Variety (August 1913)

VARIETY BIO AND SMALL TIME KICKING OVER TURN S FOR NEXT SEASON Big Time Managers Worried Over Scarcity of Feature Attractions. Srrra^l Theatre Owners Alarmed at Increased Price of Shows. Salaries Show Greater Increase in Second Division. Now Qoing Through Present "Big Time" Former Experience. Vaudeville managers and booking agents from both grades of that en- tertainment, the "big" and the "small time" are kicking. The big time man wants to know where he is going to secure feature attractions from for next season, and the small time man- ager wants to know where he is going to get off with a profit, without in- creasing the admission scale. There doesn't seem to be much doubt but that the big managers of the United Booking Offices feel a mis- take was made somewhere when the Marinelli agency was allowed to leave that agency. Marinelli is well known to have had the best and biggest of the foreign turns under his control. He could be depended upon each season for a certain number of attractions from the other side. The outlook is so bad to the American manager, he is already worrying, although any feeling of alarm in the booking offices is well suppressed. The old vaudeville story of the vaudeville producer lost and the legitimate afraid is still talked about when "material" is mentioned. On the small time they are inquir- ing where salaries are going to, and say that their division now is passing through the experience the present big time had years ago, as the weekly shows "educated" the patrons. In the current small time, however, there are two shows weekly, employing a great number of acts. "Small time" dislikes to repeat a turn, but it has reached the point now where repeats seem to be inevitable. With admission prices the same and no increase in seating capacity, it now looks as though the pop vaudeville houses the coming season will expend on the salary list 33 per cent, more than last season. Houses playing six or seven acts find themselves unable to "cheat" or make up the extra pay- ment by reducing the number of turns by one. "Our audiences are too wise" said one booking man this week. "You've got to give them what they want. No more five acts and four pic- tures thrown together any old way—. no more 'singles' and 'teams.' They want a show. I'm paying $1,000 for bills this season that I satisfied the same people with a couple of years or so ago for $300 and $400." "Single acts" on the small time are commanding from $100 to $125 and $150, weekly. Not so long ago they were high priced at $75. "Double acts" that could have been picked up almost anywhere at $90 are now ask- ing $175. "Good" "singles" and "doubles" are not so easily found now- adays, particularly "singles" which are quickly taken from other fields when looking likely on the small time. Sketches vary, as do "girl acts," the latter getting $500 and $600 without much trouble, if showing something. The small time will probably go farther in price for girl turns this sea- son. There is a strong demand for them in the smaller theatres. Loew's American Roof bill during the summer has been running around $1,600 weekly. This is the show that also plays downstairs to the usual pop admission scale, 10-15-25. While it is a bit better than the usual pop vaude- ville bill on the Loew time, it sets a pace for all the other houses on the Circuit ▼H The coming season, according to the experts, will see the two grades of vaudeville when opposing each other, showing mighty little difference in cost of show as compared to the large dis- crepancy in the box office, where the top price of 25 cents in the small time house would seem to say the big timer at one dollar should give a program four times as good in quality and price. The small time man laughs at the bare suggestion of the big timer even putting together a better enter- taining bill than he does. DRAMATIC TABS IN FAVOR. Chicago, Aug. 6. The dramatic tab seems to be in favor this season. Musical tabloids are being held up awaiting the develop- ment of the later branch of the field. Harry Sherman of the Jordan Show Print Co. is arranging to put out "The Little Lost Sister" and one or two others in tab form which will be routed over the Theilen-Allardt time. The venture is more or less of an experiment, but will not do the musical end much good. At present there have been no outside tabloid producers rec- ognized by the Association aside from Boyle Woolfolk. Woolfolk^ has se v- eral of the best "name" pieces in re- hearsal, for next season. Other tabs routed or being routed are those in which managers in the Association are interested. W. S. Butterfield holds an interest in five shows. These will all be "taken care of," while other man- agers are interested in one or more, which leaves very little chance in the "Association" for outside producers. PANTAGE8 HOUSE MANAGERS. Chicago, Aug. 6. Alexander Pantages has made several changes in house managers for the coming season. Managers Ely and Cole, of Oakland and San Francisco respectively, will not be in the line-up. Manager Wright will be in charge of the Oakland house, while Mr. Pantages will take charge of the San Francisco house personally, until some one desir- able has been secured. Manager Gra- ham, formerly of Spokane, will have charge of the new house in Vancouver. The new Pantages, Kansas City, as yet unnamed, and the Krug, Omaha, will open with Pantages road shows Aug. 30. Both will start the week on Saturday, and play an eight-day week at the opening. Spokane, Aug. 6. Carl Milligan, last season's manager of the resident stock company at the American has been appointed manager of the Vantages theater, San Francisco. Mr. Milligan left Spokane for San Francisco this week. ROW OVER DAVENPORT. Chicago, Aug. 6. The franchise for vaudeville in Davenport, la., from the Western Vaudeville Managers' Association is now the bone of contention between two of the managers of the office. W. S. Butterfield with Mark Heiman (of the F. & H. firm) lately acquired the Orpheum at Davenport. Before secur- ing the house they received word from Charles E. Kohl, head of the Associa- tion, that they would be given the franchise for the city. In the meantime it appears Kohl also granted the franchise verbally to Frank Theilen, who, with others, is building a house in Davenport. Mr. Heiman when seen in regard to the matter would not say anything aside from stating that the thing would be amicably settled within a few days. Butterfield and Theilen had a heated wordy battle on the floor of the As- sociation last week which all but* ended in blows. The blame for the controversy is laid at the door of Managing Director Kohl. His lax methods are coming in for rather sharp criticism by some of the Association's managers. SULLY HAS A BACKER. Dave Genaro will back "Sully the Barber" in a shop to be opened in the new Strand theatre building to be erected at Broadway and 47th street. BIO PORTOLA CELEBRATION. San Francisco, Aug. 6. Extensive plans are being formulated and arrangements made for the big Portola Festival to be held here Oct. 22-25, inclusive, in public celebration of the 400th anniversary of the discovery -of the^ Paeifie Oecan. The official rep- resentatives here of at least 20 nations have formally endorsed the Festival and have given the committee of ar- rangements every assurance that their hearty co-operation and support may be depended upon to help make the approaching fete a success. The entire Coast and particularly Central California is full of enthusiasm over the event, which promises to be a fitting prelude to the Panama-Pacific Exposition in 1915. WOOLFOLK TABS. Chicago, Aug. 6. Boyle Woolfolk is rehearsing a 35- minute version of "A Winning Miss," placed for a tour of the Pantages Cir- cuit as a feature attraction. "The Sun- ny side of Broadway," with Max Bloom, will start its third season over the W V M A time Sept. 1. This has been the most consistent winner amongst the many Woolfolk tabs. "Rock a Bye Baby," a new tab made over from "Whose Baby Are You," will be one of the first of the new ones to get going. It will open next Thursday at Ft. William. "Buster J Brown" will follow shortly. Master Rice, who played the leading role in the show following Master Gabriel, has been engaged and will be featured. Besides his tabs and vaudeville acts Woolfolk will send forth a rep tabloid troupe of 25 people with four tabloids. They will spend a week in towns where this style of entertainment is not known. "Time, Place and Girl," "John- ny Wise" and two others will make up the collection. LEVEY LEASES PRINCESS. San Francisco, Aug. 6. Bert Levey, the local agent, has at- tached his signature to a five-year lease on the Princess theatre, located in the upper section of the city, just above Fillmore street. Levey takes posses- sion Aug. 13. Sam Loverich has had control of the house for several years. The theatre will be closed next week to permit a thorough overhauling. The interior will be redecorated and a new operating equipment will be installed. Levey will reopen the theatre Aug. 23, playing a six-act show, probably splitting the week with the Wigwam. A better grade of bills will be tried in an effort to place the house on the "come back" list This is a rather important move for Levey, inasmuch as it is really the first theatre in San Francisco that he has become the actual owner of, although he has been booking in this city for a number of years. A few years ago, when San Francisco returned to Market street, the Princess was conceded to be a "dead one." When Pantages closed his Empire on Sutter street he brought his road shows into the Prin- cess for a while, the house at the time being under the management of Love- rich. The experiment was a failure. Shortly after that the Princess, with straight pictures, had a record-breaking run. With Levey on the ground to per- sonally superintend the management as well as the bookings, it is thought the house can be developed into a money- maker once again. SMALL HOUSE IN "LOOP." Chicago, Aug. 6. "The Loop" is to have another new small theatre. The site is next to the Chicago Opera House, on Clark street, and will have a seating capacity of about 800. The house will play pic- tures and vaudeville at popular prices, booked by Silva & Hennessy. Harry First and Florence Hadley are playing a new Aaron Hoffman sketch thjs week for the first time. Maxie Meade, a former Winter Gar- den chorus girl, who suffered from de- spondency some weeks ago, is now re- covered.