The Billboard 1923-09-29: Vol 35 Iss 5 (1923-09-29)

ie ) 4 i 7 FELD hae, eee | a ee Ne A Tie Sear & aed 52 56 The Billboard SEPTEMBER 29, 1923 29TH YEAR Billboard The largest circulation of any theatrical paper in the world. Published every week By The Billboard Publishing Company, W. H. DONALDSON, President, In its own plant at THE BILLBOARD BUILDING, 25-27 Opera Place, Cincinnati, Ohio, » ° Phone, Main 5306 Cable and Telegraph Address, ‘‘Billyboy’’, Cincinnati. U. 8. A. BRANCH OFFICES: NEW YORK Phone, Lackawanna 7180-1. 1493 Broadway. CHICAGO Phone, Central 8480. Crilly Building, Monroe and Dearborn Streets. PHILADELPHIA Phone, Tioga 3525. 908 W. Sterner Street. ST. LOUIS Phone, Olive 1733. 2046 Railway Exchange Bldg., Locust Street, between Sixth and Seventh. BOSTON Phone, Beach 2556. Room 301, Little Building, 80 Boylston Street. KANSAS CITY Phone, Harrison 0741. 225 Lee Bidg., S. E. Cor. Tenth and Main Sts, LOS ANGELES Phone, 824-250. toom 734, Loew's State Bidg., Broadway and Seventh Street. 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Oued Wear ..ccccesccscsce 00 $4.00 it PD .scsphsewpeee 1,75 2.25 ED BAOEERD ovcccccccce 1,00 1.25 temittances should be made by post-office or express money order or registered letter, addressed or made payable to The Billboard Publishing Co., Cincinnati, Ohio. The editor cannot undertake to return unsolicited manuscripts. Correspondents should keep copy. If you find a misstatement or error in any copy of The Billboard, please notify the editor. The Billboard reserves the right to edit all advertising copy. Vol. XXXV. SEPT. 29. No. 39 Editorial Comment T looks very much as if the reform wave was beginning to recede. After four years of “being good” Philadelphia, the third largest city in America, last week gave unmistakable evidence of an inclination to return to the political machine and graft. This was borne out by light registration and other factors connected therewith. The greatest difficulty that reform .as to contend against is “reformers”. They are mostly a noisy, insistent, annoying and irritating bunch. Machine always has been and probably always will be shamefully corrupt, but the grafters do not nag everybody constantly and persistently and so the people turn to the professional politicians every now and then —for relief. 1 politics see N the morning of the first day of the newspaper famine in New York last week there were just two daily publications for sale on the stands in and about Times Square— The Morning Telegraph and The Daily Call. They sold all right, but it was truly amazing to note the number of persons who would approach a stand and after learning that the only chance was one or the other, would refuse to buy either. Of the two, The Call seemed to have all the better of it at the three stands which the writer observed, and it is a great pity that it did not have more warning—more time to put a better fcot forward. The circumstance seemed to prove that The Telegraph largely supplements its readers’ regular daily—that it takes the place of a standard daily rarely, if at all. N England just at present we have what to American views and opinion is a most surprising and pecu liar spectacle, namely, The Era, an independent (unattached) theatrical journal, advocating the adoption of the limited apprentice system as a means of ameliorating the deplorable conditions from which vaudeville artistes are suffering, and The Performer, the official organ of the artistes’ (V. A, F.) union, opposing the proposition. What we do not know of conditions oMaining in England wonld fill a very large volume. The stand or position taken by the officers of the V. A. F. and The Performer may be justified HE Actors’ Fund is supposed to get ten per cent of all moneys raised at benefit performances in which professional actors participate, But it does not. The rule is not rigidly enforced. Cursory investigation would seem to indicate that it is due to the fact that ten per cent is regarded as too much of a deduction. If five per cent would yield more to the Fund why not reduce it to that figure? The present will be the 61st season for “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” as a dramatic offering. If the musical version that has caught on so well in San Francisco proves as lasting, it will be.guite a nice piece of property. The United States Bureau of Economics last week announced again, as it has regularly just about this time for four years past, that the demand for peanuts was increasing. Time was when this always occurred at the opening of the outdoor season, when the circuses and carnival companies were taking the road and the parks opening up. Now it is a feature of the advent of cooler weather and the increasing wants of confectioners, John Ringling broke the rule of a lifetime at a dinmer tendered to Sam Gumpertz last week, and made a speech. While this one post-prandial ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO AND NOW what was then considered fellowing was printed in 1823 in dollars: of chambermaids), $3.°3; Grimald and wife (chief dancers), entirely accounts for it? N these davs when motion picture salaries are high and mounting higher, when pugilists are rewarded and the productions in musical comedy invclve hundreds of thousands, it is interesting to look ba phenomenal changed only the sums mentioned from English pounds to American “The expense of the larger theaters of London are known to be enormous. Those of Drury Lane and Covent Garden exceed $1,000 per night. In 1765 those of Drury Lane were less than $350 a night. The company consisted of about 100 performers, among whom were names of high celebrity. Garrick was at the head of the company, with a salary per night of $14.08; Mr. Yates (the famous Othello) and hie wife, $16.67; Palmer and his wife, $10; King (the celebrated Sir Peter Teazle and Lord Ogleby), $6.67: Parsons (the famous comedian), $6.67; Mrs. Cibber, $12.50; Mrs. Pritchard, $11.67; Mrs. Clive, $8.75; Miss Pope (the first Signor Cuestinelli (chief singer), $5.83; Signor $5." We wonder if it means merely that money is cheaper—if that in fractions of the million *k a hundred years and compare outlay of this sort. The an English publication—we have in many ways, and their various contentions possess much merit in England, but in America they would be ripped to pieces and seattered to the winds inside of twenty-four hours after their proclamation. N the occasion of the complimentary dinner tendered to him at the Hotel Shelburne, Coney Island, N. Y., night of September 17, Sam Gumpertz declared himself on the clean-up issue for the Island. He spoke very plainly. And it was very evident he spoke with complete authority. No shows or concessions calculated to discredit the resort or that are likely to offend or repel better-class patronage will be tolerated in the future. The cheap, the snide and the mean are to be banned and the gypper and trickster jailed. LEVEL-HEADED, straight-thinking and entirely disinterested showman, whose utterances are always worth careful consideration, last week gave us a new thought. Speaking of the salaries paid at the Palace, he observed: “And yet it also proves, or may prove, that he is eminently fair and even generous, for I fully believe that many—very many— vaudeville artistes would gladly play the house for no salary—for the recognition only—in fact, some would pay for the privilege.” effort by no means presages Mr. Ringling’s invasion of public address, it is hoped by his many friends and admirers that it will lead to his being heard oftener in the future. He has lived a very full life, in a unique calling, and out of his long and rich experience he has many things well worth sayving—many things that should be said and disseminated. It appears that the prospects of vandeville in England (or variety, as it is termed over there) are not improving after all. We get it on excellent authority that the city of Manchester, which five years ago boasted thirty-four vaudeville theaters, today has none— not a single one. Dr. Clarence E. Macartney, pastor of the Arch Street Presbyterian Church, was right in commending the Mayor of Philadelphia for the latter’s course in closing lascivious and indecent shows, but he was wrong in pronouncing the Atlantic City pageant ‘a degrading pagan spectacle.” It was nothing of the sort. Recently a theater in Seattle advertised a wedding every night on its stage and—to the deep shame of everyone concerned — delivered the goods. Perhaps making a pompous spectacle of the ceremony in some fashionable church, as do many of our society folk, is almost equally reprehensible, but this practice in no way excuses the theatrical manager. The theater is hurt every time it is prostituted in this manner. The “combined” newspaper that the New York Publishers’ Association contrived to bring out last week did not carry much advertising, but it contrived to get in that of the theaters. Generally speaking, actors and artistes are sanguine regarding the outcome in the matter of the Max HartKeith case, which comes up next month, All they are afraid ot is a settlement. All the professional forecasters last week agreed that business would continue good, but practically everyone had a different reason for thinking eo. The truth is there were no signs that indicated changes of any kind. Internationalism in running races, forecast by the match arranged for this year’s winner of the Derby, Papyrus, to be brought to America to race against our best American colt at Belmont Park in October, will stimulate interest in the sport and tend greatly to check its dwindling hold on the public’s fancy—but it will not rehabilitate it nor restore its former glory. Sheepshead Bay track was taken over recently and will be parceled out in lots and plots to homebuilders. “Baby Peggy To Earn $1,500,000 a Year” and many other heads and captions that shrieked and shrilled as piercingly in the public prints recently will serve to further poison the public mind against motion pictures and that is al! they will accomplish. It is deplorable. The Metropolitan for September prints a handsome full-page portrait cf Queenie Smith, in recognition of the fact that Miss Smith rose from grand opera to musical comedy in an incredibly short time. The Rodeo game could be made a great and an enduring one. It has all the “makin’s”. But we fear it will not last long without wise organization to formulate and direct it. We do not mean to say that its present vogue and popularity are in any immediate danger, but we cannot see much of a future for it, unless regulation by duly constituted authority is instituted soon. ooo British picture producers are campaigning against American films, accusing American producers of unfair competition and dumping, so the cables say—hbut they also report that so far no great success has been met with. “The Paramount Public”, headline in a recent issue of The Nation, but the article it captioned had naught to say of fans. Viadimir Rosing’s endeavor to create a strictly American Opera Company at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N. Y.. is going to be watched closely and with much interest by musicians all over this country. While Spain is abolishing the bull fight, France is seemingly encouraging and fostering it. Altho still glorious as an occupation, fiving is becoming so safe that even with stunting it is losing its lure as a special attraction and is no longer resorted to as a drawing card. Even the high diver and the old hot-air balloon ascension with parachute drop pull better. People are still irresistibly drawn by the chance of seeing a man break his neck splendidly or spectacularly, and always will be. And now they have discovered that music is a remedial agent of special value in the cure of tuberculosis.