Variety (December 1921)

VARIETY'S LONDON OFFICE CABLES U ST., OXFORD ST., W. L Friday, December 9, 1921 T AND TAKT REVISED FROM FANTASIA" BY DE C00RVH1E Reopening at Queen's Shows Signs of Success— Big List of Revivals Scheduled for Holiday Seasoi Closings in the West End ., London, Dec. 7. Tantasla," under its new till* 1 . "Put and Take," has been re- produced at the Queen's by Albert de Courville and pot an exceedingly good reception. The whole revising process lias been very drastic, but the show is now likely to be~a suc- cess. Dorothy Maynard, Nellie Taylor and Eric Blore are out of the cast. The former story has disappeared. Only a few of the original scenes remain. The inserted features lack originality, but go well. Josephine Karle, with only two days' rehearsal in the Maynard part, sings with big success, as Mhss El son does a]so in the Taylor role. Shows to Close "The Gipsy Princess" at the Strand; "The Only Way," at Hie Lyceum; the British ballet at the Kingsway, all finished Dec* 8. •Two Jacks and a Jill" at the Royalty should have finished in the same date, but goes on until "The Spreckled Band" can be transferred from the St. James. "Will Shakespeare" at the .Shafts- bury and the Carl Rosa opera at Covent Garden are due to close Dec. 10,' while "Ring Up," transferred from the Royalty to the Vaude- ville, finishes Dec. 17. New Productions Due The production of "Babes in the -Woods" will open at the Oxford, Dec. 21, and "Jack and the Bean- stalk," at the Hippodrome. Dec. 22. Andre Chariot's, new revue is to open at the Vaudeville at Christmas time. There will be a revival of "Char- ley's Aunt" at the Duke of York's, Dec. 9. "The Great Eig World," a Christmas play, will be seen at the Court at Christmas, coincident- ally with "The Windmill Man." with Bert Coote at the Victoria Pal- ace. A second edition of "The Co- Optimists" opened at the Palace, Dec. 6, and "Blood and Sand" re- turns to the New, Dec. 14, follow- ing Its Birmingham showing. Balieff* Chauve Souris stays at the Coliseum till Christmas, and "Cinderella" will be revived at the Lyceum Boxing Day. There will also be a revival of "The Maid of •the Mountain's," with Jose Collins, at Daly's, Boxing Day, for six weeks. REFUSE BERNHARDT LEASE Council Does Not Want Son and Partner to Profit—Six Years Parlr., Dec. 7. The Municipal Council has re- fused to prolong the lease of the Theatre Sarah Bernhardt to Mme. Bernhardt and her son, Maurice, together with Louis Berneuil, bo- cause the unexpired lease has six years more to run, and the Council objects to Mme. Bernhardt'* two as- sociates profltinr from a % further ex- tension in the event that the actress herself should retire. "WAY DOVMW EAST" RECORD Longest Film Run Expected at the Empire Till End of January London. Dec. 7. "Way Down East" will probably hold sway at the Empire until the end of January. This will break all records for a film run here. It will be replaced by a musical play. ■ "The Three Musketeers" (Fair- banks) opms at Covent Garden on Dec. IS with showing?, twice daily. PAUL KAY DUE HEBE London, Dec. 7. Paul Kay sailed Dec. 2 for New York to negotiate for the produc- tion in London of American suc- cesses. He returns early in the new year to establish a repertory thea- tre. He will revive "Abraham Lin- coln'' annually. So many people say iU was me that sent Frank Van Hoven to Eu- rope that I want the real party to be given credit. CHARLES BORN- HAUPT. now in BRIJBSELS, and a fine man outside of our business, sent me to Europe, NO ONE ELSE. He begged me to go. even offered me my passage. I opened in Liver- pool—DID NOT DO WELL—but I Stuck. Gus Sun's managers could- n't lick me, and I stuck. I opened May is, 1915. Liverpool. I got 1225 weekly. Mr. Bornliaupt said Td get $500 in a yoar. In less than six months I was the comedian in a London Revue and played other halls with it; my salary was well over $500. Now on Orpheum tour and thanks for English managers postponing dates, I close State-Lake, June 10. A wild we<4c with Tommy Gray. Remember my healthy trunk in my apartment last summer, same thing goes in My Cabin aboard the * 1a France. Come one, come all. Sailing on La France, June 17. FRANK VAN HOVEN GAB0R STET5EE SAILING Gabor Steiner, the Viennese im- presario, is scheduled to sail for America Dec. 14, bringing over a wealth of continental legitimate material for production in this country. He plans to establish headquarters in New York for the interchange of attractions. FIBMnr GEMTER AT 0DE0N Paris, Dec. 7. Firmin Gomier has been appointed director of the Odeon for seven years beginning in March. TWO MUSIC CO.'S ONE London, Dec. 7. fj. Feldman and the Star Co., two of the leading British music pub- lishing 'VMnponies, have cor.-o-Vi- dated. For some years there was ( maintained a very friendly workiner arrangement between the two in the way of song exploitation, and tb<* consolidation of both firms is an outcome of this business reciprocity. Gladys Cooper's Marital Rights London, Dec. 7. Gladys Cooper has been granted a decree against Captain Herbert Buckmaster, restoring her conjugal rights. The decree must bo obeyed within fourteen days. MAETERLINCK REVIVAL Paris, Dec. 7. Maurice Maeterlinck's drama, "Pelleas and alelisandc," was given at the Champs Ely see under the di- rection of Jacques Hcbc-tot, Dec. 2, and scored a success. The cast in- cludes Pierre Blanchak and«Mmes. Blanc and Dabon. It was originally produced in 1893 and was taken as the basis of an opera by Debussy. Herbert Clifton for America I,r">/ n n, Dec n • Herbert Clifton sailed on the Or- bita, Dec. 6. to open at the Or- pheum, Brooklyn, Dec. 19. He re- turns at Whitsuntide to rejpen at the Coliseum. OFFICIAL KITCHENER DENIAL I/ondon, Dec. 7. The War Office has issued a de- nial of the alleged facts in the Kitchener film ban.ied here because it 8".Jd Lord Kitchener was be- trayed to his d<-ath by a woman spy who wormed information from a British oltlcer. The producers will attempt to tour it by renting halls. No Pantomime at Drury Lane London, Dec. 7. There will b^ no pantomime at the Drury Lane this year during the holidays, as it is impossible to get the theatre ready. Fournier in London London, D«e. 7. Arthur Fournier bus b»-en in re in connection with the production of musical piny*, but r«turu*«l to Mer- lin almost i - ninrdiat"-ly. SAILINGS Dee. It ftiondon to Xi-n Y<>:-].) 11< i-hert riifton tOihita). J> . 4 i Havre to New York) Mary Pi. -kford and Douglas Fairbanks c Paris). T>ec. 2 • London to New York\ raul Kay. INDEFINITE BOOKINGS \ Continued from Page 1) orchestra, and other augmentation, opens at Parsons. Hartford, Conn.. Dec. TO. It plays there a couple of days and th»» organization travels to Boston for an indefinite run at the Tremont, Boston. The second equipment opens at the Apollo. New York, Dec. 2) or Dec. 30: the third at the Forrest, Philadelphia, Jan. 9; the Hanna, Cleveland, Jan. 9; the Pitt, Pitts- burgh, Jan. 1C; Gnat Northern, Chicago. Jan. 29. For * he first time In the history of picture exhibition, all six com- panioM ,- re booked for indefinite runs at these legitimate houses, necessi- tating a i'hange of route for attrac- tions booked, to make it possible for the (iriflith Hpeetacle to remain as long as business warrant*. FAMOUS' FOREIGN UNKS OF SMALL IffiLP General European Representa- tive Coming for Conference John Cecil Graham, general Euro- pean representative for ' Famous Players, is due in New York next week for a business conference and it is known that the last two pro- ductions in England were financed from New York instead of by the British company as was the case in the past. Famous never got started in France and there are a couple of producing units somewhere in Italy making a production apiece. Famous' Oerman connection, the European Film Alliance, made two pictures and stopped production. These were "The Indian Tomb," made by Joe May, and "The Wife of Pharoah," a Lubitsoh production. The studio owned by the Alliance in Charlottenberg (then on outskirts 0* ■!>«. ti'kn/ • ii llOn* lWi'flg reiu'Vd to independent producers for indi- vidual productions. Adolph Zukor recently stated to a Variety representative that he looked for comparatively little help from abroad for his productions. 1100,000 FOR 6 TIGERS Paris, Dec. 7. An American circus man cabling here for six tigers brought a quo- tation from a German dealer of $100,000 for the half dozen cats. Wilette KERSHAW GLOBE THEATRE LONDON NEGRO OPERA (Continued from Page 1) the show business. The plan is to finance the project and open it dur- ing February or a little later at the Manhattan opera house, New York. The promoters are reported to be the whites now concerned in the management of "Shuffle Along," the all-colored success Harry Cort has had running at his father's (John Cort) C3d Street theatre. The engagement there is indefinite and the show is doing around $11,000 weekly. NVgro grand opera has been often spoken about in the past, but lias never come to actuality. The colored race holds many noted voices, some heard in other stago performances of the past, like Abbie Mitchell's. It appears the success of "Shuffle Along'' has convinced the promis- ing barkers negro opera could make money in attracting whites, as "Shuffle Along" is doing. FAMOUS AT NEW HIGH OF 731-2 PREFERRED CLOSE TO YEAR'S TOR ' Orphtum Explains Patting Common Stock Dividend to Stockholder! —Necessity of Conserving Re. 's Holding Around 14 The Orpheum directors Toted to omit dividends "for the present"-at their meeting Dec. 1, sad the market quotations on the common dropped to 14, its new low for ail time, on the coming out of the announce- ment. It rallied feebly thereafter to a top of IS with gradually declining trading. By Wednesday Interest in the Issue had lapsed. No dealings had come out on the ticker up to 1 o'clock of that day. While Martin Beck's letter to the stockholders explained the neces- sity >of husbanding cash resources pending the completion of its build- ing program involving the invest- ment of more than $5,000,000. Famous at TV/z By #Tednesday the movement in Orpheum had'about run its course in the market' and attention sud- denly switched to Famous Players which was in the m!dst of a spec- tacular advance. It gained three points Tuesday to 72V£ and con- tinued its upward course Wednes- day morning, touching 734. The preferred appeared to control the j very materially to our earnings, as cent, on the preferred stock, payable January 1,' lOtt, to stockholders of record da December, 15, 1921. No dividend on the common stock was declared for this quarter. "In order that yon may be in* formed as to the present condition of your company, I desire to say that the consideration which affected thl decision of your directors in passing \ the usual dividend on the common; stock for the present was the ad- visability of conserving the com- pany's cash resources in order to complete our program for the de- velopmcnt of our circuit of theatres. Moreover/ your directors feel that 1 the retention of cash in our treasury at this time is unquestionably sound and good business policy. |o^000/MW Investment "As the new theatres now under construction at San Francisco, Los Angeles and Oakland, and those Just completed in Kansas City and Min- neapolis, are similar to the State* Lake theatre in Chicago In plan and policy, which has shown consistently J large earnings this year in the face': of adverse conditions, we may ox- pect that the new theatres will add common. There was nothing to ex plain Tuesday's jump of three points unless it was the upturn in the pre- ferred Monday from «4'*j to 87!4. Wednesday at noon the preferred stood at B$\i, up four points from last week and within one-half of its top for the year, 90 established in the advance of last April. When well as greatly strengthen our cuv cuit. Despite the fact that your company has been entirely wilhout . revenue from upwards of five mil- lion dollars, invested in the con- struction of these new theatres, the compr.ny has earned so far this year approximately a million dollars after all charges and liberal depreciation the preferred stood at 90 April 27, ' reserves. the common was at a high of 82, representing a difference between "With the return of normal con- ditions and our new theatres opened. the senior and junior issues of H j we are confident that tho company points, while Wednesday this week ! faces a very successful future." the difference was the 15 points be tween 75 and 88. Transactions in preferred increased gradually from none Dec. 1 to COO Dec. 6 and 800 Dec. 7. One inference of this might be that company interests are steadily buying into preferred, while neg- lecting the common, whereas in April the buying was in the common rather than in the preferred. In one case buyers of common took the initiative and carried the pre- ferred along, while the reverse now appears to be the case. An unusual feature of trading in FRANK VAN HOVEN ICE I both Orpheum and Famous Players j, *>«■>• pr this week has been tho volume of salts on the Consolidated Exchange in New York. Ordinarily dealings in an inactive specialty like Orpheum would be negligible on the Consoli- fln .„. nni u..j,-i>Ui ..loiiuai' tu^y reached a j Tuosiiay- total of nearly 700 shares compared with only 300 on the Stock Ex- change. The Consolidated handles 5mall lot dealings in units of 10, and it goes without saying that a turn-over of more than twice the big board dealings is extraordinary. Famous Flayers also came in for unusually large dealings on the Con- solidated, the Tuesday sales total- ing 2.500 shares. It would appear unlikely that these llgures could be done in small lots and probably rep- resented the quiet transactions of some relatively important interest. Another interesting angle is that while around 5.000 shares of Or- pheum changed hands in the New York markets, business practically ceased in the issue in Boston and Chicago. Ex-Dividend Famous Players sells ex-dividend next Thursday, Dec. ID. and that circumstance may have had some bearing on the midweek improve- ment. Apparently the move in the amusement leader had no Influence on Loew, which was sluggish frac- tionally over 14. If rumors of sub- stantial improvement in the hiward position of the company aro true, the situation is not reflected In the market movements, which continue to be controlled by the considera- tion of how long it will be before dividends are resumed. Nothing new on this subject has come to the surface aside from the vague rumors in circulation. Martin Beck's letter to the Or- pheum stockholders, dated Deo, 1, is as follows: "Tour directors have this day de- clared the regular dividend of 2 There were only three recorded transactions on the Curb, two in Goldwyn, unchanged at 4%fMTs. and 500 Triangle at 20 cents a share. The mannary of transactions Dec. 1 to 7 inclusive la as follows. STOCK EXCHANGE Thursday— Sales. Hifrh.T.ow. T/i*t. t'hg. Fam. IMay.-I... 2.40O 68% 08 68\ - '■ l.o*vr. inc 700 14H 14U 14* •* Orpheum TOO IS 14% 15 - '* Boston sold :15 Orpheum at 15. Friday- ram. 11aj -J,.. 2.100 SB m\ 6Mi Do. pf 1M0 K»«i 84>, H.%U -1% Lor-w, Inc J..100 14* 14*4 H' 4 — % Orpheum 1.200 15 14 15 HoMon imk) 120 Orpheum at lJi; Chicago sold 40 at 14V SniUMlay— Fam. I'lay.-L.. 1.S00 60% 68% 00 'i 100 84*4 84«i H4< Loew. Inc 000 14W 14 14>„ Orpheum W0 14% 14% 14, t'hlcago sold ISO Orpheum at 14. Monday— Fam. PUt.-L.. 1.800 00% 09 *9'* I*>. pf 300 sou r:»% tw\ lx»w. Inc TOO 14»* 14 14 300 H\ 14'i 14'« - »; •4 1% '• Fam. I'lay.-L,.. 9.400 T2 09 72 r>". pf *00 87 SC'i 87 r.o.w, Ioc..^... 1,100 14' 2 14»,i H'i Orpheum 500 15 J4% 13 AY < dn«*stja y— Fam. l'lnv.-I... 9.100 7.V4 T'J'i T?', l>o pf TOO 8*'i S7' 4 .s*'.. 1-o'w. Inc 2..*iU.) 1 |-\ 11 H Orphfum 10J 15% 15% 1L% THE CURB Fildiiy— Sal. ;. 11:|fh.!.•)«-. l„i«' CHf *% % '4 % % •. '4 > % <> Id v.-> n loo Saturday— •Joldwyn loo Tu.sdsiy - •Triunrle 500 Wrthi« , »da> — O old xv y n . IV) •t 'fiits a shaie. 4% 4". 2J 4% 20 4'. 4-> 20 ■i t; SENDING MONET TO BELGIUM Variety Is advised hy Charles Bornhaupt, the agent, now in HriM- sHs. that anyone sending ironoy to relatives or friends in Belgium should do so through the medium of American Express Co. orders or by draft from any American bank. The Belgian post office at the date of the letter (Nov. 17) was only paying 11 francs to the American dollar, about one-third less at that time tl an the exchange on express orders would have given. George Trilling, of the B. S. Mo« film booking department, has an- nounced his engagement to Mildred Schlffman. BIG SUCCESS IN EUROPE BUNS FAY and ELK1NS "MINSTREL SATIRISTS" PLATIlfO MOS§, STOMi a»«l Principal Circuits Direction, W. t. HeaBesaer '