Inside facts of stage and screen (September 20, 1930)

SEPT. 20, 1930 INSIDE FACTS OF STAGE AND SCREEN PAGE THREE MACLOONS’ nnnnnnnn nn RETURN PEPS-UP LEGIT Franklin Warner Heads Another Big Theatre Project PASADENA ‘SHOP’ CANT BE KIDDED; NOT ‘WORKHOUSE’ Somebody got a big laugh, followed by a call down from more serious fellow drama stu- dents, when he referred to Pasadena Community Play- house “workshop,” place where arty little plays are put on, as “The Workhouse.” Two or three elders scowled down the referenc e—and changed the subject. NEWSREELER DUE TO FOLD Newsreel heatre, Eos Angeles, again changes its policy starting this Saturday. Reverting to its former name of the President, the house will fea- ture repeat showings of popular pro- ductions. First presentation under the new schedule will be the new synchron- ized version of “Birth of a Nation.” President will be under direction of Fox West Coast Theatres, in conjunction with Mike Rosenberg. Popular prices will prevail, and attractions will be held over as long as business warrant. Walter Ivoefeldt, manager of the Newsreel, has resigned to take charge of the souther ndivision of the Daylight Savings campaign. Eyn Grey is moving from the Alhambra to take his place. W. J. Murphey, who has been handling publicity at the Newsreel, will be manager at the Alhambra. Newsreel policy did not click, as the nut of the theatre was too heavy and the takings too light. NO PROLOGUE FOR “BIRTH OF NATION” “Birth of a Nation,” rejuvenated with sound effects and synchronized music opens at the President this week at popular prices sans pro- logue. This picture was given its premier in San Francisco, with an elaborate prologue staged by Lon Murray. Its first week was said to be a winner, but the prologue was with- drawn during second week. Stage part of the entertainment rehearsed here for four weeks before it went north and was disbanded during the second week. ARIZONA MAN HERE George Mauk, United States marshal of Arizona and owner of a string of theatres throughout the state, is spending a few days in Los Angeles. He is booking his eight theatres for the coming win- ter. WHO’S NEXT? SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 18— After a run of several months as m. c., Ken Whitmer leaves the lo- cal Paramount this week. Up until press time, local Publix officials had not been informed by their East- ern headquarters who was to fol- low Whitmer. COMEDIANS REHEARSE Bert Wheeler and Robert Wool- sey have gone into extensive re- hearsals for their next co-starring vehicle, “Hook, Line and Sinker,” to be made by RKO Radio Pic- tures. PICK 2 STARS FOR MACL00N PRODUCTIONS With the arrival back in town of the Macloons, and an- nouncement of their intention to start production of two plays, a musical from the Ger- man of Emmerich Kalman called “Ka Violette” and a new play entitled “Neck in the Noose,” legit interest pepped up considerably this week. The Macloons are known to be plungers when they start produc- ing, and have more successes to their credit on the Coast than any other firm now operating. It was announced that Perry Askam and Josephine Houston are once again to be starred in the forthcoming musical and casting will commence at once, although no statement has been made as to what theatre will be used to house the shows now that the Majestic is a movie palace, but it is believed that the Mayan will be the spot. Last week, the Vine St. with Dorothy Mackaye in “A Cup of Sugar” did about the best Holly- wood business, getting a gross of $6400 on the week. This play is clicking so lively that Manager Miller states he expects it to run five or six weeks. Biltmore, with Catherine Cornell in “The Dishonored Lady,” packed them in to the tune of 18,000, about the best business this house has enjoyed in many months. It closes this week with nothing underlined. The El Capitan, with “The Poor Nut,” garnered about $6000 for its third week. Charlotte Greenwood opens week after next in “Parlor, Bedroom and Bath.” Kolb and Dill closed lost Sunday at Hollywood Playhouse, getting $4000 for their second week. The house . opened Wednesday with Francis X. Bushman and Aileen Pringle in “Thin Ice.” Belasco has announced its last two weeks of “It’s a Wise Child.” Paul- ine Fredericks in “he Crimson Hour ’ follows. Other houses are dark. BOLES BACK AT U. John Boles, Universal star, has completed his work in Camuel Goldwyn’s production of “Lilli” and is back on the Universal lot to take the role of Prince Dmitri in Edwin Carewe’s “Resurrection” which Universal is about to film. SNUER BACK IN FOLD Snub Pollard, former comedian and recently retired from the sdreen, will make a debut as the comedy lead in Liberty Picture’s “Ex-Flame.” He was signed through MacQuarrie agency. MOTHER LA RUE PLANS COME-BACK Mother La Rue, former costumer and at present motion picture im- pressario at Balboa Beach, is ser- iously considering re-entering the costume game in Hollywood Mother La Rue conducted a large establishment several years ago when she served most of the musi- cal comedy theatres in the vicinity. ANOTHER TORNEY ‘LINE’ DUE HOUSE WILL HAVE L0GES THROUGHOUT A theatre, with hotel and shops, costing $1,750,000, is to be constructed upon a site ad- joining the Garden of Allah at the end of Sunset boulevard in Hollywood. Construction is to start early in October, to be completed in-eight months. Project is being financed by the Central Holding company, of which Franklin Warner is head. Company also owns the Mayan theatre downtown, and has several other desirable sites in the district. The theatre is to have 900 seats, and will be wired for pictures, as well as have a completely equipped stage. All the seats will be loges, the idea being to create an intimate show shop for class productions of both stage and screen. Franklin Productions, subsidiary of the Central Holding company, is producing “Temptations of 1930,” which opens at the Mayan on next Thursday. It is said $180,000 is going into this production of which $57,000 will be spent on Neal Rainbow lights, which will have more than a mile of tubing. Advance sale for this production is said to be phenomenal, indicat- ing a successful engagement. HOLLYWOOD GETS NEW GAME CRAZE IN ‘HOCKEY GOF’ A new game “Hockey Gof”, has caught the fancy of Hollywood. It developed as a result of the golf craze, and embraces both croquet and hockey as well as minnie golf, played with a puck and shovel sim- ilar to shuffel board, the ship game, and can be set up in the back yard, in an area way or in the base- ment. Game has a lot of excitement wrapped up in it and is as adapt- able to variations as is a deck of cards. It is being demonstrated by Lee S. “Mitv” Mytinger at 5404-06 Hollywood Boulevard. WINS LONG CONTRACT Eddie Hanley, who recently opened at Loew’s State in the “American Beauty Idea,” with his personality boys, was immediately signed after the first show to a long term contract by Marco. OPENS 14TH SEASON After a dark week, Pasadena Community Playhouse will open its fourteenth season October 2 with Martin Flavin’s “Dancing Days.” CROSLAND LEAVES ON SAD MISSION Alan Crosland will leave Sunday night for East Orange, New Jersey, with the remains of his father, Frederick James Crosland, who passed away while visiting his son at the Beverly Hills home. Funeral services will be held from the residence of James Ken- neth Crosland, brother of Alan, in East Orange. The father resided in New York prior to his coming west six weeks ago. Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks’ next pictures for United Artists are scheduled to go- into production early in October. Miss Pickford will star in “Kiki,” a Sam Taylor produc- tion, and Fairbanks will star in Irving Berlin’s production, “Reaching for the Moon” which Edmund Goulding will direct. Script for “Kiki” has been completed. Rehearsals will be- gin as soon as the principal FRANKLIN GUARDS CASH FOR FARM WITH BLANK GUN Edgar Franklin, aiuthor of “White Collars” owned an es- tate on Long Island that he wanted to sell. This week he convinced a buyer. At nine o’clock one evening, sitting in the living room, Mr. Buyer suddenly took out his bank roll and nonchalantly stripped off enough thousand dollar bills to complete the transaction. Edgar nearly had heart fail- ure, wondering what to do with the cash. That little Long Is- land town had no all night bank. So Edgar reamed the rust out of the family fowling piece and stood guard until morning. What a chance some bandit missed, for Ed was all out of powder and shot anyway. UNGAR WITH FILM STUDIO Appointment of Arthur Ungar as an associate producer at Universal studios, is announced by Carl Lae- mmle, Jr., general manager of the organization. Assignment of screen plays, over which Ungar will exer- cise supervision, is to be made next week. Few men in motion pictures to- day have a wider acquaintanceship or a broader knowledge of produc- ingf, distributing and exhibiting conditions than Ungar, and his ap- pointment as associate producer at Universal comes as recognition of his ability as a , story construction- ist and analyst. E. M. Asher and Albert De Mond are other Universal associate pro- ducers, the former now being occu- pied with supervision of “A Lady Surrenders,” “East is West,” “Drac- ula” and “Resurrection” and the latter attending production of “See America Thirst,” “The Little Ac- cident” and “The Cohens and Kel- lys in Africa.” CLINE JOINS SENNETT .Eddie Cline will make a number of the new Sennett comedies, of which there will be 26 two-ree!ers andi twelve one-reelers. LAEMMLE IN POULTRY Near Calabasas, California, a few miles north of Hollywood, Carl Laemmle has established the Carl Laemmle poultry ranch, 15 acres in extent, with 6,500 white leghorns as the first unit in his chicken col- ony. EDDIE CLINE BACK Director Eddie Cline has returned from Arrowhead, where he has been filming “Take Your Medicine,” an all color one-reel novelty, star- ring Andy Clyde, Frankie Eastman and Patsy O’Leary. IN NEW ORLEANS Miss Eddie Jaye, who numbers a host of local friends, is doing her popular blue numbers at the Forest City Club in New Orleans. OAKIE CART CHOSEN “Only Saps Work,” has been selected as Jack Oakie’s next star- ring vehicle. The story is an orig- inal by Percy Heath, with the dia- logue by Joseph L. Mankiewicz Direction by Edward Sutherland. roles have been cast. Gould- ing, with Elsie Janis collaborat- ing, is completing dialogue for Fairbanks’ picture, which is based on an original story by William Anthony McGuire. Backgrounds and settings for both productions have been created by William Cameron Menzies, supervising art direc- tor at United Artist studio. Bebe Daniels will play oppo- site Fairbanks, and Edward Everett Horton has an import- ant role. Shakespearians Hunting Talent Without ‘Finds’ Shakespeare Guild, which is tak- ing to the road in “Hamlet,” "Romeo and Juliet” and “The Mer- chant of Venice,” reports difficulty in casting these plays. It is generally stated that there are thousands of actors idle in Flollywood. Many have been called, but few have been chosen, because the average actor lacks the versality required in playing Shakespearean repertoire. Some of the foremost actors of Hollywood form the cast, and yet at the “eleventh hour” three male roles were open, and actors are now being requested to call at 1623 Cherry Street, where casting is in progress. The transcontinental tour, pre- senting William Thornton in the leading roles, will open in the north- ern part of the state and play Los Angeles in December. The west coast has been booked solid by Charles Burke, advance man, and the south is to be covered after the first of the year. The Guild has spent nine months in re- search work for these shows, and costumes were executed here and abroad. HER IDEA LIFTED, CLAIM OF WOMAN Eva Parshalle wants $15,000 from Fanchon and Marco for an idea she alleges they plagiarized from her. Her accusations state that she submitted them an idea last Janu- ary, a revue using a bee hive as a motif, which they rejected and later, she asserts, they produced what she claims is virtually her idea under the title of the “Busy Bee” idea, without giving her either credit or money. She has brought suit. “CHARLEY’S AUNT” NOW BACK AGAIN “Charlie’s Aunt” is being directed by A1 Christie at Metropolitan Stu- dios for Columbia release, the fol- lowing players in the cast: Charlie Ruggles, Rodney McLennan, Hugh Williams, Wilson Benge, Flora Sheffield, June Collyer, Phillips Smalley, Flora Le Breton, Doris Lloyd and Halliwell Hobbes. Another come-back for this nev- er-die favorite of two generations ago. SIGN BILL DAVIDSON William Davidson, stage star and film player, has been signed to play a featured role in “The Silver Horde,” RKO Radio Picture. FINISH CATLETT PIC. Louis Brock has finished making “Aunt’s in the Pants,” starring Walter Catlett, for RKO Radio Pictures. WAR PIC FOR FOX Alfred Santell’s next picture for Fox will be “Squadrons,” a war story by Elliot White Springs, pub- lished under the title of “Big Eyes and Little Mouth.” DANCER GOES TO PAR Norma De Adoree, one of the chorus girls under contract recently at R.K.O. Studios, has joined the Paramount girls under Harry Gour- fain. One Picture Now Life of Gown One hundred and fifty play- ers were elaborately gowned for a cabaret scene in RKO Radio Pictures’ “Lasing Game.” Silks, satins, velvets and chif- fons went into these gowns. They are to be seen on the screen but four minutes. After the scene the garments were turned in, never to be seen again in another picture. Discrimination of audiences, and the rapid changing of stvles have resulted in the rule, “The life of one gown is one picture.” . Miss Carla Torney, whose dancing girls appear in the Fanchon and Marco-Gae Foster “On The Set” Idea this week, has in preparation another line of girls for the well-known pro- ducers. his contingent is already in herearsal, and is expected to open at the West Coast key house during the middle of Oc- tober. Due to tremendous success of her pupils’ work, whose popu- larity with audiences through- out the United States has brought columns of praise from the press, Miss Torney will continue at intervals to form ensembles for Fanchon and Marco ideas from her 200 or more pupils now in training at her school in Milwaukee. This will be in addition to those ensembles already booked throughout Wisconsin. Her school, which was opened eight years ago, has rapidly grown in fame to be known as one of the foremost in the mid- dle west, and—in fact—this country. Ruth Zinn, and Ruth Brown are featured in the present “Idea” with specialty tap work, with Winnie Smith, who offers an outstanding acrobatic spe- cialty. MARY AND DOUG BEGIN SOON