Variety (November 1907)

VARIETY KLAW & ERLANGER SET THE MACH INE GOING "The Steam Roller" Gets a Running Start Next Week. Big Bills All Over the Circuit. "Advanced Vaudeville" has advanced for next week. All over the Klaw & Erlanger Circuit big bills have been arranged. For the Tremout Theatre, Boston, where the headliner will be Hetty King, A. L. Er- langer personally placed the program to- gether. Mr. Erlanger did the same for the show this week at the Forrest, Philadel- phia, which has created a commotion over in Sleepytown, where the drowsy citi- zens have at last been awakened to a new vaudeville era. Klaw & Erlanger are advertising their bills for next week in this issue of Variety. They are called "Vaudeville Festivals," and the programs for thirteen of Klaw & Erlanger's theatres are includ- ed. "Thirteen" is the "Syndicate's" lucky number, and that many houses have been selected for "Exhibit A" in the "second campaign." The headliners at the various theatres are as follows : Chicago, Monti Baldini (first appear- ance) ; New York, Harry Lauder (first ap- pearance) ; Boston, Hetty King; Philadel- phia (Forrest), Vesta Victoria; Newark. Louis Mann (first appearance) ; Buffalo, R. G. Knowles; Rochester, Henry Lee; Kansas City, Hardeen; Brooklyn, Romany Opera Troupe; Montreal, Edna Aug; St. Louis, Karno's Comedians; Milwaukee, The Cutty Family; Louisville, Ida Fuller. Mr. Erlanger said this week that big shows at little prices were what the public wanted of the vaudeville managers, and he would guarantee they received both. Mr. Erlanger called attention to the next week's bills for any basis of the assertion that "Advanced Vaudeville" was short of ma- terial." MANAGER CRIDDLE VERSATILE. Springfield, Mass., Nov. 1. J. C. Criddle, manager of Poli's, Worces- ter, and also editor of the press sheet, "The Poli Poster," issued by the house, is displaying an amount of versatility in his dual capacity which will probably attract the attention of the vaudeville magnates, including his own chief, S. Z. Poli. In the issue of "The Poster" for this week Mr. Criddle uses an excerpt from Variety relating to the situation here of the week previous as his leading article for a "dig" at the opposition house and management (Franklin Square), while on another page of the paper he "goes after" Variety for unreliability in quoting figures in the same story mgarding the Poli houses. It's really clever newspaper work and helps to make Mr. Criddle's newsy press sheet (an uncommon occurrence in litera- ture of this nature) more readable. Mr. Criddle also has the following to say of the paper: "Speaking of VARIETY in another direction, it helped us out quite a bit last week with an excellent Bert Levy cartoon of Geo. Cooper and Win. Robinson, the comedians who made such a big hit, although they were far down in a strong bill, and incidentally increased its own circulation, for the cartoon was too good a thing for lobby display to let it pass through without taking advantage of its attrac- tive value. We stuck 'em up all around and were glad of the oppor- tunity. So we'll call it square about the Springfield statistician." REFEREE'S OPINION BEFORE COURT. Referee Lawrence's opinion in the mat- ter of the city's suit to revoke the license for 1906 of Hammerstein's came up Thurs- day on a motion to confirm the report. Both sides had filed exceptions to it. Ex-Judge Lawrence had laid down the principle that Sunday performances were not in violation unless one or more acts in specific violation of the statute were given. House, Grossman & Vorhaus ad- vanced this opinion in one of the police courts last week in defence of the man- ager of the Novelty, Brooklyn, but the magistrate refused to be guided by it. The Novelty case, however, was dismissed for lack of conclusive evidence establishing a violation. ISSUES NEXT SEASON'S CONTRACT. A contract for next season on the Klaw & Erlanger Circuit was issued this week to a native act, calling for thirty-five weeks. It has not yet been signed by the artists. There is no special form attached to the agreement and the act was given to under- stand that a consecutive route would be laid out for it before the opening date, set for Sept. 7, 1008. DAVIS' RACING SKETCH. Hal Davis and Company play the town for the first time next week in an "auto" sketch called "A Race for a Wife" at the 125th. Street Theatre. This is one of several vaudeville num- bers Mr. Davis is managing. Inez Macauley is on lier way East and Mr. Davis has "One Christmas Eve," also "Fall of '04" under his direction. LAUDER HERE. Harry Lauder, the Scotch comedian, ar- rives to-day. A special yacht has been chartered by a prominent Scotchman of the city, and will carry a crowd of Lauder's countrymen, besides press representatives, down the bay to meet the comedian. Mr. Lauder will remain here until Nov. 'A0, when he returns to England for a pan- tomime engagement. To report over there on time, Mr. Lauder will conclude the final week of his engagement at the New York on Friday night in order to take the boat the following day. PRESIDENT MUDGE MARRIES MAY BELFORT. Last Saturday at the Borough Hall, Brooklyn, Richard C. Mudge, president of the White Rats of America, was married to May Belfort, the English character singing comedienne, after a courtship of about one year. Miss Belfort was playing at the Grand Opera House in the Baby Borough at the time. This week the singer is at the Tremout Theatre, Boston, and commenc- ing Monday she will appear at the New York. During the coming week, while his wife is in the city, Mr. Mudge will •jive a "scamper" at the Rats' club rooms in celebration of his marriage. Although a number of the couple's friends were aware of the impending event, the mar- riage date was kept a secret, and quietly performed. Mrs. Mudge will retain her professional name of May Belfort for the stage. She is a handsome woman of manv accom- jdishments, and one of the very few English singers who by reason of merit and ability alone have been enabled to receive American contracts for return en- gagements over the vaudevilel circuits on this side, where Miss Belfort first ap- peared about two years ago. Through her charming personality and expressive character recitations and songs, Miss Belfort worked her way up among the hosts of single women on the variety stage until she gained a position in the foreground. Mr. Mudge has been president of the White Rats of America for the past two years. During his occupancy of the ex- efiitive chair the theatrical world has seen the White Rats society spring up with bounds and leaps until at present it is the leading variety artists' body. Under the guidance of its present chief officer the White Rats as an order has accomplished many reforms, remedied many faults and has always gone ahead on Mr. Mudge's theory that arbitration, backed by the force of numbers, is the best road to future greatness. In pursu- ing this policy, the White Rats' presi- dent has been called upon to adjust dif- ferences between artists and managers, the final decision being Jeft to his judg- ment, and his impartial rulings have brought to him unsolicited the post of genera] mediator for various vaudeville circuits throughout the country. Boston, Nov. 1. Mr. and Mrs. R. C. Mudge have been spending their honeymoon in this city. The bride is playing at the Tremout, where she has met with unusual success, the society people of the town having evinced a great fondness for the Englishwoman. On Wednesday evening a mammoth "scamper" was given by the artists and managers in honor of the newly wedded couple. Miss Belfort presided at the gathering, this being the first instance of a woman occuping the chair at a "Rats" affair. SHEEDY SETTLING. M. R. Sheedy, of Fall River, is settling through his attorney, Maurice Goodman, the amount of judgment obtained by Will- iam Morris in the suit brought by the lat- ter against the manager. DAVID BISPHAM CONSIDERING. David Bispham, t lie former Metropolitan Opera Company singer, is considering an offer from J. J. Murdock, of the Western Vaudeville Association, for an appearance in the varieties. This follows the an- nouncement that Susanne Adams and sev- eral other operatic songsters will play in vaudeville. MUSIC TRADE FEELS BETTER. There is a better feeling growing among the music publishers over the business outlook, and especially in New York City, where the recent slashing of rates in-sheet music prices promised havoc for a time. Under some sort of an understanding or agreement, all the department stores in town, with the possible exception of" Macy's, advertised their popular music this week at nine cents per copy. Next week, with the same understanding, this is expected to be raised to ten, and in- creased gradually until the price is per- manently fixed for a profit to the pub- lisher, even at "special" sales. The American Music Stores Company is most active in the effort for a firm and profitable price. F. A. Mills, a member of the American, is in charge of the nego- tiations between the publishers and de- partment store buyers, which are ex- pected to bring about a permanent agree- ment on prices. Chicago, Nov. 1. The sheet music war here is over. When "The Fair" cut to eight cents a copy, lowering the price set by Remick & Co. of ten cents, the music department buyers of the various large stores met, forming an organization, which talks over the situation each week. It was agreed that the standard price for popular music of fifteen cents per copy on "special" days be set, and nine- teen cents for production numbers. The regular prices for popular music will run from eighteen to twenty-three cents. MANAGER LEAVING LOUISVILLE. Louisville, Nov. 1. Max Fabish, brother of Arthur Fabish and manager of the Mary Anderson The- atre in this city, playing Klaw & Er- langer's "Advanced Vaudeville," has given two weeks' notice of intention to leave his present post. Mr. Fabish, who gives the reason for his resignation as the climate here, will go to Denver, where he will as- sume the management of the new Sullivan- Considine house, to be opened around Dec. 1. It would not be surprising were Klaw & Erlanger to close the Mary Anderson for vaudeville, provided that the absence of Sunday concerts be continued. The Sun- day shows have been skipped since the house opened, and this is in part due to the antagonism of the theatre owner, who has opposed the introduction of vaudeville into the theatre from the start. Hopkins' Theatre gives two shows daily on the Sabbath, being a continuous house during the week, but the Mary Anderson is always dark when the first day arrives. Sunday is the one best day of the seven in Louisville for amusements. Hopkins' will give up the "continuous style of entertainment, according to an announcement, and will revert back to the "two-a-day" plan, but at the same low prices charged for the never-ending show. VON TILZER ONLY HEADLINER. Harry Von Tilzer, the publishcr-coin- poser-actor, has received continuous time through the United Booking Offices, but will not play next week. His route calls for the Orpheum. Brook lyn. Mr. Von Tilzer declined to share tin 1 headline honors of the program on the bill- ing, and cancelled the engagement.