Variety (Dec 1929)

Wednesday, December 4, B U R L E S Q U E VARIETY 48 News From the Dailies This department oontaina rawrittan theatrical nawa items as.pub* llihed during the .week in tha daily papers of New York, Chicago, 8an Francisco, Los.Angeles and London. Variety takes no credit for tpesf news items; ^ach has been rewritten from a daily paper. LONDON Mra. Kate Meyrlcfc^ local nite club dueen, doinff 15 months for evad- ing licensing conditions, critically ill in gaol. ^ ^ Will. Hay^ the . comedian, exon- erated from- blame when bis car killed ia. policemian. C. B. Cochran saya No«l Coward will appear In his first talker, WilHO'm Otto Lawrence; agent, is on trial for pinching clothes and props from a Westcliffe concert party. . Eileen B^nnett^ tennis player» and Edward I^earnley-WhlttinEStalli married. . "Silver Wings" is in rehearsal for Clayton and Waller. It's by Dion ; Titheradge, With lyrics by Jack. Opens in liiverpool with Harry Welchman, IJesiree Ellinger, Lupine Lane, Just back from Hollywood; Emma Haig, Geoffrey Gwyther and John Klrby. May take "Mr. Cin- ders" out of the Hippodrome. Through the public squawking at dud programs, the B. B. C. may sell them out to firms wanting to ad- vertise on the air. Hitherto its monopolist , policy has been dead agiainSt the practice. VeBta Tiliey (Lady de Frece) is very ill. J. Horstman and Company, big City house, bias suspended payment as a riesult of "forgeries and fraud by Continental agents." This is the second city (financial) sensatioh this fall. job to be his private secretary at $300 and has only been paid |700 so far. Claims $2,900 due. Talking picture of a prisoner's robbery confession was admitted as evidence and shown to the jury in a Philadelphia court. Defendant's protest that direct evidence which could not be asked questions had no legal status was overruled. Fifteen people a day killed on English roads. Frank Roylance, manager of Lu- ton's oldest cinema, on trial for burning it. J. Van Dyn, described as a tattooed gunman, who told the world fibout his hlgn jinRs in Chicago, landed 18 months for robbery. First prosecution under the Films Bill (Quota.) Act was against Film -Sooklng Offices, unconnected with American, exchange of same name. Hearing was postponed after F.B.O. i>lea4ed It. lainded a Canadian ^Im as Quota.which turned out not to be. . The Jessie Matthews divorce case, with Sonnie Hale's name prominent, grabbed space, with successful, suits also lodged by Barbara Edna and Panlihe Pearce, both actresses. Badly hit by the Hatry crash, knocked lunny in sympathy with Wall Street, sh&ken by recent bank- ing failures both here' and on the Continent, this poor old ''City" re- ceived another knock by the failure of Ironmonger's, private bankers. In trying to stabilize things, bank rate was dropped for the second time in a month, to 5Vz%. Show* biz shares generally have eased . some. NEW YORK Cesare Stea, who claimed he sculptored the bust of Floren? Zleg- feld accredited to another chldeler, and filed suit in Supreme court to prove, was appeased by Ziegfeld in in out-of-court settlement. ; Stea will have a placard crediting him with the job displayed in the Zieg- feld theatre. Mary JVIcCormiqk, opera sing^r from Texas, announces she'll marry Prince Serge Mdvani as soon as he's divorced by Poia Negri. Norma PhilUps^ secured divorce in Baltimore from Robert P. Geckler, actor, on grounds of desertion. Legal tangle in which Olga Ed- wards, former dancer, charges Na- thahiel Amster with being father of her child, and he in turn charges her with extortion, po6t])oned again tor court hearing Dec. 11. , Eddie Cantor, in Boston, ex- pressed mingled surprise and doubt when informed there was a boom for him as Equity president. -Catherine Meredith, actress, had 70^§t,it'che£i lSlc%h~rn~"h"e'x*Tace"'f61=^ lowing an automobile accident near c>Pi-ingfield, Mass., Thanksgiving eve. • . ■ .° ° Henry F., Sanford, who recently settled for $50,000 in a breach of promise suit brought by Gloria M, Hopkins, former picture actress, is confronted by another suit charging Preach of contract Ann Walker, Detroit.nurse, eays she left a good Charge thait Prank T. Houston had kidnapped their two children was withdrawn at trial by Elsie Houston, former actress, in Provi- dence. She hiad previously recov- ered custody of the children. Patricia Moore of "Follow Thru" has filed suit in belief that alleged promise of William T. Telgman, vice-president of the Curtis Candy Co., to marry her is worth $100,000 unfulfilled. ' Los Aiigjeles ■ Amusement Co., claiming prior contract rights with Hinda Wausau, hula dancer, has coraiered the girl in New York with court order to show cause why she blew. Miss Wausau was playing Fox's Jamaica When served. Cheap K. C Stock Kansas City, Dec. 3. Empress, dark for years, rO- opened with stock burlesk under local management and George Broadhurst, featured comic. Change of bill weekly, with Mon- day openings and silent pictures between shows. : Cast of opening show: Dolly Davis, Pacific Comedy Pour, Cecil Manners, Bubbles Yvonne, Eleanor Cody, Bert Rose; Patsy Winisby and a chorus of 24. Prices, 25-40. BURLESQUE REVIEWS CITY 3 Mutual Shows Oat Eugene Conte,. orchestra leader, was refused petition to have ali- mony payments", to Xnee Bertha Conte reduced from $40 to $15 weekly when his wife produced evi- dence to show he has a classy apartrtient, an automobile and girl friend. Conte had pleiaded poverty. LOS ANGELES Ai-thur Hammersteln has offered Dorothy MacKaye a role in abroad "Sweet Adeline." According to the terms of Miss MacRaye's parole from San Quentin she can leave California aftei' Dec. 3. ' LeCompte Davis, attorney, has been retained by Alexander Pan- tages for his appeal. He. replaces Joseph Ford, and will be associated with Jerry Giesler and W. I. Gilbert. Charley Chase was operated' on for appendicitis at the Mayo Broth- ers' cllhlo in Rochester, Minn. Mrs.'Marie Mahoney filed suit'for divorce in Long Beach against Ed- ward Mahoney, director. Charges desertion. Mack Sennett, Inc., filed suit against Tiffany-Stahl, charging it failed to live up to an agreement for t^e use of the Sennett sound stages. Burr Mcintosh filed suit for di- vorce against his wife, Jean Snow- don-Mcintosh, charging desertion. Jack Kearns was operated on for sinus trouble at a local hospital. The uncle of * Eunice Pringle, Aleixander Pantages* accuser, com- mitted suicide in a hotel in Shreve- port. La. Superior Judge Aggeler declared unconstitutional the state law pro- hibiting water taxis from taking passengers to gambling ships. George Conley, 42, player of Abra- ham Lincoln, instantly killed when his automobile was struck by a Los Angeles street car. Mildred Harris, pictures, filed suit for divorce in Superior Court against her husband, E. T. Mac- Govern, charging desertion. Miss Harris said her husband left her in 1926i and she has hot seen him since. They were married in 1924, shortly after Miss Harris divorced Charles Chaplin. Antonio. Moreno Is the defendant in a suit filed for $1(558 . by C. H. Augustine Of Kansas,City, Mo. Au- gustine claims that Moreho is the largest stockholder in the. American Scientific Instrument Co., Which owes him the amount sued for. Roy Keehe, former asst. mgr. at the Pantages theatre, who testified against his former employer in the Pringle trial, is how chauffeur for District Attorney Buron Fitts, who prosecuted Pa,ntages. Hearing has been set for March .4 in a civil suit filed by Attorney. James P. Sweeney for services he alleges he rendered Mrs. Lois Pan- tages in seeking evidence for a di- vorce from Alexander Pantages two y^ears'^agOT^"^^ -— " - Sue Carol and Nick Stuart have been married sirice July 28, they ad- mit. Reporters passed It up because register carried, their own names: Nlculae Pratza and Eva Jenny Kie- f er.' Two shows drop from the iMu- tual circuit this week and a third is reported under notice to close within a fortnight, , The fsTiblo and Spencer show, "Step On It,'V folds next Saturday at the Steinway, Astoria, L. I, It is operated by Oscar Markowich, . Al Singer'9 "Sugar Babies" closes Sat\u:diy at the Empire^ Toledo. Lou Reals' "Nite Life in Paris" is understood to be the. third Mu- tual, to close. Mutual Wheel Weeks of Dec. 2-9 Bare Facts—Mew Empire, Albany; Wedgewny; 12-14, Sclrenectady. Beet Show in Town—Casino, . Boston; 0, Slate, Springfield. Big Revue—State. Springfield; 9, Orand, Hartford. Bohemians—L. O.; 0, Palace, Detroit. Bowery Burlesquers—Gayety, Louisville; 9, Mutual, Indianapolis. Broadway S.candals—Qrand, Hartford; 9, Lyric, Bridgeport. Burlesque Revue—L. O.; 9, Gayety, Mil- waukee.^ Cracker Jacks—Modern, Providence; 9, Gayety, Scranton. . Dainty Dolls—Majestic; Fort Wayne; 9, L. O. ■ Dimpled Darlings-Hudson, Union City; 0, Gayety, Brooklyn. Flapper FollIes-^Gayety, Boston; 9, Trocadero, Philadelphia. . French Models—Gayety, Buffalo; 9, Colonial. Utica. Frivolities—Gayety, Scranton: 9-11, Lyric, Allentown; 12<14, Orpbeum, Reading. Get Hot—2-4, Wedgeway; 6-7, Schenec- tady; 9, Plaza, Worcester. Ginger OlrlB—Gayety, Kansas City; 9, L. O. Girls From the . Follies—Fox, ".Jamaica, iJ. T.: 9. H. A 8. Appollo. N. T. C. Girls From Happy land—Orpbeum, Pater- soh: 9, Hudson, Union City. Girls la Blue—Colonial, Utlca; 9, Gayety, Montreal. .' • - Hello Paree—Empresf, Chicago; 9, Ma- jestic. Fort Wayne. High Flyers—L. O.; 9. Fox, Jamaica, Hlndn Belles-^H. & S. Apollo, N. Y. C; 9. Steinway.' Astoria. Jazztlme Revue—Lyric, Dayton; 9, Bm- priess, Cincinnati. Kuddllng Kuties—Haymarket, Chicago; 9, BmpresB, Chicago. Laffln Thru—Star, Brooklyn; 0, Columbia, N Y ■ C Lid' Lifter^2-4, Ljrrle, Allentown;. 8-7. Orpbeum. Reading; 9. 8Ur.. Brooklyn. Merry Whlrl-^Emplre, Toledo; 9, L. O. Mischief Makers—Columbia. Cleveland; 9, Oayety. Buffalo^ • _ Moonlight Maids—Columbia. N. T. C; 9, New Eniplre, Albany. ' Moulin Rouge—Gayety, Washington; 9, Academy, Pittsburgh. Naughty Nifties—Mutual, Indianapolis; 9, Garrlck, St. LiOuls. Nite Club Girls—Gayety, Milwaukee; 9, Haymarket, Chicago. Nite Life in Faris^Palace, Detroit; 9, Bmplre, Toledo. Oriental Girls—Gayety, firooklyn; 9, L. O. Parisian Flappers—Smpire, Newark; 9, Orpheum, Patereon. Pretty Babies—Trocadero, Philadelphia; 0, Gayety, Baltimore, "Puss Pu6s—Plaza, Worcester; 9, Howajrd, Boston. Record Breakers—Irving Place, N. T. C; 9, Empire, Newark. Social Malds-^Empress, Clncliuiatl; 9, Gayety, Louisville. Sporty Widows—Garrlck, St. Louis; 9, Gayety. Kansas City. Speed Girls—L. O.: 9, Casino, Boston. Step Lively Girls—Lyric, Bridgeport: 9, L, O. . Step on It—Steinway. Astoria; 9, Irving Place N. T. C. Steppe * Show—Gayety, Baltimore; . 9, Gayety. Washington. Sugar Babies—L. O.: 0, Columbia, Cleve- land. Take a Chance—Howard, Boston; 9, Mod- ern, Providence. Tempters—Gayety, Montreal; 9, Gayety, Boston. . • Watson's Show—Lyceum, Columbus; 9, Lyric, Dayton. Wine. Woman and' Song—Academy, PlttSr burgh; 9. Lyceum, Columbus; - (Stock Burlesque) 'Twas a- good grab Mansbach & Froelich made when they copped Connie St. Clair off the runway at the Columbia. She's the only es- sence of burlesque in this down- town outfit and does more for re- sults in two. numbers than the rest of the brigade do all night. Connie, was Just one . of the girls who knew her onions at 47tb, but on 14th she's the show. T^he stock oh the whole Is too refined for 14th street; not haughty enough to hope to compete with the Mutual cantatas at the Irving Place across the alley. A slim house Mon- d£^y night maybe was the answer that they won't take refined bur- lesque on 14th. Lander Brothers, Willie and Hiarry, are the comics and never bfCend. They are good enough in their own way, even if they don't get laughs from a moronio out- froht assemblage waiting all night for the show to get dirty. It didn't. Even the boudoir bit has been purged of the usual - burlesque a:p> peal and after that the show went blah for stock. . Ina Hay ward revierting back to burlesque after a couple of sojourns in Georgo. M. Cohan muslca]^. is the essence of refinement as a prima, wearing so much cover up she'd never, qualify for Mutual This goes too for Irene Leary and Dennii Davis, other principals who attempt to get over legitimately and without the usual Annapolis dis play. Hattie Real, graduate from .2d avenue stock, also dressed Up plenty and probably out of place through lack of. e^jdploynient of breast plates and ioih cloth. Hattie can strut her stuff when necessary but doesn't get the chance here. Connie St. Clair and the chorus puts it over more than anything else for this stock outfits Male dancing duo, Constance and Capp, hoof acceptably at Intervals and the Temple Trio, male, warble for spacers and well. In fact every body in the outfit does their best but it's more tab stuff than 'bur lesque because there's less dirt. Miss St. Clair is the only one going for the unadornment and she rolls ^em plenty with "Ain't Misbe havin*." The gal could probably do as well .with clothes on but that's no' go for burlesque. The others are okay in their own way but can't come within B tnile of Connie on delivery, though. Connie never gets, rough either.' ' The chorus deserves a great big hand. They're good lookers. Work hard and don't know they're in. bMt- lesque, Dan Dody, number stager, must have told them they're just doing presentation stuff and from the size up of the opener, guess he's right. " Good show for a tab. Looks like they'll havo to rough it plenty to last on 14th street. Most of the slim audience Monday night walked before the end, probably figuring the show too tame. ■Which means otherwise a good show in the wrong spot. After stock and Mutuals have ruined them, Where's a right spot now? Edhd, 15 theatres. Four of the new houses will be erected in tho Los Angeles area. Joseph Ford has been retained by Aimee McPherson and will be as- sociated with her present attorney, Gieorge Aeret, in defending the $324,000 damage suit brought against her by Cromwell Ormsby. He claims he was to direct a picture to be made by the evangelist. CHICAGO . Engagement of v.Mrs. Gladys Ro- senthal Byfield to Raymond Tar- tiere, of Paris, has been announced. Mrs. Byfleld was last year divorced j-by-^Ernest-Byfield-of=the-HoteLSher-. ' man company, who charged deser- tion. / Fox Coast tneatres sent out a story that it will expend $24,000,000 during 1930 for the construction of W. N. Telgman, official of the Curtis Candy Co., has been named defendant in a $100,000 breach of promise suit. Money is asked to mend the heart of Genevieve O'Con- , nf-ll, known professionally as Pa- . irioia Moore, chorus girl with "Fol- i low Thru" here. MOONLIGHT MAIDS (MUTUAL) "What," asked the boy in the last row as the first part ended and in- termission began, "happens after . the music?" "Same. thing that happened be- fore," replied thO cute usherette at whom the little boy directed his question. ."As. nothing happened in the first part and the same thing is slated for the second, there's no use stick- ing around," mused the little boy. So he took tho cuttf usherette's word for.it imd blew. Others blew with him. Sam Kraus' "Moonlight Maids" Is the sort of show that loses a l^irge portion ol Its audience during in- termission, even on a cold night. Just as the little boy found out and the cute usherette knew in advance, nothing happens. Troupe hits below par in femme appeal and bats but slightly better in the comedy, line. All of the lat- ter that reaches Siny where is han- dled by Billy Hagan, No. 1 of the two coniedians. Hagan hasn't a single meaning line in his gag bag. Every little Hagan movement csir- rles a double meaning everybody gets. His oft-repeated "cheese and crackers" dates back to the Gettys- burgh Addresa, and. as that's Hagan's prize remark,. It stands as the evidence against him. Second featured member is Anna Toebe, whose best recommendation now is that she knows what it's all about. Miss Tpebe knows burlesque decorum and audience psychology; Otherwise she could hot vault her handicap. When Mifis Toebe tosses the business around, things quiver. What little Jeanne Rae and Sally Van, blonde and brunet soubs, had to show was hardly shown at the Columbia because the boys weren't applauding Monday night. Jean Steel and Mary Lee Tucker, houso strippers, had better luck. Specialty by Miss Rae and Harry ■yine, second comic, the sole legiti- mate entertainment item in the per- formance. Outside' of some &oto dancing by the juve, and at'the Columbia better liked than any of the . strip stuff. If Vine Would cut out. his audience biz. Vine and Rae would have , the-bit number of a show thEit right now hasn't any hit number. « ' Miss Toebe's mechianlcat doll, a sta^idby with her. Is another legit try^ but here it'a the hub for the dirtiest piece of alleged, comedy business in the book. . Jack Reynolds, the company hoofer and juve, does some tapping and clogging to fair returns. BlUy Berning and Stwood Benton, straight, and Josephine More, primas, in the routine manner. ' Two nice lookers in the line. Re- maining girls are there because there would be a. squawk if they were not. Or would there? Heaven help. this onO at the Co- lumbia, in Times Squa.re, without the contributions, from the house . runway ladies. For'the road, may- be oke. Maybe. But the Columbia Isn't the road. • r In Its final scene ''Moonlight Maids" is set in Turkey. A gag or an accident ? Bige^. Suit Over Services of Ingenue in Burlesque David Greenstein and Louis P. Randall, both representing the Loo Angeles Amusement Coiiipany, slapped an order on Hindu Wasau; ingenue with the Mutual show, "Hindu Belles," to shoW cause why she should not be restrained from Working for anybody else.. Thomas V. Dalton, head of the L. A. Amus. Co., alleges that he holds a contract on Miss Wa^au's services for : 26 weeks, beginning July 28, which has not been fulfilled by Miss Wasau. Dalton says he wrote a special show to feature her, called "From Broadway to Paris," and that she was wired to depart for the coast to begin her contract. Instead, he ailege.9, she went to work for Callahan & Bernstein, who now employ her. lltb House Off Mutual -Another Mutual house. Majestic, Fort Wayne, is listed to drop its "Slutiaai Bhbxra; Saturdayr^^=^-"" This makes the 11th house to be lopped off the Mutual cirQuit since the opening of the season. List in- cludes the Moon, Omaha; Palace, Minneapolis; Lyceum, St. Paul; Ly- ceum, Canton; Victovia, Rorlicstcr; Temple, Syracu.se; firand,. Akron, C; Elack.stone, South Bend; Gary, Gai-y, Ind. Burlesque Changes Cliff Bragdon, Harry Morrlssey, Pegery O'Neal and Zeppelin Pour closed with stock at the American; New York, last week with Virginia Wheeler, Eleanor Johnson and Frank Mack In as replacers this week. . . Esther Burlc and Thelma Miller added to "Sliding Billy Watson Show" (Mutual). Eddie Butler has taken over Syl- vester Roye's former assignment with "Oriental Girls" (Mutual). Harry Seymoiir added to house stock at Apollo, Harlem, New York. Harry Beasley and Joe Rose closed last week with house mob at Irving Place, New. York. Jean Steele has succeeded Connie St. Clair as house runway ; sOub at the Columbia, New York, the latter shifting to similar spot With the stock at City, .New York. Marjorie Vay added to "Mischief Makers" (Mutual). John O'Donnell, otit; Paul Jerome, in, "Step on It" (Mutual). Charles Smith has replaced Eddie Kaplan, comic, "Record Breakerfl" XMutual). Happy Cook, out of same show, supplanted by Frank Smith. 14th-St.-Oppo8i8h= A burlesque war 'is ort In 14th ytreet with a new stock at the City cutting in on tho Irving Place, which plays the Mutual shows. The former, operated by Mans- bach & Froelich, who also operate' C'liicaKO stocks, opened Saturday* As a stab at thcs 1.?^^ court ruiti^,^, is just below the dolJ^t through th« arts.