Variety (December 1925)

VARIETY VAUDEVILLE Wednesday, December 23, 1885 MERRY CHRISTMAS! By J. C. NUGENT Morry Christmas! How are you Ispond to the best and truest of Ita all? Not that it inultors. Yes, It does, too. Merely trying to be playtul. I hope sincorely that you are all very happy. There Is no one living to whom I do not wish all proper joy. Variety Is so darned conven- tional. Thrit's the only re.n.son for usin)^ a liinitlnR acljoctivc. Ilt>w am 1? Flnf. Ha\'o hnd a bis hit and two succ-ossful oi>era- tiuns this >-ear, one on Wall street and one on the .sol.ir plexus. Doing an hour a day in the gym - and five on the typewriter. The new play? Hiwriting It, thanK-.s. 1 think it's getting worse, but it deserves it. The family? Croat. They don't feel abovo me. Of course, they don't feel above ! ody. Which cuts down my a\<.. :c. How are all your folks? That's splendid. Tell them you saw me If you can. - You cant'? ' ' I think you're riprht. Still, I do got a lot of nice letters and com- pliments and advice about this column. I can't take all the advice. I can't do HO many things at one time, especially to myself. Changes in Producing I think there will be a lot of chancres in the dramatic producing field before next Christmas. Per- haps some IntelllHcnt organized method of salvaging so much of the waste of Immature productions. Perhaps a lengthening of the play run possibilities in some of the larger cities, including Detroit, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Baltimore and Washington. New York had notv able runs when It was no larger than some of those. If the spoken drama Is to live It must have some territory. The road has been gone for a long time. Meanwhile, cities like Detroit can- not get acquainted with the merit of a play nor prove Its value In one week. The pictures will continue to """^fowd the spoken play, but they will automatically crowd it toward the top. There will be fewer and better plays. But those few will set the standards for picture repro- duction. The finer plays need the human voice. The finer things In any branch of creative art must live. If "wnly as an Inspiration to the lesser. A thing cannot be greater than It's brain, can It? Flood of Capital New combines will undoubtedly change surface values around a good deal in show business. Ab- solutely unprecedented combina- tions of capital are moving down upon the business. Perhaps it will make the mistake of crippling the goose that lays the golden egf?. Artificial fallacies have always done that when trying to overcome a natural law. ' Horizontal salary cuts In some branches have saved some manage- ments a lot of money on "next week," hut the thins cut below Its actual drawing value escaped up- ^ ward from them and took Its fol- ^ lowing along. So It did not help H next year. J^ The opiKirtunist poliey, the Im- mediately expedient policy, the "next week and to hell with the future" policy, has always been the mistake of any arbitrary or- ganized power. As the men who know better grow older they with- draw from active management. Managers' sons sit in the boxes with the "society" they are trying to break Into, and help kid their own show.s. Young and Inexperi- enced "efficiency experts" worm In end show how to "cut the over- head," cutting with it the life of the show's appeal. Putrioti.'<m of profession becomes a high sounding thing for l>anquets and interviews and platinum pal- aces house shows of cheap stock grade. But the spoken drama will live and grow better, and with ne- — lective aystems of gre.ater axcel- lence there will be more hits nn'l fewer produrtion.*?. A 8«rious Business It Is a serious bu.^lness, my mas- ters. And founded upon the rock Of truth. No combinations of capi- tal, no unions, no appeals to sala- clousnes.s no fake publicity, no trick acting will last, though it may thrive awhile. There Is no critic as unerring as the Inarticulate public. There re- action Is Infallible. They re- V kind, be it l)iiil«s<iue, farce, slap- slick or drama. Vou cant fool them. They Indulge In no e.ssays, speeches or protests. Their re- sponse is instinitlve and involun- tary. They do not ever kick. They just like it or tliey stay away. And what they like is good of its kind, whether we think so or not. If it pretends to be real It must be bi'lii vable. If It pretends to amuse, It must amuse. In either ease It must Interest, and, above all, it must be true. Kven ph.antasy must be true, with the sweet truth of phantasy, which is why we still believe in Santa Claus. Merry Chriatman. New Incorporations New York Mitchell Studio, Manhattan, the- atrical advertising, 100 shares com- mon no par; directors, M. H., Flor- ence I'^pstein, Liillian Selay. Attor- ney, S. S. Bobbe. S« West 44th street. J. M. and L. W. Theatre Corp., Albany, pictures, 100 shares com- mon no par value; directors, H. W. IJurmaster, M. M. Pedlow, Albany; M. VI. Leonard, Brook view. At- torney, S. V. liartman, 120 Broad- way, Manhattan. Sussman Theatre Ticket Office, Manhattan, 100 shares common no par v.alue; directors, Uoso Kassel, Isa belle Weiss, H. J. Weinsteln. Attorney, F. B. Sanford, 165 Broad- way. M.C. Distributing Co., Manhattan, pictures, capital (25,000; directors, Louis Gilsinger, Louise C. Jentes, Esther Freedman. Attorneys, Jentes & James, 200 Fifth avenue. V NIGHTLIFE Excellent Pictures Corp., Man- hattan, pictures, 50 shares common, no par; directors, M. J. and A. S. Krellberg, D. M. Palley. Attorneys, Palley & Zierler, 1440 Broadway. Theatre Presentations, Manhat- tan, capital $20,000; directors, A. RosenfeVl, Leo Sunshine, Thomas A. Kirby. Attorney, Joseph L. Zoetzl. White Plains. New York. The Danger Trail, pictures, ad- vertising, 500 shares common, no par value; directors, Nathan Mes- slnger. David J. Brown. Attorney, Francis P. Pace, 82 Broadway. Florida Park Association, Queens County, hotels, pictures; capital, 115,000; directors. Rudolph Gobig, and George Beidel, both of Glen- dal?, L. I.. William L. Hauck. West Orange, N. J. Attorney, Robert E. Moffett, 894 Broadway, Brooklyn. Park Lane Theatre Corp,, Man- hattan; capital, 120,000; directors, P. H. Rosner, Irene Miller. Astoria, and Rose Kaplan. Attorneys, Kap- I.-in, Kosman A Streusand, 1640 Broadway. 8t. Cecile Grand Opera Co., Brook- lyn, opera, theatrical; capital, $20,- 000; directors, C. Sodero, Nino Ruisl, Ce.sare Franco. Attorney, D. J. De Andrea, same address. Schelhoe Realty Co., Manhattan, hotels, theatres; capital, $5,000; R. A. McCourt, James A. Harklns and Samuel S. Tripp. Attorneys, Halll- nan & Groh, 35 Nassau street. Dissolutions SiH'Cdway Amusement Co. of Fort George, Manhattan. JeSsy Trimble, Manhattan (formerly Town and Country Players). Non-Stock Corporations National Club For Better Movies, Manhattan, proposes to participate in a national movement for the pro- duction of artistic and educational motion pictures. Directors, Oscar Schlieff, 600 Knstern Parkway, Brooklyn; Elizabeth Lerner, 8321 21st avenue, Brooklyu; Lillian Mayer, 7S3 Beck street; Archie E. Latto, 259 Stone avenue, Brooklyn; Louis Tyroler, Rockvllle Center; Ruby P. Mayer, 110 East 176th street; Rose Franzbleau, 101 West 112th street. Attorney, Lyman Hest), 1440 Broadway. (Continued from pagre 4) The hotel is closed tighter'n not a chance for a little booze, but Brother, the Tlsta la the de luxe edition of scenic splendor, and not perhaps, either. *A surfeit of this if you're a Hong Kong "permanent" It begins to pall after awhile and you yearn for a little action. Everything—But Shades of the Sussklnds and the Salvins! If these caterers were only liven free rein in^ong Kong 'twould tie a veritable gold mine for them. Everything In Its favor^-cosmopoU- tan population "dyin' to go" and with the necessary werewithal, but to no avail—the government's agin' it. The Shanghai and Hong Kong hotels company have things sewed up. They conVol the Hong Kong. Repulse Bay and Peak hotels. Danc- ing, such as it is. in the first two, to the strains of Filipino orchestr.as. Tariff reasonably modest, but a Jolly party is frowned at by the other clients. Hong Kong takes its play hour seriously. The grim visage aeems much In evidence. Wear the dinner suit or don't go out. The real "times" are had In the private homes on the "Peak," aa ita name denotes; it's the big hill in the center of the town. Very exclusive and quite hotsy totsy. Bvery once in awhile the Governor General ■ throws a racket at bis Igloo, part way up the hill. To sneeze up here Is worth your life. Mrs. William Astor in her palmiest days of dominant hold over New York soclpty never moved in such an aura of frigidity. They'd like to loosen up, but don't know how. Ah! but we have the shows. The itinerant stock troupes are very well supported. Companies from London and Australia the big noise. Ask Tim Frawley—he knows. Kreisler, Hclfctz. Pavlowa and Lauder sell out weeks la advance of their com- ing. • There's no real night life in Hong Kong. We all look forward eagerly to Sunday afternoon to a Hegira to Macao, li Portuguese possession four hours away. There we can buck the fan tan game and play roulette. The visitor to Hong Kong always cornea away with awe Inspiring stories aneat the beauty of the place but aa for the poor Muzzier who must live there—he saya It's "beastly." FORUM N The Forum is for show people, for complaints or vi«wa. ' Letters to the Forum should be limited to 150 words and not dupl]. eated to any other paper. New York, Dec. 14. Editor, Variety: In my letter I made an error in the matter of dates. I fear that some of those who are claiming to have originated the Charleston may seize upon the op- portunity to furtlier their own claims. When I stated It was In 1022 that I first discovered the step, I should have said 1923 in the spring. Permit me to apologize for taking up BO much time in trying to straighten out this question. EUda Webb. New York, Dec 18. In reference to the articio on the Times square page of this week's Variety, tiie case of Cornell and Noda meeting the "Wet Wash Mag- net." The facts are as follows: I went Into the producing busi- ness with A. Rosenfeld last spring. I worked hard and conscientiously to organize a corporation in which I was 50 per cent interested. Wc engaged Mr. Cornell as our pro- ducer at a salary, producing and booking two shows. Mr. Cornell had been given a script by Harold Orlob, who claimed authorship. To my knowledge, this script was not copyrighted at the time produced by Mr. Cornell. Mr. Orlob later secured an Ihjunction to prevent it- opening. The pesu'. was Rosenfeld dis- rupted the corporation and subse- quently I took a portion of the as- sets, to which I rvas legally en- titled as half owner. Rosenfeld secured a summons. claiming grand larceny. We ap« peared after several adnournmenta In the Magistrate's Court, and fln«lly we were held for the Grand Jury. The Grand Jury dismissed both cases due to lack of evidence, claim- ing we were within our legal rlghta and there was no Intent to defraud Mr. Rosenfeld. We are now about tu start suit against Mr. Rosenfeld for mallrlous persecution and aa e.,aal division of the corporation'* assets. Al Noda, JUDGMENTS Music Lovers Asarv„ Inc., and Clements 0* Macchi; A. Aqunrino; $12.1.05. F. F. Proctor Schenectady Theatre Co, Inc.; City of N. Y.; $49.62. F. F. Proctor Portch«ater Theatre Co., Inc.; same; same. F. F. Proctor New York Theatres Co., Inc.; same; same. F. F. Proctor Troy' Theatre Co., Inc.; same; same. De Feo Grand Opera Co., Inc.; M. Sylvn; $252.95. Gaie Cinema Corp.; B. B. tt H. R<'alty Corp ; $877.20. Legislative News, Page 2 Commencing with this issue, and dunna the 69th Congress, all legislative news or reports appertaining to any part of the show business will be found on page 2 of each issue of Variety. fair percentage of the payee No use quittin' here till midnight or shortly after. Then to Santa Ana, nice motor drive. Santa Ana claims to have tne biggest dance floor In the world. A large wooden structure about aa big aa one of our armories. DivldeA In the center by a lattice work, the ritzy bunch terp on one aide and the "ballerinas' or Filipino "host- esses" dance on t'other with their bluejacket and aoldier t>oy friends. Wonderful floor. Twenty-flve pieces for real Filipino harmony, and when these bozoa play a waits— you're gone! They specialize on the old Spanish standbys. "La Qolon- drlno." "Ciellto Undo" and the rest. Just a word for the ballerinas. They've caught on wonderfully to the American style of dancing. Bom dancers, they take to It like a Russian to a uniform. Lerma Park, Tough Xjerma Park la the aext "stand." About two stratas below SantA Ana and convincingly tough. Patronized chiefly by the enlisted men. Big kick is watching 'em dance. Breakfast at Tom's Dixie Kitchen in the downtown business section is the grand finale. AbcUt four or five, best time. Akin somewhat to Jack's In New York of bygone days. Tom's is famous all over the Orient. Great for ham—and. Always packed with a lively crowd. Very bohemian. One of tliose plano-ln-the-corner places, and always a volunteer tc play it Impromptu quartets and they all dance. Prices are quite, reasonable In all places. A Scotch highball sets you back 80 centavos (40 cents) In any of the night places. Taxis are cheaper here than any other city. Can be hired as cheap as two pesos ($1) an hour. Better cars coat more accordingly. Manila haa its "line" on the town outskirts. A "look-aee" here calls for heavy damages to the bj". They soak, and heavy. All in alt. Manila is charming. Enough life for the most hectic Haa not the glamor of the Orient, rather the lure of the Tropics. Wonderful atmosphere—and you've Just gotta go out—It's too hot to stay home. St. Louis, Dec. 18, Editor Variety: In the Variety a dance team challenges all comers in a regular contest of dancing. It specifies "doing the moat steps without stopping." Not making clear the particular styles ot dancing. (1) Does It include ballet and acrobatic ? (2) The part specified. "Dolnc the most .steps"; can that be meant the one who dances the longest time? . .: . > ,i Example \' (A) Dances 100 minutes. (B) Dances 70 minutes. "A" dances the longest time, but. In the duration of time he haa < actually done fewer different steps than "B" who has only danced 7-10' as long as "A." What la tha answer? (3) Docs speed, style, etc. enter into contest? (4) Who Judges contest? Isn't it possible to select a few Judges and stage the affair in a hall suitable to both contestants and audience, especially a hall where contestants can view eac^ other's work, to register complaint if an attempt at repeating steps la made. According to the word* Ing of challenge, that of couraa should play an important part la contest. Would appreciate If you will mention In a later issue of Varlat/ when this contest will be held. Yours with oil on my shoes, WillU McNalh. MAW TTJt Manila! There's a boss of a dif- ferent wairon! If there ever was a wide open burg, here la it—plenty. Hotter'n the famed seven hinges, its climate is conducive to cabaret life. No prohibition restrictions, even though it's an insular possession of these dear arid and free United States. Laxy, tropical Manila! With a wealth extradition and romance, is It any wonder the visitor goes goofy when Miss Luna tsomes up and b^hevolently beams on all and sundry? Let's start the night. Manila's working day ends pronto at 5 o'clock. Zowie! to the Elks Club. A big, spacious, hospitable hang- out. Here the boys gather and re- gale each other whilst sipping cool- ing drinks over a real "homeside" bar. The rendezvous for the stags. Conviviality at Ita best. You be- come acquainted in no time. Cock- tall hour la 7. We bit the breeze shortly after to go back to the hotel and dress for dinner. On our way stop in at the Army and Navy Club, Just next door, and look over the works. Mixed assem- blage, giving an Impression of simi- lar sights in our own country clubs of pre-Volstead days. Back to the Manila Hotel, lobby Jammed with tourists and perma- nenta. Phew! It's hot. but gettin' cooler. One thing about these trop- ical nights, heat tapers down after sunset and the trade monsoons al- leviate the feeling of depression ex- perienced during the day. On the Water Now for the big shower and a change of clothes. We'll tie on the oats In the hotel, what? Dining room and dance floor right on the water. American destroyers and battleships at anchor In the bay. Tenders and motor boats flitting by show up phosphorus on the wuter and you're entranced. A highly cqlorcd Jazx band from the States renders corking dance music. The town is dance mad. Officers in the Army and Navy and their wives comprise the bulk of the The next Midnite of the Green Ktrppers. The high-class Filipinos Room Club will be given to Paul iloto on dancing and constitute a Whiteman arid Vhicent Lopes. Harry Rice, of New York, will take charge as manager of the Frank Keeney enterppises at Wll- Uamsport, Pa., two picture houses, aa local manager. Milton Forman is the retiring manager. Editor, Variety: Kindly correct that I glory !■> having been the first to have doss the original shadow dance. It baa been quite a few years since Variety gave me a notice on same nnder another trade name, not the one I am now using. In Variety's review of the "Silk Stocking Revue" at the Columbia it said: "The other dancing high- lights were the specialty dancinf of Billy LaMonto and Armonde Monte. The lat tor's solo eccen- tric and shadow dancing in which his partner mimics his shadow movements behind a drop." This should read as done by Em- mctt and King, not Billy LaMonta and Armonde Monte. Then later on it mentions: "Monte stands out at all times wlth_ his versatile specialties." He has' no specialty outside of his clarinet solo, which notice does not men- tion. Emmett and King are hopping and skipping all through the re- vue with a couple of specialties. It may be po.ssible that following ourselves on and off It might be confusing. Emmett and King. P. S.—I do believe Monte given credit for my efforts. New York. Dec. 19. Ekiitor. Variety: In this week's Issue, you mention the Actor's Fund in an article en- titled "A Worthy OrganizaUon ati, Christmas." \ Your reply to a request for la list of the most worthy and needy organlaatlons which will accept voluntary contributions" names the Ariors' Fund. All that you say In regnrd to tha* splcn.lia charity is true, but It seems only fair that a statement you make later bo corrected. You say the Episcopal. Jewish andk Catholic Guilds are also worthy buW "in a way seU-siipportlng." | The only income of the Episco- pal Artor.s' Guild Is from dues, »z a year from professionals and »o from laymen, ami from onr annual benefit performance. Kxpcutive H^ct^ttiry.