Variety (May 1918)

VAUDEVI LL E THEATRES IN NEW LOAN DRIVE GO CLOSE TO $25,000,000 MARK Allied Efforts of Theatrical Interests in Third Liberty Bond Sale Pile Up Amazing Total—New York Palace Alone Soars to $1,526,800, With the Riverside Running Close Second. Moss rind Fox Also Return Amounts. Astor Tops the Legits. Burlesque and "Small Time" Lend Great Help. The theatrical profession may well feel proud of its work for the Third Liberty Bond issue, according to the committee in charge of the Rainbow Division, which supervises the theatri- cal work in the sale of bonds, the total up to Wednesday morning reaching $20,000,000, with the prospect of $25,000,000 before the drive finishes tomorrow (Saturday). This is for Greater New York, with millions from the west, east and other sections of the country not tabulated. The Palace theatre leads the New York vaudeville list with a total sub- scription of $1,526,800, and the River- side runs a close second with a credit of $1,519,100. These two theatres, with the loan subscription and speakers supervised by Manager Elmer Rogers (resident manager of the Palace) have made a mark that surpasses any figure made in previous Liberty Bond issues by any five theatres in the country. Of the legitimate theatres, the Astor leads with a total subscription of $1,200,000, of which $600,000 was taken by Jesse Livermore, the banker. The Lyceum runs second with a total of $462,000, with the Liberty third with $420,000. The Moss Circuit and Fox Circuit made a great showing, both returning their subscriptions for the circuit in- tact. The Moss string showed a return of $420,000, and the Fox lineup turned in $825,000. The finals for the entire division will be made next Monday and the results of all theatres throughout the country will be announced next week. Keith's, Philadelphia, up to Monday night, had reached $1,350,000, getting the high mark for one evening in the vaudeville houses through selling $408,- 000 April 25. The amount shoved the house over the million mark. It is expected Keith's, Washington, will lead all other houses. It was over $2,000,000 last Sunday and expected to reach $3,000,000 by the end of the Drive Saturday. It has the Naval Jazz Band this week as an attraction. At Keith's, Philadelphia, this week an adding machine is being used upon the stage to tabulate the sales as announced. James J. Morton, who is on the bill for the week, is operating it. Proctor's, Yonkers, up to Monday, had secured $175,000, one-tenth of the entire quota for Yonkers, which is $1,750,000. The total of the Loew Circuit the- atre sales is expected to reach $2,000,- 000. They will not be reported to the Theatrical Committee until the gross amount is known. The Famous Playcrs-Lasky Corp. prepared and paid for a page adver- tisement in last Sunday's "Times" in aid of the Liberty Loan. They sent copies of it to all exhibitors urging them to post it in their theatres, thus making a nation-wide appeal to all patrons of picture theatres. The Mu*ic Publishers' Protective As- sociation inserted at its own expense Liberty Loan page advertisements in last Sunday's "Times" and "Herald." At the Fifth Avenue theatre last Fri- day night, when the bond selling was going along very slowly, a mat* after- ward identified as Capt. Robert J. Fos- ter, head of a detective agency at 286 Fifth avenue, boomed the sale along by offering to pay $100 on each $1,000 pur- chase of bonds made by the audience. Thirty-one subscriptions for $1,000 each followed. Capt. Foster an- nounced he would make the last pay- ment of $100 on each, telling Manager Bill Quaid of the 5th Avenue he as willingly gave the $3,100 in this way as to invest it personally in the bonds. The Fifth Avenue that evening sold $54,000 worth. The Stage Women's War Relief had $900,000 to its credit for Liberty Loan sales at the end of the third week (April 27). Friday last the first tour of the traveling theatre promoted by the Relief started through the cloak and suit district. It carried Barney Bernard, Alex. Carr and Clara Joel. Each day a different complement of players appeared in it and the travel- ing theatre accounted for about $12,000 daily. It was a companion idea to the Relief's Toy theatre at the Public Li brary. The two "theatres" are con- tinuing their Liberty Loan efforts to the end of the campaign. The Palace had the French detach- ment of "Blue Devils"—a troop of Al- pine chasseurs who are now here on "assigned leave" to help the third Liberty Loan—as its guests Wednes- day night. The French soldiers in fuK regalia marched to the theatre—105 strong—and occupied seats in a body. The foreign fighters helped boom the Palace's Loan collection that night. AGENCY FIRM SPLITS. An amicable separation occurred this week of the agency firm of Fallow & North, formed within the past month. Each of the partners—Myer North and Sam Fallow—have taken individual, offices in the Putnam Building. Managers Flock in Tuesday. It just happened, but Tuesday was a big managerial day at the Palace thea- tre building. It is the day when most of the managers of houses booked through that agency congregate there. This Tuesday it seemed all were in the building at the same time, making the United Booking offices look like a con- vention of vaudeville men. Rats Hearing Today. The Rats investigation hearing scheduled for Friday last was again held up at the last minute. The reason for postponement was that Liberty Day fell on Friday. The hearings are expected to be resumed today. CHI'S V. M. P. A. MEETING. Chicago, May 1. The Vaudeville Managers' Protec- tive Association held a meeting here last week, addressed by Pat Casey. He told the booking managers and agents present that when the names of acts were written in the book that closed the contract for the managers. Mr. Casey declared while speaking on contracts that booking men of the organization when entering a turn accepted that turn, and said this was a final ruling by the V. M. P. A. It is in line with a previous announce- ment. Mr. Casey warned the agents when going to New York not to make brilliant promises to eastern acts con- cerning big routes that may be secured for them by the western agent and then disappoint the acts when they come to Chicago. This warning is said to have been indirectly aimed at a certain vaudeville circuit which books in Chicago, but its name was not disclosed. While here Mr. Casey cleaned up many disputed points which arose in the middlewest between artists, man- agers and agents. Among them were all unsettled claims remaining against managers and made by acts as a result of the recent Garfield period, when all V. M. P. A. managements were or- dered to pay acts for their full time, regardless of the day out each week while the theatres were cl#ed. But one western theatre disregarded this order, and it is said that the house in question is not now a member of the managers' association. RAILROAD MEN CHANGING. m - WROTE FIVE WAR PLAYLETS. Broadway. As the result of an order issued by Director General of Railroads McAdoo all of the western lines having branch offices in New York closed up their local quarters, forcing the hundreds of office attaches out of work. May 1 the office closing became ef- fective, with further developments ex- pected to close up numerous other branch offices, -with Mr. McAdoo pro- viding for centralized city branches representing the eastern lines. Just where the proposed theatrical branch will be located is not known, but the Times square district is ex- pected to get it. Show circles are hopeful that such well known theatri- cal railroad agents like Bill Lindsay, William Kibbe, Dan Wooton, Frank Myer, Bob Greene and others will be stationed there. No word has been officially received at the Pennsylvania, Lehigh Valley, Grand Central, Baltimore & Ohio, Grand Trunk, Lackawanna offices Wednesday from Washington as to their final closing and amalgamation under the new quartette of local office branch plan. Meanwhile Lindsay of the Lehigh," Kibbe of the Pennsylvania, Frank P. Dwyer of the Grand Trunk, Frank Meyer of the Grand Central are still on the job, but not knowing what minute their railroad connections may change. Of the men now still at it the oldest agents are Lindsay and Kibbe (Woot- on also being one of the vets) and their connections in handling the movements of burlesque, vaudeville and legitimate troupes are very well known alot 12 Lucie Le Coste, a French woman who is a poetess and novelist, is writ- ing a group of five playlets which are her first playwriting effort. Each playlet deals with a certain phase of the war, somewhat along the lines of treatment in the propaganda show, "Getting Together." Two of her sketches are already ap- pearing in vaudeville. One is "Soldier of France," which has a French angle, and the other is "Shadows," in which Miss Le Coste appears this week at the Fifth Ave., and which ideals with the German spy menace In America. The other three playlets are as yet unnamed. ANIMAL TRANSPORTED ON TRUCK. What appears to be the first attempt to sidestep any probable delay that may result from the inability to ob- tain a baggage car movement on the road, owing to troop priority to the cars and tracks, was made this week by A. Anderson, owner of the elephant, "Little Hip," when a route for the animal was O. K.'d by his booker, Jack Shea. Twenty weeks west have been booked, with the elephant to be trans- ported in an auto truck especially built. After the animal reaches Olean, it will continue to Cleveland by boat, also making the Detroit and Chicago con- nections by water. The jump from here to Newburgh, thence to Albany, Gloversville, Utica, Syracuse, Roches- ter, Buffalo and Olean will be made by motor. While a baggage car might be ob- tained for a part of the journey, no assurance could be obtained that the entire route could be carried out by a rail movement. MAJESTIC THEATRE OFFICE MOVES ah • L * Chicago, May 1. All ninth floor agencies in the Ma- jestic theatre building, excepting Beeh- ler & Jacobs, have moved to the Inter- state offices on the tenth floor. The agents going up are Harry W. Spin- gold, Earl & Yates, Edgar Dudlev, Helen Murphy. Variety's Chicago office in the same building has moved from the ninth to the 11th floor, occupying the former reception rooms of the Western Vaude- ville Managers' Association. The lat- ter institution will remain in the Majestic building until the new State- lake theatre is completed. The owners of the Majestic building, anticipating an exodus of the theatrical fraternity when the new Statelake is finished, demanded renewal of leases for five years be taken if tenants re- mained over the expiration of present leases, which called for a general removal into space held by the Asso- ciation. U. B. O. Booking Youngitown Park. Ynungstown, O., May 1. The United Rooking Offices will place vaudeville at the local park this sum- mer, it i«* reported. NEW PRODUCING FIRM. Robert Law, the scenic artist, and Ed. Hutchinson, stage director, have combined to produce acts for vaude- ville. Their first venture will be a big scenic production, entitled "They're Off," with a cast of eight and a jazz band of five. Among those engaged are Florie, Pearl Frank, Veronica. Hutchinson is staging it. Arthur Klein will handle the bookings. "WATCH fNC DELMAR. Jule Delmar has a gold watch. An inscription on the inner front cover says it was presented to him in ap- preciation of services rendered the past season. Mr. Delmar books southern theatres with vaudeville through the United Booking Offices. Two of the managers of those houses presented the time- piece. They were E. J. Sparks, of the Harris, Spartanburg, and E. T. Mont- gomery, of the Arcade, Jacksonville. Mr. Delmar in all books 24 theatres in the south. The latest report from New Rochelle, where he lives, is that the grass around the house is crying for a lawn mower, while it's a notorious fact in the vil- lage his front fence hasn't been painted for two years. Mr. Delmar forced a Masonic pledge that his wants should not be itemized, although he could not deny that up to date he had ne- glected to furnish himself with a straw hat and that he is still wearing last season's gloves. Mr. Delmar refuses to tell what became of that faded raincoat nor will he admit he has ever worn a high silk hat.