Variety (Jul 1938)

50 VARIETY LEGITIMATE Wedh^sdaj, July 20, 1938 Inside Stuff-Legit Sirawhat Reviewi Evening belfgre higli requiem mass was held ' .Louis Ohms, treasvirer j of ihe Empi^e,.■N^y., who died last week, special Elks services were^ con- ducted. Aithough he had been inact absented to the rites, for 'once an .ElIk, on the board of the. Treasurers clpb for years, Biixoilice man, in addition .to his. heart ailment, had Ijeen under treat- nionl for a stomach disorder but \vas. believed to, be ,in fairly good, condi- tion until he suffered three strokes in two days; He had also, had cataracts of the eyes and might have gone blind within two years. Last season was the poorest for the Martin Beck,' . . Y.; since the' theatre; wa.s built 'House drew, a succession of Bops, but for'the coiiiing season, the prospects .are much stronger. House seems assured of hefty, grosses with the b'Oyly Carte's .Gilbert,and Sullivan operettas coming late Jri the fHll, and again in'the spring,; when the British atlraciioh will be. quartered thire after a tour. The Beck should get dtf to a strong start with a repeat date of 'Victoria Regina,' which goes into the house for one month, starting Oct. '3. iJuririg it's original riin 'Regina' was spotted; in a Shubert -theatre (Broadhiirst).', MARCH WITH ME (Gontin''>d from page la) author, is really. Theodbr'? St.'John, 3 Ws For Vaude Units (Continued from page 44) ive n the .{roup, the grand lodge who plays leRdin«_ role, of a |Cion of • aiwove nii Elk' Ohms had been '"'"""ooat"; Spsmsh family. St. John ., always an ilk. UJims naa oeen „ boiated in.the writing of.'9 Pine The toiirihg Tobacco R.bad' is ori- a limited stock basis, having opened at the Strand, Syracuse,-recently under the manageinent of J. J. Leven- thal, who has started a five-stand summer.; stock .wheel. Other spots include Atlantic City and Brighton Beach.: Deal Calls for arrangement between Levehthal and Sam H. Grismaii, who has been operating 'Road' since its'inception. After thait period, the rights, revert to Grismao. ■ •Road' will tour again:next season. Original shoAv is still current at the Forrest, N. Y. ' . . - " Youngster Harold Rome tried to sell some songs to Billy . Rose a couple of years ago, blit after he had sung, several tunes the pint-^sized, producer, stopped him and advised.Kith to go back-to schooli .-Rome kept oii, how-; ever, and recently tiurned in a. full score for 'Pin.s and Needles/ now clicking on Broadway' and: currently in Lbs Angeles. ' Rome now has a new musical in; rehearsal for Max ;Gordon. , FeW. days ago Rose went backstage to see. him, not recognizing nor remembering the author, and- aokcd for a couple of numbers. Rome said okay, bui 'cash on the line.'': Broadway insiders, are laugiiing over an ;inc!dent connected with the sailing of Burgess, Meredith recently. - Former acting liead of Equity was supposed to embark with Jed Harris, from whom he is repuited to' have borrowed $1,500, an advance on salary, should he appear next season in one oc the manager's shows. - - Serenaded by a Haarlem swini; band, Meredith ^departed a week ahead of time, accompanying Guthrie McClijitic, . for Whom, he appeared in- 'The Star Wagori' last season. ; . William Janney, the actor, who ;died at Saranac recently is not Billy Janney, son of RiisseU Janney,; the legit producer. ^ Latter and family have been receiving inessages.of condolence:; • ^ianage^'s .son played the title role in George Tyler's 'Tommy.' After that he appeaired in many, films, l>ut at present is East on the radip; He may appear on the,-s.toge again; i'n a-play to be t)resehted: by the elder Janney and due in the fail. Street', and has also turned out stich solo effort.? as 'Adam's Wife' and •Distant Shore,' Current -fable centers around character of Andres de Branca' y Fahjul. shown in 1931. as instigator bf the fascist moveiiient in; Spain. However, he is shot-by anarchists and loses his rh'embr",; Thbuph still ir. grip of amnesia, he gradually be- Siiis to■ see things from the side of: the underdog. When the, Franco rnbellibn explodes, the aristocrat th-'oWs his.weight, with the Loyaliste. -L'ater^'havihg fought with both forces, he feels he can no longer see eye to eye with-either faction, and tiiat no matter .low the war turns out, Spain is dobitied to years of futile internecine strife. It's a.-plague oh both your houses' ending not likely to ' find ' favor with either Loyalist or Rebel sympathizers in this country.; , St. John handles his difficult act- ing role adequately, while Margaret Barker,- as Antonia, delivers a tense performanr'e. Gordon Nelson brings a certain dignity to the part , of Andres' 'father jnd Grace Coppin plays the mother iii muted fashion. ■ Story is slow to build in the flrsl. act and rhak-ss its points' rather laboriously. . Direction by Alexander Ivirkland passes muster, considerin;? difficulties involved.; Because, of theme, as well as hokey plot, 'March with Me' must be rated dubious stuff Xorllhns., _____ -Pa«'- RINGSIDE SEAT Woodstock, N. Y., July 16. roiiisJy-meludi-aiiia 111 iKrce ut-ts by I.coii- !ii-<l l.lf. Dii-ocli'il by Riir«8 Willlli>», sel- ling l.yAlbfiit V'Wwurd .Miniken,- At .N*w WiiodsiocU playhouse, Woodstock, N. Y-. .luly J-1, ';ia. wbrnout cables, rotten rope lines and cover-'jp unprotected lights.-The stage and apron should be kept'well mopped and' the draperies brushed and vacuumed. Jacob A. : Weiser,,^ho'conducts a drama course at the College of the City of New 'Sfork, is again out on a solitary tour of the country. He. V/as once a. talent scbitt'for Metro atid' continues in that, field a$ a free lancer for stage and. screen. Itinerary, calls for lecturer: in little theatres arid colleges, where summer courses arei :Conducted. David.'Burns is visiting New York after appearing-in London musicals, for the past two and olie-half' year^.; Principal object of the trip is to, see his mother. ; He's signed for another'London sHow, 'Come Across,' to be produced by Jack Waller in the fall. Returns aboard the He de France July 2K ■ '" ■■ • " ' ' • Mr. IlliiRhRirt. •fi^nny, ».. Tullic.,... .,. PUillp.Moii Siftvev.s-.-.., Altii. B.ui-ion..... 1. Illi7.cltbn..^.. tlrcenp.'. }raii!:ell Ori-(n SlulgiH Ali'H. SlurglH, Mnry.,...; ^• Wlnuion..; * llnderkakei-.;... . .; ynny .,.•< N-lrod^iiiuH. MVD. Nlcodenuis:.,. ...Hanndm Clark . . .. ..Vatliin K. sutler :.Hurry Tfouiiu John Habborion, Kduard; Fran>! , .VeliiiH Tloylon ..... Pelcr Adams (Jeori;e Ovnrtnn . . ,Fi-aflk::itot1ic ..., .Paul Wilson Kli™belh Berliely ....Belly Mai:dohnld ..........Teori Karrei-e . Floblii Batcheller ........;Kobert Duka .I.ewla Sawyffp, .....,. .Rady - Carr profit for the tlieatre. On such shows as ban Fitch's 'Big .Apple Re- vue,' .'Vaughn; Riuhardson's . 'Pjne Ridge Follies,' Aldrich's 'Imperial Hawai.ians' and Flo Nickerson's all- girl show, we had, sbmelhihg differ- ent to offer the-public, and these at- tractions did leal business. The straight vaudeville iiniti con-, slsling of five or six .Vaudeville,acts | season on a small unit, becomes a slapped in front of a mediocre five. I f"! «.ro"P<^'-- Ssyerar peWormers, siappca ID 1 . \ _ . mcluding. some, chorus .girlsi. whom piece-orchestra, is through as far as v^e^ haVe had on small units-in the Afthe present time-there seems to be little hope for the development of new talent except in the smaii unit This fact should, help, unit producers in securing youthful talent, The life i j hard: the night travel by car br b'us I is extremely uncomfortable, but a' ' would-b2 performer, who spends Management, judging from, audience reaction' ofThe'Two Bouquets,' which closed ait tlie Windsor. K. Yv last ,week,- believes; the imported play with music would have had a bright xbarice had it gone on earlier in the season, instead of the'suminer. At the flnale performance Satuirday (16), the players Were given 10 curtain calls. dixie; NEGRO REVUE, CLICKS IN COAST BOW Hollywood, July 19. 'Dixie Goes Hi-Hat,' first all-Negro revue prbduceil oh the Coast in year.s, debuted Sunday .(17) at the Wilshire Ebcll theatre. Charles K. Gordon produced and coauthored the book with P. E. Miller. Otis ahd.Leon Rene contiributed music and lyrics. It's, a fa.st,' entertaining musical, with the best work turned in by Mantan Moirelarid;" comic. Shows Out 'Room Service' terminated at the Cort, N. Y., last week after 61 weeks. Opened on eve of 1937 summer, with \vsekly grosses often oyer the $14,000 mark until late winter, when they began to drop. Total grosses were 5689,000. Den/fiiUer-Hayward N/Z. Fold; Claim Reorg Auckland, N, Z., July 4. j Sir Ech Fuiter; has erhphactically , denied that the F.ulier-Hayward | grgup will fold in this territory. He lias .said that the entire t,r6up win i be reorgani::cd with, new '•ao tal. | Opposition to .Williamsoi and F-H now comes from' the MoodTbu circMit. in which 20th-Fox-Hoyts >re repoi l- ed intcrcslcd. Doubttul it: the oppo- sition will, be harmful, becn'!<,e 't's said the New Zealand ^overnm'^n; would hot pci'mit a lionic unit ocing wiped out. ROOiM SERVICE Opened May 1», 1937. Critics w,ere unanlmoas; In Ubelinc thU Georj^e Abbott comedy a sUyer. jpUn Anderison (Jour- nalrAmerican) 'caara.nteed It would -'Ihrow any playgoer, who can still work his siAiie , piusclesy into' ..the aisle' ,with iaa;hter;' AtkiDson' (Times) said, , *'Service* seems lilie In- spired; raolishiiess. done with, enormous skill and, gnsto by-a matchless troupe of buffoons.' Variety (Kauf), 'Should last a co'odly liine on Broadway.' 'The Two Bouquets' dropped out at tfie; Windsor, N. Y., Saturday 06) too after seven week-<!. Play with mu.sie was liked but failed to draw enough pationage, with the : heal slowing.-jt tip steadily for the final Ihie.e weeks. Good idea written for plenty of laughs and authentic excitement Trial fans,, flocking-from one murder case to another, find, themselves messed up in a whodunit of their own. Locale is the lobby of the hick. upsUte hotel where they, have as- sembled for the case of Harry Biir^ ton, charged with the killing of a roidhouse contralto. Defense attorney is shot in a tele- phone booth by agents of a Phila- delphia politician who tacked the spa for : his sweetie. .The nation's champion ;court fan, who follows crime in. a trailer,, tumbles, upon the only .evidence which will free. Bur- ton, but, the authorities discount his contribution. None seems to want: to inVblve the Philadelphia tycoon ainy- way. A reporter: finally digs up a missing witness, .. who incriminates :the real murderer. Witness is then shot down. ' Story is isafe -melodramatic struc- ture fbr the parade of a lot of fa- miliar courtroom regulars who every year send dozens of small county seats to heights of false prosperity. America's trialgoers have been wit- tily caricaturedf and Orrin Sturgis, the champion of them all, has the makings of another 'Oiwin' Trow- bridge ('Three Men on a Horse') or Aubrey Piper (^The Show Off'). Program lists Leonard Ide as sble author, but it is reported that Philip Dunning coUabbed. Playwright-pro- I ducer was noticed at opening. Pro- gram also had Paul Wilson in the role of the marathon, spectator. Part ' was actually played-by, Rufus Phil- i lips, who will produce 'Ringside Seat' i in "New York. Phillips, here to try I out. two .scripts, took; Over the part I in rehearsal aiid did a swell job. Comoariy of 40'. with Hannam Clark, 1 as boomslruck proprietor of the hotel, nutstandihe. Play is likely for picture adaptation. Woodstock .Playhouse (one of two summer stands in this Cat-skill^ art center) was capacity Saturday nielit (10) when play, was caught. Doul. ■we are concerned. Sameness - has killed this :type of show.- /And; it was this very saiVie. SAMENESS that destroyed interest in Vaudeville in the 1920's :and caused vaudeville the- atres to go s.iraight film. Theatre patrons are tired of looking at the same, acts year in and -year oiit knowing exactly what is coming next in the act;s rbutine. In another five years, when the youngsters of today are 'old enough to become'"regular theatre 'patrbns, this type of show may come- back. Now it is as obso- lete as a stable iivDetroit!- What to Do* ■What, then, are the producers of srpall units to; do? And what stand are the theatres ti.at need these, in-; expensive shows to -take? First, we will take the producer. Before stai^tihg production oh a ;unit, he should first haye; a de'finile idea behind his show; This, idea may be ai theme that Itnits the show;tog-sther, such as. the birth .of the big apple In, the South and its evolution.. Or the idea may be a personality strong enough to caxty . a. show - around whom the'show is built. -It rhay be a locale in which the show takes place (such as Hawaii, Mexico, Paris, etc., the producer making sure that the talent aiithentically; fits the locale), It may be a novelty, such as a show composed entirely of girls, or of the type of Pine Ridge Follies. But be- fore the Rro,ducer, starts, he.rn.iist;aisk aind find a sound answer to this ques- tion: What is: niy reason for produc- ing' this show? And where: he for- nierly prbduced • two ahoWs, he should now confine his efforts to only one shbw. He should get as much YOUTHFUL talent as possible and. above all, HAVE AT LEAST ABSOLUTE SOCK ACT. ■ While his show is ■ in: rehearsal. He should equip himself with plenty of AUTHENTIC photographs* several good-trailers (but not filled 'with su-. perlatiyes),' an,, ample- quantity; of scene and. ad iriats. arid PRINTED; OR MIMEOGRAPHED liilling and press sheets. Such billihi; and press sheets can be printed cheaply. Pro- ducers should remember that: no matter-how good their sfiow is the theatre manager, miist; have ample advance exploitation material, or it cannot be properly sold.. Nothing makes a theatre manager mor», angry than liot to get such tnaierial in plenty of time, or to get inaccurate material. South are now making good in Hol- lywood and New York; • Theatres, ot course, pirefer names. But .the cost of names, due to their scarcity, has become so high that only, the larger towns can; book them. There is, therefore, hope for the little show provided the,producer and the theatre manager siijcerely .cooperate and despite tlie fact that the i^ictui-e now looks so gloon.y. , RKO Reorg Plan (Continued from page 3) Futore Plays ■rrimro.se Path,' by Robert Blick-1 ner ,11 id Walter Hart will be-pio-j duced-.by George - Abbott after he presents his-Rodgers and Hart mii.'ci-1 C.I I. 'Coniedy of - Errors.' Skeddvd i tui a pi eerti about Christmas. 1 TWO BOUQUETS Opened May 31;: 1938. jority of- fl'rst strlnKcrs greeted this with polite approval. Rich- ard watts, Jr. (Herald Trib) .-M It was 'an amiable and at-; tractive Slimmer show.' Richard Xockridse (Sun) said, 'It is 'feather.v' without; quite beinj; ja,v.' A'^riet.v (Hobe); "Serms deslintd to' wilt on BroariWay.' 'Angel,' 'Women' Set for Aussie, N. Z., Africa Australian,: New Zealand and i African rights for 'I Married an Angel' and 'The Women' have been bought by Ernest C. Rolls, Austra- lian theatre operator, who sails for London todSy . (201 on the (Jiicen Mary., Returns here next riionth and will continue negoiialions with the Shiibcrts fbr several musicals; Has also ciDsod a deal to .seiid orisinal (•roinpanies' of ClilTord Fijhoi shows to Ausli-.*lia, Rep Help* When a producer has followed the above formula and is sure of his show, he does not have _to worry about bookings. If he has a good reputation and his show looks good on paper, almost any booking office will give him at least a one week date.' And if the show is really there, he will have no trouble getting time to follow. Theatre managers should not en-^ courage, .through booking or other- wi.se. sliows that do not come up to the above standard. It takes; at least three good shows lb kill the bad taste of one bad show. But once a show is definitely booked and ample advance malarial received, the thica- tre rnanager should do everything possible to put it across. It is .un- fortunate that so few theatre man- agfer.t today piay any attention, to the manner in which a shbw is put, on; their stages. , Nearly as ,much de- pends upoh the proner presentation o( the show as upon the show itself. Every theatre playing stage shows, even if only two or three a year, should be equipped with legs, bor- devi!.' traveler,, : adequate lighting equipment, p.a. system and parallels. An audience exjciects, above all else, glamor on', a stage. A battered piano, uncovered chairs, a;torn cur- tain.' poor lighting, can ruin any 5how. Perforn)ers hanging around the front of tiie theahe or walking around llie town in full stage make- up.ajso quickly destroy glanior. that RKO must first have^ consent of 50.% of the shareholders"., Alger^s written report is to bt ready today- (Wed.). There have been: recurrent dis- ciissions among- interested parties to the reorganization on the question'' of the management; of tlie reorgan- ized company, but nothing deflhite' has been ilecided' Upoh, as yet In so far as knqwnV not even the size of-the new company board: has been determined. Theris has been talk of a board of nine or 11, with mem- bers: of the, board numerically .grouped and divided o" ^ has'is comparable and ; eqiiivalent one against the other in reiatibn to. the financial interest represented. For instance, both RCA and the Rockefellers, it has been nieii- tibhed, might have twb members of the . new board, and AtlasTLehman people possibly three., Atlas Option' tjtpses "The option held by Atlas to ac- quire ah additional |5O0.00O worth ONE of RCA's equity in RKO hisis lapsed. There has been some disagreement, between Atlas (Floyd Odium) and RCA (David Sarnoff). ; regarding, management matters. Until the question of manage- ment Is determined, all the 'favorite sons' who have- been angling for an inside spot in RKO are dangling in midair. There are several such persons around the RKO situation, from the banker side as well as the - RCA and Rockefeller ends.. Although the hearings before Spe- cial Master George Alger oh the amended RKO reorganization plan are aboUt finished and Alger is ex- pected to file his report with Federal .ludge 'W^illiam Bondy sfibrtly, Lamar Hardy, U. S. attorney,, on Friday (l5) obtained permission from, the court ,to intervene in the proceed- ings in''order to back up: the consti- lionalily of the 77-B clause of th» federal bankrUplcy act which haJ been attacked during the hearings by creditors. At the meeting before the Special Master on June 3, attorneys for three of the creditors, H. Cassell & Co, Copia Realt.v Corp.. and the Fabian Operating Corp., protested to, the new plan on the grounds that it was conforming with the 77-B clause, which-they claim is'unconstitutional. Should Judge Boridy eventually agree with this contention, the whole plan would be ditchiid and reorgan- ization of RKO would be something, to look forward to. in the far dislaiit future. After battling lii the courts for seven years, Ernest W. Stum, of Mil- waukee, holder of 1,234 shaves of Class A RKO, slock, was granted the right by Federal Judge •William Boiidyin N. Y, to inspect the list of . holders of. Class A stock as oi March and November,: 1931, and also .th*' list of holders of proxies as of March aiid N'oyember of this same. year. . The court order was granted oo Slumps claim that the Class A stocK was converted in 1931 into common withoijt the necessary two-third?- slockholders vote. , Sturn did not convert his hbldings and .if his con- tention is right he wUl.be entitled to prefereiilial treatment under the reorganization plan^ ' There is als» the possibility, that should his con- tention be correct the present ^.'^'"f ^ I Theatre.managers should also be, ,^ . , t;. extiemely careful these days, when i of the new plan will be up.sct. t)>' • I stages are so Ittle used, to remove j Icast^reatly delayed.