Variety (August 1917)

VOL. XLVII, No. 10 NEW YORK CITY, FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 1917 PRICE TEN CENTS FEDERATION OF PROFESSIONALS PROPOSED THROUGH A. F. OF L. White Rats' Union Charter Officially Revoked. New Fed- eration Will Be Organized by Hugh Frayne, With Branches in Several Cities. Name Will Be Amer- ican Federation of Actors and Actresses. According to the personal statement of Harry DeVeaux, president of the Actors' International Union No. 1, steps will be taken at once to bring about the proposed American Federation of Act- ors and Actresses. Plans are afoot to have a meeting within the near future of all the branches of the acting profession desig- nated in a recent statement by the com- mittee of the American Federation of Labor and arrange further details a9 to the formation of the Federation. In organizing the new Federation the man who will be relied on chiefly to bring about the fulfillment of the new wishes of the Federation will be Hugh Frayne, the New York repre- sentative of the A. F. of L. Ffforts to reach Frayne this week at his local offices failed through Frayne having been called to Washing- ton on some important matters pertain- ing to the war* movements. Mr. Frayne was named last Saturday by President Wilson as a member of the committee of seven 1 from the Coun- cil of National Defense which will be known as the War Industries Board. This new body is taking over the work of the General Munitions Board and will exercise supreme control in the advisory commission of the Council. It is officially announced upon ap- proval of President Samuel Gompers of the A. F. of L. that the Federation has revoked the charter of the White Rats' Actors' Union and that from now on as an affiliated body of the Federa- tion it ceases to exist. The new plans of the proposed Fed- eration of the playing profession will provide for branches to be established in Boston, Philadelphia, St. Louis and Chicago as well as New York. This will enable the Federation to keep the different sections of the country well covered and stimulate membership in- terest in the organization. Frayne has been empowered by the A. F. of L. to organize the new actors' Federation, but his summons to Wash- ington halts his immediate activities in the matter. Meanwhile No. 1 is drumming up new interest and this week found its leaders working vigorously towards getting everything in shape for the first big meeting of the proposed Federa- tion. At the Actor's Equity Association offices Wednesday, Mr. Russell, in charge, said that no official communi- cations had to date been received from the American Federation of Labor. It is believed upon Mr. Frayne's re- turn from Washington he will notify the different bodies slated to obtain A. V. of L. charters to prepare for the big meeting to form the new Federation. MUST BE ON THE JOB. The United Booking Offices has put forth a terse ruling that affects agents doing business with it. It says the summer is no different from the winter as far as vaudeville bookings are con- cerned; agents must be at the offices, or be represented there, Saturday af- ternoon and Sunday, the same as in any other season. If they are not in the summer time, they won't be in the winter time, the notice concludes. "Some agents have an idea the sum- mer is just one continuous seaside va- cation," says the notice. It didn't mention ball games, golf or horse LYRIC WRITING PRINTER. Cincinnati, Aug. 1. Haven Gillespie, co-author with Henry I. Marshall, of "In the Harbor of Love With You," is a night printer on the "Times-Star." He has been plugging away on his lyrics for years, notwithstanding the admonitions of the wiseacres it would be useless for an outsider to try to land song words with New York publishing houses. ^Marshall and Gillespie are preparing to write a production which they hope to put across. Brice and King in Century Show. Brice and King have been engaged for the new Century production. They arc at Morrison's, Rockaway, this week and will play about a month longer in vaudeville before commencing rehear- sals. Charles King confirms the produc- tion engagement. BIG MUSIC DEAL PENDING. One of the most gigantic deals, from a financial standpoint, ever consum- mated in theatricals or its allied rela- tions, is being negotiated at present and if it materializes will constitute a complete turn-over of the popular mu- sic publishing industry of America. The prominent principals are three brothers who hold extensive banking and commercial interests in England, Australia and Canada. The war, cut- ting deep inroads into their foreign rev- enue, is responsible for their migration to America. After looking over do- mestic conditions they hit upon a plan of cornering the popular music publish- ing business through the purchase of several of the larger houses which, while run independently, would be su- pervised by a consolidated head in or- der to eliminate all excess expense. Briefly their idea is to centralize dis- tribution from one clearing house, maintain their own printing and en- graving plants, and buy raw material in bulk, selling the products of the several houses at a uniform price. The trio, whose identity is being withheld for obvious reasons, have been thoroughly investigated in finan- cial and commercial channels with con- vincing results, the search proving con- clusively the men mean business and are capable of floating any enterprise they embark in. A New York man, closely allied with the music industry, has been commis- sioned to gather options on several of the larger publishing houses, and a conference is scheduled for the latter part of the week between the purchas- ing agent and the principals which may result in a general transfer of at least seven big firms, the agent having col- lected 30-day options on that many es- tablishments. Immediately prior to the European war a similar deal was partly closed, the principals at that time being New York bankers with Wall Street connec- tions. The negotiations at that time went as far as the procuring of options on a half dozen of the larger houses, but the declaration of war halted pro- ceedings and the options expired before any definite action could be registered. SHUBERTS DECLARED IN. Atlantic City, Aug. 1. It is being reported locally the Shu- berts have now an interest in the prof- its of Samuel Nixon's Apollo theatre, as a result of their refusal to go through with the deal for the Cort theatre, which had virtually been se- cured for the Shuberts through Ben Harris. The Shuberts a r e to receive, it is iepovtcd, 2:> per cent, of the Apollo's net. tlnongh refraining from starting "opposition," which the Cort would have been. WAR SKETCHES NOT WANTED. The indications for vaudeville next season is that there will be a notice- able scarcity of "war sketches." Sev- eral were shown during the spring. In the big time eastern houses it is reported an order hat gone forth to shy off playlets dealing with the war. This is presumed to have been given out through the mixed audience vaude- ville caters to. On the Orpheum Circu : t in the west, there will be no war piece, according to Frank Vincent, the Orpheum's chief booker, unless it has the essentials of smashing hit. Mr. Vincent says that while he is following no rule in this respect, so far he has booked no war playlet and does not expect to unless one of the smashing hit variety ap* pears. His remarks did not tend to* ward a belief there would be a sketch of this description that would fulfill his requirements. Louis Dresser, who lately appeared at the Palace, New York, in a war sketch, has been booked on the Or- pheum Circuit, as a "single," opening Aug. 26 at San Francisco. BUYS FRONT COVER FOR YEAR. Variety's front cover has been taken under contract by the Paramount Pic- ture Corporation for one year, 52 in- sertions, Variety* reserving but eight weeks in 60 for its own uses, to coved special numbers. Always considered the best theatrical advertising, pictorially, Variety's cover has often been sought for display type advertisement, without Variety's price for that style, $1,000, having been agreed upon excepting in one or two in- stances in the past. Variety also placed a special rate upon the pictures of singie male heads in the centre oval. The Paramount has taken the front cover for its stars, at a flat price weekly. It has been often asserted by travel- ing theatrical people the front page of Variety as a nation-wide display, through its green color and the promi- nence given it by newsdealers, is the best publicity plan for a picture there is at present in this country. BOOKING ON FACTS. The story is going the rounds that Charles Osgood, the legit booking man, has not seen a show in 20 years and that he does not care to see one for fear it might warp his booking judgment. Me trusts much to statements and has informed visiting house managers it was the box office returns that jvisti- f.ed bookings arr! not the persona' opinion of the booker on the relative merits of the shows.