Variety (March 1908)

VARIETY A Variety Paper for Variety People. Publlsbed every Saturday by THE VARIETY PUBLISHING CO. •'• Knickerbocker Theatre Building, , i-102 Broadway, New York City. TelephoDe ("4022 1 [4023 J 38tb St. BIME J. SILVEBMAK. Editor and Propriator. Entered aa second-class matter December 22, 1905, at the Post Office at New York, N. Y., under the act of Congress of March 3, 1879. CHICAGO OFFICE, Chicago Opera House Block (Phone, Main 4S80). FEAVK WIESBERO, Bepreaentatire. SAN FBANCISCO OFFICE, 1115 Van Ness Ave. (Room 112). W. ALFRED WUSON, RepresenUtlTe. ERNEST BOSTON OFFICE, Colonial Building. L. WAITT, Representative. DENVER OFFICE, Crystal Theatre Buildinjri HARRY X. BEAUMONT. Representative. CINCINNATI OFFICE, Bell Block, HARRY NESS, Representative. ADVERTISEMENTS. 20 cents an agate line, $2.80 an Inch. One page. |125; one-half page, $05; one-quarter page, 132.50. Charges for portraits furnished on application. Special rate by the nioutb for professional card under beading "Representative Artists." Advertising copy should be received by Thurs- day at noon to lusure publication In current issue. 1/ SUBSCRIPTION RATESf. Annual $4 Foreign & Six and three months In proportion. Single collies ten cents. VAKIBTV will be mailed to a permanent ad dress or as per route as desired. VARIETY may be bad abroad at INTERNATIONAL NEWS CO.'S OFFICES Breams Building, Chancery Laue, LONDON, E. C. ENGLAND. Adveitisements forwarded by..-ra."'' mnst ti^^.w- compauied by remittance, made payai<le to Variety rublisbing Co. Copyright, 1907, by Variety rublisbing Co. Vol. X. MARCH 21. No. 2. The signed statemoiit iu to-day's Variety by Martin Beck Lrings him in a bound out of the picture of lethargic vaudeville managers, stamping him as the thinkor of them all. Mr. Beck's tlatement will be read and re-read by artists and man- agers. It needs to be digested thoroughly, for it contains the fundamental principles of a permanent institution, and, as Mr. Beck says, "the perpetuation of vaude- ville." Managers have not been wont to dwell within themselves upon the artists. Nor in the rush for acts, features and busi- ness, has any evidence been given, up '^o this time, by any, that thought of the fu- ture of vaudeville was being entertained. Mr. Beck takes the first step. He says in effect the manager and the artist should get together. Having a reputation as a shrewd busi- ness man, no one will extol Mr. Beck IS a philanthropist upon his statement. From personal conversation with him, we know he does not wish nor does he expect to be regarded as such. But beyond the fact that an artist in dealing with a man- ager direct must be comjwtent to cope with him on th? salary question, there is noth- ing in Mr. Beck's remarks or opinions which would not beueiit the artist. had been shown by 'the records no agent has increased his (John Jones') salary one dollar. It is a fact that disorganization among managers is apt to prove as disastrous to the artist as a complete organization, wore an artist merely an individual to deal alone with an immense cori>oration. 'J'he artists have an organization, but, from the apparent state of affairs, the managers are worse off regarding unity among them- selves to-day than they were a year ago. Even now, with opposition removed, t\te managers are creating opposition among themselves, which can bring no good to the regular vaudeville artists. If a man- ager will go to the extremes of salary payment for "freak" headliners, he will at- tempt to recoup by retrenching on the sal- ary of the standard vaudevillian. The manager may cry against the salary of the thorough artist, while pushing up the limit sky-high for an attraction of only two weeks' standing in vaudeville theatres. In that interview Mr. Beck also said the *'l)roducing agent" was entitled to have booked along with his new material such other acts as he might have to handle, and to this the manager made no objec- tion, but he did object to the agent who made a specialty of booking acts only which practically booked themselves bo- cause they were in demand. If an artist has prepared a new act, or has secured a sketch which he wishes to present, it would simplify the dealings between the artist and manager when they can speak to each other direct. Mr. Beck makes a point that the artist shall not come to the manager until he has some- thing. Not with something in his mind's eye, but the actuality, when an answer may be given at once. ■f. -. * It is our opinion Mr. Beck has struck the keynote of the stability of vaudeville. He aims to promote a better feeling be- tween the artist and manager. Let's see This "at once" is very important to the artist. There are artists who say that had all the promises for time made by agents and managers been kept, they would have had their route sheet filled up for several seasons to come. Broken promises are a long way from instilling confidence in the artist. "Yes" and "No" have been PLEASE NOTICE. That all "Travelling" Credential Cards are herewith revoked from this date. Everyone in- terested is requested not to recognize any credential card issued excepting when held by a correspondent, and mentioning the name of the city wherein he is located. Travelling repre- sentatives of VARIETY will hereafter identify themselves with a personal letter of introduc- tion, written from this office. No representations of bny nature, other than that, should be accepted, if he can do it. And if ho can, must he do it alone, or will other managers real- ize the sense of this plan and join him? It is almost painful to think at times of the immense amount of money uselessly squandered . by managers wl:en opposition arises, whereas if they had spent the same energy in promoting confidence among the artists that the manager was his friend, not his enemy, that they did in fighting opposition, they would have hold the artist by a stronger tie than a "blacklist" threat, saving thousands o^ dollars in hav- ing the artist with him because the artist had been fairly dealt by. 'the mounting stones to the success of some of this country's most prominent men. Broken promises have broken many others who could have been. For the artistic uplift of vaudeville, Mr. Bock requires the cooperation of the artist. He has said nothing which the artist will not at once recognize as the truth in this regard. The artist should view his stage work as an artist if he is an artist. If this point is in Mr. Beck's mind, he has gone forward a long way, a very long way, far beyond any other manager in vaudeville. To gain and to have the conlidonce of the artist, to hold him to you by that, Mr. Manager, is a greater asset to you than possessing the price to buy out opposition. It would have saved you the price you have [)aid any ojiposition. Mr. Beck may want to benefit vaude- ville; he may see that by bonofiting vaude- ville he is benefiting his circuit and his own inleiests, hut there is no gainsaying that, can the (Joiioral Manager of the Or- plieiim Circtjit bring ai)out the ideal con- dition in vaud<'villo wliirh he is partly aiming for. ho will have honelitod the artist to the same dogree as well. There is no doubt of it. Regarding the agent, he need have no fear if he is a "producing agent." If he can produce what the manager can not or has not the time to secure, then the man- ager must have the agent. Long ago in an interview we printed with Mr. liock he said the "producing agont" could al- ways renmln in vaudoville. At the time of that iiiLrview, Mr. Beck plainly stated for publication that a manngtr did not require an agent to book John Jones for $250 weekly, when John Jones' salary was well known for his i)articular act, and it There is a groat doal whi<'h could be said if deductions were to be made, but it can wait until Mr. Beck shall have had his try. Martin Bock is at loast entitled to the credit of this: he is the only vaude- ville manager who ever came out flat- footed in any kind of an attempt to bet- ter vaudeville and the artist—although in- cidentally himself and associates. ;•' Arthur (^onrnd has r<'i)laced Johnny Stanley with "The Blonde Typewriters." Henry Lee, the impersonator, leaves for Kuroi)o to-day by the "Lusitania." Norma Seymour will probably be booked by the Atarinelli office to open at the Win- tergarten, Berlin, next August. BicliHrd Ciolius opened at the Colonial, Lawrence, Mass., this week in "Trotter's Troubles," a sketch employing five people. Klsie Boehm, the possessor of a freak baritone voice of a high calibre, is ar- ranging a "three-act" which will first be shown on the other side, where Miss Boehm and company leave for next June. There is a beggar who 'patrols Broad- way regularly. According to Val Trainer, of Trainor & Dale, Saturday is the field day for the mendicant. Mr. Trainor was walking along when the beggar accosted him, soliciting "a dime." "What do you want it for, booze or grub?" asked Train- or. "Neither," said the beggar. 'T want to buy a Variety." "Well," replied Trainor, "I've got to fall for that." "Oh, everybody does," answered the alms- getter, as he proceeded on his route. Shean and Warren open at the Alham- bra Monday, next, having completed their Klaw & Krlanger contract. Two new acts are in preparation for next season. One, by Al Shean, is named "Dead Man's Gulch." The other is a travesty upon "Anthony and Cleopatra," written by Aaron Hoffman. While playing in the West, Shean and Warren saw some ground which looked quite "greasy." Meas- uring it, starting from opposite corners, the partners found it contained only 250 acres, so they bought the little piece of land. Now they have "oil-property" and may yet "promote" it by incorporation. An oil inspector in South or North Dakota, if that's where the land is lo- cated, told Mr. Shean if he dug down far enough, there would be found more oil than the John I). Rockefeller combination ever handled. Shoan's partner, Mr. War- ren, is now figuring how far down that would have to be. Shean claims the m- siiector meant to dig down in their pock- ets, but Warren insists he meant the ground. The coMiphiints we are receiving from artists in the West playing the smaller lime of the methods pursued by some of tlui managers in these houses will, at least, be of benefit to artists in securing infornuilion as to which nianagers con- duct their theatres in a business-like way anil tlutse who are always seeking an ad- vantage. Tho letter writing should con- tiniio. Publicity is probably the best moans to stop the? action of these narrow- gauged fellows. In writing lett(!rs for jMiblication to V.\imi:tv, we will suppress the name or nanios whenevor retjuested, siujply askiiijr artists to make a jterfeotly straightforward slateniont, not porverting the a<tual facts for any reason. We are assuniiiig all lil)elous risks in the publica- tion of these letters and merely want t<» know that any statement made us is based ni)on a fact which may be sub- stantiated if necessary. We do not be- lieve for a moment any artist would in- tenti<inally give a wrong impression tliroiigli a letter in Vaiukty, but his bit- terness o\or an iiijmy nii;.'iit load him to say what ho knows moral'y but which could not be proven legally.