Variety (Jan 1906)

VARIETY •If J". SUNDAY NIGHT CONCERTS. iifin'ial JJiii^haiM has notified his In s|)t'rtor-in-Clii»'f. that ollicial has spoiven in turn to the man lower down, and so by 8tu;;»'> \\*ml l»as come to the mann^'Ois that h«r the |)i«'>ent it will be as well it* read up on the Sunday j>eiformanr«'s law and ol»>ei\e the vriv Irlln <>t that enact- ment. Already acrobats and others under en- gagenuMit tor variou-^ jiouses to-niorrow have Im'ou notitifd that their services will not be n'.|uin'<l. and throughout the town thor*' will Ik' sin^iin;.' and recitin;; but without the usual aceojiipaniment of sketches, damin;.'. a< robaties and the other features which have contributed to the saeredne»s of recent Sunday concerts. A sacred concert coming within the let- ter of the law is the most dismal thing the mind of man can conceive, but for a a time at least we shall have to be con- tent with what the up-State legislator thinks is best for us. It will work a hardship on many classes of performers as well as the general pub- lic, but (Jeneral Bingham is out to enforce the law, and the perfornuiiues which have been permitted under a lax interpretation of the law are clearly violations of the text. In addition to the many persons who find in the Sunday concert their only op- portunity fo liring new acts before the public, there are many unfortunates who in default of olitaining a week's engage- ment tind in a Sunday date a solution of their financial problems. But more important still is the fact that many young men who miglit pass a pleasant evening at some concert will be driven to sahxms and pool parlors. New York is not a city of homes but of tlats and boarding places, and there are few who are content to remain at home on Sunday evening. These will find them- selves deprived of their accustomed amusement and will fintl other and less innocent diversions. Meanwhile Mr. Bingham will bask in the limelight as the real reformer, and the side doors will be in operation as usual. WILLIAMS SUED. There was brought to court vesterdav the case of the City of New York against Percy G. Williams to collect the statutory penalty of $500 for violation of the Sun- day law. The alleged violation occurred more than a year ago and was taken to the Supreme Court of the State where the City was defeated. After the decision was announced, a new suit was brought to collect the penalty for a violation which the Suprejiie Coint had declared had not occurred. William (Jrossman has Mr. Will- iams* interests in charge. Variety goes to press too early to obtain the result. Avhich will be published in next week's issue. ARTISTEN LOGE ON CONTRACTS. The meetings held recently by the Ar- listen Loge in this city have been mainly devoted to the question of contracts. It is understood that a resolution was j)asse<l that no artist book time in this country unless un<ler the special form of contract prepared by the home loge in rjermany. 'i he resolution has been forwarder! to IJerlin for approval. THOMPSON-MARINELLI. .\ report has reached this side, impos- >ilile of confirmation, that an arrangeuuMit h.i> been entered into in Ix)ndon be- t\\«'en P'red Thompson, of 'nu>mj)son and Dundy, and H. B. Marinelli, the interna- tional agent, whereby Marinelli will book lor America only for the Ilippodionu' and it.> future allied interest. The arrange- ment ^yas entered into by Marinelli on the understanding that Thompscui and Dundy would increase their Hi|»podrome ventures to three, the present our in New York, one to be built in Chicago, and one in London, the site for the latter having al ready been secured. The report further says that Ixtokings \yhen made for the Hippodrome circuit, will preclude the ar- tist from appearing elsewhere in this (•ountrv. .1 • > • :: • WILBUR GOES INTO MUSICAL ■■:• COMEDY. IMiihulelphia. .Ian. 2G.—Nixon & Zim- merman iiigned Clarence Wilbur for the coming summer season on Saturday last. In just what cai>acity Wilbur >yill be used has not been made public, but a represen- tative of Nixon & Zimmerman stated that the firm intended to produce one, and perhaps two new musical comedies the coming summer, and they will probably be played in the Park Theatre here, and also at Atlantic City, as was the case with the "Miss Bob White." I^ist year • Nixon & Zimmerman placed Bert Howard in "Simple Simon Simple" and Neil Mc- Neil succeeded the piano-i)laying comedian in the title role. It was understood that Wilbur would succeed McNeil, but this was denied at the firm's oflice. Wilbur is now playing "Patsy Bolivar" in "The Devil's Daughter." presented by Scribner's .Morning C^ilorie.s. Kinks. STEINER TO SUE KEITH. Alexander Steiner. the foreign booking agent, will bring suit, shortly, against B. F. Keith for $4.r{(M). coinmi-isions claimed to be due him. Mr, Steiner savs that he has always "split" the commissions with other agents, but since ascertaining that the Keith Booking Agency has not a li- cense to operate as a vaudeville aj/ent. he is entitled to the overplus retained by the agency, under that assumption. THIRTY-FIVE SOLID. The Myers and Keller firm announce that they are in a jxxition to book a solid 'A^ weeks beginning September I of this year. Details of routes and houses were not included in the infiuniation, but, it was state<l, will l»e made known pres- ently. BRUGGEMANN RENIGED. With yaudeyille houses in Hoboken and I'aterson, \. M. Bruggemann cast his longing o|)tics on Jersey City, going so far as to make up his mind on what particular corner liis new theatre would be built. After Mr. Bruggemann had listened to a careful explanation of the trouble he was inviting through opening as oi>position to Poll, who is building in Jersey City now, the New Jer.sey manager decided that any town in Jersey excepting Jersey City woidd suit him much better. Mr. Bruggeman is looking around, and will add to his circuit. WHAT J. AUSTIN FYNES MAY DO. Curiosity as to the future plans of J. Austin Fynes has been rampant since Mr. Fynes resigned as general manager of the Broctor circuit. No definite information is obtainable, but it is known that the erstwhile manager has been extremely for- tunate in dabbling in mining stocks. So very successful, in fact, that the drawing of a check for $00,000 the other day was a mere detail of a traTisaction. A Mr. Callahan, known as one of the moBt expert mining men in the West, and a multi-millionaire is interested with Mr. Fvnes in several ventures. There is a strong nnnor that the late Iroctor manager will soon be at the head of a circuit, embracing some of the larger cities of the Fast. It is authoritatively 8ai«l that J. Austin Fynes can command more capital to-day for theatrical enter- prises than any other vaudeville manager. WEBER AND RUSH ENTERPRISES. Further new enterprises are announced by the Weber and Rush people (m the part of the Columbia Knterprise Company, the Kastern burles«jue corporation. First, they have secured by outright purchase, a site for a burlesque house in Washington, to be known as the Caiety and to operate in opposition to the Lyceum in that city. Work on the new building will be begun, so it is announced at the Welier and Hush tdlices, toward the end of next month, and the completed theatre will be put in com- mission about the latter part of Septem- ber of this year. In addition to this hou«>e. the announce ment is made that an Indianapolis theatre heretofore devoted to other uses is being reconstructed, and within thirty days will open as a burle^^pIe house under the Weber and Rush auspices. Youngstown, O.. according to the same prospectus, is to have a new burlesipie the- atre. No details anent this last men- tioned establishment are given out, except that it will be opened and in running order I;efore March 1. KEITH TOOK ADVANTAGE. The Les Renos, a foreign act, was booked to play Lowell. Mass., this week through the Keith Agency, and were also booked for Syracuse last week which date they played. While j)laying Syracuse, one of the troupe broke his arm, but was re- placed by another which did not impair the value of the act. Keith however, was overbooked in Low- ell for this week, and seized upon the in- cident as an excuse to cancel the engage- ment for the foreigners, who were ad- vised to report daily at the theatre in the Massachusetts town, and if Mr. Keith did not pay them for their services tendered, at the end of tlie week, to sue him for the full amount, which they are doing. JAMES SMITH INSANE. James Smith, of Smith and Cook, who were playing at Buffalo this week, was sent to the State Insane Asylum on Wed- nesday. He created a disturbance in the dressing rooms on Tuesday by announcing that he was the King of England and the Tsar of Russia. It is not yet known whether his affliction will be permanent or merely temporary. 7 r^ THE LYKENS-RITCHIE SUIT. • (>n Thursday last, the now celebrated . case of William L. Lykena vs. Adele Ritchie was tried before Judge Murray at . the 54th Street Court. \ Mr. Lykens is a vaudeville agent, and ; sets up the claim that were it not for his etforts. Miss Ritchie would not have se- - cured an engagement in vaudeville, which she did for .several weeks at $1,000 a week. ; That much developeil in the evidence, which was presented by Mr. Lykens in an attempt to collect $500 from the little .»ong>lress on the plea that she broke a verbal contract with him, booking herself, ; ami declining to turn over the stipulated commissions, which were ten per cent, on the gross weekly salary. Messrs. Hammerstein, Proctor and Mor- ris testified for Lykens, the two first- named stating on the. witness stand that they l)ooked Miss Ritchie through the rep- • resentations made to them by the agent, and William Morris making much the same statement. While Mr. Morris was testifying. Miss Ritchie's lawyer asked "What do you do for your five per cent.?" but before Mor- ris could answer, the question was ruled . out by the Cotirt.- ft ■'■..■..•... Miss Ritchie's defense was that she had been charged ten per cent, commission; that after a short time in vaudeville a few head-liners told her that "five" was the customary figure, and she thereupon decided to book herself and save the other five, which she did. Decision was reserved. A NEW FORMATION. \ A combine has l)een formed that em- braces nearly every one of the cheap vaudeville theatres in the United States and Canada. The new organization will be known as the International Theatrical Company. The headquarters will be at C'hicago, with olfices ,at New York and San Francisco. The circuits represented are the Bijou of Wisconsin and Michigan; the Sullivan, Considine and Ryan, the Nash, the Crystal, the Mozart, the Penn- sylvania Family Theatrical, the Levy and the \yeston. If present plans are carried out it will be possible for i)erformer8 to lay out a route covering a period of ninety weeks. • KERN IS SATISFIED. The foreign act, known as Kern's Dogs, which declined an offer made by B. F. Keith of $1,000 to cancel the remainder of its contract for 12 weeks, is playing the time out at the rate of $200 each week. This week the act is playing Pater- son, going from there to Philadelphia, which >yill be the third return date in that city at Keith's house. K F. Albee, acting for Keith, informed Kern that if he continued the bookings, he would be the o|)ening act on every bill. Mr. Kern smiled and replied that it was a matter of indifference where he was placed if Mr. Keith did not overlook salary day. "MIKE" SHEA DISAPPOINTED. M. 8. Shea came all the way down from Buffalo for the express purpose of book- ing Edna Aug for his Bison City theatre, lie made application through the custom- ary channel for the artist, and was ab- ruptly informed he couldn't have her—and he didn't, but returned to Buffalo not knowing why.