Variety (June 1908)

8 VARIETY FOLLY NOT CERTAIN. It is far from a certainty yet that Hyde A Behman's Folly Theatre, Brook- lyn, will play vaudeville next season. Aside from the legitimate attractions booked in the Folly for next season, and which must first be provided for before vaudeville may be played, it is understood this week on excellent authority that the United Booking Offices has not the con- sent of Percy G. Williams, by cable or otherwise, to Hyde A Behman booking the Folly through the agency. The facts as they are reported au- thentically seem to be that upon Hyde A Behman commencing dickerings for bookings at the Folly, Frank Jones, Mr. Williams' personal representative, in- formed the United officials Mr. Williams would consider the Folly in opposition to either his Novelty or Gotham theatres in Brooklyn, and would not^ consent to the United booking for the Folly. Nothing further will be done in the matter, it is said, until Mr. Williams has been heard from. From the same source of information there is nothing positive about either the Novelty or Gotham opening for vaudeville next season under Mr. Williams' man- agement. The Novelty was not a suc- cess financially last season, nor did the Gotham show a profit to brag about. With the Morris Circuit operating the new Fulton Theatre for vaudeville, the Gotham would be shut off from a portion of its clientele, and in no position to com- pete with the larger house. This may force its closing to vaudeville, and the same condition of affairs in that section of Brooklyn may be applied to Keeney's Ful- ton Street house. As a matter of fact, Frank A. Keeney, the manager, has con- spicuously absented himself from several of the smaller managers' meetings of late at the United offices. BARGAINS IN BULL-DOGS. 4 There was one fellow who had walked to my Carlton Villa in Sheepshead Bay from the Bronx, and he had an elegant English bull-dog with bowed legs, 17 said Carleton Macy in telling of how some one had placed an advertisement in an even- ing paper one day this week, asking any- body with a bull-dog to call on Mr. Macy, as he wanted one for'protection. "I never knew there were so many dogB in the world/' continued Mr. Macy. **Every one laughs when I tell of it, but it's not comical. I bet now there is a string of bull-dogs reaching from the Brooklyn Bridge to my home, and me with seven cats for pets. Ah, me! It's too bad; but I will escape it Thursday next when I sail for Europe on the 'Bremen' with Miss Hall (Carleton Macy and Maude Hall)," and Mr. Macy started on a run up Broadway as a young man with a bull-dog was seen approaching in the distance. VAUDEVILLE IN BRONX. Lew Goodman, office manager for Mor- timer M. Thiese, and Arthur Jacobs have taken a lease on the Bronx Theatre, now building on Wendover Avenue. A weekly change of vaudeville will be given com- mencing in September. Before Goodman came into Thiese'» em- ploy he was a ventriloquist, and he will do his act on the opening bill, thereafter acting as manager. VERDICT FOR $7,500. A jury in the Supreme Court, Brooklyn, ou Wednesday, gave Harry Roltaire a verdict for $7,500 against Klaw A Er- langer. Roltaire sued for $8,000, alleging a con- tract unfulfilled of twenty weeks, calliflg for his services over the former "Ad- vanced Vaudeville" circuit. The action was against Klaw A Erlanger as a firm, not having been passed along to the United Booking Offices when the "set- tlement" occurred. Pat Casey for the defense testified that Roltaire had asked to be released from the contract, he having stated verbally to Casey that more and better results could be obtained through the United. .Mr. Casey agreed in writing to release him. / Roltaire on the trial denied he had ac- cepted the release. Judge Edward B. Thomas, who pre- sided, in his charge to the jury instructed that the contract issued by Klaw A Er- langer was invalid for the reason it did not bind the party of the first part (K. A E.). The Justice also charged that the re- lease given by Casey was operative as against both parties. The plaintiff had .argued that an oral contract in addition to the written one was in effect. The jury returned a verdict for $7,500, which will be appealed. David Gerber of Judge Dittenhoefer's office appeared for Klaw A Erlanger. MADISON SQUARE ROOF OPENING. "Ski-Hi," the summer musical show which is to hold forth atop the Madison Square Garden this season, opens a week from to-night. The cast has been made up from the ranks of musical comedy this season instead of variety as was the rule in 1907 when the enterprise was un- der direction of Mortimer M. Tniese and Henry fPincus. The principals, now in rehearsal, are Harry Cbnley, formerly of "The Red Feather" Company; Harry Short, Lottie Kendall, Gertrude Black and Joseph Carey. There will be sixteen girls and •eight men in the chorus. 3 NEW ACTS AT ASBURT. Vaudeville opened Monday in the Casino, Asbury Park, N. J., a summer resort that in the Height of the season entertains as many as 75,000 visitors. Dramatic stock has been the attraction so far this season. On the opening bill are three ncU show- ing for tl-e first time. One is that of James E. ("Blutch") and Lucia Cooper. It was written by Junie McCree. Another is ilia new offering of Charles Cartmell and l^aiiVa Harris, by Stanley Murphy. The thirdNjs a sketch called "The* Advance Agent." The Casino h nominally in the string l.andled by Walter Roeenburg, but is be- ing directed by George nomans. WOOL WORTH ROOF OPENS. Lancaster, Pa., June 11. Woolworth's Roof, Lancaster's aerial summer resort, opens next Monday, June 15, and bookings are made through the William Morris agency in New York. The opening bill is Joe Welch, "Kountry Kids," Warren ami Brockway, Stevenson and Nugent, Florence Tempest and Casey and Le Clair. NEW LIGHT ON SUNDAY LAW. • Further light on the rather confused Sun- day violation question is looked for as in the case of the Orpheum Theatre, Brook- lyn, employees, arrested several weeks ago charged with breaking the laws, has been decided in their favor. William Grossman, of House, Grossman & Vorhaus, appeared in court last week to defend the Orpheum employees, respectively manager, ticket sell- er and doorkeeper. The case was based principally upon the testimony of a police officer who described the act of Rooney and Bent, which had been given during the offending perform- ance. From the policeman's description the court could not determine whether "The Busy Bellboy" was a dramatic sketch, a singing offering or a farce, and there was much argument over this point. Mr. Grossman prepared a brief cover- ing the point and touching upon certain broad phases of the Sunday question and it. is expected that the decision will be of more than ordinary interest. OY WILL BOOK WITH UNITED. If the Savoy, Atlantic City, N. J., plays vaudeville commencing June 29 as at present contemplated by its new man- agers, F. Ray Cbmstock and Morris Gest, the house will receive its bills through the United Booking Offices. There is at present vaudeville offered at Young's Pier in Atlantic City. It has boofced independently. The United has supplied no house there, Young has not been looked upon as "opposition," and acts have been secured through the United at odd times in the past. With the Savoy allied to the United, however, Young's will become an outlaw to the big agency and treated accordingly. Comstock A Gest will hold the only United franchise for the seaside city if it plays the variety shows. Mr. Gest leaves for Denver on June 30, and will go to San Francisco before com- ing back. Mr. Comstock is not conversant with vaudeville, and the variety regime of the newly acquired house may be held in abeyance until Gest's return. DOESN'T KNOW WIFE'S ADDRESS. It «isn't such a bad story, and it's a shame, top, the "Telegraph" won't print it since the hero is a member of its staff. The heroine is Joe Raymond's wife. Joe Raymond is the hero. But to go away bacic. One day joe Ray- mond knew a girl in the Sam Bernard show, and the next day he married her. Yes, sir, they went over to Jersey City, and they were married. Well, as the Justice of the Peace ac- cepted a cigarette from Joe, who ap- peared but the cruel parents of the girl, and said she was too young to be con- nected with a newspaper. So they re- moved her to Europe. Yes, sir, they did. And Joe Raymond didn't even kiss his wife then or yet. Yes, sir, and that's pretty tough on a bride and bridegroom. Joe Raymori&'s wife came back rrom Europe last week, and wrote Joe she wanted her husband. Joe wanted his wife, so Mrs. Raymond called Mr. Raymond up on the telephone Saturday. A kidnapping was arranged for. It was to have hap- pened on Sunday night. Sunday came, and everything was ready. Then Joe Raymond remembered he had forgotten to ask his wife where she lived. "FOLLIES '08" OPEN. Atlantic City, June 11. "The Follies of 1906/' the F. Ziegfeld, Jr., summer production headed for the New York Roof where it will play next Monday, opened at the Apollo for its pre- mier on Monday night. It is a sumptuous production, and will be subjected to the usual course of elim- ination and addition before reaching New York. Atlantic City likes the show. Mon- day evening a representative crowd of hardened metropolitan "first-nighters" was on hand. The one to score decidedly was Norah Bayes, while the laughing hit of the piece is Billie Reeves, who, in a prize fight with Harry Watson brought forth an uproar. Dazie, the dancer, appears for a few moments only twice during the piece. In her first dance she evoked great applause, but unfortunately the opening show, Da- zie lost one of her slippers in the second act, ruining what looked like even a bigger hit than the first. Bickel and Watson have a burlesque on "The Waltz Dream," played by their "band," and Lucy Weston, very pretty, sang some gingery songs which ought to wake perspiring New York up. Arthur Deagon, the newcomer to the cast, estab- lished himself, and Grace LaRue came to favorable notice. The chorus is handsome, individually and collectively, in looks and costumes. As a summer attraction, the " '08 Follies" is a year ahead of its predecessor in show as well as name, and ought to prove a big draw throughout the heated spell. "COL. FRED"; NOTHING ELSE. Jost "Col. Fred"; that's the extent of the information to be secured from Will- liam Hammerstein. 4 'Col. Fred" is an act, and will appear on Hammerstein's Roof for the first time in vaudeville week June 29. "Col. Fred" has appeared in public before, but where or when nb one knoweth. "Willie" says "Col. Fred" is going to start something in this burg when it comes off, but even the garage expense ac- count for his "Thomas" automobile doesn't cause the manager to forget he mustn't divulge the secret. "Col. Fred" sounds like a midget. When "Willie" was told that, he said it was on account of the abbreviation; then Mr. Hammerstein called AarOn Kessler to hear the echo, and Aaron laughed. Before "Col. Fred" hits New York, the act will play a week at Keith's Philadel- phia. "Willie" says if an act can make good in Philadelphia, there's nothing to it. "TRY-bUTS" AT BIJOU. The Bijou Theatre seems to be the summer home of "try-outs." With the closing of Pastor's to vaudeville, there is no New York house available for the new acts, and the Bijou has been much favored of late. It is convenient to the United Booking Offices, and the "try-outs" have been well attended by managers and agents. This week a scries of "amateur nights" have been added to the customary picture shows given, with a "chorus girls' contest" as a special attraction. All acrobatic acts were taken out of the bill for the shows last Sunday at Hammerstein's, and others substituted.