managed to reach port With Edward Favor replacing C Chuck Reisner and Katherine Vander" grifle assuming the Josephine Adams role, the Mayer & Seeskin show, "The Queen of the Movies" (featuring Flor-r ence Holbrook) resumes its road tour Nov. 12 in Lebanon, Pa. "Blossom Time," a musical farce, ia- a new attraction due around the holi- days. The book" and lyrics are by Frank E. Bailey, while the music is by Josef Polzi. The piece will be put on by a new producing firm formed by George Kinnear and Joseph Welch. Muaieians qualified to act as band- masters in the army are requested to apply 'for information as to the re- quirements for enlistment to the principal U. S. Army Music Training School, Governors Island, New York. Musicians who jiass the required tests will be commissioned lieutenants. The I. A. T. S. E. is making inquiry to ascertain the whereabouts of Ed- ward L. Paradise, who, last June, stabbed Lieutenant Kendall, of the U. S. Army, the assailant escaping at the time and still at large since last heard from. Paradise at time of joining the Army was a member of the Alliance. Jimmy Britt, former lightweight cliampion, is about to burst mto print as author of a book detailing his ex- perience in the ring and out of it. It is said Jimmy's purpose is to show that, although he was a prizefighter he would have been just as successful as a lawyer or a physician. Several cast changes have been made iTr^'"Aff^Ideal HKisbaiii},"- d«8^ to tJre- death of Julian L'Estrange and the withdrawal because of that of Con- stance Collier, .his widow. Norman Trevor has taken the L'Estrange role, with Wilton Lackaye now in Trevor's part. Julia Arthur succeeded Miss Collier.