Variety (June 1912)

ACTORS TO PAY KEITH'S PRICE THROUGH REDUC ED SALARIES United Offices Booking Men Figuring to Save $360,000 for B. F. Keith in New York Next Season by Cutting Salaries of Acts. Same Cuts will Make$650,000 for Keith Outside New York. Vaudeville Art- ists Taking Production Engagements. VARIETY "SISTER ACT" SPLIT UP. The "Bieter act" of Burnham and i^BS The purchase price of the Percy G. Williams theatres by B. F. Keith, amounting to $5,000,000, is to be paid by the vaudeville actors. This is now reported to have been all calculated upon by the United Booking Offices. Acting for Keith, who is said not to have invested a dollar in the com- pany formed to take over the Will- iams houses July 1 (although the Keith people will operate the the- atres) the heads of the United agency have set upon a scale of reduction that will give Keith in the six Will- iams New York houses a saving of at least $360,000 the coming season, to be effected through the reduction of salaries of acts appearing in the Keith-Williams theatres. The plan as rumored says that the average cost of the former Williams shows, around $5,250 each, will be cut down to $3,750, with the pro- grams kept up to the same quality as given by Williams, the latter condi- tion, of course, being dependent upon the vaudeville artists consenting to the slaughter of their salaries. The saving of $1,500 weekly in each of six theatres amounts to $9,- 000, and during a season of forty weeks will mean $360,000. The an- nual installment payment to be paid to Mr. Williams by Keith during the next twenty years amounts to leas than that amount. As the vaudeville actor's salary is settled upon through what he re- ceives in New York City, Keith thinks lie has made a pretty good deal for himself through purchasing the Will- iams theatres. The cut made for New York salaries will be carried into the other Keith houses in the country. There are fourteen of these, some of the same grade as those in New York. Others, known as "cut towns" will further reduce the salary, proportionately with the shave the actor must stand in New York. In the out-of-New York Keith theatres it is expected the manager will pay $650,000 less next season for salaries of acts than he did last year, result- ing in a total profit to him next sea- son made out of the actors alone, of $1,000,000. The vaudeville artists have the im- pression firmly embedded in their minds that they are going to be "cut." To avoid that and the other Inconven- iences the "big time" act believes it will have to encounter if remaining in vaudeville, artists are looking for production engagements, and accept- ing them whenever offered with a fair compensation. A number of turns are considering offers to ko into bur- lesque, while many have been in re- ceipt of proposals to take interests in shows. The Shuberts' vaudeville circuit with its proposition of thirty or more weeks of the "Winter Garden" or "road shows" time, is holding back many acts from arriving at any definite con- clusion for next season, until they have thoroughly surveyed the field. The middle-western circuits, including the interstate time, which can play a "big time" act consecutively and at its sal- ary seems destined to become an im- portant factor, if the western manag- ers do not allow the officials of the United agency to "bunk" them into be- lieving "United bookings are neces- sary to them." The United Offices is growing fearful of the western field. It looks dangerous to their peace of mind, with the knowledge the United people has of the many connections the middle-weBtern managers can make that would be imminent to their Bole power in the "big time" field. It is rumored the Sullivan-Consi- dine and Pantages circuits will play a higher priced grade of act next sea- son than they have been doing in the past. It is said that with the rumor the Orpheum Circuit has restricted its cost of bills for next season to a limited amount, Sullivan-Consldlne will go out in the field to gather in material that will strongly compete at the S-C'b admission prices, 10-20- 30, against the fifty and seventy-five cent Orpheum shows. Pantages will keep pace with his rival, the S-C. N. YVS FIREMEN'S CARNIVAL. At the Madison Square Garden from October 2-18, in conjunction with the Fire Exposition, will be held a firemen's tournament and carnival. Pictures of the "fire film" type will be exhibited. QUIET AROUND SHUBERTH'. The proposed Shubert vaudeville circuit was quiet this week. There was a story Jules Delmar had taken in the new Taylor houses (Keystone and Liberty) in Philadelphia. No confirmation was obtainable. It was also said the United Booking Offices had been after Taylor, making a violent play for him. SUING SKETCH WRITER. David Steinhardt, the attorney, has been retained by Walter Schrode and Lizzie Mulvey to recover the amount paid by them to Jack Gorman for a sketch which Schrode and Mulvey lately "tried out" around New York. The results were bo disastrous the act threw away everything excepting the setting for the piece (which had cost $2,000), and made a demand on Gorman to return the money ad- vanced to him for the sketch. Greenwood will be dissolved when Charlotte Greenwood Joins the new Winter Garden revue July 8. Miss Greenwood is the comedienne of the duo. Sydney Grant, another vaudevll- lian, has also been engaged for the show. Mr. Grant was sued for divorce this week by his wife, Zay Holland. They were married April 13, 1905. Miss Holland recently returned from Paris where she had gone to study music. Mr. Grant has been touring vaude- ville in the west. SETTLES "SUNDAY" CASE. The action brought against F. F. Proctor by Irene Franklin and Burt Green was settled out of court last week, when August Dreyer, attorney for the act, accepted the amount of the pro rata share of salary Franklin and Green had sued the manager for. The case arose through the refusal of the couple to play Kruger's Audi- torium, Newark, on the Sunday clos- ing their week at Proctor's own thea- tre, Newark, which did not give a per- formance on the Sabbath. It had been customary for the management to ask the acts on the regular pro- gram to finish out the week at the Sunday resort. For this they were, not given extra monies, although transportation of baggage was fur- nished. COMEDY CLUB'S FIELD DAY. The Vaudeville Comedy Club ex- pects to hold a field day some Saturday during August at Brighton Beach. There will be races of all kinds, for professionals only. Contests will be held for the women as well as men. The feature of the day is to be an auto race, with only Y. C. C. members and their cars entered, owners to drive. Charles Ahearn is chairman of the Committee of Arrangements for the field and track events. NEW ONE FOR UNION HILL. Everything has been cut and dried for another new theatre over on Union Hill to be built this summer. The owners have had plans drawn by Architect McElfatrick, New York, for a playhouse seating 1,600 at Bergenline and Hackensack Plank Road. The building will take in the thea- tre, store rooms, rathskeller and bowling alleys. The estimated cost is $150,000. The site is within three minutes' walk of the present Union Hill theatre. The policy of the new house has not been announced. MARGARET UTTER POISONED. Chicago, June 19. Margaret Utter, a "coon shOuter" and member of the "White City" Cabaret, died this morning from ptomaine poisoning, said to have been caused by eating canned goods at the resort restaurant. Miss Utter left the show Monday, complaining of illness, but her condi- tion was not considered serious until a chango for the worse came this morning. ••SPLIT" IN EFFECT AUG. 1. The "big time" booking agents of the Putnam Building were called to- gether In the United Booking Offices last Friday and formally notified (verbally) that, commencing Aug. 1 next, all commissions due them for acts booked on the Orpheum Circuit would be collected by the Vaudeville Collection Agency, and one-half the amounts withheld for the benefit of the United Booking Offices and the Orpheum Circuit. This is following the story of the intended "split com- mission" rule on the Orpheum. It has obtained in the United offices for a long while. An object given as the reason for the addition of the Orpheum Circuit to the United's "split-commission time" was that the United needed the money, being under a heavy expense. The loss of the two and one-half per cent, commission by the agents may have considerable bearing upon their future actions and dealings with the actors and managers. Hereto- fore the agent could depend upon se- curing his full commission from an Orpheum route, and favored that cir- cuit accordingly with his acts. When arranging for the "split" (which J. J. Murdock did with Mar- tin Beck), it is said Beck stated he had no objection to it if the agents were willing. Whereupon it is said Murdock called in two or three agents, one at a time, and told them other agents had asked him to see if they could have the Orpheum deduct commission and protect them. Mur- dock is reported to have asked these agents if they wanted that done for them. Each replied that he did if the others had already asked for it, when Murdock told them to tell Beck they wanted the new plan. John J. Collins has resigned as one of the Orpheum's booking men. The resignation takes effect Aug. 1. Her- man Phillips, another Orpheum New York staff member, left the office last Saturday. Mr. Collins has been with the Or- pheum Circuit for twelve years. Since coming to the New York head- quarters he has had charge of the programs at several of the important theatres supplied by the circuit. Upon leaving Aug. 1, Mr. Collins will embark In the agency and producing business. KILLED BY AN ELEPHANT. Toronto, June 19. Frank Johnson, of Lexington, Ky., an elephant man with the Mighty Haag Shows, met with a violent death •when the circus played Milhon, a small town near here, June 13. One of the pachyderm herd at- tacked the man and pierced him with his tusks. He died at the General Hospital here the following day. KOHL'S BRYN MAWR THEATRE. Chicago, June 19. Charles E. Kohl is president of a new company which will have control of the new Bryn Mawr theatre at Bryn Mawr and Sheridan Road. Among the stockholders are Bert Cortelyou, Frank Hivers, C. E. Kohl and Jake Ellas.