Variety (July 1923)

■jfT^:" ''■:■ iA*'-» .I'v , Sir . . -.. ?• --1. * » •; ERICE 20 CENTS Published W««klr at 1S4 WMt 41th 8t.. N«w Tork. N. T.. by Vartotr. lae. Aanttal subacrtpttoa |T. SlocU eo»l«« 19 oanU, Bntered as MO^nd cIms matter DeoemlMr U. IMC. «t til* Post OAm at New TOrk. N. T., under Um Aot •< March t. ItTt. ^yOL. LXXI. No. 9 NEW YORK Cnr, THUBSDAY, JULY 19, 1923 48 PAGES CSC FEW AUGUST PLAYS IN SIGHT A f DOWN RULES FOR MANAGERS ORGANIZED PRESS AGENTS LAY DOZEN GUiENT NEW YORK HIPPODROME HAS ^tUt Hawks Elected President—^Dues Increases to ,!f>420—^Revision of Constitution at Last Meeting i^-Ask for Minimum Scale it ».-. 'f^ i^Tlaed constitution of the ■ A^^enti' Assn. was presented tind adopted at the meeting held last Friday in New Yoric Under ' tiM new constitution the annual JtuM for membership are |20 per ^niim. Originally they were $5 >|Md a number of press a4(ent8 Jiplned the organization under those 'i»Bditlons. Through a letter advising the Original members a meeting was to !>• held for a revision of the con- lUtQtlon, they were also informed llutt the dues were raised to $20 that unless thoy were paid an (Continued on page 44) THE HOMLIEST ACTOR BUYING BEAITTY RELIEF BLACKFACE TELLEGEN French Aotor Blacking Up and :< > . Playing Saxophone Through the impromptu act Lou IFellagen did last weelc at the ftrlghton (Coney Island) with Jack 3nieoii« it will be continued over Mm big time, probably for all of ktxt season with both acts on the Same biU. The Keith office this week booked Hiem Jointly for a month or so. The [Couple are on the same Riverside, Hew York, bill next week. Following his own sketch, Telle- ten will walk into the Wilson act. Itortced up and playing a saxophone. iWllffon'a act Includes Wilson, who !■ a blackface comedian. I*»t week at the Brighton the impromptu turn was such a decided lilt the attention of the booking 4>fllce to it as a possibility was at- tracted. CHORUS GIRLS AT $20 WEEKLY An idea of the prevalent scarcity ef employment for chorus girls may D« gathered from the production Clioristers who have been forced to •Ocept summer cabaret booklnss at IW a week. The type of cabaret jj paying this paltry salary is only of im cheapest, and Is redeemed by lUght work, averaging an hour an p*evenlng, f The chorine.s have been oblipr<'l Lw flu In tho lay-ofC period by ac- I Cepting thl.s work because of the L»ew new musical shows propiring ■for Immediate production. •Ashes of Vengeance" at Apollo The Joseph I\T. Rchonck film pro- OUction, "A.sheH of Vonffoance." star- "nj Norma Talmadge. goes Into we Apollo, New York, Aug. 6 The film is being di.stribut.-cl «|[<*UKh the First National. It is a •••-reeler directed by Frank Lloyd. Senator Francis Murphy Agrees on $2,500 if It Can Be Done PLItYS GET GOOD BREAK Inflox of Buyers Due and Onijr Six Attrmctioiis Rub- nine to Enjojr Patronage —Week's Takings Only Slightly Off| Accounted For by Difference of Holiday, • Chicago, July 18. Senator BYancis Murphy, who has long been considered the homeliest man In vaudeyille. has determined to be beautiful and has contracted with Dr. H. J. Schlrc3on, a surgeon with ofTloes in the State-Lake the- atre building, to beautify him. The contract calls for |2,S0t if the operation is a success, which arrangement evidences Murphy's skepticism. It is tald that if this operation is successful Senator Murphy may have his dialect ampu- tated. Theodore StepanoflC of the "Yar- mark*" Russian troupe, had his cross-eyes straightened by Dr. Schireson in four and a half min- utes during a recent engagement at the StatO'-Loke theatre, following a method of Professor Fucha of Vienna. The operation was painless. Stepanoff did not miss a single per- formamce. NEXT LADY WUSHIRE MAY BE'CORDELIA' New York Modiste Reported Sir Gerrard Maxwell Wil- shire's Fiancee Th<» marital troublry? of Sir Oer- rard Maxwell Wilahire which hrive interested two continents and lately culminated in a divorce being granted to the titled Englishman in thrt American courts afr^r he claimed a throe yuar.si' ^(•^i'ier^c^ (Continued on page 4) GOOD FOOD WITHOUT MUSIC London. July 1?. The PrIMflh capital has been sur- feited with having Its njlinary pas- time.1 accompanied by i\7.7. mu.sic. One cafo manager displays a ban- ner with the inscription, "Good food but no muslo." PRE-SEASON CONFLICT ftf^l PASSED TO KEI1H ORCIIIT E. F. Albee Heads Controlling Compcuiy—^Pictures and VaudeTilIe to Be Policy of Great Amusement Centre PRINCE'S WIDOW IS RETURNING TO STAGE Broadway's summer attractions figure to get the best break in years from the seasonal buyers influx, dated to begin next week when the National Merchandise Fair opens and affiliated organizations drawn to New York. The exposition will continue for a month. For the next two weeks no new attractions are carded and there will be comparatively few fresh starters until August is well advanced. If the merchants crowd will bene- fit theatres therefore the business will go to the present list Most are expectant of a jump In takings for they never have recovered from the slump blamed on the heat. It im figured that halt a dozen (Continued on page 11) DANCE LANDS" SPRING UP ALL OVER TOWN Neighborhoods Full of Them— Most Popular Priced—Too Many for Names On upper Broadway, on the main streets In the Harlem district, like West 12&th and 116th street: on 148th street In the Bronx; the main thoroughfares in Brooklyn, as well as on the lower East Side new "Jazz r^nds" and "Dance Lands" have Rprung up like muahruoms In the nlRht. Many are weathering the .summer opposltlen and still more are as yet not opened, wailing for the advent of cooler weather. Most are popu- lar prieod admission place? with a nickel a dance policy. First an<I socond story converted lofts u««u- ally house the.se dance halln. Strikingly evident i.s the fact that because of the great number, tlv proprietors have run out' of di.s- tinguishlng labels. They resort a-i an aUernatI"e ti cilling ♦Jiefr places. Jones' MeIr>J/ Land or Smith's Jazz LanJ. etc. Ola Pear] Humphrey Has Play- let for Vaudeville—In- herited $5,000,000 Ola Pearl Humphrey, widow of Prince Ibrahim Hassan, first cousin to the "Chedive of Egypt, is to re- turn to the stage shortly. Miss Humphrey will make a bid for vaudeville, with a playlet written for her by WUlard Mack, titled "At Two in the Morning." The Princess, as she was called following her marriage to the Egyp- tian nobleman, has been living in re- tirement on the coast for several years. She inherited an estate esti- mated to be about 15.000.000 from her husband. ^ ... The Inheritance was the source of a number of legal actions. When It waa finally settled in Miss Humph- rey's fav«r a Los Angeles attorney started suit for $2,500,000 for ser- vices. This action is still pending. WOMEN'S ASSNS. TO FILM 'TILGRM'S PROGRESS" John Bunyan*s Centuries-Old Work Talked Of For Screen —Would Cost a Million The Keith eirenlt tlUa week mlded the Hippodrome, New York, to lu chain through a leaslnir arrange* ment with the United 8Ut«B Realty Company. The realtors will be in on the Hlppodromo through a per- centage arrangement. It will re- open Labor Day with Keith vaude- ville and pictures at popular prices with )1 top for night performances reported. The policy of the Hippodrome un- der Keith's will be pictures and vaudeville, the latter mostly special- izing in dumb acts and acts of that calibre, will be tried. The Hippodrome was first brought to the attention of B. F. Albee as a Keith possibility by Mark B. Luescher, Keith publlcltv director and former manager of the Hippo- drome. Luescher was loaned to the Keith organization by Charles Dil- lingham during the celebration of the Keith thlrd-of-a-century period. Later Luescher entered the Keith organization as director of pub- (Contlnued on page 44) "Pilgrim's Progress,- the alle- gorical work of John Bimyan. the early English writer on religious subjects, may possibly reach the screen. During the last few weeks a group of women representing various women's associations have been In 'Conference with Sydney 8. Cohen, president of the M. P. C. O. (Continued on page 44) A YEAR FOR VINCENT BRYAN Los Angeles, July 18. Vinoenl Bryan, one-time well- known writer of popular songd about New York and for the last few years active In this vicinity as a gag man for the various film comc- (lian.s, has been sentenced to itn- prlsonment for one year for viola- tion oC the Drug act. CAFE PLAYWRIGHT - - ■ ■ «■ Leopold Qranitx, of Leopf Writee "Knights of the Omgon" Chieago, July 18. Leopold Oranltz, loop restaura- teur, has turned playwright. He has completed "Knights of the Dragon." a mid-century Balkan ro- mance, witii aa American boy as the herow Oranltz runs the toppy Tip-Top Inn on Michigan Boulevard, having started as a dishwashing immigrant and worked up to the ownership of one of the finest cafes in America. Whether he can serve as appe- tizing a play is another thing again. TALK ABOUT THE CABMAN Al White plays the Jewish father In "Abie's Irish Rose," He had his first vacation after playing the role 493 times at the Republic, New York, la.1t Wednesday. Despite the heat of the day White attended both performanceM of the play on his day off to witne.s.s Hy- man Adier^s interpretation af hie role. F O M: Fi I te FD way