Variety (April 1918)

1C variety CABARE/TS Cabarets in Chicago are dead. Cab- arets in Chii-ago are alive. The out- look is brilliant for cabarets. Cabarets face a gloomy outlook. The "drys" are really responsible for the death of the cabarets. The "wets" engineered the movement to rid Chicago of cabarets. The above is a concise statement of ihe local situation. There has never been a more muddled-up municipal tan- gle in the history of Chicago. In di- rect sequence, the history of the caba- ret battle here may be summed up cbout as follows : In 1916 flamboyant violations of vari- ous honky-tonks attracted the atten- tion of the newspapers to the. cabaret situation. In those days the cabarets took the word "licensed" literally, and there was no limit to the high jinks. A "sob" campaign was inaugurated by one of the papers, and the entire press took up the fight. It lasted for several months. Thereafter the cabaret situation in- truded itself into the political situation. It was a factor in the unseating of Oscar De Priest, colored alderman. It became an issue in the trial of Charles Healey, former chief of police. The aldermen passed ordinances as regular- ly as they met, and the ordinances died just as periodically. The expected climax of the long and colorful fight came last week, when the aldermen, upon the alleged insti- gation of the state council of defense, passed an ordinance which would not only kill the cabaret, but would kill dancing and any form of vocal enter- tainment wherever liquor was sold. A panic resulted. There were only two "nays" in the city council vote against the cabaret, and the situation seemed hopeless. A thousand actors employed in cabarets, and about 600 musicians were threatened with unem- ployment. A dozen booking agents who supplied the cabarets with talent faced extinction. Invested capital seemed to be wiped out in a month. The only ray of hope, and that none too bright, was that the mayor would veto the ordinance. Even that wouldn't save the cabarets if the alder- men stood pat. Then a statement came from Samuel Insull, chairman of the State Council of Defense, in which Mr. Insull denied that he had been behind the ordinance. He declared that the council was inter- ested mainly in eliminating the prac- tice of issuing special bar licenses for dances. Whereupon the aldermen who voted to kill the cabarets had a revulsion of feeling. They declared it was a trick on the part of the brewers. Alderman Frank J. Link took the leadership of a move to ask the mayor to declare against the ordinance. Pending action by the mayor, ways and means were discussed to bring about an evasion of the ordinance in the event that it is passed. It was pointed out that if a cabaret is run next door to a saloon and there is a connecting door between them, waiters iTiay come from the saloon bearing all .HM'n aiiil kinds of soft refreshments. If the patrons desire any "hard stuff," they ran go to the saloon and get it. P>ut they mav not enter via the swing- ing door. They must go out of the cabaret into the street, out of the street into the saloon, into the saloon and up to the bar, drink, out of the saloon into the street, out of the street into the cabaret, and then on with the dance. Rather a devious system, but within the realms of praci icabilit v. Another plan Muru'^ted by an v-xpert was tlic introduction nf n ladv band- — instrumental music Iwina not barred, althmu-h an additional $.}()() license fee would !>e required. "When the furor dies down," sug- gested this individual, "the lady band would begin to dress up. After a while they could begin to parade around in- stead of sitting down. Then they could put on tights. Then they could begin to dance around. After a while they could hum an accompaniment. After another while—vive la cabaret 1" Morris Silver is the most prominent of the agents booking cabarets. He furnishes the shows for the North American, Woodlawn. Congress, Ter- race Gardens, Moulin Rouge and Grand Pacific. Silver didn't seem to be wor- ried about the situation, even before the denial issued by Insull. The other agents who book cabarets are Tom Woodburn, Ted Snow, Izzie Ullman, Doll & Suranyi. Harvey Mack, Benson Agency and John Baxter. Ed- gar Dudley books the Winter Garden. They all admitted the passing of the ordinance would seriously affect their business, but they all seemed confident that the new law would die as it has died before. Cabaret is to be or not to be is the question agitating two-score and more owners of the alleged joy-producing establishments ranging all the way from palatial beach-front edifices at Atlantic City to the ordinary jazz- pounders of the back town. Some two years ago Harry Bacharach was elected mayor by an overwhelming plurality. He has been pronounced the best all-around mayor that Atlantic City ever had. As Atlantic City cares for over ten million visitors annually,' the government of this municipality is far removed from a cynosure. So diplomatically has Mayor Bacharach handled*the many intricate problems of the resort that his recent mtroduc- :ion of an ordinance to abolish cabarets was thfc cause of amazement, not to say consternation, to the men active in this field. The bill has had its second reading and will undoubtedly be passed, as it is favored by a majority of the commission, and that Mayor Bacharach remains firm in his inten- tion to press the anti-cabaret measure to passage in the city commission is clearly indicated in the following statement made by him to Variety's representative last night: "It is my positive opinion Atlantic City will be much benefited by the discontinuance of the cabarets in any form. We have at the shore scores of clean, high-class amusements, sufficient to please the most fastidious of our Sam Stamp, who left Hunter Island Inn to join the Canadian forces, is at- tached to the 1st Depot Battalion (Co. C) at Exhibition Camp, Toronto. He left last week. The night before his departure a private party was tendered the recruit by Arthur McLean and the attaches of the Inn. Before the party broke up Sam had everything a sol- dier needed for his kit, besides a wal- let containing $200 presented him by Mr. McLean, who informed Sam that there was $1,000 deposited to his credit in a trust company in New York 1 and his salary would continue to be placed to his credit while away. Mr. Stemp, at Hunter Island Inn since Mr. Mc- Lean assumed command there, was known as one of the best floor men anywhere around New York. The battle between Flo Ziegfeld and Morris (iest which started with the controversy over the right to use the name of "Cocoanut Grove" for the re- spective roof shows of the Amsterdam and the Century, provoked a humorous incident last Friday, but several per- •-nns at the Century were quite "steam- ed up" about it. On that day Mr. Gest's office hoy announced 'hat he was quit- ting at three o'clock and was going to work for Mr. Ziegfeld, the youth saying his "contract" with Ziegfeld had started Thursday and that he was to get $4 a week more. This led to a con- jecture as to how many "secrets" the boy had divulged to the "opposition," and whether he had been "planted" on the Century roof. The boy had been with Mr. Gest for about three weeks. The wife of a well known theatrical manager visited a prominent restaurant a few nights ago and checked her $11,- 000 fur coat. When she was ready to leave she was handed another and in- ferior garment. As her visit to the restaurant accompanied by a gentleman other than her husband might be mis- construed if the matter became public, the aid of the district attorney's of- fice was invoked and the stolen prop- erty recovered without the matter get- ting into the daily papers. The Restaurateurs gave their annual dinner Monday night at the Hotel Bilt- more with about 750 attending. John McL. Bowman, manager of the hotel, was among those* present and when making an address reproached those members who ordered bread and but- ter. At the Friars' dinner to Al Jolson at the Hotel Astor Sunday night, at- tended by 500 diners, Col. Dennis, in a speech, chided the Friars for giving a "banquet" when so many were starving on the other side. The Moulin Rouge is holding a cos- tume ball tonight (Friday) at Webster Hall. A paragraph in the announce- ment reads: "The artistry of Green- wich Village and scintillating Broad- way have united for this memorable occasion." A combination like that should be worth going to see, for there seems to be much rivalry up to date between the "artistry" of downtown and uptown. So far it's about 50-50. Proving that the state going dry .didn't have a death blow effect on Cabarets, Gianetti's, Seattle, is putting on a revue and paying the transporta- tion of the principals from San Fran- cisco. The present show, opening this week, is headed by Madge Thomas and Mile. Stelle. Josie Palmer, for many years hostess in several of the large theatrical clubs in New York, has opened a Bohemia restaurant and cafe at 207 West 48th Ftreet, and christened it the Little Green Room. Boiled dinners at $1.00 a head are served at the Green Room. Mayor Buck of Buffalo has prohib- ited singing in restaurants and cafes. One hundred and forty-five music li- censes affecting these places were modified to read instrumental music only. Mayor Buck stopped dancing in places where liquor is sold shortly af- ter he went into office Jan. 1. The principals of the new Woods re- vue at Levey's, Los Angeles, are Bobby Tremaine, Harry Cleaveland, Blanche Trelease, Jack Holden, Vera Lizette, Helene Asselena, Marjorie Howard, Ann Howard. Eight girls are being used. At a meeting of the Chicago,Board of Aldermen last week an ordinance was passed prohibiting dancing where liquor is sold, allowing only orches- tral music, for which a $300 license is necessary. The new law goes into effect May 1. Lillian Lorraine will not open on the Century Roof with the new show until "Odds and Ends" closes its season in two or three weeks. Miss Lorraine has been with the Jack Norworth pro- duction since it started. The new show at Amron's Res- taurant (Strand Building) was pro- duced by Billy Sharp. It starts Sat- prdav. INTERNATIONAL'S LATEST. The International Circuit has set apart Mondays and Thursdays for the announcement of new schemes to con- tinue the circuit. This week the Monday proposition was to book ten houses in conjunction with the New York "subway circuit." Gus Hill, who acted as spokesman for the circuit, said the plan was to take the shows off the metropolitan theatre circuit, booked by Klaw & Er- langer, and play them in a series of selected towns such as Grand, Toronto; Orpheum, Montreal; Walnut, Philadel- phia; Lyceum, Detroit; Lyceum, Pitts- burgh ; Prospect, Cleveland, filling in between jumps with three-night stands such as Hamilton and London, On- tario, and Peoria, 111. Hill sticks to it that the circuit is not through. KELLY ADDRESSES ROTARY CLUB. Toledo, April 3. Lew Kelly of "The Behman Show" addressed the local Rotary Club last Friday. He is the first artist in bur- lesque here to be favored with an, invitation. Business at the Empire, where the Kelly show appeared, jumped $500 on the week. CARTER CO. IN SEATTLE. Seattle, April 3. The Monte Carter Musical Comedy Co. reopens the Gaiety here Monday next as the Oak. Caiter has been playing for three monfhs at the Oak, Tacoma. His com- pany closes there Saturday. SUMMER STOCKS. Charles Taylor is dickering for the summer lease of the Broadway, Cam- den, for the purpose of putting a stock organization in the house for the sum- mer months. Hal Lane is to produce the shows. BURLESQUE CHANGES. Jack (Mickey) McCabe rejoined the Sam Sidman show at the Empire, Brooklyn, this week. Caroline Warner, soubret of "The Military Maids," was taken ill while playing the Olympic, New York, last week. Her place was filled by Vipnie Phillips. La Belle Helene-Relyea, the dancer, has left for her home in Fredericktoh, N. B., Canada, Tuesday, owing to the serious illness of her sister. Arthur Mayer will be featured with "Cheer Up America" next season. ATLANTIC GARDEN STOCK. C. W. Morganstern will open stock burlesque at the Atlantic Gardens Monday. Its cast has Jack Hubb, Matt Kennedy, Bernie Clark, Kathryn Swayne, Ida Bernard, Mae Leavitt, Lillian Neil. The organization will be under the direction of Ben Bernard, who will also produce the shows. SPECIAL MEETING SUNDAY. Sunday afternoon at four o'clolk in the rooms of the Burlesaue Club, a special meeting will be called to order by President Henry Jacobs, for the purpose of talking over the organizing of the All-Star company that is to make a week's tour at the close of the present season. "SIGHTSEERS" JUMP MERIDIAN. James Bluch Cooper's "Sightseers" show will be the first of the Columbia wheel attractions to skip the Meridian, Conn., three days. The company will lay off in New York instead. Jot. Drum is a pa in in charge of the publicity at Healy's after an absence of several months. Wm. D. Waldron, formerly manager cf Proctor's Palace, Yonkers, N. Y., and present manager of the U. S. thea- tre. Hobokcn, will open the Warbur- ton. Yonkers. April 15, and stage a weekly vaudeville and picture show there. The house will be known as Waldron's theatre.