Variety (October 1923)

BURLESQUE Thursday, October 4. 1923 GAYETY, ST. LOUIS, EASILY LEADS COLUMBIA CIRCUITSHOWSWEEKLY Remarkable Grosses and Records by the Oscar Dane-Managed Burlesque House—Gayety Has Done $76,000 in Five Weeks Columbia burlesque businfES last week ran along at a good pace for this time of year, generally, the Im- portant cities holding up well des- pite unseasonable weather In sev- eral stands. It begins to look as if the caption, "Gayety, St. Louis leads" will have to be kept stand- ing In type this season tor the St. I<oui8 house, which is man.ngcd by Oscar Dane, once more tota.ed the top gross of the Columbia circuit. The Gayety, St. Louis, did $14,000 and a trifle over last week with "Let's Go." This was about $1,800 under the previous week with Efl. Daley's "Brevities" as the attrac- tion. With last week's business In- cluded, the Gayety, St. Ixjuls, has rolled up a grand total of approxi- Bt«tely $76,500 business in Ave weeks total. The St. Louis Lusiness In addition to smashing all previous records for weeks' business in a Columbia house, single perfoBmance and one days' business, has like- wise swept all records for business for an extended period oft the board, by a wide margin. Peck & Kolb's "Hlppity Hop" In the Gayety, Pittsburgh, last week did $8i700: Jimmie Cooper's Revue at the Olympic, Chicago, Bot $8,000; "Step on If at the Columbia, New York, $8,000; Hurtlg ■ & Seamon's "Talk of the Town" at the Empire, Newark; $8.«00; H A R's "Nifties of 1923 at Hurtlg A Seamen's New York, $7,«00; H. & S.'b "Hollywood Follies" Casino, Brooklyn, $7,100. H. & S.'s "Mappy Days," Orpheum, Paterson, $5,000. Gerard's "Follies of the Day," dCiayety, Detroit, got $8,40fl; "Wat- son's Bceftrust, Miner's Bronx, $«,000'; Brnndeil & Felix's "All Aboard," Albany and Schenectady, (Bplit week), $C,300; J. Herbert Mack's "Breezy Times," Palace, Baltimort, about $3,000. The Yorkville, New York, which has been running along badly at about a $3,300 .average, had the Dempsey-FIrpo fight pictures in conjunction with Miner's "Chucklee" and did about $5,000. This was but fair with the fight pictures. Gerard's '■Vanities," Star and Garter, Chicago, did $7,300, with $600 out for wrestling; Lew Talbot's "W'lne, Woman and Song," Whetl- Ing, W. Va., and Canton, C, (spill week), did about $4,900; Gerard's "All in Fun," Hyperion, New Haven, $4,500. Cain A Davenport's "Dancing Around," Gayety, Omaha, $5,000; Hughcy Bernard's "Happy Go Lucky" at Gayety. Boston, $7,400, and "Jif Time,'" at Casino, Boston, about $7,000. CUS FAY OUT OF 'BREEZY TIMES' SHOW Comic Plays Two Perform- ances with Columbia Show, but Fails to Report Later Washinarton, Oct. 3. Gus Fay, who Joined J. Herbert Mack s "Breezy Times" at the Gayety Monday, did not appear at the performances Tuesday after- noon and night or the matinee yes- terday. Fay was with "Folly Town," a Mutual wheel show, until la«t week, succeeding Fred Reeb with "Breezy Times." It seems Fay, Charles Mc- Nally and another male member of the troupe had a succession of arguments following Fay's Joining and F.iy grew tired of them. Fred Iteeb, whom Fay superseded. 4^o:c Fay'o place with "Folly Town," the Mutual wheeler. Up to Wednes- day the management of "Breezy Times'" had not heard from" Pay. It was stated Reeb was o.k. In the "Folly Town" show and would con- tinue with that attraction. "Breezy Times" revised the show's material In Washington after Fay's departure and gave performances a« usual. Stole ^54 from Dressing Rooms Albany, N. Y., Oct. 3. Thicv ; broke into the dressing rooms of the Uarmanus Bleecker Hall," Saturday night, and e.'caped with money and vafuabi j amount- ing to $654. Low Reai* managed the burlesque company of which Rich- ard McAllister, Martha Wurm and Catherine Thorn were the victims. ft & S/s "STEP ON IT" ORDERED TO IMPROVE Columbia, New York, Declined to Share on Extra Attrac- tion Last Week BURLESQUE REVIEWS The Columbia Amusement Co. re- fused to follow its usaal custom of sharing half the cost of an added feature at the Columbia, New York, last week, in the instance of Hurtlg A Seamon's "Step" On It" show, which had ShefteVs Revue, a col- ored act with 10 people, as the extra attraction. The Columbla"s refusal to pay half the act's salary was based on the Columbia's contention that "Step On It" was so fftr below standard it failed to improve sufn- clently with the added act to war- rant the usual sharing arrangement. '"Step On It" was ordered to gen- erally Improve after the Columbia's censors looked over the show last week, the cast and material being included in the Improvement, order. Mack Sisters" Diving Act was scheduled to be the extra attraction with "Step On It," at first, but the tank was out of working order. The Columbia, New Y'ork, got $8,000 approximately with "'Step On It," a drop of $1,890 under the pre- vious week's show, "Hollywood Pol- lies,"" which did $9,800. BURLESQUE AT WIGWAM Roy Clair* Co. to 6iv« Thre* Shows Saturday and Sunday in Frisco San Fra:rcisc6', Oct. 3. Roy Claire and his comedy or- ganization opened a ten weeks sea- son at the Wigman last week pre- senting as the first bill "'Spark Plug". The shows will run an hour and twenty minutes, twice daily with three on Saturdays and Sun- days. The Claire Company Includes: Roy Claire principal comedian; Walter Spencer, Mabel Gardner, Plorence Claire, Rose Smith, Jack Ronlfr. Roy W. Hilg, Marlon Y. Tonville, the RomlK Twins, Mildred Horn, Elaine Worth and Jack Seltenrich, musical director. W. W, Bradford Is manager for Claire. F|inchen and Marco Stop San Francisco, Oct. 3. Fanchon and Marco's "Gayeties" closed last week at the Strand after a ten weeks" season and this house announces a straight picture policy. OH JOY! _ (MUTUAL WHEEL) Giu OrauMmrycr Billy Orostn Bpcncer Mike Orosan Jniei Jacoba Mra. Or*us«infyfr Anna Armatrong Mra. Uroxan KUIe Raynor Thcada ahimin Roaa Bernard Dick, her brother Oeo. C. Mack Jack Sidney Berftia Clark Before the season opened Billy (Grogan) Spencer sent in a notice to Variety briefly anttouAcInK the cast x>t this Mutual wheel show with tha comment that It looked more like a Columbia wheel cast than a Mutual. The notice went In the paper and the incident was forgotten until th« Mutual wheel, revolving around for Its rotation, this week brought ""Oh Joy"" Into the Olympic, New York And Spencer was right. The "Oh (Continued on page 40) OBITUARY REV. FATHER JOHN T. SMITH The Rev. Father John Talbot Smith died Sept. 24 in the Mlseri- cordia Hospital, New York. He had been 1111 about three months. Death was due to stomach trouble. He was 08 years and born at Saratoga Springs, N. Y. Father Smith was widely known and liked in the theatrical profes- sion as th6 organlz'er of the Cath- olic Actors' Guild and Catholic Writers' Guild. He founded the Actors' Guild In 1914 and the Writ- ers" Guild in 1919. The latter or- ganization includes the newspaper Held. Receiving an academic education In Albany and later graduating from St. Michael's College, Toronto, with high honors, he won an L.IID. de- gree at Mount St. Mary's CJllege, Emmittsburg, Md*. and another from Notre Dame University, Ind. He was a successful playwrlgjit. with several plays to his credit, among them "The Man Who Van- ished." "A Woman of Culture" and "The Mayor." He also authored, a number of books. In the '80s Father Smith was a missionary in the Adirondacks, New York. From 1889 to 1892 he edited the New York Catholic Review. Services were held In the Church of the Sacred Heart. Dobbs Ferry, on Sept. 2t, and burial was at Cohoes, N. Y., Sept. 27. Memorial masses were «ung in Washington and several other cities during the weelt for the dead prelate. I ft HERK IS REPORTED HEADING THE MUTUAL Reports Say Dave Kraus Will Also Return to Second Wheel Humors wcio ll.ving alonp Broad- w.T.v tlii.-f wck that I. IIciU is sc'hcil- iiled to iK'comr ilic ^lle^illl■nt of the MiitiKil lUi 'l»'.«<iiii' AsKori.Ttion. The same lumor said Dive Kiaimwaw to return to the Mutual as Rfticr.al managfT and Jolm Jirinun (.la.'olis A Jermon) was to retire from ilv Mutual, direrlly anil indirectly. Ix'o Singer Is umUr.stood to bo 'fi.ro- sentlng Jermon'.i Interests In !lic Mutual. Sinjjrr is jjencral man ii;<r At the Mutual oirueH no ono uculd talk about the re;iortH. John E. Coutts added the Hill. No^vark. N. J., to his tabloid clrciiil this week. The house formerly played vaudeville. WILLIS MAXCELL Willis Maxcell, aged 48, former:y of Maxcell and Dorothy (danc'.ng act), who suffered a nervous break- down about a year ago and has been In the Central Islip S-inator- ium even since, died at that Institu- tion Oct. 1. Maxcell was well known in England and on the Con- tinent and was at one time In very good flnancial circumstances, but the World War took away the greater part of his money which was invested In foreign securities. This prayed on his mind and he became despondent. A recognized authority on diamonds and other precious stones, he had the confi- dence of many of the large la|»l- darlcs of both countries, t4it his ec- centric behavior latter precluded the business deal'ntrs he formerly had with them. He became morose and was taken to Islip where arrange- ments were made for him by the N. V. A., of which he was a mem- ber. He was burled in the Islip, L. I., Cemetery yr.sterday. SPORTS Four pages or more weekly of live sports news from all over the world in the Clipper. It's a weekly feature and mortily exclusive. COOKE, MORTIMER and HARVEY AN ALL-ORIGINAL PERSONNEL lirro^'iiizrd In Kiiri'i>o and America as the fattest and most skillful exponents of Basketball on Bicycles. The luminous cCfn t we produce during half of our a,ct is our secret and cannot t>c duplicittid. It Is uni<iue,^a8 total darkness, while preferable, is not almolutely neces»ar.v. -' • With the exception of two European tours, an exclusive Keith and Orpheum feature for over three Ncasons. PROCTOR'S 58th STREET, NEW YORK, NOW (OCT. 4-7). H<presented in America by LLOYD H. HARRISON and in Europe by ERNIE EDELSTEIN. JEROME PATRICK Jerome Patrick, well-known actor, died Sept. 26 of heart disease in the Neurological Institute, New York, aged 40. ^he deceased was bor.-i In New Zealand and made his first stage appearance in Australia where he achieved considerable success. He came to this country about 12 ycirs ago and won instantaneous attention by his work In "Ben-Hur". He became Helasco's leading man and appeared with Francis Starr, Emily Stelrens and other stars of the (irst magnitude. His last ap- pearance was as leading man with Alice liiudy in "Zant'er the Great". Mr. Patrick spent two years In Los Angeles and appeared in the films durinK that time. His best known work in this connection was with Agnes Ayrcs in "The Furnace". He is survived by his widow who was Orcy Urunclle. She is the daughter of the late manager of the Proctor Circuit, and was on the stag; until her marriage 10 years ago. Mr. r.itrlck was a member of the Friar'r Club. Herbert Hutchinson, on the door in the K^lth popular price booking department (fifth floor) for several years, has joined the Dave Sablosky agency stiiff. Hutchinson Is repre- senting Sablosky on the fifth floor. DAISY REMINGTON Elizabeth Allison HInes, profes- sionally known as Daisy Remington, of the old-time variety team of HInes and Remington, died in Lake Charles, tai., Sept. 23. Death was due to a complication. She was 64 years old and had been in t^how Ijusiness since a girl in her teens. In addition to being an actress of ability Miss, ivemmgton was also an author, having written a number of successful playlets, sketches and short stories. She was born In Spencer, Ind., and entered theatricals with one of th« numerous traveling companies play- ing through the middle west in the. "80s. Prior to the HInes and Rem- ington combination Miss Reming- ton and Mr. HInes were associated with Matt Blossom In a three-act. In fon^Bt and lovlnv memory of my partner, pal and wife BESSIE MONTGOMERY who has juat paaaed on. September 2Cth. 1»3. ' CHARLES MONTGOMERY The act of HInes and Remlnprton was a favorite at Tony Pastor"s, New York, and similar leading variety houses throughout the country from 1885 to 1900. The team were to- gether for a years. Miss Remington being the wife of William E. HInes. Her most recent theatrical engage- ment 4ra8 aa the mother in ""Miss Lulu'^Bett." In the frequently changed sketches In whitfS she Appeared and wrota ftjr the team of HInes and Reming- ton the deceased usually played a quaint type of character comedienno that in its day was unique through being »way from the rank and file of variety cofnedy characters prev- alent. Burial was In Lake Charles, La. BESSIE MONTGOMERY Bessie Montgomery, sister of Ra* Samuels, died Sept. 28 after a two- year illness at Prescott, Ariz. Burial Tuesday at Woodlawn Cemetery, followed the arrltial ot the body in New York City. The deceased was a member of the "Musical Montgomerys."' Sh« was 45 years of age and bad been In Arizona for two years with her husband fighting against tuberculo- sis. She was born at Youngstown, O, and has been active en the stag* for years. She died after trying the "Atrams" treatment In a last effort- to defeat the white plague. Rae Samuels, Marty Forkins, and members of the N. V. A. Club were at the burial. Joseph T. Swanson father of Gloria Swanson and a field clerk in the Quartermaster Corps, U. S. Army, rtted from heart disease at Fort McArthur, Callforni.-i, Oct. 2, aged &2. FRANCIS WESTQATE P'rancls Westgate, fbr ^5 years as- sociate with B. F. Keith, died at his home, 14 Hudson place. Providence, Sept. 26, after a long Illness. Dur- ing the oast few years he was man- ager of the Empire, Providence, playing Columbia burlesque, and be- fore that w.os assistant manager of the Albee. At one time ho was man- ager of the Pawtucket Opera House, then a stock chain theatre. He leaves a widow, a mother and a brother. (!= 1^: BURLESQUE EOUTES WIT.L BB FOUSD ON PAGE Forty-two in this issue i ■1 KATE JEPSON Kate Jepson, retired actress, died Sept. 27, at the iCpl copal Hospital, in I'hiladelphia. She was born iiL. Clinton, N. J., 63 years ago. During Ber 40 years upon the stage she ap- peared in support of some of the most prominent stars of the past and present. She had been ill four months.