The New York Clipper (January 1920)

January 28, 1920 f re I^eW Iro r k? % i3i?¥fc r • *: CENTRAL MANAGERS WANT : A© OF OTHER A SSOCIATIONS Suggest Plan at Recent Meeting by Which AD Would Combine in Opposing What Are Termed Unfair Demands by Stage Hands '' A plan by which the several association* of theatres and managers now active will co-operate against what some of their members believe are unfair rules and de- mands on the part of the stage hands' unions, particularly in'houses where road . shows are presented, was 'proposed at a meeting of the Central Managers' Assoeia-' tion held here.last week'and, after some discussion, was laid over until the next meeting for final action. There is a pos- sibility that.this may lead to a merger of .all the.associations into one large body, of which the United Managers' Protective ' Association, now piloted by Ligon John- • gon, general counsel, would be the direct- ing force. i What the members, of the Central Man - • agers' Association, especially owners and"' managers of one-night stand houses, are ' chiefly concerned with is, according to . their complaint; is the arbitrary action of the stage hands' unions in foisting a pie- '.. thora of men on them whenever an at- traction -visits, the house. A .large per- . cdntuge' of these men ere unnecessary, the one-night stand managers say. hut, just the same, must be given'; employment ■ back stage and paid for-their services by "the"house. As a result, it is claimed the 'profits of the one-night stand houses have dwindled to sueh an extent' that many . 'of them have closed their doorstolegiti- mate attractions' and are presenting mo- . tion pictures, instead. ■ According to Gus Hill, who attended the , meeting last week, the condition' com- , plained of has reached a stage where a . radical change is -necessary if the terri- *. tory in question is to be maintained for." legitimate attractions. However, at the office-of the I. A. T. S. E., in West Forty-sixth .street, it was explained by F. G. Lemaster, general sec- retary and treasurer of the International Union, that, aa far as the unions* action in the matter 'was concerned, there was nothing on their part that the managers could honestly complain about. He ex- ■ plained that the system that prevails is as follows: When a new show is presented the pro- ducer is allowed a presentation period of six weeks within which to determine ex- actly how many stage hands the show will require. During .that period-he may in- crease or diminish the number of stage hands, just as he sees fit: " At the end -of that period it is assumed that his pro- ! ductibn is in fit shape for him to definitely know the number of men necessary to work the show.' The producer is then re- quired to certify .the number of neces- sary stage hands, and this number is maintained during the show's run, except that, in certain cities or towns, according to the laws of the locality, a lesser num- ber, pf men than the number certified may .be'., used ft 'the. stage carpenter or .elec- trician .records, that tile certified number would be superfluous: "And in no.instance, .stated Mr. Lemaster, docs the union, re- quire the show to engage inore men than have been certified' aiter~the .;six weeks' period. ' ',.' "'.". "", ;.., '. . . it -was. stated, by other persons that, while tie yell was being raised against the stage hands, what the Central Managers' ..Association is really .after is.- to get" the producing managers to share the' expense of such stage hands as are furnished in each-town. . TORONTO GETTING NEW HOUSE Toronto. Can., Jan. 22.—Toronto will shortly have a new downtown theatre, - with a seating capacity of 8.B00 . Such was the arinounc'JUBIBrTnldt^ jfcSterday by N. L. Nathaasou, "Jteneral'lnaiiager of the Famous Players'. Corporation in Canada, and who is to be the.general m anager of the new company,-- xnown As *Ee Famous Players' Canadian Corporation, which will operate a chain of forty-five theatres from coast to coast In Canada. ■ The new company, which will be a pure- ly Canadian company, will own seven.the- atres in Toronto, six of which are already in operation. It will also take over twenty theatres which are already operating In various parts of the country, and it is ex- pected that in a little over a year the new houses to complete the coast-to-coast chain ' ■will be completed,, with a total seating capacity of 45,000. Places in Ontario,' other, than Toronto, at which the company will operate are: Onelph, Gait, Kingston, Port Hope, and Hamilton. The money . involved in the establishment of the new ' chain of theatres is placed at between ten and fifteen million dollars. Mr. J. P. Bickell, of Toronto, and J. B. Tudhope, i M.P., of OriUia, are among the directors, and -it is rumored that Liord Beaverbrook ' will also have a financial interest in it BAKER TO DO PLAYLETS BOSTON, Jan. 24.—Announcement has been made by Dr. George P. Baker, direc- tor of the course in dramatic art at Har- ' vard and Radcliff, of the casts of the four one-act plays to be presented by his stu- dents at the Workshop on February 5 and 8. The cist for the fourth play, "At Cock- crow," a one-act tragedy by Leila Thayer, is still undecided. The casts already se- lected are: "The Bight to Live," a comedy by Lois Compton Fuller—Maggie, Bettie Lamont; Jane, Beula Auerbach; Jake, H. F. Carl- ton, 1G.; Mike, J. L. Hotson, '21; Don, Marguerite - Barr; Mrs. Moulton, Doris Halman; Old Woman, Vianna Knowlton. "The Slump," a one-act -play by Fred- erick L. Day, 1G.—James Madden, Walter Butterfield, '26; Mrs."Madden, Ruth Cbor- penning; Edgar Mix, W. B. Leach, '22. "Man's Greatest Hunger," a tragedy by Kenneth R. Raiabeek, '20—Gismonda, Dorothy Sands; Alisandro, J. W. D. Sey- mour; Pietro, Harding Scholle, Oss.: Madonna Gionlia, Doris Helman. SQUARE CHORUS COMPLAINTS ' . Complaints filed with the Chorus Equity against the Sbuberts by members of the Molntyre and Heath show, but week re- sulted in the complainants being awarded salary foe special performances due them .under the terms of the Sanity, contract. ' The complainants based their claim upon - the fact that the Shuberts had engaged - them under a Shubert, or Winter Garden, contract, thus violating the Equity's agree- " ■■ ment with''the P. M. A., which states no " producer shall hire or induce Equity mem- bers to appear under independent con- tracts. _. ■ The-awards were-made to two chorus - i" girls who claimed salary for fourteen ape- - . cial performances;. . three .others ■ who '< claimed seven extra performances and eight H chorus men and four, girls who claimed three performances. COCHRAN SUES COBURNS A suit that has for its.purpose the con- struction of a contract was filed in the Supreme Court last, week by Charles B. Cochran, the London producing manager now in this city, against Mr. and Mrs. Coburn, who produced "The Better 'Ole" in this country and are at present appear- ing in one of the companies. According to the complaint, filed by Henry C. Quinby, Cochran's attorney, the London producer entered into an agree- ment with the Coburns on September 0, 1918. Under the terms of this alleged agreement, Cochran, who was the original producer of "The Better 'Ole," in London, permitted the Coburns to produce the play in this country, he to receive 10 per cent of the gross, out of which he agreed to pay the authors and composer their royal- ties. Cochran now claims that it is the Co- burns' contention that they need pay him but 5 per cent of the gross on such "Better 'Ole" companies in this country which are not under their direct management. The inference is that the Coburns are paying buf 5 per cent on the De Wolf Hopper company, managed and'controUed by Hop- . per under an arrangement he made with the Coburns. Cochran's complaint ia framed on a money owed basis and the amount being asked for is $16,000, but, as was explained, no such amount is actually due the plain- tiff, it having -been merely inserted as a. nominal figure, designed for legal protec- tive purposes. At the Coburn offices in the Fitzgerald Building, it was announced early this week that the Coburns had' duly paid all royal- ties accruing from all of the "Better 'Ole" productions in this country in .'accordance with-their obligations. ; -.. ' At one time last season, there: were five different companies throughout this coun- try -and Canada presenting "The Better 'Ole," but, at the present time, them'are but three companies presenting the piece. "LIVE, LAUGH, LOVE" HAS TROUBLE Hamilton, .Can., Jan. .24.—"Live, .Laugh and..Love" did not ^do. any of them to " any great extent when it hit this town where it .was booked for. a three night J stand af.the Grand Opera House, for it '' was'cancelled by Manager.: William B. Naylor after the first' performance. As ' a. result, nine weeks of time, that had ■ been 1 booked for it by the new .Trans- Canada Circuit, was also, cancelled. This show was sent out .from New' York by 0. C. Cornell, of the New .York The- atre. Building and. had been gaited for . the one-night stand, houses- only. When ■ it hit Canada, however, it -started, in .on - the better time and had to follow,a num- - ber of $2 shows and, while it was alright for -the one-nights, the contrast between it and the bigger shows was too great. - Accordingly it was cancelled and the peo- ple 'brought back to New York, where some of them made complaint to* Louis Trimble, of the Actors Equity Ass'n., after which a meeting was called of .all con- cerned and the differences straightened out. Cornell is now arranging to open the piece again, but to hold it strictly to the one-night stands. The piece was opened early in the sea- \ son by William Suesskin, at Newport News', but was closed. Suesskin then disposed of a rights in the piece and had nothing to do with the present company. "LITTLE BLUE DEVIL" NOT DEAD That "The Little Bine Devil" will re- main' in the storehouse until early next season, at which time the musical piece which recently dosed at the Central will be sent on a road tour, was announced by Joe 'fVeber early this week. Weber, together with John Fallon, of the Tyson Ticket Agency, and Harry Carroll, the composer, were the principals in the $20,000 corporation organized to produce the show. The show is reported to have cost its producers upwards of '440,000, Weber and Fallon being the principal losers thus far on the venture. Carroll received weekly royalties and, besides, ia report ed to have disposed of his stock in the producing corporation to Arthur Pear- son. It may be, however, that, after a meet- ing of the corporation's stockholders, scheduled for the latter part of this week, the decision may be arrived at to send the show on tour within the next two months. CORT PULLS POOR ONE Atlantic City, Jan. 20.—If Crano Wil- bur ahowed any promise as a playwright, his .claims in that direction. ware sunk forever or at least for some time, last night, when "A Fool's Game" romped across the Apollo footlights. •'; • • ->, > Every rule of a good, romance 'was ripped crosswise and such things aa dra- matic technic, plausibility,, hnirtanness and reason, were cast to the four winds in a passion to write, at -all costs. Inci- dentally, John Cort had- better read the script of a thing before ■ he ventures to place his name at the head of its pro- gramme. Good names, like many a patri- .many,-have been known to waste away. A girl, in loVe with! a" lounge tiaard, cant marry hid} because he haa no money and because she doesn't want him to-work for a living. So, shn'picksouta-Hekvy millionaire and marries him,- provide*! ha will settle $100,000 on her the day of the wedding and divorce her af *er Six months if-she-finds she doesn't love him. He falls and this is where' the title finds its' g'ource. Returning from the veriest trick; of a trip, he catches the lizard creeping about in his wife's bedroom. So, - lie' ■ chains them together with a pair of 'ancient handcuffs and takes them to a rat -in- fested cabin forty miles from nowhere to test their love. '•- . - ■» - 5 --; "Rate,' tinned food and" howling wolves prove too much for their nerves: So they escape through/an unknown -trap door into ' the 1 -desert,' where -they almost - die ' of thirst. But Bruce finds them and' saves them, noblesse oblige. Happy -ending. Attractively mounted, 'execrably -writ- ten, poorly conceived arid abominably -acted, that, is ' .the- "Fool's Game" in epitome.- Maude Fealy heads the troupe. MARY NASH HAS A HIT "•'ATiAWMifr "Cttt. N. J.,- Jan. 26. 1 —-Two people- talking "intimately most 'of -Che time, first ri' quiet phrases} bv the simple attack of a -rhapsody, then mounting in mood ; and 'significance in a steady n'enve tightening crescendo. Finaly and sudden- ly fulminating in a magnificent base-'of passion;' fear, love and hatred, that ' is "Man and Woman," by all odds One-of the most finely conceived and- dertrously fashioned-plays of ihe year. ' With its advent "Arrives" Mary Nash. Of her power and splendid mastery of sub- tlety, uf-her -finish and'poise, of her al- most uncanny sense of balance, there is no longer the slightest doubt. Not a tint or a shade of the highly colored part en- trusted to her did she miss. Not a mood, not a tone was beyond her reach. Scenes which required the sensitiveness of a Carter, the lashing fury of a Na ilaw v a , unfolded under her magic in perfect rhythm and balance. Never was this more poign- antly felt than in the last two scenes of the second episode, and in the scene which immediately preceded the final one. In these," every bit of skill an artist can command was at her beck and call. Nor are the authors of that type who juggle scenes and characters to tease the purse strings of the public. They wrote with a sure knowledge of dramaturgy, much in the fashion of Hauptmann or Strindberg: .They wrote with a mastery of the characters and their temperament*, with a clear psychological perception and an economy of means that was nai—sB, Surely, strongly, swiftly, they built straight to the climax with perfect mo- tivation and logic, scorning tricks and twists as one would a mountebank, and the result was a triumph that was never in doubt for the slightest moment. Holbrook Blinn, Curtis Ooeksey and . Wilson Reynolds were the other three members of a cast which includes only four. ^^ SUE EMMETT GJLFOYLE Nat Nazarro and Sol-Unger have started a spit' through Harry S. Hecbheimer, against Emmet Gufoyle, for (550, on a ; breach of contract complaint. In their' complaint, they allege they -laid /pat a. i route for him' which he agreed to''play, but. that he then went into the act of Anna' Held, Jr., and left them flat. FRIARS HOLD "VILLAGE" NrGHT - To-morrow evening, January 2*. will be Greenwich Village nigm^Tiha' 'frtara! Festivities will begin at <J:80, with din- ner. ■"■* ••-:.- <••; . * • rt All the Village celebrities will be there, including the Provincetown Flayers, Bar- ney "Gallant, ,9oirfa,-TJny Tim, Henri, :»»nk,Lea^o»t,jAL Herman, Zoraci and [; B«.^Iodea, WTOMMd hi* .ketches. Roth QpspESPd 2Wfe J**w». .Olivette, Tern Wye's bathing girls, and some bobbed haired girls from the ViHaje Inn.