New York Clipper (Jun 1923)

June 27. 1923 THE NEW YORK CLIPPER 5 STAGE HANDS AND MUSICIANS TO A SK BIG WAG E INCREASE Union Officials Serve Notice that Demands for Increase in Wages for Next Season Are To Be Made—^25% the Average . Raise To Be Asked By All Both the Theatrical Stage Hands' and Musicians' Union locals in New York City have served notice on the Labor Board of the International Theatrical As- sociation and the Vaudeville Managers' Protective Association that they are pre- pared to make demands for an increase in their wage scale to become effective on September 1st, at the expiration of the present agreement between tlie bodies. They were informed by the managers' or- ganizations that the latter would be glad to confer with committees of the respec- tive unions and consider the demands. These conferences the managers declared they would hold about July 9th. Besides the local unions the American Federation of Musicians and the Interna- tional Alliance of Theatrical Stage Em- ployees of the United States and Canada, executive boards have also notified the managers that they desired to confer re- garding an increase of the road scale for traveling musicians and stage hands. These conferences will probably start on July 16th. "The stage hands' union held their an- nual mectmg last Stmday morning at which, the officers for the current year were installed. The ofliccrs are: Wm. E. Monroe, re-elected president; Edward Ot- to, vice president; J. C. McDowell, re- cording secretary; Ben Forman, secretary and treasurer. The Board of Trustees installed were Joe Magnolia, Gus Durkin and Joseph Tiemey. Joseph Riley was re-elected as business agent and his asso- ciate agent, Harry Palmer, was succeeded by Harry Sheeran. It was expected that the executive com- mittee would at the meeting submit a scale of wages they desired for the members of the organization in the various New York theatres. The members were told that the committee had not as yet figured out their demands but that they had notified the managers that they would seek an increase in wages for the members of the organi- zation next season. According to an authoritative source, the stage hands' organization will ask for an increase averaging twenty per cent for the men workine m trie theatres in Greater New York. In the legitimate houses where heads of departments—carpenter, electrician, property man—arc getting $55, the new scale will ask for $67.50 a week. For grips and dearers now getting $3.75 a performance, $5.00 a performance will be asked. For fly men and front of the house, or spotlight men, now getting $4.25 a performance, $5.50 will be asked. In the vaudeville theatres, where heads of departments are now getting $52.50 a week, the new scale will request $65.00 a week. In the Uirlesque houses where the heads of departments are now receiving $47.50 a week, it is said, the new scale will call for $60 a week. Grips, clearers, fly men, spotlight men, working in the vaude- ville, burlesque and combination vaude- ville and picture theatres are scheduled to get an increase ranging from IS to 25 per cent above their present wage. It is e.xpcctcd that this scale will be pre- pared and submitted to the members of the organization at their next meeting on Sunday morning. iFor the traveling stage hands who have been receiving a minimum of $62.50 a week the International organization will present a demand that the men get $75.00 a week next season. The American Federation of Musicians are prepared at the conference with the labor committee of the International The- atrical Association, which is composed of Alfred £. Aarons, Abe Levy and Ralph Long, to request that traveling musicians now getting $57.50 a week on the road be paid next season $75. The scale for lead- ers on the road will be arranged to call for an increase of 25 per cent over the present scale. The Associated Federation of Musi- cians, known as Local 802, which repre- sents the men pl7.>ing in the theatres in Greater New York, are to hold a meeting of their governing board this week at which the scale they will submit to the managers for next season will be drafted. .According to indications this organization will request that the wages of its members be increased from twenty-five to thirty- five per cent over the present scale. Just how the managers will act upon the requests has not been determined at this time. At a meeting of the International Theatrical Association, the members were told in a report from the Labor Commit- tee that all of the organizations would submit new wage scales which would call for increased wages for their members. It is understood that the demands for the traveling musicians and stage hands will be granted, but that the local scales will frobably not be approved as submitted, t is said that the managers may be in- clined to grant a slight increase in the local scale but they would be adverse to any proposition that would call for in- creases which range from twenty to thirty per cent. It is likely that the managers may consent to a ten per cent increase for the stage hands and probably fifteen per cent to the musicians, but will stave off any further increase demands. DIXON HEARING ON JULY 25 A hearing in connection with the bank- ruptcy of Henty P. Dixon, former Shubert Unit Show producer, will be held on July 25 in the U. S. Post Office before the judges of the U. S. District Court at 10.30 A. M., at. which time Di^^on's application, for a discharge in bankruptcy will be heard. Dixon filed his petition' in bankruptcy' on April 17, which shelved liabilities of $21,312, assets unkno^vn, consisting of six shares of stock of the American Burlesque Association. . Dixon's show on the Shubert vaudeville' circuit was called "Midnite Revels." IRENE FRANKLIN FOR CONCERT William Morris lias taken Irene Franklin under his wing and beginning July 16 will send her out on a concert tour throughout the United' States and' Canada. Miss, Franklin's program will consist*of a cycle" of songs lasting more than an hour and three other concert artists will be carried. P. M. A. TO DECIDE ON C. T. O. Action one way or another will be taken today (Wednesday) at a meeting of the Producing Managers' Association on the proposition outlined to them by Joe Leblang for the establishment of a C^tral Theatre Ticket Office, to begin functioning in Sep- tember. Leblang recently wrote a letter to the in- dividual members of. the P. M. A., in which he outlined the policy he would adopt in the operation of the Central office. Several managers who were opiwsed to the proposition on the ground that it was "one sided" for the benefit of the theatre own- ers, called upon Leblang and stated that after reading his letter over they had come to the conclusion. that the plan was the only one which might be in any way ef- fective toward the eradication of the "gyp" speculators and promised to support him in the project. It is said, however, that un- less all of the independent theatre owners and managers can be gotten to approve the plan that the P. M. A. will not allow it to be adopted and put into force. HORWTTZ IN EUROPE Artbor J. Horwitz, Ac vaudeville book- ing agent, who abandoned his business through fear of being incarceiated in Lud- low street jail for failure to make alimoqy payments to his wife, Edith, and dis- appeared, wrote a letter last week to Harry Santley, a former employe; from Paris, saying that he was leaving for Carlsbad, Germany, early this week. In the meantime agents around the Locw Annex Building are tellii% of complaints made to them by actors formerly booked tliroue^ the Honwitz office. They say -that about ten days prior to Horwitz's last dis- appearance, which followed his expulsion a.s an agent from the Loew 'Vawleville Booking Exchange, Horwitz bad wired them frcmi New York that he was in need of fluids and must have sums ranging from $50 to $300 at once or he would cease attending to their business affairs. Hor- witz, it is said, gauged his demands in accordance with the weekly salary the actors were receiving. It is said, though, that only a few of the actors responded to this request, but that enough money was realized by him through this method to enable him to pay for his passage to Europe. Just what aniounts were obtained by hun could not be ascertained, but it b believed to be in the neighborhood of $1,000. One of the acts which turned doiwn Horwitz's request visited one of the agents booicing in the Loew office and inquired what their standing was in the booking office. The agent asked them vAtat they meant. They replied that they had refused to send Horwitz $300 which he demanded and they feami that he had "knocked" them in the booking office so that they would not get work. The agent inquired at the office and was told that the act was in good standing there. DE LYLE ALDA OUT OF "SCANDALS" De Lyle Alda. prima donna, left the cast of George Wiite's '-'Scandals" at the Globe theatre a week ago Tuesday night without any announcement being made of her withdrawal from the cast. It is said the reason that Miss Alda w-lhdrew from the show was that her part and singing numbers were reduced from v/hat looked at first as b^ng very promis- ing to one scene and two songs, and Aat the time taken awajr from Miss Alda was given to Winnie Oghtner, who now ap- pears in practically every scene of the show and who also has several specialties in one for her individual appearance. Upon the opening performance of the show at Atlantic City, which ran beyond midnight, several numbers that Miss Alda sang and scenes which she appeared in were taken away from her, so that by the eml of the week she had only one scene left and two song numbers. These num- bers she complained were on top of each other, that she had hardly enou^ time to make a change and that an entrance was not built up for her as it was for other principals. White was appealed to and informed her that he would make changes in New Haven the following week. As he was busy there the changes to benefit the prima donna were not made, but more time was given Miss Lightner. Miss Alda did not want to retire from the cast at that time as she felt that she had rehearsed ' for a New York opening and that she would remain with the snow until after that took place. When the ne\vspapers in their review gave her scant attention Miss Alda decided that for her own interest she would withdraw after the second night performance, which she did. FILM HOUSE CLOSING SUNDAYS Washington, June 25.—The Chevy Chase Theatre, owned by Emanuel J. Stutz, will be closed on the Sabbath dur- ing July and August at the request of civic and religious bodies of Chevy Chase. These organizations have agreed to support the house six days a week provided that it is closed on Sunday. Mr. Stutz decided to close on Sundays and rely on the promise that his house will be taken care of during the .week.. .The committee who asked Stutz to close said that movifig pictures interfered with the duties of the children on Sunda>'s. ATTACH VALENTINO'S BKMEY An attachment against the pmpatj of Rodolph Valentino was ordered last week in the Supreme Court in a suit brought by his former attorney, Arthur B. Graham, for a balance of $4«U95 alleged to be due for services and disbursements. The at- tachment was granted on the ground that Valentino is a resident of Hollywood. In his affidavit, Mr. Graham alleges that be conducted all of the actor's litigation with the Famous-Pla)rers Lasky Corporation, excepting the writing of the brief on the appeal to the AppelUite Division; that he represented Valentino in supplementary proceedings brought by his creditors; went to other cities, talked to newspaper men and thus prevented adverse criticism. }iv. Graham values his services at $65,- 000 and says that he has received but $20,000. A copy of the attachment was delivered to the uptown.branch of the National Gty- Bank where Valentino is said to have a good sized deposit, a copy was also served on the Mineralava Company, which is said to be interested in Valentino's present danc- ing tour. Other law suits in which Valentino is involved includes an action started last week by he and his wife, Winifred Hnd- nut, through their attorney. Max Stener, who applied for an attachment against Scott's Preparations, Inc., claiming $^,000 for the termination of a series of beao^ contests and dancing exhibitions in whicn they and one of the Scott products were featured. This tour terminated in Chicago two wcdcs ago, after H. Z. Pokress, president of the company, asked the director of tiie tour about reports of a $2,500 piarantee for each nightly dancing exhibition given by the Valentinos. They were engaged for seven weeks, they explained in aslmis (or the attachment, at a salary of $6,000 a week and $7,000 at the aid of the tour. The $7,000 is the reason for the apjriica- tion for the attachment. The Valentinos had hardly applied for this attachment when Arthur Butler Gra- ham, of 25 West Forty-fifth street, had . served a writ of attachment on Pokress for one week's salary of the Valentinos. Mr. Graham, who represented Mr. tino last year in the litigation with the Famous Players-Lasky Corporation, has started^ an action to recover $40,000 from Valentino, which he claims for services and expenses in that case. SHUBERTS OBJECT TO RHYME That social and other relations that may exist between George 'White and the Messrs. Shubert have been severed was signified by the receipt of letters written by William Klein, attorney for the Shuberts, to White, Qiarles B. Dillingham and "The Three Musketeers," a singing act in the "Scandals" at the Globe, requesting them to eliminate any reference to the Shuberts in a song which was originally stmg at the opening performance 'l£st week. When White received his letter prior to the Tues- day performance he went back stage and remarked to the actors. "Put on full steam ahead and sing it as loud as you want so that they will hear it at the Winter Gar- den." The lyrics which Klein and the Shuberts take exception to are: "Our whole show was stolen by Lee and Jake. Wc were the only things they didn't take." CLEF CLUB SUES WILL COOK The Clef Qub of New York Gty started an action last week in the Municipal Court against Will Marion Cook, musical direc- tor, for $591.89. , In its complaint filed through attorneys Nugent & Nugent of 280 Madison avenue, the club alleges ^hat it loaned the amount sued for to Cook between February 25, 1923. and April 1. Cook has been leading a Clef Club orchestra in vaudeville on the Keith circuit. OLCOTT TO STAR IN "TERENCE" Chauncey Olcott, tmder the management of the Selwyns, will appear in a new ro- mantic drama, entitled "Terence,** by Eu- gene W. Presly next season.