The Billboard 1910-05-21: Vol 22 Iss 21 (1910-05-21)

12 The Billboard MAY 21, 1910. W. H. DONALDSON, Publisher. ISSUED WEEKLY, and entered as Second-class Mail Matter at Post Office, Cincinnati, O. Address all communications for the editorial or business department to THE BILLBOARD PUBLISHING CO., 416 Eim Street, Cincinnati, O., U. S. A.) Long Distance Telephone, Main 2769. Cable address (registered) ‘‘Billyboy.’’ NEW YORK. Holland Building, 1440 Broadway. Telephone, 1630 Bryant. CHICAGO. Suite D, | ordinary contortion act. He works with neat | funny Seal Allen farce, entitled Keeping An Ap| | week of May 1, CINCINNATI VAUDEVILLE NOTES AT THE COLUMBIA. Of uniform excellence was the Columbia's} bill of last week, the entire show running smoothly without any weak spots. Marseilles opened the show with an out-of-the ness and rapidity as well as gracefulness. Belle Davis, assisted by four pickaninies, in a singand dancing act, held down second position nicely. Gordon-Pickens and Company created a roar of laughter with a rapid farce called What Would You Do? Violet Allen and Company kept the fun-making period going with another pointment. Sidney C. Gibson, with the Dk Haven | Sextette, put over half a dozen numbers in| good style. Those English comedians, Tom and} Fred McNaughton, scored heavily, their bur lesque boxing match for a finish proving an enormous hit. Alice Lloyd, headlined, a position well deserved. Bobby Pandur and brother, | in feats of strength and athletic poses, fared | well. Pictures closed the show. Mr. Paul Brachard and wife were in Cincinnati | presenting their high-class bone | less contortionism, not to vaudevillegoers, but 1203 Schiller Building, 103-109 Randolph St., Telephone, Central 5934 SAN FRANCISCO. Westbank Building, 830 Market St., junction Market, Ellis and Stockton Sts., Suite 621. PHILADELPHIA. 501 Keith Theatre Building. ST. LOUIS. Room 803 Missouri Trust Building. LONDON, ENGLAND. 179 Temple Chambers, E. C. PARIS, FRANCE. 121 Rue Montmartre. Telephone, 222—61. Subscription, $4 a year; 6 months, v; 3 months, $1. Payable in advance. No extra charge to Canadian or Foreign subscribers. ADVERTISING RATES.— Twenty cents per line, agate measurement. Whole page, $140; half page, $70; quarter page, $35. No advertisement measuring less than five lines accepted. Saturday, May 21, 1910. THE BILLBOARD is on sale on all trains and news-stands throughout the United States and Canada, which are supplied the American News Co., and its branches. It is also on sale at Bretano’s, 37 Avenue de l’Opera, Paris, ce. When not on sale, please notify this | oe. Remittances should be made by eee or express money order, or registered letter ad-— dressed or made payable to The Billboard Publishing Company. | The editor can not undertake to return unsolicited manuscript; correspondents should keep copy. RICHMOND, VA. Stock Company and Vaudeville Houses Meeting With Success. Floating high on the waves of success that bas billowed loftier each week since the opening of the stock season, the Benjamin Players in Clyde Fitch’s virile and breezy, The Cowboy and the Lady, have broken all records at the Academy of Music for summer stock this week. Early as Tuesday the advance sheets indicated the big business that came to the box-| office all week. The Bijou Theatre, of the Jake Wells chain of popular-price houses, has been converted into a ten-cent vaudeville and motion picture proposi tion. The new policy was inaugurated Monday, May 9, with William T. Kirby, formerly of the Wilmer and Vincent managerial forces in charge. The Bijou wes leased to the Princess Theatre Company, whose home office is in Louisville, | Ky. The first week under the new policy and | the new manager, was an astonisher, capacity | business being the rule at each of the five performances daily. Mr. Kirby denies that he has been merely loaned by Wilmer and Vincent to the Sun Brothers, who are the Princess Theatre Company, and he hoots at the report that the, Bijou was leased only for the summer months: | that it has been turned over by Jake Wells and his financial backers to the new syndicate, The American Theatre Owners’ Association, to be conducted as a first-class house next season in opposition to the Academy of Music, the K. & E. Theatre here. Mr. Kirby comes from the Colonial Theatre, of the Wilmer & Vincent Circuit, Norfolk. He has a red head and is some hooter. He talks like the original text, so what he says is convincing in spite of the) Stories afloat to the contrary. The same old story of big business is the record maintained by the Colonial Theatre. Five | performances a day, a strong bill and over-| flowing houses in the past week are but a repe| tition of the record of the house for the last) ear. Ed. P. Lyons, in the manager's office, s bringing high-salaried artists to town for) each bill and amusement seekers are showing | their appreciation of a mes thing. Lyons has annexed a spacious building next door to the) Colonial and remodeled it, making of the place a waiting room; here the Colonial pgtrons are sheltered in rainy weather while waitmg to get in to one of the continuous performances. Visg| iting theatrical men say no other vaudeville | house in America has anything like it for the | accommodation of crowds in bad weather. | The Labin Theatre reports big business for the week. This house is offering three good vaudeville acts and a couple of reels of mo| tion pictures. The theatre is «smaller than Dutch Girl and the Hall Room Boys, at the | | iean, He announces that he is booked as one | He has appeared at this amusement place for | few years as lessee and manager of the Theato. | to to the patrons of Gentry Bros.’ Shows. He is | into the real estate business, founding a theat| rical colony in Florida, All interested in the | | project are requested to watch this and the fol lowing issue of The Billboard, in which Mr. Brachard is making public announcement of his enterprise. The Deagons, in their comedy sketch, The Auditorium, last week, have been playing Jake Wells and Kahele time throughout the south. They have spent but five weeks on Sun circuit, but in all probabilities will remain on same during the summer. They work in conjunction with their two daughters, The Leland Sisters, who do singing and dancing impersonations. Sprague and Dixon, in a live wire talking and singing act, spent the week of May 1 at Robinson's on Coney Holmes’ time. They have finished their eastern work, and have put six weeks in on Coney Holmes’ circuit. They are pulling for Inter-State time in the south to finish the season. Next season will see them start out with a new act, in which they will present a beautifully illuminated drop. Gone again, home again, Finnigan, is the case with Barney First, who is making his third appearance in Cincinnati, this time at the Amer of the opening attractions at Coney Island, a favorite Cincinnati summer resort, on May 29. the last four consecutive years. Bert and Emma Spears in a novel pianologue oddity featuring their own song success I'm | Satisfied to be Without a Sweetheart, also I’m | | the Man With the Man With the Money, ap peared at the American, week of May 1. They have been playing Sun time since last February, | and have four more weeks before they enter upon their vacation. The Marinette Trio, at the Auditorium week | of May 2, have been playing southern Morris | time part of the season and Capital City Amuse ment Co. the balance of the time through Nebraska and lowa. This is thelr sixth week for Sun, They are under the management of Frank Burke. LaSalle and Lind, in their club juggling act, marked their sixth consecutive week on Coney Holmes’ time by entertaining audiences at Robinson’s. They will soon repair to their homes In Jamestown, N. Y., and intend to spend a great portion of their vacation on Lake Chatauqua. The Musical Turners dropped in The Billboard office during the past week to announce that their booking is solid for the remainder of the Season, after which they will spend a month elaborating their present act at their home in St. Joseph, Mo. Then watch out for them. The Three Kobers, at the American week of May 9, have been playing coast time for 8. and all during the past season, They go to Wheeling, next week, where they will remain for | a time at their home before entering upon their bookings in the eastern parks and fairs. Bouton and Co., in Straight and Crooked Magic were at Robinson's week of May 1. They are featuring their rooster-cannon trick, one of the slickest ever shown at the local theatre. They are on their way east, where Alf. T. Wilton is going to take care of the act. Mr. Dan Sherman, of Sherman-DeForest and ©., played his last week of the current vaude | ville season at the Empress. He returns to his home in Long Island where he will take up bis He is framing up a colony | real estate work, of professionals in that locality. Powell and Doermann, in Two of Us, a novelty musical act, at the American week of May 1, marked their first appearance in vaudeville. They claim to be the fastest bell-ringers in the busi | son's, this | Holmes’ time. ness, They are eccentric in their line and de serve credit for their act. Will Beam, eccentric monologist, ‘‘the thinnest thing in vaudeville,”’ is jumping westward with rapidity in order to reach Frisco in time for the big fight. He contemplates framing a new four-act to be known as Will Beam and the | Three Dancing Hayles. Wallace M. Cooley, in his rube act, Farmer | Cooley and His Fiddles, played his engagement at the American, his second week on Sun time. | He is featuring a cigar box violin, remarkable for its clear tones. On it he plays high-class operatic selections. The Blount Bros., in their singing and talking act, at the Empress, week of May 1, are eccentric comedians who have been working 8. and C, and will continue so for ten more weeks. Previous to this, southern Inter-State time was | their portion. Lancaster, Hayward and Lancaster, presented A Marriage Broker act at the Empress, He has been elaborating upon this act, and new special scenery has been introduced. Mr. Lancaster has re-written the act, so as to please both manager and public. The Arnesens, in their ullibrist PA ey eq stic act, spent ay 1 at the Empress, Cincinnati, | They are headed for the northwest, their first | appearance in that section of the country, as | they are Europeans, and will return to the other side soon, — Coney Holmes added three new theatres ip Cincinnati to his prosperous chain, the Century, the Plaza, in Norwood, and the Grand, for the summer only. This makes five for Coney, ifacluding Robinson's and the Colonial, in Coving ton, Ky. Carolyn Davis, the only lady magician alone in vaudeville, was at the American last week. This marked her fifteenth consecutive month op Sun Circuit. She contemplates a new enlarged act to be ready for appearance in the Immediate future, Orren, the imitator, spent the week at Robin being his ninth week on Coney Vrevious to this, he worked for E. R, Long in Chicago. He expects to be ip New York at the end of July, in burlesque. Justus Romain and Co., in The Pledge of Coronova, at Robinson's current week, have just finished western Morris and lantages’ time, and will stay in the middle-west until next season, when the act goes east for the first time. All performers that have played or will play the Auditorium, will be glad to learn that two of the old boys, Joe Welch, flyman, and L. Hyams, electrician, are back on their old jobs, after an absence of three or four weeks. Browning and Jones are back in the Queep City once more, after an absence of eight weeks, at which time they played at the American. They entertained at the Auditorium during their current engagement, Bobby Mack, in his Irish impersonations, op Coney Holmes’ time, is playing middle-west. He is just in from New York, where he played in successful fashion He will continue op Holmes’ circuit. The Columbia Quartette is going westward to the coast, They have but recently organized, and are composed of all Cincinnati boys. Roy Randolph, Fred Evans, Robt. Williams and Harry Hart. Weaver and Lambert were at the American, roducing their character impersonation act. hey will rest up for the summer, but will see the glorious fight on the bloody Fourth at Frisco. Lillian LeRoy and Co., at American week of May 1, are going to the east to rest up, after having played a successful season on westerp vaudeville time. Jeannette Adler and her Pickahinnies featured the Empress week of May 2. She is going east ward, and expects to arrive in New York by the middle of June. Ingram and Lind, at Robinson's last week, expect to see the east shortly, They will commence rehearsals of the pew act to appear next season. Josephine Carsello, in singing and novelty dancing, was at Robinson's week of May 1. She intends going east in vaudeville. Almost every ten-cent vaudeville house in the city is installing the latest cool-air and ventilating system for the summer, Gravetta and Parr, in their European novelty act, spent the past week at the Auditorium. either of the opposition houses in between which it is sandwiched, the Colonial and the Bijou, baving a seating capacity of only 1,200, but it bas been a steady winner since it was built by | the film-making concern whose name it bears. | It is announced, apparently on good authority, that Manager Wolch, of the Theato, another tencent vaudeville house, has just closed a deal that involves the construction of a new theatre | at Seventh and Broad streets. The house, ac| cording to report, will cost $100,000. The site| upon which the new amusement house will stand was purchased a few days ago by Strauss & Gunst, a wholesale liquor concern, for $205,000. Welsh acted for a syndicate of capitalists. | He will take a ten-year lease on the new thea-| tre and conduct it along the lines that enabled) him to accumulate a comfortable fortune in 4 Two summer parks are open and bidding for) atronage. The old pleasure park at Forest | ill, recently leased for a term of ten years) Col. J. H. Livingston, has been equipped | at a cost of about $50,000 with all the principal attractions and appurtenances of a big city amusement park and is doing an immg@&se busi | ness. Idlewood Park, which was built by Jake Wells and abandoned by him after three bad seasons, has taken a new spurt and indications | point to a satisfactory season. The park is) owned by Andrew Pizzini and managed by Fred Lewis. Forest Hill Park is owned by the Virginia Railway and Power Company. ROBERT GOLDEN. CAPTAIN PRICE’S LETTER. Kuala Lumpar, Federated Malay States, April 10, 1910. Editor The Billboard, Cincinnati, O. Dear Friend:—Show news is very scarce in these parts, but I thought I would drop you a line and let you know how I am getting along. | Since writing you last, I have visited Ipot, | Perek, in the F. M. S., a thriving little town, where I made a balloon ascension in the rain) on March 28 and to a good crowd. Ipot sup-| ports a picture show (Cinematograph) and is a/| good show town. I arrived here on March 29. This place is the capitol of the Federated Malay States and is a very prosperous town of about) 10,000 inhabitants, principally Chinese. This | is the very heart of the rubber country and people are rubber crazy here. Big fortunes are being made here by many people in a very short | time in rubber speculation. This is also the! center of the tin-mining district. I met an old) friend here a few days ago. Ariie Tully, the famous ex-champion Australian iight-weight. He owns tin mines and rubber plantations galore, and is the leading book maker of these parts. | This town supports a Cinematograph and they | are coining money. Their prices of admission | range from $1.50 to 30 cents. How Tsien Pin, the famous Chinese magician and troupe of acrobatic jugglers, plate spinners, etc., from Pekin, China, have been playing lere the past week to crowded houses at big prices. his troupe is beyond a doubt the finest I have ever) seen. Later on they may be seen in America. Bysack’s Cirens is coming here next week and. will undoubtedly. do a big business. A sma!!! American circus would make a barrel of money in these lands. I made a successful balloon ascension here on the 7th and got big money for it. I am leaving here to-day for Singapore, where I will make an ascension and an airship flight. I return here on May 24 (Empire Day) to make an airship flight under contract for $2,500. Not so bad; is it? I am boosting the good old Bill board wherever I go and everybody that I have shown a copy to, like the paper very much. (How could they help it?) Well, I must close for this time as it is nearly } train time. Will write you from Singapore. Kind regards to all professional friends. Yours sincerely, CAPT. J. W. PRICE. MARCUS LOEW A COMING POWER IN VAUDEVILLE. (See First Page.) Oft has the expression been heard along the Rialto that theatrical magnates, and powers that be, in the world of amusement, are born, not created, and yet there is one man, who, born amid surroundings wholly distant and foreign to the life along the Great White Way, has become a peer in the world theatric, a power in a field which has sprung up as if it were of mushroom growth. One who has done more for the artist and the artistic than many men who have been identified with the theatrical game for the greater part of their lives. Marcus Loew can't boast of descendency from the blue blood of the stage, nor does he lay claim to any laurels that may have been won by man agerial genius or executive phenomenons of a race from whose life tree he is a part. He ad mits his past lack of familiarity with the amusement field. He exhibits, with pride, a record and a name created in the commercial centers of New York and does not blush to acknowledge that less than three years ago he didn’t know up stage from down, hadn't the slightest con ception of the intricate mechanism of house management and the art of pleasing patrons. But the Marcus Loew of to-day looks back upon that riod as a memory, as a time wherein he di not appreciate the opportunities which even the small time vaudeville presented. His first venture seemed destined to disaster. The dreams of accomplishment and success were overshawoded by heavy losses, but the dogged determination with which Loew has forced his way to recognition won out and what was des tined to be a nucleus of a chain of popular houses sprang into such popular favor that he soon after tried his second venture—another picture house and another victory. The story of his upbuilding and contro! of a chain of first-class show houses, has been told time and again. Suffice it to say that when the Harlem Casino, seating thirty-four hundred peo ple is completed, Loew will be firmly en trenched in New York as a factor in the vaudeville situation. The circuit which Marcus Loew has perfected through ingenuity, hard work, and persistent effort to offer the best within his power and his determination to please his patrons, is today one of the largest ‘‘Pop’’ circuits in this country. To enumerate, the New Bronx Theatre, the Harlem Casino, the National in Boston, the Lincoln Square, Majestic, West End, Yorkville and Grand in New York City; Columbia, Royal, and Lyric, in Brooklyn; the houses on the Cabo Circuit, for summer, and twenty-one others. To Marcus Loew, great credit is due. From a stranger in a strange land he has risen to be a leader among his people. We bave but to anticipate that Loew has still higher ambitions and aspirations for bigger things. The United Booking Office is not far removed from the Columbia Building. Who knows ?—stranger things have happened. ALBANY, N. Y. Lytell Stock Company Resumes Engagement After a Week's Absence. After a week's rest, the Bert Lytell Stock Company reopened at Harmanus Bleecker Hall, May 9, with Regeneration. The short absence had only served to sharpen the appetite of Albany theatregoers, as packed houses and a royal welcome were the rule all week. Mr. Ly*ell has been in New York; Miss Elsie Esmond and Inz Buck im Atlantic City; John Sumner was fishing and hunting at Cape Vincent, while the company manager, Mr. Chas. Burton, stayed in Albany, to prepare for their return. Manager Gilbert Gordon, renewed old friend ships during the visit of the New Theatre Company to Harmanus Bleecker Hall, May 67, as many of the company and those engaged in the production were associated with him during his incumbency as treasurer of Daly's, and the New Amsterdam Theatres. His regular season closed with the New Theatre Company, and i!t has been profitable to all concerned. His work as manager bas won him hosts of friends In Al bany. WM. H. HASKBLL. MONTREAL, CAN. The Forum Summer Garden Will Open on May 23. When the news of the death of King Edward reached this city the managers of the theatres dismissed their audiences, with the privil of having their money refunded, or a ticket 4 a future performance. The Forum Summer Garden, the first of its ae in this city, will open its doors on May The Orpheum, Francais and Casino have thete usual good bill of vaudeville, and the attendance does not seem to diminish N. W. SHANNON. Pommier Bros.’ Theatre Company, under canvas, opened the season, May 2, at ——~ “aaa Mo. The show carries twenty-eight people. ce eS