Variety (February 1923)

VAUDEVILLE Thursday, February 22, 1923 SHUBERT UNIT PRODUCERS MAY TRY TO RECOVER "EXTRAS" Reported Conferring With Counsel as to Chances— Locating Who or What'to Sue —Added Acts to Be Included in Amounts Named Producers of Shubcrt vaudeville •nit shows, since closed, this season are said to be talking with counsel as to the possibilities of recovering the "extras" charged against their •hows while on the Shubert unit cir- cuit. These extras include the ad- ditional salary deducted from the producers' share of the gross re- ceipts in Shubert theatres through the Shubert vaudeville booking of- fice or the Affiliated Theatres Cor- poration ordering an additional act or so as "a strengthener" in unit •hows for a week here and there or for several weeks. One producer who consulted a theatrical attorney the other day, when asked who or what he expected to Jiam e as the defendant, could not answer the lawyer. The producer said he thought the Af- filiated or Shubert Advanced Vaude- ville, Inc., was the proper party, and perhaps both should be mentioned as defendants. He was informed by his counsel it was unlikely re- covery would be certain against th» Affiliated, even" though judgment were secured. When askeJ what di- TContinued on page 38) KEITH'S PALACE, N. Y„ WUJL CHANGE BOOKER Darling Succeeding Gottlieb March 5—Keith's Cir- cuit Controls House FORMER LOCAL NO. 310 ASKS SALARY RAISE Turmoil Between Musicians' Unions Results in Move— How Matters Stand The action of Musical Mutual Protective Union, former local No. 810 of the American Federation of Musicians, in adopting resolution." Tuesday asking for an Increase of from $15 to $25 weekly In the wage scales of musicians playing in the New York picture, legit, vaudeville and burlesque houses, is another move in the campaign of the M. M P. U. to secure reinstatement in the A F. of M. The M. M. P. U. la not recognized by the different managerial associa- tions, the latter since the M. M P. 0. was ousted from the A. P. of M. two and a half years ago doing business with the new local No. 802. the A. F. of M.'s New Y< -k organi- zation. If the musical situation in New • ¥ork arrives at a point where the M. M. P. IT. should call a strike It is very likely the big vaudeville, lep:it. picture and burlesque houses would be affected, notwithstanding the musicians . playing in such houses ar.' members of the 802 local, Inasmuchyas a large bu'k of the 802 membership also belongs to the M M. P. U. The M. M: P. U. has -been trying to. get back into the A. F. of M. for two and a half years, the cam- paign havii.g been renewed with (Continued on page 38) The vaudeville booking of B. F. Keith's Palace, New York, will pass from the Orpheum Circuit's office to the Keith office March I. On that date Eddie Darling will re- place George Gottlieb as its booker. Darling is in charge of the book- ings for other Keith's big time In the metropolitan districts. Tack- ing on the big Palace conveniently fits into the Darling list. Gottlieb will continue booking the Orphe- um's theatres In the middle west as he has been doing. Gottlieb has booked the Palace, New York, since it opened. He built up an enviable reputation as a blender of bills and as a courageous booker. While the Keith's Palace. New York, was promoted by Martin Beck, the Keith Interests havo held 51 per cent, of Its stock contin- uously. Out of regard for Beck, however, the Keith people permit- ted the Palace to remain on the Orpheum Circuit's books. With Beck's resignation as president of the Orpheum Circuit, It was fore- gone Keith's would take over the Palace bookings. The Palace is naturally of course, a house to be booked out of New York. With it having what Is "first call' on the best vaudeville of Amer- ica at all times, the theatre had a booking advantage. Added to Dar- ling's bookings, the Palace com- pletes the Greater New York big timers in his office. Next week at the Palace with the final Gottlieb-booked bill, Fanny Brice will be No. 4 In order that she may double into the act by the Biltmore Society Orchestra that will close the first part of the program. The following week, for the first Darling-booked Palace program, among the features will be Hal Skelly, Fairbanks Twins, Frank Tinncy and Valeska Suratt. A PLAY FOR JANET Janet of France has commissioned Paul.Gerard Smith to write for her a three-act play, to be ready early next season. There is a slight sus- picion that the negotiations were brought about through E. K. Nagel, who represents both principals In the matter. - KEITH ACT SOLICITING STOPPED FOR AGENTS Booking Office Advises Rep- resentatives to Fill Lists For Protection BOOKINGS FOR A. & H. CIRCUIT Chicago, Feb. 21. The Ackerman & Harris shows for Pacific Coast time are booked practically solid until May 4, ac- cording to Sidney Schallman, who is now representing the circuit in Chicago. Schallman submits acts to Ella Herbert Weston, who is the booking manager in San Francisco. Some of the acts booked to open on the A. & H. circuit shortly are Crescent Comedy Four (March 2), Pantzer Brothers, Tom BrantTord and Seven Flashes (March 9), Ar- thur Abbott and Co., Frances Dough- erty and Stuart's Revue (March 23), Janies McCurdy and Co., and Moore, Brown and Christie (March SO), Moore and Shy nnd Musical hunds (April «), Delton Brothers and Flo Adler and Boys (May 4). Attico Bernabini becomes chorus master of the Chicago Opera Asso- ciation once again next season. He sued ftie company for breach of contract for unjust dismissal but effected monetary settlement and secured his post back. An order has been issued by the Keith office to avoid the condition arising from two or more agents soliciting the same act. Several months ago the Keith agents agreed not to solicit any vaudeville act with Keith office representation. The order is aimed to avoid con- fusion especially as regards new acts approached or caught by the agents. The other requests the agents to file a complete list of acts, old and new, on their lists with the Keith booking manager, C. Dayton Wegefarth. The order follows: — Artist's Representatives: It is a rule that one represen- tative will not'solicit an act be- longing to another representative. To avoid this it was agreed some months ago that you were to in- quire of the office whether the act you were about to communi- cate with has a representative or not. If this is to be completely pro- tective, every representative must register with us every act he has and every new one as it comes to him for representation; other- wise, If you lose acts through not doing so, It is your own fault. Wegefarth. Not Rebuilding Temple, Ft. Wayne Chicago, I'eb. 21 The Temple, Fort W.iyne. Ind. destroyed by fire at three <>'< lock in the morning of Feb. J>, will not be rebuilt. It had not been a paying venture during recent years. An office building will go up on the site. The four walls were all that was left after the firo. . AGENTS TRYING TO BOOK ACTS THEY NEVER SAW ON STAGE r • Another Try-Out House in Mots' Franklin —Try- Outs Becoming Standard Feature of Small Time Theatres INDEPENDENT ASSN. PASSES OUT IN CHI. Agents May Reform for So- ciability—Failed to Pro- tect Each Other. Chicago, Feb. 21. The Independent Agents' Associa- tion, with its title appropriately de- scribing its vaudeville membership, has dissolved. Members of It may reform for a social club, but aa a protective organization it .became defunct through lack of protection afforded, as a whole, Or through the individuals. Its purpose was to band the independent agents to- gether, to work as a unit on com- mon causes and for each member to stand for the other. That was an idyllic aim appearing to b: some- thing over the head of a* indepen- dent vaudeville agent with a nar- row gauge idea of his business. Each member though did expect the others to protect him, but had noth- ing in sight he could see to protect the other fellow against. The plain example was a boycott against the Pantages local book- ing office. The agents boycotted the office at the front door and tried to sneak in at the back. So many ar- rived at the back door simultane- ously it caused a double jam in the rear that led to the association blowing up. One contributing and immediate reason for the latter certainty may have been that the Pantages local office when tired of being boycotted by the agents, boycotted the agents. That was a panic. AMERICAN BILL LIKED Reports From Ail-American Vau- deville Show Abroad Chicago, Feb. II. The first venture in the way of Importing a complete vaudeville show to Europe to play over there as a road show appears to have been successful from reports which come back to Chicago. Charles Lewis, managing director of the American Community Attractions, organized the company in Chicago and it opened at Bath, England. The acts were considered ''small time material" over here, according to Mr. Lewis, but over there press and public are generous in the extreme and a long tour resulted from the showing. ' The show runs this way—Strad and Legato, Fay and Weston, Miller and Rainy, Sonla and Escorts, in- termission, Pathe Weekly, Hope Wallace and Maureen, George and Lillian Mitchell, Lillian Sieger and Girls, Jerry and Gene and Armento Brothers. StraS and Legato have sent cards to Chicago friends saying that there was only one bad day en- countered on the trip abroad. Hope Wallace writes the show la a "wonderful success." MENLO MOORE IN MICH. Menlo Moore, vaudeville and legitimate producer (Moore & Meg- ley) is again abed with a stomach complaint which physicians have not been able to diagnose. When returning from the Maine woods recently he planned to visit Lake Placid. Instead Moore visited his parents in Chicago and was ordered to the Battle Creek (Mich.) sani- tarium. Doctors there believe the seat of affliction is an affection of the spinal cord. BEDTIME STORIES BY "RADIO" BROADCASTED BY U. B. O. Dear Children, this is a picture of the two people of whom I spokf*. I don't know their full names but his first name is Henry and her's is (Jlatlys. I saw them this week at the Hushwick Theatre, Brooklyn, In a very nice playlet "Seminary Mary." If you can get your parents to take 1 you, you will enjoy Henry and Gladys very much. They are so nice. LENETSKA, BOOKING AGENT Harry Lenetska, former Orpheum Circuit booking man, is with Floyd Stoker. Keith and Orpheum agent, and will book acts with the Or- pheum Clrqatt through the Stoker franchise. ^* Lenetska resigned from the Or- pheum staff about a year ago to,en- ter the independent agency field. He was booking most of the Junior Or- pheum string at the time of his res- ignation. Professional try-outs have been added to the policy at Moss' Frank- lin. Beginning last Thursday the house plays six try outs every Thursday, in addition to the regular six-act bill. The professional tryouts are now regular features at Proctor's 23rd and Proctor's 126th Street and are regarded as the only feasible solu- tion of the new act problem by the Keith booking men. The bookers contend that when an agent offers a new act, the name of which is unfamiliar, the act re- ceives little or no consideration on account of the prevalence of acts with which they are acquainted. If the act accepts the profes- sional tryout the booker is bound by the rules of the Keith office to see the act under favorable con- ditions. The booker gives the agent an immediate answer one way or the 'other and in many cases gives the agent a line on his act, for some agents have acts on their lists they have never seen on a stage. A typical example occurred last Thursday at the Franklin when The Three Longfields, after unavailing efforts to secure bookings in the Keith office, appeared among the tryouts and were immediately booked for several weeks in other Keith houses, with the possibility of being routed at the next book- ing meeting. ENGFJLW00D EIMIN ATES "PRIZE" CANDY SELLING Understood Orpheum Circuit and Association Issuing General Order Chicago, Feb. 21. The most notable change in pol- icy at the Engelwood outside of switching from Shubert to Orpheum vaudeville and from one show a night to two is the elimination of the "prize" package candy selling, which has been one of the most Important factors of the intermis- sion period. This disposing of prize packages under the impression conveyed to buyers that they had a chance to "win" articles of value with a pur- chase of candy has been cut out. The new Engelwood staff under- stands that that is a country-wide ruling among the smaller houses controlled by the Orpheum, and is a policy to be adopted by the asso- ciated houses booked by the West- ern Vaudeville Managers' Associa- tion. TAX IN WASHINGTON Frsnk P. Hood Leads Fight Against State's 10 Psr Cent Measure. Seattle, Feb. 21. Frank P. Hood led the fight last week in the Capitol at Olympia against the bill the State Senate is trying to get over adding 10 per cent tax on theatre admissions in addition to the Federal tax. Ho has lined up all of the managers of the state against the measure. The Senate Committee having the bill is strongly in favor of en- acting it. They estimate that it will produce at least $1,226,000 in revenue. It is proposed that the revenue be turned into the school fund. The. tax is not to apply to. any other amusement except the- atrical and outdoor. Recreational;, games are to be exempted. TINNEY AT THE PALACE Frank Tinney has been booked for the Palace, New York, the week of March 12. Tinney opened in vaudeville Feb. 9 at the Columbia, Far ltorkaway, L. I., and has been playing for the Keith office since. The March 12 booking at the Pal- ace will be the first New York (Manhattan) booking since Tinney closed with his musical comedy. For vaudeville Tinney ie asking $2,000 weekly through Harry Fitz- gerald, his agent, with the vaude- ville salary to he set later.