Variety (December 1907)

46 VARIETY PARKS AND PAIRS The action brought by the New York Vaudeville Contracting Company against the Ernesto Sisters for alleged breach of contract, was up for argument in court lust week. The defendants had filed a de- murrer against the complant, and the case was gone into thoroughly. The general manager of the contracting company de- clares that suits will be brought against several park managers shortly. board a company duly formed, Mr. Ben- nett ha* asked for the time to be extended to five months, which has been agreed to, and the deal is now expected to go through. The great success of Manches- ter's "White City," which is to be followed by one at Liverpool, has no doubt paved the way for this speculation hi London. Meetings were recently held at the Knickerbocker Hotel, New York, of the National Amusement Park Association. It was an adjourned sitting from the pre- vious conferences at the Imperial earlier in the fall, when the association was formed. From 15 to 20 park managers gathered at the Knickerbocker, when plans were gone over to increase the mem- bership, and to adopt a uniform booking system. The by-laws were read, and fa- Frank Melville denies that his summer venture ("Melville Park") at Bayonne, N. J., is in financial difficulties, as was re- ported recently. Mr. Melville admitted that several of the creditors had been asked for an extension of time, and this, he said, was readily granted. The pro- moter submits a report of the Frank Mel- ville Amusement Company's financial con- dition on Sept. 18, 1907, made by Thomas P. Ryan, a certified public accountant of New York, from which it apears that the profits of the first year's operation of the LE MAIRE AND LE MAIRE. I* Malre and Le Maire are presenting a new conception In the line of Hebrew comedy, on the rapid lire order. The team has been very HucoenHful in the West, and lately appeared Hast, where the press was unanimous In endorsing their lutest offering as being away from all other acts of a like character. Their parodies are up to v the times, while the tslk is bright and snappy. The act fills a long felt want In the line of "Rapid ,Fire Hebrew Comedy." vorably passed upon; also committees ap- pointed in accordance with them. The aim of the association is to place the summer parks of the country, or as many as may be enrolled in the association, under one booking rule, and also to cor- rect'what are considered other defects in tjhe warm weather amusement business, which can be remedied only by organiza- tion. C. H. Oberheide, of "White, City," Trenton, inaugurated the movement. London, Nov. 28. Next month a license will be sought for "Dreamland," at Nine Elms, Battersea, F. Bennett having leased 15 acres of land for m period of 21 years from next Christmas at a rental of $54,450 per year. This agreement was, however, to be deemed as determined upon the expiration of three months from July 1, 1907, unless within that period the lessee bad submitted to the park amounted to $30,129. This is con- sidered a creditable showing considering the unfavorable weather conditions and the general bad business all over the country which has left a large number of amuse- ment resorts in difficulties. Mr. Melville declared that he will continue to conduct his park, and is confident of showing a large profit next year. He will also con- tinue his park booking agency next sea- son, he says, having already assurance of a chain of twenty-five resorts for which he will supply attractions. License Commissioner John N. Bogart, of New York City, has decided that the Park Booking Circuit, a booking agency formed to supply attractions for a chain of parks in the Middle West, is not to be considered an employment agency un- der the amended law, and is in no man- ner under the regulation of the License LE DENT. The World's Greatest Juggler. Trying to drive all jugglers out of buainesi. They fay I'm crazy—Come and tee the act. Address, "Champagne Girls" Company, Butler, Jacobs ft Lowry, Mgrs. Bureau. The agency escapes this classi- fication by reason of the fact that it is the property of the same interests who own and operate the parks, and because in the booking of acts no agent's commis- sion is charged. A change of ownership has been an- nounced for "Congress Springs" Park, Saratoga, X. Y. Ernest Shevlin is now sole proprietor. The various bills held against the resort by agents and others were delayed in payment for a time owing to the liquidation of partnership, but Mr. Shevlin has met all outstanding obliga- tions. THE "CORNED-BEEF" MANAGER. The trials and tribulations of the polite vaudevillian who takes an excursion into the woods for twenty-five "consecutive" weeks over the "corned beef circuit" in the hopes of filling a depleted grouch bag and at the same time hold out for two shows are prolific in incidents not entirely with- out humor. The so-called managers of this class of show shop are self-satisfied that their calling is show business, that they were a party to its invention notwithstanding the fact that their previous endeavors had been the furniture business, a pawn shop keeper or a picture machine oper- ator. There is talk of re-establishing vaude- ville in the chain of southern railway parks booked several seasons ago by Maurice Boom. Since the parks withdrew vaudeville they have been keeping their summer theatres open with repertoire shows. The railroad managers, who were in convention in Atlantic City last week, are of the opinion that this form of enter- tainment has outlived its usefulness and a number of them are in favor of returning to the old policy. Boom's old string was made up of nine parks. He is now in cor- respondence with most of the railroads controlling them, and the proposition of establishing theatres to run all year in some of the parks is under consideration. Ethel Robinson, manageress of the fair department of the Western Vaudeville Association, attended the annual meeting of the American Association of Fain and Exposition held at the Auditorium Hotel, Chicago, on Thursday, and delivered an address on the subject of fairs. About 1,500 delegates and representatives of all the large fairs in the United States at- tended and were entertained at the Inter- national Live Stock Exposition during the week. They are particularly desirous of im- pressing on the incoming artist their great familiarity with the "ins and outs" of open and close in "one," "wods" and "center door fancy," and insist in chron- icling in scare-head paragraphs what noted acts they have played. One ubiquitous duck in a two-by-four town where the gras9 grows high afford- ed some amusement to a bunch that opened on Monday in a "temple of joy" given over to "high class vaudeville and motion pictures, catering especially to the ladies and the children." He cornered the actors immediately after the rehearsal with the "orchestra" < one piano player), and commenced to roll off. in a glib manner the names of the big acts he had "worked." The opinion of the artists for the country magnate immediately soared un- til the monologue man, ever ready to force his comedy on or off, butted in and inquired if he had ever played Sothern and Marlowe. Quick as a flash the promoter of high class amusement replied "Yes, I did. It's a rotten act. And what made it worse here Sothern fell off his trapeze the first night." Will II. Macart is playing at Keith's, Holmes and Holliston, the comedy Philadelphia, this week in place of Lew sketch team, have cancelled all their fu- Sully, who reported sick. ture work on account of illness. 1