Variety (February 1911)

8 VARIETY STOCK WITH PICTURES. Perth Amboy, N. J., Feb. 1. Starting Monday the Bijou theatre of Feiber ft Shea, New York, will give a stock play with a company of nine people, also moving pictures and il- lustrated songs, for an admission of 10-20. The stock piece will be con- densed versions of the better known comedies, to run about seventy-five minutes. It is an experiment. This town has 30,000 population. The Keith ft Proctor vaudeville stock company at the East 125th St. house, comprising four people, closes its season tomorrow night and the scheme will be abandoned. GOING WITH THE OTHERS. Chicago, Feb. 1. Starting Feb. 20, the Star r will Join the other Jones, Linick & Schaeffer houses in the Frank Q. Doyle booking agency. The Star has been receiving its bills through the Western Vaude- ville Association since the firm took the house over, the Association having previously booked it when a Kohl prop- erty. The Columbia and Empire, Milwau- kee, which have been entertaining dra- matic stork, are returning to vaude- ville, and will be Doyle-booked. CONEY HOLMES IN "ASS'N." Chicago, Feb. 2. Walter De Oria, who has been book- ing several small time theatres as an employee of the W. V. M. A., was un- fortunate enough to have a letter which he had written to John J. Mur- dock come back to the "Eleventh Floor" because the postage stamp had fallen off. In the regular order of business the letter reached Chas. E. Bray's desk, and the investigation which Mr. Bray started forthwith ended in De Oria being given an opportunity to mail the letter all over again, as an independ- ent individual in search of work. Coney Holmes, who has for a long time been booking theatres from of- fices in the Chicago Opera House Building, succeeded Mr. De Oria at the Association Monday morning. SOUTHERN AIKDOME CIRCUIT. New Orleans, Feb. 1. The coming summer will see a cir- cuit of airdomes in the south, pro- jected by B. J. Williams, of Mobile, and Jack Terace and Arthur B. Leo- pold, of this city. Sites have been secured in Scranton, Biloxi, C.ulfport, Hatttesburg, Lowell, McComb City, and Mobile. SHEEDY ADDS TO STRING. The Sheedy Agency has added three new houses to the string of theatres that are booking through that office. The new additions are the Empire, Lewlston, Me.; Jefferson, Portland, Me., and the Colonial, Newport, R. I. The Colonial is a new theatre and will be dedicated to vaudeville, opening next Monday. The house in Lewlston was opened this week playing five acts three shows dally. The Jefferson, Portland, will swing into Hoe Feb. 13, with the same policy. CUTTING OUT STANDEES. Since Monday when a meeting be- tween managers and the fire commis- sioner occurred, there have been no standees in New York theatres dur- ing performances. Late last week the commissioner issued an order prohib- iting admission, without a seat cou- pon being sold. It was not accepted seriously for the first two days, a similar order given out through the department some time ago having quickly become a dead letter. At the Monday conclave, however, the com- missioner declared himself. The effect will fall somewhat heav- ily upon the "small time" theatres, although in the larger vaudeville the- tres where there Is a big drawing at- traction, the loss will be considerable. It may, in houses where the order Is felt by reason of the attraction, amount to between $1,200 and $1,500 The ruling was brought about by the Appellate Division declaring that tie lobby "behind the raHing" or the "standing room" was an aisle in law, and nfi such by virtue of the fire regu- lations, must be kept clear. The decision was handed down in the case of the City against the Dewey theatre. William Fox appealed from a fine of $50 for a "violation." Other managers when charged with viola- tions in the past have cheerfully paid, balancing the $50 for the once-in-a- while violation as a cheap offset to the extra revenue derived from the standees, especially upon holidays, Sat- urdays and Sundays. Mr. Fox's ap- peal may prove a very expensive one for him, as well as for the other New York managers affected by it. FORM BOOKING TRIO. Boston, Feb. 1. A trio of booking agencies have been formed by the massing of the Sheedy agency in New York with the Flynn Circuit of New England Parks, and the Jeffe Davis agency in Bos- ton. There will be a mutual exchange of bookings allowed each agent to play acts the year around. It was rumored this week that the Sheedy agency, New York, was also in communication with Philadelphia which would give it a connection, if conFummated, from New England through to the Middle West and the south. BIJOU, KINGSTON, SWITCHES. Kingston, N. Y., Feb. 1. The Bijou has switched its bookings to the Family Department of the United Booking Office. The change in bookings took effect last Monday. LOEW GETS ONE IN CAMBRIDGE. The new "pop" house of large seat- ing capacity in Cambridge, Mass., opens Feb. 6, playing seven acts and pictures, booked by the Loew agency. Arthur Reece, a foreigner, Is due to open at the American, New York, Feb. 27. Clark and Hamilton, the Eng- lish couple, should arrive on the Lusi- tanla this week to commence a re- turn trip over the Morris time. There Is a new woman In the latter turn. ONE TOWN SETTLED. Youngstown, O., Feb. 1. The vaudeville opposition in this town has been removed through the pooling of the Park and Princess. In the arrangement as reached between the managements, it is understood that Feiber ft Shea, of New York (Park) have the sole direction of both thea- tres. Fitch ft Hanltch are managers of the Princess, which commenced play- ing pictures, only, Monday. The Park continues with vaudeville. H. H. Feiber was in Youngstown a couple of weeks ago, when the under- standing must have been started or reached. 44 PARTNERS SPLIT. Beginning with this week the firm of Hennessy & Rostock i*n the Putnam Building is no more. "Young" Hen- nessy will continue in the agency busi- ness. Bostock is to take a long de- ferred "honeymoon" with his wife, pro- fessionally known as Irene Dillon, af- ter March 24, on which date he will give up his desk in the Hennessy of- fice. Another agency separation announc- ed for this week was that of Wllshin & Sanders. ANOTHER FOR GLENS FALLS. Glens Falls, N. Y., Feb. 1. Plains have been filed here for a combination vaudeville and picture house with a seating capacity of 1,- 000 to be built on Park avenue. The house is to be a two-story brick and stone structure, costing in the neigh- borhood of $22,000. William Scales is the architect. GERTRUDE IIOLMKS Mfas Holmes la of Holmes and Buchanan, who arc playing "A Woodland Wooing-" at Ml. Vernon and Yonkers (N. Y.) this week. Mr. Byers, of Byers and Herman, feels aggrieved. Years ago he was a wire walker with a circus, carrying on his back Miss Hillie Burke, now an established star in the legitimate un- der the direction of Charles Frohman. He met Miss Burke on the street the other day and attempted to greet her; but she did not recall him. Skigie" Drops in at the Plaza The "Kid Critic" Says Charles Richman's New Sketch is Funny, and that Cliff Gor- don Is the Best German He Ever Saw Wilton Bros, are fair. They do a bunch of stunts on the bars. Once in a while they do a good trick. The comedian is the best fellow 1 n the act. They went fair. Ed- die Foley sings a couple of songs about school. I don't think s o much of him as a comedian. His songs are not very good. He took one bow and then came back and sang a song that saved him. Bert Leslie's Players, I saw them at the Lincoln Square, about three weeks ago. The act is very funny and he gets off a lot of good stuff. The act went very well. Violet MacMlllan has a very good act. She sings some very good songs. She also uses the spot-light. She does some changes and she does them very quick. She went very big. The Roberty Dancers are fair. The little fellow in white does some good dancing. I don't think so much of the others as dancers. They do all this fancy stuff and it takes too long to do it. The little kid can certainly do some dancing, and if it wasn't for him the act wouldn't be any good. They went very well. Cliff Gordon is certainly funny. lie is the best German I ever saw. He says some great stuff. He went very big. Gennaro has almost got a band. He has got the Stars and Stripes holding up for him at the end of the act. Dill and Ward certainly can dance. The girl makes five changes. She does some good dancing. They went very well. Chas. Richman has a very funny act. The kid in the act Is very good. The girl is also very good. There Is a lot of good laughs in it. It went very big. Arthur Aldridge is very good. All of his songs are sad. but he can sing them. He went very well. The "Pullman Porter Maids" are very good. They sing some good songs. They went very well. Daisy Harcourt Is very good. She sings some good songs. She went very big "Three Maids From Sals." The act is like shadows. They do all kinds of dances. Kitty Gordon has not yet signed with William Morris. It looked that way Saturday, but she arrived at an understanding with the United Book- ing Office and will play Buffalo next week, with perhaps other weeks to follow.