Variety (August 1925)

Wednesday, August U, 1985 {VAUDEVILLE VARIETY ^AIMDLLE PRODUCERS GEITING IDEAS FROM LEGIT MUSICAI^ larks Rerenal of Former Condition—^Adhering to Foreign Revue Conception to Cut Down Ez> penses—^Also Copying Each Other;. <. Y Musical comedr Im furnlBhing the JAbum for most of the vaudeville flashes and revues of the coming: season, acoordlngr to the bookers, provins that vaudeville producers iiave ceased to originate new ideas ■Or the two-a-day. i;. This Is a reversal of the condition Klstlng up until a few seasons ago. Vhs musical comedy producers de- yended upon vaudeville for new Ideas and in many cases elaborated vaudeville acts into full length at- Iractlons. ^ The reasons advanced are modem londltlons which mak* production If an expensive vaudeville act more •r lass of a gamble, and the branch- ing out of the vaudeville producers Into the muslc^ comedy fields. Hany of the new acts are still re- Sectlng the Influence of the Chauve- 9ourls and Chariot's Revue, using ^(be Illustrated anecdote and the lUsh-backs. ' This type of act. as tax as the Script Is concerned, is Inexpensive, tfor any standard gag serves for SoaterlaL A couple of numbess and H singing finish, some drapes and the act passes for "class" In vaude- :rlUe. It also does away with chorus 0Tim and ^ves the producer a tixance to get bis production back and make some money, a valuable leonslderation when it is figured only 19 weeks of big time remain on the Kaith-Albee Circuit, which means •nly that number of houses can ^ord to play an aot of this caliber. i Another factor that la argued as Inrldenoe that ths vaudeville produ- par has ceased to organise Is the sameness of the acta. One will pro* poo* a certain typa of act which' Sads bookings and Immediately all Vm rest follow suit, according to Ulae bookers. This makes for the Sameness which is said to be rob- |>lng vaudeville of' its former lure luul Is forcing the vaudeville pro- tfuoers to seek th* novelty portion <Mt the programs by adding more mora to the picture portions. 'i-->;"'■> :• Max Fabish in N. Y. 'Umx Fabish has returned to New QTork after several years in Qer- tnany. In Berlin Mr. Fabish is as- iwclated with Willy Zimmerman. ttaa agent. S^blsh may remain here for some tbna, placing Continental acts for the vaudeville circuits. Since ar- riving Saturday with Otto Floto Mr. 9U>lah has placed two foreign turns Cor an initial American appearance Urtth the Pantages time. BSai LEVET COMDra EAST Chicago, Aug. IL Bert Levey is expected to leave dM Coast some time this week for a business trip that will include I>enver, Chicago, Detroit and New ifork. Levey has postponed the trip several times due to illness. His plans for the coming season Include the opening of another branch office and an expansion into new territory. The Chicago office has Just added a club department, inth Allen Summers, Independent Sgwttt, in charge. I MUSI SUCK WITH SUH (" '•' Chicago, Aug. 11. IRm Murray, Richmond, Ind., booked by the Gkis Sun Springfield Office, but which this season awltch- M to the Keith-Albee Chicago of- Soe, will have to renaaln with its former bookers for another rear, ac- lOOrding to a ruling issued by the K. M. P. A. ^M Qus Sun offloe hoMs a con- Iraot to supply the attractions for fm* year with a no otmcellation Portland-Sacramento Jump The State, Saeramento, Cal., will <>P«n Aug. n with" Singers' Midgets hefedUnlng. The house will play the Orpheum shows, talcing them niiursday, Friday and Saturday from Portland. Ore. Last season the State waA a four- Bay stend, spllttioc wltb Fresno. G4k W. V. M. A. CHANGES Berger Succeeds Woolfolk—May Ro- organiso Fair Department Chicago. Aug. 11. The coming season will see innu- merable changes in W. V. M. A. booking activities. Boyle Woolfolk, who at present maintains a desk on the Western Vaudeville floor, will no longer represent the Association, having taken over complete charge of the bookings fosfthe Butterfleld circuit, which, after a year's lapse, is again installing the combination policy of flve acts and a feature. Willa Berger, also of the W. V. M. A.. wiU take over the houses for- merly under Woolfolk's Jurisdiction. The club, department, which Wool- folk also handled, will be In charge of Harry Born. It Is rumored that the fair depart- ment is also to be reorganized, with Lester Kunst being groomed as the possible fair head. Philly Booking Duel On Philadelphia, Aug. IL The vaudeville booking duel of last season between the Stanley and Fox's Is api>arently on again. Next week Vadi and Oulgi play the Stan- ley, filling ih an open week on their regular vaudeville bookings. Fox's is also reported as In the field for "names." Reports of a pooling agreement between the two houses were ctur- rent a few months ago, but subse- quently denied. The Stanley is booked through association with the Keith-Albee Circuit, but it is under- stood the booking are not to con- flict with Keith's (big time) Phila- delphia. Both the Stanley and Fox houses play a'straight picture policy with vaudeville added. Al Shajme Confined, III Atlantic City. Aug. 11. Al Shayne, vaudeville comedian, is in a hospital in Pennsylvania, suf- fering with paresis and rapidly ap- proaching a critical condition. SFUTTDre ACTS AND TIME Los Angeles, Aug. 11. The State (Stockton & White) at Fresno, Cal., when It reopens un- der West Coast Theatres manage- ment, Sept. 6, will split the com- bination Orpheum ank Association vaude bills. The hoAes will play three Orpheum and two Association acts on each bilL The show will alternate between the houses on threo-and four-day splits. The bookings will be done by Ben Piazza of the Association's coast office under the supervision of Harry Singer. MOVE FIVE CEMETERIES Portland, Me., Aug. IL Even the dead are not sure of rest and peace in Maine. Five cem- eteries, some crowded, have been moved at Lewlston as a preliminary operation prior to the construction of the Central Main Power Com- pany's big gulf site on the Andros- coggin river. The old location of these cem- eteries will be overflowed by the storage of water held back by the big dam to be erected. Marie Allyn Out of Hospital .San Francisco, Aug. 11. Marie Allyn, confined to St. Luke's Hospital in San Francisco with a severe attack of laryngitis, has been released by her attending physician a-< cured. Miss Allyn Is spending the next few weeks in California, singing in the picture theatres of the higher type, and at the conclusion of her present contracts will Journey east on vaudeville time. Lorraino anrf Ritz Split The team of Lorraine and RItx has dl.<!Solved. Billy Lorraine has formed a new alliano* with Larry Howard, LATEST PHOTOGRAPH OF THOMAS MEIGHAN Made by STRAUSS PEYTON 29 West 57tli St., New York Phone Plaza 2642 Lubin Calls for ''Names'' THie Loew Clvcult baa instructed Its agents that "names" and next to closing acts are wanted in volume. Recent bookings of the circuit in- clude Ben Welch, Ben Bemle's Dil- lon Ober Orchestra and a circus act which will be recruited from 101 Ranch, retitled the Marcus Loew Circus. The latter will play the circuit after the outdoor show season closes. 3he result of the order was a drive upon the available vaudeville ma- terial around the metropolis and the signing up of several vaudeville "names" by Jake Lubin, Loew's booking daiet. The Loew Circuit will start this season with 26 weeks of vaudeville bookings, exclusive of the picture houses where feature acts may be played from time to time. 'Hedgjng^ of Ind. Bookers Explains "Drop Outs" "Drop-outs" continue as fre- quently as ever on the independent time. Acts are seemingly uncon- earned of consequences, figuring that if they have a salal>le act the disappointment will be forgotten the next time they are available for in- dependent dates. Some time ago a number of the independent I>ookers banded in an agreement to refuse to play an act that had given any agent of the group an unwarranted "flop" ^and was later found to have done so be- cause of a more lucrative engage- ment Despite the agreement sev- eral of the independents who pledged themselves have been hedging which has tended to make the acts regard the proposed measures as a Joke. sun OVER DOG'S DEATH The prize Pekingese belonging to Mr. and Mrs. Henry Santrey (Anna Seymour) ran Into fatal difficulties when it playfully trailed the disin- fecting men sent over by the United Sanitary Products Co., Inc., to the Hotel Alamac. The Santreys were guests at thr Alamac at the time when one of the sanitation company's employes accidentally stepped on the Peke and killed it. All of which has precipitated a suit for $500 damages by the San- treys against the contracting com- pany doing the sanitation. Caillulian Discount Toronto, Aug. 11. Acts and others whose fall schedules call for Canadian ap- pearances might do well to note that American money has been at a discount on this side of the border, and has been for several weeks. Some banks at the present time are charging In the neigh- borhood of one per cent., while postofflcea and a number of other institutions will only ac- cept Canadian currency if the amount is more than 60 cents or so. During the war and post-war years, when Canadian money w«ui down in the United States, a great many complications re- sults insofar as visiting com- panief were concerned. 3'he drop may be merely temporary, but a number of financial editors dope it to last the winter. WEECK WEECES MATHTEE Los Angeles, Aug. 11. The wreck of a freight train at San Luis Obispo delayed "The Lark" train, carrying the entire Pantages road show and a member of the Justine Johnstone act at the Or- pheum. The train got in at five in the afternoon, due at 9 in the morning. This delayed the first matinee at Pantages. Lillisn Herbert's Skit Lillian Herbert will shortly return to vaudeville, after an absence of five years, in a new comedy skit by Hugh Herbert, her husband. Two others will comprise the support. MsnagerisI Service Suit Abraham Meyer is suing Alex- ander Sashko for $260 for man- agerial services rendered. Meyer is an agent who claims commission due from March 9 to July 1, 192t. L. A. Theatre Managers Organize Against Unions Lea Angeles, Aug. 11. Los Angeles theatre managers this week formed the Theatrical Managers' Association of Los An- geles, to be a business and social organization. There has been no such body here in the past. With the scales of the musicians and stage hands about to expire Sept 1, the lopal theatfe men felt they should get together as a body to deal with the unions on a proposed new form of contract to be submit- ted at a meeting tomorrow. The formation of the organization was sponsored by Harry Singer, Western Representative of the Or- pheum Circuit: A. M. Bowles, gen- eral manager of the West Coast Theatres, Inc., and Frank L. New- man, general manager of the .Para- mount houses. Besides the Orpheum, West Coast and Paramount houses, the Pan-' tages houses, Sid Qrauman inter- ests, all of the legitimate and stock houses are members of the body. A paid secretary to handle the business affAlrs of the organization will be chosen by the executive committee, which will be the func- tioning head of the organization. It is said that the stage hands will submit a scale calling for a ten percent increase over their present wages. The musicians as yet have not prepared their new contract STATELAKE IS ROBBED Lone Bandit Takes Twoj Day»* Receipt* Chicago, Aug. 11. The treasurer's office of the Stat« Lake theatra was held up early Sunday night by a lone bandit who relieved It of Saturday's and Sun- day's receipts, $12,000. The bandit gained admission by following Will Singer, the manager. Into 1;be office and threatening all there with their lives if they mad* an outcry. The bandit though quiv- ering continuously worked quietly. On departure he informed his cap- tives not to leave the ofilce for at least 10 minutes. The manager ex- ited through a secret passageway which leads into the lobby of th* building. The front doors were closed and he had to break the glass to get out By that time the bandit had disappeared. Two plain clothes men were down in the washroom of the theatre and one was sUnding In the lobby whett the robbery occurred. The theatre is Insured for tba full amount PAN'S REALTY CO. New Concern Known as PantaiW<£ Mills-Shreve Co. ] 3-A-DAy IN YOUHGSTOWK The new 2.S00 seater in Toungs- town, O., win open about Thanksr giving Week with a three-a-day policy. Keith's, Dayton, O., a former two-a- day house, has been one of the big- gest money makers on the circuit with the three shows dally. ASSN. LOSnrO coast flOUSE Los Angeles. Aug. 11. The Boulevard, the West Coast Theatre chain's newest house, will abandon its split week vaudeville with 'the Western Vaudeville Man- agers' Association and book presen- tations. The change occurs Aug. 2S, IN AND OUT Aunt Jemima dropped out of the Palace bill last week, due to loss of voice. No one substituted. Blossom Seeley, out of bill at Santa Ana. Cal., first half because of a sore throat. Buzzell Set Eddie Buzzell is going into vaude- ville in the Paul Gerard Smith of- fering entitled "CampUments of the Season." Buzzell was reported as signed for a musical comedy by Aarons and Freedley, but they are deferring their contract In favor of the vaudeville time. Roland-Seidel Team Fred Roland has shelved his flash act "Broadway Cutles," to Join forces with Roy ScWcl In a double comedy singing and danclnjr turn. The new combination opens the last half at the Prospect, Brooklyn, N. Y, Heimsn on Tour Marcus Hoiman, president of the Orpheum Circuit, is now on a tour of the Pacific Coast and Northwest- om houses of the circn't. He is ex- pected back in New York In about three weeks. Los Angeles, Aug. 11. '^ Alexander Pantages is going t« become a realty overlord with John P.. Mills and Jesse Shrew, Ban Diego banker, who has formed an investment holding company to be known M the . Pantagas-MiUs- Shreve Company. This company is to invest In property and constructive business enterprises. It has also obtained options on many pieces of property at Point Loma, which Is close to the American boundary near Tia Juana. Maple Answers Law Nelson Maple, director of the S. S. Leviathan orchestra, answering H. Robert Law^ damage suit over the use of the Leviathan tlt|», states that l^ch 26. tiZl, the orchestra contracted wHh Paul Whlteman for the latter to manage the band. When Whlteman decided to call in all his units using the "White- man presents" billing in order to elmlnate any and all competition in various towns where the Jass maestro plays on his concert Itin- erary, Maple placed bis orchestra under Law's direction at Law's pro- poaal of attractive salaries. When the scenic man decided to cut sal- aries, alleging vaudeville was not sufficiently lucrative, that started the trouble. Maple resigned, as did several other members. Maple de* nies these resignations were In^-; rfplred or conspired. Maple states that Law also at%' tempted to ^old out the salaries due the men for the week of July 27 In order to make them sign an agree- ment not to use the Leviathan billing. REV. FOR NIGHT FILMS (Continued from page 1) ilndustrles, in bringing In a report favoring the theatres. The minister challenges the right of the city to close all-night pic- ture houses. He claims they are entitled to the same rights as all- night taxi-.stands, catea, etc. Dr. Matthews' report says that union labor trouble is at the bottom of the closing flght. Danz has been hav- ing trouble with the unions for many months and his places have been picketed more or less contin- uously. Mayor Brown Insists on closing the houses and says he will go into the Matlhews' pulpit and produce investigators who will maintain tbnt t)i^ all night theatres are bad for morals, etc. As. Dr* Matthews preaches to the largest^ Pfpubylcrian congregation in th|^ United States, the quarrM is a|gr J trading some attention. ^swft