Variety (March 1933)

>rri. S4 VARIETY L E s n a E Taesdaj, March 21, 1933 CENSORS, NEWSPAPERS GIVE STOCK TOUCH DATE Spokane, March 13. Ray A. Grombacher opened the Post Street theatre with a bur- lesque troupe and 24 hours after the curtain rose the police descended on the house with an ultimatum to clean up or close up. The gags of the comics were trimmed and the show goes on, with the strip dances and routines, but minus a lot. Capacity audiences greeted the opening (11), Show Is playing at a two-bit top, with feature films thrown In for good measure. About 30 in the company, which Sam Gold- berg brought here from Seattle. Looks like a quick one for Grom- bacher, with the town far from sold on the idea of a permanent thing. Will Maylon beat Grombacher to the announcement of the burlesque showing at the Auditorium across the street from the Post Street. Rather than have censor trouble, Maylon withdrew in favor of a mu- sical stock, which hie expects to show late this month. News sheets are backing Maylon, with a taboo placed on notices for the Grom- bacher show, which was booked in instead of vaude immediately after Maylon's announcement. Stage acts had been playing the Post Street for 10 weeks to fair biz. Cleanup, Stage Hands Close Howard, Boston Boston, March 20. The old Howard went dark Sat- urday night (18) on a sudden-de- cision by AI Somerby to close and remain closed until September. The 91-year-old theatre, local home of burlesque, couldn't'fight the depresh with the ultra-clean shows which It was forced to play after a month's censorship closing. This takes a full week off the Empire wheel. House was ordered shut by the Mayor in January upon complaint of the Watch and Ward society, the ban lasting 30 days. Upon reopen- ing,' its policy under ofllcial super- vision held down the comedians to Sunday "school sermons, while the strippers had to keep their clothes on. Somerby sought to have the stage hands and musicians take a cut last week, but they wouldn't listen. ONE BUS; FOUR TROUPES Single Conveyance Shifts Quartet of Shows on Weekends Empire wheel has instituted a new Idea In jumping by bus, in which one auto carts four troupes with- out shifting gears. It started with addition of the Gayety, Washington, to the wheel last week. Bus takes the Star. Brooklyn, company from its break-in date there to Washington, arriving Just ahead of the current show's final night performance. It picks up the latter and takes It to the next stand, Philadelphia, going through the same routine with the company that's there, taking the latter to Newark, and bringing the latter co. In to New York. It amounts to a considerable sav- ing on transportation costs for the Empire office. No truth to report that commenc- ing next week the No. 2 coihedian with each show will have to double as bus driver. Exploitation (Continued from page 19) duce Mayor O'Brien to attend as a polite gesture to II Duce. PEDDLE TICKETS TO EAT Minneapolis, March 20. Gayety, stoc^ burledque house operated on a co-op basis, has been paying off its chorus girls recently with admission tickets. When choristers tell management they are in need of dough for eats, they are handed the tickets with instruc- tions to get what they can for them and keep the coin. As a result of unions' rulings, stage hands and musicians now must be guaranteed $1 a perform ance. Actors spilt what's left with the orchestra members and crew. The performers here draw as little as four bits a day. Slides on Scrip Brooklyn, N. T. With the entire country talking about scrip Issues, the Brooklyn 'Times Union' collaborated with the Albee theatre on 'Entertainment Scrip.' Scrip is distributed through stores and restaurants and each weekly Issue is printed on the back with talk about the current, picture. Front Includes a question, first one being 'What do you think of scrip as a form of currency?' Best an- swers in 26-50 words draw tickets. Seems to be the newspaper's idea, with the theatre let in to provide the tickets. And with the space given the feature, the publicity Is. cl>eap considering the small number of tickets required. Not unlike some other stunts ex- cept in that It calls for a discus- sion of a popular topic instead of the picture. French Contest Paris. France has taken a page from America .and has been running a contest, for the selection of the French vamp. Contest has been running on the stage of the Rex, with screen tests made by Henri DJamiint Bergere, film producer. jContest has run almost entirely to brunettes, with Monique Joyce, a 20-year-old brunet with green eyes so far leading in the prelims. [Interest is running high and it has proved a good drawing card for Francis Mangan, who directs the theatre. LOW OVERHEAD KEEPS BURin SEASON TO MAY Due to the depresh overhead un- der which It's now operating, the Empire wheel thinks It can stick until May 16. That would be a couple of weeks beyond the closing date of the past few seasons. The nut all around Is down to where the theatres can get by on 12,000 a week. Guarantees for the shows are around |1,100 on the usual it money basis, this provid- ing for the booking office as well as the 10 principals and 18 chorus girls per show. Average top salary for the lead comics and strippers is $60 and the rest proportionately ofC. The trav- eling deck hands at $100 per, who have been the real prima donnas of burlesque up to now, have been eliminated, as well as the railroad fares, through bus Jumps. Scenery isn't carried and the costumes are rented and mailed to each troupe weeks to yreek. Closing of the Howard, Boston, Saturday (18) trimmed the Empire playing time to six weeks. Route now runs. Star, Brooldyn; Gayety, Washington; Trocadero, Philadel- phia; Empire, Newark; Central, New York; Gayety, Brooklyn. Wholesale Closings (Continued from page 5) squawked that exhibs were trying to slap responsibility of lock-out on unions and accused them with breach of contract as part of a na- tional move to cripple national unions. Theatre men who shuttered their houses after unions turned thumbs down on cut demands contend that high scales and film rentals, to- gether with poor biz and recent bank holiday, are hitting them so hard that they could save money by staying dark until next September. Is as represented It would be ad- vantageous for employees, to take a temporary reduction in order to maintain employment. Lincoln's Status Lincoln, Neb., March 20. Negotiations have been uiider way here for some time with the operators and stage hands union to take a cut of 26% or mote from the pay basis established after the close' of the union strike more than a year ago. With the settlement at that time the operators Working in the smaller houses get $60* for a six-day week and those in the larger get 165 for the same time. Joe Cooper, head of the Lincoln Theatre Corp., In which are In- cluded four of the local houses, Is due In this week for what are sup- posed to be final negotiations. Action was begun at the State the- atre last week, but w^th the possi- bility of Cooper making arrange- ments which all the rest could adopt without trouble, caused the Monroe Bros., managers, to mark time. No action was taken at the down- town second run houses which ha,ve been the only money-makers isince Xmas, since arrangements by the larger group will settle their ques- tion too. ' All non-union help at the LTC had their pay scissored in half -last Saturday (11). Cut at the various b. o;'s and the tremendous biz fall- off is reason. Placements Becalled Old Days Wilmington. Trolley-car rigged with pennants and usual 'straight to Fair Grounds signs' got attention for Aldine, Warner house, on 'State Fair,' resi- dents harking back 10 years to when there was a real fair here with spe- cial trolleys. Tie-up with traction company worked on angle of haul- ing extra customers downtown. One car ran over all lines a couple of times. Milt Schuster, Chicago, made the following burlesque placements last week: Leon Claxton Ramblers, Harry Stratton, Karl Bowers, Gaye- ty, Milwaukee; Mary Kelly, Blllle Hughes, Billy Mossey, Johnnny Gil- more, Mayfalr, Buffalo; Eva Waters, Empress, Cincinnati. Johnny King at I. P, Johnny King, doubling as Juve straight, is the new stock producer at the Irving Place, New York. Allan Gilbert staging the numbers Empire Wheel Week March 20 Beauty Parade—Star, Brooklyn. Frolics—Central, New York. Glrla of U. S. A.—Gayety, Brooklyn. Jnzztlme—I* O. Jingle, JInele—Gayety, Washington. Peachea—Bmpire, Newark. Powder Pull—Trocadero, Philadelphia. Speed and Sparkle—Howard, Boston. LETTERS \T1ien Sending for Mall to VARIETY Address Moll Clerk. fOHTCARDS, ADVEBTISINO or CIRCULAR LETTERS WILL NOT BE ADVERTISED LETTERS ADVERTII4ED tN ONE ISSUE ONIY DOROTHEA AMTEL 886 W. 72d St., New Tork City Ms New Assortment of GREETING CARDS Is Now Beady. 21 Reaiitiriil CARDS and FOLDERS, Itozed. Post- paid, for One Dollar Baker Lillian Cornatzer William Cunard Joseph S Dalton Jack Davis Betty ISaton Mary CHICAGO Aillcr Wm Balcom Cleo French 3 Misses Fields Miss Sally Ijovett George Kilbride Percy W Hydo Herman S Llllls Frank I^ustlg Dave McAdam A H Moore Eva Pearl Dave OFFICE - Ross Marjorle Sullivan & Mack Trigger Johnny Zukor David Mayor Sits In In Indianapolis Indianapolis, March 20. Mayor Reginald H. Sullivan is holding conferences with downtown, nabe theatre managers and union heads in an effort to keep houses open after next Thursday (23) an- nounced as the closing date on ac- count of wage war. The Mayor entered the confer- ences after it was said that be- tween 800 and 1,000 persons not con- nected with the theatre unions would be affected by the closing. A committee consisting of Ace Berry, Circle theatre manager; Jack Flex, manager at Loew's Palace, and C. R. Metzger, of the Indiana The- atre Association, asserted that the reasons for closing were that the union laborers were receiving too high salaries in view of the biz de- presh. At the meeting with the Mayor it was pointed out that negotiations had been in progress for some months between the theatres af- fected and ofTlclals of the local oper- ators union with the idea of adjust- ing" Contracts to present conditions. It was further reported that negoti- ations failed because the' operators union was unwilling to consider any modification of existing contracts unless these be extended for a period of one year beyond next Sep tember. Managers have expressed an inability.to negotiate for such an additional year in view of the un- certainties of general biz in the future. It was further poihled out that the organized crafts used in the operation of the theatres were re- ceiving greater compensation than existed during the boom period, and that members of these crafts were unwilling to make any concessions in the present emergency in view of the greatly reduced income of the theatres. Syracuse's H. O. Confabs Syracuse, March 20. Electing to try direct negotiations in New York City, in lieu of local mediation, by a special chamber of commerce conciliation committee, representatives of the afflUat'ed the- atrical crafts were In the metrop- olis today for conferences tomor- row (Tuesday) which they hoped would end the Syracuse rlalto holi- day which resulted In six houses closing last Friday. L. R. Boyd, president of the Motion Picture Op- erators' Union; William J. Cushlng, business agent for the stage hands' union, and William J. Harrer, in- ternational vice-president of the afUllated crafts, head the union con- tingent to meet with executives of the four circuits (Loew's, RKO, Paramount and Skouras) in New York. Meanwhile, members of the Syracuse Theatre Managers' AlSSO- clation, which had quickly accepted the tender by the chamber of its good offices, will confer with the conciliation committeemen, Giles H. Stlllwell, ' M!1ss "Harriet May Mills and President Melvon L. King, this afternoon. If the metropolitan conferences fall to adjust the differences be- tween exhibitors and union em- ployees, the Chamber of Commerce committee will renew Its invitation to the crafts Wednesday. Whether the union contingent in New York has been authorized to submit a counter-proposal to the exhlbitcrs' demand for a 25% wage refund until Sept. 1 has not been disclosed. On the surface, the crafts, apparently, are awaiting a compromise offer from the interested circuits. Havana Pitt's 20% Pittsburgh, March 20. Threat of a closed town disap- peared over the week-end when operators agreed to take a 20% cut. Theatres demanded 25% and oper- ators countered with an offer of 17%%, but compromise resulted. Stagehands asked to take similar reduction ,are willing to give only 10%. Negotiations still going on with something definite looked for in a day or two. Harry Kalmine, Warner zone manager, represented theati:es in conferences with opera tors, which lasted day and night for a week. INSTITUTION fjjl^ INTEBNATIONALB i^hoes for the S^^S^ eJlff mSHOVfolk's sHOEsaop-issa broadwa.ys K. C.'s 25% Demand Kansas City, March 20. All theatres In this city con- trolled by Loew, Paramount, RKO and Fox, in addition to a number of Independents, will close the last of the months unless granted a wage concession if 26% from the the- atrical crafts, according to notices posted In all the houses. First an- nounced closing would be on the 25th but this date was chanRod to March 30, when the Midland will close, with the others closins April 1. The. managers' request for the 25% cut specifies that it last until Sept. 1. The papers have given the mat- ter considerable space and the 'Star' editorially suggests that If business Youngstown, O., March 20. Youngstown managers have asked operators and stage hands to take a wage cut of between 25 and 50%, otherwl.se the theatres will be closed Projectionists ask a scale of $50 a week for big downtown houses, $45 for second runs and $30 for neigh- borhood houses. Union executives sal^ the man- agers were told two weeks ago that any such negotiations should be taken up with New York. Columbus, March 20. Sta;:;e hands are holding Out against a cut as demanded by the circuits with indications that this town may shut down same as Cleve- land. Rochester and Indianapolis by March 31, unless an agreement is reached between the unions and the circuits. The local operators' union has consented to reduce the pay of Its men $20 per man, but the stage hand holdout is holding up the works, trom current indications. (Continued from page 1) the liqueurs superb. So smart, clever and suave is the operation that the tourist, after being parted from the biggest part of his bank< roll, departs actually feeling good ab({'ut It All standard brands of American cigarets are sold at the reasonable price of 76c per package with the gentlenui,nly explanation on the Cuban tax. Evening dress Is a riequlslte, but If you do not possess same but have enough coin an exception will be made. The underworld, or tenderloin, consists of Chinatown where there are stag motion pictures and shows, rough postal cards offered by steerers who Infest the city. Other famed spots are Sloppy Joe's, Bally- hoo and Delmonico's. The quality of U4tior is actually poor, especially the rye. It's of the cheapest Cana- dian brand which wouldn't be tol- erated In some of New York's worst speakeasies. Rackets Principal side rackets, from which the best revenue, is obtained, are perfumes, cigars, Panama hats and laces. The custom on the perfume thing, for those looking for bar- - gains, Js . the old time Bowery switch. Customer is shown a standard brand of perfume, bottle is opened and tested and In unreliable places is switched while beingr wrapped. This is not generally found out until you're on the boat. Same procedure Is followed witb cigars, straw hats and laces. How- ever, there are a number of fairly reliable and honest stores such as La Isla de Cuba, which insists that every purchaser or patron be its guest for a gratis cocktail. Strange part of the perfume routine Is that if you're traveling on a foreign stearnship you can purchase genuine standard brands on board cheaper than in either Nassau or Havana. This is due to these boats buying their perfumes at free ports and eliminating the duty. Cruises Responsible The cruise business Is responsi- ble for the Increased number of vis- itors to Cuba, much being offered for apparently a reasonable sunu Among the various forms of ship- -' board entertainment is that the best of liquors are sold at pre-prohibl- tion prices. Scotch and rye is 16o and 20c a drink, a liter of imported , beer is 20c, most any kind of cock- tail 20c, and champagne $2 per pint lor $3.50 a quarts Five meals a day. If you desire it, are offered the pas- senger. Breakfast at 8, bouillon at 11, tea at 2, dinner at 7 and a mid- nlte supper, the last being to stimu- late the bar which is kept open until unconscious. $15,000,000 a Year Every year visitors and tourist figures In Cuba have mounted. From 1930 to 1931 it is estimated that 101,000 persons have visited Havana, the average money left being placed at $142 per person, a total approach- $15,000,000, of which $9,000,000 is spent on amusements and merchan- dise and approximately $6,000,000 on various forms of gambling at the Casino, race track and other spots. Other Havana attractions are the Plaza Roof Garden, Eden Concert Hall, Jlggs Cabaret, Monmartre, Sans Sousl and the La Playa, touted as the finest bathing beach on this side of the Atlantic. Cubans, as well as possessing the gambling fever, have a great sense o*; showmanship. In the capltol building, directly In the center un- der the dome of the building, which separates the House of Representa- tives from the Senate, is a 24-karat diamond laid under heavy glass in the center of the floor. The build- ing Itself is of the finest architec- ture, built when the price of sugar was at its highest. Automobiles may be obtained for sightseeing, if you know how, for $1 an hour or $10 from 10 a. m. to 1 a. m. This Includes the chauf- feur. The Vinos Wine Tavern in- vites the tourist to sample free 68 different kinds of wines. In fact, If you can stand it, you can eat, drink and frolic to your heart's content for peanuts without Interference. Oli, say can you see Havana! BOOKLET ON MOW 1 • TO MAKE UP • ' S TEIN C MAKE UPt3