Variety (October 1914)

VARIETY 11 WITH THE PRESS AGENTS Leo Fljrnn, on tour with "Kismet," Is back on Broadway. Percy Heath, who was general press rep- resentative for Henry W. Savage, and who adapted the book of the latest Savage hit, "8ari," has returned to town and Is open. "Big Jim Oarrlty," the John Mason melo- drama, opens at the New York theater this Friday, at $1 top. The house played feature Alms up to Thursday. The New York newspapers have Interviewed Miss Blllle Allen several times this week to learn whether she and John A. Hoagland, noted as an art connoisseur, are engaged with- out getting a confirmation. She does admit, however, that the wealthy New Yorker gave her a $6,600 diamond ring and a $10,000 auto- mobile. Mlsa Allen left the Jardln de Danne last week. In his new book, "On Acting." Matthew Ar- nold declines to mourn over the degeneracy of the modern stage. He goes so far as to say that many of the old-time stock organizations miscast their players, whereas actors and actresses today are selected for their physical and temperamental fitness for roles. "I, for one, do not believe," says the noted essayist, "that the actors of our time are in any way Inferior to the actors of the past." The cast is now complete for "The Mar- riage of Columbine," at the Punch A Judy theatre, Nov. 10 (not Nov. 9, as announced). It includes Charles Hopkins, Edward Emery, Herbert Yost, Charles Hampden, Mrs. Hop- kins, Louise Closser Hale. Eleanor Carey. Vera Pole and Linda Bolton. Rehearsals have begun for "The Young Idea," in which Lydla Lopokova is to make her dramatic debut. The preliminary tour will open Oct. 22 In Syracuse under the manage- ment of Harrison Grey Fiske. Singers' Midgets, 20 Lilliputian actors, with two baby elephants and seven tiny ponies, will appear Nov. 2 at Hammerstelns. The feature is a European Importation. One of the features of the Panama exposi- tion will be a submarine illusion with a 200- foot allegorical front, of stone construction. A fleet of real submarines will carry passen- gers under an Inland sea. Mr. and Mrs. Rowley Downes, who have been dancing at the Narragsnsett Casino, ap- peared at Murray's Wednesday evening. The couple will have charge of the after-theatre entertainment there for the rest of the season. "Life," Thompson Buchanan's melodrama, which opens at the Manhattan Monday night, has more scenes and more speaking parts than "The Whip." Moving pictures will be used to explain portions of the action and will be shown to bridge dark changes. The new bill which comes tonight (Satur- day) to the Princess Includes new players and these playlets. "The Cat and the Cherub" (14 people, the largest cast ever used In the house), Henry Arthur Jones' "The Goal," Stanley Houghton's "Phlpps," "The Forest of Happy Dreams" and "Little Face." The Boston Press Club is beglnlng to prove an Important factor In the lives of theatrical folk who go there. Monday night the club had a "Scoop Night" In honor of the 200 baseball writers there for the series, and with ex-Mayor Fltsgerald presiding, assisted by Lee Harrison of the "Perlmutter" show, the assemblage looked live. The entertain- ment program ran from real grand opera to a snappy boxing bout. Julia Arthur will reconsider her retirement from the stage to the extent of two perform- ances, one In Boston and one In New York, the profits of which are to be devoted to the relief of actors' families In Europe. William Faversham Is seeking tbe co-operation of other stars for the benefit. Jake Wells this week sent letters to a num- ber of managers with southern connection* asking their co-operation in the movement to have actresses and actors wear as much cot- ton clothing as possible in an effort to help dispose of the 1914 crop of the staple. The newspapers In the towns where Wells Is rep- resented have exploited the campaign liber- ally. Elsie Ferguson is promised In a new play, "Outcasts," by Hubert Henry Davies. Charles Cherry Is In the cast. "Kick In" has been postponed from Thurs- day night last to next Monday night at the Longacre. "The Lilac Domino" opens Oct. 2R at the 44th Street. The Andreas Dippel piece is in rehearsal under Sidney Ellison at the Metro- politan opera house. PRESS OPINIONS. Pymallon. The play Itself Is as simply entertaining a piece as the author has ever deigned to write —Times. "Pygmalion" will not offend here but will amuse.—Herald. My Lady's Drews. Future audiences at the Playhouse will be as large and as well pleased as that of the premiere.—Herald. It Is an absorbingly Interesting play, which holds the Interest unremittingly through its variety and the constant change of background and character.—Sun. Evidence. The comedy is rich in a humor that Is all the fresher for not being at all of the the- atre, and the defects are really engulfed in the sentiment which fills the play to the brim. —Times. Dancing Around. The spirited and agreeable music is sure to prove the chief attraction of "Dancing Around."—Times. It's allmlgbty good fun, and the list of fun makers is legion, but leading them all is Mr. Al Jolson, the irrepressible comedian, who was welcomed uproariously after a long absence from New York. He surprised his admirers by leaving off his blackface makeup In one scene.—Herald. ENGAGEMENTS. Eillen Erroll for May Buckley stock, Cleve- land. Eleanor Painter, prima donna, "The Lilac Domino." Madame Joanne Marbourg, contralto, "The Lilac Domino." Edna Oliver In South with "Stop Thief." Bella Cairns in stock at Poll, New Haven, Conn. Mrs. James S. Barrett, lead In "Saint and Sinner," in vaudeville. DIPPEL AT CENTURY FEB. 1. The date on which Andreas Dippel is to take possession of the Century with his opera comique company is Feb. 1. On that date the impresario will move the organization which is to be housed temporarily in the 44th Street theatre while presenting "The Lilac Domino." Herr Dippel has.arranged with Max Rabinoff for Pavlowa and her ballet as an entre acte feature of the policy he means to inaugurate at the Century. DIDNT OPPOSE CHINAMAN. Los Angeles, Oct. 14. Mrs. Katherine Clemmons Gould, wife of Howard Gould, denied she op- posed the marriage of her sister, Ella May Clemmons to Wong Sun Yue, a Chinese merchant of Los Angeles. Mrs. Gould is suing a local showman for li- bel, in connection with her sister's mar- riage. "My sister and I are on the best of terms," said Mrs. Gould, "And will con- tinue to be." "EXPERIENCE" PATCHING UP. "Experience," the new William Elli- ott production, isn't coming into New York as expected. Seven changes hav^ been made in the company, the most important the acquisition last week of Charles Stevenson: The show will patch up its ragged edges in a month or so on the road. With "Consequences" and "Evidence" now playing New York it is up to "Ex- perience" to come in and confuse the theatregoers on the title. AUTHORS CONTRIBUTING. Charles Klein and Margaret Mayo were the first tw*o contributors to the William Faversham Fund to relieve needy actors who arc at present in the war zone. Each of the two writers send the star a check for $100. Sarah Edwards has been engaged to sing contralto roles in the musical stock company at the Park, St. Louis. SAVAGE RETRENCHING. Henry W. Savage has decided upon retrenchment as far as his theatrical organizations are concerned. All of the expensive executive heads, with the ex- ception of Madison Corey, who have been attached to the New York office will take to the road shortly and re- place men who have been traveling with the companies. One of the two "Sari" companies is to be closed within the next fortnight and a number of the principals of the company (which is the No. 2 show) will be retained to replace higher priced artists who are with the original organization. Fred Meek and Percy Heath, with the original "Sari," are back on Broadway. It is well known Mr. Savage is one of the shrewdest judges of conditions in theatricals. He is a great student of crops and manufacturing conditions. Arthur S. Phinney and John Pratt will go on the road to replace Messrs. Meek and Heath. With them will also go the necessary instructions for the re- organization of the big "Sari" company. Just which roles are to be refilled is not known as yet, but it is the intention of the management to reduce expenses in every way possible without detracting from the quality of the general ensem- ble of the company. Mr. Corey will be the only executive head that will be retained in New York. The general office help will remain to maintain the running of the system which has been in vogue in the Savage office for years. N. Y. THEATRE, INDEF. The engagement of "Big Jim Gar- rity" with John Mason that opens at the New York theatre this Friday night, is indefinite. The attraction is expected to be found in the one dollar admis- sion scale. The A. H. Woods play goes in the house as a traveling show, the William Morris force managing the theatre. Notwithstanding the length of the "Garrity" run, it is said the New York will continue playing attractions, sev- eral offers having already been made to the Morris people to place new pro- ductions in the New York. BARRYMORE PLAY POSTPONED. Charles B. Dillingham has decided not to present Jack Barrymore in Ed- ward C. Sheldon's "A Lonely Heart" for the present. MISHLER'S IS UNIONIZED. Altoona, Pa., Oct. 14. After waging war against the union for nearly two years, the stage hands and J. C. Mishler have reached an agreement over the Mishler Theatre. It is now a union house and on satisfac- tory terms to him, says the manager. SHUBERTS TAKE "DAISY." "Miss Daisy" has been taken over by the Shuberts. who believe the show can go into Chicago with a new cast and make money. "Miss Daisy" may also be renamed for the Windy. City inva- sion. It was stated this week that when the revised edition of "Miss Daisy" was sent on tour Carter De Haven and Flora Parker would be among the principals. MASON WINS FR0HMAN SUIT. John Mason, through his attorneys, House, Grossman & Vorhaus, obtained a judgment against Charles Frohman for $1,400 in Part II of the City Court Tuesday. The suit arose through a c< ntract Mr. Mason had with the Froh- man management which called for the services of the star for 12-13 and 13-14. John Mason appeared under the Frohman management last year in a play entitled "Indian Summer." The contract called for 30 weeks each for two seasons. Mr. Mason was to receive $700 weekly and 7 per cent, of the gross over $7,000 weekly. He played the full 30 weeks the first sea- son but last season he obtained only six weeks under the direction of Froh- man, "Indian Summer" being closed at the Criterion after a short run. Mr. Mason was then without employment until Mr. Frohman loaned him to A. H. Woods for "The Yellow Ticket." When the season ended May 30, Ma- son had worked only 28 weeks. "The Yellow Ticket" ran longer with Mr. Mason in the cast, but the attorneys contended the Frohman season ended Decoration Day. Mr. Frohman sued Mason for $700 he had advanced, to which the actor replied with a coun- ter claim for two weeks' salary. NEW ONE FOR WARFIELD. David Belasco has selected a new play for David Warfield, but will not divulge the title. The piece will undergo the usual Belasco reading tests before passing to the production stage. ACTORS 9 BOOKING AGENCY. Arrangements are under way for the Actors' Equity Association to establish a booking agency. The Actors' Society maintained a dramatic agency but did not charge its members commission. Only the non- members were charged. FARCE FOR D'ORSAY. Before New Year's Lawrence D'Or- say will be seen in New York in a new farcical play, entitled "The Rented Earl," written by Salisbury Field, who wrote "Twin Beds." **t 'GRASS WIDOW" DEFERRED. "The Grass Widow," a musical piece, with book by Rennold Wolf and Chan- ning Pollock, has been deferred in pro- duction by A. H. Woods, who accepted the script. "Susi" at Casino Nov. 2. The Lew Fields production of "Susi," opening in Providence, Oct. 22, will probably remain out of town until Nov. 2, when it is due at the Ca- sino, New York, succeeding "Pretty Mrs. Smith," which lias had its Casino engagement extended three weeks. Chorus Girl Despondent Pittsburgh, Oct. 14. Aida Sturn, 22 years old, a chorus girl of Job, W. Va., is in a serious condition in the Mercy Hospital. Un- able to find work she took bichloride following a quarrel with her only friend in the city.