Variety (August 1915)

VAUDEVILLE «*-—■ NEW FREEPORT ORGANIZATION HAS BIG NAMES AND CAPITAL Long Island Good-Hearted Thespian Society Given Enthusi- astic Impetus. Membership Limited. Levy Is Attor- ney. To Have Club House, Theater and Circus Quarters. May Take In Outsiders. A new actors' organization is in pro- cess of formation, to be known as the Long Island Good Hearted Thespians' Society. The society is being brought together by Fred Stone, Will Rogers, Harry Bulger and Victor Moore—all residents of Long Island—and the total membership registers 42 to date. The organization will have a limited membership and for the present time each applicant will necessarily have to be a resident of Long Island. Later it is expected outside residents will be admitted and the ideas of the gath- ering enlarged to admit protective measures. A meeting scheduled for next week will bring about means to er^rt a club house, theatre and circus, the two lat- ter being in one building. A sits has already been selected and agreed up- on and an option for its purchase is held. The organization, while being re- stricted to Long Island exclusively, takes in the residents of Freeport and Baldwin, two of the largest profes- sional colonies ~in the east. At the Monday meeting the follow- ing officers were elected, the titles carrying the vernacular of the profes- sion: Angel (President), Victor Moore; Manager (1st Vice), Harry Bulger; House Manager (2nd Vice), Fred Stone; Secretary, Bob Hodge; Treasurer, Steve Petit; Props (Press Agent and General Utility Man), Sam Morton. Steve Petit, the first elected treasur- er, is the official sheriff of Long Is- land and landlord of a score of houses there. Petit, immediately after his elec- tion, delegated the general membership to pick out their choice property in his list and offered it as a temporary club house with rent free. This move was followed by a motion for three big shows to be held at Freeport, Rocka- v/ay and Long Beach in which over 50 stars of the profession will partici- pate. The shows will be run to ac- cumulate a sinking fund for prelim- inary expenses. George M. Levy, the attorney who defended Mrs. Carman in the recent murder trial held at Freeport, has been made an honorary member of the organization and will handle the legal affairs. JOHNNY FORD CURED. Johnny Ford has severed his finan- cial and active connections with the Ford Safety Starter Co., having sold his interests in the firm to the Lease Co., an automobile firm with Harlem head- quarters. Ford recently retired from vaudeville to assume the general man- agement of the safety device company, but after several months' experience decided the two-a-day policy was de- cidedly easier and sure of prompt and larger financial returns. The starter was Invented by an au- tomobile expert, capitalized and pro- moted by a Broadway cafe man who realized the possibilities and advan- tages of Ford's name. Ford was added to the company's list and made general sales agent. Af- ter selling three or four, which neces- sitated a lengthy argument, he un- loaded his interest to the Lease con- cern. With Ford's retirement came the resignations of James Smith, Ed- ward Ryan, Wm Hennessy and Garry Owen, active machinists in the Ford Garage, who decided a change of management eventually meant a change of position, so establishing a precedent they retired without notice. The concern will continue using Ford's name, while Ford will return to vaudeville as a single until Mrs. Ford (Eva Tanguay) resumes her vaudeville route, when he will take charge of the orchestra. BANK RUNNING THEATRE. New Orleans, Aug. 11. The Metropolitan Bank has taken over the Audubon theatre, formerly managed by Vic Perez, and is operating the house. Perez was derelict in taking up his rent notes, and by due process of law was evicted. POP IN GREENWALL. New Orleans, Aug. 11. The Greenwall has been leased by the St. Louis Amusement Co., and will open as a pop vaudeville house Aug. 23, the bill consisting of six acts and pictures. Louise Dresser and Jack Gardner. Louise Dresser and her husband, Jack Gardner, will play vaudeville as a two-act for four weeks commencing Aug. 16, before Miss Dresser's legiti- mate contract starts. George O'Brien of the Harry Weber agency arranged the vaudeville en- gagement. NEWELL TAKES BACK HOUSE. George A. Newell has again assumed the managerial control of the Newell, White Plains, N. Y. Some time ago he rented the theatre for stock. Af- ter the failure of that policy, vaudeville was played without pay for the act. This caused their evictment and the return of the former regime. W. & V. IN FAflt DEPT. The Wilmer & Vincent Circuit, booked by Frank O'Brien, is no longer a portion of the United Booking Of- fices' big time department, having been removed to the fifth floor this week, where its talent will be supplied through the books of the Family De- partment. Mr. O'Brien will continue in charge of the circuit's booking. The Wilmer & Vincent string, when connected with the big time depart- ment, was playing split week shows and it was this circuit that first cut salaries last season. MUSICIANS WANT MORE. Portland, Me., Aug. 11. The Portland Musicians' Union has voted to increase its scale at the local theatres $3.00 a week, the tilt taking effect Sept. 1. Keith's New Portland and Strand theatres claim the present scale is sufficient. I It may be that Keith's will install chimes. The New Portland is apt to use an orchestra,* but will reduce its intended augmentation for the fall. The Strand will do away with the or- chestra entirely. The Empire playing pictures, has agreed to pay the increase. The mu- sicians in the vaudeville houses are at present receiving $18 a week and they aver they cannot live on that scale. PENN REMAINS SAME. Philadelphia, Aug. 11. Whatever the internal disturbances regarding the William Penn theatre, advertised during the summer for r ent, they have been smoothed over. That theatre will reopen Sept. 6 with vaude- ville under its former manager, Wil- liam W. Miller, with George W. Mct- zel again booking the bills from the United Booking Offices. Miller's other local house, Knicker- bocker (where Marcus Loew tried his pop policy), is to house a stock com- pany commencing Labor Day. ALBEE FILMED AT HOME. E. F. Albee and his entire family were filmed at their summer home this week. The pictures were made for the family in place of the family album. Keith's, Portland, New Policy. Portland, Me., Aug. 11. Arrangements were consummated this week whereby Keith's, here, will have a new policy this fall, the house to offer the Royster & Dudley musi- cal comedy and light opera stock com- pany. The change of policy starts Sept. 6. The Royster & Dudley Co. closed Saturday at Riverton Park. The the- atre will play vaudeville for the re- mainder of the summer. The stock goes to the Cape theatre. Ground Broken in Milwaukee. Chicago, Aug. 11. Ground was broken last week for the new Western Vaudeville Managers' Association house in Milwaukee. It will cost $350,000, and is the first popu- lar-priced house outside of Chicago controlled by the American stock- holders. WAYBURN AT CENTURY. (Continued From Page 3.) each year. As the arrangement will permit of one having dinner there, re- maining until it is time to go home, the membership plan is expected to be a special attraction for the large met- ropolitan multitude always in search of "a place to go." Pettitt & Kirky, the architects for the McAlpin and Claridge, have drawn the plans for alterations in the Cen- tury. These are contracted to be fin- ished by Aug. 28. They include an English tap room bar on the 62nd street side, the Dance Club down- stairs, with a private entrance from 62nd street (Grace Field will be in charge of this room) a ladies' tea room on the 63rd street side, and a public dancing floor on the Broadway-front Mezzanine floor, with Vaudrey's Rag- phuny Band of 16 colored musicians supplying the music for the dancing, which may be indulged in before, dur- ing intermission and after the theatre performance by the public (admission to the Dance Club downstairs being only by card or membership). On the floor above will be the sup- per club and restaurant, the restaurant privilege having been leased with the Wayburn Co. sharing. The theatre orchestra will have 31 pieces. Two extra boxes will be built on the ground floor, on either side of the stage. The largest box in the Cen- tury is "The Founders," and restricted to them. With the reduction of the orchestra space an extra row of seats will be added. While rummaging through the Cen- ttry Mr. Wayburn discovered a $10,- 000 organ that had never been in use and the place is said to be full of unemployed equipment. No admission scale has yet been de- cided upon by the Wayburn manage- ment, but Mr. Wayburn is reported of the impression the Century should be conducted for all of the public. It will be a sight place of New York, and as a music hall in the better definition of that word than anything New York has successfully had for years past, will become an institution alone by itself in the Metropolis. It is ideally built for the Wayburn scheme in every par- ticular. MME. DONALDA. Mine. Donalda, a feature of the cur- rent week's program at Keith's Palace theater and whose likeness appears on the front page of Variety, is an opera star who sang "La Boheme" with Caruso and also appeared in the production of "Pagliacci" at the Covent Garden in London. Mme. Donalda also exhibited her vocal abilities before the French Am- bassador in London at several exclusive receptions and was not only an artiste at the affairs, but a guest as well. Her enunciation is marked and she carries a personality equalled only by her ap- pearance. Her present Palace engage- ment practically assures her of un- doubted success during her vaudeville tour. If you don't •dv.rtU* In VARIETY,