Variety (December 1912)

VARIETY BERNHARDT ENGAGEMENT IMMENSELY SUCCESSFUL Playing to $25,000 Weekly at Majestic, Chicago. Orchestra Seats at One Dollar, Box Office Price, Selling About Town For $2.50 and $3. The Divine Sarah Objects to Acrobats on Bill. Chicago, Dec. 11. The Majestic will play to about $25,- 000 this week with Mme. Bernhardt as the star feature. The scale is $1.50 for mezzanine floor and boxes; one dollar for orchestra floor; fifty cents, balcony; twenty-five cents, gallery. Seats for the Majestic are bringing $2.50 and $3 from speculators. Last week's business at the Majestic with Bernhardt was about the same. It is understood she will play over the Orpheum Circuit at $1.50 top, ex- cepting at San Francisco, where the scale will not go above one dollar, it is said. Show people about say if the Bern- hardt Road Show is costing $11,000 weekly, as reported, it will be a diffi- cult proposition for the management to draw down any profit out of the west- cm tour, at the admission scale men- tioned above. The first hitch in the Bernhardt tour occurred this week when the Divine Sarah learned some one had engaged the Heras Family of acrobats to close the show at the Majestic, where she is completing a two weeks' engage- ment. Monday morning, after the rehearsal, some one advised Mme. Bernhardt that she would be followed on the bill by acrobats. She immediately sent word to Martin Beck some one wouldn't work at the Majestic this week, and, after giving the matter due considera- tion, Mr. Beck decided it would be the Heras Family. The act had not been replaced up to last night. San Francisco, Dec. 11. The route of the Sarah Bernhardt Road Show travelling over the Orphe- um Circuit, will be broken when around here by a week of one-nighters between Portland and Frisco. Excepting a special Sunday night performance in Fresno, though, the show will play steadily in three-day or week stands. This week is its second at the Majes- tic, Chicago. Next week Bernhardt will go to the Columbia, St. Louis, and then continue in this travel, playing full weeks when not otherwise indi- cated: Milwaukee, St. Paul (3 days); Minneapolis (3 days); Winnipeg, Cal- gary (3 days); Edmonton (3 days); Seattle, Portland (week of one night- crs); San Francisco (Feb. 9); Los An- geles. Denver. Omaha (3 days); Kan- sas City (3 days). This will leave open six of the twen- ty weeks Martin Beck contracted with Bernhardt to appear over here at $7,- 000 weekly, net, and all expenses of transportation. These may be played in the eastern vaudeville houses, al- though Bernhardt may return to a Chi- cago theatre and also is apt to be held over for a week in either San Fran- cisco or Los Angeles, or both. SENTENCED TO DIE. (Special Cable to Variety.) London, Dec. 11. Hopwood, a promoter of business enterprises, has been sentenced to death for the murder of Flo Dudley, a musical hall artiste. ENGLISH FIGHTER-ACTOR. (Special Cable to Variety.) London, Dec. 11. Bombardier Wells, the pugilist, opened at the Oxford Monday and went big. "HELIX) RAGTIME," NEW REVUE. (Special Cable to Variety.) London, Dec. 11. "Hello, Ragtime," is the title of the new Hippodrome Revue; the manage- ment has made a tentative offer to Norworth and Bayes. FEATURES AT PALLADIUM. (Special Cable to Variety.) London, Dec. 11. "The Adultress," a continental dumb show drama, is booked for the Pal- ladium; also a big Welsh choir later. NOVEL ORIENTAL OPERETTE. (Special Cable to Variety.) London, Dec. 11. "The Harem Lily," by Paul Lincke, at the Pavilion, is a novel Oriental op- eretta. The chief honors go to Mar- jorie Maxwell. Music and mounting are fine. LAUDER, JR., CELEBRATES. London, Dec. 11 Harry Lauder's son's coming-of-age was celebrated at Dunoon. The boy is at Cambridge. Lauder sails Satur- day for America. SAM GROSS CONFINED. (Special Cable *o Variety.) Berlin, Dec. 11. Sam Gross, suffering from mental derangement, is confined in a lunatic asylum at Hamburg. LONDON INDOOR CIRCUS. (Special Cable to Variety.) London, Dec. 11. Charles B. Cochrane's big circus scheme to be housed in a new build- ing specially erected near the centre of London, seems certain. The New York Hippodrome may be selected as a model for the edifice. ANOTHER COLLINS TO APPEAR. Lucia Collins, sister oi Josie Col- lins of the "The Merry Countess," has submitted her services to the vaude- ville booking authorities. Miss Col- lins has been playing in England and Australia. She will have as partner Edmond Hall, late of "Tantalizing Tommy." M. S Bentham is handling the number. PICTURE AT OOVENT GARDEN. (Special Cable to Variety.) London, Dec. 11. The Royal Opera House (Covent Garden), has been leased from Dec. 21 for moving picture representations of Max Reinhardt's famous pantomimic spectacle, "The Miracle." The cost of making the film was $65,000. It is 7,000 feet long. During the showing of the film there will be an orchestra of one hundred, conducted by Humperdinck. The scheme has been engineered by Joseph Menchen. Edward Temple was due to sail yes- terday (Thursday), to witness the Lon- don presentation of "The Miracle" pic- tures. He has been engaged by A. H. Woods to stage the ballet of 100 that will accompany the film in America. They will be shown in New York the first week in January. LONDON THEATRE CHANGES. (Special Cable to Variety.) London, Dec. 11. "Oh! Oh! Delphine!" is scheduled to follow "Princess Caprice" early in the new year. "The Fortune Hunter" follows "Lit- tle Cafe" at Cyril Maude's Playhouse. KINEMACOLOR PANTO. (Special Cable to Variety.) London, Dec. 11. The Urban moving picture people are putting on a fairy pantomime with Kinemacolor production and startling effects. LUBIN'S STUDIO IN EUROPE. (Special Cable to Variety.) London, Dec. 11. S. Lubin is in London. He is es- tablishing a picture studio in Berlin at a reported cost of $1,000,000. WOMAN WITH A FUTURE. (Special Cable to Variety.) London, Dec. 11. A woman with a future, not a past, is the chief part in MacDonald Hast- ings play, "The Tide," opening at the Queen's theatre Saturday. PALACE'S XMAS FEATURES. (Special Cable to Variety. ^ London, Dec. tl. Devant will put on a big magic show as a Christmas attraction at the Pal- ace. Vesta Tilley will also appear there at that time. RAINY DAYS AT "DOM." (Special Cable to Variety.) Berlin, Dec. 11. For the Hamburg Dom the weather has been rainy, except Sundays, when it has been fair and business good. HERBERT LLOYD'S NEW ONE. (Special Cable to Vafiety.) London, Dec. 11. Herbert Lloyd has arranged for an early production of a new burlesque, '"Discordia," sub-titled "A Travestied Fantasy," fourteen people, opening at Hammerstetn's Opera House. DOC BAKER?? DIRECTOR CHARLES ILL. (Special Cable to Variety.) Paris, Dec. 11. Director Charles o. the Olympia, has been seriously ill with pncimonia, but is now improving with every reasonable hope for a speedy recoveiy. "LES MISERABLES" FILM. (Special Cable to Variety.) London, Dec. 11. Pathe Freres will produce a new film (subject, a reproduction of scenes from "Les Miserables") at the Al- hambra at special matinee perform- ances. GIBBONS IN MOSS* PLACE. (Special Cable to Variety.) London, Dec. 11. It is reported Walter Gibbons has accepted the position of chairman and managing director of the Moss Em- pires, Ltd., as successor to the late Sir Edward Moss. The story is officially denied. It was published in several of the papers here. OPENED WELL. (Special Cable to Variety.) London, Dec. 11. The Frisco Toledos opened at the Stratford Empire successfully Mon- day. BRISTOL HIP OPENING. (Special Cable to Variety.) London, Dec. 11. The new Hippodrome, Bristol, opens Monday, with a big bill headed by a water show, "The Sands of Dee," and Eugene Stratton. RESTRAINING LE BARGY. (Special Cable to Variety.) Paris, Dec. 11. The Comedie Francaise, as expected, served a writ yesterday upon the actor LeBargy, to show cause why he should not pay liquidated damages for appearing at the Porte St. Martin theatre in H. Bataille's "Les Flam- beaux." According to the Decree of Moscow (which comprised the regula- tions of the Comedie Francaise theatre drawn up by Napoleon while away on the Russian campaign) a societaire, or permanent member, of that State theatre cannot appear on any other French stage without per- mission of the management, even if he has previously resigned. LeBargy resigned some months ago. without authority, and after appearing in the provinces, is now playing m Paris. The Comedie Francaise brought sim- ilar suits against Constant Co«]uelin and Sarah Bernhardt years ag«> an«l won the actions, but in a very t;n- erous mood did not exact the pay- ment of damages. Whether the same course will be taken with LeBargy, who is playing still without authority, remains to be seen, after the casv* has been tried. It is, however, curious to remember that LeBargy was on the committee of the Comedie Francaise and one of ihe prime movers in the action against the late Coquelin, aine. He voted for carrying the case through to the bitter end.