Variety (April 1912)

VARIETY DULL TIMES IN MUSIC TRADES BRINGS AB OUT CU T-RATE WAR Department Stores Selling Sheet Music at Five and Six Cents. "Ten-Cent Stores" Very Angry Over It, With the Publishers in Between The music publishers and song writers are in a panic just now and look with gloomy forebodings on the future of the publishing business and the profession of song writing. Things have been going from bad to worse and last week reached a crisis when one large department store advertised popular sheet music at five cents a copy and another at six cents. It was believed that when the ten- cent stores established music counters and sought to purchase music at seven and eight cents, that publishers cater- ing to that trade would "go broke." Some had a hard time making ends meet. But it is a safe betting prop- osition that every copy of music re- tailed at five cents is wholesaled to the department stores at one cent less. A glance at the music advertised at five cents fails to reveal any repre- sentations from the catalogs of the old Btandard houses—those that have been in business for years and are accus- tomed to paying bills promptly. They have wisely kept out of the affair, pre- ferring to sell in small quantities but at a price yielding a profit. Curiously enough, there is not what is termed a "natural hit" on the mar- ket to-day. Various reasons are as- signed for such a condition, but none tangible enough to stand the test of analysis by the "wise" folk. A confidential meeting of song writ- ers has been called to protect them- selves in some way or other. It is a serious complaint with them that they —the hit writers—are depended upon for interpolated numbers in musical comedy shows, for which they get no credit on programs or any participa- tion in percentages of the attraction, having to depend altogether on their royalties from the sale of the sheet music. They are endeavoring to de- vise a means of being declared "In" on the weekly percentages paid to the regular lyricists and composers of the shows. This retailing of music at five cents by the department stores has aroused the ire of the kings of the ten-cent stores. They have made a mental note of the publishers whose wares are be- ing offered at low pTices with a view to adopting a campaign of reprisal. It has been demonstrated for some time that a publisher cannot sell his music at prohibitive prices, pay sing- ers, his office expense and in addition give legitimate royalties to the writers and composers. The situation has reached a stage where revolutionary action of some kind is imminent. ARTHUR KLEIN FIXES HIMSELF. Whether someone else runs Percy Williams theatres right away or at any old time, Arthur Klein, one of Williams' young booking men, believes he has himself fixed for this summer. Mr. Klein has secured the Criterion, Asbury Park, he says, commencing June 15, and will play high-class vaudeville in the house during the va- cation season. Arthur did the same thing last year, but then he rented the theatre from Walter Rosenberg. Somehow Mr. Rosenberg seemed to have the better of the transaction. Rosenberg's Broadway theatre, Long Branch, will be completed and ready for opening August 1. The house will have 1,762 chairs, without the boxes. It will be Long Branch's first theatre* NEIL KENYON IN PRODUCTION. (Special Cable to Variety,.) London, April 16. The run of "Proud Maisie" at the Aldwych is to be a short one. It has been decided to withdraw the Jacob- ean piece within the next few weeks, and to follow it with a farce-comedy in which there is a big part for a Scotch comedian. Neil Kenyon has been engaged for the role. Kenyon's last appearance in England on the legitimate stage was in "The Islander," which ran three months at the Apollo theatre. The forthcoming production is a project of Sir Joseph Beecham's. Kenyon's vaudeville time has been deferred. JEANNETTE DUPRE IN LONDON. (Special Cable to Variety*.) London, April 17. Jeannette Dupre and Feiber opened at the Finsbury Empire Monday and did very well. SHOWS AT BRIGHTON. It is not yet certain that vaudeville will be played this summer at the Brighton Beach Music Hall, in opposl tion to Dave Robinson's Brighton the- atre nearby. This week David Saseen has been angling for legit productions in the music hall for the summertime. The plan is to have the productions give twelve shows weekly, with an under- standing if principals do not care to play that number of performances, un- derstudies will be accepted for four matinees. The Music Hall management wants to know what managers will accept for their shows for the week, to pre- vent a guarantee or percentage plan. As far as known nothing has been definitely settled by the Music Hall, as it Is questionable whether It can se- cure sufficient attractions. POP AT IMPERIAL. Washington, April 17. The Imperial musical comedy com- pany closed at the Imperial Saturday night. The house will adopt a "pop" vaudeville policy. EITHER PEACE OR FIGHT. (Continued from page 3.) the subject of the Western .Vaudeville Managers' Association (the big "small time" agency of this city) presided over by Charles E. Bray, will have much bearing upon the final terms and settlement of any peace agreement that may be entered into between the Eastern and Western managers, It Is said. Mrs. Kohl is strong enough, ac- cording to report, to swing the bal- ance of power In the Association, which would place that agency as an adjunct at this point to the United Booking Offices. Last Saturday the Milwaukee pa- pers carried a story that P. F. Nash of the United had secured a site in that city upon which would be built a vaudeville theatre. Mr. Nash stopped off at Chicago on his way to New York, but had nothing to say. Keith is claimed to have sites in San Francisco, Los Angeles, St. Louis, Milwaukee and other towns, which would be built upon, against the Or- pheum Circuit interests, if trouble follows between eastern and western big time vaudeville. It is reported Mrs. Kohl will ac- quire by purchase an interest in the Percy G. Williams' Circuit of vaude- ville theatres in New York, lately pur- chased by B. F. Keith. They are to pass to Keith very shortly. This prom- ise was made Mrs. Kohl, it is said, upon her announcement that she would stand by Keith while Beck persisted in playing against her Majestic, Chi- cago, and attempted to widen his vau- deville field in the big eastern cities. It will be quite likely found when the Keith-Williams transfer is made public the same set of United Booking Offices managers connected with B. F. Keith in the purchase of the first class vaudeville houses in Cincinnati, In- dianapolis and Louisville a couple of years ago, are also concerned in the Williams buy, and probably to about the same extent in proportion to Keith's share as they secured in the southwestern theatres. Besides Beck and Meyerfeld and the United managers who were as- sembled in New York this week, Aaron Abrams, an Important Orphe- um director, came on from the Coast and A. Paul Keith arrived in the city. (Special cable to Variety;.) London, April 17. In compliance with a cabled re- quest from Variety; to ascertain whether Oswald Stoll was in any way interested in the reported sale of the Percy G. Williams' New York vaudeville theatres, I called upon Mr. Stoll, who denied all knowledge. The cabled message when seen by William Morris and Pat Casey did not surprise them. Mr. Casey said: "I had the right dope all the time." Bayard. Tom Waters will return to vaude- ville, having finished his season with "The Pink Lady." GOING IN "SUMURUN." (Special Cable to Variety,.) London, April 17. Laura Cowle, Maria Carmi and Naplerkowska have been engaged for the production of "Sumurun" in Paris. NEW PALACE NOT THRIVING. Chicago, April 17. With the new Palace theatre now in its third » 3k, a great many are wondering if the much discussed sec- ond first-class vaudeville houses in Chicago can be consistently carried through to a profit by Martin Beck. After three weeks, it doesn't look as though Chicago theatre-goers look favorably toward Beck's idea of dol- lar variety shows, when one considers the Majestic offers practically the same thing, perhaps a little better, for twen- ty-five cents less. Business at the Palace is nowhere near capacity, and has never been since the opening night, but it Is possible the difference in price makes up for the loss of attendance. The Palace has not been well adver- tised, and it's pretty safe to say that sixty per cent, of Chicago hasn't the least idea where the theatre is lo- cated. This may account in a small way for the lack of patronage. On the other hand, it is barely pos- sible that Mr. Beck, anticipating a possible vaudeville peace-compact which may necessitate a change of pol- icy for his new Chicago house, has withheld his advertising campaign un- til such time as he feels convinced peace is an impossibility. Very few, if any, sheet advertising has been done for the house. Manager Singer offers no explanation except that it will all be attended to later on. The Palace does not look as though it were built for vaudeville purposes. The size and shape of the auditorium and stage look more suitable for mu- sical comedy. The location would be ideal for this brand of entertainment. The Majestic shows no effect from opposition. Considering the time of year, the weather and other circum- stances, the older house is doing every bit as well if not better than it did at this time last season. Beck's invasion was expected to car- ry a "wallop" that would land heavily on the Majestic, but the "wallop" was shy. Just now it is Impossible to gauge the possibilities of the Palace as a vaudeville house provided it were pro- perly launched, but it proves one thing satisfactorily, that the Majestic is too well established to suffer from opposi- tion of any kind as long as It can de- liver shows of the calibre presented there in the past. Of the two houses, just now, the Majestic Is calmly walking away from the Palace on the business end. ICE SKATERS ENGAGED. Grace Helane (a sister of Billle Burke—the actress, not the vaude- ville producer) and Edward Bassett, have been engaged to do an Ice skat- ing specialty on Hammerstein's roof this summer. The old duck pond will be utilized. William Hammersteln announced a while ago that this would happen, but Ziegfeld first flashed the Ice rink/ scene, much to the Hammersteln dis^ may. HARRY LEO NHA R D T With McCann'g Tonr*. Railroad and Mteamfd)tv traoflPortutlon pro- cured without additional oofit. Hind* flrkrtN liven the Mime attention a* «D*rlaI train*. Marbrldge Building. J*ew York. Call ttS Greeley.