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

wel The Bi liboard MARCH 22, 191 Me TO —_ a“ <— < =¢ — >," WA. TB ss S&S, i A Ot Oo? of HOW TO ~ oo 3 > AO OO co —-_— MAKE STOCK MORE PLEASANT AND PROFITABLE Is a Centralized Dramatic Service Bureau Prac tical, and Will it Be Endorsed by Producers? 14.—During the past two levoted considerable space to a discussion of dramatic stock by those suf ficiently interested in the welfare of this branch of t tricals to take cognizance of ex isting co s t influences the production and presentation of plays and players, Je have welcomed the many communica as ession of op n from those more famil conditions than we are, and Lave set forth these opinions in the hepe that they would bring others for publication that would a en @ ret tion that there is room for imprevement which can only be brought about by co-operation of the many. Something Worthy of Consideration Dear Mr. Nelson—All nuts don’t come from I 1, neither do all high-priced royalty plays the stock er their worth. There has been a rumor, so to speak, about the d t of dramatic stock, If such is the case then there is a reason, altho the companies that ere fortunate enough to desirable location seem to be getting mons Piace a child who is just starting to learn the English language with uneducated, unI-don’t-care people and what is the ] product? Say we then, do stock manhe first opportunity to venture in the most up-to-date leted, where eager patr place ns ean hardly wait for the last workman to Ss overa an way for the liver carriage caller her accessories to rush blindly in without a thought of what kind of ente2 ment t witness? A put y is useless because the wh wn s been watching and waiting for th ng rr a new broom sweeps clean, and the aner it sweeps the longer the stock man ger ade ie town; but eventually scome 1 for elp from the opposition i at <« i ven en a st mansion x i has j te draw Mr. Old Theat patrons. Mr. Ola T ian racks his brain, trys ever g he ws with no avail. What can he do! He runs thru his files, or possibly goes down to the janitor and makes inquiry about a t ently filed in the waste t l ) a story short, locates the ({! saver) unanswered letter. ) Is a e ¢ ’ comes the sticker. What pla 1 we th? TI and down ‘ 5] t t possible money 3 ashed and con. * The nt is ont of the question because to make the start and m % ng a a they select s entertair it that will have a Now comes question that all s k agers should get together on. and 2 2 at y heard. a ( in opens It ma be one, two, ur weeks before they show a sign t i s quite a number of vy that end ve dis It wasn't altogether the it of ment, but he had to eut his order to keep up-to-the-m in ions, so he engages one or two, per ) ee cheaper people. I mean cheap in y sense of the world For ail of us know that ev actor 1 actress are not al getting the so-called breaks in show busi company been successful and ip and show a break-even busi der the first-laid plans, the a al success ) d organiza tion m t to the play broker. Th y close actors and actresses go their wry, the manager stops operations fer the time, consequently the play broker has one manager less paying Lim his weekly bit. —— —__ — _ _ We all know that this is really an old story and every one that writes on it merely twists bis writings about a little different, but failure is not a new subject either, and if every stock manager could give his fellow worker the benefit of his own shortcomings in his business ventures, we would all profit from each other. I believe that is the end Mr. Nelson {s working for. A department that can enlighten any stock mauager on mwapy evils that he alone as an individual can not fathom. Will be in a pos A department that help ition to everyone con nected with the stock field. He can not do this alone, he must have everyone that would care to receive the financial benefit interested enough that when they write an article or make an assertion to have the courage of their own conviction by signing their names. In other words don’t be one of those fellows Who laughs at the manager's jokes, for diplo matic reasons. If they are funny, all right. Many things and much help could come from such a department that was really organized, it would be an awful weight taken from the manager and his staff to know that he could get most any information he desired by calling on the department. Then, too, comes the question of plays. A play broker may be the sole } representative of a play that is worth its weight in gold in towns, but just silver in the aforementioned town. So perhaps a well-organized department could have enough weig with play brokers and owners to make a standardized scale of much in good old American cash and a percentage of a certain amount above stock manager's exact operating The play broker would not have to guess or take the individual’s word or even see the tax statement, but the organization would be so closely related to its member (the manager) that the play broker say so the expense, stock would be well protected. If such could be the case the manager coul frame bigger and feel that he alone was not carrying the burden of exploiting something that many would derive much benefit from if the venture was @& success, GRANT A. MARTIN. TEMPLE THEATER STOCK Hamilton, Ont., March 15.—The Temple Theater Stock Company will open its s rng and summer stock season March 17 in “The Crooked Square’’. Many of the old Temple Stock Company are returning, including; leadir Jane 4 Gladys Gillan and Seymour, woman; F: G. Bond, ] Zora Garver, Others in the cast will include Ann Delafield, Earl Jamieson, Jack Daly, A. Lester Paul, Burton Mallor; Louis Al! on, ean Clarendon, Wilbur M. Will artist, who was with the former com again paint the productions, All produced under the directic ams, plays will be n of Frank G. Bond, with Jack Daly as ass’stant director. “The Goldfish” is underlined for the second week, Se SWSSSVSVS . —~> — SS 2 a —sz PAO 3-2 9 0,3 DA OA 2 2 Y cS 4 7 —<_—— we = ~s oe een ~* << <<<<—sSs* elt le ae oe oe ee eee a “~ > S “S > ~ ? — : — 3222722227277 3 ~ —— ~ RL ee en we eh we et et et we = = ——, ~~ > 4 ~W WY Vw ss JACK X. LEWIS Owner and manager of the Jack X. Lewis Company at the Jefferson ater, Roanoke, Virginia. JACK X. LEWIS Owner and Manager of the Jack X. Lewis Players One of the most loyal as well as one of the greatest boosters for successful dramatic stock is Jack X. Lewis, and manager of the Jack X. Lewis Players, now playing he fourth successful season at the Jefferson Theater, Reanoke, Va. always a owner There is good reason why some theatr 2 can play the same territory y out with t public welcoming their coming with their patronage and friendly feeling. Jack Lew s a fine example of the successful showman. Not only is he a very talented actor and capable director, but greatest of he is a stri I As as vina is been a big success, but as a } 3 an and build er of a reputation in a con ty w a will last thru the ages he is even a greater success a most charming and pleasing per sonality and being naturally of a friend a I tion, he has made hundreds of friends in and around Roanoke. Mr. Lew as bought I erty in Roanoke, has taken urt ia y affairs, gives to charity and « Inet mself t any self-respecting citizen would do, He firmly believes that a theatrical organiza tion must be r on t sa b I s rinciples as any other successful enterpr He 1 es and insists on g gk a good ow for ti+ money, demand r e and cour y to patrons, clean about the t iter, and above all, proper conduct from } players After fifteen successful year in stock in different par f t b es that the grea ’ t Is to ' 1 one locality a long t ls th company and build yo re on ft fame @ any ot er « » * reaping the benefits of a long reer of endeny CHARLES E. GUTHRIDGE, Prologing Plays and Players | TOCK NOTICE TO HOUSE MANAGERS 4ND DIRECTORS OF PRODUCTIONS: Mail your house programs as early in the weck as possible to Alfred Nelson, Tho Billboard, New York City. (Week of March 3) Belle Bennett and Plaza Players San Francisco, Calif., Plaza ‘Theater—‘Lilac ae” presented by Belle Lennett and tt Plaza Players, Staged by An i T and Caubison, cast, viz.: M lies , i 1%, Barrington Smith a Ja Kit faré Lula Wasley as Madame Kiffard, Phil Pedgrift as Simpson, Alice Round as Madame Berthelot, Aucyn T. McNulty as Jaolien, Heury Ca on as Harr Leigh Willard as Major Halloway, Fowter William " Lieut Phillip Fel yt le Is Iter tt A Jennuine, Edward Vitus ( t tanding, Lut Yant ” ‘ ( J in (ap 1 { the I ia Captain Watltings Hawkins-Ball Litth Ark., come Stranger’, Stock Company “"WelLlawkins Hock, Kempner Theater presented by the +e Ee ee ae 92 BAO QAO 22 2,3 2A pes ue mh ee eee h | Fi ,| A — >~ a f { ay ALITIES nd There aT oo 22222222, A ~ SSS VWSSVVewSSeVoywnw |p wd tf ao & ter, N. H proved iteelf riy wee! of stock when Al I yers, under the management {L. R. ned there recently. From ¢ vorr ss began to pile int t! Park where the company is playi: d an atinee on Friday was put on to take he increasing patronage. The company stay in Manchester for the remainder ason. ew York Players are going strong on k circuit in Massachusetts. Edward n ad dire gs r0t t truck for tl purpose ga t with « ind speed ] t that the company will go into da ‘ pia Ja I 1 tly left the company and 1 by Richard Bishop. Others ly troupe ar Isabell Leonard Standis) who lay the leads; H r, Teresa Guer Albert dgar, s 1 William Balfour. There was great excitement In Manchester, N. H., when Manager L. R. Barhydt, of the Luttringer Players, published his first ad for ‘The Demi Virgin’, which was presented last K A band of citizens with ¢ moral wel re of the ty at beart approached local aut! ties w loud protests, But Barhydt eventually convinced everyone of the purity of the play and it allowed to go on, the outcome of the fuss is a week for the Park Theater. BRIDGEPORT STOCK CLOSES was And record-breaking The Al Luttringer Stock Company, which bas been t e Plaza T r, Bridgeport, ( » wa ed Mare 1 and Mr. Luttringer went to New York to look for a location to n this unit. ( litions in Bridgeport looked fa it times, but on account of the Lenten n Mr. Luttriuger t would — be mpossible to keep the company ther Ann k y and Robert Lynn were I leads Rall § k Company, by A. T. Stork, ca viz.: ¢ Whitaker as Isidore Solomon, ° a. ee rk as Ichabod Whitson, Jack Ball as Gideon 1 » Nell McLennan as Seth Trimble, Frank Ha tr at Ed Hooker, as Clem I i Alex Mact: sh Tom Coulthard ] y Kraft as David Frankel, Florence Lewin is Ma ( k, Etta DeVoto as Essie Solomon, Eva § t Grace Whitson, Alma Clark 45 Mrs. Trimble, Chas. Green as Bije Warner (Week of March 10) Woodward Players St. Louls, Mo., Empress Theater—‘‘Peg 0 M Heart’, presented by the Empress Theater ’ ‘ y und the Woodward Players, staged und © } ul direction of O. D. Wood1, cast, v Alice Baker as Mrs. ¢ hester, j u 1 iy Jar Ann Austin as Ethel, \ ( daug Bobby Reed as \ Irs. Chichester’s son; Frank McNellis as ( in nt, H iw 1 e as Peg, Ed-" d ng as Montgomery Tawkes, Sylva Farnese as Maid, Ak I « as Jerry. Victory Players Charleston, 5S. C., Victory Ti presented by Clyde M Wad eater—"Six Cylinder Love” , cell, with the stage direc n of ¢ . BF. burne, cast, viz.: Bessie Bennett as Mrs. i ton, Gavin Harr as Richard Burton, Wintfred Axtell as VPhylis Burton, Margaret Mlonett as Mary, Margaret MacDonald as Margaret Rogers, E. Dorward Warvey as Bertram Rogers, Karl Huebl as Harold Winston, Pear! Hazleton ” larylin Sterling, Clyde M Wadd as Gilbert Sterling, John J, Daly as William Don roy, Charles F. Millburne as George Stapleton in MeVenn as Smith, Rupert H. Clarke fis m Johnson Gordinier Players tit t., Rialto Theater—‘‘Three Live Ghosts’, presented by Clyde M, Gordinier, at 1 by Arthur Olmi, cast, viz.: Dixie Loftio av Mrs. Gubbing, Mae Ambler as Miss Pegs) (Continued on page 49)