New York Clipper (Apr 1923)

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April 11, 1923 THE NEW YORK CLIPPER 7 MUSICIANS' UNIONS ARE NEARING PEACE AFT ER MANY C ONFERENCES Committee Representing M. M. P. U. and American Federation of Musicians Meet and Sedc to Settle Diffoences—^If Con> forence Fail* Strike Vote Will Be Taken This Morning JESSIE BONSTCLLE GETS H. O. H. MISSING MANAGER LEGALLY ALIVE The peace dove hovered on the horizon late yesterday (Tuesdajr) for the end of the strife that has' existed between the the American Federation of Musidans. After several conferences on Monday that lasted until early Tuesday morning, it was agreed that at noon Tuesday conunittees representing the M. M. P. U. and the American Federation of Musicians should meet in the o£Bce of Nicholas M. Schenck, general manager of the Loew Circuit, and discuss the terms of settlement of the trouble. The M. M. P. U. was repre- sented at this meeting by F. Paul Vac- carelli, its business agent, and Andwny P. MulierL The A F. of M. was repre- sented by a committee headed by Joseph N. Weber, International president of the organization, and Wm. G. Kemgood, In- ternational treasurer of the body. The mean difficulty to iron out for the joint bodies was the matter of the incor- poration of the M. M. P. U. as a holding company and die question of the status of Local 802, the body which took the place of 310, the M. M P. U. organization, when it was outlawed. The M- M. P. U. men held oiit that thqr were willing to join hands with 802 in any feasible manner which would warrant the local having its own autonomy, so that it could elect its own officers and be permitted to arrange and enforce its own wage scale, without the National officers being called in to de- dde what was to be done and how it was to be done. They also insisted that the members of . No. 310 who were prevented from going to work at the Playhouse after Vaccarelli had been informed they would be per- mitted to return would be taken care of and accepted into the local in good stand- ing and be permitted to return to their work. They also requested that no dis- crimination should be used against any members of Local 310 who were active in tiie difficulties which existed between the two organizations. The A. F. of M. grouv held that this was no time for any organization to breach the contract which is in existence between the various bodies of theatre managers and the A. F. of M. and local 802. Weber said this contract was inviolable and that he felt that 310 knowing this fact_ should not have started any trouble during the existence of the contract, as it would only place the entire craft of musicians in a bad light with the managers. There were also various details that were to be ironed out, with hoth sides a bit reluctant about making concessions. At the time the conference started Mr. Schenck said that he felt that something would be done on way or another, or otherwise he woald wash his hands of Ae matter and make public the various phases of it. He said that Vaccarelli, who repre- sented the M. M. P. U. in. the numerous conferences with him, expressed every hope of the breach being patched and fae felt that after the two committees had discussed the subject thoroughly they would come to an amicable understand- ing. In case they did not he said he would not endeavor to go any further to establish peace with the two camps as he had tidiansted all of his resources. Monday afternoon and evening there were conferences in Mr. Schcnck's offices which lasted three to four hours each. Vaccarelli was in one room while Weber and Kemgood were in another room of Mr. Schenck's suite of offices. Schenck would confer with one party and then an- other, without either party meeting the other face to face. The general situation was gone over at the afternoon sessions and resumed at the evening session. Messrs. Weber and Kemgood left the evening session at II P. M., and stated that no headway had been made, when they were recalled to the office of Schenck. They returned there again and after sev- eral hours' discussion left when it is said they reached the understanding to meet Vaccarelli and Mulieri with their com- mittee Tuesday noon. When they left the meeting they, however, refused to give any intimation of what had been accom- plished. The members of die M. M. P. U. were anxiously awaiting the decision of the committees as their regular meeting started at midnight (Tuesday)- and in case there had been no headway made they were prepared to demand that Vaccarelli call a strike to become effective today. All of last week the members of the M. M. P. U. had a turbulent time at the Playhouse in 48th street. The men had been called out there early in the week and were then ordered back that night, subsequently they were called out and when told to go back found that the mem- bers of 802.and the stage hands refused to work with them. They were replaced by other members of 80^. William A. Brady, who operates the Playhouse, after several of these experiences, announced that he was tired of this way of doing business and that he would take_ action against those responsible for an inferior class of musicians being placed in the the- atre. There were also difficulties at the Astor Theatre and the Capitol Theatre, but they were all straightened out with the men going back to work. This was also the case a( the Criterion, where the men struck ten days ago. Jessie Bonstelle has secured the Har- lem Opera House where she will in- stall her repertory company to present new plays at a $1 top srale in opposition to the plan of Cfaanning Pollock and the Selwyns to turn the Apollo theatre into a similar enterprise. According to William A. Brady, the stock company is a 'laboratory," for the New York producer and he says that he aitd several leading producers will co- operate with Miss Bonstelle in having her tr^ out plays for them at her theatre prior to their being given a regular pro- duction. According to Brady, Miss Bon- stelle, in case she can get a theatre with sufficient capacity to warrant operating at a ^ top will begin operations this spring. Brady says that it was through the stock company production of Arthur Wing Pinero's play "The Endianted Cot- tage^ that he produced the play at the Ritz Theatre last week. .Besides prododng new plays at the stock theatre. Miss Boostelle intends to include in the repertory classics and re- vivals of the best of the old favorite Broadway plays. Her company will open early in May. TWO GEORGE KELLY SHOWS Stewart and French will produce two plays by George Kelly, author of "The Torchbearers" next season. The first will be a drama, entitled, "No Man's Wife," and the second a three-act comedy, "The Show Off." This latter play is an enlarged version of a vaudeville sketch which Kelly ?iroduccd under the same title. Rehearsals or "N'o Slan's Wife" will ■begin late in July. "MISSION MARY" GOING OUT Al. H. Woods will place in rehearsal next week "Mission Mary," a play by Ethel- bert Hales, which he took over from George M. Cohan recently. The original title of the play was "The Mission." Woods expects to present the production in New York early in May. Gladvs Frazier now appearing with The Masked Woman" on tour will be cast for the principal role. "GOODNESS KNOWS'" OPENING Charles Frohman, Inc., will present "Goodness Know.s." a play by David Gray at the Nixon Theatre, Pittsburgh, next Monday night. It is the intention of Gil- bert Miller of the Frohman office to have this plav in rca-fincss to come into the Em- pire Theatre, New York, in case Alice Brady, who opened in "Zander" at the Em- pire on Monday night fails to catch on. In case the Brady show hits, "Goodness Knows" will be shelved for a fall nroduc- tion. The cast of "Goodness Knows," which is being staged by Bertram Harrison consists of: Charles Richmond, Juliet Crosby. Gavin Muir, Goeffrcy Millar, Ade- laide Prince, George Graham, IHorence Johns, Charles Adams, and Fred Nichols. GETS SHUBERT-GARRICK Washincion, D. C April 9.—George Marshall, took over the management to- day of the Shubert-Garridc theatre, open- ing with "Getting Gertie's' Garter," which he is presenting with the George Marshall Comedians. The house was for a num- ber of years under the management of H. Stoddard Taylor and until recently leased to the Garry McGarry Stodc- ' placers. George Marshall, also controls the Shubert-Belasco theatre where another Avery Hopwood iarce, "The Demi Vir- gin" with Hazel I^wn is playing in its second month. "Getting Gertie's Garter" is booked at its present house indefinitely. "ADRIANNE" REHEAKSING Louis Werbe will place "Adrianne," a new musical comedy that went into re- hearsal Monday at the New Amsterdam Theatre. Billy B. Van has been cast for the leading role with Vivienne Segal listed to head the feminine contingent of the production. Edgar McGregor will stage the book and Dave Bennett the numbers of the show, which is scheduled for a summer engagement at a Broadway the- atre. The piece will open in Washington on May 14. "BAMBOO TREE" OPENS APRIL 23 "Under the Bamboo Tree^" formerly the starring vehicle of the late Bert Wil- liams, in which he appeared last year at the Studebaker Theatre, Chicago, which is now being produced by the Shuberts, with James Barton at the head of the cast, will have its premier performance at the Apollo Theatre, Atlantic City, on April 23. The show will be' brought into New York early in May for a summer engagement. VIRGINIA'S NIECE ON STAGE Virginia Earle, one of the most prom- inent Broadway musical comedy stars twenty years ago, who is now retired from the stage, is bringini; forth Blossom Vrec- land, her niece to take her place on the stage. Blossom was added to the cast of the "Zicgfcld Follies" last Monday, and Aunt Virginia is on hand to escort her to and from the theatre and isivc her pointers on her work at every performance. ToBONTo, Can., April 9.—Mrs. Ambrose J. Small's application to the Court to have her missing husband, gone four and a balf years, declared'legally dead and herself a widow, was denied vj_ Judge Coatsworth, according to whose opinion Canada's miss- ing theatrical Idn^ is still alive. The pe- tition to declare Small dead was liotly op- posed by his two sisters owing to the deep hatred between the three 'women in die case. Had Smill been declared dead the widow would have come into possession of an estate valued at over $2,000^000. As mat- ters now stand, she will have to wait three and a balf yeairs more before the mi«ing man is adcoowledged dead legally. W. N. Tillcy, attomei' for Mr*. SraalL exhausted every means to prove that Small was dead and dted precedent for ahortening death time required by law. . He asserted that any one of several tiiiiifs mi^t be adduced from the threat of smcide to his hazardous Journeys and trndeitakings. On the night of December 2 Ambrose J. Small went out Into the night and com* pletelv dropped out of sight from that time on. When he left he took with him the annuities he allowed his sisters. He also took with him several checks made oat to Mrs. Small—and in the trust comiaqy where his funds were kept he had that day deposited $1,000X100, the first payment made him on his CanaHian theatre string. ' IMfs. Small did not notify the polke of die fact that her husband was missing tmtil several weeks had passed. Her ex- planation of this delay was that she thought her husband had gone off on one of his_ many jaunts with other women, and she did not want the publidty that would result from reporting him missing. On these occasions, she said, when her husband went off with another woman, he would confess his nnfaithfullness and tell her all about it. One person was apprised of the fact of the disappearance, and this was a close friend of Small's, a betting comnBS- sioner. named Tom Flytm. Mrs. Small quoted Flynn as saying, "Don't be fussy. Give the man some lib^ty." As time went by and her husband did not return, Mrs. Small said she really thought he had eloped with a Mrs. Smiui. This woman was found by the police to be living in a rity in lilinnesota, but not with Mr. Small. Many theories of the theatrical man's disappearance have been advanced, includ- ing murder, but the question of what be- came of the body has not been answered. One detective made the statement that he knew a plot of ground seventy acres square, somewhere in which was btuied Ambrose J. Small but as yet he has not revealed the spot. VERA BURT MARRIES "SAXI" Jacksonville, Fla, April 9.—^Vera Burt married her vaudeville partner "Saxi" Holsworth. who leads the six-piece jazz Orchestra in front of whidi Miss Burt performs, on the stage of the Palace The- ' atre. Friday night of last week. The cere- mony was performed by County Judge John Du Boise, with manager Jesse Clarke and others present, indudmg members of the bill playing the house. Miss Burt is a favorite in thb sccdon of the country, having been bom in Tampa, twenty-three years ago, and has since ap- peared in the vicinity in various acts. "MASQUERADER" FOR STOCK "Masquerader," Richard Watson TuUy's play, which was the best starring vehide of Guy Bates Post, has been released for stock production. "SLAVEMAKER" SHELVED Mary Ryan will not tour this season in "The Slavemaker." a play by Sam For- rest which Sam H. Harris produced out of town several months ago as was v planned last week. Mr. Harris decided that it would be best to shelve "The Slavemaker" until early in the fall when he will bring it to the Sam H. Harris theatre for its New York presentation. Saxi Holsworth was arrested on a charge of disorderlv conduct three weeks ago whOe in Grecneville. N. C, and was relea^d after posting bonds to keep the peace. He was charged with beating Vera Burt to the verge of miconsdonsness in her room of the Ottaray Hotel, Holsworth having made a trip from his room on the second Boor to the fourth where Miss Burt lived. He told police officers that he was displeased at her conduct and became enraged. And now they are one. • — EQUITY COMPILING BOOK Equity is compiling a booklet for dis- tribution among its members. It will thoroughly explain the spirit and work of the organization. It will also indude in- structions, rules and obligations and other helpful hints to the performer.