Variety (April 1924)

CABLE ADDRESS, VARIETY, LONDON 8 St. Martin's Place, Trafalgar Square CABLES. VARIETY'S LONDON 2096-3199 Regent OFFICE Wednesday, April 2, 1824 BANQUET TO SENATOR WALKER ON 15tb ALBANY ANNIVERSARY Legislative Associates Honoring Popular Leader— Senator Walker, Theatre's Staunch Friend— Will Mark His 15th Year in Public Service Albany, N. Y, April i. Lf pi«(l.itivo aspoci.ilis of Senator Janus J, Walker, afjlt- Demorratic "whip" of tlio State Stiiate, will tender the popular "Jimmy" ft din- ner In the Ten Hjck hotel, Tuesday eveiunK. April S, on the oci\iBion of the SI iialoi-'u J&tli anniversary of hl» lirct Bcivjtc in the State Legls- Inture. .Stnator Wali\< r. conceded one of the clev<rett parllamentariann who ever occupinl a seat In the legis- lature, Ik immensely popular on Capitol Hill aril is called by IiIm first name by everybody. The poHHess<ir of a maenetic per- •onalily, the Senator has endeared hIniHlf in Albany to virtually every- one with whom he has come in con- tact, Ijotli friend and foe, and his circle of friends not only reaches 1hrou^;hoiit ttie ftate, but Ktretohes out to the radho coast, where he »ind hl« etcrctary, ICdward S. St.iiiton, Msitcd last ^uniincr. The unique distinction of having reprise nted tlje same district in the Assimbly, as was reiiresonted be- fore him by hiv father, belonRS to the Ucniocratii leader of the Ken- iite, as botli Wallicis were elected to the lower hoii.-^e from the riflli District of New York City. Senator Walk'r .served 10 terms In llio Assembly before his election to the Senate m 1910. In the same fall when James A. Foley, who was minority leader of tlie ujiper house when Covcrnor "Al' Smith was elected tlic first time, was elected Siiiiof;ate of New Y'ork county, Sen.itor Walker was chosen to sur- eeed Foley as spokesman for the Ernucratlc party In the Senate. Siii.itor Walker has been a •"tauiu'i fr.ind of tlic theatre and a lib< nil )episl.4tor diirmB his service at the State Capitol. He has cham- T)ion< d Ifpisl.-ition benelii ial to the theatre lime ami apain an<l almost always has crowned his efforts with victory. His llt-'ht for movie lej^isla- tlon Is well known to everybody in the industry and Just now he is at the helm of the battle for the re- peal of the Claylon-I-usU motion picture censorf-hi]) law. Senator "Jimmy,' always active In athletics In his school and athletic days, has been responsible for several sports measures beli.p enacted Into law. chiefly aniont; whi< h Is the present boxiiiK statute, undi r whi<:h the rinpr (port has enjoyed the ertatost pop- Ul.'irily in its history. The committee In ih-rpc of the arraiii^'enunts for the dinner Is made up of two divisions, one from the Senate aiid tin: otlur from the As- Bcmbly. Hcnilinc the fitnate division Is Senator Heinaid Downing, and ns- BistliiK- him are Sen.itors Charles J. llowilf. Jeremiah F. Twomey, Theoiiore DouRlas U()bln^on, Michael K I«yhurn and Walter Westall. The- chairman of the Assembly division IS Assemblyman Frank J. Tayhr. He is tieinf; as.slstcd by AsHcnibiynK n Joseph A. McGin- nles, Alfred J. Kctnudy, licrt Lord, Thon.as Bunhill .aT.<l Vincent E Mnrpl-.v. ASTAIRS STRONG Rctorn te London ir Flirting" •Stop SARMENT'S PLAY IN COMEDIE FRANCAISE Four Acts of Unsatisfactory Philosophy—Strange Work for House of Moliere Paris, April 1. A foui-act piece by Jean Sar- ment, the young playwrl),-ht of the Ocuvre Society, entitled, "Je Suls Trop CIrand Pour Mol," was mount- ed at the Comedie Francalse. It seemed somewhat strange to wltne<<s this work at the Maison dc Moliere, In which the author ende.ivors to philosophically ex- plain that our ideals arc unattain- able. "I Am Too UiR For Myself" sustained a gcncial verdict decid- edly mediocre in degree. The French critics, furnished with red cards by a benevolent government exonerating them from paymente of entertainment taxes, may have been more or less Im- pressed will) the i)iece, but those who paid were .r from eatisfied. As the script unfolds, Sarment tells of a dissatisfied, youthful and wealthy aristocrat who returns to his country homo accompanied liy his mistress and parasite fricndM. Seeking a maiden that would be suitable for his conjugal happiness the boy meets an honest girl but proving himself to be nothing more than a cad he considers his Idc.il afl impos.sible of attainment and re- sumes his deb.iuchcry. Of the c/ist Leon Ucrnard scinti- lated a.', the philosopher and re- former, while others are Croue, Des- sonnes and the Mesdannes Ilcrthe Uovy, Hugftte Dellos and Dus.sane GERMANY MOSt"eXPENSIVE Bayreuth Festival Not Expected to Attract Foreigners ,.v, -iiiirpliy says the bridal suite is engaged at HIngham Beach. Well, I wrote his mother today and told her the Van Hovens, on their return from Kuropc in August, on their way to Australia, will have their old room or we will stop at the Village Inn in lloyalton, the place South lioyalton got Its name from, and if not, we have lots of friends In Barre and the wops won't work unless they have their wine, so Barre ain't so worse. JEAN VAN HOVEN BERUN'S STRONG BOOST FOR WALTER WEST Subsidiary German Film Com- pany to Produce and Sell— 'Mfa" in Control l^ondi ii Aprli 1 J''( liivW ll'^- a Mir.i><-ful tO<lr of th( jiioviiiKs, "!-:top Flirting' re- opemd at the Sliaiid Saturday. Tin occasion <f tlie second local preoiitr was th ■ sit-ii.'il for Fred and Adcie Astai' '.o suiiinss their previous receplio.. at the time the piece origiiialiy made Its T..onuoii debut. .So strong are this couple here that it is more than likely they will produce a new show at the onclusion of thlo pr.iduction's run. They have, already, refused ■cveral flalterlrr vr.udi villc offers. THE TILLER SCHOOLS OF DANCING 143 Charing Cross Road LONDON '..•:-..:•, i. » Berlin, April 1. At the Bayreuth festival this sum- mer "Parsifal." the "Ring." "Tri.s- tan and Isolde" and the "Meisler- slnger von Nuernberg," by Wagner, will be given. Siegfrie.i Wagner will be In charge of the festival as a whole, Dr. Karl Muck will direi t the or- chestra, and Kittel will have the training of the chorus. This will bo the (irst time that the fr-stlval has been given since 1913. The general feeling is these festi- vals have outlived their usefulness, as excellent performances of all the Wagner operas may be licard In any German opcrahouse, no matter how small. It Is Improbable foreigners will make the sacrinccs necessary for a trip to Germany, which Is now the most expensive country in the world to live in. RAQUELS SISTER FOR PICTURE I'aris, Aiirii^l. The sister of Raquel Me Her, the .Sp.anish lady so popular just as present, Is to have a role In the next production of Henry Uoussell. Ueiiuel Is consiilorate for her fam- ily, enabling thcin to share in her success; hir brother-in-law is at present holding the function of brr Impresario. Musicians' Union Secy. Returning Ijondoi), Ajiril 1. J. B. Williams, the general secre- tary of the Musicians' I'nlon, will retire from ofllce In a yeai's time. Ho has hcM the post since the foundation of the union in 1893. Berlin, April 1. Th^ International I'ilm Aktien GesellKchaft "Ifa" of Berlin has formed a limited company with Walter West of London, to be called "The Waltea West and Ifa Film Corporation. The ..bject Is the production of films with Wes' ae director, sup- ported by actors of international reputation. Tlie corporation will also open an olllcc In London, to sell all the Ifa productions. In the new corporation the Ifa has a three- quarters control. It Is claimed by Ifa ofUcials here that West Is the best-known film producer in England, and that of the 3 400 theatres In England over 1,600 already play West's films. AFTER GROCK London, April 1. Groc)-;. the European clown, who played three weeks in America last season, is being sought by Flo Zieg- feld for his next "Follies." The for- eigner has also been offered vaude- ville bookings by Keith's. Grock played a brief Keith's en- gagemer.t at the Palace, New Y'ork, but was unable to accept further bookings due to contracts for book- ings on this £lde. Young Buffalo's Show Stopping I/Ondin, April 1. Young Buffalo in "I'nder His Protection" will end at the Ly cum Saturday, as the piece has failed to warrant its continuance , mCORP. ELINOR GLYN Ivondon, April 1. T.Tnder the title of Elinor Glyn, Ltd., a corporation has been formed to acquire the copyright of the works of Elinor Glyn, the novelist. The directors are Sir Hhys Wil- liams, K.C., and Col. Geoffrey Car Glyn. The company Is capitalized at t2r.,000. SHADOWGRAPH IN PARIS Paris, April 1. A shadowgraph effect, advertised to have been imported from the New York Hip'^odrome, was pre- sented at the Empire last Friday with the progr.am also Including besides Yvetto (Jullbert, Captain Leffell demonstrating the "shooting through a woman' illusion. •CONCHITA'S" SHORT UFE London, April 1. "Conclilta," the romantic Span- ish melodram.a opening at the Queen's March 19, was taken off Saturday. It's American rights are held by A. H. Woods. Hyde's Band German Engagement London, April 1. Alex Hyde's American band has been booked for an Indefinite en- Rogement at the Tlvoli thc.ntre. Tablet on Bernhardt's Tomb I'aris, April 1. The American ambassador at- tended tlie ceremony of placing the Orpheiim Circuit tablet upon the tomb of Sarah Bernhardt at the Piu is ('cmet<'ry, March 26, the an- niversary )f the .(tress' de.ath. The tablet commemorates Mme. Bernhardt's Initial vaudeville ap- AUSTRALIA'S SEASON OF ^24 OFF TO EXCELLENT BUSINESS Legit Houses Playing to Capacity—"Sally" in Second Year Holds Records—New Productions Click Notes of General Interest % PARIS CONFERENCE WITHOUT REAL RESULT Vaudeville Gathering Decides German Boycott With- drawal Untimely London, April 1. The International vaudeville con- ference, held In Parts terminated without accomplishing any definite results. The British delegates decided to remain only as observers affer the flrst day while the French, Belgian and Italian representatives formed an alliance which considered the withdrawal of the Geiman boycott untimely at this time. It Is understood a large volume of letters, from members of the Vaudeville Artists' Federation, poured In protesting a.";alnst the lifting of the ban on German per- formers. MARTIN BROONE'S REVUE American Writing Shows for New Fortune Theatre London, April 10. The late«t report in connection with the Fortune Theatre, now in course of construction In the Drury Lane district. Is that Lee White and Clay Smith will open the house with n. new revue written by Mar- tin Broones, the young American author and composer, who has been appearing at the Mayfair Club. Broones, by the way, will have a shot at vaudeville at the Victoria I'alace, week of April 7. There is some sort of a hitch about the completion of the l^'ortune theatre, which was promoted by I -wrence Cowan. It was originally announced for opening last Janu- ary, and a statement Issued to the press that Dennis Eadle had se- cured a 20-year lease of the place, but nothing further has been Iieard of it of late. PRODUCTION ENGAGEMENT Foreigners Booked for Broadway Musicals Paris, April 1. Mitty Tlilio and dancers have been booked for a New York ap- pearance In October, also the Rey Gertz revue and the Two Athenas, Roman wrestling act. Another American engagement Is that of Babette, female Imperson- ator, by the Shuberts for metropoli- tan debut during the same month. ANOTHER PARIS THEATRE Paris, April 1. The white elephant mansion be- longing to the family of the late M. Dufayel on the Champs Elysees has been sold to a financial group headed by Leonard Rosenthal. It is proposed to build a large apartment building and a theatre on the site. "GOOD LUCK'S" RUN London, April 1. Rue to the great success of the return of melodrama to Drury Lane with "(Sood Luck," this show will run through the summer and will probably be continued until another production is ready. Michael Ward, Bandmaster, Dead London, March 26. Michael Ward, well-known musi- cian, has died. He was famous as an orchcstrator of military band music and was for 17 years band- master of the Victoria Ulfles. Sir Landon Ronald III London, March 2C. Sir Landon Ronald, the famous Albert Hall conductor, Is seriously ill. He. like the late Sir Frederick Bridge, was one of the chief guests of the Performing Rights Society on Sydney, March 6. ''\ The 1024 theatrical season has begun moct auspiciously with all managements drawing capacity business to their various theatres,' From all appearances the busincM* being done at the present tin*, augers well for the entire season^. ■ Willlamson-Talt presented Gladys Moncrleff in "Sybil" last mo^ith after doing record business with this star in a revival of "The Meiry Widow." "Sybil's" the music is onllf^, (Continued on page 44) ;,;; EQUITY SEEKS SUPPORt^-^ FROM AaORS ABROAD Suggests Clause for Actoit Coming Over—English Agaih • at N. Y. Meeting Friday ' *^ London, April 1. . Frank Gilniore has sent a request to the English theatric .' papers to inform the English actors of thf proposed walkout. June 1, by Kquity members against the American managers. The following is the wording of a special clause which Gllfnore, In his letter, suggests should appear in the contracts'for Englibh actors; engaged for American productions, or going to America to play In Eng" llsh or American shows: "The tei-m of employment in this contract Is subject to sus- I Continued on Page 4) '«'.' UNDRESSED STORY New Parisian Farce Well Re« ceived Paris, April 1. Following the revival of th* "Comedienne'' at the Nouveautes comes a new play by Andre Bira- beau and Jean Guitton, named, "On a Retrouve la Femme Nue" ("They. Have Found the Naked Woman"), presented Saturday. The piece Is a three-act farce and given a fair reception. The story concerns a girl who, innocently, loses her costume wbils attending a students' ball, but through the miefortune finds an ac- ceptable husband. Mme. Regina Gamier is the an* dressed maiden, while other player* are Brasseur and Glides. ANOTHER PASSION PLAY Ixindon, April 1. The Cafhloic Play Society wUl produce a Passion play entitled "The Lord of Death" at the New for a series of matinees commencing April 6. This play has been adapted W Louis N. Parker from the PrencM of Marguerite Allote de la Fuye. SAILINGS April 16 (New York to London) Jules Murry (Olympic. April 5 (London to New York) Jake Shubert and Roy Royston (Ac- qultania). April 2 (New York to London), Sir Harry Lauder, Uady Lauder, Tom Vallance, Mrs. Vallance and son, Georges Baklanoft (Chicago Opera), GIno Scverl (orchestra con- ductor of Los Angeles), with Dor- othy Seven, George II. Smith (VI- tagraph), with Anni? M. Smith, and L. Lithander (Swedish film direc- tor), (Berengaria). March 29 (New York to Breman) Burton Holmes, E. M. Newman, Erich Simon, (President Harding). March 29 (New York to London) Leo Ditrichstein. Est. 1898 MfTw\ WILLIAM MORRIS AOENCT, INC. rDtnnm BHk., 119S BrMMlwA.T, Vrw »•»* T..*\cUawnnna C940-1 ?;cv, Yrr c**-r?j tt: A-r-.'t? irr.etT. n-tf^