Variety (January 1922)

PRICE 20 CENTS ■« : i Published Weekly at 154 West 46th St.. Kew York. N. T.» by Variety; Inc. Annual subscription $7. Single copie* 20 cents. Entered as second class matter December 22, 1905, at the Post Office at New York, N. Y.. under the Act of March S. 1879. OL. XLV. No. 9 NEW YORK CITY, FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 1922 40 PAGES ** r ROBING THE HAYS MYSTERY "VAUDEVILLE IS INVESTMENT; TART OF BUSINESS'-StoBERT Lee Shubert Comments on New Venture—Satisfied with Results in Generally Bad Season—Better Next Season and Better Still Season After That Toronto and New Haven Surprise Manager S [ [ E. F. ALBEF/S OWN PAPER IS A VICTORY IN SOLICITING ADS FROM ACTORS +- "Shubert vaudeville is an invest- ment," said Lee Shubert, speaking of their latest departure. "It's a part of our theatrical business, as much so as anything else we are Jiandling," added Mr. Shubert. "Vaudeville has proven satisfac- tory to us, in this, a very poor thea- trical season generally.' We have Hot gone into vaudeville for a ■eason-—we are in It to stay," con- tinued Mr. Shubert "We did not go into it blind, we did not expect to make money from the start, we were not ouite that guileless. We ■lay not make any money this ■eason, in fact we never expected (Continued on Page 2) PAY AS YOU LEAVE TRIED IN OREGON Patrons Give What They Think Is Show's Value SUNDAYS FAIL TO FAY IN NEW JERSEY Five Weeks Ordinance Lapses —Tax Too Much The city ordinance legalizing Sun- day amusements in Jersey City has been rescinded after having been in effect for five weeks. ^ The ordinance was of a temporary nature. It permitted Sunday per- formances for five weeks with an option of five more. The theatre owners failed to make use of the option as the five-week period during which the houses were permitted to remain open on Sun- days had not proved sufficiently remunerative to cover a 10 per eent. clause in (ho ordinance had been an instrumental factor in its passing the Hoard of Councillors. HAYS GREATEST POSTMASTER' Minneapolis, .Tan. 1 8. I'M ward Purdy, Minneapolis Dem- ocratic postmaster, whom Post- master <»eneral Hays pronounced 'The greatest postmaster in the country," is resigning his post to- da y. The dopesters says Mr. Purdy may enter into the pietuiv business With Mr. Uavs. Portland, Ore., Jan. 18. A "pay as you leave" theatre, In which the patron enjoys the show and then pays what he feels it has been worth, has come into being at Seaside, Oregon's summer resort, under the management of B. J. Callahan. Callahan operates the Strand, a picture house, and since the nrst of the year has been working under his new scheme. Whoever chooses may enter the house and as he leaves he drops the "value"' of the show in a box. Callahan testifies that the plan has brought in a greater revenue than he got under the old plan of a stated admission collected at the entrance. "SAWING" COLOR New Orleans' Colored Theatre Ad- justing Turns to Patrons New Orleans, Jan. 18. The Lyric, the largest colored the- atre in this country, managed by Clarence Bennett, is going to give its patrons the latest illusions and has adjusted the turn to suit the color of the audience. The house is announcing for next week, "Sawing a Colored Woman in Half," locally termed "black magic." Impression Zukor Dominat- ed Move for Hays Ap- pointment Now Prevails— Secret Sessions and Mo- tives Questioned—What Do Statements of Pres. Harding and Former Cab- inet Official Mean? FEDERAL CENSOR MOVE Will H. Hays has accepted the position to head the motion picture industry. He made public his ac- ceptance Saturday and Monday of this week conferred with a commit- tee representing the industry in New York. Now that he has in- formed the picture people he will consent to take over the $150,000 a (Continued on page 38) S. BEND WITHOUT LEGIT; FIRST TIME IN 50 YEARS Palace Theatre Last to Pass— Oliver Also Gone Over to Films ' ' IT III'. « I I I I I » ^ \#l JIMI«» »«••■■» /oyes. > No intimation \< contained in [Uestionnuirc a>< to its Import. Indianapolis, Jau 18. Absorption of the Palace at South Tend by^ the Orpheum circuit last month leaves the city, with a popu- lation of 75,000, without theatre offering legitimate attractions, al- though three, erected at a total cost of about $2,500,0CO were originally designed for that policy. . It is the firsjt time South Bend has been without legit road attractions for almost 50 years. All legit attractions hooked at the Oliver have been cancelled since the movies Swallowed it up reeently. D. D. H.? SIOOO.(HI A WEEK KEITH'S ROYAL. NEXT WEEK Mr. Albee" Occurs Frequently in Conversation of Solicitor—Music Publishers Approached Look Upon Attempt to Make Them Advertise as "Hold Up"—"Vaude News" known as 'Throwaway* LICHTCAN DEMANDS PERCENTAGE OF GROSS Refuses Yearly Salary of $75,- 000—First Nat'l Ooinq $400,000 Weekly Early this week all signs pointed to an agreement being arrived at between First National and Al Lichtman to head the sales depart- ment. At the daily meetings being held, 25 of the 26 franchise holders were reported to favor such an arrange- ment, the only one holding out be- ing Harry Schwalbe, who votes as the representative from Philadel- phia. The only thing that prevents the immediate ratification of the pro- posed Lichtman contract is the per- centage of the gross sales of the organization which Lichtman is asking. Although offered a salary of $75,000 a year,; he refuses to con- sider salary, preferring a percent- age. The concern is doing a busi- ness of about $400,000 a week. While on the coast recently, Lichtman had a line-up of present First National producing units, which Included those controlled by Joseph M. Schcnck, Thomas H. Ince, Mack Sennett, Katherine Mac- Donald Corp., and several others, under a reorganized Associated Producers alliance, in the event he was unable to come to an under- standing with First National. "The Vaudeville News/' accepted as E. F. Albee's own paper, has started soliciting advertisements from actors and* musio publishers. The latter look upon the solicita- tion as a "hold up." They report the use of "Mr. Albee" at frequent intervals during the course of the conversation of the paper's solici- tors. "The Vaudeville News" is known as a house organ. It is given away, to a mailing list and can not secure (Continued on Page 2) ANTI-PROHIBITIONIST ROUTED ON ROAD STAGE HANDS TAKE CUT San Francisco, Jan. 18. A wage cut of IVt per cent, was voluntarily accepted by stage hands of San Francisco and Oakland last week. Will King Out By llliness San FranciSCO, Jan, IS. Will King I.ad to l«>avt hi* show at the Casino Saturday through illness. " • may be out of the cast for t.wo weeks. G. K. Brown Will Tell It All, at 25c. Admission—One- Night Stands O. K. Brown, the vaudeville pro- ducer and actor, has severed his connections with the stage to be- come an anti-prohibition lecturer, opening "Wednesday (Jan. 18) in Hackeusack, N. J. A one-night stand route has been laid out for the speaker, who will deliver an address on the evil* which have developed from the present dry laws and methods which may be followed to have them re- pealed; The halls In each town have been taken on a flat rental basis with an admission charge of 25 cents made. The Brown lecture is being billed the same as a road attraction, and. special publicity campaigns carried on in newspapers in towns which have snti-prohibition tendencies. FRANK TINNEY Now yoti My ti me. "Frank. ; where do y.»u »et jnxit co«- times?" and then I'll sa/— '•firrruthinp in Attire for the Theatre" " 113 West 10th Street. New York City Brooklet So. IS t