Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1889 - 1931), Monday 17 November 1913, page 19


me hugh mcintosh.

NEW ARTISTS.

I -Mr. Hugh McIntosh, the well-known sports

promoter and vaudeville manager, who has been all over Europe in search

of new artists for Australia, was a pas- ' senger from London by the mail steamer Orama, which arrived at the Outer Harbor on Saturday afternoon. He has been away from Australia six and a half months, during which time he travelled 4000 miles. Mr. Mcintosh had considerable difficulty in procuring suitable artists, and witnessed no fewer than 1,953 different turns. Of this large number there were only 12½ percent, of them that could be booked for Australia, as the remainder were unsuitable. He visited Auckland, Suva, Honolulu, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Pasadena, Chicago, Detroit, Buffalo, New York, Philadelphia. Atlantic City, Niagara Falls, London, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Paris, Brussels, Ghent, Osteude, Antwerp, Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Bre-men, Hamburg, Berlin, and numerous towns in England and Scotland, and engaged altogether 155 artists. Their fares alone to bring them out to Australia will amount to £25,000. while their salary list totals £153.200. Mr. Mcintosh engaged Miss Ada Reeve, a talented lady, who holds all records in Australia as being the highest paid artist; Miss Florence Smithson, who is a beautiful actress, and sang the "Pipes of Pan'" before his Majesty King George by special request prior to the boat leaving London: Mr.

Lew Fields, who also appeared before

the King, and is a comic and silent humorist: "'and truly," said Mr. McIntosh, ''I have never seen any acting that impressed me more than what I have seen of Mr. Fields. Another old celebrity coming out in Paul Cinquevalli, the magician, who has spent 44 years on the stage, but I am sorry to say has decided to retire from the stage altogether at the expiration of his present contract. Others of importance whom I have booked are Elliott Savqnat!, Gilday, and Fox, Tucker, a singing violinist, Fair and Far land. J. W., Rieaby, Beth Tate, Josephine Davis, Winifred Ward, and the two Bobs. -. All these artists will arrive in Australia early in the new year, and let me tell you the people but here are in for a really good time."

What do you think of the vaudeville agency business?

"Well, I found the vaudeville agency business in the United States rotten with graft. I might venture to say there is more graft to the square inch in America than in any other country in the world, and yet nobody seems to care. In the wild race for the almighty * dollar principles of honor seem to be forgotten, at least this, is the shocking state' of affairs I found, in vaudeville."

Mr. Mcintosh said he was very much surprised to find that among the vaudeville scents the practice of exacting a secret commission for booking an artist was almost universal: "The idea, seems to be purely a matter between the artist and agent, said Mr. McIntosh, in which no one else has any direct concern. I maintain that this idea is absolutely wrong.' The manager is the man who has to suffer for the secret commission by the increased price of the

artist, and he is the one who is robbed by; such a proceeding, while the artist is very often blackmailed. Ten per cent, for book-" ing an artist for any show is a fair commission, and I am always willing to pay that, and I object to the artist paying any more to his agent secretly. I refused to book any act for Australia this time which I suspected of paying a secret commission, and as a consequence I was obliged to decline to consider many of the best acts I have ever seen. In all my career, as a pro-motes,, of sports I have never accepted 5 cents as a secret commission. I would rather starve, than make money by such ! dirty trickery, and I would discharge any

employee of mine instantly if I detected him doing sell a thing, even my secretary here, who has been with me 15 years yes, I would fire him on the spot if I found he had taken a nickel as a secret rebate In artist the quality American vaudeville leads the' world. Their comedy, singing, and dancing acts are the best of their kind anywhere before the public and they are constantly improving. London is still the. big: place, ' but New York has become the vaudeville headquarters of the world. The vaudeville theatres of America do not compare with, the London music halls in architecture. '

luxury, and comfort, but they give better

choirs and have more talent." i

Mr. McIntosh will remain in Adelaide until this afternoon, when he will leave by the express for Melbourne. He will stay there a few days, and then proceed to Sydney In four or five months he will return to the old country to fix up matters in connection with his new theatre, which is being erected in the West-End of London.