Variety (September 1921)

I 6 V A BIE yy 4', SSA n a .8! 3=*: Pridiiy, September 30, 1921 1 KANSAS CITY ORPHEUM STARTS BARGAIN PRICE COMPETITION Offers 1,000 Matinee Seats at 25 Cents—Pantages iioMs rO''id'€enf6=***Gpening of Jiuilv7r-JJ»«eeT€»t —Pan Holding Back Tanguay. EXTRA "SUNDAYS'* IN SHUBERT HOUSES Astor, Century and Jolson Houses to Play Special Concerts <^- KansuH C'ity, Sept. 28. It is piedi('l«"(l that thin city will BOOM HOW a price cuttiug war, bo- twicn l\w several vaiidrville interests, C8 Huou as all get liued out in their IitiliL lor buHiui'.s.s. The Orpheiim is fratiiriiig "1,000 mntinoo scnt.s for 'St outs; all rc- t>oiv('d ' for all iiintiiUM's oxropt Sat- urdays and Sundays, aud calling spe- cial attention to this price for the « me show which others ask $l.'-ir» for. At Loew'R narden. with five acts .irul a first run feature, 1.1 cents is the top for the afternoons and 20 and .'to at night. The (Jlobe plny- inj; practically the same sized bill and offering Western Vatideville acts, is \0-Vi and nights 15-25, includ- ing war tax. At Pantages the prices are ad- verti.sed as 40 cents afternoons and .10 at night, but it is charging 50 for the loges and boxes for the niatiuees and 75 at night. The two burle '.que houses are also making a bid for the women at daily matinees, th^ Cayety (Columbia Wheel) charging 25 cents and the Ccntiiry (American) offering a spe- cial 15-cont price. On surface the Orpheum's 25-oent price is the best bet ant! the wise ones are figuring on how long I^lnt- ages can pet away with its 40-cent gate against the Orpheum's. Most are of the opinion that the opening of the Main, the Junior Or- pheum house, will tell the story. It is scheduled to open next month with- out prices announce<]. • The State-I^ke policy will be fol- lowed and as the house has the larg- est capaeity. some 2,300 in town, it is believed the prices will be fixe<l to get the business. Lawrence Lehman, manager of the Orpheum, who has been appointed managing director of the new house, has resided here all his life and knows his town. It is a sure shot his say will have weight when the price ques- tion is settletl. The Pantages managment is eTi- dently depending upon the newness and beauty of its house to get the money for the first few weekj as the hills have been nothing to rave about, some of the acts having been pcen here before at the lower priced houses. However, the coming of Eva Tungnay has been given out, but no date. It would i.ot b€ suriu-isiug. if she was held back to top the Pan bill the week the Junior Orpheum opens. CASTING ACT TANGLE Leow and Pantaoes Hold Contracts from Castino Lloyds The Loew and Pantages eircuitn claim the services of the (^astin; Lloyds and have appealed to the V. M. P. A. to adjust tho» matter. According to the complaints the act signed contracts with the Loew Circuit through Sam F.iUow. The Loew contracts called for an opening not later than Aug. 15. Meanwhile one of the team signed contracts for the Pantages Circuit through Waller Keefe, the Pan representative. Last season the act requested a re- lease from their I.<ocw contracts, which waa granted by J. H. Lubin. The Aug. 15 opening was on an en- tirely new set of contracts. Tuesday the Casting Lloyds were reported as having dissolved. The act had 30 weeks more to play on their Loew contract and were to have been at Ix>ew*s, Detroit, this week. They failed to appear. Sam Fallow who placed the act with I^ew )xaa retained Max Dorff in an action he has filed to recover commis. sion for the balance of the Loew con- tract. Fallow has handled the turn for the past three years. Firo at Qariick, Norristown, N. J. The reopening of the Garrick, Nor- ri.stown, N. J., with vaudeville sched- uled for Monday, was postponed due to a fire seriously damaging the house last Wednesday night. No date has been set for the open- ing, which will occur as soon as the dam.tges are repaired. Till' Shuberts have decided that wiYen the wea'f/m- i.^'i«ii.'ihrr«.<Ht»ii steady run toward the winter, special Sunday concerts will be given at the C«'iihiry. AKtor and Jolson theatres. New York. These will be in addition to the usual Sunday performances at the two regular Shubert vaudeville houses in New York, Winter Curdcn and 44th street. The special Sunday bills wi'l be made up in part of acts playing the other Shubert theatres, with a suf- ficient number of turns added to the Sunday shows, to fill in. The latter acts may be produced from among Shubert acts making a jump over Sunday from a six-day town, or from acta laying off for thf week, on a 20- ont-of-24-week contract. Provided the special Sunday con- cert theatre^ play to business that seems to demand more Sunday night shows, other Broadway Shubert the- atres may be added to the list. BOOKmG NEW LYNN The Lynn, White Plains, N. Y., re- cently completed, opened witli vaude- ville Thursday. The house has a seating capacity of 2,800. It will play six act? each half of a split week, booked by Sam Fallow. BUFFALO'S STATE OCT. 17. Buffalo. Sept. 28. The recently erected State, which is to play Ix>cw vaudeville, will open Oct. 17. The house may be a full week stand. J. H. Lubin. I^ew's booking chief, inspected the house Sept. 2<). Manio Moore Recoveiini Menio Moore, of Moore & Meg- ley, vaudeville producers, has been discharged from the Mayo Brothers' Hospital in Rochester. Minn., after a severe stomach operation, and \a recuperating in the Maine woods. LOEW AND SHUBERT CIRCUITS REACH BOOKING AGREEMENT Lee Shubert and J. H. Lubin Confer — Shubert - JBroadwaj.^ Houses First — Some Exceptions ~- Loew Agents Given Shubert Booking Permission. ACTIVE N. V. A.'S Society Defines Vaudeville Artlstf others May Be Lay Members, Without Benefits An active member of the National Vaudevilfe Artists has been defined by tnat society. It is "a vaudevillian who is actively engaged in earning his livelihood on the vaudeville stage." All N. V. A. members who have not been ao engaged for the past 18 months forfeit their active member- ship, saj's the statement but they have the privilege of becoming lay membera wtihout any benefits other than the privileges of the club. The point of the statement appears to be that none but active N. V.^A. members will be permitted to partici- pate in the insurance fund, that gives to the heirs of a deceased member, $1,000. BILLY HALL'S CONTRACT Billy **Swede" Hall opened for the Shuberts at the 44th Street Monday after a protest had been made to the V. M. P. A. that the act's represenU- tive, Arthur Horowitz, had signed a contract calling for that date at the Miles, Detroit. Johnny Collins signed the Shubert contracts after receiving permission to do so by wire from the act, playin^it the Knickerbocker, Philadelphia. An investigation developed Horo- witz was unaware of the Shubert contracts and thought the tnm at liberty. The V. M. P. A. notified the act about the Miles contention. Hall then disclosed the Shubert date, when the matter dropprd. BILL ROCK S I^W ACT A new vaudeville act will shortly he propelled hy William Hock, with n girl in the turn. The act will be Kiinilar in composition to Hock's others. Koch and Fulton (Maude) and Uork and AVhite (Frances), In the former two acts hraded by Rock, he trained the young women, making them available for productions when leaving him. Mr. Uock is do- inp the same with the present young woman, wlio i^ known only to him- self. "WE GIRLS"—KLAWS "AVc (;iils," a new comedy by Fred and I^uiiiic Ilatton. will be rdaced on rrhenrsal .Monday hy IMarc Klaw. Tin- cast will include Juliette Day. Minna I'hillipw. Mary Young and Kd- ward Kicldiiif,'. Moss Managers Changed Around A 'switching about of the It. S. Moss inanaRcrs hmf wcrV b.ou^fht James Clorman to the .hfTcrson wilh Sam WriKJif. avsisi.mt in. nji^'T. William AppIoRjitc. forunilv an Ristant at the llro.KJw j|>, hr.onie-^ manager of that house. rhas. McDonihl, temporarily in charge of the Broadway. ha*j hem made supervising manager of the Broadway and .TefTcrson. Charlie King Leaving (>harlie King will Iciive "St-andals'' and do a two-act with his wife. Leila Rhmfrs. in a routine written hy Andy Rice. ■iCwis & (lordon arc producing the Bet. . I take this means of expressing my grateful appreciation to Messrs. LEE and J. J. SHUBERT and ARTHUR KLEIN for their cordial treatment. Also thanking MR. EDWARD V. DARLING for his courtesies and past consideration. ♦..^•■?..^"^^?"I VAUDEVILLE be a big SUCCESS and may KEITH VAUDEVILLE continue f prosper so that the combined prosperity creates employment for my brother artists. prw.|.«r Fellow performers, be friendly and kindle a spirit of harmony and good-fellowship fwlxt manaiert aid us. regardless of circuit, as primarily what we want is an outlet for our ability—a place ef^emplovmeBt-.work I believe HARMOrJv AND FAIR COMPETITION CONSTITUTE THE ELEMENTS 0^^^^ KAJIYAMA Sponsored ShuMrtward by DAVIDOW & LEMAIRE, my frleids m well m luldet. The Marcus Loew Circuit declared opposition to Shubert vaudeville has been called off. It hardly became ef- fective when the differences between the booking departments of the two circuits were ironed out. Last Fri- day a conference between executives of the two offices reached an amicable settlement. Loew egents at that time were informed they could - book through the Shubert exchange. The agreement was made by Lee Shubert and J. H. Lubin, the Loew booking head. It is understood Shu- bert sought the establishing of amic- able relations between the two offices immediately upon hearing of any fric- tion, the weight of the Shubert hold- ings in the I^oew enterprises figuring. Freedom to submit all moter>2l to Arthur Klein, the Shubert booker, has been given Loew agents, that taking in all regular bookings and Sunday concerts. The prohibitory territory clause in the Shubert con« tracts is to apply only to the Winter Ganlen and 44th Street. It wes agreed that after playing those houses, any turn could then appear at any other lioew-booked house. Klein adviwd nctn ff they played cither Loew house in the Times square district prior to plnying the 44th Street or Garden, it would anto- matically cancel their Shubert con- tracts. It was conceded, in light of the difference in admissions of the Loew and Shubert theatres, that the Shubert office get first chance for material in their two Brondwaf vaudeville theatres. It was further agreed that some of the Shubert acts play for Loew prior to showing in the Shubert houses. The first act accepted by Mr. Lubin from the Shubert* is '*Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch," which opens for Loew at the Metropolitui. Brooklyn, at a weekly salary oC. $1,000. "Mrs. Wiggs** is one of the Shuberts pro- duction turns. Others are to be used by the Loew houses from time to time. VAUDEVILLE FOR DUNBAR Philadelphia. Sept. 28. The Dunbar, locaftd on South Broad street and tapping the colored section of the city, has been taken over by John T. Gibson, who will re- open the house with vaudeville. It has been playing colored stock with an occasionol road attractiofli. Gibson will operate the Dunbar in connection with the Standard, on South street, which he ha» conducted for a number of years. The bills at the Dunbar will follow the lines of the Stahdard's shows which are not entirely colored, there being" two aflu "Tifil=^**'whrf<' arts on the bills. It is understood that Gib- son has secured opt'ons on theatres in the sonth, eontempalt<'d to be in- ch: >d in his chain. WARD & OLTNNE'S DENIAL A «denial is entered by Michael Giynne, for Ward & Glynuo. of any intention to transfer their Astoria, L. I., theatre to any ^-ircuit, and will continue to be independently booked by the same management as at present. REISNER AND MONOLOO "Chuck" Reisner, who has been di- recting and acting in jiWtnics for several years past, returns to vaude- ville this week, with a monolog, and a section of the (Tfiaplin picture, **The Kid," showing the scenes in which Ueisner played a "tough guj" role. Uosc & Curtis are handling the act. " BUBBLES' \ CLOSED New Otlenns, Sept. 28. The girl act, "Bubbles" headlining on the Orpheum Circuit, closed here Sunday. According to report the act will go to the storehouse. 44th Year and Teeth. The following typewritten an- nouncement was received this week by "Jim Snrith of SmCth and Cook is having his teeth fixe^. up and is ready to sUrt on his 4yj» year of vaude- iTille." / i 1