Variety (March 1922)

Friday. March 3. 1922 VAUDEVILLE \ PIANO PLAYERS CALLED "EXCESS" AND EXPENSIVE BY MANAGERS f One Vaudeville Circuit Declares It Is Costing $6,000 Weekly for Unnecessary Pianists—Prefer Spend- ing Amount on Increased Orchestras—"Single Acts" Mostly Blamed—Increases Act's Salary Piano players in vaudeville are in the fort'thouKht of Bcvoral circuit managers who have appeared lo have pounced upon piani.sts as ex- cess and expensive through th>^ conditions confronting their circuits this season. In lookinjr for places to reduce operatin;; expensi.'H. SI least two circuit managers, without conferring with each other, lipurod one saving: could be effected in elimi- natinjT unnecessary piano players. The manajjor of an exlen^ive chain of vaudeville theatres ha« said he figures excess piano playt-rs now on his time are costing' him $R.O00 a week. This liniounl, hv slatrd. his circuit would prefer t^ spend on in- creased orchestra?. Piano players apr« ar to he loolced upon as excess wlun travilinpf with what is known as a single act, man or woman, or a team or a trio where the pianist acts only as_ an aecom- panist. OfK'U the pianist \a made to look like a part of the tu.n through fillin!? in v/aitR or havinc; a solo or two to liimsolf. This, the manac:ers Bay. is more often a camoulljge thai/ anythine: <'Ist'. The managers d. •. lare the cost of the pianists rtsults throujrii Ihf act carr>in,i^ f>iu» incii-asia'.; its sal- ary. UKualiy from $ino to $'J00 a ORPHEUM, DEUTH, aOSES THIS WEEK done simultaneously, that is suc- (•cssfully. And he spealcs from real •'xperience. Thuvforc, ho has ar- ri\ed at the conclusion th.U i.! o;u wants lo spoon lui should not a:- tenipl to dii\e a car at tin; taiae time. •There are in •i)iraf.o;i po'.nl.i aloi.ii Riverside Drive jet ui ide os- ptcially fur spooners," Mr. Stein- ix'rg said in de-fcnding h's action. •"They don't Iiavt- lo spoin along I'.roadway. Ewrybcdy loves a lover, hut not in an auto when he is u^;ing one arm to h'dd the only girl in the worhl so cltae that tjhe wont get coW. V-^-'- '-'■' ,* "Uliy, I was driving—yes. I was alonr—down liroadway. and just as I was nt-.-ning llOth stre-ot, wliich is one of the mo>;t dangerous parts of New York City for tratRc. an auto- niohile came wabbling along. The young fellow ha<l one ann arouna iiis girl, and she waa resting her beautiful brown hair on his manly shoukJer. His eyes were not on hs uork. They were looking into h rn. They didn't care how many oih«M- ma<'hin»>s were in the street or what tlio tratllc sign.s weri\ "l Iiad to drive u\) on t!ie curb to oscape a eolbsion. I am ^•alisti(Ml lliat manv autonwtblle accidents are* Bad Conditions in Northwest ^Stock Will Follow— Others to Close Duluih. March 1. 'I'lit' Orphi'um liore will bec{.me tlark Saturday, discontinuing vaude- ville for the season. The house v.-ill reof)ea witli dramatic stoelc when Arthur J. Casey installs liis com- pany fe>r his tliirel s-easo!i. Tlie stoek policy will b^gin about l-^aster. The Orpheuni has he^en steadily losing patronage, due to industrial conditions and une'mplo>'ment. J^ironger bill« at 4)opular prices failed to stave (>ff the slump, and the inevitable announcement of clos- ing came', Acrording to reports, Orpheum ofllcials will leave Chicago on an inspeM'iion tour of this territory, ii being rumoreel that other northern closings an* anticipated. The Orpheum houses at A'ancou- vtH* and SaH I^ake are reported as liste<l for rarly closings inilesj; busine::s imi»ro\es. A nueling oi the Orpheum olHciabJ was held in .\«-v.' York this wei>k to de'cido upon the future' of the ht>uses. UBSCRIPTIONS ASKED FOR JEWISH DRIVE Quota of $250,000 for The- atrical Div'Sion as Its Por- tion Toward the Fund reache*! such a crisis iu our ci;y tint .'-ctne'lhing must be doni\ Jily bill will stop trying to oi>crate s* machine while doing a Ilomeo anel .Inlict stunt." Mr. Sieinbcr.'5's bill would r.-vok:' tilt' liccns«^ of any dri\er caught spooning." week, on the plea the piano player can: ed by spooiilnc. ainl it has is causing that much extra cxpenso. I with his salary aiul traveling e\- , peases. The managers ah^o dec lare the acls have an opinion a pianist on the stage with tlicm gives "class" to the turn it couhl not seciu'e witli- out the assistance of a sp.'Cialist at the concert grand. Managers argue, firstly, that in former days the pianist did the act or a large part of it, if at tlie piano. and singers used the orchestra. There were as many successes in thoFe days with only the orchesha as there are now with pianists, they «ay. None of the managers would ven- ture an estimate on he>w many un- necessary piano players thei-o are in vaudeville at present. They con- cede a certain type of turn is made more valuable with the piano player and that in other acts ofteji a piano player is legitimately a part of it. They insist, however, that of all piano players now in vaudeville 80 per cent, are unnecessary to the turns they are with or the bills they appear upon. The actual salary of piano players, they say," runs from •75 to $150 a week, plus transpor- tation. WRITERS TO MEET AGAm .\ reorganization meeting of the Lyric Writers' anel Composers' Cluild (songwriters' union) is scheduled for March 8 at Keen's Ciiop House, at V. hicli new members anel ofllcers are tt) be* elected. The organization, wliicli was sui»posed to be a "coM" luoposition because of the failure on two occasions within the last two months to assemble quorums of 25. is to be revived seriously, accord- ing to some of the members. Their demands will be drawn up anew, including DO per cent, me- chanical royalty, prompt payment thereof when due, as well as sworn sheet music statements. OUTDOOR SPORTS ; Bache/or Assemblyman Against One-Handed Driving SUPERVISION OF RAILROADS Alicuiy. March 1. Attorney Clenera! Charles D. New- ton had no comment to make on the decision of llje T'niied estates Su- preme Court ;it Washington up- holding the authority (»t" the Inler- ;;tat'' Cotnmcrce Ce>mmission to i-e^uiate all railroael fares, which was a (k feat for Xev.- York Slate in i's action to co!npel the Xew Yorlc Central Kailroujl to charge only two cents a mile fo.- par.sengers be'twef n Albany and lUilTalo. In taking the liglit to tlie highest tribunal in America the State hatl conter.ele'd tliat under an old char- ter provision the road could not charge more than two cents a mile between All)any anel Jbiffale). The Federal Commission h.ad given the New Ye>rk Central per- mission to charge its i>resent rate of 3.6 cents a mile. Pan's Minneapolis Opening Saturday ^Minneapolis, March 1. The Vantages road shows, making this city their usual starting point for the circuit, now open here Sat- urdays, instead of Sunday as for- merly. Albany, March 1. Assemblyman Joseph Steinberg. Republican, of New York City, who made himself famous early in the present legislative session by in- troducing a measure designed to frustrate overnight marriages, aimed his guns at Mr. and Mrs. Lover again yesterday, when he presented In the lowur chamber a bill to pre- vent "spooning* in automobiles. Mr. Steinberg is a bachelor, but his friends say ho is not a woman hater ^y any means. He has been seen about the lobby of the Ten Kyck Hotel with several pretty Albany girls this season, it is reported. Mr. Steinberg, who boasts of be- ing one of the most regular of reg- ular Republicans, says ho doesn't Bive a hang if he returns to Albany next year, and, with the "spooners' " Measure, as a basis of expression, hia friends arc led to believe that he la sincere In his declaration. Al- ready the Assemblyman has been the target for. many uncompli- mentary remarks from Albany misses who don't object to a young man putting one around them ami the other on the wheel on a nice moonlight night. Under the terms of the Steinberg mtiisure, it would be a crime for anyone to drive a machine with one hand while the other is holding the young woman closely. The Intro- duoer oC the bill ia outspoken in his "•'it'f that the two things cannot bo ALMA NEILSON And Company "IN BOHEMIA" Direction: LEW GOLDER At the Boston Theatre, BosV>n» This Week, Feb. 27th. - "PLUGGERS" H0RN5NG IN ON RADIO FAD Broadcastinq Officials Claim Classics Are Wanted ADELAIDE and ALBERT GLORL\ IN THE MESSRS. SHUBERTS "THE BLUSHING BRIDE/' ASTOR THEATRE The crown of the show Is the daneing of the "Clori.is." Why J^-tf-ts of that calibre fchould pn serve to rilly un ar,c-i.ymiiy is a rid.lb;, 'i hey dince w h exquisite wildnes^. yet pr-Tision;- their work combines the rntoxicatlon of the senses with the (old ecstasy of r.athr-.nat.cs It is RuiKMb If the rest of us could do tho things we try to do with the ^ollV.mrpnt nerfection which these dancer.«» bring to their chosen art— weirthe ll^rW lvoS!i7^ a^ fascina tin^place -i/..7;.^ro.'. Town Topic. ' Personal Dir< Ion: ED DAVIDOW 'I'll' music publishers, recogniz- ing the potential powers oC the m-w radiophon*' fad as a national music "jdiigging" medium, are daily send- ing down song pluv.gers to the vari- ftus broadcasting .stations, either to the \\\".stinghouso plant at Newark or the lladio Corporation of Amer- ica station at Uoselle Park. To their way of thinking, just now. it is the popularizing medium of the future, although some of the other music m«n contend it will boonurang by hurting the record and roll sales. Meanwhile tlie music; men are vic- ing with each other lo secure a "plug" for their respective wares which the radiophone people do not seem to appreciate. They contei.d that it really is the better class mu- sic the radio audience's appreciate and introduco letters of appreciation witli nary a favorable comment for the popular dinger. Miss \'aughn De Lcath, who war^ one of tho pioneers in performing for the radiophone fans, staged a .songwriters' night WashingtQn's liirthday night at which Albert von Tilzer, Kendis and Erockman, Otto Motzan and others performed. Tho New York campaign for Jewisli War Suft'erers has set a quota of $1*50.000 for the theatrical division as its portion of the de- sired $5,000,000 to be raised in New York for Its part of tho $14,000,000 beiiir aimed at for these purposes all over the country. The campaign has the support of leading Jews in every field of American life, financial, represented on the committee by Felix Warburg; professional, represented by Louis IMarshall; humanitarian, by Nathan i:>trauss and others. The active director of tho thea- trical committee is Allen Grant, who has ollices at 1441 Broadway (Hroadway Theatre building). Sign- ed pledges may be tsent to the theatrical committee or direct pay- ments, all payable to he Jewish War Sufferers. They will bo duly acknowledged. Subscriptions above $10 are payable in four installment.**, Apri' 1. July 1. Sept. 1, and Nov. 1, vr2-2. Any subscription forwarded .should contain tho name and address of tlie sender. The theatrical committee espe- cially apjieals through Variety to the Jewish members of the profes- sion for their own subscriptions and those of others they may be able to influence. A sj)eoial midnight performance will be given in aid of the Relief drive at the Palace, New York, Sat- urday, Slarch 18. Tho performance will start at 11:45 Saturday night. COP'S ERROR Jack Walsh Arrested — Mistaken Identity "5TH AVE" SENT TO STORAGE Moore & Megley's vaudeville act, "On Fifth Ave.," which played the Palace, New York, last week, went to the storehouse Saturday. Charles Irwin, one of the featured members, will re-enter vaudeville in his form- er single turn. It is understood the Keith ofUcc could not see the price asked for the act by Moore & Megley, which was $2,500. Baltimore, March 1. A case of mistaken identity result- ed in tlie arrest of Jack Walsh last week, while playing at the Hippo- drome hero. The New York authorities were looking for a Jack Walsh, wanted * for appropriating money and prop- erty from a Mrs. Lee In New York City. They had been informed that a Jack Walsh and Co. were playing the Loew circuit. A wire was rushed to the Hippodrome and Wahh haled into court, where ho was bailed by the manager of the Hip. The complainant arrived and an- nounced th.'it a mistake had been made, as Walsh was not the person. She apologized to Walsh and the In- cident was closed when the charge was withdrawn. ,^ EXAMINATION APPLICATIONS The application of the Shubert attorneys to examine Vine and Tem- ple, who are suing on their vaude- ville contracts, before trial was va- cated by Judge Walsh in tho City Court Wednesday. ^ I'rederlck K. doldsmith, attorney for the vaudeville act. has issued a subpoena for I^eo Sliubert for an examination before trial. ILLNESS CAUSES DISSOLUTION Florence H o b s o n and Kilcen Heatty, vaud( ville, liave teraporarlly di^^solved, due lo illness rontract.-d by Miss P.catty. An aUOBdmg plij^- sician after an examination advi.;ed her "to return to her home for at hast .six months to recuperate. Missj llobson will continue In \audc\i;ie as a single act. in jon: & RUFL'S LeMAIRE MAY IRWIN LIKES UNIT IDEA May Irwin iias op'at d ri'-gt/Ji- tU'iis with the Sliuberts for tiie > •- curing of a franciilse for a unity,on the new .Sliubcrt vaudeville cir r t for next Hcason.. Accord ng to tli • presiut plans, Miss Irwin contf-m- plates flaming tlio unit and appear- ■ r? as its star. ^" y^ MRS. ARDELL GETS DIVORCE An Interlocutory decree of divorce has been signed in the New Yor'.c Supreme Court Jn favor of Mar- guerite Imandt D'Zuiba in her suit against Franklyn Ardell (D'Zuiba). Ardell (vaudeville) is heading the "King Solomon, Jr." act. The plaintiff named an unknown woman and the Somerset Hotel, New York, as the co-respondent and place in tho suit. She introduced as one of her witnesses Kdward Francis Lailey, an employe of tho Somerset, who testified Ardell tore out the page from the hotel register on which he had registered as "Franklin Ardell and wife" and es- caped in a taxi. Mrs. D'Zuiba stat- ed Bhe was confined to bed with Illness at the time. ^'YELLOW TICKET" STOPPED Tho Sliuberts ordered the con- densed version of "The Yellow Ticket" for vaudeville usage, but after rehearsing three weeks, plans to reopen it were postponed through the withdrawal of Alexandra Car- lyle. Miss Carlyle Is under contract with Winthrop Ames, who calhd her for rehearsals of "The Truth About lilayds." a Milne play which he will picsent at the iJooth In two weeks. "Tlie Yellow Tl.-k.-.t" playlet was U'^ed in .«:everal western houses play- ing S*hul)eri vaudi-ville early. In th'-* •'a..on, but was not shown in tho i::i!^l. ^2,000 ELEPHANT DIES 'Jiie d'-Mth of one of tho elephant* in the lthf.d.j'.4 R.j^al Khphants act ;tt Procoi'.y, L'?,<1 .stroet, ^V. dnesday, Feb. 22, forced tho turn to cancel the balant < ff tlie vaudeville en- r',;«•!)». fits, Tho decM.asHd pachy- d-rtn v.n^ \ clued at $'^,O00• J