Variety (July 1923)

> .T^-^TT' «i,.i7«J-L..'*i» %r. VAUDEV1LL£ wr \-rf t/v^^y^.. ri irt'-:«:T.KT^™r.vje_.-i;/ Wednefday, July 4, laOi 1 ZO^, OF SMAIl HHE ACTS FAIL TO I PAY BOOKING AGENTS' COMMISH Inuepeiiueni Agents Talk of Organizing for Protec- tion—Some Small Time Agents Believe G>Ilection Agency Preferable to Present Loose System MORE SALARY REFUSED FOR ''AFTERPIECE" ACTS Twenty ^et cant of the acts play- ing the independent Taudeville cir- cuits fall to pay their agents' com- mission when they leave Greater New York, according to the agents. One small time agent'a office, booking with Ix>ew, Fox and Pan- tages, has 11,000 in unpaid commis- sions on its book, representing ten acts over a season. The agents have two methods of redress with this type of act. They can appeal to the Vauilevllle Man- agers' Protective Association to aid them in collecting or bring a court action against the act Both of these methods are un- satisfactory, according to the agents. The first doesn't guarantee payment unless the artist feels so inclined, as the managers* association has no au- thority to collect commissions for the Independents, while the s<*cond entails an additional expense that would run into a considerable sum on account of the prevalence of the practice. A collection agency for the Locw circuit has been acltated by the agents for several seasons. A col- lection agency would cut into the agents' 6 per cent, commission, but would average up better than the present hit or miss method on ac- count of the number of Irresponsi- bles, some agents say. The Independent agents are talk- ing of forming an association whose members will be pledged not to ac- cept an act for representation If the turn Is In arrears for commis- sion to any of Its members. This would prevent an act from gypping one agent and then switching to another. The small time agents also claim they lose back commissions of acts indebted to them when the acts change circuits. A small time act that advances to the big time doesn't worry about back commis- sion to Independent agents, due from the small time. IiCtter writing doesn't elicit any ^sponse, the agents claim. Some of the acts after playing all of the in- dependent circuits, when again seeking engagements sometimes pay some of the back tiommissions, but they are in the minority. AMALGAMATED WILL FORM NEW AGENCY Sablosky & McGurk-Keith Office Merger in Effect Sept. 1 The affiliation of the Sablosky & McGuirk theatres in Pennsylvania, in which the Stanley Co. of Phila- delphia is interested, with the Kelih interests will become effective Sept 1. According to the present plans, when the Sablosky ft McGuirk houses are placed on the Keith books the present Amalgamated Agency, through which they are booked, in conjunction with several other independently owned houses, will be discontinued and^a new booking office created to take over all of the other Amalgamated- booked houses. The Amalgamated name is to be dispensed with, as the agency has been known as the Sablosky & McGuirk office for sev- eral years. ' The organizeriN of the new office will include Milton Hlrshneld. Charles E. Whitehurst and Julian Brylawskl. Their houses include the State Street, Trenton, N. J.; Balti- more and Cosmos, Washington, D. C, respectively. Other houses at present booked by the Amalgamated to be brought Into the new office will be the M. J. Comerford theatres In Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, and the Hippodrome, Pottsville. PANTAGES, K. C, CLOSES Pantages closed Saturday for the first time since it was opened two years ago. The closing was com- pelled for the purpose of installing a cooling system, which has become a necessity in Kansas City theatres, if summer business is contemplated. It Is announced that the house will be dark about 30 days, but the best bet Is that it will not open before September. James Rice, who retired from the management of the house a couple of weeks ago, has been returned and will be in charge during the repairs. When the house reopens It will be under the management It is an- nounced, of Lloyd Dearth, who will be transferred from the Memphis house. Booking Offices Say After- pieces Thrive Through Psy- chology of Audiences The use of "afterpieces" composed of members of the regular yaude- vllle bills promulgated last seas, .i by the Keith and Orpheum circuits has resulted in demands for higher salaries next season by many of the acts concerned. In one ease the Keith people flatly refused to meet the Increase wanted, claiming they eould replace the act In the afterplecj without hurting the quality of the turn. The "afterpiece" in the eyes of the booking men is audience-proof on account of the psychology of the average audience. The ad libing of an of the members of the bill always meets with an appreciation because the audiences think they are getting something for nothing. Therefore, according to the book- ers, no unusual credit is deserved by a.iy act concerned, many of whom go bigger in the afterpiece than in their regular vaudeville turn. The Orpheum circuit went after the afterpiece Idea strongly last, season. Incorporating a clause that covered the extra appearances in the regular Orpheum contracts. The practice of booking a suc- ( ssful combination of acts as a road show with the afterpiece as' a "piece de resistance" was also practiced more on the Orpheum than on the Keith circuit. Next season the Orpheum are booking acts than can double into other acts on the bill. Jointly. "The Wager," "Ols^n and Johnson Revue" and others were big winners last season. That the afterpiece does raise an act's salary is conceded by one r.ember of an afterpiece, the act being offered more for next season by the Orpheum circuit than ever before. This two-act worked in "The Wager" In addition to holding an important conledy spot on the big time bills. The booking office seems to have taken the stand that any of the acts achieving success in last sea- son's "afterpieces" can be replaced should the act try to use the "after- piece" as a fulcrum to pry off a h.rger salary. IINSIDE STUFF •"^■.*^: Jl*,'7fr—;- V fi pS YAUDEVILIE .•;f»s. ■ •. Rogei^ Salabert. who Is In New York representing the French musio ptibllshlng firm of Francis Salabert and also the French Society of Com- posers. Authors and Publishers, supplements a recent story detailing the French society's negotiaUons for a reciprocal treaty with the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers^ stating that the French organsatlon collects nearly IS.O^O.OOO francs per year as music license royalties. This Is almost an annual Income of |3.000,000. The previous statement mentioned 7.000,000 francs a year. Mr. Salabert states that the French composers' society is not a musio trust, as is generally believed, ' but rather a Tast collecting agency acting for the benefit of Its members, recognised and legally autherixed by the French government. The last quarterly statement showed a sum of 3,340,000 francs for distribution among its members. ^ >%• ., > . / .*: Mr. Salabert quotes tihe percentages of its music taxations. Publicr dance halls, where an admission is charged, must pay 8 per cent, of their gross for the privilege of performing the society's music; cabarets, 4 per cent.; music halls like the "Folles Bergere," Casino de Paris, etc., pay from 4 to 5 per cent, of the gross receipts; general theatres, €.6 per cent. . ..:•.'.■■,;.-_ ■■■•.:... .■■■H^\ ■■.■"■■, ■■:'.::.:-..' •■'\,y:'''rj^ Mr. Salabert is lAaklng his headquarters at the Fox Music Co., 160 West 45lh street. New York. ,^ . - . *^a SUMMER VAUDEVILLE Sewaren Beach Park, Se.waren. N. J., started vaudeville this week, playing five acts split week booked by 7ack Llnder. The PcekskiU theatre, Peekskill, N. Y., under the management of the Singer Bros., started vaude- ville this week, playing five acts the last half booked by Fally Mnrkue. The Playhouse, Rldgewood, N, J., will play vaudeville Saturdays booked by Harry Lorraine of the Fnlly Markus ofllce. The Freeport theatre, Freeport, L<ong Island, coming under the management of Mattie Radin, who is operating the house on a sharing agreement with the owners, has switched Its vaudeville bookings from John Bobbins to the Joseph Eckel ofllce. The house will dis- continue its last half vaudeville policy and play two three-day splits with a special bill on Sundays. The strict enforcement Of blue laws on Long Island necessitates a special show on Sundays, many styles of acts being banned that day. The Hippodrome, Oco.in City, N. J., opens next week with Keith vaudeville booked by Harold Kemp. The house will be a split week for -the summer months playing five acts and pictures. The Nixon, Wildwood, N. J., another Keith sum- mer stand booked by Kemp opens the same date with a similar policy. The Athol (Mass.) Opera House is being remodeled to seat 1,200 and play road attractions. LEE KRAUS OOES WEST Lee Kraus left New York last week for the coast, where he may locate. On the way out he stopped off at Buffalo and Chicago. Kraus was formerly a vaudeville agent In the latter city, coming here several years ago when he teamed with Arthur Horwitz. the absent agent. The partnership dissolved a year ago and reformed recently, only to expire altogether when Horwitz be- came enmeshed in divorce proceed- ings. Western Houses Closing Empress, Denver (Orpheum) closes Sunday. July t. Oakland, closes July 7. Pantages, There is a noticeable and growing proclivity among the patrons of the upper parts of New York vaudeville houses to take cowardly advantage of the distance intervening to "kid" performers on the stage. This con- dition has been observed in three houses within a week. Riverside, Broad, way and one of the Proctor houses. ^ . / *' It Is a practice which unless nipped In the bud develops at an alarming rate. Actors hearing of it try to escape playing the house which bears the odium of an unruly gallery. The Colonial had at one time to close its gallery entirely for thl; very reason. There are many curative methods to handle rowdies and these should be applied at the first sign of it. * -^ .... :^-.-> .. , , ■ .■ , •■.. . - ,. ':''■'% B. F. Albee established a precedent when he deducted one day's salary from a Keith house manager. The manager had deducted one day's salary from an act forced to cancel a day through a carbuncle which was subsequently lanced. The artist played following the opera- tlon but fainted after the performance. The act played th^second day in a weakened condition but cancelled the final day of the engagement. The manager phoned back to the stage manager and after listening to the facts deducted a day's salary. When the matter was brought to the at- tention of the head of the Keith circuit, the manager was Jlsciplined by the d'ductlon and warned a repetition would bring instant dismissal. A general letter to all vaudeville man.igers was then sent out calling at- tention to the "condition." 9 % June theatrical weddings reached a total last week«never before touched for number. Last Saturday tbe*Little Church Around the Corner had a wedding every half hour from 10 in the morning until 6 in the eve- ning, and a number of applicants who sought the services of the pastor had to be put off. It was stated by one applicant that two-thirds of the marriages concerned theatrical people. Danny Simmons, the Keith booker, is enjoying a vacation in Europe at the expense of B. S. Moss. Simmons booked for the Moss houses before moving with them and Moss Into the Keith office, where he has continued to handle the same bill, also others. Moss "staked" Danny to the Euro- pean trip in appreciation. 4 The illustrated song, once the regular opener In the intermediate vaude- ville houses, but long since marked passe and relegated to the scrap heap, U being revived for the summer months at Loew's Greeley Square. A couple of Wltmark songs ("Midnight Rose" and "Bebe") were the medium of the comeback. Instead of pictures, the words of the song were thrown on the screen, in sections as the singer sang them. A fair-sized audience failed to accept the Invitation to Join in the singing and seemed to be only mildly interested, Judging by results, which Indicated that as far as this audience was concerned the illustrated song idea Is as dead as Gilderoi. One-third of the interest in the Wllmer & Vincent theatres in Harris- burg, Pa., Is owned by the Stanley Company of America, according to the testimony of Walter Vincent before the Federal Trade Commission. The Wilmer A Vincent Interests operated five theatres there. Something novel in the way of vaudeville acta has been devised by Hugh Herbert, in the writing of a dramatic revue entiled. "As Ye Sow." It !■ a cumulative series of seven dramatic Incidents, told In as many scenes, (being built by John Wenger of the Capitol, New York) culminating at th'> finale with the dramatic force of a complete legitimate performance, m fact a tabloid drama. There are seven people in the cast, headed by Mildred Wayne and James Burtls. Ota Gygi is producing and Anita Pam staging the act. It Is breaking in out of town and. will be seen in the local Keith houses in three weeks. .•ii This week New York. Sailing for a soon. MAE and ROSE WILTON ^'CLEVER JUVENILE ENTERTAINERS" (July 1-4) Moss' Regent, (July i-«) Keiths Fordham, ten-week tour of the Moss A Stoll Circuit, England, The perf^onncl enpaged by the I.^ew interests to present the evening Rhowe at Braves Field, Boston, which started last week, Includes 159 people. The opening of the park h.a.s Kiven work to more members of the local stage Hnnds union than during any summer on record. The purchase of the Lexington Avenue opera house, New York, by Marcus Ix>ew is said to carry an unusual condition on the part of the sellers. Ix)ew paid $825,000 for the property. The condition is that the sellers will repurchase from Loew at Ihf end of throe j1;ars, at Loew's option, for $900,000. It is unlikely Mr. I.ocw will take advantage of it. An artiste writing to Variety requests a tip bo given to those about to ♦'"^^'r C anada that they be certain to have no cash or val uable* In their baggage. Ij -— t. The Orpheum Circuit appears to be going in for longer runs at seveml of its houses. Fannie Brice having just completed four consecutive weeks at the Orpheum. Los Argelea, opens next Monday at the Palace, Chicago, to remain three week.s. The Palace. Chicago, recently held Van and Schenck for four straight weeks, while at the Majestic. Chicago this week Gene Greene is completing his fourth running week. The Majestic Is playing pop vaudeville.