Variety (April 1918)

VAUDEVILLE ''BUYING ACTS" BY AGENTS UNDER OFFICIAL SCRUTINY Vaudeville Managers 9 Organization Investigating "Artists' Representatives'" Personal Contracts with Acts and Artists. One Agent Subject of Current Inquiry. Final Decision by V. M. P. A. to Take General Effect. The Vaudeville Managers' Pro- tective Association has ordered an im- mediate investigation into the actions of an agent who is alleged to have contracted an act for $100 weekly for a long time, selling it over various circuits for $150 and $175. As soon as the investigation is com- pleted the executives of the V. M. P. A. will decide upon the action to be taken and an order issued to affect all similar contracts for organization members. For years it has been a common practice with artists' representatives to sign up an act or individual at a stated figure weekly for a year or term of years and then through exploiting the turn endeavor to increase the salary until a tidy surplus is attained, which means all profit for the con- tractor. A number of musical comedy stars have been built up along this method, earning several hundred dol- lars weeks in excess of their con- tracted salary. If the V. M. P. A. makes any definite ruling in this regard, it will probably mean a dash to cover for a number of representatives, necessitate their for- feiting considerable excess profits weekly and throw his salary to the artist. The investigation now under way came about after a conference with officials of the managerial organization and executives of the National Vaude- ville Artists. The identity of neither party was revealed by Pat Casey, who is super- vising the investigation, but it was stated a complete record of the case would be issued for publication when the matter is over. WESTERN "STICK-UP." Oakland, April 3. A genuine western "stick-up" was staged last week at a place called the Bartenders' Club, alleged to be a gambling house on 12th street, in which a number of the acts playing the Pantages and* Orpheum theatres were headlined. The men were playing at the time when three men entered, masked and carrying guns. They covered the occupants and proceeded to ransack the cash drawer and the pockets of the men lined up. The artists were forced to He on the floor on their stomachs. After completing the work the three men escaped, wounding two policemen in their flight. The artists robbed were Lew Her- man, manager of the "Song and Dance Revue" (Pantages) ($800) ; Joe Galvin of Kelly and Galvin ($300); Frank Goldie of Goldie and Ayers ($650); Vic Leroy of the "Song and Dance Revue" (diamond ring and pin) ; Joe Shriner of Herman and Shriner ($190). ANONYMOUS LETTER WRITER. Anonymous letters have been mailed weekly to managers of Keith theatres where Belle Baker has been booked, the letters making a vicious attack on the young woman and warning the managers to be careful of her. The letters also contained statements New York and Brooklyn managers had cut her salary and forced her to work in early positions on the bills. The letters were investigated by officials of the Keith circuit and a gen- eral letter sent out to disregard any statements made by the writer. This week the letters were turned over to the Post Office Department and an effort is being made to try and deter- mine the writer's identity. FIRE DURING PERFORMANCE. Vancouver, B. C, April 3. A $15,000 fire threatened to destroy the Orpheum Monday night. No signs of a panic, the large crowd filing out in orderly manner. The at- taches of the house remained at their poses in accordance with the usual fire drills. DOBSON STARRED IN BIG ACT. Rolfe & Maddock have in view a big act production for next season with Frank Dobson the star. The firm's contract with Dobson was made last week through his representative, Max Hayes. ' . The act will open during August. ARMSTRONG BENEFIT. Plans for the benefit of the late James Armstrong, to be held at the Harris theatre April 14, are practically completed, the program, which is to be supplied by the United Booking Offices, having been almost entirely arranged. The house was donated without cost by Archie Selwyn, after several Broad- way managers had refused the use of their theatres. Freddie Goldsmith, Exalted Ruler of the Elks, $Jew York No. 1, attended to that end of the affair. The benefit will be looked after jointly by Mr. Gold- smith, representing the Elks, and the U. B. O. officials. MAY BE TRUE. Henry Clive has finished his contract with the Goldwyn Films and is return- ing to vaudeville in a new act which he is to do with his wife, an English woman. Clive says that the film work pays well but there is too much time wasted between pictures which make the sal- ary much smaller than what he can earn in vaudeville. MATERIAL COINCIDENCE. A coincidence in stage material is on view at the Palace, New York, this \ve<ik in the acts (both new) of Bes- sie McCoy and Herman Timberg's. The material* is period patriotic dressing ;:nd songs. Each turn has a number, Including U. S. Army uniforms of our wars, bringing them to date with the current khaki. Miss McCoy employs slides of presidents in addition. The Timberg act has been held over j'or next week. ACT CLOSES. Owing to four of the members of the "Six Jolly Tars" ordered to report in the past few weeks, the act was forced Id close. Dave Hoffman, the comedian, one of the yet unnotified members of it, has signed with the Morris Wainstock ag- gregation that is to play summer stock at the Gilmorc, Springfield, Mass., opening in May. SUMMER VAUDEVILLE. A partial list of vaudeville houses open during the coming summer, be- sides those that usually are continuous throughout the year, take in the big time houses, Keith's in Washington, Philadelphia and Boston, also the Temple, Detroit, and the Coast Orpheum theatres, besides the Ma- jestic, Chicago. • In New York City it is expected Keith's Riverside, Royal and Bush- wick will remain open, while the Palace is in the year-round class. Whether the Alhambra, New York, remains open has not been settled. The chances just now are against it. The Bushwick will be an experiment, it having to contend with the Coney Island draw in hot weather. The Poli Circuit will have nine the- atres open for vaudeville: Wilkes- barre and Scranton, Hartford, Bridge- port (2), New Haven (2), Worcester (2). The southern theatres booked by the United Booking Offices and Loew cir- cuit will also remain open, at least for the beginning of the summer season. A meeting of the executives of the Keith circuit will be held this week to determine on the closing dates of the houses on that string. After the meeting the closing dates will be posted amd the bookers instructed not to route programs beyond. Several of the houses will be held up pending weather conditions, their closing dates being regulated accordingly. REVISING CLOWN DISPLAY. v The Ringlings are said to have in prospect a revision of the Barnum & Bailey clown display, with certain eliminations planned. One of the first turns to go out, it is reported, will be that of the clown who staggered around in the hippodrome track hold- ing in his hand a whiskey bottle, and wearing a sign "A Tank in Action." The clown was dressed as an English Johnny, with monocle, high collar and the rest of the conventional comedy make-up. This made the allusion plain and the B. B. management is under- stood to have received protests from patrons against what was considered a slur upon one of America's Allies in the war. K.-C. STRIKE. Kansas City, April 3. This city was temporarily closed down theatrically late last week be- cause of a general strike, started by the laundry Union, and which affected the lighting system of the cijy and made it impossible to give night perform- ances. Following this came the walk- out of picture operators, stage hands and other skilled theatrical employees, excepting musicians. The theatres were all closed Friday and Saturday, the Orpheum and Globe opened on Sunday and Monday, but promised to close yesterday. Practi- cally all the other picture theatres remained dark. The legit theatres had rough sailing for several days because of the absence of spotlight men. This week practically all the men re- turned to work'and conditions were re- ported normal Wednesday. Strikers in front of the Shubert thea- tre were alleged to have attempted to intimidate patrons and a riot call brought the reserves out. ELTINGE LOCATED. Julian Kltinge was to have head- lined in Cleveland this week, but laid off in Chicago instead. Reason: hav- ing broken several substantial records, Kltinge asked $3,500 for Cleveland, where there i«= plenty of capacity. The U. B. O. demurred. He had received $2,500 weekly while in vaudeville. Kltinge's tour has ended at his own request and he will shortly resume picture making. LAUDER'S SUCCESSFUL TOUR. William Morris has had an interview with Lord Reading in regard to Harry Lauder's return to England. Mr. Morris went to Washington for that purpose. His object was to obtain either a cruiser or a special convoy for !t e w tar Th ^ " s P e c«al" means that the boat would be protected for the entire journey, instead of having de- stroyers come out to meet it upon its approach to the Irish coast. Lauder will probably sail around May 5, and will make a tour of the trenches upon his arrival in England. He will return to this country in De- cember, with engagements keeping him here until March, when he will start fora tour of Australia and Africa. This week the Lauder show is at the Auditorium, Chicago, remaining there until Saturday. For the next two weeks it tours one-nighters, and opens April 22 at the Metropolitan Opera House, New York, for the final two weeks prior to Lauder's departure. It is generally reported the current season of Lauder's over'here has been his most successful and popular one. Besides giving his performance Laude • has been particularly and steadily active in propaganda, work for the Allies. Lauder's book on Vhe war, called Lauder s Trip Through the Trenches " will be published by the Hearst Re- leasing Syndicate. u • . . Chicago, April 3. Harry Lauder is announcing from the Auditorium stage that, after his New York engagement at the Metropolitan, fe., 18 *°X* \° s a ra nac, N. Y, with' William Morns to start there the first scenes of a multi-reel picture, in the course of the taking of which he will have to traverse this continent. He expects that to consume the time be- tween the close of his present tour and the sailing date for his Australian opening. The nature of the picture is being kept entirely secret. William Morris returned to New York yesterday and had a conference with D. W. Griffith immediately on his arrival home, with reference to some phase of it. ACKERMAN-HARR1S MAJESTIC. San Francisco, April 3. An important deal was consummated last week in Los Angeles when Adolph Ramish, representing the Ackerman- Harris interests, signed a 50-year lease with the Hamburger Theatre & Realty Company for the Majestic, that city. The lease also calls for the rent of the jiine-story office building above the theatre. The house will be remodelled and re- constructed, work commencing within the next two months. The gallery will be taken out and the stage set back 30 feet, increasing its present seating ca- pacity to 2,100. With the addition of this house all acts playing the Hippodrome circuit will be given a week in Los Angeles. Heretofore it has only been possible to play seven acts at the Hippodrome out of the 12 sent to the coast each week. The new policy will be six acts at each house as in San Francisco with the Majestic probably having the*pick of the twelve. With the Majestic, Los Angeles, the MacDonough, Oakland and the New Hippodrome, San Jose, Ackerman & Harris will have three of the finest houses on the coast. The Majestic was built ten years ago and leased to Oliver Morosco. It was originally used to house Shubert at- tractions. Lately it has had no regular policy, playing an occasional road show and feature film but remaining dark most of the time. A Rut* who admit* It—Cfcu. Althoir. tlw W»»rlf.