Variety (Sep 1933)

56 ^ySto^^TrS* LONDON OFFIOB, 8 St. lUfartln'8 Place, TrwffJgar Square FOREIGN SHOW NEWS C»bl« AddNOTt TABOBTV, tiOMDOUt Telephone Vemple Bar S0M'((M9 O S. Acts Cofd to London Cabaret Bids, Despite High Pay, Concessions London, • Sept, With the London night life seasori approaching, 'London cabaret own- ers are perturbed at a. aliortage of hoveities. Cabled ^re being shot to New York to Jine up suitable talent ior the winter, as It Is expected there is a good season ahead. Many in- quiries have failed to elicit a reply and many other offers were tur.ri^d down. This the management cannot fig- ure out, as they are all under the. Impression business is bad In Amer-^ ic3L and would be - pleased to. get offers to play i?lsewhere. They fur- ther maintain their offers'have beeh: very reasonable. Iri some Instances, managements, are prepared ta. pay from $1,000 to. $l,5op weelf; -with a four weeks' guariatitee to 3uitai>le acts, whether dancers or comedy acts. They have even waived the exclu- sive clause, meaning that acts can double in vaudeville. Under ordi- nary circumstances cabarfet owners h^ve always tried to keep th^ act playing at their , plub, and'.lf an oc^ casidn arose'where the act was of- fered a' doubling engagement in vaudeville th6y wiere asHed to niake a substantial ki(;kba,ck to the liight c|«ib management, Nancy ■ Burhe and Haddon. Show opens in Birmingham Oct. 9, head- ed for the West-End; with negotia- tions for Daly's. Pseudo-Jack- Buchanan Described as ah artist, Fred Wal- ter Hii ton, aged 24, received a sen- tence of six weeks, of Which two days: on spare .diet and. solitary con- flh^ment, in the Magistrate's Court,. Pretoria, for fraud. He represented to a Mrs. Oer that the present name le was known, by was Pred TaU madge, but he really was Jack Buchanan, the star. He had made a bet. he said, .virith film people to live incognito and without money, and this bet ex- pired July 28. He was Wiorth 80,r 000 pounds, and if she kept him in board and lodging in the meantime she Would not lose. At the con- clusion of the.:bet he hiad ai'ranged to appear at the local opera- house. He. promised to take the woman and her children over to the States to appear in pictures; Believing him she reserved Urst- claSs passages to. New York, which would post more th. 300 pounds. She-advanced him money. Lots Chance Slip? London ■ Pavilion, .week of Sept. It, has another bill unworthy of a West End house. Only dots worth, while are Frakson, the Spanish ci.- garette and card manipulatorr and he has been. h.ei?e too often. Mrs. John Tiller's girls,- direct from thp Rex theatre, Paris, arie the best, bunch housed here since opening. Their work ts new and clever, and does credit to Ethel Helliwell, who Is responsibre. for. their training. Rest of ;the bill is made up of minor provincial, act?, tt is a puz- zle Why John Southern does not go in for big. time acts, especially now that the Lelcesteir, Square theatre Is JSoixi$ films, leavlng.hlm a clear field in thfr West End for his. continuous vaudeville policy. Hildegarde Does Well Hildegarde, American girl singer, booked by Paulsen during his last talent search in New York, opened at the Cafe de Paris Sept. 11, doing fairly. Girl has personalityi buLjier numbers Were not~&ufncieiitIy varied to get over. She needs, a few com edy numbers. Trade Looks Up Things', are definitely looking, up in show business. The past few Weelcs haSi shown a marked Im-. pi-Qvemeht In business, which seems to be increasing daily. The most glgnlflca;nt: sign is the commitments made by the libraries which have made, more deals recently than at any time this year. Just a few of them are $45,000 worth" of tickets for Drury Lane (.'Ball at.the Savoy*) for six weeks; $40,000' for eight weeks at the Strand ('Nice Goings Om'); an in- crease of nightly guarantees for His Majeisty's ('Music in the Air'), de- spite its long run; definite. regular business for the Criterion ('Fresh Fields') ■ and Vaudeville ('After Dark'), with several others. Paris Stages Run to Revivals of Old Ones Paris, Sept. 16, One. new revue and eight revivals on 'the boarcis for first week in September. 'Mohtparnasse a Tray- ers les Ages' opened at. the former Giaito-Mohtparnasse, now: called. Studio d'Art Comique. Revlva.ls include Rene Fauchois' niaW version of his comedy 'BbudU Sauve des Eaux' at the Mathurlns, the author playing title I'ole; :Meii- hac aho Halevy'a. operetta 'Le Petit Due' at Porte St.. Martin; Thl-Phl,' with MlreiUe (who Just, baqk from Hollywood!), the comedienne-author of '(jouche?! dans le Foin' and other popular songs, at Bouffes-Parisiens; Yvan Noe'a 'Teddy and Partner*^ at Theatre 'Mibhel; 'Paradls Perdu at the Athenee; 'Trois et tJne,' by Denys Amiel, at the St Georges; 'Le GrillOn du Foyer' at lAmblgu; and Henry Bernstein's lauded 'Le 'Bonheur' at the. Gymnase.-with a top cast including Yvonne; Prln- temr)S, Charles Boyer and Michel $imon. The Empire, former vatlety house, scheduled to open Oct. 2 W:lth operetta, 'Deoax Sous de. Fietirs,' with a cast to Include Rita Georg, Ge.rnialne Duclos,. and Messrs. Dra- henii S'riant, Dubpsc and . perlan. The Important Witness (Continued from page 20) In his room and is carried along by the muraei:ers. Big shot falls for her and she kids him to lull his suspicions, eventually making a getaway and taking to the bus to, return , to Los Angeles and give the testimony that will fr^e her girl friend of the murder charge. Gang pursued but she makes It, piloting the heavy bus herself over the laet miles, one of the unbelievable bit?. Nice suspense built into this section. Noel Frances, carries the bulk nicely with Noel Madison a smooth. tOufgh. Harry Myets brliigs In much of the comiedy, but Donald DlU- away handicapped by ah uhlm-. portant part. Several others in for one-Scene" bits, to ' get marquee namesi Probably can ride along where the general trend is against gang stuff, and not too heavy for the kids, who'll generally love'it. Still ah in- die, but good for Its kind. ChU;. 'Paris Fantaisie/ the new'French revue at .the Prince of Wales' ther atre, despite good newspaper no- tices, is .notas good as the previous one. Mitty Goldin, thie. French agent of Rottemburg & Goldin^ is Interested. Dan Young, a local comic, is a minor . imitation of George Clarke. Marguerite Gilbert,. French sbubret, is not as .clever as I^yne Clevers, the lead in. the last show. Georgia Hayds, ati American toe dancer with a French reputation, was one of the hits. Margaret Sev- ern, another American dancer with a Parisian reputation, does not be- long here. Her stuff Is highbrow: To help 4Dulld up the comedy, the management has engaged Hermionie Qaddeley, a West End hanie. Show is doing very good business, despite the heat wave, and looks good for eight weeks. Jack Harris. Walks Jack Harris walked from the Cafe de Paris , although he had six more rnonth's. to run. Band . leader' got sore when management told him to wield his stick for tea dances dur- ing the week and Sundays. Harriis told them It was not.in his contract, while management clainied his con- tract calls for five hours daily throughout the week. Harris and band Of seven was re- caivlng $1,025 per week, and will be replaced by Gherardi currently at the Cafe Anglais, operated by the same concern,, who In turn will be replaced at the. Anglais by Jack ^'rost. . Gherardi's salary is about half of Jack Harris's. inner' London Hit Pre-release of 'Dihner at Eight' at the Palace is a smash. The seats were scaled up to $3, but depite this, so great was the de- mand that Sam Eckmari, Jr., had. to. rent the Prini?e Edward, within a ston'e throw, for the evening to handle the overflow. Picture: is voted, a knockout. Gitia Alper's Price , Jack Waller ■ wanted Gitla Alper to star in-new production, 'Com- mand Performance/ opposite to Dennis King. The German prima donna wanted $250 per performance, besides in slsting on star billing. So the deal fell throligh. AGENTS'COMMISH 3^ NEW eERMAN STATUTE Betlin, Sept. 8. Artists? agents may function again in this country, under a new law passed .by the Reich establish-. Ing their rights arid, rates, .Earennai. government agency'. which was es- tablished some years back, did' away, with agents, It flopped and was dis- solved several months -ago, but there's been no substitute si^ce. New arrangement is that a cer^ tain number of persons may be li- censed, as agents, with agents' fees consisting pf 6%. Fee, incidentally, is no longer entirely payable by the artists as everywhere else In the World, The 6% will be split up ac- cording to the new law In equal portions between the artist and the contracting' company or theatre. Actors-thus will have to. pay agents only 3%, "whether for stage or fllna work. Dennis : King to star in hew Gaumont-British film titled 'Spring in Paris,' with Albert do Coiirville, who is-to direct, searching France for femme lead to play opposite. Thus fai', de Courville has not been successful ia locating one. BIG SCALE PRODUCING REVIVES BRIT. REVUES U. S. Music Film Cycle Sways Frencli Stages Paris,. Sept. There will be no nudes in the new Casino de Paris reyue In which Cecile iSbrel makes her music-^hall debut. According to Floyd Du Pont, who's doing the musical blts,^ nudes and speed don't go together; The show being.. produced along American liiie^ and will feature large choruses and fast changes This departure .due . to popularity of American film iriUslcals here. Sacha' Guitry rehearsing ia. sketch prepared for Sorel, to be called 'Maitresses de Rois,' in which she will be La Belle Ferroniere, Mar qUlse de Pompadour, Mme. Du Barry, and Celimene. °M.atide's .Return Cyril. Maude ireturns to the stage In October in a new. play .called •Cabbages and Kings,'. adapted front the Itaiiah of Forzano. Chariot Revue People Besides Beatrice Lillie, Andre Chariot has signed LupinO Lane and Frank, Lawton for. his new reVue- Show Is, being written by pbc Mc- Gunicle.' in collaboration with Dion Titheriidge. . It opens at Manchester Oct, 16 for ia fortnight, coming to the West End, with nO. theatre yet decided; Lawley and Yates split after =playIng~^ralv.enpool,==Go6p(yLJLawJfry. returrimer to Amferlba. ITal Yates stays, over bn the continent for se-v- eral weeks. Lupihdi Play Set Peter Haddon, Ltd., new pro- ducing concern, with Peter Had- don and Paul Murray interested. First production is 'i?aste,' musical, written by-Stanley Lupiho, Irt col- laboration with Noel Gay and Des- mond Garter. Cast includes George Gee, Jerry Vermo, Pearl Osgood, London, Sept.. 15. .Provincial revues, which went into a. slump three years ago, have suddenly come into fashion again with a wallop. Matn reason for the revived popularity Is these shows are how irioVe" spectacular, the cast Is much.^more carefully chosen and the girls are re.al lookers. This has weeded but the -cheap producers .aiid left only those who spend .on production and cast. Only produc ers ieft are Tom Arnold, Walliace Parnell, Jack Taylor, Harry Day, William Henshall. To further bblstor up the shows, American standards are being en-- gaged. Americans now working in touring; revues are Wilson, Keppel and Betty, Rose Perfect, Condos Brothers, Nice, Luboy and Florio, With several more pending. Some of these touring revues are jiQk=gi^aaalng=^as.,hlgh^aak$5,M0.^per^ week. A few years ag.o $3,000 was con!?idcrod e^cceptional. LA MATERNELLE (FRENCH-MADE) . Paris: &ept: 18. Max. Laemmle. Universal ' Frodiictl.Qh, Uaseil on the novel by . Leon Fraple (Prix Goncourt) and adapted by Jean Benolt- Levy and Marie ICpstelnv with Incidental ittUalc by KdQuard' Flament. , Opened th^ fall season- at neighborhood .cinemas Bonaparte' and- Agrlculteurs. Rose >.i.'..Madeleine Renaud Mme. PauUn....,.i...Mady Berry Marie..ik..Paulette Elambert Plrectrlce... .Alice Issot Dr. Xillpois: '.Henri Debaln rcncher....,.'...... i..,.'..-' Marvane (nspectrlce.V. , Severln An Interprefatlon pf child psy- chblbgy as seen in a goVerrimeht educational Institution, this filih is one of the best French pictures seen In a long time. Although It Is one of' a recent series of istudles of children's Institutions, it is Im^ portant by itself, and Its moVenrient so simjpie; "thorough 'knowledge of French unnecessary to appreciate Its impoi't. Should, appeal to select American film-goers as "Maedcheh In Uniform' and R:ene Clair's .'Sous les Tolts de Paris.'. Paulette Eiamberg as Marie, the abandoned child of a woman of the streets. Is the real star, of the . piece, with Madeleine Renaud. as Rioise, a teacher Who becomes maid of 9.II work in the Institution, cb-starrltlg. The acting Is. excellent,' and. while the whole la hot as 'finished a piece as 'Maedchen* It Is worthy of spe- cial attention as a document, and ah illustration of what French films can. be if they try. Marie, abandoned by her mother and cared for In the Maternelle, at- taches herself to Rose, in whom all the children find sympathetic under- standing. When Dr. Libols falls in love. 'With Rose, Marie anticipates a second desertion In her pathetic little life and tries to end it. In the river in which reflection she sees an embracing couple. The scene be-.. Comes a symbol which while not understanding, she knows prefaces loneliness for herself. 30 NEW MOSCOW PUYS IN BURST OF ACTIVITY : Mpsco'W, Sept. IS. ^ New season here promises to be exceptionally , after several year9 of relative let-down, : Special Interest, 'centers on the w.orH of Michael; Bulgakov, grad- ually emerging from the., heavy clouds of ceinsorahlp. ' His Tllght', which was in cold storage, for near- ly a decade, . . 'MoUere', his most recent ..opus, are .both on the Mob- .cbw Art Theatr© schedule. Of 30 new productions on tap in Moscow, a Soviet. glutton for sta-. tistics has ..figured put, ,1.4 are by contemporary Russians, sevieri by contemporiiry foreigners and nine are classics^ Maxim Gorki Will be well repre- sentedii Two theatres (lilttle and Trade-union.) will put bh hl^ 'lEne- miea' while two otbers (Vakhtan- gofC and Mio'scow Art) will continue his 'Egor Bulichev an' Oth.ers\ Then, there; Win be-a., scattering of Gorki, plays in several, other the- atres. Among/. tiie classics, "Romeo :and Juliet' will grace the Theatre, of Revolution.: 'Anthony .and .CleO'^ patra' will be revamped, by the Karaerhy;' the Second Moscow Art will Cohtlnue 'Twelfth Night' but In brand new sets> Meierhpld will, do 'Camllle' and a; play based on Bal-' zac's 'Human Cpmudy' will appear on the 'Vakhtahgofif boards; Haupt^ mann's 'Before Sunset' In the^ Maly Theatre,. and. a dramatized .Version of 'Mr. Pickwick' (Dickens) in the Filial of the Moscow Art .Theatre.. : New Soviet plays- will 'include .'Lie' by Afinpgenyev, whose "Fear* Is still .going strong. Others announced are 'Fighters' by B. Romashbv; 'Right tp .tilfe', by Alexol Tolstoy and A. Starchakov; 'The: Ivanov Family', by Afinogen- yev; 'Experiment', by K. Trenlov; 'Optimistic Tragedy', by Vsevelod Vishnevsky; a play by N. Pbgodin; another by h. Slavln; 'Strang© Child', by v. . iShkvarnllc; and a dozen or so more. THE FUGITIVE Malvern production and Monogram re- leasre starring: Rex Bell, Features Cecelia Parker and George. Hayes, Directed by Harry P^asfer. Harry O, Jones.- story; Archie Stout, camera; Lambert' Day,, re- cording.. Cast . Includes Bob Kortman, Tom London, Gordon De Maine, Phil Dunham, Theo. Lorch, Dick Dickinson, Earl Dwlre, Geo.. Nash, At Loe'w'e New York theatre one day,' on a. double bill.' Running time 60 mlna. ' Stallings ^ees New Russia Where *GloryV Unkiiowit Moscow, Sept. , Laurence Stallings installed in the bridal suite . (brideless) of the Hotel National, here, awall^ing the aiTiVal of l^ewls.Milestone, "Together they Will try to get sPme back ground impressions for a Soviet picture, based hoyel by Ehren •biirg, which they will', do soon. They met the author in London. . Pending Milestone's arrival,. Stall-' Ings'taking in a...good deal of thea^ tre, ■\yith - Nerhlrovlch-Danchenko acting as host, ^vtet Maxim Gorki himself, after witnessing'".Gorki's 'Lower Depths' at the Moscow Art Theatre. Russia is one. of the countries where .'What Price Glory' has hot and AVill not be shown, Russians arc down oh capitalist wars but not, on war ais such. Like the Italians ,ana=the=i3:ecmahs=^tho.>^;do^not-.=w nt^ to scare their youth. Once more, the gallant hero goes to jail and escapes, with the heavy, only to. have ttr develop that he's a sipcret service man stool-plgeon- Ing. Newer 20 years ago than It Is how- and no new development on this pne. Still, it's a not badly made version with some good act- ing Iri spotSj^ but • .thiey must.- be .lovers bf the. westerns to. like this. Action moves slOwly If the horses do gallop, but it . stays Inside the hour limit, Nice photography, but against the same old backgrounds. Sound only fair. Robert Kortman rather takes. the acting honors from Bell. Cecelia Parker is a tepid love Interest and Tom London and Phil Dunham both get a chance. CMc. Relaxed Soviet Rules Readmit Maeterlinck MpspoWj Sept. 7.. Maeterlinck'd 'bluebird' 'will b« revived by the ^Moscow Art The- atre sts a permanent addition on its repertory. The revival comes as a result .of ah ofilclal dispensation* the play haying been outlawed as 'bourgeois' sonid four years ago. Before that it had been on the Mos- cow Art bpards for a generation or more, as Stanislavsky's special gift, to Muscovite children. The fact that this fantasy of the superhatura,! Is once more allowed by the authorities is a measure of the new spirit in the tiieatre. It means a let-up on part of the cen- sorship. After the Maeterlinck piece was barred, the theatre produced Url Olesha's '.Three JPat Men'- as a sub- stitute offering for the ktddies, The fat uncles represented, as you would never guess, Capitalism, Re- ligion and Imperialism. Sdlith Africa Tokio Air Show Japam^.'io newspaper in Tokyo is huhllng for a flying circus to im- port, Previously the 1 paper imported several big leagu? baseball teams ■front the IT. S. and more recently a troupe of French boxers. PALAIS i)'£T£ SET Brussels; Sottt, 15. Palais d'Ete, music hall, is not ylanning to shutter, as reported. House went dark for the summer, but is nbw booking acts with a view to reppcning In another v.'eek or 60,' as usual* JUST SMITH (BRITISH MAbE) London, Sept. 15. Gaumoht-Britlah production. Released ihroufrh AV. A F. Films Service, Directed I)y Tom WoUa. tii cast: Tom Walls, Anne Grey, Carol GOodner, Hartley Power, .Eva' MOor«, Allan AynesWorth- and' others. - Run- ning'tithe, .74 mins. Previewed TlvoH the- atre, London, Sept. J8.. This is an adaptatibn of Frederick Lonsdale's 'Never Come Back,' pro- :ducfid=last«y.ear^t=the^Ehoehix-=the»^ atre, which ran six weeks.. AU that has been done is to utilize it as a vehicle for Tom Walls, an English .stage favorite; who has more re- cently taken/to pictures. Conventional crook drama with stolen, necklace, scenes on board a yacht; wealthy people's homes;, titled, personages; in Contrast to a pair of slick American crooks. With admirable, east, Walls' reputation and tasteful production will get by nicely over here. ^olo. E. G. Thompson; on tlie staff of the 'Rand Daily Mail' iand 'Sunday Times,* Joliannesburg, collapsed while at his desk and died without recovering consciousness. He waa the surviving member of the staff that the lite . Edgar Wallace had with him When editor of the 'Rarid Daily Mail.' Muisiciani} Cpmplai ;Uhemployed inuslcians are ask- ing the igovemment to prohibit Civil servants earning extra pay by play- ing In dahce orchestras. The police force has been nPtifled that they will not be piermltted to play t.ny instrument for profit. Outside their Own band. Clerks ih the Land Bank have, ineen earning extra money by playing at dances. Sioviet Gag. Moscow, Sept. lOi .Soviet offlcial concert, bureau, providing the provinces with talent, is called 'Gometz.' Concertists like nothing so well, as kidding this or- gnnizatlon.. . . With that much for local color, you are ready for a joke going the rounds in amusement circles: A good s'opranp (it Koeis) may be a hiczzo-.soprano. A baa ouo is al- Wjays a Gometzo-soprano.