Variety (December 1912)

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VARIETY TABLOIDS THREATEN POP VODE: BIQ AGE NCY TA KING NOTICE Wells Circuit South Reported as Declaring Experiment Promises Good Results. Western Act Rumored to Have Been Told Playing Tabloid South Would Be "Opposition". The innovation of standard musical comedies, condensed into an hour of entertainment, which had its inception in several inconspicuous enterprises in the middle west, has taken on immense importance in the last ten days. A firm has been organized in Chi- cago to turn out these tabloids in wholesale quantities. The United Booking Offices has taken steps toward what looks like an effort to control this style of entertainment and several independent showmen have begun preparations to launch ventures in this field. It became known some few weeks ago that Jake Wells had arranged to put out several of these companies of about 20 members each, to replace the pop vaudeville form of entertainment in the houses of his chain which had been playing U. B. O. Family Depart- ment vaudeville. Two companies left last week and the week before and the Old Domin- ion steamer which left New York Wed- nesday afternoon carried another. These organizations have been guar- anteed 12 weeks time under a guaran- teed upset price per week. Boyle and Woolford, a vaudeville act which holds contracts for United time in the middle west presenting a tab- loid musical comedy repertoire, was approached by the Jake Wells booking office with an offer to play the south- ern time controlled by that manager. While negotiations were pending, Woolford and Boyle received word from the U. B. O. that if they played the Wells houses they would be con- sidered opposition and their western time would be cancelled. Joe Nathan, connected with the New York office of Leo Feist, has begun preparations to enter the tabloid pro- duction field. He will place a good company in rehearsal shortly which he will likely put out on the Wells time. The southern manager had declared that the experiment so far has prom- ised good results and is booking these tabloid musical comedies wherever he can. Chicago, Dec. 11. The Interstate Producing Co. was incorporated here this week with Karl Hoblitzell as president and A. Chou- teau, vice-president, and William Friedlander, # general manager. The concern will go in for the wholesale production of tabloid musical come- dies and big vaudeville musical num- bers. They have already secured op- tions on a number of standard musical comedy pieces which will be boiled down to the running time of 60 or 70 minutes and will send them out in or- ganizations of two dozen people. The new firm has taken offices in the Interstate suite here. All produc- tions will show first at the Plaza for a tryout of material. Ned Alvord will handle the routing. SAME SKETCH; ANOTHER NAME. When Seymour Hicks and his wife, Ellaline Terriss, arrive over here in February, to appear at the Fifth Ave- nue, Mr. Hicks will appear in "Scrooge," said to be his own version, and somewhat dissimilar to the "Scrooge" Tom Terriss (his brother- in-law) has been playing on this side. Miss Terriss intends presenting "The Model and the Man," which is report- ed to be the same sketch Edna Good- rich is now playing vaudeville in under the caption of "The Awakening of Mi- nerva." IiAW SUITS. Amann and Hartley, a vaudeville team, who have been in the courts for some time with several cases, were awarded judgment last week for $1,425 against the Pantages Circuit. They had a con- tract to play the circuit. It was indef- initely postponed. The team sued for ten weeks' salary. Pantages claimed he was in Europe and that the contract had gotten "balled up" in some way. Van and Van, through the O'Brien-Malevin- sky law firm, have brought suit against the Wadsworth theatre, alleging cancel- lation of contract for a week. The U. B. O. did the booking. The case was docketed for trial today. The Basque Quartet is suing Arthur Horwitz for $30 and is asking the court to issue an order for his arrest. His counsel, O'Brien & Malevinsky, were notified the case would come up today. The quartet claims that Horowitz played them for one Sunday at the Winter Garden, and that all they got was the glory of playing there. In the Joe Meyers case against Wal- ton and Vivian, retried by jury, the jury rendered a verdict in favor of the defendants. It was held the case came under the provision of the employment agency law and that Meyers, having no license, could not collect commis- sions. When the case first came up he got a judgment but the decision was re- versed and a new trial ordered. Sobarzo, manager of the Marimba Band, who sued the Vaudeville Collec- tion Agency and Dan Casey for money claimed to have been paid into the for- mer on commission, lost his case before Judge Hoyer Wednesday morning. Those familiar with the matter had opined Sabarzo had a poor case. "BLACKLIST" NOT ON. The reported "blacklist" by the "big time" against the "small time" in vaudeville had made no progress up to Wednesday. Agents on the "big time" who sought information as to the status of any of their acts playing the small- er time, without their knowledge, could obtain no information. Somj agents were informed however not to allow their acts to play in "outside" houses, but this order has been stand- ing in the big time agencies for a year or more. The booking men of the United Offices appeared to be satisfied to have the impression spread they were about to -'blacklist" without actually doing so. It is even possible a few acts playing the small time with future big time contracts may be canceled, for the moral effect such an action would have on acts in general, although even then a "blacklist" will not be official- ly declared. The bigger U. B. O. managers are more apt to threaten agents (allow- ing their acts to play elsewhere) with severe punishment in an attempt to keep well-known turns away from the small time managers. This is usually gotten around, however (for the pro- tection of the agent), by the act book- ing through someone else and its reg- ular agent declaring the engagement was made without his consent. In this mode of putting through a booking, the big agency men find themselves unable to fix responsibility upon any- one under their jurisdiction. Late last week one of the officials of the U. B. O. entered the quar- ters of the Family Department, on the floor just below the United's suite. The Family Department is the small time branch of the U. B. O. Grabbing a routing book from the hands of a small time agent there, the official de- manded to know why the agent had booked certain acts "outside." This move by the U. B. O. official was quickly recognized as a grandstand play for noise making. The "blacklist" subject is often talked over nowadays by managers and agents, who try to find through debating it whether the U. B. O. dare put a "blacklist" in effect, and for whose benefit it will operate if made official. Within the past few weeks, it is said, the U. B. O. has been routing acts further ahead than formerly, os- tensibly to hold them out of the small- er vaudeville houses. MARRIED AT 48. Terre Haute, Ind., Dec. 11. Billie Link and his vaudeville part- ner, Blossom Robinson, were married here last week. Link, who is 48 years old, has been married before. UNKNOWN'S ADDRESS WANTED. Joseph Connors, of 234 West 39th street, New York, is attempting to fix responsibility for the death of his brother, Frank Connors, March 1U, 1911, on an Erie railroad train. A Pullman berth ticket was found on the body. It called for an upper berth in Car No. 2 on the 10.08 p. m. from Leavittsburg to Binghamton, and was stamped Erie, March 9, 1911. The deceased man had only a trans- portation ticket upon entering the train. He was accompanied by his brother, Joseph, who saw him to a day coach. Joseph believes if he can lo- cate the person giving Frank the sleeper coupon, he will be able to se- cure some valuable testimony IN PITTSBURGH? It has been reported about this week that Fred. Nixon-Nirdlinger of Phila- delphia is about to annex the new house building in Pittsburgh and also the Kenyon theatre (both houses owned by the same people) as addi- tions to the Nixon-Nirdlinger vaude- ville circuit. The Pittsburgh propositions, it is said, will have the Loew Circuit, and probably the Sullivan-Considine Circuit interested. MOREY IS SECRETARY. Francis Morey is now secretary of the Vaudeville Comedy Club, vice Sam Mc Kec, resigned. The ballot for the forthcoming elec tion of officers for 1913 will shortly be printed. It will carry two tickets, one headed by Bert Leslie, who has been re- nominated for president, and the other by Frank Fogarty. The Leslie ticket, complete, is as fol- lows: President, Bert Leslie; First Vice, Tom Waters; Second Vice, Geo. Le Maire; Third Vice, J. Fitzpatrick; Sec- retary, Francis Morey; Treasurer, Har- ry Denton; Chairman House Commit- tee, Chas. Ahearn. Board of Directors—'Homer Howard, Chas. Scmon, Geo. M. Cohan, Frank Bohm, Ralph Edwards, Felix Adler, Bob Mathews, Martin Beck, Mark Hart, Richard Carle, Aaron Hoffman, Cliff Gordon, Clayton White, Frank By- ron, Joseph Schenck, E. F. Albee, Geo. Delmore. The ballot will also contain blank spaces for the insertion of the name of any member who may not be among the nominees. New Year's day will be "open house" at the Comedy Club. NOT AIDING RALPH POST. It is a matter of comment around that the variety profession has lament- ably ignored the appeal for assistance made upon behalf of Ralph Post, one of the best known performers in vaude- ville. In the two weeks following the first publication of the appeal, VxRiBTr re- ceived $17 from four different persons, while two subscriptions amounting to $15 did not call for public acknowledg- ment. The case was drawn to the attention of this paper by Louie Dacre. Besides taking an interest in the welfare of Mrs. Tost, who is left without means through the helplessness of her hus- band, Miss Dacre has offered her a home should Mr. Post pass away in his present weakened condition of mind and body. Mrs. Post may be addressed at 2048 Polk street (Broadway Apartments), San Francisco, or subscriptions re- ceived by Variety- will be forwarded. "STRAIGHT VAUDEVILLE." I. Fluegelman announces a new pol- icy for the DcKalb, Brooklyn. Through his "circus week" he found out vaude- ville goes better than the pictures, and "straight vaudeville" will be inaugu- rated within the near future. A program of eight acts with two or three played up as "features" or "head- line! V will be arranged. Pictures will be in order before and after the show.