Variety (Sep 1933)

48 VARIETY YAU DEVI 1.1. E Tuesday, September 26, 1933 Chicago Sidewalk Bookers, Gimme Managers Are Racketeering Again; Woiit Ever Learn TheirLLessbn New Acts ~ ■ -CRrcagfo, Sept. 25r— Vaude In the mrdwest is trying desperately t& make ' comeback. But the iihaifflliafed bookera hahg- Iner 6nt6 the fringe of the business by their teeth are beginning to kill off another, comeback chance for yaude. They are' doubling, and tripling commission'charges on acts in such a way that the new vatidc is being stifled. ,yNot always the booker is to blame twith chiseling house ma-hagers usually starting; the vicious circle by demanding a piece of the com- mission. They are making no bones about it, and the bopicers too hungry for business to . naake any; stani against this inside racketeerings Agent Take<Soai*8 Result is that acts in the . mid- west are . now paying as high as 2!i%,ln some instances, booking, of • .flees sometimes naming soinebody in .the .pfflce as agent in the cas'V in order to tilt the take from the performer. . Nothing left for the acts to do tiut'increase salaries; which Is: the trend in this town; Houses play- ing flesh attractions are now beirts racketeered by these outside book*, ers .and yaude- is being oommlS' - stoned out pt existence by conniving iKMkers, agents and house man- agers. Sti^e^hillyrDips; Despite Name Bills , Sept. 26. Strong lianies are listed in the stage .show bookings announced by William Goldnian, Stanley-Wafner general manager, for - the; , Stanley theatre: this fall; This week's name is Barbara Stanwycic, with AJmee Semple Mc- pherson coming next.. Oct. 13 will inaugurate a special radio program with Morton Downey, Mildred Bailey, Jp6 Penner, Frank rand Milt Brittoii, Stpopn'agie and Bud and others lined' up.: Oct. 20" will bring AmPS 'n' Andy, with FreiS Waring following ^ a week later witii his . Old Gold unit, jack Denny, Ted Lewis, Ben Bernie, Guy. liomibardo and Frank Fay are also listed. House has been doing very well under new; policy, although last week and this have been consider- ably under the $23,o60 pace that was maintained (on average) the first three we'eks. Three-Week Fox Route Out of Chicago Likely Chicago, Sept 26. Possibility of a three-week yaude route following the conference of cieorge Skouras, representative of the Fox theatres in Wisconsin; Ciil len .liSpy of the Ambassador in St. lipuis and Dave Idzel from the Fox m DetrPit. Houses, in St. Louis, Detroit and Milwaukee, now being booked indi- vidually but .figured more successful In securing acts if booked in a com- bine. Four possibilities to handle*^ the new deal out of Chicago if and when set. Being considered are the local RKO office, Sam Bramson of the Morris agency, Billy Diamond office or Harry Singer out of Panchon.&' Marco office. WANTED Professional Singers, Dancers. Orches- tras, Badio Artists, Novelty Acts. In- terviews after 2 p.m. only. . United Theatrical. Agencies, Inc. 802 So. Stato St., Ohicaso iir. J. RUBERTI, Afan. Director ■• ■ - ' ■ Blend Local Musicians In Unit Stage Bands Lincoln, Local niuslcians scored a win here, at least partially, in regard to the tranisient bands with vaudp house units. Two houses, the Or- pheiim and Lincoln, both had vaude, and after three weeks of: unit shows, each one carrying its own music, it became apparent to t^^e .union that the-mgrs. were not goins to See need of a pit band.. Rather than hire a band they wouldn't use, the managers acceded to the proposal of the local,-"which had placed a minimum pfi six men to each house, and decided to blend the local men Into the visiting band each -week. Only conflict arising with this is the costuming, .§ince hardly any of the bands with. the units carry tSat many extra garbs tp tog put this addition. The units come in here for a guarantee of about $700 and 40% of the gross over the hut. Both houses get in the neighborhood of 3Gs for the week. This addition of musl cians costs about $250. McKay for Legit George McKay (McKay and Ar- dine) is going single in 'Hot and Bothered*, legit, which Morris Green and Frank McCoy are prpducing. . McKay has the comedy lead. TO ALL ACTORS! IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN THE FUTURE OF YOUR • HONORED PROFESSION. IF THE SURVIVAL OF YOUR BUSINESS CONCERNS YOU— DO YOUR PART THE ACTOIIS' BE'tTERMENT ASSOCIATION is wagi . in your behalf. The rest depends wholly on yoUr cp-operationi. Th© JNRA code hearings are under way at Washington. The result cannot be satisfactory without your aid. Yesterday (Monday) tiie ultimate result was Tpday (Tuesday) may tell the story.. Take up tiie cudgel in youir own behalf, for your sake and that of . youtr brother and sister ^actors—and the welfare pf you.r Pro- fession. Wire Depiity Admiiustrator Sol A. Rosenblatt At the Department of Commerce Building, Wasliing1;bii> !I>. G. Tlr^e him-to remember the actPr and to contemplate-the provisions submitted for the protection of the actor. AIMEE SEMPLE MacPHERSON High Pitch 17 Mins.; One (Special) Capitol, N.Y. Carefully introduced as Mrs. Mac- Pherspn and carefully avoiding any allusion . to her present Juisband,: Dave 'Big Boy' Hiitton, the shpr messiah from Ahgelus Temple, I^ibs Angeles, gave Broadway a sample of-hep-shownaattshlp-ih—l-T-T^lnutes.: Most of Broadway., wasn't enough interested to pay for the privilege of studying Sister Aimpe's. tech- nique in handling mobs. Which,; so far as the thieiiEitrical part of Broad- way is cpncerned, is a pilty, for Sis:- ter Aimee is no slouch as a precep- tress in thiB arts of projecting a per- sonality pver footlights.- As a bpzrofflce. attraction^ it looked like the founder and general n^anager of 226 churches was a washout. She didn't look like .$5,000 worth at the C'apitpl,. but she was worth a look->see to the theatrical, colony, for Sister Aimee is a ihaster- showwoman and her poise in the face of sacrellgious titters Is some- thing to admire. All oif her 17 minutes are auto- biographical and there's a sharp division ori her private life. Hence when she greatfuUy refers to the iiord's kindness in giving' her a. steady income all these years,-there conies an unholy If partly hiuted hoot front-the audience. The" alsx) ilnd . her Insistent self-admitted humility a bit thick. A couple of other , times, she makes merriment withoitt intending to. But never a. qualm passes over the brow of this twinkling personality. There isn't a crack'in her voice or a moment's faltering except at. the bow-off when the Broadway aloof- ness seems nvomentarlly to capture the" lady's nanny. - For one fleeting Second .Sister Aimee shows signs Pf suffering from the flop Sweats. . Evangelist wears a white satin creation. Sexy, but .episcopalian. A large cross quivers on her bosom- and around her neck she wears a Smartly tailored ribbon. Backdrop showing a glazed glass church win- dow.- That's kindergardeh require- ihenta In booking any ecclesiastic into a theatre. Perfect diction, a rapid flow of words, boundless self-assurance, a chummy personal Intimacy belong to this wpman who\Is saint to thi^'V sands and front , page news to all. That firoadway refused to thaw out for her just proyes .what a stubborn btlnch of sinners Broadwayites are. It doesn't, mean that niore ty ' -My American centres may not respond to the niessage mPre lustily^ JLand. THREE KELLY KIDS Singing and Dancing 7 IMins., Two Academy, N.' Y. 'Not a new turn. It's the three youngsters put of the Five Kellys, with, the makings of a good act if it ever gets put together right. Bad routining and costuniing, chiefly the former. Act is two girls and a-fitoy. Boy and one girl play for the second sister, and when she exits they dance. She cok«s back and sings, they go Into. the dance, more sing- ing, more dancing and then three get together for the finish. Dancing; is all pretty much alike and the singer clings tP the oldies for her warbling. 'Waiting for the Robert B. Lee' is a bit passe. All three are nice looking chil- dren, but the singer is a show-oft whPse ability does , not warrant the grimaces and assumption Pf loud acclaim. A m6re nibdest pose would help. No costume changes, though two here anid just -about making the at least one is indicated. Number grade. Chic. B. & 0 MARBRO BACK; CHI'S 4Tfl FDU WEEK phl.cago, Sept. '25. After a two-yPar layolt the big west side Marbro returns to vaUde. this week. Now doing ti»e experi- ment route with a full week of flve- aot-show headed by Sophie Tucker, who went'into the hprth side Hard- ing for twp days and hiad tp stay fPur. House being booked -^out of - the local William M:orris agphcy. Far Off Alaska Cham Goes to New Control Seattle, Sept. 25. Ben. Sheai'er, head of .B. F. .Shearr er Co,,. th«^tre equipment, has taken pver the Gross & Kubley the-;- aire chains. In Alaska, giving him a siring of hpiises located in the following . tpwhs: Juneati, Sitka, Ketchikan, Douglas^ Haines, Peters- burg, Skagway and Wrangell., Shearer reports biz pickingr iip in Alasita. He is president and gen- eral manager of the Alaska-Empire Theatres, a new corporation formed to handle this chain. No Omaha Vaiide Omaha, Sept. 25. ij'ourth first run picture house Will be brought' into downtown when. Brandeis opens Friday, Oc- tober 6. House is now undergoing dpmplete^—rejuvenation—as—planned when Mori Singer acquired the lease. 'Willianni. brother of' Mort Singer, is on hand to watch re- dressing, and will handle managing at ppenlng. and for shprt time thereafter. Opening policy will be pictures only with managennent still undecided about double or sin- gle features. "Vaude is out, at least for the time being. This leaves the World as only other vaude possiirillty. Case, of Ralph Goldberg to secure operating rights to World came up last Xi?eek, biit ( decision -was Set back one month. Only certainty Is that Gold berg has made connections with Pantages. it is barely possible that vaude might be run into Gold berg's Town, though he would not comniit himself on this. GASTON PALMER Just finished 2 weeks at the PalUdium, London, tripling at the Holborn . Empire and Berktt'ev Hotel MARY McCORMIC .Songs 10 IMins.; One Palace, Chicago Mary McCprmic, who followed Rosalia on this bill, started her aria to many backs.' She is one of the few American opera stars and a local product, adopting the name from Chicagi) Civic Opera when Harold McCormick;was its sponsor. Came back strong, finishing with a . speech. Rather .surprising for a pretty arty routine in a jpop variety spot. Two Irish tunes in the bal- lad thahner, 'Come' Back to Erin' arid 'Danny Boy,' with the 'Villa' from "'Merry Widow' closing. Over well,. proving that those who came in for the fan dancer had scrammed by this time. But an act of Miss McCormic's type needs careful booking and .spot- tlng J>_^^japv etai pop yaude show^ 3-WAY BIDDING FOR NAMES IN -St^-iiOUlSr-SeptT-^ stage show opposition aiiipng th fllni houses is . to ppn- tinue three-cprnered and hot is in- dicated by the annpuncement that the St. lipuis theatre will ifeature big name, acts In ItS . weekly stage attractions. Two 6tj|)er houses. Fox and Am.- bassadpr. : have been doing it right alohg. 'This week, for Instance, former hag tab version ot old mu-- • slcal 'Queen High' with four, former ' stars of Municipal Opera In cast, and latter is presenting Biiiy . Rose's 'Crazy Q.uilt' in which are Anita Page, Ann Pennington, Charles Kin£r and Smith and Dale. . Ijouis rieally got Into' fight three weeks ago with some Muny /Opera stars of its Pwn. . Making of the /policy permanent means: that three; hpuses instead, of two will. .be / bidding against each other foi* the biggest hanie acts. It has proven a costly procedure, al- though somietimes houses. claimed a prpflt. / .In its first program, . iLouis presents Lilian Mileis from 'Mopn- light and Pretzels,' and Beii Blue isf "TOdi<5r~ HoTiBe~^fflaff ^til have master, pf. cer^mpnies and^ stage i>and. Morris/ Fosters Iron Out Their Differences After sonie. preliminary tiffing, the Fosters' agency of London cPn- tlnues as foreign, reps for the Wil- liam Morris ofllce. ' There was talk Pf Eiric Wolihelm replacing. GePrge and Ifarry Foster'^ agency as Lon- don''*tep for the MPrrls agency.' The differences arose ov^r soma, alleged direct booking of English acts .in America, through a third party. MaircusLoew GenenU Executive Offices LOEWBUIIDING ANN EX 160 WESX 46^ ST* 3Ryant 9-7800 NEW YORK CITY J. H. LUBIN OBNERAI. BIANAOBB MARVIN a SCHENCK BOOKIMO UANAOKB The Rochester Tlie .iElo6hester CHI EKO VAUDE ADDS 2 Chicago, Sept. 25,. RKO vaude' office here adds two towns to its book, Stewart in Lin- coln, Neb., arid the Orpheum in Champaign, III. Stewart -wili be a four-day spot using four acts. Champaign week- end flesh with five turns. Booked by Dick Bergen. "Chronicle": "The Rlmics were a big hit in the opening bill of the Palace." 'Jourrial": "Downey couldn't miss a box, office at- tractlPn, but there were other acts on the bill, notably the act of, Rimacs Rumba Orch., which supplied the needed punch to a. program -which gave apparent satisfaction." (CIRO—ROSARIO and CHARLIE BOY, with CARITO) iPn Unusual arid Only Act of Its Kind in America Real Punch Suppliers to Any Bill KrnSackment palace theatre, new YORK WEEK SEPT. 22 Represented by. Direction: LEONARD ROMM HARRY A. ROWlM Bry. 9-8534 ^ /»aiace Theatre BIdg.