Variety (March 1921)

■ ■ t t { I »•• $<i 1 t [day, March 18, 1921 VAUDEVILLE ARTISTS' FORUM Letters to the Forum should not exceed 150 word*. They must be • by the writer and not duplicated for any other paper. v t >r Variety: have evidently been mi«in- farmed regarding the booking of Glens Falls, N. Y., as stated in your issue of Fob. 25. This office is not booking any theatre in Glens Falls, nor have wo 9 ver had the pleasure of doing so. I t'tao wish 4.o correct, -th,* sti.t** ment you make that any theatre on my books has ever announced Shu- hert or other vaudeville, dur'ng the course of the time I have been handling their bookings, as I can state most emphatically tht every theatre whose business I bardie contract !or their full program through me and that we do not pad programs for any other agency. This office does not accept the business of any theatre unless we have absolute control of the full vaudeville program presented., • Fally Markus. blindness. I thank my friends for their sympathy, which I am glad to say I do not need. Walter Wcems March 9. Editor Variety:— Jack Lait's write-up of the Pal- ace, Chicago, week Feb. 7, said: "Jack Joyce does not say directly that he lost his leg in France, but sings a song about a boy who did." The song he refers to starts: It was in the year 1916 when I got my discharge, etc., etc. The song is In the first person. My talk com- mences; My having served in the British army, etc., etc. Please rectify this statement. Jack Joyce. Cortland, N. Y., Feb. 28. Editor Variety: In reading reviews in your paper you have mentioned three or four acts breaking electric globes. It used to be "when in doubt, do a fall," but now it seems the breaking of a bulb is the popular antidote for laughless comedy. Verily, vaudeville has advanced. There is a trail of broken bulbs stretching over a period of more than 10 years behind me. P. Hill (Hill and Ackerman.) BARNES SHOW STARTS. Two 26-Car Trains for Circus on Coast. I.os Angeles, March If. The Al. O. Barnes show left its winter quarters here and opened at Pomona Tuesday last week. The report on the business there was taken by those with the circus to indicate that the show is in for a banner season. The show will come to L*>» Angel** Mwriay for a week at Prager Park. The show is traveling with two 26-car trains this season, the grand entry ballet being "Alice in Jungle- land.." Sylvia Ooddls, described as an American star, has been engaged by tho "Humour Film" concern for a new reel to be executed by Lucien Callamand. OBITUARY 7 I MRS. BABE 8TERLINQ (MARGUERITE) Mrs. Babe Sterling of Sterling and Marguerite died at Gales-burg. Ill- March 12. of a complication, after an Illness dating from the previous Thursday. The act, doing aerial work, had opened at the Orpheum, Galosburg, but John Sterling, ill for NEWS OF THE DAILIES The Shubert. lave acquired "Main Street," the Sinclair Lewis novel of small-town American life, which is to be made into a play by Harvey O'Higgins and Harriet Ford. Winnipeg, March 9. Editor Variety: Noticed a write-up in last week's Variety of Pantzer and Gylvia at the American, where they are doing the "Shanghai-Pekin" gag for a finish. John Hyman wrote this gag with some other exclusive material for me, therefore I ask Pantzer and Glyvla to please eliminate the said gag, as it is my property. Billy Fields. (Billy and Zoe Fields) By wire and by word of mouth, the excitable information re .ched Broadway this week that Flo Zieg- feld almost caught a devilfish in Florida waters. An additional har- rowing detail was that the reptile towed Ziggy and his boat 17 miles to sea, then left him flat* Herbert M. Owen, known profes- sionally as Robert Morosini, was accidentally killed by falling down- stairs in his residence in Brooklyn. He was in the original "Ermlnle" company. moresque," by Fannie Hurst, next season. She will play the mother. IN MEMORY OF New York, March 11. Editor Variety:— In a recent issue of your weekly you published an article under the caption, "Jewish Theatre in Dis- tress; Warns of Closed Shop Plan." This article stated among other things that the Modern Yiddish Theatre Co. had operated an inde- pendent Yiddish theatre company in Philadelphia, headed by Jenny Vallerie, ex-star of the German stock company, and had lost $31,- 000. As this statement may lead to wrong conclusions I beg leave to say the faet is. that I was for the last two years and still am under contract to the Irving Place thea- tre in New York and have never been connected directly with any theatre in Philadelphia. In May-June, 1920. I played in Philadelphia in a post-seasor. series of performances, under th^ man- agement of Wilner & Schwartz and supported by the company of the Irving Place theatre. l>ut as \\< played to Crowded houses, this ven- ture cannot hav«- been responsible for the failure of the Philadelphia theatre to which your article, refers. Jenny Vallicrr. Frank Moran, an old-timer who was known in vaudeville as Harold Lastrange, was sentenced to three years tn the penitentiary this week in New York as a chronic shoplifter. He had been arrested 14 times in 20 years. > John Channing Bernard, promoter of the "Fashion de Revue," in v hlch about 60 girls were bilked of their salaries, is said by the New York District Attorney's office to be a confessed swindler whose sentence for an old crime was postponed in order to permit him to raise money with his Revue to make restitution. Having failed, he now will be sen- tenced. The Catholic Actors' Guild, at a "prosperity festival" in the Hotel Astor this week, announced a plan to help idlo actors AuZ also its in- tention of giving the annual benefit al the f'eorge M. Cohan Theatre on April 3. In an effort to alleviate tho bur- denS of preset day publishing, I J western newspapers have appealed to the Interstate Commerce ' -m- mission against raU>s charged on news print paper by railroads. Judge Mayer, In the federal court, New York, has dismissed the peti- tion in bankruptcy against the Mod- ern Yiddish Theatre Co., with tho consent of the creditors. The peti- tion was filed on February 24. "The Three . Musketeers," now being made Into a film In France and scheduled as the next effort of Doug Fairbanks in this country, has been produced with success as a comic opera. In the performance at Cannes, France, Maguenat, for- merly with the Chicago Opera Company, appears as D'Artagnan. GEORGE CLARK who died March 5, 1921 A wonderful Artist— A wonderful Man— And a wonderful Pal ALAN COOGAN. a couple of weeks, could not pro- ceed with the turn and his wife offered to do a single act. Sterling and Marguerite were well known In vaudeville. The remains were sent to Long Beach, Cal., for interment. HENRY PAY80N DOWST. Henry Payson Dowst, magazine writer and playwright, died In New York. March II. He was 45 years old. a native of Bangor, Me. Gradu- ated from Harvard in 1899, he went with Small, Maynard A Co., later joining the Frank Seaman advertis- ing agency. He wrote fiction in his spare time, and in 1920 turned out fop The Saturday Fvenlrg. Post "The Dancing Fool." now being pre- pared for the stage. MORGAN WHEELER. Morgan Myles Wheeler, ptaying in the Y. M. C. A. stock company, at Coblenz, Germany, where American troops have been stationed, died Feb. IS in the army hospital there. He was a member of S. Rankin Drew Post, American Region, and his body will be brought to New York. AL ALBERTS. Al Alberts, a violinist, appearing as a single on the Bert Levey cir- cuit, died suddenly at Elko, Nev., Feb. 28. Charles Saxton, musician and composer, founder of the Harmony Musical Club of Brooklyn, died mmmmr— — —— ■ Maggie Teyto, the diminutive prima donna formerly with the Metropolitan, was married in Lon- don March 12 to W. S. Cottingham, 'formerly of Cleveland, O. Norrl.s Donlon, assistant manager of the Criterion, caused the arrest of a boy on the fire escape of the theatre. He said thefts of ward- robe, etc., had occurred recently and he suspected the boy of being the thief. Owen W. Davis, Sr., father of the playwright, left an estate of per- sonalty "not exceeding $1,000." W. II. Davis, a son, has been ap- pointed administrator. Beginning Sunday, a new branch of the Christian Science Church, authorized for the theatrical pro- fession, will hold services in tho Morosrco theatre. JENNY KEMPTON. Mrs. Jenny Kempton, famous as a contralto over fifty years ago, died at her daughter's home in Los Angeles, March 14. She was the daughter of Reuben Twltchell, band- master with Sherman's army on its march to the sea. She first sang in public when she was 14 years old, A . I B—M ill — ■■■■II 111 B III ■!■■■ IN LOVING MRMORT of my beloved Sister Beatrice R ; nehart (Mra. Geo. Waterbury ), I Who Panned Away on Mnrch S. lO^l. "Dear one. rest In peace."—81STKR. GOLD1E RINEHART-VAN. ^■BBI^HIH^HBBBSHBMBBBBSBSBSBBBSSSISS)^ and soon afterwards went on a con- cert tour of Europe, where she w*as honored by the various rulers. She had gifts from Napoleon III. Vic- toria, and the late Victor Emmanuel of Italy. She was a protege of Rossini, and sang In the Paris pre- miere of his "Stabat Mater." Mme. Laiella Chielus, formerly known in concert circles and to her friends in Ch'cago as Chilson- Ohrman, is having a big season at Nice. The widow of John Purcell, door- man of Keith's Jersey City theatre for two and a half years, is the fir (Continued on Page 24) EDWARD J. LEE Edward J. Lee, 44 years old, or- chestra leader of the Pastime the- atre, Columbus, dropped dead of apoplexy Jan. 21, while directing a rehearsal of the Eagles' quartet tn the clubhouse. He had been musical d'rector of nearly every theatre in Columbus, and acted in that ca- pacity for the Fraternal Order of Eagles, of which he was a leading member. He leaven a wife, non-profession- st I & 1» a son, Walter, also a musician, son, and a daughter Dorothy. Editor Variety: While playing the f>th Avenue theatre first half of week of .l,\n. 31 one of your representatives re- t ed our new act. Whether he WTS righ: or \vronj< in his criticisms is neither here nor there. P«ut I look tc you who ha e n reputation of absolutely being fair in all your criticisms to correct the statement wherein the writer mc T - tions, "It is understood Henry asked Hen Bernie for permission to vise the over there bit and was re- futfvd; otc. This Is untrue as 1 hold a wlie sent to me by Ben Pernio a year °*o telling me to go to it with his regards, etc. By the way he also Infers that I do a dance that resemhles of.e Of Pat Hooncy's. I got the idea for this dance from ■ carUon published »n "Life" or "Judge" last Au„ .st Art Henry. (Henry and Moore.> Doris Keane is to have play next season by P'dwa: 1 Shel- don, who is at work c It now. As she obtained her third divorce, March 11, at Waterbury, Conn. Fritz! Schef said a kin<: wor for her husband-that-was, George An- il, n. "Don't be silly," she told a reporter who asked -rr if she in- tended to wed again. Julian Rose, who was forced to cancel his London engager nt.; on account of a throat affection, has arrived in New York. He returns abroad in June. Ivan Simpson directed two one- ftCt plays which were .resented this week by Mrs. Alice Chapin a f the Little Theatre. Belasoo has accepted a Arthur Hornblow, with Lucresla Borgia as th heroine. David play by Sfoux City, Iowa. Feb. 25. Editor Variety: I wish to emphatically deny the Junior that I have lost my eyesight. The first intimation that this report *as In circulation amused me but *hen I had received several dozen letters from sympathetic friends I *elt that it behooved me to voice a denial of such a state of affairs. 1 may sa y that I can read with great interest the accounts of my i It has been revealed that Judith VosseP.i of "Ladies' Night" has been Mrs. John E. Lloyd for a year. Her husband is a millionaire lumberman of Philadelphia. I'nder her private name of "Mrs. Virgil Montani," Evelyn Netbit has been ordered to pay a judgment of $;{,244 to Frances .fe Co., modistes. Montani is tho name of Jack Clif- ford, whom Miss Neablt la now suing for divoive. Theodore Kosloff and his wife, separated for seven years because the war intervened after he came to this country, were reunited in Los Angeles during the past week. Otis Skinner, in "At tho Villa Rose," was forced to cancel several engagements in the west because the wardrobe and scenery of the. show were destroyed in a tin- which burned up a C. & o. baggage ear at Louisville. He will resume his tour In Milwaukee Monday. Laurette Ta> lor is to do "H»- DAVE HARRIS "ALONE" IMaving B. P. KEITH'S CIItCl'IT COLONIAL, NEW YORK, THIS WEKK (MARCH 14>. Direction, HARHY WKBEU, IN MKMOK1AM BEATRICE R1NEHART (Mr*. fieorjrr Waterlmrr) OF T1IK KINKHART FAMILY Who Departed Thle Life March Ith, 1911, in Waahioajton D. C. To me a slater, pal, confidant, and an ideal woman. Oona. but NOT forgotten. JEAN A. LeROY. March 10 at his home In Flatbush. He was 60 yerrs old, a native of Philadelphia. Mrs. J. A. Karr died March 11 at her homo In Cedar Rapids, la. The deceased was the mother of Charles and Estelle LcRoy (Bally Hoo S). The mother of Charles T. Brown (Monarch Comedy Four) died March 6, at the home of her daugh- ter in Jamaica, L. I. ALBERT SCHOCK Albert Schock, 64, old-time bicycle rider and six-day racer, died March IN LOY1NO MEMORY OF MY HUSBAND TOM JONES I (Whirlwind DeForeeata) I [Who Paa*«4 Away March 22d. 1920.1 PEARL JONES 3 8 at Hackensack, N. J. home of his son. Isador Isaacs, 83, said to have been the first merry-go-round conces- sioner in Central and Prospect Parks, New York, died March 12 at his Brooklyn home. He had been In restaurant and amusement lines since boyhood. Mme. Annie Musin, wlfo of tho violinist, Ovide Musin, who died at Cleveland, was burled at Malone, ^HBBBBBISXSfiaBBBSBSBBSBBBSSBBBBBSBBSBBBl IN LOVINO MEMORY OF OUR MOTHER Who Paaaed Away March llth, 19X1 CHA8. and ESTELLE LEROY N. Y. She was an operatic and con- cert singer. The mother of Bert Grant, the song writer, died at her home in New York March 8 at the age of 78. The aged mother of Frank Clark, Chicago manager for Waterson, Berlin A Snyder, died after a long Illness at lf/j Bergen avenue. Jer.-ey City. The mother of lhirh Brady, who <li»:l Feb. 21, died of grief Ihtl week at her home tn Greenwich, Conn. She was 87 }♦ ;irs old. The mother of Prank t'!;.rk die*' at her home m Jersey C:ly March 11. She wum 75 years of :n> Mr Clark is Chicago manager fo Wateraoa, Berlin 41 Synder. Marcel Msrquct, a» t<>r, aged 58, has <ii« i 'i