Variety (November 1908)

Record Details:

Something wrong or inaccurate about this page? Let us Know!

Thanks for helping us continually improve the quality of the Lantern search engine for all of our users! We have millions of scanned pages, so user reports are incredibly helpful for us to identify places where we can improve and update the metadata.

Please describe the issue below, and click "Submit" to send your comments to our team! If you'd prefer, you can also send us an email to mhdl@commarts.wisc.edu with your comments.




We use Optical Character Recognition (OCR) during our scanning and processing workflow to make the content of each page searchable. You can view the automatically generated text below as well as copy and paste individual pieces of text to quote in your own work.

Text recognition is never 100% accurate. Many parts of the scanned page may not be reflected in the OCR text output, including: images, page layout, certain fonts or handwriting.

TEN CENTS VOL. XII., NO. 11. NOVEMBER 21, 1908. PRICE TEN CENTS. INDEPENDENT BOOKING OFFICE IS INCOR PORATED IN ILLINOIS White Rats Form Western Branch, Taking In Camp- bell & Danforth's Bijou Circuit of Nine Vaudeville Houses, Formerly Booking With W. V. A. Other Circuits Expected. Chicaga, Nov. 10. Articles of incorporation for the In- dependent Booking Office were filed at Springfield, 111., last Tuesday. The in- corporators are named as Fred Lowcntbal, G W. Kuntsman and M. M. Franescy. The booking agency opens for business Nov. 23 in suite 1,002, Rector Building, Chicago. It is the western booking office of the White Rats of America, and starts busi- ness with the Bijou Circuit of Campbell &. Danforths, which operates vaudeville theatres in Racine, Appleton. Green Bay, Kenosha, Marienette (Wis.); Calumet, Menominee, Hancock (Mich.), and one other town. This circuit formerly booked through the Western Vaudeville Associa- tion of Chicago, which is allied with the United Booking Offices of New York. W. S. Campbell, of the Circuit, will make his headquarters at the Chicago offices of the I. B. O. (Western). The commission will be five per cent. An office staff is being engaged. There is a strong impression other vaudeville houses in the Middle West will place their bookings with this Indepen- dent office within a few weeks, and it is said there are theatres along the Pa- cific Coast which have been negotiating for admittance. It is rumored that forty theatres west of Chicago will be booked by this end of the White Rats agency, twenty-five of these located in this immediate sec- tion. No further names have been di- vulged although it is stated the details are at present in course of arrangement. The I. B. O. of Chicago will not book in conjunction with the Independent Book- ing Office of New York, but will work in harmony with it, the ultimate object be- ing a continuous route of "Independent" houses from coast to coast with offices in New York, Chicago and Ban Francisco. (Continued on page 8.) HITCHCOCK WANTS $3,500. The wires have been kept busy this week between New York vaudeville agents and Raymond Hitchcock, who closes with "The Merry-Go-Round" at Grand Rapids, Mich., to-night (Saturday), the show also quitting at the same time. Vaudeville is considering Mr. Hitch- cock, who wants $2,500 weekly for his ap- pearance on the variety stage, without appearing anxious to have the job even at that figure. The managers are reported to have offered the comedian $1,200. Mr. Hitchcock has been travestied somewhat freely by the burlesque shows this season. The travesty caused no mirth. On the road he failed to prove a drawing card for the musical piece. Bobby North, who is with the same production, may remain West or return to Eastern vaudeville. Mr. North left vaudeville for "The Merry." DOROTHY RUSSELL ONCE MORE. Early in December Dorothy Russell, daughter of the Lillian, will return to vaudeville, f<w a weak, anyway, as Will- iam Hammerstein, who was opportuned for the chance by Levy & Lykens, has listened favorably. $a,ooo FOR HENRIETTA CROSMAN. The engagement entered into this week between Maurice Campbell, husband of Henrietta Crosman, and Messrs. Beck and Williams for Miss Crosman's vaudeville appearance, calls for a weekly salary of $2,000 for the legitimate actress. She will appear at St. Louis Christmas week, following into the Majestic, Chi- cago, and thence commencing a trip over the Williams houses in New York, A. PAUL KEITH ON DECK. A. Paul Keith, son of B. F. Keith, occupied the office of E. F. Albee from last Monday on, and slowly assumed Mr. Albee's duties as general manager. The presence of Carl Lothrop, manager of Keith's, Boston, in the United Book- ing Offices, together with the house man- agers on the Keith-Proctor and Keith Circuits engaging acts, lead the onlook- ers to believe that an order had been issued to the various resident directors that each should book his own show here- after. It was also said that the shows booked would be arranged by the house managers in the running, without interference, each house to stand by itself. It was likewise rumored that there would be some minor changes in the office staff of the United, but no names were mentioned, excepting everyone who might know seemed agreed that Sam Hodgdon would be general routing director of the agency. REPORTED 'FRISCO MUSIC HALL. San Francisco, Nov. 19. It in said upon good nuthority that upon the site of the old Fischer's Theatre, on O'Farrell Street, directly opposite the new Orpheum, will be built a music hall of considerable Pize, modeled much after the old Belvidere of pre-conflagration days. Though the deal has not yet been con sumated it is understood that it shortly will be, and that great efforts will be put forth to get together again the old com- bination of stock entertainers which would include Sylvester, Jones and Pringle, who might be said to have made the former house famous. Whether the present civic regime would stand for the "go-as-you-please" style of the old Belvidere is an open question. CARR APPLYING FOR TIME. The contract with the Morris Circuit having terminated, Alexander Carr, the Hebrew comedian, has been seeking time from the United Booking Offices this week. No bookings of Mr. Carr or his sketch have been reported. Carr is asking $1,000 weekly now. He received $1,250 while playing for Morris. ENGLISH COMBINATION STARTS. London, Nor. 10. The Barrasford-Gibbona combination has opened offices at Adelphi Terrace House. The directors are Walter Gibbons and Thomas Barrasford. Mr. Gibbons is in charge of the London halls; Mr. Bar- rasford for those in the provinces and on the Continent. The halls operated by the amalgama- tion are Empire, Hoi born; Palace, Ham- mersmith; Empress, Brixton; Olympla, Shoreditch; Empire, Croydon; Islington Empire; Hippodrome, Ealing; Hippo- drome, Putney, and Hippodrome, Roth- erhite; Hippodrome, Leeds; Hippo- drome, Brighton; Hippodrome, Wil- lesden; Hippodrome, St. Helens; Hippo- drome, Liverpool; Hippodrome, Notting- ham; Hippodrome, Brighton; Hippodrome, Birmingham; Empire, Coventry; Hippo- drome, Richmond; Pavilion, New Castle; Empire, Swindon; Hippodrome, Poplar; King's Theatre, Southsea; Grand, Clap- ham Junction; Hippodrome, Balham; Hip- podrome, Woolwich; Alhambra, Paris, and Alhambra, Brussels. The IIford Hippodrome and Kilburn Empire are in course of construction. The Palladium, London, will open next Au- gust. Towards the end of November, 1000, the London Casino will commence opera- tions. RYAN ANNOUNCES OPPOSITION. Cincinnati, Nov. 10. John J. Ryan announced this week his intention of again erecting an opposition in vaudeville for Cincinnati. As previous- ly reported in Variety, Ryan has the Vine Street Congregational Church pju|imtj, now in the courts for permission for the church to sell. Ryan has also purchased the property at 041 and 043 East Mc- Millan Street The church will become a first-class vaudeville house; the other a picturo theatre. Ryan says that William Morris will probably book for I lie now vaudeville house. VAUDEVILLE REPLACES MELO- DRAMA. San Francisco, Nov. 10. Vaudeville r- j>l;i"J melodrama at the Central this w<cK.