Variety (August 1908)

8 VARIETY ENGLISH MUSIC HALL MERGER ACTIVEL Y PRESSED BY STOLL Fifty Houses Reported in the Combine With Barass- ford and DePrece in. Stoll Wants 80 Per Cent, of All to Join. London, July 21. When Variety reached here a few weeks ago with an account of the attempted consolidation of the music hall managers of England by Oswald Stoll, the story was looked upon as having reference to a sim- ilar movement one year ago which then failed. The facts are commencing to leak out, however, and the music hall people here are learning that Variety's story had a very substantial basis. The latest information is that Barass- ford and DeFrece have agreed to the Stoll proposition. MacNaghten is reported to have joined and withdrawn for some un- known reason. Oswald Stoll, who in a way now con- trols the music hall business of this coun- try through his Moss-Stoll Circuit, is at- tempting to secure eighty per cent, of all the halls over here in the combine. There is to be one booking office for all managers in the affiliation and this agency will demand a commission of five per cent, on all bookings, cutting in half the agents' present commission. As Variety reported in the former story, a portion of the commission re- ceived by the agency for the combine will go into an "emergency fund." All members of the merger will be bound to engage only through the man- agers' booking office, and forbidden from playing an act coming through any other channel. The agreement drawn up carries a ten years' clause, imposing a heavy fine for any breach of conditions. There will also be a provision to the effect that one man- ager of the combination may not offer more to an act than a brother manager, after the initial bid has been placed. This latter clause is to put a stop to "auctioneering" of acts, which has been going on for some time. The combination and consequent gen- eral agency is looked upon also as a move directed against the outside agents. Noth- ing is said regarding this, and the im- pression prevails among the few acquaint- ed with the facts that the managers' booking office will be obliged to treat with the agents as formerly, but with the in- stallation of the bookings for one tre- mendous circuit within one set of walls, there is little doubt that the attempted elimination of the outside agent will fol- low, the large agency depending upon its power through long time to control. It follows very much in outline the scheme of the United Booking Offices, New York City. FRENCH CRUSADE FOR MORALITY. Paris, July 20. A crusade for morality backed by a member of the Senate has borne its first fruits. Out of several prosecutions for the display of the nude on the stage one manager has been fined $40 and con- demned to three months' imprisonment. Two of the actresses who were arrested with this manager were fined $10 and sen- tenced to fifteen days in custody. The crusade is not backed by the gov- ernment, and the Minister of Public In- struction has filed a notice of appeal from the judgment. The piece which formed the basis of the arrests was called "An Ether De- bauch." Two managers were arrested. One of the managers and five of the act- resses were acquitted. THREE ENGLISH FEATURES. London, July 22. "Hot Weather," "Bad Business" and the Franco British Exhibition are named by an English manager as the three fea- tures of all the London halls at present, excepting the Palace, where Maude Allan still continues to draw enormous crowds. More variety houses are closed in Great Britain now than ever before at this season of the year. FISCHER BACK WITH MARINELLI. In the Paris office and the headquarters of H. B. Marinelli there is now inscribed upon the weekly salary list "Clifford C. Fischer." Fischer is back with Marinelli. The old salts along the Battery wall said on Monday, when they heard about it, that that explained the unusual height of the incoming tide last Friday at 0:28 A. M. Marinelli and Fischer have been so friendly in the past they have been known to salute each other from different boats in mid-ocean. Several 'Tittle things" have arisen to create this regard for one an- other, but now they are together. It's quite something for Fischer. Per- haps a cable will yet tell Fischer has pur- chased a big block of stock in the newly formed Marinelli corporation. Fischer always claimed he was a good agent and an excellent judge of foreign nets for the American markets. There are few American managers who deny this. He left New York City some time ago, by way of Hoboken, without the usual good-byes. YAUDEVILLE IN CHAMPAIGNS. Chicago, July 30. Champaigne, 111., will have vaudeville, although to accomplish it the legitimate attractions booked for the town will have to be shifted to the new theatre at Ur- bana, a few miles away. The Walker Opera House in Champaigne will have the variety shows. Sam Kahl, who had charge of the theatre last sea- son, has arranged the change of policy since he arrived in New York, where he consulted Abe Thalheimer, who is inter- ested in the theatre. Bookings will be made through the Western Vaudeville Association of this city. Prices will run up to seventy-five cents. The seating capacity is about 800. Mr. Kahl will continue to represent the New York managers in Champaigne and also act for them in Urbana as well. LONDON NOTES VARIETY'S LONDON OFFICE. 418 STRAND. W. C. (Mall for AiiierlciiiM mill Kuri>|M>aii» In Kur<>|H !f H<Mr< ssnl i:i:c VAIMKTY. :i* iiImivc, will l» promptly fnnvnnlcil. I London, July 21. Lind sails on the "St. Paul" July 20. Dave Montgomery is back from the wilds of India. If alien and Hayes have signed eight weeks on the Gibbons tours. Alice Lloyd and the McNaughtons ar- rived to-day on the "Lusitania." Robert Steidel, the German comedian, who has been successful at the Alhambra. will be retained until Aug. 15. Clarice Mayne, the mimical comedienne, signed a contract this week for over two years with the Syndicate Halls. Harry Day, the agent, put it through. Carrie DeMar intends to show 'em some- thing in the line of clothes when she strikes New York next fall. When in Paris Miss DeMar provided for this. All the Lloyds wil be in America next year. Daisy Wood and Sidney Wood and the littlest Lloyd girl will be seen in the States, booked through William Morris. Another contract consummated by Harry Day is one for 176 weeks which May Moore-Duprez, "The Jolly Dutch Girl," had handed to her the other day. The agreement calls for Miss Moore-Du- prez's appearance on the Syndicate and Barassford time. At the Empire next month Velanchi's Dogs will play a game of football on the stage. This will be the first appearance of the act. The Empire announces it has secured the exclusive rights for London's West End of the moving pictures of the Olympic Games. Agitation has started toward having a bill passed by Parliament regulating the present day theatres and music halls in the license which may be assumed for shows. It is fifty years since the theatri- cal conditions have been given any gov- ernmental attention in this matter. While Al Sutherland, the New York agent, was flying through his week's stay on this side, he booked Carrie Swain for an American appearance in a sketch on Sept. 7 next. Miss Swain is the original "Cad, the Tom Boy," of older America's memory, and has had an eventful experi- ence since leaving the States. Joe Hart leaves to-night for Berlin. Mr. Hart is very busy looking the ground over for a good many productions which he intends bringing over to play the Con- tinent. He will occupy Bert Coote's head- quarters after Jan. 1 for purpose of re- hearsing the different "girl acts" he will put out. Mr. Hart will sail to America some time in August, returning in No- vember to this side. The London papers are carrying an item stating, as though received authoritative- ly, that William Morris is about to con- clude arrangements with a "big circuit" through which he will be enabled to offer acts from twenty-five to fifty weeks in America. This report is supposed to have emanated from Morris' London office, and refers to the Sullivan-Considine Circuit deal, previously mentioned in Vakikty. The story is abroad that while William Courtleigh was playing his sketch "Peaches" at the Palace, he ordered his company off the stage and left the thea- tre. The Palace has a regular "try-out" morning, but Mr. Courtleigh declined to appear then. Another time was arranged, and while playing the piece, th* m*P»gp- ment suggested so many "cuts" to reduce the running time (customary over here) the American actor concluded "Peaches" would be ruined, so ended the proceedings by withdrawing. On Friday night (July 17) the first White Rat scamper ever held in London was given at the Province Hotel Grill. Big Chief Fred Niblc called attention at 11:30, and from then on it was just one continuous round of fun. Speeches by many; songs and recitations by others. Willie Howard of the Howard Brothers furnished most of the comedy, while the elder Howard almost raised the roof with his very powerful tenor voice. Radie Fur man sang, as did Miss Holbein (Mooney and Holbein). Stuart Barnes recited and Ted Marks spoke with much spirit, as did William Courtleigh. C. C. Bartram of the "Performer" spoke on organization, and Jack Irwin recited "The Kid's Last Fight." Speeches were also made by Happy Hughes (Harmony Four) and by all the women present. A card with the signatures was handed to Ted Marks who said he would have it mounted and hung up to commemorate the first meeting of the White Rats in London. Among those who attended were: Mooney and Holbein, Hitter and Foster, Billy Rock, Stuart Barnes, Hal Godfrey, Howard and Howard, Frances Cameron, Milt Wood, Mr. and Mrs. Kingsley Benedict, C. C. Bartram. Ted Marks, Fred Niblo, Mr. and Mrs. Carl Hertz, William Courtleigh, Radie Furman, Frank L. Gregory, Mr. and Mrs. Dan Hyatt, Conway and Lceland, Mrs. Furman, Frank Spisscll and Frankie Bailie. JENIE JACOBS HOME. .Tenie Jacobs, the agent ess, returned home on Sunday after a couple of months abroad, where she traveled over Great liritain and the Continent. Miss Jacobs held on to a healthy look ing tan she picked up on the trip. Her headquarters will be in the Pat Cosey Agency hereafter. Max Burklrirdt. Carrie and Nan Rvan and I.aura Green will l)e in the "Mes- senger Boys and (Virls," the new number Gus Edwards is at present working on.