Variety (Dec 1926)

VOL. LXXXV. No. 7 NEW YORK CITY, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER $, 1926 196 PAGES ZM©S-The Man-As I Know Him By — YALE'S 2-DAY CONFERENCE Dated for Feb. 11-12 at New Haven—Called by Prof. Baker—3,000 Invitations—AH Non-Professional Interests Requested Present New Haven, Conn., Nov. 28. A two-day conference of repre- sentative* of all the non-profes- sional interests of the theatre in the United States will be held at Yale University Feb. 11-12, it has been announced by Professor George Pierce Baker, chairman of the De- partment of Drama of the School of the Fine Arts. More than 3,000 Invitations will be sent out. This conference has been ar- ranged for three purposes: "First, because it seems highly desirable that there should be an- nually, if possible, opportunity for representatives of the experimental theatres throughout the country, representatives of the work in com- munity settlements, schools, colleges and universities, to meet and dis- cuss their problems; secondly, be- cause the limited number of per- formances possible at the opening of the University theatre at Yale makes it not feasible to invite the representatives of the.se many inter- ests. and thirdly, because it is not possible, before the mlddlo of the college year, to arrange a satls- Cactory program for such delegates." Frofessor Baker's announcement expresses the hope the invitations, which will go out before Christmas, ••may reach every organization which might be interested in the addresses and discussions which will be ar- ranged for the conference. Already there has been careful effort to list the names of all such organizations. It is hoped, however, that when the Invitations are out, any such or- ganization not receiving an invi- tation to send a delegate will com- municate with the secretary of the Department of Drama immediately. The Department of Drama desires to have the representation at the conference as widespread and thor- ough as possible." Round Table Discussion The present plans call for general addresses and round table discus- sions with competent leaders, for the questions and problems con- fronting workers In nonprofes- sional dramatics. President James (Continued on page 30) Meller Tour Off? Buffalo, Nov. 28. A report is that the entire tour of Raquel Meller may be called off following the Philadelphia engage- Ray Ooetz wired here Saturday the singe performance by Meller Monday at Shea's Court Street would have to be cancelled through her illness. Scaled at $5 and $7 for the boxes, the house had been a sell-out In advance. ORPHEUM DROPS $6,500 WEEKLY IN As my dear friend, David War- Held used -to say, "the world has revolved a few times." and one real- izes it only when he looks back into the past, down a given avenue of aspect, to a point of long ago. This span of ours upon this dizzy sphere is brief—all of It; and yet it seems a long, long time since first I knew the Junior partner of the wholesale furrier Arm, Morris Kohn & Co., of Chicago. His name was Adolph Zukor, and he was a slend- er, active bright-eyed little chap. I took a personal liking to him on Loew's Opposition Too Much for K-A Vaude— Palace Cuts Scale New Orleans, Nor. 2s. Back to the admission scale It started with, 10-20-30c with 10-20c at matinees, the Palace, playing Kelth-Albee vaudeville, found itself unable to meet the local competition. It's an Orpheum Circuit house, as is the local Orpheum, also play- ing vaudeville but booked by the Interstate Circuit. The Orpheum has not found it necessary to cut prices as yet. Slnco Loew's State opened here with Loew's picture and vaudeville, two Orpheum houses are said to have suffered a joint decrease in weekly gross of $6,500. Before Loew's each house sent to Orpheum headquarters each week a profit check, with the Palace's share around $3.t>oo. The Orpheum's profit was not steady, though it frequently had a $2,000 profit week. Loew's State started right in to do a business of around $16,000 to $18,000 weekly gross. It has been a consistent high gross theatre I was then, likewise, the junior member of a fur firm, Baehr St Loew, but of New York. Zukor was in the manufacturing end. He didn't shins at salesman- ship. He regarded himself, perhaps, as too diffident for the contact in the aggressive branches. He—the man who today towers against the , skyline of all times as an organ- j izer, a builder, a creator, a master- ' progressive, a super-publicist— thought himself too shrinking and too shy to sell furs to the retail trade. Maybe he was right Certainly, h© was too big for it, if not too shrinking. But, maybe hs under- estimated himself. For Adolph Zukor has the .most ingratiating personality I have ever encoun- tered. If anyone will come forward and tell me he knows Zukor and doesn't like him, I will finance a trip for him to Hot Springs to get himself boiled out—that man needs radical Prefers Home Life to Stage $12-Week Job in Store _ Minneapolis. Nov. 2S. Because she says she wants "home life" and prefers a career as a business woman to the stage, Dorothy Hathaway, 19-year-old lo- cal girl, turned down an engage- ment as a principal in one of the Shuberts' Broadway musical shows at a liberal salary, and took, in- stead, a $12-a-week job in the ship- ping room of a downtown store here. She has appeared recently as a soloist dancer with the How- ards in "Sky High" and in the "Greenwich Village Follies.- and was believed to have a promising theatrical future. She started to work at h*r new Job this week. Human and Strong Human to a degree that is hard for a friend to describe lest he seem saccharinely fulsome; courteous to an extent that becomes only the great; kind to the smallest and not afraid of ths strongest; pleasant, witty, yet earnest and serious; as completely unaffected in natural simplicity as a baby, yet with the reserve power to rise and battle like a gladiator If he has a cause to serve or a traitor to down; that is a small cut-out of ths classic picture of Adolph Zukor. Moreover, he Is a man who, his- tory will tell you, has unlimited vision, and the inspired courage to stand by his prophecies—not mul- lshly stubborn, but gamely confident of his own instinctive, often impuls- ive, foresight. Back of this la a'patient persis- tency that . Is to be marveled at. I have seen . his plans—but not his hopes—shattered, his health broken so that he could neither eat nor sleep, his semi-success wiped out by fire, bis dreams laughed at by finan- ciers, yet he stood fast and pushed (Continued on page 28) Wue Crack*— Bobbed Hair Wise cracking Is at present looked upon as over-common among girls who come from or into Times Square. A wise-crackerless girl now- adays appeals to men of ths square's section muchly like a girl with long hair—as a de- lightful novelty in skirts. 4000 DAILIES CUT OUT FREE RADIO ADVERTISING Disregard Alleged 25,000,000 Listeners-In—Radio Advertisers 9 Names Will Not Be Printed Gratis —Must Pay for Type RADIO OFFER OF 2-F0R-1 TICKETS NO RESPONSE 'Old Bill' Closing This W« c k — Not Enough Listeners-in, Maybe A new angle in cut rates or two- for-ones was tried out last week by radio, but apparently to small pur- Charles Coburn, star of "Old Bill, M. P„" went on the air through a local station and advised llsteners- ln how they could get ths bargain admissions. They were told that ths names of all persons who re- sponded by lotter would be listed at the Biltmore box office, and such persons would be given two tickets for the price of one Little response was noted, per- haps through the limited number of persona who got ths tip. "Old Bill" Is due to close this m WEAF HAS RADIO STOCK CO. FOR ETHER PLAYS Cast of All Pro Legits—Intend to Rival Stage Pro- ductions WEAF's intention to produce ether plays of sufficient merit to rival stage productions has taken a decided step forward with the engagement of this permanent radio stock company: Violet Kemble Cooper, Pedro Ds Cordoba, Mad- eleine Moore, Lawrence Cecil, Kath<-r!n«> Ernrnett, Fanla MarTnoff, Frederick Roland, G>ra1d Btopp, Charles 'Webster. Alt are professional tegltS Mi - Kmrnett has won unique attention with her Bhfricespeftfen tabloid* in the Past via the VVKAF. outlet About 4,000 of the major dailies supplied by ths leading news serv- ices in the United States have agreed against gratis publication of radio advertisers' names In ths radio programs, this despite the ap- parent danger of loss of circulation through Uis alleged 25,000,000 radio listeners-ln turning to some other .source for their Information. The N. E. A, which supplies some 400 papers; International Service, 800 papers; Associated Press, 1.100; United News, 800; United Press, Scripps-Howard, Central Press and Western News Service, among the loading syndicates, all argue that in the main the radio fan just turns on the receiving aot and lis- tens In. If trained to soms special hour, they genorally know that by habit. Furthermore, If the Eveready Hour should engage an 'Eddie Cantor for its hour, the mention of Cantor s name in the radio logs Instead of ths Eveready trade name, would attract more attention in ths long run. If radio advertisers want them- selves plugged in printer's Ink, the dallies intend holding out for ad- vertising display space. BELASCO DARK 2D TIME *. ' s **• - Washington, Nov. 2s. In a belated season the local Be* l..sco of ths Shuberts Is again with- out an attraction,. It's the second time ths house has been shorn of a legit show. E. H. Sotherti, In "What Never Dies," was to'have beon here this week, when Congress is opening. The play is due for next wcox. LAMBS SUE MEMBER • - Club Tskes Judgment Agsinst Bst* Brosdhurst for Dues The Lambs Club has taken Judg« ment for $321.22 against Has* Broadhurst The club sued the theatrical man for dues, charges, etc. i r it' easrracs GOWNS on UNIFORMS ica m M TO SAY SAM BROADWAY - TEL 5500 PER At ■ 3 :•" 9C0 COSTVMCS TO RENT ■