Variety (Oct 1933)

Tuesday* October 31, 1933 V All DC VI LL E VARIETY 47 TAGS FOR ALL N. Y. AGENTS Feeds Lay-(Nf Stagehands Free . Chicago, Oct. 30. New charity in show business ha? been instituted here ,,by Georse Brown, head o£ the lATSH stage- hands. He lias opened the lATS^J restaurant, where any unemployed Btageband can eat three meals daily without paying a cent and withbut any embarrassment. For each meal paid for by em- ployed stagehands one and one- half meals are sferved free td lay- offs. Tet the layoff end working men can sit at the. same table in the restaurant aiid no one will- know which one Is getting the free meal. 1,500 Reli In three weeks since opeiiing res- tauVant has seirved IjBOO free feeds. Oniy one knowing who. is getting free chow is George. Brown, who passes out meal tickets to the.^en-; tire organization. J3e a,lone knows which meal tickets are^ pajd for and which are not. ' Meals at the restaurant cost, only 35c. for the entire layout. Yet the restaurant is' self-supporting. Brown is now ai'ranging with the. street car company to supply trol-^ ley tickets to the lay-offs so that those who live far from the restau- rant at 308 West Randolph in the loop, may get down town for meals. Place serves , no beer or booze.. Again because of the embarrass- ment angle, so as not to force any layoff to admit that he can't af- ford to set 'erti up for the rest of (the boys. For same reason there is no tipping, With the meals the same for everybody.. I^bbody can get a fancier dish than, the guy at. thp jnext table. / ... AS long as a' stagehania is on. the idle list he ;can secure this . free service, which If he wishes. Will'be docked up as a loan. ANOTHER DRIVE-IN THEATRE REVEALED Nucleus of a Unit Lincoln, Oct. 30. Charlie Lazier (Lazier' & Worth) is . going to have pibi- • tures £&keh of his autbrhobile. ' and trailer soon. Says he's been approached by about 12 producers in as many weeks who say they, want to. build a- unit around'his abt. They-all. have letters sl^owing how" . much time they have. Then, when talk begins about, the form of the Show, tbe prodticbr suddenly. says: , 'By .the way,'" hpw many peo- ple ; did. you say you could , haul., ih your car and is iliiere a lot'Of room in -your trailer?' Charlotte, .N. C, Oct. 30. 'Caroli na Pines, amusement jien- ter, "is" "offering Sunday afternoon ■;nusicaies on the stage of the Drive- in-Theatre there. Quintette from the North Carolina Symphony, Rosa Powell, contralto, and Clara Lang, soprano, among those used. No .admiaslon is_charKfid .and...I.n case of rain or too chilly weather the concerts are moved Into Carl- ton Hall, A drive-in theatre was reported in last week's 'VAmETt' from Cam- den, N. J, A Record Seattle, Oct. 30. Taking 12 people on the road in a locally produced stage unit, and playing all the way fronl Spokane to Chicago, from June 28 ■ until middle of October, with lo.ss of only eight days' time, is s6n\c kind of a record. This was established by 'Capers of 1933,' produced and man aged by George Barclay. . Show consiisted of six jirie- girls,, specialty, dancer, singer, eomedian and cycle act. Timed at 30 .min- utes. Dates "played in pi-N hou.ses. Probably the first time a Seattle produced unit got beyond Salt I^ke on trek east. And it came homo, too. Free Food Offer For Hungry Acts, But Nobody Shows ^ Baltimore, Oct, 30. It all started. about a year .artd a half ago 'When .William Mechanic was conducting his do'wnto'wn. eat- ery; the Neiv Lexington, focal point i;or sporting' and theatrical elite. He got -wind of all. the needy actors pounding pavements 'tween Skow- hegan ant! Seattle and decided he could <*.o hls^ bit toward easing any stopover thiej' might chanco to make in. Baltimore. Forthwith he announced that any hungry. ..rtist would be fed and not embarrassed who stepped into, his restaurant, and flashed ..an Equity or N. vl.'A. card^ His-pals. talked it-up and in .'a couple of days the news had .spread, getting newspa- per space and serving as fodder for columnlstic ^comments.. But. no one drifted into the beanery seeking succor. Six months, and still no hungry actor. : Mechanic, looking .to another" fields, opened the H.i-HatJ Club, class niteryj .r,nd announced the same worthy causo was still a standing GO.n^lderation. That, .has been a year .ago,, and up to . now not .even a remnant of a midget act has floated in to tiest the offer. The locals crack that it's all a re flection on the hash that Mechanic dishes, but Billy avers it's just poor -taste-bn -the - part -of -the -prof eshv WHEELER-WOOLSEY SET FOR ROADSHOW TREK Hollywood, Oct. 30. Bert Wheeler and Bob Woolijey are planning a roadsiiow to start trekking after they , finish 'Hips, Hips Hooray' at Radio. Negotiating, for a Coast opening with the idea of the show hitting bast for a Broadway run. ^;helma TTodd and Dorothy Lcc arc lined, up for the .musical. Fan Makes Line Girl A HQldoyer Feature .Birmingham, Oct, 30. Last few weeks independent vaiidc units knocking about over the. ► South have been exploiting fan \ 'dancer Show takes a girl from the line, gives her a .get of fans and presto, a fan dancer. At Nashville last week girl was held over'for .second week. Another was appearing at Memphis and Jef- ferson here plans a similar act this week. Bowes Subs for Roxy At NVA Benefit in Met. Maj.or Edwar Bowes will, take charge of the NVA benefit'show at the Metropolitan Opera.Hbu.se, New York, Nov. 12. S. L. Rothafol (Roxy), who has handled the bili for the. past several years, said he couldn't handle this voavs' on the datp ..sot, but could if the NVA would postpone the show till Christmas. N. Y. C.'Officials Sponsdring State Bill in Ne^t Legisla- ttlrer-ABA Starts Agita-^ tion ~ Licenseis a iid Maybe Bonds ..iFor All Booking Office Associates and Asency Employes NO 'PERSONAL' REP bill for ' the llcensinp of. all agetitsy associates, and booking of- fice .ehnplbyees. dire.ctly involved in the bookino and hiring of theatrical talent will be introduced in the next New Yoric State Legisl.ature. .. Its passage will require the Jicen'sr ing ^nd possibly bonding of practi- cally all booking; office and agency people, except ofKce boys and s'ten- ographent, in New York. Ostensibly' the measure .as it is being prepared , is aimed to eradi- cate some 6t the gyp and petty lar- ceny practices prevailing In the Ih-^ die -vaudeville booking field; but actually It would embrace eyerybody connected with all booltlngs, either on commission or salary, and require them to conduct their b.us.iness iac- cording to rules. Preparation Of the bill is In the hands of the New .York License Commissioner and the Corporation .Counsel. Agitation for the. general licensing waig started by the Actors* Betterment Association arid form there pslssed on to an ofHiciai basis. Aimed at f>ersonal Rep. Two figures whose status would change If the bill passes are the so^ called -personal rep'resentatl'ves' and assqcle^te bookers who opierate 'un- der booking license's held by their employers. By classing themselves as personal reps, practically all such intermediaries (agents) avoided the licensing required of artist reps who work on a conxmission baisis by a law passed almost 20 years ago largely through the efforts of... the White Rats and the Actors' Unionr The only licenses now generally held are those covering the booking offlcesj which are classed by law as employment bureaus an<l the direct employers of talent for theatres, etc. The fee for this license In New York on Stands, Takes Booking from Morris, Goes to Mat with Baltimore Indie Not 4 Hawaiians ■Lqs Angeles, Oct. 30. BarcelonanS, tumblitig turn, opened at the - Orph. . Day later,, one was out with ptomaine poisoning. •.; Next stanza a, second Bar- celonan was • oUt with sprained; back. Four. Barcelbnans finished the trick.— Froin 'Daily Variety,' Hollywood. is $25 a year and the ticket is held in the name of the booking: office (Continued on page 49) 1. AT FILM HOUSE Detroit, Octl ..$(K Qeorge Tren is. starting a stock" company to. play vaude skits In connection; with the pictures at the Fisher, ?Noy. 11. Company will be called the JeWell Players and -will dd a 30-nilnute one'act play. : No orchestra will be used. ANEMICS TO LEAN ON NOW-AND-THEN VAUD Rochester, Qct, 30. Loew's Rochester opens policy of occasional stage shows Nov. 3 with 'George ;. White's Scandals.' . Big films will be spotted! when yaude is not provided. The' Rochester has been doing, well of late with Its hit pictures and figures the stage shows as siipport for the weak ones as well as com- peting--^vith the RKO Palace. 'Sept Horn' Tab Hollywood, Oct. 30. Ed. W. Rowland, who produced the. musical comedy, 'September Morn; at the taSa,ile, Chicago, Is preparing a tab. edition for pic houses; ■ .'Negotiating with Sally Rand for the lead. NVA Committee Giving Way to New eto ^^D6Wiiey=^H'eading=^Uriit-- Morton Downey i.-^ goinp out in a stage unit, under his own manage- ment ,upon completing his current $3,500 picture hou.se weeks for Loew. Macklln. Megley will stage the unit, which will carry the title pf 'Melody and Maclneps.'v Rchearpal!? start next week, with no cast set yet. Budget calls for about 40. peo- ple with Downey. . A meeting will be held i New York, late in November for settle- ment of matters the NVA Saranac Lake sanitorium uation. Dr. David Parks of the New York Statie Department of iSocial Welfare, Dr. Edgar-Mayer, of. the san,. and the >rVA governing com-r mittee consisting of Henry Cheflter.r fiolfl and Williahi .Leo, will attehd. rntil then the Conduct of the san and supervision oyer the patients will continue on the changed ba.sis inaugurated after .the filing of Dr. Parks' report to the state author!-, tics. The state inve.stigator .ccpm- mfntled the demotion of Mrs.. Kath- orlne Murphy to the role o^ houso- l<ee Dcr-and-^^an.qf pr_:of..-supe i*vi.'?6ry: powers to a.medical head;, While the .temporarily changed routine now In effect does not meet with Dn Parks' recommendations entirely, they conform to hi.s wishes to a large extent. While Mr."?. Mur- phy retains the title of superintend- ent, more authority over the pa- tiont.s has been given to Dr. Mayer and the medical staff under, him. Two dally visits from the medical staff are now required tot all pa- tients, one from Dr. Mayer person^ ally, and another from Dr. Wilson or another dt Mayer's associates. In this way the medical end, along with, closer contact with Ihe pa- tients, is transferred completely to the medical staff and eliminated from Mrs. Murphy's duties. In the past, Mrs!, Murphy had . .cori.slder- able to say:0'ver the ni dical, phase as woll as general conduct,of the paiient.s.. ^ The making of rules a.s to leaves of ab.sence and liberties for the. pa- tients, al.sb in Mrs. Murphy'.s hands formerly, has hppn turnod oyer to the. me'dlrtal staff as. well. Mrs. Mur-. phy's authority now is. oonflned to enforcement of^ rules laid down by any" patient no.w mu.st he. given by Dr. Mayer .or Another, physician. Mrs. Murphy is to see only that the patient return.s at the' time set by the doctor. . At the nioieting next month, from accounts, the NVA committee (Lee and Chesterfield) will seek to make the "^now temporary routlije a per- manent one in compromise with the more drastic recommendations of Dr. Parks. Loew is. grabbing, the split weeks in Norfolk, Richmond. Harrisburg, Allent.own and Reading away from •William Morris (Ln\u*cnce Gol.die), indie office, and px-esehting them to its o^-n booking office. These, to- gether with another.-•full-T-Aveek stand in Baltimore and <t, half \veek in Brooklyn (Bay Ridge) wiU iri- x;rease Loew's stage playing time by Tour weeks, giving that office a to- tal .i.7:V$. The five towiis. transferring from ]^orris to . Loew. are 50% owned and operated by Loew and Wiimer & Vincent." All had' been out of yaude for a year or more, but.restored'th© shows last Week (2.3). Vaude re- turn was the' idea of the W&V haljt of the partnership,, with Loew re- ported taking a disinterested st^hd, hence the i.iaklng of an independent- booking connection- by W&V. 3-Way Balto Row in Baltimore thei second Loew stand will be the Warner-owned., Stanley, which L06W operates under its Balto pooling agreement with WB's. House hasn't played vaudo for five or six years, Its return complicates the-, downtown Baltd situation- considerably,, making the stage show battle there a threesonae, with two ot. the contestants (other is the Century) on the Loew side. Oppbsish Is the Indie Hippodrome, which' has -been playing heavy money shbWs for more than a year :ind .waging one 'of the most > sue- i>.essful battles carried on-anywhere! by an indie -against a-olrcult house. < At one tltht: the Hipp waa' black- Msted by the Loew booking .office >h notice to the agents that acts playlhg there would not be consid- ered-for bookings any%vbere on the Loew- time. Aft^r a couple -ot months this was I'escindCd. The In- timated intention now Is to handle the opposish angle In another man- ner. Both its Balto houses WIIL. coriCehti-ate on' names,' With the In- die left in the middle. When It goes vaude Nov. 10 the 3^400 .>seat Stan-, ley win have Ted r.ewls as its first stage attraction, with the Century playing the 'Student Prince' tab the same week. The problem for the Hipp Is how to compete with this double-barreled opposish. ' ~^y~lUag^'TB~OTic 01 several fOT-T' merly regular LoeW nelghb vaude houses in New "york that have been on the verge of returning* to stage policy since the start of the season., it starts Nov. 3 with its old five-act split week policy, with likelihood other Loew neighbis will follow, A number of them underwent a back" stage and^ dressing room pverhaul- ing last summer in case of a vaude comeback. Loew takes over the. bookings in Richmond and Norfolk this week and the other thres W&V towns, next week (6). LOew booking office is asking acts to. accept their 'New .5fork salary' for Richmond and Norfolk tempor-r arily, stating the cut maj help the iK'Uses to 'get on their feet..' means about 2.o% less than the reg- ular rorul salaries.oh an average. Mae "West's Sister Cast In All-Girl Road Show Beverly West, sister of Mais, is be- ing added to the Irving Yates all- girl- .shrnv which goes out as a road unit. The relationship won't be- kept a secret in the billing.. in recent years Beverly West, has ^b^^eft^mosWrlnaotlvar^^S were a sister team In° vaiidcvlile back in 1916. SALE FOB GRAUMAN Los Angelfs, Oct. 30. Leo Morrison has spotted Chlo Sale into Grauman's United Artists, commencirtg Wednesday (1). It In .Sale's first appearance on the. stage in Los Angeles in se-ven years^