Variety (October 1923)

16 LEGITIMATE ■■ /• 4',; '^■f ' ,v?»-J'^4 >■•■:■: "^ Thursday, October 4, 1923 INSIDE STUFF 'iv ON LEGIT CharlfB T^ "WciKutia iliiunalii; pioaiioiion o/. Sv"''iin»*JLi>-'"«' w'lii'' , »ltlHilBat ilicMoiosco (X't. 2», just iliree weokd »ter the picture.vei^ion which op<?iic(l .wnsatlonally atlha •J4th STfcct This week, will htvo Us piemicre at'the BrOafl Street,-Newark, Thursday ntght ntit. It wlU lomnln th<;if a w tck anil a ha-lt. The «ub*ay circuit bookings for Newark will switch from tlic Proad Strcft to the Shutert startlnir rtext Monaay. I he first .attrafilon being 'Kikl." Fallowing "Scu-amouihe" the Bioad sticct will take- on a sto.!; policy under tho direction of Jessie Bonstellc. As Peygy Hopkins Joyce sieppcd from her car at the stage entrance to Hie Earl Carroll theatre, New York, last Saturday night, a platinum watch pet with diamonds fell Irom a pin on her corsaRe Info the gutter .miiOtlocd. MJsr, Hopkins entered the theatre and walked around on the s'asc for some 'imn before ilrcsf^ing for the show. It was not until then Khe missed the watcli and at once ordered a search o£ the stage, figuring l( it was not thero she wouW never sec It again. The Bearch brought no results and the show overPoggy went home sadly as the bauble was valued at $10,000. Now watch the bf-e.Tks. James Flatley, the stage door tender sweeping oft the sidewalk out.«lde the stage dbor, saw ft glitter In the gutter, walked over and picked up the Wfitch, which inust have lain thero all the time. It was intact except that the cryslal was broken. He .alletl Miss Joyce on the phone and was told to bring the timepiece over to the hotel at once. He did so and received Peggy's binoerest thanks. Next day she mxdo him a present of tire brand new one hundred dollar bill». He seemed to think the reward loo great hut Miss Joyce declared that she con.sidered herse"! v>;ry lucky to get the watch back at all a? Khe hnj given up all hope of seeing It again. A man representing himself as A New York hotel man is m.iking tlic rounds of the theatrical clubs Incognito familiarizing himself with the mode of running the same and also Is sounding actors as to the possibili- ties of selling stock In a new "Actors' Hotel" proposition which he has just thougljt up Hia announced idea is lo build a large hotel In the theatrical ditsuict to cater to actors and actresses exclusively. The hotel he dreams of would contain a theatre and rehearsal halls ae well as a lounge parlor similar to tho?e-in the clubs he has been visiting. All tliese and other conveniences would be free to tenants or guests. He proposes to call the hotel the Equity Association Club If he can get permission to use that title from the Eqolty Association whom he has not consulted m- yet. The payroll of ■Nifties" at the Fulton, New York, reaches at the least 111 000 weekly. The show with Us $5 top scale can play to »2«,000 a week. Jt did rnrt receive good notices when opening nor'was much talk heard ;'bout the production end. It is said many of those connected with the .«how during rehearsals believed the strength of the names In the cast •-inild put over any performance. The lights to Tolly Pearl," to be produced by A. H. ^Voods, weie oiiginally held by Sam H Harris who tried It out with Jeanne Kagele prior to the opening of "Rain." The play was written by Martin Brown and caJled "A Gentleman's Mether." After tried out, several offers to lurchase It were rejected by Harris and the script reposed in his sate. A play broker sold It to Woods at the expiration of the option, Hari;is slating afterwards he was unaware his option had run out. Harris Mnd about $7,000 tied up In the play and It Is understood Woods has proffered Harris the opportunity fo buy in on "Polly." It is also said Woods told . Harris he would make good Harris' Investment if the play was a success. "Zeno,'*- the melodrama written and proOuccd by Joseph Rinn, entered ihe 48th Street under an arrangement calling for six weeks .at $4,000 weekly guarantee. The booking was extended one week (current) and another three weeks have been added. The Equity Players season will therefore not begin until late this month or early in November. "Zeno" started at a loss but the show went to better than $8,000 which showed a profit. It Is believed the attraction tan increase to a $10,000 pace and another house may be found for it. The relatives of a singing comedian nov touring wlfh a revue have been circulating reports the comedian and his recently acquired wife are on the cuts. The comedian and hia attorney deny any such rumor:?. It Is explained that the parents and relatives of tha actor objected to his marrlaee because of the girl's different faith and are taking this means ot circulating -propaganda for a purpose unknown to him. Stage crews with the new revues drew fat pay "envelopes during the u-y-out and rehearsal period. When "Nifties" played Buffalo it i.s said iho back stage wage total was between $7,000 and SSjOOO. There were over 50 In the crew and overtime skied the pay of department heads. TUe properl4' man with the show is said to have been paid $270 for the week. The back stage expense ot the "Greenwich Village Follies" is estimated as high when the show opened out ot lowd. The "Music Box Kcvue" opened in New York but ovorttme for ciew and orchestra was v. higli. -."^o good a Judge as 'AuRustus Thomas rates' his private sccreLavy, Max Slegal, a budding playwright. Siegal h.ia writt-en a four-act pictc, now tn the *ands of a manager, and has turned out several playlets. One is a dlnle.-t comedy, called ''What Does Mamma Do After Supper?" Tiie valuable 4"lh street property ovmvA by the Actors Order of Friend- ship and u.sed as a club house by the Green Room Club for more than ZO years will be deeded to the Actors' Fund when the remaining members of the u!il oriianizatlon die. There are said to be from 35 to 40 mcmher.s of the order rem.iining and a number are active professionally. None will admit the plan to turn the property over to tho fund, but It is known among leaders of the Green Room Club which Is really an off slioot ot the order. The latter had as oharter members such stars as Kdwin Hooth, Aimu«tUB Banatt and Joseph Jefferson. The Green Room Club has purchased a marble front building art 19 Wf.>.t 4Mh street and moved in this week. The 471h street property has been leased to a physician by the Actors' Order of Friendship, with the assent of the Green Room Club wliich desired to move to other quarters MH.iy fmui liic luiitiostcd di.'trlct. A bond issue ot $50,000 Is being floated among the club mcinbeis, $«'2,00fl already having been sub.scribcd for. The cost of the new hou.se J8 $44,000. In taking over tiie pro|>erty $10,000 was required plus $ij,000 for repairs, the balance to lie used In taking up the mortgage and leaving a surpUi.s. The club dwided that .is interest on the mortgage had to be paid it might as well go to members who subscribed lo the bond-s wliicli will be protected by a new mortgage. I'he acquisition of tla- new club liouso will be ai-companied by a drive -r-for new members, - Tb« t>r«wu( membership la about 300 and recently candidates were elected. Aniont; the features In the club schedule when the new quarters are occupied i-^ the presentation of « new play in the club bouse every fourth Sunday night. --y^ One of the Russian cabaiets in .New York winted lo liorrow the Ru ?i,i'i , imgcr from the "Music Box Revue" but .Sam H, Harris disapproved. An author In New York h.id been securing nightly Information ot the gross of his play from the theatre via phone. At the end of tho wee:; the statement fell $2,600 below the gross of the reported phone conversa- tions. The author, impatient, consulted his attorney who wrote a letter stating the phone and Ink totals failed to agree, whereiipon the author was Informed the hoi oltlce men not certain who wa.« on the other end, -..Mtcd the n'phMy etoss In rjse Of sry phone rubbtrneckt. I THE IRISH-JEW (.'otuiiibus, O., Oi-t. I. Thr«»-«ct tomely by Juliii M«c0en«Bb. 'l)r.^<1acr<J unfii'r th* dlrtctlen oC Charli^f * • Brlen ty ttl" .<ui-«'rlor Productlers C'' ltivle««it.at lbH*U«rliiu«n.J^'oluinl,uii, Ohiu. Cast InoluJee Ptitr L«ng. "roin WnUIr, Moi- rlj W"a»m»n'. AiiKiMa JacobN DorSlKy Dunn and orwtw Haroian It was during apomlcar upheaval In Ireland thal."Tho iTlsh-Jew" was evolved and produced in Dublin whirl* probably accounts for Its t,\\6- year mucce«sful nin across the water. It IS not material for first'cla^s Americao houses. The piece Is authored by John MacI>onngh and attempts to mingle Jewish comedy with Irish wit, while the main theme in loyalty and pa- triotism for the Emerald Isle. It has been produced with a cast of native Irishmen and headed by Mor- ris Waxman in the leading rolu ot the humble Jew, Abraham* Golder, who rises to power and becomes Lord Mayor< ' The story,.tells of Goldtr's efforts to exi)ase the graft In th« Dublin City, Cbunc;!, over which he pre- sides. Wa<lnah's work Is executed with no Utile t^face,' sulivlty and a .sense of comedy. t)ut the play slows up miserably when he is aft stag?. Only In the thtrd .act, -wherein the council Is in session, does it brighten and offer a medium tor an occasional Hash ot ^It. But the wliole produc- tion is hopelessly obvious at all times. Outside ot Waxman the only other members of the cast whose work is above the level of mediocrity are Henry G'Nell. 'fhomas Shearer. Em- met O'Reilly, Angelo Jacobs and Sam Lowett. Billed as a iii^lque comedy., It Is Ih^t In one respect only, and that is in haying a Jewish hero within an Irish setting. It -was generously panned by all ot the Columbus critics. Frenrlt. : (I ■ ■ BEDSIDE CHATS By NELLIE REVELL .:Wi ■ to IN the; NEXT ROOM Pr6vldence, R. 1., Oct 3. "In the Next Room," ' a mystery melodrama In three acts, by Eleanor Robaon and Harriet Ford, baaed on a novel by Burton E. Stevenson, made Its Initial appearance at the Opera house 'Monday. A capacity audience paid the new production an unusual tribute, and warmly lauded the acting of the cast assembled by Winthrop Ames and Guthrie McCIIntock. "In the Next Room" is a good mystery play because it grips the audience from beginning -t» enJ. From the quality .of Its writing and acting thi« play rises far above "The Mon.iter" and similar shows seen here in the past. Only In the first act la there a character- istic talklness which seems to be present In most plays transferred to the stage from novels or stories. After that the writing shows a greater economy, and a fine and cumulative melodrama is tho result. The materials for holding, the spectators pn edge are excellent for that purpose. There |s a Route cabi- net Imported from France by a cpl- lector of antiques. It develops be got the origfnal Instead pf th6 coun- terpart -bargained for. No Sooner does thl.<j Information leak out than indications of a cha.se for its pos- session are on. Callers arrive at the Washington Square home. That cabinet. Which Is moved into the next room, Is very much In demand. It almost hwme- dlately becomes th*' center of crime and hoiTor. Involved In the action ore the col- leotor's niece, her newspaperrnan fiance, the representative ot the French hou.se seeking the original, the servants, a police detective, u French duchcss'in sore distress her maid and, last of all, Pigot, the gi-eat .French detective. Harrowing ■ things happen. The cablnpt grpw's more and more fasci- nating. One shrinks at being left Jilone In the same room with It. There are whispers of Louis XIV, Mme. Montespan and the Cardinal Mazarin's priceless diamonds, all bringing up romance and mystery. Artn Davis has the leading role. The other players are Claude King George Rlddell, Morris Ankrum Merle Maddern, O'lve Valerie. Phil- lips Tead, Wright Kramer, Leighton Stark and Edward Butler. fGravalesc. SEVEN "LITTLE THEATRES" St. John, N. B., Oct. 3. The following group of "Little Theatres" arc now available: St. Vincent's, St. Peter's, St. Ro.ses, Assumption, Knights of Pythias, Centenary and St. David's. The first named Is the biggest ot the group, seating S50. The newest Is St. iter's, seating 700. A two weeks' presentation of "Pilate's Daughter" Is scheduled tor the Lenten season at this house, with all the performers being feminine. The following amateur dramatic organizations are In the "Little Theatres': .St. Peter's Dramatic Club, using St. Peter's; St. Rose's Dramatic Club, using St. Rose's, this club having been directed by J. .1. O'Toole continuoiMsly for the past quarter c'iiitury; Assumption Dramatic Clt^b, using Assumption; Toung Men's Catholic Institute Dramatic Club, using St. Vincent's; f'en'ep.'"v riayer», u^ing Centenary, Somerset. Hotel, New York. "^ Jnia dry! From now on John Barleycorn and his twjn. Demon R\j»l will be snubbed! nnmercifuUy every time I meet them. I'm even gotng Join The Anti-Saloon League just as. soon a.s Its respectability is certl. tied by th^ courts. An^l if th«y want to Include baggage-smashing moving men In "their aist of prohibitions, I'm right with them on that. Some years ago when I put my litres and penates Into storage, prep'ara. tory to gohig away to take a medical course, I Included in one trunk two bottles ot—well, there's no use stirring people's Im.iglnatlon, but take my word, It was v^ry fine of Its kind. The trunk was moved around severs] times, stood In a storage vault for yearsi, must have been handled anA nr.anhandled a lot, and the bottles came through It all with an unbroken front, waiting patiently until such a time as I might need them to celebrate a victory. Then on the last lap, almost as I reached my hands out to grasp tJiera some husky mpver tossed the trunk from truck to sidewalk wl:h,»U ths vjm and vigor of which his manly frame was capable and when th« trunk reached pay room the bottles were still there In a rather scrambled form but their spirits had departed. I don't mind the loss ot their contents for^ my doctor allowg me to celebrate only with Ice water anyway.. But the trunk had also contained n number of kilnonas Bpd other clothing I had. looked forward »o to wearing and compared to their condition, Don MarquI* Old Soak was «s dry. as a bank'repOrt. 'The clothing- Is also dry now but urttll I dl.srjover a way to put the various shades of dye back where they originally were in the pattern. It Isn't going to be much good as wearing; upparel. The cui-ee of drink! - • . : ' ' ■ '" ,4 Not so many years ago I exploited the first automobile-onicks fm- the Percy Williams circuit which now Is part of the B. .Ft Keith chain of theatres. I was proud of those trucks, which were to be used to transfer the baggage of the vaudeville acts playing the circuit and I little thought that they would oome back to haunt m6 every Sunday night. However It is either they or their successors that back up to the stags entrance of the Palace late Sunday nights with a crew of baggagemen who delight In nothing more than getting a.flne, heavy trunk high In ths air 'and then letting It fall with an agonizing thump on the concrete pavs' ment. I am Inclined to suspect the transfer men all own stock in trunk factories and do the work on the basis the faster a trunk wears out the more new ones they can sell. The bumps and bangs I have heard the last two Sunday nights ex'plaia to me just why so many contracts between actors and managers ars broken, ^hey must be In those trunks. I don't blame the performers for carrying around their costumes 1» vanity cases. And unless niy ears deceived me this last Sabbath night, there's at least one actor carrying around his toothbrush and make-up box in his pocket. Because It Isn't the fall that breaks the trunk, it's the sudden stop. Tho man across the areaway from me beats hia wife up every morning. He gets up and makes the coffee and then she gets up and drinks It. Dear Ixzy Einstein: Please stage another one of those liquor raids liks the one I witnessed frdm my window a couple of weeks ago. My nursa , read about the last on^.'tn VS^-taty and at once took me to task tor n«l waking her up to see it. Now I can't Induce her to go to bed at night tor fear she'U miss the next one. This time next year, If my present rate of improvement continues, tta*„| only thing I'll be afflicted with will be the boof and mouth dlseas*,^ Which is what'the treasurer of the Colonial theatre in Boston calls golfti'? Its devotees hooting around after the ball all day long and shooting e^}' their mouth about It all night ; • -- ■ J.^ The newspaper pressmen have always been friends of mine. They couldn't have arranged their debate with the publishers to suit my con- venience more If they had consulted with me first.' Getting out a copy tor a column is work and don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise. But just then I wanted to celebrate, not work, anad If my friends In the press _ room felt the same way about It, they'd still be on strike. * It w-as even kinder ot them to postpone their walk-out until my owa°^ walk-out—ot the hospital. Think of all the nice publicity they could have spoiled for me If they had wanted to quit work that week. They are my friends; that's my. story and I'm going to stick to It. , —' ^. The other day I was exclaiming to Mrs. "Weedle" Wlllats (who hag"; been my chaperon and fairy godmother since I left the hospital) ovsT--^ how good it felt to get back to where everyone "spoke my language." ," "Speak It?" replied 'Weedle. "'You're lucky if they even listen t» •: yours." ■ ' There isn't a part of the country" new in which I haVen'l been hired, photoEd and wired, the latest development in this havlrtg been the story 6t my release from the hospital which was carried all owt J.hese Upited States and Europe by the Associated Press. The picture taken of me my £;rst day out was used rather widely also. l')l admit E w^s pleased by the attention the press devoted to me. Any but the most shrinking violet in the world would have been. But I think my biggest thrill came from seeing the photograph used at the top center of the front page of the South Bend "Tiroes-News." Sotith Bend Is one ot my homiest towns, for It was there I spent several ot my most memorable years'as a school girl. The strange thing about It all was that the clipping was sent to-me by a nun at the convent which 1 had attended and she was there while I was. That picture and all of the others I have seen had the caption '.Vellie Keveli Wins." Either that caption writer has a great wealth of hu.man understanding or else I am very fortunate In getting just the thing t? buck me up at the time I need it most. I must confess that the strain of my move weakened my reserve strength, but just the sight of that one word. "Wins," was enough to make me come back fighting once more in an effort to deserve it. After all It Isn't what prize It Is you win. It's just the Idea of winning that counts for everything. A question by tho Inquiring Photographer In the .New York "Daily News" this week was. "What do you think influences people most to «*• a show, the name of the author, the actor, or the name ot the play it- .self?" Four of the six people queried were professionals. Johnny llyman, playwright, admitted the author's interest In a rlece. Maris McConnell. actress; Charles W'illlams, Hotel DeFrance, st.ige manager; -Marjorle Bracken, actress,' were the others with varying opinions but coinciding that the actor's or actress' following hnd much to do with it and the K. of P. Players. Knights of Pythias. using A little theatre organization has been formed at Wihnlngton, Del. Mrs. Pauline Vrooman, daughter ot the Rev. and Mrs. ,Vrooman, pastor ot the Unitarian Church, has been elected president: Miss Frances .Varsh, sccretarj-; and Miss Emma Kein treasurer,. It Is the hope of this amateur organization, many of whom have hnd years of experience In the production of various plays, t make this organization a perms* nent one. It is planned to give at least two plays a year. Andre Ferrler, who conducts th* French Little theatre In San Fran- cisco, has announced the opening of the r'-'guI.Tr sea.son as October 1". Mollere's "L'Avare'' is the Initial play. Sixty perfoimances will be given during" this, the f^iurth, senJOB of the French I.,ittle theatre,