Variety (August 1907)

VARIETY ARTISTS' FORUM Confine your Utters to 150 words and writ* on on* side of paper only. Anonymous communications will not be printed. Name of writer must be signed end will held In strict confidence. If desired. Buffalo, N. Y., July 29. Kditor Variety: Replying to letter in your Artists' Forum of July 27 regarding charges of ''trimming" as laid against me by one (has. Grand, though his name is Chas. Grant: I enclose with this letter a sworn copy of statement which this Chas. Grant has signed, I also hold a receipt in full from him for all money due him from me, and would ask that in a spirit of "fairness/' which is the rock upon which Variety bases its policy, that you publish both t liis letter and the enclosed statement. The C. G. Williams whose signature is attached as witness to statement is the manager of the Temple Theatre, Detroit. Mr. Williams is thoroughly familiar with the entire matter, has examined my books, which showed this Chas. Grant's claim for any money due him, and will agree with me in the statement that Chas. Grant received a little better treatment from me than he would have received at the hands of almost anyone else had his statements of and actions toward them been as they were toward me. ' Chas. Grant, as known to me and many others, is a young man possessing a most vivid imagination and absolutely no re- gard for the truth in even its weakest form. Harry Scars. (Copy.) Detroit, Alien.. July lfi, 1807. I. Chan. Grant, having received pnyment In full for all claims on Harry Scars and having Klven him my receipt for same herehy affirm thai any statement or statements I Khali make at any tlme after this date to the contrary ahull be eon strued as wilful libel and statement of untrutii against said Harry Sears. (Signed) CHAS. GRANT. Witness: C. G. Williams. State of New York, County of Erie, ss. City of Buffalo. Harry Stars, being duly sworn, deposes and says that he is the Harry Sears mentioned in the above letter, and that the above is a true copy of the statement the original of which is signed in the handwriting of Chas. Grant ami witnessed by C. G. Williams, and signed in his own handwriting. Harry Scar*. Sworn to before me this '.MMh day of July, 1907. C. N. McMichael, Commissioner of Deeds for Buffalo, N. Y. (A reference to the letter printed last week, written by Chas. Grant, will inform Mr. Sears that Mr. Grant said he was obliged to accept a lesser amount than he claimed was due through privation, caused by Mr. Sears having continually asked for and received postponements of a legal action to recover the amount, which had been instituted by Grant against him. The above receipt in full is unique. The man who pays 100 cents on the dollar of what he owes is not in fear of "statements" after payment has been made. Some peo- ple would take a pride in having the fact known. A receipt in full when given for the full claim generally specifics the amount turned over.—Ed.) N. Y. City, .July 27. Editor Variety: In answer to Dolan and Lenharr, John and Bertha Gleason and Fred Houlihan's letters to Variety. We signed a contract with Louis Pin- cus f<»r ten weeks on the Western States Vaudeville Circuit. Also a verbal con- tract with Mr. Pincus that we would play or get paid. We were to open in St. Joseph, Mo., July 7. When the manager paid us our first week's salary we were $25 short. We showed our contract. He said he had none like ours; that the agent booked us for $25 less than our contract read. After riding 1,500 miles from New York City to open on the circuit he said "If you want to play the circuit under our contract you can; if not, you are discharged for balance of circuit. We closed as re- quested. So we were obliged to come back to New York; 3,000 miles in all to play one week. Unprofessional treatment, don't you think so? Gorman qnd West. (Mr. Pincus upon being asked for his version, said that the above statement about the amount was correct, but that it was purely an error. The house man- ager at St. Joseph, Mo., had asked the team to continue playing the circuit, and the difference would be forwarded, if found to be $25 more. This the act refused to do, and returned home.—Ed.) New York, July 29. Mr. Dave Genaro. Dear Sir: Yours of the 24th in Variety noted, and I heartilv thank vou for the boost you have given me. 1 appreciate the fact that a boost from such a well- known act as Genaro and Bailey will go a long way in booming me, an unknown amateur, to the front. Trusting you will keep up the good work, I beg to remain, Yours sincerely, Ray Bailey, Of Bailey and Brown. (Last week Mr. Genaro complained through the Forum of this woman mak- ing use of his wife's (Bay Bailey) name. For unmitigated brazenness the reply has no equal. It would not be printed were it not in proof of Mr. Genaro's state- ments, and to give maunders an insight into the stamp of person they are har- boring under a pirated name. The en- velope was addressed to Variety, and marked inside "For Artists' Forum."— Ed.) Sheepshead Bay, X. Y., .Inly SO. Editor Variety: In a review of "The Goddess" playing at the Union Square this week, which ap- peared in a daily paper, the authorship of the piece was accredited to Harry Daven- port, one of the principals. 1 wrote "Diana of the Chase" some time ago for Mr. and Mrs. Sidnev Drew. Mr. Davenport is a relative of Mrs. Drew. Sidney lhew bought and paid for my "Diana of the Chase." but I did not sell my name or agree that my work should he presented under Mr. Davenport's signa- ture. As the principal points of "The Goddess" and my own sketch are mark- edly similar, you will catch the drift of mv remarks. Kenneth Lee. Hopewell, N. J., July 29. Editor Variety: 1 wish it emphatically understood thai 1 am not the Florence Moore of the vaude ville team of "Moore and" (1 forget the other end of it, perhaps someone in "Puckerbrush" can enlighten me). 1 am Florence Moore, who goes with the "Bon Tons," and 1 do publicly thank Florence E. for changing her billing, and thus spar- ing me the humiliation of getting our salaries mixed. As Dr. Munyon says, "there is hope," so cheer up, little vaudevillian. 1 am truly jealous of you, especially at twelve-ten, v\hen I am sipping my chocolate and you are doing your "first one." Florence (X- Y. Z.) Moore. Do you want any more, Moore? 1 don't. Decatur, Ind., July 30. Editor Variety: I was surprised when Variety said a Forepaugh-Sells man preferred it to "The Clipper." Didn't you know that the pro- fession had given up any idea > of finding anything readable in that paper years ago? Certainly it must have struck you that the best news in "The Clipper" was "Notes from the Kickapoo Medicine Show!" I am an admirer of Variety, but please bear in mind that such com- parisons are odious. Miller Roberta. New York, July 31. Editor Variety: Will you kindly mention that the Eddy Ciark, billed to play at Pastor's is not myself. 1 should be happy and honored indeed to appear at Mr. Pastor's play- house, and simply wish this noted to pre- vent a confusion of names. Eddie Clark (and his "Six Winning Widows"). SUN BOOKS FOR ALMOST ioo. Springfield, O., Aug. 2. Gus Sun, manager, agent, and amuse- ment director and exclusive booking agent for the National Vaudeville Association, said to-day that he expected before the season had become far advanced to have the bookings of over one hundred vaude- ville houses of the smaller type in Penn- svlvania and the Middle West in his charge. Mr. Sun has nearly that number under his change now. At present Mr. Sun books for nine of his own houses, besides the many other chains for which he acts as agent. He was the first to inaugurate vaudeville in this section of the country and has seen it steadily grow until it reached the pres- ent proportions. Mr. Snn is associated in his business ventures with O. G. Murray, well-known theatrical promoter of Richmond, Ind., and equal owner with Mr. Sun of the Sun- Murrav houses on the circuit. As soon as the new Sun Theatre, which is now in course of erection in Springfield, O., opens, the booking offices of Mr. Sun will be located there. At the present time the general oilices of Mr. Sun are in the Orphium Theatre building, from which between siv and seven hundred acts re- ceive time. GILLETTI DID NOT OPEN. Gillctti's Monkeys did not open at the < liestuut Street Opera House last Mon- day, and William Morris, who books that house, says he was finally notified of the cancellation two hours before the Mon- day matinee. Gilletti wrote from the other side to Morris asking for time. He received a favorable reply, and upon arriving here was told he would open at Philadelphia on July 29. Last Saturday Mr. Morris received word over the telephone that Gil- letti could not play the engagement, al- though nothing previously had been heard from the animal trainer relating to any inability to fulfill the date. Mr. Morris at once jumped to the con- clusion that Gilletti had been "tampered" with, and resting under the impression that the foreigner would play as agreed, gave no further heed. On Monday at noon Gilletti called up to say he could not leave, due to one of the monkeys becoming too ill to appear, hav- ing been confined in a room where gas had escaped. Gilletti was asked by Morris to go over to Philadelphia and make that announce- ment from the stage. This he would not do. Mr. Morris asked where he was tele- phoning from. "242 Spring Street," re- plied Mr. Gilletti. Morris, in his automo- bile, drove to that address, but failed to find the number. Upon returning to his office, he was informed that Gilletti had been in while he was out, confirming the cancellation. LASKY WANTS MONEY BACK. Leon Laski, the attorney in the Park How building, has had placed in his pos- session by Jesse L. Lasky, the vaudeville producer, certain facts relative to the passing of $400 from Mr. Lasky'a bank account to the assistance of one Bothwell Browne, a California female impersonator. It all happened some time ago, and in England. Messrs. Lasky and Browne were in that country together, having travelled from New York, Mr. Lasky with the in- teutiou of placing "The Black Hussars" on the other side, and also with the secondary motive of "springing" Mr. Browne as a foreign novelty upon his re- turn. One show at the Hippodrome, Brighton, England, was sufficient to put a torch to the expected explosion. Mr. Browne ap- lx'ared in his character of "Cleopatra." They do say he was elegantly costumed, but Mr. Browne appeared only once. It is some time since then, and the $400 has been elusive. Mr. Lasky has at last decided to invoke legal machinery to trace it. Mr. Browne is in San Francisco now, a member of a stock company there. . ACROBAT INJURED. Joliet, 111., Aug. 2. One member of the acrobatic team of Coyle and Coyle met with a serious acci- dent at Del wood Park Theatre this week, lie slipped in one of the team's two-high feats, striking on the shoulder and nock. The left shoulder was dislocated, and the acrobat sustained serious internal injuries. M. S. I lent ham has placed Einmett Cor- rigan for the entire coming season with the managers of the United. Mr. Oorrigan opens A tig. 20 at Shea's, Buffalo. Marshall and King, the "sister" act, will go to Europe after finishing the com- ing season with l^eavitt's "Rentz-Santley" show.