The Billboard 1910-03-26: Vol 22 Iss 13 (1910-03-26)

MARCH 26, 1910. The Billboard 17 FORECAST OF SUMMER SEASON PHILADELPHIA, PA. Ae a very unbefitting climax to one of the most suuccessful seasons known in Philadelphia in many years, the present street car strike, with its sympathetic support, has almost demoralized the business, and were it not that the strike so far has not been a decided success, to the extent that they have failed to tie up the most important lines in the city, we would have a number of dark houses on our hands, and different performers would have received an enforced holiday at a very inopportune time of the year. It is owing to the wiser and more conservative of the leaders of the musicians and stage mechanics that the theatres were able to open their doors last week. It was reported that all musicians and theatrical stage employes were to go out in sympathy with the street car men and the local managers were preparing for any emergency In the meantime they called attention to the fact that under thelr present agreement their walk-out would be a violation and that they would seek redress, but the caution was unnecessary, for the men realized their position and that of their fellow | workers and decided that their assistance by walking ont could not be as much service to their striking brethren as ‘heir financial support shonld they remain at work After a very strenuous Sunday among theat rical people of the city, the men quietly and quickly took up their work just where they left off on Saturday, and the performance went on the same as if nothing had ever happened. Out side of a few sarcastical jokes at the city's prominent political heads, one would never know that there was any difficulty between employer and employe. Concerning business In the amusement in general, in this city, I can my statement at the beginning of this article, as well as that in my artic in the Christmas | number, that business is and has been better here than in many years past From the high est ‘o the lowest and from the best to the cheapest, the one statement is that business has been beyond expectation, and the prospects for | the balance of the season (barring the continua tion of the present labor contention) are of the | best. When the season opened last fall it did so with a rush, and in a way that caused the most conservative of the managers to prepare for the slump that was to follow But it never came, | for the class and quality of the performances | offers! by traveling managers have created an | nterest in the public mind and the theatres have been supported to the fullest extent. The ne most notable fact In reference to the differ ent theatrical managere and their business as sociates is the lack of contention between them They work in unison and assist one another in every way possible, which, of course is charac teristic of Philadelphians in their “City of Brotherly Love."’ The stranger within our gates could hardly realize it at the present writing, especially if he were forced to seek shelter, or dodge a brick thrown by a brother, in demonstration of his love for another who has taken hie place aboard a car, but nevertheless it is a fact, the feeling of friendship and the business co-operation of these wise business heads have brought the theatrical business up to a high standard. Of the performers in all branches of the line, there is nothing to give but the highest praise, line, only reiterate and they have been amply rewarded with appre elation Great preparations are being made for the coming summer season The vaudeville houses ‘re arranging to remain open all summer and the parks will open on a much larger scale than ever before. all playing vaudeville and pictures, while there are to be at least three airdomes playing vandeville and hippodrome acts It ts conservatively estimated that as many, If not more, vaudeville performers will be engaged in this city and surroundings this coming season than at any place else. Already contracts have been signed for a number of big bands and Julia Marlowe and E. H. Sothern opened thelr engagement at the Lyric in Romeo and Juliet In spite of all the difficulties of city transport, the pnouse was full save for a fringe of back seats, and {It held an audience grown to be characteristic of these performances It was pleasant to see and it is inspiring to record this concourse drawn, not for mere incidental or ac cidental amusement, but to share in seeing a hoble play well presented De Wolf Hopper, at the Forrest the first time in this city his new musical com edy, A Matinee Idol. That the comedian has a large following In this city was made evident In the big audience that turned out to bid favor to his new play. and to call him out at the end presented for of the first act and give him one of those Pleasant Hopper receptions To this Mr. Hopper responded with one of those happy curtain speecies for which he has a reputation second to ho other actor. For fully five minutes he kept the audience tn constant laughter by his de veription of the company's experience on the road this season After an absence of more than twenty years, Sir Coarles Wyndham opened a Philadelphia en esgement for one week at the Bread Street The ‘tre In The Molluse It remains a week ani Will ne doubt be well apprectated by those vho like comedy of that sort Mrs. Patrick Campbell headed the Keith bill This week It is her first vaudeville appear nee in this city, and, in fact, her first Philadel Phin appearance in several years A large dele cation of the four hundred was on hand to bid her weleome and her performance, although somewhat abbreviated In time, was very goof, ind created a profound Impresston Others on the bill were, Les Cadets de Gascogne, Prof Dunean's troupe of Scotch Collies, Bowers, Wal ers and Crookers, Mr. and Mrs. Gardner Crane and Company, Ruby Reymons and Company and the Musical MeGregors Macte Dressler began her second week at the Adelphi! in that alde eplitting fun show with | State music, Tillle’s Nightmare It ts handsomely mounted by Lew Fields and furnishes the live IN OUR BIG CITIES liest kind of entertainment singing of exceptional quality by Octavia Broske; character comedy and dancing by J. Clarence Harvey, and an interlude by the English Dancing | Dolls. Joseph E. Howard, Stella Trocey and their associates began the second week at the Walnui Street Theatre in The Goddess of Liberty. The large audience apprecis tion. The Queen of the Moulin Rouge entered on gave abundant evidence of its} | order, its second and last week at the Chestnut Street | Opera House, with Phil Ryley as the principal comedian, and a reproduction of the sensational features of Paris by Night, which have gained so much notoriety for this production. Blumenthal’s sparkling comedy, The Glass House, which was given its first performance in America by the stock company at the Ger man Theatre this week was repeated successfully and confirmed the good qualities. Paul Nelva will have his benefit when the operetta, Les Dragons de Villars. will be sung. The House of a Thousand Candles was acted by the Orpheum Players at the Chestnut Street Theatre. Earlier in the season the play was given here by a traveling company. Robert Hilliard returned to the Garrick in A Fool There Was. accentuated his leading role. He repeated and strongly impressive portrayal of the The entcrtainment at the Eleventh Street Opera House had much that was funny in the skit, The Funny Side of the Great Car Strike, offered by Dumont’s Minstrels. Richard was a laughable motorman and Gibson saw to the humor of the conductor’s end of the car. The Defencibles were most amusing fellows. On the bill were also other sketches of a langhmaking sort. Ethel Vernon, vocalist, and other entertainers offered a good bill at the Liberty. oa" attraction at Hart’s Theatre was Money Mad. . At ‘he National Theatre, Beulah Poynter in Lena Rivers, was seen. There had been some doubt as to giving a performance at this house, but at noon decision was made to open the theatre. The play was presented with considerable ability. Mr. E. L. Perry, Pier at Atlantic City, manager of Steeplechase N. J., was a Billboard | caller lest week, and stated that he was making many changes as well as booking some high-class acts for the coming season. Professor D’Avino, leader of the famons band of fifty, that has been pleasing the music lovers in Boston, has decided to invade new fields this coming season. He was in Philadelphia and Atlantic City the past week, arranging for dates for the coming season. M. Ruddy Heller has added three new parks to his list the past week and is now booking eleven in all. He has a number of large acts on his list and is signing more every day. The present ontlook is very encouraging to all concerned. Two well known local performers heeded the call of the sympathetic strike and failed to show up on Saturday night at a smoker at which they were booked. They found out that their brother members were not in sympathy with the cause to the extent of giving up their livelihood and returned to the booking agents on Monday and pleaded sickness, with the result that they are sadder but wiser now WM. K. SPARKS. SAN FRANCISCO, CAL. California, unlike the East. runs almost all of its amusements all through the year and only In the past few years the park managers de cided to close for a few months during the winter. as the climate seems to have grown colder each successive winter. Outside of the outdoor amusements, all other lines run three hundred and aixty-five davs each year. The prospects for the coming year. especially tn San Francisco, are very encouraging. There are many reasons for this, namely. the con etant rebuilding. which goes on steadily, and particularly tn the spring Another factor is the hich wages paid for all classes of tradca and labor. and a most important factor Is the abundance of ready money on hand at nominal Interest. San Francisco fs destined to be the Paris of America. Its location. with its all night cafes. barber shops, banks. ete. It Its a real Rohemian town, owing to its cosmopolitan popniation and is at all times full of transient amnsement seekers At present. running !n San Francisco, we have the New Columbia Theatre. Van Ness Theatre and Savoy, all playing combination. with every prospect of a successful season. The local stock houses are confined to the Alcazar and Prineess theatres. Vaudeville is the big thing In Sen ‘Frisco. The Orpheum, a veritable mint: the National, another gold mine. which ts an S. & C. house: also the American and Wig wam,. which are booked by the S. & C. people Independent vandeville is gerting a strong hold here The Portola, Grand, California, Lyceum and several houses located In the different rest dent locations The only ontdoor amusements ta the Chutes, located right tn the center of the Fillmore business district, and {fs as complete a park as seen anywhere Tt contains ai roo. ranarinm and every concession fn the riding Itne found tn every first-class park. In addition. a new, Class A vandeville theatre, with a seating capacity of 1.500. In which the best of Pan tages’ Cirenit acts are seen. The Chutes man agement is very Iiberal fn all {ts dealines. never sparing anv amonnt to improve The roller skating business, while not an etensive as heretofore, is confined to Dreamland Rink, with the Colisenm,. recently destroyed by fire, being rebuilt and will resume again Moving pictvre theatres IncInde fully seventy five honses, distributed {In all sections of the elty., ond most all have a seemingly satisfactory hiel ness A new departure to amuse the public has svrone Into extatence the past few months, fe the performances given tn first-clase cafes, and from the looks of things Is securing a firm hold on the public, as San Francisco seems to | ers and only high-class singers. interspersed with | be the right spot for that line of amusement. e Portola afe, a handsome, expensively equipped house, with its 1,500 seats, is doing an immense business and has a pay-roll of from $1,000 to $1,500 per week for performances alone. This expense is exclusive of its other natural expenses. The other high-class cafes have matched this one and all followed suit. The Bismarck, Techan Tavern, Tate’s, all on the same are offering similar splendid programs, which usually appeal to the better class of patrons, for here you can hear grand opera singThis opens a field of employment for the better class of performers, who demand a much larger salary than usually received in vaudeville houses, and the bookings usually run for four consecutive weeks or longer. A chain of cafes all over the coast has formed itself into a circuit and a long en gagement can be secured by suitable artists. The booking business in San Francisco has developed itself very largely, for fully fifteen real booking offices are doing business outside of the Orpheum, Sullivan and Considine and Pantages’ Circuit, aél the balance are independent, and find no trouble getting acts for their respective houses at decent salaries. The film exchanges also have developed into a big business with a vast amount of capital invested. Four are handling the output of the Moving Picture Patents Company and three handling independent goods. Several new Class A theatres are in course of construction, notably the Grauman Theatre, on Market street, which is scheduled to open in June, and the American Music Hall. on Ellis street, to open in September. The Wigwam, in the Mission district, will tear down its present house, which will give way to a handsome fireproof structure, to be ready in August, and rumor says that directly opposite, on Mission street, a new fireproof theatre will be built by the Keil Estate. In addition to the above, three houses will be opened in the residential districts, so that San Francisco will be well supplied, and whether all these enterprizes will pay the investers will not deter the performers, stage hands, musicians and film exchanges from enlarging their field, for all will have ample capital and give employment to plenty of people. The usual county fairs are all being framed up. and with the large farming crop outlook all wlil be good money makers. State fairs will be larger than usual this coming season, and the new aviation meets throughout the country will bring the people from long distances. Like all other large cities, and especially New York, of which San Francisco is a pocket edition, the office people connected with the show business are more concentrated than heretofore, for at present Market street is the real Rialto of San Francisco, as most every line of show business is now located on Market street between Fourth and Eighth streets, particularly at Market and Ellis streets, in the Westbank Building. where some eight offices can be found, including the Pacific Coast branch office of The Billboard. In Oakland, across the bay, Idora Park is put ting on its new dress for the coming season. which opens April 3. and in addition to its big line of attractions. will add a human roulette wheel, devil’s slide and the funny flirter and other smaller concessions. Band concerts and concert singers will be featured throughout the season. RUBE COHEN, Suite 621 Westbank Bldg... 830 Market street. PITTSBURG, PA. Amusement parks, as viewed from a financial standpoint in this great city do not meet with hearty approval of men of finance capable of promoting and featuring such enterprises. Erxperience here in this line has been a dear teacher to a goodly number, and not until the strict compliance to the law covering Sunday has been overcome will anything again ever be attempted here. As far as sport loving is concerned, we have demonstrated the fact that for the population we can make the showing that will put any other city in the shade. I am attributing this particular loyalty to our great ball team, the Pirates: nevertheless we have some beautiful parks, none of which we need be ashamed. and really of such grendeur that one would be led to believe that nature intended these particular spots for just the purposes they are used for. It is true we are now shy three parks that when projected gave promise of wonders from every standpoint. These inclnde Coney Island Dream City and Luna Park. The latter was the last to desert. but the same conditions prevailed here that were fn evidence in the others —Sunday restrictions proved a great factor in eansing them all to close. We have three parks that are worthy of men tion aside from their picturesaueness and fdeal locations. First among which is Kennywoo! Park. located just ontside the city limits. and operated by capable and competent business men. Pienics are a great feature here, and with the completion of the new racing device whien will this summer be installed (now being built bv the Ingersoll Construction Co.), as well as the number of other Improvements aside from the redecorations and enlarrement of certain de vices, nothing will be lacking to continne to make Kennywood the same drawing card it has been for years. This new racing device will he the largest and longest fn this country. At Kennywood a larger number of picnics than ever before have already been booked. In the large arena where Wild Wests held forth hitherto, this large racing device will be erected. at a cost of $40,000. It will be the third one in this country and will be 3.600 feet long Rowling alleys will be added in this structure, and another feature will be the Hip podrome. which will be booked through the Tri State Amusement Co. (Mr. Cliff Wilson and Pol ack Vaudeville Cirenit) This same concern will do the hooking for the Afr Dome at Southern Perk. Kennywood and Southern parks will open the latter vart of May West View Park has become plenic park. More pienics than known as the ever are al , ready booked, and the outlook for the coming season at West View is particularly gratifying. Many improvements are under way at this pop ular resort, particular among which is a gravity Structure built by the T. M. Horton Co., for which as yet no name has been decided on. This is a new coutrivance, and will be the largest structure of a gravity nature in this country. This season vaudeville will be amongst the new features added, and will be booked through the American Vaudeville Circuit. Every building will be repainted, improvements in the appear ance of the entrances as well as the grounds will be given attention, and other details that will be of benefit to the general public will be earefully looked after. The greatest undertaking ever promoted out side of New York City, had its conception last summer in this city, the success that followed will be the means of this project being featured in every city of any consequence during the coming season where professional ball is played. The fertile brain of John P. Harris, who, by the way, is interested in a number of enterprises in this city in connection with Mr. Harry Davis, and in other enterprises as well, developed the idea of the Hippodrome, which w'as the success of the season last summer, and which was made so by the daring spirit of the enterprising promoter. Of course, the beautiful stadium and ev ery convenience of Forbes Field (where the Pirates won so much glory last year by winning the championship of the National League, and then the world’s championship by defeatipg the Detroit Tigers) must be taken info consideration as weil as the location, for it is doubtful if this same success would have followed at the old ball park. Nevertheless the enormous project seemed to strike the responsive chord and immediately with the initial performance success was assured. Mr. Harry Davis is the director and Mr. Jobn P. Harris manager of the Pittsburg Hippodrome Co. It would be a difficult matter to go into details as to what great acts that are rare to this country are secured, same are mostly foreign, and with the prospects now exceptionaliy bright as to this project reaching to so many other cities, that it will be an easy matter to secure larger and better acts as the opportunity will then be given the promoters to book for a period that will enable talent to fill the time to advantage. It is impossible ro learn at present just what cities will be among the many that will install the Hippodrome in the ball parks, the only other one in addition to Pittsburg that would be given out as to a cer tainty was Cincinnati. However. there is be Ing done at present a great deal of work towards lining up the larger league parks and with the opening of the baseball season it is pos sible that a Hippodrome, as featured in this city, will be under way in every city where the National League, as well as the American, have grounds, and it would not be surprising to see other cities interested where professional bail has the support that has warranted the owneyss to build grand stands sufficiently large to accommodate the thousands that will clamor for admittance. Many bookings are still under way for the Hippodrome, and although all winter bookings have been given attention, there is al ways room for more. No act is too large or too costly. The truth of the matter is that the larger and more costly the better the chances of being booked. The season last year was short, as the un dertaking was not put into effect until late in the season. and only run for seven weeks, and to show how the public appreciated this en terprise, a nightly attendance of 12,000 was in evidence. <A better idea of the enormous space nsed to feature the attractions can be gotten from the illustration. The lighting of the park {s another feature that is in keeping with the grand project, and with a seating capacity of 30.000, there will never be any occasion to hang out the S. R. 0. sign. When there Is an overflow, which Is possible, but hardly probable. there will be plenty of room to seat thousands immediately in front of the grand stand, where seats have already been built to accommodate the overflow. which was the case during the world’s series, and the Initial opening of the grounds. A strange happening is reported, to the effect that four cireuses are to appear here during the last week in April or the first week in May. This will be an event seldom if ever the case before, and while it is possibly only a rumor. howeve¢. circuses of any consequence have always played to capecity. In fact. my experience for the past four or five years is that every show of any con sequence has been unable to accommodate the crowds. With a return of prosperity, there is no reason why all of our outdoor amusement attractions shouldn’t have their banner season. Pitts burg is again herself. There seem at present to be no obstacle in the way. The poorer parks that fell by the wayside will lie there and rot. and the survival of those that deliver the goods will give us sufficient amusement, especially with such a great enterprise. and with the assurance that this season's offerings will be big ger and better than last season. Then the Hip podrome will be all that could be wished for. With the opening of the park season, the In door amnsement enterprises, such as the roller and ice rinks will close. In fact. ere this goes to press, the ice rink will have closed for the season. The roller rinks will continue until the park season opens, and they will have enjoyed prosperity. as I have the assurance that there seems to be a certain following who prefer the roller rinks to any kind of amusement or en tertainment The booking agencies, and we have quite a number now. are all prospering. There seems fo be any amount of talent in this section, but none that has any merit need miss getting on good time. The vaudeville houses playing cheap er prices are doing good business. and with the return of nice weather the moving picture honses will again be packing them in. All of the parks will this season present vau deville bills. Mr. Clif? Wilson (resident mana ger of the Lyceum), in connection with Harry Polack, of the Polack Vaudeville Cirenit, will | f ey ee eo eee ee ae a ee eee ee eee eee