Variety (February 1920)

■■ - . ■ -'■■ . - ■ ■ " • :■ ..'■■:■ VAUDEVILLE " "■ ' .'*'.' '.-•■'''■ ' '■'' -7. : ' ; ''".■' '•-' ..■■'.■ <* ' ''-•■V"?JH «?■-"•'• '."." -'.'Hi ■'.'■■'■'"5 MILLION COPY HIT PROMISED BY NUTTING TO PUBLISHER ■ ■/ Other Music Publishers Are Not Worried and Declare They , Will Not Abolish 30-Cent Price to Meet Competition as Result of Special Plugging of Oriental Number. Other Cheap Stores Not Expected to Support Wool worth. ? - That E. Z. Nutting of the Woolworth chain stores means business in his alleged tilting of a ten-cent song to a 30-cent number, is attested by his Eromise to a New York music pub- sher that Woolworth's will make this particular publisher's current "plug" song, (Oriental number) a "million- copy hit," if not selling two million copies of it Nutting expressed him- self to the publisher to show the other and more independent music men he has it in his power to make any number ' he cares to. The Woolworth stores were one cause of the current 30-cent scale for popular music Nutting is in charge of that Woolworth department The-other music publishers, having wind of Nutting's agreement to 'make" this particular song, are not worrying much. Almost to a man they state they will never abolish the higher price song, knowing the other chain stores, Kress, Kresge, Grant, McCrory and the Metropolitan chain stores are with them. The report Woolworth's would seek an alliance with these other five important: chains is not 'considered plausible as there is no. love lost be- tween them. As for the statement that Woolworth would publish, that too is believed im- probable by the regular music publish- ers. The Woolworth creed for a long time has been never to manufacture. It is a buy and sell institution at a five and ten cent scale. The most probable of any reports anent this Nutting talk is. that Woolworth's might back a songwriters'- combination, the song- writers to publish for themselves on theMace of it In the case of the Oriental song, the publisher as much as stated he would ordinarily have put it out at the 30-cent scale although it might take him over a year to popularize it. A worthless song number can never be foisted on the public Publishers have tried it to their sorrow. The song in question is meritorious, with the melody lifted -from a classic. The song, out only a couple weeks, has brought advance orders from Woolworth of 600,000 copies. W. B. & S.-WINSLOW SUITS. Max Winslow, through O'Brien, Male vin sky & Driscoll, has begun two action against Waterson, Berlin & Sny- der, as a corporation, and against Henry Waterson as an individual, in which he seeks to recover various sums of money alleged due him. In his ac- tion against the' corporation, he claims $700 still due for back salary and $9,000 royalties on "Back Home In Tennessee" which rights he controlled. Answering through Thomas F. McMann, the de- fendant charges Winslow is $2,000 in debt to them, having overdrawn that -amount on his yearly salary of $10,000. As for the "Tennessee" number, the W-B-S firm claims Winslow never owned any rights in the. song. They further charge Winslow received set- tlement . in full last March when he severed connections with the corpora- tion prior to affiliating himself with Irving Berlin, Inc The plaintiff's second action against Mr. Waterson as an individual alleges a contract of January 2, 1912, whereby it was agreed fifty shares of. stock in , the corporation were to be transferred to Winslow who was to receive divi- dends on them up to'Jan. 2,1917. The plaintiff avers he was never declared in on any dividends and it suing to re-, cover $30,000 estimated to have been his share on these 50 shares. The defendant through Mr. McMann, answers Winslow never paid anything for the stock, it being purely a gift, and that it was later returned to Mr. Water- son. The defendant has filed a motion that the plaintiff state in his reply whether he actually paid anything for the stock or whether it was a gift Argument on the motion is due Feb. 6. VARIETY'S NEW OFFICE. "This is a pretty flossy looking lay- out for a newspaper dump" said Bill Werner, the He-vamp, as his feet touched carpet when walking into Variety's new' office at 154 West 46th street "You guys must be trying to get in .wrong with the public at large or to get in right with parties unknown to me," added Bill as he sniffed at the mirrors on the lower floor. "How do you expect those dames to be doing any work?" asked Bill, as he watched a jane jam the powder all over her map. "This is terrible,*' said the He- vamp.' "Take me upstairs and away from the women." . William was a bit disappointed in the girls passing him up at the first glance. On 38th street the He-vamp has been a riot for years according to the girls there and he believed it Strongly enough to stake them to a drink when he wouldn't stake them to anything else. The 38th street episodes and romances he had figured in were mentioned to Bill, but he thrust them lightly aside. i'Don't think I fell for that stuff," said Bill, "for I didn't; that is not for much. Yes, Violet phoned me the other day saying she wanted to blow the John and come back, but I' told her to stick where she was while the sticking was good. But what's the use of digging Up my past Show me the plant" Whereupon the He-vamp was led to the second floor. As he got a flash of the long oblong room, the He-vamp exclaimed: "That's enough. I'm off you for life. I've fixed up many a joint myself but I never had the nerve to stand for this kind of stuff. Are they all regulars here?" asked Bill, looking the bunch of male typewriters over. "Are they the staff, and if they IN. AND OUT. Frankie Wilson left the Boston Thea- tre show Monday. 111. ■ Beck,and Trust were obliged to can- cel around Boston, owing to the death of one of the boys' mother. Margaret Sylvia was unable to open Monday at Keith's, Philadelphia, on account of illness. Frank Brown was unable to open at Loew's Boulevard, Monday, through delayed baggage. He went into: the bill Tuesday matinee. Roscoe Ails left the last half bill at Elizabeth, N. J., last week, but recuper- ated in time to open Monday at the Orpheum, Brooklyn. Valeska Suratt was unable to open at Washington, D. C, through illness. Nonette substituted. "The Girlies Club" was taken out of the bill at 23d St. and added to the Washington bill., Anna Held, Jr., and Emmett Gilfoyle replaced Sylvia Clark at Keith's, Phila- delphia, this week. Miss Clark had not recovered from her illness of two weeks before. Irving and Jack Kaufman were un- able to appear at the Fifth Ave. Mon- day due to illness of one member. Ar- thus Fields was off the bill for the same reason. Pat Rooney retired from the Co- lonial Wednesday last week with an attack of grippe. His revue was re- placed by Sophie Tucker and the Mos- coni Brothers. Keith's, Philadelphia, lost two of its featured acts owing to illness this week and it was not until Tuesday night that the bill was whipped into a permanent running order. Mar- guerita Sylva, the headline^ failed to appear Monday, being detained in New York by an attack of the flu. Anna Held, Jr., was rushed over and played Monday night. Tuesday, Emmet Guil- foyle was forced to quit when his throat closed up on him and Miss Held was compelled to cancel. The Arra Sisters were brought down from the Grand opera house for the matinee and Emma Haig and Jack Waldron as- sumed the headline position Tuesday. ft btnoo999 nti to I'm very lonesome—and there's a reason. CHARLES WITHERS BIRTHS. Mr. and Mrs. Davey Jamison, at their home at Portland, Ohio, Jan. 25, son. Mr. and Mrs. Harry P. Rosseau ("Chin Chin") at their home, Baldwin, L. I., Jan. 13, son. Mrs. and Davey Jamieson, at Port- land, Ore., Jan. 23, son. The Jamie- sons are on the Pantages circuit Mr. and Mrs. Hal T. Usher, at their home in New York, Jan. 17, twins, both girls. .Mr. and Mrs. Roscoe E. Munson, Jan. 31, son. Mrs. Munson is a non- professional. are, are they going to stand for this, carpet on the floor, lamps around, mir- rors on the walls, and a tapestry paint- ing? Who ran this dump before you got in? A dressmaker? Is that the excuse. And is that the reason for the stage in the rear there? She used to show her model gowns there. What are you going to show? Not spoil the looks of the room. You will probably all be spoiled very soon, if not ruined. "What are you trying to get away with. NO kidding, this looks like a joint to me. If you get me away from this door you're a wonder. I'm ready to take it on the run. "Why didn't you stay at the old office? You looked human over there. Here you look awful. I've seen enough. Take me out. Who made those shades for the lamps? He must have been color blind. "Good-bye, kid. Do you mind if I call you sweetie? Your office is so cute? When shall I bring the gals up from 38th street Are you serving anything? Hold me out some tea ana biscuits. If this is an office, then I'll pass." ACTS STAND BY JENIE JACOBS- A large number of the vaudeville acts represented by Jenie Jacobs in vaudeville, are said to have wired pro- tests to E. F. Albee, of the Keith of- fice, against the office's action in noti- ^ fying Harry Weber Miss Jacobs could '-.:'% not have the privilege of the Keith ; 3 agency "floor," through having left the fWk Pat Casey Agency to join Weber, with- :&■ Out obtaining the consent of the book- :'i m I ■'■;•-. - &S ■>s I '■■•V. ■■A -■■; ing office. . When Miss Jacobs was advised of the booking office's action last Friday, she wired her acts stating the circum- stances. It was suggested to the turns if they deemed the Keith agency action unjust to her, that wires be sent to Albee to that effect Some of the acts Miss Jacobs had represented for nearly as many years as she had been with the Casey agency, about 12. At the time she was forbid- den the floor privilege of the Keith office, Miss Jacobs was representing about 40 acts, many of them headliners. Up to Wednesday no further action had been taken by the booking office and this was believed to have been through Mr. Albee having been kept at home by a cold. Miss Jacobs resigned from the Casey agency about the first of the year. Af- ter sending in her resignation she heard nothing from Casey and left for the Pacific Coast, in connection with picture plans she had in mind. While west it is said Harry Weber wired her a proposal to join his agency, at a considerable increase in guarantee and terms over that received by her when with Casey. She accepted and returned east, starting to work in the Keith Agenty as representing the Weber office. A week or so after she, had commenced, Weber is reported to have been informed Miss Jacobs could not represent him in bookings, with the presumption among the booking agents at the time that Casey had lodged a protest against Miss Jacobs going to Weber and taking her acts ' along. There has not appeared any report of claim made by the Casey agency Miss Jacobs held any acts she did not personally secure for represen- tation while with Casey. With the floor privilege -removed from Miss Jacobs as an attache of any agency but Casey's, it looked as though Miss Jacobs either would have to re- turn to the Casey agency, if that ; agency wanted her to return, or be de-S3 barred from longer working in bigV|^ time vaudeville as an agent for any. -^ other agency, nor for herself, since £i It is said the Keith office refused to ; give Miss Jacobs a franchise for her- ^1 self. / • - '•.;-.'■ .-.:V*i During her years jn vaudeville Miss J^ Jacobs has been a very diligent worker, pleasing both her acts and the man- agers she did business with. Thorough- ly understanding vaudeville, her ser- vices have ^been of considerable value to the big time stages through her abil- - ity to secure new material for vaude-'|g ville programs, mostly in the way of "5 1 "names." • gg In one wire to an act she repre- m serited, Miss Jacobs said in part: ?$ "After leaving the Pat Casey agency ' v and joining the Harry Weber staff, where I considered I had the oppor- tunity of my life, I have been deprived of that position and my only means of earning a livelihood taken away from me through E. F. Albee's decision to- day that I could not remain with Weber or anyone else. If you believe «S I have given you faithful service in ^ representation, will you please wire 1 protest to E. F. Albee \ against the~~ action in this matter. Under the de- cision depriving me of the privileges of the floor as representative of the Weben agency or for myself, personal- ly, I am without at present any means to represent you in vaudeville." 3 v :-■■ i ... - V :■:■; :; »z 1