Variety (April 1922)

"^^ TR- 26 VARIETY Friday* April 21, 1922 3c: I i.X, > a" IN LONDON (Coniinu<'J from paqe 3> t)robablv explains how they Kot tlu' date.. 'J iie playvhoson. 'Thf (.Jrip ot Iron" has boen worked to (l»'uili iti ©very town in ili'.» in-ovincvH lor inany yiars. The rt>y;il Aia<l«'in.\ of Dianiaf'u' Art li nh.njr to give Us liist piildic ehow. This is more of an examina- tion in i''il)lic than a p< rformnnce, f^nd pri/.' s aro awarded. The judgo.s pn this otoa.-iion will be Dion liouci- <cault, M uie Lohr and Hilda Trevel- yin. who will award the lianoroft g:old in<'<lal and the Academy's med- B,ia. J. K. Vedrenne'a prize will be a year's \\'omI lOtul inKagomont and J. T. CJrain's £20 to tho best student 4n the I'rench acting section. ^ Fred W. Warden of the Belfast theatres and James Fo'tesnuo will take o\ or several of the ClulIi\or halls for the summer months. The halls are the Islington Empire. Olympia. Shoreditch, Hippodrome Poplar and Hippodrome Woolwich. It will be rtinembered that Charles Gulliver offered these among other halKs to the Variety ArtiMts" Federa- tion some time ago, but the offer .Wd3 rej»H led. Althoush it is doomecl. •'Paddy the Next IJ. .-t Thing." at the Savoy, has started on its third year, and "Ambros*» Ai>pleJohn'8 Adventure" ^h\9 regi.'^teroil 3U0 performaucea at the Criterion. .•^ociatrd with C. B. Cochran, "Tho Itattlesnake." a story of the Amer- ican War of Independance, ran for only three weeks. "In Kelson's Days" also a compound of spies, intrigue, aiid impiobabilitles. lasted tlir«.e nights, and now •Nightie Ni^ht." whieh he originally did at the Que<^ns. last > ear. ha-s succumbed after a forthnii;hl. Since last Octo- l>er live pl.iys have tempted fortune at this theatre and lt>st. I'llillip Micliael Faraday is said to have lost 1:30,000 at the Duke of Yorks in two years. He is tliere- fore giving up liis lease and wo are unlikely to hear smything more about the historic siege. However, with two productions, 'Within the Law" and **Tlie Cirl in the Taxi," he made something like £70.000. He will shortly join up with liobert Kvett, late of Daly's, and in the autumn (h<» new firju will present Jose Col- lins ill a mu.sical production. "Mr Wu" whieh Matheson Lang w ill revive- at the New was oi igin- ally produced at the Strand in July. 1013. U was revived in ltU6. In the forthcoming revival lalian Braithwaite will play her original part. It is very powerful and sen- sational melodrama and has formed the basis, with the original prin- cipals of about the best picture the Stoll Film Co, ha\e ever made. The death of Maurice E. Bandman his soon liad a sequel. This Is shown in advertisements in the l»\idiii«: daily papers asking specu- lators to invest from £l,00t) to £.5,- 000 into a concern which controls theatre.s an<l theatrical interests In Irjdia and the Far P^ast. This can oniy allutie to the Bandman concern, which has practically a monopoly of good houses in that part of the globe and controls the booking of theat- rical shows. It was tho boast of Mauriie i:. Datidman that the thea- tios he controlled were cciual to anything in the world. George s.iker wiTi be the musl-^'al flirec'.or of tho Alhambra on its re- turn to tli»' old regime. He is a member of the famous old theatrical family of that nime. The assistant manag.-r will be T. r.rooks, who has been tr aiisf.rieil from the Manches- t'-'r liippodtome. The stage man- eq;er is Ri. h;nt1 I'rontian. who at on'^ tane wa» .«tage manager of the Pal- :\ce. l> fore whirh he was • S, M.' for The London run of "Paddy the Next Best Thing." together with the touring companies, has resulted in a prolit of £17r»,000. One item of ex- pense is £100. the accumulated cost of a i)ane of glass which is broken niglitly. Tlie play finishes its run April 22. Certrude r;i^e. the novelist, has died from heart failure on her hus- band's farm in Rhodesia. A •best seller" of the heart Interest ultra sentimental type, two of her novels have found great favor as plays. These are "Paddy the Next Best Thing." which holds the present rec- ord for long runs In London, and "The Edge of Beyond," wliich was liighly Kueeessful at the (iarrick and i^ nov\ doing well iu the prov- inces. <ieorge I"'!\varde.> loai». and J. A. F Ma in Exo«'ii'. f'-r Is <-ei-\ V i up f Hhif.n ai'.d carefully fn*''!"*-!! ama is as dead It is in the proxini'es, ^\'e.-!t Fiiil. wh.re it a sjrt of de lux«« camouflaged, in r^oiidoii as Most of the liOti-' - which used to j>l ly it pro Tiou*" ^l';)endent on vaudeville or pic- tuies/; V, ith an »'\er-increasing tend- eniy to l.:,n on the hitter. Of all i the irroup which used to constitute the pro\iiicial manaarcr's Lon:1«)n lotir only thiee remain f litlifu! — the I'llophant .'(tid Castle, wliere busiiu'ss varie.'4; til.' I'alare. Batters.>a. onre a famoux music liall of the old type known as the V.'ashington, and the J'oyal. Stratford, whieh Ijurned down at the beginriiiiu' of the slump, but 1.^ now rohiiilt and doing well. Among tlie (].».:d are the West Lon- don, the K«'iininQ;ton, the Shake- frpearo. th^' Britannia. ••Varieties." tlie U.y.iit. (;iarid. Standard. Pa- Tviiion t.Mih' 1:ihD. .all these are now vaud«'\ il;.-' or plrtur«-s. .Among th.» musie Irills f iieous in tlfir d>y whieh |>a\«' none over are CJattis Lender III.' .\i' ht's, Cattis in the lload. the Old Empire (Isliugioii). Forrist.'is. the Cambridge. Tli** changf- in lh.» West End are well known but at mo.^t of the above _^rellcs of tie' (^'d (lav.f pre. isel.v th'' Fame 'stars'* con!d be seen niuhtly as w.MC in the 'bills" at the Oxford, the lio.\al (now tho Holborn l']m- I»ae), tlie I'avilion and'jtlie Tivoii. ALHAMBRA, LONDON London, April 11. The Alliambra reverted to vaude- vill.> vf.strid.iy witli a prog'am whieh.* to .»^ay the least, was disap- pointing. Th.» bulk of the bill was se'ond-iat.' ar.d of tiie type seen evoiy week in the suburban and l»rovineial housts. As a matt^r of f.iet, ni.;st .suluuban and provinVial hoiis.'s of any pretensiou put Jon iiitinitrly bitter shows. ' Tle^ whole thing laeked orii;lnal- ity. Oi the IJ turns only one. Will !•■> lYe. a Seottish cotnt'diaii. siiow* d aiiv real linht to sivirtlom. Tliis '•om«'<'jan is The revival of \. A. Milne ' April G. Mr. the V.m I*.isses Bv <;!obe, was as sui-ces.sful as the oilg- inal pr.iduition at the New two ^'ear^ ago. Dion p.oueieatilt and Irene Vanbruch had a l»:g rei-fi»ri.)n In their oii^in.il p;nts, Aubrey i^tnith itow pla\s the ])ait created by Ben Wel>'='t» !• and Helen Speneer tliat of the yoinig kmI originally played b.\ • Ivorgelt*' Cohm. Th»» tun o( the revival Ui'ist n.-eessaiily be a short one. n»t only a humorist, f'xefHriU charaeter .aeior. inatirial is el.' m aid good. His lirst num- of a senile old to marry again the youngest a l)Pt nn while hi Fyfie should go far b r wa" a study eounir\tnjn about to .'piie his sons, gay spark of over 50, His st^eonil or.linary come- 'red nose" ma- ntur West End HARRY GREN'S FUSS WITH ENGUSH WRITER Attacks Detractor of Jews— T. W. H. Crosland Is Waiting to Hear "Ton« of Mon.y." wheh tlf i<r.»- ducing firm ot Lesli.^ ll'ii.>.in and Tom \Nalls .are trying onl in tie- provinces, bids fair to b.-. onie n sue- «os3 and will therefore l)e lnought ta the West End as soon ns a suit- able theatre can be fourul. Tie- « 1st Inclutles Yvonne Arnaiid. Mar.\ Firoush, Madge Saunders. Italj»b Lfnn, <;eorRe Darretl. Tom Walls i:id ^^■|ily \\ai(l. one of (he most famous of llie old Gaiety players. Ill lu.k runs in waves where West ritij tlie.it re aTC concerned. The Qweeni h.is been none to.> lueky of J ale. but the prize seems to be mo- inentniil.v in the possession of the SMali.-lMii y. Al this th.-itre p.-rey liui.hnison seems to have ft und \\\-' crest i>*' !b' wav»« of niisfor:unr soiig was a line charact.'r study of an intoxie ite.l workingman with a ;rourli a'.jiin>t ever\tliing. His confusi d ■ioi'i lli^ t ie sjteeeh was ex- t ept itiinllv Well done. i:!la Ibtiord. the particular star of th." pi'i.i^i'am. was % ry niiely re- (^. i\ed and aecorded a welcome after h.r AiU'^aean success. lien Dojam.ia's * Ten Tazser- w>t;li!r' was the usual A rib tum- id in 4 show which has been pre- ♦ uted for years. Thi.s troui>e is as .agile, ns clever, and as noisy as Its I^r-'il'-cessors. Syd Howai.l. nn .lian with ordinary terial. is nowhere Standard. Dixie and .Tohn ar,-» exeollent in th'^ir aerobatie act. .7. C. Class and Mamie Cr.ant in a "cross talk" sing- ing and dancing act, went well, a.s did Joe Cohati and Anna Dorothy, with much tho .«-anie sort of ma t«MM.ll, Hence Kellv and Co. presented a sk.t.h. "The Diiky l!ird." by Harry .1. O'Higgins and Harriet P'ord. the authors of "The Wrong Number," w lii« h had nn excellent reception, althougli the curtain wants cousid- eiable ^:in;;eiiiig up. "The T.n Loonies." nn eerontrie nui<i' ;il aet wiiieh has long been popuia»' in the outl\ing halls, coiu#- pl.'t.'d ;!"..' i>'.-oi:i'ani. Looi^in'4 a? tlit^ bill as a wh.de one rinnot wonder at th.» slump in biKin.-"*, If Sir O'-wald Stoll. with, bis \i->t resotirees. cannot give W.- Iltid nudienees l>etter tlian ilii<, liu' o!i1 j>rospiM"ous days of th.* .MlMinbra are sti'.l a 1 »pg way fi-"»in cominir baek. The se,itlr>g e:ei)iei:\' hi" been in- rr.'.iseil b>- the serapoing of tin- (d<l comfoi'fable saddlebag l.umge .se.its and i!ie installation of^ the n.nv type as US..1 in kinetr.js. The .iniioutKH^d program for the seeond week — H.'ttN Kinir. Herbert Clifton. New \'o! 1^-I! 1 v in 1 r.and. .T,i> I>aurier. (Jene Orrird. 'Th.- Disorderly V.o.un " l"V»ris Lee and FNie St«^ad- jnan. Miitr and .Tefl'. .in.i Dan Wbii- ley-'-#ou:; Is m'♦re iMouti'ing. IN BERLIN (Continued from page 3) Hans Junkermann squeezed every last drop of laugh out of their not over sharply individualized roles. In for a good run. Joh. London. April 11. Either through w;vnt of thought or bad advice, Harry -CJreen, who is playing •'Welcome Stranger" at the I-.yric, has bitten off consider- ably more than he is likely to jcliew with ease. [ T. \N', H. Crosl.and. a well known Eritish writer with an acid pen and a sense of humor, which sometimes leads him to be cruelly sarcastic when dealing with events and men and 'vomen, as tibown in two of his best known books. 'The I'nspeak- able Scot" and "I,.ovely Woman." wrote nn an article for 'The Sund.iy Express." the proprietor of whieh is a Jew, Lord lieaverbrook. in whicli he pulled the Jewish race to bits. Harry Green took up the cudgels on l>ehalf of a race quite capable of protecting themselve.", and In the next issue of the paper found him- self in trouble. Crosland. with the columns of the Beaverbrook paper at hi,s disposal, handled the letters of four Jews who had complained to the editor in an article entitled "Fine Old Hebrew Letter Writers." Chief amongst these was the come- dian, and on Green and liis protests the writer lays his sarcasm with a half threat of something worse to come. He starts his counter attack In this way, "An American .Tew, name of Harry Green, address. Shaftsbury avenue, wants to know who T. W. H. Crosland is." He goes on to conprratulate Green upon his memory and asks the public particu- larly to mark an extract from his letter: **Years ago In a New Yoik police court I heard one Alfred Crosland convicted of robbing the poor box of an orphan asylum where blind and helpless children were fed nnd lodged. He was termed the most picayune thief the court had ever known." •'Alas, my poor cousin," says Cros- land in caption nnd goes to plilory the detractor of the Croslands, niul states tiuit he has taken steps which will enable him shortly to know, whether his "American cousin," Al- fi'd, was convicted of robbing a poor box. lie awaits this informa- tion from tho New York' polico. Therein lies the half threat of fur- ther trotible for the comedian. The laws of this country are terribly se- vere where libel is concerned, and should proof come over tliat no Crosland was convicted of robbing a poor box. that the story Is only an invention of the comedian's to hit the writer in the back the damages and costs may make the profits of a succe.^'sful stay in England look re- markably smalL In his rejily Crosland goes on to "cheerfully admit that ho tc'.ls the truth when he says that ho does not see his (Crosland'a) name among the war heroes, the great dramatists, the great authors, the fine Journal- ists or the well known philan- thropists, but he gives him his hon- est word that it Is not his fault, and. Heaven helping him. he will try to better for the future." Harry Green is a comedian who has made good here and won many friends, btit those who persuaded or allowed him to have a tilt at Cros- land were not friends. Croslands article WIS nr»t an attack upon fjreen or his i: It v.'as a satirical critieism of a race, the snme sort of criticism he has been writing for years with every personality, every Institution almost as his butt. Crosland is a brilliant man of let- ters, a well known editor and jour- nalist. If Green had wnnted to get back at him he should have replied In the same strain and torn up Cros- land's w.^rk and the whole race of ink slinivrs. No people would have enjoyed the b.i?!le more than the at- tacked. Harry nei.henb,(h h,T«l been dointr .'<<*nie press work for H.arr.v Gr.-eii. Tlii.-. may be a ]>ublicity stun; of liis; if it is so it is iikel.v to 1'.^ as successful .is when he worked th.' pu'.t'.icit >• for a C.eorg«"» CMark pi<-ltti'.v Publicity when it is bad is horri'J. Ke. .ritlv- "Wtd. oice .<, r i tm»"»r" cel- ebrated its HOutli p.-rformancc and Green cehd)r;ited the occasion by eivi'^ff .1 party at a cost of C .'lOO. Th»* only lesult ha • been to bring d wn a plentiful cr.>o of sneers at hi-! ex'ra\ ae..»nc.-» iti 1 ar'cmids to gel into »0clel>. At the Deutsches, "Judith," by Friedrich Hebbel, March 12. One of the best classical pieces in German and very grateful for actors of the two leading roles, Judith and Holo- fernes. Berthold VierteU the di- rector, achieved a few good effects but Itandled the thrilling crowd scenes miserably. The Holofernes of Heinrich George was a complete success, but the Judith of Agnes Straub a disappointment. Not a linancial success. "Tlie Treaty of Niaza" (Der Ver- trag von Nizza). a farce from tlie I'leiich of Louis Verneuil, in the Kanimerspiele, March 16. The cast included Herjiiann Thimig, Anton Kdthofer. Hertha Russ, Oiga Wojan. F'aula r.l>erty; ilirector, I wan .Jejunith. Well pl.ayed, buf a di'^mal failure. Taken "off after three per- f.utnances. At tbe Schloss Park, 'Phillis," from the Duich of C. P. Van Ilos- s«»m. March 10. A clever farce of the modern'I'rench sclic*ol. although the scene is laid in Holland, tiie characters are largely the stock farce types. The .'iciion centers aliout Phillis, a young girl of 19 years, whose mother is seeking to get her married off, but without success, as the flapper, though a great flirt, is apparemly fiu'te cold underneath. She turns down a rich but very shy young man, her moth- ers choice; plays with another only to throw him o\er when it comes to eases. I'nexpeeteilly. she flames for her middle-aged uncle, whose so- idiistication appeal* to her. Very paprika, but if well adapted, an American possibility. The present production i.*i adeauate. but far froni brilliant. The Phfllis of Marianna Wentzel and. in a minc.r role, I'rsula Ivricg. t^tood out. I'nder the mysterious title of 'Der Wauwau" appeared Mai'ch 2G in Munich, a new farce with Max Pal- lenberg. And it turned out to be none other than our old friend Cyril-Maude-Grumpy by Iforace Hodges and Wigley Percyval, done into German by Rudolf Kommer. Th« succeaf at tha Muenchene Volkatheater was tremendoua With a naive ta Qulta prevalent among German critics, tho complete suc- cess of the evening la ascribed to Pallenberg as Qrumpy and little or nothing to the authors for their creation of the part. PallenbeTg Is one of the best comedians now ex- istent, but; Grumpy Is one of the fattest roles ever knocked together; CJrumpy without Pallenberg to play him would still (if merely compe- tently done) be an effective evening; but Pallenberg without Grumpy—? Welcomed as "At last, a German farce agafnl** •XoveT' (Liebe), by Paul Apel appeared March 24 at the Tribuena. An excellent, if rather •trong, dose of undiluted laughter. Biarlon Schubert in the leading: (on« almost said the title) role, Is a vamp de luxe, who has come so low as to be living in a second rate boarding house; but there she swears eternal love to two weaklings, only to be finally carried off her feet by the "strong* man, an engineer on the railway. Cleverly written dialog sharpens the situa- tions and the characters are well tf a bit broadly drawn. Ttia perfuna* ance at tho Tribueno is superior the Marion of Marlette Oily la mo»t enticing and she Is ably supported by Ernst Proecky, Wallop RiH;,^ Erich Walter, Hugo Doeblin an* Gertrude Wolle. Doing very nicely indeed. MUSICIANS' STRIKE ON GULUVER ILL-ADVISED Bad Time for Strikes—Peace- ful Picketing Is In- dulged In Lorivlon. April 1?. The strike of musicians on tiid Gulliver circuit is a soriou-; matter ;—for the strikers. Tlie pul)lio cares little about the matUM! the orches- tras are at full sirensth, Tiid th§ programs are working as smoothly a : e\er. The net result of the .Vmilgi. m.^.tfd "lightening" policy will lie to throw a large number of mon out of work at a very l>ad time of year. Tlie men came out in sympathy with the conductors, whose salariei had been r»Mluct' , after proper i.o''ce had be»^n given, from €7 Ta. to £7 10s. The wliole affair took place at th • last moment, and when the audiences were already in their places 'o.' the tirst house. wSun- te»^r i>ianists were at h.and at most of the liouses and at others arli.iti stepped into ihe breach and car- ried on. The following day Charlv . CluUi- \vr issued an ultimatum off^-riTig to rtMUstate the men who return.'d in lime for the evening >hows. Tliog© who did not return were to take thd very slender chanc«> of re-engage- ment. And there the matter stands. Peaceful picketing is being U\* dulged iu Willie sandvviohmen nnd handbills are being i.sod to call the attention of the pub'.c to the mU«' ter. During the performance at ih« Ilolborn Empire on April S '•>i.Ink bombs" wvre thrown in the audi- torium, but the throwers, who u-^re obviously in sympathy wi*h tha stt ikors. were speedily ejected. "While tlio disturbance was s;; >ing on in'the theatre a further par^v of musically tnollned demonsttatori play popular tongs outside. Xo arrests were mads on tlils oct. rsion. but this leniency la not lik.'.y to causa a precedent, as the r.ritish polica authorities look- with great disfavor upon anybody or anythinf likely to create a panic iti a p!.\c« of entertainment. Speaking of tho affair, Bert Adams, the manager o:* tho Holborn and Empire, said the disturbance occurred In the first house, whicli had just started when two mon in the pit threw "stink bombs" inta the orchestra, at the ?ama lime de« noutiMiig the players a^ 'black* legs." Tho disturbance continued, during the first five or six turns, and tho intorrui)ter3 were tlirowa out from the pit and the gallery three or four at a time in tho inter- vals between tho turns. In all about 30 men were ejected amid th» cheers of the audience, who keenly r-'sented the annoyance. This sort of thin»r will hind-^r and not hel,» the cause of the strikers and will only strengthen the mana- gerial hand. SOUTH AFRICA By H. HANSON CAPE TOWN March IT. OK^rPvA HOUSE (S. L.: Leonard Ray no; G. M.: Grant Fullowes) — The Robert Courtneidge and \V. K. Holloway company, under direction of Leonard Rayne, opened Feb. 27 with "Ihe Garden of Allah." It was a Grand Command Night, with the Prince and Princess Arthur of Con- naught present. Tho play was .sphMididly produced, with excellent scenic effects, id the staging was a success. Chopry Hardy proved h^r artistic ability ng Domini En- tiMtn. Mr. Owen Rough wood was excellent as Rorls Androvsky. <'<>m- mencing March 13, Douglas Mir- ray's comedy, "Tlie Man from To- ronto" was staged. It is a d'digbt- ful comedy and well played. L»'sIh» ('•raham showed sterling cipibiii- ties as Mr.^. Calthorpe. 'Th^ Faith- Xut Ilejirt" U announced for next production, wim iias: I.ynne on March L'7 as a si)ecial poriorinance^ Sir Frank llen.sou and his > unpanV open March i:,S for a .'<hort faivwe.i season in "The Wandering ■'•'V^'' TIVOLI (M.: John S. Cold^tatje) -—Huslness is good at thi-« ^-^^Vj^w ville house. Week March «'/^^2 Webb, male impersonator; good acw Harry and Edgar Martell. ecccntrif comedy and dancing; fair sno^ Pearl Mitchell, violinist, and sl^toc Lena, pianist and vocalist; o»®^^y Franic Varney and Teddle t^uij. comedy; a topllner act, I-'^^Ine »»« Crotty, ragtime. fc?park!ir3f »^ 7ellp.9, a clever pair of dancing gtri» Prince Toklo. Japanr-^e (^lailibn'';; W'oi'k March 15. l»cb \\\-hU. ^'''J?*;;; and Fronrh. ItutluMford and Tini, romotiv lTtarb--«|iie. Th*^ir i»P'^'i'" could bo c\\t «»ui; the dan>'.f'-: vi malu^ the improvcm-nc. _!" Sparkling Mozelles. .lan.'r^. !»" iContinued o npage -i*