Variety (June 1924)

4^ VARIETY Wednesday, June 4,1984 B. F. ALBEE, President J. J. BIURDOCK, General Manager F. F. PROCTOR. Viee-Presfdent B. F. KEITH'S VAUDEVILLE EXCHANGE (AGENCY) -. (Palace Theatre Buflding; New Yorky — Foundmn — B. F. KEITH. EDWARD F. ALBEE.A. PAUL KEITH. R F. PROCTOR ArtisU can book direct aildrestiiis W. DAYTON WEGEFARTH Marcus Loew s Booking Agencv Genei'dl Executive OFFices LOEW BUILDING ANNEX 160 AVEST 46™ST NEW YORK JHLUBIN OSITERAL MAHAOJUi CHICAOO OFPICK l6o2CapltolNdg JOHNN Y JON ES IN CHARaK ACKERMAN & HARRIS EXECUTIVE OFFICES: THIRD FLOOR, PHELAN BLDG. MARKET. GRANT and O'FARRELL STREETS SAN FRANCISCO ELLA HERBERT WESTON, Booking Manager LOa ANQELBa—«»« C0N30HDATBD BLDQ. BERT LEVEY CIRCUIT or VAUDEVILLE THEATRES nt W. 47111 0*n n B*rlaa aidt. _C»I«M_ WM4I' BItft. OFFICBS «««ttl« I a«ii ffMhM t L»t A.fil.. CmRrtu Alauar Ir. Or*hi«a I Tatar BIdt. I Tkntn BMt-1 BMf. I 0*. HWM D«tbMr EQUin AaORS' STRIKE IS ON BOOKING DEPARTMENT, P*I*c« Theatre Buil«Im« NEW YORK EXECUTIVE OFFICES State-Lake Buildinc ^ CHICAGO AMALGAMATED VAUDEVILLE AGENCY M. E. COMERFORD. Pre*. We offer sincere service to Vaudeville Managers. Communicate with us and our representative will call. Artists may book direct at all times. HARRY J. PADDEN, Booking. Manager 1441 Broadway, ^ew York Phone: Penn 3580 (Continued from page 11) Plan* were made to secure a stay In the Appellate Division pending the appeal argument next week. At the same minute that was dropped without explanations. Another plan called for an actor or body of actors outside of Equity to seek a restraining order, and it was expected such a move might come from Fidelity. That did not mate- rialize, either, and any such action from that quarter pends the Appel- late Division decision. 1,000 People Affected The strike immediately affected 1,000 persona connected with the eight attractions and houses. Ac- tors thrown out of engagements number 320. There are 168 stage- hands made Idle and 70 or more mu- sicians. The balance of the total in- clude house staffs and employes who bad no say in the matter any more than the stage-hands and musicians. It is no secret that the back-stage workers resent the Equity action that has thrown them out of Jobs. Among the stage-hands forced out are heads of departments connected with theatres on an all-year-round basis for many seasons. This is the flrat time for them to be laid off. The round robins decided that if Equity closed their shows every ac- tivity within the theatres should •ease. fiquity. leadera boaatod that the .■•,»• .. -. , strike would never be permitted to occur, intimating that the P. M. A. would give in. John Emerson de- clared to a well-known playwright Saturday: "No one member of Equity will be thrown out of work by our order Monday night." That confident air was communi- cated to players in the marked shows. Some actors wagered with stage-hands that the strike wouldn't oceur, and seemed the most sur- prised persons when informed the shutters would be put up. The com- pany of "The Stepping Stones," which was the biggest gross attrac- tion forced off, did not believe Charles B. Dillingham would permit the house to go dark until Informed after Saturday's matinee that the players must remove all personal t»e- longings from the theatre. Players stated they were unprepared, and had no bags, later emerging with bundles under their arms. When asked how they figured the show would not close, after they had served notice to quit, the actors said they didn't know, but thought the show would continue. The "Stepping Stones" was Krossing close to $30,000 weekly. The personal loss to Fred Stone and his family will be between (S,000 and )6,000 weekly during June. Stone is said to have an interest In the production and received as high as (7,000 in a single week. The loss to Dillingham la equally aa great, U not more. It had been planned to lay oft the abow during July, aa uaual, with Stone attrac- tiona. The loss In June, however, cannot be retrieved. The "Stonea" advance sale up to July S was close to $100,- 000, and the box office will be open through the month to make re- funds. The leeling among players In "Lollipop" was similar, although A. W. Savage made a speech to the company Thursday night, saying the show would surely atop by Ekiuity'a action. The manager sug- gested any player who desired to appear next, season could register at the office. "Lollipop" was gross- ing around )14,000 and could have gone through the summer. Profitable Qrossea The affected attractions include several which may not have re- mained Indefinitely, but could have easily played into July. "The Nervous .Wreck" waa getting around $10,000 weekly and "Seventh Heaven" over $8,000. "Rain," with $9,600 drawn last week, was a sure thing until fall. "The Swan" fin- ished with. an $11,000 gross and was good through summer, also. At the Cort, where the latter show was running, signs appeared Mon- day: "Closed by Equity Actors' Strike." This house had an ad- vance of $14,000. E^iulty's forced withdrawal of "Rain" and "Seventh Heaven" choked those holdovers, which, at least, stopped with two seasons to their credit. The only holdover left In the Broadway field is "Abie's • Irish Rose." It was pointed out by showmen that twice as many attractions had closed in Shubert theatres In the last few weeks because of weak- ness or Inconsiderable merit than the successes forced off by Equity Wm. Harris, Jr. There was some doubt about the closing of "The Outsider" (Wm Harris, Jr.) up to Monday after- noon. Late last week Lee Shubert attempted to restrain the show's closing by Injunction. The case was argued before Supreme Court Jus- tice Tlemey, Monday, the court de- nying the motion. That attraction, presented In a Shubert house, waa making a profit of $2,500 weekly and the action was believed to have been taken by Shubert because of the sure loss its closing meant to him. No action waa made in the case of "Rain" (Sam H. Harris) also playing a Shubert house. "Destroying Property" Justice Tlerney, In listening to the argument of counsel, remarked: "Things are changing from what they were when I was a lad. Here are people actually willing to de- stroy a property instead of work- ing in a spirit of co-operation." The court offered his services from the bench as an arbitrator and hoped the contending sides would get together, but counsel for Will- iam Harris pleaded for a decision on the contentions made. Joseph P. Bickerton, Jr., attorney for Harris, argued that the man- ager could not be forced to accept a contract, the conditions of which were not acceptable to him. He conceded that Harris and the other managers of the round robins might lose money, but that a mat- ter of principle was at stake. Charles H. Tuttle, of counsel for the Shuberts, explained they owned 25 per cent of the show and that by closing an irreparable loss would result. Mr. Tuttle stated the clos- ing was In spite, a.s the round robins would not give in to the Shubert faction. Bickerton st.Ttcd Harris owned 75 per cent of the sliow and had the ^ sole right of direction and manage- ment of "The Outsider." He proved that Harris waa not cloalng the ahow, but that the actora had handed in their notlcea—to Harris, not Shubert—and that Harris waa willing to continue the attraction providing the actora were willing to play under their original atand- ard contracts, but not under the new conditions provided for In the- 80-20 agreement. Biclcerton'a Point The legality of the 80-20 agree- ment somewhat aimiliarly came up in the argument before Justice Mc- Cook by Attorney Samuel R Oold» ing last week. Blckerton'a point la argument Monday ia an Intimation of the main allegationa to t>e pre- sented to the Appellate Division. H» said: "The contract of the Managera Protective Aasociatlon and Equity ia unlawful in that it effectuatea the purposes of compelling, by coercion, other actora to become meml>ers oC the Actora' Equity Aasociatlon un- der penalty of the loas of their poai- tlon and the deprivation of their employment. It la againat publlo policy and createa a monopoly and exclusive privilege. Equity's idea "to compel tribute from non-memlbera la extortion." The sUtua of Ziegfeld'a '^id Boots" is still uncertain. It ia aaid Ziegfeld signed some aort of agree- ment with Equity placing the ahow on an Independent baais. Ziegfeld, however, was advised by counsel not^ to be a party to auch a contract until the Appellate Division made its decision, since he would foe liable under the law with other managers. His "Follies" continues to rehearse. Interference was made with the rehearsala of White's "Scandals," but Equity rescinded the order. The annual meeting of Equity was staged in the Astor Monday aft- ernoon when the officers who have been in control for the past five yeai were re-elected. Mention waa made of the players who walked out and speeches from the platform were that they would constitute an honor roil. The strike, however, was not permitted in discussion. Players, who were forced to quit talked among themaelves, and though they did not openly protest said some other way should have been worked out Instead of closing shows. After the McCook decision Sam H. Harris, speaking for the P. M. A., said: "We have lost the flrat round, but we may win In the second or third." By permitting the shows to be closed by the actors themselves by order of Equity, the round robins are proceeding according to their original plans. They resent the in- terference of Equity's meddling In the Internal affairs of the managers and the attempt to force the round BEAUMONT STUDIOS IliSn.K.K'li^^.^U!l"*^ '*"■ '^•"' STAKS C.KT TMKIR STAflK SKTTINOS. HRTTIMM Vl)RNI.4IIKn ON ICKNTAI. HAMS KOK AIMATKIHt THKATRI- o^.L'i^oiL •**' y-TI'** TIHCATItlW ANU AM. 4ITIlr.lt KINTKKTAINMKNT ri)Rro.SI». OlIT-Or-TOWN OltIIK.Il.S <iIVKN HPKCIAI. ATTKNTION. rhon« Bryant »tt» 225 WEST 46th ST., NEW YORK Nest U> K. V. A. C lol> n:'') > ■