Variety (Jan 1933)

SQ *VAJBlE/rV'» . lANDON OFFIOB 8 St. Martin's' Plaice, Trafalgar Square FOREICM SHOW NEWS G»bl« Ad4«Mft, ▼AmBlXT^ .I^KDON TeleplioM: Vem^te B4r B041<004S 'Pearl' London Success for Delysia, Play About Wagner Hops Quickly Liondoii, Jan. 30. Qulie a buay theatrical week here, With only one really outstanding opening, however. That's the new Cochran show at the Gaiety, which looks like a smash. 'Mother of Pearl' stars Delysia nnd was enthusiastically received by all hands. It's an easy triumph for both the star and the producer. Wagner Biog a Play 'The Begijar's Bowl' lasted only five sliows at the Duke of York's. It is a chronological history of the life of Richard Wagner. It was al- ternately interiesting and tiresome, though without wide popular appeal. Oscar Asche produced the piece and Frank Harvey played the part of Wagner. Equity stopped It Satur- day night (28) when no payroll in sight. 'Green Bay Tree* at Saint Martin's Is a curious play of parental self- ishness. It's skillfully written, with excellent comedy features. Frank Vosper and Hugh Williams are In the cast. Doubtful whether the piece can gain general support. Top Limit (Continued from page 4D) obtained In 6,000-seat auditorium that might have been filled, or nearly so, at $1.10. At least, that was the view of showmen observers. Sticks won't pay $2.20 for a dra- matic show. Perhaps for an occa- sional musical with a nifty chorus. Showmen opine that the chief mis- take was in ignoring everything else and concentrating on New Orleans. That was the ripe orange that the auspices expected to provide them with vitamins. But to get to New Orleans the itinerary .vas the w;6rld's worst, from accounts. It was a route laid out for an aviator raiher than a traveling dramatic company. Happy Days in Dixie New Orleans loomed so large In the hopes of this particular attrac tlon because it \fa.3 the stronghold of Guy Bates Post, the star of the Molnar revival. One of the Jumps on the way is said to have been from Wheeling, W. Va., to Bvans- ville, Ind. Finally New Orleans was reached and Post's faithful follow- ing proved i.ot to have been exag- gerated. A gross of $5,200 was ob talned, the best they had and profit able for the first and last time. But even New Orleans had Its lesson to teach apropos the road. At least the road of '32-'33. Of the $5,200 gross only $3,200 came from the seven night performances at $2.20 while the two matinees at $1.10 provided the disproportionately large share of $2,000. Refusal of Black- stone In Chicago to permit cut rates cramped any chance locally.. Robert Erwin and Charles H Brown were In on the production, but later Press Agent Edward Mul- len was understood to have a piece, Mullen supposedly advanced $500 to move the show when an earlier stranding in one of the towns threatened. Actors were all com monwealth at 2% of the gross, with Post reported at a larger percent age. Show. barged into Chicago with several C.O.D.'s against it and stayed two unhappy weeks. There were 10 stagehands at the Black- stune for around $900 weekly. They collected nightly. Nice Production Production was regarded as wor thy and well up to road averages One set and seven actors was mod est enough. Notices along the route were good although not too effusive in Chicago itself. Final week In come was around $1,500 with most of that pledged and the actors stranded on a small Equity bond that only provided enough cash to send them back to New Yprk by bus, a 38-hour trip. Actors received Only $11 apiece the first week and no sfilnry at all the last week of the Chicago engagement. Cast in eluded Richard Lloyd, Roy Murd dock, Guy Hltner, Roger Qulnlan K&therine Standing, and Donald Wilson. Guy Bates Post received an offer from Arthur Casey to appear Feb. in a two-week revival of 'The Mas querader' in stock at the Orpheum St. Louis. He therefore did not re- turn to New York. London, Jan. 30. Fvjincls Lederer pays 26% com- mlssloh for his American engage- ments. His two English represen- tatives get 10% and 6%, American Equity -gets 6%, and an American agent collects jtftother 6%, Going Places (Continued from page 1.1) her, no Indignity Is horrendous enough to wreck a complaint. She sticks In the face of everything. Actually she likes it, she has such- glowing good time being mar- tyred. No actress suffers so much, and none can take It so big. Some day her screen husband's going to kick her, frenzied, by her fine womanly resignation. So far he's only run shrieking to the arms of the other woman, but Miss Dunne had better watch out. She has endurance, but what about her husband's? The one In 'No Qther Woman' has an addi- tional grievance, too, poor fellqw. Miss Dunne Is so economical she makes him rich, and then he's got to live In a palace with marble staircases and rooms so tremendous he shouldn't be surprised to see trains pufling ijn, mistaking the place for Grand Central station. So he spends niore and more time with Gwlll Andre, who will never go noble on him, because she has as much as she can do to look alive. Her flawless features seem so un- willing to disturb their perfection with any expression save that of a wax model's. 26% COMMISH Lederer Kicks Back to Four Differ* ent Sources Rent Cut or Closing^ Brussels Circus Pleai Brussels, Jan. 19. M. Jacques Fermo, who. has leased the Royal Oirous, Brussels, from the proprietors, the town council, for the past 12 years, ta in dlfilculi ,tles and circus will e:o dark uhless town agrees to reduce rent and per- mit the staging .of bth.er. than es- sentially circus turns. M. Fermo states that his present deficit Is $716 a week and that the past fotir sea- sons have cost him $20,000 from his own pocket. Despite staff rediictlons and ,will.> Ingness of artists to accept half pay M. Fermo declares that nothing but a substantial lowering of the cent of $8,670 he has to pay for the 16 weeks' seasoii' he Is boiindi by con- tract to provide and permlssloo to put on spectacles more In keeping with the modern public's, idea of en- tertainment c^n save the -circus. Animals and acrobats caniiot . stand up to the cinema, he adds. London Show World ROXY (Continued from page 13) and the enormous effect of that radio exploitation Is gleaned from the fact that the RoXy started to s. r. o. biz. the current week. All of which Indicates Bill must.^ quite a radio figure. It's the most remarkable tie-up made. The result has brought hun- dreds of children Into the theatre who otherwise might not attend. The tie-up nearly demoralized drug store biz all along the Times Square area where druggists caught by the wrapper storm placed conspicuous boards in their windows advertis ing the toothpaste. The house may play to more than 100,000 customers currently, as the neighborhoods all around New York are spilling their stay-at-homers for the Roxy. Ex- tra police reserves and 28 extra ushers have been put on for the week. No such crush has been seen on Broadway for almost an age. Lines form early and daily the out side of the theatre had to be roped off by the cops and the doors shut to keep'the customers in line. Orig- inally a 10c wrapper admitted cus tomers, but this has been shifted, and Plain Bill on the air now limits it to full-sized ones. Curious enough the cash intake dally is greater by 3 to 1 or almost against the wrappe/ trade—that's In number of customers as well as cash. Namely, that there are three cash customers to every wrapper coming in. Another strange angle and for tho.- toothpaster sponsors mostly is that the count so far shows more full-sized wrappers than others, meahing that cus- tomers do use toothpaste. This unusual Roxy gain can be counted only to showmanship. The house publicity staff had nothing to do with It. Another thing currently demon- strated is that radio under condi- tions can be made to work for the theatre. The 'Plain Bill' tie-up and Its tremendous draw proves this, for the Roxy will get the most wide- spread mouth-to-mouth talk pos- sible out of the scheme besides the dally plugs on the air. The folks who use the wrappers for admis- sions are stay-at-homes mostly and a radio audience who may rarely go to a theatre. Third, the house is demonstrating the value of a low- ered b. o. scale backed by a fiashy stage performance can make an un- beatable combination for any the- atre. Shan. PAVnJON RE-FiNANCED AS ABRAHAMS VACATES London, Jan. 30. A. E. Abrahams vacates the Lon- don Pavilion at the end of the cur- rent week, with the entire staff of the theatre getting a week's notice. New company has been formed with a $36,000 capital to run the house. Ernest Remnant, owner of the Royalty theatre, is back of the venture and John Southern becomes managing director. Amsterdam Legit Borns, Vaude Hoose Goes Pix London, Jan. 21. Edward Poor Montgomery in bis 'Double Harness,' produced at the Haymarket Jan. 12, has made a well-written play, both in dialog and coi^struotloi).- A. glri nieets a brilliant young lawyer, who is a bit of a l&d with the ladles,' and determines to land him for herself. He is not the mar- rying kind, so she deliberately ac- cepts an invitation to his apart- ment, aiid we next find her visiting him regularly. Three months l&ter she frames It so her father enters the apartment and finds her there in the lawyer's pyjamad. Father demands they marry, and the law- yer says if the girl is willing, he Is. They marry, but It is an alliance in hame only, and this continues for three years. Meantime the wife hiE^s ' prodded him into a successful political car reer and biiilt him up into an litoi-: portan't niembisr of paii'llam'ent. At this stage,; the wife's sister, who has been extorting money from her, on being refused further advances, de- nounces the wife to her husband, telling him he wa^ framed Into the marriage. The last act is interesting. Murray Takes Plunge Paul Murray has filed a bank- ruptcy petition because money-' lenders were pushing him so hard the situation became impossible. After a long partnership with Jack Hulbert he found himself around June, 1930, in. the position of having South Africa By H. Hanson The Haguef, Jan. 19. The big Arena theatre in Amster- dam, taken on lease by German Scala Concern in Berlin, burned down Jan. 18. Alternative vaud^j vllle and revues were staged there; A change hod just been made from the revue 'Red Spider* to a new one, 'Vendetta.' Shortly .be£or« • the fire the props had been sj^lfted and stage got ready for new "show. Proper- ties of both shows lost. S)xty-five actors, stagehands and musicians lost their Jobs. The Casino theatre In Rotterdam, which housed vaudeville and musi- cal comedies. Is being turned into a cinema; provisions >belng made to seat 1,000; ready early February. Johann Strauss, Waltz Kingr, for U. S. Cinemas Paris, Jan. 30. Johann Strauss is getting ready for a U. S. trip, with picture house appearances in mind. The Viennese 'waltz king' tried it at the Rex, here, and did well. Palladium 'Crazy Month' Goes to 6-Week Basis London, Jan. 21. The success of the London Palla- dium 'Crazy Months* has been so satisfying the management has de- cided to run them for six weeks at a stretch. Originally they started with a fortnight and developed into monthly afCalrs, the last one lasting five weeks, and the next one, which is due in March, will run six weeks. It Is further Intended to have them three times a year, and more than likely they will become a four per annum affair. The shows succeeding the 'Crazy' periods have been far from success- ful. This may be attributed to. the tastes of the theatre>. clientele, who have become apcustomed to the boisterous style of the 'Crazy' shows, with the succeeding pro- grams comparatively slow and ac- tlonless. On the other hand. It may be the talent of the ordinary pro- grams, which have recently not been up to the usual Palaldium standard. The last 'Crazy* program savored somewhat of a show with parts writ- ten and rehearsed, Instead of the hitherto 'impromptu* routines, and didn't fare so welL Capetown, Dec. 30. A welcome New Year's develop- ment Is the announcement that South Africa has gone oft the gold standard due to the government be- ing nervous lest the heavy buying in exchange and withdrawal of gold coin would strike at the credit and banking position. But there is an-> other side to the story. The govern- ment Is practically on Its last legs, and the off-the-gold-standard Is a political move to win support. Show Business Slightly Better During the holidays there was a slight Improvement in show busi- ness, due' to the inclement weather preventing holiday makers leaving the towns, aa usual. Lease Changing Announced that African Consoli- dated Theatres has 'transferred' the Union Theatres, Ltd., lease of the Strand, Capetown, to the Royal, as from Jan. 2. Considered that the Royal is larger and more suitable for screening M-G-M pictures. 'Ben Hur' is drawing capacity at the M-G-M Metro, the outstanding show house of the town. Mexico's Theatre Near Ready, No Policy Set Mexico City, Jan. 30. Now that the National theatre here is nearing completion, after under construction for nearly 30 years, a controversy is on as to what type of presentation would be best. Musicians and those musically in- clined want grand opera or a con- cert by the Mexican Symphony Or- chestra; jobless thespians desire a prMuction with a big cast. A bright fellow has wrlttien to the papers urging that the initial piece for the theatre be a massed jazz band con- cert—to express the modenr na- tional Joy that the edifice was at last actually finished and placed into aerVlca. Poor Profit on Fight The Transvaal National Sporting Club, promoters of the Strlbling- McCorkindale fight, Is not' likely to get fat on the profit. A little more than 6,000 pounds was taken in re- ceipts. Amusement tax cost 939 pounds. Then 72%% for the fight- ers' purses and expenses. Prelimi- naries, preparing stands, grounds, etc., took a fair bite into the money. The holders of the ground got 120 pounds, and other expenses. The promoters may get between 100 and 200 pounds as profit. As optimists they console themselves with the fact that despite the poor fight it was worth while for the game's sake. 'Belle' Okay 'Belle of New York* has been re suscitated in 'Johannesburg by Philip D. Levatd and proved as strong an attraction as cv6r. Stribling-McCorkindale Return Ted Broadribb, manager a:nd father-in-law of Don MdCorkindale, South African heavyweight, states that he and the boxer return to Eng- land Jan. 6. Says that Jeff Dickson, top fight promoter in England, has offered Don matches with Paollno In Spain, Jack Doyle and Peterson in London, and a return fight with Stribling at the Albert Hall. London, Broadribb Is Indulging in open hints about Stribling, inferring that he will be unable to twist out of a match in England, and that the American is afraid to meet the South African again. Stribling has proved his willingness to give Don a return fight in Johannesburg, and that leaves Broadribb flat after his demands that McCorklndale gets a return match before Stribling leaves the country, and insisting that the American gives a written undertak- taklng. The proposed contest with Clyde Chastain, Strlbling's sparring part- ner. Is now off. This was arranged to enable the South African to re- habilitate himself before the return match with Stribling. Broadribb's attitude is doing the South African a lot of harm among his friends and sporting public. Including the news sheets^ advanced around $36,000 to the firm o£ Jack Hulbert and Paul Murray to cover losses on their revue 'The House That Jack Built.' They produced 'Follow a Star' in August, 1930, which was a failure causing a further loss of around $12;D00. • By March, 1931, he was un- able to carry on any longer, as their production, 'Folly to . Be Wise.' did not maintain Its capacity business long enough to straighten out mat- ters. In this crisis Hulbert took oyer. Tolly to Be .Wisp' from the PfLrtnershlp and began, to assume his share of the responsibilities. Murray's personal liabilities are estimated at around $26,000. He Is now endeavoring to get on his feet once more as a booking agent. Four Daily Revue iKatt'McKeigue (McKeigue & El- liott) has sold his 'Between Oui-- s6lVes' revue to Charles^ Clore, of the Prince of Wales theatre. Show, which has played around the prov- inces for some time, is new to Lon- don,'and several of its former mem- bers are being lined up for the Wales', engagement, which is four times daily. Some of the former cast return- ing are Leslie Sarony, Lena Chls- holm, Billy Mayerl and Ivan Sam- son. GB Refunding Gaumont-Brltish shares have been going up lately, and, accord- ing to 'inside' report, they are pre- paring a new issue to refund the 7% debentures. It Is figured In this way the corporation will be able to obtain cheaper money. Amerioan Palladium Hits The. three outstanding hits of the Palladium program week of Jan. 16 are American acts. Probably the biggest wow Monday night was Bobby May, a return visit. Next in the order of success, with even more prolonged applause, was Rellly and Comfort It is a question If Condos Broth- ers weren't equally as healthy a hit. The latter two acts have played 'op- position' all over London. You can't blacklist hits such as these In face of the present dearth of good ma- terial. Another newcomer is Karina, a contortion poseur, assisted by a couple of husky men to throw her about. Laughton's London Film The picture in whloh Charles. Laughton Is to be starred by Lon- don Film Productions is 'Dom Na- poleon.' Alexander Korda will di- rect Cliff Show Weak 'Rhyme and Rhythm,' Laddie Cliffs revived show at the Prince of Wales' theatre, minus Laddie QUff, as continuous entertainment failed badly, with management al- ready looking for successor, al- though show originally scheduled for four weeks. Negotiations at present pending with Jack Taylor, provincial revue producer, to stage oii£ of his shows. All Lloyds as Act Harry Foster has lined up the entire Lloyd family, consisting of Alice Lloyd, Rosie Lloyd, Daisy Wood and Marie Lloyd, Jr., and forming new act, with material spe- cially being written by George Ar- thurs. Act opens for try-out at Brighton end of January and comes to the Palladium week after. Moss Empires' Loss Moss Empires' trading loss for last year is $23,800. Gaumont-Brlt- ish will have to dig for money to operate their newly acquired cir- cuit. 'Fugitive's' New Hook-up John Maxwell pulled a nifty In grabbing 'The Fugitive'imme- diate release at the Regii;'*>^Picture has been rushed, replacing 'Blessed Event' in order to cash in on the Sam. Furnace murder story cur- rently a fugitive and being sought by the police. Wimrove Pavilion Booker Alfred George Wingrove, for 12 years booker of Moss Empires', re- cently let out, has been appointed to a similar position for the Lon- don Pavilion. Henry Sherek's position as solo Pavilion booker is now at an end but with Sherek being given prefer- ential treatment in getting acts Wingrove wants. Ervine's Radio Post St. John Ervine has succeeded James Agate as dramatic critic of the British Broadcasting Corpora- tion. Agate held the Job half a dozen years. Littler-GofRn Cora Goflln, principal 'boy' of the 'Mother Goose' pantomime at Dalys, and Emile Littler, manager o£ the Birmingham Repertory theatre an- nounce impending marriage.