Variety (April 1911)

i6 VARIETY CLEAR UP SLOWLY. With John Cort in New York, and probably for a stay of some length, it is expected that the present tangled "Open Door" situation in legitimate theatricals will slowly clear up. The process will be when an opening is seen for the permanent placing of the "opposition house" in any of the Cort towns, the remaining theatre will be selected as the one to hold all the first grade attractions next season. This Is expected, to require some time and manoeuvering, since no prop- osition has presented itself yet when all the "opposition houses" may be placed In bulk. The same action will be taken in the south, on the Albert Weis time. The first move made by the Weis people was In Memphis, where the Lyceum hereafter will hold all the first class shows; the Jefferson play the Stair & Havlin bookings, and the Bijou be content with "pop" vaudeville (the Orpheum In that town handling the higher grade of acts). In Atlanta it Is expected that ulti- mately some arrangement will be reached through which all the big bookings will land in the Shubert house there. Klaw & Erlanger have announced a new theatre for Atlanta, but It isn't yet in proper form for recognition. The "Open Door" managers, as well as the respective factions in the le- gitimate producing end have thorough- ly realized that to play competing at- tractions is to merely divide the "show money" In every town, which seldom results in anything excepting a loss for each company. MISS WALKER UNDER CONTRACT. A. G. Delamater and William Nor- ris, Inc., have engaged Charlotte Wal- ker for a term of years. Miss Walker will open at the head of the Metro- politan Opera House stock company, Minneapolis, April 30. After six weeks at Minneapolis Miss Walker will play a stock engagement of three weeks in St. Louis. Next season she will be starred in a dramatization of John Fox's novel "The Trail of the Lonesome Pine." The engagement caused Miss Wal- ker to postpone her proposed foreign trip. ••THE GIRL" COMING EAST. "The Girl Who Dared," which has been playing the west and mlddlewest for the past two seasons will be brought east early in August for a spring tour, by F. A. Wade. "Punch" Wheeler, who has been with Wade for several winters, will be the press agent. Harry B. Williams, a singer and dancer, will be the prin- cipal comedian. The management will engage a number of vaudeville artists for the eastern invasion. TALKS ONLY NOW AND THEN. Berlin, April 10. "Don," the "talking" dog, now at the Wintergarden, is not panning out as well as expected. The dog talks but only speaks when feeling like it. That is not always when the man- agers wish. The Circus Busch has a "talking" dog. It may be able to talk, but has ihowr no Inrlinnt'on to do 80 yet. BOSTON'S BOOKING ASS'N. Boston, April 19. The Family Department of the United Booking Office may have a ri- val in th's city, in the near future. Twenty theatre managers in Massa- chusetts, New Hampshire and Ver- mont, contemplate forming an asso- ciation with headquarters in Boston, for the purpose of booking smalltime acts. These acts are to work in the houses owned or controlled by the managers of the association. It is expected that other managers will come into the. association. In- stead of a house commission being paid to a booking agent each member of the association will be assessed a certain amount monthly as an expense fund for the office. A former Boston manager is considered for general manager. PARKS OPENING. With the summer approaching, parks in the south are having dates of opening fixed for their gates. Of the summer parks which will se- cure vaudeville through the Orpheum Circuit headquarters in New York (booked by Jonny Collins), Forest Park Highlands, St. Louis, starts April 23; Fontaine Ferry Park, Louisville, April 30; East End Park, Memphis, May 14; Lake Cliff Park, Dallas, May 25; Ramona Park,,Grand Rapids, May 2i (thereafter opening on Mondays for the vaudeville week). ENGLISH AGENTESS HERE. Miss Andrews, who booked Mme. Balthy, the French comedienne, in the English halls, is in New York. She arrived this week and is offering a few acts to American managers. A NEW CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING RATE CARD FOR f 4Bffl? Will go into effeot MAY 1st, 1911 Until above date advertisements and contracts for advertising will be accepted under present rate card, printed in VARIETY Weekly. RAWSON AND JUNE. Rawson and June are known as the originators of "Boomerang Throwing" in vaudeville. They are presenting this distinct novelty at the Colonial, New York, this week. The act has played over Europe in- cluding England, Germany, France and Russia; also appearing at the Pal- ace, London, for four consecutive months. In America they are very well known, having appeared on every large time vaudeville circuit in the United States. The act is under the management of Alf. T. Wilton. Pic- tures of Mr. Rawson and Miss June are on the front page this week. SUBSCRIPTION FOR ACROBAT. Chicago, April 19. Paul Goudron has started a sub- scription to aid George De Onzo, for- merly of the De Onzo Brothers, who has been incapaclated for the past eighteen months by locomotor ataxia. De Onzo is but twenty-seven years of age and has been in the profession since the age of seven. He has been under the care of Dr. Pitts in this city. The subscriptions can be ad- dressed to Paul Goudron. The act known as "The Three Rath- skeller Girls" has been disbanded. Ce- celia Weston, one of the maidens, will work alone. SEE ACTS FOR S. A. (Special Cable to Variety). London, April 19. Sydney Hyman took a flyer on the continent last week. He is now ne- gotiating with several acts for the trip to South Africa. Namba Japs, Phillips Sisters (Am- erican) Jennings Bray, Flying Ballet. Narck's Lions and De Freydos are amongst those that Hyman would like for Johannesburg. CORSE'S STOCivS. Corse Payton is planning a busy summer stock season. He will open his Manhattan engagenjeot at the Grand Opera House M$jf- $ tvlth the same company that opened the season last year at the Academy of Music. Payton is organizing a brand new company to open at his house in New- ark May 1. The leads will be played by Edna Archer Crawford and Theo- dore Gambel. The Grand in New "fork and the Newark house have been leased for eighteen weeks by Corse. BOY ACROBAT DEPORTED. Chicago, April 19. Because of the fact tfcai Hans Plin- gel, the "papa" of the Loja Troupe, at the American this wee%, Indulged in the playful pastime of throwing shoes at one of his "stuges," the self same "stuge" will be deported to Germany. The "stuge" is Joseph. Kobler, four- teen years old. Last week he applied to Chief Probation Officer Witter, de- claring that Klingel had threatened to have him arrested If he did not do his work properly. When the authori- ties discovered .that the boy was not the legal age required for stage ap- pearances, the youth was taken before the German Consul. Consul Geissler stated that all German subjects under age and without guardians are .legally wards of the Consul. He ordered that the boy be sent back to Germany at the expense of Klingel. PHIL'S NEAT BOOKLET. Philip K. Mipdil has just issued, Id the interests of his publicity bureau, an especially effective and artistic booklet devoted to the cause, means and effect of press agentry, supple- mented by personal press comments find a list of personages, theatres, at- tractions, hotels, etc., "publicized" by the Mlndil bureau. Instead of the conventional intro- ductory announcement the booklet leads off with a "guarantee" as fol- lows: "A press agent is an experienced newspaper man who studies the news possibilities of his client and presents them in such a way as to gain favor- able consideration. As he Is not the owner of a publication, he cannot guarantee anything but energy, organ- ization, Intimate knowledge of news, ability to write it, and acquaintance with the men who accept or reject it. All of these Mr. Mlndil possesses, hav- ing held the most important positions on the leading New York papers for the last twenty years." P. Alonzo, general manager for the Poll Circuit, sails for Europe May 13 for a vacation of ten weeks.