Variety (July 1923)

VAUDEVILLE "1 Thursday, July 14. 1923 smallumeactsasking - for a little big time Another Hold Up in Routes—Small Timers Consider Prestige From a Few Big Timers on Small Time Bookings—Possible 10-Day Rule TlW vaudeville bocking condition mentioned a couple of weeks ago In Variety wherein reference was made to a considerably larger num- ber of small time houses having been included in the big time routes offered acts by the Keith time for next season as compared with the proportion of* big and small time houses contained in last season's loutef, has developed a new booking angle. It affects the ^mnll time, wiiere the previous condition affected the big time. The gist of the situation is t'.at more small time acts than in any previous pre-booking season have made a bid for a tew olg time weeks to be included in the small timd or Keith popular priced department routes nextj season. This has re- sulted in fewer bockings for the Kmall time than in yeans. The number of acts holding out for some big time at least to be included in the small time routes has addec^ greatly to the Nwni total of holdouts. Unless th^ condition is modified shortly it is likely Che ten- day rule expected t6 be promulgated by the big time Keith floor will also be adopted by the small time de- partment. Many of the acts rated as Amall timers, especially those that might hold the opening, closing or No. 2 spots on a big time bill figure k is more practical to accept a few weeks of small time rather than Itook up for a season, and then come in to New York or Chicago and take rhanccs on picking U:p a couple of weeks of big time. That a number of the acts hold- ing out for the inclusion of a few big time weeks have never played tlie big time is answered by the acts* contention they are as cap- able as many ,of the acts playing the better houses. As most of the Keith agents booking the small time houses only have franchises permitting them to ^book on the small time floor, the rendition referred to has limited the bookings of the small time agents. In some instances an act has been shown the money return for a small time route containing all .small time equals that of a route witji a couple of big time weeks in- rluded, but the matter of prestige ifi put forward by the act as a I'ountcr argument. HENNESSSEY BACK SKETCH CANCELLED 'She Takes Tm" Will Reappear With Another Cast Veteran Aesigned to Special Keith's Office Work Dan Hennessey, former co-head of the Keith family vaudeville dfi- partment and now assigned to spe- cial work for the Keith ofllce. has returned to New York. . Mr. Hennessey spent several weeks in French Lick Springs fol- lowing his recent withdrawal from active management of the popular- priced department. He haa just made a tour of the Keith southern houses in the interest of the Keith organization. Dan Hennessey and J. J. Burke were until p. few months ago in charge of the Keith family depart- ment, posts tlw-y held since its in- ception. They were relieved and assigned to lighter duties following their years of service. C. Wesley Frazer, Keith Boston office head, and May Woods, secretary to E. F. Albee, took over the charge of the popular-priced department from the veterans. The Loew Circuit thia week can- celled ail future booking! for "She Takes Tea." a slans sketch by Johnny O'Connor, featuring Free- mont BiFnton. supported by Mark Sullivan. The cancellation followed the withdrawal of Sullivan from the sketch. Another man In the Sulli- van role was not acceptable to the Loew people, who notified the act they had cancelled this week at TA>ew'fl, Boston, and CM further time. Last week the author entered a complaint with the Vaudeville Managers' Protective Association alleging non-payn)(ent of royalty for a period of three and one-half weeks. O'Connor plans to reproduce the act with SuTlivan and another com- pany in support. "She Takes Tea" was originally produced with Sarah Padden in the featured role. Miss Padden left the playlet, following which it played the independent circuits with Miss Benton in the lead." SHELBY fWm PICTURES MAYBEKEfTHEXHIBrTED Vaudeville Circuit Is Booking Contingent on Legal Tech- nicalities BOOKING AGENT GETS MEDICAL DIPLOMA Court Orders Its Issuance— Dr. Pollock Leaving the Show Business . ROAD CALL ON LYNBROOK The musicians' and stagehands' unlotis called out their men at the Lynbrook theatre, Lynbrook, L. I., Monday, when the house was taken over by Salvatore Calderoni to play vaudeville. Calderoni originally became in- volved with the unions when he re- fused to unionize the Hempstead theatre, which he also operates. A road call was placed against the Hempstead house when an attempt was made to play legit, attractions, with the house discontinuing th« rojld shows to play vaudeville with non-union men. The action against the Lynbrook house was taken on the strength of the disagreement in connection with Hempstead. The Lynbrook has been open two months, operating during that time under the management of William Fox. Through a disagreement with the stockholders Fox withdrew from the house after last week. Lynbrook will continue under the Calderoni management with non- union musicians and stage crew. TURNS BACK LYNBROOK MARRIAGES Couldn't Agree with Stockholders on Policy • - - '■•■ William Fox turned back the T^ynbiook theatre, Lynbrook, Long IvUuul, (o Its ownrrs this week, the niiinuKoniotit. huviiig tuilcd to aRrie with the stoc-kholdors on its policy. The lociil bat kers luivp onlr ed into nn agreenrnt with Salviitore Cal- deroni, own • of the • lh>mj)stP».d ilieatre, Hempsuad. Jy. F., to operate the Lynbrook house o;i .haring terms. Vaudeville under tlio Caldeioiii management will be installed today 1 Thursday), the house playing two thr^e-day splits with five acts on ♦»fl<'h bill booked by fally Markup. .'straight pictures on Sunday. SAVOY Aim BRENNAN (Continued from page 4) Mallon act was breakinR in and cov- ered by one of the l^oew bookers there was none of the K.ivoy and Urcnnnn material Ixing used, al- though the general idea was simi- lar. At the State the nrst half the -fiair used many of the iSavoy and Brennan lines, such as "You Must <:ome Over," "Margie" and a son?:^ "You Must Come Over to Margie's." .Such trade marks as, "You don't know the half of it, dearie," and the "ontinued repetition of an answer lo a query which was id*>ntified with .Savoy, together with mannerisms and the hiding of the face b«hin<l a handkerchiefs, are reportfd a.« a few «f the lifts. Fangs Winter, song writfr, and Blanche Newcomh, non-professional. Juno L'O, in New York City. George Robey, British comedian, and Beryl Beresford ("You'd Be .Surprised"), recently ip Enprland. Harold Foster ("Tapf and Tuiir.V) and Grace Foster, vaudevillian, July 2 in New York. James Irvlnpr Mitchell (Tol<do stock) ilnd Mary Krmlna, non-pro- fessional, July 2 at the Little Churcli Around the (Corner, New York. Port Major, booker with the West Coast Theatres Co.. Ix)s Angeles, last week to Fill Aufenheiscr, non- profogs.'onal, at Los Angele.«?. Henrietta Murray, daughter of rharles Murray, screen comedian, has announced her engagement to 1><? mnrriod to William McQuaid. banker, tiom Jacksonville, Fla. The wedding will take place in the Little Church Around the Corner in New YoiU Aug. 1, it is announced in I>os AllRPlCS. (ieorge J. Bennett to Vivian Bith- mond July 6 in New York. Mr. Bennett is a songwriter of the Waterson-Bcrlln-Snyder staff and MIsH Rl(.hm"nd was last in vaude- ville. Eddie Iloff'-rnan (Strand Roof Revue) and Vivian Birmingham, vaudeville, July 5, St. Malachy's rectory, by Father Madden. Dan Bachman, with Variety's ChIcay:o office for several years, June 17, to Ruth Grcsk y, non-pro - ffs.sional, of Chicago. Joe AVilliams (Savoy and Wil- li.ims) and FAhfl Plough (AfTlc Trangcr California Orchestra), mar- jied on the stage of the Strand, Crawfordsvino, Ind., July 6. Ma idle DeLong and N.ipo'.eon .Moiitama, at Oakland, Cal. Jamo.^i Nichols ( "How Come") lo Klizabeth Bell, non-professional, at City Han, New York City. July 8. Lew Pollock, a theatrical booking agent^ in the Romax building. New York, Is F. Louis Pollock in private life. • He has emerged victorious In a suit to compel the Long Island College Hospital to Issue a diploma of graduation to him as of October 18. 1S18. The details staft In 1913 when Pollock was a medical student there. At the completion of'his four years course In 1917 he wa« refueed a certificate of gi-aduatlon, nu cause being advanced. Pollock charging dh)crimination, but not specifying how. He adds that not only he but about ten othcM were similarly dis- charged. The now booking agent then en- tered the Manhattan Hospital as an interne and in the fall of 1918 the Long Island College faculty received a letter from the Manhattan Hos- pital commending Polock's good work and recommending he be Is- sued a diploma to enable hhn to accept a commission with the Sani- tary Corps of the U. S. army. The faculty of the Long Island institution were willing but the ^ledical Board refused to issue a certificate of graduation. Pollock, through Harry H. Oshrln, sued for a peremptory writ of mandamus, which Justice Selah B. Strong, of the Brooklyn Supreme Court granted without a lengthy opinion. This is the first instance in this stitte, and the llrst in 100 years in the country, where a court has over-ruled an educational institu- tion on such matter. Pollock sa: s he will leave for Fngiand shortly and will return to the United States to practice medi- cine. He will abandon the sh<nv business completely, the bookin'g agency ha^ing been a makeshift in the interim. If the legal tecnicalities can be smoothed out the Keith^ Circuit will book the actual Dempsey-Glbbons fight pictures, opening the Alham- bra and Colonial tcmporarHy to ex- hibit the pictures. Psitp^ haa a complete set of. the 15-round encounter but has not been able to release any of the actual portions on account of the Federal ban on fight films brought Inter- state. Legal opinion, however, is to the effect that the plctiurea can be exhibited in New York City by paying a nominal fine similar to the procedure followed in the picUires of the Dempsey-Carpentler bout at Boyle's Thirty Acres in New Jersey. The current Pathe Weekly is showing before and after shota of the Shelby affair such as Dempeey arriving at the arena, etc., but an- nounces in a caption that no pic- tures of the actual combat can be shown. ;;.■:."••.■;;.':" '/./■■■■,,■: • \':- •■ The offlcfal fight plctures.are con- trolled by the Shelby people with Dempsey and Gibbons holding a 60 per cent interest. Gibbons has 20 per cent, of the pictures, it is re- ported; A local promoter, William Gluck, was angling for the rights, etrlring Kearns an offer that is said would have taken the fight off the losing side of the ledger and shown a small profit for the Shelby promo- ter.*!. The pictures would be a power- ful iiraw locally on account of the unexpected showing made by the challenger. The local sport scribes In their efforts alibi the wrong pre- dictions made have further con- fused the issue with their after flghi stories to such an extent the local fight fans want to see what actually happened. The New York Hippodrome has also been mentioned In connection with the Keith Interest in the films. The Hipp would be a logical exhibit for the Shelby cbntest and If ac- quired woulc play the pictures for a full week. The theatrical melt feel t^at the pictures will have to be exhibited before the WIllard-FIrpo bout kills interest in the Gibbons-Dempsey b«ttle. ■ -'■■■ ' . NEW FACES AROUND Mostly In Independent Hou«< Don't 8hy m% Three-a*Day A major portion of the acts now playing independ^t local vaude* viUe houses are "new faces" as far as this season goes. The acts fa* vored have been out of New York all season playing the Pantages or picture bouses of the middle and far west and are in demand by inde- pendent bookers on accov.nt of theif freshness to local audiences. The independent agents report plenty of material available and predict that the opening of next season will see the supply of good acts exceeding the independent de« mand. Analysing the reasons for this prediction they state that many big time acts w'^en Tntervlewed are interested in independent routes fof next season on account of financial differences with the big time cir* cuits. Vaudeville artists nowadays d<vi*t shy at three or more shows a day as they did a decade ago. SUMMER AUTO TOURING CAUSING ACTS TO MISS Managers Given Worry Over Absentees—Excuses Easy to Find ' Chicago. July 11. Vaudeville acts making Jumps from town to town in autos are re- ported to be missing so many stands the old-fashioned railroad jifmps are preferred by booking agents and managers. There is a disposition on the part of actors moving by auto to take their time getting Into the town and disregarding calls for. rehears* als, while the ease with which ex- cuses can be made for being late leads on those inclined to dodge. When an auto breaks down In the country it Is usually impossible to 'phone or wire the house man* ager, and there Is a constant worry. BIG TIME PRODUCERS MSSATISHED BY BOOKS LOEWS SUES TO GET OMAHA, NEB., HOUSE Starts Action Against LeDoux to Force Surrender of Empress A .suit Omaha, July 11 has b<7t*n started here by Loew's Inc. aga^st William LeDoux who holds the lease on the local Empres.s, seeking to compel him to fulfill his contract and dispose of his lease on the theatre to the Loew corporation. The action is in the hands of the local legal representa- tive of Loew'p, who is acting under instructions from the New York offices of the corporation. Leopold Friedman, attachod to the legal department of Loew's Inc., in New York, stated this week that the action had been started against LeDoux in Omaha because o' the refusal of the latter to conform with the contract that he had entf^rf'd Into with the corporation to di.spose of the lease for J,he Empress thea- tre to the rompa'ny. The art ion i.^ to compel J^eDoux to live up lo th»' contract. Not Enough Consideration Claimed— $10,000 Act Is „. Offered $750 Indications point to a general slowing up of big time vaudeville production acts for next season, the larger producers asserting condi- tions are not propitious for exten- sive outlays of money for scenery and costumes among the booking an- fe'les existing for some time and growing worse this summer. The biggest plaint made by the . producers for vaudeville Is against the stalling tactics of some of the big time booking managers. A case last week brought to light a big production that cost $10,000 to stage, and with a .salary list of |1,000 and over, being offered $750 for a week. The star of the act in ques- tion had received $750 in musical comedy last sea.son. The system of booking the pro- duction turns for showings until they have played the best time around New York at a salary scarcely reaching the expense of operation Is another condition the producers arc exerci.sed over. One prominent Keith agent ia«t week uho also is a producer could not secure enough salasy for an act to take the production to a nearby stand adjac( lit to the city and of- fered the act at a cut. The agent stormed and raved, and finally do-, cidcd to go over the booker's head, taking the matter up direct with K. F. Albee. Albee backed up the agent's claim to the act receiving tho salary asked for. The fault appears to be the striv- ing of inside booking men to make reputations for themselves as sharp buyers. TED LEWIS' COMPLETE CAS!r Rehearsals are going along with the Ted Lewis' Revue at the 44th St. with a full cast as follows: Ted Lewis and Band, Lillian L<orral..% Lewis and Dody, Helen Bolton, Julius Tannen, Molly Dodd. Lovey Lee, Marjorie Leach, Nancy Decker, Evelyn Campbell. Betty Nevlni^ Florence Norman, Margaret Wilson/ John Byam, Vestoflf, Jane Taylor, William Rourke, Basil Smith, Jamie Coughlin, Twelve Foster Girls, and a chorus of 80. Musio^ and lyrics are by Jack Yellen a'nd Milton Ha.'^er; book by' William K. Wells and Arthur (Bugs) Baer. ^ Allan Foster is putting on the luimbers. Louis Gress will wield, the conductor's baton for the show, opening at the Shubert, Boston, Aug. 4 for four weeks. " Edward Mayer is in charge of th* publicity, " POPS INTO BURLESQUE The Strand, Bayonne, N. J., Is on thp list for Columbia wheel burles- que next season with the showe tentatively -penciled In for three^ days the flret half and a diflPerenf" show playing the la.st half. With the Strand switching from pop vaudeville, its present policy, the new De Witt. Bayonne. con- trolled by the owners of the Strand, will adopt pop vaudeville. The De Witt is a 3.000 seat house and wiM; be ready for occupancy about Sep^ tember 15. '^ Another pop vaudeville house that will probably switch to burlesque next season Is the Trent, Trenton,, a deal now being on for the Colum*^ bill shows for three days each half.l LOWELL SHERMAN AT PALAi Lowell Sherman will headline al' the Palace, New York, next week (July 16). The Palace booking wa« moved up from the latter part o^ July when Louis Mann requested % week to break in his vaudeville ma« terial. Mann was to have toppet Palace bill, but was switched id Proctor's, Newark. Mann will play the Palace next week or the week after. - Bert Youn^r, connected With the Hippodrome staff for a number of year.", has been placed in charge of the Aquadome at Luna Park, Coney i.«land