New York Clipper (Jun 1923)

4 THE NEW YORK CLIPPER June 27, 1923 CARROLL-EQUITY CONTROVERSY HELD U P BY TWO W EEK TRUCE Ei^ity-foiir Membos of "Vanities" Join Actors' Organization— Eight "HoU OuU" Must Join Within Tvn> Weeks or Step Out of Show in Favor of A. E. A. Members —Equity Clwims a Victory A cauJiti onal truce has been effected in the Earl Carroll-Actots' Eiqiiity Associa- tioQ war, prcdpilaled by tlie inability to ^"muonize" the members of 'Canities of 1923." Carroll has agreed to deliver eigfaty-fonr out of oinefy-two of his play- ers to Etpjity, while the btter has agreed to permit the revue to open as per sched- ule Monday, July Z, and continue for two weeks without any molestation from Equity. At the termination of this period tbe ei^ "hoId-oAs" will either have to eari>race monbershq* in E/jnity or step out of the show. With an air of tranqnilify hovering over the production OrroU is_ rehearsing bis company ni^t and day in order to be ready for premiere on sdKdule time. (Eleven aarns boys, who had walked out of the show at the diiectioa of Equity in the early stages of the conflict, have been reinstated and are again tehearsing with the piece. Although Ac statement issued from Ennity does not touch on the status of the other Equity meisiers who were withdrawn, it was stated by an Equity of- ficial that Caiioll will have to reinstate any of them that wish to rejoin the show. From another source it has been learned that Equity has voted these loyal mem- bers two wedcs' .salarTi They have ef- fected a compromise with Carroll iriiereby any of them he does not reinstate sball be pmd a week's salary by Carroll and also an equivalent som by the Equity. Carroll figures dat this oonditioa will ■tnig^ten itself oat in that if aiw- of the hcld-oots should refuse to join Equity at the end of two weeks he could reinstate some of the Eiquity members to replace them. From a tMisiness angle it would seem \3tat he would prefer to do this rather than pay them the week's salary binding under the agreemeot. The Equity-Carroll rumpus has been a live topic of the theatre world ever since its origin. Some have «:i edit e d with being an indirect challenge to feel out Equity's strength. This angle has since been <Us- proven and at Ae same time can be con- sidered a victory for the Equity. Just wfaat ^ff*^^ tlie ^u ii^ of tlw^ affair will have upoo the controversy waging between the Producing -Managers' Association and the Equity, which will not oome to a head until next June, remains to be seen. But in some Equity seems to have established thar power beyond question. _ In ^ns case they have demonstrated their alnlity to "sew up" a non-union show. Carroll has reiterated his stand that he had never entered into any attempt to challenge the strengdi of Equi^ or any other labor organization. He said he had always been friendly to the Equity and would have avoided any controversy with the organization had it been possible. 'While Equity on the other hand take the attittide that the controversy, w l gtlier in- teutional or nimitentioiial, dealt with a greater piriblem than a personal setto with CarroU. They were alive to the fact that should they have pcmntted the Carroll shbw to open under its former status it would have spelled defeat for the organ- ization. 'But now that everything has been amic- ably adjusted both sides are satis&ed. MORRIS BENEFIT ON JULY 4 Wmiam Morris on July 4th will stage tiK aiuual benefit for the Saranac Day Nursery for tubercular victims, which was founded by Mrs. Morris at die Bon- tiac theatre, Saranac, N. Y. This performance made up of vaudeville and legitomte stars and headlino-s is pre- sented each year by Mr. Morris and has been averaging $2;000 net, which is turned over to the Day Nursery. Hie performers who will appear will be *^^'^ to Saranac on July 3d in a special car on the New York Centtal railraad, will give their performance on the 4th' and return to New Yoiic oo Joly 6th. During their stay at the resort they will be the guests of Mr. Morris at the Rite hotel and will be entertained by Mr. and lira. Morris at their home in Sai^ Martin Wagner of the Morris office in New York will be in charge of the enter- STOCK TRYOUT FOR WOODS PLAYS At tL Woods has decided to have the George Mai^hall Players at the Belasoo Theatre Washington, try out two new plays for him within the ncct two weela. Should they prove up both are to have Broadway productions diis season. The first to be tried out will be a comedy entitled, "After ^tt RarD," by Ray Colefnan and Lyim Overman, the wedc of July 2. Judith An- who was leading woman for Frank ICnmn ia TcteT Weston" this season,' wiU bead the cast, which will also contain Lil- Can Ross, John Daly Murphy, Fred Ray- mmijr Ann Sotiierland. Wallace Clal'ke. John Kkdn and Joseph Ochan. The second play, entitled "The Alarm Oock;" which was adapted from the French by Avery Hopwood, 'will be tried ont the week of July 16. Bruce MacRea will appear with the company in ^ati play as wdl as Miss Anderson and the balance of the cast that appears in "After the RahL" "POPPY" FOR MADGE KENNEDY Madge Kennedy, stage and screen star, whose last appearance on the "legit" stage was in "Cornered," produced by Henry w. Savage several seasons ago, and who has since been occupied with film work, will return to the legitimate stage early next season as the star of "Poppy," a new musical comedy by Dorothy Donnelly, Steve Jones and Artiiur Samuels, which is to be produced by Philip Goodman. This will mark Miss Kennedy's debut as a mu- sical comedy star. The piece 'will open at Long Branch, N. J., on August 6. The following Mon- day the play is sdieduled to open at the Apollo Tneatre, New York. Among some of the cast engaged in support of Miss Kennedy are W. C Fields, Luella Gear and Sarah Edwards. Ira Hards will stage the play. REVIVING OU> MELO SHOWS Giaoe Anderson, who has been _ con- nected widi a nuEober of motioo picture enterprises, is planning to revive interest in the old melodramas wUcb held full sway befon the movies Liuwded th^ni into discard. Miss A n derson has <q>ened offices in the Chandler Building and is as- senMing a compaqy of players. She is planning to lease a neighborhood theatre which die will recbriltcn "Tlie TbriU iSoic" and revive such veterans of melo- drama as "Chinatown Charlie," "Queen of the White Slaves," etc. Miss Andersoo has entered aegotiatioas for a lease of the Chaloner Theatre, Ae motioo picture house at Tenth avenue and FiEty-fifA street. Nothing defnute had resulted up to press time. OFFER TO SPIEGEL CREDITORS A meeting of tlie creditors of Max Sfriegel will be held in the old Post Office .Building, Park Row, on Friday to consider an offer of settlement by Mrs. Estelle B. Mark, mother-in-law of the bankrupt theatrical man. Edward Hymes, trustee for Spiegel, wfao is at present con- fined to a sanitarium in Connecticut, 'was uurtrumental in bringing about the offer. In a report just Sltd by Hymes as trustee the outstanding r^aimg against Spiegel are said to aggregate $1,000,000, and for the purpose of settling these claims it is understood Mrs. Mark has offered to pay $350,000. It is probable that those holding secured claims will receive 25 cents on the dollar, while 10 cents on the dollar will go to those whose claims .are un- secured. Spiegel's financial troid>les came to light las; December when upon the application of his brother, Leon Spiegel, ^ter two attenii>ts at suicide, he was committed to a sanitarium in Stamford, Conn., by a judge of the Probate Court in that city. Spiegel had a successful and spectacular career in burlesque and theatre operation prior to the time he became financially involved, 'wiiich followed his affiliations with the Shubert advanced vaudeville cir- cuit upon which he had several attractions pl3}-ing. At the time of the failure it was said that Spiegel had taxed himself with the burden of carrying too much theatre pioperty which brought about his financial downfall. Following his commitment to the sani- tarium a petition in involuntary bank- ruptcy was filed with Judge Julian Mack in the United States District Court by Charles Fiidierg, manager of the Grand Theatre, Hartford, Nat Lewis, Broadway haberdasher, and Sol Brill as creditors. Besides losing in the Shubert units Spiegel lost a consideiable amount of money through the presentaii(Mi of Nora. Boyes in the misical comedy, "Qneea of Hearts," at the George M. Cohan Tlieatre early last season. It was brought out at several hearings that Spiegel at various times in obtaining loans from banks to enable him to meet obligations had forged the names of various members of hi's wife's family and business associates to spurious stock cer- tificates on which he obtained loans. ARMAN KALIZ DIVORCED Supreme Court. Justice Burr ended the series of legal 'controversies in whitji Amelia Stone Kaliz and Arman Kaliz were the principals by granting the couple a divorce, thus closing a two year tangle. Miss Stone, well known in vaudeville arid musical comedy, charged her husband with an undue fondness for a young ac- tress identified in court as "Babe." The wife alleged that her husband had visited the girl's apartment in 'West 48th street, and she also accused the couple of miscon- duct in a Philadelphia hotel. For several years following their wed- ding in 1910, Kaliz and his wife were known as the happiest couple in vaude- 'ville. About a year ago Kaliz moved to the Friar's Club, while Miss Stone took up a residence at the Hotel Embassy. Kaliz was for a time a prisoner in Ludlow street jail, following his ^lure to pay $100 a week to his wife during the di- vorce action. "HANDS OFF" NEW REVUE "Hands Off," a new musical review by Harry Clark and Hubert 'Winslow, -will be given a hearing next season by the Beanx Arts Productions, Inc. SHUBERT PLACES DIRECTORS Hughy Shubert, who has an office in the Columbia Theatre Building, where not alone he writes sypecial music and num- bers but also places musical directors with traveling shows. Up to Monday Shubert had placed the following musical directors for the coming season. Joe Paulson with the "Sliding" Billy Watson, how, Bert Jeska with "Barney Google" Company, Ernest Schlenker with the Harry Hastings "Silk Stocking Revue," WiUiam C Lip- pins with R. J. T. Ryan Mutual Show, Henry Newbauer with Barney Gerard, Chet Arthur wiA "Bubble Bubble," Rocco Colone with Mollie Williams, Harry Stoddard 'with the Joe Howard show on the Mutual Circuit and Jim Williams 'with the Harry Fields Show on the Mutual Gr- cuit. . _„,£ MILLION DOLLARS FOR KEENEY Frank A. Keeney, proprietor of Keen^s vaudeville and picture house in Brooklyn, inherited more than a million dollars ac- cording to the third accounting of the estate left by his father, Seth L. Keeney, mer- chant, who died March 13, 1913. The ac- counting was made by Keeney and the Brooklyn Trust Company, as executors, and filed in the Kings County Surrogate Court The papers filed show that Seth L. Keeoey was 82 years old and by his will of April 16, 1907, gave his son, Frank A., the Keeney home at 221 Qermoot avenue, Brooklyn, with all of die furniture and contents therein, and all of the life insur- ance. He said: "I give and bequeath to my son, Frank A. Keeney, $50,000 in cash or securities, the securities to be selected from my asseti or estate, and I direct then that after the bequests and annuities are paid as here- inafter provided, the balance of the income on trust funds be paid over to my son, Frank A. Keeney, quarterly, or semi- aimually, and five years after my decease; and after all bequests and liabilities are paid, I give my son, Frank A. Keeney, one-third of my estate at that time remain- ing, and at the end of ten years another third, and the remaining one-third to be left in trust for him as long as he lives, and at his death to go to his next of kin. "All the rest, residue and remainder of my estate, real and personal, not otherwise effectually disposed of, and which I may have the nght or power to dispose of "by will, I give, devise and bequeath to my executors of this my will hereinafter named, in trust to keep^ manage and care for, collect the rents, interest and income therefrom, and after paying the interest on the incumbrances, taxes and assessments thereon, from time to time; and the install- ments_ to be paid to my sister, Ruby H. Watkins, and others, to apply the residue of such rents, issues, profits, interest and income annually or oftener to the use of my son, Frank A. ICeeney, as long as he shall live, and upon the death of my said son, Frank A. Keeney, to his lawful issue surviving during their lifetime." In their latest accounting, covering a period from March 16, 1918, to October 19, 1922, the trustees charge themselves with prindpal, $1,(^2,597.23, representing the $980,020.68 ordered held by the 1918 court order, an increase of $92,576.55. They also charge themselves wi^ in- come of $314,lia0S. Against the principal they credit them- selves with administration expenses, $7,20Sl Against the income they credit them- selves with administration and other ex- penses, $33,535.30. and gave to Frank A. Keeney from April 1. 1918; to March 1 last, $269,850. The balances—$1,065.38923 as principal, and $10,732.75 as income—they are holding for further distribution, snbject, however, first to the deductions of their commissions and the expenses of the accounting. A preliminary hearing for the signing of the decree it is expected will be held in the near future. 7 SHOWS BRAVE CHICAGO HEAT Chicago, June 23.—The terrific heat wave the post week has kept do'wn the at- tendance at the loop theatres. However, the_ seven playhouses now open will retain their present attractions with no new pro- ductions offered for the coming week. "The Dancing Girl" is very much in public favor at the Colonial and will re- main here throughout the summer. Across the street at the Apollo, Eugene and Willie Howard in "The Passing Show" are hold- ing their own, although receipts at this house this wedc are much below tiiose of last week. Eugene O'Brien is still enjoying a prof- itable nm in "Steve" at the Princess. Blossom Time" remains at the Great Northern. "Chains," considered the best play now in Chicago, is doing nicely at the PUyhouse. "Up the Ladder^ is holding on at the Central and Donald Brian in "Roll- ing Home" remains at the Cort This comedy is scheduled to close next Saturday night and will be succeeded b^ 'William Courtney in a new play, "Dangerous Peo- ple, written by Oliver White, which will open Sunday, July 1.