Variety (March 1908)

10 VARIEtY MORRIS AFTER SAVOY (?) Fall River, March 19. Julius Cahn visited Fall River early this week... With hira !pame Qeo. M. Leventritt, attorney for William Morris, the New York agent. ■•■•■■■:>..':•■:'■•:. Rumors circulated that the Morris company would secure the Savoy from Mr. Cahn and play vaudeville in it next sea- son. There is no confirmation possible here. " ■ ■■■' :■•■-..•'■ "SOUL KISS" GIRL FOR RUSSIA. Russia must be nil of a tremble for it has heard by this date that Edythe Whit- ney, now with "The Soul Kiss" playing at the New York, has agreed with the Marinelli office to appear in the Russian variety halls, commencing at St. Peters- burg during May, and thence to Moscow for the following month. , Russia has an immense appreciation for strikingly handsome young women, and Miss Whitney fills the necessary qualifi- cations. ZIE6LER HOME SOLD. Cincinnati, March 19. Henry M. Ziegler, of Anderson & Zieg- ler, who some time ago announced his in- tention of making New York his perma- nent residence, has sold his fine home on Madison Road. George Eustis, of the brokerage firm of Eustis & Co., purchased the property, paying $40,000 for it, ac- cording to the report. T. M. A. BENEFIT AT SAVOY. Hamilton, Canada, March 19. On next Thursday, at 1:30 P. M., the local T. M. A. lodge will have a benefit performance at the Savoy for its sick and death benefit • fund. Tickets will be 50 cents each. With every admission sold there is a souvenir in the form of a sofa pillow cover of very pretty design given away. The souvenir looks twice the price of the tickets in value. JACK NORWORTH STARRING. Jack Norvvorth is employing his leisure moments in writing a number of songs for his starring tour next season. He has signed with Cohan & Harris to be starred in a revised version of George Ade's "Artie," which was shown here at the Garrick Theatre earlier in the season with Laurence Wheat in the title role. Origin- ally it was a straight comedy, but in its new form will be plentifully interspersed with popular melodies. The piece is scheduled to open at Chicago in August. DE LORIS ABUSED. John De Loris, the sharpshooter, feels abused. After he had spent $40 in billing his vaudeville show in the Cahn & Grant house in Lynn, Mass., the engagement was cancelled. However, he has ar- ranged to give the show at the same firm's Salem Theatre, Salem, Mass., week of April 6, but this time he will not ad- vertise until the contracts have been signed and delivered. The statement was made that An- toinette I>efranne, who killed Mhry Wollner, the "Somersaulting Automobile" rider, by accidentally discharging a re- volver, was the assistant of De Loris. In- stead, she had been touring as assistant to Capt. Gaston Bordeverry, another sharpshooter. HAD "TRY-OUT" ON SPOT. The other afternoon while Katheryn MacDonald, Percy O. Williams* handsome and modi&h-private s^ret?.r3^-^af, sAntivJ .. in the chair of honor in the manager's suite at the St. James building a young man entered, plaintively inquiring if he could "have a job." ^ ........ Miss MacDonald, with a sweetness ot disposition noticeable in ]\er regular fea- tures, gently asked the youth what he ex- pected to hoM "the job" down with. "Impersonations," said the boy. "Are you an impersonator?" asked the amiable private secretary, who is somewhat of a "kidder" herself from listening to Frank Jones, the Williams booking agent. "Am I an impersonator?" asked the ap- plicant in reply. "Do you want me to show you right here?" The offer of a free demonstration attracted the notice of Mr. Williams in his private office? With the kindly look in his eye he is noted for, Mr. Williams emerged from the sanctum and said, "My boy, can you show us?" Answered in the affirmative, Mr. Will- iams made a public statement to the effect that in an isolated instance of this nature, when a "try-out" was to be given without the usual formalities and regard- less of the customary regulations govern- ing trials, it would be as" well to have all the managers, agents and employees of the United present. Word was passed to the clans gathered about in the offices to hasten forthwith, which they did. Mr. Jones appointed himself the second to the aspirant for vaudeville engage- ments, and upon Mr. Williams, who was unanimously elected referee, calling "time," the boy went to work. He imitated anyone suggested by the assembled group, from the late Henry Irving to Alex. Steiner telling a funny story. His miniature audience howled with delight, demanding a return engage- ment be given him at once. Mr. Will- iams, before rendering his decision, asked the youth how it was he could give an imitation of Mr. Steiner telling a funny story. "I heard him talking while I was stand- ing outside in the hall just now," said the impersonator. "Tell us that funny story, Steiner," said Mr. Williams. "Funny story?" perplexedly remarked Steiner; "I wasn't telling a funny story. I was only asking a fellow how he broke his leg." Mr. Williams, after considering the qualifications of the imitator, announced there would have to be another bout for the final decision, and the youngster was allowed his own selection. He picked Geo. F. Howard imitating Richard Mans- field as Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. When the design upon the oilcloth cov- ering the floor had been entirely worn off, Mr. Williams yelled, "Enough!" and told the impersonator to call again after he had given his case further thought. E. F. Albee, the general manager for Koith & Proctor, wanted to close terms with the boy to repeat the performance on the street, when he would have an ex- clusive moving picture taken for the Tnion Square Theatre, but the impersona- tor, with a fine show of histrionical dig- nity, replied he gave but one performance daily. Baker and Gerome have dissolved. Earl Gerome will hereafter be a single act. Charles Mack and Company have been booked for six weeks in the West. Tlie Ashes, a colored act, recently played in Havana, where they were liked. Earle, Whyte and Company are playing their first week at the Orpheum, Yonkers. Illness prevented Netta Vesta from playing the Majestic, Johnstown, this week. ■■' ':':': ■''"-■■"':-'•':', '■■..:'.■■ .-■■■'.'' FTATikie LaMarche has engaged as prin- cipal soubrette with Maurice Kraus for next season. Torcat will play the Western States time, commencing May 4 at the Empire, San Francisco. May Tully has recovered from her re- cent illness and is at the Orpheum, Yon- kers, this week. Jos. Hart's new sketch, "The Police In- spector," will be at the Trent, Trenton, N. J., next week. J. A. Winton, "the much travelled ven- triloquist," sailed last week for a thirty weeks tour in England. Mabel Wilbur is going out in a sketch called "The Stranded Actress." Wesley & Pincus will have the booking. Moran aiid Wiser will join the Orpheum road show in Chicago Monday, remaining with it four weeks before sailing for the other side. The ninth anniversary of Ted Marks' Sunday night concerts will take place on Sunday evening, April 12, at the New York Theatre. "The Mysterious Door," an illusion, has been engaged by William Hammerstein to play on the Victoria Roof for four weeks commencing Aug. 3 next. Howard and Howard have been engaged for thirty weeks over the Western time, llieir route commences August 16 on the Orpheum Circuit. Ed. S. Keller is their agent. The Deonozo Brothers have been placed by the Marinelli offices on the Moss-Stoll Tour (England) for next season through L. Johns, the circuit's representative . New York. Francesca Redding and Company in "My Friend from Texas" opens on Ben- nett's Canadian time March 23, the en- gagement having heen secured for Miss Redding by Ed, S. Keller. Dan Sherman, of Sherman and DeFor- est, purchased eight horses from the sale of the Walter L. Main Circus stock at Cleveland last week. Mr. Sherman will ship the horses to his Long Island farm. >.,.«» I. N. Weber is manager of the sparring ' exhibitions given semi-monthly at the American Athletic Club, Schenectady, N. Y. Jos. Weber, manager of Weber & Rush's Mohawk in that city, is a brother. The Three Florence Sisters, who have been away from home for three years, re- turn Monday, March 23, on the "Cretic." They are called "The Yankee Girl Globe Trotters." Alf T. Wilton has their bookings. Simon and Gardner's Klaw & Erlan- ger contract expires this week at t' Olympic, Cliicago. Ed. S. Keller, the agent, has secured five more weeks from the United for the act to play in New York, opening May 4 at the Colonial. Amelia Stone, the prima donna, could have an engagement at the Wintergarteii. Berlin, did not her opinion of the value of her services inharmoniously clash against that of the Berlin resort's man- agement. Miss Stone is reported to have asked $400 weekly. Little Florence Mascotte, of "The Out- law's Christmas," is lying in the Alex- andra Hospital, Montreal, Can., suffering with scarlet fever. It will be several weeks before she will be strong enough to be moved. Her mother is staying at the Albion Hotel, near by. Ferry Corwey left last Tuesday for the Wintergarten, Berlin, where he will play during April. The Rooney Sisters sailed on the same boat. The girls will open at the Scala, Copenhagen (Denmark) April 1. Foreign artists, passengers, were Max York and Rigoletto Brothers. Howard Prevost, of Rice and Prevost, is still confined to his home in Lowell, Mass., by the injury received over two months ago, obliging the act to "lay off" since then. At Mr. Prevost's request, Mr. Rice is "breaking in" a new boy for the acrobatic end and will appear with him in a couple of weeks, continuing until his partner recovers. Gould and Suratt play the Fifth Ave- nue next week, postponing their foreign trip for one week longer. They will first go to Paris before commencinij the Lon- don engagement. Declining nil offers of more time, Grace Hazard closes her season to-night at the Grand Opera House, Pittsburg, and will recreate in New York until setting sail for London in May. The United Booking Offices has an ex- cellent opportunity at present to afford new acts and producers a "trying-out" place through their converted Union Square and Twenty-third Street theatres. Roth are giving moving pictures as the chief entertainment. Inexpensive vaude- ville of this nature would be an additional attraction in the theatres, of benefit to the artists and an extra incentive to the patrons.