Variety (September 1907)

VARIETY ITAUDEVILLE MAGNATES i i «x .... HOLD CONFERENCE The Prominent Managers of the United Booking Offices Meet for a General Confab. » • i V . On Wednesday afternoon all the more prominent managers attached to the United Booking' Offices had a heart-to- heart talk at the Holland House, lasting over two hours, and another session was on the tapis to be hekj.otj Thursday. Managers from all over the country were present, and this lead to a belief that something 1 of unusual importance was under discussion. Street rumors said that the presence of E. C. Kohl, Geo. Middle- ton and Harry Davis portended "great happenings," but no details of moment were given out at the offices of the United. Other than the managers mentioned, there were at the conference: B. F. Keith, Percy G. Williams, Martin Beck, William Hammerstein, Max C. Anderson, J. H. Moore, M. Shea, John J. Murdock, A. Paul Keith and S. Z. Poli. All of these man- agers are located in cities where Klaw & Erlanger have placed or announced "Ad- vanced Vaudeville." One purpose of* the meeting, according to report, was that some decisive.' action would be taken in concert by the United men to attempt to smother the opposi- tion. It has been common talk for the past ten days that the United managers were resting -in a state of security at this point of the vaudeville struggle under the ntrong conviction that their opponents had been erased as lively competition. Another conjecture was that the former '"legitimate" scheme would be revived and a company formed of the United managers to present attractions against the "Syndi- cate," report saying that the vaudeville invasion by Kkiw & Erlanger had weak- ened their affiliated forces in the legiti- mate houses. E. F. Albee, general manager of the United, denied both these reports when seen in reference to the gathering, he said: "It is the first time since the season opened that we have had a meeting, and it was nothing more than a general dis- cussion. Our managers were unanimous in reporting good business, better at this season of the vear than ever before ex- perienced, and the outlook points to even better results. We think this season will l>e the record one for us." "SPANISH DANCERS" CLOSED. Well, "The Congress of Spanish Danc- ers" has adjourned. It was an expensive session while it lasted. Klaw & Erlanger are reported to* have paid the collection $1,200 weekly, although this is said to have slowly dwindled down until it reached $350 when the act closed at the Grand Opera House, Brooklyn, last Satur- day, "by request." The difference in weekly pay received h reported to have been caused by a desire on the part of Klaw & Erlanger to recover some $3,000 advanced to M. B. Leavitt, the manager and importer of the "Congress." The balance remaining of this amount at the precise moment when \nudeville discovered the dancers wore overcrowding the dressing rooms, it is said, makes up the settlement of the con- tract for the period beyond, and which Mill not be played. Mr. Leavitt has made no statement of the slight placed upon his imported num- ber, which at odd times during its travels over the "Advanced Vaudeville" circuit, opened the show. TORONTO DOESN'T OPEN. "Advanced Vaudeville" will not open in Toronto, Canada, on Monday as an- nounced. In the early part of the wee 1 *- the Alexandria Theatre Company, which owns the new Royal Alexandria Theatre in the Canadian city, where Klaw & Er- langer expected to place their bills, sent word to New York that under no circum- stances would it permit a variety show to be given. Frank Clark had been selected as man- ager, paper had been printed and the bill, which the Karno Comedy Company headed, laid out. Mr. Clark's orders to leave for Toronto were countermanded and the bill was held intact until late in the week in the hope that the objections of the com- pany could be removed. All attempts failed and the acts booked for the Alexan- dria may have to "lay off" in consequence. The lease for the Royal Alexandria was hold by the Shuberts and provided for the playing of high class attractions. The theatre represents an outlay of $410,000. The investors say they would not jeopar- dize the money by playing vaudeville. Tlirough the decision not to allow vaude- ville to be given and the probable cutting off of the supply of first-class legitimate attractions a policy of stock will be in- augurated. At the offices of the United States Amusement Company, which took over the lease from the Shuberts, it was said that vaudeville might still be seen at the Royal Alexandria in the near future. OAKLAND'S ORPHEUM'S OPENING. San Francisco, Sept. 27. The new Orpheum Theatre at Oakland will open September 30 with the following bill in the order of appearance: Four Ar- conies, Miss McLloyd, Lillian Rurkhardt, "Sunny South," Mr. and Mrs. Jimmy Barry, O'Hana San, Fred Ray and Co., Mason and Hart, and pictures. , The opening of the Oakland house will give acts from five to six weeks on the ('oast, when playing the Orpheum circuit. Some of the present numbers on the Oak- land bill will be retained for the second week, and this course pursued right along. BACK AFTER TEN YEARS. • Buffalo, Sept. 27. After an absence from the variety stage of ten years, Sam Collins will appear at Shea's next week in a monologue. Charles Fitzpatrick, in the United Of- fices, has charge of the bookings for Frank A. Keeney's two theatres; also the Doric, Yonkers, and the Johnstown, Pa„ house. SAYS "REAL FIGHT" WILL COMMENCE OCTOBER 7th Klaw & Erlanger State from That Date More Expen- sive Bills Will be Given on Their Circuit, and the Struggle Really Commence. This week at the headquarters of Klaw & Erlanger'g "Advanced Vaudeville" Cir- cuit, the statement was made that com- mencing October 7th, more expensive vaudeville shows than are now being pre- sented would appear at all of their houses. It was also said that that day would mark the commencement of the "real fight," and from then on only the bfist and biggest shows would be offered, even in the smaller towns. No bill, without any city being ex- cepted hereafter, it w.a> said, wouljl cost less than $5,000 for the week. It was also intimated that there would be an $8,000 vaudeville show at the Duquesne, Pitts- burg, for the week of October 7th, and that the opening program for the Audi- torium, Chicago, commencing Oct. 13th," would not figure up less than $10,000. Denials were made of reports that any of the present K. & E. houses would close. Newark, Springfield, Worcester, Rochester and Buffalo, cities where K. & E. have theatres playing their vaudeville, have been connected with reports that either one or all would be shortly discontinued for variety entertainments, but this was denied. It was stated that while Klaw & Er- langer were not in vaudeville for their health, the returns from the circuit are [•roving satisfactory, and the present list complete would be continued. ROAD SHOWS STARTING OUT. , On Monday the first of Klaw &„ Er- langer's "Advanced Vaudeville'' travelling shows will open a week's engagement at the Vendome Theatre, Nashville, Tenn. It will be composed of the same acts playing this week at the Sam S. Shubert, Kansas City, and will be made up as fol- lows: Adelaide Herrmann, Willy Zimmer- niann, Ray L. Royce, Can field and Carle- ton, Mosher, Ilouton and Moshcr, Stanley and Cogswell, Mills and Morris and pic- tures. For the week of Oct. 7 the show will play at the I/wington Opera House, Lex- ington, Ky., and Oct. 14 a week's stand will start at the Victoria, Dayton, O. Beyond this no further time has been laid out at present. If no future dates off the regular K. & E. Circuit are forthcom- ing the act will be replaced on the weekly route sheet once more. The bill playing at the Oarrick, St. Ixmis, next week, headed by Hardeen (re- turn engagement) will also take to the road at the conclusion of the stay, play- ing the Grand Opera House, Sioux City, la., week Oct. 7; Foster's Opera House, Des Moines, week Oct. 14: (Jrcene's Opera House, Cedar Rapids, week Oct. 21: Boyd's Theatre, Omaha, week commencing Oct. 27, returning to the Sam S. Shubert, Kansas City, on Nov. 8 for another week and spending the week of Nov. 11 at the Grand Opera House, Rockford, 111., then going on the regular time again, playing the Shubert, Milwau- kee, week«Nov. 17. Besides Hardeen, the bill will have Vinie Daly, James Harrigau, "The Country Choir," The Glinserettis, Hawthorne and Kurt, The Labrakans and pictures. The third show will open at Toledo and will be composed of Karno's Comedy Con*- pany, Sa-Heras, Willie Hale, J. Francis Dooley and Company, Radie Furman, Bur- ton and Brooks, Forresto and Dog, and pictures. . AUDITORIUM ADVERTISED. Chicago, Sept. 27. "Real Advanced Vaudeville" is adver- tised to appear at the Auditorium on Oct. l."I under the management of Klaw & Er- langer. Ln i the scale of admission printed the gallery is listed at 15 cents, balcony 25 and the other item is "1,500 orchestra seats at 50 cents." For matinees the admission outside the gallery is 25 cents to all parts of the house. BECK A PRODUCER. On Thursday night at the Union ^nare. occurred a "try out" for "La Sextet," a singing production made by Martin Beck, general manager of the Orpheum Circuit. Six Italians compose the Sextet, and airs from grand operas are rendered. It will open at the Orpheum, Kansas City, on Monday. BUTT WANTS THORNTON. James Thornton has received an offer through Jenie Jacobs, the agent, to play the Palace, London. Miss Jacobs is waiting to hear from the monologist. Alfred Butt, the Palace man- ager, insists upon a signed letter from Thornton four weeks in advance of the engagement to the effect that he will play it. MAYBE THATCHER AND RIGBY. San Francisco, Sept. 27*. Geo, Thatcher and Arthur Rigby, both blackface players, were in the city nt the same time. Tf the wheel turned around to send 'Thatcher and Rigby'' on the road to- gether with the former Thateher-Krncst piece, it would not be unexpected. $400 FOR BALLOON RIDE. St. Louis, Sept. 27. Carl Meskel and Oscar Krlislaeh, who will pilot the Ccrman entries in the inter- national balloon races to be held here Oct. 23, have offered to carry passengers in their balloons over the course at $400 a head. These men have a record of covering 1 050 aerial miles, and if they duplicate this performance the rate of travel will figure out at about 00 cents a mile. No one has yet appeared to buy the privilege.