Variety (October 1925)

AMUSEMENTS PRICE 20c TIMES SQUARE •i ■^, '1 ,3 Publlaliad WMkly at lt4 Waat 4(tb St.. N«« Tork. N. T., tor Vanetr. Inc- Annual ■ubacrlptlon 11. Slnsla coplea Z( ccnta. Entered an aecond claaa matter December It. ItOK at tti* Poat OOlca at N«w York, N. Y.. under tba Act at March 1. iST* 'i I VOU LXXX. No. 8 NEW YORK CITY, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7. 1925 64 PAGES SAD STORY OF JULIA BRUNS GRAND OPERA CO'S. INGLORIOUS FINISH AT DETROIT-2 NIGHTS I, llina Morgana Refuted to Appear Without Salary Check — Wretched Performance Followed— Chorus Girls Remain Unpaid Detroit. Oct. 6. The International Grand Opera Company embracing many of the big vocal stars of the country ended « brief and inglorious existence her« after a vain attempt to give th« city a season of grand opera. Most of the big artists have returned to New York without the fat checks promised In their contracts. Others are still trying to collect. Mrs. Floyd Locke Smith, mana- ger of the enterprise has returnc 1 to her home in Columbus to at- tempt to raise funds 'cr the rescue •f the ballet, stranded here. The company opened its season last Thursday at Orchestra Hall With ''Aida." From the very first 4tfflculties presented themselves. On the opening night little of the scenery had arrived and it was dis- covered at the last moment five (Continued on page 24) STORY TRUST IS SOUGHT AFTER BY HEARST "Buy Everythina"~YelU Against "Monopolies'* in His Papers t' ^William R. Hearst has decided to ••come a one-man "trust" in story Mling for moving picture material, ^"•om his ranch on the Pacific Coaat Hearst haa sent Instructions, (Continued on page 34) Automat Banquet Billy Jerome, the veteran songwriter, celebrated his 60th birthday Sept. 80 in a novel banquet at the midtown Auto- mat. Billy gathered about him a dozen of his old cronies and distributed a fiock of nickels to the guests for the repaat. The vet. songsmith states he's going to tack a Junior onto his name and go into the song- writing business once aga*n. COMPETITION IN CABARET BET ISTERRIHC Night Club Thing Over- Worked—House Parties —No "Big Checks' .»» Too much competition is the bane of the cabaret- bu.slness jnst now in J^Jew York. With-sa..ti*any new places operating, each is detracting from the other and those who had been doing sensational business in the past are now drawing meager trade. A poor draw today is not a (Continued from page «) BmiimNT UREER DRUC HIIIIIT Promising Leading Woman on Broadway with Social Standing and Wealth, Now Held Under Bail on Grand Larcency Charge— Admits Narcotics. Brought About Downfall — Lived on Fashionable Sutton Place in Home Purchased IS NOT YET THIRTY Julia Bruns, a f<w seasons ago one of the most promising young leading women on Broadway, and rated by James Montgomery Flagg as the most beauti''ul girl in Amer- ica, will answer thi.«i week to a charge of grand larceny in connec- tion with the disappearance of some $500!) In jewels rnJ clothes belong- ing to Mrs. J. T. Smith, of Chicago, who lived at MiM Bruns' house, 29 Sutton nla^e. Tiie charge i.s being prea.sed by L.t. Marsh. U. S. N., who also re- sided at the Sut;on place house, which is In an exclusive neighbor- hood, surrounded by homes of mil- lionaires. Twice freed, she was re- arrested and held in jail, until a <^olored bondsman fumU-fhed secu- rity for her release. While in custody. Mi.sn Bruns (Continued on page 211 •«H^;.fH:, I OPERA'S BARITONE, 25 The leading baritone of the Chi- ^Bo Opera this year will be Robert Steele, a youngster of 25. who will °ebut In November in "11 Ballo Masjchera." by Verdi. Steele is an American slncrcr ami •ne Of tho few to attain fame in Opera at .such an early age. He ■ani? In Italy last year and following reports of his work there, was en- Sagcd. SHUBERTS BROADCASTING Experimenting With WJZ—"Stu- dent Prince" Firtt Try. The Shuberts and WJZ (Radio Corp. of America) have arrar^.-d for a .scries of experimental bro.ul- cn.itini? of Shubert production.s from tliat .station. "The Student Prince" Is men- tioned as the first show U» 1*e radiated which is .surprisiner in vl»w of the fi) iuag<Ts' pecgjit rcqucwt to tli<» Amcrir in .'^ociot^' of ComposjTs. Authors and l'ul)Ii.shers. arlin;,' through Harms, Inc.. niu.sic |>ul>- lishers tint tlie "Prince" song*. I'C restricted from the ether. 3,500 EXTRAS IN "BEN-HUR Los Angeles, Oct. 6. Mefro-Ooldwyn shot their big "Ben-Hur" circus Mazinius scene on the 8|>ecial .set, ereited out.side of the studio proper, Saturday. The largest number of i)i('ture extras ever used on one day in a picture, 3,000, ai)peared. Around the set one Wa.s lmi)re.><aed I'V the atmosi)herf>, such as is around the »t ife fair gronml.s on the bi^r dixy. The chariot race was the big Hrene, shot with 12 'liariot.s drawn by four liorHes each. Th"* e^lra.s were all planted In the var .lus stamlH and paid from >.1 t'l $10 !>«*r day. with the total p.iyroll ai'ound $20,000 oa tlie- day. (Continued on pu^e }4) CRITICS' BOX SCORE The key to the abbreviation* it: 8R (shows reviewed; R (right); W (wrong); O (no opinion expressed); Pet. (percentage). . * ' SCORE OF OCTOBER 3 SR R , W O Pet. WOOLLCOTT ("World") 7 6 1 357 GABRIEL ("Sun") 12 10 2 .. .833 MANTLE ("News") 14 11 3 ,. .78e WINCH ELL ("Graphic") 12 9 3 .. ' .750 VREELAND ("Telegram") 4 3 1 .750 HAMMOND ("Herald-Tribune") .11 8 2 1 .727 ANDERSON ("Post") 12 8 4 .666 "TIMES" 17 11 4 2 .647 DALE ("American") « 14 9 4 1 ..648 OSBORN ("Evening World") 13 7 3 8 .538 RATHBUN ("Sun") 4 2 2 .500 VARIETY'S OWN SCORE _ SR R W O Pot. VARIETY (Combined) 17 15 2 HRST CRITICAL BOX SCORE t)N EARLY SEASON'S ROPS Woollcott ("World") Leading—Gabriel ("Sun") Second—Two in Tie for Fourth Place—All .Critics Grouped Without Specification « DEMAND CONES FORNATIVF.- MADEFILM Czecho<^loTakia v Earticu- larly Wants Pictures With Home Players Variety Bureau, Washington, Oct. 6. The cornering of the foreign mar- ket in motion pictures is set down fis no loitKei comiiig under tlie head of "news." However, in Czeeho- Slovakla the home product in the (Continued on page 34) The first critics' box score of the new sea«on Is based upon the 17 plays which have premleced and tlivvered since the season's inaug- ural, August 3. Jietween that date and October 3, 45 legitimate attrac- tions made their bow on Broadway. Koliowing Its former custom Variety compiles its score at this earl^ date exclusively on the shows which have (Continued on page 20) DDHE MUSEUM - ON 42D STREET 'VAMETY" IN DEFT. STORE Chicago, Oct. 6. Quite by accident a local staff member saw "Variety" displ.-iyod for sale in .Marshall F.eM & C'>mi)ariy. the larg"Ht department .store in the city. Inquiry brought out the store hah K-en carrying •■N'.iriely ' for a loni,' time, ordering it through a di-m.inil A museum filled with Coney Island freaks has opened at 2.10 WcHt 42d street, beneath the Murray Cham- bers, between the Harris and Bl- llnge theatres. A baiiyhofi hand, a lecturer and the Island bu.siiie.ss i« used to di-aw trade. The lessees have taken the placA (Continued on page 4) OSTUMEC * GOWNS "UNIFORMS C^ 9 FOP EVERVBOCV WHO IS ANVBOOy I ON THE STA6E OR Sa»a..O«lUSIVE «- } DfSIGNS By •iADiNG Sryi£ (H^EATORS D I^OOKS NEW yORK ——*L»015000 COSTi;m«S to tWT " i v^ R