Variety (June 1922)

VAUDEVILLE Friday, June 2, 1822 FINKELSTEIN & RUBEN ACCUSED OF UNJUST CANCELLATIONS Several Acts Charge Northwestern Managers Did Not Honor Play or Pay Contracts—Booked by Mor- ganstern in Chicago CHAS. C. SHAY ELECTED; FAVORS NO DECREASES I. A. T. S. E. Convention Refers Matters of Policy to Executive Board A communication received by Va- riety stated that through an edi- torial in this paper on May 19, headed "Damages by Cancellation," several acts suffering what they al- lege to have been an unjust can- cellation by Finklestein & Ruben of Minneapolis and St. Paul, prompted them to write the letter. Finklestein & Ruben play vaude- ville In the two cities, booked by their representative, Charles W. Morganstern, in the western book- ing agency of Shubert vaudeville, In Chicago. Morganstern issued the acts pay-or-play contracts for two full weeks for the firm, one week to be played in each of the cities. The letter charges the acts were to have played May 7 week i 1 Min- neapolis and the following week in St. Paul. It states the acts opened May 7 at Minneapolis; that Man- ager Hooley of Finklestein & Ru- ben's Palace, St. Paul, went over to Minneapolis to see the bill, and after seeing the performance can- celed three of the acts. The acts also claim that at Hoo- ley's suggestion, Finklestsein & Ruben immediately held a meeting At which it was decided to go into a split week policy at both houses. This was done, says the letter, without any effort on the part of the firm or Morganstern to protect the acts holding the play-or-pay contracts for full weeks. A complaint was registered, it Is said, but up to the date of the let- ter (May 27) nothing had been heard about it. The names of the acts holding play-or-pay contracts and that did play St. Paul are given as Bel- mont's Mannikins, Prof. Armand ("Fall of Rheims"), Urownstore, Doherty and Shone, Jack Levy's Orchestra, Ray Conklin, Noble and Brooks, Hite and Kettow, Rocco Bros. HACKETT DELMAR MIXUP Dancers Cancel Palace When Band Is Left Out of Act Hackett and Delmar failed to open at the Palace this week, though conspicuously billed. Through misunderstanding or a change of plans in the booking office, the new turn was billed without its band, the Syncopated Serenaders, and o.i inquiry they were informed that the salary set was with a view of their playing without the band. Contracts with the musicians made this impractical, and the dancers withdrew. STAGES IN AIRDROMES ACCOUNT LIGHT SAYING Vaudeville Before Nine O'clock When Pictures Are Shown LOEWS OTTAWA FORECLOSED Montreal, May 31. A dispatch from Ottawa says: 'Judgment in a mortgage action brottght some time ago by the Bry- fion Estate Limited, against Loew's Ottawa Theatre Limited, was fore- closed at the court house." The amount of principal owing to the Bryson Estate Limited, was shown to be $150,000 and unpaid Interest $4,500. The foreclosure was signed by John Bishop, K. C, the local master. Though the mortgage has been legally foreclosed, the thea'.re interests still have five or six weeks' grace In which they can redeem the mor'gage. T. C. Bate, vice-president of the theatre company, which is a Canad- ian corporation, stated that at * present he was in a position to make any statement in regard to the foreclosure, and said that he would have to await further in- structions from Montreal. Local airdrome owners in several instances have installed stages for the purpose of playing vaudeville in conjunction with their picture policy during the summer. A number of open-air theatres have been forced to remain closed, duo to the daylight saving laws, which make it impossible to show pictures before nine o'clock. In several vaudeville is played the early part of the evening, the acts not being affected by daylight. By the time the vaudeville por- tion of the bill Is completed it is sufficiently dark to show pictures. BERNSTEIN-McMAHON CASE The suit of Sam Bernstein against "Paddy" McMahon, the New Britai Conn., theatre owner, for $2,400, salary claimed by Bernstein for booking McMahon's Keeney's theatre in that town, is on the cal- endar for hearing before the Su- preme Court, New York. McMahon was served in the action some time ago, though the case has been pending for nearly three years. Bernstein is represented by former Assemblyman Sensheimer. PANTAGES CUTS OUT 5th SHOW San Francisco, May 31. Pantages, Oakland, has eliminated the feature film from the regular program and is using short reel comedy instead. The continuous show policy also has been cut on Sundays and holidays. During the other days of the week one show is given in the afternoons and two at night. The fifth Sunday show has been cut out also from the San Francisco theatre. Chas. C. Shay was elected presi- dent of the International Alliance of Stage Employes and Moving Pic- ture Machine Operators last Friday at the twenty-sixth convention of the organization held in Cincinnati. Mr. Shay's only opponent for the executive office was James Lemke, who was a candidate for re-election. Shay's vote was about twice and one-half times as much as Lemke's. The only other change in the ex- ecutive officers was the election of E. J. Tierney, of Youngstown, as fifth vice-president. Tierney suc- ceeded H. C. Hollinger. Tierney was not opposed. Frank Lemaster was re-elected treasurer without op- position. This will make Shay's eighth term as president of the I. A. The elec- tion is for two years, expiring in 1924. All wage scab increases were re- ferred to the incoming executive board for action. Resolutions call- ing for increased pay ranging from 10 to 25 per cent, for traveling stage carpenters, property men and elec- tricians were presented. Action will be taken on suel. matters during the week of June 8, in Cincinnati, the executive board of the I. A. meeting there while the American Federa- tion of Labor convention is in ses- sion. Shay went on record in his ac- ceptance speech, and the convention endorsed his stand, that the I. A. would hold a pat hand at least as far r.s wages and conditions are con- cerned. This means no reduction for traveling crews that now re- ceive $62.50 weekly will be agreed to by tlie I. A. Tor next season. The election fight between Shay and Lemke was rated as the bitter- est in the history of the organiza- tion. At first it was thought'Lemke would withdraw, intimations to that effect having been made by the* Lemke backers. Lemke, however, if having any intention of withdraw- ing, changed fell mind and put up a stiff fight for the office. ORPHEUM CIRCUITS 2 POLICIES IN EFFECT FOR NEXT SEASON No Split Weeks, Juniors Routed With Big Time Orpheums—Juniors to Be More Small Timers—• 3 Full Week Juniors on Big Time Shows KEITH OFFICES ACQUIRE FOUR READE HOUSES Hip's Lease in Cleveland Goes Back to Keith's—Houses to Be on Big Time MISS TANGUAY IN BUFFALO The Lafayette, Buffalo, playing a full week at 50 cents top is after name headliners. The house is booked by Wayne Christie of the Gus Sun, New Vork exchange, who has accepted Eva Tanguay for the Lafayette for the week of June 12. Miss Tanguay's salary will be $2,500. A deal was consummated this week between "Walter Reade (Rosenberg) and the Keith inter- ests whereby four Reade theatres will become Keith < ntrolled with Reade retaining an interest in each. The houses involved include the Hippodrome, Cleveland, at present playing Keith vaudeville, and which was to have gone over to Reads July 1. The Reade Hippodrome leaso has been purchased by the Keith interests. It is reported they will continue vaudeville in the house. According to the present plans, the present two-a-day policy will be moved to the new Keith house now under construction in Cleveland and a continuous policy installed at the Hippodrome. Tho other houses are the Capitol, Trenton, N. J., secured upon the completion of a merger of realty interests in that city last week; State, New Brunswick, N. J., and the Main Street, Asbury Park. The three Jersey houses at present play split week vaudeville independently booked. They will commence play- ing Keith shows June 12. Charles Bryant, general manager of .the Reade houses, will make his office in the Keith offices of the Palace Theatre building and book the newly acquired theatres. Reade has not disposed of his other houses in Asbury Park and Long Branch. FOX HOUSES ALL OPEN The Fox theatres in the metropoli- tan district will remain open over the summer, with the exception of the Albemarle, Brooklyn, playing pictures, which closed Wednesday night. The Albe.narle's policy for next season is undecided. It may be pop vaudeville. Allen's Posthumous Daughter Mrs. Catherine Allen, widow of J. Harry Allen, the fair and circus agent who died suddenly in Balti- more of MphyxiatiOn a few months ago, beeume tin- mother of a daughter last week. Mrs. Allen is still run- ning her husband's booking busi- ness in the Astor Theatre building, having taken a partner. Allen's daughter, who returned to New York on her father's death, has quit the business and is in a commercial position. MILDRED HARRIS (FORMERLY MRS. CHARLIE CHAPLIN) In her successful vaudeville act, "MOVIE MAD" Presented by LEWIS and GORDON. The Orpheum Circuit will have two distinct policies for its Orpheum and Junior Orpheum houses next season. The routes now being is- sued by the local Orpheum office do not include any Junior Orpheum split week houses, covering only solid week stands. The Hennepin, St. Paul; Main Street, Kansas City, and Golden Gate, San Francisco, all full week Juniors, are included in the main Orpheum routes. The split week houses are being booked out of Chicago almost ex- clusively, which indicates the calibre of the shows w'll be small time. Last season the Junior bills were on a par with the bills of the senior houses, most acts playing both. The lower admission prevailing at the Junior Orpheums in addition to the feature pictures being shown was said to have hurt business at some of the older big time stands. The New York office will continue to route the Orpheum Circuit and the three full weeks on the Junior list. Last season the routes con- tained big and splits alike. NO.802 LOCATED New Musicians' Recognized Local Moves Into Own Headquarters The Associated Musicians of Greater New York, Local No. 802 of the American Federation of Musi- cians, established itself in its new headquarters in the Fisk Building, 57th street and Broadway, this week. In addition to administrative offices the new No. 802 quarters embrace an assembly hall and en- gagement exchange of some 8,000 feet floor space. This means 802 has landed a re- taliatory blow of great strategic im- portance on the old local No. 310, which it succeeded as the New York local in the Ar. erican Federation of Musicians, when President Joseph N. Weber ousted the former 310 for insubordination. Heretofore, Local 802 members were forced to utilize the 310 (M. M. P. U.) assembly hall or engagement exchange when seek- ing work. This made the M. If. P. U. building on 86th street a ren« dezvous, with the pick of New York'e musical talent congregating there daily. With their own assembly hall and engagement exchange, the 802 mem- bers will not now find it necessary to use the former 310 hall at all. This in turn probably means that a number of 802 members who have held membership in M. M. P. U, principally on account of the ad- vantages offered by tho engagement exchange will gradually drop out, with a large loss of membership apparently looming up for the M. M. P. IT. . DARLING^SJ)INNER Keith's Royal's Manager Send-Off Banquet Given Al Darling, manager of Keith's Royal, New York city, is to be mar- ried some time next month. The fact leaked out when a "send-off" dinner was staged for the manager at the Hotel Commodore Wednes- day night. Nearly 1,000 citizens of the Bronx attended, among them Toastmaster Sheriff Edward Flynn, Billy Gibson and Benny Leonard. A silver service was presented to the guest of honor by his friends. Darling has been with the Keith forces for several years, acting in a managerial capacity. He formerly managed Keith's Colonial, trans- ferring to the Bronx house. WHITEMAN FOR 8 WEEKS Paul Whiteman's Band may play eight weeks at the Palace, New York, beginning July 17. The musician is asking $5,000 weekly for the summer engagement, it being planned to double the band into other metropolitan houses while the Palace run is on. _ If the bookings of the other houses can coincide with the Palace en- gagement, the turn will be routed this week. Whiteman is now at the Palais Royal, New York. ! ■ ....... I "~X 4