Variety (March 1922)

14 LEGITIMATE Friday, March 17, 1922 INSIDE STUFF ON LEGIT One (f the most typical l^arric stofir-s was told l»y Anthony r.anl Kelly about tlic k!ii},'i:tfa liMtisJi author of htape claKsks. It teems .Sir J. M, was intrtuluccd to a certain male actpr of some prominence in America who liad b< en featured in a l^arrio m)io\v. Parrie had never seen the per- lormance, hut he had rrad Thr- rritifisms. Thf» artor ^hook Tlarrie's hand "vociferously and s;ud, ••ri«ahcd it» m« et you, Mr. Uarrie. You may have heard of me--I was featured in your play." liarrie an.swered: "What do you mean -featured?" The actor explained: "You pee, in the billing, JjTfct came the title of t!ic play, th<n the names of the various oth»'r jjlayers, all listed, and me, by putting? my name after the 'and,' the managf»nunt f»aturtd mr. as is the custom in America." "Yes, I under- stand," replied Barrie. "But why the 'And'? AVhy not put it 'But'?" McIntoMh pnve up his big tmie vaudeville policy in the principal cities of AiiMialia and later virtually retired from the :-how business, it left the Fullers all alone in th^-ir vaudeville and pictAire interests. They had been playing KmaU tiniA vaudeville and attrmpffMl trt increase thf* grade of their variety shows, but the natives didn't care much what kind of a bill they got if there w« re some new faces on it. Australia has been suffer- ing in the rompositi<'n of its vaudeville program the same as England— too much old stuff, acts that never change. "With Ben Fuller knighted, It may have been the Fullers grew more ambitious. They liave made an enormous fortune out of theatricals and could have ll.^tened to "Ward's argument of the possibility of another legit circuit. Also conditions in Australia as elsewhere might have made it advi.'iable for the Fullers to turn over some of their '^urplu;^ theatres to the legit policy. While this is dope in the main, it may be substantiated in part through young Fuller in S: n Francisco, the tirm's representative over here, who was preparing to return home, receiving a cable la.' t week from his father to remain on the Coast until Ward arrived there, and then to accompany Ward to I^ondon. Sir Bvw is now up for member of the Australian Parliament. .7ed Prouty has retired fiom the «^tage. At jire^ent he is in partnership with I.ton KrVol in an aiitoniohiie paintiny; and repairing establishment at 63rd street and Broadway. The actors have 8*»cured t*lie patent rights to a paint drying invention which makes it possible for them to paint an aut^'mobile in about one-fifth the lime lormeiiy required to do the job, and for about 25 per cent, of the former cost of such a job. On this patent thty lay claim to future millions for both. I W'inthrop Ames is producing a play called "The Truth About Playds." hy A. A. Milne. He was to hav» put on a Milne play pie* e earlier. It is •The Dover Koai^* the rights for whic}i he presented to CJuthrie Mc- Clinic ns a WMldini; gift. McClinic was Ames' Ftage director. "Dover Ito.id' is one of the comedy hits and is playing to capacity at the liijou, and it will be of int«r< sting t,o nt-i*-' the measure cf the "Blady-s" which will open across the street at the Booth. Ceorge Cohan's entrance in*o_ h'<« daupht< :'s show, that her father ^rote for her, "Madeleine and the Movies," rf plat ing James 'Hennie as <rarribon Paige in the pi':ee. strtuk those who had seen the show at the Gaiety up to that time as unnecessary, since Kennie had been credited vith the hit of the play as tho perfect type for the role of a picture hero. Cohan made the move as a business proposition only. The (laiety had Dot evidenced any strengfli at the l>ox olflce for the first two days of its »<tay there. The manager-autlior-aftor com-luded to i»ropel himself into the piece as a life-saver. The combination of faliier and daughter imme- diately brought results. Kcnnle was agreeable to the change and there was no feeling over it. Cohan informed his predecessor his contract stood, and that he (Cohan) would revive "The Meanest Man in the World," starring Hennie in it if he.wanted to go out in liiat play. Rennle is reported considering. "Pins and Nerdh s," the Albert d^ Courville revue that played six weeks • t the Slnibert, New York, is said to be the same skow appearing in Canada and on the Coast with Harry Tate' in the h.ml. It was first caVed "Hullo Canada." and played under de Courvilk's management until Tate took it over. Tate is the Enj;iish comedian. While the principals of the Xcw York prevc^ uiaiion were different, the scenes of both were the same. "Pins and Needles" opened at the Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, this week as a ifhubert vaudeville unit. About the same performance as at the Shubcrt is given, with more turns in "on*" to break up the running. Masie Clay remains with the show as a unit. Harry Pilcer remaineel in Kew Yorlv. It has five or six weeks to i»lay on the fchiibert vaudeville i:me with nothing arranged for it as yet beyond that. STOCKS The Sunday night meeting of the Actors' Order of Friendship had among its attendance Howard Kyle, representing the Actens' Fielelity League, but no one from the Actors' Kciuity Association. An invitation had been sent Eeiuity, Viut it is said E<iuity returneel word if any other association of actors were to be represented, Equity would not be there. The ofTicers of the Order of Friendship are reported to have replied they could not permit dictation as to their guests. Among the speakers at the Sunelay night meeting was William A. Ih-ady, who advocateel a political league for the profession. Mr. Brady blameel Mayor Hylans administration for the .salacious plays of this sea- son. He said that ui>on meeting the Mayor this week he would tell him that. Continuing, Mr. Brady remarked: "Any Tiianager, whether Er- lang«»r, Belasco, Woods or Brady, who allows a dirty show to appear in liiH theatre should be sent to jail.' Wooels replieel to Brady in the Wednesday morning papers, mentioning Brady had i>roduced "Baby Mine," "The Turtle," Woods classing them both as suggestive, and adding that Brady had offereel a purse of $300,000 for a prize fight competition. "His "Word of Honor," rrwrittei by Edward Clark from "Tht Scourge," by Octavus Hoy Coh©^ will be played In stock at HolyokiL Mass., week of March 27. I The Alhambra, Brooklyn, nn In^ dependent vaudeville house, will discontinue its present i>olicy thif week for dramatic stock. Th« house. In the Bushwiek section, la situateel in the same locality a« Loew's Gates, and was declared op» position by the Loew ofilce upon the opening of the Gate^s. The Egan Little theatre in Los Angeles, which has a jiermanent stock company, with the e.xception of the star, who is adde«l weekly from the film colony, -vas forced to give an evening performance partly minus regular stage wearing ap, parel last week, when burglars broke into the theatre dressing rooms and .stole costumes valued at more ihan $500 ju.^t before? cur- tain time. "Brady Kline has been engaged by the Alcazar Stock company, San Francisco, to play heavies. He re- cently closed with the Wilkes Stock company in Sacramento, where he hnd been playing leads. It has been noticed that Al Jolson with "Bombo" has been drawing some of the smartest aueliences in town. There are many late arrivals, | such patrons usually coming from Fifth, Park and Madison avenues anel form a class of people who have not seen Jolson. One showman stateel that for five years smart audiences hael been kept out of the W inter Garden because smoking was permitted there. Jolsons Is said to have a money capacity of $5,000 at $3.50 te)p. The house holds 1.800 seats, eq\jally divided on two floors. The first eight balcony rows have been priced the same as the lower floor. Ceorge W. Led'^rer, dis-Missing the carerr of the late Pert Williams, paid: "I'onsidf rable romance got into print about the most human N»*gro comedian of tlieip all. I happened to be the medium through whom Williams anel his partner, George Walktr. butted into Broadway. This was a full score y'ars since, at a time when the appearance of a natural Ethiopian on a P.roadway stage had not be*^i anticipated. Glen McDonough had written a piece caUeel *The Gold Bug.' The author him- ite^i didn't like the I'iece any too well when we got it into rehearsal. "In j-eeking mat«ri.il to build up some >>atl spots, someone brought word to me of a team of natural colored minsti"*ls who had b*»en encountered in a honky tonk cafe at West Badf n, Ind. Bea» hing out for straw.?, I sent lor the team. It was AVilliams and Walker. Wo gave the-m a hearing a d.iy or so before The Golel Bug' was to e>pe n, but th** cons* nsus of opinion of the inviteel audience was that not only w< re they mediocre material but al.so that their color wou-d be found to militate agtrinst their chance Cif su<.ce«s on a legitimate stage. •■] bowed to the will of the majority, and 'The Gold Bug,' with music by ^i^ior Herbert, opened without them. The pi»ce proved a terrifying im:.'rical comedy. I had only accepted ft as a stop-gap. "J'u; the taking over of the Knickerbocker Viv the Hayman and Erlanger interests hael creates! a situation where I was askeel to lenel Wilsem. Dis- fouraged by 'The Gold Bug'.s' opening niglrt fiasco to a p)int where I was <onslderiTig its abrupt closing before a second performance, I decided at the last moment to give the .'«how with the two wayfarers from Indiana. •"I'.ag at that time hadnt cut into thr music sh»*ts. When the orches- tra iiad been given the ^\ illiams anel Walk»r music to iday at the pre- liminary rehearsal, it had all b\it declared a strike. Tlie mu.sician.s , eouidn't Interpret it. It was a new kind of music for them. Syncopation wasn't n*>w to ibe mu<ir'ians of a scorp y«^'ars ago, but the kind of out- ba<k anel criss-crc)ss harmonizing the A\ i'liams and Walker music sheets carrieel was a jig-saw puzzle to the men in the orchestra. "Max Hoffman, later the husband of Gertrude Hoffman, it was who had done the orchestrating for the team. And, in my opinion, Hoffman fihould be put down as the first musician ever succ« ssfully to interpret the instinctive melodies of the coon mus.c that Williams and Walker were among the first to introduce. ••The second nig))t'«r'show of 'The Gold Bug' proved as s]'lntless as the premiere, but the auelience couldn't get enough of Williams and ^^'alkrr. It was the first time I had ever seen a mu*<ical moke team stop a show. »iiu they stojiped 'The Gold P.ug' tiiat night un'il they eventually gave out physically. Their g» ni el" i-e>isiance \V.is 'Oh, I Don I Know. You're Not So Warm,' and within a few \\< «ks the number was a c:os«-c.juntry fuiore. "'The Gedd Bug' ended aft»r a slt^^le w»ek*s liearing. W u] Mt;Conn«'ll. then at Koster * Dial's, >»Ot»keii the team at once and t'u* y proved a rage for a while. Lat»r they wen* on tour. Their X» w Vrnk npp«araneeH had Btamped them as a ile.-sirabie as.-:et for anj \aude\illc or legitimate musical comedy bil^ an> where." A well-known individual is heavily interested in th<^atricals, though Iiis f^iUire time is not devoted to ;)musem»fni«. He is a keen student of the jace«, and sometimes wins a bet. Rciiuly Mortis Ge^t strolled into his ofTc". Al Jol.son was there at the time. A "hot tip" was grab>Kd by feveral present. Gest declared hims'>)f in foi a b't an«l w.nhctd out <»f ihe office $400 to the good, the horse having won with lorg odds. Gest ^ent his winnings to his parents in Odessa, Ilussin, fX'ii.inging some of tlie cash into gold, together uith w<aring app.ir«l a-.d food s ipp ies^. Monday i;ight "Sally" at the Amsterd.im pl.'>yed to f^O le"-* than th> Monday e vintig previous!}-, while tiic "Frolic.'' on tJie Am>-rrrdam Uoi.f. that evening elonblrd its receipts of the same lught tlie week br fore. Th* Amsterdam oaneh tx»nldnt get ih' reason until r» n)»ni'oeiing x)fi Mrebs- Gibbona fight, with the I'lttv burgh «rov.d on to >c^ their favorite .son hang it on the WihCon>in lad, Hugh Ward, when arriving in New Yoj k from Au.stralia. may mak* V;noN\n his associates in his independent le,it theatrical venture away over there are the Fullers, now the leading vaudev,ille manageib of th* ATitipodep. Sir Ben and John Fuller are the movlna^pirits of the Fuller circuit, well enough known In vaudeville circles thrlkughout the world, ^ut llttl* known elbewhere outside of their own country. When Hugh C. Ander.son Wright, who was a major in the aviation corps during the war. originally handleel the publicity for "Just Because," which opens at life Earl Carroll next week. He withdrew from the show with B. D. Berg and Frank Meyers and all three have salary suits pending against George Brokaw. an attorney, who is said to be backing the show. Several months ago Ariderson wrote a series of articles for the New- York "American " exposing the Ku Klux Klan, from which he withdrew when he alleged he discovered the Klan's plans were against the law of the land. When the salary actions were started Anderson was kept so long waiting outside of Brokaw's oflice he sent for photographers and a fiashlight was made of several clerks in the lawyer's employ ac- cepting service. The lawyer was disconcerted, believing a shot was fired, and ^mowing that Anderson as a member of the police aviation corps carried a gun. The "American"' refused to accept the pictures, however, believing it was a pre-ss stunt to promote "Just Becau.se." Four of the principal.^ of the cast of Cosmo Hamilton's "The Silver Fox," in which William Faversham originally appeared in New York, now playing at the La Salle, Chicago, have been asked to accept a 50 per cent, cut in salaries by the author, who is at present managing the attraction. Mr. Hamilton took the piny over from the Shubert manage- ment and at that time he made a more or less commonwealth deal with a eiuartet of the players. The Chicago engagement began with the com- pany facing a rather large eleficit, and when the author entered Into an arrangement with the players it was with an understanding that the deficit would have to be met before they shared in the profits. This deficit will seemingly be wiped out in another week. As the matter was originally agreed to by Mr. Hamilton, Lawrence Grossmith, Violet Kemble Cooper, Percy Marniont anel Boots Wooster were to receive their salaries ami 50 per cent, of the profits of the attraction. Th^ other 50 per cent, of the profits, after the salaries anel running expenses were dcducteel from the gross, was to go to Hamilton, who was to stand for the newspaper advertising anel other extras. The four pla: ers named were to share their 50 per cent., but none of the other members of the cast were in on the deal. Undoubtedly som^ sort of a salary arrange- ment was made between Mr. Hamilton and the players at the time that this contract was agreed to, and seemingly the autho* was well satisfied with the arrangement until he saw that the deficit that was standing was al)out to be wiped out and that within a week or so the players would come in for a share of the profits, and thus he proposeeVa cut of 50 per cent, in the salaries of the quartet named. Whether they will accept and continue with the,attraction is one of the questions of the hour along the Chicago Kialto at present. Evelyn Hambly is to join the Woodward Stock company at Spo- kane. She was booked through the Blake and Amber agency in San Francisco. Sam Bernard .«ays that he is not going abrj>ad .ts reported to appear in the London production of "The Blue Kitten." He is going to t{*ke a trip To Europe, but not for the purpose of appearing in a play. He stated this week that he could have had the rede in the New Ye>rk pro- duction of "The Bine Kitten" when it was originally ca.'it, but that he refused it at the lime. ".\s Far as Thought Will Reach," the final sector of the cycle of plays ne< .ssary for the Theatre Guild to present G. B. .Shaw's gabby "Back to Methuselah." surprised those patrons who attended the G.irri* k this week, df termineel to hear the monumental mass ol words spoken. The show got under way at 8:30 and was over at 10:30. In contrast to last week's section, two hours less required, for the show then opened at 7:30 an»l tiie audience escaped at ll:o.'j, a session of four hours and L'5 min- Vites. The Ih-^t in«^tahnent had about the same running time. An incident happened during the giving of the first showing .of the second part of the cycle. Tlic opening act, "The Thing Happens." was gre*t«d as most elive-rting. Then started an endurance test for "The Tragedy of an i:ider)y Gf-nthman." Dixie Hines attempted to escape, but failed to find his hat. He .squirmed about in the search until people nearby thought he had gone .Shaw-crazy. When it was all ov^r he dis- cov»r»d the lid perdu d on the back rail, ]tlaced there by someone who found it kick»d about. To protect hims«lf Hine.s- stuck hi« hat in his P<.'k«t on the '.p»ning night tins wcf k. The Guild crossed h.im, for the show ^^as out early. JMovi r.f the n-.ar'ag»)« who };ave b^'-n vac;ti ioning in Florida have r' tu: ued lo New York, amoig t^eni .Siini H. -larris and H. W. .s'lvage. The '■l'..rty-S« end Street Country Club." composed of ti.\.t agency .'ind box ofiico "b«c,s' around Tim* s square, h«'ld a beff-t* .ik f«.r no leason at all at Hines' cafe, Columbus avenue and Eighty-f«»urth street, Saturday night. One broker was initiated V>y receiving a wholo j»io a la moving picture*. Th'^ proposal the elub .-iffiliate with the Longsb.ore- jn» n*s C<»utitry Club was gi«»t*'d with a shower etf e)lives, < fiery, one mutton chop and sii\ ers of stralc. L«.uis Ohlms of the Miller, wllo had to take care of the check, fad<d at a s]>e'.h and tried to sing. Tom Norton of the Tyson office just gyinned as the overseer, while e'larence Jacobson of the Harris flopped as master of cer« monies. Monday Olihns was nicked for $07 by the cafe people. They claimed there were 57 Aprons missing. The Grand, Kansas Ci.y, dark since Christmas when imancial troubles overtook the l^ubinsky Brother.s, who were operating the house under a Klaw /t Erlanger franchise, opened last week with.the Drama IMayers, presenting "The Brat." The house is under base to J. L. Adams, who formerly man- aged the Princess SUnk Company at Des Moine.s. "Players" are un- der the dirj^ction of Harry McRae Webster. Cast for opening bill was composed of Theodora A\ ariield in the title role. Dorothy P* mbrook. Belle D'Arcy, Carew Carvel, Ed- mond Norris, Robert W. Smiley, Nell Adamson, "Wilmer Walter and Franklin George. The Corse Pay ton stock opened March 13 at Keeney's Bay Hidge, Brooklyn, in "Common Clay." In- cluded in the I'ayton com?)any are Jack Boseleigh, Edna Buckler. Hen- rietta Brojwi, Bessie Bruce, Arthur Bell. L The stock at the Colonial. Law- rence, Mass. i^Toomcy i^ Dem;.ra), has clo^:ed. Dramatic stock Is to go !n the Van Curler, Schenectady. N. Y., upon the completion of the bur- lesque season. Proctor's. Troy, N. Y.. now play- ing vaudeville, will ha\e .ttock this summer. The Jack Lynn sto-.k that broke up recently at Souttersville. N. T., is playing week stands in N'ermont. The Academy, Scranton, installed a musical comedy stock policy last week, the Billy Allen Mtisical Com- edy Co. starting a live weeks' cn« gagement at that time. The Joe Payton dramatic stock terminates • 12-week engagement at the Acad- emy Saturday. A circuit of 12 one-night .stands on Long Island is being laid out for the Picker stock company for next summer. Stuart W\ilker may extend his summer stock activities to Louis- ville and Cincinnati, with Indianap- olis as headtiuarters, this season. Walker will take his company into Louisville April 17 and iMncinn.ati April 24 for trial runs. He is to open in Indianapolis May 2. Arthur J. Casey,* manager of the New Auditorium I'layers in Lynn, Ma.ss., left Sunday for a trip to Omaha, Neb., and Duluth, Minn., to a.-ango preliminary details for the opening of summer stock .ompanies in both cities. The Omaha and IHi- luth stock companies will be under thj management of the CaMv-Hay- den Co., present operators of the Auditorium. I.,ynn. und the City, Bro kti n, Mas\9. No definite date has bef-n set for the western open- ings, but they will follow immedi- ately after the closing of ilie .•■eason in Lynn and Brockton. The Palace, Hartford, e'onn.. one of the S. Z. Poli string of \aude- viilo houses^ changed policy last IVlonday, witli the stock going in. The current play, entitleU 'Experi- ence." includes 41 peoph'. featuring A. H. Van Buren and ^^■inifred St. Clair. Other principals include Francis Williams, Edmund Abbe, De Forest Dowhy, liussell Filmore, .Sam Fried, Bettie Brown, I>^ster IlowaPd, George Duthrie, Wllliiim , (Continued oi