Variety (November 1911)

Vol. XXIV. No. 9. NOVEMBER 4, 1911 PRICE TEN CENTS — j— NEW WAY IN HOTEL TICKET DISTRIB UTION B Y THEATRES Sold More in Bulk, Without Return Privilege. One Manager Opens His Box Office With No Conditions. Three Houses Holding Quarantees from Hotels for $600 Nightly. "Speculating" in theatre tickets, at understood and applied to hotels dur- ing the past years, is undergoing a change in New York. The new way is for the hotel ticket concerns to guarantee the sale of a certain number of tickets nightly, se- curing these tickets from the box of- fice at the card rate, without the re- turn privilege or paying a premium. A trio of houses in New York are delivering to Tyson ft Co., 300 cou- pons daily for the night performance. The theatres are the Knickerbocker ("The Siren"), Broadway ("The Never Homes") and Criterion ("The Pas- sers-By"). Tyson ft Co. immediately after or before the plays opened, agreed to pay the box office $600 for the 150 pairs of seats, the guarantee covering a specified period. It prac- tically means a "run" for each show. Managers consider it a good business policy, for two reasons. Through sel- ling the hotels 300 seats, they are hav- ing their show "plugged" among out- of-towners who ask the hotel stands "Where is a good show?" and though the usual twenty-five cent premium of other times on "a delivery of thirty, forty or fifty tickets daily, is lost, the return of $600 each night is a certain gross of $3,600 weekly that doesn't come from a window sale. The old way, with the quarter premium, had it disadvantages. While the ho- tels divided their profits with the theatre, the latter also had to accept at the last moment all the unsold cou- pons. In one case within a late date, a manager broke away from all prece- dent with the hotels by notifying them each could have all the tickets it want- ed at the box office price, without any stipulations attached. This was Wil- liam A. Brady, and the theatre con- nected with the announcement was Mr. Brady's Playhouse, where one of the biggest hits of the season ("Bought and Paid For") is holding forth. Theatrical managers are inclining more and more to the belief that the big outlet for theatre tickets in New York Is the hotel, with its thousands of transients, who spend their evenings at the plays. The hotel ticket man looked upon as the Grand Old Picker of successes is George J. Bascomb, of Tyson ft Co. Mr. Bascomb will drop in on a new production in its try-out term in the wilds, and decide on the spot whether it will do for the big town. Mr. Bas- comb's decision is accepted as worth while, for it may mean money to the manager. Often the Tyson ft Co. expert has opined a production will do, thereupon planking down a lump sum for a certain number* of tickets at the New York theatre the show is to play in, although the latter-day plan of taking them by hundreds Is looked upon as sufficiently ample. There have been instances in the past though where by something akin to "hold up" methods, the hotel people were compelled to contribute a large amount to one show, in order to have the entre to the box offices of other attractions. This was called forth though only in cases of weakly fin- anced productions that seemed to have all the qualities of a "hit." REVIVING "NINETY AND NINE/' Ramsey Morris is preparing a re- vival of "Ninety and Nine" for vaude- ville. Ten people will be in the cast of the condensation, which will prob- ably be shown for the first • time near New York Nov. 13. "OLIVER TWIST** WITH NAMES. Mabel Fenton-Ross and MoKee Rankin have a formed a combination for the presentation of a condensed version of "Oliver Tlwst" in vaude- ville. Miss Fenton will portray once more her famous characterization of Nancy, while Mr. Rankin will appear as Bill Sykes. The sketch will be under the direc- tion of Alf. T. Wilton. When this act makes its appear- ance, it will be the first time on the variety stage Miss Fenton has played without her husband, Chas. J. Ross, opposite her. Mr. Ross is with the "Mme. Sherry" company. He preferred Miss Fenton enjoy the rest that may be secured on their rather large do- main at Deal, N. J., but listened to the call of vaudeville, realizing the pressing need just now of "big acts" in that division. "OPPOSITION" REPORT. Toronto, Nov. 1. A report of "opposition" to Shea's is about. It's all there, excepting de- tails. Who ever wants to float an "opposition" vaudeville story nowa- days had better prepare ahead of time to slip in some facts. JEFF DE ANGELIS AGAIN. With his 1911 production relegated to the has-beens, Jefferson De Angelis is prepared to listen to the vaudeville managers once more. Mr. De Angelis has the sketch, and M. S. Bentham the placing of it. NAZIMOVA'S NEXT. With all road dates for the Nazi- mova's repertoire cancelled, the for- eign actress returned to New York last week, immediately commencing re- hearsals for a new play secured for her by the Shuberts. It is entitled "The Marionettes." $17,000 BREAKS FRISCO RECORD. San Francisco, Nov. 1. During the second week of "Alias Jimmy Valentine" at the Cort, the show did $17,000, breaking the box offloe record of San Francisco for the past thrfce years. MOUNTFORD*S NEW ACT. A picture-house circuit in the coal regions of Pennsylvania Is said to be the object now sought by Harry Mountford, once connected with the White Rats. Since leaving that pleasant and lu- crative employment, Mr. Mountford has been reported as in quest of en- gagements with, legitimate managers, not having taken the trouble to Inter- view those in vaudeville. An "Advice Bureau/' to be a cen- tre where anyone could secure any information about anything, was first proposed by Mr. Mountford, after finding himself at liberty, but a lawyer is reported to have informed the young man that while he was doubtlessly capable of living up to the billing in this particular Instance (without passing upon the quality of the advice that might be handed out) the authorities might not entertain the same opinion. It was sufficient to cause Mr. Mount- ford to hesitate, though had he start- ed the "Advice" office, and it became known he called upon a lawyer for the very thing he advertised, it would have been a bad opening for the new act. PULLING TOWER DOWN. The biggest "flivver" around Times Broadway, who have picked lemons this season, may And consolation by looking at the expensive tower on the Heidelberg Building. The biggest fliver around Times Square this season is coming down. It is no small job nor expense. The construction of the tall square steeple Is steel and concrete. It may be re- placed by several more stories to the building on the southwest corner of Broadway and 4 2d street. The tower was erected to serve as a huge advertising sign at the busi- est corner in the world.. But the ad- vertisers didn't advertise, not even one of them. O. J. Gude came the nearest, but wouldn't pay $65,000 yearly for the privilege.