Variety (May 1909)

VARIETY SHUBERTS SETTLE LONDON CLAIMS. London, April 19. The entanglement* involving the Shu- berts and the owners of the Waldorf The- atre here were settled this week, when William Klein, a New York attorney rep- resenting Lee Shubert, paid to the theatre people a sum of money to satisfy their claim. The original lease was entered into by the late Sam S. Shubert. Lee Shubert maintained that under its terms the lessee (himself as executor for his brother's estate) could vacate at any time, and that the landlord, a syndicate, could re- tain as compensation the amount first de- posited to secure the payment of rent. Rather than go into court, however, he in- structed Mr. Klein to negotiate terms of settlement. The amount paid for the can- cellation of the lease was not made public JEROME AND SCHWARTZ SIGN. Billy Jerome and Jean Schwartz this week signed contracts with Jerome H. Remick A Co. which provide that their joint musical compositions be handled ex- clusively by the Remick publishing house. The pair were until yesterday under contract to the Cohan A Harris Music Publishing Co. Beside their Remick con- nection they will draw royalties from "Shapiro" on their songs acquired by the latter concern from Cohan A Harris. BLIND TRICK CYCLIST. Cincinnati, April 29. The McNutt-Kopland troupe of bicy- clists are appearing at the Lyceum this week. In the act Kopland, though blind, performs some very daring feats on the wheel. CHICAGO HAS ELITA PROCTOR OTIS. Chicago, April 27. Monday Elita Proctor Otis and Arthur Hoops will open at the Majestic, featur- ing the bill. Miss Otis is late of "The Girl from Rector's." It was first announced that William Burress, also of the same show, would appear with Miss Otis, and advanced bill- ing carried his name. HAS LILLIAN HOERLEIN. St. Louis, April 20. Lillian Hoerlein, the prima donna, is the surprise the Oppenheimer Brothers have for their Surburban Gardens. Miss Hoerlein comes here from the Ber- lin Wintergarten. She is due to arrive in New York by the Mauretania. POLI WINS. Springfield, Mass., April 20. After being in court for more than a month the controversy over possession of the Nelson Theatre was settled this week, when the Superibr Court issued an injunc- tion restraining the Fox Amusement Co. (William Fox, of the Greater New York Film Exchange) from holding the house until after the expiration of S. Z. Poll's lease upon it. A referee has been appointed by the court to determine the amount of damage Poli has already sustained and this will be assessed against Fox and George Nel- son, who were concerned in taking forc- ible possession of the premises recently. Poli will reopen the Nelson Monday with pictures and popular priced vaudeville. LEAN AND HOLBROOK IN NEW PIECE. About June 7, at the Majestic Theatre, Boston, Oomstock A Gest will present for the first time "The Yankee Mandolin," by Paul Morton, with music from Reginald De Koven. To be featured in the production are Cecil Lean and Florence Holbrook. "HIP" OPEN FOR SUMMER. Cleveland, April 20. Vaudeville is back at Keith's Hippo- drome this week, following the closing of the circus. The variety policy will come to an end May 22. The big show place will remain open during the summer, but Manager Daniels declines to make public what style of entertainment will be given. DECISION FOR MAY IRWIN. Buffalo, April 20. A decision in the application for a temporary injunction against Flo Irwin, applied for by her loving sister, May, was handed down on Wednesday in favor of the loving sister. The court restrains Flo from further use of her sketch, "Mrs. Mix Mixes," de- ciding it is an infringement upon the vaudeville piece May is playing, "Mrs. Peckham's Carouse." This is the second legal proceeding May has taken against Flo. NO ALHAMBRA ROOF THIS SUMMER. The Alhambra Theatre, Percy G. Will- iams' Harlem house, will close for the season June 21. Repairs will be made during the summer vacation, preventing the roof garden atop that structure opening. The other Williams houses, Colonial and Orpheum, will stop the vaudeville enter- tainment on June 7 and 14, respectively. EDDIE CLARK GOES OVER. At the Fulton, Brooklyn, this week Eddie Clark and his "Winning Widows" are appearing in their first engagement on the Morris Circuit. Mr. Clark recently returned from Europe. He has appeared in a few United houses, but slipped over to the Morris Circuit on April 23, the "skiddoo day," Mr. Clark says. An arrangement has been made with William Morris by Mr. Clark to produce two large acts next season for the Mor- ris time. They will be musical comedies, requiring a large company, and play suc- cessively at each Morris house, the one company interpreting both pieces. 3,000-MILE JUMP TO REPORT. A jump of 3,000 miles is threatened for the purpose of "reporting" by Joe Welch, the Hebrew comedian. L. Johns, the New York representative of the Moss-Stoll Tour in England, notified Mr. Welch this week that all negotiations for Mr. Welch's proposed appearance at the Coliseum, Lon- don (Moss-Stoll) commencing May 17 for four weeks, were at an end. In reply the comedian informed Johns he would sail and report at the Coliseum, as per his understanding, looking to the circuit for damages if he were refused per- mission to appear. POP IN BRUGGEMANN'S HOUSES. On May 3, A. M. Bruggemann's Empire Theatre at Hoboken will commence a sum- mer season of popular priced vaudeville, at 10-20-30. Mr. Bruggemann's other house, The Empire, Paterson, will start the same policy a week later. The bookings will be placed through the office of Feiber, Shea & Coutant, who have several theatres of their own, and also book for others with a similar policy. The Bruggemann houses are attached to the United Booking Offices, or have been. The regular season of vaudeville at each is closed. A rumor about this week said that if the popular priced scheme proved profitable as an experiment during the hot weather, Mr. Bruggemann might de- cide on the style throughout the year hereafter. He is opposed in each city by combination vaudeville houses, the Lyric, Hoboken, having been an especially strong competitor during the season just ending. It was said that upon the United Book- ing Offices people hearing of Mr. Brugge- mann's contemplated move, he was sent for and interviewed, with what result is not known. «M ROSA" DRAMATIZED. "Leetle Rosa" who stood at the top of the hill and piped "pa-pa" just before she passed away has been dramatized for Geo. Beban, who knows the poem backwards after several recitations of it. Mr. Beban with three other people will show the sketch in vaudeville, opening at a Percy G. Williams house this month, first appearing at the Hudson, Union Hill, May 10. HERZ AS "THE BOY." Chicago, April 20. When w The Boy and the Girl" plays at the Amsterdam Roof, New York, in a few weeks, the principal comedy part will be played by R. C Hers, succeeding Eddie Garvie, who originated k here. Barney Bernard will have Lee Kohlmar's place. Toby Lyons, Gilbert Gregory and several others of the original cast will remain. Marie Dressier will head the cast. The piece is now being revised by Ed- gar Smith, and when It appears on Broad- way a brand new show will be revealed. "THE DANGER OF IDEAS." At the Lyric, Hoboken, this week Will- iam Morris, the actor, is "breaking in" a new sketch named "The Danger of Ideals." Last week Mr. Morris appeared at the Amphion, Brooklyn, which has been re- named "Blaney's," since the combination form of vaudeville entered the house. The billing for Mr. Morris' piece caused some amusement in the Williamsburg sec- tion. A typographical error and the names made it read like this: BLANEY'S WILLIAM MORRIS IN «• The Danger off Ideas" Mile. Tliresa Ren/, loaves for Europe to-day (Saturday). AN ACT WITH 45 PEOPLE. Cleveland, April 20. On April 17 at the Hippodrome "Visions of Eden," a spectacular production with forty-five people, will have its first pre- sentation. CASEY IN WOOD'S AGENCY. At the last election of officers of Joe Wood, Inc., Pat Casey was elected treas- urer. M. R. Sheedy is president and Joe Wood general manager and secretary. Joe Wood, Inc., is the largest of the agencies handling the smaller grade of vaudeville theatres and those playing the "pop" bills at 10-20-30. The agency, which has had a wonderful growth in the past few months, is now booking for a great many legitimate theatres temporarily in- stalling the popular or combination vaude- ville policy. The Wood office is booking for sufficient houses to provide a full season's engage- ment to its acts, and the agency ha» naturally grown to be a sort of clearing house for many of the smaller agents who have a few acts to place for permanent time or "try-outs." During the week it was reported the United Booking Offices had sent for Mr. Wood with a proposition for his agency to take over the bookings of the combina- tion time in the United office. How this was to be arranged report did not say. A couple of the F. F. Proctor picture the- atres were booked by Wood as an experi- ment. There are numberless small the- atres attached to the United. A great many were brought in when what is called the Brotherhood Circuit, a chain of small inla id towns under the control of Gilmore of Oswego, affiliated with the large booking office. Mr. Sheedy, the president of the cor- poration, operates about twelve vaudeville theatres in New England, including the Savoy, Fall River. That house was for- merly under his management and booked through the Morris office. Afterwards Sheedy joined the United list of managers, but left the United, alleging he had been unfairly treated through favoritism shown to another New England "United" manager in the granting of a United "franchise." Mr. Casey was seen by a Variety rep- resentative in his offices at the Long Acre Building, and asked if his connection with Joe Wood, Inc., held any especial sig- nificance, Casey's election as treasurer being the first intimation of his interest. "It's just general agency business," re- plied Casey. "Most everyone in vaudeville has remarked the rapid development of the smaller priced theatre of late. I have always believed that there is the birth- place of the coming headliners. I have watched the smaller acts in the larger houses. "Then, again, the smaller acts represent the 'new material' everybody talks about. The Wood office will use up any quantity of acts, and with houses in or about New York City, they will be convenient to look over. The proper material may be taken out and placed upon the larger time. "The Pantages Circuit, which my office represents in the east, is using a great many acts. From what I know and am given to understand, Mr. Pantages will require a great supply for next season. Then there are the managers of the large western and eastern houses always on the lookout for new faces with suitable offer inga. T believe the circuit booked by Mr. Wood will bring out the very 'stuff' wanted, and I am in hopes my connection with the Wood agency will work to the advantage of it, the managers and my- self."