Inside facts of stage and screen (March 29, 1930)

PAGE TEN INSIDE FACTS OF STAGE AND SCREEN SATURDAY, MARCH 29, 1930 VANCOUVER, B. C. A. K. MacMartin REPRESENTATIVE 901 Bekins Bldg. ^NORTHWEST -» WA SHIN GTON OREGON Division Offices JEAN ARMAND DISTRICT MANAGER 502 EASTLAKE AVENUE Seattle, Wash. Phones: Main 9425; Capitol 1932 I DAHO MONTANA PORTLAND, ORE. F. K. Haskell REPRESENTATIVE Postoffice Box No. 16 0 FOX PICTURE TOP VANCOUVER, March 27.—A decided pick-up struck the local b. o.’s during the stanza. F. N.’s “Son of the Gods” at the Strand, and Fox’s Movietone, “The Cock- eyed World” at the Capitol, shared the largest draw. The R-K-O Orpheum was not so forte with a four-act bill of vaude headlined by Ken Murray, and as screen fare “Devil May Care” with Ramon Novarro, but business built slowly on this of- fering. The Beacon (formerly Pan) did a little better than average with Jules Verne’s story in technicolor, “The Mysterious Island.” Build- ing up this old vaude house with nothing but pictures as the draw, seems a slow process, and at pres- ent with all b. o.’s in a depressed condition, the jingle here is faint. The Empress with the British Guild players doing” Elizabeth Sleeps Out,” advertised as the last week of a seven-weeks’ run, held up strongly and could have gone another without hitting the red. The Dominion packing its small capacity with Fox’s “Sunny Side Up,” second-run after Capitol, some weeks ago. Columbia’s “Murder On the Roof,” the Liberty Maga- zine story, did well for the Co- lonial b. o., which always gets its share no matter what happens else- where. The Vancouver, dark. The F. P. C. C. houses in the suburbs are doing well. The Alma Road with “Rio Rita” for three days lined ’em up nightly. F. P. C. VANCOUVER, March 27.— Some transfers in the ranks of the F. P. C. Corporation theatre man- agers and staffs include the fol- lowing: Stan Pooley succeeds Ted Harris as assistant to Manager Lloyd Derth at the Capital, Van- couver, Harris having moved to Seattle to handle publicity for the Trianon Ballroom. J. Moore, man- ager of the Windsor, a suburban Vancouver theatre, has been trans- ferred to Nanaimo as manager of the Capitol in that city. Ernie Patch, who has returned from an extended vacation in Winnipeg, Man., succeeds him at the Wind- sor. Mike Goodman, former man- ager of the Capitol, Nanaimo, has been recalled to manage the Vic- toria Theatre, another suburban house here. ARTIES DRAW WELL VANCOUVER, March 27.—The Little Theatre Association drew big business to their house March 19-22 with Shaw’s “Androcles and the Lion” and Sir John Barrie’s “Shall We Join the Ladies?” Both productions being staged at each performance. EDDIE KAY Extemporaneous Master of Ceremonies The Tavern Salt Lake City, Utah Hello, Everybody! Starting my engagement in Salt Lake after fourteen weeks at Coffee Dan’s. Don’t forget to see me at The Tavern, Salt Lake City, Utah. Notes Along Fifth Avenue SEATTLE, March 27.—And the wind was blowing . . . And Lynn Peterson, over from Bremerton, and Eddie Fitzgerald were pa- rading up the avenue . . . Ray Jones reporting a new account and looking for scandal . . . Gus Renstrom lamenting a letter that never was delivered . . . Bobby Murray with the missus out eat- ing, late at night . . . Art Ken- nedy in town and full of ambi- tion . . . Bob Armstrong down- town for a chat . . . Bob Blair and Charley Kurtzman hurrying to catch a train . . . Davfe Hime- loch watching the show from a rear seat . . . Earl Crabb sur- prised at results . . . Sylvester Cross working late at night . . . Ivan Ditmars supplied with all the requisites for paying his bill . . . Dwight Spracher hurrying to the barber shop late at night . . . Frances La Varr, A1 and Lillian Simmons and Emma Jane Epler in a radio station’s studio . . . Bill Ross singing a song . . . Bob Munson reminiscing . . . Billie Landers dressed up like pepper- mint candy and hurrying off to a club date . . . Chet Cathers in- quiring about old friends . . . Alan Strickfaden interested in the talkies . . . Lloyd Weir looking for information . . . Jackie Sou- ders bending over a pile of pic- tures . . . Dick Allen interested in a letter . . . Jay Brown bat- ting in the booth . . . Jimmie McNab being hunted . . . Harry Mills not worrying . . . Everhardt Armstrong still on the make for free auto rides . . . Dick and Bess Hayes .enjoying a preview . . . Bud Jenkins and Dorothy Grod- vig to Tacoma and back . . . Sydney Dixon among those ab- sent . . . Sammy Meyers critical in buying cigars . . . Henri Dam- ski too busy . . . By Scobey and his Band substituting while “Pops” McElroy took his bunch to Brem- erton . . . Ernie Clark writing re- ceipts . . . Betty Shilton getting one . . . Basil Grey telephoning . . . Syl Halperin and Tommy Rich to Portland for a wedding . . . Fay Eller, Pearl and Lillian Harris, Genevieve Johnson. Pau- line Morris and Kate McAllsiter enjoying themselves . . . Johnny Bowles reporting progress on the moustache . . . Lou Golden com- ing down to open the door . . . B. N. Hutchinson with secrets . . . Glen Scholine fulfilling an obligation . . . Shelby Cole in the rain and denying rumors . . . Ken Schoenfield busy with refrig- erators . . . Vic Meyers very busy . . . Billy Ulman and his new Ford . . . Owen Sweeten in conference . . . Joe walking to work . . . Stan Gus-Schlump like- wise . . . Ttubby Hart supervising scene shifting . . . Johnny Jess watching the clock . . . that’s all . . . see you next week. J. & V. COMEBACK STRONG SEATTLE, March 27.—Jensen and Von Herberg, show pioneers of the Northwest, who recently re- opened the Liberty Theatre in Se- attle, have lately installed an at- mospheric Oriental tea garden on the mezzanine of the former ace house, where tea readings attract a big fern following. Hold-out business is the rule, even for mati- nees. at a house held dark for yeans after the J. & V. sell-out to West Coast. Top tariff is 35 cents for evening shows. KENNEDY ON VACATION SAN FRANCISCO, March 27.— Hal Roach’s comedy cop, Edgar Kennedy, made San Francisco his headquarters the past week, the Roach studios in L. A. being cur- rently in the midst of a month’s close-down. E SEATTLE, March 27.—Nancy Carroll at Publix’s Paramount in “Honey” topped the village in a week that was, for the main, marked for its mediocrity. The Paramount picture registered $16,- 500. Fox’s Fifth Avenue, with $15,- 500 reported for Elinor Glyn’s “Such Men Are Dangerous” and Fanchon and Marco’s “Havana Bound” Idea was satisfactory. Jackie Souders helped Joan Craw- ford in “Montana Moon,” currently here, started off gloriously. Eleven thousand in the first week of “Happy Days” at the new Fox called for a hold-over of the screen revue. Owen Sweeten and his band helped the draw. “Happy Days” bows out at the end of the second week, and should get about six grand in the final stanza. “Temple Tower” booked in to follow “Happy Days.” Proves Surprise “Cohens and Kellys in Scot- land” surprised by getting $9750 for Hamrick’s Blue Mouse. At the Music Box across the way Hamrick obviously showed good judgment in jerking “Song of the West” at the end of the second week after the film got $6250 for the final seven days. Opus originally scheduled for three weeks, but reaction ’way off. R-K-O’s Orpheum fair with $8500 for Helen Twelvetrees in “The Grand Parade” and a four- act vaude bill, headed by A1 Trahan. Stage show a topnotcher, and must be given credit for what biz was garnered, as film was nothing to cry about. Stage show given heaviest ballyhoo by p. a., something unusual here, but the results proved satisfactory. Night Life Off Night life in town at a low ebb. with Tiny Burnett still drawing heavy at the Olympic Hotel’s Venetian Gardens. Vic Meyers’ Club Victor holding up well after the heavy ballyhoo campaign of past weeks, and beginning to show a profit. John Savage’s Trianon Ballroom now clicking in forte fashion nightly after several months in the doldrums. Mid- week finds big houses, with Satur- day and Monday witnessing the capacity taxed. Cole McElroy’s Spanish Ballroom still going great, with nice crowds nightly and the spot continuously in the black. Bert Leonard’s Tent the only profit-maker of the smaller dance hall spots, the balance finding it a tough struggle. Joints on the highways getting by on their rackets. Coffee Dans’ downtown spot still getting nice play, with the novelty of the thing still bringing ’em in. Censors Won’t Take Billing For Handiwork VANCOUVER, March 27.— Maynard Joiner, manager at the R-K-O Orpheum, who originated the idea of having a big card un- der a spotlight with the word “censored” on it appear every time the picture went silent on account of the censors’ shears, has been forced to fold up on the scheme. The censor board jumped with both feet on the F. P. C. Corpora- tion who operate the house, claim- ing it made them look ridiculous. Without the explanation, the the- atre has to look that way to its fans, who believe the equipment has gone wrong or the house is booking poor films. ‘Mouse’ Club Under Way to Good Start SEATTLE, March 27. —Pulling 1391 youngsters into his house last Saturday morning, Manager Dave Himelhoch of the Fox-Coliseum got his kids’ “Mickey Mouse” Club under way with a bang. The juveniles were admitted free and filled nearly every chair in the 1500-seat house. Of those present, Himelhoch reports nearly a thou- sand signed up for the permanent organization, which admits kids to the special Saturday morning shows for a jitney. These performances will feature special attractions for the youngsters and bid fair to be a big hit. Another move by Himelhoch in popularizing the big first and sec- ond run spot was to cut the tariff scale. Prices now range from 15 cents in the mornings to a 35-cent top at night, against a former straight 35-cent charge throughout the 'day. This move was made to combat the rates at Jensen and Von Herberg’s big Liberty. saniniET SEATTLE, March 27. — Paul Whiteman is coming to Seattle, authoritative sources declare, with his initial local appearance set for the Civic Auditorium for one week, Commencing April 7. Those in the know refuse to divulge just who are the angels behind the local Whiteman presen- tation. But that he will definitely show here is assured, both by the heavy ballyhoo already underway and the backing given the project by the local Chamber of Com- merce and the city, the latter as owners and operators of the Civic Auditorium, where Whiteman and his 33 men will work. The plan for the presentation of Whiteman calls for an invitational dinner dance at the Olympic Hotel on the evening of his arrival, to which only a select group who oan stand the tariff are to be invited. Following this swanky affair Paul and his men will play for the natives nightly in the main audi- torium of the town hall, with the admission scaled at a buck per couple. The public dance will con- tinue for six nights, with Sunday alloted to Tacoma, where White- man will appear in concert dur- ing that afternoon. It is generally believed that Paul got a hefty guarantee to show here, many in the know be- lieving the stipend to run in the neighborhood of fifteen grand. Just how the sponsors expect to get all this back and still show a profit seems to be a mystery to those in the dance racket, as this town is awfully funny about who goes to dances and when and where. However, with the excite- ment about the leader’s first ap- pearance here, the boys behind it may get out from under. NEW CLASSES OPEN Acrobatic and reducing classes are to be taught by Leo Darcy at the Bud Murray School beginning April 15, twice weekly. Instruc- tion is designed for both adults and children. TAXI DANCE SPOTS SEATTLE, March 27.—Signal- ling the return of the “taxi” dance hall to this town, the city council this week issued a license to W. B. Scribner for the operation of the Bungalow, one of such spots closed last fall under order of Louis J. Forbes, chief-of-police. Forbes closed the “taxi” spots under authority given him to shut all places believed by him to be “breeding spots of immorality.” Taking the stand that the halls, most of which are located below the line, were such, the chief shut them and was later sustained by the courts when the dance opera- tors brought suit. The granting of a license to Scribner was closely followed by filing of application for permits by the other operators. William J. Douglas, secretary of the musicians’ union, strenuously fought the closing of the halls as it put fifty men out of jobs, and this point was a strong factor in securing the reopening of the issue. I BUD ID OPEN IT BUTLER SEATTLE, March 27.—Prepar- atory to opening of the Butler Ho- tel Rose Room, currently pad- locked under order of the Fed- eral Government, John Savage, proprietor, this week made appli- cation to the city council for a permit to operate the formerly popular night spot. The ban comes off on May 8, and Savage plans to get the Rose Room in full swing then. Present plans call for Ray Mil- ler and his Band to open the spot, but Savage has, he declares, received what he believes to be authoritative information that Mil- ler has encountered difficulty with the law somewhere in the east and that his trip here has been halted. If such is the case. Savage, not having heard from the Music Cor- poration of America, through whom he booked Miller, believes himself left without a name band to open the Rose Room. Miller was to open here on April 27, working ten days at Savage’s Trianon Ballroom before opening at the cabaret. This arrangement would give Tex Howard and his band boys, current attraction at the Trianon, a little vacation after four months heavy work there. CHANGES IN STAFF SEATTLE, March 27.—'Robert E. “Bobby” Armstrong, for the past 10 months publicity director at Publix’s Seattle Theatre, now the Paramount, this week goes into a new position as manager of the Metropolitan, local house subleased by Publix from Er- langer. Arthur J. Kennedy, com- ing from the United Artist in Los Angeles, replaces Armstrong in the p. a. spot, while Andy Gun- nard, whose resignation left the manager’s spot open at the Metro- politan. has not announced his new affiliation as yet. IS WAGNON P. A. SAN FRANCISCO, March 27.— William B. Wagnon has named Bernard Hicks press agent for the Embassy and Davies theatres. THE CROONING WALTZ HIT! “ROCK-A-BYE TO SLEEP IN DIXIE” Send for Orchestrations—VOCALS—QUARTETTES S. L. CROSS MUSIC CORP. Seattle, U. S. A. BILLY ULMAN FEATURED BANJO VOCALS FOX THEATRE SEATTLE ALSO DOUBLING NIGHTLY —CLUB VICTOR