Variety (March 1909)

8 VARIETY PICTURE HOUSE "STABS." The woes of a grand opera impresario may be many in his diplomatic relations with his song birds, but Oscar Hammer- stein, who is the hair-balanced diplomer of them all, has never operated a moving pic- ture theatre, so he has yet to know the real trouble of managing feminine singers. Down at the Manhattan Theatre where the audience is never certain whether the "next" will be "a picture" or "an act," William D. Gane, the director general of the combination show, has lost twelve pounds the past two weeks "handling" his two "stars," Billee Beaton and May Fiorina Linden. The Misses Seaton and Linden are sing- ers. They appear four times daily each. Miss linden sings in the first show be- fore Miss Beaton, and after her in the final performance of the night. Upon Miss Linden entering the program, she noticed Miss Beaton had a colored maid. So Miss linden engaged a colored maid. There are about forty dressing room* in the theatre, with but four acts employing them, but the girls are placed directly opposite each other on the first tier in order that no claim of favoritism may be made. Any visitor calling upon Miss linden, for instance, will commit a breach of etiquette and cause trouble for Mr. Gane if he does not pass the time of day wtta Miss Beaton also before departing. The rules of the house permit the girls to pass through the orchestra after each performance. They may linger in the manager's office if they like, he being a very sociable person, and they are also privileged to view the moving pictures either from the "front" of the house, or behind "the sheet" The two stars are receiving $100 weekly apiece for their services at the Manhattan, an enormous salary for a "single" in a "picture house." Miss Beaton has ambitions to save her money to "buy an act" She la at present giving a "copy" of Eva Tanguay, with the an- nouncements reading an "imitation." This week Billee has a new song named "I'm the Girl Who Worried Eva Tanguay." Miss linden says she has found the au- diences at the Manhattan of such culture and understanding that she decided to use her own name, after playing at the theatre for a day or two. While May Florine does not state right out sharp, one might be- lieve from her conversation that she real- izes what condescension a former prima donna of "Hie Bostonians" is making In "playing a picture house." The two colored girls have an arrange- ment whereby one leaves for a few hours, the other serving the two mistresses mean- while. Neither of the singers is yet well enough acquainted with her "maid" to distinguish one from the other, hence the possibility of deception. MOVING DAY SOON. The general belief around the St. James Building is that the exodus to the new quarters at the Long Acre Building will occur between April 5 and 15. The many leases executed between the vaudeville people and the J. J. Astor estate passed through Win. S. Hennessy, who was formerly in real estate, but at pres- ent is a vaudeville agent ZIEGLER FOLLOWING ROOSEVELT. Cincinnati, March 26. Henry M. Ziegler expects to meet Colonel Roosevelt in Africa. Mr. Ziegler is going to Europe next month, taking his .family with him, but the theatrical man- ager and horseman will travel to the tropics alone. The trip is for pleasure and business. Mr. Ziegler may take Hermis over to England or send for him after arriving on the other side. Local people expect to hear that the Ziegler colors will be flying around the English and French race tracks before the summer passes. Interviewed on the theatrical situation at home by The Enquirer, Mr. Ziegler seemed very gloomy. He refused to "pre- dict" for the future, except to say it was a certainty many people now in the show business would regret it before long. "There are as many theatres in New York losing money as are making any," said Mr. Ziegler to The Enquirer man, "and you will find that condition general. When you take into consideration that there are twenty-five times as many ways to spend money now as there were three years ago, you can easily foresee the re- sult. It is only a question of time when the theatrical situation will resolve itself into a survival of the fittest." ACTS WERE PAH). Stamford, March 25. The statement last week that certain acts playing the Music Hall in Stamford and So. Norwalk, Conn., were not paid owing to attachment proceedings brought against the house, was an error. Sam J. Klein, manager of the Stamford house, brought the action against the es- tablishment only. Although Mr. Klein held a claim against Fred Beck, the man- ager of the house, he turned over all re- ceipts and all the acts were paid. The So. Norwalk house was not involved at all in the matter. It has been under the control of Thomas Kirby for some time. WOOD'S ELASTIC BAND. Jos. Wood, the agent, booked Spickla's Royal Venetian Band for Altoona, Pa., last week, and notified the mem- bers to report at the New York rail- road station Sunday evening to start for that town. Wood personally went to the depot to see that all was well. He found a gesticulating band of foreign musicians on hand, all very much excited about the absence of seven of the organisation. Wood immediately hired a corps of fleet messengers, dispatched with all speed to bring in the laggards. By midnight, Sun- day, the absentees were reduced to three, and half the messengers were still to be h?ard from. At 4 a. m. Monday morning all the messengers had reported and the band had Ave too many musicians. In some mysterious way every one of the extras had possessed himself of a con- tract. The leader explained that he had engaged a few ovev the regular number in order to be sure enough would report. Wood loaded them on the train and went on to Altoona himself, taking no chances on a further mix-up. Henry veuve FIVE FOR KOHL ft CASTLE. Chicago, March 20. The Criterion Theatre, which has been secured by the Western Vaudeville As- sociation interests, will be added to the cLain of five local houses controlled by the Kohl & Castle management The Associa- tion now has the booking for eighteen theatres where better class acts are used. The Criterion Is on the north side. It was formerly conducted by Lincoln J. Carter as a melodramatic house, playing the Stair & Havlin attractions. While it has been reported that Mr. Kohl per- sonally bought the property, its interest is covered by corporation papers, naming as stockholders Kerry C. Meagher, Walter F. Keefe and Frank C. Rivers. The house reopens with North Brothers' repertoire stock company, augmented by a If. dies' orchestra, about April 15, until the summer sets in, when alterations will be made for the regular opening with vaude- ville early in August The Western Vaudeville Association booking offices are gradually adding better grade theatres. MANAGERS' NEW TACTICS. The returns this week seem to show that new tactics are being pursued to damage the "opposition" in vaudeville. Last Sunday in Boston a paper of that city carried a story under a New York date line grossly misrepresenting the en- trance of James J. Jeffries into eastern vaudeville at tho Lincoln Square Theatre. It said that Jeffries and William Morris had had a disagreement, and that Jeffries had "flopped" completely. On Monday at the Orpheum, Boston, where Jeffries showed, the receipts for the day ex- ceeded $2,000. A Newark daily on Monday assailed a female star on the Morris time, who is to appear at the Lyric, Newark, next Mon- day. In each city a manager connected with the United Booking Offices operates a the- atre which the vaudeville of Morris op- poses. In Boston, it is B. F. Keith; New- ark, F. F. Proctor. Joe Smith and Louise Alexander open in vaudeville at the Fifth Avenue March 29. They are the "Apache" dancers from "The Moulin Rouge." GRACE HAZARD IN NEW ACT. There's a new act coming along for Grace Hazard. In it Miss Hazard, retain- ing her title of "Five Feet of Comic Opera," will present eight new changes of costumes with appropriate singing numbers. She will return to the Morris Circuit in a few weeks with the latest output of her brainy little self. Geo. E. Stoddard and Fred Berger, Jr., have written a musical comedy for Miss Hazard, and it may be produced in Chi- cago next season for the opening. The name is "The Moon Maiden." Another offer or two in the legitimate (a simmering on the pan for '09-'10. THROUGH WITH "FOREIGN STUFF." There will be little more doing in the line of importations for vaudeville during this season. The foreign books of the Morris Circuit are closed until the fall arrives, and Percy G. Williams has said he has nothing more of importance to ar- rive after Vesta Tilley lands. These two managers are the main im- porters of European acts. Neither has given out any bookings from abroad for next season. Billy Armstrong, the minstrel, has signed up with Terry & Smith's Consolidated Railroad Shows, for the coming season, to act as press agent Armstrong was for- merly a newspaper man in Marion, Ind.