Inside facts of stage and screen (March 21, 1931)

Saturday, March 21, 1931 INSIDE FACTS OF STAGE AND SCREEN Page Seven N-FLESH TOTAL COES UP TO PEAK SAN FRANCISCO, March 20— Flesh entertainment in local pic- ture houses reached its peak during the past week, when more, musi- cians, dancers, singers and acts than have been working in the past two years were used. Including pro- ducers and their assistants and or- ganists, and exclusive of stage hands, total was 310. Check-up on these seven S. F. houses and their shows revealed a striking departure from the big-sal- aried acts of two and three years ago; substituted, instead, were larger groups of smaller-salaried people making up the vocal and dancing ensembles of the current., produc- tions. Fox Tops List Fox Theatre, with its locally pro- duced Fox Follies, topped the list with 100 people—fully a third of the total group—on that house’s payroll for the week just completed. Or- chestra, including conductor and or- ganist, had 37 men, while on stage were 24 girls, 30 singers, six prin- cipals and several producers and as- sistants. RKO’s smashing return of stage shows to the Orpheum and agmen- tation of regular unit shows at the Golden Gate constitute that firm’s contribution to the rebirth of flesh. A total of 68 entertainers were paid off at the Orpheum, including a line of girls, vocalists, principals, pro- ducers and an orchestra of 17, with a director and organist. Eight acts of vaude at the Gate had 18 people on the stage and 16 pit musicians. 36 at Loew’s Sixteen musicians and a line of 12 girls and 8 principals in a Fan- chon and Marco Idea totaled 36 people for Loew’s Warfield, while Fox-Paramount had an orchestra of 19, counting conductor and organist. Fox El Capitan, with a line of 16 girls. 10 musicians,, an m. c., an or- ganist, six'visiting principals and a producer and assistant, made up a payroll of 33. Capitol, burlesque, with 30 prin- cipals and chorines and an orchestra of seven, had a total of 37. RUSCO DIES OAKLAND, March 20.—Another of the old time minstrels, Willett Rusco, died at his home this week after a short illness. He had ob- served his 74th birthday only a few days ago. During the past 12 years he brought many road shows into Oakland. His widow, Belle Rusco, was his former stage part- ner. In all the West you’ll find no theatrical hostelry so modem, so luxurious, so reasonable as the EMBASSY HOTEL headquarters for artists stage and radio FRIGID AIRE THEATRICAL RATES NEAR ALL THEATRES Polk and Turk Sts. San Francisco Phone Ordway 1404 “You’ll Meet Ycur Friends There” of Market Street Gleanings SAN FRANCISCO, March 20. — Looked like. Fox day in front of the Warfield building . . . Chief A. M. Bowles . . . Booker Ray Chapman . . . Frank R. Newman, of Oakland . . . Jack Ryan, of Vallejo. . . . Ray Duddy, of Salinas- . . . Art Miller of San Jose . . . Charlie Thall . . A1 Warshauer . . . Bert Catley ... all representing the executive department . . . while Bob Lee, Saul Sieff, Louie Flint, Elmer James, Harold Harris, Art Landau, Bud Gorman and Emil Sturmer lounge about be- tween band numbers . . . Peggy O’Neill drove by and tooted that Buick horn . . . Bill Hutchins ambled down the avenoo, an apple in one hand, peanuts In the other . . . Irving Sinclair has opened an art school on Turk street . . . Weasel Johnson’s peanut vendor hat has mysteriously disappeared but no reward is offered . . . Torrey “Buttercup” Roberts is very in- dustrious these days . . . Harry Stewart, the young Beau Brummel, a symphony in blue . . . A1 Bergren downing a huge glass of tomato juice . . .which is evidence in itself . . . the rumor is that Don Waite, drange blossoms and some lucky girl are synonomous . . . the Jess Normans are await- ing a blessed event . . . Ellis Arkush o. o.’s Dick Spier’s live animal display in the Par. lobby . . . comes an offer by phone to book us for a one week stand in the front cage of the same lobby . . . Charlie Koerner in the William Taylor lobby . . . A1 Pinetti has one of the most seductive mus- taches to adorn a local lip . . . Val Valente’s is no piker either . . . Sherman Little and Augie Schultz taking on a load of cheese and salami at the Roof Garden . . . not forgetting such other customers as Sam Shortridge, Jr., . . . the Gus Olivas . . . Pop Kennedy . . . Joe Zohn . . . Clara La Verne . . . Wally Landis . . . Jim Westbrook . . . Ray Milholland is shopping for a pair of white-striped pants to wear at his forthcoming wed- ding . . . Hermie King, back from Seattle, and chinning on a street corner With Jo Mendel . . . Rufe Blair is all over his recent engagement at a local hospital . . . Mike McDonnell economizes by^ smoking those ciggie-size cigars . . . Tubby Garon peddling his tunes . . . Buss McClelland in new spats, or were they just cleaned? . . . Kitty Phelps of the Lyons and Lyons agency is in town while her better half, Hobart Kennedy, plays the Golden Gate . . . you can believe it or not but Allen Drady spent all Saturday night in a cemetery seeking atmosphere for his new book . . . Bill South was visited by the horse marines . . . the grandest noise in the Kress building: Harry Powell’s “whoa” . . . Sam Griffin, the minstrel man, on a Powell street car . . . Jay Brower bought one of those economical roadsters . . . and outside of three or four garage 1 bills has really saved a lot of money on it . . . the Med Andersons pay a visit . . . Davey Jones is hot to play a return date in Des Moines . . . “Limberlegs” Edwards has returned to Los Angeles to start out in a new Idea . . . Bert Browning busier than a sackful of monkeys . . . Oliver Gerroi.no and Claire Morrison to Agua Caliente to make hey hey . . . Jim Foley has a box of black-eye paint for sale or trade . . . Neil Crowley passing in the press at the Gate . . . Lloyd Thompson and Katherine Hill criticing RKO’s eight vaude acts . . . y DUFFY TO SAN FRANCISCO, March 20— Henry Duffy is set to reopen the Alcazar Saturday night with Joe E. Brown in “Elmer the "Great.” Emil Bondeson is with Duffy as manager of the house. Alcazar closed several weeks ago when the red-headed producer could not find available play and star ma- terial to combat the Lenten depres- sion. Now he is tentatively slated to bring in Frank Craven from the E! Capitan, Hollywood, and later Charlotte Greenwood. AT WALKATHON SAN FRANCISCO, March 20— Three Rhythm Girls and orchestra are playing at the Walkathon, Sac- ramento, prior to a summer resort engagement they expect to accept. DON WAITE RESIGNS SAN RANCISCO, March 20— Don Waite, manager of the Marion Davies Theatre here for William B. Wagnon, resigned to go into ad- vertising business for himself. Gor- don Sullivan replaced him. Florida McKee is in the Wagnon employ again as secretary. KING GETS WELCOME OAKLAND, March 20.—Hermie King had a big welcome home week when he reopened at the Fox Oakland after 12 weeks at the Se- attle Paramount. Frank .R New- man went great guns on giving King publicity and exploitation breaks. 10 Acts Vs. 8 SAN FRANCISCO, March 20.—The battle for vaude su- premacy is on here. Following RKO’s ballyhoo on the 8-act policy, Loew’s Warfield, Fox house playing Fanchon and Marco Ideas, is billboarding “10 Acts.” Now it’s RKO’s move again, and rumor hath it that they are now going to hit hard on the. “Big Time” angle. ORGANIZE COMMUNITY SAN JOSE, March 20.—Com- munity Theatre Association has been organized here with judge Percy O’Connor president, and “Moulting’Angel” selected as the first play to be given at the Wo- man’s Club March 20 (today) and 21. Ralph Welles is stage director. ON R-K-O PUBLICITY BOGEBB PICTURE IS FI STAGE SHOWS II AGAIN AFTER YEAR OAKLAND. March 20.—On a straight picture policy for more than a year, Fox Grand Lake re- turns presentations in about two weeks when the Peggy O’Neill stage shows go into the house. Fox Grand Lake gives Miss O’Neill three weeks in this section, including seven days at the Fox El Capitan, San Francisco, and a week split between San Jose and Fresno. Reported that stage shows may go in Stockton and Sacramento but there’s nothing authentic on this. SAN FRANCISCO, March 20— A satisfactory run of pictures held box offices up to an okay level for the past week, the Fox with Will Rogers 6n “Connecticut Yankee” topping all others. Laugh picture with an assisting stage show drew $39,500 into the box office. “Doc- tor’s Wives” is currently holding the screen.. RKO’s Golden Gate drew top figures with its initial weeks of eight vaude acts and a first run pic- ture. Customers piled into _ the house and seemed to clinch this as a permanent policy for the theatre. Fox’s “Body and Soul” was no pushover ‘for the Warfield, that house doing only fairly well with an F. and M. Idea and Rube Wolf m.c. and the figure $20,000. Law- rence Tibbett in “The Prodigal” is now on. Par’s “Rango” opened at the Fox Paramount and built up until clos- ing day found $16,50u in the box; office. ’ Picture looks like most others of its ilk; a cleanup for the neighborhoods. Ruth Chatterton in “Unfaithful” there now. Fox California continued at low figures with “It Pays to Adver- tise,” doing but $8500. “Mv Past” closed at a fair $8500 for Warner Bros, and “50,000,000 Frenchmen” looks like it might clean up. „ Orpheum had Radio’s “Millie which did an okay $18,000 on the week and is in for the second seven days with a stage show assisting. “Bachelor Father” next, instead of “Dracula,” as previously intended. TAKES OVER HAYES Downyflake Shop “Just Wonderful Food” At Popular Prices Headquarters for the Profession 2 Doors East Warfield Theatre 978 Market St., San Farncisco ESTELLE REID STUDIO Special Limited Course in New Movement of the Dance Art 466 Geary St. Phone PRospect 0842 SAN FRANCISCO SAN FRANCISCO, March 20— Walter J.ohannsen has ben added to the R-K-O publicity staff, coming from the copy desk of the Examin- er’s theatre department. DAVY JONES BOOKINGS SAN FRANCISCO, March 20— Davy Jones was rushed into “Love Letters” Idea at the Fox Oakland for a week. Following that he spiits a week betwen San Jose and Fresno and then opens at the Fox El Capitan here. BANCROFT IN S- F. SAN FRANCISCO. March 20- Ford Bancroft, player in Dick Wil- bur’s stock company at the Liberty, Honolulu, arrived here this week from the Islands.with his bride, the former Mildred Ayer, non-pro. The couple left immedittely for Los An- geles. McCOWN " 577 Geary St. San Prancisco Franklin 2562 Acrobatic, Stage, Tap, Rhythif, Ballet and Ballroom Dancing- Routines for the Theatrical People Private Lessons by Appointment Children’s Classes Saturday, 11 Young People’s Clases, Eves., 8 to 11 HAS BIG SCREENS SAN FRANCISCO, March 20— Louie Greenfield has installed mag- nascopic screens in his New Fill- more and New Mission theatres. JOIN BURLESQUE SAN FRANCISCO, March 20- Mickey Mayes, blues singer, and Lou Devine, comic, have joined the Trons (burlesque troupe at the Cap- itol. RUTH HEYWORTH Producing Her Rhythm Revue CAFE MARQUARD San Francisco—40th Week SAN FRANCISCO, March 20- Tack Cluxton has taken over the darkened Hayes Theatre, 250 seat neighborhood house, and will i e- open it this week on a picture pol- icy. Twenty cent top. Cluxton was formerly with the Pantanes inter- ests and later managed El Capitan for Ackerman and Harris. ^*****%************'>***£ | ADDING S * to my PICTOGRAPH business ^ * which by the way, is growing * ^ by leaps and bounds, I am mak- J* ^ ing reproductions of photo- «*, graphs and layouts in any size ^ | or quantities. Miniatures are ❖ the most popular and the least .J. expensive, making a very at- ... -y tractive professional card. |f* * - Watch for announcement of .s. •J» > . new address, but in the mean- ^ time, still— •§» * San Francisco Office * 3 * Inside Facts 1 JAY PERRY SILVEY . *2* Y *1® *5* *■& ^ *2* *** ‘’S* *2* •£* *1* * 1 * ^ 1 *i i 1 •S* *?• ‘f 6 *** HIRSCH - 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 DAW JONES THE STUTTERING HOOFER Pinch Hitting This Week—“LOVE LETTERS” Idea, Fox Oakland—Next Week, San Jose and Fresno. Then Fox El Capitan—San Francisco A S ERICKSON CONDUCTING THE GREATER R-K-O HILLSTREET ORCHESTRA My Sincere Appreciation To Cliff Work and R-K-O Officials Who Have Helped To Make My Success Possible.