New York Clipper (May 1923)

30 THE NEW YORK CLIPPER May 16, 1923 DEATHS SADIE MARTINOT, who had been a imxn- ment 6gnre'.of the musical comedy stage for tfairtx years* soccombcd Co a heart attack, after a liikgning tDiieta, ]a«t Monday at Ogdens- bunc. N. Y. lie deoeaAcd vaa the widow of Lotus Nether- sole, and was fXtf-<m£ years of age. She had been at tbe''OBdaubaiv sanitaiinm since 191t, havinff beat traasfcTTcd there from the Man- hattcn State Hospital, New York Gty. When committed to the Manhattan State Hospital her mind was deranged and no one saspectcd that she was the fsmoos musical comedy ac- tress. Her history oontinaed a mystery imtO somccoe who knew her discoTcred her in the Ogdensbmr institotion several years ago. When she died the authorities were at a loss as to whom diey sronld notify and as to what dispositioa to znake of the body. When the new s p a pe r s told of her death and the cimm- stances, Ely Nenman, a' New York attorney, wired the institution that he, as execntor of her estate; woold'take charge of the body add provide ImiiaL The body was subseqaoitly shipped to New York- Cty. MRS. NEVADA HESS^ wife of Alfred A. Hesse, actor, and herself an actress, translator of plays and a playwright, died last week at her home, 8 West Thirty-seventh street, at the age of 44. Mrs. Hesse bad translated a otimber of German and French plays for a time and was an actress in one ci the Daniel Frohman stock companies. She was formerly on the sbffs of the San Francisco Examiner and the Qmiucte of that city. BUZZEL FEATURED AT LAST Simultaneous with the transfer of "The Gingham Girl" from the Earl Carroll The- atre to the Central, it now develops. that Eddie Buzzel's name alone is being fea- tured in lights on the theatre marquis. It is also in letters as prominoit as that of the show. Those who have followed the fortunes of the show will remember that there have been several rows between Buzzel and the management over the question of featuring. When the show was playing at the former theatre the management had screial other names besides that of Buzzel in lights, and the comedian resented this upon the ground that he had a contract calling for the sole featuring in the production. When differences waxed hot the matter was arbitrated, and it was agreed that the management were within their righK in featnring the other players. Since "The Gingram Girl" moved to its new home, many of the folk whose names were exploited withdrew from the show. Some say that is why Buzzel is getting the sole featuring, inasmuch as there are no other "names in the present cast Whatever the reason, Eddie seems to be getting the break he had been fighting for. SELWYN PLAY FOR LONDON Advises were received from Archie Sel- wyn in London by hb brother Edgar that the latter's play, "Anything Might Hap- pen," which recently ran at the Comedy Theatre, would be produced in London this falL Edgar Selwyn is at present working on the script of two unnamed plays which the concern will produce during next sea- son. -Archie Selwyn will sail for America from Englaiid on May 16, and will bring hade with him the manuscript of several plays he has produced while abroad. STOCK FOR RAMONA PARK Battle Oieek, Mich, May 14.—W. S. Bntterfield. acting for the Michigan Circuit of Theatres, last week signed a term agree- ment with the Grand Rapids Railwav Company to take over the Ramona Park Theatre for the summer. The house will open under the_ new management on April 2/ with a musical comedy stock company and will keep this style of presentation for four weeks. The remainder of the summer will be devoted to vaudeville. ANNABELLE'S MOTHER DEAD Mi3. Amanda Whitford Moore, aged 65 years, mother of Mrs. Annabelle Buchan of Qncago, a former "Follies" beauty, known as AnnaAwlle Whitford, died at her home in Brooklyn May 10th. Mrs. Moore for many years operated a boarding house in New York where a good many of the "Follies" chorus were qiartered. Miss Wbitford will be remembered as the famous solo dancer at the dinner given by Heibeit Bamtmi Seeley in Sbony's a number of years ago. PAINTING PRESENTATION J. J. Rosenthal, accompanied by Mrs. Rosenthal (Katfaerine Osterman), will journey to Boston next week for the iHir- pose of presenting to Mayor James Curley an oil painting 40 inches wide and 60 inches high, which shows Mayor Curley present- ing the key of the dty of Boston to their son. Jack Osterman,- Uie vandeville come- dian- The presentation will be made in the lobby of Keith's Boston Theatre, where Jack Osterman will be one of the feature acts next week. DAWSON RETIRES FROM STAGE Eli Dawson, former blackface comedian, and imdeistudy of George Sidney in "Wel- come Stranger," has retired from the stage end of show business, to write songs and produce acts with Victor Olivier, well- known European composer and producer. Their first act, "The Jazz Craze of 1923," is at present headlining on the Fox Circuit, and other offerings are in preparation. The lyrics and music of the productions are being done by Dawson and Olivier. DEDICATES SONG TO JANE COWL Inspired by a tribute paid by Stephen Rathbim, dramatic critic of the New York Sun, to Jane Cowl on her performance in "Romeo and Juliet" at the Henry Miller Theatre, Dorothy Dare has dedicated a new song entitled "The Juliet of My Dreams" to Miss Cowl. The song will be heard shortly at a Shakespearean music re- cital in New York. The melody is written in slow waltz time as most appropriate to the romamic and tender spirit of Uie lyric. MTZI SAILS JUNE 2 Mrtzi will close with "Minnie and Me," at the Colonial Theatre, Boston, in two weeks, and will sail for Europe on the Majestic, on June 2. The company of "Minnie and Me" have been re-cngaged by Henry W. Savage, and the musical comedy will be brought into New York with Mitzi in September. HUNTER NOT FOR MORRISON'S Frank Htmter. will not work at Mor- rison's Rockaway this Summer. Hunter is with his tab on the Coutts Circuit and working at Fulton, N. Y., the last half of this week. He was laying off.the first half and jumped into New York Monday to call off the Rockaway deal. NOT "THE FOLLIES" JESSIE REED Jessie Reed_ of the "Follies," who re- cently was divorced from Dan Caswell, scion of a wealthy Oeveland family, de- sires it to be known that she is not the Jessie Reed who recently brought suit for divorce against Lew Reed, a vaudeville actor. DANCERS SIGN FOR ROAD HOUSE Addison Fowler and Florenz Tamara, dancers, have been engaged as a. feature at- traction for a limrted run at Bon^ovannis Million Dollar Road House at Wildwood, Pennsylvania, in a big summer revue which will open May 21. ROOSEVELT THEATRE SOLD Chicago, May li—The Roosevelt The- atre, one of the finest of the new theatres in the loop, was sold to Frank J. Godsol, president of the Goldwyn Pictures Cor- .porations for $1,866,327.00. 'Mr. Godsol has been half owner of the Roosevelt, the other half belonging to Ascher Brothers. The theatre is now operated by Balaban and Katz under a five year lease whidi went into effect the first of May, 1922, at a rental of five thousand dollars a week and one-half the net profts annually. The Roosevelt, the second finest theatre on State street was erected at a cost of $1,050,000 and the cost of the land was $1,- 250,000, making a total of $2,300,000, a figure much higher than the price obtained. The Ascher Brothers operated this house only for a brief period and under the Bala- ban and Katz lease the Roosevelt has paid off sundry fourth mortgage "notes and more than $200,000 of a second mortgage held by B. K. Goodman. Incumbrances against the property when the deed was filed Thursday totaled $1,- 38S,119J2, exclusive of a reported $400,000 in fourth mortgage notes held by a loop bank. The Roosevelt has a seating capacity of only 1,700 and under the ' Balaban and Katz management has been playing feature pictures for periods of from two to four weeks. Mr. Godsol bought the Roosevelt as a personal investment, not'as head of the Goldwyn Pictures Coiiporation. LETTER LIST "TOO PRETTY" ACTRESS SUES Evelyn_ Carrington, who ten years ago was dismissed from a musical comedy com- pany by Arthur Hammerstein because she was "too pretty" for the part and known in private life as Mrs. Evelyn Carrington Short, was the plaintiff last week in the Supreme Court in a $50,000 alienation for affection suit she brought against Mrs. Laice Henley and her husband David Henley. Mrs. Short charges that Mrs. Henley won the affections of her husband, David Carrington Short, and that when the plain- tiff asked Mr. Henley whether he did not object to his wife's alleged conduct said he "liked a woman with a little devil in her." No decision has been rendered as yet. MILLS BRANCH IN ATLANTIC CITY Irving Mills, of Jack Mills, Inc., is com- pleting an extensive trip through the Mid- dle West this week and is expected back to make arrangements in a few days for the opening in Atlantic City of a branch office for the concern. The office will be in the nature of a bungalow, with pianos and many conven- iences for the members of the local staff, as well as visiting vaudeville artists. A Maxwell car will be at the disposal of the Atlantic Gty staff, the auto having been on duty at the New York office until re- placed last week by a Buick sedan. JOE MARKS FOR CARROLL REVUE Jos. Marks, late star of William S. Campbell's "Youthful Follies," which played the Columbia Circuit, has signed to play one of the principal roles in the new Earl Carroll Revue, "Vanities of 1923." which opens at the Carroll Theatre early in June. Marks was with Campbell for three years, who at the time of signing him paid $3,000 for his release from a pre- vious contract. "DEW DROP INN" FOR ASTOR "Dew Drop Inn," formerly called "In The Moonlight," "Under the Bamboo Tree," and "The Pink Slip," in which the Shu- berts are featuring James Barton, will open at the Astor Theatre on May 15. "Lady Butterfly" will leave that theatre on Satur- day night and be readied for a Chicago engagement LADIES Bstcs. Uls. B. Brsodoo, Bellt Bttncn. EalhlMn DutUe, Baste U. rhipnti^ suite □aifc. NcUte Ccni^, Msiy CcsteUs, Iks CMrmey, MiUs Dsvhbon, Un. De Woir Oris De Tons, Usdia ONrpttt, Ula Htll, Bmb B. KiUer. Pcnr Eifiir. zus Lms La Bur, Btmtes LoDf, Mary MuteU, DMU MssUU. ColiUs Hut Usnla. Un, tnak UcUuta, His. Kesdon, Fnaea UciiBo. H. Moaai, VItUo Bobols, NeUte BctfeUe. Msrte Stack, HlMs H. Wsllsa, Ulldnd Waihlactoo, Fsnnte CEiTLEMEN Fostn-. (rllbur VVstcr, Gonloo Oildo, Win. H. HIU. John 1. Kohler, T. larlo, Cbss. W., Jr. LsydtB, Jobo B. Uiotell. Harry UcAllIiur, Bkh UcOomnU. BlUr NonbtnHD. I^ny Paadur, BlUr Podr. VTslia- A. Bsonders. Alenn- da Bbeddu, J. J. Staaky, Stan mi"mtn. Mr. A. Un. ' Tmdr, John F. UdcU, Chsries B. VSD Fleet, B. W. Wslavfldii, Wto. WiUdas. a. M. Wrlr. Jsdc ft ToDuny HOPKINS TO CURTAIL PRODUCTION The advance guard of announcements that producers vnll curtail production next season on account of the strained relations existing between the Producing Managers' Association and the Actors' Equity Asso- ciation, which might bring about hostilities between the two organizations after June 1st, 1924, was made by Arthur Hopkins, upon his return from Europe last wee&, when he announced that he would curtail his activities in producing to a great ex- tent next season. Hopkins stated that he did not make the announcement with the intent that his policy will mean tremendous loss to the theatre. He said that it was merely the expression of personal discouragement that the forces which control the theatres can't get along peacefully. Therefore, as an in- dependent producer, he claims, he dislikes to launch into the future with any produc- ing plans which would certainly be men- aced and possibly extinguished by the closing of theatres in case the present P. M. A.-A. E. A. agreement is not re- newed. At present his plans for next season are to have John Barrymorc appear in New York in Hamlet and then tour the principal cities, after which Barrymorc and his company will be sent to England and France for a brief engagement. Ethel Barrymore will probably have a new play to appear in at the Longacre Theatre for which Hopkins holds a lease. He will also produce two new Eugene O'Neill plays, "The Fountain" and "Welded" and "Earthly and Heavenly Love" by Ferenc Molnar. MELO-DRAMA TO RETURN CHlCAGb, May 12.—^"It looks like a re- vival of blood and thunder," wrote LiiKoln J. Carter to Ralph T. Kettering, after a recent visit to New York. "The craze for mystery plays paves the way to a return to melodrama. The time is .coming, he argues, when bookings can be obtained for a fairly good play. The trouble is now ^t if one submits a play on old lines it is ridiculed because it is old and if one is submitted along new lines the hair is scared off of the producers. MUSICAUZING "NOT SO IXHiG AGO" F. Ray Comstock is planning to launch a musical comedy version of Arthur Rich- man's play, "Not So Long Ago." Rich- man is supplying the libretto, while Joseph McCarthy and Harry Tiemey will do the lyrics and music. Unless present plans miscarry the piece will be placed in re- hearsal next month and will be brought to a metropolitan theatre in July. "OPEN GATE" NEW MaeGREGOR PLAY Edgar J. MacGregor, in collaboration \vith Tudma Burssere, has completed a new play, entitled "The Open Gate," which he anticipates producing for an early sum- mer tryout. ARTHUR HARTLEY ahd HELEN PATTERSON 91 In "OIMK IMI CLOSING JUNE 10—AFTER PLAYING FORTY CONSECUTIVE WEEKS FOR B. F. KEITHS. Sammer AddreM, Lake Sabago, Maine. Direction—RALPH FARNUM—ED. S. KELLER OFFICE