Variety (October 1922)

Friday. October 13, 1922 VAUDEVILLE SMALL TIME BUSINESS UGHT; I BUSINESS AND WEATHER BLAMED >C%'C!\-4l^' {^art Time Vaudeville, More Acts and Higher Cost «^. Fail to Improve Trade in Eastern Vaudeville— ^ Picture House Opposition Felt /^ Business has been generally light In the pop vaudeville houses located in the smaller cities east of Chicago aince the season started. In most of the towns of 20.000 to 100.000 population playing the small time grade of bills It has been practically Impossible for the pop houses to get started. •.■ ■:'.■ ■': ''■ \- . "? . In September a number of small- timers added an extra| act or two, the general trend being to increase the quality and cost of the bills, with a view to boosting business at the ojLitse*. ■'■/■'■:\. .. "\ This has not worked to advantage, the larger part of the houses in- creasing bills having dropped back to last season's quota. In a number of cities In New York State business showed so little Inclination to take a jump that many houses hit upon the idea of playing the vaudeville acts but half a week instead of twice weekly, as the custom has been for years. In the Keith family department eight pop house; that had always played two bills weekly have been playing but one, a half week, for the last two weeks. Pictured fill in the first or second half, as the case n. y be. The condition is duplicated In other booking offices. The part Lime for vaudeville idea ig an expedient or the part of tho irtanagers to keep the houses going until business improves. In nrost Instances it will have to improve quickly or many of the houses play- ing part time vaudeville and the other half of the week pictures may close. Small time managers confronted with this condition and considering the elimination of vaudeville alto- gether are up against the opposition of straight picture houses already established. Mercantile conditions are ascribed as the reason for the general slump among the small-timers, although the weather also fl ,ures. As against the current period and this time last year business is about S5 per cent. less. Small time agen&ies as a result are booking considerably less houses now than the corresponding period a year ago. Small time agents appear to be- lieve the public that patronized the {>op shows still exists In as large numbers as formerly, but business conditions have not provided this public with the money to attend the shows as frequently as before. BEE PALMER AND HUBBY MAY HAVE TO PLAY CAFE Received $1,500 Advance i Money From Oriental Cafe I !—Couple Separated Again Although reported separated again, Bee Palmer and her hus- band, Al Siegel, also her pianist, may have to appear at the Oriental cabaret, New Orleans, to fulfill their four weeks' engagement. Tho con- tract calls for a weekly salary of $1,750. The Oriental cafe expected the couple last week, but they did not appear and the cabaret used a i-^vue instead. It is reported the couple sep- arated after Siegel, according to Miss Palmer, had secured an ad- vance of $1,500 on the New Orleans engapTcmont. Following tlioir non-appearance In tho south, the- restruirant. ac- -eordingr to the account, martp a de- mand upon them to complete the contracted engagement. Oof.rgo Chan, manager of the Ori- ental, was.reported Tuesday on his way to New York in connection with the cancellation. The Oriental was booked by Splogelberg of Atlanta, viho is Faid to have lost its booking through tho contretemps. The Palmor booking was Indirectly ar- ranged through ^ New York small time agent. N. V. O PUNCHBOARDS / TO HELP SICK FUND Over $130,000 Paid Past Yeat —$50,000 in Life . insurance The N. V. A. Sick and Charity Fund has spent $130,000 In charity during the past year. One of the greatest inroads into the fund was made by the paying of $1,000 inaur- ance to which each member Is en- titled at- death. Over $50,000 was paid out last year as deaia bene- fits. • About $35,000 of the fund went to outsiders or non-N. V. As, who ap- pealed to the club for financial aid. A "drive" Is now on to replenish the depleted coITers of the fund. Punch boards have been sent out to i different members of the organiza- tion with requests that the chances be sold, the funds realized to be placed to the credit of the sick and benefit fund. COLORED CABARET ACT Wilton Placing Tappan's Er>t«rtjiin< •rt in VaudtvilU The four colored entertainers who have a feature of Tappan's restau- rant. Sheepshead Bay, for the paat 10 years will enter vaudeville under the direction of Alf Wilton. The colored artists will be billed as Tappan^a Singing Orchestra. They have turned down numerous vaudeville offers, preferring to play clubs and do cabaret work. The Keith agent» after witnessing a recent performance of the Tappan entertainers. Induced several Keith bookers to review the turn, with the result the colored boy» placed them- selves under Wilton's management. The new act will open at an out- of-town Keith house within two weeks. . CUCQUE'S THREAT AGAINST ACT FAILS Foreign Turn Selected—De- manded $50—Jimmy Lucas Intervenes WHICH 20? Gerard and Willie Cohan Disagree on Contract Barney Gerard has been served in a $3,500 suit for alleged breach of contract by Willie Cohan. Cohan, through Frederick E. Goldsmith, asks for 20 weeks' salary at $175 a week on a contract which stipu- lated the actor was to have com- menced working' for Gerjjrd on or about Sept. 1§. To date Gerard has not taken advantage of his services. The agreement was for a Shubert unit. Gerard's contention is, he cannot find an opening for Cohan, ^nd If he has covenanted for 20 weeks mininum guarantee he Is privileged to elect the last 20 in the season. Padden Booking Keeney's Louis Pincus has resigned from the Amalgamated Booking Oflflces, where he formerly booked the Frank Keeney houses. He will be asso- ciated with Wirth, Blumenfeld and Co. In the future. Harry Padden will book Keeney's, Brooklyn, the only Keeney house remaining in the Amalgamated or playing vaudeville. The culmination of a growi;ig scries of attempts to get a claque working In New York vaudeville houses came Monday night when a raw and open threat was made to Mitty and Tillio on the stage of the Colonial theatre. Two strangers called at the stage door while the performance wai on and sent word in that they wanted to see Tillio, with a message from France. Tillio asked that they be admitted and met them on the stage. Jimmy Lucas' act was playing at the time. The men entered and, In loud voices notified Tillio that they had come to warn him of a plot to "razz" him at that performance, but It could be squared for $50. Tillio did not understand what they said, but the crew did. While the strangers were trying to explain to Tillio. they sent extra watchers to the gallery and balcony and threw the shakedown pair out. Til'io went on without even knowing what the threats were. There was no trouble. Reports have come In consistently of late that acts, especially foreign ones, have been overtufed in sev- eral ways on behalf of a'supposed clacque, and the "work" hafe been the usual Metropolitan Grand Opera system, threats of booing and offers of applause, always with a consid- eration In the background. The Colonial Instance, however, is the only known one on record where it was pulled on a stage during a per- formance and open enough to be heard by witnesses. 3 SHOWS DAILY AT STATE Loew's State. New York, has re- duced the number of Its daily per- formances to. three, starting with the last half last week, when a unit vaudeville bill went In. The decrease from the former four shows Is said to have been caused through the final performance under the old policy closing at midnight or later to empty seats. The last cnrtain now comes down at ll.SO. LONG URM CONTRAa IDEA BEmR LIKED BY KEITH ACTS Large Percentage of Turns Now Signing for Two or Three Years—Special Exploitation and Publicity ^ V^.^: * BALMY WEATHER ' STAMPEDES 'KOUTES" Many Acts Capitulated Last Week on Big Time—''Dead- lock" Given Setback The deadlock between the acts and the Keith office over salaries, which resulted in many acts turn- ing down preferred routes at cut salaries, preferring to book from week to week Instead, has b. n dis- solving, with the Keith people re- ported still adhering to their deter- minatfon to reduce salaries. More acts have accepted routes during the past ten days than at any time since the season opened. Several reasons are advanced for this. The princlpi.l one Is that the acts became panicky owing to the unusual hot spell, which has put a crimp In business throughout the country, with the result that houses In many Instances reduced their ap- propriations for the cost of their vaudeville. Several Intermediate houses dropped an act whenever possible, and others have been doing so whenever a feature picture of de'slrable strength came along. This Increased the number of icts available, and with the l)ooking men doubling the "name" acts whenever possible and padding out the rest of their bills with turns of lesser ability, many heretofore standard acts booking from week to week found themsefVes not in de- mand. In the face of reports of a ma^rial shortage. That doubling has cropped out this early in the season Is the real tip-off th2^ a material shortage of feature and name acts does exist, but the actor who hasn't booked next week is out of perspective and is apt to capitulate t.t the terms offered for a route. 20c. POP BILL Casino, Frisco, With Six Acts and Pictures San Francisco. Oct. 10. The Casino has been fixed for the new vaudeville policy for It by Ackerman & Harris. The program will consist of six acts with a pic- ture and prices will be 20 cents top. Because of the exceptionally la^ge capacity It is believed the Casino will cut Into the Market street the- atres with their higher admission rates. CHICAGO AGENCY DISSOLVES Chicago, Oct. 10. The booking agency of Cohen & Dusey has dissolved partnership, with Mike Cohen taking over the good will and acts. They did busi- ness on the Association lloor but camo under the Iron hand when a general clean-up was made and some of the agencies were barred TRIXIE FRIGANZA In MAHY nODEIlTS KINEIIAHT'S story of TISH In "MIND OVER MOTOR/' a WARD LASCELLE Productlpo. Locw'i "Folliei" in Newark V . Newark, N. J., Oct. 10. Manager Downes of Ijoew's State is attracting a good deal of atten- tion by using large side .calling for fifty Newark girls to take part in a proposed Newark Follies, which will be produced in the near future at the State. A large percentage of the acts being routed by the Keith office are signing long term contracts, mostly of the two and three-year variety. The contracts provide for In- creases In salary each season, graded upward. The main reason back of the avidity with which the artists are accepting the long term agreements is the "special pub* licity" bureau of the Keith office, which Is promising to concentrate on acts signed for long periods. This Is a drastic change from former seasons, when most artists shied at the long term contracts, preferring to accept a route for a season and make new terms before opening the following one. Among the actors it Is reported that "office acts" during the past season have been given preference In billing and received publicity and exploitation that developed Into strong propaganda for the long term agreements. Several agents are becoming rather thoughtful over the innova- tion. Although they receive com- mission on an act that signs through the committee, they be- lieve the actor will, In time, become educated to the booking direct and long term thing to the elimination or cutting down of the agents. Another reason for the long term bookings is the number of head- liners developed in the Keith houses and receiving Keith public- ity, who have gone over to opposi- tion circuits rather than accept the Keith salaries (ifter they became headliners. MILES' BOOKING stops Pantages Read Showi "Names'* Wanted The Miles' houses have discon- tinued playing the Pantages road shows, although still securing their vaudeville acts through the Pan- tages' office. The road shows, consisting of five and six acts, were found impractical for the Milefl' houses on account of the varying number of'turns used in several of the houses. The Miles, Cleveland, using seven acts, found them Impracticable; also the Miles' Orpheum, Rialto, and Miles in Detroit, some of which use but three vaudeville acts and pic- tures. Another factor entering into the dropping of the road shows was the necessity for "names" in some of the Miles' houses which would have to be added to the road shows when the "names'' were secured. Eva Tanguay will open for a tour of thtt Miles' houses within two week«. r Miss Tanguay is receiving 12.500 weekly. Meadville Opposition Meadvllle. Pa.. Oct. 10. A vaudeviHe battle is on here between the Academy and the Park. The former is playing (;uh Sun vau- deville, four acts and pictures, split wccic policy. The Pnrk is a new liouse bool<(.'d by liilly DClancy of Ihii —Keith—pop—price dcpaxtmcnt. liofh hou.sOM have been vieing for nanio.s and strong vaudeville acts *'PLAYOORAPH" SUIT • The Star Ball Player Co. Is suing Loew's. Inc., of New York (mispelled In all papers on file in the U. S, District Court as "Lowe's," Inc.) al- leging patent infringement in me- chanically reproducing on a score board the world series' plays. Thl« has reference to the "playograph" device on view on the New York Roof during the five days of the worldjs series games for which a 75-cerit flat admission was charged. The Star Ball Player Co. is suing for an Injunction, an accounting and triple damages under the law. 1 John McNally Joins Tu^ly Staff .lohn McNally. a.s.sistant to I. K. S.'imucl.s in the Koith booJdiiK ofllcc, rcsiKncd this Wcik to become as.so- riated with May Tully In the pro- duf^tlon of vauduvllic ucIh. Philip iJloom, formerly assl'it'ng Tolin Kolvoord, succeeds McNully as Samuels' assistant. JERSEY HOUSES CUT SCALE The Ritz, Jersey City, and tho Strand. II o b o k e n. both KcitJi booked, have dropped admission scales. Datin;? from last week matinees are 10 cents, with the nlKllt'< ?,'> rrnt.'!. , Tito foiiiu't- j^cala woa 2i cents Cav ... the afternoon, with 50-cent top at night. Other neighborhood houses in Jecsey territory are reported JioMing to the latter scale ; STELL FIXING DOWLING UNIT The Eddie Dowling Shubert unit, "Hello. Miss Radio," Is still In the throes of fixing, with Arthur Pcar- .Mon called in this week by Dowling i to help remake the show ..^ttl