Variety (July 1922)

VAUDEVILLE ~wm Friday, July 7, 1022 ^ 7 I FERN ANDREA KILLED; ' HAD EVENTFUL LIFE Saved from Death During War Through Marriage to German Baron Pern Andrea was killed July 3 In Germany when a Hamburg-Berlin airplane in which she was riding fell to the ground. Miss Andrea was one of Germany's most noted film stars. During her rise to the topmost of German filmdom, she occupied about the relative rank as a picture star over there as Pearl "NVhite did over here when appearing in the sensa- tional serials. Misa Andrea's family name was Andrews. At one time she appeared In the Barnum-Bailey Circus over here, and also was a member ©f the Bird Millman wire act. Miss Andrea, or Andrews as she was then known, went abroad wtih Miss >Iillman, remained in London and afterward located in Berlin, com- mencing her film career. Ttje most interesting and exciting period of the girl's life, however, was during the war. She had some extraordinary experiences, never published. A magazine editor in Kew York had been waiting for months for Miss Andrea to return to her native land, to obtain the complete story. A part of the story is- that Miss Andrea was under sentence of death at one time during the war while in Germany, and was saved through the Intervention of a Baron who married her. He later permitted her to secure a divorce it is said, the Earon stutlifying himself In o.der that the divprce m'lght be granted. It had been no love affair leading to the marriage, the Baron having gallantly offered to sacrifice himself If necessary In order that Miss Andrea, whom he believed innocent, should be saved. Previously he had been a mere acquaintance of the girl but admired her. When the war was over the Baron is said to have asked Miss Andrea if she desired to consum- mate or dissolve the marriage. Miss Andrea replied it had been under- stood it had been a sacrifice upon his part and that while she re- gretted to inform him she had no love for him, she would always have for him a heart full of gratitude. It was no easy matter to dissolve the marriage through the circumstances under which it occurred. The Ger- man undertook to arrange it him- Felf. The divorce was granted upon his testimony. The entire affair through which Miss Andrea passed and to which she owed her life has been said to be one of the most remarkable In- stances In the annals of the volun- tary act of a person in high station who chanced his life while almost —a stranger to aid a woman in deep distress. » It is hardly likely that with the death of Miss Andrea the full story will ever bo divulged. The above is but a skeleton of the story of a girl whose thrilling "stunts" in pic- tures were tame alongside of what she actually passed through during the war. HARRY HOLMAisi In ''Hard Boiled Hampton" July 3, Keith's, Boston July 10. Bushwick, Brooklyn July 17, Keiths blt;t St., New York AND THEN? Dir.: TH03. J. FITZPATRICK CATERING TO M\TEURS BY MUSIC PUBUSHERS Song Pluggers See Prospects —Good Now or in Future— Club Work Considered VAUDEVILLE'S GOLFERS COMPETE NEH WEEK Tournament at Garden City July 10-12—Some Women Contestants MUTUAL'S FRANCHISES The Mutual Burlesque As.cocia- tion, the newly organized No. 2 ^•heol, will hold a mci^tinj? today (Friday) at which house franchises ivill be allotted next week. Among the houses that will play the Mutual shows are the Star and Gayety, Urooklyn, recently leased to Sam Raymond, supposedly acting for the B. F. Kahn Estate. The Olympic, New York; Lyric, Newark, and Empire, lloboken, are also list- ed for franchises. All of the fore- going were spokes in the American wheel last seaso.i. The professional staffs of a num- ber of the music publishing estab- lishments are paradoxically cater- ing to amateur singers the.se sum- mer months because of the unusual demands by amateur try-out acta for material to be used in "Oppor- tunity Night" and "It's Up to You" contests which one or another vaudeville theatre throughout the city is using as a means to boost the gate receipts. The amateurs in the vicinity where these try-outs are a regular weekly feature immediately enlist the assistance of the publish- ers' professional staffs. When one or two of these, how- ever, deemed themselves too impor- tant to bother with amateur ma- terial one professional man decided the amateurs not only can "plug" a number in the theatre for that one night, but it presents itself as a medium for popularizing songs in club entertainments, parlor so- ciables and the like, where these talented amateurs are the first to be called upon. It is these private audiences that constitute the real sheet mu.sic and roll and record buying public. The amateurs them- selves are good moral risks for the future even though the time wasted on a certain percentage docs de- tract from the professional. Some of the amateurs come to the fore through the opportunity contests, and, if applauded, the winners are given regular try-out bookings. For this reason it has been noticed that every try-out act's song reper- toire is usually culled from one publisher's catalog. The National Vaudeville Artists will hold its second annual golf tournament July 10-12 at the Gar- den City Country club. Around 100 players are expected to compete. Among the crack players listed In the first division are Jack Ken- nedy, Charles Leonard Fletcher, Ed Flanagan and Wilbur Mack. The first division will conalst of golfers with scores of 90 and under. This consists of 16 players.* Martin Beck has contributed the first prize for the first division players. The. prize for the winner of the second 16 was donated by Marcus Loew. The third, fourth, fifth and sixth division first prizes were contributed by B. S. Moss, E. F. Albee, Alex Pantages and S. Z. Poll. The Garden City Country Club can be reached from New York by the Long Island railroad in less than 40 minutes. It is adjacent to the Nassau Boulevard station of the Long Island road. There will be medal play Monday for the Tom Nawn trophy. This trophy has already been won once by Jack Kennedy. Additional prizes have been of- fered by Fred Schanberger, M. Shea, "Walter Vincent, Clark Brown and William Fox for the runners-up in the different "slxteens." Those eligible include all active and lay members of the N. V. A. engaged in vaudeville. A number of women members of the N. V. A. will compete, includ- ing Sarah Padden. PRODUCERS FOR 22-23 MAHER LEASES PIER Now Long Branch Amusement Park Owner—$8,000 Annual itental John Maher, a Trenton theatre owner, has leased the pier at Long Branch and is disposing of conces- sions which will include a Ferris wheel, carousel and games. The rental is reported at $8,000 per an- num. About a year ago the pier was purchased for about $40,000, and since then has been used mostly by fishermen. The Long Branch pier was planned as a million-dollar venture, and much money was expended in its construction. The backers intended to make it a stopping point for ocean-going vessels, but it was later proven that that would be im- practical. The resort has no har- bor. Burlesque has been a standard form of entertainment with an ex- clusive clientele for many years. Like all other branches of the amusement business It has been modernized and elaborated through the years, vntll the modern bur- lesque show of the latter season has become more and more a musi- cal comedy, losing or gaining in the transition according to the pro- duction ability of the burlesque pro- ducer and his ability to engage artists within reasonable salary bounds. In other words, the burlesque pro- ducer has been playing the other fell6w*8 game with less scope and more modest materials to a bur- lesque gathering. The shows be- came so sterilized they looked tame in comparison to the average musi- cal comedy, where bare legs and shimmy dancers (both taboo on the Columbia Burlesque Circuit), were as necessary to the entertainment as the acoustics of the theatre. The result has been an enormous increase in the cost of operating a burlesque attraction, for the pro- ducer has put himself in opposition to musical comedies and increased his production outlay proportion- ately. The revue type of burlesque at- traction which plunges heavily on scenery has been popular with the producers for the past few seasons. The vogue was started by one with a flare for productions of this sort. Immediately it was followed by all of the others with more or less suc- cess so that the average burlesque production of the past two seasons, with a few 'exceptions, has been neither flesh, fish nor fowl, but a sort of compromise between the type of musical comedy that plays HIGGINS TRANSFERRED Goes to Singer's Unit—Gen. Pitano With Gerard Show The transfer of the Bobby Hlgglns contract, held by Davidow & Le Maire has occurred. Higgins goes with Jack Singer Shubert vaudeville unit show for next season. Higgins' contract calls for his vaudeville comedy sketch of four people, and at a salary of $1,150 weekly. Another Shubert unit engagement is that of Gen. Pisano with the Barney Gerard show to be headed by Johnny Dooley. Dooley will do a Fharpshootlng travesty based upon the Pisano turn. Arthur Klein has entered the en- gagement of the Lander Bros, for his own unit. KLEIN'S UNIT •'Hello Everybody," Arthur Klein's Shubert unit .«?how, will have book and lyrics by McElbert Moore and a Bcorc by J. Frod Coots. Klein signed the Lander brothers this week. The comedians were under conttact to Jack Singer for another year and turned over to Klein by Singer. The unit will feature Ger- trude Hoffman who will bo sur- rounded by entirely new material. KEITH'S, CLEVELAND, SOON Keith's new theatre in Cleveland, under construction, is scheduled to open Labor Day. The policry will be big time vaucloville. The seating rapacity is slightly over 3.000. The theatre will be part of an 18-.story oinco building,'. Keith's present big time house m Cleveland, the Hippodromo,. will be operated with pop vaudeville by Walter Rosenberg. The bookings will be through the Keith oHlcc. MARGIN WITHDRAWS Max M.ircin will not be associated with lltTuy T)ixon in the operation of the "IJroadway Celebrities" as a Shubert vaudeville unit, Marcin having declared himself out this wet'k. Dixon will operate the .show in- dividually. ' UNIT BOOKINGS Additional engagements for Shu- bert unit shows Include: Friedlander's "Facts and Fan- cies," White Way Trio, Jed Dooley, Jean Gobson. Six Stellas. Jack Reld's •'Carnival of Fun," Romas Troupe, Betty Weber, Edna Luce, Clark and Verdi. Henry Dixon's "Broadway Celeb- rities," Sttin Stanley. Jenie Jacobs and Jack Morri.s* "As You Were,' Blanche Ring, Charies Winninger. Arthur Pearson's "Zlg Zag," Jamie Coughlin, Harry (Zoup) W«l«;h, Xed (Clothes) Norton, Re- mos Lilliputians. Friedlander's "Laughs and La- dies," Will Philips, Emily Earl, Billy Bernard. E. T. Beatty (unnamed unit), Bobby Barry and Dick Lancaster. a-A-DAY AT KEITH'S, SYRACUSE Keith's, Syracuse, may adopt a three-a-day pop vaudevillo policy for ibe summer. The matter is now under consideration by the Keith people. The Syracuse house has played big time vaudeville since opening three years ago. If the pop plan becomes effective it will con- tinue playing a full week. The big time bills and two-a-day schedule will be restored in Sep- tember if the small time policy Is temporarily adopted. HILL'S PRESS BUREAU Walter K. U\\\ JoineJ tTie Colum- bia Amusement Company staff, as publicity director, July 1. Campbell Casad will be associated with Mr. Hill In the exploitation work Hill Will do for the burlesque circuit. Charles S. Moore, connoctod with the leg.il staff of the Federal Trad*? comnii^.siun since its inception and who presided as examiner during the- Investigation of vattdeviHe con- ducted by the commission, has re- signed to take up private law prac- tice as a member of the tirm of Taylor, Caskey & Moore, with headquarters in ^Vasbi^igton, p. C, , The DcLyons Two, reviewed at Loew's State, New York, last week and mentioned as doing the chair trick similar to Franklyn, Cbarlrs and Company, aver they originat((l the trick and perfected "t in UOO- 98, before the other act. The De- Lyons were formerly Evelyn De- Lyons and Company, and also known as l>eLyons Three. The present heaiV of the team states that Fredericks (Fredericks Troupe. Continental acrobatic turn) taught it to him In 1888, when he took up his aiiprentlceshlp under him. Lawrence Solmnn hafrbeenelf»et<nl president of the Toronto Interna- tional Loague baj?eball club, suc- ceeding the late James J. McCaf- fery. Solman has ♦he Royal AIf»\- drJa.theatre, Tor<»ito, THE GOULDS' DIVORCE SUIT Billio Gould, last of the "Green- wich Village Follies," who Is being sued for an absolute divorce by George Gould, will make an appli- cation for alimony and counsel fees in the New York Supreme Court today (Friday) through Frederick E. Goldsmith and countersue for a separation tm grounds of abandon- ment and non-support. Gould Is a vaudevillian, for many seasons as- sociated with George Choos' acts. Miss Gould (In private life, Mrs. Olive Schoengold) alleges her hus- band has an income of $200 a week. George Gould (Samuel Schoengold) brought suit on statutory grounds. They were married October 28, 1914. George Young Managing Globe Atlantic City, July 5. George M. Young, of Keith's, Philadelphia, is managing the Glolio, opening this week with Keith's vaudeville. •i HI MARRIAGES Catherine Roseh, formerly of "The Fulllca,." to. Conrad S. Layijoii, non- p.-ofes.sional. David Schneider, tr«\asurer of the R<'public, New York, will be mar- ried to Poarl Hirnbaum, non-i)ro- fessional, Sunday, July 9. . ■. .,, I i.f • V •: the o;ie-nighters and road bookings and an old-fashioned "turkey." The producers now seem to think the time for another transition hat arrived and are laying plans to pro« duce an attraction for next season that will have for a high light more low comedy than usual and less art than old-fashioned latigh gleaners. The old bit and number sequence or a comedy scene followed by a song with the chorus back of the singer will again be in high favor as against the modern vaudeville revue type. The producers don't think they can cut down the production costs at present, claiming that costumed, scenery and the other incidentaffs have yet to return to before-war dimensions, but they seem agreed a few less specialties by high-priced acts and more comedians instead will do much to regain for burlesqile its individuality. The modern vogue among the comedians who, following in the footsteps of the producers in mod* ernlzlng their shows, was to clean up and become more legitimate Is also to be frowned upon by the prd- ducers. The producers have learned a lesson from the vaudeville book- Ing fnen'•w4»^. eagerly snapped uji„-. the low comedy burlesque comedians and placed them in Important posi- tions on their bills, where they in- variably made good and were lost to burlesque forever more. * The burlesque producer catering to the- middle classes entertains about the same audience that pa- tronizes the pop vaudeville houses. He reasons his comedians are able to entertain this type of patrons with low comedy and knockabout methods, that is what this type of patron wants. The producer of 1922 has also learned that a show can have plenty ^ of low comedy, rough and funny, and still be clean. The propaganda and efforts to attract a femaie clientele to the burlesque theatres which has been carried on through the seasons was in a large measure responsible for the over-sanitary modern product. No "softer" audi- ence is there in the world for good, clean,~low comedy than the average female. What she does object to is the "blue" joke or the double entendre. Burlesque as now conducted on the Columbia wheel should attract a large coterie of woman adherents, but It has to contend with th« prejudices and the misrepresenta* tlons of years. A national advertis- ing campaign with a drive for th« patronage of women's clubs and local publicity emphasizing the cleanliness of this form of enter- tainment, is another possibility that has been discussed by the burlesque men, and which may become neces* sary when burlesque patronage be- comes affected by the inroads of other styles of entertainment if bur* lesque remains lethargic. The average cost for a new bur* lesque production of modern dimen* sion is about $15,000. The burlesque productions for 1922 will run from $5,000 to the above figure, the lower one. representing productions which will hold over scenery, repainted, or costumes in part from last year'i shows. The list of burlesque producer! has been augmented by several neW to the Columbia Circuit, who come over from the American wheel, re- placing producers with other aflfllla-* tions. A list of the Columbia Burle.'^Que Circuit producers for 1922 is ap- pended. The producers listed who were last season on the American or No. ? wheel are Lew Talbot. Jimmy Cooper, Sim Williams. Kube Bernstein, George Jaffe and Sam Sidmun (who will operate the Arthur Peanson franchise) and Joe Maxwell, from vaudeville. Albert de Cour- ville, the English producer, in asso- ciation with M. S. Bentham, the Keith vaudeville agent, will oierate and inoduce two shows for the Co- lumbia. The list includes: IIurtiiT iv:: Seamon Lew Talbot Jean Dedinl Jimmy Cooper Al Reeves Sim Williarns James E. Cooper Rube lU'insfein Chas. II. Waldron Billy Watson Warren Ti. Irons H.Clay Minor Jacobs & Jrrmon Wm. S. Cumplicll J. Herbert Ma<k Maurice Cain George \V. Rife Albert d< CmnvillO Hftrry Hastitvgs Jermon & Clark—. Drew & Campbell George Jaffe & Dave Marion Sam Sidman Sam Howe Ed Dab-y Rud K. Hynicka Joe Maxwell Wm. K.Wells Con, .