Variety (January 1920)

- '-■.--.■■- --',,.. .VARIETY :; u I PnklUbe* Weekly by TAaORT. be, TuaesSfaar* K«tr T.rk SUBSOUPTIOH |7Ib«l*... Sinjl* oopies, M ess Marjorie Rambeaa left last week for a fortnight's vacation at Palm Beach. Harry Hamilton sailed for Havana, Jan. 26. Matt Gran is in Palm Beach, watch- ing the golf tournament.' g. The Majestic, Utica, N. Y., has been sold tp Julius Rothstein. J, H. Lubin. the Loew vaudeville booker, left Tuesday.for Lakewooa,. % J. He'll be back Monday. » Mar Shea is the latest sensation.of the Putnam Building. May has had her hair bobbed! * "-V ' The National Winter Garden em- ployes* ball and", vaudeville show will take place at Tammany Hall Feb. 27. Mrs. H. B. Marinelli and her son sailed from New York Jan. 24 on the "Lafayette'' for France. , The Theatre Magasrae" is to cele- brate its 20th anniversary in May. A special de luxe number will, be issued. Hey wood Broun, dramatic editor and book reviewer of the Tribune, is con- . fined.in hi9 home, ill with grip. Alack Fischer left New York last week on the "Lapland'' for England. He is a brother of Clifford C Fischer. W. S. Bntterfield's new Regent, Flint, Mich., will open Feb. 25 or March 3. Pictures will be the policy. . ton Ernest Royster, in advance with the southern company of Tea for Three," is again at the Century thea- tre on Will A. Page> staff. , . A. Toxen Worm is now ahead of The Passing Show of 1918." During the fall he managed the Boston opera house, at present dark. Reported recently "Putting It Over" would disband. The act will finish the season, it is said, and go out again .. next season. Arthur Matthews, the Paris agent, will leave on the Miuretania to-day for London en route to the French capital The U. S. Army aviation field at Gar- den City, LI., has been placed under quarantine through the flu. Vaude- ville has been playing there. * * Ilka Marie Deal has been engaged by the Taits of Australia to play the leading part in "Tiger Rose. Miss Deel will sail Feb. 17. '■ ' The annual banquet of the "Owl," gang, composed of the staffs of the "Herald" and "Evening Telegram," is to be given Feb. 1, at the Hotel Vander- bilt. Ned Norworth was robbed of $308 while playing Paterson, N. J., the last half of last week. It was lifted from his dressing room while he was on the stage. . The Melette Sister* have engaged to appear in London next. September in a Charles B. Cochran production. Charles Bornhaupt entered the. book- ing- ' ' ■'. .•■ '■:, • ■ •'!.: •■■'." : Viola Wigand was granted a divorce .' from Syd Cook (Ernie Gordon, Gordon and Delmar) and the custody of their child, Jan.'16, in the Supreme Court, Brooklyn.' \-- Louie Redehboimer has been en- gaged to stage an indoor circus at the 5th Regiment Armory, Baltimore, for the Maryland branch of the American Legion March 8. 'j The Four Man Brother* have been routed on the Orpheum Circuit, open- ing. Feb. 8, at $1,500 weekly, it is said. The^turn will finish the tour in July when the boys commence under their Charles Dillingham contract. The Bronx Express," an attraction in Yiddish current at the Jewish Art Theatre, will be^rodnced in the Eng- lish tongue next season. Al Jones secured the rights from Ossip'Dymov, the author. A performance of Shakespeare's "Macbeth" is planned for presentation before the Twentieth Century Club. Charles A. Stevenson will essay the title role. Auctions were held:Tuesday in the haberdashery and clothing, stores on the Broadway and 45th street Loew site. All tenants are to vacate by Feb. 1. The haberdashery did a clean up after anouncing its removal sale, it sold $12,000 worth of goods on Satur- • day. '_..'- In the Mark Levy office in the Put- nam Building are two signs. One reads: "Something to worry about. Have we your correct address and 'phone number? (Signed) BORED OF HELLTH." The other is: "Something else to worry over. Leave photos and billing. (Signed) LAST HALF.". Walter PHmmer has seven new houses to book, Lyric, Endicott, N. Y.; - Burtis Grand, Auburn, N. Y.; Victoria, Rochester, N. Y.; Star, Buffalo, Strand, Hackensack, N. J., Opera house, Maucn 'Chunk, Pa.; Orpheum, Wes thaven, Conn. All commence Feb. 2, with five .•acts- -^ ■• ■ '+±_ Helen Ford, now appearing in "Al- ways You" at the Lyric, is a graduate from the amateur ranks. Miss Ford made her first appearance on the stage in the annual St. Peters' Lyceum ama- teur shows in Troy, N. Y. Then came a period of dramatic stock, following an engagement two years ago in The Only Girl." Her next appearance was as Enid in Arthur Hammerstein's "Sometime." Ever hear of a chauffeur asking a traffic cop for a summons? The other day the chauffeur of & wealthy New Vorker pulled up in front of an officer on upper Broadway, called the official's attention to the fact that the machine was minus a front number plate and asked him to hand out a summons. "What's the big idea?" asked the flat- foot. "Oh," said the driver, *I want tomorrow off and all I'll get will be a $5 fine, which the boss will pay." Mr. and Mrs. George Creel (Mrs. Blanche Bates) feasted a number of persons of the profession, which com- prised a list'of the following celebri- ties. Among them were Ethel Barry- more, Billie Burke, Grace George, Mrs. David Belasco, Geral din e Farrar, Ada Patterson, James Forbes, Mrs. Morris Gest, Gladys' Hanson, Grace Field, Peggy Wood, Margalo Gilmore, Eugene O'Brien, Mr. and Mrs. Lowell Sherman, Mrs. John Drew. The occa- sion was a supper and dance given by Mrs. Creel at the Club de Vignt The threat of a walkout next Mon- day of all stationary engineers, fire- men, oilers and the like from apart- housei, hotels, office buildings and other institutions, does not include theatres. Several months ago the union's, demand was handled promptly by the theatres through the U. M. P. A. At that time a settlement was granted providing for less than the increase now asked by the men, who demand $3 per day. The contract between the union and the theatres runs for two years and prevents any strike or walk- out by the firemen during that period.- Police activity along Broadway tt~ ceived a stimulus when plain clothes men swooped down oh the Putnam Building and arrested a man named Barry, suspected hand book operator. Barry was arraigned before Magistrate Marsh in 54th street court Jan. 22, and the case was postponed until Jan. 28. The Putnam Building was swarming with policemen Thursday afternoon, who interrogated nearly every one passing through the corridors. Accord- ing to one of the squad there have been numerous complaints about hand- book operators who are credited .with making their headquarters in the Put- nam building/ The annual benefit at the Hippo- drome for the benefit of the East Side poor was held last Sunday night, again under the direction of Father McGean. The proceeds netted $10,000. Clifton Crawford was master of ceremonies, cts appearing were Bowers, Walters id Croker, Keegan and Edwards, Vie juinn and Co., Charles Winniger, Blanche Ring, Dotson, Ted Lewis, Mosconi Family, Four Marx Brothers, Clyde Cook, Kramer and Boyle, Dema- rest and toilette, Jim Barton, John Charles Thomas, Claudius and Scarlet, Donald Brian, Kyra, Julia Kellety. Gene Buck was in charge of the stage, assisted by Leo Morrison. The Fidelity benefit, held in Newark, N. J., Sunday, netted the organization out of a total of $3,700, $3,000. $300 went to the Actors* Fund and $200 w^as given a local charity in Newark. This Sunday night the Fidelity will give a benefit performance at the Montauk, Brooklyn. The attractions include Julia Arthur, Blanche Bates, Fay Bain- ter, Fanny price, Bessie McCoy Davis, William Collier, George M. Cohan, Ruth Chattertpn, Lenor«UIric, Thomas E. Shea, Louis Mann, Burr Mcintosh, Virginia Fox Brooks, Otis Skinner, Edna Wallace Hopper, Henry Miller, Holbrook Blinn, Howard Kyle, Lester . Lonergan, Ralph Here, Arthur Ashley, Emily Ann Wellman. An interesting decision was handed down by Judge Donnelly in the Su- preme Court last week. A cook in the employ of Mark Eisner had a decree of divorce or separation from her hus- band rendered against her some time ago and oh evidence presented she was unfit to assume the custody of her child the court awarded its care to the father, granting the wife permission to see the child one afternoon a week. The cook enlisted the sympathy of Eisner's mother, who prevailed' upon her son to have the case reopened and Mark's mother made an affidavit that the.cook was in her employ and lead- ing a.highly commendable life. The husband's counsel, in defending the ac- tion for retention of the child, argued that the action was merely an attempt on the part of Mrs. Eisner to hold in her employ a good cook at a reduced salary. Judge Donnelly revised the decree to read that the cook might see her child twice a week so long as she remained in the employ of Mrs. Eisner. Looks like the Eisners would retain their present culinary artist for an indefinite period. TOMMY'S TATTLES. ... By Thomas J. Gray. '• Papers say the Prince of Wales re^ * ceived 56,000 letters from America since "he left there- We knew the Prince would he good for pictures, but we:f; didn't think there were so many com- panies. Young women in Russia are on a i "stocking strike." They refuse to wear them until the price is reduced. See what benefactors -some musical com- - edy managers have been without know-'-.fk, iing at I . ;••. \ ., This is the time of the year the ball -players all hold out for big money,, hoping someone will put them., in vaudeville. With Jack Dempsey and "Babe" Ruth both playing hero parts in the movies there should not be a shortage of picture comedies this -season. Sir Olive Lodge is packing them in with his Spirit Lectures. He times his arrival nicely, for at the present time^ most New Yorkers are 'interested in ffl departed "Spirits."; If all t the Americans got to C^*|§ who saiti they were going, where wiUS the Cubans "go. ■; ^ There's a 25-cent museum on Broad- way with a real old-time freak show, v Its success is a question, however, as there are so many freaks you can see on Broadway free of Charge. Picture director announces that in the near future he will produce al motion picture that will startle the" world. Bet it's a picture without the sub-title "That Night" in it." Edgar Allen Poe and Robert E. Lee i are added starters i the Great Men's Plays Race. Several authors were seen sneaking into the-Historical Branch • of the Public Library last week—, which leads us to believe that there,| are nore to come. i If there are not theatres enough for them next season it n'ght be a good idea to put them all on together at thr Yale Bowl. ! >; I : anas' '-"•.'. &?H Latest gag from England is at fol- "Do you know what an American i,?» .,.,,,.::■.>.,/.■, ..:■: r.-\<..vv.^3M, "Yea, one who chews gum and wins wars." Naughty 1 Naughty I Once in a while you meet a song : writer who is not going in business for himself. • .'~'1j§ Everything is going up, but royaltiM^ are as hard Uncollect as ever. ;,|| Agents are not having Half as much trouble to get acts to go to Canada as they did. Probably because Canada is not so dry. ■ £ja The last'members of the A. E F. have returned from France but the ; war is atill on in Washington '•■^M Why not put the Senators in uni- form? -..•"■' :|S CRITICISM. THE POWER OF DARKNESS, f£ In'four acts by Leo Tolstoy, A, tragedy at_the Qarrlck, Jan. 21. The Burlesque Club now holds meet- ings the first Sunday of each month, instead of every Sunday, Those who have been craving: more food for thought In plays on the stare will do themselves an Injustice by mlis- Ing this fine production of Tolstoy's dire- ful "swat at humanity.—Herald. BIO GAJHE. A play by Wlllard Robertson and Kil- bourn Gordon, at the Fulton, Jan. 11. ;;.'' "Big Game" contains considerably more to recommend It than most melo- dramas of Ita type that strike.— Worn, x T«Mnl inveatigaUon testimony vAtt U torn* on page 63,