Variety (Dec 1929)

VOL. xcvn. No. 8 NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 1929 64 PAGES THAT S. A.-N. G. Pickled 60-Ton Whales at 25c a Look; 50-Year-l OiCESMIlS Chicago, Dec. 8. Biggest thing in the outdoor world is the eimbalme^ -whales. They are grabbing off more dough than any ride or attraction. Only one in the racket Is the Pa- cific Whiling Co., at liOng Beach, The new miethod of pickling the lijig fish makes It possible to drag them about the country -without •worry o£ smells.. It is not uncom- mon for one spotted in a railroad yard on a special car to draw a grand in a 12-hour showing at two bits , a shot. The natives stand In line for hours to get a peak, fhe Tfit, Vernon Car Co. Is turning out a, special car to carry tjio. 60-ton pickles. Sides let doWn a,nd the fplks do the wallcaround. Under the Jiew plan the natives can't touch the flsh. They look through glass as they do the two-bit •walk, Xewspapers in all towns going strong and carrying pictures, Fig- ute it inias news. The smart guys on the Pacific Coast who pickle them sell outright but retain a 10% interest, the owner carrying all the nut. . .Peculiar angle Is 60 years ago in •flipper" files, whales were all the rage. But in those days couldn't keep 'em so long. SO they dropped out. At the Dallas Staite Fair, wrhtle all other attractions flopped^ the embalmed whale grabbed . $ie.ooo.. Chicago Souveniris! ' Chicago, Dec. 8.. A couple of Chicago gentle- men shot out a little diflference on a Loop comer. ' As one went down he placed a bloody hand on a pile of late edition papers, ind ended by pulling the pile over ■when he slumped t6 the pavement. Kid newsie picked up the sheets and^ was getting ready to scrap them when a •woman paid 26 cents for one of the bloody smeared papers. In 40 minutes after the shooting the kid was cleaned, the last pa- per having the gunman's Im- print In red on It bringing $5, Went to a visitor from XiOS Angelea 'who sent it to the Coast. Chorines Sifted by Stems- Class Feinme Steps High r—Doorknoh Knees Mean F1 o p p o — Good Stance, Plenty Work REPIACING LOST HOUSES FOR PUBLIX UNIT SHOWS • Loss to Publix of Lioew houses in which stage shows of the former liav© been routed for several years, embracing five theatres in as many /oifEerent cities, wiU be made up by booking arrangements with other «ircuits, where possible. \ iFirst replacement is In Pitts Ijureh, for the Warner Stanley there, beginning Jan. 3. Washington is another Warner iposslbility and a United Artists house in Baltimore, also. Ownet pf Padlocked Place Sues Gov't for Damages Dave Brownsteln, owner of Pel ham. Heath Inn, Bronx, padlocked loadhoiise, has started suit against the government for $100,000. It is said to be the first damage action -^Lthg kind. ,base<j, OIL JOie .atrlngenL padlock restrictions. The clubman sought entrance to the Inn for the purposes of turn-, itig off the water, giving as a rea- son tho pipes might freeze and dam- a-Se the property. His request was denied, in last week's freeze the pipes did burst and the claimed damage Is more than $50,000. Joseph Shay is attorney for Brown.steln in the matter. ZIEGGY'S LAYOFF PRIZES ANXIOUS FOR ANY JOB Broadway hais rarely witnessed a g^reater panic among prize stage beauties than during the present holiday season. Virtually all are laying off. Without any ctirrent Ziegfeld production • now operating on the Stem—the first Tuletime in many years—the blonde, red-head and brunet army of dazzlers are fran tically seeking employment of most any sort. All affected whims and high-hat discrimination when working. This was aided by patronizing admirers. Their first Invasion has been the night clubs' floor shows. One club which premiered last week had 16 candidates for the one-girl tableau number in its revue. Another, which opened three weeks ago, se lected one from a field of 19 pros- pects from the Ziegfeld fold. Georgia Paine, titlan haired Venus type, was hired for the Jack White revue, A scintillating blonde, Vivian Hall, is doing the nudes In the 48 th street club. Not only on Broadway, which has I six of Ziesgy's. pips, doing tableaux, are the showgirls accepting nude night dub work. Numerous ones (Continued on page 45) Putting Chicago Opera Tronpe on Sound Track ; ^^^^^ _ , _ J5bicago, Dec. 3 First Fox-Case talking picture be- ing made here is using' entire per- forming personnel of the Chicago Opera. Samuel Insull has ordered that all stars of his company, as well as choruses, be in on the film. C. E. Moore, western represen- tative for Fox-Case, put over the deal. Actual work is being done in Burton Holmes studios. "CRUEL" MUSCLES Association with chorus types who have cut into films with the talkers has made dance directors so leg-wise they now tell a girVs char acter by the shape^ size and eon four of her bony hinges below the hip; line. Revues have stripped them—but the studio dancing masters how estimate the babes' intelligence. And—^the chorine whor* may be a cross-word puzzle from ear to ear, might be extra intelligent accord ng to how her limb reads. It's like entomology, only dlf ferent. The bug hunter can pick the ephemerida from the Coleoptera, but the picture anthropologists can oven tell a girl's nationality by the anklet measure of her shinbone. V. Distinguishing Thus, Dutch girls are distinguish ed by the fact that their legs are shorter and more chubby than ^Vmericari maidens". Senoritas, are known by their thin ankles and knees. Inner ainkle curves denote (Continued on-page 45) FADING STARS NOT WANTED Vaudeville has lived its best life as the conie-back spot for passe picture names and proving . grounds for talker voices. Now the game la up Keith's, which fell harder than the rest i'or film people and a,c<luiesced to their big salary demands, has set its foot down on the borrowed "name" plan. Hereafter it will stick to vaude. While it might come as sad news for picture players with no other medium available for public return, it's a break for the vaudevillians Who have" been' shoved.^oft^many ia Keith bill because the salary drawn by the visiting freaks consumed too much of the house budget. It was a great break for many while It lasted. The Theda Baras, out of tho public's eye for years, had no chance to return until vaude offered itself for sweet salaries. l-'inal word from Keith's la that (Continued on page 4a) Show BasineBsI Los Angeles, Dec. 3. Keith lost the Golden Gate, Oxnard, Cal., when an Inde- pendent offered to save the house $20 weekly on its vaUde bill. House used five acts and a piano player, furnished by the Keith office. It broke the jump between I* A. and Frisco. EDGAR DAVIS, DROPPER, HAS ANOTHER BEUEF Edgar B. Davis, who^ dropped oyer $1,000,000 in the cbamp legit flop of all time, "Tbe Ladder,'^ hafr a hunch and an option: on a play by Sylvester Sullivan, press agent, It is said. Davis backed "The Ladder's" costly run because he believes In reincarnation, its theme. Newest Play deals with humanitarian treat- ment of down-and-outers, on which Davis also Is reported sold. If Davis goes through with It there'll probably be a stampede among playwrights to check on any other beliefs. Colleges' 18^ Chicago, Dec. 3. A retired college professor here, with a yen for statistics, says that approximately 18% of all college grads are connected Ii| some form with the show world. Four daughters of college presi- dents, and any number of pfof's daughters are now on the boards. The 18% Includes pictures and theatres. AH signs point to a complete, washout of the better known road- houses around New York. They can't draw. On the Pelham Heath road, In the Pielham section, one of the heaviest laden roadhouse lanes around New York, not one joint will be open after New Year's, ^ . No extraneous cause for the close- ups. It appears to be a logical ending of an unrequired winter re- sort In. Manhattan's suburbs. What roadhouse businessi Is left Is only being done by the smallest of the road's speakeasies, where the patrons evidently go to . avoid recognition. -None of these rooms will, hold over 35 people.. With their owners operating, under a light overhead, the gross just about stands It off. . one of the best known places on the Pelham road to close Nfew Year's Is the qastllHan Gardens, all alone Up there jsxcept Hunter Is- land Inn. Hunter Island lately un- derwent another liquor pinch for^ "a set up.'.' It's the first time the "set' up" charge has been employed around New York. The *'set up"^ Is the house furnishing the Instru- ments and Ingredients with which a highball may' be made, although the guest brings In his own booze. The Hunter island case came up. last Friday' In Federal court and was postponed for two weeks. Above Pelham road the only (Continued on page 4&) $250,000 Down on Society Dates—And Can't Ask Fooling Kids Los Artgeiea, Dec, 8. Ken Daily and Eddie Gamble of the Bert Levy offices are staging 'pin show" matineies for the kids In the small towns around L. A. Shows are being staged In West Coast houses. The kids pay a dime to see two dumb acts, get a bag of hard candy and a chance to shake hands with Santa Claus. Racketing Marriage Denver, Dec. 3. Married six times In six weeks, and to each other. Is the record of ^."^E."TEIendefscm^Wd^Nlta" L0Y6-in a wedding racket uncovered here All of the ceremonies were per- formed in theatres, the couple an- nexing the Usual fees and gifts in each instance. • . ^ I^rst ceremony was In Loveland, Colo., Oct. 15, the second at Ft. Col- lins a few days later, and another Colorado town saw the third. The final three were In local theatres. Offices supplying bands for so- ciety events In New. York, Palm- Beach, Newport and Philadelphia are at present carrylnj? over-due accounts on their books estimated In excess of $260,000. One of these offices with branches In Is'ew Yorlc, Philadelphia and Washington, often has around 20 bands playing pri- vate parties on a single evening. Other brganlzationa Which have four or five working on special occasions, have $20,000 outstanding. Many of those whoad aocial stand- ing and ability to pay Is unquea- tloned think nothing of taking a year or more to settle their music bills. . Monthly bills are entirely dis- regarded, but any attempts at pressing the Issue usually results in Immediate payment. But the kick back Is that the band contrac- tor Is thereafter eliminated from the next party. BROOKS THE NAME YOU GO BY .WHEN YOU GO TO BUY 1 COSTUMES ■Gfc»-WNS ' A.NI} DNTFOUM.S . I U37 B'WAY. N.Y. TEL. SSSO PENN.}