Variety (March 1913)

28 VARIETY ■ t nm ■ * THE NOVELTY OF THE CENTURY BACHELET MYSTERY A gilt-edged laughing sensation, based upon a natural law, lately developed by ErVIIL_E BACHELET The act that can get more newspaper space than [all other vaudeville novelties combined Time of Vaudeville Act—About 25 Minutes Can also be done as a Scientific Lecture, lasting from an hour and a half upwards Managers desiring the Scientific Lecture, send in for open time. Lyceum Bureaus also write First Vaudeville Act now ready for Palace, London. This Act is fully protected by U. S. and Foreign basic patents Can use a couple of good actors or magicians; long engagement to right persons—write at once Pat. Attorneys ALEXANDER & DOWEL Washington, D. C. tered at one of the prominent hostelries where show folks bold forth. With about every peddler and canvasser of little or no consequence enjoying the entree of the dressing rooms of performers back stage at Pantages' theatre in this city, the "don't enter here" sign has been hanging on the outside to the representative of VARIETY for the last fortnight. Resident Manager ('has. L. Cole passed the exclusion edict from the head of the circuit on to the stage man- ager and in explanation of the order, accused the writer of these columns of having "knocked the circuit" to itinerate performers. It might be of general public interest to ex- plain that this alleged "knocking" was in the nature of information that on a few occa- sions had been given to inquiring players both through the columns of VARIETY and In a personal way regarding the character of the Pantages time going east beyond San Diego. As appears to be pretty generally known, both Denver and St. Joe have been and most likely are now "cuts" of two-thirds of the' regular circuit salary, and until Puebfo dropped out of the chain a short while ago, the latter is pretty reliably reported to have been another "salary cut" of $25 less than the above mentioned two-thirds. A striking peculiar phase of the Pantages "cutting" system is that while playing either In Portland or after their arrival In this city, nets are reported to have been advised that tho contracts for the Denver and St. Joe time would be given to them by the circuit repre- sentative Carl Walker when they reach Los Angeles, but without any mention of the "cut" stuff, so it Is said. At the latter point. Manager Walkor is understood to have been offering a single contract for Denver with the "two-third cut" clause in it and with the explanation that the Pueblo and St. Joe con- tracts will in turn be forthcoming from the representative In the Colorado metropolis, and who in turn was delegated to "break the news" about the succeeding "cuts" in the other two towns. This "cut" thing, which seems to have been practiced to the extent of slicing off two-thirds of a week's salary in a general average of four and five cities or thereabouts by the time that the acts reach San Diego, the last stand of the proverbial "ten or more weeks" specified In the booking offices in New York City or Chicago, until it has been no uncommon occurrence here to hear acts declaro that they will finish the time "owing themselves money." It Is this condition of affairs that has directly led to s-j many Pantages acts remaining here for a while In this land of sunshine and flowers, and playing a few short-jump weeks for thr Western States Vaudeville Association and for Mert Levey. Instead of going on eastward with those other two or three "salary cuts" and long "jumps" staring them in the face, and especially as the railroad tickets are known to be valid for months afterward from Los Angeles on. For some apparently selfish reason that cannot be exactly understood by anyone except. Pantages and his lieutenants, this thought of his nets playing a few extra weeks hereabouts after he lias had the benefit, of lirst call on their servircs seems anln to a thorn in the side of the circuit chief. Fran- tic efforts have been made in persuade the act:; to continue ea-t fr<«m San IMego instead of coming back this way Representative .lohnson. manager of the Portland. Oregon. COTTACiK WWTKI) For the Spring and Summer, within • asy acre** tif New York City by re- liable perform*'!-, no children." \"u sen- sli«'i'- resort considered. Address Ib'X Hi. H>2* Filbert Street Philadelphia, l'a. MINI MUSICAL NOSSES WITH THE EVA TANGUAY ROAD SHOW ONE SOLID HIT MISS TANGUAY Says "A Beautiful Act." ROSA VALERIO SPEED FIENDS fastest and Classiest Tight Wire Act in Vaudeville With EVA TANGUAY'S VOLCANIC VAUDEVILLE Williams and Wolf us in "THE ALMOST PATRIOT" OPENING AT THE ALNAMMA, GLASGOW, SCOTLAND, JUNE 2 house. haB been the first one to net busy and his medium Is reported to consist of an en- deavor to get as many signatures as possible to a little form of agreement to continue east on the time from the Southern California point. Then whim the acts reach this city, similar pressure, except that perhaps more of It Is brought to bear by Pantages and Resi- dent Manager Cole. It would seem nasona- hlo to suppose that some more of the same kind of "pressure" Is applied by Representa- tive* Walker when the acts arrive at Ix>s An- geles, although the latter are most likely to have pretty well made up their minds as to just what they are going to do by the time they reach that point, .fudging by the vast number of acts that return here from San IMcgo. the united efforts of Pantages and his antes have irit had a very dissuading effect and there i.-s exactly win re "the Bhot pinches." The writer has been accused of usLng his In- fluence to induce acts to accept booking out of the coast circuit offices, but the absence of any personal motive in the movements of the Pantages acts here on the coast simply stamps this contention to be the senseless wall of a coterie of unsuccessful pikers. Get- ting at the real meat of the thing, the situa- tion Is so very plain to the average per- former by the time he arrives at San Diego that no advice or suggestions are needed to determine or shape his course from there on. The Four Cook Sisters have called off their proposed trip to Honolulu with the show that was scheduled to be sent over there under the managerial direction of Sam Rlair. Cameron ;:ud O'Connor were to head the list of enter- L.iim r>. and It Is believed now that the latter will cancel the engagement also. The failure Laboratory 180E.3dSt.,Mt.¥ernon.N.Y. Phone, 19€€ J of the recent Dr. Cook tour la thought to have thrown cold water on the project Kolb and Dill and supporting company started their road engagement March 23 at the Macdonough, Oakland, In "Hoity Toity.' At the conclusion of four weeks of one night stands In California, the company is tj open at the Majestic, Los Angeles, in "Old Dutch." During their absence from the Savoy, that theatre will be devoted to feature film pic tures. The picking is understood to be pretty bar- ren over in Honolulu at the Popular theatre for the Raymond Teal musical-comedy enter- tainers aqd as a consequence that outfit Is re- ported to have taken passage for this city on March 18. Plans are understood to be under way to open the new municipal opera house, when that proposed Institution is in shape for pub- lic inspection, with a new opera in English by Joseph P. Redding and Henry Hadley, and with the plot and scenes of the piece laid wholly in this city. Redding is the librettist who collaborated with Victor Herbert in the writing of the grand opera "Natoma," sung here at the new Tivoli a week ago with Mary Garden In principal role. In the construction of the book of the proposed opera, the libret- tist proposes to wander away from the beaten paths by giving it a vlllalnees instead of a villain. This he says he is going to do by giving a soprano the heavy part and casting a contralto for the role of the heroine. The management of a railway running up to the summit of Mount Tampalpals Just across the bay from here is formulating plans for the construction of a mammoth searchlight that they declare will provo to be one of the features of the Panama-Pacific Exposition. The light is to be of unrivaled brilliancy so far as artificial illumination goes and It Is figured that a year will be consumed in the construc- tion and completion of the giant torch. The stage ambitions of Marjorle and Hazel Lavell, two sixteen-year-old cousins of this city, were given a jolt March 18 when they were arrested in a local booking office where they are said to have been seeking chorus po- sitions. Recently the girls were stranded at Stockton. Cal., while there with a small "turkey" outfit and they were taken under the protective wing of the Y. W. C. A., until they could otherwise be provided for. Compared with the glare of the footlights the Association home was Irksomely tame and the girls made an early exit. The matter reached the ears of the police here and the booking office soon followed. The Juvenile Detention Home has since been guarding the maidens. Idora Park In Oakland, and practically the only thing around here In the shape of an ap- proach to a summer park, enjoyed a successful opening March 22. Cesare Lamonaca and his band supply music. The thrillers are a giant roller coaster and Carver's Diving Horses with Lorena Lorenz, a circus rider, in the act. The Liberty stock company. Oakland, has re- cently been recruited by the addition of Lee Wlllard, Max Walzman and Robert Lawlor. The plans of Col. I). P. Stoner to take an- other show to the Orient Is reported to bo nearlng perfection and early In June Is men- tioned as the probable sailing time. A vaude- ville company of 20 people Is given as the pro- posed complement of the outfit. Arthur Don has recently be*n made Knin.il amusement manager of the old Louvre Cafe,