Variety (April 1911)

VARIETY SETTLEMENT OF THE EASTERN WHEEL T ROUBLE S EXPECTED Attorneys for Contending Factions Arranging Details. Bids Made for Columbia Stock. A settlement of the various differ- i nces which have existed between stockholders in the Columbia Amuse- ment Co. (Eastern Burlesque Wheel) was about effected, according to re- port. The amicable compact includes an addition to the Board of Directors by the names of Harry Bryant, Fred Irwin and S. Weil. Another agree- ment is that there shall be an Ad- visory Board, acting in concert with the Board of Directors. The Advisory Board is made up of Gus Hill, Peter Clark, H. S. Woodhull, Louie Robie, Al Reeves and W. S. Campbell. The agreement .has been or w ill be rei4< hed between the attorneys for the contending factions. With the set- tlement, the suit brought against the members of "The Voting Trust" !•> to be withdrawn, and "The Voting Trust remain in effect until the term of its life under the present agreement expires. It has about two years more. Within the past two weeks tbere has been an effort made to secure the con- trol of the Columb'a and its sub- sidiary c( mpanies by purchases of stock. While it was improbable at any time that the actual control in stock could be obtained, offers were set upon any stock which appeared on the market for sale. This was ex- pected to bring out enough stock to give the purchasers a voting control, if not the control in fact. A trans- action involving a considerable amount for a large slice of Columbia stock was to have been closed yes- terday. The biggest purchasers have been Jacobs & Jermon and R. K. Hynlcka. While they have not "syndicated" themselves, there seems little doubt but that Harry C. Jacobs, John G. Jer- mon and Mr. Hynlcka have been work- ing to buy the stock under an under- standing. In more than one instance, J. J. Kite, who is the superintendent of the Columbia Theatre Building, and supposed to be the authorized repre- sentative of L. I^awrence Weber, has made offers for blocks of stock. Mr. Weber has been in the city for the past few days, but has not been re- ported as having made any offer for stocl: himself. Columbia Amusement Co. stock is now quoted at 325 (par 100). All the subsidiary companies (with the exception of those operating the East- ern Wheel theatres at Louisville and Boston) have a premium upon their certificates. The Baltimore company fetock is held at 180, while the Toronto Ciyety shares are selling at 170. The Columbia Theatre Co. (New York) is a profit earning concern, with stock at a good advance. It is said that ihe Columbia theatre building com- pany will pass a dividend this year put of profits aggregating between $50,000 and $60,000. Harry C. Jacobs, who gave Edward P. Rush $99,000 for a block of stocks before Rush left for Europe, is re- ported having offered one Eastern Wheel manager $80,000 for his hold- ings. The sale did not go through. Another stockholder who offered his interests in January to anyone, was holding on tightly this week, refus- ing a bid which reached $17,000 be- yond the figure he set three months ago. One of the Eastern men who stands ready to take all stock was asked by a Vaiueti representative this week if a pool had not been formed to buy out the contending factors in the Co- lumbia Company and Wheel. He said that that much would not be ad- mitted, but all stock on the mar- ket would be grabbed up. He gave as a season that certain men in the Columbia Company who believed in a good investment disliked the bicker- ing and quarreling which had been going on. They would prefer to buy- up any discontent's holdings rather than have the business run the risk of suffering through the publicity given the dissensions which have arisen, he stated. The troubles in the Eastern Wheel which seem to have culminated in a peaceful agreement were boiling for a year before breaking out about six weeks ago when an action was Parted to dissolve "The Voting Trust." "The Trust" was a close corporation with the Columbia Co. It directed and operated the Wheel, to the dissatis- faction of several managers. Those who signed the complaint in the ac- tion were Gus Hill, Edward F. Rush, Peter Ciark and Harry Bryant. Each was an o.lg'. :al "franchise" holder. Behind them for support were several traveling and "leased" managers. Another faction was in accord with Sam A. Scribnei, J. Herbert Mack and Mr. Hynlcka, while still another faction remained neutral. Mr. Mack is the president of the Columbia Amusement Co. (the parent body); Mr. Scribner is general man- ager; Mr. Hynlcka is treasurer pro tern, having stepped into tin* office when Mr. Weber left for a trif) abroad. NOT COLUMBUS AHA IN. Columbus, O., will not be a spoke in the Eastern Wheel next season, ac- cording to Sam Scribner, general man- ager of the Columbia Amusement Co. The Columbus papers have printed stories during the week to the effect that burlesque would again be played in the city next season at th^ High St. theatre (an Anderson & Ziegler house \ which the Columbus papers say Rud Hynlcka. of Cincinnati, will take over and play burlesque In. The Eastern Wheel has a house in Columbus now. Last season it was a three-day stand "splitting the week" with the Apolo, Wheeling, but was found to be unprofitable. BACK TO "AVENUE GIRLS." "The Rector Girls," James H. Cur- tin's Western Burlesque Wheel show, which closed its season last Saturday night in Boston, will be on the Empire Circuit next season under the name of "The Avenue Girls," the title origi- nally used for this company. Mr. Curtin had placed an order for the paper when he decided to call his show, "The Girls From Rector" ;but a personal letter from A. H. Woods was respected and "Uncle Jim" called his troupe "The Rector Bur- lesquers." Notwithstanding the change of name, the show became generally known as "The Rector Girls" and such it remained throughout the sea- son. With the "Avenue" paper on his hands, Curtin is going to put It in use next year. LOOKING FOR A FRANCHISE. Maurice Frank, general manager and • vice-president of the Inter-Vale Amusement Co. is negotiating for a burlesque franchise, he says, but de- clined to say which Wheel It was un- til the papers had been signed. He expects to close the deal before next week. VIOLA HARRIS. Of Brown, Harris and Brown, and one of vaudeville's classiest gowned women. "JACK" SHOW CLOSING. Owing to the illness of Katherine Delmar, of Harnum and Delmar, who replaced Kathryn Pearl as prima donna with the "Sam T. Jack" show (Western Wheel), and the withdrawal from the company of Miss Gibson, the soubret (whose hushan 1 is very ill and must be removed to another climate), Tom Miner will disband the ".lack" company at Albany to-morrow (Satur- day) night. Though the ending of the regular Western Wheel is due Saturday, a number of the companies had booked extra engagements. The Jack Co. was gristed for Brooklyn next week with other stands to follow, but with a re- organization of the company neces- sary, Mr. Miner decided to call in his troupe. When announcement was made that the Jack show would close, Tom Miner and Harry Strouse formed a partner- ship whereby the latter s "Lady Buc- caneers" will play the route laid out for the Jack Co. As the Strouse show played Brooklyn early In the season and is considered one of the strong- est outfits on the Empire Circuit, Messrs. Miner and Strouse expect to do some business across the river. Next season the "Sam T. Jack" show will be known as "Zallah's Own Com- pany," and will be In tow of Billy Cameron, who has signed as represen- tative of the Miner-Rife interests. It will be Cameron's first year In bur- lesque. Fred Follett, who handled the "Jack" troupe this season, will prob- ably be assigned to one of the bur- lesque theatres in New York. The "Jardin de Parte," another Miner show, closes its season at the Bronx Decoration Day. Tom Miner confirmed Variety's story that Abe Leavitt had signed a five years' con- tract and also announced that Cora Livingston, the wrestler had been placed under a tv/o years' contract. Miss Delmar was first taken ill with the whooping cough. Now an attack of measles has her confined. One of the chorus girls Is playing her part this week. SHOW WITHOUT HOWARD. Chicago, April 12. Charlie Howard, for the past three years with Hurtig & Seamon's "Fol- lies of New York and Paris," left the show In Chicago last week. Howard lias been with Hurtig & Seamon for several years. Woods and Green stepped into the breach with "The Follies" and will continue with the show for the re- mainder of the season. ROUTES FOR NEXT SEASON. It was understood by agents dur- ing the week that very shortly the Lnited Booking Offices will commence issuing contracts for next season. No course has been determined upon, it was said, as to how the form of contracts, whether inclusive of a complete route, or the "blanket form" used by the United two or three years ago. ALTOGETHER TOO NUDE. Boston, April 12. Harry N. Farren, manager of the Columbia theatre, burlesque and Slg- nor Arvi, producer of the "living pic- tures," billed as "Arvl Mysteries," who were both arrested by the police and agents of the Watch and Ward So- ciety, charged with presenting an ob- jectionable entertainment, were found guilty of the offense by Judge Michael J. Murray in a Bpecial session of the Municipal Court, April 6, and their cases were placed on file, which leaves both of the defendants without a court record of a criminal nature. Judge .Murray witnessed a perform- ance and saw the so-called objection- able feature. The Judge said he based his finding on a single picture representing the famous statue of "Py- gmalion and Galatea," the latter being almost nude. Georgia Caine will return to vaude- ville as a "single." Mildred Holland will produce "The Lily and the Princ" at the Garden .Monday. It is the second production <«f Miss Holland's season there.