Variety (September 1909)

VARIETY ARTISTS' FORUM Conine jour lotion to 160 wordi ond writo on ono d4o of popor only. Anonymou oo—nni ontioni will not bo printed. Nam* of writer mnit bo ilfnod ond will bo bald in strict oonidonco, if dootrod. Lottoro to bo pvbllonod in tblo eclnnn moat bo wrltton ozeloaiToly to YA&IZTT. Dupllootod lttton will not bo printed. Tho writer who dnpUooteo o Utter to tho Forum, oltbor boforo or after it oppooro horo, will not bo pormitted tho prlvlloco of it afoin. Bessemer, Ala., Aug. 30. Editor Variety: I am a small agent here, running my own house and booking a few others. I have been honest with the artists that have played my time. The Smukler Trio were engaged to open at Gadsden. The Smukler Sisters worked one week at Tus- caloosa. On Saturday night they told the manager they had paid me the com- mission, which they had not. After the performance the manager at Gadsden called me up, and I pleaded with him to hold them a week, which he did. The Graham Trio, at this same theatre held the curtain on account of a barrel being on the stage, which he had used the night before. He refused to work, so the man- agement asked me what to do. I told him all he could do was to hold out mon- ey accordingly. He held out eight dollars, not half the pro rata. Sue Goodwin never held a contract from me, or have I ever promised her work. Baby Putnam played my time, and gave good satisfaction. She is very clever. I only book the Airdome. I am the lessee of the Bijou, which opens Sept. 2. Leslie and Baker filled in five nights at the Airdorae in Bessemer. 1 never heard any kick from them. I am surprised to see their names signed to the letter. In regard to the use of the White Rat contract, I wrote to the office wanting to use them, but received a letter that Mr. Mount ford was out of the city, so I never have issued anything like a White Rat rontract. I want good artists to come south, but don't care about the others. At any rate, I am a minstrel performer myself, the original "Kid Wall.*' A. A. Wall. New York, Sept. 1. Editor Variety: My object in writing this is to advise all those who subscribe to the Joe Palmer fund that acknowledgment of their sub- scription will appear in Variety as soon ns I have received all the monies that in my opinion can be collected. Will J. Cooke. Atlanta, Aug. 29. Editor Variety : After signing my name with that of 1 lobby llurgcss to a letter sent you by Claude Austin when he played Bijou, Pen- sacola, Fla., week July 19, and having read the letter of Mr. Pryor, the manager, I would like to state my version. We were on the same bill with Claude Austin, and when an artist sends out for the leader to come back after the first show and see if some mistakes and cues in his music cannot be rectified, I believe it is t lie place of the leader to come back and Iry lo arrange things suitably. Now (Maude Austin called for the leader to ratne back for I heard him and she re- fiined to do so. Mr. Austin positively did not swear at the leader. But the leader did say that Claude Austin was drunk. I played three weeks on tho same bill with him and I will say that Mrs. fielding and myself did not see Mr. Austin touch one drop of liquor in any way, shape or man- ner. I believe he is a total abstainer. We did not know who the leader of the orchestra was until Saturday night, as the leader then, if she is a lady aa Mr. Pryor says, did not act very ladylike to my wife. Of course she may think she is above some artists playing Penaacola, but when some of these piano players think they are above us they will have to hurry some. Now I did not want to be drawn into this affair, but I see when West and Willis considered it a joke, according to Mr. Pryor, and I want it known I did not think it a joke, for if an artist upholds a manager instead of a fellow artist, what will become of the poor artist? Fielding and Carlos. Cincinnati, Aug. 27. Editor Variety: It isn't very often I have had a com- plaint to make in my life in the pro- fession. It is bad enough when one takes anything they like from your work, but when they deliberately use your photos with their name on, that's about the limit. Enclosed you will find a letter from a friend of my husband, which is self-ex- planatory. Kindly publish with this the portion of the enclosed letter marked in blue pencil. Trust the party will take notice and govern herself accordingly. Mrs. Mazie Long Crainc. (Craine, Long and Craine.) Extract referred to: About three weeks ago a female by the name <>f Eva Warren was at the Tbeatorlum here (Ashtabula, O.) doing a bum serpentine dance, nnd using Are photos of Mrs. Ifaale Craine as tier own. We aaw them and recognised them and \v«>nt in to see the act when we found It was no one we ever saw before. We telephoned all the hotels In town as soon as we saw the pictures. hoping It was Mr*. Craine. JOHN T. FYNES RECOVERING. After several weeks of serious illness, compelling his absence from duty as man- ager of Keith & Proctor's Union Square, John T. Fynes is on the road to recovery, a change in medical treatment and his removal to a quiet spot in the country, having begun a work which his friends ardently hope will soon result in complete recovery and his early return to duty. Through his many years association as manager of various theatres for H. F. Keith, and later in the employ of F. F. Proctor, under the general management of his brother, J. Austin Fynes, John T. has established a wide circle of friends and acquaintances. MAY OR MAY NOT. Chicago, Sept. 2. Kohl & Castle may bnild a theater at Koekford to cost $75,000 and then again they may not. There in no certainty at this time in regard to their plans. This is the meat of a htatement made by l.yman 1?. (ilover, manager of The Majeslie. when asked about a visit (<> K nek ford supposed to have been in the interests of the new Kohl & Castle house there. PLUGGING ON A TAIL-BOARD. The latest innovation in the exploita- tion of new songs is to send out an ex- pedition composed of one old horse, a cov- ered wagon with a piano, a pianist, and two young men to sing "the latest song hit" on the street corners. This has be- come a familiar sight in New York, and the only mistake seems to be the effort to purvey rag-time melodies. Pathetic songs should find this means a fruitful channel, as the whole ensemble would be harmonious and more liable to extract the elusive quarter from the pockets of the bystanders. It is a well-known fact that the organ grinder collects more money with soul- racking melodies than lively tunes, and music publishers who resort to this method of selling their goods might do well to profit by the past experience of others. A VALUABLE CORRESPONDENT. Hartford, Conn., Sept. 2. "Clarence C. Palmer, local dramatic critic and correspondent for the Mirror, has returned to his duties as letter carrier after a visit on the Rlalto In New York, where he got In touch with the coming attractions." The above notice was clipped from a re- cent issue of the Hartford Times. It was printed under a Willimantic date line. The town where Clarence is the "Will- iam Winter" has about 15,000 population, one nickel picture show and a regular "Opry House" with about one play a month when not occupied by "rep. shows." Clarence "getting in touch" with "com- ing attractions" "on the Rialto" is com- mendable enterprise. Now that Clarence has been to New York and got Into touch, you may be sure that if Maude Adams, Wilton Lackaye or any of those troupers hit his town they will have to do some regular acting*, or Clarence will pass over some panning*. OLD FIRM DISSOLVES. Cincinnati, Sept. 2. The firm of l'ainforth & ITavlin, of the ft rand Opera TTouse, Cincinnati, one of the oldest theatrical partnerships, has been dissolved. TTarrv S. Rainforth has retired. The * management of the house is taken by John IT. ITavlin (Stair & Havlin). COULDN'T "COP" THIS ACT. Dorothy Richmond, a female agent or producer, her status not being exactly fixed, although she frequently places either her own or other acts on the United time, nearly had Kalmer and Brown booked in the west. Miss Richmond re- ceived contracts for the dancing act, and they were billed to open at the Majestic, Chicago, this week. Instead of traveling to Chicago, how- ever, Mr. Kalmer and Miss Brown pro- ceeded to Morrison's, Rockaway Beach, where their regular agent, Edw. S. Keller, had booked them. If Mr. Keller knows why Miss Richmond thought she could "deliver" Kalmer and Brown on the Orpheum Circuit time, he will not say. Frank Vincent of the Or- pheum Circuit, who routed the act and then had to tear up the contracts, did not feel highly elated over the female agent's failure, which caused some an- noyance and rearrangement of programs. Some time ago there was a Dorothy Richmond who was reported to be re- sponsible for a number of productions ap- pearing at the Fifth Avenue Theatre, New York, regularly, at a time when the Proctors were active in the management of that house. Suddenly Miss Richmond's productions disappeared from the New York vaudeville stage, and have not re- appeared. Of late there have been several cases of reported "copping of acts" about. Hie instances have all been of agents booking through the United, and attempting to persuade acts recognized as belonging to established agents away. This has given base to several rumors that there are some agents "standing in" with some person or persons in the big agency, or otherwise these 1k>M attempts at "act stealing" would not occur. For a couple of seasons now, the prac- tice of enticing acts away from other agents has been abandoned by the booking fraternity. The revival seems to have been brought about by the newcomers. Through an accident to Laura Davis, Mark and Laura Davis have been obliged to cancel several weeks. While at Vir- ginia, Minn., last month, Miss Davis stepped upon a needle. An operation was necessarv. .inllNsnN l)lv\V. .In-' .i i i i < 'I : H New ^ ■ 'i k i <\ \ i . ■ i ■ i \ ■ ■!• \i;ii' . 11> ■■• in ■■■ I'. i :i Lin.. i' I 11 i .. i .| - in | .m <t|>e in I he \';t.\ i'f "r.i^t Inir." MISS IH.A.N will nuik«' I m • r 111 -• I Am-r|i n 11 • | •• :ii :iih • . in~in^ in f.>ur «lifT»T«'ii! hlli^Miii.''-*-: I I im^ili l:ni. f : ■ i-11 •: ■ 11. I ifh. Ii ;i:ji| 1. i •.'' i -1 i A '•!•• Ir-iu .1 ••!• ns<»i. " - .-.-.. -,l i I.- ''lining, lit" l»HH ilevi'lupod liitu u o'iMi "M -r.