Variety (November 1908)

VARIETY ARTISTS' FORUM THE WOMAN IN VARIETY Caafls* year totters te IM Aiwyni c——sjalcatl—s wM not bs be h«ld la strict eitMnci, If Atlanta, Ga., Oct. 31, 1906. Editor Variety. In your issue of even date we find your note relative to our Southern time and, believing that you will give us a fair hear- ing, we beg to advise that we refer you to Raymond and Hess, now playing Or- pheum Theatre, Tampa, Fla.; Oaus and Radcliff, now playing San Carlos Theatre, Key West, Fla. (or rather Miami at Kelly's Theatre with Key West to fol- low); the Three Faggs, now playing San Carlos Theatre, Key West; Addinson Liv- ingston, now playing Orlando, Fla., at the Zaph, and, if spree permitted, we could give many more, all Eastern acts. Regarding Frank Voerg's letter will say that Mr. Voerg cancelled the time himself after receiving more money than we agreed to give him. He apologized for same, stating he had decided to return to Cincinnati, wished us well and the next thing we heard from him was in Augusta (to-day), when he wired in for a date. We gave it to him and he is booked at Tampa next week at the Orpheum. This does not look well for him after writing such an article, and unless he corrects same we shall certainly turn him loose at Tampa, and we do not think that we could be blamed for doing it. His statement regarding fare and excess is also wrong, for he told us he got a pass down without excess, and that was the reason he came down without a contract or an invitation from us. We have all his correspondence on file here, which we gladly offer the public for inspection. We have been correctly informed that this is the work of an agent that we have befriended and ask that you give us as much space as you do these one-sided ar- guments and we promise to make some of them pretty sick. Geo. B. Greenwood, Mgr. (The Empire Theatrical Exchange.) (We are in receipt of several letters concerning the "Greenwood time." The Empire Exchange communication, printed above, had enclosed a reply made to Voerg direct in which some strong language was used. Also enclosed cer- tificates from the La Reane Four and Alice Venice, each stating in substance the engagements under the Empire Thea- trical Exchange contracts had been wholly satisfactory in every way. Bin- ney and Chapman, a singing, talking and dancing act are extravagant in their praise of the treatment and methods of business by the Empire Exchange. A New York promoter of vaudeville acts states he has been unable to secure any prior information regarding this time, either from the Empire Exchange or its New York agent, and in pursuance of this refusal would not allow any of his acts to go South. An act now on the circuit says the work is very hard and mis- representations to a certain extent were made. In one house, the act was obliged to give six shows daily, but adds the treatment is excellent if the act is well liked. One of the circuit's stands calls for seven shows daily (five-minute turns) while the "jumps" vary in transportation from $5.50 down.—Ed.) mm side of p ap er oaly. Nasse of writer saust bo signed and Seattle, Oct. 31. Editor Variety: I desire to call the attention of the pr fession and the music publishers to a con- dition which has grown to be a real in- convenience and detriment to artists away from the big cities. Out here in the North- west and in other parts of the country even the smaller managers are continually complaining that the artists do not keep their songs up to date. I have looked into the subject carefully and my conclusion is that it is the music publishers who are responsible. No sooner do they put a number on the market than the whole country is flooded with phonographic records of it. The result is that before the song h&a come to the hands-ef • tie- artist it has been blared forth from the machines at every saloon, drug store, etc., and is an old story to the manager and his audiences. The complete method of the record manufacturers in covering the country by monthly shipments of new records makes it impossible for the artist to get into the field on anything like equal terms. My experience last summer is in point. I was in Yellowstone Park for six weeks, and, knowing I would be playing in the Northwest this fall decided to replace sev- eral of my old numbers with newer ones. Accordingly I selected three songs from among the newest of the Eastern publish- ers. They were first rate numbers, but when I came to try them out, they went flat and I had to drop them. The reason was that they had been done to death weeks and weeks before* by the phono- graphs. I believe that these machines do more to shorten the life of good music than any other agency and something ought to be done about it. Jack Atkins, New York, Nov. 4. Editor Vabiett: In V amity's review upon my act as presented at the Lincoln Square Theatre last week, Horace Goldin was mentioned in connection with my illusion, named by me "The Flying Chest." To settle all question as to priority in this matter, I will state that upon Oct. 31, 1007, in The Encore of England I had an adver- tisement mentioning this trick by name. On August 1st, last, Mr. Goldin adver- tised in Vabutt the similar trick under the title of "The Double Disappearance," stating in that advertisement he had been working it out during the previous seven months, which at the utmost brings him back only to January, 1008, or four months after I had announced this il- lusion, which I originated. Mr. Goldin did not present his "Double Disappearance" in Europe nor until he played in New York City last summer. I think the facts speak for themselves. Oswald Williams. Kankakee, HI., Oct. 31. Editor Vabiett. Replying to letter in Vabiett Oct. 24 signed "A Real Artist" will say that a person who will not sign his name to what he writes is either ashamed of his name or is a moral and physical coward. Johnnie ReiUy. BY ANNA MARBLE. If Edna Wallace Hopper has the prettiest feet of any woman in variety (and she has), Madame La Comtesse Rossi has the prettiest hands. Wee, plump little pink ones which look ex- actly like the papier mache hands of a French doll; and the likeness is height- ened by the fact that she constantly holds her fingers in the position most favored by the Bebes Jumeau in the Christmas boxes. There is a petty kind of vanity to which some women are addicted and which is always to be condemned if only for its stupid transparency. An example of it was manifested the other evening at Hammerstein's when a pretty girl in one of the boxes began systematically to roast every woman on the stage. Her escort started the ball rolling by admir- ing the pretty young "acrobat" in "My Wife Won't Let Me." That settled it! The girl in the box sniffed and observed that the "acrobat" had big feet. The escort admired the Rossi arms, his companion sniffed twice and declared that the Countess was too fat. I don't remember what fault she found with clever Mabel Hite, but the retort un- courteous was waiting, to be applied quickly to the man's observation that Mrs. Donlin was charming in her pink "matinee." And it probably did not oc- cur to the Girl in the Box that the man could see right through her malicious ef- fort to dissuade him from perceiving beauty in any one of her sex except her silly self. Mabel Hite's humor is that of the New York woman, keen, alert and ready. One reason why Miss Hite's humor "gets over" is because it's of the human va- riety. All those funny little domestic touches strike home—and pleasantly. As for Mr. Donlin—the matinee girls will get him if she—don't—watch—out! Leila Mclntyre has a charming new gray costume that is just as attractive as it can be. It is a Quaker gown of gray messaline with pretty Priscilla slippers to match and a darling gray bonnet. There is a system of photo-printing which will save a lot of money if you will take advantage of it. You can have the most expensive photographs copied in these prints, which are made so well that they reproduce perfectly and are therefore practicable for newspaper use. They cost about three dollars and a half per hundred and the larger size costing only a trifle more are good enough for lobby display. TIPS. To All of You:—Be sure to write your name on the back of EVERY photograph of yourself which you send to the the- atre. To the Fadettes:—The "March of the Lead Soldiers" is one of your best num- bers, yet you seldom play it. Why? To the Girl who plays the wife with Emmett De Voy:—Your voice is unneces- sarily strident. Moderate it, like a good girl! ONE-SIDED CONTRACT. The following contract is submitted by Hale and Harty as an example of "the limit" in agreements between artists and managers. The team wrote C. E. Roussey, who books the house (Grand, New Orleans), stating if two weeks were given they would change act the second week. The contract demands four changes of act. CONTRACT. THIS Is to certify that Hale and Hearty have agreed to work at the UBAND THEATRH, No. 1033 Caual 8treet, New Orleans, Louisiana, for two weeks, beglnulng November 2nd, 1008, and for tbe tfum of Fifty five ($55.00) dollars per week. It is understood and agreed that the said Hale and Ilarty are to give three performances every afternoon and four In the evening, with tbe ex- ception of Saturday, when they will give three in tbe afternoon and Ave In the evening, and on Bun- day continuous vaudeville from 3:30 P. M. until 10:30 P. M. It Is also understood that the said Hale and Harty are to make complete change of act on Thursdays of above-named weeks, also complete change on Monday of the following week (Novem- ber 9th), subject to cancellation If act la not made good. It Is also understood and agreed that If said Hale and Harty do not make good they are subject to cancellation after first performance, also under- stood and agreed that said Hale and Harty are to forward all lobby pictures one week prior to their arrival. It Is also understood and agreed that tbe Man- ager of AiuuRements, C. B. Roussey, reserves the right to change any part of said acta that he may donlre. (Signed) C. B. ROUSSEY, Manager of Amusements. New Orleans, La., October 26th, 1908. CIRCUS 8HUMANN PROGRAM. A photograph of tbe bill at tbe CIRCUS SCHU- MANN, FRANKFORT, Germany, for laat month with seversl American acts prominent. Edgar Bixley and Geo. X. Wilson, two comedians who have been rehearsing in Washington this work, will join Sam T. Jacks' Burlesquers at Baltimore for week of Nov. 10, a« rIho will Tlilda Hawthorn. The trio will preHcnt a sketch called "The Wanderer From Nowhere."