Variety (October 1914)

10 VARIETY PUBLISHERS AND CABARETS BOUNDING TOWARD A CLINCH, Copyright Tribute Demand by Society on Copyrighted Music, Principally Instrumental, May Bring Reprisal Move- ment from Cabaret Proprietors. $10 and $15 Yearly Royalty Asked. A reprisal movement may be started Ijv the "1 New York hotels and res- taurants against the American Society of Composers Authors and Publishers, to offset the royalty demand of the society on copyrighted music played by the hotel or restaurant orchestras. Most of this music is instrumental for the various rag or trot dances. A notification by the society was sent out early this week. Another list of infringers may have since been compiled. At a meeting of the society held Thursday, an assessment was fixed against hotels and restaurants, in an A and B classification, according to size and capacity. The A Class will be charged $15, and the B Class $10 for using the publications of the so- cety's members. Churchill and Rec- tor's Class A cabarets were the first to come in under the new ruling. Some cabarets, however, have taken an opposite course, saying that if the publishers through the society charge them for instrumental music, they will not allow singers in the cabarets to sing these publishers' songs, without a payment as well. Nathan Burkan is the attorney for the society, which has 200 members. Mr. Burkan says he will take imme- diate legal steps against any infringe- ment of a copyrighted number. The present action of the society is likely based upon the decision of Judge La- comb in August, when the Court grant- ed an injunction against the Hotel \ anderbilt orchestra playing copy- righted music without permission, upon the application of the John Church Publishing Co. House, Gross- man & Vorhaus appeared for the Church Co. The copyright decision places the \inerican society in much the same po- sition as that of the French Society of \uthors, which has occupied a strong position in France for many years. The officers of the American Society ;«re (ieorge Maxwell, president; Victor Herbert, vice-president; Glen MacDon- < ugh, secretary; John L. Golden, treas- urer. Its directors are Irving Berlin, Frederick Belcher, Louis Bernstein, Harry Carroll, Max Dreyfuss, Leo Feist, F. Ray Goetz, Silvio Hein, Geo. V. Hobart. Raymond Hubbell. Wil- liam Jerome. Gustave Kerker, R. Shirmer. Harry B. Smith, Will Yon Tilzer, Henry Wattcrson, Jay Wit- mark. "CHIN CHIN" A REAL HIT. Philadelphia, Oct. 1. "Chiii-Chin." the new Montgomery and Stone show, was given its first presentation at the Forrest last night and was pronounced an instant and unusual hit by a capacity audience. The book is extremely "thin" and serves only in a slight degree to con- nect the various scenes in which is incorporated one of the best and fin- est vaudeville shows ever seen. Fred Stone stands out above every- thing else. He works very hard and takes full advantage of many oppor- tunities to display his versatility. His burlesques are screamingly funny. Once he is a "ventriloquist" with a live Lilliputian as his "dummy." At the end of the second act Stone sup- plies a real comedy triumph as a utility man with a circus. A position next to the stars was taken by Charles T. Aldrich as a ma- gician. He scored heavily with some lightning changes of costume and some tricks that were baffling as well as artistic. Others worth more than passing mention are Douglas Steven- son, Violet Zell, Helen Falconer, Belle Story and Marjorie Bentley. "MAMENA" A SPECTACLE (Special Cable to Variety.) London, Oct. 1. * "Mamena," Rider Haggard's novel, "A Child of Storm" done into dra- matic form, was presented at the Globe last night with Oscar Asche and Lily Brayton in the principal roles. It is a fine spectacle, but scarcely a play. ««! 'WANTED $22 000" OPENS. Springfield, Mass., Oct. 2. "Wanted, $22,000," a new Cohan & Harris production opening at the Court theatre last night, hardly lived up to expectations. The piece is a comedy with much evidence of originality, but considerable changes will have to be made before it will measure up to the Geo. M. Cohan standard. Desmond Kelly, Ernest Glendenning and William Courtleigh are featured. They seem much better than the play itself. "BENEDICTION" PRODUCED. Chicago, Sept. 30. "The Benediction," a new play by Mrs. Frieda Hall, had its baptism of the footlights at Gary, Ind., Sunday. It went over very well. Jed Flanagan is the producer. Additional Sailings. (Special Cable to Variety.) London, Oct. 1. Sept. 30, Jimmy Britt, Lawrence Grossmith (Celtic). Oct. 3, Mr. and Mrs. Burt Farle ( Lusitania). Partnership Dissolved. (Special Cable to Variety.) London, Oct. 1. Harry Day and Fdward Lauri have dissolved partnership. DIPPEL CAN'T DECIDE. It is said Andreas Dippel can't de- cide whether to place his new musical comedy, "The Lilac Maiden" at the 44th Street theatre or the Century opera house. Mr. Dippel has 15 weeks in the latter place at his disposal. He ex- pects to have the show in readinesa Oct. 19. Its book is by Harry and Rob- ert B. Smith. The music was written by Culliver, an Austrian. If the piece goes to the Century it will be at popular prices. The chorus for the "Lilac Domino" started rehearsing under the direction of Sidney Ellison, Monday morning. Mr. Ellison was the original producer of •Floradora." The only engagement for any of the principal roles in the production is that of Wilfred Drouitt. This will be Mr Drouitt's first visit to America. He is a well-known English artist and the only man that ever played principal b:>y in one of the Drury Lane pantomimes. Mr. Dippel is reported as negotiating with Charles McNaughton and Leo Stark. "SUSI" CAST IS COMPLETE. The cast for "Susi" was completed by Lew Fields Monday when he signed Tom McNaughton for the principal comedy role. Others under engage- ment are Jose Collins, Connie Ediss, Robert Evett, Lew Hearn and Melville Stewart. The piece will first play Oct. 17-18 at Atlantic City. Another play Mr. Fields will shortly start work on is "Blood Will Tell," a farce that was given in stock in Boston last season, for a trial. The Fields re- vue that will go on about New Year's has been named "Let Them All Come." "HELP WANTED" PLAYING. The "Help Wanted" play (by Jack Lait) that came into New York from Atlantic City last week, did not do so to retire, but merely to recast the company, which goes out again next week, with Ida St. Leon featured. Miss St. Leon is the young woman who scored so roundly in "Polly of the Circus." The two "Help Wanted" companies will continue on the road, said Mr. Lait, the show headed by Miss St. Leon reaching Chicago Nov. 1, to play the Stair & Havlin houses there, mean- while taking up road time en route. AMES* NEW STARS. Winthrop Ames has Herbert Kelcey and Effie Shannon for the $10,000 prize play, "Children of the Earth," by Alice Brown. The new play is to be put into rehearsal this month. LUCY WESTON IN GARDEN. Lucy Weston has joined the new Al Jolson show, opening at the Garden next week. With Miss Weston's entry into the piece, Olga Cook retired from it. "REVOLT" IN CHICAGO. "The Revolt," with Helen Ware, has been placed by I. Fluegelman, its man- ager, to open in Chicago late this month. Charles Bochert is ahead of the show; J. H. Walraven managing. "DEBUTANTE" TROUBLES. Atlantic City, Sept. 30. The Debutante/' with Hazel Dawn, left here for Washington, where it is playing at the National, but before get- ting out encountered considerable trouble. Toward the end of last week attach- ments commenced to pile up against the show. Saturday evening John C. Fisher, its manager, was taken ill at the Nixon, and temoved to his hotel. It was said here that although the piece is supposed to go into the Ams- terdam, New York, it will need much fixing. DRAMATIC PIECE EXPIRES. (Special Cable to Varibtt.) London, Oct. 1. "Those Who Sit in Judgment," a drama by the wife of a London dra- matic critic, is a failure and will close at the St. James Oct. 10. It will be succeeded by a revival of "His House in Order," sponsored by George Alexander and opening Oct. 15. MANN A SHUBERT STAR Louis Mann is to star under the management of the Shuberts this sea- son. He has a new play by Louis Shipman, entitled "Love in the Moun- tains." "HIGH JINKS" NOT CLOSING. The "No. 2" "High Jinks" is not closing, upon the authority of Arthur Hammerstein, who has the productions under his direction. The second com- pany is playing in New England, this week in Maine. NEW OPENING DATES. "My Lady's Dress," the Jos. M. Brooks' production, opens at the Play- house Oct. 10. The proposed revival of "The Things That Count" will oc- cur out of town. The Shuberts will shift "What Is Love?" from the Elliott to another theatre, to permit "Mr. Wu," the An- glo-Chinese play, with Walker White- side, to open there Oct. 13. The Irving Place theatre reopened Thursday night with "Wilhelm Tell." The principals include Heinrich Mar- lowe, Greta Meyer, John Feistel, Rob- ert Fischer, Flora Arndt and Ernest Holznagel. ONE WHOLE SCENE OUT. The Eugene Walter piece in which Charlotte Walker played last week in Baltimore and Washington, is under- going revision this week. It will re- open Monday at Cleveland, when a cabaret scene will be entirely missing. "Hanky Panky" Not Closing. "Hanky Panky" will not close as reported, the management having de- cided to continue the southern tour as originally scheduled, says Ed. L. Bloom, who is with the show Blumenthal Managing Friml. The contract existing between Ar- thur Hammerstein and Rudolf Friml, composer of "The Firefly" and "High Jinks," has been dissolved by mutual consent. George Blumenthal, business man- ager for Fmma Trentini (now under the Shubert direction) will in the fu- ture look after Mr. Friml's musical interests.