Variety (April 1908)

VARIETY EMPIRE MANAGERS REVIVE POOLIN G PLAN F OR SHOWS Talked Over Participating Scheme at Chicago Meet- ing and It Will Probably Go Through This Time. y/ A certain coterie of burlesque mana- gers connected with the Western Burlesque Wheel met in Chicago recently, and during a general conference on show conditions throughout the country, the scheme jf pooling shows under a corporation came up for consideration. This scheme was thoroughly gone over about a year ago by the Western mana- gers, but some members held back, claim- ing they were making more money than the average show, and would lose by pooling holdings. This time there was no effort to include everybody in the participating plan. It was agreed that opportunity be offered all Western managers to come in if they chose. It is reported that owners of a score or more shows have signified their willingness to work on this plan. Expert producers will be engaged by the pool to stage the burlesque shows and the various managers will look over the finished work to advise changes and improvements. Profits will be divided among the partici- pants on a basis of their holdings in the pool. It is generally believed that this method of conducting a burlesque circuit would be the ideal one of everyone would co-operate. The Eastern managers tried to bring it about on their circuit but the project never came to a point. FINED "WIDOWS" $200. Chicago, April 2. For the first time in Chicago, a bur- lesque company has been fined by a house manager. U. J. Herrmann, of the Star and Garter, this week imposed a penalty of $200 against "The Parisian Widows" for failing to remove from the perform- ance four features which Fred Irwin, # one of the Eastern Wheel Censor Committee, had marked for the discard. Mr. Irwin notified the show before it opened at the 'theatre last Sunday. Mr. Herrmann imposed a fine of $60 for each offense when he found Mr. Irwin's in- structions had not been followed. Richard Hyde, who was in the city, ap- proved Mr. Herrmann's action. Hyde & Behman own the house. EASTERN QUITS TWO CITIES. The Eastern-Westem-Scranton real es- tate deal passed through this week, the Columbia Amusement Company of New York (Eastern Burlesque Wheel) receiving its bonus for surrendering the lease of the Columbia, Scranton. The Western Wheel has taken over the property, and will place its first show there week of April 13, the Eastern Wheel retiring on next Saturday evening, April 11, instead of remaining until the end of the season. With the dropping of Scranton, the Bayonne theatre will also fade from the Eastern's route sheets. The Bayonne, N. J., house, only lately acquired, will close to burlesque on April 8. Last week was its first, and the gross receipts have been reported at $1,400. Both towns have been three-day stands. From the closings on there will be a "lay off" for the Eastern Wheel shows, which otherwise would have played the Bayonne and Scranton time. COLUMBIA CO.'S IMPORTANT MEET- ING. The regular weekly meeting of Co- lumbia Amusement Company (Eastern Burlesque Wheel) members occurred last Tuesday evening, but became more impor- tant than the casual affairs discussed and the routine matters generally passed upon, at these gatherings. The Columbia Company has never paid a dividend to its stockholders, through the investment of all undivided profits in im- provements or realty, the latter consisting mostly of new theatres added to the East- ern Wheel from time to time within the past two years. A provision in the constitution prohibits the payment of any dividends until a re- serve of $20,000 cash shall have been held in hand. One of the purposes of the meet- ing was to amend this section, permitting the passing of a disbursement to the stock- holders, without this clause intervening. The company will likely decide upon and pay its first dividend shortly. Capitalized at $200,000, the gross assets of the Columbia Company have been stated by a member to be.$600,000, the difference representing the profits earned, but which have been invested. Another matter provoking much discus- sion at the meeting was the suggestion that all window hangers be discontinued. The argument in favor of this move was that it would result in an annual saving to the Eastern Wheel managers of at least $200- 000, calculated on the cost of the hangers, about $25,000 each season, and the immense number of passes required to be given out through the distribution in shop windows. It was claimed that with the discontinu- ance, and the reduction of weekly passes, the holders of free tickets each week would patronize the box office instead, being con- stant visitors, many purchasing the "paper" at a cut price. Some houses on the wheel are harboring as many as from 800 to 1,000 people weekly who do not pay to see the show, it is said. In some towns, great inroads upon the box offices are made by local newspapers de- manding a large number of free tickets as a sort of payment for reading notices of the house, rightfully covered through custom by the advertisements and the general news interest of theatricals to the reading public. It was claimed that a portion of the moneys saved by the window hangers, said by some managers to be an obsolete and useless style of advertising for houses which have a fixed policy, could be expended in increased newspaper space, bringing better returns. No positive action was taken on the pro- posal. GETTING READY IN BROOKLYN. Bids were opened Tuesday by members of Dm Empire Circuit Company's Execu- tive Committee in New York for the erec- tion of the projected Flatbush Avenue burlesque house. Five building contractors submitted prices. George W. Rife of Chi- cago, Harry C. Miner and Harry Martell went over the figures, and on their recom- mendations the contracts will be let shortly. The Williamsburg house is rapidly ap- proaching completion. The contractors en- gaged to have the work completed by March 1. Delays in the shipments of structural iron and other circumstances held the work back and ever since then the contractors have been under a daily penalty. It is fairly certain that the theatre will not be opened until September, the present being regarded as an unfavorable time to start a venture of the sort. The work will be complete in a few weeks now. GIVE UP CHESTER. After a trial of several months Chester has been removed from the route sheets of the Western Burlesque Wheel, the three days of that time being vacant. Grand Opera House will revert to its old form of entertainment, popular priced shows. Thomas Hargreaves, the circus proprie- tor, who owns the house, booked the bur- lesque organizations in on a $700 guar- antee for the three days. Business did not warrant this outlay. • THE HOWARD'S BEST SEASON. Boston, April 2. The season now drawing to a close is reported at The Howard Athenaeum to be the best in the history of that long established house for receipts and attend- ance. It is under the management of Jay Hunt. The Western Burlesque Wheel shows have been playing at the Howard since the season opened under a guarantee each week. In addition, the Howard has pro- vided a vaudeville bill of its own. Special features have been a weekly item. The independent bookings for the How- ard, as well as the Bowdoin Square, both booked together, are exclusively placed by Phil Hunt of New York. TO CHANGE DULUTH HOUSE. Duluth, Minn., April 2. The Metropolitan will finish the present season as the home of burlesque, when the house will be torn down to make room for the Wisconsin Central Railroad Com- pany. As yet no site has been chosen in Duluth to play Western Wheel attrac- tions next season. BONITA'S "3 WEEKS" TRAVESTY. Next week at the American, where "Wine, Woman and Song" will play, Boni- ta and Lew Hearn will present a short travesty upon "Three Weeks," Bonita playing "the Queen," and Mr. Hearn "Paul." "THE NEVER, NEVER LAND." "The Never, Never Land," a sketch written by Izrael Zangwill, is in course of production by the Production Department of the Orpheum Circuit, under the imme- diate direction of D. H. Hunt. It will be a pretentious offering on dramatic lines. The place or date of its first appearance has not been set. STOCK CHORUS INCREASES RECEIPTS. The stock chorus which has been holding forth lor the past five weeks at Miner's Bowery Theatre is playing this week at Miner's Eighth Avenue with "Miss New York, Jr." It will remain at the same house next week at the request of Charles Taylor, whose "Parisian Belles" plays that house. After that the feature may be discon- tinued. The extra girls were moved over from Miner's Bowery to the Eighth Avenue this week following a refusal to bear a share of the cost by the management of the "Moon- light Maids," the Bowery attraction this week. Mr. Taylor played recently at the Bow- ery and was well pleased with the extra girls as a feature. It was at his request that the stock chorus will be held over. It is noted that with the girls the receipts for the five weeks just passed are $2,700 over the corresponding period last season at the Bowery. FOX TO HEAD BURLESQUE SHOW. Harry Fox, who has been for two sen- sons a member of Miner's "Dreamland Burlesquers," will retire from that or- ganization at the end of this season, and will be placed at the head of the "High Jinks," another Miner property, next season. A special piece is now being writ- ten for Fox. Dave Martin will again head the "Dream- lands," but there will be several changes in the cast. Tom Miner is having next season's settings made already and a new piece will be provided to be called "The Red Moon." An effort will be made to have the show open the new Brooklyn house. WHICH WHEEL? Chicago, April 2. Arrangements have been completed by Jos. Weis for the erection of a $75,000 the- atre at Youngstown, O., to be devoted to burlesque. New York capitalists are men- tioned in the enterprise. "TIGER LILIES" BEST AMATEUR. Chicago, April 2. Manager John A. Fennessy inaugurated a "Chorus Girls' Contest" at the Folly Theatre on Thursday last, and it proved such a success, the affair, in addition to the regular "amateur night," Friday, will be given each week. The aspiring choristers who appeared in specialties after the regular performance by the "Tiger Lilies" were: Therese Cur- tis, Rose Allen, June Marland, Gladys Glasson, Alice Day, Dorothy Marx. The latter won the first prize, with imitations of Lillian Shaw. A COUPLE OF ACTS. When "The Girl Behind the Counter" quits the Herald Square for the present, Louise Dresser may come into vaudeville for a brief period. And when "Geo. Washington, Jr.," says enough for '07-'08, Carter De Haven and Flora Parker may become a vaudeville team for a reappearance. The Casey Agency is doing it.