Variety (April 1912)

VARIETY BEAUTIFUL MODERN HOUSE IS THE NE W CHIC AGO PALACE Opened Monday Evening, With Good Show. Has Ca- pacity of 1,400. Admission to $1, with 75c Matinees. May be after the Classy Trade Chicago, April 3. After surviving several annoying building strikes and narrowly escaping as many others, the new Palace the- atre was finally ushered into Chicago's "big time" theatrical colony Monday evening In a blaze of glory. While one of our "murkiest" little rain storms attended the early festivities, nevertheless the event was easily the most pretentious of the season and was successfully carried through with flying colors, except for a pardonable error now and then by the too evi- dently unrehearsed orchestra. The scheduled Monday matinee was called off at the last moment, when it -was learned the carpets could not be laid in time, but otherwise everything happened as advertised. Because of impending strikes and various other labor difficulties that threatened to hold up the Job, the management wise- ly withheld all announcements regard- ing the opening date until Saturday morning, when It was decided nothing in that line could interfere with their plans. By employing night and day shifts during the last week the final touches were added Monday morning. The seating 'capacity of the new house is somewhere in the neighbor- hood of 1,400. Definite figures were not obtainable, but the necessary re- moval of some of the balcony seats to comply with local building ordinances brings the number to that figure or thereabouts. The evening prices range from twenty-five cents to a dollar. The maximum charge for matinees will be seventy-five cents. The house has two boxes on each side, one running par- allel with the stage, while the other is on' a direct line with the balcony. With the exception of the Orpheum, San Francisco, the Palace is the only vaudeville house in the west boasting of a smoking balcony. The orchestra consists of eighteen pieces headed by Victor Hollaender. One of the noticeable features of the house Is that all permanent house curtains or drops are built with a new attachment at the bottom. The ex- treme base does not consist of the conventional wood strip. The strip is several inches above the bottom. Run- ning through and below the strip is a piece of goods matching the rest of the curtain, which gracefully glides along the stage, giving a sweeping effect when the whole is lifted. This also does away with the customary piece of matting or carpet. A nine-ton cur- tain of steel, said to be the second largest In Chicago (the exception the Auditorium), raises and low- ers in twelve seconds. The proscen- ium opening measures forty-six feet, while the stage has a depth of thirty- three feet. Also excepting the Audi- torium (two feet larger) the pros- cenium opening is claimed the largest in town. The interior is decorated in ivory and gold, reported modeled after the Alhambra, Paris, in this, and the only one of its kind in the United States. Seats and front curtain are of an old rose color. All ceiling lights are placed in inverted bowls, aiding the color effect in various ways. Another feature that does not escape atten- tion is the stage arrangement as to set scenery. The side draperies of the stage proper do not constitute the stereotyped "tormentor." They are constructed of the same material as the front curtain. Likewise the top front drapery, the whole giving the effect of one full piece running along the top and down both sides. While equipped with a regulation moving picture machine the Palace will not offer this entertainment at all. The afternoon performances will start at 2.16. 8.15 will bpen the evening show. After the final act the houselights will be thrown on, but no film shown. The lobby which faces on Clark street is decorated similar to the au- ditorium of the house and leads to a foyer, within which are doors to each aisle, resembling the Majestic in this respect, although not quite elaborately built in. A collection o oil paintings said to be valued a 1125,000 adorns the foyer walls. Twenty-six pictures make up the ex- hibit. The new Palace is modern, from cellar to roof. Situated In the choic- est location in town it is very liable to change the theatrical map from Dearborn to Clark street This Is problematical, however. Mr. Beck has provided Chicago with something new, novel and modern in the way of a vaudeville theatre. Because of the elaborate decorations, the small ca- pacity and the dollar prices, it may look like an appeal to the classes rather than the masses. At any rate it fills the long discussed want of the other first class vaudeville house. Chi- cago can easily support. both, if it will. Caesar Nesi left the bill after the opening performance and was replaced by Nadell and Kane Tuesday matinee. They retired Tuesday night and wero succeeded by Ward Baker. Immediately after the opening show Mr. Beck ordered the orchestra pit built three feet higher and moved Diamond and Nelson from second to fourth position, materially improv- ing things. Mr. Beck left here to meet his legiti- mate show, "The Glass Door," which plays for the first time at the Empire, Syracuse, April 4. CliAIMS ON COPYRIGHT. More than one person is setting up a claim to the manuscript which holds the story of "His Father's 8on," a vaudeville sketch under the manage- ment of Freeman Bernstein. Walter Brown produced the piece, playing a principal role in it. No suspicion of another claim was entertained* until Homer Miles announced he possessed the playlet. It was reported Mr. Miles has bought the copyright from the au- thor, Carl Armstrong, who had turned it over to John C. Peebles, the agent. This week Mr. Brown, who owns the original copyright in partnership with Jos. Dettling (not a showman) served notice upon the other people to desist, claiming an assignment prop- erly recorded in Washington. Brown states that if Mr. Armstrong sold something to Miles, he didn't own it at the time. Mr. Bernstein stands be- hind him on the assertion. It is re- ported there is a matter of a route over the Orphe{um Circuit hanging fire as the result, Mr. Miles having se- cured a tentative offer from the Or- pheum for the sketch. A notification from Brown that he would hold every manager responsible to the extent of $100 for each performance played of an infringement, stopped the negotia- tions. Mr. Peebles stated Wednesday all he knew about the matter was that Armstrong had offered to sell the copy- right, for which he was given $200, and the author thereupon delivered an assignment of it >. Homer in the title role oi me prize opera. Mr. Spellman received three full weeks' salary for his bear act while "Lulu" did pantomime the five times "Mona" has been given the past three weeks. Mr. Spellman could hardly believe his ears when the operatic management informed him they would pay full wage for all the animals just to let one bear appear for forty-five minutes during "Mona's" first act. One of the male singers who is dressed rather decolette all the way down, in his role had to fool around a bear, so he announced he must have an animal which had forgotten the taste of raw meat. Mr. Spellman guaranteed "Lulu." After "Lulu" saw the man in his near-fleshings, she told her master to get all the coin in sight, for she didn't care much for him anyway. George F. Hall, who has been abroad, returns to New York April 6. OLD MUSEUM COMING DOWN. Boston, April 3. Austin & Stone's Museum, where all the freaks tnat ever came to Boston were shown to the public for the past thirty years, must come down soon to niak9 room for a new office building. While Col. Frank P. Stone, the pro- prietor of the museum, will either open new quarters in the vicinity or build a place close to the old site, he will have no more freaks. Col. Stone was the originator of the freak exhibits in this city and others followed in his footsteps. ACTORS LOSE IN PIER FIRE. Atlantic City, April 8. Louis Wesley and Harry Brown's Savoy theatre is now the vaudeville king of this burg. Fire wiped out the "opposition" (Young's Pier) last Fri- day night. Starting at 11.40 p. m. in one of the dressing rooms in the vaudeville theatre on the pier, the fire swept back to the ocean, a-distance of 2.000 feet, eating up everything per- ishable. The loss was $200,000, with insurance to the amount of $50,000. Artists on the Young's Pier pro- gram for the week, with the exception of Frank Bush, Kate Watson and De Alma and Mae, lost everything. Those excepted saved trunks. Jane Dare got one trunk out, but lost the settings, props and costumes of her act. Her company of three suffered the same. Total losses were sustained by the Four Readings, Vissochi Brothers, Dan Coleman and Co., Al Leonhardt. Billy Clark (Armstrong and Clark) (booked for the Pier this week) lost some clothes he had sent on ahead. The stage crew of the Savoy worked valiantly during the flames, first to put them out, and when seeing it was a useless task, they turned to rescu- ing trunks. Before dawn arrived Mr. Brown announced on behalf of him- self and Mr. Wesley that a benefit performance would be given at the Savoy, Sunday, for the Young's Pier artists, crew and staff. This realised $638. The Savoy bill gave its regular show, while the Pier turns worked in street clothes. Following the insurance adjustment an announcement will be made of the Pier's future. H. E. Stevens, Jr., who heads the syndicate that lately pur- chased the Pier for $1,400,000 was here Saturday morning. It does not seem possible to rebuild the theatre for the coming season. Nothing remains standing but a portion of the audi- torium on the front. Had the wind been blowing the other way Friday night, a holacaust would have been caused by the fire. The first Pier structure was erected by J. R. Applegate in 18.83. It ex- tended 625 feet seaward and was triple decked. J. L. Young and Stew- art R. McShea purchased it in 1891. 3y 1895 they had built the pier 3,000 feet into the ocean. In 1898 McShea sold his interest to Young, and in 1904 the property passed to the Young's Pier & Hotel Co. The syndi- cate took possession a few months ago. In 1905 Ben Harris started vaudeville in the Pier theatre and for nearly six years made a very suc- cessful venture of it. He retired about a year ago, when Jack D. Flynn, as- sistant manager of the Pier, became the booking agent for the vaudeville shows. It is probable the front portion of the Pier will be sufficiently repaired to allow B. A. Rolfe and his band to play their engagement this summer. MRS. KOHL RETURNS HOME. Chicago, April a. Mrs. Chas. E. Kohl returned to New York this week from her trip abroad. She is the principal owner of the Ma- jestic, this city, which saw its oppo- sition, Martin Beck's Palace, get un- der way just about as Mr*. Kohl came sailing in.