Variety (August 1913)

VARIETY 13 THOSE PASSES IN BOSTON. Boston, Aug. 20. The agreement of the Boston man- agers abolishing passes is going to get a short rib jolt before long from the present aspect of things although the only two houses open are the Shu- bert theatres, where the rule is being adhered to with rather sorry results because of the recent spell of genuine- ly muggy weathers. At least two managers of'first class houses which have not as yet opened are claimed to have already arrived at the conclusion that "the trail of the lonesome house" will not lead to the land of the shekel and are prepared to renege when the first empty house ap- pears. Within the past three years on sev- eral occasions reputable theatres with paper discreetly circulated have opened Monday nights toward the end of a run with under 70 people in the or- chestra. Last Saturday night the Majestic opened with "What Happened to Mary" by the original cast with few exceptions. Less than half a house resulted. It was practically all money and was neatly "dressed" but occa- sioned much unfavorable comment from the public who in Boston know but little of "papering." Last week's story of the meeting of the managers and the adoption of the anti-pass resolution in Varibtt was the first publication of the details of the innovation and was the first that the editors of scores of New England daily and weekly newspapers knew of their "freeze-out." They are now frankly sore and waiting for Labor Day before deciding what their policy in return will be. The first Boston opening was "Kiss Me Quick" at the Shubert three weeks ago. On that night the show wisely bought out the house and distributed enough paper to guarantee an enthu- siastic and a well filled house with good results, as it was a metropolitan premiere. PLAYING AT TWO SCALES. Chicago, Aug. 20. The "stolen names" repertoire com- pany put on the road by Alvord-Clam- ?ge and Weingarten ran into difficulties at Sault Ste Marie last week. The troupe was booked into the town at one house to play "Girl from Luxem- bourg" with an understanding prices were run up to a dollar. The following week they booked another house in the same town to play "The Pink Widow" at 10-20-30. The manager of the pop priced house got out banners advising the public to wait a week and see the same troupe at his house for the re- duced^-prices. The first manager tried to get out an attachment, but was thwarted, the troupe leaving town during the early hours of the morning. KTTTY GORDON CABLES. Gaites received a cable Monday that Kitty Gordon would arrive here on the Olympic Aug. 29 and immediately made arrangement to accompany her on a flying trip to Winnipeg where the show is scheduled to open. MRS CARTER SUES CORT. Mrs. Leslie .Carter brought suit against her manager, John Cort. in New York this week, claiming $9,242. and alleging breach of contract. Her at- torney declared the emotional actress's contract called for 30 weeks per sea- ton at $1,000 a week and 50 per cent, of the net profits, as well as the furn- ishing at Cort's expense of drawing rooms and compartments on tour, car- riages to and from all theatres and an allowance of $500 at the beginning of each season for gowns. The plaintiff alleges that during the season of 1911-1912 she was paid for only 25 weeks and Cort made unwar- rantable deductions of $100 a week from her salary. The contract, the lawyer said, runs from September, 1910, to September, 1915. STARRING IN "DR. JEKYLL.'* Edwin Caldwell, who followed Tully Marshall in playing the latter's role in "The City" on the road, is to star this fall over Charles A. Burt's southern circuit in "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." To get a line on the piece Caldwell will present it at the Warburton the- atre, Yonkers. next week, supported by Carl Hunt's stock company. MASON'S "INDIAN SUMMER." San Francisco, Aug. 13. Following the conclusion here of his season in "As a Man Thinks," John Mason and supporting company will hie to the east where this star com- mences rehearsals Sept. 5, of Augustus Thomas' new play "Indian Summer." The premiere is scheduled for Oct. 1 in New York City. Eugene F. Wilson is to again be the manager. EXIT ANGEL LAUGHING. Allan Lowe's efforts to promote his musical comedy, music by Bela Laszky, entitled "The Dream Maiden," has come to naught, despite several official announcements that it would shortly open "in Boston." A company was or- ganized and rehearsals in progress when the man generally supposed to be the backer of the enterprise—a busi- ness man known as "Mr. Edwards" failed to "come across." The actors, who had been rehearsing for four weeks, are about town with what they regard as a legitimate grievance. According to report about town, a broker named Shurtlieff put up $2,000 with which to secure the Bela Laszky music. Then "the Zells," other stock brokers were freely mentioned as back- ers of the enterprise, and following them a "Harry Swift," supposed to be of the Chicago beef packing family appeared upon the scene. Still later "Col. Pope of St. Louis" was exhibited to the company. The principals who rehearsed for four weeks or more were Joe Miron. Belle Gold. D. L. Don. Nettie Black, Joe Standish and William Cameron. The chorus had been at it for nearly eight weeks. Allan Lowe, promoter and author of "The Dream Maiden** is now exploit- ing Florence Holhrook for vaudeville in an act written by himself. NEW YORK OPENINGS. Of the thirty-odd first-class legiti- mate playhouses in New York, a scru- tiny of opening attractions for the coming fall and winter season reveals not over half a dozen foreign pieces, including not only the musical shows, but comedies, dramas, revivals, etc. All the other playhouses will open with attractions of purely American concep- tion and writing. A list follows: Astor, "Seven Keys to Baldpatc"; Comedy, "Her Own Money"; Crite- rion, Willie Collier in "Who's Who"; Cort, Laurette Taylor in" "Peg o' My Heart" (running through the sum- mer); Century, grand opera; Casino, "Princess Caprice"; Empire, John Drew in a Shakesperian revival; El- liott, "The Lure"; Eltinge, "Within the Law" (running through the sum- mer); Fields' 44th Street, "All Aboard"; Fulton, "Damaged Goods"; Globe, Hattie Williams and Richard Carle in "The Doll Girl"; Cohan, "Potash & Perlmutter"; 48th Street, "Kiss Me Quick"; Gaiety, "Nearly Married"; Hippodrome, "America" (spectacle); Hudson, "The Fight"; Knickerbocker, "The Sunshine Girl"; Lyceum, "Where Ignorance Is Bliss"; Lyric, "When Dreams Come True"; Liberty, "Rob Roy"; Longacre, Thos. Wise in "The Silver Wedding": Man- hattan, Sothern and Marlowe in repertoire; New Amsterdam. "Sweet- hearts"; Park, "Evangeline"; Play- house, "The Family Cupboard"; Sam S. Shubert, Forbes Robertson in repertoire; Gotham, "The Great Ad- venture"; 39th Street, "Believe Me Xantippe." No definite announcements have yet been made for the two Belasco houses, the Little theatre or the Harris. PROVIDING FOR HAMMOND. Chicago, Aug. 20. Hammond. Ind.. is to have a new theatre next year which will play com- bination attractions. It is being pro- moted by the Allardts and will be in a six-story business block. The Towle will be changed into a picture house shortly and this will leave the town without a house for the legitimate until next season. Geo. Sammis is manager of the Duval theatre, Jacksonville, Fla. CHICAGO OPENINGS. Chicago, Aug. 20. There will not be very much doing with the legitimate in Chicago, until Labor Day, when most of the big houses will open up. "The Whip," at Auditorium Aug 30, has billed all over the country. Aug. 31 William Hodge will reveal his new play at the Garrick. It is called "The Road to Happiness," by Lawrence Whitman, a Chicago attorney. "The Lady of the Slipper," is to open the Illinois Labor Day with Elsie Janis and Montgomery and Stone. Powers' will open about the same time with Fanny Ward in "Mine. President." "Stop Thief" is to come to Cohan's Grand Opera House. It is possible that "The Elixir of Youth" may be forced into the beginning of the season at the Cort. although the indications arc that it is not a prime favorite with the pub- lic. The Studebaker is uncertain. It is said overtures have been made to Joe How- ard to have him place his new show "A Broadway Honeymoon" in that house instead of the Whitney, but nothing definite has been decided. The Fields,' show, "All Aboard," is due at the American about Sept. 15. At the Princess "Little Miss Brown" will be the opening play. There will be fewer theatres this sea- son, playing the legitimate, and this it is thought will help the houses that are open. The outlying theatres are all booked up with a strong line of attrac- tions. The Crown is in vaudeville, which leaves the Imperial, National and Victoria to supply the neighborhoods with the drama. "The Governor's Lady" is announced to open at Power's Sept. 14. "The Elixir of Youth" closes its sea- son at the Cort, Aug. 30. and on Sept. 1 H. H. Frazce will present there "The Double Cross," by George Bronson Howard and Wilson Mizner. The piece was originally produced in New York four years ago under the title "The Only Law." Rehearsals are now in progress in New York Emmet Corrigan will have the part of the wire tapper, Mabel Frenyear her original part of the chorus girl, and Harold Vosburg the broker. Eugene Sanger, who staged it before is again putting it on. It will be the first of the new crop of underworld plays to get to Chicago. "The Yellow Jacket," which played three weeks at Powers' last season, is to be brought to the Fine Arts theatre in September for a run, sponsored by the local Drama League. LOIS JOSEPHINE Who. with WELLINGTON ^ItOKS (rrnnn and Josephine). Is In "THE PASSING SHOW OF 1913." at the Winter Garden, New York. IND. HOUSE REVERTS. Indianapolis, Auk 20. The Shubert-Muratt lias reverted to the Shuberts' own management, Fred J. Daley having given up the possession of it after an occupancy of ten weeks on a rental basis. W. K. Mick, formerly of the Shubert. Milwaukee, is at the Shubert-Muratt representing the Shuberts. Milwaukee, Aug. 20. No disposition has been made of the Shubert theatre for the coming season. It is loose in the field since the t.vo "Syndicates" decided to play their at- tractions at the Davidson.