Variety (June 1925)

IT Wednesday. Jmt U, IJW VAUDEVILLE -«5^3»j'"N"*.'^rj;i;V.i?~^"'>"':" VARIETY iHE wmm SM ■t »t What KipHdg Said About Wor.-.»n The "Playing Cards" specialty dance number by the Jack, King andi Oueen at Heart*, at the Strand, was a dellshftul form of entertainment, colorful and new. Mtd the audience sav« vent to its whole-hearted ap- proval. The quartet raualc set to that Xajaoua line of Kipling's, "A woman In only A ^oman, but a good cigar is always a smoke," did not go so well with <he matinee audience. Perhaps, because the latter was made up largely «f feminine i»atron8. Mast any c»ol-headed young person of feminine mersaaslon resents that particular line of Kipling's, and will refuse to d^plaud It In any form. Fiery-tempered ones get mad about It. /"::i^:i.. - A Straight-Haired Lady '' —^In" "The Teaser," lAttm Laflante Is a cigar c3er1c w<ho, six months later, vade her debut on Park avenue. This next is a deep Question and de- serves to b« answered. Why did Miss LaPlante curl her Shorn tresses Vhtl^ she w*s eaSling emokea.^ ^but wear theaa stratgM a Indian sticks After she mi^de her social bow? I« a straight-haired lady more so? Bedda HOpper wears nnnaaally Btrtking gowns, the sort that Inspire envy ^ the deepest encraM in the hearts of iter wcMsan audiences. Who but Hedda Hopper would attempt to wear an evening gown of a black velvet back, a lace and sllvercloth front joined try a feather ornament? ■.>.'>j .i>' • ■''-•'■.'■ Oharoe»l Writingt ■•• .. i^n^ «.■«. ->:.,■•.»• ' The stylos In picture note-writing have at last changed. In "Steele •f the Royal Monnted," the departhig French-Canadian wife did net ^rfte her husband a iiaatlly-penned note with a tearful spot of Ink in lts| Krner, nor did she prop her farewell message against the kitchen lamp, cording tq long custom. Her last words were scrawled in cAiarcoal warks atop a hmf. board tsAUe. Another innovation in the film watf the snappy title ot "Mountlea" the «iaption wrIteM had applied to the Royal Mounted Police, austere K^ard- fans of the king's law. Bert Lytell was the "Mountie" of the story, and •omehow the inane derivative salted him no better tlian It would the ■■eal "Mohntie*.** Pretty, lent it? The next siirprlse in store for us will be a British picture calling our American policemen "Pollies." Sbuart Holmes Is the villian of the piece, and he's a vlllian what Is. \J ■'■ ;: ■;■■*:.■;, "' • .^ •• |. - "Crnpr AfcoMt Omn ""'■ The cruel, brutal hweband in the film. "After Business Hours," said he lbeliev«d in giving his wife love, plenty of clothes, charge accounts at all «he best places, a chauffeur and oar of her own, hot did not consider •t expedient to trust her with monay. And she gets Into financial diffi- culties because of her gambling debts for which she has to sell her Jewels. This stuff may be all right in certain circles, but there still aire women in the world who would be willing to forego the gambling and take what the gods gave them. Somehow, the whole story seemed like xero in something to worry about. Leu Tellegan is the "cruel" husband. Elaine Hammersteln, as the wife, looks the part. John Patrick is Richard Downing, the viHian, an^Jt is A pity, for his brief bits of comedy In the picture prove that his sense «f humor IS keener than his villlany. li ffiCAfflZMG FOK BOfLfHW CONSTRUCnei; i ««•. By GAIL T. BROWN (Maaagw of OrganizatioK Department, Lon^acre Engi* neering & Congtmction Company) ETAl LOOK HOY and Company in a CHINESE MUSICAL FANTASY LCO KARLYN at the Piano June 21. Lioesr's Boulevard and X>elanoey.. Jvne 21, Loew's Fulton and Or- pheHm. July 6, Ijoew's National and Pal- moe. ■July 18, Loew's Ave. B and Amer- Ican. July 20, Loew's Greeley and Vic- toria. July 27, LoeWs Qates and Rich- mond Hill. Oireetien CHAS. J. FITZPATRICK 160 West 46th Stnaet, Mew York ORPHEUMBOOKS 8 WEST COAST IHEATRES Califomian Outside Con- nection—Also Booking 2 New B. & K. Houses Unexplainable Situations We have all been in various situations where no explanation under the •un, certainly not the honeet one, would satisfy an inqnlsitlve mind. TIThcn the ipow, harassed young newlywed in "Stop Flirting" said to his inquisitive and peevish bride: "But, darling, it just happened to happen the way it happened,'' Mr. and Mrs. Public at the Cameo Indulged in one, lonj, appreciative laugh. Wanda Hawley is the peevish wife and John T. Murray is the husband. ' A Whip-Cracking Lover Douglas Fairbanks in "Don Q." has brought back the fiery bravado and insolence of the whip-cracking Spaniards. It is melodrama, of course, but not so Idealistic as "The Thief of Bagdad," but It takes one into a gay world of make-l>elieve and entertains. Doug does all of the Australian whip stunts. He practiced them for «ix months under a tutor. As always, he is the supreme lover. Perhaps Mary Aster's beauty . makes these roles easier: As J)olores, the blgh-bom Spanish girl, she / Is the cause of much rivalry, no little sighing, and occasional dlsappolnt- ;4pents. f, Donald Criap (who also directed), as Sebastian, the arch-villaln of the T«.tory. makos villainy something to be proud of. Jean Hersholl as ^abrique, is also a villain, but his parts are always of the eel-y variety, if icky, insinuating. He commands no respect for his brand of meanness— a very high compliment, fresn a villain's viewpoint. Lottie Pickford-Forrest has the role of the governor's maM who over- '♦ear's the villains plotting, and who carries her news to Don Q. *•• • • • TransformiiHI "Siepe" ' ' • < • , - ■ To one who'has read the novel, 'Siege." there will be but a modicum ot enjoyment in the film version of and liberties taken with that power- ■^1 novel. 'The film may be interesting as a film. It wouia be a mere honest 9>ieoe •f work, as women audiences see it, if there were an admission that •t had only been suggested by the novel. The real motif of "Siege," '^he novel. Is the terrtflc mental and epirltnal struggle between Augusta Huyland, autocrat, and her jrreat-niece by marriage, Frederick*. Gage 'IRuyland, a young and spirited creature. Women are sure to fe«l that the picture contains only echoes of the real siege, that the surface only .b|M been scratched. Mary Alden. as the feudallstic old Orandante, faithfully gives a true characterization. This destiny-determining, shrewd, imperious old 'Women of iron Is made to seem quite real to other women. Especially to Ihos^ %ho hav* read the book. It Is not Miss Alden's artistic CauTt thai H»rvey Thew, writer of the screen story, put these saccharin words Into ber stern lips at the finish: "I've been all wrong, girlie." The Graardante •would not have said "girlie." The Grandante would not have admitted that she was wrong. In the novel Augusta Rnyland won the long, strenuous siege between herself and the girl, who, as Adams Samuel Hopkins (author of the book), says, "would not lock herself into a mold of living.". Virginia Valli, as the alert Fredericka, is vfery beautiful, but even this , Unlshed actress hardly conveys to women audiences the girl's Intense .exuberance. Women fans will have to read the book to get these Impres- •ions of the girt as Mr. Adams wrote them: "A girl who mistrusts mere ,^ords"; "A vivid, modem versenaltty who does her own thinking"; "A •uperbly insolent creature, but warm and loyal to a fault: "An Individ- ualist, sympathetic, understanding"; "Gay, Intelligent, heedless, but full of ,.4^e and charm." Too, Eugene O'Brien, as the husband, is older and not so spineless as *Kennion Ruyland. In the film his name has been changed to Kenyon Alberta's name has been changed to Uuth. Habersham, the town where the action takes place, has been changed to Ruyland, The most amazing change is made in Nerval Ruyland, a part sensitively *nd tenderly played by Marc McDermott. In the fltan he is a mute, in *he book, chapters ten. and elerven ore devoted almost exclusively to ■is keen conversations with Fredericka. He is «todgy,-«aromantlc, stuplti; •either tender nor sensitive. And certainly not a muU! . v .i LOEW'S STATE, NEWARS When, on Decem!t>er 1, 1921, the Long&cre Engineering and Con- struction Company turned over to Marcus Loew the oompleted Loew's State theatre and efllce building at Broad and New streets, Newark, one of the most beautiful and well-ar- ranged theatre»ln New Jersey was ready for the public. The use to which the theatre has been put by hundreds of thousands of Jersey theatregoers indicates Mr. Loew's wisdom in locating the theatre at such a strategic point. Around the theatre is a three- story office building, and the en- trance to the theatre Is tkrough the center of the offlce building, wit^ a large lobby measuring 26 x 86 feet The entire property covers 95 x 219 feet, the offlce building being 95 x 84 feet, and the theatre 194 x 9fi feet As an indication of the opportun- ities for profit in locating a oom- merclal building as a part of the theatre, Mr. Loew has rented stores OB hoth sides of the lobby, two sto- ries high. Stores and offlce build- ings connected with a theatre serve to reduce In goodly part the high percentage of overhead due to the high costs of land la promlnont lo- cations. As one enters the aaditorium the beauty of the ornamental plaster and gold leaf, and the panels in dec- orative tapestries, is at once noticed. The lower floor of the auditorium seats 1463 persons, and the balcony and loge capacities are 1,169, mak- ing a total seating ca^yaclty of 2,622. A beautiful staircase of Imported marble leads to the balconies with lUghly decorated bronze ornaments and rails. A lounging room Is arranged on the mezzanine floor of jrreat beauty, and there is also provided a large «nn»IUng room for women, highly ornamental, in addition to the usual men's smoking room. In exterior appearance the oflflce building of Loew's State theatre is of bvrfl-colored brick, treated with limoStoae and marble, and at the base of the entrance quantities of red Levanto marble are In evi- dence. In the main lobby the dec- oration Is of white Vermont mailDIe. Another imnsnal feature of the theatre is a beautiful ticket booth. at the time of its erection one of the handsomest that has erer been con- structed. It is entirely of cast bronze and marble. In erecting Loew's State theatre, the Longacre Engineering and Con. struction Company, the general con- tractors, found it necessary to use the utmost care In designing and placing the large structural steal spans and the trusses over the roof of the theatre. The auditorium has an especially high celling, with a beautiful large dome, which is dec- orated with rainbow colors. Another feature of the theatre Ik the especially well-designed venti- lating system which provides a tem- perature in summer equally com- fortable with that of winter. :iv; The Orpheum CircuK will trook Orpheum vaudeville into e^ht of the West Coast Theatres Co. (Cali- fornia) bouses next season adding about five weeks to the Orphaam's coast bookings making about 10 weeks on the oaaat for aa act or between 40 amd SO weeks for the circuit. The houses whicb were placed la the Orpheum oSce for bookings, by Sol Lesser, of the West Coast are San Diego, Ocea^ Park, Long 5each, P&sadsaa, Qlendale, San ernardino, Stockton and Fresno, an in California and all formerly playing straight pictures with pre- sentations and occauBional concert acts. The houses win play Ave acts of Orpheum vaudeville and itictures. The vaudeville will play San Diego the first half and Ocean Park the last four days; Long Beach, Wed- nesday, Thursday and Friday; Pasadena three days (days not settled); Olendale, three days; San Bernardino, two or three days; Stockton, full week (Orpheum and Association acts); Fresno, three or four days. The San Diego, Ocean Park and Long Beach houses were placed in the Orpheum ofRce last season with the other five following this woek. The Orpheum has its own houses in some Califofnlan cities. In addition to the Pacfflo Coast expansion of Orpheum vaudevffle, the circuit will book the two new Balaban & Katz houses in Chi- cago, Rlveria and Diversey. Vfbmm Tbiakina ef BelldSis Tliink of L4«g*cr« EoKtn««rfiis A Coastrsciloa Co. 100 FORQGN ACTS The big-time agents who formerly handlsd European acts are said to be laying oft the foreigners since the Keith-Albee Circuit gave Harry Mondorf a roving international com- mission. Mondorf arrived in thta country Monday wHh a list of close to 100 acts which will he submitted to the btg-tlme hookers at the next book- ing meeting. The acts have been placed under option by Mondorf pending the de- cision of the bookers. Several have been signed for four weeks with options of further time, but the majority are merely penciled in on the Mondorf list. Mondorf will sohmit 158 acts in all to the booking men. Among those artists signed, it is claimed, are Will Fyffe, Scotch comedian; Nervo and Knox, who appeared here In Zlegfeld's "Fonies" several sea- sons back; Bransby Wmiams and Coram, the English ventriloquist. FLAN "BOSE GISX BEVmr Chicago, June 23. Jack Doyle is preparing a "Rose Girl Revue" for eastern debut la September. Wlnlfer S. Ben and Ben Wilson win head It. William Cohn. in the U. S. Vet- eran Edward Hlaes, Jr., Hospital at Maywood, III., for some while, will have recovered by that time and assume the managemont of the turn. ITAY'S €-irOB-l Providence, June 23. Fay's Independent pop vaudeville liou.se, is ballyhooing books of 2-for-l coupons, |2 of exchangeable tickets for $1. Seng Writers in 2-Act Harry Hoch and M. K. Jerome, ong writers, are opening In a two- act for Loew time in September. A construotion company In tb* execution of its services has thre* basic factors to strive for, speed. quality, and economy. To obtala these results the personnel anS operating methods of the organiza- tion are of vital Importance. Th» personnel should consist of trained and efficient men who have the nec- essary characteristics of loyaltr and co-operation. The functions oC the organization should be on tha basis of a well-planned program. The analysis of the general anjl detailed operation of a conrtruQr Uon office Is as follows: .tfi 1. Ohtaininf work. -^l (a) Negotiation. ,','■ (b) Estimating, -.--s; i.n, . .^^ 2. Preparation. (a) Estimating. (b) Purchase and contr%c(a. (c) Bxpedithng. S. Execution. (a) Construction. 4. Recording, (a) Accounting. The size of the organization de- pends on the volume of woilc Mt fcand. As the volume of work in^- creases the organization la In- creased, and men are selected witk consideration of their qualtflcatlona for handling the specialized duties Involved. Each one of the subdivis- ions in the above chart lend them- selves to the creation of separat* departments, each with their dis- tinct and special duties. As thed«- partments Increase, departmental heads are created to guide ant manage tho detail work of their group. To maintain co-operatis« and harmonious endeavors tha de- partmental heads arrange for week- ly meetings at which time Jolrtt discussions are had on the correalt problems and future plans of actioa for each operation. The results sC these weekly meetings are recorded and disseminated to the oatira or- ganization, for their referenos. Large organizations have managess and general managers who gmk- erally direct the work of the de- partments. The well-planned program os«- slats of a careful study and out- line sf the functions of the depart- mental units so that each phase and stage of the work is creating or ac- complishing the most benefit or ra- snlt toward the completion of tlU construction work. As the generic contracts arrive in the offlce prof- ress schedule are Imnaediately pre- IMtred which determine the time a«d order of buying and placing con- tracts, the deliveries to the build- ing site and the construction and completion of the building. These progress schedules graphically de- scribe the dates and time limits for every distinct item entering UnU the building, and are delivered to each department for their refer- ence and guidance. The departmental heads maintain the routine and results of thejr de- partments consistent with the prog- ress schedules for the buildings un- der construction, and prepare and disseminate to their own men gsn- eral Instructions and circulars which are helpful or solve the av- erage problems with which they ara confronted. The operation of a large organi- zation is basically dependent up«n good management, efficient men, and team work, and continuous care should be matntalned that all vntts are efficiently operating and that their combined activities are pn- •aoing the best results. •The results ••sired, as stated brtore, sre c«ii- pleted IraiVKnga wen built—spes^- Uy built—and economically bttfft. LOEW AOEHTB IKCOBFOBAIE Harold M. Goldblatt has Incor- porated the Association of Marcus Loew's Artists Representatives, Inc. as a fraternal and benevolent aid organization. The title and pur- pose speak for themselves. Irving Yates is president; Sam Baerwitz, vice-president; Charles Pltzpatrlck, treasurer; Dave Rose, secretary. TWO MORE WEEKS FOR W. & F. Two more weeks over tho summer will be played by ^V'cber and Fields. They will open July 6 at pAtchogue, L. I., and the following week play Atlantic City. It is likely the comedians will Tottume their vaudeville tour »^Uli the new seasoi». , ,, . , „