Variety (February 1926)

VARIETY'S LONDON OF?ICS FOREIGN ^^'^S^.^S^ Y^"*^^^''?^'', .i_f- Di -r—«^i c r \J MK. Ks M \M r% aOttg 3199 Recent Wednesday. ] 8 St Martin's Place, Trafalgar Square Wednesday, February 8, 19M MUSICIANS-PERFORMERS REQUESTED TO APPEAR Hearing on Vaile Bill to Gain Admission Abroad—Specht Started It 'Washington, Feb. t. Delayed In their original Intention to hold hearings <on the Vallo bill, which alms to gain admission for American musicians and performers Into foreign countries with equal freedom as enjoyed by nationals of those countries when entering the United States; through prior legis- lation the House Foreign Affairs Committee is planning to hear those ■upporting the Valle measure dur- ing the coming woek (Feb. 8). Representative William N. Valle (R) of Colorado sponsoring the Hou.<;e bill, Is urging that all musi- cians and performers possible ap- pear for the coming hearings. The Congressman has requested Paul Bpecht. responsible for the Congres- Bional action, to line up as many •f tlie band leaders who have been denied admission to foreign coun- tries, particularly England, through the refusal of labor permits. Mr. Vaile has asked Specht that wher- ever it Is Impossible for the other leaders affected to appear that they ■ubmit briefs either through Mr. Bpecht or direct to him at the House Office Building. Further Mr. Valle requests that Variety carry the appeal to vaude- Tille artists hoping that they will present their side of the case also, cither by personal appearances or through communications to the Con- arossman. That the proposed legislative ac- tion to place American profttsslonals on an equal footing with foreigners Will be enacted is Indicated from the support already given the Valle Bieasure; In the prompt action of the committee in granting the hear- ing.*^, and the statement from the Bouse majority lea^r, John Q. TIfson, that he would get a place for the bill oR thh UTRKYilmous odn- •ent calendar tmirftedlately H was reported out of the committee. Income Tax Extensions Granted to Professionals Washington, Feb. 1. ProCessloDala In overy branch of amoaements will be benefited, due to the migratory nature of their eall- lug. by the rscont ruling of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue granting lib«ral extensions of time within which Income tax rtturns may be filed with collectors. These extensions are to be granted In the cases of absence, sickness or delay in collecting data and will become operative March 16, when the first quarterly payment of tax tor 1926 will be due. To be able to secure this exten- sion It Is stipulated that applica- tions for Mune must be made on or before the date prescribed by law for filing the return. The reason for the extension must be set forth la the application. From 30 to €0 days will constitute the average extension, though the especially meritorious cases this may be extended to 90 days. For the professional abroa<l six months' extension can be applied for, with the bureau indicating such a period of time will be granted. In the case of corporations no ex- tension of time may be granted un- less conditioned upon the filing of a tentative return and payment of one-fourth of the estimated tax on or' l>cfore the date set down by law for the filing of the return. PICTURES, 4THINDUS111Y IN DEPT. OF COMMERCE 25% Profit from Foreign Trade—Jack Conhoily's Convincing Brief N. Y. Enforcement Bill Albany, N. T., Feb. 2. A new sfate prohibition enforce- ■rient bill, patterned after the Wales Jcnks bill, but with additional teeth, Was introduced In the Assembly last •Ight by Assemblyman Edmund B. Jer.ka, Republican, of Broome, chair- man of the Judiciary committee. The measure was not presented In the Senate, where a bloc of Re- pul)lican senators last year Joined With the Democrats In preventing pa sage of the Wales Jenks state prohibition. The belief In the Assembly is the bill will be passed with a safe mnrgin and sent to the upper House •<iiiy in the session. The additional teeth are provided In a section amended from last year's measure, providing a fine of $50 and a Jail sentence of thirty days upon conviction of possessing intoxicating drinks. The bill was referred to the committee on Ju- diciary. Missouri Tax Called 0£F Kansas City, Feb. 2. Governor Baker, of Missouri, who has been advocating a 10 per cent tax on amusements and manufac- tui pd tobacco, raising funds for the •tale's educational institutions, has <lropped the plan for the present. At a meeting In Jefferson City numerous school leaders from over the state approved the proposed action but the plan was vigorously opposed by a committee of amuse- ment roprcsentatives from Kansas City and St. Liouis. 'Waablngton. Feb. t. Tb» propoaod aectlon to handle the IntereaU of the motion picture Industry In the Department of Com- merce, Is BOW practically assured. In the letter to Congress urging the eupplemental appropriation H. M. Xiord. Director of the Budget ■t&tes. with the ^>proval of the President: TTbe Industry la the fourth largest In the country In terms of capital Invested and in many Im- portant companies the foreign trade represents 26 per cent of the total profits, representing for the whole Industry a total In the vicinity of $80,000,000." A brief prepared by Jack Connolly of the Hays organisation is ro- [>orted to have been the means of securing not only the approval of the Secretary of Commerce, but the Director of the Budget and. lastly, that of President Coolidge. Some little opposition is known to exist in Congress among thoso who have shown their attitude during previous legislation aimed to di- rectly benefit the picture Industry. These include a rather strong con- tingent In the House who when the fight first came up to repeal the admission tax wanted to keep that tax In its entlrity to use the revenue for some proposed legisla- tion this group Itself advocated. It Is believed this opposition will not be able to hold up the passage of this emergency fund along with the appropriation for the Department of Commerce for the fiscal yitar ending June 10. 1937. no. KILL BRITISH FU QUOTA SCHEME 'Uftfe Men* Upset 'Big Man/ B4it Drowns Actors Hope of VNfk Loatfon. Jan. M. At a reeeat meeting of the repre- sentatives of the film Industry, the quota scheme died once and for all. The sod was a simple matter. H. Klngo Armstrong, leader of the "In- dependents." who deal chiefly In foreign films, put a motion that the quota scheme was not essential to the trade's welfare and this was car- ried practically without dissent. There eould really have been no other answer, as the film Industry here is so divided that It is the hardest thing in the world to get unanimity of any sort. For weeks past the big men in the trade have sought to get the quota scheme through by means which would kill the "little man" and give the others a practical monopoly. This was de- feated by the fighting tactics of the "independents," led by Armstrong, who saw the red light in time and threatened to break away from the main body. This last meeting has killed the great hopes of an extensive revival in British production, entertained by many producers, who had their Irians ready to start making the necessary pictures for the "British quota" the hoped-for law would demand. Oone also are the actors' boi>es of plenty of work. Things may buck up. but It is unlikely now that the big firms will carry on their production plans, since they can trade with their alien features without hindrance. One thing to the general benefit, however, has emerged from the struggle—an appeal la being mado to the government for the abolition of "block booldng," the curse of the dnema Industry to this country. WHAT LONDON LOOKS LIKE Bj HANNEN SWAFFER Liondon, Jan. 19, K yea see printed In America a letter which the Prince of Wale^ • q ue l ry, Ifajor-Oeneral Trotter, sent to Sophie Tucker on the eve •( hor leaving Bngiand, yoa must not believe that it was Sophie who gav* tt out. The dear thing may have dragged Gladys Cooper, Irving Berlin, Peggy O'Neil. Delysla and a dozen others stars into her limelight, to make tt still brighter, on the night she said good-bye to the Kit Cat Club, but all that wonderful publicity was thought out by T. F. Dawe, who mag the Tivoli Mid who Is a friend of Sophie's. ., When It came to the Prince of Walea's letter—well, Sophie simply wouldn't print It. *^ wouldn't use a thing about him," she said. * "But, my dear, do you think he sent you that to line your hat with?" I said. "If it wasn't meant for publication it would have been marked 'Private.' Now sit down and write me a copy, or I'll tell him." Sophie consulted all the people she knew, and they said it was good publicity for the Prince of Wales. So then Sophie relented. But for the fact that the Court Is still in mourning, the I'rincc would have been at Sophie's farewell party, I know. Even Prince Qeorge couldn't atop him. He Is in China. Unknown Titles We manage these things better in Ensland. ' Sophie's farewell went on for four hours after midnight. Lord Lon- donderry was there. One snobbish paper prints all the titled names, which you wouldn't know. And Sophie, who l)adn't any voice left, sang 10 songs without it. Then she sang a speech. Then she said a speech. And, because she was going on a dry ship, they gave her three double magnums of champagne to wet it with. SAILINGS Feb. 2 (London to New York) ButfU Ward <Maur«ta.nia). Jan. 30 (London to Paris) Eugene E'ikor (A(iuiUiiiia). Jan. 27 (P'arls to N«w York) ■Ime. Cl.ill^ipln and son, Carl l<H«'nimle (Olympic). Actors' Religious Society To Uplift Stage Morals Paris, Jan. 23. The legitimate players, headed by actors of the Corned ie Francaise, have formed a religious society un- der the denomination of 8t Oenest. The object Is to raise the moral standing of the stage. A special mass was recently given for them, coinciding purposely with the 304th anniversary of the death of Mollore. for whose body the Church denied a religious funeral in 1C73. CakhroD Is Star Turn At Westminster Court London, Jan. 23. Donald Calthrop ta rapidly be- coming a "star" turn at the* West- minster County <3ourt. Only re- cently he was committed to prison for some weeks for failing to pay up on an order against him made on the application of a costumcr. He .was "in the bill" again Jan. 14 when an action was brought against Mrs. Renee Horme, an actresfl, by the costumer "Zoe" who claimed fl77 as the cost of a dress supplied for Calthrop'a revue "Yoicks" at the Klngsway. The defendant's defense was that the custom of the profession was that costumes were i>ald for by the producer. The Judge thought that Calthrop paid np when committed otherwise he would be in gaol. The Judge also added that not only was the producer's name well known in the dress-making world but in that court. Giving evidence, Mrs. Horme said "Yoicks" was taken off in February but she had left before that as she could not get her money. Also her husband had lent money to Calthrop which he could not recover. The Judge said Calthrop should be sued at the Westminster Court, he paid up fast enough when sent to prison and in fact he paid up before he was sent there. A mutual agree- ment was suggested by the Judge and this was agreed upon. "Yoicks" was the first show to re- sist the managerial ban upon the broadcasting of stage plays. Later, Calthrop became theatrical advisor to the British Broadcasting Com- pany, a position he resigned some weeks ago. Many of the things Sophie does are not meant' for print. I have known for weeks now, quietly, she has been going to a Shelter in Le- man street every now and then to sing to the girls. One of them, whose family was split up by pogrrom four years ago, concerned Sophie to the end. With the aid of Miss Valetta, daughter of a prominent lawyer, she tried to get the girl through to the States, to Join her father, In spite of the quota. A pretty little girl of 17, she arrived with tears of farewell and to hear the promise that it would be "all right" in a few months. Dragged Out Irving Berlin But Irving Berlin's first public appearance in London was Sophie's coup d'etat. She made poor nervous Irving Berlin, whose sweet bride stood on a chair to look, emerge from the crowd he was hiding in, and sing his song, "Remember," which he and Sophie used to sing, 'fhey (Continued on page 63) * STANDARDIZING SALARIES French Ass'n Suggests 500 Fra a Performance as Maximum^ Battle Is On Mm*. Ar«entinB in London Paris, Jan. 23. The popular Spanish dancer, If me. Argentina, is leaving for London to appear at the Kmbassy Club. TO ARTISTES: , MR. A. J. CLARKE Care of Variety, New York ■WILL KKrilKBENT THE PICCADILLY HOTEL THE KIT-CAT CLUB ^ LONDON. ENGLAND Paris, Jan. 23. The French Directors' Association, of which Max Maurey is the presi- dent this year, is examining the feasibility of standardizing salaries for theatrical jtars. It is suggested the maximum wage bo 500 frs. a performance, with a porcenta.ge on the receipts according to the draw- ing capacity of the artist. Some performers agree, the "name" being in favor, while the middle folks scout the idea. The re- sult Is a heated controversy between the Actors' Union and the Syndicate of Directors. BERLIN THEATRES CUT SCALE-ACTORS REFUSE Legit Houses Reduce to $2—• Actors' Salaries Lower Than . in Pre-War Times PERMANENT PLAYHOUSE Paris, Jan. 23. Called on for a speech following a matinee performance at the The- atre Albert I, Ben Greet stated "the project for a permanent English theatre in Paris is becoming a real- ity." Greet Is now appearing in Shakespeare's works with EMward Stirling's English Players. The troupe has been attracting since Christmas, and will remain another month. PARIS VAUDEVILLE Paris, Jan. 23. Olympia,/—Jane Marceau. Chris Richardp, Bach. Allbert, Mug Re- mone, Tony Marc. Maria Manzan Ares. Jess and Buddy, Marguerite Monnet, Luxor T, Five Narrows, V>our Powels, Orea Trio, Mauriclus Trio, Colllnet. Jules Cheroy, Leers- Arvello. Empiro—De Biere, LIna Tyber, Albert Carre and horses; Moussor- ky. nve Ansorouls, Five Serlerses, Hassan Troupe. Sarthel. G«nia and Iloberts, Kemmys Trio. Art Ekpo's Profit Paris, Jan. 23- A profit of 1,200,000 frs. was real- ized by the Decorative Arts Expo- sition here last summer. The money will be divided between the state and the city, both being Interested in the outcome. The city also reaped a harvest from the extra passengers on the tram and auto bus services con- trolled by the municipality, due to the great influx of visitors for -the exposition. Berlin, Jan. 2F. The Berlin Managers Association has taken the first step towards a return to normalcy by announcing a reduction of admission prices. Al- ready the three Kelnhardt, the four Zickel and the three Barnowaky theatres have reduced their theatre tickets one third. It brings the top down from about $3 to |2. The man- agements hope that this will cause an increase in attendance and should it not, they will ral.se the ad- mission again. Citing this reduction as an attempt to bring about stable conditions, the managers have asked the Actors As- sociation to help them by reducing actors' salaries. The actors have refused on the ground the mana- gers alone are responsible for tha present bad financial and artistic condition of the theatre. The average actor's salary 1* lower than before the war when liv- ing prices were half of what they are now. Stars, however, aro highly paid and could stand curtailment.t The actors' organization is severely criticized for refusing to meet tho managers halfway. Mme. Gramatica for Parle Paris, Jan. 23. R. Darzans, lessee of Arts and Theatro du Journal, is negotiating for the appearance of. Madame Gramatica, popular Italian trage- dienne, here during May. Frank Clark's Options Paris, Jan. 23. Frank Clark CWaferBon, Berlin & Snyder), previous to resting on the continent, obtained an option on two successful musical comedies and also a couple of popular French songs. Paris Vaude Paper Paris, Jan. 23. A new vaudeville organ, "L'En tr'acte," has been launched here by Paul Alexsndre and Jean Barret. Henri Jeanson is the editor. Est,- aAAA/ WILLIAM MORRIS AGRNCy. Inc. WU. HOKBIS VfU. IIOBUS. J^ 16«0 Broadway, New York THE TILLER SCHOOLS OF DANCING 143 Charino Cross Road LONDON ^„ Director, JOHN TILLER