Variety (May 1919)

;.:;.;«■; ^pftii|*i ■ongNUj --g- LEGIT I MAT ^ ■■;;.: •:_.,■ -.' -■■*■. ;:••; ■■'■■ :,-;.'■";■ /.-I ACTORS'EQUITY ANNUAL MEET M0NDAY,MAY26,AT THE ASTOR Annual Meeting of Actors' Equity Association Reported Fraught With Important Moves For Members. Possible Labor Affiliation Rumored. Election of Officers Taking Place: ■.. •^'/ ►■& '&.;: .Much interest is being manifested along Broadway in the annual meeting . of the Actors' Equity Association, for -members only, to be held at the Hotel 'Astor, Monday next, May 26, starting at 2 p.m. ' Reports of important matters to be brought up have led to rumors, the meeting will be fraught with steps that greatly concern the members of the organization. One of these rumors is to the effect the matter of the A. E. A. aligning itself with the American Federation of Labor is to be placed be- t fore the membership. In connection it is said that the A. E. A. if becoming affiliated with the A. F. of L. will have to be content with what is known : as a federal charter, through some technical prevention against the A. F. of L. revoking the international char- ter granted some years ago to the White Rats. What remains of the White Rats (pronounced insolvent this week by a Supreme Court referee) has hung grimly to the charter. Another rumor. is that the A. E. A., possibly through intimation, has withheld action in this particular in the expectation that the Rats' charter would have to be rescinded or given up, in which event the A. E. A. would be the inter- national theatrical body of the large Federation. It is likewise reported the A. E. A., -through its direct affiliation with the Actor's Association of England, which is of the union trades of that country, could nicely hold itself as an allied labor society over here under a federal charter, for the time being. The A. E. A. has come along at a very fast clip since organizing. It fixed up- on a policy to aid its members and has maintained that policy, establishing it- self quickly as a business organization that did things and got results. It is officered and directed by men and women of standing in the playing pro- fession. They have given their per- sonal time and attention to the so- ciety's affairs, without seeking nor ex- pecting ' individual credit/ The team work of the Executive Council of the A. E. A. makes a remarkable record in the annals of any actors' organiza- tion over here. The ballot for the election of officers to serve one year, to be elected at the general meeting Monday, is as follows: President, Francis Wilson; vice-pres- ident, Bruce McRae; corresponding- secretary and recording secretary, Grant Stewart; treasurer, Richard A. Purdy. Council to serve three years: George . Arliss, • Barney Bernard, Harry C. Browne, Eddie Cantor, Ernest Glendin- ning, O. P. Heggie, Mrs. Shelley Hull, Walter Jones, Edwin Mordant, Zelda Sears, Norman Trevor, Tom Wise. To hold office until the Annual Meet- ing 1920: Ada Meade (vice Mrs. Thomas Whiffen, now on Advisory Board); Echlin P. Gayer (vice Charles Colburn, retired). To hold office until the Annual Meet- ing 1921: ■Donald Brian (vice Shelley Hull, deceased); William Danforth (vice William Sampson, resigned). The regular ticket as published above was reported by the Nominating Com- mittee, composed of John Cope, chair- man; Will Deming, Winfred Harris, Olive May, William Norton, Florence Reed, Elizabeth Risdon, Ernest Jor rence, Ernest Truex, Negotiations between the new Pro- ducing Managers' Association and the Actors' Equity Association in the matter of a long-term agreement of the adoption of contracts struck a snag Monday at a joint meeting in the Claridge. The managerial faction refused to accept in toto the A. E. A. clause call- ing for a week to consist of eight per- formances, The managers, anticipat- ing the coming of Sunday amusements in New York, hold that nine perform- ances be considered a week like in western territory and in Washington, D. C. , Early in the week indications were that all relations would end, the man- agers insisting that nine performances .be inserted. FRENCH LEGITS UNIONIZING. Paris, May 8. The legitimate actors have decided to form their syndicate, in addition to the Actors' Association, and to adhere to the Federation de Spectacle, which is affiliated with the Confederation Generate de Travail. They thus become aworkers' union, under the provisions of the law, and can present their griev- ances through the great labor organi- zation in France. Several of the actors' claims have al- ready been acknowledged by managers, principally a minimum salary oil $2 per show for any employment what- soever, and a minimum of $2 for each rehearsal, with a guarantee when en- gaged for the run of a piece; non- dismissal when absent for illness (as is at present the custom after three days); and better dressing rooms. On the other hand the limelight men and other stage employees have for- mulated their claims and managers have till September \to clear their houses of non-unionists. The new scale of wage is to be 20 frs. per day of eight hours, for what ever kind of labor performed in the theatre, only regular Workers to be taken on according to their trade and who are not supposed to undertake any other job outside the theatre. The musicians, for the moment, re- main quiet, there being so many out of employment, and their syndicate even authorizes them to play without extra money till 11.15 p. m. (instead of 11, as hitherto during the war). But as the electrician will now earn more than the musician who does only one show a day, it is probable the' latter will later make additional claims on the managers, as soon as circumstances permit. They can exact a quarter of an hour's pay if the performance ter- minated more than five minutes after 11.15 p. m. The municipal authorities tacitly agree a general rise is necessary, hav- ing themselves come down on the man- agers for an increase in the allowance made uniformed men who attend the shows, as required by the regulations. The ordinary policeman doing duty in and outside the establishment is to be paid 8 frs. instead of Frs. 3, and the Republican Guard 8 .frs. instead of Fr. 1.50. But the police claim each man now costs the rate payers 25 frs. per day. The charge for the municipal firemen, of which a contingent accord- ing to size of house is compulsory and payable by the management, is to be more than doubled. UNIFYING BAGGAGE CAR RATES. The U. S. Railroad Administration notified the United Managers? Protec- tive Association on Saturday that an order will be issued during the current week unifying "baggage car rates throughout the country. Heretofore in the New England section it has been necessary for traveling companies to purchase 50 tickets in prder to secure^ a baggage car. *• , '■ The order forthcoming will reduce the New England rate to 25 tickets. Under the rules now in effect the mile- age rate paid by companies carrying less than twenty-five, people and travel- ing from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Coast is thirty seven and a half cents a mile for each baggage car fur- nished. This rate will be reduced to twenty-five cents a mile when the or- der become effective. The decision to unify baggage car rates and lower the mileage charges in the western section was arrived at dur- ing a conference held in Chicago last week between representatives of the R. R. Administration and the Passenger ' Traffic Committee. When the order is officially issued it will contain several minor reductions as regards service on the company cars, etc. The present arrangement whereby companies of 25 or more are furnished with one free baggage car will remain in effect as heretofore. The twenty- five cents a mile charge for baggage cars applies to companies of less .than 25. If a company contains but 10 peo- ple, however, 25 tickets can be pur- chased and a baggage car secured as ' under the present rules. When a car is .furnished with 25 tickets the twenty- five cent mileage is waived. The R. R. Administration is now . working on a simplified tariff schedule which will set forth all of the old and new rules so that they can be readily understood by anyone. The publica- tion wilLcontain one section especiaK ly devoted to the rules covering the- atrical travel. GIRL WINS ENGAGEMENT. Boston, May 21. Myrtle Allen Clark, of Alliston, a student at the Girl's Latin School, won the contest for a place at $50 per week with the musical comedy extravaganza "Among the Girls," which closed here Saturday. Miss Clark, who is 18 years of age, had never.danced or sung outside her home, until she entered the competi- tion^- There were 575 contestants. The eight nearest competitors to Miss Clark are also to be given places in the company.. The judges were Fred Wright, man- ager of the Park Square; Inez Fox, ex- pert on dancing; Don 'Ramsey, of Waterson, Berlin & Snyder; Joseph Di Pesa, press agent of the theatre, and Paul Rumble, dramatic editor of the Boston Traveler. Miss Clark will make her debut at the Park Square May 26. WINNIGER WALKS OUT. Charles Winninger replaced Sam Bernard, (who left for Mt. Clemens) in "Friendly Enemies" at the Hudson last Saturday. Monday evening he went to the theatre, did not see his name \on the signs in front, and re- fused to go on. Al Shean is now play- ing the part. The show, contrary to all reports, will remain at the Hudson until Aug. 30. It played to $9,400 last week. DOYLE AND DIXON FOR PARIS. Albert de Courville has signed Doyle and Dixon and Midgie Miller for the Champs Elysees show in Paris. This is the production that is to be staged by Julian Mitchell. The team of dancers and the soubret expect to sail within the next fortnight. PASSINQ "PRETTY SOFT" BUCK. J "How long is "Pretty Soft' going to last?" I That question has heen going the -I rounds of Broadway ever since the : ; .piece was presented by the Empire -;; Producing Co. at the Morosco Thurs- i day night last week. AH of the New, i York critics assumed the attitude of calling the play "stupid" instead of J "dirty/* and thereby killed pretty much . all of -the chances it might have had | from sensational advertising. .":" This, week Oliver Morosco issued a ••'., statement regarding it and passed ttie\ - "buck" to the producers, stating he was misinformed regarding the pro- . duction and theme of the play and that'he did not know it was dirty be- f fore it got into his house. This handed those on the inside along the street a laugh.' 0 Commissioner of Licenses John F. Gilchrist sent for a copy of the script • Friday after the opening, and it was delivered to him the early part of the current week. As yet there has been no action on the part of the commis- sioner. The police also took a hand in the matter and several detectives were at a number of the v perform- ances, but the police have also failed to do anything up to the present. The attitude the daily papers took regarding the piece was most marked by the action of "The Times," which not only ignored the piece totally as far as a review was concerned, but also refused, to accept any advertising for the attraction. In reviewing the piece Louis V. De Foe of "TJhe World" shot the most dynamite. He covered the show in about two sticks. All of, it was a call . en the ministry and the police to sup- . press the play. KENT AND PRICE MIX. William Kent, who suddenly stepped out of "Somebody's Sweetheart'/ sev- eral weeks ago, debuted again in .the Central Friday night of last week. But this time it was after the perform- • ance was over. 'Kent was looking for "action, peeved that Joe Keno had been selected to fill his role, which was temporarily handled by Alonzo Price, one of the show's authors. To Price's dressing room meandered Kent. Shortly afterward, with a slightly bruised forehead, he was pro- jected into the 47th street alleyway where he proceeded to yell "help," also "murder" and "police." As Kent tells it Price hung a chair on his head, but that later he (Kent) "laid Price cold" and that he had been "training" at Long Beach for several weeks to turn the trick. The facts appear to be that when Price, in answer to a query as to whether Keno would be allowed to appear, answered that anyone selected by Arthur Hammerstein was satisfac- tory to him, Kent started to abuse Price and everything in general. Price, being disrobed, asked^thc stage door man to usher the loquacious Kent to the air, but he couldn't resist gently cuffing the talkative* comic, who fell and bumped his head on a chair. Price is a mild sort of six T footer but an^x- boxer. Kent is a featherweight. Kent, who is now under a managerial agree- ment with Max Hart to represent him in engagements, is said to have been receiving $300 weekly with the 5 Ham- merstein show, until Hart landed him, when a competing producer with Hammerstein is reported having set a salary of $600 a week on Kent. It is not know around. whether the $600 offer was made before or after Hart and Kent reached an understanding. Glendinning in "A Regular Fellow." The engagement has been entered of' Ernest Glendinning for "A Regular Fellow," by Mark Swan, to be pro- duced by Charles Emerson Cooke. Mr. Glendinning is playing in "Sleep- less Nights," that closes its season this week in Brooklyn.