Variety (July 1912)

VARIETY 11 DAMAGE VERDICT OP $30,000 OVER S CHENEC TADY LEASE M. Reis Awarded the Judgment Against A. Vedder Magee, for Ignoring First Agreement Made for the Renting of Proctor's Theatre in Up-State Town. Proctor's Offer, $4,500 More Binghamton, N. Y., July 17. A recent verdict of $30,000 in the United States Circuit Court here on a theatrical matter just came to light. The plaintiff was the M. Reis corpor- ation, which sued A. Vedder Magee, owner of the new Proctor theatre -<-t Schenectady, N. Y., for damages result- ing from the ejectment by Magee of Rets, who held a prior lease to the theatre that F. F. Proctor opened with "pop" vaudeville a short while ago. The Iteis company secured and re- corded a lease on the house be- fore it was built, for ten years at $7,- 500 yearly, with an option for five more years at $10,000 per annum. Mr. Proctor afterward offered $12,000 yearly for ten years, when Magee con- sulted his attorney, who advised that the Reis agreement was invalid through the corporation being a for- eign one (New Jersey). About April 1 last Reis sent a rep- resentative to Schenectady to make a tender of the first quarter's rent and take possession of the theatre. This the representative did. The tender was refused, and the Reis company was forcibly ejected by the landlord gently leading the representative to the street. Suit by Reis was thereupon com- menced for damages in lieu of a legal demand for possession under his lease. It is understood Magee is endeavor- ing to effect a settlement with Reis of the judgment. "PEN SCRAPE" CAN. OPENING. The first showing of Graham Mof- fatfs "The Scrape of a Pen," under the management of Joe Weber, will be at Montreal Sept. 16. A week la- ter it is slated that the show shall open at Weber's theatre, New York. Mr. Moffatt will recruit and re- hearse the company for the American production on the other side. Mof- fatt will appear in the English com- pany playing the same piece. It will open in London Sept. 4. OEORUE MARION HACK. George Marion arrived Wednesday on the Oceanic, bringing with him the scenery of "Tantalizing Tommy." The London production is to be used here by A. H. Woods for the American presentment of the piece. Marion also brought the music of "The Woman Haters' Club." PERSONALLY MANAGED. Joseph Howard and Mabel McCane will open in Chicago in January in "Frivolous Geraldine," under How- ard's personal management and in his own production. He has also col- laborated on the composition of tho music with Herb. Stoddard, musical coach of the University of Wisconsin, ' and has had a hand in the creation of the lyrics. The book is by John Stenfield, editor of the Indianapolis Press. The piece will have its premiere at Madison, Wis., New Year's Day, and reach Chicago the middle of that month, at one of the "Syndicate" houses, with a company of seventy- five. RYLEY'S ROAD "PINE" SHOW. The road rights for the one-nlghters h:«.ve been secured from Klaw & Er- laiger by Tom W. Ryley for "The Tiall of the Lonesome Pine"-show. SHOW FOR STAIR & HAVLIN. The first thing Cliff Gordon did Monday morning was to get his hair cut. This is an annual event.with Cliff, and always occurs the third Monday in July. After the operation had been successfully put overland n charge for shaving one oAnan comedian added, Mr. Gordo* an- nounced that commencing Aug. 29 at Syracuse, N. Y., he would start "Life Shop Window" over the Stair & Hav- lin circuit. Afterwards when regaining his nor- mal poise Mr. Gordon explained this wu6 a novel written by someone u?med Victoria Cross, who got her name from Charing Cross Station in S'ockholm and was one of the ref- erees at the Olympic games. Owen Davis will attend to the dramatization and also stage the pro- duction. Theodor Gamble has been engaged for the male lead. NED "CLOTHES" NORTON N«-d "Clothes" Norton Is now ;i |i|><-ii ring ;is ;i "siriKl'' :ict" In \ ainl<\ i 1 1<- "Tin- Iti.-iu Hmmmi-I of Ilurh-Hqiir.'' .is Mr. Norton Is known, Is open for m-xt s<■:ison for liui'li-sqio- or mushiil < otm <lv. ||< is f;im<il is ;i "straight man." Mr. Norton may !••• ;i<l<l i <ssi <l ran- of t li< Vai>(|< •villi- «'oni«ily « , lut». 1«»7 \Wst tlth St New York. W. & L. $100,000 COMPANY. The Werba & Luescher Arm will convert itself into a $100,000 corpora- tion, the company taking over all of the W & L's theatrical properties, in- cluding the lately acquired Eddy Foy show. It is said Werba & Luescher paid Chas. B. Dillingham and Flo Zieg- feld, Jr., $26,000 for the "Over the River" production, including the star. The show will be sent on the one- nigh ters next season. Foy had a prof- itable run at the Globe last season, although .in the cities played before reaching the Metropolis "Over the River" broke no records. The sale by Messrs. Dillingham and Ziegfeld has started some talk con- cerning Dillingham mostly and his connection with "The Syndicate." The first stories were that the Shuberts were trying to do business with Dil- lingham for the Foy piece, the new Montgomery and Stone show and the Globe theatre, of which Dillingham is the lessee. The fully Informed say, however, that Dillingham could not possiby break away from Klaw ft Er- langer, and that he Is also strongly linked to Charles Frohman. While the consideration may have the sole Inducement for the sale, Ziegfeld is reported to have cleared last season $150,000, divided as fol- lows: Anna Held tour, $55,000; 25 per cent, of "The Pink Lady," $50,- 000; "Follies of 1911," $46,000. In the new Werba & Luescher cor- poration Tom McNaughton will be one of the chief executive officials. Mark A. Luescher and Louis F. Werba will be the others. A $1,600 house was at the Globe Monday evening when the Arm's "Rose Maid" gave its 100th performance. Nearly all of the Werba ft Luescher stars, including Eddie Foy and his nine little Foyers, were on the stage. Tuesday Alice Lloyd, who closed her season in "Little Miss Fix-It" at the Tremont, Boston, last Saturday, sailed for England on the Lusitania. She will return the latter .part of August to take up a short road tour in the piece before starring in a new production under the same manage- ment. Lionel Walsh, previously re- ported as another Werba & Luescher star for next season, also left on the same boat, having contracted to sup- port Miss Lloyd for another year. The Montgomery and Stone-Elsi<} Janis-Joe Cawthorne production under the Dillingham management will open Oct. 5. BRADY HOME TODAY. William A. Brady's new 48th Street theatre, it is now definitely settled, will open Aug. 20 witli Broadhurst and Swan's farce "Just Like John." Brady is on the Mauretania, due in New York to-day (Friday). WILLS IX "A PERFECT LADY." Thomas W. Ryley will produce after t li«* first of the year a musical comedy, hook by Vincent Bryan, entitled "A Perfect Lady," in which Nat M. Wills is to he featured. He will not play the tjth» role. Meanwhile Wills will play the Or- pheuni Circuit for twenty-five weeks, opening at Winnipeg Aug. 12. PALACE OFFERED. A man purporting to represent those controlling the Martin Beck Palace Music Hall waited on Weber & Fields this week with a proposition that they take over that house for their organi- zation. Several plans were suggested, among them a flat rental and another to purchase the property, they taking over the half block at Broadway and 29th street on which Weber holds a leasehold having fifty-one years more to run. Both Joe Weber and Lew Fields de- clare they have made no arrangements for the taking over of a new music hall, but do not deny that the closing of such a deal is Imminent. Mr. Weber, through insisting on certain conditions, is holding up the Shubert music hall arrangement. Among those figured on by Weber & Fields for their proposed new musi- cal stock company is George Beban. YEAR IN THE ORIENT. San Francisco, July 17. Arthur Fox, manager of the Orien- tal Amusement Co., has signed the Ferris Hartman musical comedy com- pany for a year's engagement in the Orient. TEAL PRODUCING ABROAD. Among the plans of Ben Teal for the coming season is a trip to England during September. He has been en- gaged to produce an attraction at one of the London theatres for an Ameri- can manager. NEW ONEIDA, N. Y., HOUHE. Syracuse, July 17. The new Madison theatre, seating 1,200 and costing $85,000 will open late in August. It is the first com- bination house Oneida has had in Bev- el al years. There is a drawing popu- lation of 30,000 for the theatre. William Rubin, of this city, Is the lehtee; Mike Kallett, treasurer at the Grand Opera House, Is Interested. "Pop" vaudeville, with a legitimate attraction weekly, will be the policy. Ibc M. Reis Circuit will book In (ho combinations. OWEN MHJIVENKY II" I'lut' ;in 111 ;t > . r. fiiifii Kiifcl.ilnl who is i >;i.'ii i fig ill t 11 • - M t >• !»l jr. I 'llir.l H". . I 111 y J'.t, for IiIh llr.«l .i|i|M'.n iii>t<' In AiU'tkit.