Variety (February 1913)

VARIETY WHAT THE ACTOR MUST DO By SIME Comedy acts in vaudeville, were they combined, could protect all turns playing the hip time. This is not only a personal opinion, but it is the general belief of those who understand vaude- ville and its inside conditions. Comedy is the vital point of any variety program. Any act that squeezes laughter from an audience enters under the comedy classification. Some nat- urally hold more comedy than others. There are different grades and kinds of comedy acts. Were these to get together in some way for a mutual un- derstanding among them, the vaude- ville managers would immediately find themselves blocked. Without comedy a vaudeville house might as well pull down the blinds on the box office. It would be through. The big time vaudeville manager thinks he can play pictures or pop vaudeville, but the big time vaudeville manager (when he is allowed to think at all) knows his theatre capacity in twenty- four instances out of twenty-five will only permit him to play vaudeville or stock. He is debarred from holding the combination attractions through other houses in his cities being attached to either side of the legit struggle. The actor will have to get together somehow to insure his future as an actor in vaudeville. Just now he has no chance. As a producer he is at the mercy of the managers—and the man- agers have no mercy for the actor. When the actor wants to put on a new act, he receives little encouragement. After it is put on, and if there should have been an investment represented by the production, the big time man- ager takes another twist of the hand he now has on the actor's throat. Very recently in New York a recognized performer produced a comedy act pro- nounced by all who saw it as one of the best things in its line this season. The actor was offered $600 for his act. He informed the managers it cost him $450 a week to run. Much they cared what it cost him, $600 was the price, take it or leave it. The actor had his own money in the act. He is very apt to put on another big act, and those actors who have heard about it will be very anxious to follow in his example, won't they? This particular case, and there are others like it, could not be directly affected were the big time actors organized, for a manager will always reserve the right (which he has) of paying what he pleases, but it is a very important reason why actors should understand the benefit to themselves in the support of opposition. No matter what sacrifices that may entail. With opposition the manager will stop tell- ing the actor what his act is worth: hisNact will then be worth what it will bring in the open market. Actors, gathered together for the sole purpose of talking over their profes- sion and how to aid themselves in it. would find a way to help opposing cir- cuits. A protective society of influential acts would soon put a stop to the in- discriminate routing of the big time offices. An act playing Chicago was booked for Cincinnati the following week. Thursday of the Chicago stand it was informed its route had been shifted to Montreal in place of the Cincinnati date, with Cincinnati the week after. Chicago to Montreal to Cincinnati! The act refused to accept the shift. Ten weeks were canceled for it, and the act had to lay off for one or two weeks until it was placed. There is a way to prevent that sort of work. Boston to Baltimore to Provi- dence is another sample. No excess in fares was offered nor spoken about. It wouldn't be amiss either when the actors got together to talk about the graft thing. Who are getting the money and why are they getting it? Because there are 425 acts every week on the open sheet? Why should the big time stand for men employed by it being mixed up in outside agencies. This is not a single known case. There are at least three agencies in the Putnam Building from which a big time book- ing man is getting a "piece" through owning an interest in the agency. This grafting extends to the agents also. If there is ever a proper organi- zation of actors, the agent question will have to be taken up. At one time an agent was necessary to an actor and did some work for him. Now the big time agent is and has been buffaloed. He is "pulling stuff" himself and is afraid to lose the graft. There are but say three big time agents (and that's a liberal estimate) who wouldn't tell all they knew if called "upstairs." There aren't any more who wouldn't go out to get an act more cheaply if told to. The agents are not what they were. They have been whipped, and it's their own fault. The agents double- crossed one another until one never trusted the other. They have lost the only chance they ever had. Those that are under cover are lucky. They had better keep that way, for they will never know when the "blow-off" is coming. When the day comes that the big time actors are imbued with the proper spirit and feeling toward one another, they can talk over the agency ques- tion. Until then they had better hold to their agents, for as bad as some of the agents are, the managers are worse for the actor to do business with. These things are not new to the big time vaudeville actor. He has known them right along and many other mat- ters in connection besides. But these articles may bring about an agitation among the actors and they should get together. The space is worth it for that alone if nothing else. Where the actor is found who ex- presses himself as fully satisfied, you can place your finger on that boy and tell him he is one of the booking offices' "pets." There are several. Then there are any number of "stool pigeons" connected with big time vaudeville. It's just as well not to talk overmuch to anyone connected with the booking offices unless you know him to he all right. There's hardly a conversation of any importance that is SAVAGE'S TALE OF WOE. After the tale of woe poured by Henry W. Savage last Thursday into the Washington newspapers, Mr. Sav- age called the remainder of his execu- tive staff together upon returning to New York Saturday. He had a heart- to-heart conversation with them, according to report. Rumors were afloat this week Sav- age might retire, disgusted, from show business. The burden of his plaint at Washington was the producer didn't have a fair chance, partly through the critics who preferred to be funny in preference to criticising. Mr. Savage has been unfortunate with his shows since September. The producing managers who have made money out of the show business so far this season are complaining only be- cause there are too many theatres in the field. The more money a manager makes the less he cares what the critics say. Yesterday it was very strongly re- ported Mr. Savage had "laid off" all his heads of departments for the remain- der of the current season, with the ex- ception of Madison Corey, his general manager, and Sydney Smith, his gen- eral booking representative. It was even said that he had decided not to make any new productions next season. At the Savage offices this was denied, saying that the report probably ema- nated from the closing of "The Mil- lion" in Kansas City last Saturday night, and the resignation last week of James Shaesgren; that while he might make no more new productions this season, routes for many shows were practically laid out, beginning with the opening of the season of '13-'14. STARRING JACK ROSE. A small-sized syndicate of newspa- per men are putting out Jack Rose as a stellar attraction in the popular priced theatres in a play supposed to be written by the star witness in the Becker trial, entitled "The Gun Men." Abe Thalheimer is booking the at- traction, which opens a week from Monday in Pennsylvania, with the Stair & Havlin time to follow. Al- though not a member of the cast, Rose will appear at all performances and deliver a lecture. Rose's original contract with the New York American to furnish six Sunday feature stories exposing the police system in New York, has met with such success it has been extended to include 21 more. These arc being syndicated and in many towns are three sheeted. carried on around Times Square at any time that is not repeated back to the agency. These arc great days for "pets" and "stool pigeons." Some are almost earning their billing and pre- ferred positions on the programs, while falsifying about the salaries they are receiving Tt wouldn't make a bad lit- tle article cither, just to taik about some of these acts that are being "taken rare of." Let the real fellows and the real acts, those without a knife and those that are on the level, get together to save themselves and others "YELLOW JACKET" IN LONDON. (Special Cable to Vabibty.) London, Feb. 6. "The Yellow Jacket" is shortly to be produced in London, but no one knows just at what theatre the American nov- elty show will be seen. Gaston Mayer has the foreign rightl. The production for England was built in America. It is on its way across. QUIT IN GLASGOW. (Special Cable to V amity.) London, Feb. 6. Smythe and Hartman quit at the Empire, Glasgow, after playing one show there last week. SAILINGS. The sailings for the week, as re- ported through Paul Tausig & Son, of 104 East 14th street, New York, are Jan. 29, Rene Parker, Bert Earle and Ragtime Pickaninnies (Campania); Jan. 30, Carl Demarest (Pr. Friedrich Wil- helm); Feb. 1, Wm. J. Van de Ve\r (Cymric); Feb. 4, Mooney and Holbein\ (Kronp. Cecelie); Pelham Lynton (Saxonia from Boston); Feb. 6, Tele- graph Four, Juggling Nelson, Edmond Russon (Celtic); Feb. 8, Great Tallman (Minneapolis). Advance bookings, May 17, Polly Moran (Minneapolis). 4 MONTHS ON CHARGE OF OB- SCENITY. San Francisco, Feb. 6. Dr. Samuel Weiss, a young local physician, arrested by Federal author- ities on a charge of having sent ob- scene matter through the mail to Eli- sabeth Mayne, of "The Surf Bathers" act, was given a four months' jail sen- tence for the offense. Miss Mayne is very well known in New York where she appeared as a member of the Ralph Herz company in "Dr. De Luxe." later doing a "sin- gle" in vaudeville. She's the wife of Harry Bryant, the advance agent. The affair resulted in much publicity, for the young woman, act and Pantages house it played at in San Francisco. SINGER PRODUCING TABS. Chicago, Feb. 6. A new series of tabloids will be of- fered in a short time by the Western Extravaganza company, a new organi- zation of which Hamilton Coleman is the producing manager. The first one will be "The Flirting Princess" a try- out week at the Academy on the west side in two weeks. There will be six- teen people in the cast, six principals and ten in the chorus. The version at the La Salle opera house will be used instead of the one that was used on the road. Mort. H. Singer, who is interested in the company says that new produc- tions will be given each of the new tabloids in the series. "We will not use pick-up costumes" he said, "but will put on new produc- tions the same as for a regular show. We have an idea that this will take well with the ten and twenty-cent houses. "Tt is planned to produce 'A Stub- born Cinderella' next, and follow up with other of the successes of the La Salic and the Princess."