Variety (September 1917)

VAUDEVILLE U. B. €. NO-CANCEHATION CONTRACTS BEING ISSUED Besides N. V. A. Form of Elquitable Agreemenly Big Time Em- ploying Non-cancellation Agreemeutr, Wholly Binding on Both Parties. "Tieing Up*' Feature Turns for Only Vaudeville. Tl'c United Booking Offices is is- suinp a non-cancellation form of agree- rr.ci.t, otherwise known as a "hard and fast agreement," that prevents either party cancelling, by notice or other- wise, after signing. This form is in aJdItion to the equitable contract agreed upon by the Vaudeville Man- agers* Protective Association, and the National Vaudeville Artists, that is known as a "play or pay," but con- tains a two weeks' notice of cancella- tion that may be exercised by either side. The "N. W. A. form" is reported in general use now by the agencies allied with the managers' association. The "hard and fast" agreement is reported being given out by the U. B. O. (with the Orpheum Circuit possibly employing it as well) to fea- ture turns the big time vaudeville agency may believe will be in receipt of offers from other fields, legitimate or pictures. The principal object of the booking offices to tie up the head- line acts offered the hard and fast con- tract is to preserve the booking and prevent future bills from being dis- rupted by desertion of vaudeville en- gaged turns for other branches of the profession. This has often happened in the past. Acts in vaudeville have left for a shorter or longer period, to become part of a production or play in pic- tures, returning to vaudeville "when again at liberty. In many instances a vaudevillian's season has been ruined through accepting an engagement for a production that had but a short run, and finding it difficult to secure another consecutive route upon reapplying 'to vaudeville for time. It is not known how artists offered the hard and fast agreement have viewed the matter, but it's not unlikely, nearly all having the opportunity to* secure such an agreement will grasp it, "all other arrangements including salary for the season being agreeable. Some years ago the U. B. O. issued a blanket contract, which was an abso-. lute agreement for a number of weeks during the season, without dates speci- fied. This was discontinued b^ the U. B. p. after its first season, the agency saying it had not worked out satisfac- torily. The present hard and fast agreements are issued on a laid out route, one for each theatre the act is ^ to appear in. OTHER AGENCY SUSPENSIONS. The temporary suspension of the Max Hart office from participating in booking activities on the floors of the United Booking Offices and Orpheum Circuits marks a warning to franchised agents in those offices and promises the materialization of the executive's threat of several months back to weed out a number of the undesirable artists' representatives and centralize that branch of the industry under one or more offices. The Hart incident, coming after the prolonped troubles with the White Rats' Actors' Union, emphasizes the scrinr.siuss v<f the manatrcria] idea to eliminate a larj^e number of the agents and give the "outside" booking rights to those they consider loyal and worthy. This move comes m the ad- justment of conditions from the man- agerial end, and with the number of .excess agents operating in those of- fices it looks like a popular idea. There are over 100 agents franchised to book on the floor of both agencies and their affiliations, and many carry but one, two or a very few attractions on their books, though able apparent- ly to barter a good livelihood from their limited supply. Their removal from the booking field seems inevitable and while the executives of the circuit have had this plan in mind for many months, existing conditions in other angles have prevented giving the mat- ter attention. It is understood the Hart suspension may be followed by others without any particular reason given other than the Victims" represent excess additions to the office. Those cited for possible suspensions or removals include a num- ber of agents who traffic particularly in "small time" attractions. In the suspension of Max Hart from booking the U. B. O. and Orpheum also barred Manny Mahwarring, his of- fice manager, and all aides and assist- ants of Hart. The original suspension was aimed solely at the agent himself, but the office supplemented this by in- cluding all his representatives. The acts heretofore represented by Hart will be looked after by the office of Hughes & Smith. The Hart sus- pension directly resulted from a street fight in which Irwin Connelly suffered a discolored optic, following it by a complaint against the agent to ^E. F. Albee. Paul Durand's suspension will be automatically lifted in three more weeks, Durand .having been banned from U. B. O. booking privileges five weeks ago because of the complaint of Evans Burroughs Fontaine. Durand acquired a "collecting" in- terest in the Fontaine act, procured some booking for the turn, but event- ually became embroiled over the owner- ship and returns, the result being a complaint which resulted in his tem- porary banishment. FAVS IN V. M. P. A. The Fay theatre at Providence, R. I., hooked through the M. R. Sheedy agency, has filed its application for membership with the Vaudeville Man- agers' Protective Association. The Gordon Theatres, as they are called, also booked by Sheedy, have been members of the managers' asso- ciation for some time, leaving but two houses booked by Sheedy, one at Hali- fax and the other at St. Johns, N. B. on the Sheedy books as V. M. P. A. non-members. Another non-member booking through Sheedy will be the Dyckman street theatre in upper New York. Colonial Opening About Oct. 1. The B. F. Keith Colonial, New York, may not reopen for its regular vaude- ville season before Oct. 1. The extensive repairs made on the theatre over the summer are expected to be completed by that date. Columbia, St. Louis, Small Time. ,, -*—- St^-Lsuio, -bf^r.—>. The Columbia, which the new Or- pheum replaces as the big time vaude- ville theatre here, is now playing pop vaudeville, booked by the Western Vaudeville Managers' Association in Chicago. STIRRING UP AGENTS. The booking agents placing their acts in the Lqew Circuit offices are due for a stirring up in their booking activities, if the word to that effect has not already been conveyed to them. Jake Lubin and Walter Keefe have concluded among themselves there is too much "dead" booking material in the form of agents hanging around the agency. They think these agents sleep and don't work, merely going along with their same sure-fire bunch of turns that could book themselves just as easily, and without making any at- tempt to secure new material for the Loew houses. The opening of the season's shortage of acts brought this phase out and the booking heads had a conference on the matter. At least three of the agencies placing acts in the Loew of- .fice are booked to walk the plank if they don't display animation. Their places will be filled by more enterprise ing blood waiting to get in. If the start is made with the trio or any of them, there may be a weeding out of the deadwood all along the agency line. Messrs. Lubin and Keefe are virtual- ly doing all of the bookings for the Loew-Pantages time, Mr. Lubin for the Loew eastern houses and Mr. Keefe for the Loew western, south and Pantages Circuit. It has been reported about that Mr. Lu^in may shortly be given another as- sistant on the Loew books. Solly Turek is his assistant at present. Joe Schenck, the Loew general book- ing manager, will continue to make the Loew Circuit offices his headquarters, supervising the bookings and dividing his business hours between the Loew duties and his many picture interests. While it was often reported Mr. Schenck would sever his connection as the booker for the Loew Circuit Sept 1. Through a friendly understanding with Marcus Loew, that did not occur. Mr. Loew. according to reports, pre- vailed upon Mr. Schenck to remain. NEW ORPHEUM OPENS. BIG TIME FEATURE FILMS. Harvey Watkins. who places the big time vaudeville bills at Keith's, Port- land, Me., and Lowell Mass., has in- augurated an experiment in connection with big time full week bills. It is the placement of a feature film in connec- tion with the regular variety show, starting the performance at 7.30^ nightly with a pictorial weekly, opening the vaudeville around eight and closing the evening with the feature film. This week at Portland Keith's is "Redemption," and at Lowell, Fair- banks in "In Again, Out Again." Next week at both houses will be the first Goldwyn released feature, "Polly of the Circus." Mr. Watkins has arranged to have the Goldwyn subjects released through- out the Keith houses in New England on the same day they first appear at the Boston theater, Boston. CLUXTON RESIGNS. San Francisco, Sept. 5. John Cluxton, local Pantages repre- sentative, has resigned and will in all probability withdraw from his present position Oct. 5. No one has been announced to suc- ceed him, but it is likely Ed Milne, a resident manager in Seattle, will be selected. Cluxton intends going to Chicago to produce a number of musical tabs. UNION HILL'S FULL WEEK. The Hudson, Union Hill, N. J., rt- ol;^?r3-•^;r^^~-^^7• ,Trtvr--ar-tall v.xX'k-prjO- gram of eight acts, booked by Jack Hodgdon. in the fifth floor department of the Unitted Booking Offices. The house, operated for vaudeville and stock in the past, will continue un- der the management of Billy Woods. 1 St. Louis, Sept. 5: To the tunc of the National Anthem, with Maurice Speyer leading the or- chestra, the cyrtam of the new Or- pheum theatre was raised Labor Day, revealing a large American flag draped across tne stage. The bill was topped by Nan Hal- perin and Emily Ann Wellman and Cof This marked Miss Wellman's local debut ip vaudeville in her own sketch, "The Young Mrs. Stanford." Six other acts completed the bill. Crowds on the sidewalk were un- able to obtain admission, and Manager Eddie J. Sullivan is jubilant over the success of the opening. The Orpheum has the largest seat- ing capacity of any house in town. Martin Beck was in St. Louis for the opening. The foyer is decorated with floral offerings from practically all the Orpheum theaters. COTTAGE GROVE SECTION HIP. Chicago, SeptS. A new "hippodrome," with a seating capacity of 3,500, is to be erected at 63d and Cottage Grove avenues, the backer being a Greek banker (Nicholas Kyriakopoulos) and the policy pop vau- deville and pictures. The site is said to have been the property of Mayor Thompson until latelv. The main portion of the plot is on 63d place, but it was necessary to have an entrance on 63d street, which is a parallel highway. The latter strip was purchased and two ordinances were passed through the city council vacat- mg the alleyway, which is also parallel to the street and the place and runs be- tween them. For this concession the buyers paid the citv $700, but in re- turn their plot on 6id place was raised from an inconsiderable figure to one of great value. When the matter was put up to the mayor he denied knowing anything about it, saying the property belonged to his father. The only theatre in the Cottage Grove section is the Midway (booked by Web- ster), once known as the Old Empress. This section of the city was once the Washington Park race track and is now rather densely populated. NEW RIVERSIDE MANAGER. N. W. Derr, of Philadelphia, will as- sume the season's direction of Keith's Riverside, commencing next Monday. Mr. Derr has been attached to the Keith managerial staff of Sleepyville, in charge of the Chestnut Street opera house, and became quite popular among the show folks of that city. He was in- duced into theatricals some four years ago by Harry Jordan, the Keith gen- eral manager in Philly. At that tiine Mr. Derr was assistant manager of the Bellevue-Stratford, Philadelphia's best in the hotel line. Harry Daniels, who temporarily took command ot the Riverside after E. L. Perry retired, will likely become the big time emergency manager for the Keith Circuit. KEITH'S BRONX PLAYING POP. Commencing Sept. 17 Keith's Bronx theatre, at 149th street and Third ave- nue, will commence playing a popular priced policy of vaudeville, likely booked in by the resident manager, Ned Alvord. The Bronx seats 1,800. Last season W. T. Keogh had the house . under lease. It plaved the Keith big time be- fore the Keith oflices moved that policy to its present Royal, Bronx. Solly Schwartz Managing Dyckman St. The Dyckman Strc^^t theatre, up town, New York, taken over last week by John G. Jermon, is now playing vaudeville and pictures, under the resi- dent management of Solly Schwartz. Mr. Schwartz some time ago managed the Orpheum, Yonkers. 1