Variety (Sep 1933)

fpesday, Syptemlier 5, 1999 VAUDEVILLE VARIETY «7 ONLY 15 NEXT-TO-CLOSERS infA Fund Heads Ignore San Affair As State Prober Hears New Charges , Manager-members of the NVA puYid continue to affect an. attitude of'complete indifference toward the New York State Department of So-. cial "Welfare's investigation of con- dKIoha at Saranac Iialce. That at- titude remained unchanged despil< the te«*^Pt ^^9t week by Dr. Davl<! "Vr; Park, state investigator, of new criticism against the NVA regime. 'Syt. park- was Informally put into p6dS4's'sion of statements In' riefer- eilce tb'the <Jase bf An^anlae Pow-' erf,''former vaudevlllian, -Who died at-the San. Aug. 29. Dr. Pirk was informed by Irving Schneiiiier, New Totlt attorney who Is I'epreserttitag the NVA patients in their griev- ances, that statements made to him werj^.to the effect that prior to her d^^h, .and while very ill. Miss Pow- wis had asked for warm soup; that wb,9n. she received col,d' soup sfie .coippiained an^ was severely repri- o^nded. X •Formal Statements . Park was Advised that siever- ai'dther patients witnessed oi* heard 'the .reprimand made. It's .under- stood the Investigator will ask for 'affidavits. 'iifiss Powers was buried at Sara- na'c iLake by the NVA. Her hus- .btiiid, who lives in New York, was n^Ufied of her death, but stated he btidn't funds to pay for a fiiheral. '^e 'fc'old soup and rdpririiand re- poit'was ° denied by Mrh. Katherlne Murphy by phone Friday (1) and tli^" fojlowing day by Ifetter. She «ftlS Miss Powers had been in the hdbi'l of using canned soup which purchased herself, hot' catlrig for the NVA's soup, and that the NVA chef usually warmed it for 'William J. Lee, who handles the Sttfi.for the NVA Fund made an- other inspection trip last week and talked td several patients while there. He told the patients that he did-'not understand what all the triable was about, and all he knew waA what he read in the news- papers. Back in New York, Lee stated that from his talks with the pdtietits the reported unrest and dlsBatisfaction Is not general, also that the NVA Fund will continue to uphold Mrs. Murphy until com- plaining patients can show 'defi- .nlte* cause or causes for her re- woval. Other members of the NVA Fund fiaid they'd prefer permitting the state to' continue its investigation arid to order any remedies it 'sees lit. All of them preferred to be re- lieved of taking any initiative and to transfer the responsibility to the state, despite that the official pro- ceeding Is sure to draw public at- tention to a deplorable airing of tho ^hole. controversy. You'd Die Laffin' Albany, Sept. 4.. The assessments of theatres has been Increased ?376iO00, according to the proposed 1934 tax rolls. IIKO Palace has been as- sessed for $900,000, an increase of $200,000; Harmanus Bleeck- er Hall, from $255,000 to $300,- 000; Leland, from $180,000 to $225,000 and i^KO Grand from $205,000 to .$260,000 and Strand froni $470,6bO to $500,000. Wal stage cooes cum shoe campaign ABA, NRA and Actors Equity are proceeding with the writing of tneir respective variety actors' codes, preparatory to the hearing Mf6re Geri. Johnson in Washington, »«Pt. 12. The exhibitors-managers' already submitted, as part or the code covering the entire pic- ture business. . 'JP^® vaude act producers are also talking of sending a representative to the hearing. <ABA will stage a mass meeting tomorrow (Wednesday) night in f)ew York for discussion of Its code 5^ the members, with card holders only admitted. Attitude of three code-writing ^oups is to keep everything on the Ji't-. each fearing a rival organiza- tion may cop Its best Ideas. Garry Owen Lands ' Hollywood, Sept. 4. . Garry Owen, vaude actor, has had "•s name engrossed on the Univer- sal payroll. His first picture will ''«'*Bombay Mail.' ' ABA QUESTIONS KENNY GUESTS Actors' BettQ,rment Association is making'inquiries about the booking for next week (?) of Nick Kenny at the old Roxy, New York, with a view to determining whether its no- free-performance rule will be vio- lated. In its advance billing the theatre Is advertising that Kenny will work with a different guest 'name' daily. When last at the Roxy, about five months ago, Kenny, who is the New York 'Mirror's' radio columnist, asked radio names to show up, and seme of them did. ABA'S rules for its members bar *il. no-pay performances except for worthy charity. Organization points out that Kenny recently praised this stand in his own column. YORK-KING UNIT FOR PERCENTAGE DATES York and King, in partnership with Curtis & Allen, are producing a 'Tin • Types' unit for percentage dates from one-niters up. RKO Is laying out time for the show in the Blumberg houses. Show will be built to run an hour, carrying its own music and with 40 In the cast, including the comic couple. LaReine, Helpless, Is Now Freak Impresario Fred LaReine, electrical magician In vaudeville before he turned agent and who suffered-paralysis of both legs in an automobile accident, Is now impresario of four freak store shows in Wlldwood, Palisades, and Paterson, N, J., and Revere Beach, Mass. LaReine, after giving up agent- ing to return to vaude, was making a\jurnp in an automobile when he lost the use of both legs in a smash- up. Benny Rubin's Beer Place San Francisco, Sept. 4. Benny Rubin found an angel and Friday (1) opened a beer garden and dance spot in the Persian Gar- dens, Oakland. He's m.c.'ing and batoning Del Courtney's band. Stiil has two weeks to go as m.c. of Shell Oil show on the Don Lee network. Geo. Bickel, 70, Hurt Los Angeles, Sept. 4. George Bickel, 70, formerly of Bickel, Watson and Wrothe, is re- covering at his Hollywood home from shock, bruises and cuts suf- fered in an automobile accident Fri- day night (1). Bickel was homeward bound when a hit and run driver cra.shed into his car, turAed it over and aped on. Wm OF FIELO Danger Signal to Current Time and Obstacle to Opening Up of New Stage Show Fields—In- actives Have Fallen Out and Many Standards Are Burned Up for Present by Constant Repeats NO SOURCE OF TALENT In looking, over the. agents' Usts during the past few vyeeks to de- termine what is available in the way of material for the new season, in case ^he new seasoii should get started, the major circuit vaudeville bookers have, found a severe and worrisome shortage exists, they claim. A surprising statement made by three of the circuit bookers is to effect that they don't know of more than 15 strong standard next-to- closing acts outside of percentage names. The others either have lost their hold through Inactivity, or have been burnepl up temporarily by fre- quent repeat dates necessitated by shortage of playing time In th6 last two seasons. Dangj^r Signal The bookers say that the existing condition Is hot only a danger sig- nal for the time now open, but that If further time opens up there will be great difllculty in supplying the- atres with good shows on a sus- tained basis. They contend that if vaudeville staged a sudden come- back and 100 new weeks of time opened up oyer night, the theatres (Continued on page 72) PETRILLO OKAYS SEVEN SHOWS FOR ORCHESTRA Chicago, Sept. 4. Taking Into consideration the freak aspect of show business in town at this time, Jimmy Petrillo, chief of the Musicians' Union, will make no switch in the arrangement of the band at the Chicago theatre, where the musicians are now toss- ing off seven shows daily. Petrillo thus quiets the. talk about town that he would send the house Into two shifts. Figures that with the end- ing of the Fair the theatre will get back to normal. Overtime that the Chicago is now paying-.is averaging the musicians about $186 weekly. Now-and-Then Vaud to Plrop Dp Weak Fdm OF Cash b on Special Stunt Grows as Compromise; See 40 Wks. The New Name Saranac Lake, Sept. 4. OfflciaHy It's still the NVA Sanatorium, but to the pa- tients it's now Mrs. Murphy's Home. $45,000, Xl^li Hr. iC. PIER SHOW Atlantic City, Sept. 4. Twelve and a half hours of show, amounting to about $46,000 In cost, not counting the regular miechanical overhead, is selling for 75c top over the liabor Day holidays at the Steel Pier. It's probably the biggest en- tertainment bargain on record, and with, this resort jammed to the rafters for the summer's final holi- day the Pier is packing them In. An idea of what kind of a layout the Pier is presenting is best de- scribed by the dally schedule, which speaks for itself: 10:46 a.m.—Ocean liner trip.. . 11:45—Amos 'n' Andy. 12:15—T>r. Bull* (Will Rogers- Fox). 1:60—Rudy Vallee band concert 3:00—'One Sunday Afternoon' (Par). 4:40—Vaudeville (Jack Pepper, Colleano Family, Hollywood Reyels, Brooks and Philson, Sddie White). 5:40—'Paddy,, the Nexit Best Thing* (Janet baynor—Fox). 7:20—^Minstrel Show. 8:20—Mai Hallet's dance orches- tra. 9:20—Circus. 9:50—Hardeen, with 'Houdlni's Temple of Magrlc' 10:30—Wild animal show. 11:00—Hawaiian Divers. 11:20—Hadji Kader's Arabian troupe. Amos 'n' Andy and Vallee are in on guarantees and percentage. The three feature pictures are on first run. Steel Pier has been playing name acts and shows (Amos 'n' Andy are repeating) all season and has (brok- en various weekend attendance rec- ords several times. But the current layout is the heaviest yet. Frank Gravatt does the booking and exploiting. •Now and then vaudeville,' rfither than vaudeville on a regular -basis, looks like the poular policy for the majority of spots In the east and middle west, temporarily, at least. It means the playing of stag^ shows Irregularly, when the picture is weak and needs bolstering^ or when the theatre finds available an attraction It thinks might get It some business. The 'now and then' kind of vaude precludes chances for ostabllshln^: regular booking policies and, there'k, fore, won't aid in the consecutlvQ routing of acts, but to the acts ll^,- appears better than none at all. Chances are that enough good: weeks with the spot-booked. stag<i. shows may In time prompt the.the-i atxes to go stage show per«( manently. Disdain of managers . .toward regular stage policies is due to the usual reason—fear of piling up the, overhead when the chances of get-- ting by V'lth pictures alone are better than even. There'a also the new doubt that a high level of enr tertainment can be sustained .with weekly shows under the existing, shortage of reliable material. The 'now and then' policy volves the use of stagehands, mu« siclans and other trimmings, plas the stage cost Itself, only when such shows must be played. Know*' Ing what their films will be at least a month In advance, the theatres figure they can work that far ahet^l on stage bookings. When sometl^lhQ^. special In the. stage lliie 'cp'mee' along, that can be played with kny picture, good or. bad, they" beUeTe.- About 10 weeks Of the 'now an^' then' time is being bookied but or the RKO office for Blvtmlaieirg, (Orpheum) houses ill the inld<Ae" west, and for further 'KK.O dates in the east. RKO has made a cotiplie of experiments In Its neighborhoo'd picture houses around New York, with Gene Dennis and one or two others. The' Poll houseo' In Ne^^ Bngland have been using the 'now and then' shows with considerable success. Between the circuits and' indies, with latter playing smaller priced shows, there's expected to be' 30 to- 40 weekL of the 'now and then' time around the country, booked from* various sources, and a lot of ^t di- rect. May Try to Bring Old Palace Back New Operator of RK.O House Continuing With Vaudfilms Presently straight vaudeville under its new operator, Sidney Cohen, for the Pal- ace, New York, is more than a vague possibility. Cohen says he wants to 'make the Palace the old Palace once mo/e,' and if that has to be done without pictures, he may try it. Meanwhile Cohen will try to make a go of it with the same policy that has been flopping under RKO. Changing his original ihtentiOhS of going Into a 16c, straight picture grind, Cohen suddenly decided to re- tain the vaude Thursday (31), Booking office had stopped setting shows for the Palace, nc(l!e.<j.sitating getting the current bill together on two days' notice. The RKO booking olflce will book the vaude, as RKO does the films for the theatre. Cohen is not changing the stage budget or the house personnel In any way. He declares that for the present he can't reduce the general operating overhead, either, although that may be possible, he believes, later on. The difference in cost be- tween RKO and Cohen operation of the Palace will amount to around $1,500 a week. RKO charged off $160,000 annual carrying charges. Cohen Is paylflg $100,000, Up until last week, and for three weeks in a row, the Palace with vaudfilms showed a profit. But in the final two wetks under RKO op- eration it lost about $4,600. Last week it dropped $2,000 and the week before -went into the box for $L',600. cm WORLD'S FAIR ACTS SEEKING VAUDE DATES Chicago, Sept. 4. Paul Ash will probably head dnj all-musical road show of World'j?'- Fail" alumni to be toured throiigl^ the sticks around Oct. 1. (^the^ World's Fair attractions giving a lot' of thought to a theatrical tour aftdr- the exposition Include C. C. Pyie'S 'Believe It or Not' freaks, J^<ik' Fine's Midget Village, Ernie T^ung^s undressed revue. Honorable Wu'fl' Chinese vaudeville unit and CJlalr^ Omar Musser heading 50 marimbas,' one-half of the number he present* ed In a monster display of super-' xylophones he promoted at the Fair with the co-operation of the J. C. Deagon company. Musser may also have two smaller mnrlmba units be- sides the one he will head. Paul Ash show will be booked by MCA, Ash is now the afternoon substitute for Ben Bernie at Pabst iBlue Ribbon Casino. MarinofF Hurt Marinoff ("Marinoff's Russian Ca- nine.s) was badly injured in a fall on the Btafje of the Aldine, Jamaica, Tj. I., while playing there last week, . Walking across a dark stage during the picture he fell Into one of tho sound horns. An artery in Marinoff s arm was .sC'vcTf'd and a ga.<;h on the chest re- quired 20 stitches. He was taken to Jamaica hospital for treatment.