Variety (March 1925)

fednMday. March 11,1M5 INSIDE STUFF OH YAUDETILLE i 1 J. H. JMbia tor the Loew Circuit has placed the Sliimese Twina under «n indaflnlte optional contract. It provides that while under this agree- «iant the Twina cajinot publicly app«ar anywhere other than at the Loew direction. It aI*o glvea the gtrla a vacation of two months during the iuntmer, that alao to be taken without appearance. Daisy and Violet Hilton are Texan girls, born Joined together. They wer* arat talcen in tow for the show business by Meyer Meyers of Dallies, who is their preaenc manager. Mr. Me^rs placed the Twins as a spe- cial attraction with the Woftham carnival as a pit show, playing at 10c. and 26c.. according to business, Mr. Meyers talcing a percentage amd the girls were_tlie clean-up of the Vv'orthann show for three years. ^Ith the carnival tlie girls gave any number of shows dally from 16c. to 20c. After the twins wtre turned down on the big time aa "freak act." Mr. Msorars conferred with Mr. Lubin. Jake said he wanted the act, but thought Meyers should gamble with him. Meyers agreed. He took the girls Into Loew's, Newark, at $1,000, with the understanding that if the )jlrJ;j,got over within four successive weeks for Loew's, Mr. Lubln could •xeroiae an option foi as much additional time as he wanted. ' ^ Blr:^" LUbln exercised the option before the Newark week was com- ^iifei, whereupon Mr. Meyers said that In view of Lubln's auick decision, he still wanted to hold to his original agreement that he should plr.y th«.>Arst four weeks at $1,000 weekly. That made a tremendous hit with Si'ii., so much so the Loew booking chief gav« Mr. Meyers an indefinite p^!y Qr pf^y contract fpr the twins at |2,500 weekly. It's certain th,e Loew circuit will play thn Twins for a return, suid it now looks aa though the Siamese girls will be a Loew attraction for the next three years tit least. ,. Following the glrW appearance at Loew's State, New York, they may apjicar at the Capitol, New York, Metro-Goldwyn picture house under jLfltevra ^oKtroJ, ^■n(imi^u^i»v^fT'_' VARIETY 11 ..i.,- ¥ Hay and Emma Doan, though legally divorced, have an agreement to play; thfe year out as stage partners in vaudeville. Ray Dean of late retoe^'^d much publloity in a serial story entitled "A King For a Day." It was a mythical sfory of Doan having become king of Tahiti when also becoming enamored cf a native woman. It started with a story that Dean had left the Island and the woman, with the latter agreeing to wait for him "until 14 boats shall have arrived." The boats make Tahiti once monthly. The 14th boat was there and back long ago. The publicity, however, is said to have pushed up the salary of the I>eans to 1600 weekly. It has been $375 and went to )425 on the Orpheum Clf«$ikft with the couple reported to have received an offer of eastern time-at 1500. ; /' ' _ , .. •• . '/.V'^ ■ :■'■ > .. . ; Billiard matches as a drawing card do not sound healthy. When Willie Hoppe defeattid Bob Cannefax at tbe Friars' Club in a series of 10 matches, the total grjss St $2.20 and $3.30 top was |3,600. That averaged $3,600 a match and made a very light attendance. Plenty of publicity was given to the match, and that It was held at the Friary wais thought to be an added attraction. ' A seeming change of ^pinion was contained in Variety's story of last week detailing the reorganized booking system of the Keith-Albee office. Becently It was reported that the heads of that office bad decided there should be no single booking supervisor with the intention of throwing personal responsibil.'ty upon the individual bookers for their shows. Previously, the house managers were also allowed some latitude in ■electing theif own bWls with the bookers. That plan did not work out with any degree of success. It Is said. Bo'okers as individuals, each acting upon his own, became so eager to compose bills without regard to' other bookers or houses not booked by them that all semblance of "team work" In the booking organization became lost. It was at that time. It Is reported, that the latest system was decided upon for a booking supervisor (Eddie Darling) to assume full authority and reaponslbllity in bookings. • When Weber and Fields recently played at the Orpheum (vaudeville), San Francisco, Kolb anct Dill were'lreadlng a show In another local house. The natives had heard much of Weber and Fields, but they had seen Kolb and Dill for years. The latter team started their copy of Weber and Fields on the coast and built up quite some popular favor for them- selves through the i>adiled stomachs. The locals attendlnt; the Orpheum thought Weber and Fields were quite good, but as they s.ild: "They should be with all of that matter they have taken from Kolh and Dill." Harry Singer, general co6St representative for the Orpheum circuit, left hie headquarters at Los Angeles to call upon the two comedians In San Francisco. Mr. Singer, with Toe Weber and Lew Fields, thought the situation humorous. Mr. Singer told them, however, it had not affected the-Ori*eum's business, and that they would be held over for the second week. Meanwhile, Kolb and Dill called at the Orpheum to watch the Weber and Fields' performance, afterward calling upon Joe and Lew In their dressing rooms. To exhibit the friendliness K & D have for W & F the former couple left a token of admiration for Lew and Joe. During their second week at the Orpheum, Weber and Fields found time to visit the theatre where Kolb and Dill were api)earlng. The bookers and management of the 81«t Street had tho'r hands full last week with the special "brother niiJ sister" bill put on as a novelty. Getting the act.S was not .so very hard, but Illness and other trouble calie<] for replacements that spelled a world of difficulty. Th Four Mortons, starting the week with the son out because of an ' Injury, played until Tuesday when Sam Morton's Illness forced them to retire. They were replaced by the Ed and Dora Ford turn, maintaining the fraternal tradition. But when on A\cilne3j.iv Fiank .".nil Eldry nil- more were unable to continue on the bill, the bookeis were forced to flir the'spot wtm «1»e 11|>. Yltf,'Taphanlcprs. who did not, so far as' . 1 ( '1 I t . 1 I ; J 1 •. , , ■ J I f (. ? € BORIS PETROFF (Ballet MiMter) and I>OROTHY BERKE (Premier Ballerina) Appearing Indfinttely at Mc- Vlcker's, Chicago. "Variety": "Boris Petroff and Dorothy Berke scored with a Span- ish fox trot. Their terpsIChorean capability, plus good showmanship, enabled them to procure spon- taneous applause." Publishers Dktoting West End Plasrs London, Feb. 27. When authors were complaining that managers were not reading their manuscripts, a few years back, the publishers decided to lend a hand. Today, managers complain they cannot fliul plaj-s. The publishers, however, experience no difficulty; m fact they are dictating to the West End concerning what sort of plays are worth staging. The first move was made by the Drama League. They published "Advertising April," by Herbert Forjeon and Horace Horanell. which was then accepted by Sybil Thorndlke. Next. Ernest Benn began to Issue his "Contemporary British Dramatists" series. The first batch included "The Conquering Hero" and "Midsummer Mad- ness," which were subsequently produced. Later on came "The Man With a Load of Mischief," which the Haymarket has now accepted, and "The Vortex," which is playing to crowded houses at tlje Royalty. Another Instance Is "Peter and Paul." by U. F. Rubinstein, given by the Play Actors Feb. 1. Publishers and play producing societies are, between them, dis- covering plaj's In plenty. Managers and play-brokers, however, still complain there are no plays. LONDON NOTES (Continued from page 2) paper gives Cochran a column to announce the fac'. Boosts Porters Berlin, Feb. 28. The trade organ of the hotel business, "Das Hotel,'" has stiongly objected to the film "The Last Laugh," in which, Bmil Jannlngs has the lead- ing role. In a I>urning editorial it at- tacks the director, and par- ticularly Jannlngs, for his in- terpretation of a hotel porter, saying such a type does not exist even in Posemuckel, the German equivalent of Kala- mazoo. The article' goes on to say that the whole film is a slan- der on the noble calling of a hotel porter, and tends to make them all ridiculous in the eyes of the public. It also says hotel porters are. today, well educated and never, as In the film, are called upon to carry a trunk personally. ENGLISH OntL BROADCASTS Madeline Collins, late Covent Garden opera star* of London and now singing the title role of "Natja" at the Knickerbodker, New York, made her American radio debut last night (March 10) from WGBS. Karl Hajos, the Hungarian com- poser, who adapted the Tschalkow- sky, score for "Natja," accomiunied her. • While highbrow drama is being housed in converted drill halls or re- formed cinemas, London's most ar- tistic theatres are often given over to revue. At the delicately designed Fortune the next piece is to be a music show called "L. S. D." London managers are supplied with plenty of "tryout" schemes These, however, feed each other in- stead of catering tor the West End houses direct. For example, the Repcrtol-y Play- ers' production of "It Happened in Ardoran," a play by two Scotsmen, has l>een secured by the Everyman, which is th«» Ellis Island of local theatreland. Archibald Nettlefold has acquired lease of the Comedy and has sublet for a short period to Sir Alfred Butt. He is the brother of Fred Nettle- fold. Both men are enormously rich, the money coming from steel works in Birmingham. Fred has been a theatrical manager for a long ■time and married Judith K^Tle, one of the Britannia stock company. He has run several West End houses and, while giving actors much work, has lost invariably on his produc- tions. Archibald has run the Am- bassadors and Kingsway, and is the chairman and biggest shareholder In Explorers Films, the producers of the Mount Everest films, and ha5 also his own private producing organization, AngUa Films. Another prospective actor-mai\- ager Is about to blossom forth. This Is Arthur Wontner, who Is desirous of acquiring new plays. Falling the advent of anything to hia taste, he may revive "The Three Musketeers" or "On Trial." "East Lynne" has again been making the provincials weep. Ethel Irving has taken this old sob ex- tractor Into the provinces, provided It with good players and dressed it In the costumes of*1830. BusTneaii has been good and It Is very prob> able that Ethel will bring the drama to town, possibly to the Prince's theatre. Sutton Vane, who assumed r*« sponslbility for "Outward Bound." has another writing ready for pro* ductlon. This is so far called "Overture." "Outward Bound" has been trans. latcd Into 14 languages besldeA playing all the English speaking countries. T. C. Dagnoll's next productio* will be "Number 17," a crook mels by J. Jefferson Farjeon. After that ho will put on "The River," which is from the pen of Sic Patrick Hastings. "The Rakshashi" Is to be done fo» matinees at His Majesty's. It Is an entertainment sponsored by Dion TItherldge and promises to be a mixture of modern revue and an old Indian legend play. The exclusive 300 Club has found Its next play. This is "Smaragda's Lover," by W. J. Turner, and will be done for one of those special Bun- day evening shows. ■ sMIchcel Morton, American drara« atlst and resident In England, has not bocn represented . in London proper since "Woman to Woman." However, ho is getting his works done at the outlying theatres. "Fraud," In which he had as as- sistant Leonard Merrick, was given at the "Q" theatre at Kew, and his "Five Minutes Fast" will be done at the Century by the Lena Ashwell Players. known, spring froip tho same parents. The boys played the matinee, but there was too much "dumb" stuff on the program already, and Lillian Shaw went In that evening. While Miss Shaw is not exactly the Siamese Twins, she proved that a single might bolster the bill, but on Thursday she cancelled the 81st Street. Reed and Termini finished the week, with the manageme:it determined that only a "husband and wife" week could have brought more trouble. The Fortune, so far an unfortunate theatre, is to house a revue next month, one of the intimate type, with George Mozart as principal comedian. The small playhouse seems better adapted tq vhis style of entertainment than tb the melq- drama and wild farce so far given there. The lobby display of Loew's 'State, New "York, of photographs of the Siamese Twins, who are \a appear there the week of March 23, has attracted the biggest crowds In the neighborhood since "Artists a.-d Models" and its pink-and-white exhibit departed from the Astor a few weeks ago. The as-sembllng of the curious gives an indication of how strong a box office attraction the girls are. A large electric sign across the street and on the New York theatre heralds the coming of the twins, something of an innovation for a vaude- ville engagement two weeks oft. Four Russian operatic singers met In New York recently for the first time In 11 years, dating back to the start ot the V/orld War In 1914, when they became seijarated. The quartet has been playing with divers operatic troupes, but just decided to form a vaude combination under Benjamin David's direction as the Russian Master Singers, with Juanita La Bard, danseusc. In support. The quartet con.sists of N. Busanovsky, W. Bajan, W. Radeeft and M. Grebenetkky. The Loew Circuit seemingly has put its foot down as far as "dope characters" afe concerned, that at least being the Veason for losing the Maurice Costello sketch, entitled, "The Battle." The act opened last month and after tho usual break-In around New York was slated for one of the Jx>ew houses, where it was reviewed by the bookers of the circuit. A.s a result, Costello is to appear in a new act entitled, "Violets," ty Ha. Crane, opening In one of the Loew houses. • . James J. Corbett, quitting show business to start on his lecture tour, gave a luncheon to a few friends, and, as he was about to Start for his train to Detroit, said: "It is with sincere regrets I leave the stage, tboiuii that is one pro- fession from which i g6 out oik my, feet." ^ ' .^"'- *" '' f ^ * < . Isobel Elsom, who jumped Into fame with "The Outsider," is to be leading lady with Matheson Lang when he'produces the new Rafael Sabatlnl opus at the New. The title now chosen is "The Tyrant." Keble Howard Is still turning out plays. His latest la a farce, "Lord Babe," to be produced out of town by Martin Henry. MONTPABNASSE KUSIC HAIL Paris, Feb. 27. > Building of the new variety the- atre In ,the Montpamasse duarter will commence this spring. This site is at the corner ot the <lue Vavin, facing the Rotonde caf«, where Ameiican art students are supposed to congregate. It will Uke a year to construct, and the enter- prise Is French. The new Apollo Is nearlng com- petition in the Rue de Cllchy (next* door to the Casino de Paris) and is fixed to open next month with "La Veuve Joyeuse" ("The Merry Widow"). A new revue is also due at the Folies Bergere about this time. NEW FILM ROT SO GOOD London, March 10. "Smouldering Fires," the li!m starring Pauline Frederick, proved unsatisfying upon Its iihowindr at the new Capitol. Nfsfisra Falls Resumes Road Shows With no more burlesque shows for the International Theatre. Niagara Falls, that house resumed road show bookings with "Uttl* JeMto JaMes." ' ^' ■ •■■•'■' <■!-■) 3' 'VI : 1 I J ( I < iU f fJ) • I :