Variety (June 1908)

10 VABIBTY WWWT ^r London, May 80. Jean Osrani, father and manager of the Three Amaranths, died May 26 at Glas- gow. He was an Austrian 50 years old, and a member of all the artists' societies. He leaves a widow and one daughter be- sides the Amaranths. George Ripon, once a star vocalist, and in his retirement Glas- gow agent of the Federation and Railway Association, died in that city the same day as OsranL John Sylvester Sage, formerly leasee of the Hull Empire, and a former member of the City Council, was buried Sunday, May 24. He was a gymnast of great ability. 'That" Quartet is due at the Coliseum June 8.—Fred Day, of the musical firm, and Beatrice Day, who have been on a tour round the world, arrived in London last Monday. Charles Leonard Fletcher is playing an extension of time on the Gibbons tour, 20 weeks in all, which will keep him there till the autumn. He is at the Tivoli for the month of July. Genee ia at the Empire next week.—The London Theatre of Varieties (Gibbons) now has offices in Robert Street, Adelphi. —The well-known original painting of Lydia Dream's "Popularity," is to be de- posited permanently with the Water Rats. It shows a vast host of music hall stars, and duplicates of it, with key, are probably to be seen in New York. W. C. Fields is at the Birmingham Grand next week. He is well liked over here, and there is many a copy act of his posing and manneristlc peculiarities though the most difficult work in his act is let severely alone; too much practice required.—Chung Ling Soo is at the London Hippodrome, and is billed as the "greatest conjuror in the world." He leaves after his Hippodrome engagement for a two-years' tour of Austra- lia, South America, etc., after which he threatens to retire. / r\ Carrie De Mar is taking a look around, and though she has had several offers will probably defer her appearance for some time.—Douglas White, for years honorable treasurer of the Railway Association, on retirement through business stress, has been given an illuminated testimonial, a ring suitably inscribed, and a handsome dressing case.—The Terriers have an op-Thames excursion on Sunday, June 21. The agent Ben Nathan, for years so well known as a partner in the Nathan and Somers' Agency, is doing a brilliant bit of dramatic work in his sketch, "The Fairy Uncle," at the Hoi born Empire. He is playing a jailbird, or a "gaolbird"—as they spell it here. The Continental situation is interesting, and no one knows which way the cat may jump. Next Friday the managers have a big powwow at Berlin, and Martin Beck and Percy Williams will doubtless be there. On the same day the I. A. L. has a big demonstration. of the double-jointed German contracts, with their cleverly hidden traps and snares and pitfalls. He has also been waking up the newspapers. Of the hundreds of artists thrown down on the Continent many have said nothing for fear of injuring that delicate thing eaOed "reputation.* As most of the German halh are either dosed for the summer, or closing, there is little likelihood of serious trouble untfl the fall opening, but the Continent is the next Battleground unless there- is a great change in doing things. Both in England and America the I. A. L. will be strongly backed should any trouble come, as there are many artists in both countries who have had hard rubs on the Continent, and they are aching for a chance to get even. GERMAN NOTES By OLD HICK. Berlin, May 30. Because the International Artistes Loge called the managers' attention to the in- trusion of unlicensed burlesque and sketches in the vaudeville field, and because the President of the Loge (Max Beroi-Kooo- rah) addressed them in a businesslike manner, a few leaders of mutual (?) eon- tractors have formed a Managers' Union. The tone of the first eomnronicaBon sent to the Loge is anything but friendly. On or about June 5th the managers hold a second meeting to adopt rules, etc., and then, no doubt, more news. American artists will do well not to think of accepting offers for Germany for the coming season, as no doubt there will be trouble, and the Loge intends to insist upon what is right ing tasteful clothes, while Mrs. Sully naa a The Wintergarten has one of the best programs of the season: LUi Schreiber, minature soubrette; Tambo and Tambo, ^ tambourin e jugglers; G uyerand Crispi, Americans j Les Niards, acrobats; the wonderful Jog~ rider Xnew and noveland has been mentioned several times in Va- riety) ; Ferry Corwey, musical clown; Pereioff Troupe, jugglers, good; Otto Reut- ter, humorist (Otto is the Lauder of Ger- many, and had the honor to sing for the Crown Prince a few weeks ago) ; Orford's Elephants, "The Palace Girls," Hagedorn's Fountain, and Biograph. Director Steiner, of the Wintergarten, intends going to Karlsbad for a few weeks. The Wintergarten closes June 15, and opens about August 17. There is talk about the I. A. L. engaging halls and giving vaude- ville of its own In towns where the man- agers are looking for a fight. * The Apollo is doing good business. This house plays the summer through. Paris, June 2. The music hall is certainly not the na- tional form of amusement in France, as it has come to be in Great Britain, but it is taking rapid strides in that direction. Comedy and comic opera will naturally hold their own heret-bfifnever before have I seen so many resorts giving vaudeville as at the present moment, to say nothing of the numerous stores turned Into toilet for cheap moving picture entertainments. There are now a dozen halls, not count- ing the circus, giving a variety program. Moreover there are eight other small thea- tres presenting sketches or short pieces. This is due to the fact that the winter establishments are not yet closed and the summer ones have opened for the season. The Etoile Palace, a cheap place with an excellent show np near the Arc de Triomphe, will go in for extensive im- provements during the hot weather. Thos. Barrasford is trying to secure a plot of ground up Montmartre (near the Moulin Rouge) on which to build a modern variety hall, which he will run in conjunction with the Alhambra. The Olympia is under new management, and the Isola Bros, (its for- mer directors) will likewise shortly abandon altogether the Folies Bergere to Clement Bannel, who was in charge for them and is now backed by one of our most important impresarios—of which more anon. An- other sign of the times is that the Scala, the most typical French cafe" chantant of the old school, is to remain open this summer as long as possible, the roof having been arranged so that during the hot nights the stars of the firmament may have a free view of the constellation on the stage. xt seems to me doubtful that the Isola Bros, will devote their energy and ex- perience uniquely to the cheap opera scheme at the GeJte*. I should not be at all sur- prised to see them reappear in vaudeville management in some guise in the near future. These men were the principal ex- ponents of variety in the gay city after ^ the death of Mr. Marchand, and we can JtteT sure their enterprise will not be lack- ing at the right moment. They have been for many years most familiar characters in theatrical circles; they were dubbed the "Brothers Mic-Mac" by wits who were hard up for a joke (but it's a funny one), and are always known as "The Insepar- ables" by the habitues of the halls here. They have long had a wish to get the Folies Bergere off their hands—or it would seem so. Mr. Ruez had a try to work that hall, but he had too many irons in the fire. Konorah has been visiting the German Trade Unions, and showing choice samples "THE PATRIOT" BOOKED. Al Sutherland's $1,250 (weekly) produc- tion, "The Patriot," employing seven peo- ple, has been booked for 32 weeks through the United, commencing September 14 next at Providence, R. I. The piece was presented for its premier early in the spring, and was then laid upon the shelf until next season. The Folies Bergere is placed in a some- what difficult—perhaps unique—situation. It needs foreign money, as a rule, and as- suredly foreign patronage—yet it cannot have a foreign manager. He must be a Frenchman. The land and building were left as a legacy to the Quinze-Vingt Hos- pital in Paris, and when the Board of Charities took over the control of all charitable institutions the city authorities virtually became proprietors of the famous music hall, which is rented to the highest bidder—but the lease must be in the name of a French citizen. Thus even if an English company eventually runs the place —as has been rumored on several occa- sions—they will have to engage a French- man as manager, to represent them before the Attittanoe Publlque. Mile. De Dio, who will be seen with the Orpheum Road Show in the States August next, finished at the Folies Bergere May 30 and opened at Cardiff (Wales) June 1. When one considers the amount of scenery to be moved this is rather quick touring. A pretty feature of her show is the confetti dance, in which small pieces of paper are blown up through the aperture in the stage used in the fire dance. Dif- ferent colored lights are thrown onto this fountain of confetti in the midst of which De Dio does the usual serpentine dance. Revues are announced at the Nouveau Cirque and at the Ambassadeurs Concert for the first week in June. New turns promised at the Folies Bergere include Miss Philadelphia with her Elephants, and Barber, the cyclist. The Jardin de Paris opened May 28, but the weather is still rather too damp for such al fresco amusement. On the program I notice Jane Avril, Sisters Simpson, trap- eze ; Noedia, transformation; Mme. Fred Ward, Blanch de Marcigny, equestrian act, etc. The suppression of the nude in the Paris music halls has led to some discus- sion, and the managers seem very much disinclined to obey the police orders, for it is known that they have little power to interfere so long as no scandal is caused by the performance. The Little Palace, a bright band-box theatre up Montmartre way, has hit upon the glori- ous idea of finishing the usual show at 11 o'clock, and then issuing free invitations (to those already occupying seats) to at- tend a private rehearsal of a suggestive sketch, "Griserie d'Ether," in which a woman dances practically nude. The au- thorities have again warned this estab- lishment that if the present spectacle is insisted on the house will be closed al- together. "Can the police do so?" is the great question of /the hour, in view of the fact that tho/e is no censor in this country. \ OBITUARY Mrs. Carrie Nagle Ullrich, wife of Fritz Ullrich, the eccentric street violinist, was buried this week, funeral services being held at the home of her parents in Phil- adelphia. Death was due to heart fail- ure, while Mrs. Ullrich was under ether during an operation. The deceased was rather retiring, but had a wide circle of friends among vaude- villians. ShCwas a sister of Sam Elton ("The Man 7 Who Made the Shah Laugh"). Nelson wawson, brother of Guy Rawson (Rawson arra\ Clare) died last week at his mother's home in Grand Rapids, Mich., of a complication of diseases. The deceased had never appeared professionally. On Tuesday the barber did not comb Eddie Darling's hair. Now Eddie and a certain party on the same floor do not speak.