Variety (Aug 1932)

2, 1932 TIM E S S IIII A R E VARIETr i9 Tm Telling You By Jack Ostennan • ALL TOU CAN 1mAl> FOR PIP- UBBN CBNi'S \ Africii SheuU Out Loud Broadway looks like a menage- fle. Since Africa started speakine from Hollywoodt the street looks like a zoo. Critics now talk this •^y,. IMd you see JToan Crawford aiid John Barrjrmore?' . To heli with that, did yoii get ft load of that snake at the ■ May- . ^7' ■■■■■■■■ . Distinction . Hy Goldstein . reports thf> «tory ipt .tbe salesman' who called up a atrange buyer , and Jiiade an en- gagement to meet him In front of the Nassau at Iiong Beach. . '^ut how will I know you?' asked fjbe saltfsman./ It's a cinch,' answered the buyer, Vn. be thia guy with the English newspaper under niy arm.* Poor Kid At Mlnsky's Central this week a (Irl:. appears ' pracliically in the Mother Bye style. She sings a song that has for Its first line, Tm . sb ashamed of'my Vocabulary!' yiv« La ^Scotlaiid \; . tiilly (tavern) La. HifE, keeps the Scotch gags In clrpult^tlon. with the •ne about'the Scotchman that saw 'm, sign reading. Free Air, and bliew. •at four of his tires. ' Okay kele*y Relcey Allen phones to say that •11 some of those actors wearing White suits need , is a 'Good Humor' car and they're in business. Description /talking to Cliff Eiflwards remind- ed, us pf our , old Hohywood .days .that-we spent, with Norman Kerry. Nocinan is an extremely' nervous person and very jumpyi - Soiheonfe «sk€d us bnco how to' get^ to 'his home'. We told'-them'-to drive .o.ut to Beverly Rills knd'.w'alk into ti^e Srst hoiude they sa^w 'shaking:. _iMr. Sweeney, II. S. A. Mr., ;Fred Sweeney- walked ofC the Sremen last week after a fev.' weeks Abroad .iii the Joe CrK)k show. He 111 gradually gettin|rvAmerlcahiz^d again.' . He Informed us .th4£ he had ki .flne trlp 'a,nd d^scrli^ed .it tbUsIy, ,T asked Capt. ^legenblen of the Bremen .. If . we yrere half way .to America. When he replied, 'Yes,'I threw my 'monocle off the boat; aalf Way to New Foiindland, I dashed my walking stick over the ■all; at Quarantine 1 departed with ■ay spats and most of my accent, while passing th^ Statiie of Liberty the Capta,ln suggested I throw myr ■elf overboard, but alas,, no, I feel America needs me noyr more than •ver.' .Bring Your Banjo ' Then ' there's the story of the ■oclety dame that' loved to Invite -eelebs to her parties. According, to Irving Hoffman, she met her water- loo the night she asked Pablo Ca- •alea to drop over, adding not to forget to bring his. 'cello. Casalps weakened her'-ti^lth, Tm" sorry, my vltello doesn't drink.' ~ ■ Ostermi^nra ; There's still a couiple. of Broadr wiy, .blocks without ^a.MlnpUy a,t- ,1feractlon.. .Frisco Is playing his ati- aual engage, eat this week at the 'Utate.. .Last week Bill Dentiarest tevited his friends to see hini, this way 'Come in and see me lying in State:...Billy Moore's broken leg was such a big hit, he: booked it back again this Week...ARE TOU HEADING? Hollywood Turns Toirtle Hollywood, Aug. 1. Hoping to attract. Olympic visi- tors, with gambling Instincts, Jack Hurst and DeWltt Norrls will open a turtle racing arena on Vine street near .the .boulevard this week. To circumvent any: lesal trouble over betting, turtles will be sold outright for ^2 with, the announce- ment that the buyers can take them home after the race! Terrapins wll| be started 100 at a time from the center of a ring. First three out bring, a total of* $100 in prizes to their owners. Teh races., will be .et^iged . nightly. Grandstand ' seating 2,10p will be •rected. HI, Court Upholds Race Track Statutes Sprlngfleld, 111 , Aug. 1. Pari-mutuel system Is not with in , the constitutional Inhibition against lotteries, the horse race law is not objectionable, because it does not apply equally to dog tracks, and the right to establish regularly licensed tracks is legal, the Illinois Supreme <:ourt decided last week In a sweeping decision sustaining the legality of the act in every particu- lar. Ruling was given in a case taken from^ the Madison county cir- cuit court on appeal by State Sena- tor Monroe, who had been charged with Infractions of several provl- isions of the statute to determine validity of the act. , Monroe was uiider sentence of four: days In . jai), the bill against him alleging that he held races after the legal racing dates were over; obtained' no' llbcnse and paid no • license fee; posted no bond; paid no adn^isslon tax; charged commission of 25% on all bets and hield some races after 7 p. m., which 1b after the. time, when all tracks are supposed to be-closed. SHRINE'S GRANDSTAND REVIEW AT $4j;Q FLlVS Sah Francisco, Aug. 1. Shrlnere' plan In ^an Francisco for the parade and spectacle tc be reviewed from the grandstand by a paying public proved a flop. Tickets were sold for ?4.60, with sale bad, then cut to |2 and at the last min- ute reduced It to $1.25. Also to make sure that public would . buy. seats, the parade was limited .to two' blocks -around the grandstand,: with result there was big outside Jam but stands only two-iljlrds full, which will bring probable loss to the Frisco Shrlriers of around |120,0(K>: oh entertainment fXirnlshed; natlona) yisitofs. ; . Understood .that the federal gov- ernment is Investigating a )50,000 capital prize drawing. MARRIAGES Elizabeth Fehh«>r,' of the tJ"'- verslty Players, Ca.p.e Cod, Mass., to Thonias B. Gresiiam, 2d, of Balti- more, aiE .Falmouth, Mass., July 23. Mrs. Bartington Jenks, of Balti- more, to Alexis Bolinoft de Kolod- zefC, of the Biisslan ballet, at Can- nes, France, ., • Mrs. Marttii Mack to Leslie Law- ler, In Ensenada, Mexico, last week. Bride, is the divorced wife of Charles Mack, the comedian. Dorothy Cummlng Daki'n to Dun- cjan W. McNabb, July 28, in New York. Bride was the Madonna in 'King of Kings.' Louise Lerch to Donald Grey Brian, Trappe, Pa., July 28. Bride was formerly with Metropolitan opera. • Mis. Amelia Manz to Arthur l^u- blnsteln, Londoh, July 27. Bride is the daughter of Mlynarskl of the Warsaw opera. Groom is a concert pianist. Nat Vincent, Los Angeles radio singer and songwriter, filed inten- tion to marry Charlotte Y. Sinclair, non-pro. In Los Angeles, July 26. Josephine Remos.to Arnold Gray in Los Angeles, July 15. Both are in films. Isabelle Polltzer, Fox story de- partment, to William Meyer, no i-. pro, in New York last week. To Europe for. honeymoon. Harrlette Segall, non-pro, to Richard Hermance, in Hollywood, July 30. Groom Is production man- ager for the Van Buren Corp., and brother of June Ccllyer. , Monte .WllHams, theatrical print- er, to Louise Dalmer, showgirl, in San Francisco, early in July. Naclo Herb Brown, songrwrlter, to Jeanne Borllnl Lochart, lyricist, in Reno, June 20. Evelyn Watson, former vaude single', to Charles J. Brady, non- pro in Scranton, Pa., July 25. .Ethel Cannol, non-pro, to , Earl MoWbrey, July 28, at Los Angeles. Groom Is In the art department of Paramount theatre there; Jack Crawford, ni.c. at Fox thea- tre, Seattle, and Emma J. Epier, pianl.<3t, were ' married. In Seattle, July 20. ■ ■ ■. Kurf Neuman, ITniversal director, to irma iBley, non-pro, in Los An- geles July 30. Reyerse English Rochester, N. T., Aug. 1. Bathing contest winner turn- ing modest brought a shock to the RKO P€ilace management. , Connie De Lettera, who won the nod of the Judges at iSea Breeze Park, was to appear on the Palace stage with the run^ ners-up. But when told the costume would be the same as at the beach she pixed the idea. Bathing suit oke for the beach, but not the .bright lights, sez she. Street clothes or no appearance. She won and walked on with the other girls wearing their bathing suits^ Slot Machines Save Golf Cli^^ Slot machines spotted consplcu-: ously around New York In barber shops, i)eauty parlors, whisperlows and clubs are netting the operators $25,000. a week,' according to esti- mates.- The nickel, machines, which use a brass check Instead of a coin, are operated by a syndicate- which recently^, obtained a court ruling prohibiting police ' Intereference as long as no money Is displayed in the Jack-pots or. Is .inserted in the .ma ehlnes, which'can be geared up to give the operators as much as 85% the best of It Average machine in a good loca- tion will gross $60 In nickels weekly, With the spilt 60-40, operators being on the long end, it leaves 120 for the storekeeper whose premises are used; It Is figured there are at least 1,500 maichines spotted In the best locations around Manhattan. Golf Clubs' Bonanza ' . Where, 25c inachiiies get a play the average take is |200 a week, netting the storekeeper from $iB0 to 11-00, as some spots get a 60-60 Ibreak. . Some golf clubs, where non-pay inent of'dues Is a dire factor, have the slot machines, and they have proved to be a life-saver. One club in Jersey has Installed two nickel and a quarter machine. Spotted in the locker room during the day they arei mbved into the. dining room In the evening, and for the past three months the ^dub has netted $1,600 a month. These machines are owned outrlg^ and no split is nec- essary. The .gross has proved sufll- cient to lift the club, out Of the red for the first time in two years. Popular Manager's Loyal Guests It's a nifty system which one popular hotel manager has worked out whereby he takes with himself, to every new hostelry he takes over, a faithful group of patrons. This bunch sticks as long as the. hotel man- ager does and when he shifts to a new spot" thiey go with him. Thus, in successive steps, the manager "has established an enviable record for himself in the family type of residential hotel trade without any expensive exploitation, radio, dance bands cr siniilar investmentis. It's strictly a personal following proposltlbn. He mo-ves Into a new hotel and with him almost simultaneously'ar- rive a nucleus of fresh money customers. As soon, as things begin to hum the manager sells his Interest or . lease in tiie hotel to ^ new interest which is chiefly impressed by an almost capacity patronage. Shortly thereafter the erstwhile manager makes a new connection and with hIra moves a goodly portion of the patronage from his last spot. That his following includes nomadic hotel residents such as showfolk* hewspaiper people, etc., explains this loyalty from his i>atronage,. further insured by special concessions, ex;tra service niceties, eto. Minnevitch's Convincing Hoax Frank ('Variety') Scully, Riviera chain-letter writer,: details how he , engineered the Borrah Minevltch hokum kidnaping by. Corslcan sallora to the degree that the U. P., A. F. and the N. T. 'Times' correspondentsi at Nice all went for it in a big way, including photographs, followups, and four-day bulletins. The 'Times' really sprung it first, which waa a sort of cohvihcer for the other news, services and resulted in the I. N. S. editor in Paris wiring down that he didn't believe it but 'give me more of it.'. It struck as a more colorful yarn than anything then current. Including the Lausanne disarmament 'conferences, political parleys kni sundry such stuff. ' Minevltch stuck to his guns eVen upon his return to New York, tellinjg of his pseudo-kidnaplng so cdlorfully and cbnvlncihgly that he hoaxed, even his intimates into almost believing there was something to it.. 8 RED DAYS COLLAPSE RENO'S KENO^POOL CLUB Reno, Aug. 1. Beating the prediction of the wise boys by nearly a week, new keno- pool club folded last week after running at a, loss for eight days. A flock of girls from Hollywood, booked as ex-ifllm performers, were left almost stranded. Clarence Shockley, the ihanager. Just couldn't be found after he had promised the girls that he would, be around at 7 p. m. to settle up. An associate of Shookley's passed out $25 per to the 12 damsels, half of their reported weekly wage, and they immediately bid Reno good- bye. ' W e 1 k e r Cochrane, ex-billiard champ, broke the balls In the pool game for a few days, but the natives would not pungle up any dough for the tickets even If they did crowd the pla.cei to see the free vaude .shdwl , So Cochrane packed up his cues .and departed; Shockley did manage to squeeze time between ganies. to file a di- vorce stiit in the district court agixinst his second wife, Mabel D. Summer .Shockley, to whom he was married last January In; San Fran- cisco. The case was heard and the decree granted, but the Judge did hot .sign the document when Shockley's attorney advised the judge that; the entire fee had not been paid. The attorney had not found his client a day after the case was heard. Cabbies' Amusement "With taxi faring biz at ah ebb, the Broadway hackmen amuse them-' selves in divers manners of slow nights. , On upper 7th avenue regularly, there's a mixed harmony quartet with a colored drLyer as the key. map. The hardberled taxi drivers sing for their own amusement and don't seem to mind passing up whatever fares there might be. • Another quartet Just moves into the roomiest.cab and they play c^ds among themselyes. Also on the same 7th avenue another coterie of cab-! men pitch coins. ToQ-niany hacks, they admit, and few riders, with the Fifth avenue buses bullish these hot pltes, the top-deck, open-air seats at a dime a, copy getting the heavy play. .——: Membership Lists New Yorkers are receiving cards to speakeasies they never were In : or ever heard of. Membership lists are undoubtedly being peddled, around town, probably by persons who formerly operated drinkies but are no longer In business. . ' Isn'.t possible to .estimate the number of times the same membership lists- have been sold so far. Speaks hiaye always previously closely guarded their membership data including names and addresses.. . Included in the unsolicited mail from cocktail oases are classily printed menus or little folding cards that tell .of $1 luncheons, etc. Some men-', tion 'the excellent cuisine to which you are accustomed.' Meml>erdhlp cards froip the unknown places are properly marked, numbered and warn that they are not transferable. Restaurant Publicity With Warner, Bros.' picture, 'Love Is- a Racket,' plugging Slardl's New York restaurant, and RKO's 'What Price Hollywood' giving the Wilshlre blvd., L. A., Brown Derby a fre^ ad, the popular eateries on both Coioflts are. looking to the cinema for similar advertising. The WB picture's ballyh.oo for Sardi's even inspired: Eddie (Mont^ martre-Embassy) Brandstatter,^ of Hollywood, tqi organize a Sardi's res- taurant at a Hollywood blvd. an^l Vine, street, Hollywood, location, .to oppose the nearby Brown Derby, Al Levy's Tavern and Henry's, which are the other meet-'n'-eat spots. Vincent Sardl, of the Broadway restau- rant bearing his-name, states he 'wlU take legal action concerning; the Coast spot using that name. Reno 'Gold Rush* (Continued from page 1) unpaid bills in the hands of irate Reno citizens as well as the per- formers who took part in the event. And the governor has been busy for days explaining that he; was not financially interested and is in no way responsible for the debts. Third Failure The affair was the greatest flop that Reno has ever experienced. Rohan hoped to. push 30,000 cus- tomers through the gate at $1.10 per head. Actually the cash cus- tomers amounted to 511, as the in- ternal revenue, office disclosed when it filed a claim for $51.10 for the admission tax and tied up the last day's receipts. Horsemen who brought horses here from California did not get anything aS only $1,600 was bet on the races by the pari-mutuel . sys- tem and of this amount the pro- moters retained $160 and had to give $27.50 to- the state of Nevada. This is the third show that has flopped in Reno this summer, but this dull thud made history. It went down with such a smash that the city council Jmmedlately passed an ordinance providing that hence- forth show promoters must file a $10,000 bond with their applicatlbri for a show permit. BIRTHS Mr. and Mrs. George ' Lalt, daughter, in Los Angeles, July 23. Father Is the son of Jack Lalt and a newspaperman.. This'Is their sec- ond child. BWATS FIRST TRADING POST Broadway has its first trading post, • Store located at' 53d street and Broadway, ostensll^ly' a haberdash- ery shop, announces via a big sign that 'anything of value' Will be ac- cepted as payment for the merchan- dise within. By 'anything" it is ex- plained, Is meant 'Jewelry, automo- biles, real estate or ainy other ar- ticle of value.' : . Proprietor of the store. Bill Llnder, got the idea from an earlier experience In Havana, He .recalled that trading posts are popular down ther^ and decided to try it on Broadway. Thus far, he says. It's worked out pretty well. Some peculiar deals have showed up so far, freakiest being a lad who brought in a '26 Ford and got six shirts, a straw .hat and a wallet In exchange. The wallet had come Into the store oa a trade for a tie: The haberdasher sold the car for $S to one >of the bonus army eh- route from Washington. Worst deal, he's made so far, Llnder believes, was In acquiring a filing cabinet. It cost him three ties, a shirt and a pair of garters, and now he doesn't know what to do wltii tho cabinet. Most frequent propositions brought him, come from bootleggers. They'd like to supply him,with bot- tles ,in exchange for apparel, but Llnder thinks it's cheaper to biiy what he needs.