Variety (December 1914)

VAUDEVILLE TALBOT'S HIP, ST. LOUIS TAKEN OVER BY CREDITORS Resident Manager Selected by Loew Circuit, Reported to Have Booking Agreement with Theatre for Long Term. Biggest House in Town. Did Terrific Business When First Opening at 10-Cent Scale. Kansas City, Dec. 16. A committee of creditors began to operate Talbot's Hippodrome and placed it under the active management of Joseph R. Donegan, general man- ager of the Butler interests in this city. F. L. Talbot, of St. Louis, who recently quit the Hippodrome there, has resigned from office in the local establishment, but retains his stock. R. N. Childs, of St. Louis, is president of the new company and J. S. White, also of St. Louis, is secretary. The house is doing fair business with in- dependent vaudeville. Chicago, Dec. 16. Harry Earl has been engaged by Aaron J. Jones as the resident man- ager of the Hippodrome, St. Louis, which was recently taken over for bookings by the Marcus Loew agency. The Hippodrome is St. Louis' biggest theatre. When first opening it played a big pop vaudeville bill, called a "circus show" at a 10-cent scale of admission. For months afterward a crowd stood in line before the box office in all kinds of weather waiting to gain entrance. GARRICK, STOCKTON, BURNS. Stockton, Cal., Dec. 16. The Garrick, playing split week vaudeville on the Loew Circuit, burned Monday night. New show arrangements are to be announced later. THE IRONY OF FATE A group of actors, out of employment, were gabfesting at 39th street and Broadway this week. After all the talk pro and con about hard times, business of!, companies being called in and no jobs of any kind for the thespians, the oldest advanced this theory: "If the theatres are only doing half business but are keeping open just the same why can't the managers recognize he profession more and let the actors spend an afternoon or evening absorb- ing an atmosphere that isn't the same thing over and again at the dramatic agencies? "There are, any number of shows in New York where the profession judi- ciously distributed could fill up some of the empty seat sections without any I0S9 to the management. Of course it would be up to the houses to see that the free list included those who could prove they were bona fide legits and were waiting for i chance a join some company. 'They could let in a <c;*ain number at a certain hour wuh'ut iiurting any prospective business aftrr c\ rtain time. 'Here I .tni standi».-g o. - the corner with all the agency visits made but nowhere to go or do until something does turn up. I haven't the price of a theatre ticket but I'm sure that I have sufficient appreciation to help make a 'good audience' in some of the houses that are starving to death. Such is the irony of fate." FROHMAN'S PLANS. The Charles Frohman office issued an announcement this week that Mon- day Ethel Barrymore commences re- hearsing "The Shadow." Dec. 29 Mr. Frohman will present Otis Skinner in "The Silent Voice" at the Liberty. "I Didn't Want To Do It" is the title of a farce to be produced later in the season. This piece will be preceded by J. M. Barrie's 50-minute play "Rosalind." In May Mr. Frohman will .bring a company of musical comedy artists from England. It will be an all-star organization. They are to ap- pear in a series of specially arranged 20-minute scenes, each written by a prominent dramatic or comedy writer. It is also Mr. Frohman's intention to keep his Empire and Lyceum theatres open throughout the coming summer. FANNIE WARD'S CASE. Fannie Ward has been sued by Mrs. Sarah Jennie Gertrude N. Dean in the Supreme Court for $100,000 for the al- leged alienation of affections of John Wooster Dean, an actor. Texas Guinan Changes Shows. "The Little Cafe" has lost Texas Guinan, who retired from that show through throat trouble. She reopened in Baltimore as the principal woman of "The Whirl of the World," playing the Lillian Lorraine role. Miss Guinan will go to the Coast with the company. It starts the tour Dec. 28 at Chicago. Oza Waldrop Married. Chicago, Dec. 16. Oza Waldrop, of "A Pair of Sixes," was married Monday night at the resi- dence of Edward R. Fifield in Sheri- dan Road to Edgar J. MacGregor. Millionaire's Play Tried. St. Louis, Dec. 11. Lewis B. Ely's new play, "The Quick- sands" was tried out here last week in stock at the Park, with Mitchell Harris, Leonora Bradley and Marion Ruckert in the leads. Mr. Ely is one of the wealthiest residents of St. Louis, and the author of "Tar and Feathers." Groundwork of piece is strong and offers an excellent opportunity for a capable star, although dialog needs cut- ting. NEW ACTS. William Norris, the legitimate actor, will "break in" a new vaudeville sketch next week at Yonkers. Tudor Cameron and Bonnie Gaylord have again dissolved their stage part- nership. Mr. Cameron has Johnnie O'Connor once more as partner. Miss Gaylord's former associate, Bertie Her- ron, is now appearing with Milt Arns- man. Jack Campbell and a Mr. Mclntyre will open on the Loew Circuit next week as Smith and Campbell. Alec Lauder, brother of Harry, is "trying out" his songs this week pre- liminary to a Broadway engagement (Morris & Feil). Clifford and Burke have reunited. Bernays Johnson has formed a new act with Elizabeth Nelson, soprano; Henry Thies, Jr., violinist, and Beulah Skallerup, dancer, appearing at the Midway Gardens, Chicago. Hazel Moore, under Louis Sidney's direction, will shortly present a new dancing act. "The Slave Ship" moved from Ham- merstein's Victoria Sunday to the same management's Lexington Ave- nue opera house. It necessitated con- siderable of a change in the Victoria program for this week. Oilie Oden, who appeared at a Hartford (Conn.) Poli house last we^k in "The Isle of Wishes," opened in a single act at Keith's, Boston, Monday. She is a toe dancer and can sing. Rene Davies is in the east again having constructed a rather original specialty around a novelty Jap num- ber, utilizing an Oriental set and the services of a Jap youngster for the piece. -w.^ Archie Colby has leased a new com- edy sketch, "The Girl from Macy's," to Roland West. It will be produced shortly with Marietta Craig in the title role. "On the Upper East Side/' by Her- bert Hall Winslow. Minnie Dupree has accepted a sketch from Edward Charles Carpenter en- titled "Bread Upon the Waters," which she has in rehearsal. Pierre J. LeMay will again be her leading man. The cast also includes Laurence Atkinson and Allan Lee. (Chamberlain Brown agency.) Charles Horowitz has written: a new act, "The Future Soldier," comedy, for Irene Hobson and Co. (2); "What Happened to Little Eva," comedy, Elsie Shannon and Co. (2); "The Man Hunters," with Ida Miller (making her English-speaking debut in a dialect character role, Miss Miller being a well known Yiddish actress); "Peace at Any Price," farce, for George Roache and Co. (2), and "Encouragement," a fantastic farce, for Josephine Sachs and Co. (2). Brooklyn Suburban Circuit. The Hilldalc Amusement Co. is slow- ly acquiring a picture circuit within the suburbs of Brooklyn. Two of the new- est picture houses it has under its con- trol arc the Brooklyn Manor and the Garden theatre, both on Jamaica avenue between Richmond Hill and Brooklyn. MRS. ALS0P AN0BY. Mrs. E. B. Alsop, the headliner at Hammerstein's, grew angry enough to consult with her attorney Thursday, upon learning she is not to remain there another week. It's the first week in vaudeville for Mrs. Alsop. She is receiving $500 for the Hammerstein engagement. Orig- inally booked for next week, Mrs. Al- sop was called upon to take up the featured position Monday when "The Slave Ship" was sent over to the Ham- merstein opera house. The early pro- grams of the Victoria had her as the underline for next week's bill, but were later altered, "The End of the World" being held over instead. Mrs. Alsop did not note the change in the advance billing, and when in- formed she was not on next week's Hammerstein bill, insisted her con- tract called for Dec. 21, and she would hold the management to it. Her at- torney made an appointment Friday to talk it over with Arthur Hammer- stein. Loney Haskell said Mrs. Alsop had "made good," but they had only provided for one week. TALLEST MAN DIES. Buffalo, Dec. 16. William Witte, better known to the profession as Donald MacDonald, the tallest man in the world, is dead. Witte stood seven feet five inches, but when with P. T. Barnum, who con- ceived the shoe with a concealed lift, he measured seven feet ten inches in heighth. For years, when not appear- ing as the giant with numerous cir- cuses, he traveled with the Kilties band as drum major. Death occurred at his home, 842 Prospect avenue, af- ter a ten days' illness with pneumonia. Burial was made at Marinette, Wis., the home of his father and brother. His wife is living in Australia. LIONS BUSH INTO AUDIENCE. The six lionesses in the act known as Mme. Marie Andres' Lions, escaped into the audience at the Moss & Brill 86th Street Wednesday afternoon and half a dozen persons were injured in the panic which ensued. A policeman is in the hospital, wounded when other bluecoats fired volleys at the animals. One of the beasts was killed. Mme. Andres was held on a technical charge of felonious assault yesterday. Bail was given by Mrs. Frances Ferrari, owner of the lions, which were part of her late hus- band's show. The animals escaped while being transferred from the stage arena to the shi; ping cages. A male quartet was sinning "in one" when the beasts leaped into a proscenium box. The terrified audience abandoned hats and coats and raced for the exits. The doors were locked after one of the lions gained the alleyway. The escaped beast was driven into a near- by building and shot, while the others, imprisoned in the theatre, were driven ' -ick to their cages. Business Off in Chicago. Chicago, Dec. 16. The holiday slump and cold weather have gripped theatrical Chicago and business has fallen off perceptibly.