Variety (Sep 1935)

62 VARIETY L E S « U E Wednesday, September 11, I935 Burlesque Actors Strike for 3 Days and Win Out; Granted r •if . In. tlxe-flrat. aciora^ sirlko. sihce the Equity strike of lVl9, 60 principals and 100 chorus girls walked out of live burlesque theatres In New York £nd dne in Hoiiywood last week, and strike, which commenced Thursday (5) at noon through failure of the managers to agree to terms of a new year's contract, ended Satur- day night. The actors scored both a moral and practical victory. The strike having ended with sev- eral matters still unsettled, a com- mittee of four was appointed.to dis- cuss them and bring about an amir cable agreement within 30 days. Members are Paul DuIz^U; of Actors Equity and the Four A's, which lat- ter organization was called into the strike as, American Federation of Labor charter parents of the bur- lesque actors' union; Sain Scrlbner, representing the managers; Jacob Goddstein, lawyer, representliig the theati'e concessionaires, and Tom Phillilps of the. Burlesque Artlsts's' Association. /Permanent board for arbitration pf all actor-n^anager disputes in burlesque will consist. o>f Phillips and Scrlbner, for the actors and managerjj, respectively. In event they are'unable'to agree, cases will be submitted to the American So- ciety of Arbitration. Theatres, affected, were the Apollo, • Republic Eltinge; jrvihg PJiace and. .Gothiam, New York, and the Holly- . wood Playhouse on the Coast. Bur- lesque Artists' Association, which -called, the strike, received 100%. re- v9ponse^in these theatres.. The only troupe that failed to'.respond, was the stock company a,i the BlJou, Philai,delphla; where only two ■mem- bers walked out, with the others re- ported as getting personal contracts fpr a y6a^' dn the Independent Wheel , _from: IZ5'.y.-Hirat...tor fsilckkiis,, Stuck on Arbitrator Several dispitted Items in the actors' proposed contract combined to bring about the strike, but the prindlpal cause .was disagreement over the means of arbitration be- tween the actor and manager fa.c- tlonsv The managers, wIth . H. K. Mihsky as spoksman, appeared to object chlein^ to the presence on an arbitration board of . Phillips, presi-. deht of theactors' group and leading figure In the unionization of bur- lesque actors. The '34-'3B contract between the managers and B.A.A. expired blept. 1. Managere formied the Eastern Burlesque Managers' Association, consisting of all major eastern op erators with" -exception of I. H. Herk, to replace thoir defunct' National Burlesque Association and negotiate With the actors on the new contract. At midnight of Aug. 31, when the old asrearaent expired, the two sides were still at odds. The managers • -threatened to close their tiieatres Monday (2), but didn't carry out the threat. With the breach continuing without indica.tlon3 of a settlement, the actors took the' offensive and Pcalled their own strike for Thurs- At 11 a. m., an. holjr before the .. stvikei was scheduled to commence, the managers sent a ..last-minute message to eltect they woi.jld agree to all terms of the new contract ex- cept .the afbitration' clause, B.A.A. refused td consider, a deal on. those terms and made tlie strike official. , Manag6r8, demanded An arbitra- " tlpn board comprising a representa- 'tlve of the managers, .a representa- tive of the actors and' .a neutral tliird- party. With the P.A.A. and the ' manftgers'- as'spclatlbn each required to^ post k r bond 9f <1,000 or $2,000 to guai-hriiee enforcement of decl- . A reported spaclflc request was that .PhlHlp.<) would not be the actors' representative. . Actors' deniands^ which were orlg- ^ inaliy disputed but to which (he manager^ decided to agree just be- fore the strlko was. called. Involved -Ihlhlnium tittlartea, working hours -and -flnattclal responsibility of. the 'management. AH Actors Upped I?" Under the settlemient by which t-r" ' the strike was called off, principals I and • chorus gtriavboth receive an in^ crease in minimum wages. Girls get an increase of $1.50 to .$22.50 for stock and $26 on .the. road. Prln-. clpals' new minimum. la $40, as against last year's $35. In addition, "tK6~glffs" a¥e jr'ua'r^^ JiT i'4r and"l>lay~^or pay for the flnal week if having received notice. Another, angle settled in favor pf the actors concerns flnancial re- sponsibility where a theatre's license Is revoked. Where the loss of li- cense Is due to an action on the part of the manager, the actors must be reinibursed for all losses. la other cases the issue 'will be submltte^d to arbitration. Duri,.g the strike's three days* duration there were several meet- ings on both sides, but no mutual get-together until Saturday night, when the warring factions Tnet on neutral ground In the Friars' Club, and reached an agreement. B.A.A .conducted a series of mass meetings, all of which were heavily attended and at which the strike was enthusiastically endorsed. Some of the members wanted permission to picket the - closed theatres. On Friday the BmA..A. dug Into Its treas- ury for $2,500 which it distributed to needy strikers. Meanwhile tiie managers, con- ducting their own meetings in prl- v;tte, refused to give In. On Friday they announced intentions of re^ opening their theatres regardless of. the strike, declaring they would seek t<f recruit casts from vaude- ville and, non-strikers among the hjurlesque players. The vaudeville angle caused the. American Federa- tion of Actors ttirough Ralph White- head to Issue .Instructions to its members to r^ftain from accepting engagements In burlesque theatres Involved in the strike. Opens on Ti For a time it appeared tiie dead- lock would-prevent the new eastern circuit, -Independent Wl^eel, from opening Monday .(d) on schedule, Mt;-tfe^a^rjlce;,.,«(n,dja(3.Ji}^tto^^ getaway by the, Mlnsky-Weiristock- Hlrst cdmbihe. First show opened at Mlnsky's. Brooklyn. "The stock houses opened Sunday. Managers have decided to make th3 E.B.M.A. a permanent organiza- tion with its own offices and the following officers: Sam Scrlbner, honorary president; H. :K. Mlnski^, president; Emmett Callahan, vice- president; Solly Schwartz, secre- tary; Izzy Hirst, treasurer; Harold Minsky, recording, secretary. The association embraces eastern oper- ators only. B.A.A, will make sep- arate agreements with western managers such as Clamage, Travers, King and Jaffe. I, H. Herk, who operates the Gaiety on Broadway, was immune from the strike through having pre- viously signed the agreement In full. The only burlesque house In New York, his Gaiety did terrific busi- ness for the three days of the strike. In justification of his solo stand, Herk said, 'This la pne time the managers are Wrong. There is noth- ing .exorbitant in the actors', de- mands and they are entitled to the new contract.' He viewed the whole affair-as a matter of .'petty personal grievance.' Herk states he will continue his individualistic attitude and refuse to Join the managers' association. •I can do my own arbitrating,' he declared; Matters to be settled^-by the tem- porary,arbitration committee wi.tliin :tlie next 30 days include working hours,. pro rata paynient for mld- nlte shows-arid transportation ex- penses. In demanding shorter hours, the B.A,A. pointed out that burlesque people, particularly the chorus girls, are now on the Job 80 hours a-week. B.A.A. does hot demand a stipulated weekly working period, with Phil- lips declaring evei-y house Is a sep- arate proposition, ijut It Insists on a compromise. A schedule originally submitted, giving the players two hour.T away from the,.theatre for- dlnner, was tried put hy Herk at the Gaiety, but did not prove satis- factory. Another plan accejptdble to both aides will be drafted by the cpmmlttee. Regarding mldnite shows, usually held on Saturday nights, the B.A.A. demands pro rata payment for damage Takes St. Louiis G.O.H. for Burlesque St .Iiouls, Sept lOiy A, Clamage of Detroit has taken over the old Grand Opera House here In downtown district and will •Jhst-aH-barlcaqu^-atwl irfcrtwcar Plans- call for four atage shows per day with pix between. House Is being redecorated lor opening about Saturday (21) prior to American I^egion week (23-30). House win <^ffer only coDipetltlcin to (jarrlck. Which has been the city's only burlesque theatre. Couiifens €<^^ Burlesque Pinch, But Fines Tiny Delmar Baltimore, Sept. 10. Nine cops, disguised a.s country Jakes and laborers, isat in on a per- formance at the combo film and stock burlesque house, Clover, last week, and at conclusion of the show flashed badges, ordered hOuse lights up, handpicked 26 boys under 19 years of age put of audience, then arrested Tiny Delmar, a stripper; hOuse manager Hilliard Liiylngston, the pit musicians rnd seven other members of the stock troupe, and had the whole round-up carted, down .to station house. The boys of minor .age were re- leased. The cast and house staff were let off with collaterals. When hearing came up next day under Miaglstrato Elmer Miller, it was tes« tifled Miss Delmar had stripped en- tirely nude,, though she protested she had worn a net; She was fined $20, as was the Clover's operator, Bernle Livingston. It also cropped out in the test! t mony that the raid was instigated by a citizen who caught an after- noon performance and" went to cops complaining lie had been 'shocked.' The magistrate took occasion to re- mark that the police, could be ren- dering community, more important public service if they spent their time corrallng_^ actual criminals in- stead of dressing up in disguises and knocking off burlesque shows. it was brought put when the mem- bers of stock troupe—all of whom Miss "Delmar—^testified that the spe- cialty dance which police deemed 'Indecent' met with .the approval of the. organlzatlon of which they were all members,. Burlesque Artists' As- sociation. Stock Burly in Pitt. pittaburgh, Sept. 10. Variety, local burlesque house Closed fdr last several months,, un- derway again under stock policy with change of bill weekly. House again being operated by George Jaffe. Company Includes, in addition to line of 24 girls, Harry Clexx, Jimmy Dugp.n, Al LeRoy, Harry Nealy, Lillian Murray, Jyes LaRue, Gladys Ciark, Marie Voe, Louise Phelps, Sonya Lee and Carlton and Miller. Management Int&nc^s to bring in now principals evei-y other week. everybody in all theatres except two. ' Exceptions are the Trocadero. Phli- adeiphla, and EowgLrd, Boston, which have shown by their books that they are unable to carry added costs for the extra show. B.A.A., sa,id Phillips, will make other exr ceptlons. if proper evidence is shown. With the strike settled, eight the- atres dark for the summer started the new eastern season oveir the weekend. They were the People^s New.; York; Oxford, Star and Mlri- akys. Bro.olclyn; Civic, Syracuse, and the Independent. Wheel houses in Boston, Philadelphia, Washington and Baltimore. Henry Ki Chambera, 68, died In Great Neck, L. I., Sept 6. He was a, younger,. bi:pthar...oJI,the late C Haddon Chambers and himself a playwright. He wrote 'Abigail' for Gjace,. Qeotgft. And.. 'B.«.tt*r.flly'....fpr Lillian Russell, tie also did !Right to be Happy' and 'An American- Widow.' The lattier was also filmed with . Ethel Barrynipre In the lead. He had not written for* the stage fOr-TsoniS"1;ime;-Tievottng -most/af his HttefftimrT0"TK(5-'Sipiit:F of "inTsr--^^^ umn in the Literary Digest. He is-survived by his widow, the former MaW Davidson, who used Kate Calrewas the signature for her. short stories.^ .Med..S5.ept...:i-in:.I^^~Ar-'Vmmr~ssS- daughter survive. A. C. (BARNEY) BARNSDALE A. C. (Barney) Bransdale, 66, fdr years a tenor In Al G. Fields Min- strels, died at his home at Charlotte, N. C., Sept. 1, after having been 111 for a few.hours. He is survived by his widow, Mta. Wlnnlfred H. Barnsdale, Woodstock, Ont.; two sons, (Seorge R. H. and E. Kenneth Barnadale, both of whom are connected with the Charlotte (N. C;) News; two' slstet-s, Mrs. Hattie Booth Bind Mrs. Lillian Con- ley, both of Stratford, Ont., and a brother, James .Bafnsdale, Winnipeg. Body was sent to. Stratford, Ont., for burial; PAESTON Wb EATON , Preston W. Eaton, formerly sec- retary to Hector 'TurnbuH, oiie time .atory, .editor and- supervisor at Par-" amount Studios, died Sept 8 at GMovdrflviUe, Ni Y. He was recently. connected with Stag0 AaspcIateB,. Inc.- a;nd- the Red Barn Thea.tre, Locust Valley,, Jx,.jl . „ ._ . ...^ Ted McCandlea, publicity man for Lucky Teeder'a Hell Drivers, auto- mobile trick drivers, died at Marl- anna, Pla., Sept 4, from automobile Injuries. He was: enroute iria. JAMES HUDSON James Hudson, 26, writer and one- time boxer, killed In fall down csn- yon near Los Angeles, Sept. 3. Mra. Ann Bourke, mother of Fan Bourke, stage and screen comedi- enne, last with 'Aa Thousands Cheer,' died at her home at Nor- ,walk, conn. Two other daughters also survive. ERNEST HENKEL Ernest Henkel, for many years director of personnel at the Metro- pdlitan'Opera* and in more recent years an jagent for, operatic artists, including; Majtinelil, died in New York, Sept. 3, of a heart attack, A wonrian, who said she was for- merly Avlth the opera, saw him sit- ting in a doorway in 67th street, near "Third avenue, and at his re- quest took him to Hartford -House, a "shelter maintained by the Temr- pprary Emergency Relief Assn. He had been living there for some time. ELbUISE M. LITTLEFIELD Mrs. Elouise M. Llttlefleld, 35, former circus aerialist, died in Glou- cester, Mass., Sept. .3, at the home of her husband, Frank F. Llttlefleld. She was atrlcken on an automobile trip. ■•-^Borit Iduhje—Lebnai'd; 'Blie^'WBttt into the circua when only 11 . and continued for more than 20 yeara; She retired on her marriage, in the circus world she was known as Cupple and Mme. Elouise.. She is survived by. her husband, two brothers and a sister. Inter- ment was locally. LOUISE BLITZ Louise Blitz, 91, believed to have been the oldest woman In show bu.si- nesa, died in Chicago Sept. 7 as the result of Injuries sustained Sept. 1 when struck by an auto. She had owned and operated her own sideshows and had trained Both elephants and canaries. Her last connection .was with the Royal Mid- gets on the Johnny Jones show Just before her retirement In 192C. She exhibited Millie Christine, the Negro Siamese twin for Sella Bros, and had been with the Barnum show. MRS. . E. TAYLOR BANKSON Mrs. Mary Ellen Taylor Bankson, 94, died in Newberg, Ore., Aug. 30. Opce a woll-knc^yn character ac-- trSss on the stage, she retired about 20 years ago, since living In Newberg. She! was married twice, both of her husbands having been Civil War. veterans. Hollywood, Sept. 10. After closing down Friday (C) due to sympathy walkout of biir- lesq players,' Minsky music hall remains shuttored 'until definite policy Is arrived at late this week. Joe Weinstock, genei'al manager, returned today from New York, but withholding plana for troupe or house. Meetln,^ scheduled for late tPday (Tuesday) -to determine Av.hether- coriipany disbands or goes to Frisco for stand. Not decided whether to sublease theatre, or produce another burly. 'Life Begins at Min.sky's' wound up seven, weeks, to strong groasea. HYMAN L. MORRIS Hyman Li. Mon-is, 61, treasurer- secretary of the Joe Morrla Music Go. died suddenly of lieart disease at his home in Philadelphia Aug. 26. lie helped found the Morris publish- ing and Jobbing interests about 30 years ago. He is survived by three brothers, •Toe, Louis and Mike. KENNETH GEORGE FOSTER Kenneth Geotge Foster, 17, mem- ber of the Can-oll-Sittig prcheatra, died .Sept. 3. in Youngstown hospital. younSstown, O., after an Illness of .'Ive days. Ho leaves his parents and a. sister. Burial was in Calvary cemetery, Youngstown. FRANK V. 3TUMP rafik v.. Stump, 63, who did newspaper work in Terre Haute, St. Louis and Los Angeles before edit- in? Southern California Busines.s .Dor L. A. Chamber of Commelcc. Robert T. Brooki , , father of Thomas BrOoklns,' member of the negro stage team of Brooklns a'nd Van, was found dead In bod Aug. 31 at a hotel in Akron^ O. Gov't Grant Continued from page 65) known ito be Jobless. Confldentlal government flgurea are said to show the number of needy actors* both legit and vode, a;nd technicians as approaching 20,000,. causing appre- hension that the government effort if much of the money la used to fos- ter little theatres arid colleglatia ac- tivities, still will fall far short of remedying the situation. No Appointments A number of Individuals to take -charge of regional offices and to su- pervise activities in the . various ■■ states are being considered for top spots ln.,tllie_thee^trical,,a,ej^.u^^^^ ao "fair^ no ap'poihtments have been made. Likewise, worlca program headquarters has reached no con- clusion on the cities wlilch will serve as key points in the prpigram, except that New York, Los Angeles and Chicago will be principal bases of operation. In the present stage, officials 4re surveying the country to discover what professional, semi-pro, and amateur units are functioning, what enterprises may have been suspend- ed, which colleges and universities can be fitted Into the program, and where efforts should be concentrat- ed. With the majority of the Jobless actors located in New York and smaller numbers in Chicago and on the Coast primary prdblem is to work out a plan for redistributing talent with a Inimum outlay for transportation. Mu'sic program Is patterned after the theatrical scheme, • calling for ostabliishment of symphonies, con- cert orchestras, and dance bands in; medium-sized and larger cities arid mapping out of tour to caiTy Bee- thoveh and Mozart to the sticks. Be- sides providing Jobs through the winter, the government agency will try to Use the money for musician relief in a manner to build up public appreciation of music and to encour- age composers arid authors to grind out new materials. Most of the scribblers will be put to work dishing up copy for a new national guide-book, a 20th century American Baedeker, which will con- sist of five volumes and be sold on a cost basis. Other typewriter mechanics will be assigned to. the task of preparing a comprehenaive history of the relief program and of propaganda material. ' ' Resuming Burly Youngstown,. O., Sept. 10. Princess theatre here, for many years under the management of the iato Ralph Pitzer will reopen with a burlesque policy the middle of September. Clyde Boyer will man- age the hou.'.e, assi.stcd by Henry Prathcr, vet tab and burlesque p.ro- ducpr. Boyer and Prathcr liave made ar- rangements with Jack Kane., of in- dlan?.po!i.s. to switch prlnclpala every fgur Weeks.