Variety (December 1918)

VAUDEVILLE - ... LOEW CIRCUIT TAKES ON FOUR MORE HOUSE S; OTHE RS TO COME? Pittsburgh, Kansas City and St. Louis Added to Chain— Detroit Also Reported Annexed, Cbmplexing Miles Loew—Miles Booking Union—Jones, Linick & Schaefer of Chicago Interested. Detroit, Nov. 27. It is reported locally Marcus Loew has leased or will lease the Detroit Opera House on the campus,, from E. D. Stair, taking possession Jan. 5, when the Loew vaudeville policy will hold sway there. The house is now playing the Shu- bert attractions, with the new Detroit Opera House playing the opposition $2 shows. Within the past week the Loew Cir- . cuit has added Kansas City, St. Louis and Pittsburgh to its booking sheets. In Pittsburgh the Lyceum, formerly a Stair & Havlin combination house, will commence playing Loew vaude- ville for a full week Dec. 16. In Kan- sas City the Garden and Empress will be among the Loew bookings of the future, also the Gar rick, St. Louis, all full-week stands, booked from the New York Loew office in conjunction with its-other southern and western time. - Jones, Linick & Schaeffcr, of Chicago, who operate McVicker's and the Rialto vaudeville theatres (Loew- booked) there, are interested with Marcus Loew in the Pittsburgh, Kan- sas City and St. Louis theatres. The Garden, Kansas City, was the Churchill opposition vaudeville house built there some years ago. The Empress played Sullivan-Considine vaudeville. In St. Louis the Garrick formerly housed the $2 combinations. While the wired report from Detroit carries no authenticity and no con- firmation could'be secured in New York, it will find current belief through the existing booking relations between C. H. Miles and the Loew people. When Loew dispossessed Alexander Pantages from further joint booking relations, Miles remained in the Loew booking headquarters with his two theatres, in Cleveland (Miles) and Detroit (Orpheum). Shortly after Miles announced a discontinuance of vaudeville at Cleveland, for a picture policy, then announced a resumption of vaudeville there, to almost imme- diately countermand the latter, con- tinuing the picture show, explaining the move, it is reported, by previously contracted pictures that could not be canceled. This indecision, together with the customary booking vacilation that the Loew Circuit is unaccustomed to in the placing of its own bills, is said to irritate the Loew booking head- - quarters as much as the Pantages man- ner of doing business had done up to the time Loew separated from Pan. ^^Accordingly the pop/vaudeville men "say they are not adverse to thinking that Loew, besides locating direct in Detroit, will probably also add Cleve- land to his list, with Miles withdrawing from the Loew agency. . It has been rumored often of late Marcus Loew is in negotiation for some southern cities he has not yet invaded.. At present, in the south, Loew is booking Atlanta, New Orleans, "Birmingham" and Memphis. These, with the additions and Chicago, Mil- waukee, Toronto, Montreal and Ham- ilton (Can.), will compose the south- ern and western route of the Loew time, with the New England and eastern large numbers of split-week. Loew houses also included on its regular list. MAIL DISTRIBUTION. The Vaudeville Managers' Protective Association has forwarded a notifica- tion to the'theatres on its membership list drawing attention to the possible mail congestion at the theatres through the recent closing period. The notice suggests that the theatres unable to locate the addressees of the letters held by it return the mail to the New York quarters of the V. M. P. A., when a further effort will be made. Theatrical mail is often a trying problem with theatres, more so in vaudeville than in the other fields. Many vaudeville houses send their un- delivered mail -addressed to artists to Variety. If VARiETr's mail department cannot locate the people it is ad- dressed to, the mail is advertised in the paper for three weeks, and if not called for in that time is returned to the sender (if the name of the sender ap- pears upon the envelope), or else held for another three weeks (without be- ing advertised), after which it is re- turned to the Dead Letter Office. All professional readers should scan the letter list published in each issue. The letters are listed in alphabetical order. PROMOTING COLORED THEATRE. New York needs a high grade the- atre exclusively for colored people, ac- cording to' WilKam H. Smith, a the- atrical promoter of Philadelphia, who has taken offices here. A site in the f35th street section will be decided upon, says Mr. Smith, who adds the colored people, liking vaude- ville, have had to witness a very in- ferior brand by force of circumstances. He aims to remedy this, also present attractions and scale the new house, if built, at a $2 top. The neighborhood indicated by the Philadelphian has two colored the- atres, the Lafayette at 7th avenue and 127th street, which is very popular with the colored people of that section, and the Lincoln on West 135th street, play- ing vaudeville. The Lafayette has had a variety of attractions, all colored, from stock to the troupes in musical comedies, and the house appears to have enjoyed profitable patronage. The Smith scheme feems to be, acts and shows by whites, for the colored house to rank with those in any other theatre of similar admission prices. Al Leichter, who has been booking six acts on a split week into the Lincoln,' has notified Mr. and Mrs. J. Downs, managing that house, that his bookings discontinue starting next week. The theatre plays to practically 100 per cent, colored attendance. Last week Wendricks and Venitia recovered judgment of $33.75 against the Illustrated Amusement Co., operat- ing the Lincoln, on the allegation that Mrs. J. Downs, without reason, can- celed them for the first half of the week, after they had been engaged to appear. AGENTS UNDER ORDERS. The vaudeville agents doing business through the United- Booking Offices- have been informed it is necessary for their offices to be open with a repre- sentative present competent to trans- act business not later than 9:30 a. m. The same time limit was set for the booking men of the U. B. 0. to be at their desks. When the agents were gathered in the U. B. 0. late last week the in- structions were given out, with the reason assigned that the big booking agency will be operated hereafter on commercial hours of business. It has been a matter of considerable incon- venience in bookings and otherwise when calls Were made upon agents early in the morning to find their of- fices closed or someone who could at- tend to the urgent business at hand absent. The same hole in the system was often uncovered inside the book- ing offices, when a matter calling for instant attention with one of the U. B. O. booked houses arose. At the same meeting of the agents they and the booking men, also man- agers, were informed that nothing but the "slip" hereafter (other than a con- tract) would be recognized as a valid booking by the office. In matter of complaints only that will be considered. Otherwise the blame, if any existed, • would be placed on those who had acted against instructions they were told. This eliminates the practice of booking men "pencilling in" turns for .programs and the agents accepting such method as a booking. The agents were advised it is their duty to follow up and secure the contract for each booking made, with failure to do so counting against them in the event of a booking confusion in which their act might suffer loss of time and salary. ACT WENT SOUTH. The Loew Circuit Monday morning found an act had gone south on it and notified the Vaudeville Managers' Pro- tective Association of the circum- stances. The act was Rule and Rule, opening that day at the Majestic, Ft. Worth, Tex. (Interstate Circuit). It was ex- pected to open at the American, New York. Nov. 19 the act in person appeared at the Loew booking office, signing the Loew contracts which called for their opening Nov. 25 at the American. Mon- day morning when the absence was noted, Jake Lubin inquired of Sam Berkovitz, their agent, what has be- come of the act. He was informed they had gone south. ILL AND INJURED. PHILLY'S GRAND REOPENING. Philadelphia, Nov. 25. The Nixon-Nirdlinger Grand will re- open Dec. 9 with an eight-act bill. The Grand had been closed since Sept. 3, when it was partly destroyed by fire. Separation Granted Venita Gould. Chicago, Nov. 27. Venita Gould's many-storied divorce case came to a conclusion when the actress obtained a separation from Harold R. Jones, grocery salesman. She accused another woman. Prior to that, Jones had—sued her, charging Venita and Harriett Lor- raine, her associate in "Odds and Ends," had been arrested while driving late at night with three men. Venita has retired to her home in Iowa. Montreal'* Francaite With St. Dent*. Montreal, Nov. 27. The Francaise has been taken by the management of the St. Denis. Fred crow is general manager of the en- teaprises. Separated Partners Exchange Opinion* Chicago, Nov. 27. Mike Bernard and Jack Rose have "split." • They came to blows at the-Wilsbn- Avcnue Theatre and then canceled Cleveland, having broken all relations. Bernard says Rose was erratic and rude; Rose says Mike was unreason- able. Fannie Brice is recovering from.in-" fluenza, having suffered a KMUM^"**?*? Eddie Mack (tailor), very ill for sev-, - eral week with grippe, convalescent. Joe Wood (U. B. O.) is suffering from a heavy cold. Jack Dempsey is looking after bookings temporarily. Mrs. Bart McHugh, of Philadelphia, seriously ill with influenza last week, \ is recovered. Norman Jefferies, the Philadelphia agent, is fully recovered from his re- cent illness and is back at his office >, in that city. John E. Coutts,- discharged Wednes- - day from the Babylon (L. I,) hospital; recovered from an operation for ap- pendicitis. Cecelia Wallace (Coscia and Wal- lace), ill with influenza, Allegheny .. General Hospital, Pittsburgh, recover-. - ing. Louis Mosconi (Mosconi Bros.), who recently fractured several bones in his right foot, has, recovered sufficiently ,•; to resume dancing practice. --;.. A. W. Clark, the doorman on the sixth floor of the Palace building, re- covering from a severe attack of rheu- . matism. Mrs. Harry Clarke Renalies is recov- ering from an operation which was performed at the Mt. Zion Hospital, San Francisco last week. Clarence Wilbur, the tramp come- > ^. dian, is recovering at the Huntington Hotel, Los Angeles, following a severe attack of the influenza that at one time threatened Mr. Wilbur's life. Blanche Hall, in the outlying circuit" company of "The Thirteenth Chair,** Chicago, is seriously ill and aban- ";' doned her tour. Jessie Mae Hall, sou- '■-. bret, came on from California to at- tend her sister. A MATTER OF RACE. Stair and Havlin, as assignees of Howard F. Kinsey, have entered suit, through their attorney, Leon Laski, against the Quality Amusement, for $4,500, alleged due them as back rent for the lease on the Colonial, Balti- more, one and a half years ago. The Quality, which maintains a cir- cuit of stock theatres for colored play- ers, enter the defense the officials of Baltimore revoked their license on the ground they would not allow colored players and audiences exclusively in a theatre—a purely -racial prejudice. Upon application for a new license, the same answer .was the result When the case came up for trial before Justice Gavegan, in the Supreme Court, latf week, he issued an order for the examination of the Baltimore officials, anent the matter, on Dec. 1. UNITED'S TRY-OUTS. The United Booking Offices have resumed "try-outs," commencing" Fri- day. In future they will be held that night instead of Thursday as in the past. They will be given at Proctor's 125th Street, but will not be presented under the old title. A number of acts will be added to the program, merely announced as "extra act." - : - I" " " H Harry L. Newton Grow* Violent. '** Chicago, Nov. 27. Harry L. Newton, a vaudeville author, who suffered a nervous col- lapse about a year ago, and was then aided by the profession here, became violent, attacked his wife, and was ar- rested and taken to the Detention Hos- pital for inquiry into his sanity. He will be tried, and, if found un- balanced, will be sent to a state asylum. _■■•-• Flo Jacobson Win* Divorce. Chicago, Nov. 27. The checkered Frank Clark-Flo Jacobsen divorce imbroglio '■u"ui*l | eluded when' Judge Hopkins granted Mrs. Clark her full freedom, $700 at- torney's fees (Tom Johnson, bene- ficiary), court costs, and $3,500 flat ali- mony in full