Inside facts of stage and screen (May 10, 1930)

SATURDAY, MAY 10, 1930 INSIDE FACTS OF STAGE AND SCREEN PAGE THR.?/, ‘IngagV and Jolson Picture Lead Up And Down Week In L. A. Film Houses LET PRESIDENT GO The President led the Henry Duffy field in the legits this week with a gross of $5600 for the sec- ond week of the “Blue Ghost” thriller and looks good for two or three more weeks. Henry Duffy may let this house go, negotia- tions now being under way for its disposal, but so far no agreement has been reached on the price. Meanwhile, no show has been set to follow the “Ghost.” Other houses held to steady averages. The El Capitan grossed an even $5000 for the first week of “Love ’Em and Leave ’Em.” Third week of Dale Winter in “Holiday” at the Hollywood Play House regis- tered $4700. “Gorilla” follows in on May 10. The first full week of Lillian Albertson’s “Student Prince” at the Majestic grossed $14,500, and the second week started out at about the same gait. A new oper- etta, “Cubanita,” is being seriously considered for a successor to the present production. Louis Mac- loon is author of “Cubanita,” and Charles Wakefield Cadman com- poser of the musical score. “Prince,” however, will continue as long as business holds up. “Imaginary Invalid,” fifth in the series of Civic Repertory produc- tions at the Hollywood Music Box, grossed $4700 on its second week. It has another week, then to be.followed by Ransome Ride- out’s “Going Home,” the Na- tional Drama League prize winner. The Egan grossed $1100 again for the second week of “Crying Out Loud,” and will continue for a while longer. Fred Waring’s “Rah Rah Daze” at the Mason is to carry on for an eighth week and then close. Leon Errol comes in to bolster the show for the final week. The take has been running around eight grand a week. An Edward A. Blatt production of the drama, “Subway Express,” is talked of as the next offering at this house. “The Criminal Code,” with Ar- thur Byron, is being groomed for opening at the Belasco May 12, to be followed by Fay Bainter in “Caprice” and then David Be- lasco’s “It’s a Wise Child.” “Strictly Dishonorable” opened at the Biltmore on Sunday with a New York cast and started out well. “Among the Married” closed at the Vine Street a shade under $5000 for the last week, having been trimmed a little at the sug- gestion of a censorship official “Questionable Elaine” opened there Sunday, and will be fol- lowed by George Fawcett’s “The Great John Ganton.” The Mayan is still playing the picture, “Journey’s End,” with the stage play, “Decency,” in re- hearsal for an opening on May 26, or thereabouts. The colored revue, “Up and at ’Em,” played only eight days at the Figueroa. Nothing definite was lined up to follow at press time. CHINESE STAR HERE Endorsed by the Chinese gov- ernment Mei Lan-Fang, oriental female impersonator and a group of actors,' musicians and dancers, will open a week’s engagement at the Philharmonic auditorium under the auspices of L. E. Behymer. Profits from this American tour are to go to exploit the advance- ment of opera in China. While here Mf. Mei and his personal staff will be the guests of Mary Pick- ford. BAKER STOCK CLOSING The Clarence Baker stock com- pany, El Paso, closed their season April 26, after a very successful winter. When they reopen next September the house will be equipped with a cooling plant, by the assistance of which it is hoped the season can be extended several weeks. RYAN AND LEE SHORT Benny Ryan and Harriet Lee, vaudeville headliners, appear in their second comedy for Vitaphone Va- rieties, “A Tenement Tangle,” di- rected by Roy Mack. Natacha Nattova THIS WEEK—R-K-0 THEATRE—LOS ANGELES GUMBINER TO ERECT HOUSE H. L. Gumbiner, owner and operator of the Tower and Cameo Theatres here, this week closed a deal for a fifty year lease of the Norton property, situated on the west side of Broadway between Sixth and Seventh Streets upon which he will erect a 2500 seat motion picture theatre to cost ap proximately $1,000,000. S. Charles Lee and L. Tilden have been selected as the archi- tects. Construction is to com- mence June 1 and it is expected to have the theatre ready for oc cupancy by January 1, 1931. Casting has been completed for the production of a new play, “Round Heels.” It is a musical comedy-drama, book by Paul Fix, lyrics and music by Gordon Clif- ford, and will be offered at the Theatre Mart later this month. Cast includes: Russell Hopton, Marion Burns, Roland Ray, Ron- ald Rondell, Bruce MacFarlane, Francine Miller, Harry Vejar, James K. Barnes and Doris Mor- ton. Paul Fix will direct. CONTINENTAL CLOSING SET With Bullocks, big local depart- ment store, planning to build an annex to their Sexenth and Hill emporium, Shanley and Furness are giving up their lease on the Continental Hotel, adjoining the Bullock property. The 50-50 lads hostelry is known from coast to coast as a show business stopping place. Stanley and Furness will continue to oper- ate the Yorkshire here, and the Waldorf in San Diego. SHANE PROMOTION Max Shane, publicity man at the United Artists Theatre, has been promoted to be western di- vision supervisor of publicity and exploitation for Puhlix Theatres, with headquarters in New York. Andy Hervey, formerly with the Orpheum, succeeds Shane at the United Artists here. HEGGIE AT WARNERS O. P. Heggie has been signed for a featured role in the Vita- phone production, “Outward Bound.” C. C. Pettijohn, of the National Film Board of Trade, is here from New York on his annual tour. When reached by telephone at the Roosevelt Hotel he begged off from interviews and would not commit himself as to the nature of the subjects that would engage his attention while here. "I arn going to confer with the local Film Board of Trade, of course,” he said, “and I will be here longer than is my usual cus- tom. I am not feeling very well just now and want to rest a little. I also want to play a little golf, and that’s about all the Inside Facts I know.” He hesitated a little and then volunteered, “I want to tell you the truth, but the nature of my business is such that to publicize it might do somebody some harm. I have decided not to give out anything to the press during this visit.” The local Film Board is arrang- ing a banquet in honor of Petti- john. SUE CAROL ON R-K-O CONTRACT Sue Carol has been signed to a long, term contract by RKO, ac- cording to an announcment this week by William LeBaron, vice- president in charge of production. Miss Carol had been working in “She’s My Weakness,” and adap- tation of the stage play “Tommy,” opposite Arthur Lake. She pre- viously worked with Lake in a picture at the Fox studio and it is possible that RKO will co-feature them in several productions. MILK FUND SHOW E “Ingagi” continues to slay gross picture totals at the Orpheum, grabbing off $22,000 for its third week, making a total of $76,000 for the three weeks, and still go- ing strong. No closing date is in sight. Local high schools have taken an interest in the picture and are staging debates as to whether it is authentic or not, which helps build the boxoffice. The opening of A1 Jolson’s pic- ture, “Mammy,” helped the War- ner Brothers’ Downtown with a gross of $25,600 for the first week. This is two thousands over aver- age and the best the house has done for several weeks, but does not compare any too bravely with the high record made by “Shows of Shows,” which drew $36,000 on its opening week. The Warner Hollywood house grossed $16,700 on the second week of “Song of the Flame,” con- siderably off. The RKO Theatre bounced up from last week’s sag with a gross of $18,000, helped by the presence of Ken Murray on the vaude bill. This is two thousands over aver- age. Screen offering was “Framed,” with Evelyn Brent. Closing week of George Ban- croft’s “Ladies Love Brutes” dropped the grosses to $10,862, away off, for the United Artists. The Chinese suffered with the John MacCormack offering “Song o’ My Heart,” grossing $13,261 for five days. Carthay Circle grossed $23,228 on a full week of “All Quiet on the Western Front,” which is a strong showing. The Whiteman picture folded to $7817 for five days of its second week at the Criterion. Loew’s State was three thou- sands off, to the tune of $28,176 gross, with the Gaynor-Farrell “High Society Blues” and F. & M. Box o’ Candy Idea. Hold-outs are the rule there this week with “Caught Short.” The Egyptian was off, grossing $9733 with “Vagabond King,” and the Boulevard rang up only $5003. SAN DIEGO R-K-O POLICY CHANGE u unit out BIG PI Staged and underwritten by the Hollywood 233 Club, a theatrical Masonic affiliation, the postponed Milk Fund Benefit here has been set for five performances on May 23, 24 and 25, with a midnight show on May 24 and a matinee on the 25th. Each performance will feature about 50 acts, with Fanchon and Marco putting on the shows. EDDIE KAY BACK Eddie Kay, who has for the past few months been featured at the Tavern and Silver Slipper in Salt Lake City, returned to Coffee Dan’s, this week where he is super- vising the nightly merry-making in his own extemporaneous m. c. fashion. SAN DIEGO, May 8.—Willard Welch, from the Belmont, Chicago, is managing the RKO here, replac- ing Jack Coudy. Earl Peterson is assistant. Policy of the house has been changed from a week stand to four days with three shows per diem instead of four. SIGNED FOR SERIAL Colonel Tim McCoy and Allene Ray have been signed by Universal for the leads in its twelve-episode chapter play, “The Indians Are Coming.” Production will start in May 12 under the supervision of William Lord Wright with Henry MacRae directing. Silent and syn- chronized versions will be made. HALL GETS CONTRACT J. L. Warner, vice-president in charge of production for Warner Brothers, has signed James Hall to a long-term contract. ERICKSON, ORGAN EXPERT, ALSO COMPOSES Jamie Erickson, whose pic- ture appears on page one of this issue of Inside Facts, is featured organist at the California theatre in San Diego and currently a big favorite with his organ “over- tures.” Jamie has been a featured organist for the past ten years. He opened the new Fox theatre in San Fran- cisco and also the new Fox houses at Seattle and Oak- land. In addition to playing, he composes, having recently completed “Pershianna,” for Tiffany picture, “In a Chi- nese Garden,” and his latest number is “Sailing a Love Boat,” soon to be published. FOR 1930-31 Universal will make but twenty feature length pictures for 1930-31, instead of fifty, as they did in 1929- 30, and will spend $12,000,000 on these twenty features and about eighty short subjects, Carl Laemm- le announced this week. Last year Universal’s program, in addition to the fifty features, in- cluded more than one hundred shorts and called for an expendi- ture of between $10,000,000 and $12,000,000. Change in policy for 1930- 31 calls for greater expendi- ture on less than half the number of features. Twelve of Universal’s twenty feature pictures for the new pro- gram already determined upon, are: “Strictly Dishonorable,” comedy by Preston Sturges, now playing in New York and Los Angeles, will be transferred to the screen with John Boles starred. The new novel by Erich Maria Remarque, author of “All Quiet on the Western Front,” will be produced, title not yet selected. “Ourang,” drama of whites in the jungles of Borneo, being pro- duced by Harry Garson, Dorothy Janis has the feminine lead; “Sincereity,” new modern novel by John Erskine, directed by John M. Stahl. Dorothy Yost did the scenario and dialogue; “Saint Johnson,” western novel by W. R. Burnett, author of “Little Caesar” and “Iron Man,” filmed unde William Wyler’s direction, to feature John Wray and Lewis Ayres, both of whom had big roles in “All Quiet on the Western Front;” “The Boudoir Diplomat,” screen title of European play, “The Com- mand to Love,” by R. Lothar and F. Gottwald, which has been pre- pared for the screen by Tom Reed, with an all-star cast; “Outside the Law,” written and directed by Tod Browning as a silent picture, to be remade by Browning as a talking picture with Mary Nolan and Edward G. Rob- inson, adaptation by Wells Root and dialogue by Garret Fort; “The Little Accident,” a stage, play by Floyd Dell and Thomas Mitchell, which was adapted from Del U novel, “The Unmarried Father,” filmed as a screen play with William Craft directing an all-star cast; “East Is West,” stage play of several years ago by Sam Shipman and John B. Hymer, purchased as a starring vehicle for Lupe Velez dialogue written by A. E. Thomas’ part technicolor; “The Love Cavalier,” historical yarn of early England, to be made as an operetta starring John Boles with Jeanette Loff, story written by Arthur Ripley and Charles Webb, to be directed by John S. Robertson. “The Cohens and Kellys in Ire- land,” written and produced by Al- bert De Mond, filmed as a musical farce starring George Sidney and Charlie Murray, part technicolor; “The Oregon Trail,” epic of the old west; John Murray Anderson, director of Paul Whiteman in “King of Jazz, will make two big musical stories, which have not been se- lected.. Four chapter plays will be filmed. “The Indians Are Com- ing,” in twelve episodes of two- reels each, Henry MacRae direct- ing, with Tim McCoy and Allene Ray featured; “Big Circus,” in ten episodes; “Fingerprints,” by Arthur B. Reeve, in ten episodes; and Mutiny,” a sea serial, in twelve episodes. On the comedy program Charlie Murray and George Sidney will be starred in ten two-reelers directed by Nat Ross. Ten all-talking Leather Pushers” also will be filmed. Walter Lantz, head of the car- toon department, will make fifty- two animated cartoon subjects; twenty-six Oswald cartoons, thir- teen Fanny the Mule cartoons and thirteen novelty cartoons. Directors already set include: Lewis Milestone, John Robertson, Tod Browning, John Murray An- derson, John M. Stahl, William Wyler, William Craft, Henry Mac- Rae and Edward Laemmle.