Variety (December 1913)

8 VARIETY 50c TWO-A-DAY SMALL TIME AGAIN BEI NG TA LKED ABOUT Reports That Before Long Will See Some of Current Small Time Vaudeville Tlieatre8]Playing Two Shows Daily, at 50 Cents Top in Orchestra. ''Supper Shows** Not Bringing in Enough Money to Make *'Con- tinuous" Worth While. Want to Attract From ''Big Time'* Patronage New York vaudeville men in the "small time" division seem to feel the present is an opportune time for the break by the small time houses into the two shows daily field. The main argument in favor of it is that the small time bill has reached proportions that would, with the addition of per- haps one other feature, present a per- formance in rivalry with the big time houses where a dollar or more is charged, while the "smalll timer" would have as the highest box office rate 50 cents for a few of the front orchestra rows. The "continuous performance" means nothing in a financial way, it is said. The small time house playing its show right through draws but little business between 5 and 7.30, excepting Saturday and Sunday. This "supper money" the week around would not amount to over 1250, it is claimed. The amount lost from this source, according to the small time men, would be more than equalled by many more patrons at- tracted from the regular big time houses to the small, if the latter in- stalled a "two-a-day" policy. The small timers would also retain their patronage, with the change likely to bring them a new clientele. The report of the possible policy change mentions the Loew Circuit as the probable pioneer in New York. An important point against the Loew houses seems to be made by those who believe in the twice-daily shows for the small time. It is said the advertis- ing by Loew in but one New York daily paper, and the consequent ab- sence of publicity for his Circuit in the others has practically confined the ac- tual knowledge of the Loew vaude- ville programs and theatres to the readers of this particular sheet. That Loew has been advertising to the same restricted reading public for years has limited the area of his patronage, it is claimed. Were the Loew advertising spread over all of the New York dailies or most of them, the general public would have been informed of the Loew shows. Now, say the show- men on the smaller division, it is doubtful if more than a very small por- tion of the better classes in Greater New York has any idea of what a Loew show means or looks like. The circumstances in connection with the advertising of the Loew houses will mean that Loew will have to rely practically upon the new policy to bring business, instead of having all New York understanding and be- coming immediately interested if an announcement were to be sent out the Loew entertainment hereafter will be given twice a day. The small timers believe it is com- ing, and are waiting for the small time two-a-day show to break out soon. DEAD HEADS HAD TO PAY. Sunday afternoon was a bad time for the dead-heads at the Columbia the- atre, where a vaudeville show is given that day. The Sunday before 108 people had passed through the gate without set- tling. It had been the cuitom for many to walk in the theatre Sunday, saying "Booking office," as notification they were there to see the new acts in the show. J. Herbert Mack investigated to as- certain when the "Booking office" had increased its staff. He left word that those who saw must pay for seeing, and they did, the whole 108. It made a difference in the receipts of around 150. KEITH BUILDINO. Cincinnati, Dec. 3. B. F. Keith and George B. Cox will erect a 12-story office building over Keith's theatre. The work will not in- terfere with the operation of the thea- tre proper, which stands back some distance from Walnut street. TICHENOR-GRAND SITE. It's the Tichenor-Grand, according to a revised story of the "International Restaurant" proposed for Broadway, and not the northeast corner 49th street that will hold the eating and dancing proposition of C. J. T. Bill- ings, Sam H. Harris, Sol Bloom and others interested. Sydney S. Cohen, who has the 49th street corner says that while it is being negotiated for, he is almost positive the restaurant idea is not the purpose of the intending purchasers of his lease. The Tichenor-Grand building is a riding academy at the Circle. It had been reported David Griffiths and some friends in the picture business intended taking that site for an exclusive movie house, but the restaurant rumor con- necting it with the International people has an authentic sound. ORPHEUM MANAGER MOVES. Winnipeg, Can., Dec. 3. Clarence L. Dean, manager of the Orpheum here since its opening three years ago, has left that post. He will go to Boston. His successor is E. J. Sullivan, of Chicago. MISS MARBLE, GEN. REP. Commencing next Monday Anna Marble assumes the post of general press representative for the A. H. Woods enterprises. KREM08 AT THE PAIiACB. The Kremos, a foreign acrobatic turn brought over here by the Shuberts, have been taken over by the United Booking Offices. They will appear next iveek at the Palace, New York. The act would have opened with "Hop O' My Thumb" if it had reached New York in time. Through Eva Tan- guay being at the 44th St. Music Hall next week, the addition of the Kremos to the bill there would have made it too expensive. The Kremos receive $1,000 weekly, and were booked by H. B. Marinelli for eight weeks on this side. TANGUAY GOES TO 44TH ST. The 44th Street Music Hall will have the Anna Held road show as an attrac- tion for two weeks starting Dec. 22, and following the similar engagement of the Eva Tanguay show. Miss Tanguay opens at the Music Hall Monday (Dec. 8) for two weeks, with her own company, besides "Any Night," the sketch there this week, and Bernard and Weston, also of this week's bilL For the New York stay Miss Tan- guay will sing several new songs. Among them are "It's All Been Done Before. But Not the Way I Do It," "Mother Eve," "Sticks and Stones WiU Break My Bones, but Names Will Never Hurt Me," "There's a Method in My Madness," "I Want Somebody to Go Wild With Me," and "When I Come Back on Earth." Miss Tanguay will also show Broad- way her new dances, called "Waltz and Tango a la Tanguay." The newlyweds were in New York last Sunday, when they called upon the parents of Johnny Ford. While here Miss Tanguay ordered a complete new wardrobe from a Fifth avenue modiste for the Music Hall engagement. The Held show will cut short its western tour to make the New York stand, probably jumping from Seattle, where the show is due Dec. 14-15. It will lay off the remainder of the week before Christmas after reaching New York, until the 44th Street opening. Today the Held show is at Eugene, Ore., tomorrow (Saturday), Salem, Ore.; 7-9, Portland. The Palace has been holding back its program announcement for next week and is undoubtedly strengthening its bill to stand off the strong opposi- tion it will encounter in the Tanguay metropolitan engagement. In the mad scramble to secure a strong attraction to stand off the Tan- guay invasion of the metropolis, the Palace submitted a large offer to Bes- sie Abott, but Daniel V. Arthur re- fused to permit her to enter vaude- ville as she opens Christmas Day as prima donna of the western "Robin Hood" company. SHEA*S POP I\ WOONSOCKET. Woonsocket, R. I., Dec. 3. The Woonsocket opera house has passed into the control of the P. F. Shea Amusement Co., which inaugu- rated a pop vaudeville policy under its booking direction last week. The O. H. has been renamed the Park. One night a week will he devoted to traveling combinations. S&lAIiL TIME IN FAR BAST. Shanghai, Nov. 10. "Pop" vaudeville of the Americas kind has invaded, the Orient, almost to the exclusion of the older forms of entertainment. There have been no shows at the Lyceum here for somt time. The house is run by the Ama- teur Dramatic Society and is given over to amateur performances and traveling companies, but has been dark. The "pop" houses are the Apollo (S. Hertzberg, proprietor; A. Popovich, manager) and the Victoria (A. Ramos, manager and proprietor). Both arc fairly successful. Typical bills are Wise and Milton, American colored team; Nada Moret, George Martinetti and Albert Grossi, all of whom recent- ly finished an engagement at the Apollo, where Pathe films are screened. Some of the acts go from here into the Bijou, Hong Kong. At the Vic- toria are Two Colliers, from the States. Gaumont films fill out the biU. There is a picture house in each of the outposts of importance such as Hankow, Tientsin and Peking and Hongkong, where also the Amateur Society runs a legitimate house. A new theatre is under construction in Peking, opposite the Austrian lega- tion. A. Barry, owner of the Tientsin house, will operate it. It will seat 700. Bert Flatt, of Sharp and Flatt, is touring in the interior with a picture outfit. He reports good business. The Court Cards are playing up from Singapore and are due here shortly. *'I WILLS** REVIVED. The "I Will Club" was brought back to life in the Hammerstein Chapel this week, mainly through the exertion of Harry Mock, the Hammerstein super- intendent, who could not bear to see his favorite pass away, unmourned. At a meeting of the regulars held in the usual way, it was voted to give a banquet and the Hotel Astor was se- lected, the banquet to take place ai soon as the Astor sent word it would be all right. Among the original members of the society who have agreed to stand for the I Will Club once again are J. Newton, Joe Keaton, Robert Dailey, Harry Arthur, Wynnie Sheehan, Frank Waldo, Harry Mock, Tom McKenna, Jim Betts, Fred Mitchell, William Lawrence, Bill Betts, Igoe, Tad, Tom Powers, Johnny Cantwell, Tim Mc- Mahon, Dick Rudolph, Bill House, Charlie Gebest, M. Hurlburt. DcWitt Wheeler's application is pending. He has been suspended on charges preferred against him by an unknown. The charges are based on the allegation that Mr. Wheeler had a slide painted sideways and it has been impossible since then for any operator to handle the picture without seeing visions of a sanitarium. BLANCHE MEHAFFEY HERE. Blanche MehaflFey, one of the best known sopranos of the west, who for many seasons has been the featured soloist with Weber's Band, has reached New York to make her Broadway vaudeville debut. For her New York kowtow she will be assisted in a new act by Herbert Cyril, "the London Johnnie." If ron don't advertlM don't adTertlM at alL In VABIBTT.