Variety (August 1924)

VARIETY VAUDEVILLE Wednesday, August 6, 1924 ARMY ORCUrrS VAUDEVILLE EXPANDING NEXT SEASON Sixty Acts Booked So Far—No Commission Paid— 105 Theatres on Army Circuit—Demand Vaude- viHe—Pictures Prevail at Present Waehington, Aug. 5. The bookine ot vaudeville acts direct for the army camps through- out the country has been pro- nounced a success, say cfTiclals or the War Department here. Ap- proximately 60 acts were bookeO, and, to quote Michael W. Smith, ■who Is In charge of this end, "nof one paid a cent in commission to anybody." There has been created through- out the country a demand for tne vaudeville end In the entertainment given at the camps. Not only the men themselves, but the command- ing officers are constanly urging that vaudeville be made a regular feature in the programs in addition to motion pictures. Following the closing of the citi- zens' training camps, the service In the War Department aa far as the vaudeville angle is concerned is oft now until September,' when it is planned to go into it on a larger scale than doing the first season of the booking direct method. 500 Acts Applied Mr. Smith states that following the exclusive announcement in Va- riety last fall concerning their plan of booking direct, which was gone into after considerable opposition by some of the ofTlcials of the depart- ment, that approximately 600 acts made requests for tin»e. Although but 60 odd of these acts were given bookings last season, Smith plans to give the camp theatres entirely new materia] next season, with only one or'two possible repeaters, and these from acts that went over so' big as to have a demand created for their return. Mr. Smith is now leaving for an extended trip through the camps of . the third and fourth corps areas, principally in connection with tfie motion picture end of the theatres within the camps for the presenta- tion of more pretentious acts. L.ist season's bookings were in the greater part chosen from among the acts working in "one." The army theatres are now on their fourth year, with branch of- fices of the service scattered throughout the entire country. There are 105 theatrca on the army circuit, and in the picture end the.sc necessitate the booking of 382 pro- Krams weekly, or 1.528 programs each month. Army's Slogan A slogan has been recently .^<lopted by the service, "Always a fiood Show at Army Theatres," ■with men employed whoee sole duty it is to see that this slogan or motto iH lived up to, as they are respon- sible not only for the amusement of the men, but tho officers as well. The officers here on the general staff are particularly pleased with the result both from the vaudeville and picture angle, and state they are going to approve plane for an even larger service commencing in September. YOUNG RUSSELL THAW HANDLES RACING DOGS MRS. HDUAM SUES PRIMA DONNA W ACT Hilliam Instructs Chicago At- torney to Commence Ac- tion Against Wife 14- Year-Old Son of Evelyn Nesbit a Wizard on Breaking the Dogs « Atlantic City, Aug. 5. The Greyhound Racing Track is all aglov* with the arrival of Lans- downe Lady Betsy, to make her debut on a circular track. LAdy Betsy was recently imported from Kngland, where she held all rec- ords and was considered the fastest coursing dog in England. That was on cross-country running. The entrance in the racing game will be made by Mrs. Ben I^ewis, Jr., who has the best show greyhounds in the country. The dog is being trained by Fred Van Gilder, who has brought out many winners on the track, and is twing handled and conditioned by 14-year-old Russell Thaw, son of Kvelyn Nesbitt. The youngster is spending his second summer on the greyhound track and is a wizard on breaking the dogs. Russell gives the following details: In the afternoons the dogs are run and clocked as in horse races. The odds prevail accordingly. He says the new Lady Betsy is given a three-pound feed of meat before each clocking, and this slows her up. "Without the feed, she can outrun any dog on the track," he says. UPSTATE VAUDE. WAR Two Houses Battling Hard in Glens Fatla. Chicago, Aug. 5. Following the suit (or fSO.OOO flled in the courts of Baltimoro by Mrs. Eleanor Hllllam. wife of B. C. Hil- liam, and against Millicent Mala- ment, Hilliam haa instructed Wil- liam, and against Margarethe Mela- met, Hilliam has Instructed Wil- liam charging cruelty. Miss Malamet is the prima donna in the Hilliam turn and the daugh- ter of the director of the Baltimore Opera Society. Some weeks ago Hilliam notifiea his vaudeville producer-manager, C. B. Maddock, he intended to go to Canada to free himself of an alimony payment of $125 weekly due his wife. Maddock is said to have informed HUliam that he had booked the Hilliam act conaecu- tlvely and unless Hilliam continued in i( Maddock could not recover his investment of $8,000 or $9,000 from ths turn. Hilliam is reported to have been receiving |S00 net weekly salary lii the act. Hilliam is said to have replied he had received an offer to appear in a revival of a Canadian over-seas revile to tour the Dominion and would receive $360 weekly; that he preferred that engagement tot re- maining in the States under the ali- mony order and its consequences in the event of default. What further arrangement, if any. was reached between Hilliam and Maddock has not been heard of. OBSTINATE KING ZANEY Fritz! Ridgeway Said He Wouldn't Get Up or Work—Got Divorce Glens Falls, Aug. 5. A vaudeville war is on here be- tween the Rialto (Keith booked) and the Empire (Independent). Al- ready they have started rapping one another in their newspaper ads In addition to springing a continual line of stunts to outwit the opposi- tion. Each house runs five acts and a picture, and are now in the midst of their season despite the heat. The season here began officially Aug. ]. Mike Duffy, manager of Proctor's 23rd St. in New York, will shortly arrive here to manage the Rialto, replacing Edgar Weil. The most recent stunt pulled by the Kialto was to restrain the Harry Stoddard orchestra on a Sunday two weeks ago and have them give "a straight mu8ical.j3ri)gram, label- ing it a concert. This marked the first Sunday show for Glens Falls. Los Angeles, Aug. 5. Fritzl Ridgeway, stage and screen actress, was granted a divorce from King Zaney, songwriter, by Superior Court Judge Ira Thompson after she told how he refused to get up in the morning and did not seem to have any desire to work. The suit was brought under the name of Fred- ericke H. Dill against Charles Dill. Miss Ridge'way testified her hus- band has never contributed to her support, and most of the time they lived together she had to provide for him. At the time they separated he went to New York, taking her last cent, said Miss Ridgeway, and she had sent him money on five different occasions. Zaney said he would get work either writing or acting when he left, but, to her knowledge, was not successful at either. Miss Ridgeway concluded her tes- timony by saying that once, after their separation, her husband came to her apartment in an Intoxicated condition and she fled when he tried to force her to return to live with him. KEITH'S BOOKING MEETING i NOW CALLS AGENTS BEFORE IT Departure Greatly Favored by Acts* Handlers—Lists Submitted-T-Bookers Lectured on Showing More Speed in Procuring New Material QUEEN MARY'S GOD- CHILD DANCING AT HIP 17-Year-Old Danseuse Direct from St. James' Palace—Pa- rents' Name Is Howlett You can take it or leave it, but by the upraised hand of an amateur publicist, Elaine La Tour is no less than thi god-child of Queen Mary, and Queen Mary holds the exclusive rights to the right of King George of England, also no less. And that's not all of that, either. For Elaine is to appear at the re- opening of the New York Hippo- drome as the premiere danseuse, and with -ill of the Qaoen M.iry st)ifr spread over the dailies that the dailies will spread. Inside official and authentic (chan- nels with permission to publfsh, but not to kid, say that the family name of Miss I..a Tour is Howlett. Her father is the master of the Royal Wardrobe or something like that in St. James' Palace (not a,theatre), and that's the place where Elaine was born, also her eating house ever since. Mother Likes to Travel Elaine h.as appeared in London but without the Queen Mary at- tachment, .Tnd with the consent of Elaine's mother. As mother likes to travel, too, mother will be at the Hippodrcme wih Elaine but, like all smart st-xge mothers, will not appear with her daughter on the s!age. Allan K. Foster discovered Queen Mf had a god-child who can dance and Is responslWe for this latest opposition to Lady Diana Manners, although Lady Diana can't dance. Another diversion also attributed to Mr. Foster's reading of the Lon- don phone book is Dolly Netter, English, who is coming over to di- rect the 24 Hippodrome Girls under the supervision of Allan K. Foster and general management of Mark A. Lueschcr, presented by B. F. Keith's New York Hippodrome. TWO LEGITS Airo SKETCHES Clara Joel will enter Keith vaude ville in a sketch soon, as will Oliver Tell. JACK JOYCE AHER DIVORCE FROM DORIS ) WILL MORRISEY'S BACKER Mrs. Sherri Reported—Enlarged 52d 8t. Wanted Charges Wife with Adultery- Married to Escape Legal Entanglements Chicago, Aug. 5. A divorce action has been placed in the local courts by Jack Joyce. Kuing undes his proper name of Harry Hall. Joyce chartjes his wife, who was Dolls ReynoldK, with adultery, naming as corespondent the man- ager of a vaudeville theatre at San Diego. When Mr. Joyce married his present wife it was reported pro- ceedings were pending against him and it was also reported at the name time he had married her to c'jcape legal entanglements. Mrs. Andre Sherri, wife of the rt)8tumer, is understood to be back- ing Will Morrissey In his latest revue venture, due for the Selwyn theatre, Boston. A more or less permanent New York home for the Morrhsscy revue has been proposed. With that in mind, Mrs, Sherri Is considering the 52d St. theatre, and has conferred with R. K. Bimberg anent a plan to secure the adjoining plot and cn- I.Trfe'c the house. TOMMY GRAY BACK Tommy Gray, Broadway's own humorist, has returned to New York from the coast. It is unliltely Tommy will return to the picture colony for any extended slay. Three times while at Hollywood during his long sojourn Tommy was attacked by fever. He is sort of shying off any thought of a return trip. BIBTHS Mr. and Mrs. Edward Marsh, July 80, at Streator, 111., daughter. The fatber ia the manager of Johnny WotH'n danotng scbool in Cbicaeo. Rae Samuels Recovered Rao Samuels has returned from her Michigan visit, recoveied from the recent indisposition which obliged her to shorten last season. Miss Samuels Will be on the re- opening bill «t th« New York Hip- podrome. The booking meetings in tho Keith's ofllce, held once or more often weekly, will have the beneflt of personal knowledge imparted to the gatherings by Keith office agents, who are now being called .f before it. ., • 'j' It's a rabid departure in the book> ^ ing system of the big time and viewed with great favor by tho agents. The procedure appears to be that the agents submits t)reir lists of acts to the booking nteet- ' in, at which gather bookers and. managers. When an agent's list is reached and any information de- sired concerning acts upon it, the agent is called before the meet- ing. It gives the agents an oppor^ tunity to present their arguments. Heretofore, agents were advised after a meeting had been closed what disposition had been made of turns passed upon, in salary and time, if either or both were con- . sidered, and the agent thereafter, if desiring to straighten out any disputed point, had to interview the bookers and managers as he might be able to meet them individually. The innovation of calling the agents before the booking meetings is reported to have been suggested by John J. Murdock. Mr. Murdoclc spoke to an assembly of bookers, managers and agents the other day, informally but tersely, according to accounts. The booking offices' gen- eral manager told the assemblage all of them would have to show more speed hereafter In procuring new acts and faces for Keith's vaudeville. . The Murdock remarks were accepted by the agents in par- (Continued on page 61) 1ST LIGHTS' SUSPENSION GOES TO W. PHHJBRICK Set Down for Unbecoming Conduct—Must Await Hear- ing Before Board WEE GEORGIE WOOD Played 45 out of the 48 weeks I have been here. Thanks to my fellow actors for many kindnesses. Next week (Aug. 10), State-I.iake, Chicago. Other People's Opinions—At SyrACUse, Chester B. Bahn In the "Even- ing Telegram" said: "I can only recall two others possessing a similar art; one. Sir Harry Lauder; the other, Charlete Spencer Chaplin." Representatives—United States, H. B. MARINELLI, Ltd; Sngland, ERNEST EOELSTEN. Freeport, L. I., Aug. 5. The flrst suspension, it is claimed* ' handed out to a member of th*^"*' Lights Club of this town has beea received by Will PhilbricU for "con- duct unbecoming a member of the Lights." Exactly what conduct by a Light merits temporary banishment isn't clear, but the story is that Mr. Phil- brick while in the clubhouse gavs his opinion of another member. Everyone within sight got an ear- ful of the Philbrick brand of opin- ionated language. The suspension Is subject to a hearing by the suspended member before the biard of directors, but Philbrick, according to accounts, can't get any reliable information aa to when the board intends to set upon his case. Meantime Philbrick is iperturbed since the Lights is but a summer club, closed during the show sea- son. It looks to date as though he had tossed off his year's dues for but a brief period of enjoyment as - a member in good standing. Put en Ear Muffs The other evening Philbrick is reported to have been at the Lights plub on the outside and sent word inside to know if they were going to keep him out there in the cold all night. Mentioning the co'd seemed to remind those In authority, who hastily donned their ear muffs with- out returning Mr. Philbrick an answer. Professional members of the Lights dislike being deprived of tho privilege of their favorite r«ndez- vous during its brief open season. Mr. Philbi k Is one of th3 club- loving members. A more complete story of Phil- brick's offense says the other mem- ber he addressed was Mar Hart, the agent. Hart preferred a complaint against him. At the time of the oc- currence there were several women in the room of the clubhouse in which tho violent language was burled.