Inside facts of stage and screen (February 15, 1930)

SATURDAY, FEB. IS, 1930 INSIDE FACTS OF STAGE AND SCREEN PAGE FIVE INDES IN RENEWED ACTIVITY M'KENZIE PLAYERS SWITCHED; REPORT BUSINESS TOO GOOD The Robert McKenzie Players, a stock troupe which was playing swing time in five outlaying towns, are now doing three days a week in Trona only. Report says that the McKenzie Plajrers built up such a draw that West Coast, sponsors of the troupe and in whose houses it played, switched them so as to build up draw at competing W. C. houses in the McKenzie-played localities. On days when the McKenzie organi- zation was in town the rival W. C. houses in beach towns were on a starvation diet, it is said, the organization even doing tremen- dous Monday matinee, which date it played in Venice. First plan, on account of their capacity draw in Venice, was for two days a- week at this spot, but, the report said, W. C. figured it could divide the business among all its beach houses to better advantage. The company is headed by Rob- ert McKenzie, doing characters; his wife, also characters; a daugh- ter, Ella, doing ingenue leads; and a youngster of the McK family. Spots formerly played included three shows in two days at Po- mona, two shows in one day at Hermosa Beach; two shows in one day at Venice; and dates at Ana- heim, Long Beach and Wilming- ton. BRANCH DANCING SCHOOL Bud and Lon Murray of the Bud Murray School for Stage have decided to open a branch of their School for Stage and Danc- ing in San Diego in answer to many requests from there, stating that the town really needs a stage training institution. ' The branch will be under per- sonal supervision of Messrs. Bud and Lon Murray, and Byron Cramer, former stage manager of Murray’s California Sunbeams at the RKO Theatre here will be head of the tap department. Bud and Lon Murray will alternate and divide their time between the Los Angeles and San Diego Stu- dio. Bud Murray is at present in San Francisco but will return to Los Angeles in a week, and make preparations at o’n c e for the branch school. CHANGE IN MANAGERS Val Kennedy, manager at the Biltmore Theatre here, will resign that position this week and will take a long vacation in Europe with his wife. Floyd Menelly, manager at the Fox Boulevard, will replace him, taking the mana- gerial post at the Mason and Biltmore. M'enelly was formerly with the Erlanger chain of thea- tres in the East before he made connections with Fox Theatres. Harry Bailey, present manager at the Fox Palace, will replace Men- elly at the Boulevard. To date there has been no appointment made for the managership position at the Palace. STEPIN RE-SIGNED Stepin Fetchit has signed a five- year contract with Hal Roach. He will probably play with Our Gang and other Roach stars in a few more comedies, and then will be starred. EDDIE KAY THE EXTEMPORANEOUS IMPRESARIO AT Coffee Dan’s Los Angeles Visitors this week— ERNEST WOOD from “Bambina”; LOU BENCH from “Journey’s End.” I Thank You—Eddie Kay FILM ROW By GRACE MEREDITH Joe Stout, branch manager at Pathe exchange, returned this week from a week’s trip through the Southland. * * * G. McIntyre, new division man- ager at Pathe exchange, left a few days after his arrival at his new post for a trip through the Northwest, including Seattle and Salt Lake City. He is expected back this week. * * * Mannie Brown, division man- ager at Tiffany exchange, will re- turn this week from a business trip to Salt Lake City, where he has been for the past few weeks. * * * Jim Riley, crack salesman at the National Theatre Supply, is making a four weeks’ trip through Arizona. t it t “Bow and Arrow;” a Grantland Rice “Sportlight” short, released through Pathe and produced by A. A. Van Buren, will be one of the short subjects shown at the United Artists Theatre dur- ing the run of “The Lummox.” * * L. E. Tillman, division man- ager at Columbia exchange, is ex- pected back this week from a few months’ business trip through the Northwest territory. * * * Fox’s “Men Without Women” will follow into the Criterion after the run of “Anna Christie” with no date set as yet. “TWIST” STOPPED M-G-M has halted all prepara- tion on “Oliver Twist,” which they planned to make with Ruth Chatterton as Nancy Sykes and Lionel Barrymore doing the di- recting and playing Fagin. Only reason given for the delay is that the story is being revised, report saying with the Nancy part being written bigger than in the ac- cepted stage versions of the Dickens’ novel. Other reports say M-G-M couldn’t fill out the bal- ance of the cast satisfactorily. It is not stated whether the shelving is temporary or permanent. NUMBERS FOR REVUE The Wills-Cunningham Dance Studios in Hollywood have been engaged by Roger Gray to pro- vide the chorus and dance num- bers for his revue, “Gone Holly- wood,” that opens at the Biltmore on February 24. Wills has booked many of his pupils in stage and screen productions recently, in- cluding the chorus for the oper- etta, “Bambina,” now appearing at the Mayan Theatre. A new de- partment of the Wills-Cunningham school is a series of classes for beginners in musical comedy dano- ing. These classes are held on Monday andThursday afternoons. RUTH HICK M REOPEN REPERTOIRE SEASON AT 0. G. It is reported that Ruth Renick is again planning to open the Or- ange Grove Theatre on Grand Avenue with a season of reper- toire. Miss Renick had two shows in at the house a short time ago, but when the management attempted to put on the second of them with a cut-down and non-union stage crew, Equity jerked its members due to the danger to people work- ing with non-skilled workers. Miss Renick changed the Orange Grove’s name to that of The Act- ors’ Theatre when she took it over. Major members of the cast en- tered the company under an ar- rangement whereby they got a por- tion of their salaries in money and the balance in stock. Minor mem- bers held regular Equity contracts. OPEETI VOGUE STB* 00 CUT (Continued from Page 3) for a production early in the sum- mer. The sudden awakening of in- terest in musical comedies is somewhat due to the fact that most of the talent available for this type of entertainment is now in Hollywood. The musical vogue of the talkies has brought most of the singing stage stars West and too, the possibility of the pic- ture rights being bought if show here gets over no doubt has some- thing to do with it. Most every producer now has the singles in mind and constructs his numbers along the lavish and extravagant style which the screen demands. This possibility has been taken very seriously by most of the pro- ducers who have steered clear of the song and dance comedies be- cause of the tremendous cost of staging and maintenance. But, the pictures have aroused an appetite for the dancing girls in the flesh no doubt. The bald heads and the rising generation have become sated with having beauty served them in high-lights and shadows only and crave a glimpse of the real thing. Nudity Old-Fashioned It is noteworthy that the vogue for musicals have veered away from the previous demand for nudity. The shows now being given costume their chorus in long dresses and full length stock- ings. They oould not even prop- erly be designated as leg shows, so eminently proper are they. The Slim Martin Makes Habit Of Long Runs Slim Martin, whose picture ap- pears on the front page of this issue of Inside Facts, is the popu- lar master - of - ceremonies at the Boulevard Theatre, Los Angeles. Slim is entering on his fifth week at this house and has built for himself an enviable following. Martin has a record for long runs. His last engagement was at the Fox Theatre in Long Beach where he presided for eight months, and previously he was at the Colorado Theatre in Pasadena for a period of six months. Judg- ing from the popularity he is now building, he will undoubtedly estab- lish a new record at the Wash- ington Boulevard Theatre. REHEARSING NEW REVUE AT BILTMORE THEATRE “Gone Hollywood,” a revue which Roger Grey is to produce at the Biltmore Theatre, is now rehearsing at that house for a start within the next two weeks. In the cast are Charles Mc- Naughton, Roger Grey, Jimmy Morgan, Don Miller, Eddy Mor- ris, Glen D’ale, Pert Kelton, Mary Taylor, Gloria Christie, Aber Twins, Jack Lynds and Charles Cross. Blackouts were written by Grey. TALKIES IN CHURCH For the first time, talking pic- tures will be shown as a medium to attract people into church go- ing. A device has been installed in the W i 1 s h i r e Presbyterian Church and will first be used on Washington’s Birthday in the showing of “Marching On,” an independent patriotic production. Dr. Eby, pastor, is enthusiastic in his belief that talking motion pic- tures will, carry a strong influence for the instruction and uplift of humanity. smut has been eliminated entirely from the books and the plot seems to have taken the place of the disconnected revue bits and black- outs. With the cleaning up of mu- sical shows, the women have once more interested themselves in the lilting melodies of the type of songs made popular in previous years by Victor Herbert, Lehar, Pixley and others. Jazz, blues and ragtime is conspicuous by its ab- sence in the new type of operettas and the pure theme of jingling melody and correct harmony has taken the place of trick blues and discordant sax effects. It is a healthy reaction, this swing of the pendulum and it will no doubt be found that the belief that musical shows cannot make money will be changed by the monetary successes of the current hits. MANY SHOOTING OR READYING TO START AT EARLY DATES Throughout Hollywood, there seems to be a marshalling of the independent forces and a firm de- termination to proceed to make pictures regardless of the condi- tion of the market at present. There is a spirit of optimism among them and while to the cas- ual observer, there is no ship looming upon the horizon to carry their intended product to the pot of gold at the end of the rain- bow, yet they do not seem to care. Trem Carr is actively engaged in making his picture, one of a series contemplated; Joe Rock is launching an extensive program at his Edendale studios; William Miller is proceeding with his preparations to make a super-fea- ture that is to cost upwards of a quarter of .a million; Burton King is under way with a high- class story that will shortly go into _ production; Chesterfield Pro- ductions is rapidly organizing its production crew and is shortly expected to announce an early shooting schedule for a series; Herman Fowler is now in pro- duction on a series of 156 shorts; Colorart-Synchrotone have several features and a number of shorts in preparation; Cal Core is seek- ing stories for a star whom he has under contract and must pro- ceed within a definite date; Ken Maynard is hard at work on a fea- ture; J. Charles Davis II is mak- ing a series at his studios in Culver City; Lon Young states that he will be in harness within sixty days; William Hoyt is confident that he will shortly be shooting upon the elaborate schedule pro- posed for the Equitable Pictures unit of the Motion Picture Con- gress of America release; Cliff Wheeler and Senor Cardona are deeply engrossed in their produc- tion plans; Audible Pictures will shortly start the third of their series; Frank O’Connor states that he will be ready for action within a month or so and several others are going ahead with plans that presage considerable activity before the spring season is much further advanced. These activities, although most all of them at present are em- bryonic, show a strong inclination to restored confidence. HEAD OF U. DEPT. Emil Forst has been appointed head of the foreign literature de- partment at Universal. He for- merly _ was a member of the U. scenario department. 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