Variety (October 1914)

VARIETY TWICE DAILY FOR HEADLINERS IN LOEWS NEW YORK HOUSES Not Changing Policy, but Making it Easy for Feature Turns Wherever Possible in East, Says General Booking Mana- ger. Western Time Remains as Before. No Idea of Ultimate Change in Daily Shows. Reports of some headline acts on the Loew Circuit in New York playing but twice daily in a few metropolitan houses led to a story the Loew Circuit contemplated an ultimate change of policy in the number of shows given, from three as at present, to two a day. Joseph M. Schenck, general book- ing manager, for the circuit, when asked regarding this, said: "It is not our intention to alter the present pol- icy in any way, but in a few of our eastern houses we are determining the value of the third performance or supper show' as it is called. This is the performance between five in the afternoon and the commencement of the regular night program. Its only value in some of the houses is to make the performance continuous. "The current influx of big attrac- tions to our circuit is another consid- eration. My experience has been that the average artist who figures his pro- fession from a business angle is begin- ning to realize his relative value, and gauging his salary accordingly, is mak- ing it possible for our circuit, at its small and limited admission scale, to stretch the quality of our bills to a point that has hitherto been said could not be done. We do not wish to use- lessly waste the services of our head- line acts, and whenever it is conven- ient to relieve them from the third show in New York we are doing so, although this is a single instan^ in each case and does not affect the play- ing policy of any theatre. "In the middle west and west the three shows daily is a fixture, accept- ed by the public and the custom there could not be changed under any cir- cumstances." Mr. Schenck would not admit nor discuss the possibility of the Loew Circuit gradually taking on a two-a- day policy. "That is foreign to our thoughts just now" he answered, "and is quite too unlikely to talk about".. Chicago, Oct. 28. War on ten per cent, agents, which has threatened for some time, has at last been declared by Aaron J. Jones, general manager of the Marcus Loew office in Chicago. Mr. Jones has is- sued orders that all bookings must be done directly with the artist in the future. "We have eliminated the ten per center from our offices bag and bag- gage," said Mr. Jones, "and they are locked out for good. About 15 have been doing business here, but we have decided they neither do the artist, the theatre or the office any good, and for that reason they have been eliminated. Very few are capable, and there are very, very few who are able to book theatres. We are through with ^iem. We do : ~>t ^;m«- to cut any of our acts, and we want them to get all the money that is coming to them in these stress- ful times." At the New York offices of the Loew Circuit, Jos. M. Schenck said the or- der isued by Mr. Jones here only af- fected the Chicago office. "We will do business here with any agent who is on the level" said Mr. Schenck, "but he must be on the level, strictly, in every way, which means as well that he cannot charge an act over five per cent." SONG RESTRICTION. A vaudeville act has had a song re- stricted to it, without requesting the publisher of the number to do so. It is "The War in Snider's Grocery Store" (Shapiro, Bernstein & Co.), and the act is Cross and Josephine. Wellington Cross has scored dis- tinctly with the comic song since using it. The United Booking Offices people evidently saw an opportunity to aid Mr. Cross' turn by giving him a clear field ahead with this number. According to report, orchestra leaders in the Keith New York houses were instructed not to rehearse "Snider's" for any turn that might be using it ahead of the Cross and Josephine appearance in the thea- tre. The order is said to have remained in effect until Monday, when George Whiting and Sadie Burt rehearsed at the Colonial. In Mr. Whiting's reper- toire of songs was "Snider's." He is reported to have been informed of the conditions and replied by insisting he would sing the song, and was allowed to do so. OLD TIMERS SEPARATE. Williams, Thompson and Copeland, presenting old "nigger" acts around the middle west for many years, have dissolved partnership, deciding it was impossible to continue because of a salary cut enforced by prevailing con- ditions. "Fat" Thompson is in New York preparing a new act. "SPECIAL NIGHTS" HELP Waterbury, Conn., Oct. 28. The Loew vaudeville theatre here commenced giving a "special night" every evening last week, in opposi- tion to the Poli theatre, which doe* the same. The Loew receipts were more than doubled by the expedient It will be continued at both theatres. Prior to the installation of the spe cials, Loew's did but a mild business. Another Baseball Act. Atlantic City, Oct. 28. Hughey Jennings and Ben Smith opened a vaudeville tour at Keith'i Monday. MANAGERS WONT CLOSE. (Special Cable to Varibtt.) London, Oct. 29. The managers held a meeting here yesterday to discuss the Federation's vote to discontinue the co-operative plan with the hall proprietors, and while nothing definite was decided upon, the general opinion seems to be that the halls will remain open. CARLE TRYING SKETCH. Richard Carle is playing next week at the Savoy, Asbury Park, N. J., in a new sketch. If the three-day trial shows the vehicle in a promising light Carle may remain for a while in vaude- ville. The comedian's plans, however, are somewhat uncertain. Charles Froh- man is understood to be getting a farce ready to exploit Carle, jointly with Hattie Williams. DIRECTOR COULDN'T LEAD. Florence and Mecherini did not show at the 81st Street Monday night. This new dancing act from South America lefused to appear without their mu- sical director who was branded "non- union" by the theatre musicians. The orchestra men would not agree to play with him directing. The act declined the direction of a pianist. EDDIE FOY'S STATEMENT. Cleveland, Oct. 28. The newspapers of this city, and Cincinnati, also, it is said, have receiv- ed a statement from Eddie Foy, saying he has noted that in the newspaper ad- vertisements and the Loew theaters' programs, it is announced that the Foy Family will appear in the Loew houses. Mr. Foy adds he has had a contract with the Keith theatres all over the country since the early summer, and that he will not play in any Cleveland or Cincinnati house excepting Keith's. An attempt to mislead the public is Mr. Foy's claim in connection with the Loew announcements regarding him. CORSE MOVES OVER. Corse Payton leaves the Lee Ave- nue Academy, Brooklyn, this week. opening at the Fox's Acedamy of Mu- sic, New York, Monday, in a sketch as a part of the vaudeville show. Payton returned to the Lee Ave- nue with a stock company, but failed to come back in the house where he had become so popular at one time, his weekly profit seldom failed to register below $1,000. FIRST AMERICAN REPEATER. The Primrose Four, playing the Pal- ace this week, will sail for Australia next April to play a return tour of the Rickards circuit in that country. The quartet claims to be the first American act engaged for a return tour of the Rkkards time since Hugh Mcintosh 1 ecame its governing director. Ada Lewis in Chicago Show. Chicago, Oct. 29. Ada Lewis arrived in Chicago this week to join the cast of "One Girl in a Million" now playing at the La Salle. IT PAYS TO ADVERTISE One of the most singular and con* vincing arguments in favor of sensible vaudeville advertising is contained in the experience of Minnie Palmer, a progressive produceress of Chicago who is presenting her four sons (The Four Marx Bros, and Co.) in a $1,500 (weekly salary) production called "Home Again." The act was first produced in the south several weeks ago where it evi- dently lived up to expectations, and its sponsor visited New York in an effort to place the turn on the big time. The piece was called to the atten- tion of the managers through a full page advertisement printed in a recent issue of Varibtt and was immediately routed over the Keith time. As far as is known, this is the first instance of an act of this proportion being booked as a regular feature over the U. B. O. circuits without first being shown in the east. "101" ONLY TOP SHOW OUT. With the Barnum & Bailey circus and the Hagenbeck-Wallace shows closing Monday and the Ringling Brothers ending their season last Saturday, the 101 Ranch is the only big "white top" to remain out. The 101 show plays Atlanta next Monday and Tuesday, Birmingham Nov. 12, and closes in Hot Springs, Nov. 18. By wintering at the Arkan- sas resort the 101 will be able to take up early spring time in that section. GOLF! Dull times brings its recompense, at least to the vaudeville people and a few legits who have been able to buy machines. The recompense is golf. To play it properly, according to those who claim they do, it is necessary to own an au- tomobile. Everybody is doing it nowadays, or everybody who can snatch the time away from business, now that the base- ball season is over and money is too tight to shoot craps. The Broadway information is that they locate golf links in far remote sections, away from street car lines, which keeps the game exclusive, unless the common players start to walk to the links midnight of the day before. Each perfectly adjusted golf aggre- gation has a club house and each club house has a bar. To become popular in golf, good playing or drinking of Scotch whiskey is absolutely essential, although a bright caddie has been known to lie a lot for little money. FILMING LOEW STARS. The press department of the Loew Circuit is billing its stars one week ahead on the western time through a moving picture, running about 100 feet, giving a few personal incidents. The pictures are made in New York and directed by A. T. Granlund, the gen- eral press representative. It is thrown upon the sheet at each performance for the week prior to the act's appearance.