The Billboard 1924-03-22: Vol 36 Iss 12 (1924-03-22)

OA tn’ MARCH 22, 1924 The Billboard 33 AMUSEMENT BAN IS LIKELY TO BE MODIFIED BY METHODISTS National Conference Expected To Take Action— Antagonism to Amusements Has Worked Great Harm, Says J. Henry Smythe, Jr. EW YORK, March 15—There is a strong possibility that the Methodist ban on amusements will be lifted when the National Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church takes place in Springfield, Mass., May 1, in the opinion of J. Henry Smythe, Jr., New York publisher, who is leading the movement to wipe the 52-year-old amusement prohibition paragraph from the church Book of Discipline. The so-called amusement blue laws of the Methodist Church were legislated at the general conference of the church in 1872 and designated in the Book of Discipline as Paragraph 280, penal section on worldly amusements, Since that time there has been no modification or alteration of the code, tho motion pictures have sprung into being and there is no definite mention in the “blue law” that this type of entertainment is forbidden. In commenting on the mistaken legislation on amusements, Edwin Holt Hughes, of Boston, recently pointed out that circuses were included among ‘“‘sinful amusements’’ in the Book of Discipline, but that prize fights were omitted, and that spoken acting was prohibited when the law was made, but it is not being interpreted as prohibiting moving picture acting. In this connection Bishop Hughes said: “I¢ one shall take the ground that the moving picture is forbidden by our legislation, then We must affirm that the overwhelming majority of our people and vast numbers of our preachers are today flagrant lawbreakers."’ It seems that the discussion of the amusement-ban matter has been sidestepped each year that a national conference has been held, tho Progressive Methodists have gone before the meetings, introduced resolutions and made attempts thru the press to alter the unfair legislation of 1872. Victory for the progressive Methodists appears More likely this spring, however, it is believed, @t the ‘‘ban on actors’ quetsion has raised an issue which the Methodist leaders must face, and indications point to at least a change of the amusement paragraph. Bishop Hughes recently declared that the peoBle of the Methodist Fpiscopal Church are willing to have a straightforward discussion of the amusement clause, a discussion based on spiritual arguments. He stated at the time that the Methodist Church is not willing to heed the demands of actors’ associations for a change in their laws, Resolutions passed some time ago by the Actors’ Equity Association denounced the attitude of the Methodist Church toward the amusement profession, and memorialized the repeal of the amusement clause in its laws. That the consideration of the amusement question at the national conference is bigger than the Methodist church, because it concerns all Protestantism, is the belief of Smythe, who, speaking on the matter, said: “A corollary of these ‘blue laws’ is that actors and others in the amusement profession have been held ineligible for membership in the Methodist Church or at least made to feel unwelcome, and not only does the injustice of the amusement clause work against the actor Dut against the church, the actor not being Permitted to belong to the church and the Methodist not being permitted to visit the theater, This takes much in the way of support away from the church as well as the theater." Smythe is of the opinion that the reunion with the Methodist Church, South, is also threatened, because Southern Methodists will never accept any amusement ban any more than the Northern branch would now dare add attendance at motion pictures to the prohibited list. That the antagonism toward amusements shown by country churches, especially the Methodist and Baptist denominations, has been an influential factor in driving young folks from the farms to the cities is one instance of the incalculable harm done by the amusementban law. Bishop Hughes himself wrote last fall in The Methodist Review that he was “‘among those sishop LOTS OF PUBLICITY FOR COCHRAN’S RODEO London, March 15 (Special Cable to The Billboard).—Charles B. Cochran is getting lots of prblicity regarding his redeo and cowboy championship contests at Wembley. Cochran has been warned that this rodeo will do great + and srouse the anima! cranks against who regard this legislation, in its original making and in its continuance, as a serious mistake, equaling a disaster in the Nfe of the Methodist Church."’ The New York City convention of the Methodist Onorce will pe keid April 2. V. A. F. REGISTRATION BILL REINTRODUCED London, March 15 (Special Cable to The Billboard).—The Right Honorable C. W. Bowerman reintroduced the Vaudeville Artistes’ Federation registration of theatrical employers’ bill in the House of Commons March 10. The Dili would require the registration of all theatrical employers not in possession of a theater or a license; in other words, to register all touring managers, NO SETTLEMENT BETWEEN MOSS EMPIRES AND M. U. London, March 15 (Special Cable to The Billboard).—No settlement was arrived at at the musicians’ conference with Moss Empires regarding wage reductions concerning three hundred men, but R, H. Gillespie promised to issue a condensed statement for consideration by the union branches prior to another conference, like Tommy Levene, George Rubin and the Barber Sisters, recently in tabloids, are meeting with fine success as a combined act in vaudeville. Levene, who used to be # comic, is gradually getting acclimated to « straight role. CLARKE & LESLIE __Two DANCE HITS Arthur Lange” Arrangement HOME IN FOX-TROT . . Smatler Orch., 25e. : >. Full, 35¢ ] WRITE FOR SPECIAL OBLIGATOS FOR SINGING ORCHESTRAS Cs Orch , 50c -% — Full, Se | _| With Variatio st6r7 Instruments “DIRTY HANDS” — Fox “MAGGIE! YES MA’AM” FoxTrot “HUNGRY BLUES” For-Trov Be “HOME JAMES, HOME” ry . doin Ea i Beta pri . Fox-Trot our 1 Orehestra Club $200 year, 3 and get above FREE ———GLARKE & LESLIE 1) 1591-5 Broadway = NEW YORK —— .. Pitrot To Put Vaude. on Royal Mail Liners New York, March 16.—Richaré Pitrot, the “globe-trotting showman”, isnded on these shores this week after & sever months’ tour of Europe and at once started working on his latest scheme, tying up the various trans-Atlantic steamship companies for the presentation of his sea-going vaudeville shows. Pitrot said he already had the Royal Mai) Line signed up, with the Cunard Line favorably inclined toward the project. When the summer rusb starts Pitrot expects to have his troupes operating aboard the biggest liners. Pitrot sald he thought his scheme would give a lot of vaudeville actors a chance to take & delightful sea trip and vacation this summer. The vaudeville shows, or units, will be formed in New York and assigned to a trans-Atlantic steamship. The troupes, after each cruise, will be interchanged, so as to give them 8 cbanee to visit the variovs European ports. Each of the shows will carry along its own musicians and be made up of acts from the typical vaudeville bill. The steamship companies, Pitrot said, are to be finacially interested Im the scheme. They are to provide the first cabin transportation and in return will get fifty per cent of the gross receipts of the shows. However, the globe-trotting showman’s prime interest at the present time is the financing of his transportable theater enterprise. Pitrot said his transportable theater, put into struectural form by Josef Hubner, noted theater and amusement park architect, can be adapted to any class of performance, particularly that of the rep. show. Vaudeville acts that have lost favor witb the big circuits could band together, he snggested, and use one of these transportable theaters to give shows al) over the conntry. The theaters, made up of specially treated cloth and wood, with a sheeting of tinplate on the exterior, are to be rented from an American holding company. During bis recent travels thru Europe Pitrot found the show business, generally speaking, abont normal. In Germany, where the theaters are playing to capacity day im and day out, the managers complain that the receipts don’t mean anything, because the cost of the show and the overhead far transcends the income. The theater men don’t dare, he said, raise the price of admission and the actor’s salary is still at starvation level; so that the manager eas a merry time of it. The show business in Hollard, Pitrot said, is just hobbling along. As an instance of the state of affairs theatrical in that country Pitrot told how the Theater Carre, the largest house in Amsterdam, was forced to close about two weeks, the middle of the season, because of the attenuated receipts. In Austria the show business is slightly better than that prevailing in Germany. The actors, musicians and stage hands of Vienna are preparing for a general strike in the event that the present negotiations for a raise in wages fail, he said. However, be found the theatrical business in a fairly healthy condition in both France and Belgium. “What's the outlook?’ Pitrot was asked. “There’s no outlook. Only a miracle will change the present lot of the variety actor in Europe.” Loew’s State, N. Y., To Repeat Radio Program -_-_lR« New York, March 15.—Broadcasting from the stage of Loew's State Theater, a stunt which week before last it is said swelled the patronage over 300,000, will be a feature of the program the week of March 24, it was learned today from the office of Nils T. Granlund, official announcer of Station WHN. It is planned to have a greater number of entertainers during that week than appeared before the microphone the week of Mark 3, the first time that radio broadcasting had been included in the regular program at any theater. Will Morrissey and Irving Fisher. both wellknown entertainers, will be featured during that week. There is a possibility that radio broadcasting will become @ permanent feature of the show at Loew's State, as it undeniably boosts bnsiness, according to Granland, and there is some profit derived from the advertising sold in the four-page program of the State Theater on the strength of the breadcasting’s drawing power. Recently there hare been some severe clashes between Station WHN and other radio broad casting stations, particularly WEAF, operated by the American Telephone & Telegraph Company. It was complained by Station WHN this week that WEAF was trying to crab their broadcasting by thrownig out interference waves. Big-time vaudeville is being shown by Pete Tatebis at bis theaters in Keene, N. B., and Brattleboro, Vt. The Keene house plays thrée acts, with two changes a week, and the Brattleboro house runs three acts for the last half only. Josephine’s Minstrels is one ef the big acta recently beoked im the latter G4 a a ee ss