Variety (Aug 1932)

VA»M E\.M LIE VARI$TY m m AGENTS ON FINE UST 1 ii r, IV .* with one mpre franChiaed agency created, through the afniiatlon of Nat Sobel with Harry Norwood) the final list of official RKO agehclfs, as okayed by Beck,, stands at-SI. Combinations formed during last week to complete the line-up included Lew Mosley and. Hen- ry. B^lUt, Herman .Citron a,nd Alex (Gerb^^, '. iHarry / tendon and Roger' MurrellrviBaut DeAxpsey and Phil Tyrell, Billy Jackson and Jack Hart, and Pete Mack, Lewis SpleU man and Phil Morris. Latter, as a partniershlp trio, will alternate un- der tlie twb-on-the-floor rule. ., Agents' RK;6; theatre passes, picked up six weeks ago, weria re- turned to the act. reps yesterday (Monday), Minus pckssbs, ihe'agents had to buy tlcWfets in the RKO' houses to see their own acts. Kate Smith's Palace Unit Totols $8,000, of Which $5,000 Is Kate's \'ThJa-jKate ^mithl 'Uplt ibl^I At the RKO Palace, New York, this week, la getting $8,000 In salaries, or |S,006 more than the budget orig- inally prescribed for yaudelvllle' iinr- der the Palace's new yaudfilm policy.. : Miss Smith's share la around $6,000. The $8,000 salary is under a blanket arrangeinent with Miss Smith's maniager, Ted; Collins, who picked the surrounding ta.lent. Which Includes Cliff Edwards. Macklln Megley produced the unit in 48 hours, being called in on Bhort notice when other matters re- strained Bobby Connally,'the staff producer for RKO, from staging. .Three performances were played at the Prospec^t, .Brooklyn, while pror ductlon \ms ^<>lng|6m Megleiy. got two hours'; sleep but of tho 48. DUNCANS SPLIT,VIV. WILL LEAD JAZZISTES LosAngeleSiAug.lt Ambitious to waive a baton, Viv- ian Duncan has split with her sis- ter Rosetta and is rehearsing a femine orchestra for possible vaude and picture house dates. Rosetta win go single. Band will break in at the State, Long Beach, within the \ next three Weeks." '■ ., ■ Another Big Cap Show, Ul Roth Only 6 J>ays LllUan Roth \ jot: ' the CapUol, New York, stage show Friday (6) for 3lx days, succeeding Warren William and Bette Davis who hold oyer one day from Thursday when the new picture, 'Skyscraper Souls,' comes in. Milton Berle, Morton DoWney, Veleis and Yolanda and Madeline Killeeh open at the house that day with the new picture. Abe Lyman Is holding over a fifth \7eek. 15 Pebp^le Magic Act 7' . Los Angeles, Aug; li Avadalas, European magician, has i. framed a !& people magic act for ;t picture houses, and opens at War- [ ner's, San Pedro,. Aug. . 4, with f Huntington Park and Santa Bar- .1:^ bara to follow. , . Act • is managed by Charles A. t Allen,' one-time RKO booker. It ji Will Jump to tho nilddle west after L three weeks of - coast breakln. 2 FEMME M. C.'S Harry Huffman's Stunt Helps . Attract tp Denver Qrph Disnver, Aug. 1. . Since Harry Huffman pooled with .RKO In this situation he has been featuring, two mistresses of cere-i monies at the RKO Orpheum. Idei has gotten attention from the .start. Currently- Mltzl Green, In person with 'First Year' (Fox), is doing the town's main trade with $16,000 the pace this weelc. Picture stars Gaynor and Farrell. MOB00KmGS A flock of . standard vaudeville acts who reside on Long Island in their own homes when not working, decided to do something about the not working thing arid went fnto. SkpUrases' Rlvoll, Hempstead/'last week. In a unit produced for the oc- ciasion by Macklln . Megley.' The Hempstead date 'vfras on per- centage and reports were so good, that RKO bookers went out to take a look. They are now laying out some RKO time for the troupe. Acts are. Arthur and Morton Havel, Ethel Davis, Art Henry, Kraft and LaMont, Dorothy Martin, Glersdorf Sisters, Ridiculous Recco, George All, and a Jean Shibley girl llnev Unit title Is. 'Nassau Back- fence Follies.' ' EDDIE CANTOR'S VAUDE REVUE WITH MEROFF BD. . Detroit, Aug. 1. Benny MerofC and band go with Eddie Cantor in his vaude-revue planned to play concert halls and auditoriums this fall. Tour starts Nov. 1 at Newark. RKO Sets Stage Band Act With Ex-Pug Who Croons Cleveland, Aug. 1. M;anny Landers' local band with Billy Wallace, exrpugilist, who quit tho ring when Paul Whlteman dis- covered' he could croon, open their first tour on RKO in New Orleans this week. ^ •"' Landers and his singing leather- pusher protege, made their, vaude debut at Keith's. .East End recent- ly. Subsequent tbur was" partly ar- ranged by *Doc' Elliott, house'man- ager. . Landers also adding two femme hoofers to act. Joe Howard Left Bill To Reach Stricken Child Chicago, Aug, 1. Joe E. Howard left the State- Lake bill Tuesday night to speed to Cleveland, where his ll-year-ol.d daughter was fatally ill. Child died Thursday. Wan Wan San ,Troupe replaced at State-Lake. Child was by Howard's third wife, Evelyn Clark, also a vaUde- vlllian. . Gpo. Hyde Suicide San Francisco, Aug. 1. George R. Hyde, former p.a, for RKO at the Golden Gate and vet newspaperman, committed- suicide by taking poison in his apartment Thursday .([28). Hyde had been out of work for sojne time and was despondent. Added Picture ; Strength Through Product Deals Makes Leading Vaude .Cir- cuit Less Vaude-Mind^ —Coast Time Stays Out —With 20 Weeks No4«r, Only 5 to Be Adcled J: 4 WEEKiS IN NEW YOI^ RKO will limit its vaudeville start of the new season on Labor Day .to a maximum of ^ weeks throughogt the country. This contrasts with the 70 weeks with Awhich the princi- pal yaHety circuit commenced the season just ehded» also the 40 to iSO- weok forecast made recently . for '32-'33. The ; drastic retrenchment in : the amount of proposed playing tim'e^is diie to a general economy trend, pius- a desire to see how far the fomier RKO vaudeville theatres can go on the circuit's new picture product without the aid of stage shows. ; Picture deals made recently place RKO In. its strongest position'to date nationally as far as film prod- uct is concerned, making vaudeville a lesser factor In this circuit's ope- ration than ever before.- When RKO's film product was notoriously weak—and this was true up to- tbe present time—vaudeville was: :)its chief bid for patronage during the majority of weeks each season. Now that strength has been gained lii < a picture way, RKO Is far less vaiid^.* ville-mlnded. It admits. F.AM. Units withdrawal of the Coast houses in two weeks trims the RKO books to 20 weeks, necessitating the addl- tioii of only five new weeks to i^ll the 26-week quota. The 25 wili 'in- clude two or three weeks of Fah- chon & Marco units contracted for in advance and onei or two locally booked stage band propositions, such as that at th& Golden Gate, San Francisco. • Probability is that about two of the five forthcoming weeks will be in New York, where tho RKO time is now resting on a new low oi Z% weeks. Including the -split w«ek break-In Prospect, Brooklyn, ^^he Palace, New York, and Albee, Brooklyn,, are the others. The Kf|it- more was declared on and oft: in two days last week and Is n6^,.set to remain straight pictures. The 26 weeks will stretch nojfur- ther west than Denver, with; the Coast drop-outs due to stay out dur- ing the first couple of weeks in the noyf season, or until straight' pic^ tures have proved themselves either way. . ■ - A scheduled series of meetings at RKO. regarding policies for .next season, upon which the location of the 25. weeks depend, got under way last night (MondayK 20-25 Weeks of Loew Vaude lined Up 2 Musketeers • Jack Norton and Harry Lang.> both . former performfers, .are , how agents and have theii; ' OMf h bjBf^ce. A twist iii : their l . : affairs ha^ come about through Lang trying-to seU Norton for | a new musical show. - if suppessfully conpluded it i . wi.ll havft the-unusual aspect, of j ■ one agent:-paying- his vpartner-1 ■ commission, -and-'If' Lanfe 'also . ' happen^"' ft) ''^ia<»e • Lihg • lie'lV • • owe ' h'l^^elf - icij-himissten;" 'ailij; i ;'.th'^re'njbi^',nb, more Paradoxical Click And BroiGe by Mills Bros, in Twin Cities . Los Angeles, Aug. 1. , . Mlk^i Marco leaves for 'Sievr York Aug. 2 to arrange with all the cir- cuits oiitside of Fox-for the playing of four musical units he Is now pro duclng. They are 'Whoopee,' 'Ir«!he,' •Follow Thru' and 'Sally,' the latlet with Mary Eaton. , Booklnga Jor .65 weeks have ac- cumulated so J'ar f or Marco's 'Desejrt Song.' ' Also '20 'eitra Veeks. ha,v& bedh kddeil "^to the '2G already- sched- /liled. for'Lewis. , ^,1 BERLE WITH CARROLL, 3 YEARS UP TO $2^009 Wt • Milton Berle,'' 22-'year-old co.mlc who cam'6 ' up from th6 yauoleyllle' ranks on'iiis m. c.'iiig at .the. Palace., New 'York, liasf season, is going legit for the, neit-three years under Earl Carroll. ' The.. cohttactt ar- ranged by Berle's 'vaudevllle-^agei>t> Charlie Morrison, guarantees hljn 30 weeks a ye&r at a salary gradu- ating, up to..$2,000. . :.- • .'< . i , - Berle's first wilt be in the Carroll- 'book- mUslbal Im'pprtation,' 'It's a Girl,' as . one, of the two comedy leads. .Fjrdnk. Morgan is the other. Berle's contract starts when > the show opens Oct,. 1 or thereabouts. Senator Murphy—RKO Senator Murphy opens Oct. 1 in Rochester on an RKO route upon returning: from Europe. The Sen. started an engagement yesterday (1) at the Palladium, London. Minneapolis, Aug. 1, Vagaries of the show business were demonstrated iii the Twin Cities when thei Mills Brothers drew capacity at the State. theatre here, and .playing a simultaneous engagement at the Hotel Lowry night club, St Paul, did a brpdie, At the Lowry, appearing each night after their last theatre performance, they couldn't draw. They finally werj cancelled by the Lowry after Tuesday right, two evenings before the end of their engagement, and paid 6fC in full. Hipp^' Cleye; Possibly , ; • Also lioei^, Reopens Sept; Cleveland, Aug. 1. RKO Hipp is sli^ted tp reopen Sept. 3 while Lbew's will turn the State's mazdas . on .again Sept 2. Both houses have been dark two monthis,-leaving this burg Vlth pnly four dpwiitpWn pic and vaude' the- atres for sun^mer. . State, which formerly had units, will adopt new vaudfllm policy, .al- though H. M. Addison, Loew chief here, ' has- penciled In ; t^blolded 'Rio Rita', for .early date. Myton Roman's , band may go back in I pit again.: . Roman Is now dolnfif ra^io commercials. . Straight picture policy Is 'an- nounced for Hipp, but Inslde-dope- sters claim RKO may change plans to include . some form of stage shows; Starting In September Keith's East, RKO's only, nabe spot here, will book in Fanchon & Marco units for first half of weeks and vaude for second half. Ben Blue's Hal Roach Comedy Shorts' Series Hollywood, Aug. 1. Ben Blue has been signed by Hal Roach for his first picture work. He will appear In the Roach 'Taxi' se- ries of six two reeiers, starting soon. Leo Morrison, who suggested Blue come out from New York a couple of months ago, negotiated the deaU Loew's is contemplating 20 to 25 weeks of vaudeville time for next season, 14 of. which will be full week-stands,' playing flve-act bills priced from $3,P00 to $5,000 in sal-, aries.; It will top any contemporary va.udeVille book in amount of time available fpr shows o.f that balary calibre, . , . .'. '■ . At least 10 of the 14: big weeks wiil' be contributed by the former Loew. presentation houses •which go refeiilar ■vaLUde'vllle' is' a result 'Of the . scrapping[pf the'.clrcqU'si unit pro- ducing department,; I Lqew's.^! pro- duction activity during '32-'33 will be confined tq.r the . one Broadway , de luxe week, the Capitol, Theatres and towns under advise- ment as- $3,p00-$5,000 . full week stands^. In additlbh to the"Capltol. are thO State and - Paradise, New ^Yock;-, yalenqia,' .Tamaica; Metro- polltan^ firobklyn, Jersey .Cltyl Bos- ton, Washington,- Baltimore, Pitts- burgh,- Columbus, Montreal,' Syra-; cuse, Clerveland. All biit Pittsburgh, Columbus and Syracuse are currently In stage shows, but mostly under summer budgets. Bros^ Calloway Win Screen and Sbige ^ For Par While in N. r. Mills Brothers and Cab Callo- way's orchestra are jointly set for the Parainpunti. firi»pWyh, Aug. 26. Quartet, .plays the I'J'ew :York i»8UF tbe w.eek before. .. ,' .,. .. , WWle fllUng the .Brooklyn datd the -two colored attractions- will - do their bit- before the • camerti ^nd mike for-Paramount's 'Big Broad- bast<'- Chicago had previously been agreed 'upon a.H the meeting pliice for these shots, but thei, picture company Ve'^ded the Idea and ar- ranged the theatre brokings-here so that the work could be. done at a New Yoric studio. ." ROGER KAHN NO LKEE RKO DOUGH, SO HE BLOW , A^ter a week at .the Palace ajid a split showing! .date before that, Roger Wolfe Kahn- has-washed him- self of any further RK6 time. Had been offered an out of town route but Ih* difference between his ask- ing, price and the booking oflAce fig- ure was too wide, he said, for htm to swallow. :. Four ^eeks already laid out for him took in Cleveland, Chicagd, Boston and the ■ Albee, Brooklyn. Cleveland spot (30) was kept open to the last, minute while the wrangling went oh. : Band carries 22 people. Including two femme specialists and an electrician. • Nicky Thompson Accepts Lift with Dire Results Rochester, N. Y., Aug. 1. Ruth Robblns, 26, vaude dancer, professionally Nicky Thompson, was found semi-conscious at the foot of a steep clift near Hornell, N. Y., after accepting an automo- bile ride with a stranger. Apparent- ly she had been drugged arid thrown from the car. After dancing - engagements at Mansfield and Covington, Pa., and Eimira, she was on her way to visit a sister in Hornell. She missed a train at Rath and the man, hearing of her plight, said he was going to Olean and would give her a lift. After riding some distance she com- plained of a slight illness, she said, and he gave her a drink of what she supposed was water. She soon lost con.'iclousness and remembered nothing until she came to in the hospital. Authorities hav no trace of the man.