Variety (March 1909)

VARIETY i London, March 9. K. H. Burnalde has been in London for the last few days and left for Paris to-day. Julian Rose starts the Barrasford tour, this week, opening at the Hippodrome, Liverpool. Rosa an at the Mi this week. .^tf 8 apart they we ^playing Bessie Butt at the "Pav" last week is certainly dancing well and is a fair singer of "coon M songs. Bellman and Moore have shifted from the Oxford to the Tivoli, where they will play two more weeks. Ted Marks will sail for New York on the next trip of the Luritanio, which will leave Liverpool March 20. The Palace Ball waa held o n March 4. It was successfully managed by E. A. Pickering and Thomas Miller. Cornalla and Eddie are the talk of the town. They have held the atar position at the Empire for four weeks. Rosie Lloyd played the Oxford last week, the first time Miss Lloyd has been in the West End for some time. Jem Driscoll, the little English fighter just returned from America, will be' seen in some of the English halls soon. Lew Morton, manager for Joe Hart, sails for the States March 21 to bring back a few acts that Mr. Hart has in mind. Cliffe Berzac will sail in a few weeks for New York, where he will open with his act, playing with the Ringling Show. The ten per cent, commission in the Arbitrator's Award applies to all acts, English and foreign. It is the maximum rate. Joe Hart's "Polly Pickles" will sail for New York on the St. Lout* March 20. The act is playing the Stratford Empire this week. The Rio Brothers at the Coliseum are closing the show this week, and made good in a way that entitles them to a much better position. The Ritter Brothers will shortly start upon the halls here, doing a singing act. The boys are brothers of Max Ritter (Rit- ter and Foster). Sherek & Braff have appealed the case in which Marie Stuart, a music hall artiste, recovered a judgment against them for misrepresentation. Miss Ross of Ross and Grayson, has been ill for the last few days. Her part- ner, Mr. Grayson, did the act alone at the Pavilion last week. Helen Trix has gone through a few operations on her throat and is getting on nicely now. Miss Trix will start her Stoll dates in a few weeks. LONDON NOTES VARIETY'S LONDON OFFICE. 418 STRAND, W. C. (Mall for Americans and Europeans In Europe If addressed care VARIETY, as above, will be promptly forwarded.) Maude Allan has secured an injunction restraining Ruth St. Dennis from billing herself as the "original creator of the 'Salome' dance in England." Dave Samuels, the Hebrew comedian, is ■ cutting out most of his parodies, doing more of a talking act. He is telling a couple Julian Rose used to tell. "The Divine Amylia" will stay at the Pavilion another seven weeks, the man- agement having exercised its option for that length of time. The act was booked there by Willie Edelston. There is a rumor afloat that Fred Gin- nett, who has gone into the skating rink business, and is reaping accordingly, will place a lot of tent rinks around London and in the Provinces this summer. Dorothy Grahame, assisted by M. Ar- mand, did the "Apache" dance at the Pa- villion last week. There seems to be no special reason why Miss Grahame should ever attempt any work of this kind. George Abel has fixed an engagement for George Ali in a sketch called 'Tapa's Day Off." Mr. Ali will play this act in August at the Tivoli. Meantime other engagements are being sought by Mr. Abel. The "Onaip" piano mystery had a trial show at the Empire last Friday morning, but did not impress the management to any great extent. The act was not worked right, and the management is rather afraid to touch it. It might interest some of his Americar friends to know that Archie Parnell, of the De Frece office, is wearing a high hat and Prince Albert, the recognized uniform of the commissioned officers in the music hall business in England. "The Ten Dark Nights" made their first London appearance at the Empire, Shoreditch, and were a big success. They were handicapped by the size of the stage, but against all this they made things hum on the small stage there. Carl Hertz, the illusionist, is thinking about writing a book called "My Troubles With a Motor Car." Mr. Hertz's latest chauffeur is just starting to serve six months in jail for running down a man who was riding a bicycle. (J. W. Houghton, a high diver, on hearing nbout Speedy's accident in the States, enme up to the Morris office and offered his services, but Paul Murray didn't deem i' wise to take any chances. So if Mr. Houghton hurts himself it will not be on the Morris Circuit. The officers and founders of the new Boliqui Club are: King, Dan Conroy; Queen, Jim Morton, and Secretary, Jim Howard. This will be a busy week for the club, as the members are getting ready for the large testimonial to be given the Queen (Jim Morton) before leaving for America. At the Holborn this week there is a very athletic program, Johnny Summers and Hackenschmidt topping the bill. Summers is showing five rounds of the pictures of the fight with Jimmie Britt. Hack is doing his usual wrestling with two other men. Some of the gallery were wise to the big wrestler last night and yelled: "Tell him when to lay down, George." Carrie De Mar has been offered a return extended engagement at the Coliseum in June. Joe Hart stated to-day that Miss De Mar preferred returning to the States when her present contracts expire, April 1. If Miss De Mar would stay and fill in the offered engagement there is no doubt but she would become one of the shiring stars in the English music halls. The Great Lafayette was bound over to keep the peace this week in the courts for handing one to the musical director of the Duchess Balham. 'Tis said the master musician was just a trifle fresh, and the conjuring kid swung on him, landing one on his eye. The Judge must have had similar cases before, for he said that Lafayette had good cause for striking. Fred Russell's election to the chairman- ship of the V. A. F. has been the talk of the vaudeville folk here for the past week. Mr. Russell, during the recent trouble with the artists, from the start argued against all strenuous measures, and it is thought ho will conduct things on conservative lines in the future. This method of Mr. Rus- sell's must be popular with the members of the V. A. F., for he was elected by a tremendous majority over the other candi- dates. James Allison was elected to the vice-chairmanship and William Lee will be the next treasurer. Will Collins left the Syndicate Halls lust Saturday to tnter the Gibbons office, where he will become associate manager with Harry Masters. His successor is not as yet known, though there have been ru- mors for the past week to the effect that several prominent men were after the po- sition. On March 26, Mr. Collins will receive a testimonial and a purse from his friends. Circulars have been sent out by the committee, composed of George Bark- lay, Emanuel Warner, Torn Shaw and Sydney IIyman, all agents. The date is also Mr. Collins' thirty-second birthday. That Will D. Cobb song, "Yip-I-Addy- I-Aye" may cause a little commotion over here yet. It seems the American pub- lisher of the number gave permission to Daisy Lloyd to sing the song on this side before Miss Lloyd left New York. Daisy baa been using it over here. Since then the selection has been placed in a London production, and lately Daisy received a letter from the publisher to stop singing it, but Mtss Lloyd will go right on using the song, and the publisher ought to be pleased that Daisy isn't angry for having given it out to someone else after she secured the Bngtttfe ligfet*. There is a comedian at the Shoreditch Empire this week who la giving aa good an imitation of an actor as haa probably ever been pulled anywhere. And there are strange things connected with this fellow. First of all, his name ia Herbert Role. When he starts to sing everyone starts up and gasps "Wllkie Bard." The voice is perfect. Of course, it is not announced aa an imitation, and Mr. Rule does not sing Wilkie's songs, but what be does sing are along the lines of Mr. Bard's, He even uses the "plant," and if this may be called a "copy" act, it will have to be called a good one. The only place he falls is In the talk back to the plant. This is Wllkie Bard's strong point. After playing a matinee on Monday of this week the Islington Hippodrome waa closed by a mortgagee. The artists arriv- ing for the night performance were told their services were no longer required. All the acta were paid for a week. The two headllnera—Vesta Victoria and Friend and Downing—were shifted back to the Em- pire, Shoreditch, where they played last week. The Islington Hippodrome and the Shoreditch Empire are run by T. C. Rich- ards and a few others, who form a "syn- dicate." Mr. Richards takes care of the booking. The houses are Independent, but at times acts are furnished them by the Payne Syndicate. Both are direct opposi- tion to the Gibbons Circuit, which haa the Olympia at Shoreditch and the Empire at Islington. There is a rumor around now stating that the Shoreditch Empire Is in bad, financially, and that it is liable to close at any time. All the big London dailies printed a story about the coming "opposition" in the vaudeville field, aligning Stoll-De Frece-Paynes against Gibbons-Barassford. I cabled the story a few days before the papers used it. It waa the impression at that time, and is yet among the large ma- jority of the music hall people. Still, it is understood in certain quarters that the big fellows on the managerial end are saying to their intimates that the combi- nation of all variety interests over here is assured. Those on the inside aeem to accept that when the psychological mo- ment arrives, Oswald Stoll will turn the trick. In connection with this version of the present situation, there is an under- current report that Thomas Barassford may retire from the music hall profession, leaving his present interests in the care of Walter Gibbons and George Dance. The connection of Dance has been set forth, and it is in a financial capacity mostly with both circuits. The story goes on to say that if Mr. Barassford does leave his circuit, he will draw from it thereafter as an annuity for lifo $25,000 yearly. In the event of Barassford retir- ing, it will probably create a vacancy in the booking department of the Barassford Tour, young George Bamsaford at present attending to that.