Inside facts of stage and screen (February 22, 1930)

SATURDAY, FEB. 22, 1930 INSIDE FACTS OF STAGE AND SCREEN PAGE FIVE VAUDE TALKIES NOW ON MARKET Needless Enmity There is the old army game of never giving a sucker an even break. But there is also a corollary to the effect that if the sucker is to be trimmed twice he should not be made aware of the fact that he didn’t get an even break. Which observation is called to mind by an old theatrical custom that is much more honored in the breach than in the observance. It is the custom of putting out one row of seats in the back of a gallery for the sole purpose of being able to advertise a bottom price for the house lower than otherwise could be done. The Belasco Theatre here still adheres to this custom. It advertises seats from $1 to $2.50 for the current run of its “Journey’s End,” and many a person goes trustingly to the house in the belief that he can see the play for the low rat^_ mentioned. Now, there are such seats, of course, but being only one row of a few seats, they are soon gone. The trust- ing one, who perhaps has guests with Him, is easily brought to pay the $1.50 price, and the chances are fair that he will sit right in front of the $1 seats and in absolutely no better posi- tion for his extra 50 cents per person. As the majority of the “Journey’s End” company speak in such low voices that they can’t be heard in most of the gallery seats, chances are also more than fair that the Belasco will make an enemy who will think twice before again patronizing the house. ‘BAMBINA’ LOSS IS REPORTED TO BE $50,000; DOES FADE-OUT “Bambina” folded up at the May- an last Saturday with a reported deficit of 50 grand. For the final week, the takings were but a mat- ter of $7000, which is less than half the nut. Daniel C. Blum, the young son of a wealthy merchant in the east, was the angel. There is no question but that he did the thing right, but his judgement was KIDDIE REVUES Mack Bissett, who conducts a dancing studio on Hill street, is producing Kiddie Revues, the first one opening at the Manchester Theatre, Los Angeles, the first week in March. Mack is an old vaudevillian and has produced and placed numerous flash acts for the RKO. MILDRED SAILING Mildred Harris, who has just completed a short at the Pathe Studios, has signed a contract to appear in Honolulu in the play “Naughty Cinderella.” She sails Feb. 25. JARRETT’S ACTS Arthur Jarrett, of the vaudeville team of Powers and Jarrett, _ is the author of many vaudeville skits that have clicked on the big time. ■ Jarrett has written a num- ber of new acts especially devised so as to be adaptable to the talkies and is offering them for the consideration • of that field. 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 bad in the selection of the vehicle. Had he expended the same amount of money in an established play, he would have had something to crow about, but original operettas are hazardous gambles in this neck of the woods. The authoress, how- ever, can have no complaint, for her opus was given an elaborate treatment, but it just wasn’t there. On the other hand, “The New Moon,” the Macloon musical, is breaking all records at the Ma- jestic. Last week it grossed $18,- 800, just $250 less than absolute capacity. While no date is set as yet, the Macloons will probably do the N. Y. hit “50 Million Frenchmen” next. The El Capitan, with Mary Bo- land in “Ladies of the Jury” drew $5900 last week. Violet Heming in “Let Us Be Gay” is slated to follow in a couple of weeks. The Hollywood Playhouse took in $5000 for the get-away week of “It Pays to Advertise.” Frank Craven in “Salt Water” opened last Sunday. Kolb and Dill are packing them in at the President. The play “Give and Take” is drawing the best business this house has en- joyed ill several months. $5000 rolled into the boxoffice last week, comparatively a goodly sum for this house. The Vine Street theatre with Lucille La Verne in the last week of “Sun-up” attracted $3900. “The Nut Farm” a Hollywood comedy featuring Frank Mayo, Shirly Ma- son, Emerson Treacy and Gloria Grey opened last Sunday and looks like a winner. The Civic Repertory theatre at the Hollywood Music Box shelved “And So to Bed” in favor of “A Bill of Divorcement” which opened Monday. Their final week was about $3000. The Belasco is still playing “Journey’s End,” The Figueroa Playhouse, Mason, Biltmore, Egan and Actors theatres are dark. AUL STYLES ill TMT10 SEEL The Fowler Studios started re- leasing ■ their “Varieties” on Feb. 15. More than 400 theatres lo- cated all over the U. S. have signed for these “Voice of Vau- deville” shorts. The shorts differ from the usual form of one reel entertainment inasmuch as they show three acts to the reel and the bills are highly diversified. All the various styles of vaude- ville acts are included in their programs, tap dancing, sketches, musical acts, singing, animal spe- cialties and comedy of various sorts are provided in the three-minute sessions. They are to be released one reel a week at first after- wards increasing the number as the markets warrant. Fowler Studios, under the man- agement of Herman Fowler, pre- vious to entering the theatre field of production, was among the first of the studios to manufacture ex- clusively 16 mm. films for home movies. It is their intention to make all of their theatre reels also in 16 mm. together with sound- on-disc which can be synchronized to the phonograph in the homes. The studio has been in produc- tion for several months and has a number of reels already prepared for intensive distribution. Their schedule provides for a series of several reels every two weeks which will comprise many of the acts and names prominent in vau- deville, stage and screen circles. Herman Fowler left last week for a tour of the middle-west. His itinerary includes Dallas, Texas, where a Fowler’s exchange was opened last Monday. Exchanges will be established in Wichita and Kansas City by Fowler during his trip. The exchanges will han- dle Fowler product exclusively. J. L. Burke, district manager with offices in San Francisco, was in L. A. last week to confer with the home office prior to leaving for New York where he will open of- fices to establish exchanges in the eastern territory. TWO HOUSES WIRE The Marcal Theatre in Holly- wood has installed RCA Photo- phone equipment and the device will be employed first with the showing of Irene Bordoni in “Paris” (F. N.). The same equip- ment will also be installed in the Marquis Theatre in West Holly- wood, the first operation of which will be with “Sally” (F. N.) on March 2. FILM ROW By GRACE MEREDITH H. MacIntyre, western division manager at Pathe exchange,_ re- turned Tuesday from a business trip through the northwestern ter- ritory. * * * Phil Reisman, general sales man- ager of the Pathe exchanges, ar- rived here this week from New York on a general tour of inspec- tion of all the exchanges. * * * Jim Riley, of the National The- atre Supply Company, returned this week from a four-week’s trip through Arizona. * * * Amedee J. Van Beuren, presi- dent of the Van Beuren Enter- prises Inc., left Thursday for New York. Van Beuren has been here for the past three weeks on _ a general business conference with “Hank” Peters, western division manager for the firm. * * * “Feline Fighter,” one of Van Beuren’s sound “Sportlight” shorts, released through Pathe has been booked into the Criterion with the run of Fox’s “Men Without Wo- men,” which opens after the clos- ing of “Anna Christie.” Anot her G adfly The newest bill introduced into Congress, proposing to cen- sor motion pictures while shooting in the studios, is one which does no credit to the mentality of its sponsor. Federal inspectors for sausage factories,, or even for bootleg ginneries, are all right if the M. C.s want them, but where there is a question of creative artistry involved,, it is ridiculous. The recent trials in San Francisco of “Bad Babies” shows how ab- surd it. is to advance some burly policeman as an art critic, and, presuming that these studio jobs are held by typical fed- eral appointees, the results could be expected to be similar. All this censorship business has its origin in nothing more than a sadastic jealousy. The picture industry is big and pow- erful and wealthy: So every little picayune finds it a pleasing thing to gad it. The anti-Hollywood wise-crackers and the be- frock-coated pre-censorship congressmen are blood brothers in this respect, and their next-of-kin is that malicious type of per- son who delights in spreading scandal and opprobrious stories concerning those who have made good in this fascinating game of making movies. A great deal depends upon censorship rulings in the talkies. If the industry is going to continue on its present upward path, it must be untrammeled by the pettifoggers who would halt its progress by such silly things as this bill. It is to be hoped Congress will give the present bill a snowing under that will vindicate the slur cast on their mental equipment by its intro- duction. ‘COCKEYED WORLD’ AT POPULAR PRICES IS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHT In a week of steady good re-t-the Criterion, doing $16,725. Fox’s turns generally in the run houses, and with other houses at about their normal, “The Cockeyed World” doing its first popular- priced run, was the most sensa- tional feature of the week in pic- ture houses. This Fox follow-up to “What Price Glory” drew $35,498 to Loew’s State, almost $10,000 over the theatre’s average, and had standouts as a general rule for the night shows. Fanchon and Marco’s “Sunshine Idea” was in support. “Mysterious Island,” a Jules Verne story, done silently and in color, followed, with Paul Whiteman’s Orchestra as the only stage show. That was enough to draw plenty of business. Warner Brothers’ Richard Bar- thelmess starring vehicle, “Son of the Gods,” did a neat $28,200 for Warner Brothers’ Downtown The- atre, rating itself in the second week as some $9000 or $10,000 up from house average. All screen program at this house. Par At Average The other of the centrally-lo- cated downtown houses, Publix’s Paramount, didn’t fare so well with the Richard Arlen-Mary Brian Paramount picture, “Burn- ing Up.” Returns here were at average with $25,000 coming in. Milton Charles, singing organist, and screen shorts were the sup- port. The first week of U. A.’s “Lummox” brought in $20,000 to the United Artists Theatre, a good enough figure but not sensational for a first week. Gaylord Carter at the organ and screen shorts supported. “No, No, Nanette” (F. N.) was just so-so at the Orpheum in its second week, pulling in $12,000. It made way Wednesday for Radio Pictures’ “Seven Keys to Baldpate,” starring Richard Dix. Bob' Hamilton in a kncfckout or- gan specialty and shorts were the supporting program. RKO AT $17,000 The other RKO house, the RKO Theatre, held to average with Columbia’s “Wall Street,” with Ralph Ince and Aileen Prin- gle, and Olsen and Johnson head- ing a vaude bill of three acts. Figure was $17,000. Eddie Eben at the organ is a feature at this house. Pathe’s “Racketeer” fol- lowed, with Pathe’s “The Grand Parade” due next. Greta Garbo’s M-G-M film, “Anna Christie,” was still big at ‘Men Without Women” is slated to follow. Lawrence Tibbett’s “The Rogue Song” still was in the sensational class at the Chinese, doing $29,495 in the last six-day period. This is about $13,000 over the average for the spot. Ramon Novarro’s “Devil May Care” (M-G-M) wasn’t hot at the Carthay Circle, garnering $13,061, not so good for this point of a run. Carli Elinor’s Symphony. Or- chestra and novelty screen shorts are the support. Big doings will happen at this house Feb. 28 with the opening of Fox’s “Happy Days” on Grandeur film. ‘Wedding Rings’ Weak The Dolores Costello-Jack Mul- hall-Chester Morris Warner Broth- ers picture “Wedding Rings” was weak at Warner Brothers’ Holly- wood Theatre to the tune of $14,- 300, under house average. The Egyptian was pretty good with Norma Shearer’s the M-G-M picture, “Their Own Desire,” tak- ing $11,821, with Fanchon and Marco’s “Peasant Idea” in sup- port. Boulevard figures went way down to $5959 with Paramount’s “Behind That Makeup.” RE-SIGN CONRAD Coonie Conrad and his Orches- tra, now in their tenth week at the El Patio Ballroom, have had their contract renewed and the band will remain for the balance of the season. Coonie is a dancer, as well as a leader, and business has been increasing steadily. GAUCHOS AT CLUB The Parks Agency in its new quar- ters in the Orpheum building are busily engaged booking club shows and musical combinations for ho- tels. The El-Flores Gaucho Eight is playing an extended engage- ment for the Lake Norconian Club, booked by the Parks Agency. OUT FOR SELF Don Gillum, with the Fox West Coast publicity offices here, is opening a studio of his own-. He has a special lobby display and photographs. The Strand Theatre, San Ber- nardino, has been re-opened by the Orange Belt Theatres Ltd. The house has been closed for many months. Our Sincere Appreciation Is Extended to MR. REX B. CLARK, and His LAKE NORCONIAN CLUB (SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA’S MOST EXCLUSIVE) FOR OUR PLEASANT ENGAGEMENT EL'FLORES GAUCHO BAND Presented By DON IGOE BOOKED BY PARKS THEATRICAL ENTERPRISES 809 NEW ORPHEUM BLDG. LOS ANGELES, CALIF.