Variety (September 1913)

VARIETY .") BIO TIME VAUDEVILLE HOUSES OET POORSEASON'S START Haininer5tein*8 and Palace Only High-Priced Vode Theatres to do Real Business Labor Day. All Keith New York Theatres Fall Below Expecta- tions. Warm Weather Offered as Excuse Though Not Affecting Downtown Houses. PANTAQES AND N-N-P. The Nixon-Nirdlingcr and Prudential Agency are formulating a trans-conti- nental booking circuit, which will em- brace the houses of both in the east and the Pantagcs Circuit in the west. Moss & Brill may also be included if the deal goes through. Nothing definite has yet been ac- complished, but by next week the par- ties interested may arrive at an agree- ment. Meantime they have been cast- ing about for suitable oftices. The big time vaudeville season was ushered in very luke-warmly Labor Day in New York. Hammerstein's and the Palace drew capacity attendance at both performances. The Keith New York theatres, however, did not fare nearly as well, nor nearly as well as the management for these houses had an- ticipated. The Colonial, with Ethel Levey head lining, held a two-thirds house at the matinee, with a little bet- business at night. The Bronx and Al- hambra at reduced prices of admission did not do good business at all. The uptown Keith theatres with the lower scale were a distinct disappointment to the management. At the Seventh Avenue, a Loew Cir- cuit small time theatre with admission 10-15-20, Ching Ling Foo did a turn- away. The Seventh Avenue is almost opposite the Alhambra and the turn- away helped the business there to some extent, but not capacity. At the Bronx Rush Ling Toy was the headliner, probably placed there with the design to take the edge off Ching's appearance at the National next week, the latter the Loew small time house »n ^the Bronx. '.'^ The PaUice had some paper out for the afternoon and night performances cf the holiday, bat did not need it. The house would have played to capacity vithout the free passes. These were probably put out for protection to en- sure a "good opening." The afternoon scale at the Palace was 25-75 with the fcimer price for standing room down- stairs. At Hammerstein's the orches- tra seats were held at the usual night figure (owing to holiday) and general admission placed at one dollar. Liberal advance advertising helped the Palace's new start for this year. About $2,000 had been placed in the dailies before the house opened, which, with billboard publicity, seemed to have its eflfect. Fritzi Scheflf. the fut- ure of the Palace bill, was not given credit for drawing them in Monday, the people she would have ordinarily attracted being out of town. The small time theatrts in New York did nof do the business they did on Labor Day, 1912, when it rained, but the small timers had much over the aver- age day's receipts. The bad opening on the big time in New York was not unexpected by those on the side lines, and it is now claimed by the same crowd big time is going to get a severe bump in the Metropolis unless the programs are made more at- tractive and in accordance with the box oflfice prices. The warm weather Monday was of- fered as the excuse by the Keith peo- ple for the poor showing in their houses, but it didn't hold in view of the Times Square theatres drawing all they could hold. The excuse that might have been offered for the Colo- nial was that that house seldom docs business before October, its patrons still being in the country. Monday night the Palace was critically surveyed by B. F. Keith himself, who looked the theatre over from garret to cellar, in- side and out. Mme. Schumann-Hcink occupied a box at the scantily-attended matinee at the Palace Wednesday afternoon, as the guest of Martin Beck. Martin wanted the operatic star to hear Fritzi Scheff and to prove that the two-a-day thing isn't so terrible. Beck hopes to persuade Madame to accept an engage- ment for the Palace in the near future. HATTIE BURKE ILL. Calgary, Sept. 3. Hattie Burke, Lorraine and Burke, V as taken ill here Friday and removed to a hospital. Her partner is doing a single turn until she has sufficiently recovered. It is expected Miss Burke will rejoin for the remainder of the tour next Monday in Spokane. COMEDY CLUB SMOKER. The Comedy Club is to have another smoker Saturday night, Sept. 20. Thomas J. Gray is at present en- gaged in writing the entertainment, to br entitled "Uncle Thomashefsky's Cabin," to be followed by a burlesque on "The Lure," called "The Cure," rid- iculing the much abus<-<l vaudeville agent. POX OPENINO ANOTHER. New Britain, Conn., Sept. 3. William Fox's new theatre here, seating 2,000, opens tomorrow night, Jos. Carr will be resident manager. The house is named after the owner. ANOTHER FOR PARIS. (Special Cable to Varimtt.) London, Sept. 3. Clifford Fisher and Harry Stanley, the London Opera House managers, have closed a deal for a vaudeville house in Paris. Alfred Butt also pro- pose.* to build one there. Fischer, Stanley and Gus Sohlke sail toda^' for New York. LOOKING FOR FOREIGN TIME. Foreign time, with the London "Alls preferred, is being sought by Charlotte Greenwood and Sydney Grant, as a team. They are now with the "Pass- ing Show of 1913" at the Winter Gar- den, New York. Their contract with the Shuberts, covering an extensive period will be canceled, it is said, by mutual consent, if the couple obtain the music hall bookings on the other ^ide. BUFFALO BILL "BROKE." Chicago, Sept. 3. William F. Cody, better known as Buffalo Bill, was in town early in the week. The veteran showman and scout announced he was "broke," but that he was in a good way to have a new Buffalo Bill show next season. ''THE DERELICT** WITH J08B. "The Derelict" has been secured from James Horan, the author, by Ro- land West, and Edouard Jose will be featured in the sketch on the Loew time opening next Monday. The piece is regarded as a timely one, ill view of the prevalent craze for plays on the subject of white slavery. WORKED THE WRONG WAY. (Special Cable to VABiarr.) London, Sept. 3. Beth Tate, who refused to appear on the same bill with Jack Johnson, is now unpopular in some of the rougher "outside" halls on this account. It was Miss Tate's expectation she would receive publicity by her action, but she is getting the kind not relished. ARLINGTON IN IX)NDON. (St>ccial Cable to Vakiett.) London, Sept. 3. Hilly Arlington, the burlesque com- edian from America, is in London and has been here for two weeks. He tried out last week in a hideway under an assumed name and did well enough to warrant the predictions made concern- ing him by Albert de Courville, who engaged Arlington for the new revue, "Are You There?" Billy Arlington was restrained by the New York Supreme Court from appearing under other management than Jacobs & Jermon. Shortly after the actor went aboard a boat some hours before sailing and was locked in his cabin until the ship left the dock. DARLING BOOKING CHASE*8. Washington, Sept. 3. P. B. Chase's big time vaudeville house goes under the B. F. Keith flag commencing Sept. 8, when the irst Keith bill will be booked in there by Edward Darling of the United Book- ing Offices, New York. Keith purchased the theatre la^t week, after it had had a losing season ending in the spring under the Chase management, which greatly missed the programs as formerly supplied by Charles Stevenson in the U. B. O. Mr. Stevenson had to retire from the agency to recover his health. Chase personally has never been over popular locally. His vaudeville interests were directed by Winnifred De Witt for some years. With the influx of small time vaudeville, big in- roads were made on the Chase clien- tele. An attempt will now be made to draw the absent ones back through the Keith name. A consideration of $1,000,000 was an- nounced as having been paid by Keith, but it is said Keith merely takes over the house, paying some amount for an interest, and is running the theatre for Chase, to hold it in the big time ranks. Chase threatened to turn it into small time, accord'ng to report, which would have left Washington open for a new two-a-day house. Many of the acts routed for Chase's this season have been withdrawn and other turns substituted, under the Keith-Chase management. BICYCn.E RIDER HURT. Montreal, Sept. 3. While playiiiK at the Theatre Fran- cais yesterday ;\niia Ehelin^j:. of the Great Demons, a foreign bicycle act, collided with one of the other riders and both fell t^ the ground. A phy- sician callVd' an<h flis'co^frcd' he* had broken he- mklc. - ' The two nu'n- w'n'*':ont>n>u' to pre- sent their iior.iop 'r^f• fl'c aoi' for the remainder of-thv* vvfi'k. .Vnn'a will be confined to ber-bcd'Toi n fi^rfjiight. WHAT WILL THE ANSWER BB7 "What Are You Doing in My Room?" is the title of an act by Ed- gar Allan Woolf, to be produced by Charles Lovenberg. HTEGEirH NEW PLAYLET. .\ new playlet Julius Steger will first show to vaudeville Oct. 20, at the Union Square is named "The WarnijjgA^,^ routo^-fpr the Steger piece embracihg^^ consecutive weeks has been mapped (in advance of the first presentation) out for it by the llnited Booking Offices. '*i*ULLMAN PORTERS* BALL** OF 20 The feature of the Friars' Frolic of 1911. "The Pullman Porters' Ball," will be reproduced for vaudeville. The act is to consist of 20 blackface men. James Gorman is now staging it. Charles Hilliard, the female imper- sonator with the Cohan Sc Harris min- strels, is to be featured. BLOSSOM SEELEV A MOTHER. niossom Scelcy, the wife of "Rube" Marquardt, gave birth to a boy Satur- day. AUTOMAT STEADY. I'rank Thompson, manager of the Palace, and one of the stockholders, bmchrs daily at the Automat. U. B. O. MOVING? The V. B. O. l)clicvcs it will move to the Palace buildinK Oct. 15. If yon don't •dvrrtiM la VAKIKTY, don't advcrtlM at all. POLI'S THREE-DAILY. Wilkosbarrc, Sept. 3. Poll's here has started a pop vaude- ville policy, playing three shows daily, six acts, booked by James Clancy of New York.