Variety (Apr 1907)

VARIETY THE BA TTLE O PENS Klaw & Erlanger Have Successful Debut as Vau deville Managers at Philadelphia. Philadelphia, April 2rt. The first conflict in the vaudeville war (»i»'ii.mI hero last Monday when Klaw & Krlangei made their debut as producers of "Advanced Vaudeville" in the Chestnut Street Opera House. If there was any disappointment in the absence of the ex- pected sensation, it was not discernible. It was but natural to expect, with the amount of talk regarding the new venture and the splendid bill presented as the opening attraction, that the patrons of vaudeville would respond, which they did in such numbers as to crowd the house. The bill "played well" and a remarkably smooth performance was given even on Monday afternoon, with the result that capacity audiences have been played to since. The bill at the Opera House this week is costing the management about $4,850 It is the distribution of that amount which causes the quality. The headliner (Four Mortons) receives $1,000, and the remainder is divided among eight acts, none receiving less than $300. It is the first time that so much money has been spent on a vaudeville show, with- out a "feature" securing the major por- tion. The excellence of this week's bill and performance is admitted, even by the opposition, and rebounds to the credit of William Morris, the booking agent, who undoubtedly accepted it for granted that no number could counter against Vesta Victoria single handed, and placed this mammoth variety show to offset the effect of the English woman's name. At the Keith house, almost across the street, the competition was felt on Mon- day afternoon, when despite the initial ap- pearance of Miss Victoria and several new acts, the house was not full, but Monday night found every seat filled, and on Tues- day and during the balance of the week Keith's has "stood them up." This would argue well for the success of both houses in competition, but it re- mains to lie seen what will happen after the novelty wears off and especially in the warm weather. It is felt here that K. & K. will depend upon "special attractions" taken from their combinations and that this policy is to be resorted to is proven by the announcement of the feature of next week's bill. The gainer in the fight should be the vaudeville patron who is sure to receive more for his money than during the many years Keith has had the field to himself. It is believed that the acts to be held over here by K. & E. will be sent to Roch- ester to open the siege in that city May 0. The Keith management had intended transferring Vesta Victoria to Cook's, Rochester, for that week, hut Bert Cooper held a conference with E. F. Albee here on Monday, and whatever threats were use4 resulted in Victoria's original booking for the Twenty-third street house, New York, standing. Trouble was anticipated on Monday ow- ing to the cancellation of the Weber & Rush date for this week by the Empire City Quartet. It was pretty well known in this city that the United Booking Of- fices, after the defeat of their injunction motion by the Salem (Mass.) court, or- dered new papers and affidavits drawn to enjoin the quartet from appearing here. Upon the arrival of the K. & E. people and E. F. Albee, of the United, it leaked out that should the quartet be prevented from appearing, plans had been made by the Morris Office to remove Victoria from the Keith program, and Miss Victoria had acquiesced in this move. Along what lines this would have been done is not known, but Miss Victoria is under contract to Klaw & Erlanger for next season, and that she would have been called out, had the quartet been further interfered with, is unquestioned. This phase t>f the situation, fully un- derstood by Mr. Albee, is probably the real reason for the peaceful opening of both programs. Next week's bill in the Chestnut Street Opera House will include Victor Herbert's "The Song Birds" number from the "Land of Nod" with the original cast, including Helen Bertram, dus Weinberg, William Burress, etc. Adele Ritchie is also prom- ised, as are the Three Meers, narry Tate's "Fishing," the Powell-Cottrell equestrienne act and others, in addition to the Four Mortons and the Empire City Quartet, held over. To combat this Keith will retain Vesta Victoria and Rice and Prevost, adding Herzog's Horses, Harry Tate's "Motoring," Tighe's "Collegians," Belleclaire Brothers, Gallagher and Barrett. Cenaro and Bailey, Mr. and Mrs. Mark Murphy, Tom Hearn and several smaller acts. William Tucker, who was stage manager for Mile. Dazie during her "Red Domino" engagement, had charge of the stage at the Chestnut. The orchestra, under Jo- seph Kearney, which was formerly at the Chestnut Street Theatre, did unusually well, although handling musie of a stylo almost entirely new to them. The house attaches were all new and attired in showy uniforms. The billing for this week's two vaude- ville shows has been expensive. Klaw & Erlanger have spent about $3,000 plaster- ing billboards, as far away as Atlantic City, while the Keith house expended $1,000 for the same purpose. K. & E. will have to play to over $11,000 on the week to even accounts if the pre- liminary billing is figured in the first week's expenses, and provided Nixon & Zimmerman do not hold a percentage ar- rangement with K. & E. for their vaude- ville shows, which is the general suppo- sition. PREFERS VAUDEVILLE. Ceo. E. Murphy, of Murphy and Whit- man, was approached the other day by the author of a well-known melodrama, with a proposition to lengthen their present sketch "Old Friends" into a four-act play, and to star with Mr. Whitman next sea- son under the author's management. Mr. Murphy, after considering the mat- ter, elected to remain in vaudeville. HAMMERSTEIN TO EUROPE. Oscar Haitimerstein sails for Europe via Canada next week. He left on Thursday for Montreal to consult with the lessees of the Canadian rights to his cigar-making invention, going direct from there to the continent. Despatches from Washington, D. C, this week brought a report thai the impressario- vaudeville-manager was negotiating [or a site upon which to build a theatre and con- vention hall in the national capital. The plans, according to all information obtain- able have been all but perfected, and only a few incidentals remain to be completed before the actual work of construction com- mences. The theatre and auditorium should be completed, if the deal goes through, by January 1, 1908. LORIMER SAILS NEXT SATURDAY. The "Celtic" next Saturday when she leaves New York will have as passengers Mr. and Mrs. Jack Lorimer. The Scotch comedian, who has become very popular during his stay over here, both off and on the stage, has been booked for a return engagement of twenty weeks next season at a figure said to be double the amount he originally came over for. Mrs. Lorimer, who will be known pro- fessionally hereafter as "Polly Scotch," holds a contract for an American appear- ance at the same time. Mrs. Lorimer en- joys considerable of a reputation abroad as a singer of Scotch ditties, and formerly reveled in the stage name of "Stella Stahl," but recently, quite by accident, decided to hereafter call herself "Polly Scotch" as more expressive of her specialty. MURPHY SURE AT LAST. Joseph Murphy, said to be "the richest actor in the world," is again announced to May a few weeks in vaudeville. The death of a brother recently took Mr. Murphy out of town and he has not been seen on the stage in a little over a year. His vehicle will be a condensed version of "Kerry Gow." It opens at Keeney's, May 13. SHUBERTS GIVE UP DES MOINES. Des Moines, la., April 26. The Shubert Brothers have announced that they will discontinue the manage- ment of their local house. It has been a losing venture from the start and it has been suspected for some time that it would reopen next season under other manage- ment than that of the Rhuberts. A mov- ing picture show will fill out the season and next year's policy remains to be de- termined. KNOWLES ON A BILLBOARD. R. G. Knowles is the first vaudevillian to pay for the printing and maintenance of a twenty-four sheet stand out of his own pocket. He has contracted for one of the locations on the building at the northeast corner of Forty-second street and Broadway. Knowles advertises simply that he sails for England in May and re- turns to America in October. HYDE & BEHMAN'S CHANGE OF AGENTS? The conclusion was accepted as a cer- tainty this week that if the Hyde & Bell- man Adams Street Theatre, Brooklyn, plays vaudeville next season, William Morris will do the booking for it instead of the United Booking Offices, which now supplies the acts. Morris would have placed bills in the house for the two weeks following the regular season's close, May 4, had not a recent decision of the Hyde A Behman Company to give no further Sunday con- certs this season interfered with the agent's plans. There is a possibility that Hyde & Beh- man will no longer conduct the Adam* street house, but that it will be disposed of to Klaw A Erlanger or some one inter- ested with them. Frank A. Keeney, the Brooklyn manager, laid plans to secure the lease, but the negotiations are understood to have been blocked by K. & E., who lately took over Hyde A Behman's Grand Opera House in the same borough for one of their Brooklyn homes for "Advanced Vaudeville" commencing in the fall. MORRIS ABSOLUTE. William Morris is, and will be, absolute arbiter in the matter of bookings for the Klaw & Erlanger advanced vaudeville, at least for next season. The only instruc- tions he will receive are the various amounts of money to be allotted for each house and Morris will put in such acts as he may see fit provided he keeps within the appropriation set aside for that pur- pose. NO MONEY FOR ROAD SHOW. The artists who played the Academy of Music in Fall River last week are mourn- ing the absence of their salaries. They closed on Sunday night and sought the manager who engaged them, a man named Smith. He, however, was not to be found and they were compelled to return to New York without the reward of their labors. But one act, a woman who was com- pelled to close on Saturday to make an- other town, received any cash. Smith has another vaudeville show in Portland this week and the Julius Cahn office has sent word to the acts that Smith's share of the receipts will be held back until the sal- aries are paid. BIMBERG WAITING. M. R. Bimherg ("Bim the Button Man") has suspended operations on the construc- tion of his theatre in the Bronx. The plans are ready awaiting the beginning of actual work. The theatre can easily be finished by the fall. "Bim" is watching with unalloyed pleasure the struggle between the United Booking Offices and Klaw & Erlanger in the vaudeville field. He is awaiting a visit from one or both sides with a prop- osition to do business. MORRIS BOOKS BRIGHTON. William T. Grover has again secured a lease of the Brighton Beach Music Hall for the summer and placed the booking of the house in the William Morris office. BURLESQUE'S RECORD "JUMP." The record "jump" for a burlesque com- pany will happen after the night show on May 11 at Minneapolis, when Miner's "Americans" will board a train, coining direct to New York and opening at Miner's Eighth Avenue Theatre the following Mon- day.