The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-12-18
ShubertS Will
Enter Vaudeville
and War Impends
Marcus LOew May Be an Ally
With New State Theatre
as Keystone.

OIIlclal announcement Is looked LOT
soon of the organization of the corpora
ton with which Lee and ]. ]. Shubert
plan to enter big time vaudeville as i'm
portant competitors with the B. F.
Keith and allied circuits. Capital out
side the theatrical district Is to be used
and 1t is expected that the directors will
include many men prominent in the
financial district 1t was learned that
the new enterprise would be launched
about February 1 or little later.
The Shubert entrance into the domain
OF variety will be more strictly a re-
turn. as they conducted vaudeville
decade ago The Keith interests in
duced them to abstain from vaudeville
for ten years at a remuneration said to
have been s250.000. That agreement
has now been fulfilled.
Allied with them will be some power
full concerns already established in
vaudeville. Marcus Loew denies Off
cially that he will be interested in the
undertaking, but Lee Shubert has had
number OF conferences with him lately,
and IL Is expected that Loew's State The
atre, now nearing completion at Broad
way and Forty fifth street. will be the
keystone OF the new system downtown
for competing with the Keith houses
Failing the completion of this house on
time the Shuberts' Forty-fourth Street
Theatre might be turned from a legiti-
mate into a vaudeville centre.
william Fox May Join.
William Fox also Is a logical candi-
dat Nar eli L.. Ill etf.sA .fr.
He Is reported 20 have had difficulties
with other bookings and has taken 20
presenting Shubert stars as his head
liners. Eddie Cantor. George Price,
Miss Nan Halperin. the Watson Sisters
and Happen and Armstrong have already
appeared on his circuit.
AL Jolson win probably be another
Shubert star who will be used In the
two-a-day when not appearing in a
legitimate extravaganza. Altogether the
shuberts are said to have gathered to-
gether quietly something like 100 head
line acts for their new plunge. They
have engaged Arthur Klein. formerly a
big time agent for Keith as their book
ing manager. Another man whom they
have ready to use In the general man
agcment OF a vaudeville circuit is Ed
ward Bloom. formerly general manager
for William Morris. who is now manag-
ing Shubert road shows.
The Shuberts' plans. where there
would be no regular vaudeville houses
ready 10 hand AT any important point.
and legitimate houses could not be used.
would be to convert big motion pic
ture theatres or houses where cheap,
small time vaudeville is now current.
To this end they have conducted me-
gotlatlons with, the Stanley Booking
Corporation OF Philadelphia. This $751;
000. 900 organization. with its allied in
terests. can command a choice OF forty
four houses I'm Philadelphia. with forty
more in other parts OF Pennsylvania
New Jersey, Baltimore. Washington and
the South. Under the presidency of
Jules +. Mastbaum. II could look after
n large slice OF the country. while
Messrs. Loew and Fox took care OF
New York.
Vaudeville War Ahead.
With a vaudeville war In prospect and
with memories OF the high prices paid in
the keen competition following the Shu-
bert entrance into tho legitimate field.
variety artists are preparing 10 boost
their salaries Many legitimate stars
who found the going rough because OF
conditions in the legitimate recently are
preparing 10 SeCcut 10 NauofNiiie.
/ One OF the notable entrants awaited
/ Is John Drew. Vaudeville managers
have already been apprised that this
star was ready TO 20 into the two-a-day
with THE WILL" playlet By Sir James
! NJ. Barrie which he acted several years
! ago. The Keith office Is negotiating
with him. arrangements not being set
/ tied yet because OF the item OF salary.
which has been placed az $4,000 weekly
An offer TO appear In vaudeville also
/ has been made to Miss Maude Adams,
but Miss Adams will appear in the
| legitimate IL she acts ut all. Miss Lima
! Abarbanell is another well known star
who has just taken to vaudeville. and
Julian. Eltinge Is coming back in the
Same line.
The Keith offices appeared undis-
I turbed yesterday in the face OF this Inn
| pending rivalry. Their members say that
the field In New York particularly Il big
enough for any number OF vaudeville
companies and that they were unhur'
when six new houses were recently
erected in Brooklyn alone. with a view
to an eventual,ty like this the Keith
circuit recently Joined 10 Itself the X. ;.
Moss theatres. SO that II now controls
bookings in twenty-four houses In the
| environs of New York