Variety (July 1915)

CABLES AMERICAN AUTHORS' CHANCE THROUGH WAR IN EUROPE Foreign Playwrights Inactive or Holding Back Manuscripts Until After Peace Arrives. Clear Field Seems Ahead for American Writers. London, June 30. What excuse will the American play- wright have to offer next season in place of his annual cry that managers don't encourage native talent? Each year we arc regaled by the public utterances of a lot of disap- pointed American playwrights who protest that they are not given suffic- ient opportunity for the exploitation of their wares; that they are being squeezed out to make room for im- portations of English and continental pieces. There are no new Viennese or other Continental musical productions for the American manager to secure this year and, so far as English dramatic pieces are concerned, we have not had one success from the standard playwrights here, such as Barrie, Pinero, Hubert Henry Davies, Shaw, etc. There are many reasons for this con- dition. Some have gone to the front while others find it impossible to cre- ate under present conditions. Then again it is barely possible that those who can afford to wait, have filed away their manuscripts of recent creation until a more propitious time, feeling that the percentage chance of success is materially reduced during the war. The American author is therefore looked to for plays to present in Lon- don and the American manager must perforce apply to his native play- wrights. IN PARIS. Paris, June 30. The Marigny is now open with vaude- ville, at cheap prices, playing twice daily. No big acts. Victor de Cottens has relinquished bis temporary management of the Vaudeville theatre, and Mme. Rasimi has secured the use of the house, where she is giving a sort of a revue twice daily, at reduced prices. On the other hand the Olympia has withdrawn the revue, and manager Baretta has re- verted to cheap vaudeville, two shows each day, with fauteuils at one franc. The Ambassadeurs is playing a revue of a kind, terminating with an hour's pictures. Seats at 1 fr. The Nouveau Cirque remains open, under the management of Geo. Pas- quier. Quite unusually he will probably ran this circus right through the sum- mer and autumn. At last the promenades in the variety theatres have been authorized, and the public can now stand to see a show, a feature which had been stopped at the outbreak of the war. But the.atten- dance in this part is not numerous in the halls. Business remains indifferent, and many establishments are closing for the summer. The picture houses still take the lion's share of amusement seekers in Paris. CEBALLOS ACQUITTED. y London, June 30. Hilarion Ceballos, an American acro- batic dancer, was acquitted of any part in the death of Will Collins by the cor- oner's jury this week. It seems Ceballos quarrelled with Collins in the dressing room at Shep- ard's Bush a few weeks ago over busi- ness matters, the argument finally as- suming the proportions of a personal encounter. Collins came out slightly injured and died shortly afterward. Ceballos was tried in court, but the coroner decided Collins' death due from a blood clot on the heart. TWO SHOWS CLOSING. London, June 30. "Marie-Odile" will leave His Majesty's theatre Saturday and go to storage, while on the same date "The Green Flagp" will discontinue at the Vaudeville theatre. MAUDE REMAINS HERE. London, June 30. Cyril Maude has announced that he will not renew the lease on the Play- house here for next season, having de- cided to remain in America during the year. "MISSING LINK" FOR JANIS. London, June 30. Elsie Janis has approved a new Am- erican piece entitled "The Missing Link" as her next vehicle. HOWARD BROS • wv' El MU.Yfl ;mr •<•. munf • •*«• IS * w» 2 3 DISTINCT NOVELTIES IN (1) ACT No. 1—MISS ROSS—Concodod to bo tho only lady with a puro nolo tonor volco. NO. 2—Grand Operatic Rovuo, with Novol Scoalc and Lighting Effect* NO. J—Tho Flying Banjos, accomplished by No Other Artist* in tho World. M. S. BENTHAM book* thooo S Noveltle* FOR THE PRICE OF ONE CHAPLIN FOR VAUDEVILLE. (Continued from page 3.) next week. West is being handled by Menlo Moore, the Chicago producer, and has a sketch with three people, West impersonating the screen star himself. His initial week at the Mc- Vicker's theatre broke, the house rec- ord. The Chaplin contests which have been used in practically every small time theatre in the city have proved the largest draw in the way of an added attraction since the starting of the "country store." At the Bedford, Brooklyn, a pop vaudeville house never using an added attraction or free night, the contest drew the largest business the theatre ever had on a Monday night. Chaplin imitators are parading the New York streets as ballyhoos, and boys made up as Chaplin are standing outside the pic- ture theatres, drawing a crowd at var- ious places. The Bushwick, Brooklyn, is the first of the big time houses to use a Chaplin contest as an added attraction. The Bushwick held one Tuesday night. The lack of cleverness on the part of the competitors has caused the contest idea to fall into disfavor in many houses. This happens mostly in the neighborhood houses where the small boys of the community are the only ones competing. In some of the other houses impersonators making a busi- ness of working in these contests are present. Chaplin faces a suit fur $50,000 brought by George Eddy, who claims the movie comedian gave him the ex- clusive rights to market the Chaplin statuettes and souvenirs. "LADY IN RED" COMING. Chicago, June 30. "The Lady in Red" now at the Prin- cess, is pretty certain to open on Broadway, after the summer is over. The show is going into a Shubert Met- ropolitan house, perhaps the Lyric. The location of the Princess in which theatre "The Lady in Red" is playing has commenced to tell on its attendance of late more so than was predicted. The show has been doing a horribly bad business, with the opposi- tion of the two larger musical attrac- tions more desirably situated. REVUE ON LONDON MARKET. London, June 30. The Shuberts placed the Winter Gar- den revue on the English market this week, but the reports from America reaching here in advance of the offer probably had much to do with their de- cision. Negotiations are said to be under way for the New York piece to come to a local music hall. Up to the pres- ent date nothing definite has been set- tled. SCENE OFFERED ABROAD. London, June 30. Flo Zierfeld has offered the moving picture scene from "The Follies of 1915" to London managers this week and it is possible the "bit" will be taken to fit into one of the several revues over here. SAILINGS. Reported through Paul Tausig & Son, 104 East 14th street, New York: July 3, Mr. and Mrs. Carl Demarest, Mr. and Mrs. Phil Peters, Jr. (Phila- delphia). Reaching San Francisco from Aus- tralia on the "Ventura" June 23 were Fred Niblo and Mrs. Fred Niblo (Jose- phine Cohan), Mr. and Mrs. James J. Corbett, Miss Pollock, Fred Swift. CORrS MUSICAL SHOW. John Cort has been recruiting a big company of players for a new musical show he is to bring out early in August with a view of showing the piece in New York by Labor Day. Ann Swinburne is reported under contract, and a grand opera star is under advisement for the alternating prima donna leads. Al. Shean will be principal comedian. Rehearsals for the show, the joint work of Victor Herbert and Henry Blossom, will start about July 15. The first performance is expected to take place at the Apollo, Atlantic City, Aug. 23. JUDGMENT FOR COMMISSIONS. London, June 30. George Foster, the London agent, has secured judgment for $1,800 against Josephine Davis (now in Am- erica) for breach of contract. The agent alleged Miss Davis entered into an agreement with him to act as her exclusive representative, and that he started her off on a salary of $150 to $175 a week. The act proved success- ful and he succeeded in securing future bookings for her at $250 to $300 a week. He added that she then went to Australia and repudiated the contract and he therefore sued for the commis- sions. GRANVILLE'S PERCENTAGE. For the A. H. Woods reproduction of "He Comes Up Smiling" in which Bernard Granville is to star, it is under- stood Woods has agreed with Granville to give the latter 10 per cent, of the gross receipts, with a guarantee his share shall not fall below $500 any one week. "THIS IS THE LIFE" REVUE. London, June 30. Paul Murray is about to produce a revue for the halls entitled "This Is the Life," book by Edward Morris, and music by Manuel Klein. Ober, "Ready Money" and England. London, June 30. Robert Ober, playing in England in John Stokes' sketch, "A Regular Busi- ness Man," has been approached with a proposition to go starring here in a revival of "Ready Money." Ober appeared in the leading role of the piece in America. Opening Postponed and Changed. London, June 30. The Magleys, who arrived several weeks ago, will open at the Palace the week of July 12, having postponed the Alhambra engagement. If you don't advartlM In VARIETY, don't advortlM.