Variety (March 1921)

VARIETY'S CHICAGO OFFICE Chicago Friday, March 25, 1921 STATE-LAKE THEATRE BUILDING SPORTS /.- r »» / Johnny Wilson, who secured the decision over Mike O'Dowd at the Garden last Thursday night, was accompanied to this city by a dele- gation of 500 fight fans from Char- tento-irr *iiiu>~BooiGn# Th-?- -4dtf*tlM» assembled after the fight at Benny Salvin's Palace Rotisserie, formerly the old Tokio, on 45th street, where Wilson received a great ovation upon his arrival after the battle. One of the fans became so excited upon the entrance of Wilson that be got down on his knees in the middle of the restaurant and as the fighter reached him kissed his bands. Johnny Coulon, ex-banlar. cham- pion who has been getting lots of notoriety in Europe with his weight resisting stunt, denies Maurice Der- riaz was able to lift him in Geneva as a recent story has it. According to Coulon, Derriaz was on the same bill with Coul« for eight days and tried to lift the midget at every performance with- out success. *On the last day of the engagement Derriaz slipped one arm half way around Coulon's waist* pulled him toward Viim very roughly, and so managed to lift him. Immediately upon the pugilist's return to Paris he posted 1,000 francs as a side bet with "J'Auto," a French newspaper, to go to Der- riaz if the latter could lift him in the most natural position or by placing one hand on either sid I of bis waist. Coulon expected to be matched to box Jimmy Wilde, the English fly- weight, but Wilde has announced that he will not box until June. Coulon returns to this country April 1. Lieut. Earl Baird, Sam Wallach's featherweight entry hooked up in one of the most sensational bouts of the season in one of the prelim- inaries last Thursday at the Garden. XhSY, Mtled^oe to toe for ten rounds and had the crowd on their* chairs all through. The following contest between "Young" Erne and "Pepper" Martin of Providence was one of the most disappointing bouts staged at the Garden in months, and looked doubly bad, following the great fight that preceded it. Danny Sullivan, who refereed, worked harder than either of the boxers keeping them split out, and threatening to throw them out of the ring if they didn't fight. Erne continually walked into clinches without hitting a blow and then re- fused to punch bis way out. Martin with an awkward style received the decision after ten dreary rounds to the accompanyment of whistling and booing from the crowd. A girls' basketball team is being recruited in the Loew office under the direction of Rose Silverman, secretary to J. H. Lubln. Miss Sil- verman, who is an ardent basket- ball player, has had considerable difficulty in getting the girls inter- ested, but has now lined up a team which will include, besides herself, Gertrude Pelton, Len Cohen. Celia Spring and Florence Findlay Barnes. tlmated that bis average oarnlngs for teaching well-to-do Forrest Hills residents bow to put top spin on the ball amount to close to $15,000 a year. Tex Rickard is said to nave set the date for the Dempsey-Carpen- tier match for July 2, next, and the jrjte, ration is to make it a huge society affair, with some charitable benefit' attachment. Through this means the $16 admission limit on state controlled bouts may be avoided. The Garden's manager surmises that society may be willing to pay as high as $1,000 for a box for the chief championship contest. Unless Rickard's present plans are altered, the bout will likely to go through as at present decided upon. There is no limit to the amount the Gar- den can draw under such condi- tions for the heavyweight champion- ship. EQUITY'S CLOSED SHOP ON (Continued from page 1) While reported the bike race at the Garden drew $150,000 or thereabouts, the actual gross is said to have been $330,000, beating by a wide margin any other bicycle race ever held there. The crowds were terrific and continuous, with the fire department shutting off the sale at times. of the Equity shop principle, accord- ing to report. Gus Hill, president of the Touring Managers' Association, affected by the Invoking of the Equity Shop P}a,n. said Wednesday he personally had applications from euriiCient actors and actresses *for positions for next season to fill thirty com- panies. The T. M. A. was not a bit worried over the situation, Hill said, as he was confident that all the Non- Equity people necessary to fill casts would be found available for the pop-price shows, when casting time arrived next season. The scheduled meeting of the T. M. A. and Equity committees to talk over the closed shop plan had not been held up to Wednesday, and no date had been set for it. The meeting will be held, Mr. Hill said, as soon as a date could be con- veniently arranged". Besides the Touring Managers, which enlists 110 managers, the Equity Shop will affect George ||i Cohan, Margaret Anglin, Henry Miller, and seven or eight legitimate producers operating the better class of shows. According to report, one of the Eroadway. pMAxKffW.tJtJfttftfd ,JF4tt. request each actor engaged for next season to post a bond before sign- ing a contract, as a guarantee the contract will be fulfilled. The bond is to be of sufficient amount to in- demnify the producer In the event of a refusal of an Equity member to play with a non-Equity, and any loss that might be sustained from a resultant strike. Although the Equity council adopted the resolu- tion placing the closed shop in ef- fect next season, the Council re- serves the right to make "exemp- tions." The bond idea, which it is said may be taken up by other pro- ducers affected, is intended to pro- tect such producers in the event they do not secure an "exemption'* from the Equity Shop rule. When Johnny Wilson captured the middle weight champions! ip in Boston from. Mike O'Dowd, the story went around that Wilson was an accident; that be had been slipped the title on a decision, hav- ing caught O'Dowd in poor condi- tion through O'Dowd thinking Wil- son was a set up. But at the Gar- den last Thursday night there was nothing accidental in the champion holding his title against O'Dowd in a 15-round battle that went the limit, with O'Dowd receiving enough punches in his stomach from Wil- son to contradict the rumors O'Dowd had not faithfully trained for the mill. Wilson was in perfect physical condition and looked every nch the athlete. Against O'Dowd, Wil- son boxed like a champion, though at times when O'Dowd rushed him, Wilson seemed at sea and amateur- ish. What Wilson might do pitted against a better boxer than O'Dowd will have to be proven. Wilson is not quick. He lost almost as many openings as O'Dowd left, when O'Dowd missed, which he often did, a wild swing. O'Dowd wont after one siting that might put out Wilson. As O'Dowd would start his swirj and step in, Wilson each time let Ww a heavy left hand punch, something of a slight uppercut, that usually landed around the pit of O'Dowd'l stomach. Some of them were rwful punches that could be heard all over the Garden as they struck. O'Dowd could find no way to ward off the stomach punch and could not or would not change his at- tack. O'Dowd started the most leads, but Wilson landed the most blows and was so far ahead of O'Dowd at the finish there was no other decision left for Johnny Mc- Avoy, the referee, after the Judges had disagreed. One of the judges had declared for O'Dowd. O'Dowd was cut on the temple in the 13th round. The wound bled profusely. h was ah O'Dowd crowd. let- ting started 8 to 5 on Wilson, go- ing to 6 to 5 at the ringside. The scale was C15 top, for a champion- ship contest^ and o/er 11,000 people were in the house, with the gross running ' around $100,000. Wilson la said to have received $40,000; O'Dowd, $20,000. According to the "underground," ♦i7 ~—~- —■- -* "*- -T"*!~7 I a big New York gambler "ap- the manager and the; , ,„ . ..■ , l . ipped town. proached one of the judges and The bill legalising professional boxing bouts in Missouri has been passed by the State Senate by a vote of 20 to 5. The bill has al- ready passed tlw house and has been sent to the governor for "bis approval. The bill establishes a state s>tbletic commission consisting of three members, two to be named by the governor, and the adjutant general of the state. All bouts will be under the direction and regula- tion of the commission, and limited to ten rounds. Joe Gorman from the coast and Wrestling, very popular in Bur- lington, Vt„ for the last two win- ters, was given a severe blow last week when it waa discovered a bout was "fixed." For two years several Greeks have been cleaning up large sums of money in the city. Friday night, the local -"restler, a Harry Mammas, of Springfield, Mass., was to wrestle "Piz.kie" Gardner, of Boston. The local wrestler and his manager borrowed $1,800 from Greek friends to bet on Mammas. It was so arranged that "Pinkie" was to get the first fall and Mammas the second and third. Gardner, however, got the second and third falls, thus putting the Greeks in a hole. One Greek, as soon as he saw a double-cross being pulled off, got a lawyer and forced the manager to return the $1,000 he borrowed. The other, the lender of the $800, was not quick enough, for as soon as tho match was over wrestler skipped Investigation showed their bag- gage had been packed and checked since early morning. For a time the Greek community was very much excited. Later it was learned tho men were in. Plattsburg, N. Y. They made settlement in Burling- ton without going into court. Harry Mammas, who spends his summers as a carnival wrestler, comes from Springfield, Mass., while James Pappas, his manager, is a native of Lowell, Mass. It is reported that both men have gone to their respective homes. m s« There has always been more or less suspicion In Burlington the matches were being fixed. One paper was so certain, it refused to give the matches' any publicity other than printing the returns. The men even went so far as to offer a reporter on a local paper a certain per cent, of the returns If h would boost the matches for them. From present prospects Missouri will soon have a law legalizing box- ing. The bill, sponsored by the American Legion, has passed the House by a vote of 88 to 37,'and it will, according to present predic- tions, pass the Senate. The bill legalizes ten-round boxing bouts under the supervision of a State boxing commission of three mem bers. Benny Leonard may take a trip abroad this spring to shake hands with Johnny Basham, the welter- weight champion of England, for an encounter before the National Sporting Club or at Olympia. A substantial purse could be arranged for a meeting between the two. Monday night's bouts for the Irish Relief Fund at the Garden, developed some severe cases of blind staggers from the judges and referees. Kansas won so far from Jackson there was no chance for a mistake but Jack Sharkey was clearly robbed of a clean cut vic- tory over Midget Smith. Smith is very nearly unbeatable at the Gar- den where he is regarded as almost a member of the family. The crowd booed the decision for 15 minutes. Artie Root was entitled to a*; least an ever, break in his bout with Sammy Sieger In the opinion of many but had to take the worst end of the decision. However, the mar- gin here was much thinner than ir. the Sharkey-Smith encountei. Joe Bishop, the Chicago sensation, has been signed up for two fights by h!s manager, Mickey Curran March 24 he me*>ts Dick Griffith, the boy who Joe Lynch refused to box for being a pound overweight, 18 rounds to a decision at Fort Worth, Tex. April 9 Bishop boxes Solly Green 10 rounds at Montreal. Following these two engagements Bishop will make his headquart* rs In New York city and his metro* polltan debut before one of the local clubs in April. Speaking of Income returns and sports, it is said that George Agut- ter, professional tennis expert and Instructor at the West Side Tennis Club at Forrest Hills, Long Island enjoys the largest Income among tennis professionals. It has been es- the referee to. favor a fighter in a recent bout In New York. Accord- ing to the tale the referee lost.his nerve or wouldn't be influenced and crossed the "mob" by his deci- sion after the judge had "deliv- ered*' for the boys. The same story has it that the referee was as- saulted In Brooklyn following the fight, for not giving the decision looked for. If Governor Miller is opposed to boxing he needn't worry about any special legislation to eliminate it. The crowd will save him the trouble unless somebody sees the handwriting. It is sup* posed tp be against the state law for an official connected with the operation of a fight club to manage fighters because of the influence he could exert over the judges and referee who work because the club selects them. But is it? One matchmaker of a New York fight club has a stable almost as large as Belmont's. ENGAGEMENTS. Dorothy Penbrook and Louise De- voe with the Westchester Players, ML Ycrnbn, N. Y. Oscar Shaw. Stanley Jessup for A. L. Krlanger's "Two Little Girls In Blue." Frank Hanna, "Great Adventure." Harry Hanlon, "Broken Wing" ( •«• m '-•cdtasjuHciirv Duggan). , Georgia Empey, "Midnight Round- ers of 1921." Russ Whytal. Charles Waldron, Leslie Palmer, Florence John, Frank Heicher, Thurston Hall, "Mary Stuart." Llora Hoffman, Winter Garden. Winn Shaw (Shaw and Bernard), recently dissolved, has joined the vaudeville act, "Mosquito Trust," featuring Herbert Glass, formerly of burlesque. Paulette Lorayne (Mrs. J. D. Grafton), for "Love Birds." Buddy Doyle, blackfaco comedian, a three-year contract by Shuberts. Barry Townsicy, Westchester Players, Mount Veinon, N. Y. Colin O'More, Emmie Niclas, •Blossom Time." Jerome Patrick, "The Might Cap." Hermon Monoson is now asso- ciated with Arthur Lyons, the agent, McVICKER'S, CHICAGO. Chicago, March 23. The name of Marcus Lowe ap- pears in the Chicago directories only once, and that once is in'con- nection with a booking office, the Marcus Lowe Western Booking Exchange. It is an institution that does'nt make much noise. But it "puts the bead" on the bills at Mc- Vtaker's" and the Rialto. two of the most consistently successful 52- week theatres in the world. While it is a branch of the mighty trans- continental Loew organization, it is in a measure isolated and inde- pendent, and supplies a great many turns that do not play the Loew circuit. Rivaling the State-Lake itself, McVicker's, within earshot of State and Madison, "the busiest corner in the world," plays along week after week and rarely knows a vacant seat. J. C. Mathews, its local book- er, who is attached to the Jones, Linick & Schaefer staff, as well as the chain of Loew branches, picks up feature turns and flllers-in with aggressive yet selective activity here among acts passing through, breaking jumps, closing tours, start- ing new vehicles and launching into temporary vaudeville dips. These bookings, added to the wholesome fare of the standard Loew bills as a nucleus, have built up for Chi- cago's oldest playhouse an enthu- siastic and dependable following. The house management is smooth and business-like, under the watch- ful thumb of Jack Burch, a show- man of years and parts. Monday at McVicker's is a day of tense action. All day long the unending streams file to the box of- fice, take their places in the ser- pentine lines, worm into the the- atre and occupy and reoceupy the chairs; and there are 1,800 of these, for McVicker's is of the old school, being neither the ultra-modern house of prodigious capacity nor the fashionable one of more limited area and intimate proportions. They are going to tear it down soon. But unless they expand its seating pow- er it can never be any busier than it is right now.. Lent and everything else notwithstanding. This was a genuine variety pro- gram, with new faces and pep and contrasts. Coscia and Verdi, two instrumentalists in Italian charac- ter, ran away from this excellent competition and tied up the show with a walloping hit. Jussi and Ossi, differing from most hand-bal- ancing combinations in dress and get-up. got hearty returns on smooth and showmanly work. Frank and Oracle De Mont talked, danced and sang; their manner seemed languid, the girl supplying what speed there was, when any. It seemed as though some handicap not perceptible from in front held them down. Ralph Seabury, crayon cartoonist drew, ang and talked; Seabury is all right for the better small-time Jack and Tommy Well -burned i> up, one in blackface and the straight man r a race track hound. Re- fore their drop, i n the atmosphere they gurgled track talk that was a symphony to the ear of the one- time devotee of the turf and its thrills and heart ach In harmonv singing they neighed a nasty whinny, and the straight made* few tall notes without a stagger La Rose and Adams, man and woman came right into the arms of the mob. La u 0 se is a neat, nifty comedy juvenile, r.y an d light: Miss Adams is a chubby but statuesque beauty of very Monde type, with a pan- of Tungsfen eyes and a gen- Wi tor wearing a* well as picking FhT'mJH? P^r sang and gagged J ho numbers were sweetly done. ii» talk was not <o apt it wasn't up to their class or abilities The •song phiggcr seemed entirely un- necessary, But In all the pair re K - Istered and. with more convincing crossfire, are i n ine for big time iown-.nd Wilbur and Co. tore into A group of N. V. A. members gave a show for the inmates of Sing Sing March 17 under the auspices of the MuVual Welfare League. They at- tended a dinner as guests of the officials of the Institution, returning to the clubhouse at midnight. The bill was made up of Delta Bros., Wakefield and Lenar, Arthur Lloyd, Billy Curtis, La Byrne. Victor V. Vass. Billy O'Connor and El Bart Bros. Bemice Mershon claims a record for changes of form. She returned recently from France, where she had been singing "Carmen,'' Joined James Leonard in a travesty on "Hamlet" and after a week of that has just become a member of the Eddie Cantor show, singing one of the principal roles of "The Mid- night Rounders." Jack Linder is again booking ,the Palace, Passaic, N. J., with a wc'cli-ly five-act bill. The house for a time played straight pictures. The Com- munity, Catskill, N. Y., Is i nother new Linder acquisition playing four acta and pictures, Thursday. Friday and Saturday. A notable performance is set for April 17 at the Lexington Avenue opera house when a benefit will be given under the management of William Mooro Pat^H for the Adirondack fund for tuberculosis. Edward Tierney and James Don* nelly deny they are engaged to marry two girls in the Llghtnef Sister Revue as was rumored whes both acts were playing in San Francisco. J. C. Huffman will stage "Blos- som Time." the new operetta, book and lyrics by Dorothy Donnelly, score by Sigmund Romberg, which the Shuberts are about to place 11 rehearsal Paul Scott has gone to Bermuda for a vacation. ( BIKTHS Mr. and Mrs. Victor Hyde. Marcs 17, at their home in New York, daughter. Mr. Hyde is a vaudeville ! i producer and a brother of Johnny ■ Hyde of the Loew office. Mr. and Mrs. Hal B. Roach, ths picture producer, at Los Angeles, March 15, daughter. Mr. and Mrs. C. W. Hainp, at their home in Altoona, Fa., March 15, daughter. The mother Is not a professional. Mr. Hamp is with Janet of France in vaudeville. their sketch, "Smart Aleck," witl vim, making it as howling as ever; the stuff is old, but standard. Coscia and, Verdi whopped it uj to* a riot. Encores were demandr and generously given. These «- m ' ing veterans could have "milked further, but stopped the audience when the audience stopped th< show. Ethel CJilmore, formerly wit! Adolphus, is now assisted by three' women and a man, all clever teup-j sichoreans. gliding through a poliWI routine admirably. It was a l, it too| high class for the Mow elassel Judged by applause, it did not stand up. But applause \A no! al- ways III*' judge. .Many a turn DCj comes the "(haw" ;ind is Wide talked over, whereas it does not call for or elicit spontaneous enthu« ■lasm. Review, d as a couple:.- perform- ance, the McVicker's bill. iypl«*« of what this lh me provides ai = l rule, was clean, healthy, entertain ing vaudeville, as much f< ■' *"■ money its tan be bought tiir.es. / '"*•