Variety (August 1907)

VARIETY SAN FRANCISCO NEWS By W. Alfred Wilton. Variety's San Francisco Office, 1115 Van Ness avenue, San Francisco, Aug. 2. Lottie Gilson is spending a short vaca- tion on the Ooast. Richard Jose, the silver-tongued singer, at present featured at the American The- atre, will be a K. & E. attraction next season. James Post has returned to town after an extended stay at his home in Victoria. His wife (May Ashley) is with him. Their plans for the coming season have not yet been completed. Harry Vallios, who has been playing in stock musical comedy in the Northwest, has returned to vaudeville, opening on the Pantages circuit of houses with the bal- ance of the Western States time to follow. The first appearance of Mr. and Mrs. Chas. Mason at the Mission July 22 was marked by the presentation to them of a large and very appropriate floral piece by the Metropole Club, of which Mr. Mason is a member. The Metropoles are becoming quite a factor in the social life of the vaudeville artists who travel this way, and their midnight scampers are gaining more than local fame. Tom Kelly, of Kelly and Violette, is spending a few weeks in 'Frisco, the burg from whence he came. W. H. Did, of the El Did Cycling Trio, billed to open at the Wigwam July 22, fell from the stage to the orchestra pit while rehearsing his act upon that date, severing an artery in his leg. It will be some time before he will be able to take his place in the act. Because of this ac- cident the Trio was unable to fill the date and the house was short an act. J. P. Bogardus, of "Figaro" fame, con- tinues to improve. W. H. Dailey, late manager of the "Globe," has taken the temporary vaudeville editorship of the "Review." Esco Ives has returned from his hunt- ing trip in the mountains of the North. The work of construction on the Vic- tory, the Sutter street house of the newly formed Alpha circuit, has been stopped with no reason obtainable for the halt. "That Quartet" is scheduled to open at the Wigwam August 5. Charlotte Hill, who has offered a xylo- phone act on the Sullivan-Considine cir- cuit, has in preparation an act somewhat on the order of "The Girl Behind the Drum." Miss Hill was for years the trap drummer of a ladies' orchestra here, and with a properly arranged act should be able to get some of the "big time." for some time in vaudeville, has entered the ranks of the legitimate, playing lead- ing roles at the Central Theatre, Everett, Washington, of which house her husband, Chas. Royal, the song writer, is manager. The foundation of the Valencia Theatre has been completed and the steel frame work is being erected. This is another project of the Varney & Green combina- tion and, like their other house, the Prin- cess, one can only guess as to what its policy will be. On July 24 a reception was tendered to Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas Long worth (nee Roosevelt) by Mrs. Eleanor Martin at her mansion on Broadway, and a vaude- ville entertainment was arranged to add to the pleasures of the evening. The vaude- ville portion was under the management of Phil Hastings, the former press agent of the Orpheum, and the acts selected were Willie Zimmerman, the impersonator from the Empire, and Tom Gillen and Sing Fong Lee, the Chinese violinist, from the National. Zimmerman took the entire Empire orchestra with him to reinforce the drawing room musicians. The guests assembled expressed their approval of the Hastings' combination, and the artists spoke highly of the democratic manner with which the society leaders greeted them. Fred Lancaster, formerly the stock bal- ladist at the Wigwam, is at the Empire, San Jose, Cal., for a run. The affairs of the Globe have yet to be adjusted, and in the meantime Sullivan & Considine can only give one week's time in San Francisco, a condition they will not long allow to exist. World and Kingston opened at the Or- pheum July 28. PRESENT WATCH TO MUDGE. George Abel and Ethel Arden, English people, presented this week to R. C. Mudge, President of the White Rats, a handsomely engraved gold watch as a token of their esteem for the "Big Chief." Mr. Mudge left yesterday for Atlantic City for a short stay. While there, he will be tendered a banquet by about 50 artists and managers, who are living for the present at the seaside. Edith Fletcher, daughter of the old-time musical artist, Wm. Fletcher, and herself CAN MAKE "SOME NOISE." Yvonne Lamor, "of the long haired photograph" who was over on this side at one time, is playing the English pro- vinces with her own company. In that troupe Miss Lamor has a young woman who does a pianologue, and is very beau- tiful, says Yvonne. A character singing specialty, hand- somely dressed, is Miss Lamor's idea of her own act. She thinks M. S. Bentham should book her, together with the beau- tiful young woman, for vaudeville early in 1908. Miss Lamor assures Mr. Bentham she very much wants to see New York again, certain that she and the other girl could make "some noise." London, July 25. There is still phenomenal summer cool- ness, good for the halls but hard on the great pierrot industry, and gathering shining shekels by the shore neath the strains of blue Viennese bands is not the least of Britain's claims on the sea Chirgwin of the ace of diamonds white eye arose from the sands and is circling back there as proprietor, paying a large sum for this season for Happy Valley, Southend-on-Sea. The present coolness is blamed on Mars, now closer than it will be for 80 years, and some of the coolness has even invaded our dear old Federation,, from which Secretary Gerald has resigned, while the brilliant but cometary Mount- ford is also pursuing his solitary way. To tell you all about it would require a long tale about jarring and conflicting ambitions, and the plots of "many men of many minds." We can afford to be chivalrous in the matter, and if nearing Mars the red planet of war stirs some to "mar-tial" thoughts, we can let it go at that. Sometimes some very good men must agree to disagree, but if any bad rumors are reaching you about the Federation be assured it is all right. Where a few dropped out the ranks have been closed up, and we have had large accessions in membership during the past week. At the Surrey Theatre one Friday evening recently, Leonard Mortimer, who had charge of the Federation pickets during the late strike, was presented by the pickets with a silver spirit decanter and stand, while his associates Hoffman, Cyril and Payne were also remembered with elegantly inscribed match boxes. Strange to say Frederick Baugh, whose imposing size makes him really look more like a manager than anybody in London, handed over the striker's tributes. Baugh said he thought the artists were wrong in striking, and dwelt with a loving touch on the large salaries they received. He also felt that the public did not sympathize with the strikers, but now that the trouble was over and the award at hand he hoped there would never be another strike. At the Holborn Empire, Manager Gib- bons tried an unhappy experiment in se- curing one Mr. Hunnable, a political can- didate of much notoriety in the darrow parliamentary bye-election just closed, to give a monologue rendition of his re- cent electioneering experience. There was great disturbance, the audience cry- ing "Go 'ome," and "hurry up and get off." While the outrageous conduct ot the audience was perhaps influenced somewhat by political bias, the healthy moral is that music hall stage should be reserved for music hall artists. Knowles is leaving for the Provinces with a concert party containing Dave Carter and one or two other Americans along with the English contingent. In lecturing Londoners Dick instructs by showing them sights of their city which they may not have had time to see. At Liverpool Walter DeFrece has re- signed from the Palaces, Ltd. (Tivoli, Paddington and Park halls), and been suc- ceeded by Mr. Wilmot of the Lyric and Hay market, formerly an artist. In Leeds Mr. DeFrece has sold the Holbeck Palace to Fred Woods of the City Varieties, who will open it August Bank Holiday, possibly under a new name. Woods is a good sound man who has a considerable personal following, and never had trouble with artists. All wish him well.—The Hastings Hippodrome, redecorated until it looks like a new place, opened last wek under a local syndicate, and the fresh management seems to have hit the bull's eye, doing great business. Same for Scarboro Aquarium's new theatre, just opened most successfully. By order of the London County Coun- cil living statues will soon be among the "by gones and dog-gones." In order not to be too "all-of-a-sudden" La Milo will be allowed to All contracts up to July 22, at the Holborn and Grand. Les Grandes were closed out last week, but the Countess Romanow (relative of the Czar, so she says) can continue until July 20. The Seldoms can thrill the Pavilion until their contract expires July 29. These last give a very refined and truly artistic show. La Milo talks of doing fully draped statues, as her name now has much market value, and to be on the safe side she is begging from the London County Council an exact defi- nition of just what a living statue is. The wave of prudery is washing over everything now, and even the torso of a Strand statue is getting its fair bosom filed down to moral flatness. How a flat surface can be more moral than a curved surface I really do not know, but any- how righteous London is very happy since it unbreasted that bronze lady down the Strand. The London Coliseum, since the appoint- ment of a receiver in May, 1006, has used up $63,500, part of this in paying amounts previously borrowed and the balance in rent, rates, taxes, insurance and other inevitable outlays. Authority is now sought to borrow from time to time amounts not to exceed $20,000, with which to settle pressing payments. The insur- ance premium, for instance, is overdue, and unless settled within the next week or fortnight insurance will go by default. A reconstruction scheme is pending, to be laid before stockholders later for ap- proval. It is a great pity that some man of absolute boldness, genuine shrewdness and unlimited capital don't have a go at this place. Men call it an elephant, but elephants can be made to perform. Like the Lyceum, also a failure for many months, it can be made to pay when it is run right. j Things will not move much till Aug. 5, the Autumn Bank Holiday, when every Englishman feels impelled to spend money, and show business takes on a boom. Many new ventures will open that date, and bookings will liven up. AH holidays are observed religiously here.