Variety (August 1919)

/' ■ V. • '-•'"■- ■•■'■•.',.■■ ■ ■.'■;.■•. . .••,' ■. , ■■>. . .• :":;•.? . . - • - '.-; - R5 W -'■•' :■....••.'■>" "'. WHO'S WHO-AND WHY ' IN VAUDEVILLE By JOHNNIE O'CONNOR {Wynn). {To be continued as a series, with one Who's Who article weekly. Name of writer supplied upon request—this one by Johnnie O'Connor (Wynn),:L OVER THE BUMPS ZJCil ' 1 IRVING BERLIN. This egg, now numbered among the greatest of lyric and music composers in our midst or in the past, was born . somewhere in Russia in 1888. He doesn't know the exact spot because they move the map of Russia around frequently, and what's more he doesn't care a. rap, for in Russia-they wouldn't understand his melodies anyhow. And besides he can's speak Russian, but don't try any wise crack in' lingo on him for he knows them all. \ When he migrated here in his early youth, the most lucrative profession on the east side was peddling papers. "Issie" started in that racket down on - Chambers street and Broadway. He had one of those crying voices and could sell more than the other kids, so he cultivated the "pipes" holler in' 'T£xtra" until we next find him up in J'immie Kelly's gin mill crooning bal- ads. That was in the good old days ' when Kelly's was the real joint on the east side and mugs like the late "Big" • Tim and others'of Tammany fame used to fall in the dump to throw half dol- lar pieces at the cuckoos. But Irving was ambitious. When a song scored a hit he'd sneak into the * bar and try and write a parody on it. And one day Max Winslow (the great unshaven) fell into Kelly's plugging songs for Harry Von Tilzer. He recog- nized Irving's possibilities and now he's his.partner in business. He tried to procure a job at Von Tiber's for the kid,' but Harry was writing his own stuff exclusively and couldn't see any newcomer, even at the $15 weekly wage Irving was willing and anxious to break into the music racket for. Finally Irving wrote a song instead of a parody. It was called "Queenie." Al Piantadosi wrote the music and Harry Jones the "vamp." They landed $25 for the number splitting it three ways with, the vamp writer on the short end. Carl Laemelle, then in the music business, published it. It flopped. The great unshaven Max still had ,; faith in his "find," and when Irving wrote "Someone's Waiting for Me," Max peddled it to Harry Von Tilzer for $250, then considered a high price for any number. It didn't take long for Irving to work up and Max crawled up with him. They were pals then and they are pals and partners now. When Henry Watersoh sold out his > jewelry business and went in the music racket with Ed Rose and Ted Snyder, Irving Berlin and Max Winslow sneaked in with them. living's path to fame was short and sweet He banged out one hit after another and taught the music world just how much the public liked ragtime. When his "Alexander's Rag- time Band" hit the market a wallop the competitive publishers began to look around feverishly for ragtime writers. The idea of a "rag" song breaking selling records seemed pre- posterous to them before, but now a music, catalogue without a rag is a laugh, and Irving Berlin paved the way for them. Many people think "Alexander" holds the Berlin selling record. It doesn't. His best seller was "Michi- gan," also published by Waterson, Ber- lin and Snyder. And his "When I Lost You" makes most of the modern bal- lads look like the wail of an amateur. Berlin has some funny characteris- tics. He does his best work under pressure. Just recently when he knew his new firm needed a catalogue he hopped down to Atlantic City and in those three days turned out the six songs__the_nrm is now startin g with. And the same goes for the several musical shows he has provided with a score. Always under pressure. Irving is also an art lover on the quiet. He sneaks around art sales and gobbles up old art treasures as long as the ready bank-roll averts con- sumption. His home is full of old mas- terpieces in ..painting, old gems : in,, literature and curios of ancient origin. And with his youth and popularity 'Irving Berlin never passed up a friend. The so-called, "swell-head" never af- fected him. He can feel at home in a Fifth avenue mansion or ah east side tenement. And he's not a piker. When he gambles he plays the high stakes, and when he gives he goes the limit. • J-i \ Now Irving, after several years of. success.as a writer is going into the business end with his discoverer, Max Winslow, carrying with him a host of friends, the kindof friends who would crawl through hell for one they like. They've found Irving a regular, like his make-up and so does every- one else who knows him personally. A little nervous, always > on the^ go, but never forgetful. Russia has given America much in a musical way, but few Berlins. What a regular kid he is.! None more regular, no siree! WAR CORRESPONDENT LECTURING London, July 30. Lowell Thomas, the American war correspondent, will open at Covent Garden, Aug. 14, in a series of illus- trated lectures. I The tour will be under the direction of Percy Burton. Brown Secure* Release. - Chamberlain Brown managed to se- cure the release of Harry K. Morton and Zella Russell from Jacobs and Ter- mon. Morton and Miss Russell were under contract to the burlesque mana- gers for a number of years. Brown placed . the comedian with "The Greenwich Village . Follies." Early this week, the comedian stated that he was going to tender his no- tice to the Greenwich Village people and leave the show. The arrangement that Brown made with Jacobs and Jermon for Morton and Russell includes an appearance for eight weeks under the Jacobs and Jermon management after which they will be free for other productions un- der the direction of Brown. Harry Delf is to succeed Morton when the latter leaves the Greenwich show to fulfill his eight weeks with the burlesque managers. Equal Pay for Equal Work. Fifty of the gells have organized and registered a kick with the manage- ment. They also called on the Ameri- can Federation of Labor, with which their own union "Federal No. 30" claims to'be affiliated. Joseph C. Engel, stage manager for the Auditorium, says a compromise had been effected, and exhibited a contract signed with the girls. He declared the president of the chorus ?ersons union, Irving Lavitz of New r ork, had agreed to the proposition of paying the girls less than the men. Acts or Burlesque at Francau. Montreal, July 30. Harold Havia, who has the stock company at the Orpheum, will secure the lease of the Francias. Mr. Havia says unless he can secure Keith popu- lar price vaudeville to play at the Fran- cais, he will place burlesque in the house. ♦ Some grandfathers o' today weren't . born when certain female dramatic stars were already grandmothers, an still we hear th' cry that gittin' in the fillums, if you're a stage hit, is difficult unless yo' gotta pull or a Jawn. Buy in' up all the film houses in th' country and dump in' 'em in a single pool so's to be able to jack the box office take up to where the public, can't eat is business acumen, accordin' to -some screen philanthropists, sez Ike Strohsky. Ike sez deys been $200,000,- ^000 inpapermoney passed between the maggots in.th' last three mos. for. t'ee-' aters alone, but that all he kin find charged for the stories that makes th' plays that makes th' audiences is $8,- 724.35, the 35 bein' for one o' the last "smashin' big punch" per-lots. Ike sez get tin', up. at six to git to Ft. Lee at eight, to be told to kum back in January when you on'y wuz goin' to git $2.50 out o* the $3.50 the direc- tors ticket dey would give you for two .deys' -work and free nights worry, Shows even a blind guy that it's better to have your .brains in your lead pen- cil than in your alarm clock. Spuds Reilly sez you kin git all th' "Follies" tickets you want at the box office Agger's if you've gotta jane in the show that's gotta Reginald who b'longs to sum o' of the swell clubs who-on'y has to telephone from, say, the Skiltmore or any other big noise shack whose jokes summered last win- ter down where the Palm Beach pants ■ ■ grow. •; . ■■'''. Scarcity o' putty gal material for musical comedy an' burlesque choruses! The war taught a lot o' them that they could pull down $35 per as passers b" the buck, and beef-and, an' get smiled at all the time. Instead o' havin' to lis'n to th' "You blame boob, ain't you got no control over your legs?" prayers that stage producers hand out When they wheeled a tea and bon bon table down the .aisles of a certain 42d street theatre t'other night in a shot o' the press agent to show his manager he was busy, try in' to git somethin' on the front page about how certain managers wuz handlin' the de- cadence of the 'tween-the-acts because booze habit, a coke in one o' th' seats shot but his addict card. Producin' managers are askin' Con- gress to git after the one-night stand managers who won't open up their satiddy nights at 20/80 coz the 6. n. s. m.'s instead o' the p. m.'s gits th' 80, an' the 20 besides with the Aim flams, without havin' to bother about no shows. An actor in a certain show who got his salary boosted because o' the hands he got every time he kem out and got off got fired last week when his man- agers discovered a card in the program that the actor had had inserted at so much a line sayin' as how he wuz glad onct more to be back in his own home town, an' hopin' everyone in front that he hadn't writ to while he wuz away would appreciate that a sojer's life is pretty busy when the gatts are gattin'r Hearst macin' N. Y.'s managers out o\ 90c per line for ad. space in his Sunday American has got the other publishers who are on'y gettin' 50, 60 and75 wonderin' why the dif. between havin' certified circulations and just me\e smart advertisin' hypnotists, while the managers who are just mere- ly payin' the bills are wonderin', after all, with some of the shows they're runnin' if it wouldn't be just good common sense to stick their show ads' in the obit columns where the rate is on'y 40 flat even in the Am. &J. ■ ^ Who said the drama ain't pro- gressing Of 17 separate and distinct salients in the dramatic and visual sub- stance of five new plays produced in Manhattan within the past month, the local critics agreed unanimously to disagree about everythin*. ,;' What's wrong with the movies? Shakespeare probably could tell if he came back. Also, David Belasco, George BrOadhurst, George Bronson Howard, Eugene Walter, Willard Mack, and others. And, also, besides, lots of exhibs. who have to take ear- fuls f'm their audiences year in an' out. But, who's go in' to pay any at- tention to dem guys? > The savants diggin' oodles o' years for the secret o' puttin' life in dead ones kin stop worryin'. Let 'em go to the current melodramas along B'way.-In one 6' the present big hits they'll see two dead ones come to life after the first act for the curtain ap- plause, an' in one o' them, see a guy bo win' an' smirkin' in front o' the foots two years after he's been in- terred. McPherson & Wads worth, who started out last week on a gran' vodvill tour o' th' inland water towns, haz canceled the tour and iz comin* back with web feet. : m m '■" 'S58S f?M ■<r;. r '•■*■*! ANNOUNCEMENT WITHOUT NAMES. The National Burlesque Association is again exhibiting signs of coming to life and announces that they will be ready to open Sept. 1 with 25 weeks, the houses (names of theatres not given) located as follows:., Two houses in Philadelphia, two houses in Chicago, one house in each of the following cities: Boston, Montreal, Troy, Schen- ectady, Rochester, Buffalo, Cleveland, Detroit Milwaukee, St. Louis, Cincin- nati, Columbus, Pittsburgh and Balti- more. The other five weeks will be made up of one, two and three highters. John Hj/Walsh is president; Joseph Howard, vice-president; Charles E> Barton, secretary and general man- ager ; William E, Mooser, treasurer; Albert H. Ladner, Jr., counsel; John W. Ford, chairman of the executive com- mittee; which includes Edward C. Schmidheiser, Albert Bartz, William Heim and John H. Dugan. It is a Delaware corporation and In- corporated for $100,000. The circuit officials are chary about giving out for publication the names of theatres and franchise holders. It was learned from unofficial sources that several ex- American Wheel franchise holders are numbered among the National's pros- pects. ! - pi iVf. •■■' i American After Tulsa (Okla.) House. The American wheel is negotiating for a housi in Tulsa, Oklahoma, which, if secured, will be used to fill in the lay-off week heretofore sandwiched in between Kansas City and St. Louis. Providing the deal for the Tulsa house goes over, the American shows will play the stand following Kansas City, opening on Mondays and closing on Fridays^ in order to make the jump to St. Louis. ' , FROM DRAMA TO BURLESQUE. Harold Kennedy, last with the Spooner and Blaney dramatic stock at the Yorkville, New York, has signed for a comedy role with the "Girls a La Carte" attraction. t .v; <*■!*•**:-•. -. ■■■■■■■.KV- ~j'. : ' t: , ';>.. ....<:-.'•'/.':. ■