Variety (July 1914)

VARIETY SINGERS WANT PUBLISHERS TO STOP "PLUGGING" DIRECT Waiting for Publishing Combine's Final Line-Up Before Asking Music Houses Not to Allow Proprietors or Em- ployes to Appear on Vaudeville Stage. Claim Injustice to Them Through This. But One Publisher of Popular Music Holding Out of Combination. A singer who does not accept money from music publishers for singing songs (and the singer should be easily identified through that) said this week an agitation would be started imme- diately upon the music publishers get- ting together, the singers asking all publishing houses to instruct their owners, officers and employes that none must appear upon the vaudeville stage as an "act." An injustice is being done those singers, said this one, who look for the best son^s all the time and would like to be the first to sing them. The publishers themselves beat them to the stage, the singer claimed. There are several "music publishing acts" about, with ever so many more turns having a member or so interest- ed somehow in a music concern. Another protest the singers will make if they get to the point of sign- ing a Round Robin will be to the theatre managers against permitting any act to deposit with the orchestra leader music for more songs than it will actually sing during the engage- ment in the particular theatre, and also ask that singing acts be required to file two weeks in advance, same as with photos, the titles of numbers in the repertoire for that theatre, allow- ing the theatre manager an opportu- nity to give sufficient notice of any conflict of songs on the bill, with time for adjustment and substitution. On the small time singing acts are reporting foi the Monday morning re- hearsal as early as nine o'clock, some- times earlier, to place their music with the leader. The other day a cabaret three-act gave the orchestra leader the music for 13 songs on a Monday morn- ing, completely shutting out (through priority of usage "the first one in" gets), all the other acts on the pro- gram using the latest popular num- bers. There is a "single" singing woman on the big time who never fails to enter a theatre with less than the music for 25 songs, all of the popular variety and inclusive of the latest. Re- cently this woman deposited with the musical conductor of the vaudeville theatre she was then to appear at the sheets for 22 numbers. MUSIC MEN ALL SET. The Music Publishers' Roard of Trade is an accomplished fact, under hand and seal, according to the pub- lishers interested in it. Fourteen music concerns have signed the agree- ment, it is said. The contract pro- vides a penalty of $5,000 for anyone found guilty of a violation, the condi- tions mostly bearing upon pul " ' • . paying singers directly or indirectly to sing songs. The single publisher remaining out of the combine, of those who have been practicing paying singers, is Leo Feist, he saying, according to report, that as he was the last one to fall in line and pay for the singing of songs, he would be the last one to stop. The new organization went into ef- fect this week, when the payment to singers was supposed to have then automatically ceased among the Board of Trade members. Nathan Burkan is the attorney for the Board. Song writers generally are in favor of the publishers' combination. They say to pay singers to sing songs they must sing to earn a livelihood amounts to no more than if a restau- rant paid its patrons to patronize it. If the rigid spirit of the new organ- ization is adhered to; it will mean a vast saving to the music publishing business,, place the singers in vaude- ville upon a more sound basis (since they have been influenced by outside monetary reward for favoring this or that publisher) and should tend to up- lift the entire variety stage, which now leans greatly toward popular songs. Heretofore the vaudeville public has had but a few numbers continually dinned into its ears, and some of the songs "pushed" were not popular with the listeners, merely with the singers and the publishers through one re- ceiving money for singing the song and the publisher in hopes it could be "made." What effect Feist wilf have on the general combination through remain- ing out is yet to be seen. The other publishers merely say it will be an expensive stand for him. POP BILL AT NEW YORK. Pop vaudeville again starts at the New York theatre next Monday, when William Morris will display six acts, along with pictures. The feature turn of the first week on the renewal of the former policy will be Earl's Diving Girls—embel- lished with a new title and fancy swir : mirfg costumes. Drucker Saves Bonnie Gaylord. Freeport, L. I., was the s^cnr of .i life saving incident last Fridnv. *• net. Jack Drucker, an advertising v lici'-.r on a theatrical paper, plnn C 1 'int< the surf in front of the f:isir>. without removing his clothe?, irv' brought to shore Bonnie Gayl<T ; Sh<' was tr. n ■ ing down in the w.-t'r f ■<-. r] )c l.t-t time when Dru'K^r vr« '•<-.(■ LONEY CLAIMS FORGERY. Frank Q. Doyle, of the Jones, Lin- ick & Schaeffer booking office, Chi- cago, doesn't believe everything he reads. So when a letter came to him out there, postmarked New York, and signed "Loney Haskell," recommend- ing an act, Mr. Doyle asked Loney by mail how about it. Haskell answered to show him, and when the letter was received by Loney he pronounced his signature a forgery, not on account of the poor writing, but because he had never issued the letter nor heard of the person recommended, Cy Manning. This is the letter: 968 Trinity Ave., New York. June 22, 1914. Frank Q. Doyle, Esq. Dear Friend Frank: Am writing you in behalf of a very good friend of mine who has never been in the west and for whom I have just completed a monologue that will be a rip tearer in Chi and all around the west. He is a boy of pleasing appear- ance and good personality and a kid who is able to put over the stuff. He has just finished four weeks for Wm. Fox and I have 22 weeks' con- tracts for him next season; but I want to place him for five weeks in the west. The above is his address and I wish you would write him per- sonally and offer him your best terms. His name is Cy Manning. (Signed) Loney Haskell, Hammerstein's. FAM. DEPT. BARS BENTHAM. With its head on the other side, the M. S. Bentham agency found itself barred this week from the Family De- partment of the United Booking Offices. The agency, however, has unobstructed access to the main floor of the agency, where the big time acts are booked. A few weeks ago Mr. Bentham, be- fore sailing, engaged Irving Rose to handle the "Fam. Dept." material. Rose was accused the other day by one of the U. B. O. men with having placed the Sam Mann Players ("No. 2" Co.) on the Loew and Fox time. This was considered sufficient reason to bar Rose from further booking in the F. D. until Bentham's return, which will be about July 20 on the Imperator. Arthur Goldsmith, in charge of the office in Bentham's absence, continues to book on "the floor." PORTO RICAN SHOW. This is the season for Porto Rico, as Sam Bernstein knows. Wednesday he shipped a vaudeville show to San Juan. It is to open July 7 at the Municipal theatre there, playing two weeks, then moving to the National theatre, Carracas, Venezuela SVENGALI vi. MERCEDES. The Loew Circuit has given a blanket contract for next season to Svengali, who claims, with right on his side, to have given the "mind-reading-play-the- piano-act" long before Mercedes, who has been doing it on the big time. Svengali in fact alleges himself to be the originator of this style of turn for vaudeville. He has been playing in the middlewest and west mostly of late. Svengali will open for Loew in September, playing east and west The booking was done for the Loew Circuit through Jules Delmar. In the Svengali act is a woman, who plays anything requested on the piano and also sings. Pittsburgh's Ball Park Bills. Pittsburgh, July 1. Managers Harry Davis and John P. Harris will begin their season of open- air vaudeville at Forbes Field, the home of the tamed Pirates, July 4. Interested with Bernstein is said to T his amu9emen * is known as the Hip- be one Ben Lavine, a manufacturer of Jj odrome - shirtwaists. He also sailed with the ~" troupe Wednesday, under his official title of "angel." Bernstein knows Porto Rico, having taken an operatic aggregation to the Island a couple of years ago. Some of that bunch liked the country so well they are still there, it is s&fy In the bill leaving by steamer this week were General Pisano and Co.. Four Ir.perial Japanese Dolls, Mile. Santi, Alton and Arliss, Neuss and El- drid. w;tii \nita Arliss, musical di- rect-..-, avd MM<\ Santi doubling in two a''s, Jw\v. < v lumbers to the pro- Pop at Robinson O. H. Cincinnati, July 1. The Robinson Opera House, which has been dark two years, is to be re- opened with pop vaudeville next sea- son. The Robinson Estate is bickering with two Chicago Circuits, one to carry the house on its booking list. The O. H. will be remodeled to com- ply with the building laws. if vnn rfnn'r ltd /trtisf W.R'.ETY, YF*H? BEHIND IN RENT. Cleveland, July 1. v "•< wr has been asked for the < and u\ ..he by the East Ninth Street < le.danrl Realty Co. in an effort to tit:.' out who is responsible for a debt •I * 12.000 which the plaintiff says is • f '.:c for 12 months' rent. Two weeks ago the Grand manage- ment could not pay the salaries of the ictors showing there and the house wont without a show Saturday night, opening the next day with pictures. Since the erection of the Miles theatre, but a block away, the Grand found the eoine hard with pop vaudeville. "Girl Acts" by the Dozen. The Eastern Producing Co., a new corporation, announces plans to put out about a dozen big girl acts in vaudeville for next season. Magicians Around the World. Carl Rosini, Geo. P. Reuschling (Rush Ling Toy) and the Great La Follette, magicians, sail for Rio de Janeiro Sept. 19 to begin a tour of the world. At the Cigale a revue by Hughes Pelorme and Arnaud will commence the season. Regine Flory, Marguerite l.avigne, Gaby Benda, Milton, Rollin and Fred Pascal are listed for the pro- duction. Jean Chariot's summer sea- son is a big success.