Variety (December 1913)

VARIETY POLI THEATRES CUTTING DOWN SALARY LIMIT F OR BIQ TIME Conditions in Vaudeville Bring About Anticipated Changes in ''Small Towns.'* Poll's at Spring- field and Worcester First Affected. No More High Priced ''Name" Headliners. Small Time Too Strong. The S. Z. Poli Circuit's notifying agents of cancellations of big acts brought forth a report the New Eng- land manager intended changing his big time theatres at Springfield and Worcester, Mass., into "small time." The truth of the matter seems to be that Mr. Poli has decided to cut down the salary limit in these towns of his two-a-day bills, but is undecided whether to play twice daily or three- a-day. This will mean the elimination of the "$1,000 act" or "name" headliner for the Poli theatres in the two towns. Poli reached his determination through experience and after watching the small time houses playing against him. In Worcester Poli has the town to himself and is his own "opposi- tion," operating there the small timer also. The Worcester condition ap- pears to be an admission by Poli he cannot compete against the small time, although the difference in his prices (10-20-30) is but ten cents from the small time scale in both cities (10-20). In Springfield Poli has Wil- liam Fox against' him. The new Poll theatre shortly to be opened will seat about 1,600. Poli, according to report, has barely been breaking even in his big time houses, while making a steady profit in his small timers. New Haven is said to be the best illustration on the Poli big time Circuit. It does an aver- age of about $4,100 weekly, with a total capacity for the 12 shows of $5,- W. A week or so ago Poli's, New Haven, held an extraordinary bill, but did not exceed the average receipts by more than $200 or $300 on the week. The Poli people believe that if they are now spending $2,400 or $2,500 weekly on a big time bill, and can cut that down to $1,700 or $1,800, giving »s much of a well balanced show for that amount as it is possible to se- cure, the business will at least hold ip to the present standard, giving the houses a profit worth while. Poli has an idea it doesn't mean so ouch in vaudeville nowadays as to the headline or feature attractions as it <loes for a "good show" with plenty of entertainment in it. His deductions in this respect are said to have been "ttde through observing the small time programs. A similar condition is reported in nearly all cities of around 200,000. Poli's practical admission that the •n>all time is forcing changes on the ■^'g time will eventually result, it is 'Hd, in a reorganization of big time nicthods and programs. Poli has not yet settled upon what «'nd of a bill he will give under the lew policy of retrenchment. He may place many acts for a "bargain bill" or put in a feature film weekly to help hold the interest. Poli owns all of his theatres that have been built since he started vaude- ville down East. Two million dollars is the sum reported Poli has invested in new theatres within the past two years, either to further his operations or for "protection" against vaudeville invasion by others. NET SAIiARY FOR WILLIAMS. The vaudeville salary of $2,000 weekly Bert Williams will receive is "net," payable without commission de- ducted. It is equal in this way to about 12,250 a week. Williams is to start the return vau- deville tour at the Palace, New York. PSEUDO AGENTS SENTENCED. Through the vigilance of the Li- cense Commissioner's office, Walter Marshall and William Heynes were sentenced last week in General Ses- sions to indeterminate terms of not less than five years and not over nine and one-half years in Ossining. The prisoners were convicted of forgery in the second degree. They had stolen a license issued to Thos. H. Weinhold at 91 Broad street, eras- ing the name and inserting their own, opening an agency with it at 1547 Broadway. Inspector Whelan of the Commis- sioner's office discovered the theft and arrested the two men Sept. 16, last. FAIR MANAGERS MEET. Chicago, Dec. 10. The 23rd annual convention of the American Association of Fairs and Expositions was held at the Hotel Sherman Dec. 3 and 4. It was one of the most largely attended meetings ever held. The program contained numerous addresses of interest, among them be- ing a talk on "Amusements and At- tractions at State Fairs" by A. L. Sponsler, of Hutchinson, Kan., which was of particular interest to the vau- deville and show world. The speaker advocated the use of vaudeville and varied attractions at state fairs and pointed out that he had been emi- nently successful introducing them at the Kansas State fair. The following officers were re- elected: President, J. C. Simpson, Haniline, Minn.; vice-president, W. R. Mellor, Lincoln, Neb.; secretary, Charles Downing, Indianapolis, Ind., and treasurer, George H. Madden, Mcndota, 111. After considerable controversy, it was decided to hold the next meet- ing in Chicago the same week as the International Stock show. AFRAID OF EACH OTHER. The paying of singers by music pub- lishers will soon cease, it is said. If not, it will be' for but one reason— those paying are afraid of being "double-crossed" by their competitors. Any or all of the publishers who pay singers will admit it has reached the stage where this enormous ex- pense at a time when sheet music is selling so cheaply is little short of ruinous. They will add they have no alternative but to continue doing so while competitors are offering similar inducements to have their melodies sung. Individually each one professes to be willing to end the unnecessary expense if the others do so, but in- dividually each fears the others will not live up to the agreement. An informal meeting of the most flagrant offenders in this direction was held last week and a plan was tenta- tively devised as follows: Each publisher is to indite a note to the performers on his weekly hand- cut list, in which he will regret ex- ceedingly that owing to poor business he will be compelled to cut down ex- penses and can no longer afford to re- mit. It is confidently figured that the performer receiving such communica- tion will immediately open negotia- tions with another house, only to be met with a similar rebuff. The stumbling block though is the "if." The music publishers do not trust one another, but it begins now to look as if they will be compelled to do so in the matter of cash dis- tributions. KID. YOU SAID SUMPIN! A big automobile concern took two pages in all the metropolitan news- papers Sunday to tell how good its product was. It couldn't sell many cars around Longacre Square, so the advertisement explains: "That prompted us one day to make a little investigation and to compile a few statistics—and what do you think?— "We found that, contrary to the prevalent supposition—the best markets for second-hand cars is not what the blase call the 'back- woods and the prairies,' but Broad- way and 42nd, New York. "All the rubes live on Manhattan, once said a famous showman. That was more than half true—the other 49 per cent are portioned out to Chicago and other large centers. There live the Fourflushers, the Johnny-speeders and the remittance boys." ENGAGED FOR "NO. 2." The engagement of the principal characters in the "No. 2" "Potash & Permutter" piece has been made by A. H. Woods. They are Julian Rose and Julius Tannen. The "No. 2" show will not start out until ne.xt August when it is due to open at the Olympic, Chicago. The present company at the Cohan theatre is routed to appear in Boston at the sanic tiiiic. It expects to remain in •W'w York for tlic remainder of this M'.'is'iii ,'it h'ast. If >oii tion't utlvtrlU*- In VAKIKTV. iloii't udvertltie at »U. MATERIAL "CX>M>10N PROPERTY." Judge Ray in the United States Dis- trict Court in New York Dec. 6 refused to grant an injunction to Aaron Hoff- man restraining ("Senator") Francis Murphy from using in his burlesque show certain material which Hoffman alleged was his property under copy- right. The court, in declining to entertain the application for a restraining order, said that much of the matter which Hoffman claimed as his property had been published previously, that Hoff- man had copyrighted jokes which had appeared in newspapers, and much of the material alleged to have been in- fringed by Murphy had been in circu- lation so long it was practically com- mon property. It was stage material Hoffman claims belonged to him and used by the late Cliff Gordon. The case relcmbles somewhat one in which Sam A. Scribner figured as plain- tiff a few years ago. Scribner tried to stop a musical extravaganza in which there were excerpts from an old after- piece owned by him. The judge threw the case out of court, declining to con- sider the ownership of "such nonsense** as worthy of the serious attention of a court of law. The point decided by Judge Ray m the Hoffman instance is that a teni* porary injunction will not issue pending the trial of the matter. At the pre- liminary hearing affidavits were sut> mitted by Hoffman's attorney. Dittenhoeffer, Gerber & James rep resented Murphy. KEENEY*S STARTS WELL. Newark, N. J., Dec. lv>. Keeney's (formerly Payton's) thi atre started off well with vaudeville last week. Harry A. Shea of New York booked in the shows. The house did $3,6(X) at pop prices. The Proctor theatre here has strengthened its bill up to 12 acts against the Keeney opposition. ARTISTIC TEMPERAMENT JOLTED. Youngstown, O., Dec. 10. Hussey and Lee, comedians, walked off the stage at the Park late last week, because the audience continued to ap- plaud for preceding act so enthusi- astically they could not go on. Man- ager Cool offered them another spot, but they would not follow the other act in any position. The manager immediately notified them that they were closed and ordered them to vacate their dressing room. Tom Houston and Co., who happened to be laying off in Akron, were sub- stituted for the balance of the week. Ismed, billed as "The Turkish Pian- ist," was the act that started the clamor. When Husst-y and Lee came on, the crew had already struck his special set and he could not do another number. Ismed was likewise powerless to (juiet the audience with a speech because he would then have to dis- close that the "Turkish" designation was a niasf|uerade. ( XltTOOMST'H DEBUT. New Orleans, Dec. 10. W'orxl Cowan, cartf)onist of the New r)rl(ans Item, makes his stage debut next week at the local Orpheuni.