Variety (April 1911)

8 VARIETY WANT AMERICAN NOVELTY. Jacques Charles, who will manage the Olympia, Paris, after August 1, arrived in New York last week on the Oceanic. Mr. Charles is making his first visit to this country and will remain here about five weeks, taking in several of the larger eastern towns going as far west as Chicago. The new Olympia manager has no definite idea about booking. The American trip was planned with the view of returning a big feature to the l'arls house for the opening under the new regime. This is rather an innovation in vaudeville, an European manager com- ing to America in search of novelties. The shoe has always been on the other foot. American managers have gone to Europe in bunches each season looking for features. r E. Rottenberg, representing Sherek & Braff, the Ixxndon agents, is in New York, and will remain over here for a short time. Mr. Rottenberg says he is here just to look around. TWO VAUDEVILLIANS FOK WOODS Harry Fox has contracted to appear in the new Eddie Foy show A. H. Woods will prepare for next season. Rehearsals commence in August. Mr. Fox has canceled his European vaude- ville contracts. The Millership Sisters MARIE STONE. With FKANK STAFFORD AND CO.. In 'A HUNTER'S GAME." Will, after nn absence of three months on the Orpheum Circuit, piny an engRKement of four weeks In New York City, opening Mon- flnv, Al'RII, 3. nt the COLONIAL. are included in the ^ oods-Fox agree- ment. The Foy piece will be a musical version of "The Man From Mexico." Mr. Woods has also signed Ceo. Thatcher, the minstrel, to assume a role in "The Littlest Rebel," in which Woods will present the Farnums. WALTER'S WAY. Monday was the worst day's busi- ness recorded at the Savoy since Wal- ter Rosenberg assumed the manage- ment of that playhouse. Tuesday Ro- senberg purchased a new automobile guaranteed to go eighty miles an hour. There's no tellint? whnt Walter would have purchased had business been good.. ♦♦SNAKE OIL** ON BROADWAY. On the window of a little half of a store at Broadway and Twenty- ninth street 1b a sign reading "Dia- mond Back Snake Oil." Further in- formation says a bottle is fifty cents, and a dozen bottles may be purchased at a cut rate. During the day there is a "bally- hoo" outside. New Yorkers seem to be steady purchasers, as the outfit has been in the store for two or three weeks now. « "Snake oil," as all countrified citi- zens who cherish their fireplaces have heard, is almost guaranteed to cure all ills. "Diamond Back Snake Oil" nat- urally should be much better than plain "Snake Oil." Anyway, it's slip- pery enough to land on Broadway. ANOTHER "MONK" GONE. "Alfred, the Great," one of the "monks" which came to light at the time of the craze, died at New Or- leans, last week, after an Illness of two weeks. "Alfred" is the third or fourth of the animals to succumb to the Amer- ican climate. PERCY'S LONG WALK. San Francisco, March 29. Percy Denton, well known in vau- deville on both sides of the water, has the latest "freak stunt" for vaude- ville. Denton, who bashfully admits having passed through forty-eight summers, intends leaving here Satur- day and work his way to New York, accepting engagements in vaudeville or otherwise on the way through. Denton will carry a set of slides as well as a press agent and boom the 1915 World's Fair while going through the country. A well known hotel proprietor here has arranged a wager to make the trip Interesting. The conditions are that Denton must neither beg, bor- row nor steal on the way. Leaving San Francisco the long dis- tance singer will sell his photographs, Mayor McCarthy having promised to purchase the first. The proceeds will take Denton to Oakland, where he will sing the first two nights at a cafe. From Oakland the vaudevillian will proceed south and work his way through Texas. One firm has presented Denton with two khaki suits, while another has promised to supply the shoes. Den- ton says he will bill himself as "the man who sang his way from Frisco to New York. ,M Immediately upon his arrival there, Percy will Jump right into a Broadway show (which of course sounds easy away out here). The trip Is expected to last about three months. "IDEAL BILLS" HELD UP. The Judge of Varietv/s recent Ideal Bill competition, William Morris, stat- ed this week he had been unable to give his time, as yet, to a selection of those bills to lie adjudged the prize winners. About next week, said Mr. Morris, he thought the selection could be made. BRENNAN BILL HEARING. Albany, N. Y., March 29. Owing to the fire at the capital last night, the hearing on the Brennan BUI, with others, has been adjourned for two weeks. A hearing will be given to-day on the Btennan Bill, which affects the present Agency Law, through amend- ing it. A committee of White Rats is expected; also representatives of the larger agencies in New York. The Rats are opposed to the amended measure. The Rats retained ex-assemblyman Green to represent them. STILL ANOTHER DISAPPOINTMENT Herbert Kelcey and Effle Shannon, who have been most unfortunate in their selection of material for vaude- ville consumption, this season, are suf- fering another failure with the new sketch they are "trying out" at Union Hill this week. Their present vehicle is a one act farce by Grace Livingston Furness en- titled "Music in the Air," and has been found to be unsulted to their per- sonalities, more especially that of Mr. Kelcey. As a result it will be with- drawn on Saturday night. KEITH, "THE FITTEST." Cincinnati, March 29. In the program of the Columbia theatre this week there appears the usual page announcement of the com- ing week's attractions. Adorning the centre of the page is a good sized por- trait of B. F. Keith with a sub-title underneath which reads as follows: "The survival of the fittest." A KOHL HEIR BORN. Chicago, March 29. A son was born to Mr. and Mrs. Charles E. Kohl last Saturday. MAUDE LILLIAN BERRI. Maude Lillian Berrl, whose pictures appear on the front page of this issue, is the bright particular star of "Cupid in Kilts," next week at the Colonial, New York. She is assisted In pre- senting this clever operetta by Harry Griffiths and her Scotch Laddies. The music and lyrics are by William J. McKenna. Herbert Thompson, one of the best writers of the country fur- nished the book. The operetta was produced by the noted stage director Gus Sohlke. There is a carload of special scenic effects used in the act. The stage settings are unusually elaborate and attractive. One of the most prominent members of the cast of "Cupid in Kilts" Is Wil- liam Cameron. He Is one of the bag pipers and his work goes far toward making the act a success. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO ATTACH Chicago, March 29. Countess De Swlrsky, the one who Just missed putting one over at New- port last summer, and who also played a week at Hammerstein's, New York, where she didn't come so close (with her "art" dances) ran into attachment proceedings at Princeton, Ind. # When the Princess smilingly told the sheriff she didn't even own the clothes she wore, the sheriff looked st the beads askance—and beat It. "TALKING" DOG IN BERLIN. Berlin, March 29. The H. B. Marinelli agency has booked the much discussed "talking dog" for the Berlin Wintergarten, opening April 1 for a month, with an option of three more. The price paid is reported at 12,000 marks a mouth. The dog, called "Don," speaks about three words, all in German. The words are said to be fairly distinguishable. A syndicate of Hamburg bankers control the animal. An enormous quantity of space in the German press has been devoted to the dog. Paris, March 2 1. The talking dog will soon be put to shame. The Marinelli, Paris office, has had offered it a piano-playing goose. Just how the goose manages the instrument is not made known. Now watch out zither-playing flies, saxaphone-cows or a mule-cornetist. JEANETTE DENARBER The Parisian ■oubret. engaged for the now Follea Bergere, New York. HUGO'S SIDE LINE. Hugo Morris Is in no hurry to enter the vaudeville agency business. He is not doing bad at his regular side line —pinochle. Hugo cleaned up $11 :J the other evening. STAFFS CHANGED ABOUT. Indianapolis, March 29. G. A. Showalter, manager of Keith's theatre, Columbus, O., has been trans- ferred to the Grand, here. C. G. Stev- ens, manager of the Grand, may take charge of the Olympic, Cincinnati. Howard Feigley, treasurer at the Grand, will be manager of the Colum- bus house. "COUNTESS" A CO-RESPONDENT. Chicago, March 29. The "Countess" Leontine, who is at the Wilson avenue theatre, this week, presenting her singing "single" has been named co-respondent in a suit for divorce which has been in- stituted by Mrs. Florence le Rivier Lin- der against her husband, the head of a vending machine company with of- fices In the Marquette building. The suit was filed in the circuit court Monday. When the Countess learned of it she vamped to the Wel- lington Motel, cornered the unlucky Linder and demanded an explanation from him, to the amusement of the guests in the lobby.