Variety (February 1910)

VARIETY ALIBI TO STOCKHOLDERS. It is understood that when the stock- holders of the I. B. A. meet on Feb. 15 to consider the expulsion of Feiber, Shea & Coutant, that firm will attempt to show that they have lived up to their agree- ment technically since they left the es- tablishment. The houses in Bayonne, Orange, Perth Amboy and New Brunswick are owned by the firm, and all contracts entered into for them are sent to the I. B. A. to be registered and commissions are turned in in conformance with the agreements ex- isting between the I. B. A. and Feiber, ^Shea & Ooutant. Such is not the case with the three Keeney houses (Binghamton, N. Y.j Third Avenue, New York City, and New Britain, Conn.). Neither is that procedure fol- lowed with the Bruggeman houses or the William Penn, Philadelphia. These are booked through Charles FitzPatrick. It is claimed that Feiber, Shea & Coutant may do this Under their agreement, for the houses last named belong to other parties and are only booked through Feiber, Shea & Coutant, and that firm may place the bookings where it pleases. The presumption is that F., S. & C. expect in this way to block an effort to force the forfeiture of their bond of $1,000. FAST WORK. There is a natural rivalry in the bid- ding for business between Joe Wood and the Western Vaudeville Exchange. It resulted late last week in two sets of shows being sent to Trenton, N. J., where the Trenton Amusement Co., operates three theatres, playing four acts each. That brought twenty-four acts to Tren- ton where only twelve could be used. The outcome was a general scramble for work among the artists, and those who were the most successful in convinc- ing the managers of their talent, worked the week out. The others returned. The Trenton people, after notifying Wood to book the three places suddenly wired him Saturday afternoon that the arrangements were all off and that the Western Exchange would supply the at- tractions. By that time Wood says he was not able to reach his acts and warn them not to go to Trenton. He was suc- cessful in stopping only one. The rest of them went on and some of them went to work. Joe went to Trenton Monday and upon his return declared that he had been reinstated as booking agent for the local concern. The lightning agent "jumped" to Al- bany Tuesday evening in an effort to pbeat his opposition to a meeting of a dozen small time managers who had con- vened in that city to talk over booking methods and sources. Wood also ex- hibited a dispatch from Baltimore author- izing him to supply vaudeville shows for the New Wilson which opens next Monday. MAY NOT PLAY. Chicago, Feb. 2. Chiquita, who was to headline at the Star next week, may not appear. Man- ager Thomas Carmody discovered quar- ter sheets of her announcing that she was to play Swanson's, a picture house, with "pop* 1 vaudeville, in the immediate neighborhood. Chiquita has been booked for the Haymarket week of Feb. 14. DIVIDENDS DECLARED. The United States Printing Go's direc- tors were in session in Jersey City several days last week. A dividend of 12 per cent, was declared on the U. S. Playing Card Co., owned by the printing concern. The latter corporation, according to one of the directors, was in a position to pay a dividend of 7 per cent. * ANOTHER ROOF FEATURE. Walter Rosenberg, our promising young theatrical promoter, lias a new sensa- tion for his New York Roof 10-15-25 show. Recently it was "The Oriental Rose," who wore little clothes and thought she could dance. This time it is a freak team who. according to all reports, perform artistic marvels in the line of sword swallowing. Walter has signed contracts with the act for four consecutive weeks as the feature of the Roof. "The Oriental Rose" remains in the aerial resort. Prince Charm in i is the name of the new sensation and Rosen- berg, abetted by Joe Leo, "discovered" him in a Fourteenth Street moving picture establishment. Rosenberg holds the Roof on a five-year lease, renewable annually, but the rent runs on a sliding scale so that for the final years it is almost prohibitive. The enterprise has been immensely successful so far. PUBLISHER SELLS OUT. The Charles K. Harris Music Publish- ing Co., this week took over the property or Trebuhs Publishing Co., a concern in which the Shuberts were interested. Its catalog was made up of "production" numbers. The stock and rights had been for sale for some days. OPERA AT MONTE CARLO. Paris, Jan. 22. Much interest was shown in musical circles over the production of Chekri- Ganem's four act lyrical drama "Antar," at the Monte Carlo casino—not in the roulette rooms, but in the theatre adjoin- ing. It is understood that as a rule that when a man has a new opera played at this ultra chic establishment there is some influential personage behind him. In the present instance it is M. Antoine, the manager of the Paris Odeon. The new play is based on incidents in the life of Antar, a sixth century Arab war- rior-poet, and his death from a poisoned arrow shot by a blind man. The music, adapted from the works of Rimsky- Korsakoff, is appropriate to the drama. There is a fire dance in third act by Mme. Mnta Hara. This is remarkable, but the small stage spoiled the imposing effects. ANOTHER "POP" FOR BUFFALO. Buffalo, Feb. 2. Mark & Brook, recent purchasers of the Academy, have secured a lease on the property at Washington Street and Broad- way, where Lynn's Museum was conducted for several years. They will expend $60,000 in reconstructing the building, con- verting it into a picture and "pop" vaude- ville house with a capacity of 1,000. JOHN L. DENIES. Boston, Feb. 2. John L. Sullivan, who is the feature at the Howard this week, is wroth at the re- port from Akron. O., that he is shining up to a Utica, N. Y., widow with a view to matrimony. The report came here from \kron, where the "Big Fellow" played previous to his Boston booking. LILLIAN SHAW. The pictures which adorn the title page this week represent Lillian Shaw, a tal- ented dialect singing comedienne, who has won her way to enviable prominence among American vaudeville stars through sheer force of her own endeavors, backed by unquestioned talent. Within the past few years her progress has been accomplished by leaps and bounds. From minor positions on vaude- ville programs she has climbed to the headliner class, and is now featured wher- ever she appears. An ability to sing dialect songs in a different manner readily places Miss Shaw in a class unto herself. Miss Shaw's popularity with New York audiences may be judged by the fact that when she recently appeared at the Co- lonial she was retained for a second week as the feature of the bill. This week Miss Shaw is featured at Hammerstein's, and during the rest of the season will play return dates in houses on the United time where she has already appeared during the past few months. Miss Shaw's songs, rendered in several different dialects, are her exclusive prop- erty, written especially for her by Irving Berlin and protected under the new copy- right ruling. SEEK ACTOR IN MURDER CASE. Chicago, Feb. 2. Walter S. Barnes, a former actor and playwright, is occupying considerable space in the local papers. He is charged with shooting his wife Aletta Barnes and her mother, Mrs. Servoss in their rooms at the Wychmere Hotel here. Barnes is being sought by the Chicago police and his description has been sent broadcast to the authorities throughout the country. Barnes played the Majestic the week of Nov. 15, with an act called "The Burglar," the act did three shows a day. His wife, until recently, was a member of "The Girl from Chili," a musical show which had a short life. Up to date the police have been unablo to locate him. CASINO'S FIRST SHOW. Washington, Feb. 2. The first program of the new Casino, opening Monday at 10-20-30, was headed by Frank Bush. Others were Geo. Lauder, Gladys Van, Russell & Morgan's Min- strels, Country Choir, Callen and Neiman and others. William Morris has the booking. Margaret Kearney, two-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Kearney (Kear- ney and Hayes), died in Chicago Jan, £7, of pneumonia. STRIKE PREVENTS MOVING. A general strike of the steamfitters may hold up many removals info the new Columbia Theatre Building. A number of radiators on the premises can not Ihj placed in position through the grievances of the workmen. It is dnily expected that the labor troubles will be settled. Many pros- pective tenants are awaiting it. A SELF-MADE MANAGES TO HIS BOOKING AGENT BY J. A. MURPHY. (MURPHY AND WILLAED.) (The nineteenth of a series by Mr. Murphy, de tailing the hypothetical reports and trials of a "small time" manager.) East Cranberry, O., Feb. 1. Dear Mike: — Well, that Brindamour feller that you sent me for this week's special extra added attraction feature, does some right slick tricks. I couldn't ketch on to how he gets out of that paper bag, and he wouldn't tell me, neither. He carries a regular iron jail cell along with him, and he gets out without unlocking it. I knew there was a trick in it somewhere, so I came back on the stage after the acters had gone home to see if I could find out what it was. I kept fool in' around lookin' tor loose bolts 'till the door slammed shut and durned if I hadn't locked myself in the cell and couldn't get out. I thumped and yelled and made a lot of noise, but I couldn't wake up the night watchman. I suppose I would have had to stay there all night but my wife happened to come in to get some face grease from the women's dressing room. She went and got Green, who is a jail keeper, for Brindamour, but he wouldn't let me out 'till I gave him a contract for another week at ten dollars more. The jail and the rest of the junk took up so much stage that the rest of the troop hardly had room to act. I asked Jim Cole, the Irish Yodler, if he couldn't give his show in front of the street scene curtain. He said he could if I had a big enough apron. I told him if he wanted an apron he could go get one himself, it keeps me busy enough now making spank paddles out of barrel staves and lugging in squirt bottles and durned if I am going to furnish aprons for the acters. Crupper, Hames and Co. wrote in ahead of themselves that they wanted a box set. They didn't say where they wanted it set, so I got a packing box and set it in the middle of the stage, but that wasn't what they wanted at all. They wanted a whole durned house built. Tommy Heffron, that does a one-legged song and dance with a crutch, took right good, but came near losing his crutch through a knot hole in the stage boards. I stuffed a rag in the hole, which will last till I can nail some tin over it. Effle Hyke, that performs on the rolling globe, carries a feller along to hand her bottles and knives to juggle with. She says he is her cousin. My drum player quit last week on ac- count of running away with my daughter. They are going to do a silafone act to- gether. My wife wasn't mad a bit. She said he was an awful good lookin' young feller and deserved to get along. She says they have gone to Texas, and will play all the first class Airdrums and are booked solid. T asked one of the troop what an air drum was, and he said it was a theatre without any roof or sides. I got a new drum player out of the town band, but he can't play afternoons as he has a job in the cheese factory. He thumps ^ the drum when he oughtn't to and has a lot of trouble with the acters. I am glad you are sending Millie Lanude next week, as I will get a chance to get back that money I lent her. Adam Sotoerguy.