Variety (Oct 1936)

VAUDE-NIYE CLUBS Wednesday, October 7, 1936 CHI VARIETY IS MOSTLY IN NITE CLUBS; Impressive Array of Vaudeville Acts-^Managerial Yen to Reinstate .Couvert Charges Prompts 'Em to Line Up Strong Shows .-' Chicago, Oct. 6. • Greatest array of talent booked into, the local niteries for the open- ing of the new season is additional evidence that the "niteries have" taken .the place of the theatres as the" va- riety time of today. ■'• With the agreement among hotel ^fcafes to institute 'cover charges, the ■ hotels have decided that they have to give the. .public something for that down ..payment and - they have . jumped into variety entertainment with; both feet; tybt only" are they combing the regular domestic mar- ket for talent, .but are. even turning *to Europe, and through the estab- lished talent, agencies are bringing in a large number of. foreto novelty. : acts. With the nite. clubsar out- let, it marks .'the first 'time that the ' Euri>peaiv acts . are finding a real' change to earn coin in this country since vaude- started its decline six. years ."age. . .. . " Show set for the .College Inn, Hotel .Sherman, which/ opens late this .month, reads like, a regular va* riety bill of .1928. On . the . bill are Gertrude .Hoffman girls, Calgary Bros., Speck'and Spot, the Nagfysl Rufe. Davis, Howard the. Hoop- Thrower, . Four Southland . Rhythm. Girls, Harriet DeGoff, .Miss America of 1936 and the. four . runhers-up. Also -will use ' four . regular circus clowns. Plus the Roger Fryor or-, chestra. This show tops the.brdinary vaude- ville, bill presented at the theatres in. Chicago; nowadays, So much so that vaude houses hereabouts are talking of stepping up their own stage shows to .meet. this nite club competition. At the new Urban Room of the Congress the show; opening on Oct. 11 will be headed by Connie. Boswell, Two Eileens, Embassy Fenny , with Enrico and Novello as dancers. Plus two acts to fill, one of which will be comedy,, and Casa Loma orchestra. - Georges and Jalha, who bowed put of the Empire Room of the Palmer House because of-a billing squabble; will top the show at the Mayfair R*iom of the Blackstone starting Oct. 23.. Others on the bill are Corinna Mura and Ethel Dixon, .with the Al Kavelin orchestra on-the bandstand. . Blackhawk has always gone.along on -a minimum of. talent, but this year' is : spreading^.on. its floor show, With Romo Vincent, Billy and Ruth Ambrose; Jerme • and ■ Louis Prima's orchestra. - Drake hotel has Roy Campbell's Royalists, Gower and Jean, Pat OMalley and Dick Jergens'. orches- tra; Stevehs>has Gary Leon and Mar- cia Mace, Serge- Picar. and Xavier Gugat's orchestra. Keller. > Sisters and, Lynch head the "show at the Yacht Qlub; Bernard and Henri top the new bill at the ^Alabam; Jimmy Savo, Georges Metaxa, - Readinger Twins, Stewart -Morgan Dancers make up the variety end of . the Chez Paree show'with the Henry- Busse Orchestra; Ted- and Mary Taft,- Four McNallie Sisters, Bert Granoff, Gret- chert Lee and -the . Phil -Levant or- chestra at the Bismarck^ Dick and Edith Barstow,. Five Wonder Girls are the- type of standard vaude acts the Edgewater Beach is using. He's Been Too Nice The other 'night' one of the most successful cabaret operas tors in New . York asked his legal advisor, in all seriousness, 'What do"you think we ought to- do in the new'spot (which he's building); treat-'em polite" as we've been doing here or make • it real tough? s That Blank club and John Wh'oozis' joint down the street insult .'em and have the .meaner est bunch of captVins. at the door, and I'll be a sunofagun if they don't make 'em like it. They give the chumps nothing and the take. is $2,000 a day average.. 'So maybe. we've been top darn nice to the suckers.'. Ethel Shutta Resting Before Again Soloing Ethel Shutta (Mrs.. George Olseh) is slated for either the Paradise or the Versailles niteries in New .York in a. month ,or .two. Songstress must first take a month's vacation since quitting as. a member of her husband's orchestral, organization; Latter opened this week .at the Gibson hotel, Cincin- nati, with-a new band under : him,, formerly the late Orville Knapp's organization. -3, Mickey Mouse Stage Unit Talked With Singer Midget Aid Los Angeies, Oct. 6. Mickey Mouse and his contingent of friends are being set for a twirl on the stage. M.D. (Doc) Howe, for- merly of Fanchon & Marco's book- ing, office, is arranging with Walt Disney, to stage the flesh- shows ir indie houses. • . Leo Singer, now,ill in San Diego. Is being contacted tb provide a'group of Singer Midgets.for the trick. . Those, involved'in show, are con- templating giving it-plenty of enter- tainment value as, direct competish for established .film theatre flesh spots.. • . . . 0PP0SISH IN AKRON Loew's. 1st Vaude in a Tear—Ted Letyls . vs. 'Folic Parlslenne' Former Greenwich Village Inn, now the Village Casino, opens to- night (Wednesday) with floorshows to be changed' twice monthly. • Akron,. Oct. 6. - First major downtown stage- op- position in several-years-hits town Friday. (9)- when Loew's and the Palace will offer .units in- addition to the . regular film programs. It will be the .first stage for Loew's in more than a.year. Ted Lewis opens at the Palace for four days, coming, in from Mayfair Casino, Cleveland. Loew's, for a full week, against'Lewis "at-the Palace, has -'Folie- Parjsipnne,' also * coming from Cleveland. Marcus Show in Chi Oriental for $5,000 Chicago, Oct: 6. ' A. B. Marcus show, returning to the midwest after -nearly a year's absence, is booked for the Balabah & Katz Oriental Oct. 30. ' Price reported at $5,000. he THEATRE of the STARS BOOKING AGENCY GENERAL EXECUTIVE OFFICES LOEWBLDG. ANNEX 160 WEST 46™ ST. NEW YORK diyahi 9-7800 Chi's. Congress Hotel Changing Nitery Tag • Chicago,'Oct. 6. It has been decided to open the new Congress hotel nitery under a new tag. Formerly known as the Urban Room, it will. relight next week as the Casino. New' room is nearly tvyice as large as the former Urban Room. . ' ' Howard Hohl, p.a. of the Ralph Hitz hotel organization in New York, arrived .in town to join local p.a. Renee "Howard on the publicity. $35,000 Hollyhock Garden Fire Under Investigation Warren, Oj, : Oct 6. A $35,000 Are swept the lower floor of the. Hollyhock Gardens', which had been dark since last fall. Fire department officials reported the fire started from ,oil-soaked rags, and are investigating. They; had a.' report that a man had been .seen running from the building shortly before ah explosion started the flre\ ' . The. spot, until last spring, had been operated by Jim Muhse'ne of Cleveland. • Plans were .under., way to reopen the club next, month. Sarah Churchill's Double Act with Vic Oliver on B^ay, $1,500 Sarah Churchill, daughter of Eng- land's one-time Prime Minister, and her. fiance, Vic Oliver, standard vaude single, have been booked into Loew's State, N. Y., opening Friday (9). Pair are currently , at Keith's, Boston (Miss Churchill's first theatre date in the U. S.), but aren't drawing any biz. . ' Miss Churchill, according, to the Simon. agency, .will not draw any salary for the State engagement. Oliver, however, whose previous salary at the State was $575, will get $1,500. Probable that this salary is for the team, though, with Miss Churchill wanting to keep her earn- ings secret for unknown reasons. - - In England, Miss-Churchill worked as a chorine. She came over here a couple of weeks. ago with the avowed intention of marrying Oliver, .against the vigorous objections from her socially and politically promi- nent English family. ■ Network Sponsors (Continued from page 43) Vaude Out for 'Zieggy/ Then Doubles, at Marbro Chicago, Oct; 8. . . Balaban & Katz's Marbro drops vaude temporarily Friday (9) be- cause of 'Great Ziegfeld' (MG). Vaude has been on a week-to-week at the Marbro. for some time in anticipation of a switch to double features. According' to present plans, twin bills will go into effect the first week in November. EDDIE MEYERS. WEST Hollywood, Oct. 6. Edwin Meyers, New York agent, is due here Oct.' 15 to become' asso- ciated with his brother in the Kingston-Meyers agency. ' Meyers, prior to establishing his Broadway office, was associated with the William Morris office. Nancy Noland Com. Frank Hawks Allan Joslyn Ml.lt. Rittenberg Or HKAI.TII . PRODUCTS 6 |>.m.-Sun-WOR. 'Amnteur, Night' Benny Rubin Arnold Johnson Oi 'Woi. Esly r I.K11N * FINK 1 p.ni.-M' to F- W'GN 'Life of Alary Solhern' .Mlnabelle Abbott "Lennen & Mltcnell -L-OCAL DEPART- MENT STORE • 9- ii.m.-Thur-WOR ■ 'Mornlnp: Matinee' Al Goodmav Dorothy Mackalll ' Bortlna Foltis James Hall •Dorlanrt T,ITHERAN l-4:30-3u-WT.W •Kelly Stahlman McFADDEN PUHS. 10 n.m.-Tu-WOR Bernarr Marfadden ♦Lennen &. Mitchell 0:S0-Tu-WI.W. 'True Deti'ctlve' Mysteries' MKXKEN 10-Mon-WOR 'Famous Jury Trials' Harold Cai-r Eileen Palmer Sidney Skm Lutse Squire Rlltel Kent Franklin Blngman Don Morrison Louis 'Levy Chas Dohenty Bess McCanimon Harry. Lang Richard Keith •Kies wetter SSS CO. (SSM- Tnnir) 8!30-W-WMV 'The Alnslo Box* Gills Frakes ■ Harold Carr Nina Paisley' V Maruccl Oro' *Johnf>nn-DalHa • SQfl.tD (Tooth t>nwd««r> . 10:30 n.n>,-,M-W F- WiW '< ale'nflar Mclo-.dy' Raa Oler.»dorf -. Leonard .Tqv Ore' •Gpycr, C. & N. WANDER CO. 'OvnlMn.N 3-M to F-WflN 'Molly of Movies' • Ray Jones Henrietta Tedroe Catherine Cnmnbell Jeanne Juveller fClrny Haw lie riene Dyrnn •WASEV I'ROD, 3 n.»»i.-7:S0 n.m.- Sun-Mnn-Tn-Weil-'' Frl-WOR J" cob Tarshlsh "r-hp Lamplighter* •I3r\vln Wosey Warners-Musicians Widens; Union May Ask AFL Help J . H . L U B IN GENERAL MA NAGER -> SIDNEY H. PIERMONT BOOKING MANAGER Philadelphia, Oct. 6. Parley between musicians' union and Warners today adjourned with- out reaching an agreement. Union officials, following adjournment, an- nounced they would picket all Warner Bros, houses in Philadelphia, and if necessary" they would attempt to pull out union projectionists and other American Federation of Labor members. They made it plain that they would seek the co-operation oi other unions 'only as a last resort. The musicians' union' is standing pat on demands for two days of work in nabe hbuses, but announced willipgness to reduce number of men in pits for these theatres if granted this, 'point. The deadlock between the man- agement and. musicians' union irre- sponsible' for abandonment of the Stage ^policy both 'at the Earle and fox. < Latter house was recently taken over by Warners. . Previously the Warner executives refused to meet with the union. As a result of this attitude, Local 77 brought the matter to the attention of .the Mayor's Labor Board, which has acted unofficially thus far. It is understood, this' board pointed out, that unless the dispute was settled, other locals ■ of the American Federation of Labor might join the musicians, tying up theatres via projectionists, etc. Principal difference between War- ners and the musicians' local does not involve the Earle but neighbor- hood theatres playing vaudeville. The local wants its members em- ployed-two days per week instead of one. It also seeks the addition of one man at the Roosevelt, Frank- ford and Nixon theatres. Further demands include use of five men at the Oxford and a separate band at the Tower. ' N. Y. WARBLERS IN AGAIN ■ It'll be another, socialite songstress battle, in New York this fall.' . .Eve. Symington, Senator Wads- worth's '. daughter, returns' to the field, at the Waldorf-Astoria the end of. this month. .Meantime the Hotel St., Regis' former King Cole room, redecorated into the Iridium, gets the jump by booking in Mrs. Alex- ander Cochrane .Forbes, the former Irene Helen (Sunny) Robbins. It's her . a professional debut. Mrs. Forbes is. the daughter of' the late Warren Delano Robbins and related to .President Roosevelt.' . ." . Miss-Robbins is in her early. 20's and one of the few s.a. socialites in the nitery belt. While it's her sing- ing, debut with Emil Coleman's or- chestra, she's a standard cigaret ad and couturier's model.- . Other nite club chanteuses from the Park ave. belt in the N. Y. nite spots ini the past two years have been Virginia Uppercu, Timmie Dobbin, Helen Dudley Curran, Florence Weicker,. Christiana Torlonia (Mrs. Daniel Lord), Sara Churchill, Addie Moffett, Lois, Elliman, Gay. Adams, "Marjory Logan, Mrs.. William K. Stewart, Jr. ■ ■ Washington,. Oct. 6. Latest recruit to nitery entertain- ment field-from .a social register is 'Sunny' Robbins (Mrs.- Alexander Cochrane Forbes), who bowed in last Friday. (2) in cocktail lounge of Washington's Mayflower hotel. Three weeks ago Mrs. Forbes ap- peared on ~ Bowes program as an ether amateur, and the p.a.'s of period certainly missed a swell stab of publicity when they did not learn that the singer is related to Presi« dent Roosevelt, her late father, War- ren Delano Robbins, having been a second cousin of F. D, R. Under- stood that Mrs. Forbes did not let a leak on her relationship to' the Prez, and will not trride on it dur- ing' professional career. N. Y." will get a peek at the song- stress Oct. 14, when she will appear at the benefit for Musicians' Emer- gency Fund at opening of the new Iridium Room df. St, Regis hotel. Mrs. Forbes was asked to appear by her friend,. Mrs. Vincent Aston Maestro No-Like Road, Opening Own Nitery Kansas City, Oct. 6. • Buddy Fisher late this month will open a night spot in the old Gaiety theatre building to be known as •Buddy Fisher's.' Band leader says he's had enough of the road\ Fisher is buzzing with plenty of other ideas, among them an agency, publicity bureau and a music school. Irving Burns is associated with Fisher. Saranac Lake By Happy Benway Beatrice Lee took the 'nerve' op to a nice comeback. Bryan Tracy, box office rmigg,. sat through the neumolisis thing to good results. Garry Sidgreaves, Brooklyn mana- ger, knocked the second stage of the 'riB' oke. cut for the full count; he's also Camile Carpentier, who did a va- cash ozoning here, about ready to RKO Boston theatre-it," leaving this hard winter stuff behind. Jack Hirsch, Boston and New York first-nighter, who has done so much for the theatrical ozoners, here handing out h»ji'dful of cheerfulness. • First snow hit us, and uppers are now hitting the bed routine, meaning flannels, double socks, woolen pa- jamas and bath robes, electric pads, heavy woolen, blankets and more woolen blankets. Man, it's cold. Jerry Vogel candies the showfolks up here semi-monthly. The gang ap- preciates it. Murray Salet all broken up over the killing of his pet pup by a truck. Besser in Unit Joe Besser is ah added starter for the 'Centennial Follies,' RKO re- questing him to bolster the unit's comedy. ■Besser joins the unit Friday (9) in Troy, split week, with Schenectady to follow.