Variety (Feb 1906)

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.. VARIETY A KEITH HOUSE IN ALTOONA. Pennsylvania is looked upon by vaude- ville managers as a possible gold mine for their amusement ventures, which will out- rival any coal field that has been located there. Altoona is the latest town to be se- lected, and the ground has been procured for a vaudeville theatre to be erected there, either by B. F. Keith himself, or a stock company to be formed of Keith's allies, headed by J. K. Burke. Subscrip- tions have been solicited, but the erection of the theatre is assured, that not depend- ing upon the success of the flotation. S. Z. Poli, who has been acquiring a number of houses for his circuit, reached Altoona just in time to hear about the new Keith house, and that the tenants had been ordered to vacate the buildings. RIGO COMING. Charles Bornhaupt, the International agent, has been informed by cable that Rigo, the Hungarian violinist and former husband of Princess de Chimay (Clara Ward, of Detroit) will sail to-day on the "Amerika" to fulfill an exclusive engage- ment over the Percy Williams' circuit, opening on February 26 at the Colonial. Mr. Rigo will be accompanied by his own Hungarian orchestra. MARINELLI'S AND T. & D. Thompson and Dundy of the Hippo- drome have an arrangement with the H. B. Marinelli Agency which gives the latter a certain percentage on all acts booked through it. Another condition is that on all acts booked by the Hippodrome with any agent other than Marinelli, Thompson and Dundy will pay the Mari- nelli concern 20 per cent, of each and every week's salary so placed. SUNDAY NIGHTS. There will probably be a more strict observance of the Sunday law apparent in the concerts to l>e given to-morrow eve- ning by the various theatres which throw *y*^ The agita^ tion of the past week has left the man- agers in a bewildered condition as to what may happen, and they are looking to Hammerstein's Victoria to point the way. . JEE INJURED. James H. Jee sprained his arm at the Alhambra Wednesday afternoon and laid off the rest of the week, Cogan and Ban- croft taking his place. Mr. Jee will not play Hammerstein's next week. THREE PER. Charles Gillette, of Couture and Gil- lette, was up in the Fifty-fourth street police court the other day on complaint of his wife (professionally known as Stella Watt) for non-support. He will pay three dollars a week hereafter. MOTH TO RETURN. The Mascot Moth is to return in the fall for the Orpheum and Keith circuits. It will go back to London to-morrow, playing Continental time opening in Ma- drid. POLI RESTING. S. Z. Poli has gone to Florida for a rest. To the victor belongs the spoils. SULLIVAN-CONSIDINE CIRCUIT GROWING. Coincident with the arrival in town this week of John W. Considin<>, of Seattle, Wash., president of the Pacific Coast Amusement Co., announcement was made of the branching out of this concern in three eastern cities. John J. Ryan, of Cincinnati, vice- president of the concern, a short time since purchased a plot of ground in the theatre section of Buffalo, acting for the Sullivan «nd Considine people. This is to be the site of a new theatre, which will be opened soon In opposition to the Shea house. The work of tearing down the buildings which now stand upon the property was begun this week, and the completed building will be put into commission as soon as possible. In addition ground was broken this week for a new theatre to be controlled by the same concern in Binghamton, N. Y., which will be devoted to vaudeville under the name of "The Family." It will cost, so it is said, close to $175,000. During his visit in the East, Mr. Considine will cast around with a view of enlarging the cir- cuit's ai°a. and it is declared that the an- nouncement will shortly be forthcoming of scveial other playhouses in cities this side of the Mississippi having been procured. Mueh larger prices than heretofore will now be paid for acts, several of what are termed "headliners" in the larger priced vaudeville houses having been booked for the new International theatre in Chicago, and will have a route selected for them over the Sullivan-Considine circuit. Therj are now 37 houses in this chain, stretch- ing from New York to San Francisco. The Sullivan of this firm is a cousin of "Tim" Sullivan, "The Big Fellow" of this city. KEITH ON BROADWAY. It is a fact that B. F. Keith has secured the property on the northeast corner of Thirty-third street and Broadway and has also bought the adjoining piece. What present intentions, if any, he has regarding this plot of ground have not been disclosed, but it is unlikely that anything will be attempted before 1907, Mr. Keith simply desiring a foothold in the Upper Broadway section to guard against a forced vacation of the Union Square The- atre, which has much too small a capacity for the rapidly growing value of the land it stands upon. It is only a question of time that the Morton House and the build- ings adjoining, including the Union Square Theatre, will be razed to make a site for something more pretentious, and Mr. Keith is anticipating that event. COURTLEIGH TO PROCTOR'S. \Yillia7n Courtleigh opens at Proctor's Twenty-third street theatre February 2fi in his own protean sketeh, "The Third Degree." which treats of a magisterial in- vestigation in which Mr. Courtleigh as- sumes most of the characters. The theme is somewhat sombre in its main treatment but has a comedv relief. ANOTHER FOR PROCTOR'S. Grace Van Studdiford arrives in this country shortly to open at Proctor 's Twenty-third street, March 12. MARINELLI IN RE KEITH. In the latest issue of Das Programme, the official organ of the International Artisten Loge, appears a copy of the letter written to the Loge* by H. B. Marinelli in reply to one previously written to the same body regarding the international agent. Mr. Marinelli was rather tart in his statements, saying that he knew that he had many enemies among the agents, and that he did not consider Keith any more or less than a vaudeville agent. That Keith could only book direct in his own houses for six or seven weeks and the balance of the time he filled in at other houses, which were credited to his "circuit," but for which in reality Keith charged the usual agent's commission. Marinelli managed to slip in an advertisement for himself in the letter, which he wound up by saying: "I take off my hat to Mr. Keith as a director, but I do not recognize him otherwise." CAROLINE KELLEY MAC CORD. A sketch adapted from the French and called "No Man for Dinner," will receive its first public presentation at the new Bijou theatre in Kalamazoo, Mich, on February 12. Caroline Kelley MacCord, known from her connection with "The Chinese Honeymoon" and "The Man from China," will make her vaudeville debut in the playlet, for which Frank A. Ferguson is responsible. Three people, elaborate stage settings and several changes of costumes are expected to figure in the success. TREASURERS' CLUB BENEFIT. The Treasurers' Club's annual benefit for the sick fund takes place Sunday even- ing at Wallack's Theatre. Among those who have volunteered their services are: Adele Ritchie, Tom Nawn & Co., S. Miller, Kent & Co., Fields and Ward, Miss Mary Xormnn, George Backus and Winona Shan- non, Matthews and Ashley, Theo. Julian, Kitamura Japanese Troupe, "The Land of the Free," by William C. De Mille; Greene and Werner, Nettie Vesta, Harry B. Lester, Dixie Serenaders, St. Bartholomew Glee Club and the American Vitagraph. When Jones handled the benefit last year he was presented with a watch. Tin 4 chain will probably follow this ypar. NEW BURLESQUE HOUSE IN BALTI- MORE. With the coming of Fall in Baltimore, the Western wheel (Empire Amusement Company) will have a new burlesque the- atre in operation to compete with Weber and Rush's Gaiety opened this week. After the new house is finished, the Gaiety will occupy the same relative position in the burlesque field in Baltimore that a piece of ham does in a sandwich. WILL STAY. The retirements of E. M. Robinson and C. E. Graham from the Proctor staff have been reconsidered. Mr. Graham will take over the general press work for the cir- cuit. Billy (Single) Clifford goes to London in June, when he will appear at the Oxford and Tivoli. BECK AND WOLHEIM SAIL. Martin Bock, general manager of the Orpheum circuit, and E. Wolheim of the Marinelli Agency, sail to-day on the Car- mania, Mr. Beck to look for European novelties, and Mr. Wolheim to resume his interrupted duties in the Paris office. THE AGENTS' SOCIETY. The new society of theatrical and vaude- ville agents received a large number of new members at its meeting last night. During the past week more than 150 in- vitations had been sent out asking the agents of the city, who are not already members to come into the fold, and the attendance was large. At the meeting last Sunday night Frank Melville, Tanner and Company and Will- iam L. Lykens became members and the officers of the organization were elected. They are: Will H. Gregory, of Bellows & Gregory, president; James J. Arm- strong, vice-president, and Mr. Cullison, of Cullison's dramatic exchange, secretary and treasurer. FRED WALTON'S SKETCH. Fred Walton, who was a prominent member of "The Babes and the Baron" company until that organization vanished iu thin smoke, has been booked by Jack Levy for a lap around the Proctor circuit, beginning March 12 at the 23d street house. He will use his sketch "In the Toy Shop," which he was playing in England when he was lured from his happy home to this side of the water by the glittering promise of a place in the musical comedy. Walton will be "the wooden soldier" of the sketch, and. will be supported by 10 people, among whom will be several mem- bers of the erstwhile "Babes and the Baron" company. THE "BABES AND THE BARON" ALL IN. Members of the disbanded "Babes and the Baron" company are rushing into vaudeville. Junie McCree is coming back into the fold in the sketch which he used several years ago on the New York roof garden, called "The Dope Fiend." The sketch has been partly rewritten and freshened up, but will remain unchanged in its essentials. It will open at Proctor's 58th street, March 12. Jack Levy is do- ing the booking. Louis Leslie, also of ^"The_ Bahps," will be -seen at the 23d street Proctor house, February 12. "HIPP" TO RESUME OLD SCALE. With the increase of price at the Hip- podrome, the attendance fell off to such an alarming extent that the former scale of prices will be placed in effect shortly, if the order for such restoration has not already been given. The theory that the public would pay as much at the box office as it would to I lie speculators has been proven a fallacy. Everything else being equal, the ordinary theatre-goer prefers a Broadway play at $2 to the Hippodrome show at the same price, especially now when the novelty of the big house has worn off. HERE'S A CHANCE. McMahon and Chappelle, of McMahon's Watermelon Girls, offer in the advertising page of this week's Variety, $500 to the successful person submitting the best idea for a "girl act" by March 31. FORTUNE AND FLEURETTE. "My Sweetheart" is being rehearsed by Tom Fortune and Mile. Fleurette, prepara- tory to their entrance into vaudeville with it.