Variety (November 1923)

VARIETY VAUDEVILLE Thtmday, Novcmbtt 1, IMS 2 BOOiaNG AGENCIES SPUmNG BILLS AND TOWNS IN NORTHWEST A. & H. Circuit of Coast and Association of Chicago Enter Into Unique Arrangement—Want to Keep Open Vaudeville Houses Chincxgo, Oct. 81. The Strand at Wlnnlpee, Can., Marts playinK the Ackenman & Har- ris shows for the nr«t half of each week Nov. 6. The A. & H. bills will then open at St. Cloud, Minn., go to Cimnd fVwks, N. D., for two days; to Kargo, N. D., for a hnlf week, and Minnipeer, Can., to Rollings, Mont., and on along the tour. EXl Soamon, manager at Winni- peg, spent several months trying to arrange a tour from Chicago to Win- nipeg for the Bert Levey circuit, but has ai<andoned the plan and will use the A. & H. shows the flrst half and hopes to b« able to get W. V. M. A. shows lor the last half. Fargo, N. D., has an arrangement by which It plays the A. ft H. shows one-half of each week, and the Association shows the other half. It is impossible for either the W. V. M. A. or Ackerman & Harris or any agency to supply two different bills each week for Fargo, Winnipeg and point) up that way without pay- ing big salaries, covering railroad fares. Wben these managers insist upon nplit weeks and wont to hold the total cost of bills down to $1,000. all that can l>e done is to use the material of two circuits. The country between Chicago) and Winnipeg has been worked to death by field ageiits in the last few years, all having promised much and de- livered little. It was not particu- larly the misreprctenfation of field agents, but A condition has made it impossible to perform promises which specify anything at all. As a result the managers look with a certain distrust on Held agents. The association does not like the Idea of splitting shons with any other circuit not directly ainiiated on account of the precedent estab- lished, but In the case of McCarthy Bros., who have Fargo and other towns, and the Hostetler Amusement Co.. with towns In lona and Ne- braska, there has been an exception p«Tmitted for the time l>eing, with a view of keeping vaudeville houses open. Sidney Schallman, Chicago repre- sentative of A. & H., turned over 1o Kd Heamon his shows up to Dec. 16, which gives an Idea of how far he is l>ooklng ahead. Schallman ■ays that he is trying to have a dif- ferent railroad ticket p.rrangcd for, and in event that he docs i-o, he can take on more towns up that way which »cek A. & H. bookings. PAN'S INSURANCE SUIT T¥»0 Would Recover Loss Burglaries of I>oa Angeles, Oct. 31. Alexander Puntages has instituted action against the Ocean Accident and Guarantee Corporation for Jll,- 882.92. The action arises from a hold-up and burglary which oc- curred in his Kansas City house Oct. 13, 1922, and the hold-up in the lAm Ang«>le;< house the following month. It seems that Pnntages increased the insurance from $4,000 to $l»,000 on Oft. 10 of that year, but the com- pany claim that they did not re- ceive the notice In time and there- fore are only liable for t4,003. Pan- tagcs contends the notice of In- crease was given to their agent three d.iys before the holdup. INDIA WANTS MUSIC Request Sent to Washington Consul by Washington, Oct. 31. In Inbia It Is hard to g9t Amer- ican dance music, according to a cable lo the Deparlm<;nt of Com- merce from Consul A. M. Warren. This music ts in great demand there and is now secured through the London dealers, reaching India oft- times more n>an a year old and then It Is pUyed by local orches- tras. The consul urges that American music publishers develop this field, noting that tliere are more than 100 towns in that land In which Briti.th troops are quartered. Publishers are Invited to address their inquiries to the Department of Commerce, Washington, D. C. SIX ACTS LESS AT WINinPEG Winnipeg, Oct. 31. The Orpheum will change policy Nov. 12, dropping from seven to BIX act* The number of perform- ances will t>e two a day and three en K.iturday. A feature picture will be added. The balance of. the northwestern Orpheum houses will remain as at prcs'ent. An extra act will be added to the Winnipeg show when It rc.'Khes Vancouver, making a seven act road show to enniplete the Port- land and Seattle dates. Ellciric Curtains Aid Acoustics San Francisco, ct. 31. KlO'iiic curtain that will shut off the Ballevies In tl.e Civic Auditorium have hvn ordered by the city from W. A. Plunim The acceptable bid calls for payment of $28,740. The curtains arc for the purpose of aiding the acoustics of the struc tuie when the gallciies arc not in use. BERT LEVY thanks his many friends for their kind inquiries. He In at his home convalescing. He mentally pinn the Croix de Guerre on Nellie Revell for her four years' patient endur- ance. He has had four weeks of semi-invalidism and has exhausted ill his patience. Geo. A. Thurston or Ralph Leonard A banking Institution has re- <4uested information concerning tieorge A. Thurston, professionally K.tlph Leonard. He was Last known to have been with "The HoIliL-kine t;irli<." Formerly livini; In Brooklyn. I^conard has not been hohrd from Ihero since 1910. llis mother died SIX months ago. CJcorge Divine, eoniioi tcil with thr tKtnk, of 302 Caillon avenue, Brook- lyn, N. Y., will fuinicli I.*unard in- formation of the trust I'Oiuc luUl for him. Didn't Blame Stage Crew The stage crew at tlw H. H Mtif.», Broadway, New Toik, were not responsible for the non appearance of Harry Conlcy'f "effrct.s" at the Capitol, Union Hill, two weeks ago. Conley denied blaniins the crew 111 a curtain speech at llir Capitol, Union Hill, the following week as was reported in Variety. Barney Healey is the property man at the Broadway, ami Dill I'lark tUkge manager. Colonial, Denver, Changes Hands Denver, Oct. 31. J. B Mellon, president of the Cdloiiiril Amusement Company of Denver, last wce|{ purchased one- half of the Curtis street biddings of tho e.stato of Col. John S. BrouKl'ton, former owi.er of the Colonial, who died several months a^o. The consideration in the deal was reported to be $100,000. THEA. OWNER CAUSES BriTER STUMP BATTLE Upstate Republicans Name G. E. Schemer for Mayor—Op- poses Renominated Official •Syracuse, Oct. 31. .Syracuse Is In the throes of the bitterest political campaign in years as the result of the noinii«ition by the Republicans of George R .Scher- rcr, Syracuse thrvitre owner, for mayor. Scherrcr Is fighting Mayor John H. Walrath, Democrat, who was renomioated by that pnrt:°. Walrath has the .support of two evening papers, the "Journal' and the "Herald." Scherrer is backed by the "Post Standard,'" the Republi- can morning mouthpiece, and Hearst's "Evening Telegram'" and ".Sunday American." The "Journars'" eleventh hour stand for W^alrath, who it lias been attacking for the past year and against Scherrer, with whom its publisher, Harvey D. Burrill, Scher- rer was long allied in tho theatrical business, was the surprise of the current week. It is said that .Schcr- rer's refusal to accept Burrill's dic- tation that he refuse the support of the Hearst newspapers swung the "Journal"" against the Republican candidate. Burrill recently sold his interest in the Savoy theatre here to At- ttorney K. J. Page, political and business associate of Scherrer. ILL AND INJURED Charloiie Treadway, of the Mo rosco stock, Los Angeles, slipped, and fell during a performance, seri- ously injuring her back. Mi^s Bobbie (T.-t^lor and Bobble) is confined to her room in the Stan- ley Hotel with a heavy cold and congestion of tbc lungs. Rob Ward (Ward Bros.) con- tracted a heavy cold while playing ('■rand Kapiils and had to close tlicrn. The boys returned to New Voii< to aw.ait Bob's recovery. Ito«a Ponsclle, Metropolitan opera sopr.ano, is reported to lie recover- ing from .in injury lOLCivcd Oct. 21 in Tuls.T. Okl.a. The smger struck 111 r h^ad on the side of an elcv.ttor cnjTO and was unions'-ioii".- for sev" er.il minutes. Mir .Taek V.Tlrnnrr who is'at In- ili.in.ipiili", Ind , has brrn ill for nil.re IIimii four months. Jack Val- iiu.ii ^H offriint; a single. MARRIAGES Hilin l>o\e, iiini in tres«. and Irvin Wllliil. director .ind promoter, Oct. 2S, at .Sant.i Monica, Cal. lOlsie Banibrirk ("Artists and ■Models") and Danny ,Shay, film editor and assistant to Marshall .\'eilan art lo marry Nov. 10 In llollyw<>od. KEim BOOKERS COMPLAINED OF; DONT SEE ACTS AROUND N. YJ Flash Dancing Turn Playing for 18 Months—Fe^r; Bookers Knew of It—"Shoving Around'* Annoy- ing and Costly GOFF PHILLIPS' ESTATE Left Only Cause for Action Through Death by Auto Truck Qoff Phillips, retired blackface vaudeville performer and brother- in-law of Ben Welch, the comedian, left nothing beyond an alleged oause of action for damages against the Gordon Supply Co., of 221 West 17th street. New York, when he was run down and killed by one of the company's five-ton motor trucks Sept TrS, it was di.scloted in the Sur- rogate's Court, New York, through tho gr.tnting of limited letters of administration upon his property to his widow, Minerva Phillips. 39 years old, of 617 West 169th street. Just how much damages MrK. Phillips intends to sue for will i.ot be known until a copy of the sum- mons and complaint Is filed iA the County Clerk's office. Under the law she cannot make a settlement out of court without the full ap- proval of the Surrogate's Court. Mr. Phillips, 45, war, nin down at Broadway and 46th street. In addi- tion to his widow, he is survived by three children of a. prior mar- riage, Kuth Thor, 27, of 245 West 47th street; Arline Phillips, 24. of 8-15 West rCnd avenue, and Phinens S. Phillips, 22 years old, of 3136 Broadway. ROMM & WALTERS PART Independent Firm Go Individual Ways—Parting Amicable Ttomni fi Walters, who opened an lndcpcndcnt,^booklng olflce about eight weeks .ago, have separated, and each will book his own houses Independent of the other from now on. Romni, who controlled the New York otnce, has about eight and a half weeks on his books in 12 houses. Wallers, who took care of the Bos- ton end, making his headquarters in that city, har about six weeks In 1& hou.scs. The dissolution of the partnership agreement was entirely amicable. They still have a working agree- ment v.hereby one will furnish the other with acts when the demand arises, or book acts from the other's books when possible. BAND ACTS IN VAUDEVILLE REPORTED CHANGING AUDIENCES Monologist Explains How Talking Acts Have Been Affected—Bands Draw Sophisticated Crowds Who Are Blase and Contain Foreign Element The advent of bands as arts In vaudeville has considerably low- ered the average of inltlllKence among vaudeville patrons geiier.ally. according to a monoloKii-t who is qu.illficd to analyro the fitualion through his years of expericiue. The talking act tak>w lli>r I'tand the b.anils h.ave brout;lit ii ronsider- able I'Ument from tlie d.in. <• l-,all.> lo vaiiilevllle houKes who as i ela^-'s fail to resiiond to a t'.nn or <niip as leadily as the n Kiilar vaialcvillo fans u£ live or six ycara_aco. The (l;iiire tinll huiirh are el:i.;:,e(l an too bluso and over-soiiluKtiealcd. Another factor, aecoidinu- to the monologist, IS that the b;indH have attracted hundred.i of foreigners whose kiiowlcil),'"' of Knglish is lim- ited. While po«aci.i)ing a Keen un- derstanding of music, they must have a line of comedy t.Tik that is broad and easy of assimilation from a comedy angle. Between the ones who think they kn«w It all and the forrignrrs who can't understand, the lot of the big time talking turn* that dei>ei>d.'i on talk alone ki becoming Ivaidcr all the time, the inonolog man claims. The size of the large small timer.s with their .spacious aiulitoriums also niiciates against the talking Kindle. As nn illustr.-ition of his conten- tion the monologiut points out that while almost every other type of ."Xit has iiKre«.eed many fold m vaudeville the List five years llure are less !'inr;le talking .acts now llian I here have liren for five years. Aerording to a close sTiitTeni of audience intelligence and psyehnl- ogy. the jazx bands are mostly re- eriiited from r.ibnrets and dnnee halls. When invading vaudeville in u Hood two seasons ago. they brought most of their danoe-hail rllentele with them. The lounge lisards and dru^'-storc cowboys don't make good audiences for talkers, are inclined to disor- dcrliness when a straight talking act is working, and tend to distract the rest of the audience, lo the detriment of the turn. „ Keith agents are generally com- plaining over the alleged failure of the Keith iMokers to look over all acta playing at the Keith and other houses In and around New York. The acts the agents claim are not completely covered are those play- ing the smaller houses that in man/ instances have accepted show and break-in bookings at a small salary as a matter of policy. A case In point came up recently where an act that has been stop- ping shows around tke pop houpes for several weeks was offered to the big-time booke.ra <Few knew it, and there was a general lack of knowl- edge concerning the turn by most. The act, a flash dancing turn, but different from most in that It has considerable talenf, has been play- ing on and olT in the metropolitan district for a yrar and a half. Another cimplalnt is on the score of pr-)ductloii,=. the agents claiming the producers have lost ttieir nerve through the "shoving around" proc- ess (ncountered when putting on a new act. The "shoving around" is described as playing the production for a couple of weeks at a cut salary, laying it oft for three weeks, .ind then offering (he producer a salary that will just hbout cover expenses with the prtduction cost Ignored. There have been fewer produc- tions, incidentally, for vaudeville this season than any In years, due, the producers say. to the "shoving around" tactics. NEW ACTS Charlie Howard and Co., "How Things Have Changed," with Walter Pearson and Alberta Fowler. "Jazzing It Up," miniture musical comedy, 0 people, 3 ecenes, featur- ing Gladys Noyes. Charles iHayden, Dunbar and Hayden) and Mary iDunbar and Tumor), two-act. Jerome < Jerome and Albright) and' Foley (Foley and O'Neil, two- act. Palph Pollack has joined Winnia Baldwin as pianist for her new single act opening at Orpheum, Saa l>V,ancisco. "The Studio" d.-uicing and singing, three girls, two boys. Written by Sammy Lee, staged by Wesley M. Totten. Harry Devitt and Co., singing, dancing, comedy, three boys and one girl. Charles Manny and Lilly Clayton in "Flat Love,'" just from England. Harry Howard and Murray Gor- don tOordon and Walsh), comedy act. "Flashes of the Elements," a re- vue In six scenes with a cast of eight peoi.le, is in rehearsal. Orville Stamm and Girls t4). dancing. Paul Reese and his sister i Elsie) in a musical act (Paciflo Coast.) Eddie While and Company, songs and pianist. Viola Lewis,and Company (9), rcvuc. Val Elm anj Bobby Emllne, sister act in one. Dalbini and Company In "Hobo Jim,'" comedy eiiuilibristic turn, two people. Ross and Ludavic, man and wom.an. sinpini, Violin and piano. Jeanette l-'isher and Danny White, two-act. Anthy (ior;iii'., sir.f,-,nK, v. ith male accompanist. , Krmlnfe TlulT inine'iart and Duff) ami Pauline i.'lai-k, li.iiniony sins- Ing (ChieaKo). "Dance Fads of 19;,S," including Harry Weber. Miller and Fain, Gladys L;iilrl and Virginia M.iitin. Thdse Time Chaps (Harr.. K"ii« ar.il Hull I'.ii■-•».•(il)_ Chicngn". Radio Commercially "Clipper's" Radio Department weekly tells why Radio should pay professional entertainers helping to make up the programs. Radio gets $600 an hour for commercial matter tent over it. Why not pay the actors?