Variety (March 1921)

Friday, March 4, 1MI VAUDEVILLE 3= OTHER TOWNS EXAMINE SYRACUSE SHIMMY BAN ia. Insane Asylum Also Wants Copy of Law Syracuse, N. Y., March 2. Syracuse's first blue law, placing an official ban upon the shimmy and other steps which the city feUttKNt gravel* *.ioere«»a »•*•*»« *■%&& naughty," is at>plicable to insane asylums, too. At least that's the deduction to- day of City Clerk Thomas E. Ken- nedy, following the receipt of a re- quest from the Superintendent of the State Hospital for the Insane at Fairview, Pa., for a copy of the anti-shimmy ordinance "by return mail, if possible." There has been an avalanche of requests from other cities for copies of the law, with the explanation that it was desired as a model for projected municipal legislation. Among tho larger cities to re- quest a copy of the ordinance for such purpose* are Cleveland, Utica and Albany. The Cleveland appli- cation came officially from Monsoor Ferris Bourjaily, commissioner of public information and research. Members of the Common Council, confronted with the knowledge that the local police are not well posted en the banned steps, are seriously ORPHEUM'S JANUARY EARNINGS $545,000, INCREASE 31 P. C. Profits for One Month Will Pay Year'. Preferred Dividends—Market Dull— * Impending Change of Admi^Utration „*fl Obstacle to Movement Cither Way—Orpheum Preferred Offered in Chicago at Par—Famous Players Statement Delayed. CHARGES THEFTS OP ACTS FOR SCREEN Two Infringements of Vaude- ville Material Alleged The amusement issues in the stock market were exceptionally dull, in line with the whole list. Everybody seems to be marking time, the impending change of the administration in Washington acting as a bar to a price movement in either direction. As usually happens in a condition of this sort, prices receded when there was no definite development to Justify airy positive tendency. From better than 68 last week Fa- mous Players rede ted to between 66 and 67, while I.oew got back for a while to 16, as compared with better advocating the establishment of a | (han lg la8t wcok Wednesday at dancing school for the coppers as noon Famous stood at 66^ and an adjunct to the police gymna- sium course. At the police school instruction will be given the offi- cers in the legitimate and illegal steps that they may differentiate between the two classes of dancing when assigned as official censors. The management of the Onon- daga Hotel, the city's largest hos- telry, has set an example by "op- erating" upon the hotel orchestra. All the jazz instruments which used to inspire wiggles have been removed. The casual tapping of the drum is the only thing remin- iscent of syeopation melody. PAN GETSJDEMPSEY. Cnamp to Play 4 Weeks Before Training' Jack Dempsey, world's heavy- weight champion, is to open a four- weeke tour of the Pantages Circuit at Minneapolis, Monday. Dempsey and his manager. Jack Kearns, have announced that fol- lowing the vaudeville engagements Dempsey will begin training for h(s forthcoming battle with Georges Carpentier, which is set for July 2. Dempsey will deliver a short monologue, followed by exhibition training stunts and bouts with his coterie of sparring partners, thus killing two birds with one stone. SKETCH FOR BLACKWELL The vehicle selected by Carlyle Blackwell, picture star, for. his vaudeville debut Is titled "Your Sister and Mine." Priestly Morrison is staging the sketch for Black- well, whose supporting cast con- sists of Martini Martin, Fred Spears and Ed. Racey. i I The turn is now in rehearsal, and opens for a break in at the Al- hambra, Stamford, next week, com- ing into one of the New York Keith houses March 14. The sketch has been played before under the title of "Everybody's Sister." It has been re-written for Blackwell. Loew at 16Vi. Orpheum also was reactionary, standing at 26% at noon Wednesday. There has not been a transaction in Orpheum preferred since the con- solidation of the company's interests into a single corporation and the New York exchange listing. This issue is closely held by several groups of bankers in Chicago and Boston and their clients. Some $6,600,000 is outstanding. It pays cumulative dividends at the rate of $8 a shacc and is convertible into the common at the rate of two shares of common to one of pre- ferred. Now Richardson, Hill & Co., members of the New York, Boston and Chicago stock exchanges, are offering the stock to holders at par, having secured, according to a let- ter to their customers, 1,800 shares. When the common and preferred were listed on the New York ex- change the preferred was quoted nominally just under par among the lists of "stocks not traded in," but there has never been a recorded transaction. Since the preferred represents two shares of common, it would ap- pear to be obvious that its conver- sion features would be superfluous until the common got above 60 and the senior issue would depend for its value upon its standing as an investment security purely. Richardson, Hill & Co. do not ex- plain where they picked up the block offered, but do emphasize its im- | pressive backing as an investment dividend paying security. The let- ter before mentioned contains data supplementing the company's state- ment as of Dec. 31, 1921, as follows: "Net earnings in the first four weeks of January, 1921, were $545,- 000—a figure which is within $5,000 of the preferred dividend require- ment for the entire year. These earnings, ii might be added, were 31 per cent, greater than those for the corresponding four Weeks of 1920." In the case of Famous it was con- ceded that the overdue financial statement for 1920 had been pretty well discounted, inasmuch as it has been public property in its main points for several months. The state- ment should have been out early this week, but it did not appear on the ticker. Famous Players still appears to be under the constructive influence of a bull pool. From the way the stock stood up in the face of weakness in other parts of the list during the v. eok, the belief gained ground that there was some- thing more than the advantageous statement, expected to show better than $-!r» profits per share of com- mon behind the drive. What this influence was did not appear on the surface. An interesting sidelight on the market appears in the circumstance that not a share of Triangle has come out in the Curb trading for two weeks. The suit brought by the company against its former presi- dent involves $3,0(K),(mo or there- abouts. If the company wins it will be in very advantageous position, of course, but the point is that just the possibilities in this direction would ordinarily create a demand for the stock. Half a dozen brisk upturns m Triangle have been based on circumstances infinitely less promising than this and the wonder is that nobody appears to be at- tracted by the gambling chance pre- sented in the affair. The explanation offered on the Street is that all the available Tri- angle has been sifted down into strong inside company hands. The Aitken brothers, however, still have a large block. Several of the Curb flurries have been attributed to op- erations in which the Aitkens were supposed to have a hand. The ques- tion is, why Is not this stock now available for another coup? There was a single trade In Gold- wyn this week of 100 shares at 5>4, unchanged. It probably represented a sale by some speculative holder discouraged by the sudden suspen- sion of dealings in the issue. U The nummary of transactions. Feb to March Inclusive are a* follows: STOCK EXCHANGE. Thursday— Sales. High. Low. Last. Chg. lam. Play-L. 31XN> (5.V-. 04 G»H — hi Ho. pf 200 82^ Loew, Inc.... 800 IS Friday— Fam. Plav-L. 10400 C7% Do. pf 1100 HI'- Loew, inc.... 5."»00 17*» Orpheum 1200 28 Saturday— Fam. Play-L. 8200 08'.; Do. pf 100 84% l.new, inc.... 8<HJ 17% Chicago sold 100 Orpheum at 27%. Monday— Fam. Play-L. 0GO0 08V. 06 00% — lft I.oew. Inc.... 8100 J7'4 16',i 16% — >.fc Orpheum .... 200 liT'fc *J7 '-"7 — \ Chicago sold SO Orpheum at 27'.•. Tuesday— » Fam. Play-L. 3100 07% 65'i Mft + «4 Do. pf JOO 84 84 81 — % Loew.*Inc MO 10«i 16% 10%.. Chicago flold 80 Orpheum at 27'«. Wednesday— Fi.m. Wey-L. 1800 C7'i 00% 07% + % Loew, lnc 8.VW 10';. 16 10'* .. Orpheum SOU 27% -•«>» 27% | % THE CURB. Tuesday— Sales. High. Low. Last. Chg. Goldwya 100 8% Hi 5% .. Chicago. Ill ch 2. Attorney Benjamin II. Ehrllch, acting in two simultaneous >ut dis- sociated instances in which he) charges infringement of vaudeville % f i route r!a& i>$*'§£atwf> p»oJ-iSc»e?j,' iia_» »- la- served notice on Robertson-Cole ant First National that they are violat- ing copyrights and will be held for ' damages. The Robertson-Cole case is "Seven Years Bad Luck." with Max Kinder, in which Khrlich alleges the Schwartz Brothers' act, "In a I.oc ing Glass," has beet, taken, and calls it in his letter to the producers "a rank, flagrant and open steal." Lin- dor worked some years ago in one of the Schwartz Brothers' companies in Berlin. He states that Under was prewarned by the owners against the "copy." The one against First National al- leges that "Thy Neighbor's Wire" «s an infringement on an act of the same titlo owned by Clarence Ben- n. f . being played by Martin. Russell and company. Khrlich says that film companies are "robbing vaudeville artisU of their material in plain, open manner of outright and shameless theft, de- pending on their wealth, their intri- cate corporations and technical sub- terfuges to save them from the Just legal protests of the owners of the protected material." ► >>| PHILA. OFFER TO TANGUAY. Hotel Walton Offers $2,500 for Her to Head Csbsret. REVENUE EXPERT ON DUTY AT VARIETY Eva Tanguay has received an of- fer from the Hotel Walton, Phila- delphia, for the cabaret there. The salary at $2,500 weekly is said to be the largest offered for a single feature by a cafe. The proposed engagement is for four weeks. No Sundays are required. Miss Tan- guay has been offered Sunday con- certs in New York if she .accepts the Walton engagement at $f>00 for each Sunday. WAYBURN INCORPORATES Ned Wayburn's Fashions Review, Inc., is being incorporated with a capital stock of $10,000, to produce fashion reviews in high-class mo- tion picture houses. The incorpora- tors are Ned Wayburn, Harry Levey and Frederick E. Goldsmith. Wayburn is to stage these re- views, which will carry about 12 people and novel lighting effects, the idea being to show the latest gowns at close range. The reviews are to be personally staged' by Wayburn. Federal Returns Must Be In By March 15. Federal income tax returns must be filed by March 15, there being a penalty for all delinquents unless a legitimate reason is given to the collector. Cadwalder Woodville, a revenue agent especially assigned to the theatrical district, is on duty daily at Variety's office to aid pro- fessionals in making out returns. The New York State income tax forms do not have to be filed until April 15, the comptroller permitting an extension of time because of the pressure on taxpayers making the federal returns. FAY OUT OF CITY BILL Frank Fay did not open at Fox's City Theatre Monday as scheduled and left the house without a strong head liner for the week. Fay has been making a tour of the Fox theatres playing week stands at each house, returning to the Cort for his Sunday night concert:*. ANNETTE KELLERMAN SHOW. San Francisco, March 2. Annette Kellerman, now headlin- ing on the Orpheum Circuit, will take her own show to Australia May 2. Yokes and Don and Stuart Barnes are among those who will tour with Miss Kellerman. Mountford Appesi Unheeded New Orleans, March 2. Harry Mountford is flooding the south with appeals and application blanks by the hundreds beseeching artists to join his federation and importuning them with the fact J he organization Is badly in need of funds. The appeal states that if they send the $11 requested and want it back at a later date, the American Artists' Federation will refund the money. The response from this section has been meagre, according to players who have been in- terviewed. Gaylord-Herron Act Off. Bonnie (Jaylord and Bertie Herron came to a parting of the ways Marc!i 28. Miss Gaylord has a new act In preparation. Loew's London Agent. George Foster, the London agent, has been appointed the sole Fug- lish booking representative for the Marcus Loew Circuit. FRANCIS X. BUSHMAN AND BEVERLY BAYNE Presenting u S:»tlrie:il Comedy by BUwln Burke, ''Poor Rich Man." Undei Directive of l««ris and Gordon, BREAKING HOUSE RECORDS EVERYWHERE RIVERSIDE, NEW YORK, THIS WEEK (FEBRUARY 28thfc JEWISH THEATRE WARNS (Continued from pmkc 1 > of the Modern Yiddish Theatre CoV Inc., under which title the company incorporated, operating the Irving Place Theatre. Schwartz's interest represented the remaining 33 per cent. An involuntary petition in bank- ruptcy proceded the settlement of last Tuesday, in which the liabili- ties were set forth as $8,000, and tho assets none. The settlement calls for Mrs. Wilner's retaining the lease on the Irving Place, while she will assume all debts assumed by the company. The report that this corporation had operated an independent Yid- didh theatrical company In Phila- delphia, headed by Jeannie Valerie, an cx-star of the (Jcrmar. stock company, and had lost $31,000, was confirmed. The Jewish Art in reported in ar- roars owing back pay to its mem- bers fer from two to three weeks. The Hebrew Actors' Union claims that it sought to lessen the expense of the Jewish Art early In the year by taking throe men from its roster, i (luring the salary list from over $1.6u0 weekly to about $1,200*. One of the artists who had received $: ; .".0 nreek'y voluntarily stepped out, while the Other two receive their sylary on a percentage taken off iiom the other actors who are em- ployed. The sum it equal to what they would receive under their orig- in it agreement with the Jewish Art. 4 » ^« e