Variety (December 1914)

VAUDEVILLE ONLY ONE BIG TIME HOUSE ON POLI CIRCUIT AFTER DEC. 28 Poli's Hartford, Going in Stock that Day, in Middle of Season. Poli's, Scranton, Only Left in the Big Time Division. Change in Some of the Poli's Bookings. Hartford, Dec. 16. Commencing Dec. 28, Poli's big time vaudeville theatre here will play stock, discontinuing the vaudeville in the middle of the season for the first time since the house started that policy. It usually plays stock in the spring. The Poli theatre at Bridgeport, Conn., playing vaudeville and which has been booked by James Clancy, will hereafter be booked by P. Alonzo, the Poli booking manager in the United Booking Offices. The Palace, Hartford, commencing Monday, will also have its bills booked by Mr. Alonzo, splitting the week with Poli's, Springfield. The New Haven Poli house will thereafter split the week with Poli's, Bridgeport. A story around this week said the United Booking Offices had instructed "United agents" not to place acts with the James Clancy Agency, which sup- plies all of the Poli small time theatres not booked direct by that circuit. As far as could be learned however, no such order had been issued. The Clancy agency is booking houses playing in opposition to some of those booked by the Family Department of the United, and this is said to have led to an agent here and there being called upon to explain how his acts happened to be playing against theatres linked with the U. B. O. After Dec. 26 there will be but one big time vaudeville house on the Poli Cir- cuit, at Scranton. It is not improbable the Poli houses will all be playing three- a-day vaudeville shortly. PRESS WORK? Atlanta, Dec. 16. Claire Rochester, of Atlanta, in vaudeville, deserted the stage at Cin- cinnati to become a Salvation Army worker, according to letters written relatives here. Miss Rochester said she was convinced by observations on slumming trips, etc., that her life's work was saving sinners, not enter- taining them. The Atlanta dispatch sounds very press agency. Miss Rochester has been playing steadily in vaudeville and is billed at the Grand, Syracuse, next week. WARDROBE SEIZED FOR DUTY. Baltimore, Dec. 16. Custom officials seized the $400 wardrobe Friday morning of Bert Er- rol, the female impersonator, who was playing at the Maryland, and carried it to the Custom House. It was declared the clothing had been brought into this country without a bond and with- out duty having been paid, about six weeks ago. As nothing could be done in Balti- more, the wife of the English actor hurried to Washington and explained to the authorities in the State Depart- ment that she was Mr. Errol's busi- ness manager and signed all papers for him. After some discussion, the offi- cials agreed to let the actor have the dresses upon the payment of the duty, amounting to $75. A telegram was re- ceived from his wife about 3 o'clock, saying the trunks could be obtained at the Custom House and Errol ap- peared on the stage in his own clothes. MAY IRWIN'S SKETCH. The sketch to be played in vaudeville by May Irwin will first be seen at the Palace, New York, Jan. 11. James E. Plunkett placed the act on the big time. Christmas week Miss Irwin is return- ing to New York in "Widow by Proxy," at the Standard, reviving the piece for that week only. She played it for a single week over Thanksgiving in Brooklyn. BIXLEY AND FINK REUNITE. The former team of Edgar Bixley and Henry Fink will return to the vaudeville stage Dec. 28 at Hammer- stein's, and likely continue over the circuits after that week as of yore. Since separating Mr. Fink has be- come extremely popular as a boniface through his "Tokio" cabaret restau- rant on West 45th street. TABLOID STOCKS AT 14TH ST. Starting Monday the 14th Street theatre, in addition to offering its reg- ular pop vaudeville will present a tab- loid stock feature by a company headed by Priscilla Knowles. The opening bill will probably be "Woman Against Woman," which will be produced under Harry Huguenot's stage direction. Among the principal members will be Frank Elliott. "FIRST TIMES" AT GARDEN. Walter Hast is providing a number or artists their first vaudeville attempt in America at the Winter Garden Sun- day night. Henry Listz, a foreign basso, Adele Morrow, a Continental comjedienne, and Mabel Riegelman, the grand opera singer, are to appear ther^ Pop Returns to New York. Dec. 28, the Monday following the departure of the Universale picture policy at the New York theatre, Wil- liam Morris will again place pop vaudeville and pictures on the stage. It is possible that before the date arrives, Mr. Morris will hit upon a ntw title to call the show, having discard d the "English Music Hall" idea as <i - tenable at this time. LOEW AND OPERA HOUSE Oscar Hammerstein and Marcus Loew were talking over the Hammer- stein Lexington Avenue opera house proposition this week. Something may develop from the conferences. The theatre has been doing business since Arthur Hammerstein installed a pop vaudeville policy. Last Sunday the gross was $800 at the pop prices, with the week showing a correspond- ing increase of patronage. It is reported that F. F. Proctor renewed his complaint against the opera house playing pop vaudeville in opposition to his 58th Street theatre, with Hammerstein's Victoria playing the big time bills from the same agency (U. B. O.) that Proctor also deals with. The weight of Proctor's protest at one time threatened to bring into ques- tion whether the Victoria's United Booking Office's franchise had not been violated, but this was avoided, with the result that after Proctor and Hammerstein failed to agree upon a mutually satisfactory settlement of the controversy, the Loew people became interested in the opera house as a pos- sible addition to their circuit. Nothing had been consummated up to yesterday. Proctor's 58th Street theatre, with the same policy, has been badly hurt by the opposition, according to report. It is also said Proctor is considering purchasing an interest in the opera house. ORPHEUM OPENING DEC. 26. Kansas City, Dec. 16. The new Orpheum theatre will open Dec. 26, at night, with the same bill that plays the old Orpheum for the re- mainder of next week. Martin Beck will be here for the premiere of his new theatre. The old Orpheum will likely revert back to the owner. The opening was unavoidably post- poned one week. JOE MACK MANAGING. Joe Mack assumed active manage- ment of the new Elsmere theatre in the Bronx this week and proposes to change the policy of the house from feature films to straight vaudeville during the month. Acts in Empire, North Adams. North Adams, Mass., Dec. 16. The Empire, a house seating 1,500, built last year, has been purchased by B. M. Taylor from the Sullivan Brothers. Taylor also owns the Rich- mond here and has been in vaudeville for ten years. The house from now on will play 12 acts weekly, booked from the United, under a new adver- tising policy introduced by manager Charley Winston, formerly with Keith's National, Boston. Two-act for a Week. While "The Society Buds" is laying off next week, Gladys Clark and Henry Bergman, the two featured players of it, will appear at the Orpheum, Brook- lyn, as a "two-act" in their former baseball singing and talking skit. LONDON NEWS. London, Dec. 4. Hartley Manners is now convales- cing from the effects of a third acci- dent within a very brief period. Just before sailing for these shores he sprained his ankle, while on shipboard his collarbone was thrown out of place and a fortnight ago he had an encounter with a taxicab which marred his features to some extent. There have been several defections from the cast of the Palace recently, some of the artists' own volition and some for other reasons. Among them may be mentioned Arthur Playfair, who has gone to the Ambassadors; Marie Mitchell, now playing the prin- cipal role in the touring production of the Empire revue "Europe"; Florence Sweetman, who has the leading femi- nine part in the Royal, Birmingham, pantomine, which includes George Ro- bey, Nora Delaney and Fred Emney; Dickey Thorpe, who has joined one of Arthur Wimpecis' productions. The cast engaged for the holiday production of "Robinson Crusoe" at the Grand, Leeds, includes Marie Blanche, Irene Dillon, George Ali, Jay Laurier, Frank Haytor, Thomas Red- mond, W. H. Powell. The sponsor for the new production to be made at the London Opera House is said to be Humphrey Bram- hall, a gentleman with a somewhat varied career. For principal boy he has engaged Claire Romaine. A number of wealthy actors and actresses have each provided a bed for wounded soldiers in the King George Hospital, among them being Maxine Elliott, Sir Johnston and Lady Forbes Robertson, Mrs. Kendall, Sir George and Lady Alexander, Sir Squire and Lady Bancroft, Sir Charles Wyndham. George Formby topped the program at the Olympia, Liverpool, last week, on which occasion the artists, working on the co-operative plan received 113 per cent, over full salaries, which makes a new record since the adoption of the 50-50 scheme. The previous rec- ord was 95 per cent, over full salaries, also made by a bill headed by Formby. CARRYING GRAND-DAD, 97. The James E. Plunkett agency re- ceived a wire this week from Os-Ko- Mon, an Indian appearing in vaudeville in the middle west. The message asked Mr. Plunkett if he could book the act, as the Indian was carrying in it, his 97-year old grandfather who was a cer- tain "clean up" all over. Another Pittsburgh Pop House. Pittsburgh, Dec. 16. The American on the northside has been renamed the Kenyon and opened Monday irght with pop vaudeville, under the management of Thomas Kenyon, the owner. If you don't advartiM In VARIETY don't advarttao at all.