Inside facts of stage and screen (February 7, 1931)

Saturday, February 7 , 1931 INSIDE FACTS OF STAGE AND SCREEN Page Three Podoli Has Full Y ear For Acts In Orient More Executive Changes Follow RKO Purchase of Pathe OPEN! IN 101 Michael Podoli, booker, who has headquarters in Paris and who came to this country recently with his brother, Leo Podolski, is offering acts 160 dates to a total of a full year's time. His bookings are in Japan, Sumatra, Java and Australia. While here Podoli signed # Bar- bara Taylor Kjerulf and her Versa- tile Harpists for a tour of Japan. They are to open March 20 in To- kio, leaving Los Angeles harbor March 2 on the Asama Maru. The Kjerulf organization, which is rated as the easy top-notcher in the harpist field, is composed of .seven people. In addition to Miss Kjerulf there are five girls and a male dancer. Personnel Is: Miss Kjerulf, Fern Staben, harpist and whistler; Eileen Schaefer Packer, harpist; Ethyl Severin, harpist ' r Syl- velin Jarvis, lyric soprano; Dorothy Werner, dancer, and Lewis Jones, ■dancer. Prior to sailing the act will play the Hippodrome here on Feb- ruary 25. On their oriental tour they will play as a unit. Podoli, who has gone on to the orient to give a general checkup to his business there, while here also booked the 20 Bohnen dancers and the Stanford Glee Club and Band for appearances over his time. Chisjers are at it again along Film Row. Last week All Star took it on the chin when a gypper walked off with a feature and two shorts. This week a member of the racketeer brotherhood tried to pull a fast one on Pathe. But the Row is wary now and Pathe checked back on his story in time to save a valuable feature and plenty of money, time and trouble. Then there’s the story of twelve reels of confiscated film involving a Mexican miscreant, since arrested. Lola Adams Gentry says that in all her time with the Film Board of Trade the racketeers have never be- fore attempted a concentrated at- tack on Film Row, and she hopes the worst is over now. IN BARRIE CAST The supporting cast of players in the production of Barrie’s “What Every Woman Knows,” featuring Frances Starr and Harrison Ford, as guest artists, to be presented at the Pasadena Community Play- house from February 5 to 14, in- cludes Samuel S. Hinds, Addison Richards, Alice Turner, Madame Vilaire Thatcher, Murray Yeats and Thomas Browne Henry. BALLROOM NEON 00110 $17,772 111 ‘MEADOWS' The big surprise of the week was the drop taken by Loew's State with “Great Meadows,” touted to be one of the finest productions ever turned out by M-G-M. “Pas- sion Flower” collected $24,869 last week. “Great Meadows” did $17,- 772 this week. This is accounted for in the lack of a b. o. cast, a weak title, and heavy opposition of “Little Caesar” at Warners’ Down- town. . Warner Brothers did a record draw to the tune of $31,000 with “Little Caesar” out Hollywood way. This take is the top money for the week with the exception of the Chinese and “Trader Horn” doing $33,127. This is only six grand under the opening take last week on this African hunt special, and marks this picture for an ex- tended run at good money. Second week of “The Bat Whis- pers” pulled fair at United Artists, and “Fighting Caravans” held up at the Paramount. RKO Orpheum did $6000 with “Beau Ideal” second week, considered 1 o w for this house. RKO with vaudeville did $11,406 with “Kept Plusbands,” which was an increase of close to a thousand oyer “Royal Bed.” Both .of these pictures did well. No figures were available on “City Lights,” the premiere picture opening the new Los Angeles, or the Carthay Circle with Ann Hard- ing’s “East Lynne.” Pantages, with Edmund Lowe and Leila Hyams in “Part Time Wife,” did $10,194. Last week it was $17,000 with “Holiday” a third runner. “Paid,” with Joan Crawford, did -$6406- at the Egyptian. BUD MURRAY’S UNIT FOR S. F. ORPHEUM LEAVES FOR NORTH Bud Murray’s unit, to open at the San Francisco Orpheum with the RKO picutre, “Cimarron,” left Los Angeles Wednesday. Don Summers, formerly dance di- rector for MGM, and who was with Larry Ceballos, has been signed by Murray to supervise the S'an Fran- cisco productionfs, which will be constructed and produced here by Murray. Principals in the unit which went north include George Scheller and Harold Ames. The total cast num- bers fifty-four, including six Osage Indians. The unit opens simultan- eously with the local Orpheum stage show policy, Feb. 6. Bud Murray is producing for both houses. STARTING REHEARSALS Louis Macloon is starting re- hearsals Monday for his forthcom- ing production locally. Hollywood Gardens is installing another innovation to let ballroom patrons know just where to find the increasingly popular spot. A revolving Neon sign will be placed atop the building. Frankie Gould and his Serenaders, Eddie Larkin, and who produces the floor shows have done much to contribute to the success of Llollywood’s only ballroom. RODNEY PANTAGES WED Rodney Pantages, son of Alex- ander Pantages, and general man- ager of the Pantages organization, was married to Miss Veryl Sweeney Wednesday of this week. The ceremony was performed in Los Angeles. WILL KING CLOSES DANCERS SIGNED Gaylene and Dorothy Hawley, students of the Earle Wallace Stu- dios of Dancing, have been signed as specialty dancers for Fanchon and Marco prdouctions. Gaylene is the featured dancer of the “Mor- ician Idea.” Will King closed his show in Se- attle Wednesday nigth without no- tice, acocrding to word received here. He was playing tab at the Follies in that city. Jean Hersholt has been signed by M-G-M on a long term con- tract. WHY EDITORS GO NUTS The following was among the publicity effervescence sent out this week: In order to work up the proper temperature and place themselves in the right atmosphere, Eddie Lambert, com- edian, and Joe Traub, comedy writer, spent the week-end in a frigidaire at a local ice plant. Entering with 105 degrees, they emerged three days later with a temperature of 60 below. And the story—“Laff Tours,” a trip through Alaska, is now proving a laugh riot at both Warner’s Hollywood and - Downtown theatres. Elbrown, male impersonator, featured with the Norman Thomas Sextette, now playing the Chinese Theatre, has appeared with the late Florence Mills in “Dixie to Broadway,” did a six months’ engagement at the Club Alabam, New York, was the juvenile in “Hot Stuff,” another hit in a series of hits that have boosted this lady up the ladder of fine performance. Following a successful engagement in Europe and return- ing to fill a sir months’ contract with the Embassy Club, Paris, she was signed on her return by Norman Thomas for the “Trader Horn” stage show. Picture producers will be interested in Elbrown for she has the talent that makes pictures interesting. Richard Dix Is Given Ovation For “Cimarron 55 Richard Dix, whose picture appears on Page 1 of this is- sue, has emerged from the light comedy roles he made successful into a part that marks him as a dramatic star of the first rank. AH that was needed to bring out the dra- matic starring potentialities of Richard Dix was a vehicle with the power and sweep of a “Cimarron.” Dix got his op- portunity to show what he could do in this, his latest pic- ture, and he has met the de- mand on his talent right up to expectations. Every New York paper reviewing the work of Dix in “Cimarron” is in accord on this point. “Cimarron” without a doubt places Dix in the front rank of he-men stars and his direct boxoffice value is a cinch for RKO. He stands today as the biggest draw in the RKO deck. NEW STYLES Robert Denelsy a Fifth Avenue beauty Specialist from New York, is in town to create new coiffure styles for some of the istars at jFirst National and MGM, having been sent for by them. He has headquar- ters at the Roosevelt Hotel. SWEET, BASQUETTE BOOKED THROUGH WEBBER OFFICES Blanche Sweet has signed a vaude contract and is off to New York in preparation for her open- ing- date. Booking was through the Harry Webber agency in Holly- wood. Another Webber act to go east of the Rockies is Lina Basquette. She will appear at the Embassy Club in Miami tripping the light fantastic. Dog stars are in demand for per- sonal appearances, too, apparently. Rin Tin Tin is leaving for New York this week to start a two-a- day tour being booked by the same office. LILLY AND POPPE ME SUCCESSOR IB LEftYITI Charles S. Rogers has been named vice-president of Pathe by Hiram S. Brown, RKO president. Announcement of the appointment was made Friday afternoon of this week. Rogers will have charge of all produc- tion activity in the Pathes west coast studios, it was stated. With two more changes made irtf the executive line-up of Pathe Stu- dios since purchase br 7 RKO, ques- tion at present is how far the shake- up will continue. Word from Pathe is that concen- tration at the present is all on the forthcoming program, and further shifts are still under cover if any- more are due. But nonetheless there is an atmosphere around the Culver City picture plant that there may be a few further erasures ont the ground glass door panels. The two new changes are as fol- lows : Fred Lallv, who formerly , had charge of the shorts pro- duction department, has sue- j ceeded Charles Sullivan as vice- ' president and to the work Sul- , livan was doing. Lally will ' also continue his former work. Harrj 7 Poppe has succeeded , Flarvey Leavitt as studio su- pervisor. Other Changes Prior announcements of change^ were: Lee Marcus, vice-president of Pathe, was appointed presi- : dent of the reorganized com- \ pany, succeeding C. E. Derr as { the main authority in the west j ** studioi ; G. J. “Pat” Scollard. .t r ... ly executive vice-president of I Pathe, was slated to remain ; temporarily in charge of the I studios in association with ■ Marcus. Coutrland Smith was given j charge of the news reel organ- ization. Was Confused Before the purchase of Pathe, the' organization was a matter of some confusion. Both Lally and Sullivan, were very close to Derr, with the jobs of neither clearly defined inso- far as could be discovered. Just who was what was. apparently un- known to lesser members of the studio executive personnel, and as a consequence there was a lot ofi running around hither and yon — or so it was stated around the lot. Marcus, the incoming president, has been associated with the mo- tion picture industry for many- years, but his work has kept hint almost exclusively ■ in New York. As vice-president of Radio Pic- tures, he is in charge of the com- pany’s sales and distribution.. As president of the new Pathe com- pany, he is expected to spend much* of his time at the studio. Cortland Smith, who will takef over management and development of the company’s newsreel inter- ests, was the first to open an ex- clusively newsreel theatre. MANAGER HURT While fixing a sign on the roof for the “Cimarron” opening, Grant Pemberton, manager of the Or- pheum in Salt Lake City, fell to the; ground and received injuries from which he is not expected to recover. The Stock Market By H. F. CHRISTY Banks, Huntley & Co. While the stock market during the past week failed to make a great amount of headway, a surpris- ing degree of underlying strength was evident even during periods of apparent weakness. Leading in the general improvement were several of the amusement issuer Para- mount, Loew’s and Radio-Keith were conspicuously strong- around the best levels of the recovery from the 1930'lows. With the release of the spring program and fir view of the drastic stock deflation which has been in progress for a year and a half, further improvement can hi expected. There is stiil a vast amount o conjecture as to whether or not tin low of the business depression i: past. While there is a growing feel hag that such is the case, econom ists are loath to predict even ai approximate date for substantia improvement. In the main the stock market ha: compensated for most of the droi in earnings—and any marked changi must come on the upside. On ; strictly long pull basis accumula tion of well deflated stocks is it order.