Inside facts of stage and screen (June 21, 1930)

C f. '<5 L {. ESTABLISHED 1924 EDITED BY JACK JOSEPHS Vol. XI Entered as Second Class Matter, April 29, 1927, at Post- office, Los Angeles, Calif., under Act of March 3, 1879. Saturday, June 21, 1930 Published Every Saturday at 800-801 Warner Bros. Down- town Building, 401 West Seventh St., Los Angeles, Calif. No. 25 FRED LIGHTNER APPEARING AT R-K-0 THEATRE, LOS ANGELES WEEK OF JUNE 26 IN A COMEDY OFFERING ENTITLED “HOW AM I DOING?” HOLLYWOOD FAILING TO RENEW ON CONTRACTS With song - and prance films flopping, talkified musical shows and operet- tas proving a box-office disappointment and many of the run of revamped stage plays failing to hit the ticket choppers for ex- pected returns, a general -shakeup in Hollywood studios is under way. Scores pf actors, writers, dia- logues, playwrights, songsmiths, singers and dancers, under con- tract arrangements of six months, one year, and holding one and two pictures agreements, are being let out as their contracts expire. With the huge profits and divi- dends of the past few years slow- ing up considerably and the next dividend period expected to mark the lowest returns to investors since the inception of talkers, all the studios are adopting a stop- look-and-listen policy before rush- ing into contractual obligations with big names, whose pulling power is admitted on the stage, but whose draw for film patrons is far from established. Many of the contracts now held will not be renewed when they expire during the next few months. Story trends and audience de- mands are proving extremely un- certain at the present. Exhibitors are demanding more human in- terest and better stories and char- acterizations. There is an increas- ingly-felt demand for the glamour of the “film star personality,” a matter which many of the stage folk feel too dignified to bother about. Hence, studio executives are tak- ing things easy and swinging over to a policy of retrenchment in an attempt to develop more strongly the motion picture features and angles which can be calculated to appeal to the great percentage of filmgoers. SACKETT AT UPTOWN George Sackett has been made manager of the Uptown Theatre. He was formerly manager of the Lyons and Lyons office in Holly- wood. Conchita Montenegro, Spanish stage star, dancer and model, has arrived at the Metro - Goldwyn- Mayer studios to make a talkie debut. Her appearance in a Span- ish silent picture won her present Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract. SHERIFFS SEE VAUDE Twenty acts of vaudeville are booked for the big convention of sheriffs to be staged at Luna Park, Sunday, June 22. Noodles Fagan will act as master of ceremonies. COMEBACK FOR COAST IN AUGUST ANNOUNCED SAN FRANCISCO, June 19.—Burlesque, long neglected as western en- tertainment, is reported set for a smash return on August 1 when Irons and Clammage open the first of a chain of coast com- panies at the Capitol here. While complete plans are held in abeyance pending the arrival of Warren B. . Irons from Chicago this week, it is known that the burlesque firm has leased the Cap- itor from Abe Ruef and is as- sembling a large cast of principals and girls. Harry Cooper is alrealy here, from the East to take the comic s role and Ruby Lang will get the prima donna part. It is reported that Don Sniith may get the lead. Smith, a big fav here when he was with Ackerman and Harris for long runs at their El Capitan and the downtown Casino, is now. in Portland doing radio work, it is understood. A large lineup of girls will be used. Irons and Clammage are bor- rowing Fred Clark from the Mu- tual Wheel, to produce the opening shows, which will be a musical type of presentation, probably with a stage band and several acts of vaudeville. Plans for other coast cities still are on the fire but it is under- stood that Portland, Seattle, Ta- coma, Spokane, Oakland and pos- sibly Los Angeles or Hollywood, Sacramento and San Diego will be included in the chain. About the only burlesque com- petition on the coast is in Los Angeles where the Daltons have headed the field for a number of years. Seattle has the A1 Franks company, San Diego has the Lib- erty Theatre, and there are one or two others spotted about the coast. It is considered possible that, should Irons and Clammage enter Southern California at all, (Continued on Page 5)