Variety (April 1911)

VARIETY PERCY 0. WILLIAMS OPPOSED TO BECK' S NEW YORK ENTRY Local Manager Said to Have Made Offers for American, Chicago and Hammerstein's, New York. The Latter Earns $160,000 Yearly. The strongest opposition against Martin Beck and the Orpheum Circuit gaining a foothold in New York through securing Hammerstein's Vic- toria is said to have come from Percy G. Williams. Mr. Williams is report- ed to have made an offer to William Morris and Marcus Loew for their American theatre, Chicago. Williams is also said to have requested of Oscar Hammerstein that if the Victoria Is to be sold, that he be given an opportun- ity of bidding for It. According to the story, Mr. Williams has declined to name a sum he will pay for the Ham- merstein vaudeville house. Mr. Beck acid E. F. Albee are also reported to have had a strenuous con- versation regarding Beck playing vaudeville in New York. It is said that Albee threatened to place "Keith vaudeville" in several cities around Chicago way, if Beck persisted in tak- ing the Hammerstein house, which carries with it a "franchise" of the United Booking Offices. Each town mentioned by Mr. Albee as a future possibility for Mr. B. F. Keith holds an Orpheum theatre. The offer of Mr. Williams for the American, Chicago, is reported to have been made'in good faith, but he did not touch the figure Messrs. Morris and Loew will sell at. It is also said that either before or after Williams made his offer for the American, Mr. Loew received a proposition from an- other United Booking Offices manager to take over all the stock Loew held in William Morris, Inc., the corpora- tion which nominally controls the Chi- cago house. Mr. Beck is due to return from Chi- cago today. He left Tuesday for that city, where he met Morris Meyerfeld, Jr., president of the Orpheum Circuit. Mr. Meyerfeld Is returning with him. The only obstacle standing in the way of Beck taking the Victoria (besides reaching a final agreement with Ham- merstein) Is said to be Meyerfeld, who may persuade Beck to leave the Vic- toria and the east alone for the sake of universal vaudeville peace. The activity regarding Hammer- stein's had revived stories of further trouble in vaudeville to arrive. Many rumors are floating around as to what will happen. From all accounts Messrs. Albee and Williams have taken very serious- ly the display of interest by Beck in the Hammerstein proposition. It is ac- cepted by vaudeville people that this is Beck's last chance for a "show down with the east." Mr. Beck continues to deny that he is considering purchasing a New York theatre, and particularly Hammer- stein's. He also talks about wanting to be at peace with everybody, and no doubt he would prefer that, if "peace" carried a New York theatre for Martin Beck with it. Mr. Beck would like to show New York his idea of vaudeville with variations. An object of Mr. Beck's visit west besides seeing and meeting Meyerfeld is said to have been a proposal of John W. Considlne that the Western Vaude- ville Association become the center of booking for the present association managers and also the western depot for the Sulllvan-Considine Circuit. Pending the discovery by William Hammerstein of what his father's in- tentions regarding the Victoria are, the younger Mr. Hammerstein is proceed- ing cautiously before engaging acts for the Victoria Roof for the summer. Oscar Hammerstein may leave for London any day now. An Intimate friend lately stated that with the sud- SUZANNE ROCAMORA. A delightful single entertainer, who !■ charm- ing the patrons of the Orpheum Circuit theatres. den increase of business at the Man- hattan Opera House, Mr. Hammer- stein might just possibly conclude to hold onto the Victoria. It is rumored that the Victoria has earned for Pater Hammerstein an average of $160,000 net yearly dur- ing the past ton years. Were it pur- chased on a basis of $750,000, it would have to return a net profit of at least $90,000 annually in order that the in- vestor in the lease of thirteen unex- pired years might recover his invest- ment during that period. It is report- ed that contenders for the property have estimated that the house is ca- pable of returning $200,000 yearly, through a remodeling which will per- mit of a greater seating capacity. PANTAGES-T. B. O. DEAL FALLS. Chicago, April 5. The proposed combination between Alex Pantages and the Theatre Book- ing Corporation has fallen through. Pantages has established his office at 35 South Dearborn street (old num- ber 167 Dearborn), with James C. Matthews in charge. Walter Keefe continues as booking manager of the T. B. C. Hereafter the Pantages Circuit will open its acts at the Dominion, Winni- peg, a former booking of the T. B. C. The house is playing out contracts entered for it through that agency be- fore taking up entire bills from the Pantages offices. A report circulated about New York this week that the Pantages Circuit had offered feature acts contracts call- ing for two performances daily dur- ing the week, with three on Sundays. Louis Pincus, New York representa- tive for Pantages, said the report was wrong; that no contract under those conditions would be issued. As a matter of fact, Mr. Pincus stated, the theatre at Calgary (Canada) and the Chutes at San Francisco were both twice daily houses, but there were no others playing less than three shows a day booked on the Circuit's sheet. There was a report around during the week that a contract for a certain small time circuit had been exhibited on behalf of a former "blacklisted act." The exhibition of the agree- ment immediately brought contracts from a first class circuit which is par- tially paralleled by the small timer, according to the story. The price on the second lot of agreements was $150 weekly beyond the limit set by the managers when sitting over the ques- tion of salary for "blacklisted" turns. Winnipeg, April 6. The Dominion Theatre, owned by the Dominion Theatre Co., was sold yesterday to the United Theatre Co. Price not given. HENRY KELLIE MAKKIES. , Seattle, April 5. Henry Kellie, father of Edward Kel- lie, half owner of the Daphne Pollard Stock Co., was married to Mrs. Anna Young, March 21. PROMOTING INDUSTRIAL FA III. Houston, Tex., April f>. An Industrial Fair is being promot- ed for this city by Max Rosen, of New York. $300,000 is required. About one-half that sum has been subscribed. Seventeen railroads are interested. IIAKT ATTACHES KATE ELINOKE. Boston, April 5. An attachment was started last week against Kate Elinore, who was play- ing here with "Naughty Marietta." The attachment was on behalf of Max Hart, a New York vaudeville agent, who claimed Miss Elinore owed him $138.HO, as commission on the exten- sion of her engagement with the show, Hart acted as her agent for the first eight weeks she signed for with "Ma- rietta." Tom Barry, the Boston attorney, took hold of the case for Miss Eli- nore and will defend it. The attach- ment proceedings against an actress of Miss Klinore's standing caused some indignation about town, not alone that the object of the suit is a woman but that Miss Elinore is well known in the profession to be financially re- sponsible for any amount she may properly owe. CLOSE TO "OPPOSITION." It was talked of in the Long Acre Building this week that the Shuberts' Winter Garden was becoming close to what is known as "opposition" in the United Booking Offices. The "op- position" high sign however has not been placed against the new resort of the Shuberts, a Vahikty representative was informed, but a few little tiffs had arisen by reason of the Shuberts engaging outside acts for the Sunday concerts which the Winter Garden give. The Shuberts have engaged a cast at the newly opened place, consisting almost entirely of people who have appeared in vaudeville. The Winter Garden is located nearly midway be- tween Percy G. Williams' Colonial and Hammerstein's Victoria. The Winter Garden entertainment is called a "big vaudeville show at $2.r>0." The Sunday concerts at the Gar- den have attracted crowds of consider- able dimensions. Acts have been ask- ed to play there which were booked to shortly after appear for a week in either the Colonial or Victoria. Objec- tions placed against these turns play- ing a house in such close proximity started the rumor early in the week that the Winter Garden had been de- clared "opposition," which carried with It, if true, a "blacklist" against acts appearing in it. No further "blacklist" talk was heard around this week beyond a re- port that the United Booking Offi- ces would probably take no active measures towards starting another "opposition sheet" before next sea- son. Vaudeville men seemed agreed that such a "blacklist" would certainly assert itself with the commencement of '11-'12, unless the present condi- tions in booking are to undergo a sweeping change by that time. The threatened trouble of last week, caused by Irene Franklin's refusal to leave the bill for this week at the Savoy, Atlantic City, was adjusted ap- parently to the satisfaction of all con- cerned. Miss Franklin opened Mon- day at the Colonial, New York. A "United act" also opened at the Savoy, the same day. Percy G. Williams is reported to have protested against certain acts ap- pearing at the Fulton, Brooklyn, one of the remaining "Morris houses" which is continuing to play a mixed bill of high and low time acts. The Fulton is on Fulton street, Brooklyn. Nearer the centre of civilization .Mr. Williams planted his Orpheum. The two houses are near enough for "op- position" purposes. An net engaged for the Fulton this week cancelled by consent after Williams made himself heard. Jos. M. Schenck, of the Loew agen- cy, had converse with Jack Flynn, manager of the Young's IMer theatre, which holds the United "franchise." Mr. Flynn is reported to have consent- ed that the "United act" hooked in for this week might, play the engage- ment, provided no feature aet from the United time Is again booked for the Savoy. Mr. Schenck acted for Louis Wesley, it is said. Mr Wesley oper- ates the Savoy. Vaudeville will be re uined at the Bark theatre. Kr>. I'm . April 17.