Variety (January 1914)

Vol. XXXIII. No. 5. NEW YORK CITY, FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 1914. PRICE 10 CENTS OUTLOOK FOR THE NEW YEAR IS DIF FEREN TLY VIEWED Theatrical Managers Hope for the Best, in Belief Things Can Not Qrow Worse. All Amusements Other Than Pictures Seem to Have Suffered. Bad Times Predicted Unless Business Takes a Turn January is of great concern to the showman, who has been waiting for it- He wants to know how the theatrical business will move along with the new year. 1913 closed disastrously for show business excepting moving pictures. All the picture makers and exhibitors are not happy, however. "The worst season in years could not be any more so after Jan. 1," say the show people. Some confidently expect ? change for the better from now on. Those who so bravely express them- selves say past seasons have proven that after New Year's, following a de- pression in box office receipts, condi- tions always change for the better. Bad days for many of the superfluous thea- tres are predicted if this doesn't occur. Other managers are not so buoyantly hopeful when "business" is mentioned. They state things are bad in general and it will need a while for the country to recover and become normal once again for amusements, even with favor- able legislation at Washington. In the legitimate good shows are still drawing, but there is no solidity to that branch of the trade. Vaudeville is unsettled with much uneasiness that i< not denied by those well enough in- formed to know. Burlesque is doing a steady business, that, while it will not compare favorably with the patron- age of last season, has made a remark- able showing since September in the face of reports from its higher priced competitors. This week (New Year's) is naturally a bountiful one for the theatres. Next week and the one after that are expect- ed to tell the story for the show peo- ple. pear in local vaudeville for a few weeks before heading for the Pacific Coast once again with "The Broadway Honeymoon" which Mr. Howard pro- duced at the Howard theatre, Chicago, some time ago. The new edition will have three stars, Mr. Howard, Trixie Friganza and Miss McCane, all to be equally fea- tured. Miss Friganza may take to vaudeville prior to the road tour. ERB CLAIM'S TYSON STOCK. The suit of William M. Erb against rhe Hudson Trust Co., in which Erb is striving to prevent the trust com- pany from turning over 40 per cent, of the stock (the controlling interest in the Tyson Co.) the Hudson concern holds to Charles Z. Zabriskie, comes to trial in the Special Term, Part Three, Supreme Court, next Monday before Judge Newburger. Erb, the former president of the Tyson Co., claims he owns the stock in question, while the defense is the money to purchase it was put up by Zabriskie and the stock bought for him in Erb's name. "HONEYMOON'S" THREE STARS. Joe Howard has reached New York with Mabel McCane. They will ap- "THE LOVE SLAVE" ARRIVES. The preliminary press matter is already out for^ a production of "The Love Slave," a playlet founded on the circumstances of the death of Melvin M. Couch in Monticello. N. Y., and the revelation that for 15 years Adel- aide M. Branch had lived in a room partitioned off from his law office in order to be near him. The announcements do not go into details, but suspicion points to Jim Clancy as the promoter of the sketch. Tt is reported it will first see the light in Bridgeport next week. If ynn don't arivrrtliw In VARIETY. don't advertl** at all. The OFFICIAL NEWS of the WHITE RATS ACTORS' UNION and ASSOCIATED ACTRESSES OF AMERICA, as formerly printed exclusively in •ppean on Page 8 of this U«ue. 9imR CORNERING HEBREWS. Hebrew comedians will be cornered for next season by A. H. Woods if his plan to reproduce "Potash and Perlmutter" in six road shows goes through. Mr. Woods has commis- sioned an agent to gather in all the available stage Hebrew impersonators. The title characters of the piece call for actors of that classification. Harry First played the Alexander Carr role in the original company dur- ing Carr's absence from the cast. Carr is now back. "MME. MOZELLE" AT LAST. At last New York is to see "Mrae. Mozelle," a foreign play adapted to the English, by Edward Paulton. Geo. W. Lederer had the "Mozelle" manuscript in his possession about the time when Lederer & Frazee put over "Mme. Sherry." The "Mozelle" piece is some- what along similar lines in the character of it. Lederer waived his rights to "Mozelle" after having Anna Held in mind for the title role. Harry J. Overall has taken the piece over for production, to be made late this month or early in February. CAMILLE D'ARVILLE TO RETURN. San Francisco, Dec. 31. No definite conclusion appears to have been arrived at as regards the selection of a prima donna for the next Gaiety theatre show, but it is not alto- gether improbable Camille D'Arville may be engaged as a team mate for her old friend, Marie Dressier. The former is the wife of a wealthy resident of this city and retired from the stage several years ago. Lately she has been very much in the company of Miss Dressier, and it is said she is paying considerable more than passing attention to the local footlights' lure. SOCIETY'S "TWO-ACT." A "two-act" or "sister team" said to have been recruited direct from society is composed of the Missess Booth and Barrett. They are about to spread themselves over vaudeville, with the assistance of Jack Mason who ir staging the turn. The girls from Fifth avenue or where they might have dwelled had better be good on the platform, after picking "Booth and Bar- ret" for the program. Both young women are good looking. SANTLEY OPENING CORT. Joseph Santlcy in "When Dreams Come True" has been chosen as the opening attraction of the new Cort theatre. Boston, Jan. 19. Fred Jordan has been appointed press agent. FEATURE FILM AT SQUARE? A report about says that before long B. F. Keith's Union Square theatre will be converted into a home for fea- ture films, exclusively, giving up the present policy of vaudeville which has failed to pay since the entertainment was remade into "big time" KITTY GORDON ROOKED. Kitty Gordon is engaged for the Palace. New York, Jan. 19. BLANCHE RING AT 80TH ST. The Blanche Ring show, "When Claudia Smiles," will open in New York at the 39th Street theatre, probably Tan 12 or 19.