Variety (September 1907)

VARIETY "KIDNAPPED" AN ACT. "The Golden Graces," a foreign posing act under the management of a Mr. Brenjk, were very much in the vaudeville managerial eye this week. The act, or a part of it, first came to this country last May, booked through 11. B. Marinelli office for William Morris under tfn agreement to play either eight or twelve weeks. After Brenjk arrived there was some de- lay in the girls reaching here, and it was July before "The Graces," with two American substitutes, had a showing. A couple of weeks or so were played for the Morris office, and a Sunday night show- ing" on the New York Theatre Roof given, but at this time, one of the girls was mi?sing, which spoiled the performance. Afterwards Brenjk applied to Wetjer & Rush for an engagement with one of their burlesque companies, but nothing came of it. No more was heard of the act until it played the Chestnut Street Opera House, Philadelphia, last week. The Morris office had booked it for the Nelson, Springfield, to open on Labor Day, and had so notified the act's manager. On Monday morning Mr. Morris was in- formed by A. E. Johnson, of the Orpheum office, that two of the girls were ill, and th»» act could not play. Mr. Johnson was formerly connected with Marinelli, and had transacted all business for Brenjk. William Morris did not place faith in the excuse, and instructing his entire force to commence a hunt for Brenjk, started out on the same quest. He learned the manager of the act was in a theatrical boarding house on West 38th street. Mr. Morris jumped in a cab, drove to the I lace, and locating Brenjk on the ground floor, grabbed him by the throat, dragging him to the curb outside, where he thr-w him in the cab, and P. J. Casey, who had accompanied Mr. Morris, sat upon the for- eigner until the cab rolled up in front of the Morris office. While Morris and Brenjk were talking the matter over, with the latter frightened nearly out of his senses by the strenu- ous movements of American agents, Mr. Cnsey called upon Mr. Beck, who had stoned the act for ten weeks or more over the United time. Casey explained the case to Mr. Beck, who stated that had he known the act WB3 under contract to anyone, it would not have been signed, but he was informed no written agreement existed between Brenjk and the Morris office; the only claim the latter having being moneys ad- vanced, for which they would be reim- bursed. The upshot of the affair was that Beck consented to the. "Golden Graces" playing Springfield this week upon the condition that the Morris office make no further claim on their services after receiving the amount due, about $600. This was placed in writing, and the "Graces" departed Tuesday morning for Springfield. They open at the Grand Optra House, Pittsburg, on Monday. Mr. .Morris said he cared only to deliver the bill programmed for the Springfield house, and had no interest in the future time. Brenjk, after his "interview" with Moiris, informed Mr. Johnson he thought sirfly he would be killed when Mr. Mor- ris took him away; he didn't know what these Americans might do. FRIEND AND DOWNING'S CASE. The article appearing in last week's Variety relative to Friend and Downing having broken a contract with Klaw & Erlanger to accept an engagement over the United time, brought forth a state- ment from Friend's brother this week, a young attorney, who stated he sct*»d in a representative capacity for the pair, now playing at Keith's, Philadelphia. Mr. Friend positively affirmed that the contract signed by Friend and Downing for Klaw & Erlanger on Aug. 14 con- tained an inserted clause calling for its return by 2 p. m. the same date, con- firmed. This not having been complied with, said the lawyer, Friend and Down- ing felt at liberty -to engage where they pleased. Upon the request of the lawyer a Variety representative called at the office of William Morris and asked permission to see the original contract between Klaw &, Erlanger and Friend and Downing. It was shown with the signatures of both attached, but the clause mentioned was nowhere found in or attached to the in- strument. Other details of the affair not before printed were ascertained this week, when it was learned that the United Booking Offices had negotiated with the act be- fore a contract with the Morris office was broached. The act was under engagement to Hurtig &. Seamon, with a two weeks' cancellation clause, which was taken ad- ve.ntage of. The members of the firm heard that Friend and Downing were looking for time at the United, and call- ing there acknowledged the cancellation of their contract was in form, according to the terms. The booking with the United lagged until the learn came in, saying t Jiat meanwhile they had signed with Mor- ns, but had received no confirmation, and had cancelled their signature to the paper hy registered letter. Upon this statement, the contract with' the United was entered into. RAISING ADMISSION IN NEW ENG- LAND. Providence, Sept. 6. Beginning with this week an advance is made in the scale of admissions in the Keith local house. A like advance is re- ported at the Poli theatre in Waterbury, Conn. Local theatre goers aro not ad- verse to paying increased admission fees for improved shows, but opposition has not raised its head in Waterbury or Provi- dence as yet, and the impression gains ground that the United Booking Offices coterie proposes to make the theatre goers in towns where there is no opposition help support the struggle in other New Eng- land cities where the Keith interests and their connections are engaged with rivalry. It is generally regarded as a good piece of showmanship. LOUISE GUNNING SIGNED. At the Colonial next Monday Louise Gunning will appear, having been booked by M. S. Bentham. It is said Miss Gunning has a three years' contract with the Shuberts, who have not released her, and it would not be surprising to the vaudeville side were legal proceedings to follow the Williams engagement, either before or after. FISCHER SAYS HE'LL SUE. The publication in Variety last week of Clifford Fischer's intention to demand through the courts an accounting from William Morris of the amount paid all foreign acts booked by or through Mr. Morris for engagements on this side led Mr. Fischer to confirm the atorv. The foreign agent said he had placed the case in the hands of his attorney, \\ illiam Grossman, of House, Grossman & Vorhaus, and papers were being drawn. A four-years' contract with Morris, commencing last Spring, said Fischer, was pven him, and he had made a demand for the commissions he alleges he is entitled to as the exclusive foreign agent for the William Morris office. Mr. Fischer said he thought Morris had booked about 70 foreign acts for this sea- son at an average weekly salary of $300, and the amount mentioned in Variety ($40,000), as his claim for '07-'08 was about correct. START EAST ON S.-C. TIME. There is talk in the Sullivan-Oonsidine camp of re-routing the circuit under a new arrangement which will make the starting point of acts at Scranton, instead of in one of the Western towns, as for example, the present scheme of opening in Butte, Mont. The Sullivan-Considine supply of acts is largely drawn from New York, and the officers of the circuit look with favor upon the scheme of having them begin their time somewhere near the Atlantic seaboard. The experiment has been tried in scattered instances and is said to have worked out advantageously. It was said at the S.-C. New York of- fices this week that the working out of this plan was probably the cause of Chris. O. Brown's contemplated visit to the East, although the New York office had had no definite notification of such a move on Brown's part. B0UCICAULT UNDER SALARY CON- TRACT. Aubrey Boucicault is working in vaude- ville under an unusual arrangement. Sev- eral agents "went after" him as long as two months ago, and secured his consent to a tour in the varieties. When everything was ready for the signing of the contracts the S. H. Wallach Company advanced him a new proposi- tion which he accepted. He is now under contract to the Wallach concern, receiv- ing a stated salary for a specified number of weeks, and not coming in contact with the booking system or theatre managers at any point. SECOND HOUSE IN JOLIET. Chicago, Sept. 6. If. Goldberg, proprietor of the Grand Theatre, Joliet, 111., has purchased a piece of property in that city upon which he will erect a new vaudeville theatre. Sixty- five thousand dollars is the amount paid for the site. First-class vaudeville will be given. The Grand* now playing large acts, will be probably converted into a 10-cent house, giving the town two vaudeville theatres. "CHARLIE" DUNCAN PASSES AWAY. Charles Duncan, the vaudeville comic and character singer, and an artist with a large personal following in the theat- rical profession, died very suddenly at his home, 136 East 17th street, Wednesday morning. Mr. Duncan had been in ill health for nearly a year, but insisted upon working until about three months ago when he ap- peared for the last time during a few weeks engagement over Western parks. Since then he has been living, with Mrs. Duncan, at the 17th street address. The Actors' Society supplied his wants. The deceased had been in good spirits all this week and his death was very sud- den. He arose Wednesday morning and was about to sit down at the breakfast table, when he fell to the floor uncon- scious. He was dead when a physician ar- rived. Heart disease was given as the cause of death. Duncan had followed practically the same line of work, that of comic and char- acter singing, for many years. He was a favorite at Pastor's, where he appeared frequently and was known as one of the "regulars." Duncan was born in 1853 at New Al- bany, Ind., where his parents still reside. The Actors' Society took charge of the funeral. FRED GOTTLOB DIES. Fred Gottlob, of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Gottlob, passed away recently in Chicago. His death was due to a serious operation. Fred Gottlob started his career as a vaudeville artist in St. Louis a good many years ago, and during his profesional life has played from ocean to ocean on the American continent. The deceased is survived by a widow, Amy Gottlob, of 307 S. Western Avenue, Chicago. The funeral arrangements were in care of the B. P. O. E., of which the late artist was a lifelong member. INTERSTATE INVADES NASHVILLE. Chicago, Sept. 6. E. F. Rickson, vice president of the In- terstate Circuit, will build a new theatre in Nashville, to be ready by January 1. The cost will be $70,000 and seating capa- city 1,200. OLYMPIC OPENS SEPT. 16. Chicago, Sept. 16. The reconstruction of the Olympic Theatre has progressed so rapidly that the house will be re-opened on September 16, giving Kohl &, Castle four first-class vaudeville theatres in this city. Ethel Levy has been chosen as the headliner of the opening bill. MUSIC-PUBLISHER-MONOLOGIST. Harry Von Tilzer, the music publisher, has been booked by Jack Levy to play in vr.udeville on the United time. He will open on Sept. 16th. Daisy Harcourt, the English singing comedienne, missed her boat on the other side. Her opening date at Dayton, O., will take place on Monday. She was booked to open Labor Day. Jos. Hodgini, the foreign circus man- ager, sailed for home on Thursday.