Variety (October 1922)

I Friday, October 6, 102$ I3C333C CABLES ■•> 'i''. >■ ■1 K'JT i ;* ORPHEUM PASSES DIVIDENDS FOR YEAR; NO LOEW PAYMENT Companies Determined to Establish Safe Reserves of Cash Before Disbursements—Orpheum's 27 Top—Famous Near Par Again PRINCE SHOW FAILS Vcntrtloquiat'a V«ntur« In Prov< incvs Qiv«s Up The Orphcum circuit directors In A ChlcafTO Wednesday voted to pass y the dividend of 60 cents quarterly ; during the November quarter In order to husband cash, building: a reserve from which It could flnance t new theatres without resorting to bank loans or bond issues. , liOew company interests, in a po- ^iliou to apeak authoritatively, let It became known this week that the November dividend will be omitted. The management is anxious to ac- cupiulate a surplus sufficient to guarantee against a recurrence of the fin Micial troubles of the i>ast year and a half. In the case of Loow, no decision ■has been made as to the dividend action noj^t February. Disburse- ments will depend upon whether current favorable earnings are maintained up to that time and upon other surrounding conditions within and without the company. The i)ricc of Loew remained almost stationary this wcolc. It is under.-'tnod that the campaign of accumulation by tho pool was Interfered ^*rith soon nfier it began by the entrance of powerful financial Interes's. Kuhn Loeb & Co,, among them, and de- spite all tho syndicate could do the pri»e got away from the managers. Paue« in Advance ^ For tho present It is des'.rrfble for the pool to stand asld.e and allow the piarket in the stock to settle before the campaign goes into Its next phase. It is pfobable that there was a lot of outside buying in Loew this week. The tip for an ad- vance was industriously spread in , Times square. It was even reported that interests associated With the Famous PJayers' pool were operat- ing in the Loew issue. The persist- ence of'thQ tip may have caused tho entrance of an outside element suf- ficiently large to require correction later on and this would involve a reaction. The entrance of Charles M. Schwarts on the board was an- nounced on the ticker Wednesday. Loew's has done with expansion and seeks only a safe cash surplus, but It Iff otherwise with Orpheum, If Chicago reports are correct In the case of Orpheum.^he plan Is to add to theatre holdings, but the extensions will be more conserva- t itively managed. New properties will be acquired cautiously with com- pany inoney and not with borrowed cash. Surplus will be turned Into real estate equities. The reported objective is a new theatre in the Chicago "loop" and one In Menj- phis. The Majestic, Chicago; Ma- jestic, Milwaukee, and Palace, Mil- waukee, are reported doing more business than at any time in their careers. There Is good grounA for believing that Orpheum officials are adding to their stock holdings. It w.as reported this week that Mort Singer, Markie Hyman, Asher Levy, Joe Finn and Sam Kahl had placed orders for 10,000 shares. Buying Orpheum .Heavy buying both in New Tork (no transaction.s came out in Chi- cago) ran the stock up to a now high Wednesday of 27% and pre- dictions of "better than r.U" were freely ofT-^red. Some enthu.sJastic traders talketl of an uUimnte priec above 45. This happened while tlie boar<4 was passing' the dividend. Tho tiuotation of the onmmr»n has to cross 40 to be In line with the le\el of the prffe*-red for which it is changeable at two for one. One of the rc.'usons for tiie oise with which Orpheum is moved up is th^ arguineiu that there is no stoek "hinging over the market." Or- pheum i-; pretty clo.«-,ely held among a .'-mMll rotmie. whl-^h Is identirie.l with \\:v liusir;e.'--.s ami ivH !>r:riarily 2 ••THE TILLER SCH(K)LS OF DANCIN i^'G 143 Charing Cro=o Read LONDON Director, JOHN TILLER Dterested in market manipulation or profits to be made by in-and-out ticker operations. The Insiders get their profits from the prosperity of the business when it la doing well and as long as the box .offica prospers they are likely to stick. Overhanging the Markat In the case of Loew there are Wall Street holdings which might become the basis of manipulation and until they are cleared up the poKsibility of fluctuations are always present! Strong financial powers, however, appear to be engaged in centralizing the supply and when this objective is attained it is likely the price be stabilized. It goes without saying that the steading proces^s will rest considerably above current quotations, perhaps around 30. The rumor connecting Famous Players Interests with the move- ment in Loew gave rise to the view that something wa's doing in an al- liance between the two, involving tho transfer to Loow of the Famous Plaj ers theatre holdings and the transfer of Metro direction to Famous Players. An entente of this sort. market observers believe, would work to the advantage of both concerns, but unfortunately for tho partisans of both securities there is no present likelihood of It going through. At least the Loew faction is emphatic in Its declara- tion that the reports arc entirely unfounded. Famous Players made the round trip from 97 to 92 and back to par during the week. Nothing developed in the way of news. Probably the movement was In obedience to nothing more than the behavior of the rest of the list which under- went a drastic house cleaning, brought about by technical con- siderations. The recovery hung on the same factor. On Tuesday th« tip was out that another break waa imminent, but the Wednesday tendency was a sweep forward and It appeared to b<» pretty clearly demonstrated that the bears had been put to rout, at least for the time being. Wednesday around 1 o'clock the board waa spotted with new highs for the year. Flurry in Goldwyn There was a flurry in Goldwyn Tuesday, continuing through Wednesday. It began with a series of transactions in lots of GOO shares and the price ran up from 6% to 7 quickly. L'ndoing tho bull demon- stration carried the price fttick to 6^4 before the close, but the opera- tion was renewed on Wednesday, when the level got around 7^. The Goldwyn ticker symbol "GliP' ap- peared on the board In the cus- (Continued on page 35) AMERICANS IN EUROPE I*ari.s. Sept. 23. Charles Ilulibard, tenor, of Au- burn. N. Y.. is the flr.st American to sing from the Eiffel Tower, Paris, for radio concerts, Cecil Fatming. baritone, who re- cently sang in London, passed through I'aris from Switzerland, en route to New York, to sail on the Homeric, Sept. L'O. In I'aris \ant week: Raymond Ort'>ig. manager. Hotels Lafayette and Drevoort. New York; Carl Laemmle, aTtor a tour in Germany; Irene Hammond and Charles Stuart, dancers, from Deauville, and now .•Ll)oearini; at tlie Daunou .^alon here; Harry Levine and Dirk Simr;, from London, now cntertainitg at the New York bar; Mi.ss Ma^ie l^oro returned afier an excur.sion to va- rious Fren* h re-sort.*'; Joseph .Sihenek ai.d wife (Norma Ta^ mr.dne^ with Con.stiinee Talmadue and niothfi- after a busines.s trip ti) Loid'-n, ■ > - ' ' Du.llry i'ie'd ^fulone has left Lon- d»h TM H ' U.iii t ff >: > ,w Yor li but i n . London, Sept. 22. The production "prior to produc- tion in the Weat End" of "Moon and Son" by & company organized by Arthur Prince, the ventriloquist, and Harry Qrattan. doea not seem to have been an Inspiring success and the "crowd" la back in town. Apropos of this production, the company gave a fortnlght'a re- hearsals and a dreaa one for one week's i>ay. The A. A- atandard contract calla for payment for re- hearsala. ''MAN IN DRESS CLOTHES" London, Oct. 4. C. B. Cochran, who sailed on the Berengarla yesterday, explained that David Belasco has no option to relinquish any rights in "The Man in Dress Clothes," shortly fin- ishing at the Garrick. Belasco and Cochran are equal partners in the English and Ameri- can rights of the play, but thcy are not bound to do the Seymour Hicks, version If, In the opinion of Be- lasco, it is unsuitable for America. Before leaving London Gilbert Miller was exceedingly anxious to secure the rights to produce the play from the owners and proposed to do the present version with Hicks in his original part. If he could get him. CHEVALIER'S RETURN Reappears in "A Fallen Stai/' Character Impersonations London, Oct. 4. Monday at Brixton Albert Cheval- ier reappeared In a conventional melodrama called "A Fallen Star," merely used aa a skeleton to per- mit Chevalier to exploit the various character Impersonations that have made hWn famous. Chevalier's popularity should carry him through. --^ - —. . Coming Over to See Play London. Oct. 4. Tork and Adams are shortly sail- ing for New Tork to aee "Partners Agaln,N( which they will play In South Africa. • IN AND OITP * Bessie Barriscale was unable to open at the Palace, New York, Mon- day afternoon on account of a bag- gage delay. O'Donnel and Blair jsubstltuted at the matinee. Petrosfs' Animal Congress and Henry and Adelaide in Shaw's Hounds out at Loew'a State, New York, the first half. LONDON QUOTATIONS Theatres and Circuit Sharea' Values London, Sept. 26, The quotations on the valuo of shares of individual theatres and circuits In Kngland as listed "on the street" yesterday are as follows: £. S. D. Alhambra ......«......;... 12 6 Collaeuhi 2 7 6 DruiT Lane 16 7Vfi Empire 15 0 Empire 10 0 Gaiety 12 6 London Palladium 5 6 London Pavilion 2 0 0 London Theatre of Varieties 10 0 Metropolitan 8 0 Moss-'Emplrcs 5 0 0 Oxford 3 10 0 Provincial and Cinema The- atres 6 3 Stoll Picture House 10 0 United Variety Syndicate... 2 6 Victoria I'alace 1 1 3 EDISON'S JAZZ ..:: (Continued from i>age 1) first time it Is being done on a wholesale scale directly fur disk re- cording. '. ; The first releases arc to be fox trot arrangements of the great In- ventors pet tunes: Titl's "Sere- nade." "Heimweh," "Spring Song," Bellini's "Norma." ' " With the phonogranh disks so marketed currently on pre-arranged schedule whereby a record or roll really helps popularize the KOng and create a sheet music demand, this has possibilities of a new era in popular .songdom. If the jazzed classics idea catches on, Edison will be in the position to publish and market orchosix^tions of his tox trot arrangements, which the picture ex- hibitors (about 16,000 in this coun- try) might favor as the sole musical accompaniment to their pictures. Sold at 25 or 50 cents and minus any performance license restrlc- tlon.s. it has tho possibilities of ava- lanching the popular song business, as.nov/ conducted, completely. Picture exhibitors for long have been bitterly opposed to the tax demands of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Pub- lisheri^-, which exacts a fee from every picture theatre for the privi- lege of performing its copyrighted compositions for profit. * Where a licen.ie is not duly obtained and a copyrighted song controlled by a publisher-member of the society Is performed, a federal court proceed- ing on copyright Infringement grounds usually follows. The ex- hibitor has learned, expensively, that each time he is caught it costs him 1220 damages, |100 counsel fees and about $10 court costs, a total of $360. The Motion Picture Theatre Own- ers ef America has established a music department, but that has had Its shortcomings with its unfamiliar "standard" orchestra music. The ragging of the familiar classics, first popularized via the dJinco floor through the medium of Edison rec- ords, is an idea that is far-reaching. With songs no longer "made" via the singing stage, but more through the' dancers' feet, it la ao mucU more in Mr. Edison's favor. IN LONDON BRITISH PANTOMIMES GETTING IN READINESS Leading Productions and Their Casts Are Listed London, Oct. 4.- '-v Preparations are well in hand for the Important London and pro- vincial pantomimes. Wylle A Tate's Hippodromo show . will be "Cinderella," with Bert Er- rol. Stanley Luplno, Clarice Mayne, Daisy Wood, Daiay Burrell. Fred Whittaker, and Nervo and Knox. The same producers' pantomime at ' Cardiff has Elsit, i-rmce, Nellie Wallace, Wallace Luplno, Albert . Darnley. Mark Luplno and Nan Croft. The Glasgow Alhambra audiencea will see "The Queen of Hearts," with A. W. Baskcomb, Luplno Lane, Griffiths Bros., Mona Vivian, Peggy Wynne. At tho ShefTleld Empire "Jack and the Beanstalk" will be staged with Bruce Green, Lily Morris, Jay Laurier, Kiddy Kennedy and the Pender Troupe. At the Palace, Manchester, Shaun Glenville, Dorothy Ward, Wee Georgle Wood, Fred Conquest, Shanks Brothers, Jean Alexander, Beryl Beresford will appear In "Mother Goose." The present Hippodrome revue, "Round in 50," will migrate to Olympla, Liverpool, and the Theatre Uoyal, Birmingham, will have Billy ' Merson. Dick Tubb, Eddie Jayo and ' Susie Belmoro will figure In what- ever Phillip Rodway eventually does. All the above will be Wylle & Tate productions. Other important Christmas en- ' gagements are Nora Delany for Queon.r Manchester; Barry Luplno for Bristol and Renee Reel and Horace Mills for Leeds. Florrle Forde will produce the show at the Coliseum, Glasgow, and ^ill be supported by Reg. BoTton. Naughton and Gold and Rosie Lloyd. Nothing is settled as yet for the Lyceum. ''WINTER COMES" RIGHTS Cyril Maude Obtaina American Privilege to Engliah Play London, Oct. 4. The American rights to "If Win- ter Comes," the English play adapted from the novel/ have been secured by Cyril Maude. Quite some competition developed in the bidding. PAKK cntcus V Paris. Oct. 4. The Cirque d'Hlver, which han '..<..■ been devoted to picture entertain- • ment /or several yeart, will revert to the circus show the coming win- te'r. It will be under tho manage- ment of Plnder. RUBY NORTOH SCORES ,' , London, Oct. 4. Ruby Norton scored strongly ' Monday when opening at the Fins- bury. Miss Norton Is an American—- vaudeville "single." London, Sept. 25. e-,:pectf d b.nk in Euroix.' early n^xi >c:ir. Fay ILirrrurt nnd ll;.rry Cahill, Ainf.rie.'in dancers from tlji* Deau- ville C'lsltM), .'vr;^ appearing at th" Clover Chr», I'.ui.^^. v Iut*' .Manriee ;ind Leoaura liugi»c»Li iabl danced here.' ," „ • . Godfrey Tearle Is about to em- bark upon actor-management. He has acquired the Apollo, which, however, will not be open for him for some months. Carlton Mann, the general manager of the Adelphi and Gaiety, will look after his In- terests. •. Meanwhile, when the run of "The Way of an l-Jagle" end.s, Tearle will go on a provincial tour during which he will try out sev- eral new plays. Gerald I>awrence, who recently produced Louis N. Parker's new play on the subject of David Gar- rick, will give the piece its London premiere at the Court, Sept. 2'i. The ca.st will include liawrence as (Jarrick, Roy Byford as Dr. John- .son. Ilirman dvi Lange ai lioswcli. Uiehard Andene as CloUsm th, >k:d;^'e Con.ptnn as Pamela an.l .Vr- [ tliur CiiUen as tlie father. This version slicks fairly xPCT! ni t^r* I m;iin Ftory. v;hi<"h ha.s formed the l:•a.-i.•^ of m<jst Carriole play.s, but U noteworthy for the intri>duction of many of the notabilities of the V.mc The Littlf* reopens early In Octo- ,,ber with a Japanese, play, "Tho Toils of Yoshltomo." Th\n 1.% the work of Torshiko Korl and the pro- duction will be directed by E'llth Craig. The piece Is said to have praciically no love int'Test. The east will include J. Fisher White, Milton Rosmer. Frank Henry. (;<'orKC Skill.m, A. Corriey Grain. Cfoorge (iwcn, H izel Jones and .Miiti^l Pratt. lOdward Knoblock is b.iek in Eng- land and at work on a n<w play whicli C. B. Cochran hopes to pre- .sent with Alice Delysia. Metier a Draw Paris. Oct. 4. Raquel Meller, booked int(» the Paris Alhaijibra for a limited en- gagement, is drawing record busi- ness to that house. The star will I later go to the Champs Klyseos. Despite the new dramatic scenes whieh were to ginger the play up, "The Green Cord" finished at the Royalty Sept. 18. It wl'l go Into the provinces at Chrli-tmas. "A to Z* celebrated 400 perform- anre3 at the Prince of Wales Sept. 14. and "The Way of an Ea-le" 100 St ftio Adohthi nn thn r irnr <l.'>t«>. Duncan Giria Preparing for Play London, Oct. 4. The Dimcnn Sisters will return to New York by the "Olympie" Oet. 25 to commence rehearsals In th«< new Sam H. Harris show that will star them. . «v; • Couldn't Secure Theatre London. Oct. 4. T'nable to secure a theatre in Lon- ' don for "Krcutzer Sonata." Bertha , Kaliseh sailed last week for New ' ' Yoric. Hyson Staging Dance Numbers London, Oct. 4. N(?w dance niinbers In ''l'h« Smith i'amlly." at the Empire, are being staged by Carl lly.son. RHINESTONES Tli'> committee of the Phoenix Society announce their now reiior- tory foi- th»' coming season. The first produf'tion early In November wIM \>t' .Marhnvfi's tragedy "The Jew of ..Mtilta.'' whieh was originally pro- (Continuid on pa^jc 21) ; "V-' TltjIH t^(» T>1imond Olrl t»<»«n«> la the, "I'nanlnic Hhow" now at Winter HmrtXen. Wuo tlie .^(ar Curtain In "Or«nr« Itlos- «omi«" now at Fulton Thmire. ANYTIIIN<; IN IIIIINEST<»NE.S THE LITTLEJOHNS 226 Weet 46th St^ New York Wioo* BRYA,>T iW7