Variety (April 1919)

E>..V-''lK*;ii. , r nLKp* I'M- #>' if MM ~<r-r I . .... '•-^-^7-°W^ra I S' "i VAUDEVILL W: m {■'=-''-"- IF ill i. •■. •- if i ?*.'■■ E2S2i2£3 K '' IP? p if JSP <, Iff v •)-.• rl i mi by ALBEE'S FRIENDLY ADVICE AT N . V. A. C LUB OPENING Speaks to Assembled Artists on Formal Dedicatory Cere- monies of New Clubhouse. Advises Artist to Work Anywhere. Can Then Return to Keith Time. Change Agents and Make Complaints, More Of Albee's Advice. See Him If Anything Is Wrong. V: The new National Vaudeville Artists' •clubhouse was formally opened to its-, members last Friday evening. After a series of speeches, the keys of the former White Rats' home were official- ly, turned over to the organization by E.F. Albee, who for. the previous 19 months had been personally supervis- ing.the reconstruction of the building. ; Friday evening, despite the incle- ment weather, the society's members arid guests began to gather as early as.6 p. m. and at 11.30 when Mr. Albee made his now famous dedication speech, more than 1,500 were present in the grand ball room to witness the festivities. Those of the organization's officials who were in town were on hand for the occasion and when Secretary Henry Chesterfield, after a short pre- liminary address introduced E. F. Al- bee, the building rattled with cheers and applause for more then three min- utes. . Mr. Albee, plainly affected by his re- ception, recalled to his hearers some of his early theatrical experiences, re- viewing the history of vaudeville from the year of 1870 up to the present pe- riod. But his resume of the situation and even the splendor of the opening slunk into deep significance in^ontrast with his closing remarks wherein he told his audience to work wherever they could, that should they find it im- possible to procure work on one circuit to try another and another and that should they work for Loew, Moss, Fox or others, it^would positively not interfere with future bookings on the B. F. Keith and affiliated circuits. This provoked applause that ran sec- ond only to that of his reception. Mr. Albee also instructed the artists to file all complaint's with the N. V. A. officials or the V. M. P. A. complaint bureau and failing to secure satisfac- tion from either, they should come per- sonally to him, assuring them he would give preference to their case over any personal business which might have his immediate attention. Mr. Albee also instructed the membership to change agents when they found their representative was not giving satisfac- tion and continue changing until re- turns were procured, but if after sev- eral changes work was not forthcom- ing, he advised them to see him (Albee) personally. The assurance of his personal atten- tion to details of importance to the artists came as a distinct surprise to the gathering. Mr. Albee's seriousness in this respect seemed to satisfy and please them, many of whom had never before seen the president of the Keith Mr. Albee was followed by Sam K. Hodgdon, booking manager of the Keith Exchange and Mr. Hodgdon s witty address was received equally as well as that of his predecessor. Mr. Hodgdon gave the artists some prac- tical advice and closed with the mes- sage that "far above in the heavens, in what we call Paradise, are two ■ spirits, standing with hands clasped, happy over the fact that the dream of their lives has materialized in the pres- ent friendly relations between manager and artist—B; F. Keith and George Fuller Golden." The previous night the club officials 'entertained out-of-town managers, ar- tists' representatives and newspaper- men from all over the country. Ed- wards Davis, prompter of the Green Room Club, was introduced by B. S. Moss, secretary of the Vaudeville Managers' Protective Association and Mr. Davis made an eloquent address suitable to the occasion. Among those present were the members of the Fed- eral Trades Commission, then in New York, accompanied by Maurice Good- man and John Kelley, counsel for sev- eral of the respondents in the investi- gation now pending. v Motion pictures were taken by Joe Daly and will be exhibited later in the Keith houses. Refreshments were served Thursday and Friday night. Af- ter the Thursday affair the visiting guests were taken to the "Midnight Frolic" as guests of the club. The building was closed Saturday and Sunday to allow time for a general housecleaning and reopened Monday for the usual business. TONEY AND NORMAN AT PALACE. On the bill this week at Keith's Palace, New York, are Toney and Nor- man. Two weeks ago at Keith's River- side Toney and Norman "walked out" of the program through being dissatis- fied with their billing. Last week the same act was at Keith's Orpheum, Brooklyn. It had held a contract for that engagement. The contract for the Palace was entered into late last week. / Following the act's Riverside walk- out the Keith office filed a complaint with the Vaudeville Managers' Pro- tective Association. It alleged the the- atre management had violated no con- tract provision and that Toney and Norman had no just cause to leave the house. The V.-M. P. A. investigated, then wrote the act, stating the facts, and saying that after an examination of the Riverside contract it could find no valid reason why Toney and Nor- man should have walked out of the bill. The V. M. P. A. letter requested that if Toney and Norman had a defense it should be presented, and in- timated that in the event the act had none it should follow that the theatre be reimbursed as liquidated damages to the extent of Toney and Norman's salary for the Riverside week. In other words, Toney and Norman should pay the Riverside the amount of salary they would have received if playing out the engagement. Jim Toney. is reported to' have observed to friends he had no such defense as contemplated in the re- marks of the V. M. P. A., and it is said he did not answer the letter. The engagement at the Palace this week, following that incident, again brought the matter to general attention. ACTS LOSE CLOTHES. Thieves are operating in Brooklyn and Long Island theatres, whereby a note from the tailor to the theatre stage manager or door-keeper to turn over suits of different male artists on the respective bills result in stage clothes being lost, with no trace of the supposed tailor or note sender when a search is made for the missing clothes. Murphy and White, at the Greeley Square, lost two full dress suits this week through the supposed tailor's re- quest for them while they were absent from the theatre. Singer's Going to Pantages Ti-.e. After Singer'* Midgets have finished its Keith office trip around New York and vicinity the act will take up its return engagement over the Pantages Circuit. The Pan tour will commence the latter part of May. Pat Casey booked the Keith dates. The Pantages booking was made direct. Sam Bernstein Advertises "No Limit." An advertisement in Varibtx; last week, by Sam Bernstein, caught the attention of the Putnam Building crowd. The ad said Mr. Bernstein could use several acts every Sunday, adding "Salary no limit." STATE-LAKE'S OPENING WEEK View of the front of the now State-Lake theatre, Chicago, during its first days. RATS. SEEK V. A. F. AID. According to reports this week the White Rats in New York cabled last Sunday to the Variety Artists' Federa- tion of England, asking that the V. A. F. agree to consent to no American act appearing in English variety the- atres unless the -American was or became a member of the White Rats. This cable is said to have'been sent by Harry Mountford. An answer was being anxiously awaited in the early part of the week by the Rats. Outsiders appeared to secure the impression the Rats was really seek- ing official recognition at this time from the V. -A. F. In other days there was a working affiliation between the two orders, with an exchange of recog- nition of membership cards on either side of the qcean. To what extent this affiliation dissolved or was neglected with the lapse of the White Rats as an active organization over here never has been considered of enough impor- tance for those who should have been interested in the outcome to comment on it. V—.< DOGS AN EXCESS. An important legislative move, made for the benefit of the artist by the officials of the Vaudeville Managers' Protective Association, was ratified this week when the United States Rail- road Administration, following a series of communications and several trips to Washington, notified Pat Casey, of the V. M. P. A., that hereafter all performing dogs would be classed as regular baggage and not held subject to the former act, wherein animals valued over $25 would be charged as 350 pounds of excess baggage. The campaign to repeal the law was begun some months ago. Mr. Casey interested a number of animal owners in his efforts to interest the railroad officials. A mass of correspondence from artists was forwarded to the Congressmen of their districts, and finally action was promised. This week the new rule was issued. Henceforth dogs, properly crated, will be accepted the same as other baggage, each individual being allowed 150 pounds of baggage with each ticket NO THREE ■ A - DAY ON ORPHEUM. The rumor that the Orpheum Circuit might install three shows daily on that circuit is scouted at the Orpheum New York offices. It was mentioned without any qualification that the Orpheum Circuit will never play three performances daily in its straight line circuit houses. The story appears to have found its circulation through the recent open- ing of the State-Lake, Chicago, of which Martin Beck is the president of the operating company controlling that theatre. The State-Lake plays four or more shows daily, with acts called upon to do three performances only. The instantaneous success of the new house in Chicago seemed to be a matter of reasonable doubt among artists that the Orpheum Circuit, with the State-Lake practically using a big- time program under its playing policy,' might inaugurate it in the big Orpheum houses, with the example of the State- Lake. With this version of the rumor before them the Orpheum people, in the circuit's booking office in New York, returned the positive denial mentioned in the first paragraph. Clinton, New York, in Pictures. The Clinton, oh Clinton street, New York, a 900-seat house,, opening about two months ago with vaudeville book- ed from the Keith office, changed policy this week to straight pictures. The theatre was built with the pic- ture policy in view. It was not adapt- able for vaudeville, principally through faulty acoustics.