Variety (November 1908)

VARIETY UNITED DIRECTORS MEET. At a special meeting of the Board of Director* of the United Booking Office* held on Tuesday, reeohitione expressing the sympathy of the Board were passed and forwarded to Edward F. Albee, the general manager, who was injured in an automobile wreck last week. The board also voted that Mr. Albee as General Manager and the personnel of the booking offices be continued. Commencing next Monday A. Paul Keith will be at the United and will devote considerable of his time to help in the conduct of its affairs during the absence of Mr. Albee. It is expected Mr. Keith will gradually assume the duties formerly taken by Mr. Albee in. the direction of the United, looking to Percy Q. Williams and F. F. Proctor for information required, those two managers having the interests of their large ventures to personally attend to. The White Rats also passed resolutions of sympathy for Mr. Albee, which were wired to him at the Hospital. OFFER MISS MATHS $6oc The American offers for Clarice Mayne, the English impersonator, still agitate the vaudeville atmosphere. The latest propo- sition the managers put forth is $600 weekly for the Englishwoman, following the expiration of the present contract she holds and under which she came over here for $400 a week. Miss Mayne's own figure is $1,000 with no takers in sight. "ELEPHANT ORCHESTRA" AT HIP. The revised list of "circus acts" for the Hippodrome commencing Nov. 30, in- cludes Schmergel's "Elephant Orchestra," shown at the Paris Olympia last month. The act, consisting of four mammoths and a quartet of young women, who ride the beasts while they play musical in- struments, sailed from the other side last Saturday. The other numbers making up the cir- cus portion of the present show (re- placing the acts now appearing at the Hip) are The Pissiutis, Alfred Loyal, Ten Japs, The Fessios, The Three Athletis and Four Deikes. HODGDON SELLS OUT. The interest held by Sam Hodgdon (the routing director of the United Booking Offices), in the Broadway Theatre, Cam- den, N. J., has been purchased by William B. MacCullum, formerly manager of Cook's Opera House, Rochester. Mr. MacCullum and Phil Nash are now the owners of the house. Mr. MacCullum will manage it. John C. Peeples, whom he replaces, has taken charge of Feiber & Sftea's Bijou, New Brunswick, Nick Norton, the first manager there having been obliged to return to Hot Springs, Ark., for his health. The New Brunswick theatre has been a paying institution since the first week under Mr. Norton's direction. MR. ALBEE RAPIDLY RECOVERING. The most encouraging reports concern- ing the condition of Mr. and Mrs. E. F. Albee continued to come in from the Al- bany Hospital, where they and the sur- viving members of the catastrophe which overtook Mr. Albee's pleasure party in his automobile last week, were removed. On Wednesday Mrs. Albee had passed the danger line. She is doing nicely, al- though suffering with a broken ankle and a very much bruised side, but fortunately having escaped other serious injury. Mrs. Albee is uninjured about the head or face. Mr. Albee is rapidly recovering. He is allowed to receive callers, and someone is by his bedside constantly. His broken thigh bone was reset late last week. It is knitting nicely. The gash over his right eye has been stitched up, and hardly a scar will be left. The physicians thought Mr. Albee's wwniwetive powers would enable him to leave the hospital much before the anticipated time, although it perhaps may be next June before the United's General Manager will return to active duty at the offices. William 8. Mitchell is on the road to recovery also, although suffering greatly from the additional shock received on Wednesday when informed of the death of his wife, who died Saturday morning last, the second victim of the accident, Mrs. Mabel Oakford, a niece of Mr. Albee and daughter of his sister, Mrs. Berson, hav- ing succumbed shortly after the accident. Mrs. Berson was in a precarious condi- tion on Wednesday, but slowly gaining. Last Saturday Mr. Albee dictated a lengthy telegram to the United offices in which he mentioned the name of everyone connected in or about the agency, as- suring all he was comfortable and would soon be with them. It was said on Thursday that while Mr. Albee had an inkling of the terriblo calamity which had befallen his party, he did not realize its extent. Mr. Al- bee knew that Mrs. Mitchell occupied the room above him in the hospital. While the fight was being made to save Mrs. Mitchell's life, he heard the scurry- ing of feet and necessary noises. At Mrs. Mitchell's death all this ceased. From that Mr. Albee surmised the fatal termina- tion of her illness, although he could se- cure no verification. This lack of knowl- edge prevented the whole dreadful story being told him, and the shock which would follow. The chaffeur with one arm in a sling left Albany for New York on Wednesday afternoon, unassisted. HENRI LEONIE, SINGLE SINGER. As a "single singing act," Henri Leonie, who was Anna Held's principal support last season,' will enter vaudeville when the agent he has selected, M. S. Bentham, drops the flag. WOODRUFF'S LONE WEEK AT $900. The present week at the Lincoln Square is the sole engagement of Harry Woodruff in vaudeville so far placed. Mr. Woodruff receives $900 for the booking from the Morris Circuit. PICTURES AT GRAND THEATRE. It is reported that after Xmas the Grand Theatre, under the management of Al. H. Woods, will play moving pictures continuously. The last melodramatic at- traction Mr. Woods will have at the house will be "Billy, the Kid." The popular priced thing has not proven satisfactory to the balance sheet of the manager's enterprises. SETTLEMENT EXPECTED. Berlin, Nov. 1. A settlement of the boycott of the music halls by the International Artisten Loge is shortly expected. Six halls were aftected by the action of the Loge. A monster meeting was held by the I. A. L. the other evening. Five managers and many agents attended it. President Max Berol-Konorah spoke for one hour and twenty-five minutes. A lively debate followed when a con- fab was held between the managers and some of the leading Loge members. All feel sure a start for a settlement was made. OPPOSITION IN ATLANTA. Atlanta, Ga., Nov. 12. Threatened opposition to the Orpheum, Weber & Rush's vaudeville theatre here, has caused the resignation of Ben Cahn, the Orpheum's resident manager since the house opened. Cahn is succeeded by Viv- ian Whitakef, who took charge on Monday. Mr. Cahn claims the new nine-story office building and theatre which is to be erected at the corner of Forsythe and Luckie Streets will be under his direction, and that tfce theatre will play vaudeville, booked by William Morris of New York. The Orpheum's bills are placed through the United Booking Offices. Cahn says his new house will open Labor Day, next year. LAUDER AT THE AMERICAN. On Monday next (Nov. 10) Harry Lau- der opens at the American Theatre, New York, for an indefinite run. On the same bill with him will be Julian Rose, Os- wald Williams, McMahon's "Watermelon Girls" "Australian Tree-fellers," Barry Lupino, Tracy McDermott and Stella Raymond and The homanos. The bill at Hammerstein's for the same week is headlined by Valeska Suratt and William Gould, Julius Steger and Co., Barrison and Howard, Empire City Quartet, Claire Romaine, Belleclaire Brothers, Wormwood's Animals, Ryan and White and J. Warren Keane. The preparations for Harry Lauder's visit to the large cities on a "one-night stand" tour have been started by the Morris office, according to rumor. Ted Marks was said to have received a com- mission to go dut in advance, leaving some time this week in a quest for large halls or places where Lauder might ap- pear in. Several guaranteed applications are re- ported to have been received by Morris for Lauder's appearance while out. William Morris and his attorney, Geo. M. Leventritt, left the city on Wednesday. At the Morris office it was stated the head of the circuit would remain away until Monday. GREW TIRED OF SEEING NAT. Nat Haines has received contracts for twelve weeks of United time through Alf. T. Wilton. He will open Dec. 7, at Syra- cuse. It is a long time since Haines (formerly of Haines and Vidocq) had so much vaude- ville work in sight. His reason for the flood is that the managers and agents of the United grew tire4 seeing him about the offices. HAMMERSTEIN'S "OLD HOME" WEEK. Surely Hammerstein's has had an "Old Home Week" since Monday. The folk have assembled, headed by that Grand Old Lady of the Stage, Annie Yeamans, who will shortly join the production in which Margaret Wycherly is to star, "Her Other Self." Besides Mrs. Yeamans there are on the program Rice and Cohen, Ward and Cur- ran, Maggie Cline, Esra Kendal and Will H. Fox, who all remember one another when "vaudeville was just plain," etc. At rehearsal last Monday morning Mike Simon, the stage manager, discovered four of the five acts carried the strains of "Auld Lang Syne" in their music, three opening with it. Ezra Kendall cut out the bars in his lead sheets, but the others remained. Most all the acts had a jest or so about the others on the program. Half an hour before her apearance at the Monday mati- nee, Billy Jerome handed Miss Cline an extra verse on "There's None of Them's Got Anything on Me," which Jerome and Schwartz wrote. It contained a reference to each of the five-matured acts on the week's bill. Miss Cline memorized and sang the extra lyrics that afternoon. Here they are: About my age I nerer bother. I played with Pat Rooney'a father. In the good old days of real Yarlety. Ward and Cnrran are old timers. Sure I played with them at Miner's, Twenty years ago down on the Bowery. Johnny Bice and Bailie Cohen, Faith, I hate to start a blowln'; They were stars when 1 sang "Paddy Duffy's Cart." Mrs. Teaman as Cordelia nsed to borrow my regalia. In the good old days of Harrigan and Hart. Chorus. None of them's got anything on me, None of them's got anything on me. Will H. Fox as Paderewskl, His right age I always knewsky. He was born In 1848. None of them's got anything on me. None of them's got anything on me. Now the plot begins to thicken— Esrs Kendall's no spring chicken— None of them's got anything on me. One evening this week a well-known vaudeville agent standing in the rear ot the theatre remarked to Billy Gould as Mrs. Yeamans mentioned Harrigan and Hart: "That's Jim Harrigan, the juggler, she means. He used to be with Joe Hart." When Mr. Gould was assured it was night, at Hammerstein's, and his inform- ant a real agent, Billy had to be assisted to the bar, where the liquid mixer pre- scribed something which could not be swallowed while one laughed. All the acts had a jovial time during the week. Mr. Simon has a feeling like the head of the family. Each of the "variety" acts received large receptions upon their appearance at every show, Mrs. Yeamans always leading with an ovation. The others stand around the entrances, themselves applauding and en- joying it as much as the recipient. It has been a long time since and will be a long time again before another vaudeville program like Hammerstein's bill this week will be gathered together. NEW HIPPODROME'S OPENING. Kansas City, Nov. 12. The opening of the new Hippodrome will occur on Saturday, Nov. 14. It contains a skating rink, and there are also conces sionaires. A vaudeville show will be given weekly. Ave acts playing, booked by Joe Donegan.