Variety (Apr 1907)

VARIETY WESTERN'S IMPORTA NT MEETING Committee Appointed to Locate Sites Will Report, and Officers to Be Elected The terms of office of most of the executives of the Empire Circuit Company (Western Burlesque Wheel) expire thU year and a new ticket will be voted upon at the coming meeting of the stockholders in Cincinnati next Wednesday. It is said that no opposition to the present admin- istration will develop and the same set of officials will be re-elected. The meeting will be an important one. A committee composed of H. C. Miner, Harry Martel and James Lowry has been engaged for four months past in the business of looking into desirable sites for new theatres for the circuit. The report of this committee will be presented to the stockholders and executive board, and the matter of next season's operations and extensions will be acted upon before adjournment. This report will include the important matter of providing for Brooklyn for next season, where municipal improve- ments will put the Imperial Theatre out of commission. One scheme that has been suggested, and which is regarded with some favor, is the proposed moving of part of the theatre to the adjoining property which belongs to The Title Guar- antee and Trust Company of New York. The construction of the new boulevard would cut off only a small corner of the present building, and it has been esti- mated that the cost of tacking a wing on to the building to take the place of this would be approximately $60,000. One condition that works rather against this is the political situation in Kings County, and the attitude of Senator P. H. McCar- ren, who controls the borough, has to be figured upon. A report this week had it that the Realty Association, the present owners of the Imperial Theatre, had already pur- chased this adjoining property and that the work of moving the theatre building to the new site would be done by that concern. Some doubt was expressed that the lease would be renewed with the Em- pire Circuit. In such an event the ques- tion of providing for Brooklyn next year will be settled by some other means. This will be arranged at the meeting. It has been suggested that the draw- ings for the coming year be made at this meeting. The sponsors for this plan will urge that there is no good reason why this should not be done, but whether the change of drawing dates will be made is doubtful. In the formation of the WTieel next season it is probable that Worcester (Mass.) will have no place. The Park Theatre there has been a consistent loser this season, the sheets showing an aver- age weekly deficit of $200 or thereabout*. This will be settled, as will also the dis- position of the Electra, now building in Schenectady, N. Y., in the routing. The general opinion is that this house will split a week with Scranton, shows playing three days in each place. The increase of work in the conduct of the Empire Company's business may be found to necessitate addition of new members on the board of directors, and these will be voted upon. Another matter that will engage the attention of the meeting will be the disposition of the new Empire Theatre to be built in Will- iamsburg by the opening of the season. The session will last through Thursday at least, and may remain in session until the end of the week. There are eight cities on the Eastern Burlesque Wheel in which the Empire Com- pany is not represented with houses. At New York headquarters of the Western crowd no one could be found who would say whether the matter of placing opposi- tion in these places would be considered at the meeting. The greater number of the towns are regarded as not sufficiently popu- lous to support two burlesque establish- ments, although it is believed that the Westerners are inclined to regard Newark as a possible field for a profitable venture. ATTACHED "NIGHTINGALES." The members of Campbell & Stair's "Nightingales" arrived in Boston Monday afternoon too late to go on at the Co- lumbia for the matinee performance. The delay was due to the scenery of the com- pany being attached with the box office receipts in Providence Saturday night. Richard Conn, of the York Music Pub- lishing Company, instituted the attach- ment suit, acting for his wife, Mildred Grover, a principal in the company, who claimed $200 for three weeks' salary which she declared was due her. According to Miss Grover's story, she has been subjected to many annoyances from the manager of the show. The man- ager's enmity, she says, was caused by the Empire Circuit's ''Censor Committee" ordering her placed with the show. Man- ager and actress engaged in an argument in Providence last week, and Miss Grover says she was directed to leave the com- pany Saturday night. Miss Grover wired for her husband, who brought the attachment suit. No bond could be secured until Monday morning. The company and equipment remained in Providence until 3:30 that day. Rumor has it that the "Nightingales" will close its season to-night at the Columbia, Boston. The closing of the Wor- cester house next week and the approach- ing of the slack end of the season are given as the cause of closing. It is said that John Grieves may organize a com- pany to fill in the closed show's time. TWO EASTERN STOCK COMPANIES. The Trocadero, Chicago, and the Empire, Detroit, will probably be the only Colum- bia Amusement Company (Eastern Bur- lesque Wheel) houses playing summer stock burlesque this season. Both com- panies have been selected. The venture will be given up in Buffalo for this summer. It was to have been run as usual, but it was found that the Gar- den Theatre was in need of repairs, and $15,000 will be spent on the house before reopening. EARLY "DRAWING" FOR EASTERN. The "drawings" by the Eastern Bur- lesque Wheel road companies will occur on June 6 at the annual meeting of the Columbia Amusement Company. The event will be somewhat earlier this sea- son through the desire of the Wheel's members to have sufficient forewarning of the routes to be travelled next season, which is the purpose of the drawings. The move is an expression of confidence on the part of the Eastern folk that its ranks are intact, and will not be changed; also that after the drawing takes place there will be no further moves looking toward any agreement with the opposition. With the commencement of the next burlesque season, the Eastern Wheel will have thirty-five houses on its list, Mont- real and Louisville not having been in- cluded in its last announcement, while there will be thirty-four shows from the present count. Towns holding Western Wheel houses, wifli the exception of Duluth, Minneapolis, Milwaukee, St. Paul, Jersey City, Pater- son and Troy will have Eastern Wheel competition while there will ; be eight cities (Toledo, Detroit, Rochester, New Orleans, Birmingham, Newark, Spring- field and Holyoke) playing the Eastern's attractions that the Western is not yet in. An Eastern Wheel manager said this week that while no "understanding" be- tween the two factions was looked for, their (Eastern) position had not changed. He said the attitude of the Eastern Wheel was a pacific one, and that no negotia- tions, looking towards a lightening of the fight, which were commensurate with their dignity would be rejected. READING SWITCHED ONCE MORE. Reading, Pa., April 26. The Bijou Theatre will be eliminated from the Eastern Burlesque Wheel and the franchise for the exclusive rights to play Eastern shows in that city transferred to Wilkes-Barre. The Bijou has been conducted as a burlesque theatre for 10 years. A money consideration is believed to have passed with the surrender of the Reading contract. Hereafter Updegraff & Brownell, owners of the Bijou, will conduct the house for cheap moving pictures and vaudeville un- der contract for three years, a moving picture maker taking over the property on a partnership basis and furnishing the attractions. LOUISVILLE SETTLED. Cincinnati, April 2G. The Hon. R. K. Hynicka and Charles B. Arnold returned this week from Louis- ville, where they closed a deal for a new burlesque theatre in that city. It will be owned and operated by the Columbia Amusement Company (Eastern Burlesque Wheel). THE ALBANY-TROY RECORD. Miner's "Dreamlanders" scored the best record of the season for the Western Wheel in the Troy and Albany stand last week, the sheets showing a gross of $2,sr»0, as against the next best figure of $2,071, played to by Williams' "Ideals" with "The Girl in Blue" as added attrac- tion. The Miner show was not "strength- ened" and was playing a return date. $100,000 SUIT AT HAND. Lawyers for the Sparrow Theatrical & Amusement Company, Limited, operating the Theatre Royal and Theatre Francais, Montreal, are busy taking testimony in several American cities, in that company's suit, which is expected to come up very soon, against the Eastern Circuit Associa- tion, its individual members and Sam S. Scribner as president of the former Trav- eling Managers' Association, both having been in the organizations of the burlesque wheel in the East before the present Em- pire Circuit Company entered the field. The Sparrow Company is suing these defendants for $100,000 damages, alleging that they conspired to prevent the carry- ing out of contracts under which the bur- lesque shows were to play the two Mon- treal theatres during the season of 1904 05. From the fact that the Sparrow com- pany went over to the Empire Circuit and has been playing its companies, and from the recognized difficulty in proving the conspiracy charge, the suit is not accepted seriously by those involved in the defence, although the plaintiffs are spending con- siderable money in making out their case in the United States Circuit Court for the Southern District of New York. FORCES OUT MAY HOWARD. Chicago, April 20. A report from Denver says that the May Howard company, which was enjoy- ing considerable success at the Empire Theatre there, ended its season with the arrival in town of Tony Lubelski, brother of the manager of the house. Lubelski decided to turn the policy of the theatre to its former use—vaudeville. The show, it is rumored, is playing dates in the West, headed by Allen Curtis. Miss Howard, it is believed, will take legal action against Lubelski, alleging breach of contract, if some compromise is not effected. According to another unconfirmed re- port, Miss Howard will again head her own company over the Empire Circuit (Western Burlesque Wheel) next season. ALL INTERESTED IN NEW HOUSE. It is stated that $50,000 of stock in the new Western Burlesque Theatre in Schenectady has been subscribed for, while assessments amounting to upward of $15,- 000 have been levied and paid in. The H. C. Miner estate this week took $1,000 block of the stock, paying for it at once, instead of waiting for the assessments to be declared. Progress on the building is reported as satisfactory. Pretty much all the prominent members of the Em- pire Company are now interested in the enterprise. "KNICKERBOCKERS" CLOSED. Louis Robie's "Knickerbockers," playing the Eastern Burlesque Wheel, closed in Cincinnati last week, and Mr. Robie re- turned to town immediately. The show played its season out, having started earlier than most of the others, and the owner declined to extend the time. Lewis and Ryan will op"i at Hammer- stein's May 20 with theu new act called "The Hold-up," employing f<mr people. It has been booked by Jack Levy.