Variety (Sep 1926)

idtttiday, SeptemlMr 1* IMI FOREIGN VARIETY POUSH GOVT CONFOUNDED SING CARNIVAL m SAVE FRANC An^icaii Promotes Event to Foster Csood Foding • ' Paris, Aug. SI. Lu Burston, flght promoter and theatrical promoter, Ib hustling here to combat the anti-foreign feelinff. He wants to demonstrate what Americans can do to assist Freodi fight fans In r&Urfns funds > for uliat Is known m Itaro the fnme/' or special contributions to pay off IV part of the internal debt \" In conjunction with Tom Van \ , Dycke, and under the patronage of : Manriinl Joffre, Burston is organ- izing a pugilistic and theatrical car nival at the Cirque de Paris, about Sept t. The bill will comprise Morrachini, Kid Francis (prior to his visit to the United States), Lucien Vinez . (Who mot 81d Torrto in New Madi- son Square Garden), Romerio, Oon don. Rene Devoa, Jimmy Murray and Jack Walker. Harry Pilcer is to be speaker, and the vaudeville stars to appear dur ing the night will be Harland Dixon polly Sisters, Earl Leslie, Fratel llnl trio, Josephina' Baker, Mayol Oeorsius, Saint-Granier, Trek! Yvonn^ George, Jenny Golder, Billy < 'Arnold's Band, Irving Aaronson's Commanders, Candro*s Tango Band ^ .^^is gala event was made possible by Jules Mastbaum Mora bo left :. tor home. Paris, Aug. 31. As one commentary upon the state of business am^ng the Paris has just closed the Klysees, paying the re naining week's salaries for the Au ffust engagements. It was cheaper to do this than continue tl o bouse He held the establishn^ent only for a special summer lease, the htmm rstunilnc to tha management St PATM Oet BEE PALMER OUT Flaps Up of Shimmy Danos^ at .Piooadilly Reportod ZiOndOB, * AuSi St. Boo Palinsr has dopartod firoi both tha neeadiHy from tho Kit Cat elub to the ac- companiment of reports of strife between the American shimmy dancer and the management of tho two places. Nobody has been named to take her place as a featura. However distant changes aro in prospect. Chex Ch&se will go into both shows when Hal Shonaam rotiros In tow weeks' time. ENGLISH ACTORS' STORY OF NEW YORK TROUBLES Account as Printed ''Madden- ing/' Says Americanr- Anti^Amarioan Feeling Hotel Caumartin, PwiSb Aug. 18. Editor, Variety: To an American traveling abroad such newspaper clippings as the one I send horawlth iia iMOa ihiH of maddening. Throughout England this season there is a pronounced anti<Ameri- oan fOellng. open*y expressed and blatantly emphasizei, not only by voluble individuals, but in the press. I discredit the coitents of this story from a London newspaper. * W. Livingston Lamed. Mr. Larned is with the Ethridge Company at 25 £ast 26th street, NOW York City. The story referred to by him and printed in a London dally is i^i fol- lows: LONDON ACTORt INtUtTID A new way of show financ- ing! Two Bronx!tea under- stood to hsTo cuaimBtaod a series of producticms at the Intimate Playhouse^ in the Bronx, failed to come across. Tho faasoa warn laek off roady Lew Barrington, busin< manager of tho PlayhousOk persuaded thO two to aet as guarantors while he got % loan from the Morris Plan. Accordingly, "Is Diss a Bis- Blar^ Initial production off the gronp OPons tomorrow night after tiro postponements. INDEX Foreign ^ 2-3 Pictures 4-19 Picturo Reviews .14, 15, IS, 19 Picture Presentations ... 20 Film House Reviews .... 20 Vavdfovlllo p..8S-80 IVaiidovitIo Roviowa .... 22 Now Aota - k .St "22 ■uHesque 86 Bills •••• ••••••••••• .SS'SS 1 Sports Times Square News from |ho Editorials Dailioa.. e • • • • o e 36 31 86 37 Legitimate 38-44 Legitimate Reviews 41-44 Radio f.f. ....... 46 Mttslo 48*48 Cabarets .•..«••••....•. '47«48 Cabaret Bills • 48 Cabarot Roviowa ....... 47 Outdoors .........48-50 50 50 Carnival Routes Circus Routes .. ...... Obituary 50 Correspondence Letter List Inside Stuff—Pictures.... Inside Stuff—Legitimate. Inside Stuff—Music Inside StufF—Outdoors .. 51 55 10 37 46 48 *'Not Qood Knough for AmariaaP Although there are many English actors and a s tio M Hi Bi Woir irosl^ happy under American manage- ment, and earning n.uch more than they could in London, there is an- other side to the picture. An Einglisbman. Just back from the States, tells the story of a small company of London actors and actresses who went there under contract to an important manag<«- ment, only to be told that the Lon- don agent haS no rlfht to make any contracts at all I Then the Cate of opening was altered, so that the un- fortunate players had to provide for themaehMB for two weeks mora than was originally bargainel for. "Do not let ua have a row with a powerful firm to start with,'* agreed tho company. *Xet us »tlek it as long as we can. We have none of us too much money, so wo will give way over this and hope the future win bo better/* Indlgnltioa "You have no idea of the many major and minor indicrnitlos that followed/' said my informant, a London mastagor; "the many petty Insults put upon the company, slights and slurs which would hurt an actor far more than blows, and one good lionost stand-up row. "They were told, In front of their American colleagues, that what was good enough for England was not good enough for Amertca. They re- hearsed for over five w^eeks, yome- tlmes from noon until one, two, three,' or even four the next morn- ing. Indeed, the chief producer did not, at times, arrive to watch re- hearsals until nearly midnight! "Although thoir notices weregoo<l, nothing seemed to please tho groat producers," went on my informant. If laughs were gained by the co- medians they were told to cut thcni. One of the actors was accused of tr\ iiip: to ruin the show. "Men whose names mean some- thing in a West End play were given parts as butlers and footmen; actors who had made the American manager laugh when ho saw them in England were not given even a sporting chance to present their own brand of humor to an American piMe. •alaries Reduced ••When salaries were reduced with- out a word of warning, and money owing for extra rehearsals was not paid, the Britishers went to the Actors' Equity, who had chargred them £6 16s. each before they were allowOd to act in America, but who had little time for a trifle like this. One of the actors, in disgrust with it all, came home steerage, glad to escape! "Please tell London actors to go through their contracts most care- fully before they sail/' advised my Infofmant, "and with a lawysr who understands theatrical law and cus- tom in America. Tell them to have sufficient money with them, when they land, to cover u nfo rasoo n con- tingencies, and to remember that, even though they may have a name in England, they have none In Now York, whoro every man is as good as anothar, and koops on telling you COCHRAN FED UP HU liMugh of Revues, WhMi Hia aoooaaopt.4. London, Aug. 8L Ooohraa's Bavna^ oX tho PaYtlloa, which has haA a loaf ran, eloass SepLi. "It's the last revue Fll ever put on," said the manager, who has had his own troubles with the ven- ture. The house will be dark from Saturday until Thursday, Sept 9, when Lew LesUe'a "Blackbirds" wUl follow In. COWARD'S NEW PLAY TRIUiPHS IN LONDON ''The Queen Was in the Par* lor" Called Probable '$u«ices8 in U. 80. H. a CrOplhMto Dt WcB iMfOm, tL Tha Co*Optfmlsta cava thalr tw«mh bin at His Majasty^ tha program balnir cordially rocoivod. It was tho usual Co-optimisti^ ave- ning. As usual the feminine oon tingent was less interoatias thAA tha men entertainers. If this group would go in for a more substantial investment in scenic dressing and production in- cidentals* they would probably gather greater retuma la praa tlg a. However, like its predecessors, the new offorinip promisaa lltUa fbr America. Zjondoa, Aug. tl. Noel C;owari*it now play, called "Tho Qnasa tras in the Parlor." turned out to bo a splendid romantic melodrama upon its opminiP at Bt. Martin's, Aug. 24. The piece is modeled on the fa- miliar lines of Anthony Hape*s "Prisoner of Zenda" and its sequel "Rupert of Hentsan." Contributing to the successful of a colorful vehlolo, fha acting of Ihla company is faultless. If the piece and its personnel could be taken to Now York intact, it would aeora * tranandous hit. ''UFE" REVUE LIKED Nori ■ayea* Ballad Poorv Travesty a Rist hut London, Aug. tl. Maurice Cowan's now revue, "Life," opening at the Palladium last night (Monday) did very nicely. George Melvin, a provin- cial comedian, scored neatly and when his material has hsan bttllt up will do even better. Nora Bayes was utterly inade- quate In a dramatic ballad, but fin- ished riotously with a travesty and a "Charleston" finale. Newell and Most were victims of a bad break. Thoir turn has been broken up into two parts. The first half was on too early for best effect and the second half came along too lata in the proceedings, an ar- rangement that interfered with the pair's usual appeal. THET TILLER DANCING SCHOOLS OF A&IERICA. inc. 226 West 72d Street NEW YORK OjMA for • •^toutcS Nemker of F«»Us mmjassy gpeisiis Phi MART RBAD WATSONS BETURNINQ London, Aug. II. -AUhouffh they were' offered a second Wf f k at tlie Victoria Palace, .scene of their successful debut, the Watson Sisters aro rotumlnc to New York Ma the Olymi^e^ Which sails Sept. 4. The girls booked returned passage on that ship before they left N^w York and decline to chants Utslr plans. . ^ .^^-.-^ London, Aug. 31. The new entertainment at the Piccadillj has eauaod an Incroaae in patronage. Last, week tho es- tablishment did the largest gross business for anj week this year, and this fai spita of a largo number of press invitatlona. People for another new edition are being assembled on paper. Amaag then will ha Layton and JohaatoM aad Sank and tlit Mmia. WARSAW Lm&S. STRIKE; GOV'T ASKS REOPENING Protest Against High Taxes —Theatre Closing May Sf^tmfA Throwflmit kuid as EndortemMit of Warsaw's Slaikl«—Coslfaig American -Fletnro Pro- ducers $10,000 Weekly in Caso of General Clossng 757o ADMISSION TAX 'Senator Bessemer' Is PUy of Official Life Washington, Aug. SI. "Senator Bessemer," a play of Washington political life of today, by Melvla HlMroth, loeat attorney, lias been accepted for production. * Minta Dufree, former wife of Rosooo '^tty* Arbuckle, is to play the lead. Ilildreth also wrote "The Lady of the Lamp" for the films. It Is built almond tha Ufa of Floronoo Nightin- gale of Civil War fame. This is now in tho oourao of making In Ehigland. MILLS BACK IN PAEIS The Florence Mills revue returned to the Ambassadeur last week, the colored singer returning ttom Os- tend to play out the time remain- ing before her Iiondon appearance for C. B. Cochrane. With her are Johnny Hudgins, the Three Eddies and Will Vodory'a PlanUtlpn Or- chestra. Inring Aaronson's Commanders, which have boon tho attraction at tha Sayag houae, remain. ax.T.iiLonov Los Angeles, Aug. SL Clara Kimball Younf? loaves for New York Friday, and from there will sail to London, scheduled to open at tha Coliseum, London Sept 27. Khe will play a vaudeville sketch for two weeks there, after that go ing to tho provlneso. JONES' NEW PLAT SOON London, Aug. 31. Henry Arthur Jonea* new play, called "That Which Was Foretold." la sat Xor oarljr proiontation hero. irMHSssMiaiiaiHiiaiiasMsMMMaaSMMM ; 4>" ■ Variety Bureau, Washington, Aug* 31. The exhibitors of Warsaw (Po* land) are on strike, closing their theatrea in protest against the in- creaaed tail oa foreign film produc- tions, says a despatoh ta tha Ba* partment of Commerce. Efforts have been made to get the theatres open with the Minis- ter of Interior informallr proposing that for the time being the city tax on cinema tickets for exhibi- tions of foreign films be fixed at 7S per cent, and a aaanmittoo bo ap* pointed to work on a sliding scale, ranging from 40 to 60 per cent, on films "which merit special consld* eratloB." Thlop tha OoTormaattl hoped, would result la aa ONNWaS tax of 60 per cenL The municipality agree d to tho proposal, but to tha data of tho f» port the exhibltora had dssltssdl Is even consider it. In explanation of the exhibltora holdhur oir. It la atatad that tiir fear to siettle under eron a tem- porary arrangement with such rates which are in excess of ratoa on Polish films. Amerlcsn Loss The American legation has not as yet made representations in behalf of tho Anorioaa prodnesri^ whaa^ it is stated by one of tho exohanga men, are losing an average of |10,- 000 weekly, duo to the closing of tha theatrea,. The Warsaw exhibitor^ action may spread to all of Poland as a protest against the lenient attitude of tho Gtoyomment la ponalttlBg the Warsaw officials to CMry on such a flght with tha looM aihlhll- ora, Mootings aro bolag held la sap- port of the Warsaw pldturo mea throughout the country, with a re- port yet to be made on the results of a goasral maso oMotlag hold hat ^tir. It should be of intense interest to the plotara trada oC this country that the Polish Minister of tho Ia« terior, as related above, felt com- pelled to request the Warsaw pic- tura houses to hnmodlatoly reopen. That U aignMoaat without added comment. That any government could pre- stmia to tax admission 7S per cent is enough in itself to drive exhibit- ors to any extremity. It might also stand as a reason why there is foreign "dumping" of Amorican plc- turaa fiSTUMES* ntODUCTIONS^ PICTURES OOWNS imNvmuALS —ANDERSON ' —