Variety (Nov 1906)

VARIETY MR. KEITH WAS ANGRY. Last Saturday morning at the Fifth Avenue Theatre after Virginia Ainsworth, late of "Sergeant Kitty," gave an exhi- bition of tinging, she was booked for twelve weeks in South Africa at the Hy- man halls by Robert D. Qirard. Mr. Hy- man may extend the engagement to six months. B. F. Keith was present in the theatre at the time Miss Ainsworth appeared. Learning afterward that she had been booked by Mr. Qirard, Keith demanded from his booking office to know why a good singing act had been allowed to slip through their fingers. HAVE EXPENSIVE SKETCH. Selwyn & Co. have imported from tiurope a one-act dramatization of "Sher- lock Holmes" requiring the services of fourteen people and are anxious to produce it in vaudeville. How much money they expect to receive for the act is not stated, but at the prevailing quotations on actors' salaries the price they would have to ask would make it very high. RAILROAD WANTS TO SETTLE. The Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad has offered to settle the $6,000 damage suit brought against it by The (ireat Lafayette. The damage was caused to Mr. Lafayette at Adrian, Mich., three years ago. The railroad offers $3,750 to avoid trial, and the magician says if his attorney is satisfied with the figure he is. Not long ago the Lake Erie railroad paid n judgment obtained for damage to Lafayette's private car at Indianapolis. ONE BILL WEEKLY. Appleton, Wis., Nov. 2. It is probable that the policy of the numerous Bijou theatres in Wisconsin and Michigan owned by the Bijou Amusement Company, will be changed to one bill a week. Under the present system the bills are changed every Monday and Thursday. It has been found that the small towns can not stand two shows a week. The idea is to have only one show and increase the number of acts. This will improve the quality of vaudeville offered on the Bijou circuit. The new system will soon go into effect. AL REEVES AFTER RECORDS. Landing in the East after breaking sev- eral records on his journey, Al Reeves, proprietor of his own "Beauty Show," heard about the high figure for receipts around these diggin's and immediately opened negotiations with Hurtig & Sea- raon to secure "The G ; 1 in Blue" when he plays Hyde & Behman's two houses in Brooklyn later on. Mr. Reeves naively states that he is willing to rest his own organization against any similar aggregation, but as the record-breakers had some special fea- ture to attract he will just take on an "extra" to avoid any chance. WOMAN IN VARIETY WILLING TO WAGER. The statement was made during the week that Percy Williams had offered to wager $1,000 to $250, or 4 to 1 in any amount, that the receipts for the Orpheum Theatre in Boston this week would more than equal the joint takings of the Keith- pTOctor Fifth Avenue Theatre and Harlem Opera House for the same time. WILL IMPROVE BILLS. Duluth, Minn., Nov. 2. The Amalgamated Theatre Company, operating the Bijou Theatre here, announce that they have placed their bookings with the International Booking Agency, of Chi- cago. At the same time they declare they propose to better the class of bills to be given at that house and raise the admis- sion scale a little. WAYBURN'S SCHOOL OF INSTRUC- TION. Ned Wayburn, the stage manager, who probably has had the training of more budding aspirants for the stage under his supervision than any living person, al- though a very young man himself, has opened a School of Instruction at 115 West Forty-second street. Mr. Wayburn will teach dancing, act- ing and the art of "making up," besides the other essentials of a stage training. In the "making-up" department Mr. Wayburn will undoubtedly draw to bis school any number of professionals for whom such an institution hns been a long felt want. By ANNA MARBLE The woman in variety who wishes to promote publicity on her own behalf will do well to supply herself with plenty of good, new photographs. At least half a dozen of these should be sent ten days ahead to the press agents of the various houses in which she is to appear. It is useless to expect results when pictures do not reach the press agent until a day or two before the beginning of an engage- ment. Moreover, 9oiled photos which have done duty in frames and those which show the artiste in an unfashionable gown or hat are of no avail for newspaper use. If women in variety would take the time and trouble, and indulge in the necessary expense, to obtain a plentiful supply of really artistic photographs they would be well repaid in the end. If you contemplate having photographs taken for the use of the press agent you might bear in mind the following hints: First: Go to a first class photographer. Second: Have pictures taken either in street or stage costume. If you are wear- ing grotesque or character clothes it is better to have "straight" pictures taken in an effective gown, other than what you are using. Remember that newspapers like pretty pictures of women. Third: If you are one of a sketch team and your partner is a man you might as well break it to him gently that pour pictures will be preferred for newspaper use; therefore it is not worth while to have photos taken in the affectionate head-to-head posture so much in vogiie, Fourth: Tell the photographer when giving your order that you want news paper prints. These are finished but tin mounted photographs, easier to pack, cheaper to mail and much cheaper to buy. Fifth: Don't use a black background in posing for newspaper prints. Sixth: Don't go in for Rembrandt effects for this purpose, as, except when a news- paper is printed on good quality paper, the reproduction will be ineffective. Fac-simile of a copper engraving of 1739 showing a conjuror swallowing a man alive (Reproduced from Harry Roudini'n "Conjurer's Monthly Magazine") That gorgeous scintillating evening gown which Mora Bayes is wearing comes from Paris, <»f course. Miss Raves has bi»eii studying music with Mine Robinson- Mull", a vocal and dramatic teacher in the I'ren-li capital. It may or mav not be association with \lme. Robinson-Duff which is responsible for the chic Utile cos- mopolitan manner which Miss Paves has imported with her wonderful evening frock, not to mention some street cos- tumes which are most attractive. The dainty Nora declares that since her re- turn to America she has become *o accus- tomed to being followed on the bill by animal acts that she no longer feels at Manny Bernard, a nephew of Sam Ber- nard, was killed in the railroad wreck near Atlantic City last Sunday. Mr. Ber- nard was on his way to play one of the vaudeville houses there, and it was the first engagement he had secured in some time. Shortly before leaving for the train Bernard -aid: "Well, it looks Q* though my luck has changed " ease unless, during her stage appearance, she hears the subdued chatter of trained monkeys, the restrained moo of a per- forming cow, the latent barks of actor- canines or the muffled yelps of juggling seals to encourage her on her way. Emma Cams should be the envy of every woman in variety who wishes that her too, too solid flesh would melt. Two seasons ago Miss Cams was appearing in Mr. Hammerstein's burlesque of "Parsi- fal" on the Victoria Roof Garden. Loud was her lament throughout the entire en- gagement because of a preponderance of avoirdupois which made the process of dressing for the stage one full of torment. This was especially true after a good din- ner had been indulged in. so that Miss Cams was forced to a vegetarian diet, hot water before meals and other joy-killing expedients. Suddenly all this was changed and I was shocked to see a photograph of the lady so slim and trim of waist that at first I did not recognize her. She con- fided in me when next we met that her altered appearance was due entirely to the art of her corsetiere. Well, what can one say? And, anyway, they will nev*r tell you how they really do it. ••Preserve inc from the mothers!" is the plaint of Mike Simons, the autocratic man-behind-the-scenes at Hammerstein's. Mr. Simons, who is one of the best known and best liked stage managers in variety, declares that the "mothers" who accom- pany "certain girl acts and sketch teams" drive him to distraction. "They kick from the time they set fool inside the theatre until they leave it. They kick about the ground cloth. They kick about the lights, about the place on the bill, about the set, and always U»ey kick about the fact that the particular house in which they are appearing is the only place where they are treated so wick- edly." The stage manager doesn't dare to remain in the first entrance when there's a mother attached, for she way- lays him on cv^ry occasion to reiterate her never-ending complaint. "There's only one way out of the diffi- culty that I can see," declares Mr. Simons. "Some day when they have done their worst and have driven me to the point of action I intend to organize the mothers into a double sextet." The Nichols Sisters have decided to change their form of billing. They wrote to one manager: "Please, please, be good enough not to bill us as 'comediennes.' If we are, the audiences will quickly discover it; if not, no one but ourselves will know, and we will hide the secret." The latest song to be published by Charles K. Harris is "At the Meeting House To-night," by Stephen Jones and T.eo Woods. .John T. :md Eva Pay will go to London in February. The arrangements have been made by Marinelli. Salary. $1,200 weekly, piore or lesii