The New York Clipper (August 1919)

August 6, 1919 THE NEW YORK CLIPPER MARGOLIES TO BUILD FIVE NEW THEA TRES IN MANHATTAN Shuberts Have First Call on All, Arthur Hammerstein and Oliver Morosco Being Reported as Two Aides Who Want Houses Edward Margolies, who has built more than 810,000,000 worth of theatres for the Shuberts during the last six years, will begin operations within the next three months on five new theatres in Manhat- tan, each of which the Shuberts will have the first chance of leasing, that being the arrangement under which Margolies works with the Shuberts. He chooses the sites, acquires the property in his name, builds the theatre, and then turns it over to them if they see fit to take it, or-else leases it to somebody else if the Shuberts don't deem the house useful for their purposes. At the southeast corner of St. Nicholas Avenue and 170th Street, Margolies will build a 1,500-seat itheatre, which the Shu- berts have already agreed to take over, adding it to their Subway Circuit. The site has a frontage of 125 feet on St. Nicholas Avenue and is 100 feet deep. From the Knight Estate, Margolies re- cently acquired the property at 211-227 West Forty-ninth Street, adjoining the Brill Brothers' store, which he took under a twenty-one year lease, with four re- newal periods after the expiration of the initial term. This site, which is now oc- cupied by rooming houses of the red and brownstone type, is 125 by 100. The mat- ter of this lease is now in the Supreme Court, where an application has been made on behalf of some of the heirs, who are minors, for permission to consummate . the deal. This is purely a perfunctory matter under the law, permission being granted by the court unless it clearly ap- pears that those acting for the minor ' heirs are doing something foolhardy or unreasonable. And just as soon as the Supreme Court gives its approval to the deal, Margolies will begin building opera- tions. Two weeks ago, Margolies acquired from the Astor Estate, property at 227 to 239 West Forty-fifth Street, adjoining the Morosco Theatre, and the abutting prop- erty on West Forty-sixth Street. Title to this property will be taken by Margo- lies on the 18th of this month, and within sixty days after he takes title he will begin demolishing the houses there to make room for three theatres which he will build on the adjoining sites. On the Forty-fifth Street site he will build a 1,700-Beat house; on the Forty-sixth Street site he will build two theatres, one to contain 1,500. seats and the other 1,000 seats. At least two of these three theatres will probably be sub-leased by the Shu- berts, Oliver Morosco and Arthur Ham- merstein being mentioned as the sub- lessees. These two producers are now booking through the Shuberts and one of the conditions of sub-leasing' a theatre from the Shuberts is that the sub-lessee must book through the Shuberts, and should he have no show to book, the Shuberts themselves are to have first choice on the house with one of their own productions, of which they are plan- ning a great number. "SUNRISE" GOES OVER ABBUBT Pabk, N. J., Aug. 2.—Smith and Golden have a real hit in "Sunrise," a new "home life" play by Pearl Franklin and Klia Pest tie. The play is built around the life of some southern mountain folks, and tells of their loves, hates, feuds and religious beliefs. A "shouting preacher" is one of the principal characters and a fiery mountain maid is heroine of the piece. Smith and Golden tried this play out last year, but-found it unsatisfactory. So they had it revised, restaged and recast, and the result is a hit. The play is headed for Broadway. The cast includes Arphoni Ethier, Ben- jamin Kauser, Wilson Day, Charles Al- thoff, Charles McDonald, Leila Bennett, Sylvia Field, Marion Kerby, Win. H. Pos, Guy Nichols, John Talbert, Blanche Tal- bert, Chester Morris, Horace James, Era Dennison, Mane L. Day. FRAZEE SUED FOR PRINTING Two judgments, one for $162.05 and the other for $305.70, were recovered last week against H. H. Frazee in the Third District Municipal Court. The actions were brought by Leonora Malbin, as as- signee of the Tooker Printing Company Through her attorney, Herman Kahn, she claimed that Frazee failed to pay for printing "matter he ordered during 1016 and 1916 for "A Full House" and "A Pair of Queens," which he produced during the years mentioned. \ BUSINESS ON COAST GOOD Sam Feancisco, Cal., Aug. 4.—The two big booses here have both been doing such a record' breaking business with their present attractions that, in each case, the run has been extended. At the Columbia Theatre "Moliere," with. Henry Miller and Blanche Bates as co-stars, has been re- tained for three weeks more and possibly a fourth, while "Tea for Three," at the Curran Theatre, will play two weeks more than was originally contemplated. "ONE-A-MINUTE" LOOKS FAIR Washington, July 30.—Fred Jackson, author of "The Naughty Wife," "The Vel- vet Lady," and ,; La, La, Lucille," launched his newest play, "One-A-Minute," here this week at the Shnbert Garrick. He presented his play through the Garrick Players' stock company. George P. Mar- shall and L. M. Bell, backing the Garrick enterprise, are said to be interested. Jackson- has, apparently, stretched the limits of even so liberal a medium as farce in drawing several of the characters in his new play, which sets forth the story of a youngster who, failing in law, saved the drug-store business of a girl playmate by inventing a patent medicine''which met with' - instantaneous success and enabled him and the girl to successfully buck the drug-store trust- that was trying to run them out of business. The effect of the remedy, "Knight's 99," is magical. It cures all they try it on. Some splendid comedy opportunities are thus created and were this the sole test of the vehicle, it might be said to be a hit. The first act, however, is intermin- ably long and will have to have nearly forty-five minutes cut from it. The-second act is smashing in its motivation and climax. The romantic possibilities, only latent in their present form, will have to be developed. Lynne Overmann, scheduled for a role . in a forthcoming musical show and one of the luminaries of the present Garrick stock -galaxy, had the leading role, with Eileen Wilson in the chief feminine part Mrs. Jacques Martin scored in an extremely overdrawn character and a number of less- er players appear to great advantage. •• By the end of the present week, it is believed Jackson will be able to definitely ascertain just whether or not he has a success. - The reception accorded the piece was excellent, considering the heat. ARRESTED AS SHOPLIFTER Saw Fkanciboo, Cal., Aug. 2.—Mrs. Ella Greene, who claims to.be a Hun- garian actress, has been arrested by oper- atives of- one of the big Broadway stores here, for shoplifting. She had $9 worth 'of goods concealed about her person. ACTORS "PINCHED" IN CRAP GAME "Come on, you Lonely Romeo. Coma on! Keep stepping!, What's the matter, ain't you ever comin'T" Then, slam bang! and. five husky cop* smashed in the doors at 162 West Fifty- sixth street to see Who "Lonely Borneo" was. He was just a pair of purple colored dice which had not responded, for the police picked up a nice wad of money, aa well as about forty prisoners, among whom were included a good many actors. ' According to the police, they had been listening at door cracks to the pleas of the players in a crap game. Some of the sounds besides "Lonely Romeo" heard were: "Oh, you Scandals of 1010, you sure have made a scandal for me. I'm just clean, that's all." "For the sake of Harriet, break or she will break my neck. Come on, you eight." Then the police started their dirty work. In so doing they coralled Willie Solar, twenty-nine years old, of 105 West Forty-third street, actor with "A Lonely Romeo"; Sam Ward, thirty-one, aetor of 242 West Fifty-second street; Robert • Higgins, actor, Hotel Pennsylvania; Mau- rice Small, actor, 1971 Maple avenue. Bronx; Benj. Ryan, thirty-two years, 001 West One (tee Hundred and Eighty-fourth street, actor, of the vaudeville team of Ryan and Lee; Bert Hanlon, twenty-nine years old, 148 West One Hundred and Seventeenth street, actor with George White's "Scandels of 1919"; Sam La Traunik, thirty-two years old, 149 West Forty-ninth street, vaudeville actor; Frank Goldie, actor, twenty-six years old, of 116 West Forty-fifth street; Irving Freedman, twenty-six years old, salesman, 245 West Fifty-first street; Harry Ed- munds, twenty-two' years old, actor, 342 West One Hundred and Sixteenth street; Joseph Taylor, actor, 248 West Forty- sixth street; Frank Conway, actor, 107 West One Hundred and Ninth street; Frank Saidi, actor, 350 West Thirty-ninth street, Sam Schwartz, thirty-one years old, actor, 319 West Forty-eighth street, and Harry Cohen, actor of 172 West Thirty-eighth street, as well as a score of tile layers, salesmen, steamfitters, laborers chauffeurs and newsboys. The prisoners were all taken to the West Forty-seventh Street Police Station, . where they were booked early Sunday morning. They were compelled to remain in the dutches of the police until court time in the morning, when they were ar- raigned before Magistrate Tobias, in the West 54th Street Police Court, and dis- charged. BRUNTON SUES ZIECFEJLD Flo Ziegfeld is being sued by John Bran- ton, manufacturer of stage properties. The suit is now pending in the Third Dis- trict Municipal Court, where Brunton Is seeking to recover $154.15 which, be claims, is due him for materials provided for "Pigeon Post," the play which Zieg- feld unsuccessfully' produced last season. Ziegfeld, through his attorneys, Ditten- hoefer and Fishel, has filed a counter-claim against Bmnton in which he seta forth that the latter is indebted to him to the extent of $8,300. He claims that in Janu- ary, 1918, he stored $15,000 worth of cos- tumes, scenery and other p i' upeity in Brunton's place at 226 West Forty-first street. When the property was returned to him, be found a lot of stuff missing, he alleges, among it being two miniature paintings of his wife, Billie Burke, and a number of costumes. Ziegfeld, therefore, aaks the court to decree that he is entitled to his counter- claim against Brunton and for a judgment of $1,000, which amount is the limit that may bo allowed as a judgment in the Municipal Court For the balance, Zieg- feld would have to sue in the Supremo Court. - LOUISE LEIGH . With George White's "Scandals of 1919" SHUBERTS HAVE "THE TRICKSTERS" The Shuberts, through Sanger and Jor- don, last weak acquired the producing rights to a, new play written by Frederic Arnold Hummer called "The Trirkstresa," a modern drama in three acts. They pin to produce the play some time in October. Knmmer, who Bess in Baltimore, Md, spent several days hero last week.