Variety (March 1924)

10 VARIETY LEGITIMATE Wednesday, March 5, 19S4 $10 FOR BENEFIT, $5 TO DANCE ELEGANT EVENING FOR HORSES But Audience Not Too Dumb to Hiss One Woollcott, as Critic Trying to Act—$14,000 Realized at Benefit Sunday Night , At Xho Music Pox Sur.ilay nif;lit Iho fcinarUPt kiiiU cf muliciiro ilihI JIO a ticlitl to SCO ;i b.li st:it,'(il In hcnctU of tho Miniilo .M.i.ldcrn J'l^l'.o VUTxi for Atilm.-ilfl' iiMi t!io lOlliri PrliK-c SiK-ycr Jli^ppit.d for Aniinal.s. Aisle tickets cost $15, lioxod $100. After tlie cliow tlipio w.is a d.inc e on tVio st.iKO ftt $6 per couiilo, I'aul Whil' man HiipplyinB tl;o liiiio'--. In the t'trtl count tilt- procc'.ils who if'ror;i-(3 nrouiid $11,000. The shuw w.'is iinythitiK bu'' a vaudevillo concert. It ran to ovcr- t.'me playleta in whu h quite nn^rr.iy of legitimate piny«r.s itiado tlie K"''iK irit'.Ttstir.ij, even it tho .sketi'lies \v<'ie not eo enfertainlntr. Tlif^ro were waits dividing virtually tvciy num- ber. Usually !n Biiih affnlrs the waits ore e(iualizcd hy a "i^lli';l'f, " but that detail was foi^ott' n. There were n .'nimhe.- ot ln"M'! 1.aui,'hs. ,'MfX.iniler Wori.c.t, iiitie of the New Vork "lleraM," uiuoii- scitiusly broUKht foilli one of tl;o lieartiest. Ho appeared in repal robes in an ai-t called "Catluiiii'' i'arr" or "Alexander's ITci'e' (.\!':x the Great, not Alex the s>ail)e). Several profes.slonals In the roar ot the house weru wailing fi r h's entrance. One (Julius Tanr.(n) declared lio had waited 11 ytai.s to hi.ss Wuollcott. and finally the oi)pori unity arrived. With several others there was pro- lonped hlsslnt^. Alex appeared un- perturbed, however, and afterward thouKht it a good jol<p. Th*^ act wa.i^ all about what the kinp thouKht oi" his queen a.s a rolt'-n bt'iler of epfrs. There was a china egg on the table, but Alex made no nn'tlon ot heaving it at the hissers. A manaKor, grin- ning at Akx's inanr.tr of speech, oh- wervcd that he looked like a land- lady dressed up. Itobert C. Een'hler, critic on "Life" and also a monologi^it In the 'Music liox Kevue," wan much more s'uc- oe.ssful, and Ecnred tho comedy hit of (he evening. lie disi.i ursed on ".Sox Life of the Prolyp," and won a suc- cosslon of giggles. I'.cnchley st,irt< d by explaining his Inst talk had been an expuso of tlie amonuis cmollon- nlism ot sponges, or Eunulhing like that, c.illing attention to tho dis- covery 'hat whin a iiegativo sponce mates with a positive sponge tlie result la a family of negative sponKCS. "At Liberty" Skit Marc Connelly, director of the "how, contributed a comedy playlet • ailed "At Liberty." It was given oy a east of names—Jeaniio Eagles. fieatnce LlUie, Jobyna llowlai;d, \V. C. Fields and Maro himself. The iatter'8 role was that of an acrobat who had been dropped by his brother while playing a small stand, with result ho was laying off in an ac;<r s lioardir.g hou?e. Mi.ss LiUie and l'"ield« were the princli>al players, the former being tb.c landlady and F;< Id.-^^ a hhowinan ot parts, sli,,'lilly down en his uppers. ITe h.id been del" t(d making soap In bis room, said soap to bo .>-o!d on tbe s!r(i t corners with somi thing ot a n'.t'd.oino show for- atnioppiierc. Hut it was af;.Linst tin- lules and he w.is ba'Ic in bis board bill. Fl'>lds' dream of plenty of donph through tho promised visit of a cer- tain Mr. Kealey, wlio woiild piomote Iho worM's grea'est (■■.mbiiiod ' l.'nolr Toms Cabin" shuws ;ind min.= trelsy carnival, is punctund by a revil.i- tion in tho artemooti p.iper. The landlailly r«ads him an itotn where the mid Kealey was arrested for trying to sell gold mining RtocU to a <lot<-Ctl'. c. S!;" fcls si'rry for her hoarder, and after he stands for her stori(;3 ot stagu .iccuniphsbmeiits in an np.'^t.ile sto, k he l.s on tbo way tf Li'i ommg tliP liouso f.ivorjti'. Tho Kba of l!;o playlet is. gen'iit.. ly liumorous, but It wa>4 not so well worked out. The p'^riod w.as that of 3V97, which rermitted eci ontri'ittes <if t\i<^ff Tlio finish w.is bad, the olhir loajer.s not being prosetit, and Iho !-c( tie b'iwien Mis.s l.iUio and Melds f.ar too long. The re il laugh- ter in the pi.lying was in the .id l.b unions of I'leld.^, wiio forget tho IhK-s and nonolial.intly Ehulfl-d to Ih.^ Willi's for un rirfil. I'.ral Wblten'an and Ms «>n!lro band, which brought In a lloi-k of violin", oiiened Infei niissior* sm.Trtly. WliiUman annuuio'id fur i^voie .( new liuimber. railed 'lyaxy,' com- p. srd liy a. young Dute plivr. The latter tLrned out to bo Irving r.eil n, who slliiped InLO a chair and playd iho instrun.'.nt. licilin cimo on to tho apron to sing a choiiis of the —rrow Dttml>tT whtab w.ia c.Mmp lf .L i 'iI, last week. "La7.y" baa a lyric plainly Indicative of h.a r.ojoui n Iti Florida and a wl.so craik from tho rear of the house wss that tho number is the national anthem of I'a'm Heaeh. Elslo Janis was ixceilent as thi' "famouii Parisian vdette." She fBf'f/t through the tableaux curt.iln In Krtncliy »fyle, tinging two num- bers in dlalcrt ar.d never k.^ing lii- characterization, u.sing a Frenoi and KngU.sh version of tho numbeis Tho biggest "ttitt playlet of tho eve- ning was brou.ght forth when the second act of "Mrs. Humpst'ad- Lel^li' was given. In it were Mrs. I'iskc, William Courtleigh. Kay I'.ain- ter, Louis Mdntusli, Henry Hull, e'liflon Webb, Clande King, Helen I.,owell, <'arol.\a IVirling, (leorgc Ab- bott and William Seymour. Margot Kelly Dazzling The entire second act of "J'i'rro! Iho I'rociigal" was a. most IntortsimK nuniber, with .Margot Kelly dazzlim,' with hi r pla>ing and great shock of titian hair. I.«aurelte Taylor enacted the I'ierrot, with Kiehie Ling ami II. rani Douoet also in tho east rrogramed also was "l^iir Vivid Kiistics," billed ^as a modern Kng- li.sli tragedy, "one ot those L.anca- shire dramas." In it were Lynn Fon- taine, II. C. Ilenchley, Kichard Lar- bep, Krnest Trucx and Itoland Young. Credit en the program went to Ji.ivld Helaceo, Win'hrop Anns, A. H. Woods, llas.-ard Short "and Go or C6 others" for the loan ot juoiitr- ,ti»'s and such. The proceeds went to dumb animal aid. Douglas Fairbanks, in announc- ing the dance, "cracked" that as the tickets eo.-t $10 each or $20 and the dance $5 addition.al, the evening was not fo e.T'y; in fact. It would have been -heaper to buy a horse and be kind to it. Jlrr. "PARADISE ALLEY" ACTION Hale Francisco Files Claim Against Carle Carlton Leftal proceedings have been .started In the U. S District Court by Hale Francisco, a resident ot ilastor. Pa., who claims authorship to the "book" of "Paradise- Alley, ' whioh Carle Carltou had intei.dcd to produce. In addition, Carlton Is asked to ac- count for any protlts and al=o make good for nn Indebtedness of $3,900 on a 100 n week contract for 39 vv^eks for services rendered in "doc- toring" tho .script. In his complaint, Francisco says that between .Sopt. IS and 30, 19L'2, "Paradise .Mley ' was jiroduced only IC time.o. Ho alleges his contract calls for a minimum production ot SO performances, ctLcrwlKe all rights revert to him. Carlton counters with the stfttc- nient that "Paradise Alley" was written by Edward Clark and Charles W. Pell, and that Fran- oisco'9 script Will not be used, th.it the titie Is ol<l and was formerly usrd by Kdgar Selden, which nuli- fics the plaintiff'8 claim. TROUPING THROUGH SOUTHLAND NANCY DECKERT C.'o, .hi.' and swo. t. Her singing's an c.X'iuisite treat, Enihanting by hor youth .and guile, Pewitehing with he#- baby smile. This week-, Mai.;h Tinrd, at New York's .State. Producers, note time, place and date. "Times Square Daily," March 1 MISS GOMBEIL EXTOLLED Hoy wood Prouii in his 'World' column Friday took deliberate occasion to correct an apparent error of omission he h.id committed m his re- view proper against Minn.a Combell In "Mister Pitl" at tlie 39;h .St. ."^peaking of the piny in g'neral for several para- graphs ot .Miss Gombell play- ing tlio feminine load, the critic arid commentator said: 'It is primarily a play about a woman whom the playwright l;as most ctimpletoly realized. . . . tho player in tlie piece whom wc ai c going to remem- ber from now on is Minna Gombell. "Ilor acting In the Zon.a Gale play is .13 fino ris anything now to be sen in New York." SHUBERT ADVERTISING ANGERS CHI. MANAGERS MRS. FORTESQUE'S JUDGMENT l^r.ico H. Fcrtesqua has been awarded judgment for $1,419.1.8 in the City Court against K.anford E. Stanton, formerly an executive with tho. .Solwyn". IMrs. Fortcsipie sued on a $1,000 note and one for $250. A Jury before .(udge Abraham C Meyer sustained tho plaintiff de- spite Klaiitoii's separate defense, which was to tho effect he %vas to book a I'l.iy. "Love and Live." writ- ten by Mrs. Fortesiiue's husband. .Stanton considered it a Joint ven- fu''0, r.nd whi'o .ailmitfing signing tho notc.a, ho fct forth th.it they would only be exercised In tlio event tho show was a success. Tho notes vveio to denote a prior claim, but were not effective .n case tho pro- (liution \\;\H a flop, us it tuirod out to tie. D e c e p t ive Announcements About "Innocent Eyes" May Invite General Censoring Wilson, N. C llond.Ty; 'Wilming- ton, Tuesday; Hennott.svllle, S. C, Wednesday; Florence, Thursday; Charleston, Fiiday, and .Savannah, Ga., .Saturday. There's a route th.it all writers of .southern "mammy" Eonr;s should study, and then take a trip down thero and Eeo how many fxira verses they can wntc. We defy the bett of them to hee Bennettsville an.l bo inspired. Two great, hu.stling town.s repay the show th.it dares to venture down there; Wilson and Wilmington. Wil.son, In the lieart cf the tobacLO region, only a small to^^ n, but has more banks to the bale of tobacco than any other town, and cleared through its banks something like $17,000,000 on one crop. It is a live little burg with tlio main street all dros.sed up like .a boom cente.-, and is good for a. sell out for any jjliow —dressed or undressed. Wilmington, a shoit distiince away, is in the cotton region, e'ot- ton having Jumped three pidnts in tho past month, everybody was overjoyed and wanted to spend tho money before it dropped again. The biiil-wecvil hasn't reached tho cot- Ion around there, nunh; it's a little chilly for the pest. Th« y are sorely in need of a good theatre; some very iiii-e picture houses but no good legit house. Put wiiat they have they ijacit to overllow with any- thing. Bonnettsvillc, S. C. —Ye t; oupers who have made it, know. Tliose that didn't should know. Hugs Paer could got more material down there than he could use In a year. The one hotel in the town would make his family album bulge with laughs. One of those towns where the manager tells you that "It rained a few weeks ago and the roads were terrible, so don't ex- pect any kind of a hou.se," but, come back when the roads are good —Ah, when tho roads are good! Hotels in r-lorenco nortnco, whl.,h is in tlio f.ar. ■■' .«tate—Is .1 tnllo better, it has two hotels. Our offspring's n.'imo is Florence, ther" fore, paternal s> ntl- ment prevents us from panning Florence. We'll take her down there Foino day and let her look It ov> r, then she j1 be glad to cliange lier nnm<?. Charleston, fit one time ore of the very best near coast towns in the eastern south, has the .same com- plaint to make that Norfolk has — tho navy was taken away from them by the Itoosevelt administr.i- tion—and they have Just found it Chieaso, March 4. "Exa. ily as presented on the opening night," the ,Shubert.s are ad- vrtising "Innocent Eyes." Other Chicago managers are ac- cusing the producers cf a "two- faced iliploni.'iey." This show, Rt.arring Mistinguetfe, is at tlie Apollo, and has been tho target of the reformers, who forced its cleaning up. Adverti.semcnts in the dailies carry tho lino to whb h the other man- agers I'bjeet. for it is known that the revue has been cleaned up r.adl- cally since its pretnii re. Wh.1t the other managers fear Is th.tt this method of .idvcrtislng may brir^g atiout conso. -hip, in view of tho present .'igitat.on here among the reformers. out. Dear old Charleston, a pretty Uttle city of '76. You see the first palm trees there on tho way to I'alm Beach. "All shot!" Is tho expression ol tho natives. Seven bank failures In thien years have caused the welathy few to scan their Income tax reports more carefully. The theatre, over 100 years old, has iilayed to aom* big busineea, including all In the K'O jf'ars. Blaming Charleston for Cohen OctavuB Roy Cohen came from Charleston. AYo recall when he was studying law down there on our last trip In 1910. That was before they built a shipbuilding dock and. navy yard, and all that stuff, and then took it away from them. All that roinains now is the hundred- year-old theatre—and the palm t roes. .Savannah, C.t., ,Saturday, is not so good, but nevei iholes.s a great little soiithorn, nearly resort town. .\ ttst, up-to-date citadel thick with palmp, and city parks strewn reck- lessly all over the main drag. Be^ hind one of tlir.-c little palm he- riddled nooks sits tho theatre, n.itni it aftor the city. Business is good, and a good musical show can go in thero and clean up. All the picture houses are thriv- ing and vaudeville does very well thero in spite of tho poor house that sells it. Savannih also suffered several bank failures through the hazardous manipul.ition of cotton, but they don't hoard their money so much down thero, so the towa didn't feel it as badly aa Charles- lonians did. Those Northern Song Writers Whore those "."'outh of the Ma^ son-Dixie" song writers get their ideas of honeysuckle, ivy-covered cottage, sugar cano, peach bloesoms, orange groves, strummln' bajijos. .shufJIin' feet, rustling vines, and sonic guy even mentioned syca- mores—it's all the bunk, all except — the tumbled down shack, yes. sah! Plenty shacks and cottonseed oil. Note the rapid and brave de- fi n:;o of the "near south" put up liy our friend, Jlr. Burke, from Staunton. Va. Wo like Mr. Burka ^nd would enter no controversy with that estimable gentleman; we didn't pan his town. Have only tv.o things to say to Mr. Burke: The late Mr. Woodrow Wilson can\e from Staunton and he was one M our smajtcst men; second, 'we don't tat pie while traveling through the south. We seldom eat anything. Kat. FccKTa'ion to Supervise G. O. Kans.'is City, Mar. li 4. Tho .0111 ing season of grand opera by the Kan^as City (Jrird (."pera Company will be umb r Ihi' sponsor- siilp ot tho Kan'.is City Fe<l<'ration of Musi.1 .clots, whi. h practically insures ^^a success. This is con- sidered tho nn '-t Important step to- ward a permani iit .and paying grand opera eom|.any ;n the history of the city. Fit many yr.irs '.he opera r. ni- puny h.''8 iicen directed, proinovi .1 and .Inaiiced by Mr. and Mrs. Otiley Cranson, of tho Cranson School of Music. A professional manager will be engaged to look after the affairs '/)f the organization, which will be conducted en a regular iufj- r.csii baiis. REVIVAL AT JOLSON'S Gilbert & Sullivan Operatic Cast Headed by Hopper and Painter According to jiresent plans, the Gilbert & tJullivaii revival, planned by Williaiii A. .fr.nly, will run six Wi f k---, starting May lo at the Jolson. I'.leanor I'ainter and Ho Wolf lloiiper will I.e.id tho cast. Includ- ing Marie Hressler, Henry E. PiX'v, Herbert Watcrous, Ciloria I'oy, 'i'r Ml Lurl-,e and c,r(,rgo Mc- I'aii.ino. .Acconllnp to r>poit, L'rady is In for CO prr con', of the cost of the reviv.il, with Lee iSliiibert ut "dS per cut. ;n,d tho Ltliir :'l per cent. r.i *. .1 .x ..irted for. WE^iDON TO DIRECT I'c<-..y F. \\. i.li:i, foi merly man- ager f.f the Posloniai.s .and general maiingrr ft tlio Whitney Op»r.a Ci'. IS dii'<c\\r.ti thu Cl'^vol.ind enpar«»- niert ot tho Metropolitan Opera <'o . ivhich Is to bo presented In tin .Munii ipal Auditorium there. Tl'.o engagement is for a fcingb wei* following the Atlanta d.ite which fKccfds the ch.«,!rg cf " •■ 'i-egular nutor. in New Yori-. BUENA VISTA Not o .-».. „ .... bit the youngest dancer In tho ".Music Box Hevue' at th« Music Box, New York. Recently when Florence ODenniehawn was 111 Burna 'stepped Into th« FlefceriKan'e t'icam' cjinber without rehearEal and splendidly ecoied.