The sun., 1919-08-24
ACTORS STRIKE
CLOSES UP TWO
MORE HOUSES
Casino and Liberty Are
Darkened When Stage
Hands Walk Out.
FIDELITY LEAGUE ELECTS
Judge Hendrick Threatens
Union Adviser of Strikers
With Contempt.
LEAGUE ELECTS

A new actors aSsOCldtlCnl Ttduy ~
treat with the managers was formed
yesterday with 732 members, among
them some of the best electric-lit
names OF Broadway and George NJ
Cohan, idol of both sides in the stage
war, its president to be. 1t looked as
IL Justice Peter NJ. Hendricks would
affirm tomorrow the Injunction re-
straining the officers and members oi
the Actors Equity Association from
strike activity.
But the Equity forces were not dis
couraged. They struck once more
with the weapon upon which they
count for eventual victory. Through
walkout Of the stage hands and
musicians. with whom the actors are
affiliated through the A. F. of L., they
closed the Casino where Lew Fields
was playing "A Lonely Romeo" and
the Liberty where George Whites
Scandals Of 1919" had held forth.
This made a total of twenty-one the
atres closed since the strike began. leav-
ing only five houses playing legitimate
attractions. These are the Playhouse.
where William A. Brady continues to
double as actor and manager in AT
Jas; the Fulton. where the Theatre
Guild presents John Ferguson" the
Winter Garden with its vaudeville and
chorus; the Hippodrome. where the
Happy Days" spectacle opened iast
night, and the Greenwich Village Follies
down in Sheridan Square.
While the Equity announced that II
would invade the provinces with n per-
formance at Saratoga on August 81 and
another at the Yiddish Thomashefsky
Theatre. at Houston street and Second
avenue. on Labor Day, the managers
were jubilant over the organization OF
the new Actors Fidelity League. Asked
how employment of these actors would
affect the relations Of the managers with
the stage hands and musicians, Morris
Gest said that was a matter for the
American Federation of Labor to decide.
He felt confident that the stage hands
and musicians would not be sustained in
their sympathy strikes.
$4,000 for Strike Fund.
The Equity Association announced last
night that it's weeks performances at
tho Lexington Theatre had played to
$4,000, of which $4,000 was net profit
for the strike fund.
In the White Light area Louis Mann
got his Actors Fidelity League away to
a flying start. The league will be as
cepted by the managers as the represer-
tative Of the actors. Its constitution
frnNyidaa for ha In 81 10, 80 ha tn
dividual contract, contains no provisions
for strike and sets up a permanent
board of arbitration.
Actors who affiliate themselves with Il
Will receive all the other material advan-
tases for which the Equity has been
fighting. such as the eight performance
week and pay for certain rehearsals.
1t will relieve the managers OF the en-
barrassment of recognizing the Equity
Association as the representative of the
actor.
In the judicial sector. Justice Hen
drick. hearing the case of the managers
who are seeking injunctions against the
officers and members of the Equity.
plainly threatened Charles c. Shay, head
of the stage hands union, with punish
ment for contempt because of statements
he Is alleged to have made at a meeting
.
He also rebuked Martin W. Littleton
and other attorneys for the Equity when
they said that they were not ready 10
go on with the trial of the case. Shay
was quoted by an evening newspaper as
saying that Judges had better beware
how far they go in this strike"
Shay was In the courtroom, but was
not himself hailed before the bar. Justice
Hendrick insisted that both Mr.. Little
ton and Paul Turner. general counsel
for the Equity, repudlate Shay's state
ments before he went on.
Jam ut Fidelity Meeting.
When Louis Mann called the meeting
for the organization of the Fidelity
League to order It looked very much
like a riot. The music room at the
Biltmore was jammed literally to suffo-
cation, with scores OF personages OF the
stage trying to get in from the, corri-
dor. Mr.. Mann announced the object
OF the meeting. and then said:
IF there's any one not In sympathy
will they please leave?"
Instantly a dozen members OF the
Equity Association rose and declared
themselves. and the air was filled with
the noise that terrorizes the histrionic
soul There was a storm of misses.
Some left and some stayed. and the
meeting finally did. with enthusias site
cheers, everything that the organiza tion
committee had on the slate.
The election of George Cohan as
president OF the new league was taken
out of the hands OF the committee. They
had left the nomination for president
blank, and as soon as this was an.
nounced almost every man and woman
in the hall arose and proceeded to Vioml-