Variety (November 1909)

8 VARIETY WONT ADMIT THE DEAL. Philadelphia, Nov. 4. While it is given out that no deal has been made between Taylor & Kaufman, the booking agents of this city and the United Office, it is believed that some under- standing must have been reached between the two offices for the local agents are using several "United acts'* in their several houses along with other turns which have been playing nothing but in- dependent time. -. Taylor & Kaufman admit using "United acts" but decline to state whether a deal has been made, or that they are charging 10 per cent, commission with the "split" arrangement It is understood there was another meeting in New York on Wednes- day of this week for the purpose of com- ing to some agreement between the two. Taylor A Kaufman have added the Or- pheum, Carlisle, • Pa. and the new Audi- torium, formerly the Savoy, Harrisburg, to their list of houses. This agency now sup- plies acta to about forty of the "small time" theatres. No doubt remained among the email time agencies this week that the United Booking Offices and Taylor & Kaufman were working under a joint agreement. One contract issued by the United to Taylor & Kaufman for an act to play a Philadelphia theatre called for ten per cent, commission, five of that going to the United and the Philadelphia firm securing the remaining five. The salary of the act booked was less than $75. The United now has a "Family Theatre Department." It is located in the rooms occupied during the summer by the Park and Fair Department. The filing cabinets devoted to that business were removed yesterday (Friday), and the floor space re- apportioned to meet the new conditions. In the new department Walter Plimmer and Lester Mayne, for a long time identi- fied with the booking of "small time" icts, are the executives. They are supply- ing attractions for a chain of theatres. Twenty-four are included in the houses operated and booked by Taylor ft Kauf- man, the Philadelphia agents. Harry Mundorf, who is quartered in the same room, will occupy himself with arranging Sunday night concerts for such theatres as are not directly controled by the U. B. O., but take the seventh day entertainments from the United list. E. M. Robinson will continue to handle the bookings for a string of United houses in- cluding Pittsburg. THE ERIE LINE-UP. Erie, Pa., Nov. 4. The Colonial, owned by Andrew Wes- chler and managed by C. R. Cummings, has changed its booking agent from Gus Sun to William Morris and intend playing the best acts obtainable. This means a vaudeville fight here, as the New Alpha, which opened Monday is booking through the United Booking Offices. Both places will put forth every effort to draw the people. The prices at the Alpha are 15- 25-35-JhT cents, ^^e Colonial cnaxges 10- 15-20. The Alpha, Erie's newest and largest vaudeville house, opened to a large and representative audience. Suerken A Fos- ter have given Erie a fine theatre. The capacity is 1,200. Decorations are in green and corn. CHANGES LUBIN*S BOOKINGS, The Vaudeville and Motion Picture Co. of America, the Isman-Lubin concern, which controls the bookings for the vari- ous picture houses operated in the east by Felix Isman and S. Lubin, has taken over the bookings for the "ten cent" the- atres of the corporation in Philadelphia, Lubin's Palace and Victoria. These two houses were formerly sup- plied through the office of William Morris. The change went into effect last week. After next Monday William J. Gane, manager of the Manhattan and Circle, New York, will book the acts both for his New York houses and also for the Palace and Victoria, Mr. Gane will have head- quarters then in Isman Lubin's office. Archie Shepard, who formerly attended to this work, will confine himself here- after to handling the number of smaller theatres they control. FIRE DAMAGES PEOPLE'S. Philadelphia, Nov. 4. A fire which damaged property esti- mated to the amount of $600,000 broke out early Saturday morning at Kensing- ton Avenue and Cumberland Street. In- cluded in the damaged property is the People's, owned by George S. Gandy and leased by Nixon A Zimmerman. The the- atre was damaged to the extent of $40,000. The owner has announced it will be repaired at once. Moving pictures and vaudeville has been the policy at this house for the past year or so. James Taylor, a watchman, lost his life in the fire and several persons were in- jured. All the trunks, costumes and prop- erty belonging to the acts playing in the theatre last week were gotten out with but slight damage by water. UNIONISTS THREATEN STRIKE. A strike threatened for a time this week in the Thalia, South and Twelfth streets, Philadelphia, among the unions great and unions small. It appears that Jacob Ad- lex, after being persuaded to give his Grand Street Theatre over to "pop" vaude- ville, took a company of "Yiddish" actors on the road. All went well until they got to the Thalia (Old South Street Theatre). Then one of the actors discovered and communi- cated to his fellows the fact that the former manager of that house had dis- banded a union company some time ago, leaving some salaries unpaid. For this reason the theatre had been placed on the "unfair" list. The discovery penetrated through the ranks until property men, dressers, stage hands and down to baggagemen learned of it. Then the wires began to burn be- tween Philadelphia and New York de- manding that the executive council sit upon the case and order a strike. Accord- ingly in the headquarters of the Interna- tional Actors' Union with which the "Yid- dish" organization is affiliated, there as- sembled on Monday diverse solemn per- sons who talked much, but unintelligibly to the outsider. At any rate they de- cided against a strike. NOT ACTING CLUBBY. An attempt to "persuade" "Auto Ajax," an act supposed to belong to the Joe Wood office was made late last week through the United Booking Offices, which wanted Ajax to play in a Philadelphia theatre. The Wood agency recovered its turn, and the Auto boy is now appearing at the Wizard, Baltimore, placed by Wood. Several of the Keith-Proctor, Proctor, and Keith "picture houses," including the 125th Street Theatre, New York) are booked by Wood. When the Ajax incident was talked about, it brought remarks that the rela- tions between the Joe Wood office and the United seemed to be in danger of break- ing asunder, if one agency would attempt to "persuade" the acts from another it held business connections with at the time. In this instance it was mentioned that the United appeared to be "going after" the Wood houses as well, the smaller book- ing office having placed many acts for the Taylor A Kaufman circuit and its as- sociates before the United "copped" the Philadelphia people. As the daya fade into each other, the indications come up stronger with each succeeding sunset that any "alliance" be- tween the Joe Wood "small time" agency and the United Booking Offices is growing slimmer, in fact so slim that any moment now may see the tail of the "alliance" disappearing. If the Wood office and the F. F. Proc- tor end of the United are "allied" they have peculiar ways, for allies. It was but last week that the Proctor picture circuit "copped" the Banda Roma band from the Joe Wood people, just as the band was about to play Elizabeth. Wood secured another bunch of musicians, playing them under the Roma billing. This week the original band has been brought back to Elizabeth by Proctor. Joe Wood says Proctor raised the sal- ary of the band to $000, or $225 over the price he had contracted for. One result of the warfare, claims Wood, will be the increase of salaries, which won't displease acts. The "feeling" Proctor had for the band is said to have been the opposition he is encountering in Perth Amboy, where at- tractions are required weekly to offset the vaudeville offered there by the Feiber-Shea A Coutant Bijou. TAKING OVER BIGGER ACTS. The commencement of the "small time" playing "big acts" seems to have arrived. It was predicted before the season opened. At two "small time" houses, both booked through the Joe Wood office, "big acts" for that circuit, are appearing. The Montauk, Passaic, N. J., has Shean and Warren as the feature this week. At the Lincoln Square, which opened as a "combination" house last Monday, Eddie Clark and his "Winning Widows" head- line. Shean and Warren are engaged for one week only. Clark holds a contract from Wood calling for five consecutive weeks in New York. LOEW'S CHANGS HANDS. Loew's Theatre at New Rochelle changed hands this week. The Norgert Amusement Co. took over the property from Marcus Loew (of the People's Vaudeville Co.), who owns and has operated it with sev- eral styles of vaudeville entertainment. Possession will be given to the new owners on Nov. 15. Back of the corpora- tion, lately formed with a capital stock of $10,000, are Edw. S. Keller, the agent, and Jack Norworth. Mr. Keller will book the house from his agency, playing seven acts for the full week, two shows daily, admission up to fifty cents. ARTISTS NOW MANAGERS. Perry Ryan, formerly of the World's Trio, is partner in a new venture with Frank Evans under the firm name of Evans and Ryan. They are operating the Empire, Red Bank, N. J., playing moving pictures and three vaudeville acts. They formerly had a house. in Long Branch, which later passed to Walter Rosenberg. The Empire has a seating capacity of 1,000. O THE LYNN GOES IN. Lynn, Mass., Nov. 4. On Nov. 15 the Lynn Theatre will play the cheaper grade of vaudeville under the direction of M. Mark, who has taken over the house. Five or six acts will be employed, and placed through Fred Mardo, of the Wil- liam Morris Boston office. -TWO-DAILY" IN SOUTH NORWALK. Hoyt's Opera House at South Norwalk, Conn., is now playing two shows daily at 10-20-25, managed jointly by Jerome Ros- enberg and Joe Wood. Seven acts are the program. It is a week's stand. A decision was reached at the last mo- ment to continue the Jos. Weber "Merry Widow and the Devil" Co. In consequence Charles J. Stine and others in the com- pany, who were prepared to enter vaude- ville, have been induced to remain out with the show. Harry W. Armstrong, the composer and of Armstrong and Clark, has rejoined the staff of M. Witmark & Sons, the music publishers. It is denied that Mamie or May Reading of the Reading Sisters and Jack Inglis are married. FLORENCE BINDLEY. Who In now a «t«r attraction on the ORPHET M CIRCUIT, plajlng a return YandCTllle engagement, following a long absence from that field.