Variety (April 1918)

VAUDEVILLE LOEWS NEW SOUTHERN LAYOUT HAS 20 TOWNS ON ROUTE Ed. Schiller, Southern Representative, Confirms L6ng Route Which Has Acts Receiving 10 Weeks' Contracts. Five- Act Road Shows to Tour South. New Houses to Be Built in Chattanooga, Norfolk and Richmond. Loew Renews Atlanta Grand Release. New Orleans, April 3. Ed. Schiller, Loew's southern repre- sentative, who arrived here last week, announced Loew would have 20 towns in the south next season, offering acts ten weeks, starting in September. Loew has added Chattanooga, Nashville, Charleston, Greenville, Charlotte, Rich- mond, Norfolk and Petersburg to the circuit. In Chattanooga, Norfolk and Richmond new houses are to be built. In addition tq renewing his lease on the Grand O. H., Atlanta, until 1930, Loew is building a new house in Mem- phis. The new route plan will be to have five-act road shows, starting with Nor- folk and following with Richmond, Petersburg, Charlotte, Greenville, Charleston, Augusta, Macon, Atlanta, Chattanooga, Nashville, Birmingham, Memphis, New Orleans, Hattiesburg, in the order named. Then a three days' lay-off before going into St. Louis. N. V. A. TICKET DRIVE. The drive for the sale of tickets to the National Vaudeville Artists' an- nual benefit, scheduled to be held at the Hippodrome May 12, will be started next week with every manager listed on the Vaudeville Managers' Protec- tive Association pledged to do his ut- most in building up the receipts. At a special meeting of the execu- tives of both organizations it was de- cided the managers of the various theatres would supervise and report on the outcome of the sales. A letter was sent to all managers this week from the V. M. P. A. head- quarters with the following text: ALL MANAGER-MEMBERS: Recently Rome motion picture Interests held a meeting In New York to accomplish some- thing, and after considerable discussion a leading member said: "I wish to God we had an organization like the vaudeville folks have." Why did he «av this? Because, he said, "THEY DO THINGS." Tickets for the N. V. A. Benefit have be*n sent you and every other Manager-Member. These arc to be disposed of. EVERY act on your bills the week of APRIL 8 should be urged to take not less than an amount equal to 10 per cent, of salary received. GET THIS—the actor Is doing no favor to anyone but himself when be buys these tickets; he mustn't becloud the Issue. N. V. A. Is building and equipping for him the finest clubhouse In this city of fine clubs — a wonderful, beautiful home. N. V. A. Is co-operating with our Asso elation in the adjustment of grievances that in the old days w*>nt unadjusted. The actor NEVER got as fair a deal as he la getting today, and whose fault is it? White Rats never got it for him—his Individual efforts never did ; the N. V. A. and V. M. P. A. Jointly ARE getting it for him. Now, I am expecting YOU, Individually and personally, to put YOUR shoulder to th«> wheel. Talk It over with EVERY act, frankly and earnestly. This money Is for the ACTOR. not for this Association or any Individual — It Is expended for HIS benefit, not yours or mine, except as an improvement of the entire Industry benefits us all. The actor doesn't have to keep the tickets: he can and should resell them. Let's got some spine Into this thing NOW, and show REAL results on an Intensive drive closing the ticket thing up entirely NEXT WEEK— the week of APRIL 877/. WILL YOU? ? ? ? Yours very truly, Pat Casey. Indiana are also delayed indefinitely with the builders discouraged by the embargo from Washington on ship- ments of building material. Houses that are well under way will go on to completion if they have had sufficient steel deliveries to ob- viate further rail shipments. WILL VON TILZER'S SURPRISE. The fifth anniversary of the Broad- way Music Co., organized and built up by Will Von Tilzer, was celebrated in a rather fitting way last Saturday, the employees of the firm giving the presi- dent of the corporation a surprise ban- quet at the Claridge Hotel. The previous day a two-page adver- tisement in Varietf had been pub- lished without Mr. Von Tilzer's knowl- edge, in which the entire staff of the firm extended their good wishes to their senior employer. Von Tilzer was cleverly inveigled into the Claridge by Saul Bornstein, general manager of the firm, and was completely surprised to find his whole staff at the tables. About 40 attended, with Harold Gumm acting as toast- master. After a number of speeches Will was presented with a gold foun- tain pen and a horseshoe of American Beauties. Then came a general dance. Will Von Tilzer has made wonderful strides in the past five years, building up his organization into one of the standard music houses of the country, a feat which has taken most of his competitors over a score of years to accomplish. PANTAGES BARS AGENT. . Chicago, April 3. Inrougn a notice sent out from the Pantages' Circuit headquarters in Seattle, Lew Cantor, a Chicago agent, has been barred by Pantages from do- ing any bookings in the Pantages' offices here or in New York. Tyler and Sinclair, a colored act playing the Pan time, when reaching Seattle, displayed to Alexander Pan- tages wires received from Cantor in which the agent is alleged to have de- manded they keep their agreement with him of returning to Cantor $25 weekly out of their salary of $175. It is also alleged Cantor had an agree- ment with the act to pay him $100 when they received' the Pan circuit agree- ment. The act claimed they had paid Cantor $25 weekly up to the time they reached Seattle, but had not given him the $100 about which he kept wiring. Cantor books the Grand here that has a colored clientele. He has not been doing much booking otherwise. It is said Pantages has forwarded a statement of the matter to the Vaude- ville Managers' Protective Association in New York. TOUGH ON ALIENS. German and Austrian acts in this country are having a tough time. Managers won't play them if they can get Americans or citizens of our allies, while the players can take out American citizenship only at a great sacrifice. A large number have the savings f their lifetime tied up in Germany or Austria. If becoming citizens this will be confiscated. Managers have another reason for not booking the alien enemies. If a fire or explosion happens in the neigh- borhood of the theatre, secret service men demand to know if the house is playing any alien enemy acts. If it is, a disagreeable situation arises for the house manager, whether his players are suspected of complicity or not. Many German acts have themselves to blame for much of the distrust with which they are regarded. They do not always observe the second clause of U. S. Attorney General Gregory's in- junction to "Obey the law and keep your mouth shut." MONKEY ACT DISPUTE SETTLED. The controversy between Robert Everest and his monkey act and that of Lipton's monks was decided by the N. V. A. committee in favor of Everest. Henry Chesterfield has advised the V. M. P. A. as to the decision. Difference between the two men arose over the use by each of the "monkey music hall" idea. Both men are Englishmen and brothers, Lipton at one time working for Everest. The evidence showed Everest en- titled to the various devices employed, which he had patented. The decision stands for this country. Lipton has been here for one year, while the Everest turn has been show- ing on this side for some time. PORTABLE DRESSING ROOM! John V. Graves, stage manager of the Rijou, Savannah, Ga., has forwarded to E. F. Albee of the Keith circuit a miniature model of a portable dressing room to be used on stages. The affair folds up and contains a table, chair, curtains and clothes hooks. THEATRE BUILDING HALTS. There is little likelihood that the Victoria at Dayton, ()., will be rebuilt during the war, although a realty com- pany there stands ready to start work the moment delivery of the steel is as- sured. Proposed new houses in Ohio and JACK ROSE "SPECIALIST FOR THE BLUES" This wcvk (April 1) disproved the audiences at Proctor's Fifth Avenue, New York, are iiniipprccintlve ns they displayed tremendous approval of my nonsensical capers and ap- plauded so vociferously I stopped proceed- ings. The management after the Monday per- formances moved me from the fourth to the seventh position because of the'success, and I made tfood there both Tuesday and Wednes- day. I hope the audiences are as generous when I play the Palace, New York. Now (April 4-7), Hist Street, New York. RAYMOND WALKER at piano, pirt-ction, ROSE &. CURTIS. STAGE UNIONS 9 MATTERS. At the headquarters of the I. A. Ti S. E. this week it was reported all the stage hands and operators in the thea- tres in Kansas City had quit,their posts in sympathy with the laundry strikers and other unions. The stage hands' local there is No. 31, while operators' is No. 170. The stage hands (No. 232) at the Academy of Music, Northhampton, Mass., are still out, the men going out in favor of the musicians, who had trouble with the management. The house had been playing stock, but had announced a new summer policy. ♦ Trouble is also reported out in Santa Ana, Cal., where the Grand and Tem- ple, claimed to have been using non- union men, caused the stage hands and operators (the union there being a mixed organization) to take a deter- mined stand against the houses until they recognized the union. GRADY'S SUSPENSION LIFTED. Billy Grady, the agent, who was suspended from operating under a booking franchise on the floor of the United Booking Offices last week, was reinstated this week to operate on the fifth floor, but was prohibited entrance on the floor above, where the larger United houses are booked. The reinstatement came about after , a general conference between Execu- tives of the Jjaudevillc Managers' Pro- tective Association and J. J. Murdock of the booking agency. It was decided that since the act in the case, Clark and Lavier, had voluntarily paid Grady an excess amount over his regular booking fee, Grady could hardly be held to suffer alone. The act received a try-out this week at Proctor's 23rd Street by the booking office direct. If found satisfactory it will be routed. Grady resumed operations Monday, having been suspended but five days. This is one of the several cases where- in agents have been temporarily sus- pended for various infractions of the office rules, with practically all sus- pensions lifted after an investigation. BASEBALL SEASON OPENS. The regular amateur baseball season for theatricals started this week when the Loew Circuit nine started practice on the lot for their first game April 20, at Federal Park, Newark, N. J. The opposing team will be the Loew Circuit agents. The sides will be strictly of their own forces, with Moe Schenck listed to pitch for the Loew staff, while Mark Levy will do the tossing for the agents. A side bet of $50 already stands between Irving Weingart and Mr. Levy. Young Schenck may be prevented from pitching through an accident Saturday to his right hand which was severely cut in a broken window in a door of his office. For the regular theatrical season the Loew nine will have two or three of Variety's best players, including Harry Weiss (if he is not ordered to report). RATS' HEARING. The Rats' investigation will resume this (Friday) afternoon, barring a last minute postponement. The matter of the contempt order to show cause in the recovery of the missing Rat records was continued for argument in the Supreme Court until next Wednesday, at the request again of Joseph J. Myers, the Rats' attorney. Hyatt-Barbour Pool. Minneapolis, April 3. L. H. Hyatt, manager of the Hyatt Booking Exchange, has joined the Barbour Booking Agency in affiliation with the Virginia-Carolina Managers' Circuit and the World Booking Agency. Loew'* Canadian Tea Room. Hamilton, Can., April 3. Loew's theatre here, following the example set by that circuit's house in Montreal, is installing a tea room for patrons. No Union Convention This Year. There will be no meeting of the In- ternational Alliance of Stage Hands and Picture Operators this year, and while the 1919 convention is scheduled to be held in Ottawa the second week in June next year it is almost a cer- tainty the date will be changed as it conflicts with the meeting of the Amer- ican Federation of Labor scheduled at that time. The alliance, however, will send a representation to the A. F. of L. con- \ention to be held in St. Paul in June.