The New York Clipper (September 1919)

Copyrighted, 1919. and publiihed weekly by the Clipper Corporation. ICO* Broadway. New York. Entered at the Post-oSceat New York, June 94. \ 879. aa t i mall matter trader Act of March 3. 1879. Founded by FRANK QUEEN, 1853 NEW YORK, SEPTEMBER 3, 1919 VOLUME LXVn—No. 30 Price. Ten Cents, $4.00 a Yaae B'DWAY PICTURE PUCES RAISE ADMISSION OTHER CITIES LIKELY TO FOLLOW What will probably, lead to an increase in admission prices in the better moving picture houses; throughout -the United States was started this week when four of the larger Xew York picture places an- nounced that, after September . first, it ■would be necessary for them to make an increase in their admission price. This step is made necessary, they assert, be- cause of the economic conditions prevalent' in the motion picture world. Beginning Labor Day, Loew"s New York Theatre announced the following scale of prices: Week days, 10, 20, 30; nights, 10, 25, 35. Saturdays, Sundays and holi- days, 15, 25, 30. These prices include war ta.v, and are an increase of five cents on their former prices. The Strand,. following a grant of twenty-five per cent increase in salary to employees, raised its admission price to 40. and 60 cents. Formerly, the prices were 35 and 55 cents. The management of the Bivoli and Kialto theatres has also announced that, following the first of the month there will be an increase in the admission price of both theatres. The new price scale for these two houses for afternoon perform- ances ranges from 25 cents to one dollar and for evening performances from 40 cents to one dollar. Their Sunday and holiday prices are the same as those charged for the evening performances. According to the managements of the different houses, producers have had to face a greater cost in the making of pic- tures for the coming season, and as a result there has been a corresponding in- crease in the rentals and in the cost of the proper presentation of these pictures. This increase in prices of the Broadway picture houses is looked upon by exhibi- tors throughout the country as the begin- ning of a movement to raise the admission prices of the better class picture places in the larger cities, and it is expected that within .the next few months managers will be following the lead set by the Broadway houses. SAVES DROWNING MAN William Caffrey, employed in the offices of the Keith vaudeville circuit, saved a man from drowning in Long Island Sound, off Whitestone Landing, last Sunday. The man gave his name as Delacey Manning, of .Larchmont, New York. Caffrey, who was swimming at the time, w that Manning was being carried out by the tide and was going down.. He swam toward him and rescued him despite the struggles of the drowning man and brought him to shore, while persons at the Beechhurst Yacht Club and passengers on the Sound boats viewed the rescue.' The drowning man was unconscious when the P»>- reached the shore, but was soon revived. HELD UNDER DRUG LAW On the strength of having a small bottle of white powder in his possession, said by the police to be a narcotic Charley Weller, who has been appearing in the A. E. A. show at the Lexington Theatre, was arrested last week by a member of the narcotic squad at Fifty-first street and Sixth avenue. Weller was arraigned before Magistrate Ten Eyck and held in $500 bail for further hearing. According to Welter's friends, he had just procured a bottle of medicine from a nearby drug store for a member of the company and, when arrested, was un- aware of its contents. CIRCUS SOLD FOR $130 St. Johnsbtjry, Vt, Aug. 30.—The property, of the defunct Coop and Lent circus, valued at $3,500, for its tents and equipment, was sold at public auction, here today for $130 to Paul W. Gilman. of this city. The purchase included one large tent, together with seats to accommodate 1,500 persons, eight side show tents, car- bide lights, ticket booths and other equip- ment. The Coop and Lent circus was recently attached for $2,000 on a personal injury suit of a New Hampshire woman. The show had a streak of hard luck in Ver- mont and finally collapsed financially and physically. PALACE ISSUES MAGAZINE B. F. Keith's Palace Magazine made its appearance on Monday. It Is a neat, well printed five oy seven weekly publication and combines the Palace theatre weekly program with some interesting reading, advertising and other matter usually found in a theatrical weekly. It is published under the auspices of the B. F. Keith cir- cuit and is edited by Leon J. Kubenstein and Leon Lee. ARRESTED FOR HAVING DRUGS Los Angeles, Cal., Aug. 30.—Evelyn King, an actress, living at Third and Flower Sts.. this city, was arrested this week charged with being implicated with John Franks in having in their possession about $500 worth of drugs. Miss King, aged 24, is being held with Franks, for violation of the State Poison Laws. "DREAM GIRL'** REHEARSING "The Dream Girl," first of the Popular Productions, with Muriel Ostrich as the star, and Bert-Dixon, in support, has started rehearsals at Mannerchor Hall. AH members of the cast have Equity con- tracts. BARE LEGS LEAD TO JAIL San Francisco, Cal., Aug. 31.—Marj- orie Taylor and Jane McGee, two members of' "Ohin Chin," were arrested here this week charged with stopping traffic when they paraded through the crowded shop- ping districts with bare legs. They were released. CLARK'S HAWAHANS TO SAIL Clark's Hawaiians will sail for England on September 20th, where they will appear in a production under the management of Campbell, Ltd. They have been booked for twelve weeks, • • STAGE HANDS AND MUSICIANS TAKE HE LM IN AC TORS' FIGHT Situation Narrows Down to a Struggle of Endurance, Each Side Standing Pat—Shubert* May Try to Break Deadlock with Non-Union Help JOINS "GREENWICH FOLLIES'* Jerry Delaney has been added to the cast of "The Greenwich Village Follies," opening Labor Day matinee. With another week of the warfare be- tween the Actors*' Equity Association and its allies against the Producing Managers' Association turned into history, two im- portant developments appear uppermost. .The first is that the Equity and its mem- bers appear to have become only a part of a struggle between the labor organizations engaged in the theatres and the managers' association, for, whereas the Equity for- 'merly directed the struggle, leadership now seems to have shifted to the heads of the stagehands and musicians' union. People close to the situation state that this is a result of Samuel Gompers' return to this country, and of his having given his full approval to the action of the two unions in going to bat for the Equity. Long before the head of the A. F. of L. returned he was advised by cable and otherwise that the two strongly organized unions were much incensed because the managers had waved the Danbnry Hatters' decision be- fore the Equity, and that walkouts were already being put into effect. Whether Gompers approved of this or not was not known until his return to this country, when he was met by representatives of the managers, the unions and the A. E. A. In conference with each of them, however, and at a speech in the Lexington Theatre, he made it plain that he looked with com- plete favor upon the action of the musi- cians and stage hands. From that point on these two unions have practically assumed direction of the strike, walking ont of houses whether the Equity seemingly ap- proves or not. The other new development is that both "camps" have gone into winter quarters. That is. each has reached the point upon which it is determined to make its final stand and will stand pat upon its present principles, trusting that its power of en- durance is- greater than the enemy's. On the side of the Equity, the actors* organi- zation is still sticking to its original ground, which is .that its union shall be recognized by the managers. In the new Fidelity contract it may be said that the managers have half recognized the Equity in the arbitration clause, which reads that in the event of a dispute, each side shall choose an arbitrator, who may be a repre- sentative of an organization, if so desired. While it is very remote, at the present time, that an arbitrator would be a member of the Equity (because the new contract has not been drawn np with any Equity mem- bers) yet there is nothing to prevent It, and, in suggesting this clause, the mana- gers have given up considerable ground. Regarding the stagehand situation, it was stated early this week that the Shu- berts were leading a movement to organise new unions for both the stagehands and musicians. It was said that they had been advertising in out-of-town papers for com- petent men and that they had received many replies. Many of these, It is said, came from stock companies, the stage- hands of- which see an o p po rtu nity to grab off a contract at a good salary. Regarding the musicians, it is said that the closing of Summer parks and small seashore resorts has and will throw a large number of men out of employment who will be glad to work for the managers. The strike is assuming more and more of a nation-wide proportion, and practically everywhere legitimate theatres are still dark. In the last week the strike has taken Philadelphia. Boston and Washing- ton in its wake. Atlantic City and Chicago theatres are also dark, and cities that have been accustomed to legitimate road shows find their big houses closed for the period of the strike. With the winning of the stationary fire- men to their aide, the Equity has substan- tially strengthened its position. The sup- port of the firemen is not as trivial as it may appear at first glance, and if they decide to back the Equity to the limit, it will strengthen the Equity's chances of victory. The attitude of the firemen was sup- posed to be neutral until John T. Cashin, one of their officials, stated at the Lexing- ton Theatre mass meeting on Saturday last that his men were "with the Equity.'* "The stationary firemen in the New York theatres are one hundred per cent Equity," he declared. • If the firemen should decide to walk out, it would leave the theatres without anyone to care for their heating apparatus, and it is said_ that such action would cause the insurance companies to revoke their policies on the grounds that there was no competent men to look after the safety of the houses. The Theatrical Wardrobe Attendants' Union is also contemplating ways and means of becoming more active in the fight and has called a "grand mass meeting" at Union Hall for Sunday evening, September ■14th, to "help better, conditions." It is thought that this means "Strike!'* A rumor that Ziegfeld Follies would start rehearsing again on Tuesday could not be confirmed at the Ziegfeld offices, for no one there seemed to care to give official credence to the story. On Monday night, the Gallo Opera Com- pany, which was scheduled to open at the Shubert Theatre, disappointed theatregoers when the musicians and stagehands refused to work. This action of their allies sur- prised even Equity officers, for Frank Gil- more had stated at an Equity mass meeting that the Gallo Company was the Equity's friend and would not be "pulled." He ex-' plained to the strikers that Gallo was bound by contract to pay the Shuberts for two weeks' rental whether his company played or not- Therefore, dark or open, the Shu- berts could not lose on the venture, and Gflmore explained that the Equity "was not out to hurt its friends." No one, man- agerial or otherwise, seemed inclined to make a statement on Monday night regard- ing this walkout. There was a report, however,' that ths stage hands had discovered the SlrubeTta were hacking the venture. (Continued on page 23.)