Variety (July 1933)

I^ECITIM ATE IVesdaj,, July 11,. 1933 Plays Out of Town Tdmorrow Ttirns Back ChlcaffO, July 3, Wrlttea and produced by Marcetite. S- Bnffl&nder. Staged by Carlton Brlckert. SettinfT destfrned by Nat Burns, constmctr^ .ed by Lawrence Phillips, painted by Emll NeleUck, Opened JOly 2 at SelwVn. Chl- jcago at $2.20. '"^ , « Clarke Trowbridge, i,.... .Charles Harrison Dr. Thomas Brackleyi.vDeah Ja^Rer Steve ;.. ^. Carleton Ouy Emmallne...... V,..... i. Antoinette: Rochte .Claire.",. ............ i-.. • arlan Palmer Jim Sts^hton.......orshall Orant Jane Kingsley ♦......Isabel Raodolph Margy SprlBht ?®>'S*''J" Robert SUnton RIchaM < Barle 'Tomorrow Turns Back' wa^ called 'eemehtuin' when t>roduced at the Woiheri's Club theatre in the sprlngT; Its current relhcarnatldn at the Selwyn with professional cast'and scenery Is a result of a ^tubhorn but expensive self.-c6nfl- dence on the part of the authoress —Wh o has angeled her own show. Best mathematieat—cajeulatlons around the .loop mentions $10;00Q as the price Mrs. Englander will pay for eratifyihjgr her hobby. Selwyh was eruaranteed for two weeks. — vAs a play obviously "fated for a quick deniise and already subjected to ■ a terrific drubbing from the dailies, it is not necessitry to dwell lengthily upon the plot or theme., Suffice that the dialog is rejplete with confused and half-baked analogies . A prolog in a dentist's ■ office d6V«lopB-^he-potnt4esa-thesls- that life Is. like the cementuni on a tooth. Later in tho main part of the narrative life is like the grand- father's clock in the corner. These foolish ramblings: would unqueS'^ tionably have been deleted:. ha.d Mi^/ Englander riot conttolleil ^the money as well as the script. Out, of tho whole enterprise the average person will remember chiefly that Isabel Randolph strug- gled valiantly and with consummate poise to inake the play' st&nd up and did succeed .in making her characterization convincing. Toward tbe end of Act H something like tension and drama is achieved for a few minutes, but this cannot sell an unskillful hashlAg-bver of the stale subject of mother's boy friend and growA-up daughter's respect- abiUty. Mrs. Englander, said to be a suc- cessful business woman, has taken a bitter dosage of adverse criticism for liaving nursed her dream. Her refusal to cut the script or the di- rector's tongue-in-cheek fallurei to Insist' oh the elimination of the more palpable absurdities left her -wide open for those shafts of Jouir-: naUstic. Satire. 80 far as her money cquld provide well-built sceneby and assemble a passably able dramaitis personae, 'Bhe got what she paid for. ' Land. SPORT OF KINGS Hollywood. July 3. Farce. In three acts, two scenes, by Ion Hay. Produced at the Playhouse by George. K. Arthur and the International .Group Players. Director,- E. JBl, CHve. Cast: Mar- Jorle Bennett, i;>eyiand Hodgson. Arthur .Treacher, Rosamund Merlvale, Clare Ver- der». Herbert Bunston, B. E. CHve. Grace C. Durkln,' Reginald Sheffield, Mary Gor- don, Opal Cotton, Byrne Grant,- Brio Snow- don. Gerald Rogers, Hyram Hoover, David Cllve. ■haded, and Leona Roberts waia superb as a faithful houaekeeper. Elizabeth liova -wem bright In a company that Included Owen Davis,' Jr., Hunter Gardner, Arthur Hughes and the reliable Fan Bourke. —^Hth-^^lf^^-W^I*'^''' rfehftftrtml, the company gave a finished perform- ance with no sign of the straw that is apt to crop up. in summer per- formances in the country. Lang- ner has considered touring the pro- duction before New Torki This Ian Hay old-^tlmier was Jected with insulin this , week, and revived by George K. Arthur's In- ternational Group Players in inter- eisting fashion, but riot in a riianner that wiil hold long at the box office. With this neck of the woods in full swing on its Rummer season, and everybody bieating it for beaches 6r mountains when the day's stint is done, play, despite sponsorship by many film celebs, will have tough golnig—even- foiL_two^ weeks. Per^ AMERICAN PLAN Long Branch, N; J., July 10.. Comedy In three acts by Mapnif Seff and Milton Lazarus. Produced at the Elks Audltorltim,. Red Bank, by Barrle Stavls and Phillip Oelb. Director, Milton Smith. Cost: Hugh O'Cohhell; Ben t.ack|and. Den- nle Moorei Peggy Hastlns. David Leonard, Fred Knight, Robert Mulligan, Jerome Sheldon, Jimmy. Fallon, Frank: Camp, Ross Chetwynd, Eugenie Reed; Gall Henshaw, Maude Eichele. Horace McMahon. Alvin Gordon^ Lionet Dant«, David Kurland, George W. Smith, J. DeWltt Spencer, Wil- liam MctCnlght. Jr., Cecil Stavin, BIddie Harrison, Walter Po^vers, Frank Day. Car- roll Jordon, This is the first of a seriea of nine new plays which Biarrle Stavts and PliiUip Gelb, a coul>Ie of riew- UNCLE TOM'S CABIN Pasadena, July 6. Pasadena Community Flayliouse pro ductlon .of' George L. Aiken's dramatlza trow of Harriet Beechor Stowe's 'Uncle .Tom's Cabin.* " In three acts^ 27 scenes. Gllniore Brown'siipervlslng director, -Mor- ris Ankrqm director. Cast: Helen Stern, 'Bertram Boog,. Harr^ Shumway, Joseph Hamilton, Marjorle ^ane Austin* Con- stance Crowder, Ralph Fruedr Murray Teats, Charles Levlson, Al French, 'Wil- liam Triest, Henry Hinds, Margaret Clark, Ruth Dyson, Anita Denlston, John . Hallam, J.ane. Lootburrow, Ruth Covell Xievlson, Ann Buchanan,-Braynaird Clark, orris Ankrum, Bmmett. 'Vogan, Made, line Holmes, George Lynn, Robert "Welch Thomas Browne Henry, 'Virginia Lykeiis Br6wn, Harry Shumway, Leslie Abbott, Richard Kline.-' centage arrangement with f h^^tr -^^jj^^vfli p^^^ are "putting on^ members .• gives the play a better chance than, would a cash proposir tlon on wages. E. E. Olive again has dorie the direction-.-4>t the--piece and' handles the coniedy. part, both Ini Arl man- h<er. He has top-riptch support in iiylarjorie Bennett, Leyland Hodgson, Herbert Bunston and Arthur Treacher, who-«arry' the play, along in near last tempo. Theme-^f-*Sp6rt-of--Klngs!_la of two race track addicts through a wager, induce a puritan to pUty the' nags. hside Stuff-Leidt —flt gn nn ttift Cra ig theatre. N. Y., reads th at th e legit liouse ia for rent or sale. It was built several years ago but iwa bu6u ulu^bst-CQitttmioinis dark, having had only a few attractions. Lighted approximately six weeks In all^ tells the story of this project. Understood sharing terms offered kept away prospective bookings.' . _ The Craig is one of four theatres on W:est 54th street erected at the end of the theatre building iioom. The others are the New Yorker, Man- hattan arid the Ziegfeld. All .but the latter abut on the elevated road aitd none but the Ziegfeld was ever operated at a. profit. New Yorker absorbed a lot of Fortune Gallo's bankroll, while Arthur Hainmersteln went broke trying to carry the Manhattan (first called Hammerstein's). Both of those theatres include office buildings which were expected to be i(>rofit« able realty. The Broadwia.y which B. S. Moss tried to operate with pici tures, legit and vaudeville is at &3rd street and like, most of the others reverted' to the first mortgage, holders. Idea of spotting theatres along the L road is credited to Felix Isman whose selling ar^utnent was that the ground could be bought for less ntioriey than other Broadway sites. It wiaia also flgiired that the eleyated structure would be raz$d 'and uritil such tlnie the nearby theatres will probably be bloomers. Only house In the group buHt to keep out ttie noise of the elevated trains'(s the Manhattan. who. JORDAN As produced by the Pasadena Community theatre,, fUncle Tom's Cabia' Is neithier fish nor fowl. In fact it's so bad that, the audience leaves the house lOvlng Simon Le- gree and hating Tom. Production was an opportunity for ; the. Play- house group to revive 'Tom' as it has been done for over half a, cen- tury in this country.. - They parsed up that bet by throwing together a cast which knows nothliig about Tom actings a .branch..bf histrionic* which Is'^ entirely, separate from any other di'vrislori of the art. Direction, to. a great extent, Is to blame. 'Tom' is filled with lines that are great theatre. Not great to the present generation but gufhciently stronjgr to invoke laughs. In this re- spect, production riiust be Staged with the tongue in the cheek. It is :Tlmpo8siin©~tiy"TiTOdernlze itr "ItHahotildr have been staged in the Same man-, net as the revival,'After Darki' Of the long- cast, no performance could be singled but as good, in fact, they're all bad. Production it- iself is fair with only backgrounds used. "Whole thing looks as if the Play- =r^hQuae=-WgH^afFaid:-o £-OfCend ln^ the highbrows by presenting a hfe-man 'versibrt. of 'Tom,' which would have clicked, so substituted an emascur lated version which will bore every- one. In so doing, a grand Oppor- tunity was missed to produce the play as did the Players' Club in Nftyr York last month to four weeks of capacity business. But there, the cast was filled with people who re- ceived their, early training trOUping up and down Uie country in 'Tonl' fhow«. Call Pelham Manor. N. Y., July 8. 'Jordan,* a new play by Mary Kennedy. Direction by Harold Wins- ton. Starring Peggy Wood, with Marie Carroll, William Lawsori, Georgette Harvey, Yivienne Baber. Olga Burgoyne, Joseph Scott and Robert Harrison. Written several years ago. 'Jor- dan' was presented for a single per- formance by the Stage Society in London. It is the . most Impressive of the tryouts in this section so far. Guthrie McQlintlc considered the play at one tiriie for Margaio Gill- more, but the plan fell through. Mary Kenl\,edy, the author, is also actress. She is the wife of Deems Taylor , and co^authored 'Mrs. Part- ride Propents.' While the subject of miscenegar tlon and its tragic results Is. apt to prevent its commercial success, the play will cause talk and should get attention from little theatre groups. It is beautifully written and as per- formed here by an excellent com- pany. Play concerns a blind aristocrat (Peggy Wood) living in the midst of wasting cottonlands. A. young graduate of a northern agricultural college, Son of a white man and a coloreid mother, . com6s to 'work the plantation and is successful The girl falls-in love with him, hut the negroes in the household are Sus- picious of his dark cOlorlhg. The boy worships the blind girl and they are 'wed, rixuch to the horror of the few people who realize the bo3^s background. . Three months later,.] when the girl realizes that she is to have a .child,.ft neighbor unwittingly mentions her negro inate. In' a beautifully written scene she wrings a confession from her husband. She stabs herself calling for. him to fol- low, which he does. The local production reveals two or three remarlcable performances, particularly that of a colored boy, Joseph Scott, making his first ap- pearance. Georgette Harvey like- wise scores heavily as a colored nurse. Miss Wood plays with partipular beauty and with emotional strength in that final scene. William Lawson is an excellent choice for the other leading role. Among others con- cerned, Marie Carroll is convincing. in the. Elk's Auditorium, Red Bank, Ni J. Arid in their Initial try they ring the. bell as this piece by Mannia Seff and Milton Lazarus has something. Story Is a burlesque on the gang- ster situation in U. S. today. How- ever, that's what m:ay kill it, the mob angle* when and if it. gets to Broadway, as the ;ganff cycle may prove to be washed up. |—wwgt^ ri^nnnnftii fta 'The Phau- tom,' a gang leader, and-Ben Lack- land a!s 'Windy' Whaleri, newspaper reporter, are bke. They milk every 4augh line for. all it has and easily split the acting honors. Story opens with Whalen getting .'Knuckles* RomolO (O'Cbnnell), a half-witted bouricer iU: a speak, to agree to become The Phantom,' who really doesn't exiist, but is used by Whalen to hang every unsolved gang murder on. With WhaleU as! hlf> press agent 'The Pharitorn' be- comes one of the. . biggest ~ gang leaders in. the country. No one realizes, he is just a harmless sap. The paper clips pour in. from all over the country telling of his ex- ploits and. he becomes "famous until -without Wlndy's kriowledge lie do- nates 100 grand to fight prohibi- tion. This move brings down the wrath oC-a tough Chi (mob and just when eight leaders .in various New York rackets are discussing the. bumping off of *The Phantom' on the terrace of his penthouse during a party, a plane fljrs by and machine guns them to death. It's the Chi crowd, and they meant to get 'The phan torn,' but he escapes. This makes him more of a big shot than ever, Without his p.a. 'The Phantom' starts to slip, but the last act re- -establishesi hittk. •This piece'is advertised as 'prior to its vN: Y. appearance,' but no one is Set to bring It in^ On open ing night the Shubert^ were in the audience which might mean maybe. fitavis* previous connection with the theatre was with the' Morning side Players, while Gelb. is .a scenic deslsfter, Npltie. Erlai\ger's turned down an offer to rent the Crfticty, N. Y., for $104,000 fo r on e year^ Explanation wias that tlie taxes knd mortgage interest exceeded that" amduntr^HOUBe'^lth-a direct Broa^ used principally for picture explpitatiori ^pr about five years. In. 1929 the late A. L. Erlanger was ofi^ered a riiillion profit for the Gaiety and the adjoining Fulton. Latter has ^been lighted-but briefly for the past two seasons. Fox relights , the Gaiety "this''tveek ^o-exploIt-'Pilgrlmage'-.—Arrange* nnent for .12 weeks calls for $3,600 weekly; DIVINE DRUDGE Providence, July 4. .Play In three acts by Vlcki Baum and John Golden; adA^ted from Miss Baum's novel, 'And Lite Goes On'; staged by Alex- ander Dean, - and- produced, by - Raymond Moore for the first time on any stage at the Cape Playtiouse. .Behnls, Ma$s., Moa day evening, July 3. THE NOBEL PRIZE Westport, July 6. A comedy In three acts by Hjalrhcr Borg- mah, adiipled from the 'Swcdisrh. Pro- duced at the Country' Playhouse by Law- rence trangner. Direction. Antoinette Perry. Otis Skinner starred. —Exper-t—direction-Jjy__AjLtoinetts. Perry and a better-than-summer- titfio performance brought . added values to^this play fromi the SWedr Ish, which opened Lawrence Lang- tier's sea^n this Week. 'Play der pends oh the development of its principal character for strength, and Otis Skinner can hide its lightness. With . Skinner the play ..can stand attejxtloja,^.j;LJs;^nQt_>n a vehicle Evert In Its ^unfinished state it is safe to say that Miss Baum and Mr. Golden have fashioned a popu- lar success in 'The Divine Drudge.' It may be that they have lost some of the original story's ' delicate qualities, but it is evident that the piece will not suffer as. a result of the changes. No little amount of enthusiasm greeted the production at the first performance, which- ran through smoothly. But little pruning Is needed in the first two acts, but it Is evident in the third, that at least 16 minutes or so must be, chopped. 'The Divine Druds;e' is laid amid the pccstoral atmosphere of the little old town of Lohwinkel in the Rhine province of Hesse. "The story centers about Ellsa]}eth Persen theiri's. pitiable effort to escape from .seven years of domestic slavery to her husband, the Herr Doctor who must "be waited on hand and foot while ~he pursued -his—'great—idea?- which -v^rould. put an end to all dis (Continued on page 62) Current Road Shdws 'Dinner at Eight,' Grand, Chicago, ^ _ . 'Her Majestyi The Widow/ Cort, at present, but a moSel "of iTne"dl=~|'eitieagov^ rection and interesting playing. Story by HJalmer Bergman con- cerns the dissipation of the triumph of a Swedish scientist who has won the Nobel prize after years of effort, through the debts of his children. He doesn't mind th6 ..debts as much as he does the discovery of a forged note, Armina Marshall stood out in the supporting cast with a performsmKiie that waa deftly and amusingly 'Gay Divorce/ Apollo, Chicago. 'Hired' Husband/ Studebaker, Chicago. 'Torhorrow Turns Back/ Selwyn^ Chicago. 'Business Before P i e a s'lu r e,' I Figeuroa, L. A. 'Nine O'clock Revue/ Music Box^ L. A. 'Sport of Kings/ Hollywood Play house, L. A. '2l>th Century/ Bl Capitan, A. A Broadwa/ show hews gatherer tor a dally had a two weeks' vaca- tion, which he spent at the race,track. He made no mention of the yacash tp his wife, who is opposed to him betting on the ponies. Each finy hft l^fMhf* h'M^fffr-Rfl--4h^vrfh^Ff'>*'' ff t*"» jo h, 4h ei found out. However, it was just at the end .of '^he fortnight during which the lad nicked the bookieS for $2,500. Then came the squarer; He selected" a traveling bag^ slipped a |S00 bill inside and sent the gift to the wife in advance 0' his reporting home. Courtney Burr has settled a $10,000 claim with Equity by paying |2,500 on account and agreeing to pay the. balance, of the indebtedness arising out of the 'Walk a Little Faster' fiop from future iiicome. This permits Burr to go ahead On legit .production next season. He has two plays lined up. BROADWAY REVIEW SHADY LADY KuBlcat comedy in two acts presented &t the Shubert .July B by Harry Meyer; acore by Sam H. Sept, Bud Oreen, Jese'a Qreer, Stanley Adanisi book by Estelle Morando; Biased by Xheodore J. HatnmersteUL; dances by Jack Donobue: Helen Kane, Lester Allen, Charles Purcell, Helen Ray- mond, Max HoSraan, Jr.. liouls Klrtland featured. Richard Brandt............Charles Purcell Tracy....,,. j..Harold Webster GeofCrey. Benson....... .Max Hoffmann. Jr. Frandnc. , .Audrey Christie ClarlEse......... ^........ .Pfayllys Cameron Sonla Vivian. Vernon AJ Darcy..-. ,..;Ije8ter Allen Peesy Stetson...iv. LoUise Klrtuind MUlle Mack.Helen Kane LUIu Stetson...i...........Helen Raymond Taxi Driver.............;.William Header Several Broadway wise guys, having seen 'Shady Lady* open in Philly, touted the^show as a.sur- prise good thing. . Either they were off their feed or are Just wrong giiessers-^worse than the fight ex>- perts. Maybe for cut rates—maybe. A colorless nriusical comedy. No laughs,—merely a few sfilckers. eked from coarse or vulgar lines. -Story is quite out of taste for the stage. Has to do: mostly with girl paroled from Bedford Reformatory. An artist illustrating a novel called 'Shady. Lady' secures the girl as-a model; He has- a privateL.worry. Seems a year previous while stewed in a Greenwich Villa^d wet spot he off and married a damsel, who, after the ceremony, had slipped out of tho taxi and disappeared. This marital mate is a guest at the artist's house. At first he takes her for the Bedford grad. with their wedded status supplying the cur- tain. But his best friend falls in love with the prostie. That's the way they've fixed; it up for Helen Kane, featured player, and Max Hoffmann, Jr. (her hubby). Hit of the first night was the acrobatic dancei routine Of three choristers and chorus boys. That's the way the performance regis- tered, but at -least it goes to the credit' of Jack Donohuc, who staged the numbers along with Teddy Hammerstein. Donohue, formerly a chorlsteri scored on his sole en- trance with a session of nimble stepping,' making other solo at- tempts look passe. Miss Kane, of abuhdant- .figure, wears costumes whiph accentuate "tlio curvei sons back as an individualist, in- troducing the 'boop. a dobp' 'style of singing. No longer a 'booper/ Miss Kane continues to handle lyrics in bdby talk 'fashion, at which she ex eels, while most of her Imitators have passed out. Perhaps it is strange coming from, this plump actress, but it's likable ---Among..^JJl6=jiumbgrs. ^^'Isn't It .^well to Dream?' siing by "^JHaflea Purcell aiid Louise Kirtland; 'Swlngy Little Thingy,' trioed by Audrey Christie, Hoffmann and Lester Allen, stood out. . Miss Kane's solo number. 'Oh, Where can I Find Ixive?' got something on -rendition.' Helen Raymond proved a real trouper as a middle aged widow gone -gay. 6he be comes mistress of ceremoniea.in a night club, takine the name* ot 'Shady Udy' Contiiiiinig; ifear Week-End Fiiiisli 'Shady Lady,' which opened last Wednesday (6) at the Shubert, N.-T., cime close to a fold-up Sat- urday. One set, low cost musical had a fair second night despite the lambsistlng by the reviewers,' then started to fade. Chorus was paid off but the principals had to await an auditor's count because of a small .guarantee and percentage. Latter arrarigeftieftt accounts for the number bf players' featured. Helen Kane the principal featurO is said 'to have Invested |2,500 to get the show started. Miss Kane was to have received (1^000 weekly salary, after the fourth week In- cluding rehearsals^ Show rehearsed nearly six weeks, Miss Kane getting nothing to date, according to re- ports.. Money due the chorus for over rehearsals was paid on the train-aicter the-<;ompany-started.for the Philiadelphia try-out. 'Lady' seemed to be well regarded there but that opinion was reversed on Broadway. Harry Meyer who presented 'Lady' is unknown- -In-show. circles. He is said 'to have written the book which is credited to Estelle Mo- renda whom he recently married. His backer is Leo Kahn, who is in the driess buslneias. Numbers were inserted .from time to time by vari- ous contributors and Irving Caesar Was called in to fix the book during the Philly date. Caesar demanded and. received ,$1,000 before he at- tempted to gag- up the show. Aniohg'.the: errors was the use of the late! Jack Dohohue's, name. John Donohue', iin -accomplished dancer- who has been. £iide to Bobby Con- holly, the dance director, was pre* vailed upon to use the name ot jack.. Doihphue staged the dances and contributed a solo number. HAYNES FILES FI^ Daniel Leo Haynes, colored legit iand screen player, took, his finan- , cial ills to the Federal court in ^*»«-3«f'^f.**^®v*^J-sea=-^^York-la&t-weck. . ^ _ With his admission of bankruptcy Haynes filed a schedule declaring that he owed $C,116 and had no as- sets. , 'Texas Shapiro,' with Instructions to greet the guests j 'Hiya sucker. One of her numbers, 'Your Type 13 X3offiirg^=^Backj' a-^good^^idea. ,11^^ could haive been better developed. •Shady t^ady' is a one-set shoWt with little production outlay indi- cated. That goes for the costumes, too. With few summer revues in sight and a mere half dozen or so attraotiom' on Broadway, it was figured the pldce- should get by. That Is to be hoped for because ot those involved, but.it is doubtful. loee.