Variety (August 1917)

VARIETY KIETY Trad* Mark fttfiiterad Published Weekly by VARIETY, Inc. Sine SUrermaa, President AdTertleiaf; oofy lor eorreat Ura* fHD be accepted at the New York oftee as to Wedaee- day eight. AdTertieeaeats eeat by mail ebooid be aa* " by Eddie Darling is expected back at the United Booking Offices Aug. 6. Frank A. Keeney is back from an extended stay at Mount Clemens, Mich. Vic Blaufelt, former secretary to Walter Keefe, is temporarily engaged in the Harry Weber Agency. Joe Cook has engaged with the Klaw & Erlanger forces for a part in a forthcoming musical show. Ben Erhlich, the Chicago theatrical lawyer, and wife motored into Broad- way Saturday from the west, the trip being the first for Mrs. Erhlich. Ruth Ginburg, stenographer in the Irving Cooper office, is spending her vacation as the guest of Miss Busse at Fair Haven, N. J. Fred Lowenthal, the Chicago attor- ney, and Fred Hill, the Windy City theatrical tailor, motored to New York this week for a three-day vacation. Harry First has been re-engaged for "Potash & Perlmutter in Society," which goes into rehearsals next week for a road tour. Earl Burgess will again be with the Gus Hill road forces this fall, manag- ing one of his "Mutt and Jeff Divorced" shows. Negotiations are said to be on for the government to take over the entire Sheepshead Bay race track for a train- ing camp for embryo soldiers. Leon Berezniak. the Chicago theat- rical lawyer, drifted onto Broadway last week, planning to combine busi- ness with pleasure while here. The latest professional wrinkle is the adoption of a company mascot, the "Daybreak" players having a small bantam rooster from Jane Cowl's L. I. farm as its talisman. Orville Bonnell and Merle Norton, Chicago producers, have jointly ac- quired the producing rights to Harvey Orr's "Million-Dollar Doll" and will send it out early on the road through virgin territory. Fred Hicks, once a theatrical agent in Chicago, has become active in rail- road circles and now holds an influen- tial position with the Milwaukee road. The road has sent Hicks to Boston to take full charge of its railway offices there. Billy Wolfenden visited New York this week, carrying the stripes of a top- scrgcant. Wolfenden is in the 71st regiment and was formerly in the com- pany commanded by Capt. Ray Hodg- dcn. He was transferred recently and awarded the title of top-sergeant. Nick Hanley is now a member of the T. B. Harms professional staff. Harry Dellon has returned as professional manager for the same firm. Hanley has supervised the business arrange- ments of Marion Week's vaudeville booking for the past several years. Two acta who have played the dif- ferent vaudeville houses got into a discussion the other day as to what theatre had the worst acoustics. They both finally agreed that a certain house in Salt Lake City had it on all the others. A musician at the Riverside theatre expressed himself as antagonistic to anyone wearing a uniform one day last week and the nouse fireman promptly left-hooked him to the jaw. I. Samuels, who happened to be in the neighbor- hood, followed the action with a notice of discharge, ordering the employee to leave the house at once. When the new Pantages theatre in Tacoma, Washington, opens sometime in August it will mean the discarding of the smallest Pan house on the cir- cuit. For a long time Alex. Pantages has been desirous of building in Ta- coma, as the house he is now playing there is too small for his shows and business. James W. Castle, formerly of the producing firm of Baker & Castle, was engaged this week to manage the In- ternational Circuit tour of the new Mabelle Estelle show, "Turn Back the Hours," which opens about Aug. 24. General Manager Arthur C. Aiston has in connection with the feature film, "The Two Imps." The Gerry "officers" rushed onto the stage of the theatre and stated they intended taking the children to an institution immediately. Mrs. Lee told them what would hap- pen if they tried it, and the stage crew pushed the Gerry men out of the house, after telling them to summon the mother. The children were not giving a regular act, appearing only because of the picture they were in. The case was adjourned until today (Friday). Louis Rosenberg, the Greenhut Co. advertising man, was married in May last. For the ending of his out-of- town honeymooning Mr. and Mrs. Ro- senberg chose the Thousand Islands. For a first visit up there to an invet- erate first-nighter like Mr. Rosenberg —and on his bridal trip—the calm river and quiet green islands seemed a secret Paradise. Doing the thing right, Mr. Rosenberg and "my beautiful bride" (as he calls his wife) went fish- ing. That was another first experi- ence for the husband. [The nearest he had been to fresh water fish before was in a restaurant.] Mrs. Rosenberg was the fortunate one in the party. She caught a four-pound pickerel measuring about 25 inches. As the oarsman netted the fish and Mr. Rosenberg noted the length of it coming over the side of the boat, he called out, "Hey, captain, what make is that?" Albert da CourviUe and Wall Pink, the English theatrical folk, were in VARIETY FREE TO THEATRICAL MEN IN THE SERVICE While the war continues VARIETY will be sent com- plimentary to any theatrical ir:n in the U. S. Service. Name, with address, should be forwarded and proper mailing address sent at once if ordered elsewhere.* The list will be maintained also for re-mailing letters sent care VARIETY. purchased a new scenic equipment for the show. A card case, apparently the property of A. K. Gothier and containing a na- val certificate of discharge from the S. S. "Missourian," among other things, has been forwarded to Vuuarrr by Fred K. Lanham, of Youngstown, O. If Mr. Gothier will notify VARiETr of his whereabouts and describe the other contents of the case it will be for- warded to him. Lieut. M. S. Bentham, U. S. N., had a day off this week and spent it around the Palace theatre building where his offices are located. The Lieutenant looked very nifty in his summer uni- form, as »,. Naval officer. His boat, "Physcbe V," is now known as Scout Patrol 9, attached to Naval Base 7 and anchored at Whitestone Landing, L. I. The boat has a complement of 14 men, under the command of Lieut Bentham. As a result of a new addition to the war loan, with Secretary McAdoo hav- ing asked Congress to tack on a new amount of several billions to that al- ready voted to carry on the war, late activities by the Senate Finance Com- mittee showed that the new tax would have to be carried mainly by a stiffened levy on beer, wine and liquors. This means that no further tax slap will be made on amusements. As now drawn the war revenue bill tax levy would double the present rate on whiskey and greatly increase that on beer. Mrs. Irene Lee, mother of the Lee children, two girls, age 4 and 7, was summoned by the Gefry Society iast week for permitting the children to appear at a Loew theatre in New York, TOMMY'S TATTLES. By Thomas J. Gray. Call. Call. All the gentlemen hav- ing numbers in the "Uncle Sam Army" Co. are requested to appear before the Exemption Stage Managers this week. Long season's work. We furnish all Apply at your district. How to Waste Paper. Write Peace songs. Wire for money. Send a mash note to a "Follies" girl. Kick about your notice. Write dramatic plays. Request a music publisher's state- ment of your royalties. Do a paper tearing act Write a column. A judge made a woman pay her di- vorced husband alimony. This judge will certainly be a hero with a lot of fellows in show business. The managers are doing all they can to help the actor\ They might go a little further and turn the fans off in the audience when a talking act is try- ing to make the audience forget the heat. Now things are changing. New York City finally had a "Murder Mys- tery without any of the papers saying the female mentioned was once a "show girl.* If no kings are left when the war is over, what are those "Impersonators of Great Men" going to do with all their old wardrobe? The rumor that Singer's Midgets have volunteered to act as mascots for the troops at the front is entirely un- founded. Constant Reader—You are wrong, male impersonators are not liable to dff". Female impersonators are li- able, but don't let that worry yon. -t 1 !* 11 ? o about *! mc for • «ong called Uncle Sammy Has Your Number and He's Going to Call You." town early this week, to look over 'The Show of Wonders'* and "You're in Ja" bands will not be hurt by the Jose Levy, the English play broker, - wir - (N ° thing c !L hurt * '« b "*> Chanel hCre ' interC8ted in " Scvcn k A J°t of "School Act." are going to cnances - be broken up by the draft Frienda of Arthur. Buckner, the erst- There hasn't bieTa U-boat sighted while vaudeville agent, sentenced to the near Freeport all season^ * Federal Prison at Atlanta for three K ', ? ea o S « and who ? e te . rm "P*" A P/ a But German captains may have 2, 1918, are seeking signed petitions for heard ahmi* thn>» £...^i? ™i-? • executive clemenc?, in ordeV that Buck- to„ ab0Ut th08C F "«Port mosqui- ner may be released, to preserve his citizenship. Buckner has been in prison Thin i« a ffr » a » m,...*. *~ «~* _ for ncarfy two and one-half years. low ratito K2ee cfnlfSMSJ* 7 They believe he has .been sufficiently i^thVVme^ar.oldie?.^fitfB punished for his conviction of improp- THIS is PARIS?" •*ymg a© erly using the mails. Recent callers at [ the Atlanta Institution who saw Interned Germans are beimr sent ?.t C rZfr^ n he il XPT V 3ta th l great ; 80Uth for * h « ■■«»". There's punish est contrition for his predicament mentl Think of th» r*iu~>A ;.,„.? and is hopeful for an early re- mink of the railroad jumpsl lease to convince the professional !♦»■ a n««r a*.* th,» «««»* ««« a l who deeply feel his plight, and this has T t mu8t be t t h |fc . . aided in Buckner s present frame of *h» *r+ nt -Umm .?«„?., J -n JZ 7 mind. It is preferable the following thC trenches fll n « |n g »» th <>" tongs. [TJll an^ B 0 u n cKnr.^^nds^e a q r ue a s 8 t ti^f^^*^"* P" that managers agents and artist,, all .SnaJ1y, Jhi^week, toflSEEM^ sign a similar form to the following, onnortnnifv A w wiVJ- - S3 isreffis, ^.r u G r , Buckner> Fed - • v™ffi m T^*s&'JEt erai Prison, Atlanta, Oa.. offered to place Kittie with another (Date) production. The girls also had an of- I (or we), the undersigned, respect- [ €r to .*° to Sfther »«? a production, but fully endorse the application for execu- f? y they W,H r « m a'n in vaudeville if tive clemency of Arthur Buckner, now !u Cy C i an a ? re ? Wlth thc man W» on confined in the Federal Penitentiary at th f sa \ ary Vi m, U or . next " a 1 8 . on - , Atlanta, Ga. Incidentally Kittie is thinking about starting suit for divorce against her Name husband. J»c'k McGowan, now with Business... . " Tne Follies," although McGowan has turned his notice in to that show, Address through expecting to go in the army.