The billboard (June 1911)

18 Xrte Billboard JUNE 3, 1911. W. H. DONALDSON, Fnbllaber. ISSUED WEEKLY, and entered as Second-Class MaU Matter at Post-office, Cincinnati. O. Addzess all commanlcatlons for the editorial or business department to THE BILLBOARD PUBLISHING CO., 4l6 Elm Street, Cincinnati, O., U. S. A. Imk Distance Telepbone, Main 2769. Cable address (Bextstered) "BUlybor." NEW YORK. 6, BUIaiia Bidldlni;, 1440 Broadway. Telephone 1630 Bryant. CHICAGO. ISOS'SdiUler BnUdlng. 103-109 Bandalph St. Telepbone Central 5834. ST. LOUIS. Room 803. Missouri Tnist Bnlldins. SAN FRANCISCO. .Wes'tbank Bnildiss. 830 Market St.. Joactlon Market. Ellis and Stockton Sts.. Suite 621. LONDON, ENGLAND. 170 Temple Cbambers, E. C. PARIS, FRANCE. 121 Bne Montmartie. XUephone ??? 01, ASTEBTIsnre bates.— Twenty cents per line, asate messnxement. Vhole pace, VMi ball pace, (70; anaiter pace, $3fi. Ho admi- tiaement measnring less tban five lines aeowted. Snbscriptian, H a year; 6 moaths, |S> > roontlis, fl; pi^sUe ia adiance, SEs. eactaea ^axse to OaTiaiHaii or Steaica aab- ■cTibeis. SHE BELLBOABII is for sale on all trains and news-stands tbiooslioiit the ITnited States and Canada, wbicb are supplied by the American Hews Co. and its branches. It is also OB sale at Brestano's, 37 Aienna ds I'Opera, Palis rranca, Vliea not on sale, please notify this office. Bsmittaneea sTin nld be made by post-ctfllce ox express money order, or n^tered letter ad- dressed or mads payable to The Billboard Pnb- lia iiy Company. The editor cannot nndertalce to zetnxn nnso* lidted mannacxipt; eo n e sp o n danta ahooU keep copy. Saturday, June 3, 1911. TRUE STORIES OF PEOPLE YOU KNOW—OSCAR HAMMERSTEIN. By BO B^I OHATT As the time apprmcbes when the extraordin- ary spectacle of an American impresario dedi- cating an opera bonse in London is to be re- Teaied. interest in the man and the enterprise becomes greater, and the attentlOD of the entire . amoaeanent world is now directed toward that wlsaid of entzeprenenzs, Oscar Hammersteln. for who else in. all the world would bSTe the oonrase—and the genios—requisite to snrmoont the endless obstacles which 'must necessatUy confront the Indlvidnal who has the dating to undertake so herculean 8 task as that whlclL con> atitntes the nnpteeedented enterprise to be In- angnrated In the Bdtlah, metropolis in November next. . ■ ,Who l a Osc ar HipnmerBtdn7 He Is the product of ft eenti^y in which all great achierements are - recorded. He came Into theatredom two decades ago tlirongh sheer love of tne musical and dra- matic arts. He ,1iad prospered tbroagh his patents after a hercolean straggle. Money came easy when It did begin to come his way. He lived with his family in the upper part of New York known as Harlem, a district wlileh was wltlioat & theatre of a^ty claas nntiS he bout the beantlfnl Harlem Opera House at a cost of $290,000. This was at the time regarded as a foolhardy project, but Oscar said lie wanted to see some good plays and operas fctwia^^f with- out the necessity of tnnding three miles in tramway cars. The Harlem Opera Bbnse -cost him a fortune in^the^ few years he was permitted to tempt fate there, bnt before tt was in operation a year he bnilt another large, and beaatlfnl theatre on the same street, hat a few blocks away, the Colambu. Theatre, and here he catered to tiie classes, presenting plays which had been sac- cessfol In tlie city proper. In. all .these enter- prises and many others which followed. Oscar planned right, hat be was away ahead of time. He blazed the trail for others to reap the har- vest; years afterward he bunt the famous Idngacre trio of amnsement temples. It was a two mlniOB dollar InTestment, from which he saw himself evicted two yean after the Inau- guration, as poor ss the day he was bom. Oscar found himself twelve years bko without a the- atre, without capital and with few friends. A benefit was organized In his behalf at Madison Square Garden by a few sympathetic, loyal ones, bnt tlils. too. was a fiasco. "Oscar la down and out," was heard on the Bialto, and things really did look that way— bnt one day It was announced In the press that iut had. aeeinvd the land at 42d Street and 7th Avenne. He bant there the oresent Immensely snccessfol Victoria Theatre. Then he bunt two more vlayhonses within a stone's throw, the Bepnblic and Hackett theatres. Thus wis cre- ated the now- famous theatre district. In that seventeen playhouses aie located wlthlD fire blocks of the Lontracre balldtsg. wMeh. br the way. IB oBce tgiSn In nse nnder Oscar's di- rection. The first Manhattan Opera House was a mil- lion dollar investment. It was located ov West 34th Stzeet.^ now the site of Macy*B famous de- partment store. Here the redonbtable Impres- ario gave grand opera at a period when he was wholly without the tools for success. To his great rejsret the splendid edifice was transformed into a music ball, where Yvette Gulllwrt, Ix>Ie Fuller and Albert Chevalier played memorable engagements. Strange to state, vaudeville has always been the salvation of this man. The Victoria Theatre has profited him tremendously. It Is stated that a yearly sncplns of $250,000 from that one enterprise has been averaged for more than eight years. Tike house, too. lias been the source of sapidy by which the neat deficits of grand opera a la Hammersteln nave been liquidated. Four years ago Oscar built the present Man- hattan Opera House. Originally It was intended that the policy was to be sim- ilar to that which prevails at the Drury I.ane Theatre in liODdon, but to the utter xmazement of press and public, at the eleventh hour "The W&ard" announced that he would compete with the Metropolitan Opera House. The idea was ridiculed. Herr Coaried. who .It the time was the director of the Metropol- itan, predicted that the house would never open with «rand opera, and If it did. It would not last three months. . . Few indeed believed that any elTort to com- pete with the one opera honse to which society was thorooi^ily cmnmltted, would endure for a year, but the magnificent auditorium was op- ened with mtich eclat. The subscription was very small. The rich society leaders were absent from the several tiers of boxes, and yet before a month iiad passed this remarkable man had demonstrated a strength which soon began to show Itself at the box office. The first sea- son was ended without disaster, and the next year Oscar made two "ten strikes," one with Mme. Melba. who packed the opera house to the doors each time she appeared; the other with French opera comlque, which he gave in a manner entirely new to American music lovers. As a fact, the second yesr of the Manhattan Opera House was a profitable one, wberas at the Metropolitan large deficits were faced by the millionaire directors. The third year was a disastrous one for both of the opera bouses—fierce competition was waged, and Hammersteln had added another mil- lion dollar opera house In Fhiladelphia to his harden. The end of this season found the com- petitors thoroughly exhausted- Oscar had sailed for Europe to engage the singers for the following year^-bat he was indeed weary of 11 all, whereas tbe Metropolitan Interests were glad to confer witli a view to ending for all time the battle which seemed to mean only an increased revenne for the artists and colossal losses for the directors. The sons of Oscar Ham- mersteln are practical yoong men. representing the rising goerati^n of "shomnen." Tb^ were not content to aee tbeli father mined iiii«.i»i«ny Giving a Tell to the Amateurs By OZO. K. OOKAH. "All the world's a stage and all the men and women merely players," and It's lust as true today as It was when the Bard phrased It on the banks of the Avon nearly three hundred years ago. Way down deep In the heart of every human being there lurks a longing for the footlights, a desire to act even If only in en amateur way. The stage fever is generally most malignant between the ages of twelve and twenty, but it has been known to attack children of much larger growth, and no system, however Sluggish, may be said to be entirely Immune from it. The theatrical bee is a most Insistent little insect with a sting that inoculates a histrionic craving that an antidote of years of bum-drum home life will not snbdne. The lore of the stage is omnl-ptesent; its fascination is ever dominant. The bee usually arrives on the scene during "kid days." He Uves and thrives In the old bam. In the garret or cellar of the household or In any roomy place where the improvlsion of a stage made at soap boxes and barrds Is possible, and where a curtain, purloined from mother's linen closet, may he stretched. There, after many rehearsals, your girl and boy play- mates are bidden and for an admission price of two pins are privileged to witness those blood- cnzdling melodramas. Dare Devil Dick, the Boy Bandit, or Whispering Harry, the Cowboy King. A few years later tlie bee buzzes more In- sistently and you join the amateur club and are privileged to play for the benefit of the local church fair. If you are fortunate enough to make good you become a prime local favorite and. in the estimation of your townspeople, a real actor. This is the vital period. This is the time that the sting of the bee becomes ven- omous. BObert Mantell appears at the "Opry" Honse and yonr admirers whisper that you have blm beaten nine city blocks and that you are wasting your time by not chasing for Broad- way and Charles Frohman's office, where a con- tract is >nc« to be w^ttng for yonr slgnatnre. Notiee to A.<lverfiseps All advertisements must reach our publication office uTCincinnati not later than Monday morning m order to insure insertion in the issue of that week. The last advertising forms close promptly at noon on Mondays. Attention is called to this because many advertisements are received each week too late for insertion and must be held over for the issue of the week following. THE BILLBOARD PUB. CO. and perhaps piiysically by a continuation of the senseless iny—bence, as tliey were vested with antlioriQr In the matter, they came to an agree- ment, by wtilch the older concern would remain alone in the field, while Oscar was Oldlgated to refrain from giving grand opera In America for all time. The amount of money whlcii passed In tbbi transaction has been variously estimated, but It may be bere stated that S2SO,000 In cash was paid to Oscar, while all his contract obli- gations with artists were assumed. Since this procedure has been in effect. Ham merateln has made two comic opera produc- tions in New York on a scale heretofore nnbeatd of. Both have been tremendous successes artis- tically and financially. These productions (Hans the Flnte Player and KanghtT- Marietta) are destined for London, and will probably be the first big offerings In the sew opera lionie in that metropolis. iKmdoners may as well be at rest, as all of the announcements which emanate from Oscar Hammersteln. tor he is going to do all that he has said he would, and he will onrely inangnr- ate his liondon enterprise on the exact date an- notmced. nndonbtedly the daring of the man Is about to be placed at Its severest test, bat barring a breakdown in bis health, everything shoald come to pass on schedule. We of New York look on In amazement bnt not In doubt. Oscar win find out what lAudon wants and will give It liberally. Obstacles will be overcome, and In dne time London wlil come to understand the manner of man wbo Is dealing with Hs crit- ical public. He is not in the habit of trifilng. nndonbtedly the very precarious character of the English imdertaking was to Hammersteln his greatest ammnnltion. for throughout bis ca- reer he has shown a partiality for the seemingly impossible. During all of the quarter of a century of bis activity in the amnsement world. Oscar Hammer- steln. has never ha'd a partner or backer; the manner in which he would fmierge from bank- mptcy to aflluence has always been a mystery. He never has leased a theatre, always building and owning the property from floor to celling. \t the present time, even after the vlefssltndes of his grand opera ambitions have been sur- veyed and adjusted, be stIU owns the Manhat- tan Opera house outright, as well as three costly and profitable theatres on a single block in the ^theatre district created by him. ' The Empire Amnsement Company, of Wlndies- ter. Vs., wlilcb has been mnning mstion pic- tores, vandevme and skating for the past tliree years, closed May 13. ts enlarge the theetre. The stage win be enlarged in order to accom- If yon fall for this line of chatter you resign your position at the soda water fountain or yonr berth at the ribbon counter and hllte for the bright lights only to find that aboat a million sufferers from tlie same insidious bee have beaten yon to it. True, they liaven't usurped yonr place on Charles Frohman's staff bnt they are trotting up ond down the big lane wearing oat the seats of their troasera sitting around "tank town" theatrical exchanges In the hope of doing so—atwut a million of them. Of course, if yon really have talent coupled with a strong determination and an assertive willpower, yoa may in time—a long, long time—succeed In landing an engagement. Bnt, at the best. It is a tongh straggle and my advice to amateur actors who long for profeS' slonal recognition is: Look the theatrical hori- con over thorooglily, size up the other snfferer^ from the sting of the same breed of "hammer" tbat lias bitten a chunk ont of your "tempera- mental" zone and then If yon think tbat the partlcnlar "honey-bug" tbat decoyed yon from yonr mercantile pursuits has succeeded -In In- noculatiog a better brand of Thesplanic virus than he has furnished the other million who are vainly knocking at the door of the temple of the drama—stick. Stick and wear oat another pair of shoes and the seat of another pair of nnmentlonablea. But, before the bankroll dwindles to the thin ness of a Uneeda Blscnlt. yes, even before Frohman has sent for you—buy a return ticket home. Then If C. F. doesn't come across wltli the high sign and the contract from tha "tank town" exchange fails to materialize, you can "choochoo" back to the village of your early triumphs, grab the clerkship behind the "sody" foontain counter or the ribbon department, where believe me. the chances of your acquiring "three snnares" and a "pad" a day are much more cer- tain than holding ont for a nicbe In tbe temple of the house of Thespis, already over-crowded with mlagulded men and women who are firmly convinced that their partlcnlar mission in life is the promotion of art for art's sake and the npllftlng of the drama, an art that is being dany strangled by tbe incompetency of the ams' tear actor. Bobert Stickney. one of the most famous cir- cus performers of his day. has been traveling with the Polly of The Circus Company, accom- panied by his daughter, Emily. They closed with this company for the season of 1910-11, and are now In Cincinnati, Ohio, wbere they will spend the next three months. Mr. Stickney and hia daughter have been re-engaged by tbe 5' "i^. CTcus Company for the icaaoo of 19U-12. This Is the second vacation Mr. Stick- ney has taken In sixty-aU years. HEARD IN A DVANCE. By TDK HORKH John W. Bratton claims tbat the New York bridegroom who trlrd to get married on ■ hunting license probably thoucbt the girl was game; John Lefller claims that the lone high- wayman who beld up and robbetl a Texas train recently, knew where to get all the swag as he got the Pullman porter flist: Olay Lamtiert claims that tbe Texai man who walked 800 miles to mary a widow will have plenty of time to test his weary limbs while she is telll him what a lovely man her first husband was. (Heard these three clalmi during my receoi flying Ulp to Mew XorkK Same genial crew at tbe Grand Opera Bouse, Terre Haute. Ind, Fine aet of boys and I'vs never met gn agent but what was proud If he had Terre Haute on bis route. Here'a th* staff: T. W. Barhydt, Jr.. manager; 8. P. Katsenbach. treasater and presa agent; J. W. Heath, advertising agent: I.. G. Motray, stage carpenter: Gus A. Oonsman. propertymaa. The kind of a moving picture abow that phy- sicians could enjoy and profit by waa ahown the members of the Vigo Ciounty Medical Associa- tion at a flve-cent theatre recently at Terre Haute Ind. Two Invited guests. Initiated In the art of seeing human beings under the knife, managed to stay through the ordeal, but would not admit, after it was over, that It was en- joyable. The films were taken In Tienoa and showed noted Vlennn pbysldana In tbe perfoimance of difficult operations. The reels were ahown for the lint time In the Gnlted States, having been btonght to tbU eonntiy for limited ex- bibitlon. An attempt wIU be made to bring other reels. How T. W. Barhyda and Jack Hoeffler can afford to ran the bllla they do at their vaude- ville houses in Terre Haute Is answered by the crowds that surge and Jam those places three times a day. Snecess. gentlemen, and many thanka for courteous treatment recently circa ♦ Earl Steward has had a phenomenal seaioa at bis Sam Shnbert Theatre, Kansas City. It's a pleasure to meet^Mr. Steward. Pres. Hamilton, treasurer of Hacauley'a Tbt- atre. IU>uIsvUle, Ky., cemented bis friendship wttb the writer recently with an abundance of Kentucky's beat: 'Twas tbe "best ever," Pres.. Old leont. and long life to ye. * Heniy Edlker, a great star In Tbe Great Name, was a treat to tbe Decatur theatre-going pnUie recently.—(Criticism of Decatur Her- ald. Whatl) ♦ Advance Agent Wilcoz. lepreientlnx Mn. Her- bert Flint (herself), did some eorkln'^good work in Decatur recently. Tom Bonan. manager Powers Opera Boose. Decatnr, 111., recently visited Vlnifrcd St. Clair Company of Danville. Bonan ia tbe travelin' salesman all O. K. ♦ M. P. Harvey, of tbe Nasawan picture hooae. Decatnr. landed tremeodoosly with the Two Bills' films. ♦ J. B. Warren, of tbe United Fain Booking Association. Chicago, tells the following bully good Gould story: "George Gould was making one of his last trips as president of the Mis- souri PsclBc. Bis private car was laid out on a siding for some reason or other, and be got out to stretch bis legs. An oM Irlsbmaa was tspping the wheels. Gould went np to blm. " 'Morning. How do you like tbe wheelsr " " 'Not worth a dam,' aald the Irlsbmaa." " 'Well, bow do yon like tbe cart' " 'It's good enough for the wheels.* " 'What do yon think of tbe roadt' " *lt matches tbe car.' "Gould looked at tbe chap for a minute. " 'Maybe yon don't know wbo I am?' " 'Yea I do.' retorted tbe 'Mick.' 'You're George Gould and I knew yoar father when he was president of the road, and. by gob, be a goin' to be president of It again!' " 'Why. my father is dead.' said Mr- Oonld. " 'I know that.* replied tbe Irlsbman. tad the road Is goln' to belL* " ♦ V, B. Powelson. manager of tbe Andltoriam. Galesburg. "where tbe mnale comes from." It a great follower of Isaac Walton, In the sum- mer and a mighty nimrod in tbe winter* A regnlar manager and a regular fellow. Business In Galesburg proves all. ♦ O. J. Johnson, billposter and owner of the plant at Galesburg. Is not only alderman of tbe Fourth Ward that city, but also cbalrman of tbe street commissioners and has been for sixteen years. ♦ Steve A. Woods, general agent of tbe Greater United Shows, made many friends In Decatur. III. They all like Steve and so say we all of OS. ♦ Col. Fred Buchanan and bis most sble gen- eral agent, E. L. Brannan, recently showed tbe wise ones of tbe white top game a thing or two by placing tbe Yankee Bobinson Shows In Decorah and West Union, Iowa. First circus to visit these towns In yeara and Immenae business resulted afternoon and night at both towns. Keep yonr eye on this Buchanan chap. He's some more "BIngllng." Dick Trevellick, traTcling representative of the United Booking Aimoclation. Chicago, missed a connection recently in a small town In Iowa, and was, as be says, "marooned over nlgbt,' He noted a weird aggregation booked at tho "opry" for tbat nlgbt called "Fraudpaw and Ringbone Indoor Cirkns." Dick attended. In brief bla criticism: "Staffed house—Humbug allow." ♦ Things arc rapidly asaumlnR shape for open- ing of The Greater United Shows at Decatur, III., May 20, under auapicni of the Forester teams of tlic Woodmen. Wm. Mottram, Bud Florej- nml V. O. Olle. of the Woodmen com- mll'<'p nri. '"'fnlar workers and thorough busl- MSB men. That meana modt to tbe proooirr.