Variety (May 1918)

VOL. L, No. 13 NEW YORK CITY, FRIDAY, MAY 24, 1918 PRICE TEN CENTS SCHOOL TEACHERS' ADVICE CLOSING COAST THEATRES Twenty-three Picture Theatres "Dark" in Los Angeles. Pub- lic School Children Instructed to Buy Savings Stamps. Meeting to Be Held Over-Situation. Said to Be Local Only. . Los Angeles, May 22. A mass\nceting of picture producers and exhibitors has been called to take means to block the propaganda in public schools which is said to have reduced local film patronage 35 per cent. ' It is asserted the teachers are urging children to stay away from the picture houses and buy thrift stamps with the money thus saved. The exhibitors say pictures should be patronized because they do so much patriotic good. The producers met the newspaper publishers at a luncheon and arranged for a campaign to counteract this in- fluence. Unless something is done many exhibitors will be forced to quit. Already 2?> small houses arc dark. Those at the meeting included Thomas H. Ince, Jesse L. Lasky, Samuel Goldfish, Frank A. Garbutt, Charles Feyton, David W. Griffith (by proxy). Sid Grauman, J. A. Quinn, Frank A. McDonald, Fred Miller, T. L. Tally and others. Tt was reported at the meeting that this condition prevails throughout the country. Goldfish denied this, claim- ing it was purely local. Miss TaiiDU.'iy's attorneys arc O'Brien. Malevinsky \ Driscdl. Johnny Ford married F.va Tanguay in 1913 They lived together for some time and were in a road show headed by Tanuuay. and habits. After the usual course in an Illinois action for divorce when the defendant is not served excepting by publication, a hearing was held at which Miss Tanguay testified to the conduct of her husband during their wedded life, also producing letters writ- ten to her by him, and a decree was granted her by the court. BIG PANTO DANCE TURN. One of the biggest vaudeville pro- ductions in the offing for an early showing this summer is the panto- mime dance number proposed by Evan Burrows-Fontaine, who will head it. Besides Miss Fontaine there will be 20 other young women, with a stage crew to handle the act. The produc- tion will be called a "Rythmic Drama," somewhat apart from the stereotyped classical dancing turn vaudeville has grown familiar with. Arthur Klein is directing the book- ings for Miss Fontaine. by Tanuuay. Late last fall Miss Tanguay com- menced an action for divorce against Kord in Chicago, charging desertion "PASSING SHOW TROUBLES. The Shuberts are having their hands full with the "Passing Show of 1918," according to report. One is to the ef- fect that Harold Atteridge, who is writing the book, has objected to the engagement of two of the principals, a man and woman, the objection be- ing against the woman. It seems the couple are married and while the ser- vices of the man are essential, he will not appear without his wife. An "alibi" is said to have been es- tablished in order to "duck" the pair, the "alibi" being that a tire occurred in Attcridge's apartment and the book of the show was destroyed in the flame. It is rumored quietly that some of the principals now engaged by con- tract will not appear at the opening, notwithstanding they have been sum- moned to rehearsals, others having been selected to take their place. The new show is reported to be strictly Oriental, more Oriental in fact than the "Sinbad" piece now at the Winter Garden, the Oriental descrip- tion being a popular title selected by the girls for Garden shows. WASH. SQ. AFTERMATH. A wedding following an assignment is imminent among the staff of the Washington Square Players. The parties are Edmund Goodman, manag- ing director of the organization, and Lucy Hunfaker, who has taken care of the publicity for the Players' sea- son at the Comedy. The Washington Square group may go to the coast, appearing at the Little theatre, San Francisco, first if the financial arrangements arc success- fully negotiated. There was a report this week that a few of the company would appear in vaudeville in one of the company's successful playlets of the past season, but Wednesday it was said the vaude- ville plan had been abandoned in favor of the coast trip. With the closing of the Comedy Sat- urday, the Square Players went into voluntary bankruptcy and assigned its assets for the benefit of the creditors. The company organized in 1916 with the avowed purpose of departing from the ordinary limitations of the present day stage. The Players confined them- selves almost entirely to the presenta- tion of one-act plays. Director Good- man, who leaves for Canada for ser- vice next week, blames the war and in- timated the players would be reor- ganized next season. The assignment, made Tuesday, was to Hugo Gerber and Bernard Bcrn- baum. The Players' corporation has a capital stock of $1,000. No schedule of assets and liabilities was listed. HARRY DAVIS' GRAND OPERA. Pittsburgh, May 22. Grand opera at popular prices will be permanent here for the full sum- mer at the Alvin It WASHINGTON ALL OPEN SUNDAY. Washington, 1). ('., May 21. The District Commissioners, realiz- ing and so stating in their proclama- tion, have lowered the ban on Sunday amusements in this city. The theatres can now operate in full sway, also the Washington ball club. An Indoor pa»tlmw— SHERIFF CHAS. ALTHOFF PLAYERS AWAITING PASSPORTS. Scores of applications arc pouring in at the Little Theatre temporary offices of America's Over-There The- atre League, with the vaudeville pro- fession leading the list in point of numbers. The first contingent of about 40 players will be sent by the League to France in June, the date of Sailing bn- ing decided the moment the passports of the players have been duly vised at Washington. Full registrations have been made of those volunteering for entertainment duty overseas and the League hopes to have everything in fine shape for the first 40 entertainers to be en route by the middle of June, anyway. Upon their arrival in France they will be divided into groups of five people each, who will give vaudeville and "afterpieces." The names of the individual performers will be made public the moment the passports have been authorized by the Washington authorities. Recruiting of the July contingent is now under way at the Little theatre, where Winthrop Ames and a large force of male and female assistants is busily engaged in getting the League designations for st'agc service oversea in perfect working shape. Some fifteen trunks of wigs and cos- tumes have already been forwarded via the League to the Y. M. C. A. in France for use of the U. S. soldiers in getting up their own plays. This con- signment will be kept in Paris and loaned from time to time to the different soldier companies. A TELLEGEN THEATRE. There doesn't appear to be much secrecy over the intent of Gcraldine Farrar to secure a Broadway theatre, which will be named after and occu- pied by her husband, Lou Tellegen, next season. At present it is reported the Longacre (G. M. Anderson) or one of the Moran pair (Norworth and Bel- mont) may be the selection. The intention of Miss Farrar to secure a Tellegen theatre in New York was clinched, according to the story, with the profitable business Tellegen has been doing on the road in "Blind Youth." While the show with its star did nothing startling when at the 39th Street, the play commenced to return to Miss Farrar some of the moneys ^he had advanced for rent of that house and other incidentals uutil re- cently her entire investment was at evens with her husband's show still rolling in returns. Tellegen. in "Blind Youth," is routed coast ward.