Variety (December 1923)

Pvbliabed Wrekir at 1(4 W«M <«tk St., Nmw Tork. N. T. br VarlFt;*, lac. Aanwal aubacriptlon IT. Slnct* coplM I* owiti. Katarad a<-aecaD« claaa natcar Dccambar It. I*»(. at tba Poit OOlca at Ntw Yark, N. T., uailcr tha Act *€ March t. 117*. VOL. LXXni. No. 3 NEW YORK CITY. THURSDAY. DECEMBER 6. 1923 48 PAGES CANCEL FAKE DRAMATIC SCHOOLS UNDER DISTRICT ATTYS GAZE DAWN'S ACT LITTLE PINK LROy Times Square Booking Offices Accomplices in Swin- dling—Complaints Made with Investigation Under Way t ~< > The fake dramatic school U a£).in to receive attention from District Attorney Joab Banton of New York City. Despite a rigid campaign on the Ivart of the police and the district attorney two years ago against ■wlndlers who were capitalizing on the frailties of the stage-struck, a taumber of these sclioois have re- taew'ed activities in the roaring' fe'ortles. The first inkling the schools were llgain operating was brought home (Continued on page ij) Wm' m 1URACLE' EXPERIENCED PUYERS Contingency of Employment Market Draws Applications from Surprising Sources {{ FVom all accounts, when "The fatracle" reveals itself at the Cen- tmy, Kew York, it wUl have the distinction of having atMeaat an itU-star cast of extras. The numerous minor role* In the ^ece has attracted applications from a number of actors and Itctressea worthy of better things, but victims of the lack of amoloy- inent crisis now prevalent in show- business. In addition to the extras, "The iflracle" will utilize a choir of 200 Voices. Mo6t have been supplied by local vocal schools, the singers rally- <ng to the chance to get stage train- ing. Most of the singers are stu- dents and will And the $35 weekly remuneration a great help in tiding them over their studice. YALE'S "JAMESTdWN" University's Picture Hit in Harris- burg. BmV TICKET BROKERS JOLTED BY DECISION 'Gypping" May Stop if Court of Appeals Affirms Opinion by Appellate Division Broadway ticket speculators were Jolted last week when the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court up held the amendment to the business law passed by the State Assembly in 1922, whereby agents who resell tickets must proctu-e a license and must not resell tickets to the public for more than SO cents over the box office price. If the deci-sion is up- held by the Court of Appeals it will mean the end of ticket gouging. The test case was that of Ruben. Weller, who was arrested some time ago for reselling tickets for the Pal- ice without having a license and was (Continued on page 45> MOIIilL AlieLE Order Closing Hef- After Debut at the Alhambra Said to Come Direct from E. F. Albee—Deals with " Objectionable " Theme, Though It Got By Critics —New One Being Pre- pared for Actress JUST LIKE NAZIMOVA COLLEGE BOY GUIDES FOR WOMEN TOURISTS For the second time this season the Keith offico has refused to book an act considered "risque." This week the Keith people notified Hazel Dawn that her sketch, "The Little Pink LAdy," which broke In cold at (Continued on page 2> NO "JOHNS" UNION, BUT DOORMEN FORMING Harri:sl)Urg. Doc. .I. "James'.own." the lir.tt of the Yale University liist^iical moving pic- tures to be .shown in thix MfCtinn, was rcceivoil wUh ("fclded :i|)proval T ha film w.i-i .«hijwn i;i fonniTtlon with tl'.e aiiiiu.il ronvcntioti of the county .-K-liijo! .siipiMinionili'iit.s. un- der the aus|)il■e.^ of iho Depiirtiiiciit of Piit)!io In.slnii tion. L:iter a l>ul>- lic exhibiti.in » i.i »;iv('n. InfluencCil by the reception, which the filin ip>"lvifl, the Wllmer & Vin- cent Intore.sl.s linve looked the entire ^2 plctutiM for this city. Los Angeles, Dec, 5. Karl T. Waugh, dean of the Col- lege of Liberal Arts of the Univer- sity of Southern California, has en- dorsed a plan to permit the male students to act as guides and pro- tectors for women tourists visiting this city unaccompanied. The Liberal Arts dean sanctions the plan with the undcr.'^anding the college boy.i selected be bonded and a thorough Investigation made of their lives. According to the pre.sent plans it will not be nccuu.-^ary for the wompp foiiri.sts seokliw; guide.s to furni.sh character rffcroncps. Things arc getting tougher every day for the hotel lobby hound.s. GBOCER MANAGING HOUSE Kairmont. W. Va.. Doc. B. Harry Gordon, formerly manager at Portsmouth. Ohio, who ha.'* been m.mager of the Faiim'mt theatre since It opened l;T^t .ltini», retired at the end o£ six niontlUM and in siie- ceeded by jiam Dieinan, firnieriy in the grocery busim-MH here . It la a half million dnlhir theatre playing road i*hou-(i and pieturcs, with two act.f of vaudeville sm ' pre- ijentation" feature.^ when there ure no touring companies available. Broadway's stage doormen have formed a union following the lead of the Yiddish theatres. Delegates of the doormen are in negotiation with the managers In an attempt to obtain uniform working conditions. The new unionists are not yet asking for an increased scale, but the conditions requeeted wHI call for a slightly bigger department cost by the houses. A three-shift day is the demand Instead of the present custom of 12-hour ahifta. Tbe weekly wage scale is $21, which is asked to be set as the Htandard. Through the organization of the stage doormen theatres wKl be completely unionized back «tage— actors, .stage h.xnds and musicians already being aRIIIated with the A. F. L. Only the front of the house employes, taking in box ofTlce staffs, ticket takei-H and ushers, are not unionized, although come of the ticket takers in Kas' Side picture theatres belong to tlio union. The stage doormen deny there is a "Johns" union or tli.it the .lolins put them up to forming a union, SOL BLOOM SWORN IN Washington, D»c. r,, .Sol Bloom, rtepre.sentative from the theatrical di^lrirt of New York w.is sworn Into odiee ye.sieril.iy (WednoMla*'). No attempt was m.Tile to prevent him from takins his Congrex.sional seir Immediately following his induc- tion to olBce Congre-iHnian lilnoni introduced two bill.s, one iiryvulini; for the elimin.ation of the .Kfini.'sion l.lx and the other fo,- abandonment of the *c-at tax. PERCENTAGES OF jMjCS Tit* Meond ^box Mors published in Variety on th« ravi*w«rs of tho motropolit|iR dailiaa, figiirod in psrcentag* of eorrvetly pronounc- ing ■ hit or faihir* in thoir oritieiam* aa tho now playi paaaod in iwvlow. tine* tho tgular oponing of tho currant Maoon 41 now ohowa havo eomo in and gono out of Broadway thsatroo. Of that nwnbor St havo boon failuroa. Tho othor two could not bo so tormod througk ■ttonding oircumataneoo ■• dotailod togothor with a gonoral atory of tho Imk oeoro and eritics on pago 10 of this ioauo. In conjunction with tho oeoro bolow, talton 4ip to laat Saturday, thor* ia publlohod tho firot ocoro, of Oot. 2t, whon 20 of .th« oureont soaaon'a play had llaiohod thoir briof run*. Varioty'a own ocoro ia liatod occupying a aoparalo tabto 4io trad* paper royiowing. ' Key to'tabloo below in 8R, ahews revio^>od| R, right; W, wrong; O, no definite opinion expreaeedi Per, percentage of right timoo. SR R W O Per CRAIG ("Mail") 81 IB 0-4 .800 DALE ("American") 37 21 IS 1 J07 MANTLE ("News") 33 IS 14 4 AtB RATHBUN CSun") 27 11 IS 1 .40^ BROUN ("Worid") 2S 10 13 2 .400 CORBIN ("Times") 27 10 IS 2 470 WOOLCOTT ("Herald") 31 8 18 S .288 HAMMOND ("Tribune") 24 S 14 4 .280 <* —— VARIETY'S OWN SCORE 8R R W 0 Per PULASKI (Ibee) 7 6 1 MST LAIT ^ ^17 12 S .70S GREEN (Abel) 0 4 2 JOS 'VARIETY (Combined) 39 20 11 2 jOOS (Other Variety reviewers "catching" but one or two shows each not listed.) SCORE AS OF OCT. 28, 1«3 (Baaed on 20 failures) 8R R W CRAIG ("Mail") « 7 4 BROUN ("World") IS 6 6 CORBIN ("Times") 11 8 S DALE ("American") IS S 10 WOOLCOTT ("Herald") ', 18 8 8 MANTLE ("News") 18 8 0 RATHBURN ("Sun") 11 8 S HAMMOND ("Tribune") 12 2 S VARIETY'S OWN SCORE . 8R R W LAIT '... 7 4 3 VARIETY (Combined) 20 14 8 O 2 1 1 2 1 Per .83* .402 .444 33V .333 .272 .168. O Per .871 1 .728 ■■-«! t -% REFORMERS AFTER ^MIDNIGtrr MOVIES'' Harrlsburg. Dec." S. Tho Harrlsburg Ministerial As- sociation, the Dauphin County W. C. T. U. and Christian Endeavor societies have combined In a fight against what they term ".Sunday midnight movies." As a itiitter of Curt the pictures that arc shown do not start until one minute after mid- night, or Monday morning. The weakness of the cruiade, di- rected igalnst several houses which put on the midnight shows. Is that no stnte or city law is violated I'ennsylv.inia has one of the most ,strlngent "blue laws" in the country. The law was passed In 1794, and under it the delivery of Sunday papers and milk after 9 o'clock on (G^ntinued on page 4ii) VILLAGE VAUDEVILLE 1,000 Seats In Brewster, N. Y., With 1,800 Population, Commencing this Saturday, when tho Strand, Brewster, N. Y.. will augment its picture programme by putting on aix acts, a theatrical war will be on in that town. The Brews- ter plays six acts on Saturday and Is booked by Fally Markus. ' The town has a population of about 1.(00 and the seating capacitir of both theatres is close to a thou- sand. COSTilMCS Who will make your lext oneeT Those who have bought from us say— BROOKS-MAHIEU llSlll'irar lei, 65J0 Pfnn, N. T. City —11,000 Cottuma* for Rental «