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

PAGE TWO INSIDE FACTS OF STAGE AND SCREEN SATURDAY, MARCH IS, 1930 EXPECT FIGHT ON NEW CONTRACT They Come Out Or Get Brand Of “High Hat 5 A smart boy around town has got a new gag for pulling the movie execs out of their sanctums. Recently he called on a man who had just taken a jump from being one of the lowly servitors to a post of dignity and power. “What do you want to see him about?” asked the inevitable sec- retary. “Just tell him I want to see whether he’s got high hat or not,” the visitor replied. In defense of his reputation the newly-made exec had to come forth with a hearty greeting, de- clare that he was sorry he was “in conference” and make a definite ap- pointment for the next day. “Among the Married,” out- standing success of Edward Ever- ett Horton at the Majestic The- atre, Los Angeles, last Decem- ber, is to go into production again very shortly under the aegis of Dudley Ayres, one of the Horton company. Ayres secured performance rights of the play from the author, Vincent Lawreste, as the fruit of an old friendship dating back to the time when Lawreste was a golf writer on the Boston Tran- script. Ayres has produced three other of this writer’s plays. Law- reste is now a writer on the Para- mount lot. The cast as at present lined up includes Gladys George, Francis X. Bushman, Agnes Ayres, Ben Er- way and Dudley Ayres. Charles King is director. The plan is to break the pro- duction in at the Strand Theatre, Long Beach, during the last week of March, then take it to San Francisco, where it is planned to show it at the Curran. Follow- ing that it is proposed to bring the play back to Los Angeles, but no decision has been reached as to what theatre is to house it. TWO AT TIFFANY LECH FIGURES IIP ESPITE START OF Production is up to schedule on the Tiffany lot. Scott Pembroke is nearing completion of the talkie version of Elliott Lester’s play “The Medicine Man,” the cast of which includes Jack Benny, Betty Bronson, Eva Novak, Alyn War- ren, Georgie Stone, Tom Dugan, Billy Butts, Will Walling and Dorothea Wolbert. Richard Thorpe has “Song of the Rurales” well in hand, a Jack Natteford story. In it are Armida, Don Terry, Marjorie Kane, Wes Barry, Victor Potel, Harry von Meter and Frank Glendon. The influence of the Lenten sea- son did not work much injury to legit returns in Los Angeles dur- ing the past week. “New Moon” at the Majestic Theatre drew $16,- S00, compared with the previous week’s figure of $18,000, and is going into its ninth week with prospects for more records to be smashed. The Duffy houses averaged up well. At the El Capitan, Violet Heming in “Let Us Be Gay” garnered $5900, an excellent show- ing for the season. The Play- house, with Frank Craven in the second stanza of “Salt Water,” took $4900, half a grand below the first week’s takings. This bill closes Friday night, May Robson following in with “Helena’s Boys.” Closing week of Kolb and Dill in “Give and Take” at Duffy’s President brought in $4800. “Your Uncle Dudley” opened there Sun- day to a big business. At the Vine Street, closing week of “The Nut Farm” at- tracted $4700, an increase of three grand over the preceding. Civic Repertory Players regis- tered a healthy gain at the Hol- lywood Music Box in “Bill of Divorcement,” the takings, $4200, being $700 better than the second week. This bill closed Sunday night, being followed by the same troupe in “Romantic Young Lady.” The Actors, Figueroa, Biltmore and Mayan are dark, with the comedy “Slapstick” in rehearsal at the Egan. Waring’s Pennsyl- vanians are making ready to open at the Mason in “Happy Daze.” SET FOR MARCH OPEN! “Philadelphia,” which Andy Wright plans to open at the Vine Street Theatre about March 30, is now in rehearsal at the Troupers Club, Hollywood, with James Gordon, Franklyn Farnum, Bar- bara Bedford and Rockliffe Fel- lows in the four main roles, and with other parts filled by Ora Carew, Kit Guard, Bob Milliken and James Guilfoyie. Warren Millais is stage director, and J. D. Glass business manager. The show is somewhat after the manner of “Chicago,” being a satirical theme of lawyers and the underworld. NEW F.-M. BOOKING Fanchon and Marco time started at The Capitol Theatre, Chicago, March 7. “Carnival Russe” was the initial attraction. Change is weekly. Smut Not R ealism Paramount certainly started something when they let their Mr. Charles Ruggles say to Kay Francis in “Gentlemen of the Press,” “Come up to my apartment some time,' dearie, and fight for your honor.” Now; that line was a little classic, and the howl it drew from audiences was not inspired by its broadness. Far from it. There was a deep psychological element involved, no more intricate in the final analysis, however, than is the laugh that goes up when a dignified human being falls into a mud puddle. Each is inspired by the ridiculous figure people make when they are suddenly pulled from their high estate of uprightness to a sprawl. The part Miss Francis was playing was that of a girl who was pretending to many things, including virtue. The audience realized she was not the immaculate one she pretended to be, but the hero, Walter Huston, did not. Then Ruggles came into the picture. Miss Francis tried her high-handed pom- posity of virtue with him. She appeared to be the winner in the matter when suddenly Ruggles upset all her dignity by the one line. There is artistry in such a cliche as that, and the audience reaction of unbounded pleasure should not by any means have been construed as indicating that smut was what the public wants. But some studios did so construe it. For these there is something to be considered. That “fight for your honor” line was realism. There was no smirking, no suggestiveness in it. What was said was said outright, as much so as in an O’Neill play or a Dreiser novel. By all prognostication of events, the next should be the era of realism on the screen, and it should be a golden era. It is to be" hoped that a few ill-advised producers will not spoil it prematurely by filling the public up with smut which they, the producers, choose to exploit under the name of “realism.” There is all the difference in the world between the two. Raymond Paige Musical' Director and Program Manager for the Don Lee Broad- casting System at Los Angeles, his music is heard from coast to coast when he directs the orchestra for “Voices From Filmland,” a weekly nationwide broadcast orig- inated here in the world’s film cen- ter. He is one of the many out- standing names recruited by radio from theatrical ranks, going direct- ly to KHJ from the Paramount Theatre, Los Angeles. For all- around broadcasting excellence, the organization he has gathered to- gether has no superior in America. 15 PARTS TO CIST FOR Opening date of “The Criminal Code,” now being cast for a Be- lasco and Curran showing through Fred Sullivan of the Jacobs and O’Brien offices in Warners’ Holly- wood Building, has not yet been set due to uncertainty as to the time of arrival of seven members of the New York company who will be in the local production. The original cast members are now with the show in “Philadel- phia.” They are Arthur Byron, who has the leading role, Walter Colligan, Katherine Keys, Russell Hardie, Thomas Findley, William Franklin and Leo Curley. Fifteen parts are to be cast lo- cally. PARAMOUNT ACTIVE Production activity at Para- mount was heavy this week with eight picture shooting. They are “Ladies Love Brutes,” director Rowland V. Lee; “Anybody’s War,” director Richard Wallace; “True to the Navy,” director Frank Tuttle; “Return of Dr. Fu Manchu,” director Rowland V. Lee; “The Texan,” director John Cromwell; “The Devil’s Holiday,” director Edmund Goulding; “High Society,” director Edward Suther- land, and “The Border Legion,” directors Otto Brower- Edwin Knopf. Sanders Puts Scotch Yarns Over for Wow WREN AGREEME PISEPTEMBE While both sides are still 'hold- ing to a general policy of re- ticence, fireworks are expected when the I. A. T. S. E. contract with the Los Angeles Theatre Managers’ Association comes up for renewal September 1. The drastic changes in the amusement field since the present agreement was negotiated for a three-year period in 1927, are con- sidered almost certain to bring the union men and the employers face- to-face with an entirely dif- ferent summary of the situation in their minds. And this is an- ticipated to develop into a long and heated period of negotiations, to say the least. Neither side has as yet formu- lated its demands into cogent form, though the managers’ asso- ciation last week held a meeting at which the coming agreement was an informal topic of conversa- tion. Union sources said they did not expect to hold meetings on the forthcoming contract until late in the summer, but the matter is known to be already in the fore- front of their minds. Talkies Responsible The complete reversal of the L. A. situation was, like most other matters in show business, brought about by the talkies. Prior to their coming the house ma- chine operators had been more or less a significant portion of the I. A. T. S. E., due to the fact that they were outnumbered in the ratio of some ten or fifteen to one, as compared to stagehands and musicians. Nor was their re- quired knowledge of such a highly technical character that replace- ments were hard. But the talkies came, and sud- denly the operators were the aristocrats of the house employes. A good talkie projectionist is an invaluable man, as inexpertness in this department can undo a house as quickly as anything in the world. Stage hands and musicians were let go at picture houses in wholesale lots, and the supply in both these departments far ex- ceeded the demand. Operators in all good houses are now making excellent money, $100 a week or better being no uncommon salary for them, and it is understood that they are plan- ning to ask a $100-a-week mini- mum plus overtime. In the good houses two men are required in the booth at all times, making four or five operators to a house a general standard. It is rumored that the man- agers are not adverse to the $100 minimum, the overtime, and to the four and five-man rosters. But the report is that the operators may demand a reduction of their present 36-hour week to a 30-hour P. A.s Put Ban On Policy of Playing Favs Demands from some few local newspaper writers that studio stories be held for them "exclu- sively,” or else they will not be printed, are due for the discard from now on. The studio press agents have agreed among themselves that they will henceforth have two releases, a morning release and an after- noon release, and that all writers shall share equally therein. Demands of a couple of the writers got preposterous, one fre- quently insisting that stories must be held four days to a week, until such time as the writer chose to drop by and pick them up. If in the meantime someone else got the story from another source, the writer became furious and threat- ened to cut the name of the studio entirely out of the paper. The p. a.’s declare positively that they will not “chisel” on their agreement, they being completely disgusted with the high-handed manner adopted toward them by this and that imperious writer. NORMAL DANCE CLASSES The Earle Wallace studios of stage dancing will have a summer Normal course this year from July 7 to August 2, providing for teachers, children and professional or advanced students. The course is chiefly designed for those who come to Los Angeles with lim- ited time and want intensive train- ing. The whole regular faculty will be available for the course. week, and to this, it is said, the managers will object. May Demand Music But the big fight is not expected to center around the operators. It is anticipated on the matter of stagehands and musicians. While union official sources met the query with “It’s too early to say anything yet; it hasn’t even been discussed,” other sources said they expected to see some sort of blanket I. A. T. S. E. demand ad- vanced, which would carry in a certain number of stagehands and musicians per operator. Undoubt- edly, these sources declared, a de- mand would be made for organ- ists in all class houses without other music, with an orchestral alternative. But, as before stated, this was in nowise confirmed of- ficially. The legit houses are expected to be in the fracas, with attempts to take up the slack in stagehand employment in these spots. If such demands are made, it was declared, they will precipitate one of the major engagements be- tween the economically opposed forces. The new contract probably will be for a two-year period. That is the usual custom, but the last one was put over for three years by the operators in return for concessions made by them. The man who says there is nothing new under the sun has never heard Scott Sanders tell Scotch stories of Scotchmen, by Scotchmen and in spite of Scotch-, men. Sanders, whose picture ap- pears on the front page of this issue of Inside Facts, is one vaude- ville artist who tells original Scotch stories — and gets laughs with them. This week he is at the Orpheum Theatre in Oakland and next week at the RKO The- atre in Los Angeles. Sanders’ turn is packed full of the witticisms that have made this canny Scot one of vaudeville’s best known next-to-closing acts. And the characters he creates are au- thentic. Not that the act is limited to rnonology, for it isn’t, because Sanders displays a pleasing voice that presages for him many inter- esting things when the Hollywood talkie scouts find him out. A Friend In Need Having learned by experience that it takes a special brand of business ability and technical knowledge to keep from getting badly gypped in this world of sin and self-interest, the acting profession, which is under constant necessity to negotiate con- tracts, is eternally suspicious. And with cause. Latest indication of this professional caution is indicated by the number of players who have been trooping up to the Equity offices to find out what this new picture contract is all about. They have turned to their old friend, the A. E. A., which they have learned through long and oftentimes bitter years to.trust. The local Equity members are very lucky in having, for their advisor so competent a man as Charles Miller. He is a man who knows the game from all angles, having been actor, stage director, picture director, company business manager and vir- tually all other executive and artistic titles which the theatre has. There is no one west of'Denver, perhaps, who has a more thorough grasp of acting contracts, of the million and one angles involved in them, and of when conciliation and com- promise is a better policy than strict enforcement of the. letter after a contract is broken. This ability has its reflection in the stream of picture people, who, despite the fact that Equity is connected with the theatre only, and not directly 'with pic- tures, still look to Equity and to Miller to guide them along the labyrinths which complicate the drawing and negotiation of studio agreements. With such a man as Miller at the helm. Equity maintains its strong position in Hollywood, and the association. plays its important part in pictures by standing as an organization which is here to see that the new contract is applied fairly, and, so the thought is, ready to make another step toward Hollywood if abuses of it arise to any extent.