Variety (Feb 1935)

84 ^ V^^ House Revietvs EMBASSY, N. Y. . (Cbiitirtued from pase 17) : ?ither hanclled or built It'all up d.lfr efently. Of the two compilatloii.s here this weeH, U's runs 9i/j mln- - utes ^^•hHe ■Pathe•^ .13 a little shorter, 8^ minutes. . The balance of the newsv'eel i3hpw Inbliides nothing of partlcyrar Im- poftahce, among- major clips belhe: : gaa famine In Mexldo Gity; (U); _^t'loy< j »porcfe'3 pro iiouncemeat^fbr a New Dea,l for England (F0x3; Roosevelt birthday parties (Hearst), world Biby Scout Jamboree in Aus- tralia (Par), exodus from the Saar (Par), Senator Borah oh defeat of the Avorld court (Pox), and a clip that Is mildly humorous in which ' Bep. Gassoway of Qklahpma, dolled lip . In. cowbo y' tog s, vtells -what Ue ^ftiTnliF^f Gbngress. \';--::^..^-:-Char..: CENTURY, BALTb •• Baltltnor^, Feb. 4,, Bill trots through 68 mlns.V tdtalr, • ~ !ng tip Into • rathey- tinexoitlhBf ^enter- talnmbnt.' Four adH^^ first of , which ^to'bEe^lpeher, Honey Faimily,'evenly mixed sextette in Blx mlhs,. of thor- ough iumbllog ,and ;tee,te«:boardlng. Act is establfghed ijji BaUo n^emor^^^ as: are all : the 'turiig this week, fioneys v/ere nicely received. J ' Deuc« delegated to A.l Nord and Jeanne^ • that's ■ tbe gal midget and r-yiephairtine t o ly-i> 61 y ■ t fa ainK^ct?^ I that both ho and Miss ehaplln use numbers from !As Thousands Cheer' as their main dlshea. , r Maximo, - wire ; artist;"' is first, Decked out lii top hat and talis he DCS through a .fast sot of balance feats. Later he presents a "rumba in the air a.nd then flnlshiBa hlis of- fering with a drunk bit; Then Into Jossel's Initial appearance. Where This relation helps him oiit in in-. -^i^(l«ciiig-ther-shbw%- ' Stone and Lee are third for ih- forntial assox'tmeht .of gags and non- sense. Gin does sit down to a Piano finally, while her partner plays the trombone. Not fpr long, however, as the two are up into a dance and song which is used as a closing flii '^^trua r-hnniVn Jo in #„- throo I nianos and Bocked cleaiily wlth a -^3. -XJ)aplln^ds_Jn^Qt__th^ songs. , Still : uses : two. pianlstis when he playiB his banjo, and Tvhen the tiny girl sings and dances, it's ; Okie, Buts 'the JStrge portion- of the ^IneTmln. act' ia composed of ,old -^gags that-didnit get a laugh, : ■ Pat'Kooney and Pat IH-iiext for; £iat" same' old turtiv Their • dancing still excelieht; ;. ;-v; v ; Tlmbergs, - pere. ahd flls, follow. V UnlikeHhe Roorieys, they d6ri*^t,c^ ■ ter :«o 'tiiuch about' past deeds, -but start without . seeking sentimental gupi^ort ftom -ajidiences.v Shrewd in aving-plenty, aasistants, t^o men .and a gal,. . Heraian, ;Sr;, proved he could- decisively- rock- 'em ; bnce^he —Bbt-.-gelhg,- but It took too long -to ; start, A portion of the first-half of act could be clipped. As Is, the latr ter part of act suppliesa meat and : meaning. Junior Tlmberg xiOmes on . first .;in: fright-dostuines and. make-. ; up and does okay for hlmself^^ The • oldster; however, • holds everything - up and, when tijingfp lag too much ■ ..:cah always .fall back upon a:coupie of €ccentric hoofihg steps to.-temedy "matters and gain a fresh start i In anr afterpiece :the Bobneys re- turri and gartg tip with the-Timbetgs - lor some okay horse-play and hoof- . lug. Ci'uwd gave the father ^sbhs-a heairt'y -hallo-upbri-theit-rexit Between.'em,- the Booneys and Tlm- > bergs exacted 43 mins.. ; ^ ! • 'Screien feature Is 'Gllve of India' iUA). There are, further,-the usual letrb clips, . plus thejnitlal ^^March . Of Time' reel; Biz;n,s.h. at the first ; performance, Friday. . liCOLISEUM, N. Y. Eddy-Burston's pit Orchestra is . - doing much in . lending an air of liveliness to'the shows here. Acts Jtrlkej.home better and the general running Bche"aules dis'soive^T-iTrtp flinboth entertainment. . Burston'a , opening arrangement of; "Blue Moon' Is very godd and the isame standard 4>f music is maintained throughout This week's stege department utilizes . 68 minutes.. Twenty min Utes of this is given over to Jack pepper and his musical stooged, who : gave the audience really something —"-to-iauginttt7~:."~^.~"^"'. "■■ Mann, Bobinson and Martin, danPe specialists;- on first. . First of this threesbme a standout,'l>eing an «z .' pert in rubber-legs rhythmi He .. drills It Into the audience, too, with a couple of :boI o -numbers. A fburth member sings and piaysr'jrblt. Gfbss arid B arrowmeucerfor ien-Tnihutes of light patter and mUsic. Girl ac . quires a case of hiCcbughs which is ilor class, , and also the mike. Now in : full control-of her low-pitched voice,'^his songstress injects, a lively Interluile. to the evening^ 'jEfarlem oh My ^4lnd,'' out of ?Gheer.' was her best, . Jessel back' In view" after an encore,, and stayirur' this time to dip into ; topical-events at^doiible- speed. Made mention of his radio appearances and ribbing , the . spon- sor., ttfi was Btrongv a»'ustaakr .v : Adair arid Bichards, in 'llvihg Jewels^' close.. ■ Ten people in the fiash; with the billed team disporting In waltzes and adagios. . ;'Th e;Mlghty parrtUm'..(U.A.) on the TcTeen,: Gopd house. .. . ■ ■. .. r There's plenty ot variety and popular ; ^entertaiiiinent in 'Cha;m- pagne CocktaiV the-unit .p^^ gether for this one. engagemeiit at. Orth's Crazy Show.' It's a comblria the Academyv . Much _of it isjthe rtion of .6urle8<iue,.Vaudo;and. pres type, that will appeal ' " to steady patrons of the house, tt istlU smai:ks considerably of vaudeville. Presentation seems a * 1}it top heavy on dancing with Duke; Mc- Hale< oh three times for tap numr bers, Lewis and Moore doing knock- about comedy stepping and Merriai Brian doing tWb appearances. Open- ing is with line of 10 comely girls, and McHale talking an introduc- tion, :and then going into his dance. Whole affair Is. in front of house pit band, which, as usual, distracts slightly frbm effectiveness of actual stage proceedings. Keller Sisters and Lynch stood too close to: the mike "with: the result ' that their songs came but harshly ■ Also there Is a marked tendehcy; to —become^tbo falthftil^to rthis rinstru (menfandforgetallabmit their Indl - vldiial iiersbnalitles. . This; item no ' ticed here, even when' the . trio was -—going strongest. Encored, though with; a peppy hlll-blUy .ypdel. " Piepper's contingent of five insane . obmlcs are on next to dosing.. Mu slclans, in crazy garb, bang away;at popular tunes and break, up every thing in sight. When they did set tie 6n a tune, It was oke. Show' laiighs all confined to tlila act. Piv Hustries, wire artists with a circus Jiackground^ finish; Group disbands or various difllcuit;stunts and! each one gathering rewards; Climax has the whole assembly ijerched out in ■pace at the same time, 'Romance ^ in Manhattan' (Radio) on the'screen. ; ; '\ some lilce enough, biit ordinary hoofology, Lowry helpU)g-hec.-clii.clL I It by going Into a dance with her. Gags . it nicely with a pseudo-trick pknec, and when stage brk contin- ues to clamor for more, he invites them down, whereupon Cpndos and Allen, who have been stationed on platform all through," accept the challenge and go Into a speedy rour tine that dovetails- the .entire num- ber togetiier.v . ■ • ; Production number ri^t, . with girls , as Sherlocks accusing Lowry individually arid collectively Of the. crime and carrying him boldly off blonde Helen Grant for a partner, over neatly ' with his knockabout hoke'",asBfa''th'e-gal^aklng--th«-buntps: arid dishing 'em but, too, Just a lit- tle, more often than seemed neces- sary."- For his n<»xt-to-cl6Bing specialty; Lowry brought on. Bernie Arm- strong, house brgaiiisti as his ac- companist a.t one of those miniature ACAblEMY, R Y. 'number-of^sorigs-he-has-popularized: here and become .associated with In past. Goesliitb 'Cavalcade.of Blues' and moves off • to 'make way for line in one of those blues fantasies "that Lwould 'have been, twice as effective had it Jjeeh Only ;-half as long. Lowry's on at the finish warbling the'. jMt dhbrus at the curtain. .. . P'lcture 'Man Whb Reclaimed His |'Head' (uy.:../:-;'; Cof}^- United Artisfo/L^^^ A. . ' (FRANK pRTHvCRA^y T^ .. Lbs-Angeies, Jan;;v30. .•This Idownfff^h^aseifr^ .been; pretty much, of .ah. joperatlon headache, both under. United Ar- tists and Fox "West-Coast irianage- irieht, blossomed out ;today' with a sbtriewhat diffierftnt, type- of atage show, In conjunction with two first- run ■ pictures; - . Labelled 'Frahk . (Continued: from page 3) producers in the code -i]^egatiatlons. At .that tim«i the studios stated' that there was no place in the film bode for such regulation, give these de- ina^nds; and more. :]■' '■ Angle as to the NBA featurei la that three of the nriembers of the producers' side of the five-flye com- mittee that debated actor-studio re- lations for the bode and turned .the players—do^n—wr-e-^-also-^n-^the Academy producer-writer commit- tee that recommended the new egulatlbns. Despite; the nature of the - pro- posed ne'tr setup, which admittedly is cbiefly in favor of the actor, the Screen Actors' Gtuild finds several flaws-ln-them, 'itoainly^^^^ the'^.intent. of the producers in. offering. {"dUc.h cbivccsslons at this tlm.i;. in! oMcial. statements, the /Guild- bratids; the; contracts as exchanging, 'one ,bad. feheck' fpr. ahother' apd. quesflbrta the . power .,of ' tl»e Academy tpVcnr fprpe tlie regt^Iatibhsr: A ireyiew pt the augge^ted: oph'^ tract for Week-byrweek playeris and regulations for day players glyes the impression .tbat/ the .Aqc|,d^niy committed'iMcl ithe brief ol|vthl|^flvc|- ahd-flve actors, which wasvsent to WilshjiiirgtiAi, {rt..iaii(alr rli^t' tOind.; Xt ■T^uiLd-theiMbenri as If the prnducers entation, with sonie bi. It corking eiitertainment and pther portions; riot so forte. ; " Orth" has the stage on a., per- centage arrangement and supplies a weekly- change of fare, with him- self officiating as emcee, arid his wife*' Ann Codee, aiding materially. In fact, she's on Just a trifle more than Orth, ■ Opening performance this after- noon was a bit ragged in spots, and rah, a fuU 10 minutes overtime, but there's plenty of room for prun- ing, and Orth should have no Nan Wynne wearlhc ' BtnnnlTiir trouble getting the bill dPwn; to a cloth?s,-r?hl' vdcf ?f* the-^BhS;.^ y *%Slv""*'' " Two songs before the mike were M^--^ Bblidly,;^ • effective enough to please this audi-1 Actipn takes place all over the ehce..: After her initial dance rou- U^ouse, with an opening ■ gag from tine. Miss Brian returns in the the loges; candy butchers running ale —to—do-^an^OTobatlc -while U»p_and_dpwn_the.als.lfiB,_ Jlhter.rup.tji garbed largely_ln_biue paint.—lt's_a .l?S the_.perfprmers On stage; other fiashy and graceful affair. ' menibers of the uhft pull the audi- , This IVIcHale-lad is plenty strong ^iice interruption stunt And they with his tapping, if he were six I even have Al Klein to Interpret inches, taller, his dancing woiild ap pear 60 percent more gracefuL Even so, he clicks In handy fashion. Lewis and Moore came close to being outstanding at the Friday night show. Their patter fits this sorrie of Miss Codec's French dialog. Most of it . Is pretty hokey, and I there are a few spots that will have to be toned down. Blackouts are mostly new, and the Introduction I of. the Bamsdell Dancers - (10), an house nicely, and the fast clowning attractive looking bunch of femmes steps get plenty of response. I for three differeht routines, gives Paul Sydel adds novelty to uhit I the performance a touch ot the by offering three dogs in balancing presentation style, tricks. The canines worked in easy r Miss Codec, pir GSeofrey Hale, style with Sydel, without the usUal-| comedy vocalist, and' an unpro- stalllng-in act of this sort. ■■ --r~ grammed femme-froriTthe lineT with Bob Hall gets top billing. His a routine of high kicking and extemporaneous slngirig caught on monopedic stepping, garnered most with, the audience largely , because, of the applause. Orth mixes com- of his fast delivery. edy with his introductions and alsb It Is only. natural, that the unit participates in a couple of the shpuld appear draggy because it was blackouts; Klein works all over hurriedly put together. Undoubtedly the house, in the audience, sitting It Will be cut and speeded up for on the foots and on stage, adding subsequent showings. to the gaiety. -r Macklln-Megley-Is credlted with Little Billy,- midget:- comic, - and being producer. v Phoebe Brune, comedienne, also Stage shbw ruris 46 ■. minutes, garner laffs, and Leon Donike elec- Bomance in Manhattan' (Badlo) on trifles with a ptano rendition that screen. Fair house. ■ -- - ....... . displays both technique and expert ence. "There's- no attempt at cohesion -during--thttH-unfoldl ng o f tl ie—vari*^ ous types of entertainment. Rams Pittsburgh, Feb. 1. I dell steftpers open with a some Value pf an m.c; to type of ores- what' risque Can-Can; fbllbw with sed :to soan^^ir^HrbatTgfTt hg gaga, t-eirtytloiirsiv \'xy has been dishing put-i sort-ofrSouth" Sea -Island' routine,- .... J. has never,been morel ai^parent; par- I and wind up with sonie bizarre STATE, N. Y. Georsre Jessel and Llta Gray -^GhapUn-vIe-for-Jiohbrs-ln-the,stage.; faro this M'eek. • Comedian appears ; early in tlie show and is prominent lri''.the^O»-mlnute^*run'-thereafter; Mostly informal repartee: and all of It of click calibre. Strange, though, tlcularly with an m.c. of Ed Lowry's calibre. What's nipre, he's a name locally, having planted himself firm- ly here at the Stanley, severial sea- sons ago' during a long-term stay, and through subsequent apipear- ances on several other occasions; One of the remaining m.c.'s who can still .command big doUgh, Lowry's still a saving, to Alvln. He takes probably the most economical show management has bpoked; here, ahd makes It look great, seizing upon every showmanly trick to pick up the loose ends and keep the thlhiGf on the move. It's not an easy Job, but Lowry does it without much trouble., ;;■ .■, ■;■ His Opening reception, even from a house that wasn't too comfortably filled, indicated, they still have a warm spot for him here. He's in only for two weeks. Got things off Immediately with a chorus routine and then right into Paul Gordon, who clicks with some expert bi- cycling. Lbwt-y's still using that telephone bit he had in his receht .LoeW;..pril.tJinjJJitJs g6Qd_|or all the way. through. ■ Belle Tiffany, formerly of Tiffany -Twins and nOw-^dolng .a-Btngle,-fol-.. lowed. A looker, decked in attrac- tive . blue pajamas,. she' cbntrlbutes garbing .and stepping. .;Wlll Pryor ork ih pit does a medley overture that fits in oke. Screen has 'Transr Atlantic Merry GorBbuhd' (UA); 'Mystery Woman' (Fox) and shorts .to fill. Edwa willingly graQt^d all. of .tbe demands, and weht 'th'e 'Guild' a few points better. Following ' are some - of the changes made: In the existing con- tract and Its -additional aon<:es'- slons: . . :■ ... The. so-called 'deal contract' wlil be eliirilnated.- This is the stipple- mental contract to the original standard pact which allows a studio to set a lump sum for an engage- ment, irrespective of the time spent Pri the Job. One picture employ- ment, can orily bO; offered' under the. new agreement on ' a day-to-day basis or with a guarantee of at least a week's employment- on the weekly, minimum contract form. Only exception is that actors re- ceiving 140,000 of. more per picture may make any type of contract they wish. '. • Assured 12-Hour'Rest The' clause, protecting thei actor on weekly' contract against being required to return within .12 hburs after dismissal for the day is also the weekly salary. Is for a six-day . week,:with the player entitled to an additional one-sixth of a week'-a pay If rei}uired to .work' on Sunday. But th^ new pontract will spe-' olfically ,pr<^vlde'. that when tha actor. Wbrks" the six Idays and re- . celves the one day off It -will be a full 24 houris plus the regular 12. hour rest period. All freelance players, have the privilege of settling controversies With iitudibs - over" eriiplbyment^^^ br '. conditions by the Actors' Adjust- • ' ment Committee of the Academy, regardless of whether they are ., members or not. While this has - . been,; heretofore compulsory upon bbth parties,. . the- ne.\v contract riiakeS it compulsory. only-; on the : producer iandfleaves"it:<>^ the plainer,' .'Whenever- an actor, takes- ah en- ; gagement on a dally basip he. will, also specify the rate at which- he is willing tb work by the., weeki »This gives, tba: producer- th^. option of .ppnyerting- the' arrangement-, to a weekly basis^ahd -can be. retroactive to.;sevennd^yS' • However*;,it.- does not deprl.vft . the- actor : of.- any pay . earned. in <)yertlme. - ; - ,^..:. . Lay-Oif • PeriiMi E|i.mi(iated: The. clause, in.- the -.. current day . player. . agreement ; allowing: % the atudios-^^rrangeok^four/^'iume-lay-— off period during' the day-is .elimi- nated from, the .hew document. This means that; employment by- the day. must. be continuous on' an .eight- hour basis, and eliminates :the prac- tice bf using -an actor. for,': say, four ' hours, then laying him off -for four and - using him . four hours?;: latter. Such- utilization of 12 .:hoUr3 will ; now call for four hours overtime. Under the new contract, whenever a weekly pact as submitted -by- a producing cbnipany is signed by the player and returned by upon , of the next day it becomes automatically binding on the company without the producer's signature. When an : actor working by the day is compelled to report early for . elaborate -makeup, the time ■. of makeup, and wardrobe will bo pild for as straight salary, in excess of one .hour. ,. • . Under the new day player terms, verbal calls cannot ; be 'canceled- • after noon, of the day preceding the engagertient. Before then the call :can_b.e_terminated_hy_e.ltheil'..side,_. but after-wardithe-actbr-^wiU receive—- at least one day's work whether working or-not. Only exception is : that the actor may receive a., ^weather permitting* call. " The 'on or about' phrase as to starting date In a contract will hereafter mean 24 hours either be- fore or after instead bf the 48 hours as formerly. Also a studio cannot hold an actor oh location for more than 24 hburs without beginnihg his salary.' - • In statements criticizing the pro- pbs'ed~5ohtTa^t";an'd "reginatibii^ Screen Actors' Gdlld challenges the - intent bf the producers in making the cpncessibns and states that the: pact, does not eliminate all that the organization has termed 'evils in studio-actor relationship.' Enforcement Challen'ged Guild charges that under the pro- po"sedT"setup3~' the ~ term's " for' day players are Vbirse than at pJresent'; . that there are ho means' of en- forcing the ■ provisions; that the Call Bureau Is not to be abbllished, as. it demanded, and that there is not have, tb work ' on- legal holidays, but will recielve these holidays with JB.ay. plue< the 12-hour rest period. '> The'^newl minimum' contract will cbritlnue the existing proylsloh that HIPPODROME, BALTO Baltimore, Feb. I. Jack Benny Is piling 'eih right up to the eaves. He Is handling the m.c. ministrations and doing,, in the round, some 27 mins. Comes on at conclusion of the second turn, keeps the mob on edge right through to conclusion. \ '■' Aside froni his suave observations when working single, he has the Three . Chicken. Sisters, lampooners of all femme harmony trios,' to stooge for him. The gals and he bounce back and forth some bright badinage^ then they shift Over to. their parodied warbling ahd hold the show in Its tracks. Mfiry Living- stone also around, ahd makes Benny the s_tooge. She_re3ort3. to .mucb. of. 'l^r 'established type "of radio ma- ;Ial,'such as composing and recit- tfig^dbttyjpocms.:^ i--!-- -^^ Benny is a master ad libber, shooting across the foots at this .iiLXheL.new_;d.ocum.eht,;-A;3.;.a_fur.ther .enforcement measure, If a producer requests an actor to return within 12 hours and the player does so, the latter gets a full day's pay addl- tionally.- In computing the 12-hour rest period the 24 hours constituting Sunday will be eliminated entirely, unless the actor works on Sunday, or unless he has been off for one or more periods of at least 26 hours consecutively during the week. I>ay .players will be paid for con secutivo -days;—Sun-day«~a'nd~holl-" days .excepted, unless they work on such days, from the beglrinlhg of the engagement whether or , not they actually work every day. If the producer ■ terminates the en gagement and then calls the actor back for further scenes, the actor will bo paid for any intervening time duririg which-he-waravaiiabre and did hot work. Only exception Will be In connection with retakes, process: and trick shots, etc., ' for which the actor will be paid only for the days he works. Actor3-^n~weekly--'eontract^3--win-4^no—assurance— catching a pair of. nifties conceived on spur of moment when actions, of audierice afforded ah opening and hiptiyation; Best ot his monolog also rellevingly fresh and original in Its humor* cracking about town's idiosyncrasies,, Hauptmann trial World Court question; etc. . Understood that at opening show, Benny couldn't get off, Impeding the start of the logical closer, Llazeed Arabs. So, thereafter, house had the headllner closing, using the simple expedient of lowering the screen and going into the feature, 'Carnival (Col), to wHisk him off. : After the Llazeeds open with 7 mIns. of fine tumbling^ and pyramid-, ing, a dance-rflash, -Lew Duthers; .Teari . and . jpari, follows. Strictly hoofing and turn • strives diligently, but sums up Just fairly effective. A modest little act, but badly in, need of a new backdrop.' John Fogarty is sandwiched Into J;.Ii#__eip.nga.te.d-^B.ejiih3L-.It.ui!n._j^ tenor's usual nine'-mlnute chore had to be ballooned to 13 minutes, and -ev£ij' then he pleaded off with''difll-^^ culty,,, .A; malO'- a.Bslsts him; at- the .pia^,,v;;.,; ., .■ ;;; ^Ht;{,-n.,v,..;;i^-.. > • ' : will hot request actors; to' wa.lve th»' rules. ' ■ '.'.•. ' i._lnult3_analysi3. of^theij^proposed.. pacts the Guild'claims; ;:• I. That while the Guild demands a representative actor body - to en- force agreements that under tha Academy supervision of the'''con- tracts no such enforcehient exists. : The Guild asks for disinterested arbitration with the' actor tb pick the organization to act for him as against the proposal for Academy arbitration or none; That the day player Is not pro- tected by a , ■WTltteh contract^ .but only by the rules of the Academy, s\ibject to change at any time, which gives a studip the oppor- tunity to duck such orar deals up to noon of the preceding day.;. ' That while th«i Guild asks for full pay for. traveling to and from loca- tion, Academy setup only allows for half pay. , ■-■•.;■■ ;; Screen A-ctbrs-Guild added 14 new members, last.week.; .. -; They '. are Helen Hayes, Sidney Blackmer, Maureen O'Sulllvan, Pred-Astalrcf-Elizabeth---Patterflbnrr Colin Cllve. Bus'sell Hicks; William Gargan, "Warren Hymer, . Matt McHugh,'. vMitcJiell;; and ., Durant, Emma Dujtm s^nd ;^b,ert Llght«:;;