Variety (Mar 1935)

WedneQdajt March 6,^ 1935 er Safe Emptied, Ihiring l^;^^ Toronto, March' B.; : The body of Abner (Abe) Apple- by, rnanagrer of the Roxy, Toronto's only burlesque theatre, wai discov- ered about noon yesterday before the looted safe In hi b . private office. Two bullet wounds In the back of his head - told their o-wn . .story. Ppwdei^ burns, and the absence of any evidence of struggle suggested to the police that the robbery ha,d " been Committed by a; person pr per- . . Bdns;. known to the manager;. 'who had been ishot-as he. unBUspicibusIy knelt to open the safe. Thia early-haurs receipts anvount- - Ing- to: about-IMe-ln bills, had been removed, but $76 In silver' was left / behind: as too bulky. Thie thief did } not take Appleby's stickpin, a $200 diamond, and $52 were, stili In his . ipocket. ' ■ The discovery of the body was ma de when the _door tb^ the^ was'Yorced a^the iiiiS^^ dead manfs son,' Louis, after, his ■~f atHef ~Had "~reriialhM~more than' three hours In his closed office. ^-yher^)ody—lay-<) a the fluui d irectly In fr ont, nf, th ft H>ifpi I n a position , .to.. suggtsst that, he had opened, the d,oot Just. before soineoniB standing Immediatoly behind him had flred . directly Into.his skull.; '.rhe perforimiice was uriderway —an" the laughter ■ a,nd~aiJplause drifted out into the alleyway as "tWe~.Wdy""'wM^^^^'p^ si police' ambulance for removal. The audi - . erice had no hint of the tragiedyi AFTER THE VETS Nebri^ska Seeks New Blood " : : : Ancient Fair Board on V Lincoln, March B. The ; state; fair; board which gov- erns activity - and', policy : for the Nebraska ahhual exposition Is un- der sharp fire here by two bills in the legislature on which there: was ah; open hearing last week, E3. i^; .lioxne,'. bank, president, made a plea tiiat tiie fair be taken oijt 6f the' hands, of faithful political workers and placed in the • hands ■of a showman. ■. Senator Buliard, iBpeaklrig In -be- half of b?re~itteasure, ^isald the" old board should be wiped, oiit; been In the, saddle for 60 years. and Was self perpetuating. Mix Finishes Pic, Opens CfMst Tonrivith Circiis J.{ ' ■ '' ;Hplly\v6od, March B, Having finished the final pickup shots and trailers for his serial, •Miracle Rider,' at Mascot over the week-end, Tom Mix op6ns his "Wild West Circus season "Wednesday (6) ■ at Gompton wherie the , show "win- :-tered;'■ i Moves to week's stand at Fairfax and .lWllshlre here_Saturday^ (lOJ,. i tiien-hita - the roadv- : : • Ham Walkers Fined ; . . . Birm|nVham, March B, Leo Seltzer's walkathon walked ta ^tfieJffoosel^crtip^ testahts, too. Supreme court ' hiad refused to Invalidate a city ordl- .ha hce ligalnst the rt^^ ^" ' The city had ah ordinance! against -walltathons—before--Selt2err.decIded to return to th«i . Ham. Seltzer had a lawyer.-^■fteii'T^he - citjr-iiad re-" fused to rescind ' the ordinance It was carried to court withvthe Idea of : having It declared unconstitur [ tlonal, : One county judge did and the icase^was carried to the State ; Supreme court. That court ruled the city ordinance okeh, "The police told the contestants to ■top walking. They refused. S'our- : teen 'persons, including 11 contest- -aiits-- piled In'^'the "wagon.' Mrs. -Pauline -jackson> manager forTfSelt- ter here, was also taken In tow. Mi's, Jackson Was fined $100 and . tosts, Lou Jarven, floor Judge $26, and the contestants $5 each. ■ ■" ,' v:;''7<^TOCKr-:^-.;v7;v- Miami Beach, March. 1. ^'ow in Its seventh week, this JllfliSky-Juirlyjs-^eaning^upr^^ut- pf the 14 shows-weekly, eight are playing to capacity at $1.66 top, and the grosis- has .-been- running con- sistently ih the neighborhood of 510.000; leaving .loe; Welnstock and ihls associates,, all of whom are win- tering here, a nifty net of at lea^t -four grand ..a. ' week, including .-the bar take. Rent for tiie 1.'266 seat auditbriurii atop James Pier, formerly the Mil- lion Dollar: Pier, runs about $600 a week.—-Evening shows draw the natives and tourists, the midnltes, except oh: Saturday being, light. Music Hall Idea is carried out With tableis along , the sides of the audN torium and a long bar in the rear, with six mixologists shaking 'em up during the intermisslonis and doing a land office business with beer at two-bits a bottle and all shots bringing a half. , The Mlnskys could tour this show, playing auditoriums. Those pinches in New York, and the word-of- mouth a,dvertlslng of visitors to the Metropolis have made the Mlnsky name as associated with burlesque familiar in the key cities and the -sticks— -- ■ - ^ - •Among.the unusual points about this burly. Is a-young looking chorus of 16 who" can hpof, 10 smart lookr Ing show girls, clean costumes, ap- propriate lighting and freshly painted scenery. Pal Brandeaux staged the productroh iah'd "deserves credit: for putting on a show that nj.akcs an;..earhest- endeavor to get-- -out-of-^het-tinte-^worn-burlesque r u t and headed In the general direction of a musical: revue; : Another thing, here is that the comics are given a chance to strut their BtuflC without JlLndraniCfi, .and^to—say—that ^thelr- stiiff Is double entendre in ispades-ls PutUng It ,mildly. Haradibn Aftermath . Charleston, W. "Va,, March 6. ■ Dr. O. T. Lyon, dentist, was Ben- tenced March 1 to Ave years In the penitentiary for killing Lou Topper, OIL BiQQklyjD/N. .Y.,.:while -managing a dance marathon at Splash Beach here last auiiamer. pr. Lybh's coun- sel gave notice of aij ai)peai: ' Topper was shot down In the :i9un parlor of the Daniel Boohe hotel whither he, Dr, Lyon and Mrs. Lyon hsid gone, to 'tari things over' after the dentist'had^ discovered the rela- tions between .'his wife and Topper, who was married. N<»vs of the Dailies (Continued from, page 60) .'. of New Tork tis ■ Was brigihaliy planned. . .Banks \yinter, 78 rjrear-old com- poser of ''White Wings,' entered Ac- tor's Fund Rest Honie in Glendale, .Cai.;..^ - ..; For the third time in a month Maria Casajuana Todd; Spanish ac- tress,. Aled : divorce adtibn again David Todd, agent, > WliUaih V. R, Smith, who figured -in the Al - Rogell-Ena Gregory do niestlc tiff, divorced, in L, A. .Catherine Myrtle JUackett.^^known: profeslonally as Cherokeie Hackett, asked annulment ot her iharrlage In et Decision Doesn t Mean BuHey Code Oisco^ S :HAUK-RITZLER^KlLLeD: F'ataliy Hurt in Georsjta Auto Ac ■ cident-^rash into Bridge ' ^^ r- ^ i Springfield, ,0., March 6; . . Arthur Hauk, .48, theatrical pro- ducer and; manager, and George W. Ritzier,' 35, theatre •operator, were killed Saturday (2) In an auto acci- dent hear ..Hawklnsvllle.iGa, Hauk was a native of Sprin^eld, Q., and Rltzler's home was in Lima, .©, ; . \ "The two - mien were : enroute to Miami, Fia., where they;had booked a dohicey baseball show, for which Haiik: had .been manager for two .years, when 'they crashed Into a bridge and were instantly .killed,; Lancaster county, of which Lincoln " L, A, l o-Chief^BlgckrHa%krillm~ay='|iH~th of ih e-^ode-ttoy with consternatidn" by the C apitol Beach authorities. The Beach Is to r, on- ground* she_ neglected to Obtain .divorce from former spouse Now It's Circuses ..aiutiUoketa,. la,, March S. Amateurs have gone to the circus Legion has .spotted a: four-day in- door: circus here for the middle of the month. In addition to pro talent and a minstrel_..show....by. Legioji troupers, certain liiours will bo open for an amateur contest with prize Jnoney enough; to. guarantee plenty of appearances, ' '■' '". Gets Fair Job - ^ Vancouver, B. C., March 6; : ] Hides, shows and games conces- •lons for the Canada Pacific Ex- hibition this year, August 28 to September 4, have been awarded to the WT!st- Coast ShowiJ~by~the Vah- couver Exhibition Association. The an-angement entered into is that the Concessionaire "will" 'pur- chase all commodities in Vancouver and that- local people be employed. All gdmbUng devices and games ^ill be barred.. • : The 'tourists, who go slumming At Minsky's and .the natives couldn't get enough of It. While in New York the audience at burlesque - Is practically stag, down here ' the payees consistently number three women to one man, that being the sex sp^it of the transient popula- tion here this season. : Frankle D'Armond, credited, with the musical score, did a similar service for. 'Saluta.' musical xevue which featured Milton Berle oh Broadway-early this season, and has several songs in this production that rate attention especially 'There's, a River in the Sky' and 'Khumba Mad.' Orchestra under the itlrectibn of Willie Creager, rates tops among burlesque pit men, and consists of 16 men, 10 of them con- scripted locally. Strip tease numbers are down to a minimum In this show. Gypsy Rose Lee, featured, displays her streamlined chassis down to the hips, in Just about two choruses while the Crackers give out rebel yells. No encores help the show maintain Its fast pace. One other stripper peels down during the first -halff also In^-reco.rd-ntime~for'gTbbd" results. ■^ .■ ■:".:■■'.■".■'',■■■.■'■■■'.■ Patsy O'Neill, singing a comedy number, 'Gotta .See a Man About My,l3og,' the pop 'Chill In the Air' and a ballet number, 'Meaningless,' is a show stopper In all her' spots. Easy, bn the eyes and with a capable pair of pipes ' she rates attention. Jerry and Turk, mixed team of daheers, doing eccentric stuff- also deliver creditably. Sahi Raynor, the m.c, Is promin- ent in most of the blackouts and in the blue gag dispensing department, while "Murray Leonard, straight, Murray Briscoe, Juve, and Red Mar^ shall, comic, all handle their assign- ments In a manner that proves con- clusively that they know burleycue. Welnstock and the Mlnskys have sbmething In this show in that they have definitely broken away from the bid burlesque fbrmula; Ralph Famum, Hollywood agent, lost $3,600 damage action to air pilot injured In traffic accident, Dorothy Devore, film actress, won court .fight to retain $1*00,000 In cash, securities and other property given her as settlement in divorce from A, W. Mather, importer. Dart games at Venice given clean bill by Police Commission as six permits granted. Rejt Bell sued for $i26,000 for as serted breaking of contract which bound hlDi to produce a. western serial for Stage and Screen Pro- ductions. . Robert Tost. Fox fllnd executive, lost . his 14ryear-old son. Youth suffered from a heart aliment. Richard Codona losl bis $200,000 libel , suit against the ,Don ' T^e Broadcasting System, In which he charged he was Actionized as a py- romaniac in an air skit. Fire in the Hbrsley Film labora- tories in Hollywood destroyed a reelL bf film and threatened the en- tire building. Harvey Parry, film stunt man. suffered, injuries that: will keep him bedridden. for .six . weeks, .the result of a two-foot fall. Petition filed for distribution of $280,000 estate of Marie. Dressier, tied up by three claims aggregating $36,800. /• ■■■ Ernie 'Westihore, screen makeup artist, held by L, A. court on charge of hit and run driving In which newsboy was run down. : Kay- Francis granted final decree- of-divorce^ronr-Kenneth-MTrKemrar Victor Jory suffered a possible nose fracture When he was thrown and trampled by a horse at War- ners studio. • • Lj jMfixicali (Mex.) Owl club, one of the border's gayest. Bpots,-cIo8ed its d.oocs._ _ __. - .. Appearing In court In Los An- geles In connection with her legal tiff with Leo 'MorrlBOn agency, June Knight, gave her lieal name as Mar- garet Rose Vallikett . and said she was born in L. A. 22 years ago. the lone amusement park ih the county and is dependent almost en- tirely . for its life blood on dance pavilion and swimming pool pla; Trouble over beer s^Jes^jwrfs the reason for • the ruling. i!Vs under- stood that dance hall men have agreed to drop their beverage 11 J. censes. If they'll let the Sabbath dance come back. Swap Beer for Hoofmg Lincoln, March 6. Decision of the county dads here fbnjutlaw Sunday night dancing In' . Formal, announcement that_:th«u $24,000 burlesque budget will not re- ceive governmental, approval waa made Monday (4) by Deputy Ad- ministrator William P .Farnsworth, substantiating earlier , reports. , Farnsworth : asserted that he !■ • recommending, rejection of thie $10- a-week levy plan and the proposed outlay 'because it is shown that the major activities to be covered by such budget are trade association functions.' The recommendation was sub- mitted to Hiram Brown, NRA .budg- et officer, and members of the In- dustrial Recbvery Board with every sign that the position taken by Farnsie and Divisional Administrat- or Rbsenblatt would be sustained. Most of the horde of advisors iiad concurred in thia way out of th« apparently hopeless muddle result- ing from disputes between indie op- erators and members of the Nation- al Burlesque Associatlon.> 'There' exists*a trade"iissocfatloif" whose preisldent (L H, Herk) is also Putting in teeth ■ Charlotte, N. C, March 6 A bill has been preisented In the North Carolina general assembly providing for an extension of the licensing power.of the.Mecklenburg board of county comnilssioners. The bill gives the board authority to refuse and to revoke licenses of carnivals, endurance, contests, pic tures, vaudeyllle shows and amiise ments of liice. character. The bill hits at so-called wallcethons. One is . still operating Just, outside the city of Charlotte after, several months. ./'."/.■■ Mountain Fairs Elect Great Falls, Mont, March 6. .EfecitoiLof Ha>ry FiijLQn jBililjnga, president; Henry Bohllng, Miles City, vice-president, and reelectlbn of Harold F; , DePue, secretary treasurer, were highlights of a. two- day conference-of-Rocky Mountain Association of Fairs- in: Helena, Montana;--Dates" for severar'Mon tana fairs -were set and tentative dates laid out for other fairs. The group went., on record as opposed to possible abolition . of Montana State Fair, Helena. For the Pee-pul Bridgeport, Miarch. B. Pleasure Beach Park, city-owned Island resort operated at loss by lessees for Boverai .years, will; be municlpaily. run beginning this summer, if Mayor Jasper McLevy has his way. ■ McLeyjr, ■ only Socialist -mayoT-lh New England, recommended' to park commissioners free use of amusements by public'- and letting out of ' ballrbbm; baths arid larger attractions. Commissioners arc presently drawing up a plan. OUTLAWS. HAEAIHONS "Charleston, W. Va., March B. .Pai3sage of a bill outlawing dance marathons, walkathoris and other similar contests w.afljnaafk«d-in_lhe_ house of delegates by a bitter de- nunciation of prbnioters of such competitions: Both houses passed the measure and sent it to the gov- ernor for the latter'B signature. Proponent* of the bill predicted It would. receive the chief executive's approval. . to Ifoupe^ . Los Angeles, March 6. Romance, doubled up with economics entered the affairs of Putt Mossman's Motorcycle Rodeo when the troupe of 10 went to the Federal office here to apply for passports to .Japan where they are contracted to . be f.eature'd at" thW Yoitahama Exposition. Troupe was informed that in the caseT^^f-^single—peopler-passport^fee- was $10, married couples receive their passport for $11. It didn't take much figuring oh the part of Gerald and John- Fairchlld to see that their sin.gle bliss was costing thciri mpney. After a two way con- ference, they approached Lbuella Llndberg and Eunice Wymaii, mem- bers of the troupe; vexplalned^'tiic situation and gave ,a short lecture on economics. Re.sult was - that' Gerald married Louella and John jdlfl the-hianly thing by Eunice.-- Recapitulation of the affair dis- closed that the. marriage licenses cost $1 each and Gerald made a deal, with a preacher to double bill the ■ .ceremonies marrying botli couples :for': $2 ' het.. .'.Resijlt was a .saving of $14 ■bucks, o.n- the pa.'ts- ports and wedding; ' -tlLOxljy.'. Farnaift explained.—^Dhe ln-- dustry. has looked to the trade asso- ciation fbr the protection and as- sistance which it Is seeking In 'th« problemis which confront :it ' from sources, outside of the industry and the code.' Peclslon does not mean that tiie hurley pact Is scrapped, either In actuality br: In effect, Farnsie and his associates emphasized. Code au- thority will continue to. operate and- all requirementa of the agreement' remain binding on members of the industry, but codists will be ex- pected to function without the ben- efit of a mandatory contribution from all hurley operators. Code Still Work* •Disapproval of the; budget and basis of assessment and mandatory assessment amendment to the code does not affect the code In any way,* Parnsworth elaborated. " 'The code is still In effect in all of Its provi- sions. Including the administrative provisions providing for a code au- thority. It merely means that the cbde' authority aa jtfch win^ without expense to the industry and that compliance and enforcement with the labor a,nd trade practice provisions of the code will bo han- dled through the . compliance divi- sion of the NRA, to whicti all com- plaints should be referred In the first Instance."— —Sticlr^ anblutlgn- l a ei8refftTairy~ln~ accbrdance with the urgent requests of indie- operators, who pointed out that with the exception of New York City . there are few areas " where burley houses are "ih competition .with each - otherr arid —that-- labor- clause enforcement will be extreme- ly simplified because bpth stage- hahds and talent are thoroughly unionized. . ■ : Move of thia sort was strongly opposed by Herk, organizer and ■ head of the NBA and executive of- ficer of. the code authority, who en- listed efforts of former Congress- man John Q. Tllson of Connecticut in last-resort driv« to obtain' ap- proval of the budget. -Herk- -would have been paid $10,000 a year under the mandatory assessment scheme. Izzy Herk, now operating, the. Gaiety, -New York, In partnership with ■ George Jaffe, says he has no Intention of resigning from the Code chairmanship, despite that. the Job officially becomes a non-salaried one. , ■■' .;■ ■' ■' No Time to Sue . ,Readlng..^a.,- March-8.^— Bankruptcy ' proceedings w e r e brought in Federal court against .Ontelaunee Park, Inc., of New Tripoli, near. here. / Three creditors obtained an order. restraining^ - Sheriff Oliver H. Peters from sell- ing the company's assets on Judg- ment ■■■ claims. The petitioners recited that the Company is Insolvent, but that a. sale at' this , time would- be pre- judicial: to general creditofa' , clalm.s. ■■; EpGK SPEINGS' MGE. ■ East Liverpool, O.,- March B. R.. L, -lland, of St, Loul.«, has been named -manager ■ ancl vicis-- prcs'ldent. of Rock Springs park at Chester,, W. Va., across the river from here.