Inside facts of stage and screen (July 26, 1930)

SATURDAY, JULY 26, 1930 INSIDE FACTS OF STAGE AND SCREEN PAGE THREE Gene Swift's THIRTEEN THEATRES CLOSE Ruminations THE PLAY SHOP A BIT OF BOHEMIA IN HOLLYWOOD REMARKABLE STAGE- CRAFT The lover of the curious, un- usual and Bohemian will find it at The Play Shop, “Holly- wood’s Little Theatre,” at 1141 North Gower Street, about half way between the Columbia and RKO lots. There are many attempts at Bohemianism, mostly bastard, where the would-be’s try to be. The Play Shop Club is some- thing entirely different from any- thing else. “Little Theatres” are often so cumbersomely, obviously little. Their dimensions are cut. They are trimmed down, like a tree pruned almost to the trunk. They are subsidized propositions, pro- moted for the support of lazy actors and actresses who want to “do the worthwhile things.” They are rackets for social climbers and psuedo intellectuals. The bored sophisticates will not be bored for long when he dis- covers The Play Shop. At first glance he may mistake it for one of those ubiquitus. Hollywood bungalow tea shops. He will ob- serve a rambling wooden struc- ture, vine clad, straddling about three city lots, surrounded like a sow with numerous little suckling addenda at its sides. A scraggly path connects the building with the sidewalk; over it a rustic arch, vine clad, carry- ing the homemade sign “Play Shop.” There is mongrel shrub- bery adjacent to the walk; a gold- fish pond, muddy, inhabited only by tadpoles and crickets. Over to the left someone has started a bit of gardening. Uncut grass, here lush, there thin, clothes the ground. The property room is outdoors. Discarded sets, flats, drops, litter the back and side yards. Bpts of weathered statuary dot the land- scape, hinting at past history. Legend has it that this place was once the studio of a sculptor. Before that, ’tis said, it was a stable. And a police reporter is authority for the statement that it was once—and not so long ago-—- a place where Volstead was held in open contempt. Beer flowed freely, rudely interrupted by un- announced visits of the vice squad. A. few colored light bulbs il- lumine the entrance arch at night. The visitor, decoyed by what looks like the main entrance, approaches to find a scribbled notice directing him to the side door. A pebbly path leads him to the barnyard. The box office will be found in a woodshed or chickenhouse, or something on that order, several feet removed from the main build- ing. Here a young man sits at a rude—very rude—table, spread with a newspaper and stacked with a conservative supply of tickets, which are used over and over again. Although warned by the postal card notices to “phone for reserva- tions,” when the visitor is ushered into the theatre he is told, with a generous sweeping arm movement, to take his choice of seats. Be- fore he does so, however, he stands transfixed before the scene. About a dozen rows of benches provide the seating accommoda- tion. They look fairly inviting. The seats are leather upholstered. The backs are low, evilly designed, it seems, to_ cut into the spine and back ribs. As the evening wears on those leather seats seem to get harder than oakiest oak. But the wooden frames are enameled in the gay colors so en- ticingly displayed in the magazine ads of those ‘quick-drying’ brands. That helps the spirit. To the right, door generously wide open, is the Green Room. Sitting about, informally, are members of the cast, bewhiskered, becostumed and be-painted, ready for the curtain, gossiping with the audience about whose absence you were beginning to feel concerned. A hostess approaches and invites you to wander in and about. “The place has been cleaned up,” she says, “so don’t be afraid of get- ting dirty.” There are divans, easy chairs, a piano, and a weird face stares startlingly from a picture frame on the wall. It is so-and-so in the role of Abraham Lincoln. Afar off is a kitchen sink, with actors (Continued on Page 6) Heavy Sock At Baby Golf Those Fone Numbers The new Los Angeles tele- phone directory to go to the printers August 1 will have six new exchanges: Kimball, TWinoaks, SYcamore, Michi- gan, CLeveland and ADams. Changes in the Hollywood district are reported -to be the heaviest in history. The names stand, 'but the ad- dresses seem to change about every rent day for some reason. It is estimated that when the new issue finally gets- distributed it will be probably two rent days and three laundry bills behind. PICTURE HOUSES TAKE NOSE DIVE (Continued from Page 1 ) At the Warner Brothers’ Down- town house, second week of “Bright Lights” brought about $10,000. This was final week of all-film policy. Ceballos shows are in there now and skyrocketing tihe 6. o. “Hell’s Angels” and the Grau- man prologue at the Chinese at- tracted $27,457 during its seventh week, a three thousand decline from week previous, but still seven thousand five hundred over average. This will be a record- breaking run. Will Rogers at the Carthay, in “So This Is London,” grossed $15,474, five grand down from previous week. This was for fourth week of the run. House average is $13,791. Third week of T 'The Big House” at the Criterion fell off seven thousand to a gross of $17,304, but this is still over average. Loew’s State was very low with “Good Intentions,” supported by Perry Askam and F. & M. “Green Devils” Idea, grossing only $22,- 610 against house average of over $31,000. The Boulevard played a second run on “The Divorcee,” but only grossed $5142. The Egyptian made a new low record with “Cuckoos” and last week of Ben Bernie’s band, grossing $5637. House aver- age is" $11,431. TAP INSTRUCTOR JOINS WALLACE Howard Ross has been added to the faculty of the Earle Wallace Studio of Stage Dancing to handle the tap dancing department, ac- cording to an announcement made by Earle Wallace. Ross will spe- cialize in modern tap and the pop- ular broken rhythm tap dancing. Ross is well known in the east, where he was connected with vari- ous dance schools, especially in New York City. He is originator of the Ross Rhythm tap dancing and specializes in broken rhythm. He has also evolved a technique of arm movements that are so impor- tant to the successful tap dancer. Ross was for many years in vaude on the Keith circuit, with the team of Hart and Ross. CHIQUITA IN FILMS Educational has signed Chiquita, who has toured the country during the last five years over the major vaude circuits, to appear with Tom Patricola. in a new Ideal comedy to be made at Educational studio. She has been a member of the mu- sical trio, Paulo, Paquita and Chi- quita, an act which remained in- tact for several years. William Goodrich is directing. SPANISH VERSION Antonio Moreno and Lupito Tovar will play the leads in the Spanish version of “The Cat Creeps,” which is to be made for distribution in Spanish speaking nations by Universal. Rupert Jul- ian will direct the English version of the new picture during day- time and the Spanish company will follow on the set and work through the night. NEW ORDINANCE WITH MIDNIGHT CLOSING READY With Lps Angeles County supervisors passing an ordi- nance regulating miniature golf and Beverly Hills, an in- corporated municipality, rul- ing the baby golf lots must close at midnight, the matter came up before the Los An- geles city council this week, with a public hearing Wednesday on the early closing question. Inside reports at the city hall had it that there was little doubt . but that a regulatory ordinance, with an early closing provision, probably at midnight, would be passed this week or early next week. Meanwhile, theatre operators considered plans for a possible re- vival of the midnight show gag, should the golf courses be ordered to shut down at midnight. Loew’s State and Grauman’s Chinese are now running midnight shows, the Chinese changing with the cur- rent appearance of the Hunter Brothers, endurance flight record breakers, to' a dance contest stunt. To' add to possible troubles of showmen, night baseball was started here on Tuesday of this week, the first game being at Wrigley Field, but this pastime, according to present indication, doesn’t look to be a howling suc- cess, 'chiefly because of, the famed coolness of Southern California nights, even though summer days be particularly hot. ROSEN ADDS TO PLAY FOR COAST A1 Rosens’ “Molly Magdalene,” which premiered here at the May- an recently, will open in San Francisco about August 11, de- pending on the run of “Subway Express,” which it follows. Rosen is elaborating the pro- duction, increasing the size of the theatrical troupe involved in the railroad wreck incident and bringing them into the action of the play. After the San Francisco run they will show in Oakland, and Rosen’s plan is to follow that with a Hollywood showing, prob- ably at. the Hollywood Playhouse, before taking the production East. The recent heat wave here cut down attendance seriously, which has persuaded the producer to keep the show on the Coast dur- ing the remainder of the summer season, holding off his Eastern in- vasion for the more favorable fall season. STRAND IS LEASED The Strand Theatre, Long Beach, has been leased for a period of -ten years by Vindekoff and Lazarus, of the Million Dollar Theatre. They take possession July 31, but so far have not yet decided whether they will use presentation or vaudeville in connection with talkies. Jack Russell, now in the house with mu- sical tab, closes this week. HINES COMEDY STARTS With William Watson directing, Johnny Hines’ first picture under a new arrangement with Christie is in production at Metropolitan sound studios. It’s the first of a series of “Gayety” comedies, to be released by Educational-Christie, tentatively titled “Johnny’s Week- end,” and features Helen Bolton, Estelle Bradley, Vernon Dent, Adrienne Dore and Frank Rice. MENJOU AT PAR. Adolphe Menjou has been signed by Paramount to join Gary Cooper and Marlene Dietrich in the fea- tured cast of “Morocco.” He will play Cooper’s rival. Clever Comic Featured Harry Carroll always has top-notch comedians in his RKO act. Last season it was William Demarest, the season before it was Ken Murray, and this year it is Eddie Bruce, whom Carroll declares is the juvenile comedy find of the season. He is cur- rently appearing with Car- roll at the RKO Theatre, Los Angeles. This clever young chap is a former New York and Chi- cago night club comic, and when he recently played the New York Palace with Car- roll was nothing less than a sensation. Carroll has re-signed Bruce for the seasons of 1930-’31. He is under the direction of Chas. H. Allen, M. S. Ben- tham Agency, New York. UNIVERSAL HITS BUSY SCHEDULE With four production companies working at the studio, three more due to start within the next ten days, and with considerable activ- ity in the editorial and script de- partments, Universal studios are busier than at any time during the past year. Work will begin within the next ten days on Monta Bell’s new pic- ture, “East Is West,” screen adap- tation by Tom Reed and Winifred Eaton Reeve of Sam Shipman’s play, which will feature Lupe Velez and Lewis Ayres. About the same time Rupert Julian will start “shooting” on “The Cat Creeps,” for which no cast has yet been announced, while Mai St. Clair is about ready to start work on “The Boudoir Diplo- mat.” William James Craft is on loca- tion at present, making the first sequences for “See America Thirst,” in which Harry Langdon and Slim Summerville are featured, while at the studio John M. Stahl is mak- ing rapid progress on “The Lady Surrenders,” screen adaptation of John Erskine’s famous novel, “Sin- cerity,” in which Genevieve Tobin, Rose Hobart and Conrad Nagel are featured. Other production activities at the studio include the second chapter of “The Leather Pushers” series, and the completion of the first of a series of short-reel comedies by A1 Ray, as yet are untitled, which feature Slim Summerville. Edward Laemmle is preparing to make “Saint Johnson” in the near future, while Finis Fox is busily engaged in putting the final touches on the script for “Resur- rection,” which Edwin Carewe is to make early in August. TITLE IS CHANGED “Dough Boys” is the final title of Buster Keaton’s comedy of army life, filmed under the work- ing title of “Forward March.” The cast includes Sally Eilers, Edward Brophy, Frank Mayo, Cliff Ed- wards, Arnold Korff, Victor Potel, Pitzi Katz and others. DAVID BURTON SIGNS David Burton, director of such stage stars as William Gillette, Otis Skinner, Alice Brady, Doris Keene, Billie Burke and Elsie Ferguson, has been signed as a director for the Paramount Publix Corporation. Burton is also a former stage actor. REMAKE “ANNA CHRISTIE” Greta Garbo has started work on the German version of “Anna Christie” with Jacques Feyder di- recting. This is Garbo’s first ef- fort in foreign talking fields. ROSSE RE-SIGNED Universal has re-engaged Her- man Rosse, who created the mod- ernistic settings for “King of Jazz,” to design the Oriental backgrounds for “East Is West.” RELIEF SEEMS IN SIGHT FOR SMALL EXHIBS Thirteen picture houses closed completely and two more closed part time in the Los Angeles district, accord- ing to Film Row figures this week. But the advent of cooler weather and a lessening in the number of infantile paralysis cases reported, as well as impend- ing regulation of baby golf courses, promised some relief of the near panic that gripped some of the smaller exhibitors during the past two weeks. Film distributors at no time, they claim, became in the least excited over the closings. In the opinion of some of the leading exchange executives, quite a few more of the smaller theatres could close without affecting the film in- dustry one way or the other. According to their statements, 85 per cent of revenue from films comes from first run and circuit houses, the smaller rentals from neighborhood theatres only total- ing up to the remaining 15 per cent income 'to the industry. Rentals lost from small houses that close, they say, would be easily made up by additional busi- ness at percentage houses. In ad- dition, most oif these small houses have poor sound and are not re- garded as any particular asset to the industry. NEWPLAY DONE BY PASADENANS A preview of the new legitimate play, “The Man Saul,” will be offered as the next production of the Pasadena Community Play- house, beginning July 31. The play is from the pen of Sidney Robert Buchman and is to be presented in New York in Octo- ber. It will be produced here un- der the joint direction of Gilmor Brown of the Playhouse and Arthur Lubin, who with Richard Krakeur will manage the Broad- way production. Paul Muni will play the leading role in Pasadena, supported by Marion Clayton and James Eagles. The play is a modern drama of conflict between two brothers. NEW BANCROFT LEAD Jessie Royce Landis, young stage actress, who has been featured in Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia, Denver, Boston, Rochester and New York, has been signed by Paramount for the lead opposite George Bancroft in his next pic- ture, a story of the sea. Miss Landis was signed by Paramount for the Bancroft picture following an invitational test made at the New York studios. The new Ban- croft film, which will be directed by Rowland V. Lee, is an original by William Slavens McNutt and Grover Jones, with dialogue by Max Marcin. LEWIS STONE RE-SIGNED Lewis Stone has been given a new long-term contract with Met- ro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Stone joined the M-G-M studios two years ago, when he first played with Greta Garbo in “A Woman of Affairs.” FEATURED IN CAST Reginald Denny and Fifi D’Or- say will be featured in “Those Three French Girls,” set to go into production at M-G-M. Cliff (Uku- lele Ike) Edwards, Edward Bro- phy, Yola D’Avril, Sandra Ravel and George Grossmith are in the cast, with Harry Beaumont direct- ing. CHANDLER IN SHORT George Chandler, seen recently in “The Florodora Girl,” is to ap- pear in “Pure and Simple,” Louise Fazenda’s first two-reel comedy for Larry Darmour. Lewis R. Foster is directing the comedy.