The New York Clipper (December 1919)

Copyrighted, 1919, ami published weekly by the Clipper Corporation, 1604 Broadway, Maw Tork. Entered at tha Poat-OBm at Maw Tork. June 14. 1879. aa second-class mall matter under Act of March S, 1879 Founded by FRANK QUEEN, 1863 NEW YORK. DECEMBER 31. 1919 Price. VOLUME IJCVD-No. 47 Fifteen Cent*. XS.00 a Year PLAN MILLIONAIRE THEATRE FOR FIFT H AVENUE PATRONAGE Property Leased Last Week at Corner of 57th Street Will Be Site of $1,000,000 House, Work on Which Will Begin in March Plana for the construction of a million- aire's theatre on Fifth avenue, which, it is estimated, will cost more than $1,000,000, were announced last week, when George Backer, real estate operator and builder, closed a deal whereby he secured a twenty- one year lease with renewals on property at Fiftj-"seventh street and Fifth avenue.. According to Backer, the new playhouse will be a part of a $5,000,000, thirty story structure, which will be 400 feet high and have a site area of 16,000 square feet. The theatre, itself, will cover a site of 10,000 square feet and will be built of limestone. Work on construction will start in March and, it is expected that the play house will be finished next September. ". The theatre will cover the plot on Fifty- sixth street, back of the Daveen galleries. The arrangement provides for a seating capacity of only 800 persons, arranged on the main floor and in two horseshoe shaped tiers of boxes above. Each box will meas- ure 6 x 12 and will be closed in. On the orchestra floor, every seat will have two arm rests, instead of one, as in all other theatres, and the space of the seats, and aisles will be so planned as to give more than ordinary comfort to patrons. The stage will be directly opposite the entrance of- the theatre, which will be in the North- west corner of the building. Above the theatre will be a concert hall, tea room and buffet for the use of patrons. When seen last week, Mr. Backer as- serted that this is his first venture in the theatrical field, and that he is in no way associated with any Broadway producing managers. The new house will operate on a straight legitimate policy and will be leased for next season's production. Clark T. Chambers arranged the lease of the property and Mr. Backer will personally supervise the construction. NEW ONE OPENS ON COAST San Diego, Cal., Dec. 26.—"Two Pair or Better" is the title of a new play pre- sented at the Strand Theatre here by Vir- ginia' Brissac and her company. The play was written by H. Austin Adams, who wrote " 'Ception Shoals." It la a farce comedy in three acts, produced under the direction of Ferdinand Munier. In the cast are Virginia Brissac, Nelle Blancsard, Marjorie Bennett, Eddie Law- rence, Brady Kline, Fred Raymond, Jr., Maxine Isabelle Flood and Ferdinand Munier. MAUD FULTON ENGAGEMENT OFF Saw Fbancisco, Dec. 27.—It to reported that the Maud Fulton-Frederick Green- wood marriage . engagement is broken. Miss Fulton states that she is going to Xew- York alone, to live,-as "my; bus in ess ' majffes ' my residence t&ere imperative. Further than- that I have nothing to say." Rumor says it was Greenwood that broke the engagement because Miss Ful- ton had written a play taking his pro- posal as the theme. -v ARRESTED AS THIEVES Two actors, Harry Shelly, thirty years old, of 450 West Forty-sixth street, and Maurice J. Gray, twenty years old, of 610 West Fortieth street, were arrested with two other men last week, alleged to he connected with the hotel' robbers gang which has been very active recently. Both were arrested in front of the Hotel Clar- idge and are charged with burglary and violation of the Sullivan gun law. The police claim that both had revolvers with them at the time of their arrest. According to the police, Shelly and Gray have confessed to committing thirty-five robberies in various New York hotels dur- ing the put three months. CHURCH PUTS Of JAZZ Dekteb, Dec. 28.—A negro Jan band will be installed in the Grace Methodist Episcopal Church here. Rev. G. S. Lake- land, the pastor, to doing this in an effort to wake up his congregation. In making this announcement, Rev. Lakeland said that since jazz music woke up France be couldn't see why it shouldn't wake up his church. KOLB AND DUX NAME SHOW San Francisco, Dec 28^—Koib,- and Dill's new offering will be called "We* and Dry,*' in a' prologue and two acta, and will .open in Sacramento and follow at Ye Lib- erty Theatre, Oakland, thence will play- dates in the San Joaquin Valley, working to Los Angeles, after which it will open at tne Curran Theatre, San Francisco, about Feb. 16 for a four to six weeks' run. The roster includes Kolb and Dill, Julia Blanc, Lavenia Winn, May Cloy, Lorenz Gillette, Allen Walter, Hugh Metcalf, Charles Vole, Al Hallett, Mortimer Snow, Carl Berch and Eight Singing Girls. FITTING FRANCES STARR Pbxladklfhxa, Dee 26.—David Belasco last week left his Times Square sanctum and journeyed to this dty to consult Fran- ces Starr about a new play he has in view for her when 'the public tires of "Tiger Tiger.*? HAST BRINGING SHOW IN "Love on Account," a farce comedy In four acts by Leroy Clemens, will be pre- sented by Walter Hast, at the Greenwich Village Theatre next Monday night. In- cluded in the cast are Marion Coakley, Herbert Youst, Oliver Smith, Blchard Taber, Marshal Vincent, Marion Mauley, Ruby HaHJer, Jeffery Coats, Reginald Payet, Clark Eckstrom and Wirley Birch. This piece was tried oat on.the road under the title of "Let Tommy Do It" REGAN SUES URBAN A'Supreme Court action started in 1917 'by James B. Began, owner of the Hotel Knickerbocker, against Joseph Urban, the 'scenic artist, culminated last week in a judgment being recorded against Urban for ?1,237.32. In the complaint filed through his at- torney, Max D. Steuer, Regan sets forth that on March 10, 1917, be entered into an agreement with Urban under the terms of which the artist was to paint seven can- vasses to complete the decorations in the Armenonville Restaurant of the Hotel Knickerbocker. The canvesses were to be completed before May 24, 1917. Urban was to receive $5,000 for his work, and it is alleged by Regan that, be- tween March 27, 1917, and May 24, 1917, he paid the artist $4,000 in advance; that Urban never, finished the job, did not start it, in fact, nor did he refund the money be had received in advance. Urban denied the allegations, for the most part, set forth in the complaint. The case came on for trial early last April and was settled. Under the terms of the settlement, Urban was to pay $500 on April 12 and a like sum with interest every month thereafter until the $4,000 asked for in the complaint was entirely paid. The settlement agreement also pro- vided that, in the event of a default in any of the payments, ten days after the default a judgment for the unpaid balance wan to be entered. The judgment entered last week against. Urban represents the unpaid balance since the last default, under the terms of the settlement agreement. WOODS SIGNS THEDA BARA Theda Bare, world renowned motion picture vamp, who recently severed her connection with the William Fox film in- terests, it being reported that she asked for a weekly salary of $5,000 to renew her contract with Fox, is about to make her debut in the spoken drama under the management of A. EL. Woods, it was learned last week. She has practically! completed negotiations with Woods for her dramatic debut in a new play from the pen of George V. Hobart. Woods will produce the play early next year and besides being featured in it, the erstwhile motion picture star will be sub- stantially) interested in the production. Woods, .It to said, guaranteeing her a weekly-salary of $ 1,500 da ring, the ran of the play'. 3 ' Several other plays under the sains arrangement will he produced... <__'" "ZIP GOES A MILLION" CLOSES Following several weeks' run on -the road. Bay Comstocx'g new musical piece, "Zip Goes a Million." was called in from Washington iast Saturday and closed for an indefinite period. During the time the piece to off. the book will be entirely re- written and a number of new songs added. OPERA CO. OPENS IN FRISCO. San Francisco, Dec 27.—The Flor- ence Grand Opera Company opened its season at the Allies Theatre last week, offering "La Gioconda." In the cast were Emilia Vergeri, Blanche Hamilton Fox, La Antola, De Gregorio Buoni. Corral and others. Eugenio PineDi to conducting. HERD SUES CARR Anderson T. Herd, the shipping magnate who backed The Better 'Ole and . more recently The Lady in Bed, to suing Alex. Carr in the Ninth District Municipal Court. He to seeking to recover $1,000, which sum, and more, he says he advanced to Carr last August, accepting a note made payable on demand from the actor. The present suit follows in the wake of negotiations had between the litigants last Summer, when Herd had practically agreed to become financially interested in a new play that Carr, was to produce. The piece is a three-act comedy drama called 'The Penny Showman, written by Ben Arkow. A corporation, with a capitalisation of $50,000 was origantoed by H. J. and F. El Goldsmith, Herd's attorneys, and Herd was to have received at least fifty per cent of the capital stock. "■ >* ■ - ' However, the negotiations between Herd and Carr finally fell through, it. being said that Can's failure to keep appointments for conferences with. Herd had something to do with it While the negotiations were pending, ft is said that Herd advanced various sums of money to Carr, the latter handing over his note for $3,000 payable on demand to Herd as security. It to on this alleged note that Herd to now seeking to recover. Incidentally, it was learned last week that, after Herd dropped out of the theatri- cal transaction with Carr, Wilner and Romberg became interested in the produc- tion of the play, bnt they could not come to terms with Carr. SOUTHWEST OPEN TO SHOWS Hot Snnros, Ark., Dec. 29.—A recent report that this section of the country la closed to road shows, has been found un- true. In this dty. the Auditorium The- atre plays road attractions, musical tabs, and any other kind of good feature. Little Rock, Texarkana, Shreveport, Helens, Ark.; Pine Bluff, Clarkdale and other towns through Missouri and Texas hare bouses playing road attractions. In Wichita, Kansas, the Crawford The- atre has always played road attractions and to still doing so. There are also a number of other towns through the state with houses playing road shows. . "JANE" CLOSES ON ROAD . '' Because of poor business conditions fat * the southwest, Cornstock and Gest last week ordered "Leave It to Jane" to cancel ^...., all further booking and return to New j&pi York. The company dosed at Monroe, La., and arrived in town a week later.' Aeoording to members of tha company, business was actually SO poor, through southwestern territory, that, at some one uv night stands, receipts would .-total con- siderably less than expenses. WOODS GETS ANOTHER HOUSE A. H. Woods has acquired the Cort The- atre in Atlantic City, and will re-name It The Woods, starting next season. Tha theatre will be used for the majority Of the opening performances of Wooda' pro* ductions. "WAYFARER" DOES $70,000 The receipts for the pageant spectacle of "The Wayfarer" for the last week topped the $70,000 mark. SAVAGE TO DO REVIVAL A revival of the comic opera, "Wood- land," will be staged by Henry W. Sav- age sometime within the next months for the purpose of making it Broadway production. Tha east 1 being engaged.