Variety (July 1912)

H VARIETY BRINGING LABOR FEDERATION INTO MUSICIA NS' MUDDLE Report Committee from A. F. of L. will Call on Managers. I. A. T. S. E. and Musical Pres- idents Confer. Shuberts Sign Scale. From indications it seems the Amer- ican Federation of Labor has been or is about to be brought into the trouble between the New York.theatri- cal managers and the musicians. Some of the theatres were removed from the battlefield this week when the Shuberts signed the scale for their houses and attractions. A committee from the A. F. of L. is due to call upon Klaw & Erlanger to-day, accord- ing to report. Tuesday night at the offices of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employes, Joseph N. Weber, president of the American Federation of Musicians; William J. Kern good, of Local No. 310. A. F. of M., and C. C. 8hay, president of the I. A..T. S. E., discussed the present situation. While the respective officers were non-committal after the meeting, it was said they had reached an under- standing over the refusal of the The- atrical Managers' Association to adopt the new scale presented by the Musical Union. There has been talk around that the A. F. of M. might call on the American Federation of Labor for aid. -*. union man said if this were done, there was no doubt it would bn granted. If the trouble reached that point, according to the union man, it would practically mean that all unions represented In a theatre would go on strike. This would include stage Hands and actors, affecting the actors who are members of the White Rats Actors' Union. The orchestra leaders met this week for the purpose of organizing, it was said, although no one knew where the leaders were to secure a charter from. One leader engaged for a traveling show when asked if he intended going out, replied that he did. He explained that having received $250 advance money, if he refused to go on the road the manager might arrest him for obtaining money under false pre- tenses. The Moulin Rouge had an orchestra this week led by Raymon Hubbeil. Several composers about who had been asked to direct there declined to do so. Hammerstein's show is played by a pianist. Willie Hammerstein declares he will not put in an orchestra again the year around. He said this strike is saving him $20,000 yearly, and he can do more by placing the money in headline attractions. Last Sunday evening Mr. Hammerstein wagered $100 with Billie Burke that when the regular season opens at Hammer- stein's (probably September 16, as it will be later there this season), the show downstairs will not be played by an orchestra. The wager excepted the "Salome" production, which will have a band accompaniment. Lee Shubert denied this week that he had signed the musicians' scale with a rebate understanding. He said: "We have many theatres and attrac- tions all over the country. We didn't want to be bothered with labor troubles and have more important matters to attend to." At the meeting of a stage union Sunday it was said that when a walk- ing delegate appeared, arriving in his own automobile, the members present, who are not enthusiastic over the pres- ent situation, commenced to growl at their representative riding about in a machine. The stage hands' union claims a membership of between 15,000 and 20,000; the musical union is said to represent in all between 175,000 and 200,000 musicians. What percentage of these were theatre musicians was not given out. Some stress is laid on a statement by the musicians that they have not had an increase of salary in twenty years. It has been intimated indirectly that a general strike might be called August 10, if the musicians and man- agers fail to reach an agreement be- fore that time; also that a strike or boycott once started will extend all over the country, wherever there are theatres operated or booked by "The Syndicate." Boston, July 24. There is no danger of a strike on the part of Boston theatrical musi- cians, according to a statement by President H. C. Kingman of the Bos- ton Musicians' Protective Association, A. F. of L. He said the union musi- cians have a three-year contract with the Boston theatres. It has a little more than another year to run. LOUIS STERN'S "RED HEAD." Louis Stern, who is putting out Joseph Byron Totten in "The Red Head" for a whirl over the L. L. Weber "pop" time, has engaged Min- nie Stanley, who created the role of Lizzie in "The Lottery Man," for a similar part in the Totten show. The piece opens Sept. 2. "Red Head'' is a comedy dealing with the struggles of a young playwright. Tt was writ- ten by Totten. Stern is a former uewspaper man and was general press representative lor Fred Whitney for five years. He will personally handle Totten's tour. "One Day," which Charles E. Blaney tried out in stock at the Metropolis, looks so good to Blanev that he will put the piece out, also over the Weber time. "One Day" is a sequel to "Three Weeks" and is n dramatization of the book by the former title. INSIST ON CONTRACT FORM. The annual convention of the In- ternational Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employes of the United States and Canada, which terminated its business late last week at Peoria, 111., returned the same officers as last year, with two exceptions. George Rock of Worcester, Mass., was replaced as sixth vice-president by Harry Beck of Baltimore and J. M. O'Neil as ninth vice-president by L. W. Burk of Ft. Worth, Tex. Charles C. Shay was re- elected president without opposition, this being the first time in twenty years that there hasn't been a fight. The I. A. T. S. E. contract was the big matter at the conference. It was decided every member of the order must work under the contract form approved by the alliance. All traveling companies must carry a full crew. This includes the bur- lesque shows. The smallest staff per- mitted is carpenter, property man and electrician. Returning from New York with Mr. Shay were six of the Executive Com- mittee, Jas. H. Screws, Germain Quinn, Chas. O'Donnell, M. A. Carney, F. G. Lemaster and Chas. Crickmore. The committee attended a conference with the managers early in the week. "VOLUNTEER PARSON/* NEW. "The Volunteer Parson," a new play by Edythe Totten, will take to the road early this sceason under the dir- ection of James R. Grainger, with R. L. Herbert the man behind with the company. The show has its premiere in Washington, to be followed by a short tour through the south, with a probable stay of four weeks in Chi- cago. The promoters expect to give it a New York date. In Miss Totten's support will be Frank MacMunn, Charles Griffin, Charles Kyle, Roy Templeton, Walter De Luna, John B. Vaughn, Lewis Dil- dene, Charles Williams, J. R. Early, Del Loius, Estelle Sprague, Orlo Lea, Mary Band, Lillian Grant, Isabel Hall, Marie Vaughn, Louise Moulan, Lillian Green, Willie Moulan. PLANS FOR NEW HOUSE. Binghamton, N. Y., July 24. Ground is expected to be broken for the new legitimate house within a fortnight. The Parlor City Amuse- ment Co., of Elmlra, which is backing the venture, has approved the plana and specifications- drawn by Archi- tect McElfatrlck, New York City. The house, seating about 1,600, will be completed around the holi- days. Its name will also be deter- mined by that time. CAMPBELL GETS HILLIARD SHOW. Robert Campbell has secured the producing rights of "A Fool There Was" from Robert Hilliard and K. & E. f the latter reserving six eastern cities and the territory west of the Missouri River, where Hilliard was contracted to return before his new starring vehicle was chosen. Hilliard will help Campbell rehearse the play which the latter will send through the Stair & Havlln bouses. THE SAVAGE ROAD SHOWS. The first of the Henry W. Savage road companies going out will be "The Million," which opens Aug. 15 at Springfield, Mass., and then goes into the Majestic, Boston, Aug. 19. Taylor Holmes of the original cast has been retained. There will be Helen Lutrell, Paul Keo, Robert Law- rence, Eulalie Jensen and others. Willis P. Sweatnam will again be featured with the first company of "Excuse Me" which opens Oct. 7 at Middletown, Ky. James Lackaye will likely be with the Sweatnam troupe. The "B" "Excuse Me" starts at Kingston, N. Y., Sept. 27. "Everywoman" ("A") with Cooper Cliffe-De Belleville, opens Nov. 4 at Altoona, Pa. The "B" troupe starts at Montreal Oct. 14. Savage's "The Merry Widow" opens Oct. 21 at Toronto, with Charles Mea- kins and Mabel Wilbur among the principals. ALWAYS BLAME THE WOMAN. New Orleans, July 24. A local woman has just accomplish- ed a feat in publicity promotion. Margaret Garnler is her name. She operates a "small time" vaudeville theatre called the Ivy. Two weeks ago Miss Garnler noti- fied the police she had received sev- eral "black hand" letters. The other day a negro, while passing the Ivy, heard the shrill screams of a woman in distress. He found Miss Gamier sewed up in a sack, gagged and bound. Miss Gamier stated that she had been doing some work at her desk when two men, whom she could not describe, but probably the persons who had been sending her threaten- ing missives, assaulted her. For days the New Orleans papers printed columns about the affair. While the authorities "sleuthed" the Ivy's receipts broke all records. Fin- ally it dawned upon them Miss Gar- nler had perpetrated the hoax. The New Orleans woman probably knows the sharpshooters. OBITUARY Mrs. Ellen Toney Crostick, mother of Eddie Leonard, the minstrel man, died at Richmond, Va., July 18. The deceased was a member of Lily Coun- cil, No. 3, Daughters of Liberty. A husband and three sons survive. Omaha, July 24. H. Hugo Brandeis, aged 44 years, owner of the Brandeis, American and Starland theatres, and a brother of Emil Brandeis, who lost his life on the Titanic, died here July 21. Thomas B. Curtis, aged 33 years, in vaudeville and a brother or Reta Emily Curtis, died in Sacramento. July 17, from the effects of injuries received in a railroad accident Mrs. A. Molle, mother of Mrs. Harry De Muth (Dancing De Muths), died at her home in Albany July 23. Major L. J. Hawley died in Wash- ington last week. The deceased was a clown with Dan Sloe.