Variety (December 1907)

VARIETY ARTISTS' FORUM Confine your letter* to 150 words and write on one side of paper only. Anonymous communications will not be printed. Name of writer must be signed and will be held In strict confidence. If desired. their very beautiful box of flowers, show- ing their thoughtfulness and good will. Bert Howard, Of Howard and Bland. New York, Dee. 18. Editor Variety: I enclose you a letter which is self- explanatory. I wish you would publish same, for I think some artists would be very willing to send music to the poor fellow. The Misses Rose Stahl, Cooke and Clinton, Netta Ve,sta and myself are sending him tobacco, cigarettes, music, etc|, and have made up a lovely Christmas box for "No. 7,593." If any of your read- ers would be kind enough to send any- thing to him, 1 am sure the poor chap would more than appreciate it. Don't you think "No. 7,593" must have been in the profession at one time? Just think how VARIETY travels. He must have found my small advisYLiwtiineiiir -lii the paper. Jehie Jacobs. Dannemora, N. Y., Dec. 14. Dear Miss Jacobs: Hoping this will not I e troubling you too much I take the lib- erty of writing to ask a favor. I had the misfortune to get into trouble, and was sent here for four vears and ten 9 months. I have two years and ten months yet to serve. I am devoted to music, and a man who just left was kind enough to leave an old mandolin which 1 have patched up and put in good shape, but I have no music. And not having any one to stick to me I have not the money to purchase any. My mandolin helps me to drive away the bines many a night when 1 get to the cell, thinking over my troubles (we are allowed to play for two hours every night), but I have butchered the few pieces 1 have committed to memory. Knowing that you have old professional copies left in your office from the artists under your management, I thought I would write and ask you to send me some if it isn't any trouble to you, and I shall be very thankful. If it ever lays within my power after my release I will surely repay the debt. Hoping you will not be offended by re- ceiving this letter from one in my posi- tion 1 will close wishing you success, A Merry Christmas and a Happy New- Year. 1 remain, Yours respectfully, "No. 7,503." Clinton Prison, Dannemora, N. Y. [We withhold the name of the writer. He may be addressed by his number only, and will receive anything forwarded.— Ed.] ter lest, but Variety re-opens the wound that was nearly healed between us, and which'has been quite as sore to Mr. Hy- mack as myself. When you so vigorously attacked me weeks before my arrival and afterwards, I, acting on the advice of my advisers, ignored your comment. I had booked passages for South Africa to sail this week, but have altered mv arrangements. I now intend to await the arrival of Mr. Hymack and have thvs un- fortunate matter threshed out finally in an honorable and, if necessary, public manner. I can prove where and when we both appeared, and I believe I was before Mr. II .f; Chicago, Dec. 17. Editor Variety: It is with great regret that I am forced to protest against your remarks concern- ing Mr. Hymack and myself in VARIETY'S Anniversary Number. You state that Mysticus the (supposed) copy had a bad tumble over here. I beg to inform you that I (the originator of my own act) have played my act the full Klaw & Erlanger time engaged for by Alfred Aarons, and have been success- ful everywhere played in America for the past eighteen weeks. We were both prepared to let the mat- vmackv I can also prove that the particular part of the act (the cotton gloves) was done before either of us, although we both er- roneously claim originality. There was room for us both, for I have protected the secrets of the act for both of our sakes up until now, and hope to do so as long as possible as otherwise there will not be room for either of us. In conclusion, it is only lately I find that I received the assistance from the same source as Mr. Hymack afterward did in perfecting my act. I shall have the greatest pleasure although at great in- convenience financially and otherwise to myself, as I am well booked ahead outside America, in meeting Mr. Hymack on his arrival and looking at facts fairly and squarely. 0, Mysticus. New York, Dec. 18. Editor Variety: In Variety's Anniversary Number in the review of Reilly & Wood's show, it says the Van der Koors "do an act some- what similar to that now being played in vaudeville by Adams and Mack." Such a statement is an injustice to us, inasmuch that it tends to discredit our claim of originality. Four seasons ago we launched our pres- ent act on lines of strict originality, and have added original improvements every season since. Our setting, comedy makeup and tricks are all conceded by managers who have seen our act to be original all through. We do not expose tricks. Up to six weeks ago Adams and Mack's act consisted of exposing tricky in regular magic setting. If thev have since then changed their act to resemble ours please inform us. The Van dcr Koors. Editor Variety : Will you kindly through Variety thank the many friends of my wife (Leona Bland), who so thoughtfully sent flowers and sympathetic messages during her severe illness at St. Alexis Hospital. While her operation was exceedingly dan- gerous she is now recovering slowly, and we hope to resume our work soon after the holidays. I also wish to publicly thank the stage hands of Keith's Theatre, Cleveland, for New York City, Dec. 10. Editor Variety: A so-called circus manager, Senor An- tonio Pubillones, of Havana, Cuba, after submitting the Onri Family to as un- businesslike a trick as any reputable manager could without genuine cause, charged each of them, and the Kishi Japa- nese Troupe, for steamer passage from El Progreso, Yucatan, to New York City— $31.50. The regular rate is only $23.56. A difference of about $19.40 was over- charged the two. The Cuban manager mentioned before witnesses of his straight- forwardness. Pubillones' contracts call for Spanish gold to be paid artist^. In Merida we were handed Mexican silver, in exchanging Which into United States currency six io ten cents on the dollar were lost. Contracting artists for from twelve to sixteen weeks he, discovering late that too many acts are on his hands, will find fault childishly to unheard of extremes, and try to cut the artist's salary or close him on the instant, on the arrival of new acts from this country, when the attend- ance is falling off or upon the advice of connivers striving to gain his graces. Archie L. Onri. For Onri Family and Kishi Japanese Troupe. New York City, Dec. 1C. Editor Variety: We notice in your Anniversary Number H. M. Lorrette's article claiming to have used the title "Original Dancing Juggler" for ten vears. ■ The idea of juggling and dancing was original with me (Itert Dell), so I claimed it. Not being disputed, thought I was the first in the field. A short time ago was told that Mr. Weston, of Alburtus and Weston, did a clog dance while jug- gling twelve or fifteen years ago. As to Lorrette's assertion of our purloining the title of 'Original Dancing Juggler," he is too hasty, as we had never heard of him dancing and juggling. And the title we have use hardly applies to what we now claim to be the orig- inators of. We do a double routine of buck dancing while juggling and passing clubs. That idea is original with us also, and we claim to be the first to produce it, and will continue to do so until some one proves differently. If the title ''Original Dancing Juggler" rightfully belongs to Lorrctte or any one else we are willing to drop it with apolo- gies. Dell and Fonda, The Original Double Club Juggling Buck Dancers. FEINLER'S CIRCUIT OF TWO. Wheeling, W. Va., Dec. 20. It i> said Charles A. Feinler, who con- trols legitimate houses here and in Al- toona. Pa., has undertaken to put a vaudeville house into the field in both this and the latter city, affiliated with the United Booking Offices. The recent report that William Morris was making special effort to gain a con- nection here may have something to do with this agreement. LEVY SECURES INJUNCTION. An injunction has been granted upon the application of Iicrt Levy, the car- loon'st and vaudeville artist, against one M. .Mi Leichter, a former cartoonist upou i San Franciseo paper. Mr. Levy met Mr. Leichter while on his travels over the vaudeville circuits of the West, and incidentally as a part of his visits to the player's dressing rooms, Leichter became somewhat familiar with Mr. Levy's own original apparatus for the rapid sketching he does upon the stage. The electrical mechanism, or appli- ances, or whatever Mr. Levy uses in his stage act, has been patented by him, and when he was informed by Chris. O. Brown of the Sullivan-Considine New York office that Leichter had attempted to duplicate his act, Mr. Levy consulted his attorney, William Grossman, of House, Grossman & Vorhaus. The lawyer secured an injunction, based upon the affidavits of eye-witnesses to Tieichter's performance at the Family, on East 125th street. Upon service being made upon the alleged "copyist," argument was heard before Judge Hough, and the injunction, very broad in its terms, was made permanent, effectually restraining Leichter from attempting in any way to reproduce the results obtained by Mr. Levy on the stage. The by-laws of the Vaudeville Comedy Club, organized for the protection of original material, prevented that society from bearing the expense of the suit, which amounts to about $450, the by- laws providing that a copy of the patent papers or a model of the design must be deposited with the club at the time taken out, together with $5. This Mr. Levy, who is a member, had failed to do, and bore the cost of the litigation personally, although the Comedy Club passed a reso- lution at its meeting last Sunday com- mending the artist for his action. The injunction granted in this case might operate as a strong precedent for the guidance of future actions by artists wishing to protect their material from "Copies," who are in a position to show they have acquired a clear right by usage. TO PETITION THE GOVERNOR. It was reported this week that the In- ternational Artisten Loge of Germany and the Variety Artists' Federation of Eng- land, n(filiated bodies, were co-operating to forward a petition containing the names of thousands of foreign artist.s to the Governor of New York protesting against legislative action which will legalize Sun- day shows in Oreater New York or the State. The complaint of the foreign acts is that thev receive no more weekly for fourteen shows than for twelve, and in many instances have been asked and obliged to give their services free on the seventh day of the week, outside the the- atre where the previous six days were played. At the offices of the White Hats, Prcsi- duit II. C. Mudge stated he had heard nothing of the petition, but it would go through the local order if the report was true. The White Rats are also affiliated with the foreign societies. Mose Gamble and Clarice Vance (Mrs. (Jumble) booked passage this week for Europe, to sail next May.