Variety (Dec 1906)

VARIETY ALBANY'S INDOOR CIRCUS. Albany, N. Y., Nov. 30. Commencing Monday at the Armory an indoor circus to continue throughout the week will be commenced under the man- agement of Harold Bushea and the patron- age of Albany's elite. It will be called the "Battalion's Society Circus" after the local military organiza- tion, having a membership of 800. Town favorites will be given an opportunity to display their talents on the tanbark and in the ring. Prominent business men will alternate as ringmasters, and the show, which will also have professional acts, has excited a great deal of interest. This is Mr. Bushea's first attempt at this style of entertainment, and it is the first venture of its kind where the event has been made a business in the country. After the first of the year Mr. Bushea will give similar weeks of "society circuses" in all the leading cities, interesting some order or society. JENNIE YEAMANS DIES. Jennie Yeamans, daughter of Annie Yeamans and one of the best known sou- brettes, died on Wednesday at midnight at the Gerard Hotel. Latterly Miss Yea- mans has been appearing in vaudeville with her mother. It had been generally forgotten in the legitimate theatrical world, and few if any of the vandpvillinns knew that Miss Yeamans was once the wife of Charles B. Dillingham. They were divorced about fifteen years ago and a bitterness existed that continued until Miss Yeamans' fatal illness. But throughout this period of estrangement Mrs. Yeamans, the mother, and Dillingham enjoyed an uninterrupted friendship. When Dillingham heard of his former wife's condition he saw to it that she was liberally supplied with medical attention and trained nurses, supplemented by every luxury. When the end came for Jennie he is said to have told Mrs. Yea- mans that her wants would be looked after by him for the remainder of her days. SHAPIRO'S OPENING DAY. The new music publishing firm of "Sha- piro" has a formal opening to-day at its offices in the Broadway and Thirty-ninth street building. Maurice Shapiro, well known among those interested in popular music, Is the head of the concern. Several noted writers have been placed on the house staff and many catchy numbers are already on the Shapiro catalogue. "In a Little House That's Built for Two," "Little One, Goodbye," and "I'm in Love With the Slide Trombone," a "cute" soubrette number, proved their coming popularity almost before the professional copies arrived. JOE BROOKS HAS SKETCH. Joseph Brooks is haunting the Keith offices endeavoring to arrange for a pro- duction in vaudeville of a sketch with a horse race finish, though on different lines from 'The Futurity Winner." The of- fering is a comedy, the scene of which is laid at a county fair, ending with a race between two horses hitched to bug- gies. KENNEDY AND ROONEY BACK. Clayton Kennedy and'his wife Mattie Rooney arrived Wednesday on the "Oceanic" after appearing for one per- formance in London at the Alhambra Music Hall. Mr. Kennedy regards the matter very much in the light of a huge joke and has no hesitancy in relating the details. He said: "We were "up against it' from the start. Our scenery was never put up and our 'prop' list called for a carpent on the stage. Just as we were going on we were told that only eight minutes would be al- lowed us for our turn and throughout the time a couple of uniformed stage hands were on with us, moving the furniture for the act that followed. The stage car- pet extended to the footlights, compelling us to do our dancing on it. The stage manager in immaculate evening dress stood in the wings and beckoned us to hurry. The next day I called on the management and notified them that my wife was ill and we would be unable to appear. He professed the utmost regret and gave us permission to retire from the program. Yet in spite of these handicaps I received offers from Mr. Butt of the Palace and one other house to remain and play for them. We were in London for five days all told, and came back to America by the first boat headed this way." JERMON RETAINS BON-TON. Philadelphia, Nov. 30. When any one in New York says that he or Harry Levey, the cleaner, holds the lease of the Bon-Ton theatre here, it may safely be denied, for Mrs. J. G. Jermon still retains the house and has never dis- posed of it, although Levey had some ne- gotiations at one time. Mrs. Jermon had about completed ar- rangements to have a gallery added to the theatre when the owners became convinced that she desired the improvement for the purpose of aiding in the disposal of it and refuse to build. The gallery will be built, however, and it would be no surprise if the Bon Ton next season became a burlesque theatre on the Eastern Wheel. ELY SAYS "DINED TOO WELL." William W. Ely, manager of the Family Theatre in 125th street, would make no statement concerning his arrest this week on a complaint made by Mrs. Albertina Lorraine, professionally known as Allie Gilbert, except to say that he and Mrs. Lorraine had dined very well. • Mrs. Lorraine testified in the Yorkville Police Court Wednesday that she an- swered a newspaper advertisement in which Ely offered engagements; that Ely invited her out to dinner, afterward tak- ing her to his home at 2020 Lexington avenue and there attempting to assault her. Ely entered a general denial, but was held in $500 for further examination. The Bennett Theatre at Hamilton, Can- ada, will open areund February. Maurice Schlessinger, manager of the Amphion Theatre in Brooklyn, has had the nomination for Councilman of Phila- delphia tendered him. That is Mr. Schlessinger's home city. If he accepts, which is equivalent to election, the man- agement of Blaney's Arch Street Theatre in that town will likely be turned over to the then new city official, ® LONDON NOTES # By C. C. BARTRAM. VARIETY'S London Office, 40 Ulto street, W. Will English, formerly a Chicago boot- black and newsboy, is one of the biggest favorites over here and is an artist from the heels up. The New Tivoli Palace, Liverpool, opens on the DeFrece circuit December 3. Under the same control are the Park and Pad- dington Palaces. License was recommended for a pro- posed new concert hall to be erected on the site of St. Paul's Church, Great Port- land street, now being demolished. Mrs. George Adney Payne will sing at the Canterbury anniversary. Eugene Strat- ton leaves December 8 for South Africa. Cyclist J. E. Dunedin will be back from the States for a Christmas visit. In the provinces there is a big objection against the tiresome waiting in theatro queues and the system of charging ad- vanced prices for "early doors." The de- mand is for booked seats in every part of the house and one set time to open the doors to all. John Palmer has lost his libel suit to stop cinematograph pictures of the Palmer- Moir fight. The judge said that for any- thing he knew to the contrary Palmer might have made such a gallant fight that the pictures would not have brought him into disrepute. At Sotheby's noted auction rooms last Tuesday some interesting relics of the great Blondin were sold. Among them were the gold medal and diploma presented to him by the citizens of Niagara Falls for walking the rope across the same in 1851. It brought $54.25. In justice to George Adney Payne, di- rector of the Syndicate halls, he has spent heavy sums of money on both the Canterbury and Paragon and his com- plaint is that there seems to be no final- ity in the requirements of the County Council. Evidently Mr. Payne is rather discouraged in this matter. The refusal of the Canterbury license gives special interest to Gatti's Westmin- ster, now closed, but granted a new li- cense conditional on alterations. On No- vember 30 the licensing committee meets for a hearing of final appeals, and whether the Royal Canterbury will be able to amend its situation by that time remains to be seen. Vesta Tilley will not appear in panto mime this season and opens at the London Palace in January. Giant Henri Cot, who goes your way, is 8 feet 7 Inches high, but might object if yon went after him with a yard stick. He is said to weigh 390 pounds. Next year Moss & Stoll have n ('ontinental giantess coming, 8 feet 2 inches Msrh and weighing 376 pounds. about $125,000, is fast approaching com- pletion and will open early next March. It will have accommodations for 4,000 and is a new departure for Belfast, being run without bars and on thorough tem- perance lines. Will Sley, the well-known Manchester agent, is prominent and does the booking. The house promises to revo- lutionize the Irish variety business. George Gray and company have incor- porated for $5,000 to produce sketches, etc. Harry Jacobs, manager of Wonderland, sned Carl Hooper, the agent and husband of Victoria Monks, for $150 loaned Hooper and $175 loaned his wife. Mr. Jacobs lost, ah his case was not proven to the satis- faction of the court. Miss Monks said her lowest salary since January had been $175 and her highest $625. Mr. Jacobs then said he had seen her contracts for $35 and $45. Miss Monks said the claim of borrowed money was "trumped up," and the judge believed her. Through Counsellor Gill Mr. Stoll asked last week for a music hall license for the proposed Finsbury Park Empire to be erected in Islington. Mr. Stoll said the circuit of which he was managing director owned the freehold site and pro- posed to spend something like $125,000 in erection and fitting. The applicant would guarantee no Sunday shows, and if license were granted would be prepared to sur- render the music and dancing license of the Holloway Empire nearby, which was deemed more available for a dramatic house. The license was opposed by sev- eral gentlemen of the cloth. Phil and Nettle Peters have been snapped up by the Palace, where they are doing fifteen minutes very success- fully. Herbert Lloyd is back at the Em- pire. Gus Drawee is at Barcelona. Tambo and Tambo are at the Deutsches Theatre, Munchen, and have signed up about one year's Continental work on the strength of their Vienna success. A Continental bill just in shows Saharet billed in letters a mile high, while all the rest of the dis- tinguished company are in diamond type, the idea being to show how much greater Saharet is than all the rest. That Ike Rose certainly has the Continent down fine. The new Belfast variety house to be known as the Royal Hippodrome, costing Gilbert Girard, the well-known Ameri- can mimic of all that barks, howls, meows or cackles, and who is working at the Al- hambra under the style of Taeal, French clown," had a lively street controversy with a gentleman whom he claims is an "act pincher" and who aggravated the alleged pinching by talking the imitations into a gramaphone. The parties did not come to actual blows. The affair got into the courts, but Girard is tall, rather im- pressive in appearance and a good talker, and seems to have handled his case pretty well. However, for six months to come he must not punch the man who appro- priated his dog fight imitation, under pen- alty of ten "quid," or $50.