Variety (June 1912)

VARIETY 5 ss WESTERN VAUDEVILLE ASS'N DECLAR ED K. & C. ADJUNCT. Board Meeting Decides Chicago's Big Vaudeville Agency is Attached to the Kohl-Castle Co. Will Unite With Majestic Theatre Management to Keep Big Acts Away From "Small Time" it Chicago, May 29. At the board meeting of the West- ern Vaudeville Managers' Association, held last Friday in the Majestic Thea- tre Building, and attended by Mrs. Kohl, her son, Charles Kohl, Jr., Geo. Castle and Max Anderson, it is said the standing of the "Association" was threshed out at length, the ses- sion coming to a close when the at- tending directors understood the up- stairs booking agency was now and for all time an adjunct of the Kohl- Castle Co. This question is one that has been of considerable worriment to many people, directly and indirectly con- nected with the "Association," tae im- pression always existing that the' agency was an auxiliary of the Or- pheum Circuit inasmuch as Martin Beck was its president. However, last week's meeting seems to have settled the matter of the "As- sociation's" standing and those in con- trol would have it known that here- after the W.V.M.A.Ua part and par- cel of the Kohl-Castle groupe of com- panies and will come directly under the supervision of that concern. Incidentally, General Manager Glover (of the Kohl-Castle Co.), Is arranging to widen the breach be- tween the Majestic and the other Chicago houses by making a change in the Majestic contracts. At pres- ent the engaged artists agree not to appear at any other theatre in Chicago for a period of two weeks after the completion of the Ma- jestic engagement. Hereafter, any act that plays the Majestic will have to promise not to appear at any other house in town for a period of six weeks after playing the Majestic. This move is to stop the smaller houses from billing headline acts as direct from the Majestic, particularly where the smaller house has an admission price ranging from ten to thirty cents. Of late the outlying managers have been exceptionally active in play- ing high priced headliners immediate- ly after their engagement at the larger house and up to a short time ago many of the acts scheduled to ap- pear at the Majestic took a chance and played the smaller houses first. Some few months ago Mr. Glover made a public statement to the effect that in no event would the Majestic play a turn after it had appeared at the outlying smaller houses. This rule has been lived up to by the man- agement which now finds it impera- tive to keep the better grade of acts out of the "pop" houses for a reason- able length of time after they have appeared at the Majestic. In this arrangement the Kohl-Cas- tle people will co-operate with the "Association" agents and thus make it impossible for the acts to break the rule, principally because the "As- sociation" cqntrols the better grade of "pop" houses in town and during the past have themselves been partly responsible for the condition through their activity in booking the acts at the outlying theatres. When Martin Beck was asked by ■» Variety, representative about the meeting in Chicago, Mr. Beck replied: "I know of no meeting, such as you mention. I am the president and a director of the W. V. A., but I have neither sent out nor received and noti- fication of an official meeting. "There is nothing I can say about it under the circumstances. Just now I am only concerned in developing the west, where the Orpheum Circuit is located. The happy arrangement lately reached between the United Booking Offices and Orpheum Circuit limits the operations of the Orpheum to west of Chicago, and the United to the east of that city. Therefore my sole attention is centred upon the west." Notwithstanding Mr. Beck's lack of positiveness over the Western Vaude- ville Association meeting, it is said in the inside circles of vaudeville that there may arise a condition in book- ings in Chicago that will not be un- expected. If the W. V. A. should slip from the control of Mr. Beck, there 1b little doubt but that he would open an auxiliary agency at Chicago, to the Orpheum Circuit, with the im- mense influence of the Orpheum among the middle-western smaller managers for support. About this time E. F. Albe3 and J. J. Murdock are due to leave for Chicago, to remain a few days or a week. It is said their trip west has something to do with Chicago book- ings. WILLIAMS MANAGERS RETAINED. From present indications all the resident managers on the Williams circuit will be retained next season, the only probable change being the switching of David Robinson back to the Colonial and sending William Masaud to the Alhambra. The Colonial, Orpheum and Alham- bra close for the summer June 16. ALBEE DONATES $1,000. The Vaudeville Comedy Club show for the week of July 22 at the Savoy, Atlantic City, has already been en- riched by $1,000 E. F. Albee donated toward it for one ticket. The Committee on Arrangements for the show is presided over by Joa. M. Schenck, who will gather the vol- unteers together and arrange the pro- grams. During the week the»e will be a change of bill every other day. SQUARST GOING INTO ACLKJk. The program laid out by Eddie Darling for the revival of "big time" vaudeville at B. F. Keith's Union Square theatre will take possession of the stage Monday. The management of the theatre for the first few weeks will rest upon El- mer F. Rogers, who will whip the house into shape. It Is a return visit for Mr. Rogers. He ran the theatre some years ago, when It was the only Keith stand In New York City. The admission prices for the shows have been scaled up to seventy-five cents at night, and 25-60 for matinees. That is about the same scale as at F. F. Proctor's Fifth Ave- nue theatre, which the Union Square intends to buck. No other reason is assigned fer the reopening of the house with first-class bills at this season of the year. The friction between the former partners, Keith and Proctor, has ex- tended to their respective staffs, and in many ways it is evident that the tension at times between the two cir- cuits becomes very strained. The first Union Square show will have "The Song Revue," Isabel le D'Armond and Frank Carter, Ed Hayes and Co., Lyons and Tosco, Howard's Ponies, Bert Melrose, Miller and Lyles, Flying Martins. BUTTE EMPRESS BURNS. Butte, May 29. Sullivan-Consldine's Empress was destroyed by fire May 26. The S.-C vaudeville bills will be placed at the Onion. One show was missed this week through the move. None of the artists at the burned house lost any- thing. ATTACHED CARNIVAL OUTFIT. Canton, O., May 29. When the musicians of the Gibson Carnival Co. were unable to collect $300 due them for services they called in the sheriff who attached four of the principal concessions. James H. Gibson, proprietor, offered physical objection. He was placed in jail. AN ACT DE-LUXE. MLLE. SIMONE DE BERYL. Headllner of the Orpheum Road Show- Now completing a triumphant tour of t!i • GREAT ORPHEUM CIRCUIT. MLLE. SIMONE DE BERYL iijipoarcd !..at week at the Palace, C'hlcaKo, ■ nhancrd by two rare fifty kar.it illamoruls Will present next fl^ason n n«*'v offering entitled "SUN- KET AND MOUNLKJHT," with new aud ■tartiing electrical effects. SKATERS IN UNION SUITS. The commencement of the Ham- merstein Roof Garden season Monday evening above the Victoria theatre will display six young women curving about the Ice on the pond in "The Farm/' with union suits keeping the moon's beams from becoming ex-rays. That is, Willie Hammerstein wants to have his skateresses in the combination garments, but he is apt to drape them just a little for the first performance. Monday, Mr. Hammersteln was astonished to find how news traveled. The visit made him by a couple of officers from an Inspector's office was the cause. The cops wanted to know what there was to this union suit. Willie said he had never had a strike in the house, and no union had sued him. Then he called Loney Haskel, manager of the frozen duck resort and told him to send out for stream- ers, wide enough to cover a perfect 36 so that no one could tell whether her union suit was true blue or a bit off color. Grace Helane and Eddie Bassett will be the star steel rail performers. In the union squad are Blanche Nee- bit, Harriet Moore, Vivian/ Re veil, Vera Rossmore, Dorothy Wallace and Lillian West. A program announcement this week says the ice-skaters' costumes will be unique and made by Mme. Lucille (Lady Duff-Gordon). The costumes even if made by Lady Duff will be composed of high shoes, a picture hat and a fur muff, with lots of unionis- ing in between. LEGIT IN SAVOY. Asbury Park, May 29. It' has been decided by Walter Rosenberg, lessee of the Savoy, that commencing July 22 he will make use of his Klaw & Erlanger "franchise" for this city by playing legit attrac- tions at the house. The Savoy holds vaudeville now. The removal of the house to the other column will leave the new Lyric for the "big time" vaudeville shows and the Criterion for "pop" bills during the busiest part of the year down here. TRENTON OFF THE "BIG TiME.' Trenton, N. J., May 29. The "big time" vaudeville route sheets have lost Trenton. The Trent theatre here next season will play the Klaw & Erlanger legitmate shows. It formerly held the vaudeville bills. The Taylor Opera House will hold "pop" vaudeville, and oppose the State atreet house, another "small timer." ., Thjn there is the Broad Street, which Is liable to play stock. Trenton happens to be on« of the many cities around which has too many theatres f jr its size. MANHATTAN* QUITS BIG LOSER. Gane's Manhattan theatr?, Troad- way and 31st street, which has been running for the past two ye irs, will go out of exlst<". -o in from four to six weeks. I'Vlix lsm:in, who backed the house, is said to have dropped about $150,- 0U0 in the venture. Stores will re- place Jie i ' at re.