Variety (June 1907)

VARIETY ROAD SHOWS FOR CAHN. Traveling vaudeville companies will be organised to play over the Julius Calm circuit of legitimate theatres. One, two and three nights in different towns will be spent by the shows. There will also be acts booked in the "rep" houses play- ing during intermission. Julius Calm has at present 108 the- atres receiving attractions through his of- fice. Maine, New Hampshire, Massa- chusetts, Vermont, Rhode Island, Pennsyl- vania, Ohio, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, West Virginia and Maryland all have towns or cities playing Calm's bookings. In a number of places where it is un- likely that Klaw & Erlanger will estab- lish vaudeville houses, there are theatres booked by Calm which could play vaude- ville for a week now and then during the season in opposition to houses booked through the United Offices. With the road shows reported to be sent out by Cahn through the Morris Of- fice, numbering from 15 to 20, substantial opposition could be given the United managers in Portland, Me.; Lawrence, Lynn, Fall River, Mass.; Reading, Allen- town, Altoona, Pa.; Bridgeport, Water- bury, New Britain, Conn.; Albany, Yon- kers, Schenectady, N. Y.; Paterson, Tren- ton, N. J.; Wilmington, Del.; Wheeling, W. Va. In other towns the smaller circuits will be opposed by the vaudeville playing in the Cahn theatres. HURRY ACTS TO PITTSBURG. Pittsburg, May 31. There are two acts on the bill at the Grand Opera House this week which were billed for New York houses before the Grand made requisition for them. Ben Welch, originally engaged for the Union Square, and Eva Tanguay, pro- grammed for the Twenty-third Street Theatre, are the numbers. Both were brought on in a hurry. It is understood here that the man- agers in the United Booking OiHces who are encountering opposition shall have first call upon the acts under the direction of the agency, and that these managers shall have precedence over the Keith houses in the selection of acts desired, though the latter are also in opposition. COURTLEIGH RECEIVES 40 WEEKS. Within twenty-four hours from the pro- duction at a trial show of William Court- leigh's sketch "Peaches" at the Fifth Avenue Theatre last Sunday, Mr. Court- leigh was engaged for 40 weeks next sea- son over the route of the United Booking Offices. The piece plays at the Colonial next week. SLOW ROUTING. The routing of the "blanket" contracts held by the United Booking Offices is proceeding slowly. Three or four acts daily only are placed at the meeting of the managers in the afternoons at the United Offices. There are from 250 to 300 acts held under these blanket contracts. A large number has been disposed of. The man- agers meet each clay but do not always route. On Tuesday the meeting was post poned owing to the absence of one man- ager. ELSIE JANIS FOR FOUR WEEKS. Notwithstanding the report that Elsie • l.mis had returned to her Columbus (O.) home for a month's rest, Miss Janis will appear at the Chestnut Street Opera House, in Philadelphia, week of June 10, having been specially engaged by Klaw & Krlanger lor four weeks. Where the other three weeks of the term will be spent by the young woman has not been decided. It is possible she will appear on the New York Roof be- fore the month has passed. "THREE GRACES" MISSING. All is ready for the production of "The Three Graces" excepting the "graces." It is a foreign posing act, booked to appear on the Klaw & Krlanger circuit. It was intended that this number play at the opening of the New York Roof. A Mr. Brenke, the manager, left the other side first, arriving here with all the paraphernalia, expecting that the three young women would follow a week later. Up to date, though, nothing has been heard from the girls, and cables have failed to bring a response. Mr. Brenke is laboring under the impression that there has been some interference in his plans and his girls "stolen." MASAUD KEPT ON LAND. William Masaud, manager of the Al- hambra, is inclined to the belief that there is a designing archangel on his trail, with a special aversion to yachts. Mr. Ma saud's hobby is his boat 'Capitola," now in commission. Between Percy G. Williams' leaving for Europe, where he will remain for awhile, the continuation of the Alhambra season over the hot spell, and the opening of the new roof garden above the theatre, the manager foresees small chance of sailing over the water, although he has arranged to go down the bay in his yacht to meet Mr. Williams on his return. "But one sail doesn't always give a full house" is Mr. Masaud's maxim, and he is looking forward to more watery days. BERZAC PRODUCES "DICK TURPIN." Some day next week, probably Friday, Cliffe Berzac will give a performance of "Dick Turpin," an English sketch never before played in this country. The cast is composed of ten principals, mostly Eng- lish, and about the same number of "supers." Mr. Berzac plays Turpin. The production is made by Berzac, and Jules Wright, formerly stage manager for Arthur Roberts on the other side, and latterly with Billy S. Clifford in the same capacity, has arranged the piece. "Dick Turpin" is a series of incidents in the life of the highwayman, and the Ber- zac version will show the death of Tur- pin's famous mare "Bonny Black Bess" on the stage. MUNCIE HAS LARGE HOUSE. Muncie, Ind., May 31. The Majestic Vaudeville Theatre will open here June 3. This is a newly erected and thoroughly modern theatre, with a seating capacity of upwards of 1,000 per- sons. Attractions will be supplied by A. E. Myers, an independent booking agent, in Chicago. LeRoy Tudor is slated for the post of manager. MARINLLLI HASN'T SETTLED. Notwithstanding the statement of An- ton Johnson, the Marinelli New York rep- resentative, that the matter of Schenk* Marvelli Troupe had been adjusted, as far as his office waa concerned in it, Mr. Schenk says for the act that nothing has been done in their behalf by the Marinelli office. The License Commissioner has received a complaint, and an inspector was ap- pointed to investigate. The complaint is due, as Variety stated last week, to the cancellation of the engagement at the Hippodrome. The act came to this coun- try on the written statements of the Mari- nelli Paris Office that they had been booked for ten weeks. Mr. Johnson tendered the troupe an en- gagement this week with the Ringling circus at a weekly salary of $100, less the usual commission of ten per cent. There are six persons in the act. The of- fer was refused. Schenk stated he intended calling upon William Grossman, the American legal representative for the International Ar- tisten Loge, of Germany, and instructing Mr. Grossman to bring an action against Marinelli for the loss of three weeks' sal- ary at the original contract price. The Schenk Marvelli Troupe plays the Twenty-third Street theatre next week. It is probable that the License Bureau will decide that it has no jurisdiction in the matter, the case being one rather for the civil courts to decide. A number of artists have entered complaints of this sort in the city department, only to find that the proper method of adjudication was in a suit for damages. BOOKo MiAuii*; PALMER. William L. Lykens, the agent, has an- nounced the booking of Minnie Palmer in "My Sweetheart" for 35 weeks next sea- son over the time controlled by the United Booking Offices. BRINDAMOUR OUTWITS AUTHOR- ITIES. Asbury Park, N. J., May 31. Notwithstanding the police commis- sioner and the city authorities, Brinda- mour accomplished his advertised feat of escaping from a packing case which had been thrown into the ocean. The Beach Commission refused to permit him to per- form the exploit from the end of the Casino pier, but the jail-breaker circum- \ented that body, moving his exhibition to another part of the ocean front. The chief objection of the authorities was that they might be called upon to assume responsibility in case there were some hitch in the jail-breaker's escape and the performance should end fatally. STOCK IN BOSTON THEATRE. Boston, May 31. The fate of the Boston Theatre, which for a time seemed to lean toward vaude- ville in the Keith-Proctor-Williams cir- cuit, has been settled, for a time at least. It is announced that the Boston will be used for stock, and that possibly Ham- merstein will play grand opera there some of the time. Plans are maturing for the opening of the Tremont as a Klaw A, Erlanger house during tne first week in August. "SLIPPED" P0LI A SUMMONS. S. /. Poli, the New England vaudeville manager, came to town Monday to look over bookings and other matters of busi- ness in the United Booking Offices. At noon he went to the Flatiron Building res- taurant for luncheon. Now, it happened that a process server from the law offices of Leon Laski had been trailing Poli around the St. James Building and fol- lowed him to the eating place. So when he sat down with a sigh of comfort to enjoy his mid-day meal the process server slipped him a court summons in a $3,000 suit brought by Jesse Lasky, of Lasky, Rolfe & Company, growing out of the cancellation of "The Immensaphone," a Lasky-Rolfe Company act, in the Poli houses. The suit will be tried in the New York City Court. DOESN'T CARE TO "SPLIT." Suit has been entered against the United Booking Offices by the H. B. Marinelli Agency to recover $175, claimed for book- ing an act through the agency for four- teen weeks. The full commission amounts to $175 on a 5 per cent, basis, which the Marinelli people demand. The United tendered half that amount, retaining the remaining 2% per cent, as its share of the transaction. Marinelli claims that a 5 per cent, commission is due under his contract with the booking concern and sues to recover this amount. M. Strass- man is Marinelli's attorney. WELCH IS SANGUINE. The injunction proceedings brought against Joe Welch by William C. DeMille, to prevent the playing of Welch's new vaudeville playlet, "At Ellis Island," were up in the Supreme Court Tuesday. Both sides filed additional affidavits to support their contentions and the manuscripts of "At Ellis Island" and the DeMille sketch, "The Land of the Free," were offered in evidence. Decision was reserved. One of Welch's affidavits was signed by Ben Teal, the veteran producer, who staged the Welch sketch. He attested that he had seen both the DeMille and Reinhart sketches and certified as an expert that there was no plagiarism in the latter. Welch plays the Grand Opera House, Pittsburg, next week, and declares his con- viction that the decision will be in his favor. MR. AND MRS. ROBYNS The aboyp picture of Mr. and Mr*. Ilohyn* nn taken at Mission Conception, two miles oat of Snn Antonio, Tex., while they were playing their second engagement this season over the Inter State Circuit.