Variety (June 1923)

Thursday, June 7, 1923 BURLESQUE MUTUAL SHOW STRANDS IN CINCY AND HEAT No Salaries for "Girls a la Carte"—Everything in Show Tightly Attached OPPOSITION TICKET Burlesque CSubV Annual Meeting and Election on June 14 Cincinnati, June 6. Members of the "Girls a la Carte" company, stranded and sweating in the heat of one of the most torrid days Cincinnati has ever expe- rienced, were impatiently waiting for their salaries from the Mutual Burlesque Wheel. The People's Theatre, where they played here last week. cloBed Saturday, following an attachment levied on every tangi- ble object, to satisfy a claim for $443.25 made by the Runey Show Print Co. of this city. Simultaneous attachments were made for the fol- lowing urnoi nts at these houses: — Broadway Theatre, Indianapolis. %i 10.3J: Gaycty. Louisvll!?, *2S0.1«; New Kmpirc. Cleveland, $225.75; Garden Theatre. Buffalo. $M. The Indianapolis and Louisville houses closed some days ago. The plain- tiff In each case was the ltuney company. Joseph Jermon, manager of Peo- ple's, told the actors they would be paid at 1 o'clock Monday. At that j hour the money was not forthcom- ing, so Jermon promised they would get it tomorrow. The delay, he said, was due to the fact that executives of the Mutual had been in New York attending a meeting of wheel chiefs and wer*» unable to sign checks at headquarters in Cleveland. The Runey company not only tied up the box office receipts at People's but seized the scenery, costumes and baggage of the company. Benny Moore and Busby Nate are stars of the troupe. At the headquarters of the Mutual Burlesque Wheel in New York it wa9 stated the "Girls a la Carte." which played at the People's. Cin- cinnati, last week was not a Mutual wheel show, and that the Mutual wneel had nothing to do with its management. The title. "Girls a la Carte." was used by another show on the Mutual wheel it was said, earlier in the season. The Mutual season closed several weeks ago, the Mutual wheel rep- resentative in New York said, and the Mutual circuit had no connec- tion in any way with the "Girls a la Carte" at the People's, Cin- cinnati. The Burlesque Club of America will hold its annual meeting and election of officers at its ciubrooms on 44th street, New York, Thursday, June 14. at 8:50 p. m. Considerable controversy has arisen over the question of whether the "opposition." which nominated five candidates for the board of gov- ernors can withdraw the nomina- tions. These were made -y petition in the usual way, the five candi- dates being Dan Dody. Phil Dalton, Lou Reals, Wm. S. Clark and Meyer Harris, for two years, and Henry Kurtzman for one year. The board of governors' candi- dates were nominated a couple of weeks ago. Otherwise tie regular and opposition tickets are identical, with Bobby Clark, nominee for president; John G. Jermon, vice- president; James C. Sutherland, treasurer; Harry Rudder, financial secretary, and Lou Lesser, record- ing secretary. John G. Jermon was a member of the board of governors at the time the nominations for both tickets were made, but a couple of days ago resigned from the board, due to his candidacy for the vice-nresi- dency. With the vacancy on the board of governors for >ne year thus created the regulars and the opposition par- ties got together and made a deal whereby Meyer Harris, who was listed on the opposition ticket for the board of governors, was to be appointed to the vacancy left by Jermon on the board. The petition* as a result were withdrawn nominating the five op- position candidates. The regular candidates for the board are Dave Marion, Walter K. Hill. Frank Hun- ter, Wash Martin, James Coughlin, for two years, and Maurice Cain for one year. It is claimed by some of *he op- position party that the withdrawal of the petition was not permissible. The matter will be thrashed out at a meeting to be held next Sunday. sc ROXY LA ROCCA Wizard of the Harp Mr Manager: — When you buy a shirt you gener- ally ask for a standard make; that is what Roxy LaRocca means to your bill. The Standard act of the world. This week (June 4), Keith's. Boston. Next week (June 11), Bushwick, Brooklyn. Will appear in production shortly. SMALLER CITIES LOCATED OLYMPIC SET Columbia's Now Chisago House with Jake Isaacs, Manager NO MIDNIGHT SHOW Only $30 in House When Columbia Called It Off. The scheduled midnight show to have been g^ven by the Dave Marion show at the Columbia. New York, last Wednesday was called off at 11:50. At that hour there was about $30 in the house. As the stage hands and musicians were ready for work, the latter had to be paid an extra one-twelfth pro rata of a week's salary, in accord- ance with the stage union's rules. Wednesday was a generally ob- served holiday in Now York last week, being Memorial Day, or Dec- oration Day. Considerable bally- hooing was done by the Columbia announcing the midnight show. The failure of the midnight idea to take hold for burlesque in New York as it lias in Boston, where the Casino baa packed 'em in with an early morning matinee for the last three weeks, means the abandon- ment of the idea as far as the Co- lumbia. New York, is concerned. Last Wednesday's proposed mid- night show was to have been in the nature of an experiment, and if showing anything at all would have been the means of starting the mid- night thing >;oing here. COLUMBIA CO. PAYS DIVIDEND OF 10 P. C. Other Subsidiaries Declare Profit Sharing — Passed Dividend Last Year "HOKUM" IN DICTIONARY The word "hokum" h;ts found its way into the dictionary after years of use as a bit of Vaudeville and burlesque terminology. The l-'wiil; & Wag nails I'radical Standard luctionary gives tin- fol- lowing deflnltioa of the mu» .-h-used theatrical descriptive: "Hokum— noun; theatrical slang.. Any word, act. busint as or property used by •a actor lo win an audience.." "Hokum" also appears in the Funk A IVagnatlt New Standard Dictionary, The first dictionary m h copyrighted in 1122 and the second in 1921. The Columbia Amusement Co. declared a dividend of .10 per cent, on its capita! stock last week to stockholders of record. Last sea- son the Columbia passed its divi- dend for the first thne in a number of years. The dividend is payable June 15. ' The Columbia Theatre and Realty Co., which controls the Columbia building and Columbia theatre. New York, declared a dividend of five per cent, also payable June 15. The Columbia Amusement Co. and Columbia theatre dividends were annual. Other Columbia concerns declar- ing dividends preceding the annual meeting last week were the Wash- ington Theatrical Co.. operating the Gayety. Washington, with a dividend of 10 pe: cent. The Baltimore Amusement Co., operatirg the Palace, Baltimore, and the com- pany operating the Gayety, Kansas City, both declaring dividends of five per cent. The Washington. Baltimore and Kansas 31ty divi- dends were quarterly. It was settled this week that the Columbia wheel shows will play the Olympic, Chicago, as a week stand next season. The Empress, Chi .ago. will be eliminated as a result of the Olympic deal. Besides the Olympic the Columbia will also play the Star and Garter as formerly in Chicago. The Col- umbia, played until the end of last season, will be. off the Columbia list, having been leased by Al Woods and renamed the Adelphl for legitimate attractions. * Objections by Mrs. Kohl over the playing of burlesque in the Olympic were made when the deal for that house was first started, but have since been withdrawn. Juke Isaacs will be the resident manager of the Olympic for the Columbia interests leasing the house. Columbia Will Take on Trenton, Bayonn© and Akron Next Season Several of the smaller cities that have not played wheel burlesque for a couple of years or more will have Columbia shows next season. Among the towns slated to house Columbia attractions are: Wheel- ing, W. Ya.: Baynnne. N. J.: Tren- ton. N. J.; and Akron. O. The State In Trenton may be the one to play the Columbia shows or it may be the Palace. A deal for one or the other of the houses is due. for consummation this week. Trenton has not had wheel shows since the American bowed out two years ago. The Columbia has played the town occasionally as a one and two nighter during the past ten years. Trenton will be a three- day stand next season for the Columbia. The Strand, Bayonne, will house the Columbia shows. It \ ill play them three days, splitting with Trenton or another nearby New Jer- sey town. The house in Wheeling has not been decided on. the same condition pertaining to Akron. Both will be three day stands. A deal for a house in Union Hill, N. J., was declared off this - week with the acqulstlon of the idayonne house. MIKE McTIGUE DIDN'T DRAW Mike McTigue, recent conqueror of Battling Siki and holder of the world's light heavy-weight title, failed to better the previous week's gross at the Columbia when Dave Marion's summer show got $5,850 on the week with the boxer as an added attraction. Without a strengthener the show got within a few dollars of that amount the week previous. Mc- Tigue received $1,250 for the week. COLUMBIA RE-ELECTS Annual Election Held—No Succes- sor to Henry. STEPPE AND 0 NEIL SEPARATE Chicago, June 6. Steppe and O'Neil, a Shubert vaudeville act. recently back in the good graces of the Keith and Or- pheum circuits, Is disbanding. Steppe has signed with a bur- lesque show, with O'Neil seeking a new partner. Bobby Bernard is spoken of as the new partner, to do practically the same act that Steppe and O'Neil have been doing. Sim A. Scrlbner was re-elected general manager and secretary of the Columbia Amusement Co.; J. Herbert Mack, president, and It. K. Hynlcka, treasurer, at the annual meeting of the Columbia May "i- June 1. The board of directors', Including Char]fj» Waldron. .John C. Jermon. Jules Hurl::*. Mack. Scribner and Hynlcka, also re-elected. The matter of what franchises will he renewed when Expiring In IP24 wan i,nr over until the next quar- terly meeting al least. It may not come up until the semi-annual meeting in December No on«- ass elected t'» Ihc -"' ; on the board ol directors held by Tom Henry, recently resigned, COLUMBIA PRODUCERS MEET A general meeting of the Colum- bia Amusement Co. producers has been called for to-day (Thursday) in the offices of the Columbia. New York. Plans for next season will be dis- cussed and the situation.talked over with the Columbia executives. "MONKEY SHINES/' TITLE "Monkey Shines' is to be the title of the Clark and McCullough show on the Columbia wheel next season The title first selecfed "Till Tut ' bait beer, picked for a musical show b'tig readied by Jim Mr William-, and (Marl; and McCUliOUgtl agreed to change the name of their show. Scribner Back at His Nat-ve Town. Sam Scribner left New York this week for a month's vacation i\ Hrookville, |\i , hit birthplace. COLUMBIA CO. OFFICERS MUST BE EXAMINED Court So Orders in American Wheel Action—$500,000 Damages Asked ENGAGEMENTS Garry McOarry Players, Majoatic. Buffalo; Louis Wolford, Flora Uadc, Ralph Spiague, Jessica Page. Walter Baldwin Stock Co., Duval, Jacksonville, Pla.; Evlta Nudson. J. Harrison Taylor, Mabel Paige. J. Francia Klrke (director), Charles Ritchie, stage manager, and Mabel Buel, scenic artist. Community Chautauqua ("The Storms"), George Saunders and Mildred Foster. Community Chautauqua ("His Honor, Abe Potash"), Hans Her- bert. Elitch'a Garden Stock, Denver; Ann McDonald. Haze! Burgess Players. Roosevelt. West Hoboken; Leo Kennedy. Ed Renton Stock". Hamilton. Ont.; Florence Coventry and Lyle Cle- ment. Robert McLaughlin Stock. Ohio. Cleveland; Lavinia Shannon. Oakland Stock. Oakland. Cal.; Helen McKellar. George McQuarrle. Opal Skinner. "Bombo.'' Estalre Kaye. "Caroline" (replac- ing Helen Shlpman). Harry Buck. "Jack and Jill" (re- placing Brooks John). Madeline Fairbanks. Bonstelle If. <% H. stock. Marion Fairbanks. Maude Fealy stock. Newark. Evelyn A. Bennett, "Clinging Vine" (replacing Joyce White). Bertori Churchill. "Connie Goes Home." Jane Houston. Reglna Wallace. Frederick Burton. Zeffle Tilbury. Stephen Maley, "The Breaking Point." Far "Passing Show of 1923" (com- plete): Walter Woolf, Joan Hay. George Hassell, George Jessel. Helen Shlpman, James Watts. Roy Cummlngs, Josephine- Drake. Bar- net t Parker, Bob Nqlson, Olive Ann Alcorn. Nat Naxarro, Jr., Flanagan and Morrison. Louise Dose. Hal Van Rensselaer, Llhby and Sparrow, Vera Ross, William Pringle. Jack Rifffe. Jean Steele. Frank Bernard, Andrew Joachim. James Hamilton, Trado Bros., Tom Nip. Dorothy Bruce. Perle Germonde, Bob Gil- bert. Helen Herendeeft. Melville Burke, Stuart Walker stock. Cincinnati. Mary Miles Minter, Keith vaude- ville. Walter Abel. "Mary the Third." Frederick Stanhope, to atage "Connie Goes Home." *» Victor Casmnre. "Jack and Jill." Joe Cook. "Vrnitles of 1923." Jobyna Howland, "Passing Show of 1923." Grant Mitchell. "Whole Town's Talking." For "Magnolia" (complete): Leo Carillo, Josephine Royle. J. K. Hutchinson, Elizabeth Patterson. Lohn Rutherford. Phyllis Schuyler. John Nicolson, Ethel Wilson, James Bradbury, Jr.. John Mellon. Neil II. Pratt. "Gi ■ and Tak •" (replacing Charles Dow Clarke). Sylvia Field, "Connie Goes Home." IN AND OUT "MHcdles and Steps," a musical production act. had to cancel the last half last week at roetor's, Yoiikers, N'. Y., berause of the loss of th«*ir music hooks. The members of. the act maintain they placed theirlor- r best rationi on the orchestra leader'*: rack, but they disappeared mysteriously. Homer Sisters and Co. were out or the bill at the Astoria. L L. tie last half of last week, due to one of the girls Injuring bar leg. Ziegler Bisters and Co. substituted. I The officers and directors of the Columbia Amusement Co. must stand examination before trial in the American Burlesque Associa- tion's $500,000 damage suit on charges of conspiracy. Justice O'Malley of the New York Supreme Court has set the date for June 8 (Friday). While refusing the" mo- tion of Leon Laski, counsel for the defense, to vacate the examination, he granted another motion not mak- ing it necessary for the production of all the Columbia's books and records unless it becomes necessary at the examination. J. Herbert Mack. Jules Hurtig, Rud K. Hynlcka. Samuel A. Scrib- ner, John G. Jermon. Warren B. Irons and Thomas Henry, the co- defendants must submit to exam- ination. The Columbia and 'the above named Individuals are charged with having conspired to destroy ths business of the Ameri- can Burlesque Association. The Columbia has filed an answer to the lengthy complaint setting up. among other defenses, that the offi- cers of the A. B. A. (I. H. Herk. K. Thomas Beatty, and George W. Gallagher) helped destroy Its own business by forming a new corpora- tion, the Affiliated Theatres Corp., for the purpose of operating, pro- ducing and routing the "unit" form of entertainment. Another defense, to supplement the usual general de- nial Is that the "plaintiff lost its business standing, prestige and good will. lost the business which it might have had, and which it might have continued to have, had the officer* and directors aforesaid properly and faithfully discharged the duties owing from them." It Is also charged that the A. B. A. ordered Its shows not to play cer- tain theatres. The American Burlesque Associa- tion has been duly adjudicated a bankrupt on the recommendation of ex-Judge F). Henry Lacombe who was appointed to net as special master in the Involuntary bank- ruptcy proceedings. Among the other charges contained in the A. B. A.'s complaint Is that the defendant cau sa d the plaintiff to be thrown into bankruptcy. LAST SEASON BLAMED FOR HIGH SALARIES Burlesque Producers Say Com- ics Were Scarce—Anticipate Surplus Talent Next Rurlc.'Ciue producers are blaming last season's vaudeville and opposi- tion for the present inflution of burlesque salaries principally as re- gard* comedians. The standard burlesque asking price for a come- dian for next season Is $175 for any kind of a comic, and much higher for comedians of known value to burlesque. The practice of burlesque come- dians and straight* teaming for vaudeville between seasons, and the inflated salaries paid by ihe Shubert units last season, is said to he the reason. According to the producers the comedians were scarce last SSasoa and in a position to demand big salaries. If the producers ddn't want ihem they had regular vaude- vllle and opposition to turn to. The failure of the unit circuit left many of the former hurlesque comedlanl out of employment, but Independent vaudeville has absorbed them to such an extent that they ask big money when approached by I producer for a burlesque engage- ment. Another reason the former hur- losquera prefer vaudeville is said to be the difference lo working time required. A burlesque comic li either working or changing costfUh* for t*o hours in a burlesque show against two or three appearances «•( ibout 15 minute* duration in raad< - vide. The producers ate holding tight, however, anticipating a surplus cf talent before next season starts.