Variety (April 1920)

VAUDEVILLE ■jii- •■a:.. Obituary ,■.■*■■'■ » ■;':"• V' -r-Alw M..SteIii. ^ ^:. . ''Ah9 M^'Stein, professionally known - as Sol Aiken, 6/ years of age, died M^rch 27 at his honae, 467 East 127th street, this city. The deceased wais well known theatrically as a character actor and has been appearing before the public in various roles. He has , 'beeh op the stage sincje he was 18 years of a^e.' He was in vaudeville where he did. a sketch with his wife Julia*' titled "Katy Don't Cny." The latter act played for 15 years,'following which "iif, Aiken entered the legitimate field, .';"■: » ■■- ii . t'.' ■. INMEMORIAM TOMJONES Who Departed this Life March 22nd, 1920 FROM HIS PALS . Charlflte HerlNrt : -r Charles Herbert, 24 year* old, died in 'Bellevue, New York, Saturday^ after- noon 'last from injuries sustained at Madison Square Garden earlier in the we.ek. The accident occurred during a rehearsal of the Ringling Brothers and Barnam and Bailey Circus. One IN FOND MEMOBT OF OUK DEAR DEPAETED FATHER MAX jL. MANDEL Af paiMd «w«7 • year aco todssr, MOTHER. BAH. HARRT, SADIE, FANNIE. DOHA and EVA <Mn. Bob Zeno) of the elephants not in line was jabbed by several keepers. Herbert, a keeper, was standing behind the beast, who suddenly kicked him. The man was crushed'and hospital reports were that he died of a fractured skull. . \: IN MEMORY OF ■ MV BELOVED HUSBAND WILLIAM MEEHAN X- ■ $■■■ playing in stock at Proctor 12Sth Street and Fifth Avenue houses for 8 years. Mr. Aiken was with the original "Charley's Aunt Co." and years later appeared in the reviyal of the' piece. Among some noted characters that he portrayed was Svengali in Trilby. His IN FOND BEMEHBRANCB of My Dear Partner JACK CORCORAN Who died Harek ITtli, M2«. A alncero partner, loved bjr alL JOE MACK I; A!-.--- most modern appearances were in "Along Came Ruth," and "Erstwhile Susan." He was one of the-old Weber and Fields crowd. Jle is survived by a son. • Paul^A. Barr. ' Paul A. Barr, who has been nighj 3jan on the stage door at B. F. Keith's theatre, PKilad^lphia, ever since thtf house opened, 18 years ago, died March 27th after a week's illness of pneu- monia, followed by a stroke. Barr was ^IN MEMORT OF MY BELOVED FRIEND IWILLIAM E. MEEHAN Who died Mareh 2Srd. 1920, Gone^ bat not forcotten. BILLY CARLTON 65 years old and before going to Keith's was at the Academy of Music. Previ- ous to that he had been boss canvds man for many years with the Barnum and Bailey and Ringling Bros, shows. ' He was very well known and liked by vaudeville artists who have played the Keith house regularly. Funeral was held Tuesday, March 30. He leaves a wife and three adult children. Who mot to ilMQ,«tn>li SSrd, IHO. Hey hli muI mt la pMoa. Qons, but nst torsctten. VIOLET PEARL MEEHAN J. LouU Whit*. J. 'Louis White, one of the Charles E. Dillingham executives for a num- ber of years and lately attached to the Hippodrome as a financial executive, died last Monday at his home at Larch; month, N. Y. Some months ago Mr. White suffered a nervous breakdown. He was about SO years of age and for a number of years was' nfanager for Eddie Foy. ,. ■ / - Rufas K. Lova^ 67 years old, died in Los Angeles Mardi 26. He was former- ly with the Primrose and Dockstader minstrels. In later years he directed the Elks Minstrels in a toiif of the Ari;;ona and California citie|, ai well KILLED BT TORNADO AT BLOIN MABCH 28th. »2I SAM ••«» ADA BEVERLY May they rest In peace. AL W.BROWN as publishing the ElI^s Gazoot, a paper edited in the interest of the various Elks shows. He was a native of San Francisco and be|;an his theatricial career in the Baldwin theatre, that' city. Frank E. Tenill, a member bf C B. Maddock's Rubeville Co., died sudden- ly in Philadelphia, March, 29, follow- ing an t>pieration. The father of John Ryan (Ryan and Healey) died at his Home, Brooklyn,- March 20. The deceased was 72 years, old. ^ , ' > Mrs. HanV Wigley (Edith Millirrad) died of heart disease in Chicago March 'i. Two sisters in England and one in Belgium survive her. " C Mrs. A. B. Shipman, mother of Erti- est Shipman, producer of "Back to God's Country," died at Pasadena, Cal., March 24. She was 67 years old. She 19 survived by four sons, Ernest, Fred- eric, Rev. Dr. Montague and Joseph. HIP TO STAND. (Continued fDom page 9) A quantity of materials has already bfcen ordered. The length: of the season at the Hip has not been set but signs point to a continuance of "Happy Days" until May. The show is now in its 32nd week.' Comparative figures'for the 30th week this year and last show a big advance. For that week last season "Cheer Up" drew $46^800 arid for the saline comparative period this year the t.tkings wereN$62,600. ^ There has been ah increase of 15 per cent, in admission scale this sea-* , son' and a 30 pei- cent, jump in operat- ' iiig* expense. The increase in gross volume mqri than offsets the actual jump in operating costs, however. MITTENTHAL SUES FISHER. Fred Fisher;'Ini., music publisher, is named defendant in two leg^l actions instituted by Joseph'Mittehthal, erst- while general manager of the defend- ant, through his attorneys, Henry J. & .Frederick E. Goldsmith. • , > The first suit asks for an accoantitig of the firm's receipts, charging breachv of contract. Jhe plaintiff alleges an agreement whereby he was to render.' services for the defendant for a period of one year, dating from'January 1, 1920, for. a consideration of 2M per cent, of the gross receiptsT He was^to receive a drawing account of $100 weekly, .to be charged against the plain- tiff's 2H per ceht. interest. The com- plaint has it Mr. Fisher discharged the plaintiff last week (March 26) without^ just cause.' He acknowledges receipt of $4,200 andi seeks the accounting to ascertain the. amount Of any balance due him. ■■ >' The second action aliiges Mr. Mit- teAthal rendered s^vices for McCarthy & Fisher, Inc.—the former corporate title of thexoncera-T-Tor a period datinj; from January 1, 1919 to Dec. 31 of the same year at an agreed salaVy of ^,620, of which only $5,620 was paid him leav- ing a balance of $4,000. ■ : No answers have been filed to^he .suits. ■■/ 'r A representative of the defendant's attorneys, Davis & Davit; stated Mr. Mittenthal signed a general release to both claims and^was given sums ag- gregating $6,300 to boot. Mr. Fisher refused to state the reason i for the plaintiff's severance witlif his concern. Gat 40 Weakf from Loew. Dale and Burch, Arthur Deagon and ^drian have been booked for fort^ week tours of the Locw Circuit by Irv- ing Cooper. Dale and 'Burch and Adrian open April 19 and Arthur Dea- gon April 5. HERMAN FEHR. l A phenomenal but exceedingly de- ceptive gentleman. Fehr, whose main eccentricity—and he has plenty—Is re- siding and continuing to reside in Mil- waukee, looks like a farnSer, dresses like Abe Lincoln, and knows more than most men ever will or ever heardr of. Years ago, when corporations ■, were new and cryptic things, he was one of the first and foremost corpora- tion lawyers in America, and handled the mergers for some gigantic deals. He retired at the height of his pro- fessional punch from active legal work, and went in for show business, which was his abiding aud ruling pas- time. Burlesque, legit and vaudeville, he pioneered (theatres and companies and outwitted many of those who took one look at him and started to sell him gold bricks. Today, wbrth sev- eral millions, he is as unaismi^g as a_ shoe clerk should be but isn't, says little, cuts coupons an?l wonders why he is so lucky. He tells all th<e men ■/"■ ORPMEUM STATISTICS. Owltal. 180,000,000. ;■ * ICapltal stook, 110,000,000. ^ ' '5'i :^ Dlreotora: vvy.:, -' -Martin Beok,Pr««.. '^ ■?-^:-r^:^'^iS:v: Morela Meyerfleld. Jr., (malrman 01 soara. . .v ■ James O. Alexander. . . Lewi* C. Brown. ■.:■.■.■■■.-■'■.■<;;>■■•:: '. Hflraan Fehr. ■ ; "V :l\:v^- D. W. Ournett. ■ '■ v" ; :" v ■■■ -■-■■/;■.•'.:. Marcus Helnuin.' '.-i. •^^:A'feC^i^.'A.:. 'C. u Kohl. ;■■■..':.■'-'.■•■■■-.•;.■■,., Mort H. Singer; V-ii'-::"-':';''--:'^'^ ' rrank R. Tate. ■ i- V;>'?7^s,%-<-^:-'-i ^Oeorare A. Trude.- ■ ^-'-iv-vi^Si^v ;> ■.' BJicocutlve Managers;, ;^ •^^- ': Martin Beck. ': "iV? >-^ Mort H. Singer. •, -'■'.^•v;■''■•■ ■.■•■■:-^'-.,-' Maroua Helman. :-". '^'-V'--' ■'■''■-'(■'-u Number of houaea: , l Total 4Hn 26 oltlis,, z^^**®.' ®J houseB—Jtinior olnniU: /^.Twelve in ten cities. ^ , . >Plrst theatre opened: > ^ ■■',:• Orphdum Theatre, San Franolabo, ,_ June 80, 1J87. . ^ 'Most recent house:' Thoatrea to be built: * . Mlnneapoila. Memphis, Kansas City. .Loa Angeloa. Ban Pranoliooi. Net eamlnga for 1910: /jT^; . ♦8,'696,26a.98, ;,■ v , Weekly payroll, |28B,00TJ. Foreign offloee: London--Moss-StoUj Partf-^., hambra; Berlin—New Orpneuni; Olaagow—Alhambra. Oldest act: <• „Jamea H. Cullen. ' >■ ••- , Highest salaried aot: r * v >;^ : Sarah Bernhardt, |7,000. .'.'.' ■,m .••■-■.■..■;ASi •• • 4^^ i ■■:i\ixx NEW LOEW IN DE^R. ; -~ . San Francisco, March 31. I : Ackerman & Harris have taken a 99- year lease on the St. James property ill Denver on which a new Loew the- atre will be erected. The location is in the heart of Den- ver opposite the Tabor Grand, with 125 feet on Curtis street. The building, . of the new house, which will have a seating caMcity of 2,000, will make a total of 11 theatres now in course of construction on the Pacific Coast and middle West at a combined cost of $6,000,000, The Denver lease, involv- ing a cross rental of $2,000,000, was handled by A. C. Blumenthal & Co.. HARRY BUSH IN CHICAGO. , San Francisco,' March 31. Harry Bush, for the past eight months western manager tor Gilbert and Friedland, music publishers, with headquarters in 'Frisco, closed the fii m's offices here and left for Chi- cago last week, having been promoted ' to. the managership of the concern's office in that city. Orpheum Makes Agents Move. Rose and Curtis, Max Hayes, James Plunkett and Max Hart, ^11 Keith agents located in the Palace Theatre Building for several years, have been, notified to vacate^ their offices on May 1. It is understood the respective agents' quarters will be taken over by the Orpheum Circuit for additional executive offices. he made that they made hiin, and when he meets actors, which ne seldom do^s, behaves as worshipfully toward them as a matinee girl. He knows' more about the legal phases of the American theatre than almost any ex- pert, and , his judgment on ^the poSr sibilities of theatrical ventures is said to' be weirdly prophetic. He has never managed^^anythlng outright in person, always preferring to be the iadviser and turning over the handling to a protege 6r a partner. Mort H. 'Singer and L H, Herk were two of these. starting under him with a dime and finishing rich. If there is a man who knows Fehr and doesn't love him he has never spolfen his sentiments out loud. In Milwaukee he U one of the three leading citizens, and if he ever gets his shoes shined they'll insist on electing him mayor. LIKE HAGGIN'S ROOF NUMBER. A new idea for a vaude^Ue turn, called "Portrait's Muslcale," is soon to .be offered. The act ftas but two per- sons, a songstress and a violinist. The girl will have a nuniber of songs with set changes confined to a frame-like opening in a drop. The violinist^ will have a miniature bandstand, each of' the artists alternating in their respec- tive numbers. The entire turn is to be done in "one," The idea of set changes In a frame is somewhat similar, to that used by Ben AH Haggin for c ntliB- ber in the New Amsterdam roof sbow. ■ -^vm ■ 'am ■?"■ ii'/r .'■■■■■.■■:M ■■■■<« Ivf