The Billboard 1909-07-10: Vol 21 Iss 28 (1909-07-10)

es Oe a A Oe eR ce a JULY 10, 1909. The Billboard ASKS DAMAGES Action By Felix [sman | laura Biggar Bennett};Made De-| fendant in Suit Involving Pittsburg Bijou. Isman, the Philadelphia capitalist, nd real estate man, has sued Laura Biggar Bennett for $60,000 damages for breach of contract Papers in the suit were filed July 1. In his complaint Isman tells how the Shuberts got control of the Bijou Theatre, of Pittsburg. 4 Isman thought he had it. The Felix r net pure 1 as complaint says that Mrs. Bennett owned a mortgage on the theatre valued at $220,000, which she desired to dispose of, and, after some negotiations through the malls, he offered her £160,000 for the mortgage and the Interest that had accrued on it. He says that she accepted fils offer and he sent her a certified check for 42) to her address at Albuquerque, N. M., but before his check or his letter of final acceptance fr hed her she repudiated the agreement Hie declares that he afterward went to Pittsburg and had a personal Interview with her in an effort to make her change her mind, tut she told him that she had decided to sell her interest to the Shuberts. Isman makes pubile the correspondence that passe in the matter as a part of the complaint, On May 29, 1909, he sent her the following telegram “Por your sou $160,006 mortgage and interest will give Wire reply."’ The following day he received this telegram “Will accept, but want a substantial deposit to bind the bargain. Advise you to send check here for that purpose."’ After further correspondence Isman says he wrote her that he had mailed a certified check for $200 to bind the bargain. On June 10 last he received the following telegram from her: “You fell some down: no Negotiations therefore nullified.” Isman alleges that he has been damaged to the extent of $60,000 by the defendant's refu #al to live up to the contract. He says that be Is a real estate man, and is familiar with the valine of property itn the neighborhood of the Bijou Theatre in Pittsburg, and that he owns several pleces in the nelghborhood. He declares that the theatre property is worth more than $700,000 He knows this because he once offered $800,000 and the offer was rejected. The theatre property is Incumbered to the extent of about $500,000, including the mortgage held by Mrs. Bennett. letter or money here. MAXAM & SIGHTS COMEDIANS. Maxam and Sights Comedians opened thetr tenting season at Frazee, Minn., on May 27 The following is the roster: J. W. Sights, man ager; Pauline Sights, treasurer; C. Don Triplett, advance: Ed. Tillman, stage manager Leonard Schneider, leader of the band: Richard Foro, boss canvasman, with four assistants, Thos. Cain, chef: Guy Betty, A. B. Carter. Thoe. Cain, Richard Furo, Ed. Gleason. Ross Holmes, Frank Holmes, M. F. Kirby, Ed. Mo { McCall, J w. fan, Archie : Sights, Leonard Schneider, Will Stanton. FE. N. Tabor, Fd. Tillman, Clarence Wanwright Vina Wanricht Allee Chase, Jennie Schneider, Hazel McCall and Pauline Sights. A fifty foot round top with a thirty foot middle, twelve living tents and a cook ond dining tent are carried. The band has twelve pieces and the orchestra seven plecesOn July 3 the company onened at the Chautau qua grounds at Devils Lake, N. D.. furnishing the music and most of the entertainment for that event They close there July 20. During that time the company will put on vaudeville matinees and dramas nights WILL REMAIN IN ALBANY. The unusually successful season of the Morttmer Snow Stock Company at Harmanus Bleecker Hall. Albany, N. Y¥.. wae temporarily interrupted on June 26, by the changing of the theatre's manager. H R. Jacobs. manager for a number of years, retired on July 1, and F. Ray Comstock. representing the Shuberts, succeeded him. Manager John T. Pearsall, of the Snow Company, convinced the Shuberts that it would be folly to close in the face of such tremendous business, and so closed a contract with the Shuberts for a continuation of his company's engagement, after a week's rest un ti! such time in August when the regular season will open Despite torrid heat, Strongheart drew packed houses the week of June 21. and the heary patronage will donbtlees continue through the company's engagement. The bill for the week of July 5 ts Secret Service, SEEKING SITE FOR THEATRE IN BUTTE. Chas. L. Cole has been tn Butte, Mont.. look. ing up a location for the new theatre, which Mr. Pantages contemplates opening there The success of the Empire, managed by Mr. Quinn, has been 80 great that ning a new house for thelr attractions. MORRIS IN INDIANAPOLIS __A new vandeville theatre, to be known as the olontal, ts to be erected in Indianapolis, Ind., /¥ the Colonial Theatre Company, which was corpora ted June 30 by J. Hu itzgerald, Robert Bonner and H. A. Fenton, Indianapolis, and Cecil C. Owen. who ts manager of the Holden Stock Company which 1ee recently played engagements tn Indianapolis. 'e capital is $10,000, |} as the glare of the footlights might | injure his eyes. the independents are plan Fiteggerald, J. P. | The new house will cost $100,000, and will be located at the corner of Illinois and New York —— It will form a part of the Morris circult. ACTOR INJURED DURING PERFORMANCE. matinee At the : Thursday Franklin (June 24) at the Square Theatre, Worcester, Mass., Maurice Franklin, heavy man of the Franklin Stock Company, met with a serious injury to his left eye. In the middle of the second act of The Road to Yesterday, the heavy man Is | Supposed to strike a blow with a rawhide whip at Elspeth, and in doing so Mr. Franklin's whip struck a chair, flew back, and struck his optic. He dropped unconscious on the stage, but on being revived, proceeded with his part, after the theatre physician had attended to the wound Mr. Franklin was to appear last. week but the oculist’s orders were to rest one week serious, HAYWARD COMPANY NOTES. The underline for week of June 28 by the Grace Hayward Stock Company was Maxine EIliott’s great success, Her Own Way For week of July 5, Miss Hayward is presenting Pan! Kester’s dramatization of When Knighthood was in Flower. Manager Geo. M. Gatts bas just returned from New York, where he has been the past two | SHUBERTS SECURE HARMANUS BLEECKER HALL AMUSEMENT COMPANY ORGANIZED Ene Vaudeville Interests Combine---Coliseum Planned for Harrisburg --Manager Appointed Lieutenant-Colonel. Purchases Interest in Amusement Park. _On July 1, Harmanus Bleecker Hall, Albany, N. Y., passed into the hands of the Shuberts, who will remodel the house and open it early in August. F. Ray Comstock has been appointed manager, succeeding II. R. Jacobs. Mr. Jacobs will break ground shortly for his new Albany theatre, The Clinton, which house will play K. & E. attractions. MORTIMER SNOW. Oo : a JIS & Be JOM A PY STR ee ay \\o// ee DOHA Olen yf ieee /7// a : Leading man of the Mortimer Snow Stock Albany, N. Y. weeks, securing many good bills for use here during the balance of the summer. Miss Rose Evans and Miss Helen Laughlin joined the company this week. Mr. and Mrs. onrce Hopkins have left for a summer visit with Mr. Hopkins’ parents at Denver, Colo. JOHN W. VOGEL’S COMEDIANS. The following comedians have been engaged for John W. Vogel's Big City Minstrels for the coming season Charlie Gano, Roy Peck, John Goss, Geo. S. Manvro, James Conroy, Justin Me Carthy, C. L. Shaugh, Harry Simons, W. L. Dungan and Lew Dean Rehearsals will begin at Lancaster, Ohio, Au gust 8, and the season will open August 18. MASON HAS NEW AUTO. Homer RB. Mason. who is to be star in Mort H. Singer’s A Stubborn Cinderella Company, has just bought a new sixty horse-power Haynes | roadster, and with his wife, Marguerite Keeler, will tour from New York to Chicago, arriving there in time for rehearsals, which commence in August. The new summer theatre at Alliance, O., was opened to the public July 1. It is under the management of Edward B. Clifford of Pittsburg. and is devoted to vaudeville. ERIE VAUDEVILLE Company, playing at Harmanus Bleecker Hall, MAY BUILD COLISEUM. Mayor Ezra S. Meals of Harrisburg, Pa., is making a big attempt. to organize a company to build on the Island just opposite the city, a huge Coiseum patterned after the same in St. Louis and other places. The building will be designed to hold from five to eight thousand people. The Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen, at their recent annual meeting, decided to meet in Harrisburg. Pa., for the year 1910: The idea of Mayor Meals is to have this building erected in time for this immense gathering. The place will also be used for automobile exhibitions, grand opera, polo, big boxing contests, etc. The building will be so divided that none of the various parts will conflict with each other. It ts proposed te erect the building on city land and save much money. INTERESTS COMBINE. A combination of Erie, Pa., vaudeville inter ests has been formed by Eugene H. Suerken and | Herbert T. Foster. The firm will be anown as the Suerkens and Foster Amusement Company. The registration of the partnership was made at Erie, Pa., June 23. In the papers filed, the object of the business alliance is given as being for the purpose of conducting a vandeville theatre. Mr. Foster is manager of the Four Mile Creek Park, and summer theatre, and Mr. Suerken has the theatre at Waldameer lark, both of which are located four miles from Erie, Pa. The latter is also manager of the Alpha Theatre, Erie, Pa. NORTHWESTERN AMUSEMENT CO. ORGANIZED. Manager Dibble, of the Faribault Theatre, Faribault, Minn., and J. W. Williams have organized The Northwestern Amusement Company with general offices in the Faribault Theatre building, Faribault, Minn. They will have five one night stand attractions and two stock companies out this coming season under their management. The number one Williams Stock Company opened at the Faribault Theatre, June 21, for a week. The company will play Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa during the regular season. The No. 2 Company will open July 25 and go West. The one night stand companies will open the first of August. Ail booking is being done from the main offices at Faribault. ALFRED VAN BEUREN DEAD. Death called away from a life of great activity. Mr. Alfred Van Beuren, pioneer outdoor advertising man, and founder of the firm of A. Van Beuren & Co., whose demise occurred last week at Flushing, L. I. Mr. Van Beuren was in his seventy-seventh year and had remained in control of the bustness he so established, for over forty years, until the end of life came. In addition to the business interests owned and controlled by Mr. Van Beuren under the Title of A. Van Beuren & Co., he also owned the New Haven Bill Posting Company, of New Haven, Conn. | WALKER’S NEW POSITION. | Geo. H. Walker, manager of Hancock's Opera House, Austin, Texas, has been appointed on the staff of Governor Campbell, with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. This appointment ifs a cause of much gratification to Mr. Walker’s | many friends, as it is one of the many indications of the high esteem in which Mr. Walker fe held both tn his home city of Austin and throughout the great Lone Star State. GARFIELD BUYS INTEREST. B. M. Garfield, who since the opening of the season has been acting as manager of amusements at Waverly park. Lansing, Mich., has purchased the interest of A. Densmore ifn that park, and with Mr. French fs now owner of the resort. Mr. Garfield was formerly connected with Crystal Beach, Buffalo, N. Y. PAUL EVERTON’S STORY. eame to me My chance to go on the stage while a boy living !n Rrooklyn. I was working for a retail clothing company. when one of the clerks in the store, who was a prominent member of a dramatic society. offered me a part with the Amarynth Dramatic Club of Rrooklyn. They were going to pnt on Sheridan Knowles’ play. The Critic, which Incidentally was afterwards produced by the Iate Augustin Daly under the title of Tragedy Rehearsed. I eagerly accepted the offer made to me by my friend. and was cast for The Beef Eater in this play. Learing that Robert Hilliard and Edith Kinedon. now Edith Kingdon Gould, had at one time belonged to ,this dramatic society, I began to picture myself a star. So anxious was I to begin my theatrical work that I was two | hours ahead of time at the first rehearsal. My part cousisted of only a few lines, yet during | the five weeks the piece was being rehearsed under the direction of a man by the name of | Beck, a great legitimate director at that time. I must have gone over my part at least 5.000 times. The first performance was given at the | old Academy of Music in Brooklyn in the winter of 1886. So excited was T ’ which would mark an epoch In my life. and | desirous of getting to the theatre. my mother | had considerable difficulty In persuading me to eat dinner. Gulping down my food I rushed ‘ out of the house and ran to the theatre. The performance went smoothly withont. anything happening of particular interest until my big scene. This was where I was given the Ile, and mg line, ‘““Ha, ha, a lfe!’’ was a cue for a mortal combat with swords This combat had been rehearsed over and over again, and it consisted of making the figure eight with my sword and then striking against my adversary’s sword. So earnest was I in making the duel as realistic as possible, that I put all my strength back of my sword, and my adversary | became so scared that beads of perspiration | stood ont on his forehead and his limb. shook | as if he bad the palsy. The audience did not | realize anything out of the ordinary, but my | fellow actors, attracted by the noise made by the clashing swords, stood in the wings and gazed at us with breathless astonishment. I | suppose that if my sword had not broken that | fight would still be going on. This was such | a terrific climax that the amateur stage man | ager rang for the curtain, which descended amidst storms of applause. Incidentally, I was notified that my services with the Amarynth Dramatic Club would no longer be required. . by the event , re am es ee —— a es 4 a v 7 fy io be ’ | ‘ W? ie > ae at am Ky * Me t ye hd 7 4 f yom ig! hug ey — -. ws aflatiininncast ee = me