The Billboard 1925-09-05: Vol 37 Iss 36 (1925-09-05)

; ‘sor 5 ome 887s Ue CO Ie & we wore VS we Or =e PPS September 5, 1925 1. a"7_ A The Billboard K.-A. SPLIT-WEEK HOUSES WILL FEATURE FILMS INSTEAD OF ACTS Bigger Film Attractions Replacing “Name” Acts in Family Houses in Line With Policy of Keeping Drawing Cards to BigTime Theaters Exclusively / EW YORK, Aug. 31.—The split-week theaters connected with the Keith-Albee. Moss and Proctor houses will depend almost entirely on the motion picture attractions booked into them to draw business beginning with the new season, this being shown by the list of film features which are scheduled to play those houses. This is further evidence of the plan discussed by the booking office during the past summer whereby “name” acts will be kept to the big-time houses strictly and the.family theaters will have to draw their vaudeville bills from the lesser known standard acts. That the split-week houses affiliated with the K.-A. Circuit are patterning more after the Loew Theater policies is becoming more apparent with each new plan being made for these theaters for the new season. The fact that many of them have lowered their prices to a 50cent top during the summer and will maintain that scale thruout the year is one reason. The booking of the two-reel comedies into all these houses as well as the big-time theaters is apother. The K.-A. houses are also preparing to do more exploitation on their motion picture attractions than has been done in the past, since few of the “name” acts will be played in the split-week houses which will merit heavy advertising. This is explained by the fact that while an act draws money to a theater that act must play each house in rotation, thus taking 10 weekes to do big business in each house, whereas a motion picture’ ‘attraction which has been heavily exploited can placed in all 10 houses during the same week and make money for alli of them at the same time. Up to the last few seasons the motion picture attraction had generally been regarded as merely incidental to the vaudeville show in most of the family theaters, and only in special nstances had been more advertised than the acts on the bills. In the past. two seasons the motion picture has been cradually given more space in the advertising, and from all appearances for the future the acts on the bills will be incidental to the motion picture attraction. A representative list of stars in pictures is being booked for all the Keith-Albee, Moss and Proctor houses. Among them are Thomas Meighan, Pola Negri, Gloria Swanson, Milton Sills, Colleen Moore, Richard Barthelmess, D. W. Griffith Productions, Reginald Denny, Laura La Plante and Mary Philbin. These include releases of Famous Players-Lasky, First National, Universal and others. The first Swanson picture will be Stage Struck; the first Meighan feature, Shamrock; Nigri’s will be Flower of the Night; D. W. Griffith’s, The Royal Girl, and Eecil B. De Mille productions will be u as features. The exploitation of these will be done in conjunction with the publicity and advertising departments of the producers and distributors of the films, which will give so much added space to theaters playing the films. VAUDEVILLE PLACEMENTS New York, Aug. 29.—Myrtle Theobold, Charles Lun and “Margaret C€ampbell Were engaged this week thru Murray Phillips for Harry Hayden's act, and the saowing were placed by Rycroft-Per Marion Martin, as ingenue, and Eddie Marr, as juvenile, with Wishing, by Philip Bagtholomae, an act that has been staged by; Allan K. Foster and is now playing the Poli houses. .Raymond Ringo with Paul Durand, K.-A. agent, for uise Massart’s act, to be seen on the big time in a few weeks. arney Rosselly for Four P.M., Robert Henry Hodge's act, and Bobbie Gale, ingenue, with the offering known as Gordon, Elbrid and Company. Mario Valle in Vaude. New York, Aug. 31.—Mario Valle, operatic baritone, last heard at the Polo Grounds in Aida, begins a tour of vaude Ville at the Keith-Albee 81st Street cheater today. Valle was formerly with e San Carlo Opera Company, appearwith it in Paris and Buenos Aires. Dixie Mason in Vaudeville ing New York, Aug. 31.—Dixie Mason is Solng into vaudeville from burlesque Nee a new act written for her by Frank i orton. It will be billed ag Dixie Mason nh Hearts and Spades. She will be as Sisted b pr seerpat vi offering.» five “pickaninnies” in the New Act for Lee Marshall n New York, Aug. 31.—Lee Marshall nas opened in a new act billed as Pep tid Syncopation. The supporting company includes. Lloyd Mitchell, James Ww ice. Andy Brown and Miss Bob Vaude. Bookers Form Political League Big Guns of All Circuits But K.-A. Represented in List of Officers of New Walker Organization New York, Aug. 31.—Vaudeville booking offices have entered into politics for the comin local Mayoralty campaign with the formation of the Walker Independent League, whose officers include a member of practically every -wellknown Eastern circuit with the exception of the Keith-Albee and affiliated organizations. John J. Hyde, Loew Circuit booker, is president; Harry J. Padden, head booker of the Amalgamated ‘Agency, is first vice-president; Edgar Allen, Fox Circuit booker, is second vice president; Fally Markus, head of the largest independent theater booking agency, is treasurer; John A. Robbins, also a well-known independent booker, is recording-secretary, and Harry A. Shea, independent and Loew -artistes’ representative, is financial secretary. The organization has opened offices at 1560 Broadway. The vaudeville league for Senator James J. Walker’s nomination as Mayor is a follow-up on the organization of the film interests, which formed the “Motion Picture Division of the Senator James J. Walker Mayoralty Campaign” the week before. This branch of the amusement industry has opened political headquarters at 1600 Broadway. Mayor Hylan, who is Walker’s opponent for the Democratic nomination, was formerly a great favorite of theatrical folk. As yet, howver, no talk has been heard of any theatrical organization being formed for the purpose of boosting him. Orchestra Director a Host To “Puzzles of 1925” Cast New York, Aug. 31.—Irving Aaronson, director of The Commanders, formerly in vaudeville, and whose orchestral unit, The Crusaders, opens September 12 at the mid-town Hofbrau, will be host at a dinner to the cast of Elsie Janis’ Puzzles of 1925, to be given at the Hofbrau shortly before e show entrains for Chicago. The Commanders will be a feature of the Janis show. New Le Roy Clemons Sketch in Rehearsal New York, Aug. 31.—Ashley Buck started rehearsals this week in Just a Boy Scout, a compety played by LeRoy Clemons, which will be presented in vaudeville by John Wray. Clemens, coauthor of the play Aloma of the South Seas, wrote Just Out o nickers, in which Buck appeared under direction of Lewis & Gordon. Charles Furey will book the new Buck vehicle on the Keith-Albee Time. Mabel Estelle is among the supporting cast of three. Yates Sending “If” Out Again With New Cast New York, Aug. 31.—Irving Yates is again producing the act by Billy K. ells, for vaudeville with a new cast. The cast was done last year by Burt and Rosedale, with Victor Henry, Dedette, Irene Hayden and Blanche Davies in the cast. The new company will be headed by Phil Seed and Maurie Dayne and will include the Harper Sisters, Alice Donohue and Milton Sylvia. Bert Gordon in “Apples” New York, Aug, 31.—Bert Gordon, the man of many partners, is now heading a musical act called Apples, which opened today in New Haven. It is presented by ay Tiabere., ane in —_ > rt ca are a urman, arry okes, Alan McKenzie and four girls. | Mary Eaves, singing comedienne, who opened last week at the Maryland Theater, Baltimore, on this season’s route, extending to late spring of next year. Following the Baltimore date she plays the Delmar houses and then the Inter-State Time, after which she will proceed east ward playing Keith-Albee houses. Miss Eaves, who is booked direct, was one of the highlights of the recent Lidhts Cruise on Long Island, which netted a@ healthy sum for the club. Henry Hull Back in Elaine Sterne Skit Another Company, Musicalized, Goes Into Rehearsal New York, Aug. 31.—Henry Hull ree turned to vaudeville this week at Keith's, Washington, in Five Minutes From the Station, the sketch he appeared in last season under direction of Lewis & Gordon. He is supported by Edith Fitzgerald and James Baber. His vaudeville tour will be brief, owing to his scheduled appearance in a new play later in the fall. In the meantime a second company of Five Minutes From the Station, a Elaine Sterne playlet, will go out with Isabelle D’Armondé and Lew Hunting at its head. This a will present a musicalized version of the sketch. One-Nighters Reopening With Lorraine Acts New York, Aug. 31.—More than 18 houses playing acts for one and twonight stands, booked by Harry Lorraine out of the Fally Markus office, are to resume acts in the next two weeks. The bigs for five of these have already been set, these being the Lyric Theater, Butler, N. J.; the Bijou Theater, Orange, N. J.; the Broadway Theater, Haverstraw, N. Y.; the Cameo eater, Brewster, N. Y., and the Alpha Theater, Belleville, N. J. Una Clayton Opens in “No Account Sally” New York, Aug. 31.—Una Clayton opened last week (last half) in Trenton in her new offering, a vehicle called No Account Sally. Her supporting company includes her husband, Herbert Grubber. The act is under direction of Frank Evans. Avon Four’s New Act Opens New York. Aug. 31.—The new act which the Avon Comedy Four will show in this city shortly will be known as From the Battery to the Bronx. This is the vehicle which has been selected to succeed its old standby, The Hungarian Rhapsody, which it did for many years. Several girls will be seen in the cast of the new act. New Brighton Closing Season New York, Aug. 31. — The New Brighton Theater, at Coney Island, will close season in two weeks, playing its last show for the current year during the week of September 7. The house opened early in May and has been booked by Lawrence Goldie out of the Keith exchange. Channel Swimmer Booked New York, Aug. 31.—Henry F. Sullivan, of Lowell, Mass., who was the first and only American to successfully swim the English Channel, has been booked on the Keith-Albee Time thru Alf. T. Wilton. He opens next week at the Lyric Theater, Birmingham, Ala. 7 13 Albee Not To Build On Old Car-Barn Site Negotiations With Holders of Property Withdrawn When Roxy Theater Syndicate Grabbed Plot Desired 3 New York, Aug. 31.—E. F. Albee will not build on the car-barn plot at 50th street and Seventh avenue a vaudeville theater to duplicate the one in Brooklyn bearing his name, which he plans to erect In the near future in the Times Square area, because the property he Was negotiating for it not available now. Brokers for the head of the Keith-Albee Circuit started dickering with Bing & Bing, owners of the biock, for the plot 200 feet east of Seventh avenue, which had a frontage on West 50th and West olst streets of 150 feet and a depth of 200, but were beat to it by the syndicate that is building a new theater for 8S. L. (Roxy) Rothafel. it was learned at the offices of Bing & Bing that the Albee negotiations were temporarily stopped when the deal for the “Roxy” theater was closed, and that since this sale would require the Keith-Albee interests to select a _ site further down 50th and 5lst streets, it is quite likely brokers have been instructed to withdraw from further dickering. _ Altho Bing & Bing have not been so informed, they feel that Albee would not be interested in setting up a high-class vaudeville house that far from Seventh avenue. He would have to go 440 feet down the side streets, and probably more, if the proposed group of four legitimate houses are to be built. They would be erected next to the “Roxy” house and take up an additional 200 feet. The legitimate project, however, is less indefinite now than ever before, for the reason that producers would doubtless be uninterested in theaters. situated nearly 500 feet from the avenue. It is understood that the balance of ie car-barn property, stretching toward Sixth avenue and comprising some 72,000 square feet, will be put on the market and resold. This ‘being done Albee negotiations and the legit, project would be automatically dropped. When Bing & Bing first made known their plans to construct the quartet of legit. houses they were swamped with brokers’ negotiations for various wellknown producers, among them Florenz Zeigfeld, but in each case those interested would not pay what the holding company wanted. ork is well under way for the Manger Brothers Hotel and the “Roxy” Theater, which will go up simultaneously. The hotel will front on Seventh avenue. Hipp. Emulates Dailies With ‘Lucky Dollar’ Gag New York, Aug. %31.—The “luckydollar” exploitation stunt which is being used by several dailies in this city as a circulation booster, among them The American, Daily News, Mirror and Journal, will be used for the first time in a theater when the Keith-Albee Hippodrome opens its season today. Thru the box office 20 $1 bills are to be placed in circulation, the serial numbers of these to be kept on record by the management. At the end of the week the numbers will be announced and holders of the bills with the numbers will be given a $5 bill on presentation of the dollar. winners will be announced Monday, September 7. Furey Takes New Office New York, Aug. 31.—Charles Furey, Keith-Albee agent, has taken over new offices in the New York Theater Building in Times Square. He formerly had = in the building at 110 West 47th stree Joe Reider With Yates New York, Aug. 31.—Joe Reider, formerly with the Reilly Brothers, artistes’ representatives, has joined the staff of Irving Yates. Reider will represent Yates in the booking of acts on the Loew and independent circuits. RUNS OUT OF WEEKS New York, Aug. 29.—The popularity of eve kind of “week” from Dou't Abuse Traffic Rules to Prevent Shorter Dresses Week has been taken up 9y enterprising vaudeville houses, and at Keith’s S8ist Street Theater, for instance, every wéek’s show is signalized by Mystery Week, Mid-Winter Carnival Week, Novelty Week, Opportunity Week, etc., whichever the case may be. But they have run out of names and this week fel! back on the “bill inside”, calling the affair Ledowa Week, after the dancer of this patro nymic, who headlines the show It is the first instance where the “week” has been named after one of the artistes on the current bill. In cidentally, it is quite a plug for dova.