Variety (February 1910)

VARIETY 5 LOEW ENTERPRISES ASSUME FORMIDABLE PROPORTIONS The Acquisition by the Peoples' Vaudeville Co., of Six Big Theatres from the Stair & Havlin Chain, Gives It Tremendous Importance. In the Vaudeville World. ft I Announcement was made at the offices of the Loew Enterprises, Inc. (formerly copies' Vaudeville Co.) this week that that concern had taken over the opera5 tion of six dramatic theatres formerly booked by the Stair & Havlin offices, and would convert them into popular priced vaudeville and moving picture establish- ments, modeled on the plan of the Majestic, New York, also a Loew prop- erty. This means that the Loew Enterprises will shortly have fifteen weeks of time to offer artists, will play bills averaging up to the medium priced standard and will be in a position, should occasion arise, immediately to line up a strong circuit tor offense or defense against any associa- tion of managers. These points are im- portant in the light of the United stand of Wednesday. The theatres which are to pass to the Loew control are: Empire, Pittsburg, opening Feb. 14. Heuck's, Cincinnati, opening Feb. 21. Baker, Rochester, opening Feb. 21. Able, Easton, Pa., Feb. 21. (•lobe, Chicago, opening Feb. 28. Cleveland, Cleveland opening March 7. It is worth noting that this develop- ment marks the first movement of the People's Co., to acquire houses away from the immediate vicinity of New York. It i? known that the firm has almost un- limited capital back of it, and its future operations are being guessed at with a good deal of interest, not to say anxiety, by showmen. Although the officials of the Loew Co.,- would not say so, it is understood that this list will be added to from time to time until pretty much all of the cheaper of the Stair & Havlin houses will be aligned under their direction, amounting to 20 in all. In addition to which the Casino, 124th Street and Seventh Avenue (near Williams' Alhambra), will open under the People's direction as soon as al- teration* have been completed. Already the People's is hooking more than 100 acts each week, manv of them at substantial salaries and additions will increase this total almost weekly, in the opinion of shrewd theatrical men. The Stair & Havlin "pop" deal became known several weeks ago. W. C. Bcttis and other parties secured an option on lhe same houses, but sufficient capital could not be brought together in time to close it. Whereupon other offers were reeeived by the S. & H. people. The l.oew offer was the most advantageous and it was immediately accepted. Joseph Schenck, general manager of the l.oew concern, said this week. "We will tontinuc to book from our own offices, with Mr. Louis Wesley in charge of the route sheets. The present scheme is to organize a vaudeville company of six acts and send it around the out-of-New York houses intact. The same general policy as that followed at the Majestic will be pursued—that is to say, six acts and moving pictures with an admission scale from 15 to 26 cents." Philadelphia, Feb. 2. Rumors of all sorts filled the small time atmosphere here this week, but while they forecasted important developments there was nothing that could be taken or given as absolutely authentic. That "something big" is on the verge of break- ing seems a certainty. It was reported that differences had arisen between the United and Taylor and Kaufman, the principal local booking agents, and relations had reached a stage of disruption. It was said that the decidedly mixed condition of affairs in this city and a disagreement over commis- sion was the cause of the break. I. Kaufman, of the agency, went to New York today to confer with the U. B. O. officials. There was another report circulated that Fred G. Nixon-Nirdlinger, who has the lease of the Park and People's, de- voted to pictures and vaudeville, intended merging with a corporation for the pur- pose of going into the pictures and cheap vaudeville game on a large scale. Mr. Nixon-Nirdlinger stated that he knew of no such a move. He said that his two houses and the Wilson house of Baltimore booked in conjunction and there were a couple more with which there was simply an understanding regarding bookings ex- isting. There have been symptoms of an out- break in the small time territory notice- able for some time as reported previously in Variety. Acts have been notified if they played the Park and People's they would be blacklisted by the Taylor and Kaufman agency. LIBERTY DELAYED. The Liberty, a property just built by Al. II. Woods in East New York (Brook- lyn), was not open last week accord- ing 10 schedule. A strike has tied the l.uilding operations up and the delay is likely to continue indefinitely. A show was hooked into the house for last week through the office of William J. t«anc. hut it had to he cancelled at the last minute. SPEAKS OF HARLEM. It was said this week that W. W. Mil- ler, of the William Penn. Philadelphia', had secured an option on the property consisting of a row of brown stone resi- dences on the south side 116th Street just west of Lenox Avenue. These would be torn down, it was said, and a theatre of 4,000 capacity erected, with a small, narrow entrance from Lenox Avenue also. AS TO OPPOSITION. Those who are in touch with the vaude- ville game are wondering what will be the ultimate outcome of the opening of the new Tremont, in the Bronx under the management of Louis Beck. Under the present frame up acta will be supplied by the United's Family Depart- ment. "But," argue the self constituted investigators and prognostics tors "the Tremont is almost within stone's throw of Percy G. Williams' Bronx Theatre." Arguing from this premise, the curious wonder if Mr. Williams may not figure the house as opposition (it is to pay $700 weekly for its bills, and has 1,000 capacity), and make a demand upon the United to have it declared "opposition," particularly if prominent acts are slipped in. SPRINGER GOES IN FOR "POP." The name of John H. Springer, which has for so long been associated with the destinies of the Grand Opera House, New York, has been added to the galaxy of moving picture and "pop" vaudeville magnates. On Jan. 27 he opened the old Flushing (L. I.) theatre as Springer's Flushing Theatre, charging decidedly popular prices. SETTLING SALT LAKE. Salt Lake, Feb. 2. Waller Hoff Seeley, western manager for William Morris, western, is expected here today to confer with Samuel New- house over plans for the new Morris thea- tre to be erected 'here. A definite decision regarding the erection of the theatre will probably be reached this week. If the contract is closed work will proceed at once to erect a fine theatre. Martin Beck passed through Ogden re- turning east today. MURD0CK IN THE UNITED. Just on going to press a report coming from good authority states that J. J. Murdock will replace E. F. Albee as gen- eral manager of the United Booking Of- fices, taking up his duties in the course of the next two weeks. The idea that Martin Beck and William Morris have come to some agreement is said to have had direct bearing in the matter. HEBREWS OBJECT TO HEBREWS. Cincinnati, Feb. 2. The Hebrews of Cincinnati are follow- ing their brethren of Cleveland in object- ing to Hebrew impersonating acts in vaudeville, on the ground that they carica- ture the Hebrew. Listening to the noise made, the Or- pheum has written the American Israelite, that it will engage no more Hebrew acts. VAUDE ON STATEN ISLAND AGAIN. The Richmond Theatre at Tompkins ville, Staten Tsland, has gone over to mov- ing pictures and vaudeville. Five, 10 or 20 cents secures locations. Previously stock dramatic productions were given at that house. The Shuberts closed the tour of Cha->. (herrv, in "The Bachelor," last Satur.l.iv night and brought the company into \< w York. HAIL, FRA ELBERTUS! Announcement was made late this week that during bis trip west Martin Beck bad signed^ contracts for an appearance on the Orpheum Circuit by Elbert Hub bard, editor of The Philistine and Lec- turer. He starts March 14, at the Ma- jestic, Chicago. Mr. Beck had been itr negotiation with the East Aurora, N. Y. y sage, for several months. His vaudeville offering will be called "Heart to Heart Talks." AN INTER-CITY AGENT. As a hustling young agent, you have to give it to Joe Leo. He moved into an office in the Long Acre Building a few months ago and didn't even own his desk. A month later he had another office and drew rent for the original desk. Beside which he was supplying some seventy houses with "small" acts. Now he is spreading out further. On Monday evening he left for Boston to open a branch office in that town. Sev- eral Boston agents have invited Joe to be- come a New York representative, but Joe figured that if such a position were worth while, he could be his own New York agent for Boston, where there is a large number of picture houses and an equally large demand for small priced acts. Leo's scheme is to go out after business in the Hub and book it under five or ten-week contracts from New York, while a rep- resentative handles the Boston end. MRS. PAT STILL IN DOUBT. The negotiations between the Patrick Agency and Mrs. Patrick Campbell are still hanging fire. Mrs. Pat has dis- covered a new difficulty every time the "scouts" (under the personal direction of Bill Lykens) have met her last. But Bill hasn't given up hope yet and vaudeville may yet resound to the echo of the emo- tional actress's anguish, for let it be known that when Mrs. Pat gets on an artistic anguish something is certain to resound. An unconfirmed rumor was abroad later in the week that Mrs. Pat was negotiating with Morris. INCORPORATING FOX CIRCUIT. According to a report the Fox Circuit was incorporated last wek. On the cir- cuit are the Dewey and Gotham, the Sul- livan-Kraus theatres. Under the corpora- tion scheme it is said that all members of the company formed received a quota of stock denoting the interest held in the corporation. The Fox company was in negotiation, according to rumor, with Stair &, Havlin to take over the bookings, if not the operation, of the S. & II. theatres in- tended for the popular-priced vaudeville chain. Nothing could he obtained on this. The weekly salary list of the Fox shows has been iniTcasod about $160 of late, with iii'in' rn.stly features on the pro- grams. Within a short time five more houses are t>» !>•• placed under Mr. Fox's direction, one report tells, without locating the I !■•-.-• t res. M.irxey and Leo are at the American, Newark, N. .J., next week, starting their ■cnnul season with William Morris.