Variety (January 1920)

""-■ /'■■• VAUDEVILLE • Some vaudeville agents are reported as advising their acts what popular songs they are to sing. Just why an agent should take this upon himself doesn't seem to be known to compet- ing publishing houses. The competi- tors have their suspicions, -but won t voice them through possessing no posi- tive evidence. Agents as a rule _do enough interfering with acts under their direction without attempting to dictate the songs they should sing. When publishers were paying singers several agents were under a cloud at that time through the very same thing. Now that payment is supposed to haver stopped, just where the agent comes in may be surmised if not proven. The point.of precedence for the star dressing room at the Palace, New York, arose before the Monday mati- nee. Valeska Suratt is the headliner this week. In holding over the Mos- conis retained the No. 1 dressing room> with Miss Suratt assigned'to the No.z. She made a stand, refusing to go on unless given the No. 1, claiming she was entitled to it as headlmer. Before the matter was settled, it became nec- essary to change the Suratt sketch's ph" on th? Program. The Mosconis Enalfy £ave £ M Miss.Suratt ap- peared third after intermission. She was billed to close the first partA Why argument back stage was held; At the same matinee the pianist of the Seabury production act could.notjn- duce the orchestra to play in time with him. -This was so obvious the entire house noted it. The .orchestra was short of men through illness^and this may have accounted for their bad playing, though the turn. was big enough to have had its own leader. Seabury»s dancing covered up the mu- sical shortcomings. In the lobby were \ six nice little bouquets, one each for \ the young women of the Seabury turn. 1 According to the cards, those young women are Sonia Mareena, Rose Stone, Lillian Stone, Elsie La Mont, Bernye Hope, Daisy Houe. That was about all of the rail stuff of the after- noon*, although the railbirdi were near paralyzed at some of Harry rimes r»uff. The chances were good at.the matinee Mr.-Mines would havo a re- vised turn for the evening. He was also playing at the Riverside, finishing at the T Palace at 420 with the River- side still to be made by him. The Pal- ace show was over around 520, due partly to a 17-minute intermission caused by {be Suratt-Mosconi debate. ' The matter of what agent one may be able to work for on the big time is be- fore the arbiters of those things, ac- cording to a story. A booker engaged by one agency left it to join another. After installed in the second agency, the first agency is reported to have protested against the charge, saying the booker should be in the first agency or not booking on the big time at all. Thevmatter went before the booking heads of the big time, the tale recites, and an "opinion*' is expected, if it has not been already made. If' against the second agency, it will mean one person may be obliged to continue to work'only for one agency on the big time, if it is necessary to work at all for a living in a big time booking agency, and through that mandatory or self-imposed condition, the person involved naturally must work for any salary or payment made by the agency claiming the booker's services, regardless of the booker's value or what some other agency may be willing to offer for the same ser- vices. That seems to be getting things down to brass tacks. INSIDE STUFF ON V AUDB VILLE Chicago as a vaudeville center must suffer as the result of the many-sided switches that accompanied the , re- organization of the Orpheum and'the Western Vaudeville Managers'-Associ- ation recently. The star association houses will be booked from New York as No. 2 Orpheum stands, the circuit having acquired some by absorption and undertaken to book others in con- junction. The association will con- tinue to supply such independent weeks as the Kedzie, Chatara and Hip- podrome in Chicago, Joe Erber's house iu East St Louis, and others scattered within a 200-mile radius of Chicago, as well as the Lincoln and American in Chicago and others of the Finn & Hei- man string not passed to the Orpheum books. Even in those houses which enter the Orpheum. lists acts will be "filled in" by the association, but Chi- cago will send only full bills to those mentioned and the Tour B string into the Northwest. About eight weeks will embrace the scope of its bookings. With the passing of Ackermah-Har- ris to the Loew books, and.no consid- erable expansion available in the mid- western territory, it will be unavoida- ble now to cut down the association staff. A New York representative will be appointed, which will take care of one of the principal office officials. Finn & Heiman, as controlling the majority now of the houses drawing talent from the association, will more than ever dominate the bookings, and Sam Kahl, their representative, will— although he may not be designated by a formal title in that regard—be the concentrated booking power of the floor in the State-Lake Theatre Build- ing. Marcus Heiman will in a manner replace Mort Singer, who,-while offi- cially general manager of the We$terrf Vaudeville Managers' Association, was known to be Martin Beck's right bower here and exercised a superin- tendence oved local Orpheum affairs before his departure as the G. M. of. the new Consolidated. His successor in the association, John Nash, is made business manager. Heiman will move into an office adjoining both the Or-, phem and association, and will apply himself as overseer of both, becoming the direct link between the large con- ti oiling interests elsewhere and local activities in Chicago. Leopold Friedman, general counsel tor Marcus Loew, Inc., thought he was slick until the other day. A visi- tor to one of the Loew theatres tore her fur coat on one of the seats and demanded $1,000 damages. Mr. Fried- ; man invited her to the office and offered her $15. She said she couldn't possibly settle for less than. $25, but Leo, who was in a genial frame of mind, gave her a check for $20. The visitor departed happy. "Pretty good settlement," remarked Leo to his sec- retacy, as he rubbed his hands together with complacency. "Huh," sniffed the j secretary. "The whole coat wasn't worth that much!" < ■ ' t Allan Rogers' sensational success with the Jewish chant, "Eli-Eli" at the Palace, New York, last week brought forth claims as to who first offered it in vaudeville. Bell Baker was one of the first to try the chant, though rare- ly doing it now. Grace Nelson used "Eli-Eli" for sometimes, but Mr. Rog- ers is the first tenor to sing it in vaude- ville. Surprise was expressed that Rogers had not been in opera. It is said he was with the Metropolitan a season or so ago, but inside politics prevented him getting an opportunity in a major role. NEW ACTS. Ruth Burtwick and Co., in sketch. E. T. Alexander, quick, sketch. Harry Koler (burlesque) and Irving Irwin, songs. Dixie Norton and Helen Gladdyngs, in skit ' f William and Grace Bohn, hand bal- ancing, 'i i Alf T. Layne and Co, comedy sketch, 4 people (San Francisco). Charles Walt and Lew Sharp, two- 3Xt. m - Ward Barton and Jack McShayne, two-ict "The Love Shop" with Eddie Vogt, Jack C Claire, Nan Hopestill, Clarence Rock, Suzanne Sicklemore and eight choristers; "Under the Apple Tree" with John Sully, Royden Keith, Flo- rence Page, Muriel Thomas and eight chorus girls (George Choos). Blanche Merrill has completed anew single act' for Gertrude Barnes for which P. Dodd Ackerman is doing the production. Another hew turn Miss Merrill is to produce is entitled "The Man In The Moon," and later a new turn for Florenz Tempest • TEN LOOKING FOR WOOLWORTH'S. A rumor along Tin Pan Alley has ten free lance song writers reported as seeking the backing of Woolworth's for an independent music publishing concern. The announcement of the new Wool- worth policy seemed to be the signal for the stories. Bernie Grossman, Billy Baskette and Billy Frish are among those named as. possibilities on the staff of the mythical concern. PROPS IS PROPS AGAIN. Mt. Vernon, N. Y., Jan. 28. Joseph Monaco has left the stage flat to return to work as master of proper- ties at Proctor's here- He quit that job about two years ago to assume a juvenile. comedy part in a skit called "The Telephone Tangle," which worked to the Coast, but he tired and now he is back in harness again, believed to be the only props man who ever dropped back after being given a chance to become .an overnight star. N. V. A. COMPLAINTS. Bert Somers has filed a complaint against Burke and Walsh, in which he alleges the team is using a "gag" con- cerning the spelling of the word "wrong" long identified with the Som- ers routine. The Three Alvarettas doing an acro- batic specialty under the title of 'Thir- ty Pink Toes" have agreed to eliminate an alarm clock bit claimed by Ander- son and'Rean. Nathano Bros, are complaining against the Nathan Bros., setting up similarity of names. , DOUBLING FITZGERALD RENTS. The rents in the Fitzgerald Building are being boosted 100 per cent, by the new owner of the building, Max Spiegel, who took it over Jan. 1. All of the tenants under lease have been informed when their present * leases expire the rents will be doubled. Several of the tenants have arranged to move. Bla&che Ring'* New Irish Song. A new Irish song was sung by Blanche Ring at the Hippodrome (benefit) last Sunday night. It is named "There's a Typical Tipperary Over Here" (Witmarks.) ILL AND INJURED. Charles Brown of the Marinelli office is seriously ill with a kidney affliction. Carl Seaman (Charles K. Harris pro- fessional staff) is home with the flu. Tillie Barton, wife of Jim Barton, is confined to bed with pneumonia. Carlton Macey, of Lydell and Macey, is ill with influenza. Mr. Macey was stricken in St. Louis. Fred Dabb, the leader of the Palace Theatre orchestra,• is confined to his home through illness. Judith Vosselli ("Aphrodite") has been out of the cast for three weeks through influenza. Walter Keefe was summoned to his home at Oshkosh, Wis., where his brother and sister are seriously ill."■ Ted W. Gibson ("His Honor Abe Potash") is confined to his home in Brooklyn with a broken arm, sustained when thrown from a trolley car.. ■ - Saul Abraham, treasurer of the Bayes, is recpVering from influenza. He will go on the road as manager of the "Greenwich Village Follies." The mother of Fay Bainter is re- ported recovering after the doctors had given her up. She is nearly 70 years of age. . ■ The mother of Fannie Brica was op- erated on for tumor about ten days ago. She is reported in serious con- dition. , George Sofranski, the agent, left Sat- urday for Atlantic City to recuperate from his recent illness. Ruth Laden is in charge of his office. ElwoodLF. Bostwick, ill with influ- enza, is out of "The Sign on the Door" at the Republic. He has been replaced by Paul Everton. '■' William Harrigan was forced out of "The Acquittal".at the Cohan & Harris - Theatre Saturday of last week through illness. George M. Cohan jumped into the role. / Frank'Vincent, booking manager of the Orpheum Circuit returned to his desk Monday, after an illness of a week's duration Lawrence Goldie (Keith office) returned Tuesday, after grippe. The prevalent "flu" caught one of the Metropolitan Opera singers, caus- ing a postponement of the second pre- sentation of "Zara," last week. Giulio Crimi, the tenor, was taken 'ill, al- though, symptoms of illness prevailed more than a week prior when he made his appearance in the opening, of the opera but went on despite an enfeebled condition. BIRTHS. Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Cody (Six Stylish Steppers) at their home in New York, Jan. 19, daughter (Sylvia). Mr. and Mrs. George W. Hinkel' (Hinkel and Mae) at their home in A- New York, Jan. 20, son (George Wil- liam). J Mr. and Mrs. Dan Gordon, at their home, Jamaica, Long Island, daughter. The father' is with John Ray on the . Pantages Circuit. Mr. and Mrs. Bryon Hawkins at • their home in Lawrence, Mass;, Jan. 21, daughter (Mary Lorraine). Mrs. Hawkins was formerly Madeline Beat- tie. , . New White Plains House. Ground has been broken for a 2,500 scat vaudeville theatre in White Plains, N. Y. The City Corporation of White Plains is interested in the project. Vaudeville is the reported policy. % PRODUCTION ENGAGEMENTS. Swan Wood for "Rose of China." Paulette Loarine, for "Linger Longer Letty." Miller and Mack for "Monte Christo, Jr.," joining Feb* 9, booked by Davidow & Le Maire. Roehm & Richards have placed the following people with the^ugo JTnsen Revue at the Broadway Theatre: Eve- lyn Simmonds, prima donna; Ruth Parker, soubrett; Alete Doree, toe d-incer; Marie Thompson, Kitty Astra, '.Brtty Kaye, Ethel Walsh, Margie La Rue, Daye Crandell, Hortense Kussel.