Inside facts of stage and screen (February 14, 1931)

Saturday, February 14, 1931 INSIDE FACTS OF STAGE AND SCREEN Page Five SAN FRANCISCO, ' Feb. 12.— Launched with a smashing publi- city, advertising and exploitation campaign, Radio Pictures epic of the West, “Cimarron” crashed into the Orpheum and tore down every record that house has had, besting Amos V Andy, “Ingagi” and all the others with a figure of. $32,000. Aiding the flicker was the return of stage shows, a short Bud Murray prologue with Uzia Bermani orches- tra director. Will be good for two or three more weeks, with “Resur- rection” then following. Outstanding success of “Cimar- ron” was offset by brodies of most other show shops, Warner Bros, and Loew's Warfield alone coming out okay. A heavy publicity cam- paign put over “Sit Tight” for War- ners to the tune of $1-2,000 and the picture stays. Marion Davies in “Bachelor Father” came through to the extent of $25,000 for the War- field, aided by Rube Wolf, m.c., and F. & M.’s “Prosperity” idea. “Great Meadow” is current with Will King in to bolster up the stage show. Proving that musicals are put as business-getters Metro’s picturiza- tion of “New Moon” with Lawrence Tibbeit failed to draw for the Fox and that house got but a meager $3.6,000. A Walt Roesner concert helped. “Easiest Way” holds the screen this week. . Par’s. “Morocco,” too, was disap- pointing. Starting out for a house record on its opening week, the pic- ture dropped sadly until $19,000 was the Paramounts gross for the deuce stanza. “Royal Family of Broad- way” opens Saturday with Jan Rubini directing the concert orches- tra. California played Otis Skinner in “Kismet” and drew $10,000. “Right of Way” and “White Hell of, Pltz Pain' being double, billed for the current stanza. . POST NOTICE Two weeks notice for the Cliff Webster Orchestra at the RKO Theatre has been posted. In all the West you’ll find no theatrical hos- telry so modern, so lux- urious, so reasonable as the ...... EMBASSY HOTEL headquarters for artists of stage and radio ...... FRIGIDAIRE THEATRICAL RATES I NEAR ALL THEATRES i Polk and Turk Sts. San Francisco Phone Ordway 1404 oil'll Meet Your Friends There” Market Street Gleanings SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 12.—“Cimarron” opens with a wham ... and Jack Gross and Emil Dmann are hosts afterward to members of the Fourth Estate (ritz for newspaper guys) at a midnight luncheon . . . attended by the Fred Johnsons . . . when are we gonna get some- thing on that Call Bulletin drama ed? . . . Tiger Thompson of the Examiner with his boss, Mrs. Thompson . . . Katherine Hill of the Chronicle . . . Claude LaBelle of the News . . . Dutch Rei- mer of Foster & Kleiser . . . Mort Singer, RKO’s labor mediator . . . Pat Casey of the Examiner . . . Henry Pincus of the Casino . . . Uzia Ber- mani and his .head of hair . . . and a whole gang of others, . . . and wherever there’s free food you’ll find an Inside Facts man. . . . Rodney Pantages and bride were honeymooning here . . . this writer’s double, Bobby May, was at the Golden Gate last week . . . only difference in appearances is that we're more handsome . . . but then we can’t juggle as well as May, so that evens the score . . . George Warren of the Chronicle hurried to Los Angeles for a peep at “Once In a Lifetime" . . . Fred Suhr has been appointed chair- man of the Civic Auditorium committee in charge of entertainment . . . A1 Markgraf now represents the. Slone School of Music . . . Musical Walsh’s real name is Richard Nelson Walsh . . . when Jay Brower goes a’golfing he dresses worse than a caddy . , . and plays a game almost as lousy as ours ... a Kutthroat Klub is being formed here. . . . Val Valente is already nominated as president, secretary, treasurer and sergeant-at-arms . . . un- suspecting-like we walk into A1 Bather’s office . . . and the place is full of Ronald Jonson, Don Libby, Med Anderson, Ray Parker, Cliff Lockwood, Bob Spencer, Bob Olsen, Ruth Thomas, Jimmie Man- nix and scads of others. . . . Harry Bush, the grand old man of music, par- ades up the avenue with Claude Sweeten . . . Don Summers inhaling a scoop of ice cream . . . Peggy Brandenberg has a new tune, “Left In the Cold” which will be off.the press soon . . . the S. L. Cross Music Corp’s newly appointed board of mu- sical advisors includes Jesse Stafford, Val Valente, Cara Roma, Ada Morgan O’Brien, Ray Raymond and this big period and paragraph man . . . Wally Landis has lost his art department. . . Guido Deiro is back in town . . . Equity’s local mogul, Theodore Hale, at the opening of “Porgy” . . . Emil Bonde- son, Frank Hill, Niles Murphy also there ... Charles Carter, magician and traveler, is building a new home . . . Louie Flint and Lew Serbin talk- ing over a lot of things . . . Johnnie Goldsmith has the city’s biggest schnozzle . . .Henry Buett- ner, Harry Cohen and Bob Kimic replacing divots at Inglcside . . . Reginald Travers dining at Char- lotte’s Tavern . . . Bunny Burson on the phone. , . FEIST POSTS NOTICES SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 12.— Music publishing firm of. Leo Feist is dispensing with the services of its Coast representatives, giving two weeks notices to A1 Sather here and Harry Coe in Los Angeles. BOOKS GERMAN FILM SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 12- Dick Spier has booked Lhiiversal's German film “White Hell of Pitz Palu” for the California, using first half this week to bolster up “Right of Way” and the other half at a later date. TAKES OVER BUSINESS SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 12.— L. Harlick has taken over the the- atrical footwear business formerly conducted by Gamba on Powell street and has added several new lines of shoes. Harlick was formerly with Gamba. TO OPEN “TOPAZE” SAN FRANCISCO', Feb. 12— Homer Curran will open “Topaze” at the Curran Feb. 23 with a cast that includes Alan Mowbray, Mary Duncan and Henry Kolker. SENATOR OPENING VALLEJO, Feb. 12.—Fox Sena- tor is due to reopen February 21 with Metro’s “Great Meadows” the initial attraction. Jack Ryan will manage this house, in addition to the new Fox. McCOWN Dancing" 577 Geary St. San Francisco Franklin 2562 Acrobatic, Stage, Tap, Rhythm, BaHet and Ballroom Dancing Routines for the Theatrical People Private Lessons by . Appointment Children’8 Classes Saturday, 11 Young People’s Clases, Eves., 8 to 11 Downyflake Shop “Just Wonderful Food” At Popular Prices Headquarters for the Profession 2 Doors East Warfield Theatre 978 Market St., San Farncisco Battle Again Breaks Out In Oakland Orph OAKLAND, Feb. 12.—Lnter- act trouble again cropped up at the Oakland Orpheum when Joe Besser and Ross Wyse Sr. tangled in a wordy battle that resulted in Besser’s sending a hot wire to Charlie Freeman asking that the Senior Wyse quit bothering him. Freeman returned a wire stating that instructions had gone forward to Wyse telling him to steer clear of Besser. Besser also got one telling him to steer clear of Wyse. Telegraph outbreak is sup- posed to have started when Wyse, closing the show, pounced on Besser for stopping the opera in his trey spot and making it hard for Wyse to follow'. Bes- ser is an office act, working with three other people. Wyse does an act with his wife and son. RETURN to FULTON OAKLAND, Feb. 12.—Kenneth Thomson and Nana Bryant have returned to the Fulton where they open a short engagement on Sun- day in “Skeleton in the Cl-oset,” to be followed by either “Lady Fred- erick” or “Shanghai Gesture.” NEW FIRMS m id w e m TOP SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 12.— Reports reaching here announce the formation of two new Los Angeles music publishing firms. Bobby- Gross, former Remick representa- tive, and.Con Conrad, song writer, are forming their own company and Harry Barris, also-a writer, is. start- ing his own business. SLASH PRICE SAN FRANCISCO, . Feb. 12.— Kolb and Dill will slash four bits off the usual $2.50 top when they' open “Apron Strings” at the Geary-, Feb. 22. FOREIGNS OUT UNION TRIAL ON SACRAMENTO, Feb. 12.—Trial is under way for the seven members of the local and San Francisco oper- ators’ union charged with conspir- acy- to dy-namite the Mission theatre here last October. QUANN ILL Billy Quann, manager of the Hol- ly-wood Theatre, is in the hospital with stomach ulcerations. SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 1. - Foreign-run talkie policy is out of Fox’s St. Francis after this w-eek, when the house goes second run. Foreign talkers did better for the house than other first runs, but still not satisfactory. City is now with- out a foreign-run house, despite a large population of Italian, French, German and Jewish people. ESTELLE REED STUDIO Special Limited Course in Neiv Movement of, the Dance Art’ 466 Geary St. Phone PRospectr 0842 SAN - FRANCISCO JOE “CRA-A-AZY” BESSER Making ’em laugh at the RKO, LOS ANGELES Week of Feb. 12 ANNOUNCEMENT tiarlii Has Succeeded GAME) A Well Known Theatrical Shoe Shop, Adding Several New Lines Same Address—150 Powell San Francisco Ph. DOuglas 8268 ORDERS —on PXCTOGEAPHS are now being sold only subject to delay Can now use representatives in other sections of California. Ref- erence required. “WEASEL” JOHNSON can be seen daily plugging the “PEA- NUT VENDOR” in his trick im- presario outfit—including the ve- lour hat All he needs is a monkey. “WALLY LANDIS” is taking trombone treatments. Fevvens sake. Nominations for the world’s great- est agitator—“BOB” DRADY. JAY PERRY SILVEY Inside Facts—San Francisco FIGURES FOB II SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 12- Being the second week of each of the legit shows, businfcss was not up to the previous stanza, nor was it generally satisfactory. “Porgy” at the Geary and “Up- Pops the Devil” at the Curran ran neck-and-neck for first honors, the former coming out a bit ahead with $9500 and the latter grabbing an even $9000. “Porgy” operators are still debating over a third week; otherwise it closes Saturday night, while “Devil” remains another seven days. Kolb and Dill open at thet Geary, Feb. 22 in “Apron Strings.” Mitzi Hajos in “Gypsy Adair” didL a weak $6200 for the Columbia, which temporarily' turns flicker, Feb. 16, with the jungle picture “Bali.” Following that Walker Whiteside comes in with “Chinese Bungalow.” opening March 2. Deuce and final stanza of “First Year” at Duffy’s Alcazar did $4000 and “Spider’ opens Sunday. Cimarron IF hat a Picture! Jack Gross IVhat a Manager! Cliff Work IVhat a Boss ! Business - Great! Take It From Emil M. Umann RKO ORPHEUM SAN fRANOSCO HfRSCH - ARNOLD BALLET MISTRESSES created and costumed all dance numbers now en tour Fox Circuit with F. & M.’s “Brunettes” Idea STUDIO—545 SUTTER STREET SAN FRANCISCO SALES RENTALS l SCENERY COMPLETE STAGE EQUIPMENT FABRICS D. MARTIN STUDIOS PRESENTATION SETTINGS STAGE PRODUCTIONS RIGGING — SCREENS 4110-18 Sunset Boulevard HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA OLympia 1101