Variety (September 1909)

8 VARIETY NEW MANHATTAN READY. Felix Isman's New Manhattan Theatre in New York City is ready. The location is Broadway and 31st Street, in the build- ing where Rogers, Peet A Co. formerly held forth as their "uptown store." To. convert the office building into a theatre cost nearly $100,000. The 31st Street building has been torn out to the fourth floor. Four iron beams supporting 180 tons each replaced the girders originally set between each floor. In the alterations a large seating ca- pacity has been secured. There is a stage 29 x 21, and nine dressing rooms around it. The New Manhattan is the only the- atre in New York with a stage entrance on Broadway. The main entrance to the house is at the corner, facing both Broadway and 31st Street. William J. Gane, who managed the old Manhattan in which Isman was concerned, has superintended the construction of the present house, and will probably manage it for awhile. The admission has not been decided upon, but will be In the "popular" classification. Eight acts will be played. The features of the bill are to appear twice daily; others three times each day, and there may be some acts to "do four shows." Some of the opening turns have been booked by Joe Wood, who may become the permanent agent. The New Manhattan will become minor opposition to Keith A Proctor's Fifth Avenue. Early this week Wood attempted to secure for the first feature attraction Mabel McKinley, offering a large salary for either her or Lind to their agent, B. A. Myers. The deal could not be made. The 8 Melanis will probably become the headline for the first week. Others from the Joe Wood office are White and Sanford, Boyd and Veola, Columbia Musi- cal Four, Burnham and Greenwood, Lee Tung Foo and Louise La Tour. POLI VAUDEVILLE FOR MERIDEN. Vaudeville and pictures in Poli's, Meri- den, this summer has proven so satisfac- tory that vaudeville will be continued all winter in a house where dramatic shows have heretofore been the attraction. Once a week a legitimate show will be booked in, and for that date the vaude- ville bill will be transferred to Walling- ford. "UNITED INDEPENDENTS" SEPARAT- ING. Frank Melville, formerly a booking ngent for the parks and fairs, with offices in the Knickerbocker Theatre Building, and lately affiliated with the "United Independents" agency in West 42d Street, has announced his intention of giving up his present quarters and removing to Pittsburg. "I have been watching," said Mr. Mel- ville, "the steady development of late of the 'pop' vaudeville business in the vicin- ity of the Smoky City, and it has seemed to me that it offers a fertile field for a new booking concern. Certainly the oppor- tunity seems to be there. At least that is my opinion and I propose to test it out." THE PARK PLAYING "POP.* Philadelphia, Jfept. 2. The Park, a Nixon A Zimmerman the- atre, will commence playing popular- priced vaudeville and pictures on Monday, with admission at five and ten cents. Three shows daily will be given, six acts to each show. M. W. Taylor has the house. Mr. Taylor has also taken over the management of the Liberty, one of the new combination vaudeville theatres, un- til this last week booked by the United Offices of New York. The placing of acts for the two theatres will be directed by Mr. Taylor, who will take acts from New York through the NYBO. "NYBO" IN OPERATION. The "Nybo" booking office, the Sig. Wachter establishment which has head- quarters in the offices formerly operated by Joe Wood at 1358 Broadway, got into active operation on Monday of this week. It has taken over a large amount of the bookings for Taylor A Kauffmann, the Philadelphia concern, supplying a consider- able amount of small time in that im- mediate vicinity. The "Nybo" people, according to a statement, sre acting as the New York representative of Taylor A Kauffmann, accepting a split on commission payments from sets booked through it. In addition to the Taylor ft Kauffmann connection the "Nybo" has placed a large number of acts for the middle western time controlled by the Western Vaudeville Association, all contracts being entered through the Casey agency. Ano ther change in the line-up is a shift of the former Knickerbocker Booking Cir- cuit's head, Lester Mayne. Mayne was formerly the president of the small time booking agency operated as an adjunct of the Atlas Booking Cir- cuit. This week it was learned that he had quit that position and had gone into the Broadway Theatre Building as one of the booking men in the Mutual Vaudeville Agency, likewise placing acts for the "pop" vaudeville time. Joe Roth, who was connected with the "Nybo" office, is now a member of the old Knickerbocker Booking Circuit office staff, of which Joe Meyers, lately of Joe Wood's office, Is the head. It is Intimated that Meyer's intention is to break away from the Atlas and operate as a distinct concern. PICKS UP A COUPLE. The Joe Wood agency picked up a couple of the smaller time houses to book for during the week. Hoyt's at Derby, Conn., was added to the Wood list. It will "split" the week with Walter Rosenberg's house, formerly Hoyt's, at South Norwalk. At South Bethlehem, the only town in the world William Josh Daly, of the Mor- ris office, Is Ignorant about, Wood will book for the Palace. It will use four acts and a feature, "splitting" with the Pergola, Allentown. Josh knows all about the latter. FIRST L El BIO SHOWS. The first shows for the Bruggemann Empires in Hoboken and Paterson, booked through Feiber, Shea ft Coutant of the Independent Booking Agency, open on Labor Day at each house. Considering that the salary list of these theatres is limited, playing two shows daily (they formerly had their acts booked by the United), the program for Labor Day week at the Empire, Pater- son, will probably prove of interest. If as reported, A. M. Bruggemann, the man- ager, has placed his weekly payroll for each theatre between $1,000 to $1,200, the I. B. A. has placed what looks to be a "big" show" for that amount. With the two Bruggemann houses, the I. B. A. is offering about six weeks of "two-a-day" time. Besides Hoboken and Peterson, the Mozart, Elmira; Keeney's, Brooklyn, Family, York, and Savoy, Fall River, are of the twice-daily class. At the Empire, Paterson, on Labor Day will appear Katie Barry, Frank Bush, Royal Musical Five, Sidney Deane and Co., Matthews and Brannon in "The Battle of Too Qoon," Lester and Kellett and Avolo and Othello. At Hoboken the same day there will be Shean and Warren, "Georgia Campers," Dancing Denos, Carmen and Esphey, Lloyd and Whitehouse, Harry Clarke and Co. in "What Will Happen Next?", Wil- ton Bros, and Altus Bros. Irene Franklin and Burt Green have been engaged by the I. B. A. through Louis Wesley, as the headliner for both Bruggemann houses in the near future. Engagement of special features for those theatres will be a weekly practice dur- ing the season. Keeney's Third Avenue opens Monday with Archer's "Chocolate Drops," Joe Flynn, Lea Sfrvas, Douglas and Washburn, and Marshall and Montgomery. Keeney's Brooklyn will commence its season Sept. 20. NEW THREE-A-DAY. Chicago, Sept. 2. On Labor Day the Majestic, a brand new house at East St. Louis, opens with bookings through the Western Vaudeville Association of Chicago. Three shows daily will be given. ROONEY CO. DISSOLVING. The Pat Rooney Co. will be dissolved. Pat Rooney, who is at the head of it, has announced he will take over all the prop- erties of the corporation. Several vaudeville productions have been made by Mr. Rooney's concern. Maggie Cline was obliged to retire from the bill through illness at Morrison's, Rockaway Beach, on Tuesday. Lillian Shaw replaced her. John Hall, stage manager of the Or- pheum, Brooklyn, and Camille Adams were married Aug. 20. JOHN NEFF AND CARRIE STARR. An act that is entirely original with John Neff and Carrie Starr is being pre- sented in vaudeville by the couple, pic- tures of whom are on the front page this week. Mr. Neff is known as 'The World's Greatest Musician," and called "The Brain Storm Comedian." The billing for Miss Starr is "The Telephone Girl." A portion of the turn originated by Mr. Neff and Miss Starr is called "The Noteless Musical Act." They were placed for thirty weeks on the United time, im- mediately following their first showing in the east. Two special drops are carried, the act playing in "one" and "two." The Dockstader Minstrels formerly boasted of Mr. Neff; Miss Starr has been with the Ringling Bros.' Circus. SALARY SCALE HELD TO. Chicago, Sept. 2. At an open meeting held yesterday, presided over by S. D. Ricardo, of the Actor's Union, it was announced that the agreement to hold prices at $25 for "singles" and $30 for "doubles" held 2,011 signatures. A committee was appointed to report any artist discovered working under this scale. The information before the meeting was that some agents had set on foot a movement to kill off the compact of the artists, but Chairman Ricardo stated that influences were at work making victory for the artists certain. S. Siegel, a local agent, appeared be- fore the meeting to inquire if certain actions on the part of agents were coun- tenanced. It appears that the United Booking Association (local; not United Booking Offices) is the leader in the oppo- sition to the demands of the artists. Another open meeting is to be held next Tuesday, when the report of the committee will be heard, ANOTHER TORONTO HOUSE. .Toronto, Sept. 2. There is a report that Sullivan-Consi- dine have purchased for a stated price of $47,000, the property of the Toronto Plate Glass Co., on Victoria Street, north of Queen, upon which they propose to erect a vaudeville theatre. Shea's new house here, now in process of erection, is on the same street, a couple of blocks away. TRANSFER MILWAUKEE HOUSE. Chicago, Sept. 2. The Crystal, Milwaukee, has been sold by F. B. Winters to George Ira Adams, formerly the proprietor of the Crystal Cir- cuit in Colorado. Consideration is re- ported around $50,000. Mr. Winters will retire from business, starting upon a tour of the world. Grace Walters and her "Temple of Bacchus," left the American bill after the Monday matinee. ROSIE GREEN. Or "TUB FOLLIES OF 190S."