The Billboard 1914-01-03: Vol 26 Iss 1 (1914-01-03)

JANUARY 3, 1914, The Billboard 13 Spokes In T he Wheels By Byd. Christmas bas gone and we can now settle down aad hope for better conditions. The few weeks directly preceding tue wulidays bave been particularly bad and all efforts to disguise the fact would be fruitless. Outside of ail simism it must be admitted that theatrical conditions, generally, are worse than they bave been for many a loug year, and unfortunately the condition applies to burlesque, The busi pess at most of the theaters on the two wheels | has been pleasingly and encouragingly govd, when compared with the business which bas been experienct on the high-priced and popularpriced circuits, but with al) of this, it is perhaps safe to state that the decrease in burlesque receipts over past seasons is easily ten per cent. Money is scarce, and the theatrical! manager knows It. Business bas been bad; is still bad and it may be worse. We can only bope for a change for the better and trust to the fates to bring the shows in with a comfortable surplus on the profit side of the ledger. eee The most popular theatrical fad in Wasbington at present is “Gift Night,” a sort of country store scheme, whicb is proving successfu) at many of the popular-priced theaters and motion pictures bouses. see Barney Gerard's Follies of the Day is here this week with Jack McNamara in charge. eee Ada Lundlin has resigned as bookkeeper of the Jacobs & Jermon office and is now preparing for the bymenial ceremony, which will take place in New York City in a few weeks. eee pee-' , who is now Mrs, Leventhal. Tom McKay, the inimitable English dude comedian with the Liberty Girls, is scoring a big success with his clever work, and togetber with such performers as Mac Kennedy and al | Bruce, the Liberty Girls may be said to boast of as strong a line-up of mirtb-provokers as any show on either wheel. eee AN APPRECIATION Every mail has brought me cards and iketters of greeting and congratulation, all of which are highly appreciated and every wisb reciprocated Among those who sent messages of grieting and which have not been previously acknowledged were Mr. and Mrs. Tom Sul livan, Jack Reid, George Chenet, Constance Booth, Fred Wyckoff, Clars Bascom, the rro gressive Circuit, Vernon Husmanne, Billy An derson, Frank and Frances Damse!, Fred Rider, Mickie O'Rrien, Lew Fein James Brennan, Marion Oaks, Nellie Ireland, Walter A. Woolf, Margaret Lee, Harry L. Cooper, Fred Rochon, Paul Pendl.ton, Emil Forster, Johnny Palmer, Mr. and Mrs, W. Hi. Donaldson, Marie McClean, Polly Aaronsen, Chick Rubens, Jack Lennor. Milton Monnist, Ida Haverly, Phil Paulscraft W. C. Cameron, the Hippodrome Four, Kobert W. Brown, Marien Day, Edna Moore, Billy B. Watson, Frank Livingstone. Maude Robinson, H. B. Stremel. Pilly K lly. Vie 8. Plant, W. A Boyd, Herbert Obe naver, Homer Sheridan, Larry Borie, Uno, James Francis Sullivan, Brookes Taylor, Florence Sheublin, Bertha Mayor, Billy E. Waite, Flu fie Norton, Art Phillips, Ed. Lee Wrothe, Frederick Stock, Rube Bernstein, An Grey Lee, Jennie Bunot, Larry Gero, Joe Op penhbeimer, Mona Raymond, Maude Rockwell, Rose Sydell, Mr. and Mrs. Chas. Taylor, Aida Vogelin, Henry P. Nelson, Maurice Cain, MarJorie Conboy, C. D. Sawyer, Milton Mannest, Peter 8. Clark, Jack Sutter, Jean Bedini, Alfred Usber, Harry Shapiro, Jack Strouse, Pao! Pevdieton, Harry L. Cooper, Florence Scheublin, Robert W. Brown, Artbor Darris, Fred W. Stair, Herbert Obernaver, Henry Kurtzman, Adolph Penner, Clare Barg, Fred Waldmann, Tom McKay, Barney Frank, Kitty Morgan, Gertie DeMiit, Al Reeves, Jennie Usher and Harry Armer, eee the been spending Marjorie Conboy, of Company, has Progressive Girls the holidays at Utica, N. Y. Margie tells me that the show has been playing to wonderful and adds: “In my the Progressive Girls Is the bost show on the wheel, bar none.”’ Margie ts some booster and would make a good agent. eee from the Dolly Dimple Girls tell of Many changes and much Improvement, and with & new book and show is ‘going hew scenic set has been put in for act, while sets of wardrobe have been furnieht by the Whitner people of Detroit. A letter from Jock Sutter business opinion Reports two re war over" in the first-class shape, A comedians, the second several new aarvre: “Tam glial te Say that the new show {te giving every eati« faction, an’ with the changes that we have made, I can now boast of a real classy produethen Tam well sati«fied with the new people and consider Mark Adama as one of the most capable comedians In the business,"’ eee Maurice Cain ts doing some great work ahead of Charile Arnold's Crackerjacks, and among the ; ther uuveltics be bas been using is ai nickel-plat d bottle opener, as it is ornamental, see Reviewing the Gay New Yorkers, a Phi'adeiphia paper said: “Will Fox aud Ilarry Mark Stewart are Hebrew comedians of Street Schoo) of Acting, Will Fux, as Isadore Siege!, and Harry Stewart, as Moritz Couper, are (Wo Wwerebants who purchase an emporium where po mwoney is taken in, furnish most of the comedy, but the real bit is scored by Evidle Nelson, as a “nut” detectiv, and bis work is exceptovally commendable.”’ eee It was a biz night at Volk's Lyceum on East Second street last Sunday, when Julius Leventhal took unto ulmself a wife. Julius is the cigarstand man up at the Gotham on 125th Street, and Sadie Wolcber was the lucky girlie Julins spread himself and there was nothing missing at the banquet, to which many of his theatrical friends were iuvited. which is as usefu: the llester Among those seen at the recent Leventhal wedding were: Eddie O'Neil, Lon Covert, Fred Kelly, Morris Multz and Ted Murpby, a!) from the Gotham Theater, and a number of the members of the Fay Foster Company. eee Will Harrie, straight man with the Girl From the Follies, is exhibiting a handsome gok!beaded ebony cane, presented to bim by his wife, who is with the Ginger Girls. eee Billy “Beef Trust’’ Watson is cleaning up all along the line, and since bis mamnwtb week at Pittsburg, the avalanche of fenomena) bo«iness has never ceased for a moment. Billy je truly the daddy of al) the Watsons, and he jokin«ly refers to the slider as bis son, Billy W. The Watson Sisters are referred to as “my little girls,"" while Joseph K. is designated as “my youngest child.” eee Etta Joerns, prima donna with the Progressire Will Von, Tilzer’s latest hits. Miss Joerns, ' who is a newcomer ip burlexque, ls making quite a little neise and alimest every day complimentary presse notices are belug received at this office. ee Jack Strouzse—Many thanks for kind letter and friendly grreetings. Best wishes to yuurseif and the folks with the troupe. eee Hlite and Iiite, Texas Tommy dancers, joined the Dandy Girls recently. “es Frank Livingstone, ahead of the Golden Crook Company, senda me a novel postal card, which be is using ahead of the show. The card shows a .enuine fotegraf of a bulllog disguised as apn advauce agent. The idea is goud. eee There was a rerular agents’ convention at Indianapolis the other week, when we saw in conference: Tom Daily, Arthur Diggs, Bert Carroll, Tom Dranstield, Joe Rosenthal, Jack Newman and Everett W. Chipman. The big confab was held in the lobby of the Majextic Theater, where the Progressive shows are progressing favorably. Wonder bow Trenton, N. J., will pan out as a week stand? Twelve shows In one week for a town like Trenton is a trifle too much, it seems; but who knows? eee Our old friend, Henry P. Nelson, of the Ginger Girls, sends me a well-gotten-up souvenir card, which tells us that he is ‘“‘burlesque's most legitimate German comedian.”” This is | Henry's Sfth seasun with the Ginger Girla, and judging from the clippin:s be sends us, it looks as tho be was making guod. eee Gertie De Milt is working all the time and reports big success with her new singing an! dancing act. Gertie was a favorite im buriexque and it seems that she is meeting with equal favor in vaudevil. eee Lee Hickman and Ruby Gray are still with the Rosy Posy Girls, and are making quite a hit with the small amount of werk they bare to do. Hickman is a finisht performer, while Girls, is changing ber moon song for one of ; Miss Gray is a thoroly capable soubret. BILLY FOSTER | THE GERMA® Wit SOCIAL MAIDS VIC CASMORE & GEORGE DOUGLAS JACK SINGER'S BEHMAN SHOW. THE TIN MAN AND THE SCARECROW. AL REEVES BIG BEAUTY SHOW—50 PEOPLE FEATURING ANDY LEWIS COLLEGE GIRLS CO ABE REYNOLDS — FLORENCE MILLS TROCADERY'S CO MOLLIE WILLIAMS “The Only Female Star in Burlesque.”’—Fre Me lor VENITA GREY ““La-Fa-Di-11." Comedienne and Producer of Numbers. rection Sim Williams “YES, | MADE IT.” FRED De SILVA With Sim Williams’ Parisian Beauties JOHNNIE JESS CRACKER JACKS (Cr EDDIE B. COLLINS MATT KENNEDY “The ‘aughing Grogan of Kreusemeser Alley ” AND HIS LIBERTY GIRLS German Comedian THE BARKERS AL BRUCE “Destroyers of Gloom.” Titherts Girls En Route \Mrection Stim Williams. Parisian Beanties (e TOM McKAY pategp dinate c Author, Actor, ¢ Fifth Comedian Liberty Gtris Ask Matt Kenne@ [, Bo mags 4 Golden an oy A tion Jacobs & Jermonu JACK MILLER ‘DON'T DO THAT.’ Comedian Sim Williams’ Parisian Reauties Co Principal ZELLA RUSSELL cfatensn ss HARRY CARR Progressive Girls Co. HENREW COMEDIAN, THE KENTUCKY DUO JAMES BENTLEY and LARRY WILLING Progressive Girla Co. ETTA JOERNS Prima Dour, The Progressive Girls. MAUDE ROCKWELL “The Giri With the Golden Votes.” Co-Star Golden Crook Co. PAULINE PALMER “That Bundle of Antmation.”’ Progressive Girls Co HARRY WELS H PHINCIPAL COMEDIAN Gtr BERT FASSIO ,.“3"5, MONTE CARLO GIRLS Monte Carlo When yon visit the Star, Brooklyn, you will be sure to meet Mike Joyce, the smiling-faced house manager, who wil] treat you like a geo tleman. Mike is a thoro manager and a regu lar fellow to boot. see Jack Miller, who is principa! comedian with Sim Wiliams’ Parisian Beauties, is past mak ing a reputation as a burlesque comedian, and we congratulate Sim Williams upon having se cured his services for a term of years. see Elleen Sheridan, of the Behman Show, has closed with the show and has gone to her home in New York awsiting the coming of a little stranger. Miss Sheridan is in private life Mrs. Edward Coleman, eee Johnnie Jess, the popular comedian with the Crackerjacks, is a great box-office card, and his friends in every city on the circuit are rallying nobly every week with the resul that the show is playing to great business. eee Henry P. Nelson, of the Ginger-Girls Co., is considering an offer to go to Europe with a Jewish company under the management of Mme. Lipzini. eee June Mills, with the Columbia Burlesquers, is making the hit of her life, and The Louis ville Courier says: “The most wenderful women ever seen bere in burlesque’’—some boost this. eee I am told that John G. Jermon is arranging to star Harry L. Cooper at the head of a new company next season, and if this is true we may look for a good show. Cooper is with the Columbia Burlesquers this season, and his work is the talk of the wheel. eee Clever, versatile and always on the move te the renowned Venita Grey, now playing character parts and taking care of the numbers with the Sim Williams show on the Progressive Cirevit. Venita is an experi-nced performer and one of the most capable producers in the business. . eee Kitty, billed as Loretta LeRoy, was with the Al Reeves Show during the scason of 1910, and wis doing a specialty with the show. Lor etta’s right nume is Kitty Flynn. eee Many thanks to Mamie Bambard and Lozetts Howe for kind message. Send me your addresses, girls. eee A letter from Charlie Baker tells me that the new baby girl is thriving happily. The fame applics to Mrs. Bertha Gibson, the mother. eee Bilty Foster, German comedian with The Social Maids, is the talk of the entire circuit. Watch this bey come forward. eee Leslie Harcourt is in Catherine Crawford's place with Charlie Wuldron’s Trocaderos (Eastern Wheel). ses They tell me that the strikes which have kept Indianapolis on the death trai] list, are now over, and that business at the local thea ters is picking up wonderfully. A Joe Rosenthal, ahead of The Mirth Makera, says: ‘“‘The Majestic here is beginning to show splendid results, and und«r the excellent management of Ed Sullivan, brother of the bustling Tom Sullivan, conditions are improving speedily. Ed is a live one and he has a bunch of real assistants, who take a delight in trying to make the traveling manager and agent comfortable. We are changing the title of The Mirth Makers and the show is now billing as The Militant Maids. Mlle. Babette is still the big noise with the show, and Pear! Reid is am easy second." eee Manager Buchanan, of The Militant Maids, is a regular motorcycle fiend, and he is now carrying a machine with the show. One of the actors also carries a spitfire wheel, and the two may be seen any fine morning taking long rides thru the surrounding country. eee I wonder why some of the agents don’t bay motorcycles? It would be great for distributing amall stuff around the factories and outlying suburbs, and a good wheel with a live maa could be made to serve many profitable pur poses. ASk Johnny Whitehead. eee I am in receipt of a clipping from a Philacelphia paper from which I have culled & portion of a big boost written about our ol4 friend Frank Livingstone. The item, which was fully a quarter of a column in length, ents as follows: ‘Jacobs and J¢rmon are to be congratulated on having a man of Livingstone’s ‘get up and hustle character.’ Livingstone is on the job day and night and there has never been ai better billed show than The Goid-n Creoks. He is honest, sincere and conscientieus, beth to his employers and the houses where his company is appearing.”” Frank is ahead of The Golden Crook Company this sea lettcr from, LT