Variety (December 1914)

VARIETY VAUDEVILL1ANS IN REVUES; SEVE RAL NO W PREPARING Klaw & Erlanger Have One, Cohan & Harris Another, with Winter Garden Getting Ready Its New Production, While Lew Fields Proposes Same Style of Musical Show. "Chin Chin's" Success Prompting Them. The several revues proposed for around Yuletide production will call for many vaudcvillians. The producers of this style of musical show are instruct- ing their hooking men to secure prin- cipals. A number of variety people have signed. The two assured revues are Cohan & Harris' "Hello Broadway," by George M. Cohan, and Klaw & Erlangcr's revue, with book by Glen MacDonough and music by Raymond Hubbell. The K. & E. show likely takes the place of the announced Zicgfeld's "Mid-Winter Revue." The Winter Garden is also preparing for its new show, to go in there dur- ing February. Lew Fields is another said to have the "revue" thing hang- ing heavily on his mind, while William Morris at the New York theatre con- templates a form of vaudeville perform- ance after New Year's that may be a "revue" of another sort. The Broadway managers are follow- ing the "Chin Chin" success in going after the chopped up entertainment. It bids fair to succeed the customary "mu- sical comedy" New York has grown to know so well. Charles B. Dilling- ham, the owner of the "Chin Chin" production, will bring another revue to New York Tuesday night at the Am- sterdam. It is "Watch Your Step." Vaudevillians are now being nego- tiated with for the K. & E. revue. The firm is said to have sent out a call for a "big woman" who has not hitherto appeared in that particular kind of a show. Besides Mr. Cohan and Willie Collier in the "Hello Broadway" pro- duction, there have been engaged Louise Dresser, Belle Blanche, Sidney Jarvis, Tom Dingle and Jack Corco- ran, and Ressa Kasta. JAMES H. MOORE ILL. Detroit, Dec. 2. James H. Moore, the vaudeville man- ager, with houses here and in Roches- ter, is in a local hospital recovering from an operation for appendicitis. Mr. Moore was operated upon two weeks ago. Billy Grady, in the Family Depart- ment of the United Booking Offices, was removed to the Polyclinic Hos- pital, New York, at 2 a. m., Tuesday morning, where he was immediately operated upon for appendicitis. MOORE RECOVERING. Los Angeles, Dec. 2. Victor Moore, operated upon for appendicitis while playing the Orph- cum is rapidly recovering and wll in all probability be able to resume his vau- deville tour in two weeks. BERT LEVY SIGNS. Bert Levy, the vaudeville artist-en- tertainer, signed an agreement this week with Lewis N. Selznick, general manager of the World, to produce and appear in a series of novel film fea- tures, the details of which are to be disclosed shortly. DOROTHY GISCH HURT. Los Angeles, Dec. 2. Dorothy Gish, of the Gish Sisters, in pictures under the direction of D. \V. Griffith, was run down by an auto here last week and internally injured. Her condition is serious. Positively No Free List. When "Sully's Barber Shop" as an act is produced at Hammerstein's (week Dec. 21) the free list for the house will be so wholly suspended that even "Booking Office" won't pass any one through the door. People on the program for that week will be principals in the sketch. Detroit Booking Changed. Detroit, Dec. 2. Commencing Dec. 7 the bills for the Family theater here will be booked from the United Booking Offices branch in Chicago, instead of from the U. B. O., New York, as formerly. DIPPEL'S TANGO DANCER. Herr Director Dippel is patting him- self on the back and touting the fact that he has secured the "only dyed in the wool-blown in the bottle" tango dancer that has ever come to this country and he is going to add her to the cast of "The Pink Domino" at the 44th Street. The lady that is causing the Herr Director to congratu- late himself is Mile. Yona Landouska, formerly of the Comedy, Paris. She is going to introduce her tango in all its glory in the second act of the opera comique, with the assistance of Einar Linden. "MISS DAISY" RENAMED. The former Philip Bartholomae show, "Miss Daisy," which has been renamed "At the Ball," after playing a week of one nighters between here and Chicago, will open at the Ameri- can Music Hall in the Windy City Christmas week. T. Roy Barnes will be featured. Other principals will be Alice Hager- mar Anna Wheaton and Donald Mc- Do; ,-.'i. Pict j ■■» Man Sailing. i^/'CfuiZ '■•!'.»// to Variety.) London, Dec. 2. ;u ' C ••> inccted with the pic- i . in -.-«* ;e sailed on the Lap- i.l. I l«J'...-.V. Vera Maxwell and Andrew Braney opened their engagement on the New York Roof Monday evening. They are dancing a Spanish Polka, Syncopated Waltz, Fox Trot and "The Bell Hop," the latter an origination by Miss Max- well. Paula Loomis made her first appear- ance at the Broadway Rose Gardens Monday. She was formerly with the Shanley cabaret. Incidentally the Rose Gardens have been turning them away for the last week or so and table reservations are now the order of the day at that resort. Bonnie Glass is dancing at Rector's with George Richmond. Of the pro- fessional staff in the dancing cabaret, none is allowed a special table on the floor excepting Miss Glass, although Margaret Mudge, who does a "singing waltz," must have a table for her spe- cialty, but leaves it immediately after- ward. The habit of "special tables" for dancers comes from the New York Roof, where the dancers insisted a clause in their contract provide for a certain stage box to be reserved for their use each evening. Louise Alexander and Jack Jarrott have teamed up for a vaudeville turn. They will open in Chicago, playing the middle west big time, after rehearsing at French Lick. They left f r the In- diana town Thursday. M. S. Bentham, the vaudeville agent, arranged the com- bination and engagement. Shanley s restaurant at Broadway and 43d street is doing between $35,- 000 and $40,000 weekly. It has no dancing, but docs furnish a cabaret. Last Saturday the restaurant did about $6,000 on the day, feeding 2,600 people. The Sunday business drops to around $3,000. The Shanley caba et show costs about $1,200 a week. The res- taurant has been open at its present stand four years. Until entertainers were inserted into the bill of fare, its future was problematical. The near est competitor to Shanley's is Rector's restaurant, cabaret and ballroom on two floors, doing between $80,000 and $90,000 monthly, most of this repre- senting bar checks, as against the Shan- ley majority of kitchen orders. Billy Gane's Broadway Dance, at Broadway and 47th street, reopened a couple of weeks ago, with a liquor li- cense, something the place did not pos- sess when starting^^The Broadway charges 25 cents at the gate, with no further fee. It is picking up some- what in business, but is an expensive proposition to handle owing to the value of the property, the dance hall covering a triangle. "A white band plays. The only other dance places downtown in New York where admis- sion is charged are the New York and Amsterdam Roofs (one dollar each). A few places' uptown have a popular admission scale. The Castles are said to have been guaranteed $1,500 weekly by the Shu- berts, to take over the 44th Street the- ater roof (Folies Marigny), with a per- centage of the receipts. The Castles danced at the Amsterdam Roof Hal- low'een night, receiving for that one evening $300. The management spent $600 more in advertising it. The Am- sterdam Roof has had but one losing week since opening. Duque and Gaby will dance at Flo Ziegfeld's Amsterdam Roof commenc- ing Dec. 7. They are French. Duque is said to have been the dancing teacher of many professional dancers who are now well known over here. The foreign couple specialize on the Maxixe. The week following Zieg- feld is going to put on a little revue for the Roof, realizing some strong at- tractions arc necessary to continuously draw where there is a charge at the door. The Amsterdam Roof revue will be on the French order, with 12 of the best looking girls that can be se- cured for the purpose. The Claridge clears the centre of its main dining room on the second floor at night, for a Dance Club, presided over by Grace Field. Miss Field is dancing with Frank Cox. She former- ly danced at Rcisenweber's with A. Baldwin Sloane. The Claridge is at- tracting a somewhat exclusive evening dressed set, and becoming quite the fad in certain circles. Admission is by membership card (if not known). Printed information is left on each ta- ble, requesting the ladies when danc- ing, to remove their hats, thereby elim- inating the danger of too many collis- ions, although when some of the old boys that dance there get going, it's just as well to keep out of their way, for they roam around at will. The music trouble is to the fore again. Some orchestras make dancing through their music, and others im- pede it. It's peculiar what poor judg- ment is often used by leaders in this respect. Sometimes the music sounds as though whoever selected it last played at a convention of undertakers or graduated from a Sunday school class. Some of these fossiled leaders should send a representative to Rec- tor's and ask Banjo Wallace there what he is using most for rags and fox trots. Pittsburgh, Dec. 2. An investigation of cabarets has been ordered by the department of public safety. It is announced that during the Christmas season managers arc inclined to open things up a bit. No duublful vutigs will be allowed.