Variety (September 1925)

VARIETY VAUDEVILLE Wednesday, September 2. 1925 CLEAN VAUDEVILLE WINS PRAISE Please Read This and the Following Letters: A minister of the MethcKlist Ejiiscopal Church has seen fit to commend one of our artists for his clean and Whole- some entertainment. While we necessarily must have various kinds and classes of vaudeville acts. I feel that they can all present their offerings so as not to offend anyone in the audience. While on this subject I would like to offer a suggestion to the vaudeville artists—that they rpfrain from criticizing poli<^ officials and police officers, also those who have been elected to honorable positions in our nation, states and cities. Theatres are public institutions and cater to ^1 classes. There exists a presumption of innocence until guilt is proven and then it must be proven beyond any reasonable doubt, so why criticize on account of gossip and rumors? We in vaudeville would object to having our reputations blackened. Therefore, we should have consideration for others.. Let us try to raise the standard, not lower it by either objectionable material or criticizing others from the stage. £. F. ALBEE. Orphoum Circuit Grand Opera Houaa 8t. Louis, Mo. „ --..,.. August 21«t. 1926. Mr. E. F. Alboo, Palace Theatre BIdg., New York City, N. Y. Dear Sir: Mr. James Brennan, Manager of the Grand Opera House In St. T^ouis, suggested that I send you this photographic copy of a letter which I received from a Methodist Minister several weeks ago. May I please thank you for your constructive suggestions. - —^ -"-' Yours very tru4y, LOUIS LONDON, Care of W. V. M. A. Offices, $10 State Lake BIdg., Chicago, III. Methodist Episcopal Church Fifth Avenue West Bend, Wisconsin July 21st, 1925. T^jiT- Mr. Louis London, Majestic Theatre, Milwaukee, Wis. My Dear Sir and Brother: For over a year now my wife and I have been coming into Milwaulcee once every week, taking lunch together and then visiting a theatre and for the past eight months we have visited the Majestic. We lind always a must excellent program and usually one outstanding number that alone is really worth the visit to Milwaukee. Each week I promise myself that I will drop a line to the particular artist in appreciation of his or her talent, but somehow each week I let the intention be crowded out and forgotten, but this week I just must take this liberty and write you a line and say to you that we most greatly enjoyed your number this afternoon, in my Judgment one of the best numbers at the Majestic for months. Your first number seemed Just like a breath from God's great out of doors and the spirit in which you sang it coupled with your pleasing and forceful personality made just an old-fashioned bit of poetry set to music into a gem of the first water. Your second number on "English as it is spoke" was also a gem, although of course in a rather different way, and your rendering of Jack London's well known lines Just capped the climax, and my only purpose in writing this to you is that I and my wife might "thank you for about twenty minutes of real uplifting, clean, wholesome entectainment. T would like to think my dear friend that this letter will give you just a little of the pleasure you gave me this afternoon, and if in.the future you find yourself within fifty or sixty miles of West Bend and will drop me a cord, I will drive over and hear you again. With every good wish and good luck to you as you Journey along the great highway of Life, please remember me as. Your sincere friend and brother, W. J. C. PERRY, FORUM Pittsburgh, Aug. 27. Editor Variety:—We would like Variety to tell the theatrical folk who come Into our city that our studio door la open to them. Dancers may ' use our parapher- nalia for private practice any morning. Singers' may yodel to their hearts' content. Others may come up and just dish. You tell them—you can. OLYMPIA STUDIO OF DANCING. R. L. Holtaraver. Olive Lipp, Uerzl L. Amdur. The Faculty. tl8 Sth Ave. ELL AND mjUILED iSd Rowland's wife when at At- lantic City was taken 111 and re- moved to a local hnnpital. An op- eration for appendicitis followed. Mr. Rowland is mnnaRcr of the Jol- »on theatre. New York. Mildred Davis Lloyd, wife of Harold Lloyd, had her tonsils re- moved at the Good Samaritan hos- pital, Los Angeles. Richard Mitchell, publicity direc- tor at the Forum, IjOs Angeles, un- I derwent a minor operation at the Washington Memorial Hospital, that . City, Aug. 2«. Hert Lytell suffered a cut over the eye by a squash racket during a Kame at the Hollywood A. C, Ix)k Anjfeles. Ted Waldman (Ted and Al Wald- man), stricken with appendkitis and convalescing at his home, fi87 Second street, dan Bernardino, Cal. Al Waldman -111 continue as a "single." Ed Mahonry, vaudovllllan In Charlesgatc Ho.spltal, Boston, rc- ooverlng from an operation for hernia. Vanda Hoff (Mrs. Paul While- man) successfully underwent a tieli- eate operation Monday. f£er le^t eye ■was cut to remove a foreign ki b- Btance in the optic as r'^suU .of a motor ride. Max Kohn, sec-ernry to A. H. Woods, Is back at the oinco af er two weeks In the ho..iplfa' where ho [ Was taken after a.i attack of food polsoiiluK. J NEW ACTS "Jazz Lips Revue" (10). Kon Osan. Hamilton and Hayes (27). Albertson and Hanlon (3). West, Gates and K&ne. Dana and Mack. Bobby Jacksoii Co. (6). ^ Murray and Charlotte. Shaun Brothers. Ann Codee. Joe Parise. Wilbur and Girlie. Estelle Dudley Dancers (5). Louise Massaxt and Boys (6). Rhoda and Broshell (2). Matweef Co., animal act (2). Ryan SLsters (2). Wilson and Kepple (2). Drake's Oreyhouuda. Lucille Rogers and Band (VU Kelly and Jean. Wolfe and Ward, sketch. "A Modern Girl", musical comedy (20). Brown and Craig. Claude de Gar and .Co., acrobats (2). Kay Ridge (2). Lesley, DeMonico and Philippine Sereniiders. Aeolian Trio. The McBanns (2). Jackson and Shelly. Allinau and Nally, sketch. Six Pashas, tumblers. Romalne and Castle. Charlotte and Gang (7). Nat S.aunders. Enhart, OIra and Co. (7). Morgan and Stoddard. Hilly Abott. nala.sLs Trio, Kymnasts. Dolly Arthur Co.. sketch. Miller and Bernard. Nervo and Knox (3). Kuh.in Cossack Chorus (18). TOrnestine Myers Co., revue. .(uli.m Arthur's Entertainers (12). Kafka and .Stanley, aerlaljsts. ChailotU) Walker, sketch (6). MarRuerlte .'^ulto (3). Foley and Leture. Th. :,i IS .'■.• lliindy. Ann Gold (Oenarro A Gold).. Xaiicy i'..ir Co. (2). Reynard & West Grace ' fanning Co. (2). "A Night at the Inn." Russian revue. Ivan Bankoff Co. (7). "Dancing Around the World" (13). MAHRIAGES JeaAne Eagels to Ed\'card H. •Ted" Coy, Aug. 26 in New York. Willie Hoppe to Dorothy Dowsey, Aug. 27. J. Parker Jones, juvenile lead In the Majestic stock in Los Angeles, to Augusta Constantine, divorcee, at Santa Ana, Calif., by Justice Kenneth Morrison, Aug. 24. Tessle Sherman to Olie Nelson, theatrical man, Oneonta, N. Y. Aug. 31. Miss Sherman is the daughter of Dan Sherman, vaudevillian. Martha . Wheeler to David T. Lan% Aug. 27 at St. Malachy's Church, New York. The bride was of the original Four Whelans. Mr. Lane, former professional, retired from the stage five years ago going to Miami, Pla. where he since has been engaged in the real «state business. Darry Welford to Serger Arabel- ofT, at TrJnlty Church, San Francis- co., Aug. 21. The bride is a sister of Nancy Welford ("No, No, Nan- ette," BYlsco). Arabeloft is a Rtis- sian nobleman. The couple will le- side in San Francisco. Sidney Page, Juvenile, to Peggy Earl, dancer, (with Toby Wll.son and Co.) Aug. 18, at Indianapolis. ENGAGEMENTS Harry Watson, Jr., "Ring Around Rosle." Will Deming, Clara Moores, Mayo .Methot, John Daly Murphy, George Elsing, Frank Connor, "Friend Wife." George Wright, Mildred Evan.s, "Venice for Two." Frank Thomas, "Gunpowder." Flavia Arcaro, Helen Spring. An- drew Lawlor, John Seymour, Harold Crane, Percy Woodley, Detmar Pop- pen, Arthur Brown and Jack Shan- non to support Helen Ford and Charles Purcell, for "Dearest Ene- my." Paulette Winston, "Some Day." James C. Carroll closed with the Chicago cast of "The Gorilla" (Chicago) last week and rejoins "White Cargo" in St. Louis, Sept. 7. BIKTHS Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Kinsley, daughter, Aug. 28 at New Haven. The father in organist at Keith's Hippodrome, New York. Mr. and Mrs. Carter de Haven, daughter, July 23. Mr. and Mrs. Jack Birman, Aug. 21, son, at Buffalo, N. Y. The father is bookinR manager, National Vaudeville lO.xchanRc, Buffalo. Mr. and t&rn. Charles E. Mc- Carthy, dnuKliter, The father is Famous Plaj ers publicity director. Mr. and Mrs. Bob FlKher, Aug. 30, son at Mt Morris Sanitorium, New York. TRANSFER WALKOUT (Continued from page 1) pletion and spotted at points of destination. However, a solution to the problem has already been out- lined by the managers. It Is ex- pected no vexatious delays will tie up the September premieres. It was authoritatively stated Mon- day that stage crews will handle in- dividual productions, that is the crew of each house and show will move the production Into the thea- tres. Since the trucks are idle in various transfer garages it is up to the managers to secure others and It is planned to hire moving vans as substitutes. The break In the managers' favor came about through the fact the transfer employees are not affiliated with the stage hands urtion, in fact theirs is a "rump" union having been forced out of the A. F. L. some years ago following charge.i of in- subordination. The baggage handlers later advised the union leaders, they would remain out of the' federation Indennltely, Without affiliation the sta^e hands are not obligated In any way to aid the transfer and bap- Kase men. The "rump" union in- cludes the workers employed by New York pnasnnKcr transfer com- panies, theso men having gov.e on strike last week. Since the theatri- cal branch was under contract with the managers until September the walkout was delayed so far as Broadway was concerned. There is a close group of transfeif truckmen known as the Allied Thea- trical Transfermen. The strike Is really against this group of truck! owners, not the managers. The owners advised the International Theatrical Association that the men demanded a wage increase, the managerial officers replying the truckmen could pay the handlers aa much as they wanted, but that the showmen would not stand for an increase In hauling rates. A peculiar angle to the strike Is the absence of rancor on the part of the transfer truck owners. It Is Intimated the owners really encour- aged the men to hold out for an Increase, figuring the managers would be hampered in opening new shows, resulting in a forced Increase In haulage rates. The striking theatrical transfer truckmen are asking an Increase of $1 per day. Wages for the work average $17 daily per man, but the men rarely work more than two or three days weekly because move- ments are generally accomplished over the week end. The managers contend, however, that handling and moving produc- tions is one of the most trouble- some factors in theatricals, not only in New York, but elsewhere. The rates for hauling were claimed to have been boosted to the limit about two years ago. The show- men's complaint is more about the working conditions Imposed rather than the actual rates. Frequently two hours' work entails pay for a full day. While the Intimation of the owners backing the strike may apply to theatrical work, no such charge has been made for the repu- ta,r passenger baggage transfer companies, who declined wage in- crease demands and closed up shop. Travelers into and out of New York are carrying trunks in taxi- cabs, the strikers not interfering. Legitimate and burle-sque houses may be prlnciiially affected by tlio strike, vaiuleville tlioatres prob.nl'ly not helner concerned at all because of transfer companies specializing in that Held. Harry Romm, vaudeville agent, has moved his offices from the I'ut- nani liuilding to the I'ubliciiy Building, 1576 Broadway.