Variety (Aug 1933)

Tuesday, Angnst 29, 1938 State Pirober s Report on Changes In NVA San Personnel Near Ready; Mrs. Murphy s Respation Denied Local Amateurs' Show Marks Up $10,000 Net Dr. Payid Park of the New York ^tate Social Wolfiare departinent 1e fltlll workiiie l>«twe®n Albiany and iiew Tork oh his ihvestlBatipn ol conditions at the NVA Sanatorium. It'$ expected he will have completed Bis inquiry Bufflciently to make final Commendations at the San within a week. Official iaction then is to be taken hy the state.. Meanwhile, the mental state of patients at the San remains un- changed and still unsatisfactory^ A report that Mrs. Katherine Murphy, center of the controversy, had handed in her resignation, ^effective Septr IB, spread from Saran9,c to New York, but was flatly denied both at the San. and the NVA Eund offices in New York. Bad For Cure Three of the six uncured patients disinissed from .the San have been returned to upstate New York cur- ing places for treatment by the ilVA but hot at the San. •Whether Jjr, Park's Investigation had iany thing to do with the NYA's changed Attitude toward the trio Isn't known, but the three returned shortly after the state commenced to make In- quiries. The thrise are Frisco DeVere, who is at Northwoods, near Barahac Lake, in an endowed be^; liConard Crowley and John Ijotiden. The <two men were declared cured by "William J, Lee of the NVA fund when dls missed by Lee and Henry Chester- field a couple of months ago. Dr. Park was said to have found that both were badly in. need of further treatment. Crowley and Loudon, alcpg with Miss DeVere, were , among signers of the patients' peti tlOn fbr Mrs. Murphy's removal. Among recommendations expected to be made by Dr. Park, along with the changes in pei'tionnel. Is restora tion of bus service between the Sah and the town. This servicowas dis- continued upon Mrs. Murphy's com pialnt that patients were abusing the privilege. that Other Cheek More, brotherly love stuff; Sla'.e Brothers were released by RKO Paiacft, New York, one day before closing day last week to eivable them . to. open at the old Boaty, three blocks up the street. In the old days—'9'<.X$&! World's Fair Boosted SaHy Rand from $200 To HOOO Weekl; Chicago, Aug. 28. Sally Eand, who went into her fourth week at the Chicago theatre Friday (26), Is already set for. a fifth week. NCw contract jumps heir to $2,600. She opened at the libuse Aug. 4 at $750 and on Buccessiye weeks was jumped to $1,000 and $1,250;- At the same time. Max Turner of the Leo Salkln agency negotiated a new deal to set the fan dancer In Ernie Young's Old Manhattan Gar- dens at the World's Fa,ir at $1,000 weekly. In addition Sally is filling a third simultaneous engagement at the Paramount Club, reported at $500. ' This record, possibly represents one of the swiftest salary leaps for a, ijerformer on record. Two months ago Miss Rand's salary was around $200 weekly. St. Louis, Aug. 28. It was a lot of trouble for every^ body, but the boys at the Ambas- sador made nice dough for the the- aitre with last week's *Sti Louis on Parade,* In Which liSO performers were local amateurs and only five or six paid professionals. , Show cost viery little and brought up upwards of 20,000 to the box office, thereby ihsurlng a profit oiE probahly . $10;600; on the wCek. The boys had 'it figured .correctly that the papas and mammias, the Aunt Emmas and the Cousin Marys of the participants would ihake the venture pay.- Relatives and friends did attend such numbers that the SRO sign was hung out for nearly every performance. Riith Miller and Ralph Nichols di the . staging. Mostly the numbers were, of the song and dance variety. Performer^ ranged from four-year-olds to adults. Johnny Perkins, popular here by virtue of numerous vaude-^ ville. engagements, acted as master of ceremonies. The hit nunabr was a parade of liollywQod doubles,* consisting of a dozen Or so bOys and girls who looked,'with the aid of makeup, like (us many mCvie stars.. Indies Top Combined Circuit Time, Equal Salaries, # Vs. W/i Weeks, RKO Has Week, Tenth of M Major Time Circuit Weeks Loew »..:...,,«.•;•'.«•••♦••• 13%: Fanchoh & Marco.^ RKO ... •..... ». •*•»«■••• • • • Paramount .i.^y.v 4 Warner . ^ • ''•n 8% 34% hospect as F-M 28. Palace Straight Fix Again Under Sid Cohen Current week is .the last for vaudeville at the RKO Palace, New York, It goes to Sidney Cohen next week as. a 16c film grind. Palace's departure takes another iull week off the RKO vaude book. This may be equalissed in two weeks by gain of two splits^ Paterson and the Liberty, Elizabeth. Latter Is a Skouras house. Prospect, Brookiyn, ireverted to vaude last week under its former policy of split week bills, using showing acts mostly. . Clause In the contract leasing the Palace to CoTien provides that RKO shall book the house in the event It goes vaude.. RKO books the pic turea, anyway. More Weeks for Jiihior Stairs of *Day and Age' Poiir. junior stars of DeMllle's "This Day and. Age,' Bryant Wash- burn, Jr., Eric von Stroheim, . Jr., Gorlyle Blackwell, Jr;, and Elsie Ferguson, 11, appearing at Para- mount, N. Y. this week, have been booked for two additional stage dates. They are the Met, Boston, open- ing Friday (1) (if no holdover in New York), and the Circle, In- dianapolis, following week for- Milt Peld and Dave Chatkin. Film. bookings oiE 'Day and'Age* have been made in both Boston and Indianapolis to conform to the Junior star engagements. P^KED CAE MENACE i.—^ N*?-vy^TjavGn, Aug.-28.,._ Evelyn Smith and IVlyra Courtney, playing the Fox-College week of Oct, 17, 1932, are suirig New Haven Motors, Inc.i and Wm. K. Hehre for injuries allegedly received here. Girls, dancers, claim that drivet- less car rolled out of a packing s|)ace and knocked' them; down. Mlas Smith asks WB.OOb and Misa Courtney ^10,000. Elliott's Kew Dates Chicago, Aug. 28. Liyilc, Indiatiapolis, starts vaude Sept. 1. Charles Olson, owner* of house, designated Nan Elliott-of the William Morris office as booker. Miss Elliott handled the house for>: merly from the old Pantages office. Other time crowding the vaude revival here takes In the Balabjan ft Katz Century and the Marbro, both .of which haven't played shows in two years. Will so on Miss Elliott's bboki where seven other B.ftK. vaude spots are already located. Harding, which has been playing big shows with talent right out Of the Chicago, is being figured on by B.&K. for a regular split-week stand, following it's SRO business with week-end Vaude; Webers Own Agents, Simon Split Complete Harry and Herman Weber are opening their own agency in New York, conipletely breaking off con- nections with the Simons. The Weber-Simpn partnership wais dis- solved several months ago, but the Simons continued to handle the I Weberracts' fpf ^awde In New York, with the Webers cpncentrati on the Coast. Webers remain on the RKO floor With their own franchise. Los Angeles, Aug De^ll whereby Fanchon <& Marco, with Harry Arthur, take over bper- aitlon of the Orpheiim, San Fran- cisco, and the Orpheuin, Salt Lake, early in September, In association with W. B. Wagnon, former *FWsco picture house operator, may lead to willingness by Fox-West Coast .to cancel Its. contract with F&M whereby producers provide Stage shows for the circuit's Warfield,'' 'Frisco. Contract, for five years, still has a little more than three to go. Fanchon & Marco policy, as pres- ently In effect at the Paraniount here, will be Instelled in both Orpheums. This will pvt the San Francisco house in direct competi- tion with the Warfield, with virtu- ally the same type of entertain- ment In both houses. Expectation Is that: F-WC, If agreeing to terminate thie F&M con- tract. Will produce Its own etage shows, similar to Its policy at Loew's State here. F&M, previous to closing for the two northern Orpheums,- at one time operated by Alexander Pan- tages and more recently part of the RKO circuit, conducted negotiations with Harold B. Franklin with a view to acquiring RKO's Golden Gate In 'Frisco. Deal did not jell, under- standing being that Franklin stipu- lated that the Los Angeles Hill- street must be Included In any deal for the 'Frisco acer. Wagnon Is the original landlord for the 'Frisco prpheum, erected for Pantages. He secured possession ;two weeks ago, at the same; time acquiring the Salt Lake house on a court sale. Wagnon had Becured an injunction against the Utah the- atre to cover him for back rentals due him from the RKO peppier A. E Blank Steps Out As Pnblix Neb. Tnistee; Goldberg Sed^s Cpiilrol Orhaha, Aug. 28 Resignation Of A. H- Blank, Des Moines, as trustee for the. bankrupt P-ublix-Nebraska, InC,, was made known Wednesday (23). Blanlt owher of a string of Nebraska: and Iowa theatres Including Paramount in Omaha, and Interests lii the Grpheum, World and State here, had served.as trustee since April of this year. Suspected motive for the reslg nation is that Blank desires to free himself from the con nection in order to contest the ef forts of Ralph Goldberg, partial owner of World and State theatres, to^ acquire operating • Control of these houses With the Intention, of putting vaudeville in this World Goldberg recently travelled to New York partly for the purpose of arranging vaudeville bookings. Goldberg owns (controlling stock in 1 World Realty Co., owners of World and State. Blank retains his position as president of Central States The aters company and also His position in Intoco operating corinpany, now running Paramount afld Orpheum here. Meeting of creditors will be held Sept. 4 to elect a new trustee. Acts for London Dick Henry Is .. sending fpur standard American acts pyer to the other ide within the next, few W«eks, all opening at the Palladium, London. Miae Wynn Foursome and Garner, Wolf and Hogan leave Aug. 30, Venita Gould, Sept. 5, Walter Dare Wahi,-Sept. 15. TJUIT COMICS EUET Birmingham, Aug. 28, Wilmer Watkins, head of an in- dependent vaudeville, unit , and Red Mar.k,. comedian .^werejjn jured^jn an. automobile 'accident last week near Baton Rouge, La. Watkins had an aLrm broken while Mack suffei-ed a broken, rib. Tho automobile did a loop. Alex Hyde rehearsing a new glri band for vaude. His brother Johnny Hyde (Morris office) agenting. TURNS DOWN $3,00^ R^dio Act Prefers to Wait ill It's In Its Fdll Stride The vaudeville season of '33r'34 has its commencement this iireek, with lots of talk but .llttle time. The picture at the beginning of the sea- son, using facts and not supposi-, Uons, is that of a major playing time book of 34 and a half regular weeks. These are divided among" the five , principal bookliig offices—! Loew. RKO, Paramount, Warner and Fanchon" & Marco. At the be- ginning of last season RKO alone was booking 70 weeks, or twice, the current combined figure. This sea- son RKO starts with leSS than 10% of Its '32 time—six • and a hal^ weeks.. With all the indie time now be- ing hooked by independents from various locations extending from New York to Los Angeles; there may be 40 weeks of time In the, country. That means, theatres play- ing vaudeville or stage shows on a regular ifuU or split week basis, not houises usiiig shows occasion- ally. . ^ For the first time the independent field as a whole is moro dCsIrabl© than the combined major time. It offers more work, just as conflecu^ tively, and thel-e is little or no dif- ference in salaries. The major books dropped to the., level of the indies In a salary -way through the .circuits' cutting pact test winter. Wblle m a few instances the majof have restored some acts, to theW former salaries, that has occunredL only when an act happened to be pF.rtIcularly in deihahd and the booker had .no other way : to obtain it But the large inajorlty of acts aire still playing the major houses, at Indie salarieis.: i Chains Cautious V Even in discussion of vaude and stage shows prospects for the sea«j son, the Indies seeha to be taking thfe lead. Circuits are waiting cati- tiously. By November the vaudo business Is likely to witness the un-^ usual spectacle of circuit theatres forced into stage show by Independ^ ent competition. In the past th€> circuits did all the vaude dictating and leading, RKO's regular six and a halt weeks, without the Blumberg (Or- pheuin) western time, which uses .name attractions Irregularly on Los Angeles, Aug. percentage, and also the New York In order to fill a previously booked I Palace, which goes straight plctutea - - • 'next week, comprises the Academy, New York; Albee and prospect, Brooklyn; Boston, Chtcggo, Cincin^ nati, Detroit, Trenton.. Academy, only New Y«irk houde, is a Sltpuras theatre and BKO-bopked, with BKQ not having a single one of Its own New York spots on the vaude book^i Loew bas the Capitol, State, Boa-< levard, Orpheum and Paradise, New* York; Metropolitan' and Gates, Brooklyn; Jam^ca, Baltimore* Bos-^ ton, Jersey City, New Orleans, New- ark, Providence, Washiiigtoh. I Fanchon & Marco's seven weeks WB'S MastbaUm, PhaiyJare Roxy, New York; paramount, ' „ I Brooklyn; Boston, Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Aug. 28. sprfngfleld, Mass.; St. Louis, Wa«* Opening on the night wiien the terbury, Conn, hurricane-gale was at its worst, paramount's four weeks are In Warners Mastbaum demoi^strated j j^ew York, CJhicago, TorontOj that pop priced opera is likely to be Detroit. okay hei-e. Fortune Gallo and his is booking ^arle and Stanley, Sah carlo company have the big I phnadelphi Washington, Elizat picture house for Indefinite period. | jjeth. House, which' seiats 4,800, was withlh a few hundred of capacity i Wednesday night (23) with 'Car- men' and also iBtrpng Thursday with ' 'Faust.' 'Hansel and Qrcftel' was done Saturday matinee, Two more full weeks set; with more a possibility. Scale is 55c, 1 76c aiid 99c. Too Moch Work week for Loev\r in New Orleans, For syth. Seaman and Farrell-drepped out of the Fanchon & Marco stage show at the Paramount for the hold- over run of 'This Day and Age.' Also out of the first week's cast is Baby Alice,, juve impersonatpr of Mae West. Maxine and Bobbie, canine act, spotted for. the current wccH to help fill the gap. Opera Opens Good at Goodman Ace (Easy Aces) bowled over the Loew and Paramount booking offices last week When he turned down a $5,000 vaude bid for his radio act. Offer was made to the Aces through Morrison-Winkler and cov- ered live weeks at the $3,000 figure. Ace said that he's been off the air for several months now and would prefer playing stage dates in the fall, when.back .pn jhe etih again. Johnny Perkins Sixes . Louis, Aug. 28. Johnny Perkins, liow In his fifth at the Ambassador, lis being held over for six more weeks. The comip was bboked in for one week as a vaude act and is staying, over as m.c. Ibee's New Week RKO Albee, Brooklyn, changes, to a Friday opening this week (1). House was one of the last around New York to continue Saturday opening. . . CLAEKE'S TEIP .. A. J. iarke sailed on the 'Ameri- can Fanner;' Aug. 25, for London, to promote a colored revue over there: Clarke is also setting a route for Riidy Wledbeft, sax virtuoso, in the English varieties, sLb he. did prcvi ously. Singer Co. Takes Lease On Sioiix City Orpheuin Sioux City, la., Aug. 28. Tihe Singer Theatre corppratlon, operating the Orpheum*. largest theatre In this city, last -week took a. 10-year, lease on the property, beginning Sept.. 1. ., Straus & " Co. and the American Nationial Bank, ChlcagOi are owners , of the prop-, •erty. The theatre is operating with vaude-pix three days a week and feature films the remaining four days. VAUDE WITS LINE Plans are for Carle Torney." to bring her line of 24 girls to the Michigan as a permanent house 1 line. .House, will build up a deluxe 1 vaude siiow •with the line, opening and closing. Otherwise playing I reguliatlon vatjde. y J