Variety (July 1923)

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"-r ■.■:mj" 7'^.'-" Thursclay, July w, Ittl LEGITIMATE ■:.•/*' :<•- "'^'''•■■^V?^-*^^-^^W^'^^- ■••,1"V»-: V.,'- ■« is ERLANCER-SHUBERT SPLIT ;i m'ANGE' iOR MORRISEY'S SHOW Assumes No Past Obligations ^Will Give ''Newcomers" Berth on B'way^ Maybe •*•! f'WlU Morrlsaey's hectic voyage in attefriptin* to pilot hl« new summer revae, "The Newcomers.** Into Broadway on a short bank roll, seems to have been steered Into trdnquil waters at last tiee Shubert, who was Impressed Wtth the possibilities of the piece ^en he attended the premiere in Attanttc City the week before last, lib*'said to have come to Morrlssey's rescue and to have Injected a suf- ficient amount of financial anti- toxirt to resuscitate It from the acute attack of box office rollc It acnuired )kat week, both In Asbury Park and Loos Branch.^ The rcVue will be reorganized and Vill probably play two days in Iftamford next week before coming into a Shubert house. ,, .,-^ , Al Fields and Bert and Betty BARTON'S LATEST PLAN IS NAUTCH DANCERS Sailing for Orient to Bring Back Some of Imperial Ruler's Harem James D. Barton sails for the Orient in September. Among other things he will bring hack with him a number o£ Siamese nautch dancers who have been In the King of Siam's retinue for a number o( years. None of the girls is over 18. but because of the quick maturity of the women folk in the Malays—a maiden enters womanhood at the age of 12 or IS there—the imperial ruler dispenses with them when they reach 16 or 17 in favor of a younger harem. . A number of metropolitan .revue producers h^ve sounded Barton on the pruposition, knowing tha man- ager's penchant for annual trips to the Orient. The deliy ha# been ac- counted for by the fact the Siamese ruler, although an accomplished linguist and a Harvard graduate, has been chary about any of his former retainers appearing in pro- Morgan,, who walked out of the show [fesaional theatricals outside the in Asbury Park last week, will not rtjom the company. .BeCh OhalUs, who bridged the gap. irill continue to handle the numbers originally allotted to Miss Morgan, and another comic may be substi- tuted for Fields. ' It is said, however, that although 8hubert has taken over the piece. he has not taken over any of the Obligations the show, has Incurred. If there are any profits derived from the production Morrlssey and Martin Sampler, who were the •rfglnitl producers, will have to sat- iNty these claims out of their share. Bhubert Is merely providing the wherewithal to take them on an- other Jaunt out of town, and provid- ing some scenery and costumes, as well as the theatre In which the piece will appear In New York. In fact, Lee's connection with the show has been denied, yet verified from a | QANNA WALSKA, MAYBE reliable utource. 4 Malays. The girls are said to be 'very comely despite their brown skins and the nautch dancee are the moat daring of the Eastern style of terpai- chore. Mr. Barton ^asscrtjf that the Hawaiian hula is mild compara- tively. Barton's representative in Bang- kok. 8Iam. has cabled that he has : obtained the ruler's consent to let- ting the girls out of the country and of the available IS Barton will bring back about 10. The manager ,wi1l also arrange ior a troupe of Japanese puppet operators to bring their apparatus to this country, where he will sponsor them on Broadway. The Japs are said to have the marionette style of enter- tainment down to an art, using life- size puppets. •The Newcomers'* started out with an encouraging gait in Atlan- tic City a week ago last Monday. The show is said to have gotten some real money there, but was so heavily encumbered before pulling Out of New York, note holders with itching palms took moet of it aa fast as it came in. The choristers received part of their salaries, and the principals were agreeable to stringing along with Will without the slightest holler. The first cred- itor to swoop down upon the show in Atlantic City was said to have been the transportation official from the railroad, who had taken a check for the transportation, which came back. His anger was appeased by deceiving part of the first night's proceeds to satisfy the claim. The following Monday Mrs. De- borah Gllman, theatrical coatumcr. Whp provided the tout ensemble for the revue, slapped an attachment on the show In Asbury Park, but find- ing that they had run Into a bad break of business, allowed It to pro- ceed to Long Branch. When, on Saturday night, the total receipts were less than $200. T«rs. Oilman waived the attachment to permit Morrlssey to didtrlbute the money among: the choristers to pay their transportation back to New York. Mrs. Oilman still has a claim for IB.OOO against Morrlssey. which represents a balance due on the costumes. She explained that she bad been willing to string along with him until &tung with a bad check for $500. Even now she docs not bear Will any ill will and hopes his show goes over, Nevortholoss, Mrs. Oilman Is going to press her "uit for the remainder of the money due, unless she can be satisfied that «he will eventually get it without taking the matter to court. Ziogfeid Commanlcates Offer for New Tollies'' Ganna Walska (Mrs. Harold Mc- Cormick). who recently returned to America and announced that she would seek a career in musical com- edy, win not have long to wait to fulfill her desire. Flo Ziegfeld, upon reading in the papers that Mme. Walska was seeking an engagement, put the telegraph wires In motion and told her that he had room for her in the next edition of the Zieg- feld "Follies." The message told Mme. Walska that she could write her own ticket as far as salary was concerned. A reply was received from the prima donna, which resulted In fur- ther messages on the part of Zieg- feld, which he anticipates using when the deal Is consummated for publicity purposes announcing the signing of a contract It Is said that Mme. Walska will probably be in New York next week to confer with Ziegfeld. Mme. Walska very recently re- fused an offer of tS.OOO weekly to appear for two weeks at the Fashion Show In Chicago. Nat Royster. on behalf of the show, authorised the offer. ERLANGEII BALKS UniCTIlTION F '. ..,/• Personal Relatioas May Not Be Unh-iendly, But Differ 19 Business Methods|— Showmen Believe Report- ed Financial Promotion Ended With Erlanger's Resignation From P. M. A.—Erlanger Will Protect Himself on Equity Angle — Affiliated Producers with Him—Brady's SUte- ment on National Theatre Flop Figured . ., CENTRAL OFFICE SET lOLSON WALKS INTO ' KELLY'S $250,000 SUIT JANE COWl'S JULIET ^; SWEEPING UP COAST .;»;/. One Result of the Comedian "Walking Out" on Gnffith * Picture ^ *- •'♦• [E .NIIGENTS' "DUMBBELL" Hlchard G. Herndon will produce "numbbell." by J, C. and Klllott Nugont. authors x>t "Kempy." They ^ill appear In It, as will Norma Nu^cnl, a newcomer. Howard I'indaay is staKing the piece and ^>II »»e in the cAst. The i)iny will come into the P.el- .•Ttonu .New York, most liitely. -♦'MOLLY'S" RETUBN Chicago, July 25. "Molly Darllngr," which was seen at the Palace last summer for a run, Is to be seen here a second time, opening late In September or early In October. The show will begin lt« new sea- son In Detroit. Billy and "Billle" Taylor, now playing Rendeivous cabaret here, will bo In the show again. Menlo Moore Is one of the owners of the show. WILLY BUKMESTEE ON TOUE willy Burmester, a German violin virtuoso who has not appeared pro- fessionally in this country for over 20 years, will tour the United State* this fall in a series of 40 concerts. The first will be Oct. 18 at Carnegie Hall, New York. Burmostor's last North American appearance was 18 years ago In Mexico CKy. As an expression of his disap- proval of and refusal to place. the distribution of his theatre tickets in the central agency proposed by the Producing Managers* Association. A. L. Erlanger submitted bis resig- nation late last week. It( was for- merly presented to that'bo^ly at a meeting Monday, although not acted upon. EIrlanger lately refused to be dictated ta in the direction of his theatres, an attitude he has con- sistently taken whenever managerial actloa In concert wa« pr.eaeiited to htm. ■". ': , „ The withdrawal oX Erlanger'from the P. M. A. about places the status oT the long talked of merging of the "syndicate" interests and those of the Shuberts. Lee Shubert has strongly favored the central ticket office from the start. Erlanger never favored the plan. Recently rumors were current that, though the Shu- bert and Erlanger booking machines are working together, the principals wore onthe verge of a split. Erlanger and Shubert Differ That Erlanger and Shubert violently differ In their policies of theatre operation is readily ad- mitted, but those close to the men declare their personal relations are not unfriendly. They are occasional- ly seen together. The ideas of the two managers t 6 entirely opposed. The many schemes for getting revenue from all angles and factors relative to the- atres that feature the^^iberts sys- tem has no part Ui^Hk Krianger schedule. * ^^^ Even if it were estlblished that the combination of the Erld|^er and Shubert interests would bo a practical financial project the di- vorce of ideas between them could never be reconciled. Such is the opinion of a showman close to Er- langer. Indications are. therefore, that the "hundred million dollar merger" is cold. The letter of resignation when read at Monday's meetitrjg evoked no comment from the members present, probably because news of the resignation had become public. It was a mild session, not more than 18 members attending. Several of the leading producers were Among the missing. The letter Itself was rather brief. Its gist was that Er- langer "had been a successful man- ager for many years and because he desired to continue to conduct his business as he saw fit" It would be better for him to withdraw from the association. The resignation was addressed to the P. M. A., Its members, committees and execu- tives, being couched in legal terms so that none could take exception. Erlanger's Definite Ideas Erlanger has always had definite Ideas as to the purpose and range of the P. M. A. and a belief that changes might occur which would widen its Held beyond original de- sign led to his withdrawal^ So- (Contlnued on pago l4 Al Jolson stepped off the Levia- than Monday and wa« greeted with a summons in a $450,000 suit by Anthony Paui Kelly for conunlaslons alleged due Kelly for services ren- dered in connection with arranging Jolson's film contract with D. W. Grifflth. Kelly is represented by O'Brien, Malevinsky & Drtocolt. The play- wright alleges he spent about 18 months bringing the blackface comedian and OrlflJth together for the purpose Of starring Jolson in a series of four film features. Kelly, Inladditlon to rendering these serv- ices, wrote the flrst scenario. Jolson hurriedly "walked out" on Orifllth in the midst of the produc- tion. Milling for Europe with J. J. Shubert. Grifflth has taken no legal actkm as yet. although reported so intend- ing. Jolson has been quoted abroad as aiming to resume his film pro- ductions upon hki return. SWOR MINSTRELS OFF Bort Swor Gets 60 Per Cent, of 0*Br{en's MImttreh The Swor Brothers Minstrels will not be sent atbroad. Plana (or the new burnt cork outfit were can- celled at the suggestion of routing executives because of conflicts In bookings. Instead of going out in his own show Bert Swor wtll be featured with the Nell O'Brien Min- strels and has been given a 50 per. cent, interest in the attraction. Al- bert, John and Jimmy Swor, who were to have been in the Swor min- strel outfit, will remain in vaude- ville. Pert Swor is credited with hav- ing made the O'Brien Minstrels a winner. The flrst season he was with the show It cleaned up a profit of 181.000, while previously it was reported luck^ to get an even break on the year. The late Al G. Fields engaged .Swor after he had become a fixture with the O'Brien show, placing him under . contract for three years. When the agreement expired last spring Swor planned his own or- ganization and was to have had the support of his brothers. Arrange- ments have been made to combine the features plann^ for the Swor Minstrels with the O'Brien show. r FLAGG STUDIOS BURNED $35,000 Expected From Audi- torium, L A.—$40,000 Of- fered for Frisco's 2 Weeks ,:ll. Ti09 Angeles. July U, The biggest advance businen on record for the Audltorluor has b««n registered for "Remeo and Juliet," which opens hero next weak with Jane Cowl. Mall orders amouniad to $13,000 before th4 seat sala opened, and the first day a| the bos office totaled 13,000. ^ It is the flrst dramAtlo attraction ever offered In the Audltorlvm. which has heretofore boon used principally for operatic and mu- sical attractions. The Cowl attrac- tion is booked in for one week, the admission scale being topped at tS. A gross of ISS^O on the engage- ment la anticipated. "Bombo" is the only attraction that has betlered that figure here, but that was aaiu- slcal show with Al Jolaoa. Indlcmttans are that tllii ^ne Cowl sppearance aa "JuUot" wlU top atr dramatic buaineaa on the coast. Tho Selwyns, who are directing the at-^ traction, were offered 140.000 Cor tho two weeks the Cowl show will play the Curran. San Wanolaoo. follow- ing the Los Angalei^dato. A oouator proposition was made the Curran on the basis of |fk,000. Whon Ulm Cowl played the atand In "Smilta' Through** she gromed about MS.OOO in two weeks at the house. It is claimed now tha sale foi' "JuUer in both Xas Angeles and Prisco exceed* that of the laat Bernhardt tour. The management is predicting the total for the coast engagement wiH beat $250,000. Six weeks have been booked for "Juliet" in the territory* but an additional four may be added before the at- traction turns eastward. NEW ONE A1J.0NG BRANCH Hoiite of 1,400 to go Into Immediati ".";': Conotructlan $1100,000 blaze with $35,000 Insur- ance—Temporary Offices Los Angeles, July 2S. The Edwin Flagg scenic studios burned to the ground July 13. Loss Is estimated at over $100,000. cov- ered by $3S,000 insurance. The wuoden structure would not per- mit of any more Insurance. Mr. FlaggV' temporarily located In the basement of the Pantnges theatre and will commence building a new plant In the very near fu- ture. Whether the now studios will be located on the site of the fire has not been definitely decided. The ground Is the property of Flagg. Long Branch, N. J., July 25. A theatre with a aeatiing capacity of 1,400. is to be conatructed here in the immediate future. It will be on Rockwell avenue and Broadway, an excellent location. It to planned to have Ihe atructnre ready by next November. Twenty local business men are at the head of the projecl and it la oxpectod that Jesse Qreen, for- merly manager of the Broadway here, will act in the same cap.iclty. The policy will be vaudeville and combination legitimate attractions In the winter and a try out place for Broadway plays during tha summer. ' ' '^ MARC KLAWS FIRST May Be "The ^unt,** by Hatcher Hughes OVERMAN IN CHICAGO Chicago. July 25. Lynne Overman comes to the Cohnn Grand in a piece which is at present known as "Tht Song and Danco Man." The booking supersedes that of •Little Nellie Kelly." previously an- nounced to open the fall season at Cohan'e Orand. The Boys Buy Another Following the production of "Tho Ue«pec*able MIhs i'ansy," a play by II. II. WInsIow. which wjs origi- nally enfitlod "I'ansy.' M;n<l!in Af (Joldreyer will produce ' Anrc<'l Forwl." a saliri a. conn' d. J>y K. Dana iKirnett, whi -h ., > -' chased thl« week . .. .^ . , . . \Mafo idaWa flrst fall production may be a new piece by Hatcher Hughes, co-author of "Wake Up. Jonathan." The play 4s called a "merry ^rama" by tho author and is in abeyance pending tho engagement of a title role player. It is tempd^ rarlly named "The Runt." The play will most likely see pro- duction by Septembpr, but will not be housed at the Klaw theatre. Wagnnhals &. Kemper open the new Mary ^Roberts Hinehart piece. "Tha Kreaking Point," there Aug. 16. HOUSE FOR KEMBIT8CH Chicago. July 25. The Hialto theatre in Indianap- olis, which hns been in the hands of a receiver for some time, has pasned or will paHH shortly to the control of F. A. K»«mbusoh. A., G. lil.acker will nim.iK'- the house tw Rem- busrh. "The Hirlh of a Nation" opened at the Hialto .Tuly 15 for two week* tiniloj- the auspices of the Klu Klux Kl.in. The orqanlzatlon has an (tptjon (m a third week. B. P. IIu^t'ic , foiinfiiy m.inagor of th« Ki'lio, ,(muineU in that capacltf