Variety (July 1912)

VARIETY INDEPENDENT VAUDEVILLE BOOKED ALL OV ER THE U.S. Hundreds of Theatres Playing Acts, Many Using Bills Costing Around $1,500 Weekly. Enough "Time" for an Act to Play Two Years or More Continuously, Without Appearing in a Theatre Supplied by the Big Agencies. Variety ia printing herewith a list of the Independent agencies and vaudeville theatres, which play vaudeville shows and are booked with- out a direct connection with either the United Booking Offices or the Or- pheum Circuit, the two agencies which have strings of "big time" houses. Besides the list given below, there are hundreds of smaller time theatres that play from one to four acts week- ly, with the programs costing from $80 to $250, or a little over. The list shows sufficient time for a vaudeville act to keep itself busy for two years, without applying to either of the big agencies for an en- gagement. The purpose of the publication is to show what a small proportion of vaudeville in this country the United Booking Offices controls. While the U. B. O. Is admittedly in the lead of the "big time," it has only eighteen weeks that pays the salary limit, the remainder of the U. B. O. "big time" not running much higher in the salary division than many of the independ- ent houses booked by the following agents. The Orpheum Circuit has twenty weeks, most of which pay one salary. The list below, which is not com- plete, includes about 850 vaudeville houses. Other than the smaller vaudeville people which uses a great many big ti le acts during the season, it is esti- mated that legitimate producers, in- cluding the Shuberts and A. H. Wools, have at least 100 standard vaudeville acts under contract for next season in their shows. Burlesque will take from twenty to thirty more. To this con- dition and lack of new vaudeville pro- ductions for the coming season is ascribed the scarcity of material now in sight for the opening "big time" vaudeville programs. Of the houses listed below it is not unlikely that before '12-'13 starts it will be found that the Loew, Fox and Sullivan-Considine circuits will be af- filiated with the United. The affilia- tion will not necessarily limit the quality of bills to be played by either circuit. The M. R. Sheedy agency, New York, by the opening of the season vill have at least thirty houses lined up. The average cost of these shows run from $350 to $750 weekly, with several of the larger houses going as h'gh as $1,200. f New Orleans, July 17. There are no local vaudeville the- atres, other than the Orpheum. Sev- eral picture houses use two acta sup- plementary to the regular film pro- gram. The two New Orleans vaudeville agents, B. F. Brennan and W. Rea Roazman, will have about six houses each in minor towns adjacent to New Orleans, starting with the new sea- son. The highest priced weekly bill either will play is $500. Los Angeles, July 17. * A number of "small time" vaude- ville houses are booked in and out of Los Angeles by local agents. Lists r re refused in the main, through agents feeling the information may be taken advantage of by rival book- ing concerns. The Clarence Rlggs Agency is sup- plying several small houses with pro- grams inside of $150 weekly. At Luna Park the Riggs agency is furnishing a $275 bill; also a similar show at the Folies Hergere, Venice, Cal. The Clune Circuit has two Los An- geles theatres using eight acts each. Cost of programs can not be estima- ted. Other nearby theatres are booked by it, with smaller bills. This office claims nine weeks in Old Mexico. Frank Allen Agency claims around twenty houses, averaging a weekly program of $350. Refuses list of houses. Riggs & Clune are jointly booking several "small timers," running from three to, eight acts for the bill. Riggs & Pantages also have some joint book- ings, not important. Boston, July 17. Vaudeville agents here refuse in- formation concerning their bookings for next season, claiming competitors would take advantage of it. There are three good-sized agencies in the-city, unaffiliated. They handle a large number of the smaller va- riety theatres throughout New Eng- land and the northern part of New York. The shows* are of fair size in money and a good average grade of act is employed. The three agencies together may book between 75 and 100 theatres in season. W. V. M. A. Chicago) (277 Theatres) (Highest Price Weekly Bill, $2,000) (Western Vaudeville Managers' Asso- ciation, including Interstate Circuit, But- terfleld Circuit. Thlelen Circuit, Allardt- Helman Circuit, Gus Sun Circuit, with miscellaneous managers, covering mid- dle-western and southern territory. Highest price, $2,000, seldom reached; agency booking all grades of vaudeville.) SULLIVAN-CONSIDINE (Chicago Branch.) (Hooking for Middle-west only, and not any of Main Line houses.) (25 theatres.) (Highest Price Weekly Bill. $1,500.) (Chicago agency takes many acts off S-C Main Lino Circuit when closing at Kansas City, keeping them working LOEW CIRCUIT (40 Theatres.) (Highest Price Weekly Bill, $1,000.) PANTAGES CIRCUIT (J. C. Matthews, Chicago) (28 Theatres) (Highest Price Weekly BUI, $1,500) Pantages, Calgary Linden, Chicago Pantages, Spokane American, Davenp't Pantages, Seattle Family, Dixon, 111. Pantages, Vancou- Majestic, Belvidere, ver 111. Pantages, Tacoma Orpheum, Clncln- Pantages, Portland natl Pantages, San Fran Cadillac, Detroit Pantages, Oakland — Pantages, Los An- RBI CIRCUIT geles Red Wing, Minn. Pantages, Sacra- Winona, Minn. mento Auston, Minn. Pantages San Diego Albert Lea, Minn. Pantages, Denver Mankato. Minn. Pantages. Pueblo Falrbault, Minn. Pantages, St Joe Rochester, Minn. Orpheum, Fargo. .„ #>t<1 . ._ ._*J5i FOX CIRCUIT 'N .(24 (Highest Price NKW YORK City Riverside Dewey Nemo Washington Gotham Star Family Hippodrome Tremont Theatres) Weekly Program $700) BROOKLYN • I Folly Comedy Grand O H Orpheum, Jersey City Washington, New- ark Park, Stapleton, SI G O H, New Haven Springfield, Mass (Six others to be announced later) THEAT1E BOOKING CORPORATION (Chicago) (18 Theatres) (Highest Price Weekly BUI, $1,700) Miles. Minneapolis Orpheum, Sioux, St. Miles, Detroit Marie, Can. Miles, Grand Rapids Star, Sioux, St. Lincoln, Chicago Marie, Mich. Crystal, Milwaukee Opera House. Mar- Garrlck, Kansas Cy quette, Mich. Majestic, St. Paul Orpheum, Hancock, Bijou, Oshkosh, Wis Mich. Bl.lou, Marionette, Grand, Calumet, Wis. Mich. Bijou, Green Bay, People's, Laurlum, Wit, Mich. Garrlck, Escanaba, Sheboygan Theatre Mloh. Sheboygan, Mich. BERT LEVEY (San Francisco) (44 Theatres.) (Average Hlirhest Price Bills, $800.) SAN FRANCISCO Portervillo Portola Hanford Princess ' Coallnga Gran > Bakersflcld Wigwam Taft Richmond Maricopa Liberty Fellows — Sanbernardlno Oakland, Cal. Pomona Redding Riverside Chlco (2) San Diego Marysvllle Richmond Grassvllle Berkeley Lodl i Watsonvlllo Stockton Salinas Merced Monterev Fresno (2) Santa Maria Vlsalia Petaluma Oakland Pittsburg Broadway Sanmateo lOreville San Leandro Willows Santarosa Above houses all In California. Agency also books about fifteen theatres Neva- da, Arizona and New Mexico. CRAWFORD EXCHANGE (26 Th (Highest Price W *T. LOUIS Kings Shenandoah Arco Nebraska Union Cherokee Montgomery Breman Missouri Aubert Hamilton Alps Earl's. E St Louis Majestic, East St. Louis Washington. Gran- ite City, 111. eatres) eekly Bill. $1,500) Opera House, Col- llnsville. 111. Powhattan, Maple- wood, Mo. (Join, Cairo. 111. Arcade. Puducah, Ky. "M" Theatre, Co- lumbia. Mo. Jefferson, Spring- field. Mo. Majestic, St. Jo- seph, Mo. Jefferson, De Soto, Mo. Marlowe, Jackson, Tcnn. Dreamland, Belle- ville, Hi. for several weeks after.) FEIBER & SHEA! (6 Theatres) (Highest Price Weekly Program. $1,500) Bayonne, N J Elmlra, N Y Orange. N J Akron, O New Brunswick, NJ YoungHtown, O NORMAN JEFFERIES (Philadelphia.) (22 Theatres.) (Mostly located In southern territory.) (Highest price weekly bill. $1,200. Av- erage, *?5'»U to $700.) HODKIN'S AGENCY (Chicago.) (28 Theatres.) (Highest Price Weekly BUI, $900.) Tulsa, Okla Houston Oklohoma City San Antonio Fort Smith, Ark Galveston Muskogee, Okla Corpus Chrlstl, Jonesboro. Okla Tex Pine Bluff, Ark San Angelo, Tex Hot Springs, Ark Nashville Little Rock, Ark Chattanooga Shreveport, La Murnhysboro, Tenn Lake Charles, La Bowling Green. Ky Crowley, La Natchez, Miss Port Worth Birmingham Texarkana, Tex Meridian. Miss Palestine, Tex Mobile, Ala Waco. Tex PRUDENTIAL AGENCY (New York.) (About 48 houses) (Highest price weekly show, 11,600.) (From eight to ten houses paying feat- ure turns $600 to $700 weekly). (List of theatres not given.) FRANK O. DOYLE (Chicago.) ™ ^ <™ Weeks.) (Highest price weekly program. $1,000.) m (Has twenty weeks (mostly "splits'*) for the smaller bills, with Ave weeks employing big acta) NIXON-NIRDLINGER (Philadelphia.) (About as Theatres.) (Highest price weekly bill, $700.) Bookfng Nixon and People's, Philadel- phia, remainder outside that city. Bills run In the main from $800 to $600. . W. TAYLOR (8 Theatres.) (Highest Price Weekly BUI. $1,100.) PHILADELPHIA. Oermantown Keystone (building) Liberty B CHARLES DOUTRICK (Chicago) (9 Theatres) (Highest Price Weekly Bill, $800) Franklin, Chicago Palace. Wlndota, 111. Thalia. Chicago Empire, Morris, 111. Majestic, La Salle. Webster's. Fargo. 111. N. D. Majestic, Streator. Webster's. Grand I". w Forks. N. D. Grand. Matoon. 111. ^ D GREENWOOD AGENCY (Atlanta, Ga.) (40 or more Theatres) (Highest Price Weekly Program. $600- $C00) Memphis (2) Albany, Ga Jackson Key west (2) Dixon, Tenn Miami, Fla Union City, Tenn Tampa. Fla (2) Blythevllle, Ark Ybor City. Fla Paragould, Ark Jacksonville, Fla Joneaboro, Ark Cartersyllle. Ga Natches, Miss Gainesville, Ga Fulton. Ky West Point. Ga Atlanta (2) Trlon, Ga Athens. Ga (8) Talbotton, Ga Greenwood, 8 C Blberton, Ga Columbus, Ga Rome, Ga (2) (Several weeks In Cuba. Bills to be sub' mltted and approved.) (Other Bookings Not Listed.) FREEMAN BERNSTEIN • (New York) (6 Theatres) (13 theatres claimed for opening season) (Highest Price Weekly Bill. $700) (No list of houses given) PHIL HUNT Besides booking for the Howard and Park, Boston, will place acts for twenty- five or more houses of the smaller type, playing bills costing $300 to $700 weekly. IAFFILIATED VAUDEVILLE CIRCUIT (Moss & Brill and Cunningham & Flue- gelman) (6 Theatres) NEW YORK BROOKLYN McKlnley Sq De Kalb H6th St. Bay Ridge 14th St 146th St E. J. COX (Chicago.) (12 Theatres) (Hiirhest Price Weekly Bill, $760) CHICAGO Princess. Canton, Davis Square ill. Amerlcus Majestic, La Salle, Crescent 111. American Union, Springfield, Grand 111. Liberty Orpheum, Belolt, — Wis. Princess. Peoria Princess, La Port. Ind. JAMES CLANCY (New York) (5 Theatres) (Holiest Price Weekly Hill, $600-$600) (No 11 h t of houses Ktven) (Continued ou page 21.)