Variety (August 1914)

VARIETY Publlahcd WMklr by VARIETY PUBLISHING CO. TimM Squ»r«. New York. SIMS SILySBMAN Pv«prietor CHICAGO MivJmUc Theatre Bid*. JOHN J. O'CONNOB SAN rBANClSCO Pantaffea Theatre Bldg. JACK J08KPHS LONDON II Charing Croae Road JOUUA LOWB PABIS 66 bis. Rue Saint Dldler BDWABD G. KBNDBBW BBBUN JAMBS MOIXOT ADVERTISEMENTS Advertising copy for current laiue muit reach New York office by Wednesday evening. Advertisements by mall should be s,ccom- panled by remittances. SUBSCRIPTION Annual |4 Foreign B Single copies, 10 cents Entered as second-class matter at New York. Vol. XXXV. Augus t 14, .1914 . No. 11 Edward Clear has returned from the ulher side. John Cort is expected to return to his New York offices Aug. 20. Herbert Hayes joined Poli's stock at Hartford, Monday. Fern HoUis, of the original "Boy Blue/' is out 'and around again after a severe iUness. Harry Andrews will succeed Robert Wayne as stage director of the Poli i.tock at Washington, Monday. "The Man Off the Ice Wagon" is a Billie Burke-named sketch to be pro- duced in vaudeville Labor Day. The Armory, Binghamton, N. Y., will play United Booking Office vaude- ville, opcninj^ Aug. 20. J. C. Criddle, manager of Poll's, Worcester, Mass., is back in harness after a severe illness. Maud Gilbert and Franklin Hanna, i)()tb under contract to A. H. Woods, .eturned from Europe this iveek. Laura Hamilton has joined "The Dancing Duchess." leaving Harry Car- roll to do a "single" in vaudeville. Beatrice Doane will have the lead- ing female role in "The Red Widow" whicli starts its road season Aug. 17. Alexander Reid is recovering from the effects of a recent accident in which he was painfully hurt. Seppie McNeill, of the I-'nglish pony ballet forces, was married to Billy Rice (Rice. Bell and Baldwin). Tom Smith came back from London last week, and will return to vaude- ville over iiere as a single tuirn. Matt Kcefe and Emil Subers have teamed up to offer a black and white act in "one." Johnnie Simons, Chicago's best dressed ten percenter, who has been maneuvering around Broadway for the past fortnight, returned home this week. Charles E. Evans is at the Brighton theatre Aug. 24, presenting the former Princess theatre comedy playlet. "It Can be Done." Lillian Lorraine is resting at Long Branch. She will be assigned to one of the new Shubert shows, still having a three-year contract to them. George H. Nicolai has gone west for a tour of inspection of the Stair-Havlin houses. Nearly all the circuit theaters will open Labor Day. Keith's theatre, Providence, will close its Albee stock company Sept. 5, the house to resume its winter vaudeville policy. Charles Daly has been engaged to play one of the Montgomery and Stone roles in the road production of "The Lady of the Slipper." Pierce and Roslyn, who have been playing the English halls, have secured bookings which will keep them on the other side indefinitely. Tommy Carpenter, of Lasky's "Red Heads," who has been confined to the hospital with acute appendicitis, has sufficiently recovered to rejoin the act. Eddie Lamont (Lamont and Milham) is recovering at his home, Melody Villa Orchard, Douglass, Mich., after having a part of his stomach removed for a growth of tumor. Phyllis Mackay has been re-engaged as leading woman by W. B. Patton and will create the principal feminine role in his new play, "The Good Samari- tan." George Evans has been obliged through illness to cancel his opening minstrel dates upstate this week. He was to have opened at the Empire, Al- bany, Wednesday. "Othello" is the name of the 32-foot launch Mr. and Mrs. Murray Clayton lately purchased to add to the equip- ment of the home they bought this summer at Fairhaven, N. J. The Comedy Club grill in its 43d street clubhouse will remain closed during the remainder of the summer, owing to so many of the C. C. mem- bers being out of town. John Murphy, a minstrel who has been a popular figure on the Steel Pier at Atlantic City for a number of years, was operated upon at Jefferson Hospi- tal, Philadelphia, last week. Anna Held, at Vichy, France, says the war trouble abroad has forced her to cancel her engagement at Naniai, Rou- mania. Miss Held was under contract to appear there during August. Matt Smith, who formerly managed the West End here and handled sev- eral Shubert shows, went to Kansas City last week to assume the manage- ment of the Gayety, which will play burlesque this season. Frank Tinney is resting at his Free- port, L. L, home. He has several of- fers under consideration. If he does not go with the new Ziegfeld revue he will play some vaudeville dates in New York. The McKinley Square, now under the direction of Moss & Brill, reopens Aug. 24, with six acts and feature films booked in by the M. & B. book- ing department. Edward Grattman has been engaged as manager. H. H. Fracee fully expects to bring out "A Pair of Sixes" in London in October as per previous arrangements although new war complications may arise which will cause him to change present plans. Leo Cook is parading Broadway with a broken arm, the result of an auto acci- dent, while Harry Bestry, another sin- gle celebrity of vaudeville, is floating up and down the street with a hand in splints. The Elsa Ryan "Peg" Co. which opens at the Manhattan tomorow night for a three weeks' engagement, has been chosen by the John Cort offices to open the Boston Cort's new season, Sept. 14. The stay in the Hub will be indefinite. Betty Wells, 15 years old, who re- cently left her home in Los Angeles to join a traveling rep show is being returned by the San Francisco au- thorities. The girl became acquainted with Felix Trilt and his wife and later left home to join their company. The troupe after a wobbly, uncertain career went broke in Fresno. Ted Banks remained here when Karno's "A Night in an English Hall" act went back to London. He en- gaged with Gus Hill to sing a role in "Mutt and Jeff in Mexico.' After three days' rehearsal Banks was informed there was no part for a baritone. As Banks was under contract he intends to seek redress in the courts. "Polly of the Circus," which started out a few days ago for a tour of Can- ada before beginning its regular win- ter tour, has had its route changed into Maine owing to the war between Eng- land and the allied forces against Ger- many and Austria-Hungary. Many shows bound for the coast via Canada have altered the eastern end of the route. Mrs. Clyde Paichney Bragger is named as the defendant in a divorce ac- tion started by Frank G. Bragger, actor and orchestra leader, at Lincoln, Neb., where the plaintiff is now playing at the Star theatre. The Rraggers were married in Watertown, N. Y,, June 27, 1905. Bragger declares his wife, a na- tive of Watertown, deserted him June 2i, 1911. There are no children. Sam Shannon was called to a re- hearsal at Hammerstein's Tuesday morning by Violinsky. Mr. Shannon is Violinsky's principal support, after the piano and violin. He is supposed to toss a silver dollar near the piano while Violinsky is doing his "piano player at 3 a. m." bit. Monday Vio- linsky gave Shannon a half dollar to use. Sam couldn't get used to it in time, making a misthrow. Sam claimed the half dollar was plugged. Tuesday the dispute had not been settled, but the indications were that it would be as soon as Violinsky could raise another dollar. TOMMY'S TATTLES. By Thomas J. Gray. There's a bright side to everything— the war may stop those "English Ver- sions of American Ragtime." What are the magicians going to do with those long strings of flags of all nations? Can you imagine the fights they might start in the audience? Saw an advertisement in a paper for Wild Animal Breakers. Looks like a great chance for stage door keepers who are used to fighting song plug- gers. It's tough on legits; all the dramatic critics got away from Europe before the trouble started. WAR BULL-etins. The German army is using Taxi-Cabs to charge with. Great chance for the old gag—"Let's call two cabs, and run between them." Two German waiters captured three English walking suits that were owned by a rathskeller act. Seven sets of Italian street singers left to jbin the Italian army to sing "Chilly Billy Bee" to the soldiers. Four French authors have been sent to the front. Maybe the head of the army saw some of their acts. If England's navy keeps all the Ger- man ships from crossing, what are the Rice Brothers going to do for dialects? It is rumored that an army of Free- port actors are advancing on Fair Ha- ven. "Don, the Talking Dog," may be used by the (ierman army to carry messages to the various commanders, providing they can get an Army uniform to fit Loney Haskell. Ill answer to the King's call for as- sistance to help outfit the army, Harry Lander donated an autographed photo- As soon as her army can be spared from the Summer Roll-the-ball-up- Katiics. Japan may declare herself in on the war. It is said the Russians arc torturing all the prisoners they capture by mak- ing' them read Goodwin's Gags.