Variety (Nov 1932)

■: E C I T I M A T E T^^ai^fi NdvembM 22^ .1932 Plays Out of Town Walk a Little Faster . Boston, Nov. 18. ▲ musical revue In two 'acts, produced by Courtney Burr; boo^. by S. Perelm&n; grics by B. Y, Harbu'iTK; musjo by Vernon uke. Designed by- Boris Aronson; book direoted by Monty WooUey. Dnncea by Albertlna Basch; coatumes by Klvlette and Charles .Le Malre. Musical director, NMck Kempiier; orchcstratloi^a by Russell Ben- nett and Conrad Salinger. World prem lore at Majestic theatre, Friday evening, Nov. 18. Babs Huneker..............^..Evelyn Hoey Boots KaplanV . .Patrlca' Dorn Alice Bread....... Dorothy FlUzglbbun Penelope Goldfhrb. ;Beatrice T>l.nio Stacy Updearnff .John Hundley Professor Gedney Bobby Clark Tattersall. :.. .Paul. McCullough Man Donald Burr, Aiiastasla. ;. .Katharine Hiall This revue has . many. expert pouches, but suffered/here from, its uhflhl^hed sta^e and bad choice of a house Tv'ith Smallest legit, dtage in city. Packed theatre Included Ideal notables, and up^v^ards of a hundred from Manhattan, all good-naturedly overlooking such items as. the prash jDf.a drop .and .its,removal,from the scene for good,: delays, show lasting from 8:30 . till H,: 4B,' dull numbers, and other things. . ' . '•"Forgetting the handica'ps of house llinnitation.s-r-the !M. T. 'Colonial near- by, would have been an Ideal'work- jshop to fit" this production for Its Broadway ru n^ou.e ■ must - accord.' the flUdw. the everythipg .essential to «,ventualI success. Stiirs, girls, pom- ^dy, music, . productipn,. all. when once the r.evue is' whipped Into, /jjhiape, should make It'a hit. -■'First pei'fbrmance was'little rtibi'e than a dress rehearbai. But good humor' intrigued- aikdierice into the Informal spirit of such an event, so .{aughs A?er$. hearty, and plentiful, m^d the comment, w^ that, though ,^h6w .Is still, in the raw, it. has the niakltigs.: "Beatrice Llllie Js the howling trl- .liiiiph of the "piece, With Clark" and' MittGulIough to back her lip. In mu- ; 6ic and sets, revise is ultra-moderii-! .isttc;. music is different, and next to .U;iSB liillle may be set down as the «yening's ..most sttiHlng feature. Ttiough on a little higher plane, the injislc still holds appe'al for popular favor. Program for obenlhg was; entirely dlsre!garded .lit the present ?*tatlon of the features; niuch to con- fusion of some o'nldokera. ■ Clark and McOallough preceded Ml8S..LllIle, .Clark» even better than nl^.pi^I, showing his,familiar cigar, .apeca and; c^ne. ■ l"hey sing; fThaVs Jjlie'—many: stanzas. for' encores. Miss'Uillie ai>peared drst lii skit travestying a; girls' boardihg school, :«hdlng with-burlesque ofmelodriaiha «>f two generations'ftgo^ • :She was a 'l^cream, and got an ovation.. : That hajjpens agin, and again, and yet again,.; through the .forepart of the perfprmance. Bee X-HHe works gvei^lme, ^.ut .always, hep tricks , of dress, speech and posture bring the uproar. 1 Apologize," built up by hek- on the 61d song,-'Frisco Faniiy,' with • Bee as • a mining camp girlie and Bobby.. Clark sliigflng 'Tou M.tght Even Find Virtue In-a Camp ;IJk;e.Thls,': and one of the very fun- niest numbers of all,. 'Mayfair,' with jTorgy' voices and. atmosphere, are Bome of the niitnerous appearances 01 the talented Englishwoman. Each (Continued on page 52) Httrry Wurtzel Presejits , ^ ... ..l"l9ljyvood; Nov.. 21. JHarry Wurtzel, .picture, agent, wn .present the L. "Wolfe. Gllbert- G^y.Bbltbn-I. 'B. fcpmblum musical, .•Waiting for the Rofcert E, j,ee,' Which gets a poast opening if c.ur- ,**"t negqtiations go' through. . ;Tt:urfzel is Hnlngup the financial .tod'nQw. ' ' • • ^■^■^-^ • ■ . . . ■ . ■ I Aiter being In the. insurance business- tor OVer twenty years, specializing In LIFE INSURANCE and ANNUITIES I am proud to sUU be in the business, particularly as INSUR- ANCE IS the only thing that has paid 100c on the dollar duHng these _ and other distressing times. ' Consult us at you Would your Doctor or Lawyer. Ohiirity Show Wedge In Cleveland Civic Row 1 Cleveland, Nov. 21. Controversy' betwiaen local show men and city officials on whether its Public Auditorium should be open to commercial attractions is being reopened' by promoters who want to rent hall for a blackrand-tan mu sical. Stanford Zucker, who lost out in a court battle trying to force city to okay a. date for George White's 'Scand$il3' in : auditorium • . last spring started- the hew movei .. ■ Revue which Zucker. and, Nick TroIJIo, his New York agent,; are trylhg. to book In . for Christinas week include Mills Brothers, ,Duke Elljngtdn's band, Ethel. Waters and Bill Robinson. . Promoters this tline are trying to g^t around .former ruling by prom- ising to donate., half of profits to a charity home. If mayor consents to such an arragiement. It may open the way tqtho hair for other man- agers. : . . ' ', Zucker, .. who promoted Eddie Caritor:*aebrge. Jessel vaude sh'ow here last year, recently dickered for spot on behalf of CantOr* who wanted to launch his lildle vaude unit here.. . ',\,.::..-^ . . - : ■ WillliLUON'm IIPPQ) DiTO $2 ROAQ l-NTTER Givhig ut» trying to sell his '60 Million- Frenchman' as a tab in vaudeville and the picture houses, Anatole'Frledlahd is rebuilding the shOT^ to legit performances for one-night legit dates at ?2. tl. B. O. Is booking, to open Dec. . 25 In either Allentown or Scranton, Pa.: Friedland is after, & -femme naine . to.:top ,t.he pas^,: It cost him, f2.4,006, .to .teproducja the former .musical ;as '■ a tab last, ^prtng, . Since ihen it has; played, only about six w.eeics. . . :/STOCK 350PTH SHOW IMaylon, Co^ , Spokane, In It* 7th . yearTyTwIce Nightly Spokane, Nov.. 2L.; .. yf,i\\ ..Maylon!a .'.world^record loihg run stock.,.company, bearing. I\ts name at .the MaylOh theatre had passed. . tlie ' 3,500th performance inarlci ''The group ia in the l^th. week of the seventh seasOn herie; Four .seasons during the previous six yeari^ MaylOh was . here, he did 40 .we^lcs. ' Twio iseasohs ran '45 weeks. The resident stock operates Oni a l7-performance schedul^ weekly, with two shows a hlghf and three matinees each week. Shows in Rehearsal 'Biography' (Theatre Oiilld) OuUd. 'A Qood Woman* Poor Thing* . (Sam NJrdlinger), Xyoeum. . 'No Money to. Quid* Hor* (The ITopeV) (^huberta , and BlauJ, -49th Street 'Eneore^ (Arthur Hopkins), Oolden. 'Pardon My English' (Aarons & Freedley), Majestio; .'Anybody's Gamo' (Elizabeth Mle^e), .VanderbUt. , 'Lucreco' (Katherlne Cor- nell), Cosmopolitan. . 'Left Bank' (road) (George Wlntz), Mansfield. 'The Clock Struck One' (Sharkey), Little. , - 'The Great Magoo' (Billy Rose), Selwyn. 'Horfeyrhoon* (Stephens 'and: ' Kaplan), Little. 'Son of the Father' (C. A. S.tone), Roseland). MAUDE ADAMS PASSES CLAIM TO ERLANCER'^ John D. 'Williams had Maiide Adams up' for examlnatioh before trial in his |160,00D' damage^ suit against the star and Erlahger^s as the . result of an a,ttempt to bring Miss Adams back pr'oCeiisIonally in a. new play by John Cotton.' : • At the examination tho actress conceded that 'WllHaihs weiit to California to induce-Coltoii to write a be'w play for her; that he.brought her and; Eh-langer's together; that Wllltama went to Maine to engage Otis. Skinner for the 'Merchant of Venice' revival, etc. (when the orig- inal play ..idea fell through), but con- tended that ex-Judge Mitchell, L. Erlanger should pay Williams, and not she. O'Brien, Malevlnsky & DriscOll for Williams had meantime been .gffven to understand by the Erlanger Of- fice that.lt. was Miss .Adams who eased out Williams from the agreed, upon 25%-of-the-net understanding, upon her insistence that since the Shakespearean revltfal 'carried no author's royalties, her share'should be increased. When Erlanger's'men- tioned Its 25% obllsatioh to Wil- liams, Miss - Adams Is lUIeged ' to have, influenced couhtlng htm oUt^ auggestlng he - bo' gtvev a p.a.'s bei^tb, or some such minor i position. 'WilUams''services covered two to three years .in trying^ to i get: Miss Adams to return to tho'stage. . . JOHN J. P 551 Fifth Ave. N. Y. G. Phonies:yMurray Hill 2-7838.7S39 Newark Stock Rivals Newark. Nov. 21. The Lyceum Players who have played steadily for years at the Ly- ceum, E^t Orange, and claim 1*038 p.erformances are moving to the Carlton, Newark.. .This ^was orig- inaily, Mindlln's. .Playhouse, it was dark. for .a long time. Robert Out- man, lq:.;the manager,, and:.the cast will., Inplude Malcolm. Beggs, Edith Taliaferro, Lorna Elliot, : Laurett B;;owne),, aj>d.. Cbarles; Berre. .. , Meantime the new Orange Com- munity Players, rhav.e. opened ..In .Newark, at the, CJlty and the Ly- ceum is .housing Guy Rates Post in ■ a, road : . show,. .'The Play's . thej Thing.' . ■ Fntare Phys 'Anybody^ Gam«,f comedy by Paul Barton, to b^ produced by Elizabeth Mlele. To go Into re- hearsal at once. 'Table Talk* -will be produced by iEIarry Bannister. It's by Audrey Carten, English playwright, who is credited as co-author of 'Fame.' Due in around Xmas. 'Amaoo,' play by Martin Flavin with an all-male cast, will be put in work by Ssunuel Rosen. 'Only hkimah/ by Marian Brown 'Virate.rs,. being readied by Vincent Youmans. (^t of six. Unlike, most Toumans production, there wiU be no song Interpolations.. 'Hot/ Chocolates,' ^fegro. review current a couple of seasons ago to be revived by (3eo. lixipriennann, Oiit of town break-In before B'way.. Try Toronto Again Toronto, Nov. 2i, Undaunted by the brodie so early in the season of two stock compan- ies here, Mrs. Er M. Stair and Dan Pearce have assembled a repertory company for the Empire which Mrs. Stair owns. Members of the company, familiar to. Toronto, include John Holden, Lois Landon, Frank Camp, Eric Claverlng and Betty Brough. New- comers are Nancy Duncan and Jaseph Downing. First offering was Ivor Nov.ello's. 'Truth Game.' TOUNG'S HOLLYWOOD BEVUE Hollywood, Not. 21. , Felix 'Vpung is lining up an In- timate, revue to' open here around tlie flrit-pf ■ the year. .. He's hegptlatlrig with. Leo Robin an^. ,Rall)h' Raihger to supply thie scoi"e ih,d .a. nujnber of stage comi- edy. .writer^ oiVt' here for pictures to' do the sketches. ENGAGEMENTS: Valerie Taylor,: Bramwell Fletch- er, Esme Percy, Eugene Powers, Richard "Whort, Thos. Louden, Lionel Pape, Walter Armln,. Louis Hedtor, Oswald Torke, ' Leonard Wiley, -Red Planet' Chas. Richraan. Mary Arbenz, 'Biography.' Gerald Oliver Smith. Ruth Urban. Cliff Hall, Nannert Kippen, 'Pardon My English.' Ednai Hfbbard; Sam Wren^ 'Any- body's Game.' Diane Crystal, 'Breathing Easy.' - May Vokes,: Mabel Taliaferro, Robert Ober, Walter Greenough, 'Clock Struck One.' .Walter N. Greaza, Helen Welch, Jack Bennett, Wm. Maxwell, Chas. Harrison, 'Son of the Father.' Paul Kelly, Harry Green, Char- lotte Granville, Jack Hazzard, Vic- tor Kilian, Dennle Moore, Joe Fields, Percy Kllbrldge, John Butler, Chas. Henderson, Mildred Mitchell. Vio- let Barney, Muriel Campbell, Joe PloskI, Jos. Greenwald, .Juan Varro, Gilbert Douglas, Emil Hoch, I^ary George, Ronnie Madison, 'The Great Magoo' (complete cast). " Wra. Lynn, Georgette' Harvey, Roberta Beatty, 'Over Night.' Horaxse Braham, 'lAtt Bank, (road), . •'.' .r'l- . Elizabeth Br.uce, 'Honeymoo.n.' . . Alary Duncan^ ,Rus^n Hardly, •stom.-.soMT/;,., .;,:•(.,,",•.; inside SurfNLeisit , Franols Lederer comes to tjM - American staee at .Zt; from , his .natlvo Czectio^'S10vak<a.-(part of'AOfltrla-Huhg'ary before the war).'via London, aa the stand-out player In 'Autumn Crocus' which opened at the Morosco) New York, Saturday (19). Show was a London success. There are several British players In the present showing but the cast > except Lederer -was engaged hei^e; > Lederer - lilayed the Innkeeper's ^ole In 'Wonder-Bar' In Berlin. j . ' •> Lederer here Is a young Innkeeper in the Austrldin TyroL Throughout he wears hob-nail shoes which arja a necessary)' part of mountalneor equlpnient During the - opening performiihce those nails gave Lederer several embarrassing moments. In la love scene with Patricia CoUinge, supposed to occur near a rOcky lUtl^ pathway, he slipped and just as he took leave, of his promised lover, did a. pratt fall. Underiatood rosin was. ordered sprinkled over the prop rocky way but there-wasn't enough of it\or It didn't worki ' ,. .. 'Crocus', is programed as the work Of C. L. Anthony which is the peri name, of Dodle Smith, .a woman playwright,'/who attracted- attention in England again recently with 'Service.' -'Autumn'Crocus' madie its London run in a small theatre. Probably th|e same settings are. used-here which explains why they are masked In, shutting off the view from side seats, particularly.on the right of the housei- . ' • i.S.tage presentation of 'Tho Dark Houk-s' at "the New'Amsterdam/last week came,.seyeh years .after, its p.ublication' In'^bopk form-, Lodewlck Vroom, who produced the dhow, and Don M'iirquls, Its author, did-liot plan to show the central character of Jesufi. Christ; He: is visible several times, a last minute change. The program rmierelyiiists 'Voice of Jesue'. without ihentionlng the actor's naiue. ' . -•}. .' . •. ••, .r -' , •. About 2Q0 players were tried out for the trplei. the idea- being to have an impersonal voice speak th'e Nazarene^s ljnes. -There was some cbrnj ment regarding, the Hbre of voice on the opening ^nlght. The part way played by Cliff/Camp, from,the coast. ' ' . Show had the backing of a group but Vroom decided Broadway didn't want the 'Passion Play' and It was closed Saturday after playliig one week.--- ■ ^- Salary of Lehore'Ulric for the fliia,! week Of 'JJona,- which closed recently after a short engagement at the.'A-voh, New York, was not accepted by the star and the matter may gp^tp'ti'rbitratlon. Miss Ulric had agreed to take a percentage of the 'jgrOss instead of a guarantee bf |1,500. ' That, arrangement was made abou):,''.two Weeks after 'Nona.* opened and was to continue'until business Improved. > ' Miss Ulric accepted percentage-payment for. two. weelts but balked at settling at'the finale, claiming full salaryj aSifpei': contract. . Shpw -was presented "by Peggry Fears.' ' It doesn't, seem positive just what are the sharing terms between Noel Coward; Alfred Luq^t and Max Gordon and the new Coward play the three will shortly be .concerned In. One' version says whatever" profit there may be Is to go three ways,, one-tiilrd to-Coward ds the author, another third to Lunt and his wife the!stars, and. the other third to Gordon as producer.- It la said this Coward play can be operated on a maximum of $10,000 a w^ek. Accbrdlhgly a big profit margin /Is Conceded. When 'The Perfect Marriage' failed to Indicate'promise at try-bUt the Shubert receivers were Inclined to send it to the storehouse. ■William Caryl decided to take a chance and it was pres^Ated by him at the Bijou las;t woek. He took the show by means'of a^slgninent but It is iinder- .stood the. receivers are not-obligated foi* any possible losses. .There are.six peolJle in the cast. TwO are'Btwted and three are fea- tured.. The remaining actor Is a kid (Jackie. Kelp).'~ George Jean. Nathan contends he; was not \as.'wrong as. they say he was In reviewing from the script, 'Dlnn^'Foir Eight', the W't at the Music Box (New York). Although his notice In *Vanlty- Fair' "was cap- tioned 'Not So Good' and despite the caustic comment that followed, ho points'put that in the l^t line was a success prediction.' ' Nathan further insists that the s'crlpt is better than tbb show. A Spanish number billed.'Pedro; Takes a Bride' went into 'Flying Colors' at the Imperial, New York, last week. The entire ensemble ia used Including the colored girl hoofers who appear several times in tho revue. Second act waltz by Clifton 'Webb and Albertina Vitack Is out, also a butler's number, added sometime after the premiere. 'Pedro' is by Arthur Schwartz and .Howard Dietz who wrote the show. Clive Co. in Brockton Brockton, Nov. 21. B. E. Cllye and Copley Theatre Players openeid here in 'No. if Mon- day night (14), at City. . House has been dark two years since close of Hayden Brockton Players. Poor opening liouse. Clive hplds up company which Is weak and not same which supported him in Coplpy theatre, Boston. Cast includes: B. .B, Clive,. Ian. Emery, Rosalind Russell,. Wendy.. Atkin, Alvin J. Gordon, Aldrich Bowker, John Junior, Leslie Dennlson and Ashley Cooper.'' ' OiierNighting 'Moment' Los Angeles, Nov. 21. Closing at the PAsadehi Corh- muhity Playhouse Nov. 26, 'Brief Monient' will tour California as the first production of the newly formed Theatre League, patterned after the New York Theatre Guild. Show will play one or two nijsht stands in San Diego, San Jose, Fresno and Stockton, and open Dec. 5 for a run at the Curran, San Francisco. Sharon Lynne and Har- rison Ford head the cast. UACLOON SEEKS B. B. Hollywood, Nov. 21. Louis O. Macloon Is on the coast looking for a bankroll to produce 'Crlijrilnal At Large.' Wants to open it in San Fran- cisco on Christmas day. 'CAVALCADE,' THEN LEGIT Hollywood, Nov. 21, Ui'sula Jeans, brought by !Fox from /England for 'Cavalcade,' leaves here, Nov.: 36 for New York to play thik ffeniitne lead in 'Dinner Party.' . She'i* a London stage actress. N. Y.-LONDON EXCHANGES Kaufman'Saiia to Stage 'Dinner'-* Selwyrt to'See His Purchases . Arch ' S.elwyh sailed for London abroad the i^uropa Friday (18) to look'bver.a trio of attractions which he has under option for presenta- tion oh Broadway. They are the Noel Coward' revue 'Words and Miislc,'' 'Tfiiey Never Come Back,' by Frederick Lonsdale arid 'Strange Orthestrfi.' ' 'authored by ROdhey Ackland. ' He 'was accompanied by Leonard BlbOnriberg, fornierly Phila- delphia representative for the Shu- berts. Selwyh expects to return in three weeks. '- • '' George S. Kaufman, co-author bf •Dinner 'ttt' Night,' is aboard 'the same liner,' - fte will stage 'Dinner' In LOndoii • Where it will be ' pre- sented by Chirles B. Cpchrari. Waters-Romero Plays Hollywood, Nov. 21. George "Waters and Ramon Ro- mero are collaborating on two plays, one fof Helen Morgan. Upon completion of the second, which has a Parisian locale, Waters takes It to New York to submit to Irene Bprdoni. Music for the Parisian piece was written by Charles Daniels and Harry Tobias. ADAMS PLACE SOLD . Albany, Nov. 21. Maude Adan^s has sold Cadden- hlll, her estate outside of Haines Falls in,.'the CatsklUs for f40,000 to Mrs. Phyllis Robins bf Bpston. This' showplace - has been Miss Adams* summer home for five years.