Variety (January 1924)

YEAR IN VAUDEVILLE * The iJ.T.st year ha* beon un event- ful oiif in vauikvlllu circlet. Till- ini'st imp< il;int h;ipi>pi\;nK v:\» the abandonmfiit of the Shu- bcit I'nit or Shubert Advance.l AiiuiiovillR Clrpuil v.h;ch fa<li>il aw.iy li> llm tuno of $1 559.000 with li«)-es HUKttilncil inoHtly by I ho bur- lesque producers who threw their b.t in with the lU'W circuit. Many br||^« had to Rue for salaries due, »hlle unfulfilled contracts were ao numerous n'.t a second thought was given to them. The units, whirli suiceeded thf Phubert's straii^lit vaudeville expe- riment kept the Kiiubtrt hou.se-s open but left a strint; of bankrupt pro- ducers wtio learned too late that thiy couiUii't taUe cure of extra oitraetlons the Shiil>erts dropjied Inio their .shinvw. p.iy the house per- centuKe.>i, artists salaries, booking fe.-i?. and exist. The acta thrown out of employ- ment have been absorbed by the iiiiicpcndrnt vaudev.lle circuits and the biK time. The Orpheiim Circuit h in particular signed most of the "names' and comedy turns of the former Shubert units. The Keith ciicuit was maKii.'>nlniou8 plating the former '■opposit;oii" artists, but un account of their numerous ap- pearances In the east with the units and later in small time vaudeville houses, which took the "edKe" off them, were more discriminatlne Many of the nets In this catcKorj- were signed for Keith tours whlcli brought them Into territoi^ In which they twdr't rippeared for the Khuberts. IndspcndtnU Banefittad The independent circuits profited tiy the bursting of the units through getting a type of former big time act not usually In a receptive mood when approached for this kind of booking and getting litem at salaries unheard of before. The acta were In no position to pick and choose. They signed quickly* and cheaply. Home found emiiloyment In the large Iii<'ture4iouses where u combination policy is used and others were ab- sorbed by le|;i;ifnate attractions, but these were grsaily in the niinor- The leasing of the Moore and Wig- gins^ Temiiles. Detroit and Itochcs- tcr, by the Keith people and the placing of the Sablosky and Mc- ffUirk houses In the Keith office for bookings were other evidences of Keith expansion, topped ofT by tiic aciiuisltlon of the New York H.ppl- drome which oi>ened under Keith m.inaxement Dec. 17. The lopping oft of the Ackerman knd Harris houses and the leasing of the four coast theatres by Marcus Loew reduced the I^oew circuit bookings conslderaiily. This was offset by the full week policy In- augurated at several Irf)ew theatres. The full week policy ami a gen- eral strengthening of" the bills have proven successful for the Loew people. The feature picture problem was reduced materially, the houses playing full weeks only having to concern themselves with the book- ing of .")« features yearly at^ainst twice that number with the split week policy. The prediction that I^oew was going into two-a-day or big time was not borne out. The rumor started when It developed the I^oew people were tabulating husinesa at all shown in their neighborhood houses with a view to dropping the supper show. In this manner it van believed a better grade of acta I'ould be more advantageously booked. Many standard acts have shied at over two shows daily. Also the supper show," according to the I heck up, would moke little material difference in most of the nelghbor- hof)d houses where the matinee and night performances were heavily patronisted. Orphsum's Goad Year The Orpheum circuit under the leadership of Its new president, Marcus Heiman, has had .a prosper- ous year with all indications point- ing to the declaration of a dividend at the annual stockholders' meeting scheduled tor next month in Chi- cago. , The large cop.tclty Junior Or- pheum houpcs with various policies playing six nets and a feature pict- ure thiice daily and tho older Or- pheum.", with their I:? time. HU.>? twice daily have proven money m.tkers. The earnings of the Or- pheum will be close to J2.0(!0.000, judging by a llnanclal statement re- cently i.ssued. F. P. Exparimant The belief of students of vaude- ville tliat the l.'irge picture houses would draw heavil;, upon vaudeville for material for their "presenta- tions" has been partially borne out. I'amous Pla.vcrs organized a book- ing office with headquarters in .New York for tho booking of "presenta- tions." hut the dem^d for vatulc- vlUe artists was restrict«'d to a cer- tain type. The large Middle West- ern picture houses, however, played many straight vaudovillo acts run- ning mistly to "names" and b.inds. The band craze !.>> slcuvly dying out In vaudeville having narrowed down to the survival of the littest in the big time vaudeville house?; and these wiih novelty features. Most of the bands now finOing .steady employment in the vaudeville houses are augmented by specialty people This type of act will no doubt sur- vive the coming season, but the s t r ;! 1 g h t muslr.'il orf'-an :7a; ions seemed (loomed. Man> of the .pop house bookers claim their clientele have served notice they arc tired of an endless procc ssion of bands .is VARIETY headllners. Thl« me*na that tlie bands are through aa bill toppers In the amall lima bouses. Where spe- cialty people are added they will acaln be In demand as features and spot holders. Trend Teward Combination Poltey The entire modern trend of vaude- vine, Judglsg by t)ic year, is toward tho combination policy of vajidevllle and pictures for small time. Only one big time house has been erected by the Keith circuit. Palace, Cleve- land ,and that replaced a big timer. Several of the former biK ttmera on the Orpheum circuit were conTerted into the combination policy. More and more the picture house* are ex- perimenting with added attracti^^, usually vaudeville acts, to augment their features pictures. The big time as now constituted meaning two shows a day Of Btralfbt vaudeville of from eight acts upward includes about 12 weeks on the Keith circuit and eight on the Orpheum or 20 weeks In all. Indapandantk Shrinking Independent vaudeville In the east A.clusj^e of the Loew and Pantnges circuits has shrunk materially dur- ing the past year. The Ix>ew circuit absorbed several of the beat Inde- pendents around Greater Now York and the Keith bookings of the Sa- blosky A McQuirk houses cut into the iMilance. Accordine to Independent agents the situation la further cor..plicated by "opposition" rulings against the remaining independent houses by the larger circuits. An act playing tor other than the recognized cir- cuits and member of tho Vaudeville Managers' Protective Association, will l\nd that there are only about six weeks of bookings left that are not ronsidered opposition by the bic small timers in tlie east. The reported shortage of "names' and "headllners" for big time vaudeville didn't materialize, al- though the plan to create new head- liners, widely heralded last season hasn't borne fruit. The closing of production In the picture studi08>on the west coast, released some "names' quickly cnapped up by the vaudeville bookers. The list was further Increased by thfe failure of several musical comedy attractions to stay out. Inroads by Musicals The musicals made inroads Into vnud'-ville, taking many stand tum.i out of big time. The personnel of the average musical comedy charg- ing )3.30 top has led some show- men to brand the musicals as the new big time. The casts are in some cases 100 percent vaudevilliana. In many cases the "scenes" al- lotted to them are their standard vaudeville turna embellished with a chorus and some scenic spread. This type of act returns to vaudeville be- tween seasons or while waiting for a new show to be readied usually ask- ing more money than before on the strenfTth of the musical comedy reputation acquired. Very few, however. Increase their box office value by the change, when they do ilivclop artistically, if they do. •f* »r' ^-V ■.:, -. -rXt. l*hursday, January 3, 1924 COMPLIMENTS OF THE SEASON MAXIMO The Cuban Wonder on the Stack Wire. The King of Them AU! Even better ort the wire than Joe Cook. THE V. M. P. A. By PAT CASEY COLETTA RYAN "PASSING SHOW OF 1922' The vaudeville bui«tnefs of the United States has developed into one of the largest Industries In the country. Furthermore, It Is one of the mo?t lovingly cherished institu- tions of the American people. To every forward and upward ef- fort of the Vaudeville Managers' Protective Association, there has been " Immediate response and en- couragefhent from the National Vau- deville Artists artd from the entire vaudeville public In every city and state where the circuits extend. These established facta explain the reason for the existence of the V. M. P. A., and the lasting incen- tive to go forward during 1924 and the years to come along the same lines which now energize our organ- ization. The year Just closed has marked the afnilation or consolidation of many hitherto separate interests and often conflicting elements in the various branches of the amusement business. It Is a matter of con- gratulation to be able to call atten- tion to the fact that so many ob- servant men In other branches of theatricals are. In a manner of speaking, "taking a leaf out of the book'" for some time In good use by the Vaudeville Hana«;era' Pro- tective Association. If any New Year's resolution should be passed at this time by the V. M. P. A., I think it would go into the minutes of our aasociatlon in the form of a unanimous vote to keep on the broad guage and equi- table relationship now existing and growing between the vaudeville managers, the vaudeville artists and the vaudeville public of America. Bast Public and Entertainment The«e relations and co-operative methods of management as planned' and practised by the V. M. P. A. are the Inevitable consequences of the desire of the manager-members of this org.'uifzation to entertain the beat public in the world with the nneet entertaiijnent available; to protect the artlsta of vaudeville against the ln.tustlcea and hardships which. In the p.ost, have been prac- tised by Irresponsible and trouble- making artists or hy unfair or solflsh managers. Our New Yeir'a reaolti- tion, then, would be to go further and faster in the direction in whie-h we have Ktarted, which Is In the direction of definite protection of our bc«t Interests, meaning the pro- tection of everybody conneated with vaudeville, whether it be as artist, employe, patron or manager. Peace and Prosperity The peace and proFperity which now prevail in the entire world of vaudeville is due to the theory and practice of mutuality, fair play and consideration for others, as shown by the activities of the Vaudeville Managers' Protective Association The happy revolution which has brought about this splendid condi- tion would have been Impoeslble If the vast army of artists Mnpoyed in vaudeville had not also awak- ened to the earne ideas of mutual respect, co-operation and fair play 'which g«ve basis and reasons for the organization of the National Vaudeville Artists. Pooling Of Idea* The present high estate at which vaudeville . In America has arrived would have been Impossible with- out the friendly and foreelghted consideration and co - operation maintained by the owners and man- agers of this most popular form of entertainment. The vast stuns of money Invested, the long years of experiment, always optimistic, al- ways courageoiis, always toward better things;'all of these experi- ences and outlays on the part of managers would have availed little without a pooling of ideas, with a deep sense of mutual justice to one another, to the artist and to the public. And these desirable and even vital conditions could not In turn have been accomplished without a well organized association of vaudeville managers to devise and perpc<uate plans and policies. In conclusion, the most cheerful greetings are extended to all branches of our Industry; our best efforts and heartiest co-operation are pledged the artists, and we wish all a happy and prosperous New Year. LOPEZ T&dVELLINO > For the first time since his vaude- ville Itinerary Vincent Lopez and band will play out-of-town. They are booked for three weeks start- ing Feb. 25 in Baltimore, Washing- ton and Philadelphia. A relief orchestra will substitute at the Hotel Pennsylvania during the Lopez band's touring period. The band's demand decided the bookers to route them outside of the metropolis. It Is believed by the orchestra to be a beneficial thing personally in view of their prestige via the Okeh records. HARRY HOLMAN in "Hard Boiled Hampton" Booked solid and wishes yoti Ibe Kume. A merry Keith route and a happy Thos. ,1. Fitzi)alrlck.