Variety (December 1921)

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Friday, December 2, 1021 VAUDEVILLE ,- SHUBERTS MAY MOVE FROM APOLLO TO GREAT NORTHERN Likely A. H^ Woods Will Give Content to Transfer of Vaudeville—Apollo Costing $225,000 Yearly for Rent—Claim Gt Northern Has Better Location Chicago, Nov. 30. The Shuberts are considering t«nsferring their vaudeville shows from the Apollo to the Great North- ern. It is »aid that A. H. Woods, who holds the €huberts lease to the Apollo, will consent to the shift The Shuberts claim the Groat Northern is better located for vaude- ville than the Apollo, a statement local showmen disputed. It is their opinion the Shuberts are feeling the oppressive rates under which they obtained the Apollo from Woods ex- clusively for vaudeville. In that agreement they give Woods $150,000 annual rent and guarantee that his 50 per cent, share of any profit In addition can not fall below $75,000. "This makes a total of $225,000 for Woods. Based on a 62-week season H is nearly $4,500 weekly and on a 40-week season around $6,000. Through the high rental, the Shu- berts have not made any money at the Apollo, though playing to , as high as $16,000 and getting slightly over $14,000 each for the past two weeks. They also dropped one week to $8,000 when the loss was figured as aneund $6,000. On top of the rent there Is the cost of maintenance for the house, advertising and the salary list of the vaudeville bill. The Great Northern has not been able to do much excepting with Eddie Cantor in "The Midnight Rounders." Cantor went to $14,000 on his final week, doing arBund $13,000 before that, but far ahead of the two previous legit attractions there. The Great Northern formerly played pop vaudeville, losing all caste among artists through the con- dition the theatre was allowed to drift into. The house was thought to be about all through when the Shuberts leased it, remodeling the theatre and opening it this season as a legit stand. If the Apollo reverts to its former policy, the Shuberts will continue to hook legit attractions Into It. Despite the rental agreement they "made personally with Woods, who promoted the Apollo, the Shuberts hold a 50 per cent, interest in it. William C. Lampe has resigned as manager of Shuberts* Apollo, suc- ceeded by Joseph B. Maxwell, who will operate the house until a per- manent manager is selected. BOOKING CONGESTION OFF BY NEXT MONTH Keith Office Expects Normalcy to Reign by Jan. 15—Other Circuits Reporting "Jam" Slowly Easing * At the Keith office this week it is said the booking congestion that had endured almost from the season's opening Is now expected to work off by Jan. 15, when normalcy in book- ings would again rule. Other booking offices around New York that have been suffering from the same complaint are reporting that the "Jam" in their bookings was slowly easing off. The booking congestion of the past several week* has tied up vaudeville, stopped new productions and in many instances preventing new acts from going ahead with preparations. Booking men of the independent small time vaudeville houses have been flooded of late with requests from agents to book acts two or three months in advance, a policy heretofore never followed by the in- dependent hookers, who select their bills week to week. The present activity of the agents outcome of the present small time booking congestion. The agents have experienced considerable diffi- culty in holding acts, due to their inability to secure Immediate time caused by the overabundance of material. Any verbal confirmation by the booking men that they will use the acts in the future brings a notification to the acts of the ad- vanced bookings, which gives them encouragement and the agent the possible chance of securing time meanwhile. CLIFFORD SAYS IT'S HIS Examined In Suit Over Lodge Brought by Evelyn Netbft In Evelyn Nesbit's suit against her husband. Jack Clifford (lfon- tanl) to Impress a trust of his Adt- rondacks real estate property, Clif- ford was examined before trial re- cently in Plattcburg, N. Y., before Referee Pierce. The examination lasted five hours, during which time Miss Nesbit's attorneys state, they secured considerable "interesting" testimony for their client. Miss Nesbit claims she advanced the money to Clifford to build the hunting lodge. Clifford testified that it is solely his property, and he never had to resort to her finances, at all times being financially Inde- pendent and boasting a bank ac- count. Clifford stated he built the camp for purely pleasure purposes. Miss Nesbit's counsel went into de- tails as to '.he exact nature of the advantages such lodge affords Mr. Clifford. Clifford is at present ensconced up there on *. prolonged vacation.' CARNIVAL'S "BADGER GAMT GETS EXPOSE IN DENVER Blackmail System by Young Girl and Convict-Hus- band—Arrests Made—Wanted Carnival of Their Own RECEIVER TAKES 14TH STREET THEATRE One-third Salary Offered Vau- devillians Last Week BOTH CLAIM FLORENCE Walton Act Booked by Weber After Dealing with Bentham The booking of Florence Walton by the Keith office has brought out a conflict between two Keith agents, Harry Weber and M. S. Bentham, both of whom claim the act. According to the Bentham side of the story. Miss Walton informed the Bentham office by telephone she was not satisfied with the salary offered by the Keith people, and could do better elsewhere. This was taken by the Bentham office to indicate that Miss Walton had Shu- bert vaudeville in mind. The next heard of the Walton act, by the Bentham office, was that it was booked in the Palace last week by the Weber office. Bentham then filed a complaint with the Keith office, claiming tho to secure advanced bookings is the act. The Weber office has since routed the Walton turn, and will continue to represent it pending an adjustment by the Keith executive. The 14th Street, New York, went into the hands of a receiver this week on a mutual arrangement with the creditors. The house had been leased to Jos-. S. Klein, an attorney. Vaudeville acts at the house last half of last week and the house crew of stage hands and musicians were offered one-third of their sal- ary at the end of the engagement. Lewis and Meyers, one of the acts, claim that after agreeing to accept the cut there was not enough money to pay them off. Tho 14th Street is located near Sixth avenue. It is an old land- mark that has played various poli- cies during its existence. Business has fallen off steadily at the stand with traveling productions and stock companies as the attractions. The latest policy ,was vaudeville booked by Wlnonah Tenney, an In- dependent agency. That was also a failure financially. The acts on the final bill were Olivette, Bostln and Vaughan, Lewis and Myers, Thomas and Frederick Sisters, Prince and Princess Zeleeka and McClane, the minstrel. BOOKS IRENE CASTLE Paying Dancer $3,000 Weekly— Opening Dec. 26 LUKE LOOSE Pittsburgh Kidder Joshes Me" Bunch "Tickle - Pittsburgh. Nov. 30. The tide that rose at the Shubert last week during the holidays gave Indications of falling this week. It wasn't only the reaction from big business that is hurting th!: week as much as a strong headliner, Ger- trude Hoffman, at tho Davis (Keith**). As during the holidays and for two months befpre, the lat- ter Ik se is still at least a 95 per cent, sell-out on the week. Th« Shubert management Is mak- ing bids for attention in various ways, latest of which is distribu- tion of tickets which admit two for the price of one. The business last week necessitated an extra per- formance Thanksgiving morning, not a mean achievement for the new house. Boston, Nov. 30. Th.- type of bills at both the Ma- Jes:: • and Keiths are steadily im- proving as entertainments, regard- less of weeks with names and weeks without names. The compe- tition is making money for both, but l» putting the screws onto the pop houses, which are feeling the press- ure keenly. The Cordon houses have been Spending some real money bolstering tip the vaudeville end of their bills, including Umma Carus and Marie Nordstrom in the last few weeks. The Lo». w house is not admitting that it is fueling the gaff as yet. but the attendance is beginning to taper * bit. Pittsburgh, Nov. 30. Luke Barnett, local entertainer, occasioned much merriment among the cast of "Tickle Me' "at the Alvin last week. Appearing behind the scenes as mayor, he cautioned the girls against any too bold actions; and later, pos-< lng as a bank president who wanted to get his daughter on the stage to the extent of offering $5,000 to any one who would accomplish his de- sire, got a male member of the cast interested for a couple of days, un- til the matter was explained to him. Lewis and Dody's Aeturn Record Lewis and Dody played the Fifth Avenue last* week and were booked for a return engagement there two and a half weeks later. This Is the record for a return en- gagement at that house. K ROBERT DOWNING IN ACT Hobert. Downing, for the past decade under the management of Arthur Aiston and identified with ".Ten Nights in a Par Room.'' has *nu-v,.,| vaudeville with a "single" turn FAYS WIFE BALANCE Word reached here this week from Los Angeles that the divorce of Charles Spencer Chaplin from Mil- dred Harris Chaplain had been made final by the payment of $57,000 to Mrs. Chaplin. This completes the court order directing the comedian to give his former wife $107,500. Johnny Dooley Shubert-Signed Johnny Dooley last week signed a Shubert vaudeville contract. The Keith office has booked Irene Castle as a vaudeville act. She will start the tour Dec. 26, receiving $3,000 weekly. As Miss Castle will open out of town, her current engagement at the Knickerbocker Grille, New York (cabaret), will end before that time. She was lately engaged for the Knickerbocker, and is reported to have stimulated business there. Dorothy Jardon Resuming Dorothy Jardon, temporarily forced to discontinue her vaudeville en- gagements through undergoing an operation on her throat at a Kansas City hospital last week, has recov- ered and will resume playing out her Keith route next Monday. Denver, Nov. 30. An extraordinary blackmail sys- tem has been exposed here with the arrest of Darline Tweedle, aged 18, married to a convict, and who has been the alleged confederate of one Roy Moore, a carnival concession manager, in a number of "shake- downs'* of rich old men along the route of the carnival. The girl admits she wrote a letter to Moore, to Omaha, giving him de- tailed instructions toward mulcting a rich business man there, supplying evidence of relations with the man. She said she and Moore were aiming at a bankroll to finance a carnival of their own in Cuba. The system alleged to have been employed was to have the girl go a week ahead of the show, meet a man or men,, involve them in com- promising situations, and then fur- nish the details to Moore, who would come along wtih the show outfit and "see" the victim. Moore bi under arrest In Omaha as a re- sult. The girl's statement to the police said: "Moore and I talked about floating a show for Cuba, So I suggested we get hold of a few rich suckers and make them put up the coin. I thought it would be easy to get some rich men going and then threaten them and force them by showing that I waa under age." The girl's husband fs now In San Quentin penitentiary. He Is the son of a Denver minister. He mar- ried the girl when she was 16, and his father, a settlement worker, sympathised with her when she waa brought Into the juvenile court aa a delinquent. Burllngame soon after* ward got into trouble ani waa con- victed. When arrested here the girl was living as the ostensible "wife" of a wealthy Denver packer, who, the police suspect, was slated to have been the next subject of Moore's activities. H0U0INI BACK Escape Expert Returning to Vaude- ville With New Idea The big time via Keith's has ar- ranged to have Harry Houdlnl re- turn to the vaudeville stage. He is to start Dec. 19, and is reported returning to the stage with a new Idea. Whether that will be in the line of former escape work by the expert is not mentioned. TEXAS CENSOR SET DOWN Houston, Texas, Nov. SO. The case of the City Censor Board against Manager Sachleben of the Majestic theatre scheduled for trial Dec. 1 has been ordered dismissed by the Mayor. Mr. Neblett, of the Censor Board, has resigned his post, the Mayor ordering that in the future no arrests should be made on demand of any member of the Censor Board without first having Mr. Belk, the city manager, passing upon it. Abo Wagner has been appointed by the Mayor to take Neblett a place. The board Is to elect a chairman from its members. From all indica- tions this ends the fight of Theatre Managers vs. Censor Board, with a decided victory for the managers. : S\ BUSINESS REPORTS DISCONTINUED Variety's weekly resume in its news columns of the condition <»f business in the Shubert vaudeville theatres, as reported to the paper, has been discontinued. The Shubert circuit is in its 11th week. Her* after the condition of business at the theatres as ."ound by Variety's reviewers when visiting tho houses, in New York city nnd elsewhere, will be reported in connection with the reviews, unless of extraordinary news interest. MAY WIRTH with "PHIL" HEADLINING THE ORPHEUM CIRCUIT THE VANCOUVER DAILY WOULD: 'Heavy snow failed to keep large numbers of patrons away from the Orphcum, and they were well rewarded by an excellent entertainment. Tho spectacular and daring display was that of May Wlrth and 'Phil.' who gave at galloping speed an act amazingly circus riding vaudeville which brought a hurricane of applause for the principals and those supporting them." VANCOUVER SUN: "Orpheum Vaudeville may come and Orpheum Vaudeville may go, but it will be hard for Orpheum Vaudeville to im- prove upon this week's bill. May Wlrth starring with 'Phil' are the hendliners and offer an entertainment that has no peer In the two-a-day of its sort. Spectacular and massive, it yet contains comedy, daring and bizarre features. On Monday night's performance the house rang with storms of applause. The Wirths easily captured the honors this week in their spe« tacular production. • • •" 2> SOPHIE TUCKER LOSING BAND Sophi" Tucker and her band are separating after being together for three years.. The difficulty is said to have arisen over salary, the boys asking for a substantial increase.*' Miss Tucker il! continue to work with a pianist in place of the quin- tet, and has cancelled her engage- ment at the Hamilton, New York, the week i»f Dec. 12, to break in the new routine out of town. The band is heading for n restau- rant engagement. RIVERA OPENING BILL The Riviera, a new Kelth-Mos* house located in the Hedfnrd section of P.rooklyn, was scheduled to open last night (Thursday) with the fol- lowing bill: Conk, Mortimer and Harvey, drcenlep and Drayton, Four Mortons. Margaret Young, William and Joe M.inde!, and Uightner and Alexander. It will be a split week, two shows daily, six acts arid a fea- ture picturi', with reserved seals at 75 cents top. It seats 2,800.