Variety (Sep 1933)

Tuesday, September 19* 1933 LEGITIMATE Cast and Crew Bond Demand Ends Bainbridge Stock, Oldest in U.S. Minneapolis, After 'years of existence the Bainbridge dramatic stock company has cried quits, for the iifst time In nearly • a quarter of a century, this city will be without draniatic stock. A. Cv Bainbridge, now niayP**! company and house over to John Dilson, last seasoii's . stage director,^ to operate for himi and. plans called for the reopening in October. When Dilson was .in New York month assetnbling his com- pany, hei was. informed by Equity and the local stagehands* union ho woiil jlva^ireTio V<Jst" tw^ —ary for: cast and gre^y, Tbis, .to- gether With other expenses Inciden- tal to- the opening, would have mieaht an initial outlay of nearly $BiOOO. Burden. Top. Dilson says he isn't in a finan- cial position to meet such, .a de- mand and has announced that plans for the .dramatic stock sea? son have been abandoned.. . The theatre will utilize a picture policy instead, Dilson says. Tlie Bain- bridge company is claimed" tb b6 the oldest dramatic 'stock orgatti- ssatlon in the United States, holding the record for continuous operation* Stock burlesque also is out of the Gayety because of the refViflal of Harry Hlrsch to' meet the' stage- ,hands' union demands relative to the posting of two weeks' advance salary, number of nien to be used and the salary scale. Hlrsch, too, had his company engaged when he decided to call everything off• He says he will wire his house also and use pictures and musical tabis. Thei Metropolitan, playing legit road show attractions, hasn't a single defthite booking yet; 'With no opening bill In sight here and with dramatic stock out,, it looks like the, slimmest season ever here as far as the drama is concerned $45 Ad Suit Against $11,000 Chicago Chicago, Sept. Aftermath of the 'World Be- tween,* play which folded after, a short stay, is a suit by. the 'Daily News' against. R. 0. Lydy, parking, space king audi angel qt the show, for $45 for advertising with writer Fritz Block! Included in the tech- nicalities of the wra,ngle. Understood that* liydy tossed i;ii,00 into the .venture. DUFFY ASKS VS. COURT TO BAN FRISCO STRIKE Sail Francisco, Sept. 18. Henr-y Duffy is to go into federal court this morning (18) seeking an Injunction against Local 16 of lATSE and Local 107 of Operators union to restrain stagehands and electricians from striking should he discontinue payments organizations claim due from the time Dyffy went broke. Stage hands claim they were, un- paid last week of Duffy operaitlon In 1929, but Duffy claims he was already out, and payment was tvp to the Winship estate. When Duffy opened '20th Century' at the Curran and 'Counsellor at Law' at the Alcazar, he declares liocals lis and 107 threatened to strike unless he paid $100 weekly on the sum due. To date he has paid $600, he says, and wants Federal judge Kerrigan to issue an injunction against such threats, or atiy" walkbutg. Ducat Men Organize Nafl Body Under NRA Niltipnal Theatrical Treas vriers' Assofclation was formed Sun day (17) when, at a hieeting at the Waldorf theatre, N. Y.,. it was said there were 700 application for mem- bership. Object of the NTT A, Which is openefl to all box-oillce people, is to participate in the legit code com mlttee sessions, If the new organ ization is recognized. NRA applies «nly to national bodies. Up .to now theatre treasurers have been grouped witli the minority theatre *n^ployees division and seolc to place a repx'esentative on the NALT Jlj^jiera.l.jDmex'genc y-C.Q mm^^^ Harry B. Nelnies, head of the Treasurers Club, was elected presi dent of the NTTA; Lep Solomon Sol De Vries, Allan J. Schnebbe, and Joseph P. Bickertqn (attorney) be Ing the other ofllcei-s. Directors are I^ouis Olms, Mack Hilliard, Riving ton Bisland, Cora Gibbs, LeOn Spaohner, Irving Engel, Frank BCBa* lUchafd Moon and Lew Wood Chorine Picki^ a Name Dancer In 'Murder, at the ■Vanities,* revue-raeller at the New Amsterdam, N. T., has the nanie of Gay Orlova. GOod looking platinum blonde hoofer sees nothing; funny In the monicker, Ortova is of I^ussiaii parent- age and original label prob- ably a tongue twister. Ticket Trade Sees Many Ageiiu^ Forced Out, but Old EvOs Cure! At Last by Codes Firm Control ISLAND BARNSTORMERS GOING THROUGH STATE 'The Playground Players, a groyp of legits .mostly resident around Freeport, L. who have heen ap- pearing in Long Island school audi- toriums since mid-July, will con-. tinue in l0flnitely according to pr.es- eht"^aTraT=v^Phe=^%3ESr<35m The United Booking Office, which is the Shubert' and Erlanger ex- changes combined, for; routing pur- poses formed a year ago to handle legit attractions on the i*6jad, faces the problem of flnding attractions fo book. It Is the same situation as on Broadway,. where there are twice as many theatres as tliere are shows In sight. U. B. O. main purpose was to eliminate opposed bookings, but aside from some jamming of new shows last fall, its bookers have had little trouble in that dlrectlbh be cause of attraction scarcity. B. O. has a dozen: shows to book, or about half ithe number It had on ^the books at .this time last season. Preponderance of failures on Broadway last season is the reason, giving- the road a . leaner outlook than a year ago. A few of the eastern keys are counting on initial presentatibn of new shows, but the other stands face plenty of darkness. At least two of the U. B. O. attractions will play through brbken time in the South, 'The Green. Pastures' and 'Of Thee I Sing* (not --it-In of touring) i Among the other road at tractions are Katharine Cornell in repertory, 'Biography,' 'Music In the Air,' 'Late Christopher Bean,' 'Uncle Tom's Cabin,' 'ftuy Bias,' 'Goodbye Again,' 'Take a Chance,' 'Dinner at iSight,' 'The Gay Divorce' and 'One Sunday Afternoon.* In addition there are independent attractions wblciv are on and off the books of the U. B, O. Which antici pates doubling the number of road shows^ by the end* of October. SHOWMAN LAGUARDIA'S CAMPAIGN STRATEGIST Paul Moss, erstwhile legit pro ducer and brother of B. S. Moss, the sliowman, is now business manager of the Fusion campaign committee sponsoring Major F. H. LaGuardIa for New York City's next mayor The barrister, William M. Chad bourne, campaign manager of the Fusion committee of which Samuel Seabury, arch foe of Tammany, is head, appointed Moss to the busi- ness-managership. ... Moss' headquarters will be in the Paramount building, N. .T. 4 Hurt in Auto Crash , Joseph, Mo;, Sept, 18. Swervijig tb avoid a car which stopped suddenly, two actors and their wives motoring to New York from Denver last Wednesday, were badly injured in a. head-on colllsoh with another car. James Holerke, who sustained .a fractured hip and leg, and Averill Harris, "ith a smashed instep and broken leg, had just closed the season In stock at .El itch dardens, Denver. Mrs. Harris also suffered a frac- tured leg, while Mrs. Holerko, was but' slightly injured. All Are in the St. Joseph hospital. — STOGK-i'GRr MONTCLAEEl^ Mohtcll'aliV N. Sept. IB. . Stock opens at the Montcla'ir, Oct. 2 by Rugoff & Becker in association with Arthur M. Rapf. Direction will be by Rowland G. Edwards who directed the Broad Street players, Newark, last season* It is Edwards* Intention to use popular successes with guest stars. Says Road Waits on Outcome of NBA prive Rochester, Sept, 18. Lyceum theatre will open the legit season Oct. 13. and 14 with Walter Hampton in 'Ruy Bias.' Manager Hattle LUtt returning froni New York reports road show bookings delayed by uncertainty over NRA outcome, but she expects action in the near, future. on the New York State Unemploy- ment iKeller'^iJiyroJl, receiving-|3^ daily and wer^ slated to be so paid until Sept. 15., Plan now if for the 'bufilt to" apr pear In spots throughout the state arid the plia/ers look for. ah iricreasc in pay ■ to $7 or $8 dally, which; would give them the legit minimum wage of $40. weekly established by the NRA legit theatre code for'reg- ular shows.. Playgroiinders are unique in tbe uniemployment fund set-up, in that they are aiding: local relief funds. At the start tho group netted around $500 waekly, takings - gblh'g in total to local relief committees In each village. Average has been $200 net weekly, show going' on two and three nights weekly. Group played ■The Family Upstairs' and proposes to give a new show with the tenta- tive title of 'Seven Red Elephants' VILLAGE SNEAKS OVER 8-MONTH RUN OF LEGIT The Cherry Lane little theatre in Greenwich Villajge boasts a run of eight months with 'A Charihing Rascal,' which concluded this week Play Is from, the French, adapted by Paul Glllmore, who has been conducting the Lane for five years 'Rascal' werit through the summer Without Broadway even suspecting th^t a "Village theatre was bperat ing. Attendance comes from various sources, pliiggers yisiting mercain tile establishments with bargain ticket, glips. Policy at the Lane was 'a hew play every month,' a slogan , that has not been adhered to. Glllmore himself appears In 'Rascal' and starting' next, Monday will bd fea^ tured with, his daughter Virginia in a revival of 'Strictly Dishonor- able,' in which he created the Judge role, with a piece called 'As We Love' going on Saturday and Slun- day afternoons. Regular perform- ances are given nightly, Including Sunday, Listed as 'coming' are: •Get a Doctor,' 'A Minister In Hell' and 'The Moscow Art Theatre Company.-' M, Hipp Grand Opera Survives, Others Brodie Most drastic change road- way's theatre ticket situation is anticipated under the rules laid down by the National Association Of the Legitimate Theaitre commlt-r tee last week. With the. NRA stamp, the legit- code provides for^ wiping out gypping and other unfair ticket practices and from iridlcations cor- rection of .old evils will be accom- plished for tho first time In the history of legit. There Is little doubt that sonle agencies will be forced, out of b.usi- ness. Of tbe 30 odd ticket offices there may be but a dozen, or even fewer, wheri the smoke clears away. In light of the NRA'a objective to increaiso eiriployment, that may Pop. grand opera resuming at the Hippodrome, N, Y., is off-to a profit able start, despUe Increased .operat- ing costs • and opposition operatic attractions! First full week drew a gross'over $16,0004 Of the opposed operatic presen- tations, three opened and closed quickly. The withdrawals were at th6 Mecca Auditorium, Academy of Music, Brooklyn, and the! WilUis, Bronx. All tried for four days, Some doiibt about other • lanned operatic attractions going into ac- tion until later. The Fides opera with a Met conductor, leading 7i-piece orchestra attracted atten- tion at Mecca Auditorium with prices at $1.66 top, but not enough money to pay off such a costly muslcfil set-up. Hipp clainis that rescaling the prices brought in as much money, although attendance was somewhat less than during' th6 spring. New top Is $1.10 which goes for the en tire lower floor, with the balcony at 55 cents, also reserved. Despltie opposition the Hipp figures It can command a. steady draw !untll late fall, when the Metropolitan season starts. Regardless It Is proposed to continue opera at pop prices In the Hipp, throughout the season. ViDage Play to B'way 'The .Mountain,' which was. pre- sented at the Provlncetowh Play- house, Greenwich. Village,, last week will be brought uptown. Contracts have been issued to the players by Robert Anies Winthrop,. a new- comer. Name: of pit*. George F^ Chandler, retired surgeon, who is reported set to bankroll 18 .plays. In the, Villiage spot, does hot appear. 'Mountain,' written by Carty Rarick, drew little attention from showmen. Shumlin Directing Herman Shumlln who could "find ho show to produce for himself, will direct 'The. Minute's.Alibi;' an Eng- lish drama, which will be presented here by Crosby Gaige and Lee Shu- bcrt. 'Alibi' is holding over indefinitely in London. Rehear.salg start here next week. Sam Kopp NeVyark Mgr. Newark, Sept. Sani Kopp is the new manager of the Broad Street. He's also doubling on the publicity. Former Shubert-booked house, taken over from Morris Sohlesinger by Paul K. Karraki.s, in playing legit stock. DITCHING mTUR' ROLE OF HITLER CAUSES RIFT back of the postpohentient of 'Kultur' until, next week iat the Mansfie d, N. Y., Is Internal discon- tent that has ouisted three or four aides' to J. . Vincent heretofore unknown In legit. Vincent who Was In the toviring operatic field for several seasons. Is an excitable Russian. The play is a satire on Hitler and the Germany of today. It was adapted from th6 German by Adolphe Phillip. Latter withdrew Ikst W6ek as directbF at WKieh time Vincent started revamping th6 .script with the supposed idea. of elim,lnating the Hitler character. His . Insistenc.- on that point may lead to legal action by Phillip and others Interested through owner- ship -of stock, in the 'kultUr' cor- poration. Ben Atweil who had been associ- ated Wl th yihoent for three seaisons, received r^'^ck instead of isalary. He stepped out and Oliver Saylor took over the publicity. Saylor also v/aiked after a row with Vincent. Other company executives side- stepped the outfit when the new manager offered them wages less than the minimum mentioned in the leigtt theatre code- 'Kultur' c.st-went on salary Mon- day^ thl.s being the fifth week of rehearsals. "^^^SecondTMieteTry^^ Second of. the summer try-out group, tested in Summit, N, J., to be presented on Broadway, will be 'Career,' by Julie Heme and Yvonne Crosby. Elizabeth Mlele will makc the pre.<5entatIon. Chrystal Ilorne will have the lead. Reheai'fials start early in October. seem counter to tne governmerit's cimpaign to cllm^b put of the de- pression.. IBfut showmen contend that gypping In the sale of tickets by brokers or speculators has been the most harmful single element ad- versely affecting show business. lilanagers, with the assent: others bri the .NALT committee, sert that while hunch of. . specs may be forced out of. the ticket business, if the public gets ia, charice^ to buy tickets at reasonable rates, show business will Improve and as . a consequence there will be. mOre actors working, more'theatres open and more general eniployees occu^ pied. Therefore, they 8a.y, It will be for. the general good and, a.U_ though some agencies have aided producers by advancing-" money on tickets, times have changed. That the NALT emergency committee., subscribes to that program Is evi- denced by the fact: that ticket dis- trlbutibn was the jlrst problem con- sidered after the code wad filed In Washington. First Hit As Test The test of . the. new ticket rules will come when the first hit arrives on Broadway. Enforcement of the rules Is up to the managers them- selves. Agencies will be permitted to resell lower priced tickets.and the. first three rows in the balcony for 76 cents Over the box. pfflce price, with a 60 cent premium al- lowable for tlie balance of the hbuse, If a spec chargejs more and Is detected, no theatre will be per^ mitted tb db business with tiiat agency. Theatres caught making allotments or knowingly selling to agency violators, are subject to a fine of $500 for each offense.. Broadway and ticket men are guessing how niany agencies can continue In business under the new' rule?). Most of them admit they all can't exist If limited to the 75 and 50 cents premium. "That they will ho longer have to $tand for losses on 't>uys' seems riot sb Important to the'm. First idea about the elimi- nation .of buys was. that most of the agencies would be able to go along If business were fairly good. Oeri- .eral feeling now Is that only the largest agencies will survive be- cause of the volume of sales pos- sible. Other offices have too small an outlet to make a profit under the new rules, according to most specs. How About. Charges? " Wh^t the nsWfSge 7agency ^ w^^ to learn Is whether In addition to the .premiums, they will be permit' ted to make service charges, such as a monthly fee for keeplrig charge accounts, wliether It will be .okay tb charge for delivery of tickets ausl whether ari extra fee cari be charged to accounts morithly in return for delivering good locations. The. NALT committee has Jiot riia.de. up Its riiind about those points; Brokers say they shpuld.be permitted to ac- commodate the demand of the la»t hour patron arid the visitor from out of town, who Is .willing to Pay an excess price. But the mianagcris say tliey care little for that special type of playgoer, preferring to ebn- centrate on the mass of regular the- atre-goers. Up to now there have. been seven agencies licensed under the new I'ules. They are McBrlde-BasCom ^(GOmblnatlon)r--_Sulllyan^:Kayj:!yson^= Operating. Co.. (epmbination)j Le- blang-Postal. (the threo largest agencies); Tyson and Co., Broadway, Sol Subbei* and William Jackson. Latter two ofilces ar6 among thu smaller agencies. The NALT states It has no objection to licensing any established agency, which Is In ac" (Continued on page i6)