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

SATURDAY, MAY 10, 1930 INSIDE FACTS OF STAGE AND SCREEN PAGE SEVEN SAN FRANCISCO, May 8.— Marie Dressier and Polly Moran in Metro’s “Caught Short” proved the outstanding attractions in the local picture field, drawing plenty of customers into the Fox and set- ting that house at the head of the list. “Cuckoos” at the Orpheum drew nicely in its opening. The Dressler-Moran combo, aid- ed by Singer’s Midgets on stage and a Walt Roesner overture, pulled $43,000 into that house. Nils Asther was slated to make per- sonal appearances but didn’t show. Another comedy combination, this one Bert Wheeler and Bob Woolsey in Radio’s “Cuckoos,” were a laugh cinch for the Or- pheum. House did $15,000 on the initial stanza of this flicker. On the second week of Law- rence Tibbett in “Rogue Song” Loew’s Warfield pulled in $24,000. “King of Jazz” with Paul White- man follows in about two more weeks. Publix’s Paramount found Alice White not what she was cracked up to be. With the star appear- ing in person for two days in con- junction with her “Show Girl in Hollywood” house did an average $18,500 and nothing more. Cali- fornia with second seven days of “The Texan” okay at $19,000. Paramount on Parade” opened at Publix’s St. Francis to the mighty sweet tune of $15,000 and is still going strong. Wagnon’s Davies drew a nice $8500 on the first week of Tiffany’s “Mamba.” Ackerman and Harris’ Casino up some over previous weeks, get- ting around $9000 on “Girl of the Port.” Wagnon’s Embassy got $11,500 on second week of “Hold Everything.” NITA MITCHELL BACK T' 1C GUILD’S ANNUAL S ID ELECTION SOON The Catholic Motion Picture Guild will hold their election , of officers on the 19th of this month, the end of their business year. It is not known yet whether James Ryan will be a candidate for re- election, but it is felt he will prob- ably yield to the insistence of his followers, in order to carry for- ward important work begun by him during the past year. Ballot cards are being mailed out now. SAN FRANCISCO, May 8.— After a considerable period f of time spent in the studios and radio stations of Hollywood, Nita Mit- chell has returned here and is set to open May 14 at the Silver Slip- per Cafe. In addition to working with the floor show she will sing with Joe Wright’s band over KPO, broadcasting by remote control from the Slipper. COMICS APPEAR SAN FRANCISCO, May 8.— Bert Wheeler and Bob Woolsey exchanged wisecracks during six personal appearances on Saturday and Sunday where the pair’s new- est Radio picture, “Cuckoos,” had its premiere. FOSTER MARRIED SAN FRANCISCO, May 8.— Walter E. Foster, senior partner of Foster and Kleiser, bill posters, was married Sunday to Mrs. Edith E. Botsford, divorcee. NINA FRELLSON’S JUVENILE TOLLIES Permanent Address: Inside Facts SAN FRANCISCO, May 8.— Possible abatement for several of this city’s night clubs looms fol- lowing raids by prohibition au- thorities who swooped down on the Silver Slipper and Robert’s at the Beach, as part of a campaign against the so-called ginger ale set- up law. Declaring it is illegal for a hotel or cafe to serve ginger ale, min- eral waters and ice to customers when the former know it is for the purpose of mixing drinks, drys seized a quantity of liquor at tables in the night spots and departed without molesting anyone. The raids and the resultant pub- licity they received at the hands of the dailies has resulted in a slashing of business at all night clubs in San Francisco. Customers are afraid to come to the places, fearing they will be implicated in more of the sudden raids that might take place. Prohibitionists padlocked the But- ler Hotel in Seattle some time ago when they held the place re- sponsible for set-ups. It is feared that the same action might take place here. ADDED TO CAST SAN FRANCISCO, May 8.— Paul Bissinger has added Esther Muir to the cast of his musicomedy “Hi There,” opening May 14 at the Columbia. Miss Muir, late of the productions “Lady Fingers” and “My Girl Friday” in New York, is the wife of Busby Berkeley, cur- rently staging dances in the picture production of “Whoopee.” MAKES APPEARANCE SAN FRANCISCO, May 8.— First National sent up Alice White from Hollywood for two days of personal appearances in conjunction with the opening of Alice’s latest picture, “Show Girl in Hollywood,” at the Paramount. Her fiance, Sid- ney Bartlett, accompanied her. MOVE HEADQUARTERS SAN FRANCISCO, May 8.— San Francisco division of Fox West Coast, under the direction of A. M. Bowles, has moved its head- quarters from the fifth to the eighth floor of Loew’s Warfield building. MRS. JOLSON VISITS SAN FRANCISCO, May 8.— Mrs. A1 Jolson, known profession- ally as Ruby Keeler, spent a part of last week here. EMIL ERNEST Schmidt & Nickerson Present a Novelty “NERO—MUSCULAR CO-ORDINATIONS” Permanent Address: Inside Facts, San Francisco Market St. Gleanings SAN FRANCISCO, May 8.— Evidence that the Orpheum’s ad- vertising manager, Frank Percy, realizes that the theatre-going pub- lic is getting fed up on the song and prance flickers is contained in the display space being used on Radio’s “Cuckoos.” “Not a Re- vue” heralds the adv. copy and in that short line there’s a good deal of assurance that probably has at- tracted a flock of customers who otherwise would have remained away from the celluloider, thinking it another one of those things. * * * Unsolicited Interviews After cooling our heels for three hours in the outer offices of Rich- ard '{Henry Duffy’s general man- ager) Marshall we got the jump on two character actors, three ju- veniles and nineteen ingenues practicing the time step and busted into the sanctum of this perpetu- ally busy impressario. “Howdy, Mr. Marshall, what shows are on the boards this week?” “Well, ‘Elizabeth Sleeps Out’ at the Alcazar with ‘Mary’s Other Husband’ ” “Oh, Mr. Marshall.” “ at the President.” But why bother with shows? Let me tell you about the comedian who didn’t want, to do “Hamlet.” But that’s going a little too far, so we departed. * * * We prophesy that it’s only a matter of time until some irate blue-nose is going to rear up on his hind legs and demand a lot of scissoring in some of the latest talkie releases. The bluest gag in pictures yet to come to our at- tention is the one in “Hold Every- thing,” where the cook enters the room, finds the two fellows in more or less of a compromising position (they had been wrestling) and then remarks: “Oh, pardon me, you gentlemen probably want to be left alone.” * * * Spotlights George Nickson saving money on socks ... he has taken up spats . . . the Silver Slipper Cafe . . . with Joe Wright’s hot, rhythmic music . . . Jimmie Barr’s show- manlike rendition of St. Louis Blues . . . many show people there . . . Walter Beban from NBC . . . D. P. Isabella from the Fox Oak- land . . . Virginia Buchanan from Ne w Moon . . . A. J. Perry . . . this big period and paragraph man . . the Governor Hotel . . . looking like the Roosevelt in Hol- lywood . . . within five minutes in the lobby we saw . . . Carlton Kelsey, A1 Siegel and Jerry Whyte from Hi There . . . Carl Lamont of Shapiro, Bernstein up from Los Angeles . . . Singer’s Midgets from the Fox . . . Manny King and A1 Frabell from the Golden Gate . . . Louis Graf, Bill Foy, Deiro, Florence Spur- rier, Ruby Lang, Jack Russell, Ar- thur Ward, Hal Horne, John Smith, Chaz Chase . . . more theatrical people than there are tap dancers in vaudeville . . . c’mon, let’s steal another bow. ORGANIST LEAVES SAN FRANCISCO, May 8.— C. Sharp Minor, featured organ- ist at Loew’s Warfield, leaves the house this week and will go to Hollywood where he has several things in prospect. Peter Paul Lyons and orchestra will handle all music of the house. LYRIC CONTEST PLUG SAN FRANCISCO, May 8.— R-K-0 Orpheum is sponsoring a lyric contest in connection with a melody, “Springtime Every Day For Me,” written by Geo. B. L. Braun, local composer and pub- lisher. Buss McClelland, Orpheum organist, is tied up on the stunt with Braun, PICTURE SHEET ‘ TROUBLING HIM SAN FRANCISCO, May 8.—Af- ter taking a peep at the 24-sheets out on “Ingagi”—they show a na- tive woman in the clutches of a jungle gorilla—a film peddler re- marked: “It’s getting so a guy doesn’t know with whom he can trust his wife these days.” WRIGHT PLAT FAILS TO OPEN PER SKED SAN FRANCISCO, May 8. —While numerous legal diffi- culties beset Andy Wright here this week, William Foy and Kit Guard, two members of the cast of “Philadelphia” were. negotiating for new backing to open the play at the Capitol here with a re- vamped cast. SAN FRANCISCO, May 8.— When a $625 check for a week’s rental of the Tivoli bounced back on W. J. Leahy, owner of the house, he cancelled Andy Wright’s “Philadelphia” and that play failed to open Sunday night as per schedule. Despite the fact that the cast was unprotected by an Equity bond members of the troupe agreed among themselves to waive it un- til Monday, but when they showed up Sunday morning for a dress rehearsal, doors of the theatre were locked. Included in the cast were Bar- bara Bedford, Ora Carew, Rock- liffe Fellows, Franklyn Farnum, Del Mar and others. LEVIN IS DAD SAN FRANCISCO, May 8.— Jesse Levin, local theatre man, is a dad. The baby boy was born April 29. NEW GEARY SHOW SAN FRANCISCO, May 8.— Charlie King is scheduled to open “Among the Married” at the Geary on May 11, following “Criminal Code.” DOLIN CONCERTS SAN FRANCISCO, May 8.— Max Dolin this week inaugurated the first of a series of Sunday morning Philharmonic Orchestra concerts in the Columbia Theatre, playing to a good house. Time of the features has been shoved ahead to 2:30 p. m., when future concerts will start. TO LEAD S. F. LEGIT SAN FRANCISCO, May 8.— The Lillian Alberton-Louis O. Macloon show, “New Moon,” came crashing through to increased business on its second week at the Curran, topping its nearest com- petitor by more than double. Geary with “Criminal Code” was good, as was Mei Lan Fang, the Chi- nese female impersonator, at the Capitol. Duffy houses took it on the chin. Second stanza of “New Moon” showed $24,000 deposited at the boxoffice and it looks good for several more weeks with “Student Prince” then set to follow. Next door to “New Moon” there was “Criminal Code” at the Geary. Drew mighty nice comment as a great play and did pretty good business, $12,000 being the figure. Duffy’s Alcazar with “Hell’s Bells” registered $4000, while the President with “Mary’s Other Husband” did a weak $3500. In Oakland the Dufwin garnered $4000 with “Elizabeth Sleeps Out.” DOONE IS VISITOR SAN FRANCISCO, May 8.— Allan Doone and his leading lady, Edna Keeley, are here on a visit after several years’ absence dur- ing which they played in Aus- tralia, New Zealand and South Africa. They return soon to South Africa where they hold contracts for a return engagement. ENTER SIXTH MONTH SAN FRANCISCO, May 8.— Don and Rita are entering their sixth month as featured dance team at Cafe Marquard, working in a Fanchon and Marco booked floor show. Don also handles the m.c. work for the night spot. SAN FRANCISCO, May 8.— Victor Connors, 15-year-old college student, has written a three-act mystery play, “Midnight,” which was produced at a local church this week. His mother, Ruth Saville, is well known here as a stock player. DON & RITA Pleasing Critical Audiences After Six Months as Featured Dance Team at CAFE MARQUARD SAN FRANCISCO YENDYS WORLD’S GREATEST PANTOMIME ARTIST ALWAYS BUSY DEMONSTRATES ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING Permanent Address: 1356 Haight St., San Francisco Phone: Hemlock 0121 HOTEL GOVERNOR TURK AT JONES SAN FRANCISCO THE HOME OF ALL THEATRICAL PEOPLE PLAYING SAN FRANCISCO SPECIAL RATES TO PROFESSIONALS JACK WOLFENDEN, Prop. BERT HENDREN, As.t. Mgr. GOLDEN STATE HOTEL Powell at Ellis San Francisco SPECIAL THEATRICAL RATES $10JO Single — $12.00 Double — $14.00 Twin Beds Tub or Shower SID H. CLARK, Mgr. SCENERY BY MARTIN STUDIOS HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA