Variety (April 1915)

10 LEGITIMATE, N. Y. STAGE SOCIETY AND BARKER COME TO PARTING OF THE WAYS English Company's Productions At Wallack's Now Presented by London Manager with No Further Connection with New York Association—The Society Was Responsible for Barker's Coming Here—Some Facts Disclosed* The Stage Society of New York is no longer interested in the produc- tions of Granville Barker at Wal- lack's, other than members might view the performance, and the society as a whole point with pride that they were in a measure responsible for the visit to this country of the English pro- ducer. The Stage Society's interest in a financial way ceased after Mr. Barker had given three special per- formances for the members in this country. At the time of the arrival of the Barker company it was said the Stage Society had placed various sums at his disposal. As a matter of fact, the society only guaranteed its support to the extent of $7,500, of which it fur- nished $5,000 in advance to defray the expense of bringing the organization to this country and for the production of the first play after the arrival. The initial $5,000 was all that the society was called on to deliver, as immediate- ly after the opening here the public support of the plays produced by Bar- ker was so hearty the success of the venture was assured. The total week- ly takings at Wallack's have been be- tween $10,000 and $11,000 since the opening. With the production of "The Doc- tor's Dilemma" last week any official association with the Stage Society and Mr. Barker had ceased to exist, and from now on the English manager is "on his own." The last production was not pronounced an extraordinary success by the critics, but as the work holds but a few performances weekly in the repertoire it will not tend to cut down the receipts' materially. The Stage Society witnessed the last of the three performances Mr. Barker guaranteed to give at Wallack's, Sun- day night. Tuesday it was reported Mrs. 'Norman Hapgood had resigned from the presidency of the society be- cause of other demands on her time, and it was stated her successor would be chosen this week. AFTER BILLBOARD TRUST. The United States Government has brought suit against the Association of Billposters in the United States and Canada under the Sherman Anti-Trust bill, and the matter is causing much excitement among the members of the latter organization. Charles F. Clyne, of Chicago, United States District Attorney, and Hinton G. Clabaugh, Superintendent of of the Investigation Hureau of the Depart- ment of Justice in Chicago, arrived in New York Sunday night to hear the depositions made for the defense in the suit brought by the C ivernment against the billposters. The depositions are being taken at 301 West 40th str t (Room 2). It's said the Government is inves- tigating the claim the association issues a franchise to one man within an al- lotted territory, names a certain price for the boards, and if the prospective advertiser doesn't comply with its terms*, that under no consideration can he use any of the billboards, a further claim being made that the association controls all the best billboards of the country. According to some of the billposters, it will be their contention they are not engaged in interstate commerce and that each billboard business is purely of a local nature. It was announced Tuesday by the U. S. District Attorney that prosecu- tion of the alleged bill-posting trust under the Sherman act will start in Chicago, April 26. The charge against the so-called "trust" says it has 3,500 towns on its list which are controlled by the Asso- ciation of Bill Posters and Distributors. 'KEEP MOVING" OPENS. Detroit, March 31. H. H. Frazee's production of "Keep Moving," in three acts by Fred Jack- son, opened at the Garrick Monday. The show has plenty of action and looks to be in line for Chicago favor, it opening there next week. In the company are George Parsons, May Vokes, Herbert Corthell, Ralph Morgan, Ida Waterman. SOUTH IS GOOD. New Orleans, March 31. Producing managers who would not venture South after Jan. 1, and the oth- ers who took their shows from South- ern territory about that time, made an error. The cotton business has read- justed itself, sugar is selling at high prices, rice mills are working night and day, and the entire business outlook is brighter than it has been in years. The few good shows in the South since December have done exception- ally well. Ordinary attractions and frayed stars have drawn little. The export business of Southern ports has never been better. Wheat shipments, through this city since Sept. 1 total over $31,000,000. COMEDY FOR MARIE CAHILL. Marie Cahill is to appear in a com- edy this summer. A contract was signed for a play to be completed by May 15. Miss Cahill is to open in it at Power's, Chicago, some time in June. MANY MUSICAL STOCKS. The season of musical stocks is loom- ing up as an exceedingly big one. The present indications ari that there v ill be almost a f-core ••? l.iusical stock com- panies in operation in the East by June 15. Ten companies are already organ- izing and'it is believed that as many others will be in the course of forma- tion within the next few weeks. The first to open will be that at the Columbia, Washington. Two weeks later the Aborns will open an opposi- tion musical stock at the National in the same city. This company will al- ternate weekly with a company to open the same date at Ford's Baltimore. April 19 is also set as the date of the opening of the Morton Opera Com- pany at the Royal Alexandria, Toronto. Three companies are scheduled to open May 31. One in Youngstown, O., at Central Park, which will be a Mor- ton company; the Royster-Dudley com- pany, at Rorick Glen, Elmira, N. Y., and a company at Central Park, Allen- town, Pa., which will be under the man- agement of J. Fitzgerald. Two Royster & Dudley companies are to open in June, one at Genr the- atre, Peak's Island, Me., and the other at the summer park just outside of Portland, Me. WAITING FOR NEXT WEEK. New York producing managers are waiting for the after-Lenten season in the hope it will bring in a brisk de- mand for show tickets to their respec- tive Manhattan theatre attractions. If the business doesn't climb assur- ingly after Lent a wholesale closing of shows around town is expected. NEW SHOWS PROMISED. A musical show that will be brought out in the east next season is "The Love*Pirate," by Harlan P. Briggs, with music by Joseph Brill. Klaw & Erlanger have accepted "The King of Kings," a new play by George M. Baxter, for production next season. Alice Baxter may appear in it. CORrS OPERA HOUSE. John Cort and Albert Weis Wednes- day took a joint lease on Oscar Ham- merstein's Lexington opera house for 21 years. The new lessees take posses- sion Sept. 1 next and intend to play legitimate attractions, booked in by the Cort offices. The opera house at present is play- ing pop vaudeville and pictures under Frank Gersten's management. MAY IRWIN'S NEW PIECE. When May Irwin is seen in her new starring vehicle, "13 Washington Square," which she herself is producing, there will be found in the supporting cast Florence Huntington, Lenord Hol- lister, Edward Longford, George Clarke and Frances Grant. <«< 'SEA WOLF" COMES OFF. Ben Stern and . Doc Livingston closed their company of "The Sea Wolf" in Boston Saturday night, shelv- ing the production until next season, when it will be sent on tour. If you don't odvartlM la VARIETY, i't odvortiM. RAILROADS HOGGING. Tuesday there was a meeting of the general passenger agents of the rail- roads represented in the Trunk Line Association held in New York, at which it was agreed to advance the rate for theatrical companies. The new sched- ule was filed with the Interstate Com- merce Commission in Washington Wednesday and will become effective immediately. The schedule provides that a regular rate of 2% cents a mile will be charged instead of 2 cents; a party ticket of 40 will be required to secure a baggage car instead of 25 as heretofore, and for parties less than 40, with a minimum of 10, each movement will be charged at a rate of 20 cents a mile for each baggage car. The former charge was 15 cents. This new rate will affect all of the trunk lines running into Buffalo, but as the Central Passenger Association, as told in Variety a month ago, had already adopted this measure, the new tariff will also affect all of the lines west of Buffalo and north of the Ohio River running to Chicago and St. Louis. Managers of traveling companies are very much incensed over this action that has been taken by the roads and several of the big bookers are arrang- ing to retaliate by insisting that when companies move on limited trains to points where there is competitive busi- ness the bookers will insist that the baggage cars of the companies will be moved on the same trains. As the rail- roads will not be able to add extra cars to the number of three to limited trains, they will be forced to run a second section, and through that the railroads will be forced to pay out the additional amount charged to extra train crews and stand a loss on the wear and tear of rolling stock. One booker has already informed the New York Central passenger depart- ment that on two movements where he was favoring the road by permit- ting it to attach the baggage cars of a company returning to New York to a later train, that he would insist on the Big Four bringing the cars in on the Southwestern Limited. A railroad man representing one of the lines not in the majority at the meeting stated the increase was a move on the part of the New York Central and Pennsylvania systems to force the theatrical business to their lines and freeze out little lines competing with them in certain territory. TO STAR CHARLES CLEAR. Walter Steele, interested in the man- agement of Charles Clear, who has been starring on the road in "The Quaker Girl," has secured a play in which he hopes to place Clear firmly as a star on Broadway. The piece is to be present- ed in Boston during the summer. ANOLIN PIECE OPENING. Baltimore, March 31. Margaret Anglin's new starring ve- hicle, "The Desert Island," will open at the Academy of Music next Mon- day. The piece stays here for a week and then goes direct to the-Lyceum, New York.