Variety (June 1910)

VARIETY CHARLES A. COUTANT DDES. While In bed at five a. m. Wednesday, Charles A. Coutant passed away. Mr. Coutant was the senior member of Peiber, Shea & Coutant, and secretary of the Bijou Circuit Co., under which style the firm operate their theatres. His death will affect the circuit. The deceased was about 60 years of age. He had been general manager for James McCrerry, opened the Qreenhut Store in New York City, and was very well known in commercial lines before retiring. He became interested with Feiber & Shea about two years ago. MAUDE ODELL AGAIN. After a long period of non-employment Maude Odell is back in vaudeville. Next week she is booked to play the Palace, Philadelphia, the transaction being com- pleted in the New York office of the Vaudeville and Moving Picture Cb. of America, The Palace is a "pop" establish- ment, but this sort of time is no new thing to Maudie. She will be at the American (theatre bill), New York, the week after. YONKERS INVADES NEW YORK. Can you beat that for nerve! A theat- rical promoter from Yonkers, almost a joke suburb of New York, has had the temerity to enter Manhattan Borough with a vaude- ville project The momentous move be- came known this week when plans were filed for the building of a $75,000 "pop" house at 11-13 West 116th Street. D. A. Doran of Yonkers is the Napoleon. PATHS LOSES A CHANCE. With a continental heaviness of enter- prise. Pa the Frtres, the French picture firm, lost their chance to be the first ex- hibitor of the pictures of the King's funeral in New York. The Vltagraph Co. of New York, had the honor among Patent Co.'s licensees, although the Barker Oo. showed a funeral release on the same day at Morris* American. The Vitagraph had its film at the Colonial. All the reels arrived last Friday. The Vitagraph Co. stock came over in a grip, carried by the photographer who had been sent over to make the picture on the spot. The Pathe concern trusted to the mails. When the film was sorted out after the boat's arrival, two important reels were missing, so the Pathe New York branch waited for the next mail boat to bring them in. It is estimated the delay won't cost Pathe over $60,000 in sales. The Vitagraph relase of the funeral was shown at the Williams theatres this week; also in the "Association" houses. The independent reel was seen at the Amer- ican and Hammerstein's. The picture of the procession made by the independent was the better liked. London, May 26. At the Palace next Friday a matinee will be given to show the pictures taken by the Urban Co. of the King's funeral. These pictures have the natural coloring. Colored films have been a feature at the Palace for some months. Alfred Butt, director of the Palace, ststes that the American rights for the colored pictures have been sold for $260,000. DAISY HAKCOURT'S SHOW. Next week at the Plaza, Daisy Har court, the English singer of songs, will appear at the head of her own company, expecially engaged for the occasion by Jos. Shea, who has taken the theatre from the William Morris Circuit on the per- centage plan. Besides Miss Harcourt will appear the Empire City Quartet, James J. Morton, "In the Subway," Buckner, Carleton Macy, assisted by Mrs. Clay demons, Hilton and Lewis, Great Higgins, and "The Pandora Girls." During the engagement Miss Harcourt will sing a new song, called "A Perfect Lady." She may follow the Plaxa stay with a run on the American Roof over the summer. Commencing June 13, Mr. Shea and Arthur Buckner will play the vaudeville at the Plaza under the percentage plan, the two agents putting in the bills. Pres- ent prices at the Plaza will prevail. Joe Shea wagered a hat with William Morris Tuesday that the Harcourt show would play to $5,000 at the Plaza next week. Morris is willing to wager that the Plaza has played to more gross for the past six weeks than the Fifth Ave- nue has during the same time. COMBINE BOOKING SERVICE. St. Louis, June 1. Thirty managers of picture houses playing vaudeville acta met here Tuesday and effected an organization with the ob- ject of securing better vaudeville bookings. They declare that by combination they will be able to secure a better grade of acts. They have agreed on a uniform scale of salaries. The present membership will be able to book for twelve weeks. The managers will be in session until late tomorrow. It is said they hope to line up a circuit of fifty houses in and around St. Louis. "The Defaulter" has been written by Dudley H. Clements, treasurer of' the Colonial. It is a piece with a dual role, to be played by Robert Cummings next season. Mr. Clements has a couple of other pieces in course of construction. He will take care of the box office at the Brighton Theatre this summer. INDEPENDENTS BAR "IMP." The independent picture movement which promised to progress in a less chaotic manner with recent organization of The Distributing and Sules Co., has been brought into .new foment as a result of promised arbitrary action of the Sales Co., which incated that business methods and a dictatorship which would equal the present attitude of the Patents Company would be eventually equalled if not sur- passed. Last week twelve manufacturers per- fected an organization, named the Asso- ciated Independent Film Manufacturers, at a meeting in New Yoqfc. Edwin Thanhauser was the moving spirit in the deal, which promises twelve releases weekly to exchanges registered under the National Independent Moving Picture Alliance. The Associated managers are Thanhauser, Nester, Fk-lair, Actophone, Carson, Kinegraph, American, Columbia, Capital, Cines, Lux and (ireat Northern. All these manufacturers had up to the meeting representation in the Distributing and Sales Co. That corporation now con- trols only the products of Powers, Imp, Bison, Ambrosia, Italia, and its own "films d'art," representing nine releases weekly. The split was brought about over the ac- tion of Imp in declaring that all films of its manufacture would go forward C. O. I), at once, without waiting until June 1, when under the Sales Co. agreement, pay- ments on delivery could be exacted from rental agencies. Pittsburg, June 1. An important meeting of rental men and a few manufacturers was held here last week upon a sudden call, issued by three officers of the National Independent Alli- ance, an organization which many supposed had become nullified by the formation of the Sales Co. Fifteen men were present, representing exchanges east and west. \\ithin half an hour after they got to- gether orders for Imp releases through the Sales Co. were cancelled, and it was agreed that Imp films would hereafter be barred. It is stated that all the Powers films will be cancelled by most of the renters re- maining in the Alliance. TOM A HANLON. Id Borne ExcIuhItc Male Types. George B. De Vere has been re-engaged with "The Travelling Salesman" for next LEONARD HICKS. LEONARD HICKS recently, succeeded Boy ft*-!*-** aa manager of the 8ARATOOA HOTEL. CHIC AGO Mr. Hicka waa formerly connected with the hotH as chief clerk for aeTen yean Two year* a*"> be entered theatricals and sue ceaafnlly toured tto country aa a "Jail breaker." Leonard baa a multitude of friends, and la of aiicneea at ate mm post of duty. ■fakinf a bis hit oo the blf time at a bl« salary Sole direction, PAT CART, sad Wat L. LYKEN8. JOE WOOD UNDER SUSPICION. Joe Wood, the energetio "small time" agent with the big office on 42d Street, fell under the eyes of the police this week. It wate nothing serious, and Joe received some free advertising for his own original plan of displaying all bookings on a "board" along one side of his main office. When Mr. Wood first commenced his "nmall time" campaign, managers were impressed upon calling at his office to see the array of houses and bills written out and plastered on a long board in uniform style. It made a formidable array. Since those days Joe lost the "small timers" and the board went out of employ- ment for awhile, but it is back, stronger than ever in his new quarters. One board stretching along the south wall of the offices contains names of over forty theatres with shows ahead for three weeks. In the Wood agency are two tele- phone switches with about eight exten- sions to each, besides a couple of boot ha for long distance calls. The Captain of the precinct the Wood office is in stood outside the large plate window bearing "Joe Wood" the other day. He heard many telephone bells ring- ing. Looking up he saw the "sheets," and walked into the office on a tour of in- spection. Opposite the names of "singles" and "teams," written as only some of Joe Wood's assistants can write them, the Captain caught "8. N.," "B. L. K.," "K. K. E.," and so on. "A pool room with a new system, eh?" remarked the alert policeman to himself, as he walked over to Joe's desk. Mr. Wood asked the Captain what was wanted, and then went through an explanation as though the police officials were the Com- missioner of Licenses. When it waa over, the Captain congratulated Joe upon hav- ing a perfect booking system, but told him he thought at first It was "booking on horses." The big point in Wood's favor In the eiplanation was that everyone around the 42d Street corner knows that Wood's of- fice is open all night and "the ponies" don't run in the dark. Any morning lately when the crowds have been watching for the phony comet to show, Joe Wood and his staff have been "arranging bills" from 8 p. m. until 0:30 a. m. Then Wood has a r up of coffee sent in, closes his eyes to pretend he is just waking up, and goes to work on the day's business. He sleeps every Sunday afternoon, between two and three. Monday Slight Mr. Wood grabbed an evening off. Ka^orted by hit* staff, and featuring the guest of honor, William 1'ox (who book* through the Wood agency), the bunch visited the American Hoof fJarden, when* Mr. Wood figured out for tin- benefit of Mr. Vox what the .\tuerii-iin hill would <-out at the Wood f,l■\\t■<\^^\l^ (it j»i m-i-v $15,ooo FIRE AT "VANITY FAIR." Itovidence, .June 1. A Memornil Day fire did $!.'>,<MX) dam »;'(n at Vanity Kajr. It start«d along a board walk from a cigarette butt. It »!<t< ;t<l for 200 feet and communicated wild adjoining booth*. Tl<<- buildings destroyed included ahow booth*, photograph and ahooting gallery. 1 he ioaa falls on Proprietor I>«j Mayer of the park and Is covered by insurance.