Variety (February 1914)

VARIETY S MILUON-DOLLAR BACKING FOR NEW AMERIC AN MUSIC CO. Unlimited Capital Behind Newly Incorporated Delaware Firm Which Plans to Revolutionize the Music Pub- lishing Trade of New York. Holds^Options on Sheet Music. trade on "the floor" of the U. B. O. In the Family Department of the same agency it was reported early in the week that many of the agents operat- ing there would be requested to remain away in the future. The American Music Co., a corpora- tion organized under the laws of Dela- ware, has filed articles in Wilmington. Capital stock $1,000,000. This is the company formed to take over the music publishing business of New York, and which has six months' option on nearly all the important pro- ducers of popular sheet music in the metropolis. These options would be taken up im- mediately but for the attitude of the federal administration with regard to business combinations. The promoters are awaiting the latest legislation on this matter and are prepared to organize in conformity with the ruling on so important a detail affecting their plans. BOOKING 42 IN NORTHWEST. Minneapolis, Feb. 4. The Thomas J. Hamlin agency of this city was incorporated and licensed 15 months ago, and it is now claimed the agency is booking 42 vaudeville theatres in the northwest, besides hand- ling a fair and carnival department. DANCING IN MET. RINK. The Metropolitan Rink at Broadway and 53d street has been leased by George Kerr, who intends converting into a dance hall, with a moving pic- ture attachment. Alterations are now being rushed for the forthcoming policy. PROCTOR'S GIVE UP VAUDE. F. F Proctor's small time vaudeville houses in Perth Amboy and Plainfield, which have always played seven acts, will go into straight pictures begin- ning Monday. PANTO WITH 20. Edward S. Keller, in association with Eugene Howard, will produce at Ham- merstein's March 2, for two weeks, "Ma Cherie," a pantomime with 20 people, headed by Mons. Agoust and Simone de Beryl. U. B. 0. AGENCY TALK. The talk rcRarding a contemplated change in booking agents' conditions in the United Booking Offices has started up once more. Reports along Broadway went so far as to mention the names of the U. B. O. agents who would be "ht out." While something is in thf wind, it is not known whether the U. B. O. in- tends taking immediate action in the matter of the agents or allow them to continue for the remainder of the sea- son, (lependin.j: upon the summer months for the weeding out process to happen, when no comment will he occasioned tliroiiyli it. There are said to he 38 "big time agents" who are allowed to ply their LOEW-S.-C. BARS AGENTS. The Loew-SuUivan-Considine book- ing offices in New York barred 10 or 12 agents from its offices last Fri- day. The reasons are said to be the agents had booked acts in "opposi- tion" theatres or were useless to the agency, merely taking up time and space. AGENrS "WOODEN FLOOR." A vaudeville agent, one of the many, was asked Tuesday where he had his office. "In my hat," replied the agent, and his questioner answered, "Well, any- way, you have a wooden floor to it." JOE SHEA WITH SHEEDY. Joe Shea is now connected with the M. R. Sheedy booking agency. TORONTO ROOF SOON. Toronto, Feb. 4. The roof on top of the new Loew theatre here will open Feb. 14, when the same policy of giving small time vaudeville programs will be followed as at present in vogue at the American Music Hall, New York. THUMAN EXPERIMENTING. Cincinnati, Feb. 4. In a desperate attempt to get the crowds to the Orpheum theatre. Man- aging Director J. Herman Thuman is varying his usual straight show with musical comedy. "Forty-five Minutes from Broadway" went so well two weeks ago, he is trying "The Time, the Place and the Girl" this week. The little bird whispers that Thu- man's venture at the Orpheum has not been a success. GLADYS ALEXANDER'S SKETCH. A sketch, written by Marion Short, has been produced for Gladys Alex- ander in vaudeville, by Arthur Hop- kins. Miss Alexander and her com- pany, including William Moran (late of "We Are Seven"), are taking the "out- side route" for the usual "working in" process. Mr. Hopkins is also interested with Jos. Hart in the vaudeville playlet called "Celluloid Sara." at the Palace New York, next week. CASTLES DONT APPEAR. The Palace this week is not showing Mr. and Mrs. Vernon Castle, who were obliged to defer the eiiga^'ement at $2,000 for the week owiiiL,-^ to iiistrm- tioMS from Mrs. Castle's pliysjei.in-. which forbade her dco'ng stage work at present. ANNA HELD AFTER $60,000. San Francisco, Feb. 4. Anna Held has declared she is heir to the $60,000 estate left by Cherry de St. Maurice, who was "queen" of Sac- remento's Red Light district and mur- dered last July by two men in her room. Miss Held states Miss de St. Maurice was her father's sister and has en- gaged Attorney Charles F. Hanlon to prove she is the rightful heir. MONROE SURVIVOR. Benj. B. Vernon, a survivor of the Monroe disaster, will open at the Broadway, Philadelphia, with an il- lustrated lecture, giving full details on the subject. He is under the direction of Free- man Bernstein, who, however, denies he wrote the talk. SINGLE ''PRODUCTION'' ACT. A production turn as a "single act" is being tried out this week in the wilds by Gertrude des Roches, who lately appeared with Charles Wayne. "SHOULD A WOMAN TELL7'' CAST. "Should a Woman Tell?" the new act which Claude Bostock is producing, has had the following players placed with it by Oily Logsdon for its debut at Hammerstein's Feb. 22: Oliver Doud Byron (recently with "General John Regan"), E. L. Delaney, George Stil- well, Sidney Riggs and Grace Campbell. BEN WELCH DIDN'T GO ON. The Winter Garden show Sunday night did not see Ben Welch, though he was back of the curtain ready to ap- pear. At 11.20 Jule Delmar informed Welch it was of no use wasting himself at that hour and to come back next Sunday evening, when an earlier posi- tion would be found for him. Mr. Welch is a Hebrew comedian, as is Willie Howard, in the Winter Garden show and of Eugene and Willie Howard. They appear regularly on Sunday while playing at the Garden. It became a question with Mr. Del- mar which one of the Hebrew laugh- makers should precede the other. Mr. Welch finally announced he would fol- low the entire bill and was held back for this purpose until Delmar recon- sidered. Welch will have his chance fo do the following this Sunday. BUCKNER REARRESTED. After having had his fine of $100 re- mitted through the efforts of Chris. O. Brown in his behalf, Arthur Buckner, who was released from custody Feb. 2, on the expiration of his 30-day sen- tence for violation of the Employment Agency Law, was immediately rear- rested on a similar charge to the one hr was convicted of. It was expected Tuesday, however, that the second charge would be dismissed at the hear- ing, due to take place some time this week. Mr. Brown had collected al)OUt $1.10 frr P>uckner tlirrMiu-li suI)Scrif)tioiis to .1 fund to pay tlu- ("1110. Tlic reiiiissif»n left the iii(me>- .if llic disposal nf Mt^ P>i:rkner. T'l- MiiUcr l'i|M'-Orc|i)-s| ni Is m > t \ . 1. .mw '•r >; ' ri i .f I Ir t; : > ;i t ■ ' I ■ i ii ' ■■ i ii'l i ■ '; 'i ■ in ■ ti f "f •' ri. . l^.iMs t'l I'll".-, r • 11 , I :• III •■! I \ |i . . I " "iiciiii |i;i 1 In .•.!'% \\ I y I 'n I il.. (ii In I I.I k'lii^- r. S. I.OSII. N. \s Vnik .iM I ltriM.M>ii '1"< |i Ill'.DTlCX. JOHN L. FOR ''THE CORNER." The great and only "yours truly* [(din L. Sullivan, the first ex-champior prizefighter to do a monolog, has beec booked for Hammerstein's for weel of Feb. 23. Alf. Wilton negotiated tin deal. KEENEY'S OFFER FOR STRAND. An oflFer of $70,000 yearly rent, witl two years' deposited in advance, wi made this week by Frank A. Keenej* to the interests controlling the ne\» Strand theatre at Broadway and 48th street. The tender was declined, without a counter proposition being made, al- though it is said the Mitchell Mark crowd who expect to operate the house informed Mr. Kecney they would con- sider a proposal from him that inclu- ded the leasing of the entire building, theatre floors and stores. VAN BERGEN AND HICKEY JOIN. Chicago, Feb. 4. Martin Van Bergen and Hazel Hick ey have perfected a new double turr Miss Hickey playing piano in suppor of Van Bergen's baritone voice. Th latter is playing Des Moines this weel as a single, but the following engage ment will bring them to the local Ir diana as a team. Janet Adair, Miss Hickey's forme partner, is also working alone. NO SMOKING ALLOWED. .An order prohibiting smoking in th( Palace Theatre Building suite of the United Booking Offices has been issued. The agency completed its moving ^o the new quarters last Saturday. At the larger quantity of space is oviP the auditorium of the theatre, the no* smoking regulation became necessary. There is said to be some disappoint* ment over the U. B. O. Palace oflRcet. They are not as commodious as ex- pected, nor have the booking men th€ light that made the former Putnaitf Building suite so pleasant to work in With the moving in of the booking office, one of the two elevators of th# Palace Building now runs only to the sixth floor. There is generally a line waiting to pet in the lifts. It is said the U. B. O. is thinking of installing a time clock for employcf as lately done by its colleague, thf Western Vaudeville Managers' Asso ciation at Chicago. Until that tim€ Frank Thompson, formerly directinf the Palace, is acting on the floor of the agency seeing that its salaried staff does full labor. Mr. Thompson is also reported to have been given authority in Other minor rapacities over the clerical staff of the a^^ency. HAMMERSTEINS' FRIENDLY SUIT. It is claimed tlie suit started by Oscar Hammerste-n, in which he asked for a receiver f;f the Victoria (Ham- merstein's) theatre and named his two sons (William and Arthur) as de- fendants, is a friendly action to smooth 'tut a few tangles in the possession of the pro|)'rty. When ihe i);ip<i - wii« filci], rumors '-pre.'ul s.-iviiu,' thr ..cfion u;is anytliint? liut frier^llv. "-"mI! the li.iMiinc.'rsteins, ill! "f fhi Ml, [m' -t th.it it is and they nn);ht to 1 <)< 'W