Variety (Nov 1906)

J VARIETY A CROWD OF "AUTO DEFIERS." Since Monday when Marino, the strong man, at Hammerstein's showed how easily an automobile may run over you without injury to either the machine or yourself (if you are careful) an army of aspirants tor the honor and salary have sprung up. Over to the other side H. B. Marinelli cables they are so plentiful, there are not sufficient automobiles to go around. Marinelli's strong card is a woman who will undertake the job. She has been offered to the burlesque wheels and may be engaged. Maurice Boom found one around the Gowanus Canal neighborhood in Brooklyn thus week. His name is Warren Lincoln Travis. Boom says if he can hold up that list on his letterheads there is nothing beyond him. A dozen others are out with <)frefsT == SpoTT6j trie foreign strong man," declared the feat was too simple. "It would hurt my reputation were I to do it," remarked the classically named. Since Marino appeared at Hammerstein's any number of skeptics have cried "trick." In Paris trickery was employed through having boards attached to the cloth upon which the man lies. One on each side of his body gave a step for the machine. Marino at Hammerstein's, though, is do- ing it "straight." There is more danger of his landing in the hospital than there is that he is "faking" in any way. ACT HEAVILY AGENTED. There seems to be some room for specu- lation as to who is going to draw down the commission from the salary of Hayes and Halfen, who play the Fifth Avenue Theatre this week. Myers & Keller put the act in the bill, but along comes Will- iam L. Lykens with the claim that it was through his individual efforts that the Keith-Proctor booking offices paid atten- tion to the act. To add to the com- plications of the situation it was supposed the act belonged to Albert Sutherland. After all the agents had set forth their rights in the matter of the booking, it developed that Robert D. Cirard was the accredited agent of the act upon the books in the Keith office. A fairly safe wager would be that Myers & Keller will receive the commis- sion. EITHER ONE IS GUILTY. Philip K. Mindil and F. F. Proctor, Jr., are producing a weekly paper for distri- bution in the audience under the title "The Fifth Avenue News." In this week's edition one of the editors bursts into song under the nom de plume of "The K. & P. Poet," thus: You see the very best there is In vaudeville. That weary brain of hers or his Is livened up as if by fizz In vaudeville! MUSICAL COMEDY STARTED. E. E. Rice's "Girl From Paris," boiled down to a 28-minute vaudeville musical sketch involving twenty people, has been booked for a week at Ben Harris' theatre, Young's Pier, Atlantic City, within the month. It is promised that several mem- bers of the original Casino cast will be seen in the new offering. WAYBURN STILL IN VAUDEVILLE. Ned Wayburn has not given up the vaudeville business, even though his late- ly organized School of Stage Training is keeping him on the jump. The Wayburn Attractions, the corporate title of Mr. Wayburn's concern, has all its acts working and booked far ahead. In the spring the "Pickaninnies' Min- strels" will be presented ; also a new edi- tion of the "Minstrel Misses" will be sent out. A dancing act called "The Violet Vision" will be produced about the same time. The identity of the dancer will re- main a secret. "The Phantom Flyers," another Wayburn act under consideration for some time, will be in shape before the warm weather sets in. The delay in put- ting this act on, Mr. Wayburn says, prob- ably led to the report that his firm had abandoned the "Flying Ballet." The "Phantom Flyers" is a magical act, and as for the "Flying Ballet," Mr. Wayburn remarks that his only connection with such an act was what the newspapers gave him. The Bon-Ton Theatre in Philadelphia will likely be disposed of. Harry Levey has the house under lease, but it does not look like a good proposition for vaude- ville. Mr. Wayburn was interested with Levey in the deal when it was first se- cured. WILLIAMS AN ELEPHANT KEEPER. Percy Williams, the vaudeville manager, has added the duties of an elephant's keeper to his list for the nonce any way. Kph Thompson, the trainer, is partly re- sponsible for Mr. Williams' new position. W. S. Cleveland also helps to lighten the Williams burden in assisting Thompson. When Thompson first brought his ani- mals to this country he bonded them with the customs authorities, placing the valu- ation at $1,500 each without regard to the actual worth, as a bonding company was to secure the Government upon Thompson depositing the equivalent in cash, which would draw interest until the bond was released. Thompson thought it a good investment, and having a super- fluity of currency tilted the price a little so he would have less money to carry BOUCICAULT RECEIVES OFFER. The Boucicault-vaudeville story is around again, and this time it is said that Aubrey Boucicault will surely re- enter the twenty-minute realm. He has been wavering and wavering, but Ben Boyle of the Boyle Agency is trying to straighten up the young man through the favorable proposition submitted by the agent. SPOTLESS AGENTS. Superintendent McSliayne of the License Bureau declares that there has not J)cen a complaint against a theatrical agent lodged in tlie ollice of the commissioner in nearlv two weeks. He accounts for the unusual condition bv the fact that the • operation of the new license law has forced all the irresponsible, "fly-by-night" agents out of- business. There remain no un licensed agents in the city as far as the bureau knows. Ninetv-five are enrolled. ROSE WRITING SKETCHES. Edward E. Rose will shortly enter vaudeville as a producer. His first at- tempt will be a dramatic sketch. "A Wall Street Battle," with Clara Knott at the head and four other people. The book- ings and business arrangements for Mr. 1 Jose's acts will be in the hands of Henry B. Hertz, formerly press representative for Thomas Dixon, Jr. GIVES UP SKETCH. Isabelle Evesson. former member of the Fifth Avenue Stock Company and now a candidate for vaudeville, has given up the sketch recently played out. of town. She will have another in a week or two and will L f o on with her vaudeville tour. BENTHAM HAS ANNA BOYD. Anna Bovd has retired from the cast of "The Tourists" and has been booked by M. S. Bentham over the Keith circuit in a single singing and dancing specialty. about. That was all settled and done away with long ago. On Thompson's second visit over here he paid cash for the duty imposed, declaring the beasts at $000 and $700 each. An appraisal was made, and everything passed off nicely until some gray-haired bookkeeper in the custom house, with more time than salary, was started off on the "statistic" route. The President wanted to know how many ele- phants, and how much, etc., last year as against this and thirty years ago. When he struck the ledger account labelled "Eph Thompson" there was a whoop. Thomp- son was attempting to cheat the United States of America. When the excitement had died down Percy Williams was appointed official cus- todian for the herd, with Mr. Cleveland as assistant. If the matter is not arranged by Monday William Hammerstein will take the position for a week, and.it will be passed along the line. WANT CHEAP VAUDEVILLE. Grand Rapids, Mich., Nov. 16. After a twelve-week trial of two-a-day and a higher scale of prices the Grand Theatre goes back to the ten and twenty cent schedule beginning November 19. Three shows will be^men daily with an added performance on Sunday. Five acts and the pictures will go to each bill. This popular grade of vaudeville was success- fully tried out at the Grand last season, but with the beginning of the current term a better sort of entertainment was offered, but local theatregoers failed to ap- preciate it. IRWIN WANTS VAUDEVILLE SKETCH. Estelle Wordette and Jules Kusell have been offered forty weeks next season by Fred Irwitt, the burlesque manager, to play "A Honeymoon in the Catskills" with either Mr. Irwin's "Majesties" or "Big Show." The team is thinking over the offer, a condition of which is that they appear in the olio only, and be billed as "extra feature." HAD TO SUE MAYER. B. A. Myers on Wednesday served papers on Al Mayer in a suit to recover $'200 for money loaned. Myers alleges that he loaned the cash to Mayer at the sug- gestion of Henry Bchtnan. who verbally guaranteed its payment. The matter has dragged along until Myers finally deter- mined to enlist the aid of the courts in an effort to collect. MOVING PICTURES MOVED BOYS. London, Nov. 8. The cinematograph is in for it now. There is a possibility that the authorities may take a hand in regulating the sub- jects to be thrown upon the white drop in the London music halls. At Bradford three youngsters of tender age were sent to the Reformatory on a charge of burglary. One of the small culprits said to the court during the trial of the case: "I had seen the cinematograph pictures at St. George's Hall and I was trying to copy them. When I grow up I'm going to be a burglar." COULDN'T TRAVEL AS A TROUPE. Chicago, Nov. 16. When the Ilagenbeck show closed its season at New Orleans last week sixty- seven members of the organization applied to the railroads for cheap rates to Chicago. The railway officials are willing to allow the reduction if they would travel in a body as a theatrical troupe. When the transportation was about to be issued the Interstate Commerce Commission inter- posed, declaring that when a theatrical company disbands it ceases to be an or- ganization, and its members, no matter what number, are not entitled to a special rate. They all paid full fares. ROBINSON SHOWS IN WINTER QUARTERS. Doc Waddell, publicity expert of the John Robinson Shows, is sending out this announcement along the line of the N. & W. R.R.: "John Robinson's Big Tent Shows closed their eighth-fifth season at Southern Pines, N. G, November 10. During the summer they travelled 30,415 miles and covered 20 States. They will pass through here in four sections hauled by eight locomotives, en route to their winter quarters at Ter- race Bark, Cincinnati." Attached is a note from the ever-alert "Doc" suggesting that a reporter be "on the job" at the station for a picturesque story anent "the big circus train." TOLEDO HOUSE CLOSES. Toledo, Nov. lfl. The Crystal Theatre, one of ten houses controlled by Amnions & Dubois, has closed its doors. It had been boycot- ted by the trade unions owing to the em- ployment of non-union men, but this mat- ter was adjusted and business seemed to be picking up. The decision of the management to close suddenly and without any previous an- nouncement surprised many Toledo show people. MOORE LEASES ANOTHER. Wheeling, W. Va., Nov. 16. Edwin Moore has leased the Court The- atre and will add it to his Ohio vaude- ville circuit after this season. JERSEY CITY'S FIRST HEADLINERS. When B. F. Keith opens his newest theatre on Monday in Jersey City, he will have as the headline attractions Joe Hart's "Electric Crickets" and the Barrows- Lancaster Company. Rogers and Deeley have been engaged by Lasky, Kolfe & Co.