Variety (May 1918)

VAUDEVILLE DRAFT AGE PROFESSIONALS CAN'T CROSS CANADIAN BORDER War Department Notifies V. M. P. A. All American Citizens of Draft Age Must Have Permit from Draft Board to Go Into Canada. Managers 9 Association Arranges to Aid Members of N. V. A. Booked in Canada Houses. The latest and what is probably the most drastic order issued by the United States government affecting theatricals came through this week when the War Department notified the Vaudeville Managers' Protective Association that all American citizens of draft age (21 to 31 years of age) would be denied en- try into Canada unless possessed of a permit from their Draft Board author- izing such travel. This will prohibit the entry of actors falling within the draft age regula- tions playing Canadian time unless they have arranged for the permit. Through the V. M. P. A. such a per- mit may be obtained, but the appli- cant to that association in order to re- ceive such co-operation will have to be a registered National Vaudeville Artist. The order was issued Wednesday morning at 10 o'clock. At noon on the same day Pat Casey, general man- ager of the V. M. P. A. had made con- nections with all the members of his organization to protect acts booked for Canadian time. As far as is known the order has not affected the Canadian bills to any ex- tent, although with the split-week pol- icy working in many of the Canadian towns there is a possibility that acts in travel during Wednesday and Thurs- day will be held up since the govern- ment order takes immediate effect. Acts booked from Chicago and west- ern booking centres, headed for Can- ada and the northwest will probably be apprehended with no chance for the V. M. P. A. to give them assistance. The condition may right itself within a week with the process now being ap- plied by the co-operative working ot both the N. V. A. and V. M. P. A. SUMMER OPENINGS. The Brighton theatre at Brighton, Beach, Coney Island, will open May 27, me week later than usual. It will again be booked by Johnny Collins in the United Booking Offices. Mr. Collins will also book Ramona Park at Grand Rapids, Mich., which opens May 26 with the first program playing eight days. Thereafter the openings will he on Mondays. . The Hippodrome, Cleveland; Davis, Pittsburgh, and Proctor houses at Troy, Albany, Schenectady, Syracuse and Yonkers will attempt to run all summer dependent upon the weather and business. The Sheridan Square, Pittsburgh, and Majestic, Johnstown, Pa., will also try for an all summer season. The Bijou, Bayonne, N. J., will try- to remain open over the summer. BAD BAGGAGE POINT. Erie, Pa.. May 8. Artists playing here should watch their baggage, particularly when sched- uled to play Montreal. Several pieces have been side-tracked on that route, never making the destination. Artists should see their baggage is on the same train they leave with mak- ing this particular jump. ham for next season when he will be master of his own turn. Mr. Snyder wants to return to vaudeville with his comedy cycle act and has engaged another in Landolf's place. The separ- ation was mutually agreed upon. "Bluch" owes his Hippodrome en- gagement and success to Mrs. Dilling- ham's judgment. Mr. and Mrs. Dil- lingham saw the Snyder act at the Columbia, New York, when the Jack Singer show played there. Mrs. D. de- cided Bluch was a very funny fel- low. She conveyed to her husband that if she did not agree with that opinion by testing it through a Hip engagement for the panlomimist, her views on his showmanship might be guessed at. To preserve the family respect, Mr. Dillingham forthwith booked Bluch, who has been at the Hippodrome since. PHOTO FINE. P. Alonzo has placed before S. Z. Poli a plan for enforcing the prompt delivery of acts' photographs when contracts are issued by the Poli Cir- cuit to turns. Alonzo (no one has ever found out what the P stands for) books the Poli Circuit, has been booking it for years. Photos have grown to be a bugbear with him. He says he knows the pic- tures are in the trunks, but the artists either won't send them or "forgets." Alonzo's plan is to fine every act $5 when it neglects to forward the pho- tographs in proper time. As the Poli Circuit embracing many houses playing split weeks, Alonzo is of the opinion if the acts don't come across with their pictures, the Poli Circuit is go- ing to roll up a large surplus "Fine" account. Of this amount so received, Alonzo intends devoting one-half of it to the Red Cross. Where the other half is to go has not been decided. The Alonzo plus P is only awaiting word from the head of the circuit to gleefully sej his typists at work in- forming Poli house managers the fining season is on. SUNDAY UNDERSTANDING. Through an understanding lately ar- rived at, the theatres in New York City giving Sunday vaudeville pcr- pormances will not play on the Sab- bath, acrobats, hardshoe dancers or blackface turns. BLUCH LANDOLF ALONE. Bluch Landolf, now of the Bud Sny- der Trio at the Hippodrome, has sign- ed a contract with Charles Dilling- Carut-Comer Separation Report. Milwaukee, May 8. Emma Carus and Larry Comer, here this week, will ."split" as a team after this season. Miss Carus cither work- ing single again or joining a musical comedy. Local 35's Election. The annual election of officers of Local 35, I. A. T. S. E. & M. P. M. O. of U. S. and Canada, took place on May 5th. The offices of president, vice- president, secretary-treasurer, record- ing secretary, business agent and scr- geant-at-arms retain the same incum- bents. The only contestants were for delegate to mid-summer session of the I. A. Executive Board, with .the follow- ing result: H. Dignam, 61 votes; G. Durkin, 60; H. Williams. 54; John F. Stephens, 27; Luke Sothcrn, 19. HOUSES CLOSING. Keith's, Cincinnati, May 19, with pop vaudeville startinr May 20. The same dates and policy for Keith's, Indian- apolis. Also Keith's, Dayton. The Empress, Grand Rapids, closes its regular vaudeville season May 19. The Hippodrome, Youngstown, O., closes with vaudeville June 2. It may try musical tabloids over the summer, commencing June 3. The Colonial, Erie, Pa., closes for the season May 25. The Hip, McKeesport, Pa., has closed. The Princess, Montreal, closes its big time vaudeville season May 18. The Francais, Montreal, and Do- minion, Ottawa, playing a vaudeville split week, close for the season Sat- urday. The Colonial, Akron, O., closes June 1. The Colonial and Alhambra, New York, close May 19. The Majestic at Cedar Rapids, la., and the Majestic at Dubuque, la., have closed. The Majestic at Bloomington, 111., opened last week with Wolfolk Stock Co. The Regent at Muskegon, Mich., and the Jeffries-Strand at Sag- inaw, Mich., have gone into pictures. The Orpheum at Jackson, Mich., and the Majestic at Kalamazoo, Mich., have stock. SONG LIFTING ALLEGATIONS. Joe Howard, who arrived from the west several weeks ago, has set forth a claim that "Bagdad," a number in "Sin- bad" at the Winter Garden, is ground- ed on a number he is credited with writing called "Cairo," used in "The Flirting Princess," produced in Chi- cago in 1909. "Cairo" was published by Charles K. Harris, who is interest- ed in Howard's claim, which has been made to G. Shrimer & Co., the publish- ers of "Sinbad" music, but which is only in the correspondence stage at present. Howard alleges there are 16 consecutive bars of his composition used in the Garden show number. It is understood Louis Hirsh, who wrote the score of "Going Up," also claims infringement on another "Sin- bad" number called "Kaz-Ma-Taz," which Hirsh says was taken from his "Tickle Toe." Arthur Hammcrstcin is reputed awaiting the outcome of Hirsh's claim. That producer believes "Tickle Toe" is but a slight change from "Boola Boo" in "You're in Love," with the tempo changed from a fox trot. Al Jolson is credited with having composed five of the hi. numbers in "Sinbad." Three he did alone, but he declared Sigmund Romberg in on them and their names jointly appear on al- most all the numbers, including the contested "Bagdad." LOEW GIVING BLANKETS. The Marcus Locw booking agency is issuing blanket contracts for next sea- son. Jake Lubin who books the east- If * 1, .. I ~s ^ . . . 4. .v^ f\ . .. n n I i i • . HJll Ul Ult l^yj\. »v imiiL, ■.» »*-•■• ering such contracts as are decided upon by him. There is no limit to the number of acts that may be engaged. Mr. Lubin is giving 20 weeks in his Locw houses while Walter F. Keefe who booto the middle western houses and the Pantagcs Circr.it, together with the southern Locw houses handled by Moe Schcnck make a total of nearly 40 weeks. O'Ncil and Wamsley have been placed on the Locw time for 15 weeks, to start immediately, by Sam Baerwitz. It is a "blanket" contract. SHAYNE ON LOEW FLOOR. A quite definite report this week- said Kdward Shaync had been granted a booking franchise in the Locw Cir- cuit agency. Mr. Shaync has announced his office location in the same (Putnam) build- ing. He recently came east atter re- signing as one of the main booking men of the Western Vaudeville Man agers' Association in Chicago. WANT CENTRAL TICKET OFFICE. A plan is afoot, whereby the allied theatrical interests of New York and the cast, which includes all the big theatrical producers of note, will pe- tition the railroad committee which is investigating conditions in New York and ascertain just what site would be the best for the establishing of a cen- tralized railroad office to deal direct with the thousands of show folk who must use the railroad. A committee comprising George A. Cullen, D. L. & W.; J. A. Anderson, Pennsylvania; Mr. Vosburff, New York Central, and George H. Lee, Lehigh Valley, is making the arrangements for the joint office establishment and who in turn will report to Director Gen- eral of Railroads McAdoo. With the theatrical interests having one branch ofhee open for their rail- road activities the legitimate managers, producers and bookers as well as those in burlesque and vaudeville are now determined to circulate a petition ask- ing that the committee recommend the appointment to McAdoo of Wil- liam B. Lindsay (Lehigh Valley), F. J. Meyers (New York Central) and William V. Kibbee (Pennsylvania) as office attaches of the theatrical branch. DATE FOR CLARK BALL. The date for the Dave Clark ball, several times postponed through the absence from the city of Ray Goetz, who assumed the promotion of it, has now been finally set for May 16 (Thursday evening) at the Palm Gar- den on Last 58th street. The ball is a benefit for Dave Clark, the song writer, and has become an annual affair through the interest Mr. Goetz has taken in the beneficiary. Several friends of Clark, all well known in the music trades and vaude- ville, are assisting Goetz. CIRCUS HORSE KILLED. Utica, N. Y, May 8. While Bostock's "Riding School" was playing here the last half, last week, a groom in leading the two horses in the act to the stable, stopped in a saloon, first tying the horses to an ash can. While the groom was inside the horses were frightened, running away with the ash can between them. It caught on a pole, throwing both ani- mals to the ground and killing "Bet- ty," valued at $750. "Betty" is a well- known circus marc, once belonging to Tex McLeod. The act will have to lay off until another horse is broken in. WAR PLAYLET. "On the Western Front," war play- let, written by a war correspondent inspired by the Fighting 6 ( >th, "broke in" at Loew's Palace, Brooklyn, Mon- day. Featured are William Shilling, Pri- vate "Fighting" Jack Moran and Kd- ward K. Gordon. Others in the cast arc Joe Andrews and Joe Driscoll. Marl Cherry is electrician and Wm. Haish carpenter. New Members for Lynn Co. Lowell, May 8. Manager Kdniund V. Phelan, of the Auditorium, has obtained the services of Krncstine Morlcy and Frank Har- ney for the presentation of "The 13th ('hair," which will be given here next week. Mis^ Morlcy will appear in the production around New York next sea- son. Allen Takes Over Agency. Charles II. Allen, formerly of the vaudeville team of Morris and Allen, has taken over the Rufus Lemaire, Inc.. agency for tin" placing of acts in vaude- ville and productions. ('HAS. AI.THOFF work* wh»U ▼•«■ laofh.