Variety (April 1912)

VARIETY LOEW SIGNS KARNO COMPANY WITH BILLI E REEVE S, FOR TOUR Considered High Priced Act for Loew's "Small Time" to Play. May be Beginning of From $1,500 to $2,000 Programs. Opens at Shubert, Brooklyn, Next Week The Karno Comedy Company, with Billie Reeves in "A night in an Eng- lish Music Hall" (and others of the company's pieces), opens on the Loew Circuit, at the Shubert, Brooklyn, next week. It Is a very high priced act for "small time," and one of the weighti- est engagements entered by Jos. M. Schenck for the Loew chain for a couple of seasons. Sometime ago when William Morris ran "opposl- sition" and was overboard with ex- pensive turns now and again, Mr. Schenck relieved him to the extent of taking an act or so, like Amelia Bing- ham, who was placed as the star at- traction at Loew's National, Bronx, although no one ever heard whether Mr. Morris contributed a portion of Miss Bingham's $1,000 salary for the week. The Karno Company, more familiar- ly called Billie Reeves and Co., re- ceived $1,000 on the "big time" in vaudeville. The Pat Casey Agency last summer guaranteed ' Mr. Reeves twenty-five weeks by cable for this season. The act has played twenty- seven, using up all the available "big time" in the east. It is not thought the Loew Circuit secured the turn for very much less than its "big time" price, which was also $800 in the "small big time" houses. The Reeves Co. will pay the full week at the Shubert, Brooklyn, com- mencing Monday, as its first stand for the whole of the Loew-Circuit routed. The act may become a full week fea- ture on the time, which will be an- other departure for Loew. The engagement of Reeves is ac- cepted by the "small time" managers and agents around as the beginning of from $1,600 to $2,000 weekly sala- ried programs on the bigger "small time." The Shubert passes over to the pos- session of Loew Monday, as previous- ly reported. It is likely to become a permanent link on that chain. The house is located very near Percy G. Williams' Bushwlck, Brooklyn, and is opposition to the Fluegelman-Cun- nlngham De Kalb theatre, lately opened In the same section. KARNO'S LAUGHING HIT. (Special Cable to Variety,.) London, April 3. Fred Karno's new show, "The Hy- dro," at the Oxford, is very ingenious, showing a scene in a Pump Room, with a real bath and bathing girls. it is a dramatic story, with comedy predominating. A big laughing hit. AGENTS ELECTED TO ASSOCIATION At the last weekly meeting of the Vaudeville Protective Mutual Aid So- ciety, formed a few months ago by the "big time" agents then booking through the United Offices, a few new members were added to the role. They were John C. Peebles, Gene Hughes, Norman Jefferies (Philadel- phia), Jesse L Lasky, Arthur Hopkins. The next meeting will be held to- day. M. S. Bentham is president of the society; Pat Casey is vice-president; Jo Paige Smith, treasurer, and Frank Evans, secretary. OFFERING LUCY DALY. Albee, Weber & Evans are offering Lucy Daly to vaudeville. Miss Daly has been out with the Ward and Vokes show all season. MAY GET MARIE DRESSLER. Marie Dressier may return to .vaude- ville. Jack Levy has the comedienne to offer to the managers. Her last en- gagement was at Kansas City, where immediately upon the closing of her show, "Tillie's Nightmare," Miss Dressier headlined the Orpheum show for the week, substituting for Ada Reeve, who was taken ill. T. B. Harms & Co., publishers of a song called "Irish Senorita," threaten suit against Jean Schwartz, claiming that "Rum Turn Tiddle" is an in frlngement on that song. Two bars of both numbers are some- what similar, but there has never been a ruling In America as to how much of another melody may be used. In England four bars are permissible without liability for transgression. "Irish Senorita" and "Rum Turn Tiddle" were published about the same time. MOSE'8 VACATION. Mose Gumble has booked passage for Europe May 30 for a few weeks' vacation. HITE'S FIGURE TOO HIGH. The figure ($2,000) Charles Marks is asking for the Mabel Hite new act is said to have been balked at by the vaudeville managers, as a trifle high. Hammerstein's wants Miss Hite, and an adjustment of the salary figure may be reached. Mr. Marks is managing the act. His last job was directing Nora Bayes and Jack Xorworth. PAULINE WELSH'S PARTNER. Pauline Welsh and George F. Moore are framing up an act for vau- deville. It will be under the man- agement of Jesse Lasky. JURY DISAGREES OVER SAVOY. Atlantic City, April 3. The suit to secure possession of the Savoy theatre by Comstock & Gest against Brown ft Wesley, came up be- fore Judge Cole at May's Landing, Monday. A great mass of conflicting testimony was introduced. After be- ing out eight hours the jury failed to agree. This means a new trial, at an early date. The charge of Judge Cole was favor- able to the defendants. C. L. Gold- enberg, the county prosecutor, han- dled the case for Brown ft Wesley. Messrs. Ray Comstock and Morris Gest were at the trial. Accompany- ing them as L. Lawrence Weber. OPERA IN SPANISH FORT. New Orleans, April 3. The Spanish Fort, the south's largest pummer park, will offer comic opera with the opening performance May 5. It has presented vaudeville in past sea- sons. Jules Bistes, manager of the Or- pheum, assumes the management of the summer place. JACK GARDNER FRAMING UP. "Jack" Gardner, the past two sea- sons leading man with the original "Madame Sherry" company, will go into vaudeville shortly with a new "single".act In "one." PETROVA HELD OVER. The success of Olga Petrova under the management of Jesse L. Lasky made itself so evident at the Fifth Avenue the first two days of this ♦week, the young woman was notified she would be continued at the same house next week, and as the head- liner, placed on top of the bill there, which includes another Lasky yiet, "The Antique Girl." Mr. Lasky Is modest about what he has done for this English girl, who has tried everything in vaudeville and some things outside of it, without obtaining anywhere near an approach to the recognition the Fifth Avenue has accorded her. EDGAR BIXLEY. of nixN-v nn<l J.i-rn«-r. "Th»* man with th»> gram! oprrn voIcp." Who is a comedian with creative method* The critics everywhere have been universal In their prnlse of this unique creation. Hro.'id way managers will be wine to look him ov«r. this week, stopping the nhow hi next to rinsing position at PERCY <! WJI, I.JAMS' HI'SHWICK THEATRE. CANCELED TAUAFERO DATE. Willie Hammerstein's collar button must have slipped down the back of his shirt Tuesday morning. Anyway something annoyed him, for when the manager reached Times Square, he announced Mabel Tallafero's engage- ment in her new sketch for Hammer- stein's April 22 was off. As Miss Taliafero draws down $1,600 weekly (when she works In vaudeville) this was some announcement to those in- terested. It is said the Fifth Avenue having hooked Miss Taliafero for the week following is what aggravated Mr. Hammerstein, though the vaudeville people couldn't figure it out. Had the Fifth Avenue secured the actress and sketch the week before, that would have been a reason, so they gave the collar button the credit. In place of Miss Taliafero for the 22d, Hammerstein's started talking about Wilton Lackaye. Mr. Lackaye should have been at Atlantic City this week, for his variety debut, but they pulled a fire last Friday night down there, and right in the centre of it was the place where Lackaye was to have started. While he didn't lose any of his eftects, excepting a few well worn photos, Mr. Lackaye thought the vaudeville magnates had jobbed him (to cut down the price) so he was all primed for a vaudeville argument. BUI Lykens talked to his star with ear muffs on. Tuesday it was 60-50 whether Mr. Lackaye would play Ham mersteln's or go to Lykens' funeral. Wednesday, Mr. Lackaye was normal again, and accepted the Hammerstein engagement. ETHEL GREEN HAPPY. One of the happiest creatures in town last week was Ethel Green. She was granted an interlocutory decree of divorce from Billy Gaston, with permission asked for and granted, to resume the use of her maiden name. Miss Green was offered the leading female role in James T. Powers' new musical comedy, "The Two Brides," but it was declined because the salary offered was not large enough. Miss Green will probably make another tour of the Orpheum circuit this summer. TINNEV GOING TO LONDON. The London halls will see Frank Tinney in June, 1913, when the quaint funny man will appear at Alfred Butt's Palace. The contracts were closed this week, Max Hart acting for Mr. Tinney over here, and Ernest Edelsten attending to the other end with Mr. Butt. YVETTE RETURNING TO NEWARK. A return date at Proctor's, Newark, has been given to Yvette, the violin- iste, for the week of April 29. It is only about a month ago the young girl canne Into contact with Eva Tanguay on a Proctor program In that theatre. In the vernacular Eva met a tartar when she went up against Yvette in the usual Tanguay way. The quick return date for the vloliniste at the theatre hears out the statements or her "making good" during "The Tanguax Week" -notwithstanding Tanguay.