Variety (July 1917)

VARIETY Trade Mark Registered Published Weekly by VARIETY, Inc. Sime Silverman, President Square New York Advertising copy lor current issue will be accepted at the New York office up to Wednes- day night. Advertisements sent by mail should be ac- companied by remittance. ^^ ~" SUBSCRIPTION Annual $4 Foreign $5 Single c opies, 10 cents Entered as second-class matter December 22, 1905, at the Post Office at New York, New York, under the Act of March 3, 1879. Vol. XLVII. NO. 6 The "try-out nights" at Loew's Na- tional have been discontinued for the summer. Armand and Kalisch have signed a three years' contract with Oliver Mor- osco. Bubbles, Arthur Troutt and Miss Violis leave July 7 on "Vestris" for the South American tour. The new Potash & Perlmutter "Vam- pire" show begins rehearsals next Monday. Jane Cowl's new play, "Daybreak," to be. produced shortly by Selwyn & Co., starts rehearsals this week. Frank A. Keeney left for Mt. Clem- ens Monday and will take a month's vacation in the west. William Oviatt, general manager for Joseph Weber, has gone away for a month's vacation. Art Langan, V. A. Nulty and F. V. Carpenter are in the south producing summer revues. Carl Hemmer and Eliabeth Hines have been placed under contract by El- liott, Comstock & Gest, an "Oh Boy" company. When Walter Lawrence again takes to the road next season in "Come Back to Erin." Johnny Sullivan will again be in advance. I. Herk and wife motored in from Chicago last week. They were the guests of Mr. and Mrs. Sim Williams on the Jersey shore. Matthew White, Jr., dramatic editor of Munsey's, went to church Sunday and on leaving discovered he lost $120. Although different dates have been announced for the opening of "Mother Carey's Chickens" in New York, it now seems set for the Cort Sept. 12 next. Arrangements are under way for an early fall production of the Larry Evans play, "Among Those Present," under the direction of George Tyler. Jack Hughes, the agent, is now asso- ciated with Leslie Morosco in the book- ing offices of the latter. Mr. Hughes will handle the placing of artists with productions for that office. Frank O'Brien and Leo Fitzgerald left this week for,, their vacation at Carl Lewis' camp on the shore of the St. Lawrence River, near Clayton, N. Y.- Frank Miller motored from Cleve- land in his overland and had four blow- outs every day for four days that the trip took. The Overland people are exchanging has car for him. Charlie King (Brice and King) has purchased an interest in the custom tailoring business of Andy Bnnigan's on Fifth avenue. The firm is knpwn as Branigan & King. Antonion Pubillones is now in Mendia, Yucatan, Mexico, where he is planning some circus activities. Every, season he has an outfit under tent either in Cuba or Mexico. Leah Winslow played the role orig- inated by Margaret Wycherly in "The 13th Chair" at the 48th Street Wednes- day afternoon. Miss Winslow will have the role in one of the companies to be sent on tour. Brownson and Baldwin are to play three weeks of vaudeville before the act will retire for the summer to await an interesting family event. Next sea- son the team is again to join "His Little Widows." Jack Henry's apartment at 127th street and Broadway was "cleaned" Monday, for the third time within a year. They did it so well Mr. and Mrs. Henry had to buy a new ward- robe Tuesaay. John H. Zimmerman, out of the show business for the past two sea- sons, is returning and was in New York this week fixing up a managerial berth for the new season. "Zimraie" has been located in Pittsburgh for the past year. Michael J. O'Hara, who manages everything that there is to manage from the theatre to the undertaker's shop in Shenandoah, Pa., spent last week and the first few days of the current week on Broadway entertaining all the agents he could locate. According to late reports the pro- posed opening of "The Kite" by Mennegorode at the Punch & Judy theater in October has been called off. The house directors are making ar- rangements for another production to open the new season there. Walter Kingsley, general press rep- resentative for the B. F. Keith thea- tres in New York has been granted a leave of absence and will spend several weeks resting at Atlantic City, where he will make his headquarters at Keith's Pier theatre. Vera Roehm. the athletic girl with the "Passing Show of 1916" is to start on a lecture tour, giving a series of talks to women on physical culture, basing her talk on the necessity of women hardening themselves to under- take the work which will fall to their share during the war. Princess Tsianina Redfeather, a full- blooded Cherokee Indian, the first daughter of the famous old chief, Red- feather, who has a mezzo-soprano voice and has done considerable concert work, is in New York. She plans a stage appearance in an Indian opera Cadman is writing for her. After long labor at his desk as finan- cial secretary and treasurer of No. 1, New York Theatrical Protective Union, Ed. Convey is going to take a month's vacation, spending two hours each Monday morning at the local's quarters in the Gaiety theatre building. His va- cation will be spent at Freeport, L. I. James K..Hackett has retired to his summer home, "Zenda," at Clayton, N. Y. (Thousand Islands). His leisure will be employed in the completion of several musical compositions, one of which, a national anthem, it is said, is destined to create a sensation. Among the bookings for the La Fay- ette theatre, on upper 7th avenue, this month, is the Irvin C. Miller show, "Broadway Rastus," in Baltimore this week. In the company are Miller him- self, Henry Jones and Billy McCarver, all colored, and Esther Bigeo, who is to be heralded uptown as the "colored Nora Bayes." Rosa Behne ha* returned to the Pal- ace, Chicago, acting as treasurer, the position he filled before becoming man- ager of the house, which post is now held by Earl Stewart. Milt Greene, the Palace treasurer, has gone on a two weeks vacation and it may be that Behne's stay in the box office is. only temporary. Plohn & Levy have engaged Harry Van Fossen to play the Frank Tinney role in their road production of "Watch Your Step," Harry having played it when the Mittenthals had out a company offering the piece. George Leavitte has been, engaged as manager. The show opens around Labor Day. A smart thief is working around the Manhattan Beach section, stealing high bred dogs from a number of the resi- dents. Among those visited this week were Tohnny Collins and Kitty Gordon, both losing their pets. A complaint to the police department resulted in a trip to an alleged dog "fence" and the victims have been promised they will have their animals returned. Heywood Broun, former dramatic critic of the New York "Tribune," now in France with the Pershing troops, went over there as an assistant to the George Creel commission which is to handle the publicity on war news. Broun had an interesting story on the landing of the soldiers in Sunday's "Tribune." George Kauffman is handling the "Trib's" reviews during his absence. Several weeks ago there was an an- nouncement in Variety- to the effect that Jules Levy, of the Jules Levy fam- ily, was engaged to Sadie Butler of the "Follow Me Girls." The information came to Variety from a theatre in town. Since that time Mr. Levy, exer- cising the privilege usually granted to the opposite sex, has written and asked that it be made known that he is not engaged to Miss Butler, and further states that he does not even know the young woman. Sonny Bill Manor, the handsome country estate at Rowayton, Conn., of playwright Charles Klein, one of the victims of the "Lusitania" disaster, was announced for sale at public auction by Arthur C. Sheridan Saturday. The property, said to have cost approxi- mately $100,000, consists of a 14-room house, richly furnished, and seven acres of well cultivated land. A garage, con- servatory, flower garden, and tennis courts. All of the furnishings were in- cluded in the sale. Rehearsals started this week for the musicalized version of "The College Widow," renamed "Leave It to Jane," and the man engaged to sing and act the leading role of Billy Bolton is Rob- eht Pitkin. The show is slated to open at Atlantic City July 30, with its New York opening at the Longacre set for Aug. 6. Others not heretofore men- tioned in the cast are Dan Coilyer and big Tom Reynolds, with Director Royce handling the directing for Com- stock & Gest. Artists returning from Australia tell a story about Tom Dawson, an Anti- podean comedian who was killed at the front recently. Dawson was best known for his rendition of a very humorous ditty, the catch line of which was "I'd sooner have a hard boiled egg." A piece of a shell mortally wounded him and on being picked up by some cron- ies he was asked how he felt. He re- plied: *Td sooner have a hard boiled egg," smiled grimly and fell over dead. merstein is taking people from the dif- ferent "Katinka" companies and send- ing, them out jAuth the Jirsr.company,. Aug. 27, opering in Atlantic City. Alice Ryan may play Katinka, with Howard Langford again handling the principal comedy role. Others are Gus Cohen, Gorcc, Paul Vernon, Clara Pal- mer, Johnny Roberts. Nat Royster last week resigned as manager of the Lyric Light Opera Company, which is playing summer stock at the Providence O. H., to de- vote all his time to the preliminary affairs connected with going to Chi- cago as the representative of Elliott, Comstock & Gest in the management of the La Salle theatre. Royster goes west with the company of "Oh Boy," which is to open the house. They leave July 30. May Dowling will be the publicity promoter for the attrac- tion. True S. James, who has managed shows and produced them for the road, has hit upon a new wrinkle which he thinks will keep him away from the active show thing for some little time anyway. He has taken the memorable speech of President Wilson's which aviators dropped into the, German trenches and has recited it into the phonograph, making a special record. Manager Rothapfel, of the Rialto, sur- prised his patrons this week by having George Herbert, of Sir Beerbohm Tree's company, recite the Marc An- tony funeral oration over the body of Julius Caesar, Herbert dressing a la Roman style. For several days recently Broadway was singularly free from the usual con- gestion of unemployed actors, and the activity of the Cntsterfieldian Dog- ' berrys who patrol the busy thorough- fare were considerably lessened. The exodus was explained when the fact was disclosed that "Bob" B rode rick, one of the principals in Julia Sander- son's first screen effort, "The Runa- ways," had been asked to procure "at- mosphere" in the form of an audience for a scene in the picture to be taken in the Lyceum theatre. The compensa- tion was $5 per person for a brief period of patience without "make-up" before the camera. Although a number of "Katinka" companies arc planned for road tours, only one will take to the road first, and if things go well with it, a second will be started on its way. Arthur Ham- The personnel pf the Chicago colony of agents and bookers in New York continues to change. John H. Bills- bury, who came on six weeks ago and was married here to Mae Murphy of the Helen Murphy agency, Chicago, left Sunday with his bride for the Windy Oty. George Mence, of the Beehler & Jacobs offices, has reached Broad- way for a three weeks' stay, while Johnny Simon, now here, will fluctuate between New York and Atlantic City for at least a month. Wayne Christie is hack again, after returning to Chi- cago for a few weeks. Sammy and Irving Tishman quit New York Sun- day, going back via Philadelphia, leav- ing Lew Goldberg here planning some New England trips in his car. Filing of plans by Katz & Feiner, ar- chitects, for a structure composed of stores and lofts to be erected at 29th street" and Broadway, include the old Weber and Fields theatre site. This leaves but one theatre between 14th and 38th on Broadway—Fifth Avenue (Proctor's). The only remaining land- mark in this vicinity reminiscent of the- atric past is the "Hof Brau," known to actors of a quarter of a century ago as "Bang's." Though greatly changed, the very walls of this rendezvous of the actor of the past seem to re-echo the names of Charley Reed, Henry Don- nrily, "harry" (Henry E.) Dixey, Dave Warhcld, fcddic Girard, Edward E. Rico, Johnnie Russell Pete Daly, Dan Daly, Joe Webber, Lou Fields, Frank Mayne, Lillian Russell, Fay Templeton, Frankic Bailey and other notables in the theatre 25 years ago, some living today and famous, others famous while they lived, now but a dim memory.