Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1951-07-08
Box Office
Still Good
On Variety
Vaudeville Draws
Its Regulars
To Palace
Nv Anrk Rnyrnn
By Mark Boron
NEW YORK.

NEW xO1tkA.
The theatrical business in gen.
eral long has been known as "the
fabulous invalid" but vaudeville
is described as "the infinite pa.
tient" because even near death. IT
never pretended TO perish.
When talking pictures came
along in the 1920s the highly Sue
cessful vaudeville circuits took
terrific blow, but vaudeville per-
formers won a wider popularity
because they were in demand for
films. Similarly. television has
given q new impetus to the popu-
larity Of vaudeville stars.
For q time vaudeville had rough
giong, but on May 10. 1949. the
variety show was returned to the
historic Palace theater on Broad
way, a stage which had once pre-
scented practically every outstand-
ing star in the world of entertain
ment. That covers everything
from seal acts and acrobats to
Ethel Barrymore and w. c. Fields.
Bill Up to 10 Acts.
Since it reopened to vaudeville
in 1919, the Palace has played to
4 million people and it has been
the spawning ground for many
vaudeville acts now playing
throughout the country. When
the Palace reopened the standard
vaudeville bill was composed Of
eight acts, but since then the man
agement has added two more to
make 1t q 10-act bill.
| As In the past, when the Palace
WAS q clearing house for perform
lers who wanted a showcase" for
their acts, the performers are
S struggling for engagements there
4 now so they may be viewed for
possible radio or teleyision appear
ances. For 10 years the Palace
i played the smartest two-a-day
q shows in the country and it had
special agent, Harry Mondorf.
' travelling through Europe, Asia and
Africa to find new performers.
|. Rarely was any star such q
success as to play for more than
e two weeks, for one week was a
o normal engagement. The record
e for "hold-overs" in Palace vaude-
vile is held by Kate Smith who
v played for 10 consecutive weeks
/ in 1881.
u She Met Contract.
= You may get an idea Of Miss
IL Smiths drawing power by the fact
that the Palace management could
W withdraw Miss Smiths contract
II and send her home any time she
s. didn't attract capacity business.
e She sang to capacity audiences
II for nine weeks beyond her origi-
u nal one-week contract.
The second record breaker" for
y Palace vaudeville is Eddie Cantor,
u who stayed there for nine consecu-
y tive weeks. George Jessel and
y Burns and Allen were on the same
program. Can you imagine what
S y, it would cost today to put Cantor
=. Jessel and Burns and Allen on the
~ same program?
=. The Palace was built in the
y spring of 1913 by the late theatre
-, :, cal producer, Martin Beck. who
"a was then president Of the Orphe.
= UNI circuit. 1t was taken over &
20 few months later by the B. F
Keith circuit which controlled
ri about 1900 vaudeville theater'
- booked about 10000 performer
m Throughout the country.
no In 1949, Sol A. Schwartz, preSi'
to dent of RKO, brought vaudeville
xt back to the Palace and to a chair
O. of theaters across country. strict!
nd as an adventure In branch O
show business which was though
at to be almost extinct. It has pait
pc of handsomely in talent and a
the box office.