Variety (July 1923)

% BURLESQUE Thursday, July 26, 1923 COLUMBIA PRODUCERS PLAN TO ELIMINATE SUBWAY CHORISUR New Bureau Will List All Chorus Girls with Descrip- tions—Aimed to Prevent Contract Jumping by Choristers The Columbia Producers' Associa- tion has comp'Ieted the detail^ of it system for checking up on chorus g\r\B who Jump from one show to another, regardless o( contracts. In past seasons a type of bur- lesQue chorister known as "subway circuit" chorus girls has given the burlesque producers considerable concern. The custom followed has been for a girl to secure a Job with a show a w<fek or two before it reaches New York, and after playing around the metropolis to repeat the stunt with other shows coming In. This has made for a sameness in the choristers In the Columbia shows, through the same familiar faces repeating every three or four weeks in the houses in and around New York. The Burlesque Producers* plan to eliminate the "subway chorister" calls for a photograph bureau for all choristers engaged with descrip- tions, and some onn in charge who will keep track of the chorus per- sonnel of all of the Columbia shows. All producers will be immediately advised of a girl leaving a particu- lar show. Chorus girls receiving salary ad- vances and then quitting a show will also come In for attention by the Producers* Association Bureau. Numerous ideas and plans have, been formulated in the past to regu- late the chorus girl proposition for the Columbia shows, but have been dropped after a week or two of ex- periment or never attempted at all. The Producers* Association, how- ever, will give the idea a thorough try-out for the coming season to at least see if It Is practicable. FAVOR POP SONGS Mors Than Ever in Burtecque Next Season Indications are that next season's burlesque shows will be unusually heavy with pop song material. Last season, the producers on the major and minor wheels, the Columbia cir- cuit particularly, decided they had been surfeited with pop material Hi seasons past. An attempt at special lyrics and scores was made but it is concurred that the attempt was not a success. The burlesque patrons demand and favor familiar syncopated melo- dies and do not take kindly to the restricted melodies. As a result the music publishers' pluggers are ex- pecting unusual co-operation when rehearsals start for the new season. • 18,800 FOR 'TOLLIES" "Follies of the Day" in Its first week at the Columbia, New York, did $8,800 with 13 performajices, the show opening July 14. Extremely hot weather last week hit the mati- nees a wallop. The show opened with a light matinee Monday of this week, and Monday night was considerably off, with the Leonard-Tendler fight credited against it. Tuesday m^- nee the show picked up again i^nth one of tTie best afternoons since opening. < MARKS SWITCHES "VANITIES" Joe Marks with Earl Carroll's "Vanities of 1923*' stepped from one "Vanities" to another last week when he signed with Barney Gerard's "Vanities" Columbia wheel show for next season. MAX SPIEGEL'S BANKRUPTCY PRESENTS BRAND-NEW PHASE ADELAIDE BELL DANCER EXTRAORDINARY Kelth*8 Bushwick, Brooklyn, this week <JuIy 23). Keith's 8l8t Street. New York, (July 10). Dirsction: JACK LEWIS 'inside StutP* on P^omoter't Doings—Mrs. Mitchell H. Mark's Settlemen Offer Still Unaccepted vi $250,000 In Liabilities Involved. ' | FARES PAID Agreement for Columbia Show* to Opening Reached i.- '-, COLUMBIA SHIT WEEK » The Court, Wheeling W. Virginia and Grand, Canton Ohio, will form a split week on the Columbia cir- cuit next season. Both houses are new for the Columbia. The Wheel- ing house will get the Columbia shows the first half and Canton the laHt. The week goes Into the Columbia route between Pittsburgh and Cleveland. y MTITTJAL SHOW FOR JAFFE fScorge W. Jaffe, operating the Academy, Pittsburgh, has been awarded n franchise on the Mutual wheel. "The Joy Riders" will be operated for Jaffe by Jess Burns. Engaged are Mickey Markwood, Joe Mack, Vivian Lawrence, Burt Les- ter, Frances Ryer. NEW COLUMBIA HOUSE NAMED The Miles, 'Cleveland, supplant- ing the Colonial as the Columbia wheel stand in that city, will be known as the Columbia hereafter. The I'ark, Indianapolifl, also a new house on the Columbl.a wheel, han been renamed the Capitol. Last Half in Canton, O. Canton, C, July 27. After several years' absence, bur- lesque will be returned to Canton, commencing in Aupust when Colum- bia wheel attractionH will p'ay the Grand Opera House Thursday, Fri- day and Saturc'ay. . BIRTHS Mr. and Mrs. Jimmy Flynn, daughter, July 27. Mr. Flynn \^ the St Hong pluggcr. Mr. and Mrs. Ed K.intor, pcji. The father is the manager of the 79th fTtreet, New York; the mother waH professionally Poppy Lee. Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Leavitt at their home July 20, daughter. Tiie paieiils are In vaudeville an Leavjtt and Lotliwcod. Mr. and Mrs. II. Lester Stark, July 22, daughter. The mother' js profcKsJorinlly L/lllJ.'in Ijivingt«ton, dau^Ltci oX I'cnrl L(lVinc^<ton. CONTRIBUTIONS FOR ASSTT. I'ilach of the Columbia wheel pro- ducers have contributed $10 to a sinking fund for the Columbia Pro- ducers Association. A further^as- sessment of $5 weekly will be paid by each member of the organiza- tion in lieu of dues. Leon Laski in Hospital Leon Laski, the attorney, suffered a stroke of apoplexy Sunday night and was removed to Flower Hospi- tal, New York City. BUBLESaUE CHANGES Claire Hastings. Busch Sisters, Frank Martin. Harry . Hasting's Show. Daisy Martin, Betty Delmonte, Reld's Show. Kelso Brothers, Bernard's Show. Artie Mayo, Dixon's Show. Creedon and Taye, Mack's Show. Jean Chuler, Singer's Show. Zoe North, Jack Carleson, Leav- itt's Show. Ruby Wallace, "Sliding" Watson's Show. Leonard and White, Sim William's Show. Nellie Nelson, Artie Levy, Peck & Kolb's Show. Elsie Mathews. Oerard's Show. "Flashlights," on the Columbia wheel, will take the title of "Queens of Paris" next season. "Hello, Good Times," last season will be "World of Girls." Barney Kelly, manager of Miner's' Bronx, New York. Peter Maguire has been appointed manager of the Gayety, Toronto, Columbia wheel house, for next sea- son. Harry Yost was at first an- nounced as resident manager, but retired from the post a couple of weeks ago because of other business Interests. Joe Nelson, Claire Nelson, Three Texas Rangers, "Bubble-Bubble." Willie Cohen, -Nifties of 1923." ILL AND INJURED Mrs. Fred de Bondl, wife of the' vaudeville agent, was taken to Dr. J. Willis Amey's private sanitarium July 16 and operated upon the next day. The operations, a major one, was successful, with the patient resting comfortably. Pete Trade (Trade Twins) re- turned to the "Passing Show" this week after a minor operation at the New York Hospital for hernia. Mrs. Pauline Cnrbrey (Carr and Brey) was operated upon July 20 at Roosevelt hospital, New York, for appendicitis. She expects to be out in a few weeks. Johnny Burke was operated on July 19 in Philadelphia for appendicitis. Yesterday (Wednesday) it was stated at the hospital Mr. Burke is nieely recovering. ^ .'• Olga Kane, who does a single In vaudeville, backed into the switch- board while playinK the Liberty, Tcrre Haute, Ind., early last week and was severely burned. She did her ptrformance but fainted at the conclusion of her effort. Louise Squire of Shone and Squire suffered a nervous breakdown while jilaying at the Franklin, New York. last week. The act is laying off this week and will probably reopen Mon- day at While Plains with Marlon Squire doing her j»tster'?» work in the act until Louise'.s recovery. • Koy fiiusti. tenor in the "Vanities of 1923," was taken ill hvt week ami f(>i<{d to undcigo an operation on tht throat. IN AND OUT Paul Jl.'imlin left tin- Phenomenal Players July 20 .if Wjlkes-Parre, Pa, bee.nise of the heat. He was replaced. MARRIAGES Homer Ciesro Dikenson and Claire IJalmes, on the Pacific Coast July 18. Both principals said as It was their second matrimonial ven- ture the date made no difference. Charles Yule to Gene Cleveland, both professionals, on the coast. They are now In the east and may appear together In a vaudeville sketch. Lucille Dumont (Dodd and Du- mont) to Paul L. Demarest (non- professional) at New Haven, July 16. Al Bernlvlcl (Bemlvici Brothers), July 24, In San Francisco, to Babe Marks, daughter of a retired mer- chant and a non-professional. Sol Green, vaudeville agent, to Bertha Rand, non-professional. New York City, June 26. Homer Dickinson to Florence Tempest (Information furnlrhed by Homer Dickinson from Los Angeles without date or place of marriage stated). Lynn Hubbard to Billie Duk^. July 19, M-Kokomo. Ind. Mr. Hub- bard is with the Dodson carnival; his wife is of the Sherman ' Century Girls." Pranklyn Graham to Nanine Tont, July 21. at Amityville, L. I. Mr. Graham is assistant to W. Dayton Wcgcfarth In Keith's New York of- fice; his wife Is oii the concert stage and a sister of Hazel Dawn. Cecil Brenner (Cecil and Kay) to Frank Robb (Eddie Borden nnd Co.), July 23. at City Hall. New York. Both are of Morrlssey's re- vue. "The Newcomers." Viola Foster, former wife of Allan K. Foster, was married In Chicago to Walter Baker, non-profeRsIonal. of that clly. June Wyverne Rogers ("Artists an4 Models") and Crawford Lynn Qllllgan, non-professional, July 23 In New York City. The Columbia wheel shows will have their fares paid from the rail- road pool to the stand the shows open at, whether It Is a preliminary week or not. This was* decided at a meeting of the Colqmbia Producers' Association and Columbia execu- tives. The reason is the railroad pool has been arranged as regards as- sessments on the basis of the actual opening spots of the shows regard- less of the officinl bpening dates. The producers want the railroad pool to pay fares to the scheduled opening places because of a show frequently being list^ officially for Cincinnati, for instance, and really opening for a preliminary week in Philadelphia. To operate the pool the way the pr^ucers wanted it would have necessitated Increased assessments, and the paying to the actual opening point was agreed upon by both sides. MUSKEGON'S SHOW Performance by Actors' Colony on Lake Michigan Chicago, July 25. The annual vaudeville show pre- sented by the members of the Ac- tors' Colony and Yacht Club of Muskegon, Mich., was given there Monday, at the Regent, to a capac- ity audience. The bill Included Nixon and Norrls, Ted Arfnond, Walter Baker, Delocey and Willlson, Willson Hemer and Co., Pearl Bros., Chamberlain and Eafle, and I*ovey and Wilbur. The artists donated their services for the occasion. The club's share of the receipts, which were split on a 50-50 basis with the theatre, will go toward the operating expenses of the organization. It is estimated the show will clear about $800. CLARA MORTON'S DIVORCE Filet Action Afte^ Being 16 Years Married Detroit. July 26. During the engagement of the Four Mortons at the Temple last week Mrs. Clara L. (Morton) Sheen filed a divorce suit in the circuit court against her husband, Frank J. Sheen, after 16 years of married life. The couple were married in De- troit In 1907. There are three small children. Details of the suit are withheld until service can be had upon Sheen, who has been out of the city. $50,000 RENT FOR MILES Cleveland, July 25. The Columbia burlesque wheel is paying $50,000 annual rent for the Miles theatre, according to report. An agreement in the lease carries a cancellation clause upon notice, it is said. JOKNNY BURKE ILL Philadelphia, July 25. Johnny Burke, vaudeville mcno- loglst, was operated upon in a lo( al bospitaJ today. Samuel Geneen's two Russian cabarets In New York will resume in September. The Club Balagan under the 44th Street theatre (for- mer Little Club) will reopen Sep- tember 1 with the same policy and the Petrouschka' Is slated for fall inauguration September 8. The Petrouschka Is on 69th street. The report that the Wlntergarden Cafe, I»s Angeles, would close is denied by Sam Wolf, gen eral mana- ger. May Amsterdam heads the or- • hesfra reeently installed at^ Her- berts. Ixis Angeles, in an attempt to lure the after theatre patrons. Ango Lorenzo and Iu.h Tunesters have opened a summer engagement at JiiilJerefs Dance I'avllion, Har- bor Springs, Mich, inside stuff on the Max Spiegel' situation has it that after all ig said and done, including the threats of crlml^^l prosecution against the bankrupt theatrical promoter, the bankruptcy will run its usual course, and eventually all proceed- • Ings against Spiegel will be dropped. The basis for this assumption is that such iM'oceedings are usually very prolonged and expensive—it has been estimated it would con- sume anywhere up to six or seven years before every one of the 23C creditors' claims are adjusted—and the bother Is ofttimes not worth the expenditure involved. This is surprising, considering the fact that 1250,000 in riabillties are involved, '\ as was reported by the trustee at Tuesday's hearing before Referee In Bankruptcy Harold P.' Coffin. The meeting was attended by about 12 of the creditors to further consider the settlement proposal of Mrs. Mitchell B. Mark, Spiegel's moth'er-ln-law, who has offered $350,000 to settle all claims in full, a provision being that the offer must be accepted unanimously. A little over 50 per cent, of the ^creditors have agreed to accept, but the rest are holding out, and there Is little likelihood that they will-finally acquiesce, despite the postponement of further hearings .until September 11, when the mat- ter w411 again be resumed. It has not been unknown, al- though little has been publicized about it, that Max Spiegel, sup- po.sedly an inmate of an insane asylum near Stamford, Conn., has been permitted to leave the san- itarium accompanied by attendants and return at will. This informa- ; tlon has finally percolated to Referee Coffin, who, on Tuesday, admitted^ that he had received an anonymous communication to the effect that Spiegel had been seen about in New York. ;:; The question of Spiegel's mental ;f condition, and whether or not he 'A was actually Insane, as has been i generally supposed, and for which purpose he is confined to the san- , Itarium, again was broached at the i hearing, and it was intimated that steps might be taken to Anally ad- judicate this fact Attorney Otter- burg, counsel for the trustee, stated that under the Connecticut laws an investigation was possit4e by ^ means of a regular trial. ■% The banks, at first insistent la '\ prosecuting Spiegel to the fullest -:: extent of the law, arc now known to be generally willing to accept the - settlement It has been the expe* " rience of bankruptcy lawyers that banks usually are the first to ca- | pitulate, for the reason that their conservative banking ideas are ba- sically against the notion of throw- ing good money after bad In an ef* fort to recover it. Another angle figures In that these banking in- % stltutions shun publicity, which | would disclose their poor Judgment t In accepting and indorsing spuriou* notes and other negotiable paper. The reaction with the public at such disclosures Is obvious. Another "Inside" angle is Mrs. Mark's offer. Her daughter Is the wife of Max Spiegel. It Is deduced^ In view of the fact that, forged pa- per has been disclosed bearing Mrs. Spiegel's signature thereon, that Mrs. Mark is probably not so much interested in shielding her son-in- law as hei* daughter. Whether or not Mrs. Spiegel's signatures were affixed by Spiegel as her authorized agent or not is problematical. Like many other wives who leave all business affairs to their hushnnds, this might not be altogether unlike- ly. The trustee's report shows |102,- 745 in forged checks. The J^nkS • have expressed thei r willingness to , settle OM rnnditlon that the pondltir^ suits on forged notet. and cheeks be continued. Meantime, Justice Bijur hun re- Mervixl decision In an action by the Mark Spiegel Realty Corp. against the (^totham National Hank to re- cover 156,000 on the plead itij--- For- mer Jud>;e Edward K. Miall argued this motion last week. Wil- liam Kaufman Is the (ciii " -^ regular attorney.