Variety (Dec 1936)

1% VARIETY Wedne^da^t December 16, 1936 iiViGl pmANDELl.b Luigi irandello, Italy's fpi-ertipst dramatiq aietQr, died last LOTTIE lE^iCKFORD .Lottie. Plfckfojrd, 4i; scveen Star 6E tl\e siient days, and sister of Maiy iGtifoird, led in Brentwood, Cial;> Biec; , frbin lieatt attack.. She re- tired from, ^ictiires several year^ ago, lid had beeh in ill health two years; •John-Iiock; husband, and -character actor, survives. PRINCE KOKIN KoKin* Japanese juggler, who neiver used any other flirst hamfe, died ■ Chester, Pa.*: Use o* a '^fieart trouble' of long standing, He - had made his home there for many '■'years, v : • ■' Kokin was one of th6 outstand- ing jugglers ini the late '90*s and the loi-fepart ' of - this' century, ^notable principally for his work with the sticks atcl balls., He was a favorite oti t^e vaudeville circuits and made numbisr <i profitable trips to, Eti- roi^. He- played practically,, all ot thte yaudey^e spots .of his day. In recent yearis he. has beenccionduct-. iiig a stage, training school i.n Ches- ter w'ith his daughtei:, professipnaUy known as Migjaonef te KoWn, a stage ■ dancer- of' promise, who gave ut> V daiici tff WPi* with;^her hysband, the QViV>ieit^0A j iner of .Galettrs jhon|?ey^>v school was closed ibwo yeafji"Viagi> Wh^lf heart Anade \it impossible iiWf him to ^p^tinue, ■ ^ Hfr is swvived by hifr widow, Lil- Uani ifl^ Kokin, his second, wife, and , hi^ datighitert whbse m^^ EUa '••Mosel^y. ■' ' BANKS WINiEft Bank^ Winter;: 8T, Old-time inin- <sh^^^ died' iAv Reseda, Cal., D^c. |8; 'Enr|£iow>usly described as a 'burnt-cork tbmedian, . he w^ Snpwii as' singer; pne of those •silytir-volcedi. tenprs' without whpm |io minstrel grand circle was consldr* > eted complete.. - He sang "with most of: leadijag: miinstilel shows in his day and had toured with ^Jhauncey \Olc0tt find for Charles FJrohman at ' ii tihii when. Frbhman was. reigarded as one ol the top' minstrel men. AlwiUt 30 years ago he staged a yatidevilie cpmebiclc* largely tb in- troduce his daughter, Winona, bas- ing his appeal on the-«uthprshlp of VWhite Wings*: ('they never grow weai^*), l'0'ng' a favorite, ballad and still remeihbered. -He is said to have collected nearly $506,060 Jn royaltle* bh the song. . Miss( Witnteri, MOW J^^^ Sper, survives hiih. . JfOHN , DW^Elt Johh T. Dwyer, 59, character actor; led at . the St. ^ J^ hotel, New Vbvk, 6ec. 7.: He made hiis appearance in «di897 .With Richard Mansfield at '■'^ Boyd's bpera House in Omaha,: Neh- He played * several , of Frank Craven's plays; and with the .late jioibrbok Blinn; Ameli^ Bihghjatt, and,-Wilton likckaye. He Was with the Theatre Guild ih 'Saint Joan,' w and supiported George M. Cohan in .Several pf his qomedies. Mr, Dwyer also .played for;' 44 weeks i 'Shb !toves Me Not,' a had frequiehtly appear6d on the radio. ' ' " interment : in ' Catholic. Actors' Guild plpt in Calvary cemetery bin- der the Actbrs'Fuhd. herself With various stage-education? ar projects and at the. time of her death was. lecturer at Columbia Uni- versityv and draimatic.; director;' of the Ediicatibnal bramatic League;' She wais the daughter of Brigadier General George, Sheridan and the widow of Alfried Brooks Frye of the N. 'Y; Naval Militia. • ■ JDOOLITTLE ."Ted bboiittle, known to io listeners as "The Village Niitsmith,'; died recently ini a Miamii Fla., hos- pital as the result of spinal injuries received in a fall from a jetty at Miami Beach. Formerly associated with WA-Tt. Atlanta, and WQAM* Miaihi, Dpolit- tle had niade quite a name for him- self with, his 'sidewalk' and 'Nut-, smith- broadcasts.. He had been ahnburicer :for CKLW, * Windsor, Canada;, and ctther eastern stations before going souths M. JLOinSE JACKSON Ikifrs. M. Louise .JacksOn, widow of George W. Jaclaonj • fpr(rte^ mah- ager of ihe:..Mp?ifirtCthea^ npw the Strand, died at her home in Elthira Dec. 3. In iarly . life Mi^.. jacksoii spent .ievetal^seaspA road companies headed by Rose Stahl and Nate Leifingwell. Her last stage ijvork was in character roles with the Majestip, Pliayfers; inmira; A, sistier, .Theresa Blackwood, of Brppkljhn, .survives.' ^ ROBEfW TPATL6R^ Rpbert iPayipr> 53, actor who re- cently .iiihderstudied Maurice. Evans in 'St tteleha/. was killed in a gas explpsipn in his .apartment in New YPrk Dec. 9. The explpslbn is be- lieved to have, been'.caused by bis attempt to Pommii suicide by gas. No suieide note was left, hut it was understood that tHe dead man feared having to go on relief. He had for- merly. played extras in Hollywpisid with his wife, but came east- about a year ago to look for stagie' employ^ ment. CHARLES SALISBURT Charles * Salisbxiry^^^ B5, veteran roadshow and theatre manager, died ill Loi^ Anieles liec. Xi, Deceased managed Bastablie^ Syracuse, when S^m .Shub'ert: D/as treasurer and Jake Usher. Later tpok Shubert shows but bn road and.'managed such stars as Grace Van Studdifbrd, Walker Whiteside, Mclntyre and Heath, Faaline Frederick. On the Cobst he managed Fanchon^^ Marco units and for pia^t two years was hianager of the Mayan theatre^ iiisf widow survives. -The. agents handled services Dec. ODETTE TYLER Mrs. D. Shepherd; 6.5, profes-; siohally Odette Tyler, former actress; and prpminent :in Coast inusic circles, died becv 8 in Holly wood follbwihg ' a.- heart attack.. ' She; was one of thd organizers of thb Los Angeles Phil- harmonic. Orchestra, and .onertime ' chairman Of the women's committee p{ the L; A. Grand Opera assbciatipn, Deceased went ;on the stage at the age' of 16 in. a Gharies Frohman prdfr- diictibn.' Her last public appearance was - w;ith William Faiyersh.am in Shakespearean productions in. New York i 1913. At the: clpge of the World War she migrated tb 'Hollyr wood with-her husband> R. D. Shep- herd, veteran' actor, ^i^hp survivesi EMMA SHERiOAN FRYE Emma .Siheridan Frye, ' died ,in We^twopd, N. j.,; Dee:. an aotrcss she. received, her training ii» the Lyceum theatre stock and the Atnerican' Academy pf Dramatic ^^X\Si' attached thereto; She also ap- peared with the Bostpn Museum stock and with Richard Mansfield in this cpuntry and England. Retiring from the 'stage, she busied GEORGE S. BRANTLEY Geotge S, Brantley, 59, ioneer South Carplina theatre operator, died in a Durham, N. C., hospital Dec 10 after an illness of 30 days. He was proprietor of the first mo- tion, picture .theatre to .. open in Charleston. Funeral services' were held i South 'Carolina city Dec. 12. . His widbw, two twP brothers and- J sU^ Vive. months' illness. For 35 years'before jibining StewartTJprdan he had operated own: agency. "Wife and son survive. J. A. CANTOR , A. Cdntbr, 70, head of the Shpw Printing Co., died Dec. 13 in Lbs •Angeles. He was a theatrical and mUsic iprinter in New York for many .years.:' ':•■.-.. Was the father of Dayi > manager of the Park theatre here; WILL!AiW WOLFF William Wolff, 78, pne-time opr^ eratip basso and later Owner of the: Boston Theatrical Supply HpUse, died Deb. ,13. in Los Angeles. ROBERT M. JACKSON ; Robert M. Jackson, 58, fpr more than 25.years active in: Carolina fair lissbciatibhs,' " , at his home in Fayetteville, N. ., the night Pf Dec. 9i fbllpWing a heart atjacfc. . BALE RILEY ; rofessor A. Dale' Riley, , di- rector of dramatics at the T/niversity of Minnesota sihcb 1931, died after an iUness of'^three: weeks; CAESAR iHVOLI . Caesiar .Rivpli, 65, one of the lead ing' pirote^ii artists •vaudevilie, died Dec.- 4 in New York in his sleep, as the; result .of a heirt attack, iybli, after. years single, toured with the. late Meyer Golden's yaiide prpdUctlon,. 'Memories of. the Opera.' He worked iii the pit- dpihg comedy takerpflfs noted com- posers. He had been inactiye for the past si iDLAUi>E HANSiEN Claude Hansen, 46 years old, part- ner of H; 0. Mugridge, Of Minne: applis, in the ownership of a picture theatre at Bismarck, N. D., and the independent Celebrated film ex-, change, Minnieapblis, died from heart failure oh a train while en'roUte'to Bismarck from. Minneapolis. He had . been, ill here, for. several weeks. ■■■ SOL I>E VRIES Sol: De Vriesi, 63, long with the Shuberts as .box-office treasurer^, died of thirpmbbisi^ of , the heart and pne'u-, monla at the Polyclinic hospital," New York, Dec> 2i Details in legit;Section. HERBEft'7 MORRIS Herbert Morris,' 64, Stewart-Jpr- dan advertising agency executive, died Mpnday (7) of ilast. week at his hpme in Rivertpri, N. j., after ten PETER BIHORN Peter Bihorn, 68, composer sa- cired music, ted Dec; 13 in Los Anr .geies, F^niiie Bosenbetff, nibthei- of, illy Rose, died in New York last Wednes- day (9) from a cbmplicatibn. Rabbi did not appear ' on schedule and the funeral address was made; by the son; Surviving also are .the husband and twa' daughters, Miriam Stein and Polly Silyeirm.an.; . Mrs. .Susan Martha: Swbir, ^87, mother of Jim, Bert: and Jbhh Swor, yfell-knpwn miiistreis at her home in Dallas i^ci WiaoW of Sir W. S; Gilbert, libret- tist' to Sir Arthur Sullivan, died ih Harrow, England, Dec^ 13; She was 89. " Father of Sain BerkpwitZj, L. A:. Grand National branch manager, died there Dec. 11, the night of his golden wedding anhiversary. 'Mrs. ..Hortense Galllooy wife .of Paolo GaUico,. pianist, and mother of Piul. Gallicp, died in New York, Dec. 10... . B, jr. Maland, father Of J. O. Mal- and; manager of, WHO, Des Moiiies, died at his home in Elmpre, Minn., on Dec. 8.^ / Kenneth. Bertiram Lament, . 59, father of MoUy Lambnt, the English filni actress, died Npy. 15 at Dur- ban (Natal). . Mother Jack Wise; Warner Brothers stbck ftliayer,' led ' Dec.' 8 in Pittsburgh;: Harry C. jScluipilr,, 6i2, member of the old Memphis Philharmbnic. Or- chestra,; died. Dec. 9, 1936; Play9 Ov^t of Town Jonah im^ the Whale' (Cpritinu^d from page 60) representing a teacher and her two pupils, Who ask fpr it,, Jonah is ihot .always shown to best advantage. ; Prophet does a fair moral cleah-up ijob in his Own town, Gittah-Hepher, and rates rather highly there; but a. visiting traveling man; Bilshan^ hot from Ninevah and other gay spots of the bid world, treats him lightly, with the inference that this self-appointed missionary of Heaven is moire or less: a phoney. Jonah blurts, in defiance, that he: will shoot oyer, tb Ninevah ;directly and straighten out the joy spot. 'Aside from girding your loins, just what do you expect to do?' taiihts the wise-cracking salesman; lU: 'a fanfare, the harrassed. prophet sets pff from Gitta-Hepher for the big town; but outside the town he reneges and takes a galley ship^ headed in the opposite direc- tion.; Aboard , ship he bumps into BUshah, his tbrmentori who calls him pn the play; While benipanihg, his weakness,.; Jpnah -is surprised by a loquacious whale which pbps up out bf the ocean arid invites, him to a more lengthy chat In the near: future.. When the galley is nearly swamped by a tempest, Jonah inr teiprets it as art omen frPm Heaven and iriveigeis the passengers to toss hihi overboard,; *Np harm in. trying,* Bilshan sug- gests nonchalently.knd assists, in the pushover. : Sea subsides and, in the next scene, Jonah is found in the belly of the whale, greatly distracted by aiany days: of endless chit-chat with his 'host.? Whale asks permission to ship a few gallons of water, which ap^ parently regurgitates the undigested prophet. This miracle sets, him ofl^ determinedly tb. Ninevah, .where, at a woman's club tea, he predicts de- struction of the city in .40 days. He sits it out on a mountain top im Eupdias, a Gitta-Hepher girl who came to Ninevah alone when Jonah restrained her .from accompanying him. Their relatiohship is subtly undefined.: ' Prediction flops, ilshan taunts Jonah ohce more pn the mountain, and the dismiil ptpphet finally admits his heavenly credentials are ap- parently net quite the McCpy. Euo^ dias stands by loyally at the purtain. Dialog is modern, theme is^whim- sical,:and many situations areTiumpr- ous. . ' Captain of the galley invites Bil- shan to sit at his table; one of the clubwbmen talks like Gertrude Stein; and Jbnah has three yes-men in. sackcloth. ^ ' . Roles Of Jonah and: Bilshan are rich, and John Weld and Paul Kil- liam handle: theni with such finesse as is not always found in student dramatics. To Killiam, who last year over-mugged and bver-bgled >^n importtint role in a Harvard present tatibn of 'Wind and the Rain,' a sin- cere -nod > for restriiinirig himself. Dekiree Rogers handles the prihci^-; pal ferhme character nicely;; and Agnes LPve :as the teacher in the prolog and the Steihish clubwoman later^. gets hohprabje mention for ace cOmedy- Work ' Fox*. Plays Ahrpad JUUA (Continued, frplm; page 64) mate actress, in9luding such plays as 'Our Betters,' and theatrical, circles !were surprised with the announce- ment she Would :appear at Gpyent Garden in an ojperatic role. It. is not altogether fair to .iudge Miss Banherman's singing from the' first niight at this opera hbUse. She wias palpably Overwhelmed by the responsibility. Nevertheless, she re- veals a well-ordered technique. It is a performance of Unbrbken charm, to be enjoyed, and remembered. She plays with feeling and distinctipn and has nb difficulty in consolidating the position she has already Won for herself in the legitimaite, field. It is a. robust interlude to an other- wise slim ehtertainmeht. Her clear; diction is a technical accbmplishment of no: small proportions. Henry Wendon Svlth a well-trained operatic teiior voice, plays. the :male lead acceptably.; Comedy: is especially feeble, vbut even if. it were gbbd, it would be lost in the vast auditPrium, J6lo, MegVedtem Egy Asszonyt (Tve Protected a WoiuaiD') . .) Budapest, Nov. 26. Coineily In three acts by Janos Bpkay,, at BelvaroBl Theatre, Budapest.'- . ; : C^st: . Maria I^azar, Maria Mezey,. Antal Pager, Joseiph Barotl, lickszlo Z; Molnar.. YoUng man accidentally sitting ber side a married coUple at a table in a restaurant can't look on at the hus- band bullying his wife and, when the hUsbahd grows obnoxious, slaps his face. Woman he his thus protected is nothing to him, he has never seen her before and never wants to see her again, but no one will believe that;: public opinion compels , him to fight a duel with the husband, to figure in . the ensuing . divorce, to comfort, the distressed divorcee, and finally to marry her -and live ith her ever after. This first dramatic effort of a young novelist—play itself: . is .; a dramatization of one of his novels^ is clever, agreeable, showing'skill, routine and'literaiy ability. ,' Adniirabiy.. presented: by Maria Lazar arid Pager^ .the somewhat Chevalier-esque, charming .and . vpr^ satile ace of Budapest aihorbsos, iplay scored a. distinct success, and makes one look forward, to morb of his work. ■ Obii^ fiur Pets (Cbxitirtued from page D paries and Shepherd: dogs. As a final resting place rfor these animals there^'s :a pet cemetery here that doiBS a thriving business. ■ : Iri a recent pet obituary cplurriri of : the Holly wood Citizen^News, demise of three cats and tw:P ppoches were recorded-With all of the. endearriient' that might be expressed for a humari. Here are sortie of'the . it noticeis: 'Spotty—beloved black and whilie cat pf . Mrs, Alan DWart. Iriterred in crypt at Los Angeles Pet. certietery,;' 'Sherb —German s h e p.h e r d, 12 years old, dear to Mrs. William Le Hfarori. Interred in crypt at Los An- geles Pet Certietery.' 'Rpmbo 4-twb-year .:bl d. cocker spaniel ^wned by George Cukor, Cremated at pet certietbry.' 'Chico—Edna Murphy's 11-month old poodle. Crem.ated.', 'Pip Squeak—Cat, lo Vz years, old, belpnging tb Mr. and Mrs. Henry Brewer. Creniated.* Night Club'ikeviews COLLEGE^INN (Cpntinued frprti page 58) thrpughout the bill with some work- ing routines. After thp usual rUn of one-tworthree-kick . rPutines which have beconie the stamp of the ruh- pf-.the-mill: chPrus lines in cafes, this line's work - on the Web and with foils, and general acrobatics, is n'ote- Wprthyi: in the act .iihe-up are Jerry and Turk, who have been wbrkihg. pretty: cpnsistehtly arbUrid the town's riite- ries; and- over well here with their knockabout dancing. Harriet DeCJoft is the femme singer with the orches- tra and in the shPw she does a cap- able vocal jbb, Marigins are a couple of huskies in a hand-tb-hand rou- tine, a little slbw but okay for this sort of work and young looking. Two outstanding clicks are the Calgary Brps; 'and Rufe Davis. Teani's. drunk and fall-down stuff is great, here. Davis isbcks oyer with his hill-billy mohblbg and comedy imitatipn^ There's also Alphonse Berg and his draping act, just right for a floor show. Show runs like a Vaude bill and the acts.have dbne little to rearrange themselves frbni their vaude to cafe routines.. Show.indicates rtiore than, anything how much the cafes of to^ day are approximating the old-time music hall and, giving .the people the variety bills Which (hey aren't get^ ting in the ^theatres* Final flash htimber on the show is an Esquire stunt . With the ihag's cover as a background .and., two car- toon characters impersonated by the chbi-us' girls—rthe Petty girl arid the Major Pop ; Eyes; Characters are dpne by haying, the girls wear huge hats;. With their bodies' made, up as the faces of the characters. Girls wear two large cbcbahuts, pointed blue, to serve as the eyes. Good flash finish'.' Gold..! CROSVENdR HOUSE Londbn, Dec. 4. Music Corp. pf America presents a $4,000 suipper-tlme show at .Grpsvenor HPuSe. Prpgram describes It as 'LPU Hbltz CWith David Burns) and the all stfkr revue.*: As it is a straight variety show, ^ plus the ni.ci stuff by Holtz, the word 'reViie' must have been - introduced to make it mPre difficult, It ran 70 .minytes when caught; and will vary withv each perforrtiance, depending iippii how many stories and gags Holt? will perpetrate on respective nights. It was an education: ih itself to watch, a smart night life audience's first eontact with Holtz. He offered nothing brilliant, bul his audacity fascinated the late diners. Each time he appeared he has a different methbd of attack, and, each time it culminated in a stranglehold. There was no'escaping hini; The Pther tUrns cbnsist pf . Maripn and Irma, pair pf neat Ippking, youthful acrobatic cohtortibnists with ^n attractive routine, whb-T'e- cently: appeared in a Cpchrah rbvue. They are followed by Florence Mayo, who is hilled here with 'Felix the Horse.' The authorities did not like the horse to be called Pansy, so the name was changed. Jackie Heller's .rhapsodic vocalizing' quickly endears him to the customers, whb finallv let hirri depart after about half: a dozect nunibers. Dario and Diarte, ballroom dancers,, billed as *dirett .frbm CocoartUt Grbve, Lbs Angeles,' complete the roster with a splendid routine which ; could not help but please a cabaret audience.. Every act, in fact, is a hit^ even Felix, the Horse, follOwinnr 40 years., of such aii act by the Griffiths Bros.^ who have ' been doing, it for that ferigth of time over heu . . But it's Hbltz whb keeps the thing going at •a pace commensurate with that style pf entertainment. ' An; excellent cabaret shoW; Gbvernbr Glinton; (NEW YORK) ,. HoStielry steps orit with a flourish in booking a flashy girl contingent fpr rt\Usic chores in the grill. Ri ta Rib handleis the baton; Spot, located in Pennsy R. R. depot area, bids fbr transient: trade. And the Rio girl gives therii sohiethirig to remember. Girl's knowledge of clefs and tonal ^ finish may.hbt be so hot, but her hiji slinging arid .tprsb accents, are;, Shd' changes . her formal •:garb several ;times ,a night; each sti-eam-rliried out- fit.stressing the sequin or biespangled., nibtif for: eye-filling, effect. ' ', Personnel is ' quietly: dressed ,in. ; black satih. .Deportnierit also'played down, to contrast the leader's caper. Miss Rip hails from vaUde, niterles and; a few Hollywood pictures. She sings riow arid then, revealing a rather yolUmiribus voice for such a sriiall performer. But i t's thie mbve- rrients that put her oyer. Grill on: street: floor level i . inti- mate in layout; in .comparison With- the 'usual downstairs restaurant. Small terrace leads to the fiool-, Qi-^ chestra" is framed in drapes. Spit greens and . painted window boxes embellish ' the' general decorative scheme. Low cover assessriieiit after 10 p. m. Btah