Variety (Dec 1906)

VARIETY BUTLER CONFERS WITH' HYDE. Consequent upon certain overtures for a settlement of the burlesque war made by Richard Hyde, of the Hyde & Beh- man Amusement Company, to the heads of the Empire Circuit, CoL James J. But- ler, president of the Western Wheel, and the head of the Western burlesque men were in conference last Sunday. According to Mr. Butler, Mr. Hyde's proposition was gone over thoroughly, but no definite settlement was arrived at, the Brooklyn theatrical manager's : deas having a decided bent toward a com- promise involving mutual concessions as to routing, territory and the elimination of shows. "As I said last week to a Variety rep- resentative," declared Col. Butler, "there no possibility of our side considering any such proposition. I told Mr. Hyde as much very frankly. His idea was the amalgamation of the two wheels with a burlesque circuit containing fifty or sixty weeks. Any such arrangement is utterly impossible, for the reason that the sea- son under such circumsatnces would overlap the ordinary term of burlesque activity. The result would be that cer- tain shows would reap a harvest of prof- its, while others would be compelled to go the entire season at a loss. "I told Mr. Hyde the terms upon which we would consider amalgamation. They were substantially the same as set forth by the Empire Circuit in my statement last week. "'I may observe in passing that Mr. Hyde is actuated in his negotiations by a desire to do complete justice to his busi- ness associates in the Columbia Amuse- ment Company. Upon one side he real- izes that his position in the present situa- tion does not permit him any liberty in making terms which might work an in- jury or an injustice to his colleagues. At the same time he is very desirous of en- tering into some sort of a peace agree- ment. I have no idea that the conference will result in anything." SCRIBNER ANSWERS BUTLER. SAYS THE COLUMBIA AMUSEMENT CO. HAS $1,050,000 OF ASSETS, AND CAN TAKE CARE OF ITS OWN BUSINESS. WATSON A VAUDEVILLE MANAGER. William B. Watson, the Western Bur- lesque Wheel manager, announced this week that he had secured locations in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., and Paterson, N. J., upon which he will build theatres devoted to vaudeville at popular prices, both houses to be booked through the office of William Morris. In Wilkes-Barre Mr. Watson does not give the precise point where the theatre is to be erected, but describes the location in the New Jersey town as "my prop- erty," inferring that he owns ground there. S. Z. Poli has been credited with having ambitions for Wilkes-Barre, having an- nounced a site in that city without going any farther. In Paterson there is a "Fam- ily" vaudeville theatre conducted under the management of Victor Leavitt in con- junction with a similarly named house in Poughkeepsie, N. Y. REORGANIZING "TRANSATLANTICS." Philadelphia, Nov. 30. Hurtlg & Seamon's "Trans-Atlantics" will lay off here next week while the show is being reorganized. 'The Girl in Blue" is no longer with it ACCUSES BUTLER OF TRYING TO "SQUARE THINGS/ There were several different hitherto unknown specie of blue atmosphere when Sam A. Scribner, of the Columbia Amuse- ment Company (which controls the East- ern Burlesque Wheel), read the interview of James J. Butler, the head of the Em- pire Circuit (Western Wheel), in last week's Variety. Mr. Scribner telephoned at once for a Variety representative, and during the course of his emphatic and impressive re- marks, with variations, it might be judged that any possibility of an amicable understanding between the two burlesque factions had been crowded far to the rear through the remarks of Mr. Butler. Mr. Scribner said: "First and foremost there is no chance in one thousand years for the Empire Circuit, James J. Butler or any member of the Western Wheel buying the Columbia Amusement Com- pany, or any part of it. "Even if they have the money, we don't want to be connected with that crowd. The Columbia Amusement Company's capital stock is $200,000 and it has assets ot $1,060,000. Every dollar of that is assets; equities; understand that correct- ly. These assets do not include the shows of the Columbia Amusement Company's stockholders. The shows are individual properties. "Mr. Butler says we are trying to 'boom' our stock. Mr. Butler and every one else in the Western Wheel knows full well that there is no stock of this company for sale. If any one has any he wants to sell, let him bring it to us; we'll pay the market value and be pleased to have it. "Will we make any agreement with the Empire Circuit? We will not. Why should we take our first class shows and theatres, equal to any in the country, and link them with those on the Western Wheel? Why, there is no comparison, and we don't even consider the circuit known as the Western Wheel opposition. "There is just one thing we would agree to do with the other wheel. In three or four towns both wheels have houses, and we could place our theatres in each to good advantage at present. If the West- ern people want to have our shows play their houses in those towns we will aban- don our own for burlesque, booking our companies in their theatres. But it must be merely a business matter, mind. No understanding, agreement ^r anything else. We will just book the W'estern Wheel houses with our shows where they ask us to. Further than that, we want nothing to do with the circuit in an offi- cial capacity, or any individual member. "Neither the Columbia Amusement Com- pany nor any of its members will treat with the so-called opposition. All this talk about Hyde & liehman going with the Western Wheel is buncombe. Rich- ard Hyde is the largest individual stock- holder in the Eastern Circuit. "The whole trouble with Mr. Butler was that the Western Wheel wanted to affiliate with the Eastern, and when the newspapers told the truth about the mat- ter, saying that the Western crowd ap- proached us first on the subject, Mr. But- ler found the ground slipping out from under him, and to 'square' things made this hullabaloo. It is a fact that Henry Martell, for the Western, and Lawrence Weber for our side, held a conference be- fore the Cincinnati meeting, and Mr. Mar- tell first proposed it. "We don't want the Western Wheel; we have proven ourselves capable of tak- ing care of our own business; we have made no proposition; never had one in mind, and are perfectly content to con- tinue as we are. Our relations in the past with the Western Wheel bunch do not warrant further dealings." GANS ENGAGED FOR SEASON. Commencing January 7 next, Joe Gans, the champion lightweight pugilist, has been engaged for the remainder of the season with Miner's "Bohemians" at a weekly salary of $1,000, provided Mr. Gans defeats "Kid" Herman when the two men battle at Tonopah, Nevada, on New Year's Day. Gans closed his engagement with Tom Miner last week at the Monumental Theatre in Baltimore, having been loaned to the "Brigadiers" company playing there. From Baltimore the fighter went direct to San Francisco to prepare for the fray and look after his share of the (Jans-Nelson picture receipts, of which any amount has yet to make an appear- ance. The colored champion has proven a drawing card for the Miner show. At Minneapolis the "Bohemians" captured the house record with weekly receipts of $5,243. The average up to that time had been $2,500. Several other records have been broken since Gans joined the show. REHEARSED IN 36 HOURS. Weber & Rush have sent a "No. 2" "Dainty Duchess" burlesque show on the road to play one-night stands. It left the city exactly thirty-six hours after Ed Rush, the producing member of the firm, commenced to rehearse. Another second edition of the "Parisian Widows," which was organized for the same purpose, was afterward called "Paris by Night" and placed as a regular spoke of the Eastern Wheel. IMPROVE TROCADERO. Chicago, Nov. 30. Important additions are to be made in the Trocadero Theatre, the Eastern Bur- lesque Wheel house in Chicago, after the close of the present season. The plot on State street immediately adjoining the theatre has been purchased for an addi- tion to the building. EASTERN IN LOUISVILLE. Gus Hill returned from Chisago Wed- nesday, where he had been to look over two shows of his string. On his way back he made a side trip to Louisville, where he completed arrangements for the opening of a new Columbia Amusement Company theatre. Mr. ' Hill wwild not give the name or location of the new acquisition, but said it was a house al- ready standing and which will require little remodelling. This house will be in opposition to the Buckingham Theatre, the Western Wheel establishment in Louisville. Mr. Hill added that he looked over the site of Richard Hyde's new house in Chi- cago and declared that the foundation was already being laid. The location is Madison street, near Halsted. It will be ready in March if the contractors are on time. THE FIELDS DISMISSED. Chicago, Nov. 30. Nat and Sol Fields left the "Innocent Maids" company last Saturday. Manager Harris dismissed the brothers without no- tice, claiming they were unsatisfactory. The contract held by the Fields with Dinkins, the show's owner, does not con- tain the "two weeks" clause, and the comedians assert they have been unjustly dealt with since the opening of the sea- son. The Fields have instituted suit through Adolph Marks against the man- agement for salary covering the whole season. The case was heard in Milwau- kee this week, where the company is play- ing. The direct reason for their dismissal is said to result from the fact that Nat Fields, during the week the show "laid off" here, signed a contract to play in stock at the Trocadero next summer, an opposition house. LIEN AGAINST THEATRE. Columbus, O., Nov. 30. A mechanic's lien for upward of $21,000 lias been filed against the Majestic The- atre Company, the corporation building the Eastern Wheel theatre in this town. Thomas W. Skelling, who filed the lien, asserts in his affidavit that that amount of money is due him for labor and ma- terial furnished in the erection of the building. The work of construction has been suspended for some time, owing, it is said, to disagreements among the stockholders. The Boston City Quartet joined "Ri alto Rounders" last week at Albany. William Sells, the circus man, and "Punch" Wheeler, the press representative of the Sells-Floto shows, will sail some time this month for Paris to engage acts for next season. REVOKES BURLESQUE THEATRE LICENSE. Worcester, Mass., Nov. 30. The license of the Park Theatre, the local Western Wheel burlesque theatre here, has been revoked. The authorities allege that there have been repeated com- plaints that the fire regulations were being violated in that the aisles were crowded and that too much standing room was being sold. The license was originally taken out in the name of Meaghen & Co. and renewed by George F. McKenna. McKenna is named as manager of the house, but Alf Wilton has always held that position and still holds it. -V? The Constantino Sisters have been booked for England to open in August, '07, playing throughout the remainder of the season.