Variety (January 1917)

VOL. XLV, No. 6 NEW YORK CITY, FRIDAY, JANUARY 5, 1917 PRICE TEN CENTS BOSTON HAS FIRST BANQUET OF MANAGERS AND ARTISTS Following White Rat*' New Year'* Strike Fluke, Managers and Artists Felicitate One Another. Over 391 Present. To Become Annual Event. Epoch in Vaudeville. Boston, Jan. 3. Here in the city where vaudeville was first conceived and almost on the anniversary of the day 34 years ago thatB. P. Keith opened his first store show, one of the most important steps •forward in the history of American vaudeville, was nfarKfcd, when on Tues- day night for the first time the vaude- ville managers and the vaudeville ar- tists sat down to a love feast in the large dining room of Young's HoteL The dinner was given by the Vaude- ville Managers' Protective Association and is to be repeated on every forth- coming New Year's Day. It was to have been held Monday but the delay of one day was necessary since all available space was used in the first celebration of that day in Boston. This breaking of bread together in harmony and good fellowship is all the more remarkable since it follows upon what was to have been the begin- ning of the White Rats' strike, sup- posed to start in the Hub and spread throughout the country, but which never materialized. The master of ceremonies was J. J. Murdock. Directly across from him sat A. Paul Keith. Filling every chair in the large room, packed with tables,* was every vaudeville act playing Bos- ton, every act sent up as a substitute in case of trouble ana the entire com- plements of the three burlesque shows appearing currently. An orchestra of 25 pieces volunteered for the banquet. AH were union musicians, from all the variety houses in town among them. That this, the first dinner, was a smashing hit from the overture, just as cocktails were served, down through the entertainment that followed and the speeches that were eagerly listened to there is not the shadqw of a doubt This gathering was done on impulse, inspired Monday when some or the acts, when asked whether they were going to play that night if a strike was ordered, replied that they not only would play but were ready to appear -s» irrXTtct c • eis^r-A- c * f ri ght 1 . \l ;r:4rra - 1 *— Mr. Murdock was on his feet many times during the dinner, now to in- troduce a speaker or to talk himself. When he arose at the beginning and proposed a toast to "the first occasion v/hen the vaudeville manager and per- former sat down to break bread to- ? [ether," he was applauded and cheered or a full two minutes, many of the guests (there were 30ft. present) getting on their feet and order was/restored only when the toastmaster raised' Kit hand. In his remarks Mr. Mt dock said: 'The dinner tonight Is tendered you by the V. M. P. A., and the guests are in the vaudeville, burlesque and circus fields, although some acrobats are barred (laugh). Let me propose a toast to the absent artists and mana- gers not here tonight but who know about this affair frora*Maine to Cali- fornia. "Many good things started in Bos- ton: This town was the beginning of vaudeville and tonight is the first din- ner where artist and manager sit down together. That proves that the two factions can meet and not make faces at each other (laugh) and I can say that no one has asked me for a date (long laugh)'. Let us hope that this affair will be the begtafog. Next year the V. M. P. A. will hold a simi- lar dinner at the first of the year to the performers in every city through- out the United States. "The two factions should be bound as one. All the money of the theatre must come through the box office and you cannot injure that box office with- out hurting yourself. It Is easy to see that it works bqfh ways. But one can- not exist without the other and you must travel the road together, (ap- plause). "If the manager had not advanced there would not be enough vaudeville performers in the country today to fill this room, as now, and you will agree that in every city in the land there is at least one fine theatre. But the ar- tists too must advance, yet that is im- possible through the methods that caused the recent trouble. The cry is that they want time and I believe that they ought to get time (laugh). "There are 45,000 vaudeville, circus and burlesque actors in the country, work—for about 20,000, so some must be idle some of the time. But if you've got the goods you can get work and plenty of work. I'll cite the (Continued on Page 8.) LEGISLATOR FOR OPEN SUNDAY. Abner Greenberg, member of a the- atrical family and himself associated with the stage and music publishing business, will be one of the New York legislators who will have a hand in Sunday regulation the coming session at Albany. He was elected from New York City to serve in the Assembly. In a letter to Varibjtt the Assembly- man pledges his vote to a program of liberal Sunday enforcement * "As my parents, relatives and friends are financially interested in the show business." he says, "I want to assure them of my fidelity and activity for the protection and promotion of their interests in the lawmaking body of the state in whatever questions affecting their well being are before our body at Albany. HE am in full sympathy with the exhibition of motion pictures on Sunday and of a further liberalization of the Sunday in respect to vaudeville shows and other entertainments on that day. The provisions of the Penal law of this state are antiquated and savor of the Eighteenth century when actors were classed with mountebanks and charla- tans. "I shall be delighted to assist any committee or representatives on the question of legislation and shall be glad to see them at my office, 320 Broadway or in the Capitol building in Albany." RESTAURANTS CUT RATES. The restaurants have finally suc- cumbed to the cut rate ticket scheme. An eating place in the theatrical dis- trict is now issuing tickets worth 15 cents if used for the purchase of a reg- ular 35-cent lunch. The tickets are being distributed in theatrical offices. LOWENTHAL QUITTING RATS? Chicago, Jan. 3. There is a report here that Fred Lowenthal has quit as local counsel for the White Rats Actors' Union. At the lawyer's office, in the absence of the attorney himself, the rumor is denied. It probably gained currency because of his departure from the city just at this time. $7 TOO MUCH. Chicago, Jan. 3. The Mary Garden New Year's eve appearance in "Thais" at the Audito- rium at $7 top proved a frost finan- cially. The famous diva appeared to row after row of empty seats. «i 'Darn, Good and Funny* Act's Title. "Darn, Good and Funny" is'the title of a western three-act now playing around here. PLUGGING FOR MATINEES. Shortly after two o'clock Tuesday afternoon there was quite » commotion on 42d street, west of Seventh avenue. Runners for two playhouses giving matinees were making strenuous efforts to secure a semblance of an audience, with the odds in favor of the one furthest east, i. e., the Cohan & Harris theatre, where a children's matinee was scheduled. The other was the Eltinge where Nora Bayes was giving one of her special performances of song. Miss Bayes opened her series of in- dividual performances Christmas eve v and up to Tuesday had consistently re- frained from openly papering the audi- torium. Tuesday (this week) matinee the house was painfully small. When at two o'clock there was no evidence of anything resembling an audience, the management started toward Broad- way to waylay a few stragglers, only to find that the Cohan & Harris sleuths were waiting outside their playhouse ready to shanghai anybody' headed down 42nd street J-L-S TO OCCUPY BIG ONE. Chicago, Tan. 3. Plans have been filed by Architect Rapp for a new theatre to seat 2,500 and to be situated at Broadway and Lawrence street. Work will begin March 1 and the house upon its completion will be oc- cupied by Jones, Ltnick & Schaefer for vaudeville. The building will be ready to open Sept. 1 if present plans do not miscarry. IRISH AND NOT IRISH. Chicago, Jan. 3. An "All Irish Bill" was proposed tor the* Indiana by Walter Meakin who books that theatre. The plan has been abandoned by Mr. Meakin through dis- covering any number of acts bearing Irish names are not Irish bv birth. If i't MfrcrtiM ta VARIETY, dm't advtrtJM. SHUBBRT'S WB8TBRN MAN. Chicago, Jan. 3. J. J. Shubert and Ralph Long are here, it is said, concerning a general upheaval of the Shubert western office following the sudden withdrawal of Frank K. Garrity. Frank Miller is in temporary charge. Mr. Long, one of the most efficient men in the New/York office, has been tendered the manage- ment of the Shuberts' western inter- ests, but it is not definite he has ac- cepted. Spooner Stock Suddenly Closet. The John Meehan stock at the Spooner in the Bronx closed Saturday with the company uninformed up to that day. During the last week of its —.- ^• jy e i. rcrrr' ~crxr — T&ntpiiiiy • * rsouv&r3r" "The Inner Man." a new piece, which had not been produced heretofore. The company was to have continued with the new play policy, but it was found unprofitable.