Variety (Mar 1927)

52 VARIETY VARIETY'S LOS ANGELES OFFICE ARTHUR UNGAR in Charg. Chapman Bldg., Suite 610 756 So. Broadway; Trinity 3711-3718 LOS ANGELES Professionals havo th» free uss of Variety's Los Angeles Office for Information. Mall may be addrsssod oar* Variety, Chapman Bldg, Los Angeles. It will bo hold subject to call or forwarded, or advsrtissd la Va Headllners for the Orpheum here should be chosen for their box ollice and entertainment value and not solely for their exploitation value. In offering Dunnlnger, mind reader, as their headliner last week, the local Orpheum house pulled a boner which they will long remember. This gentleman who reads folks' minds and then asks them on their word of honor to say "they never saw him before," offered a roost uninteresting routine which got no- where at all and had the cash buy- ers quite fidgety during the 38 min- utes he unburdened himself of his so-called psychic powers. Dunninger Is not the type of mind reader who has a personality that gets the confidences of those whom he grants an audition. He seems to grate on them through his somewhat self-indulgent manner, and the belief he would have that he is their Intellectual superior. Luckily, he closed the first part of the show, otherwise it would have been a terrible task for those in the second part to awaken the audi It also appears the bookers, who have been to the coast so frequent ly to study the wants of the patrons of the circuit, overlooked the fact that opening and closing acts would help out the bill immeasurably. However, they just spoiled the poor unfortunates who had to start and stop the show. They took a "num- ber two" act and made it begin the show, and as the final turn used a wow of a flash novelty which was subjected to the whims of those who had already tired of the show and began the "retreat" before they got under way. Opening were Carr and Parr, two men with novelty tap stepping, done in a semi-grotesque eccentric man' ner. These boys have a smart and pleasing routine, but It would not be fair to judge them In the lead of a funeral procession. On second was Zelda Santley, aided by Rob ert White at the baby grand. Miss Santley attempts to slip over the fact she is an Imitator. However, in her Imitations It would be best not to mimic those who are so well known here and who have been "mimicked" by masters of that art. She did an Imitation of Ted Lewis, which led one to believe she had the king of jazz mixed with Blossom Seeley". Miss Santley means well, but should get away from this end of the stage racket and just try and be herself in a special routine. Then she might pass muster in the spot she had. The first show stop- pers were Cecil Lean and Cleo May field, held over from the week be- fore. They had a brand new rou tine with the exception of one num ber, and clicked much better than they did In their opening week. More acts of this sort would not at all hurt the so-called vanishing two-a-day frolics. Roy Cummings here not so long ago, was back again, with a different way of pre Renting his falling antics than In the past. Irene Shaw Is with him, as well as two male plants. Cum $12.50 WITH BATH II K.\l>Qr.-\RTERS FOB TUB PROFESSION AMBASSADOR HOTEL SAN FRANCISCO., CAL. RALPH H. OWEN, Manager CAMPBELL APT. HOTE 971 Blvd. Va. m» CATERING TO Til K. PROFESSION Slng-lo or Double Apartment! A Booml Gusrrini & Co Tea Ltaalaa •■« Lerent ACCORDION FACT0«Y la tat UaltM Stela Th« only Pmnofi Uiat tnakai any art of Reada - ma.lt to *t77.J7i Calueeaa A<taaa Sal Fraetltea Cel. mlngs opens In a balcony box with one of them, then does his fall to the stage, sings a song, falls Into the pit and then mnkes his getaway. Miss Shaw Is seen little, and little of. The new arrangement saves Cummings the trouble of taking hard falls, but his act Is not as en- joyable and snappy as the old one. Opening the second half came Marlon Sunshine, aided by Peter Larkin, with Jerry Moore at the piano Miss Sunshine is s' ill the rm&rt little trick as when work- ing with her sister. Tempest. She has the faculty of knowing how to deliver her wares. She has a great foil in Larkin who sings, dances and talks, which, of course, will help tiie turn keep going as long as they want to work. Next to closing came Alexander Carr in the same char- acter impressions he used on the Pantages' circuit two years ago at one-third the price. They have also been dispensed freely nt diffore.it affairs and house parties where Mr. Carr has been asked to entertain. But being before a friendly Sunday night audience Carr went great in his 23 minutes. He even told the folks confidentially that before he condescended to go into the dra- matic field he had been In musical comedy. To show that he had, Carr sang "Under the Matzos Tree," which dates back to the days of Wine, Women and Son" on the old Western Burlesque wheel. Possibly Carr figured that this number and Rosa Rosita" had been in musical shows. Carr should be a great bet for vodvll houses on his past reputa- tion, but to keep going In this field he should let his memory serve him better and do some of his charac- terizations from former shows he was in. Closing, were the quintet of George Choos' specialists, two male and two feminine dancers, and a vocalist. They have a great flash turn and an Injustice was done in spotting them in the closing niche. Vng. Last week's Pantages bill was better than some Pan bills, not so good as others, but all in all a good bill—for Pan. If that sounds a lit- tle involved, It's simply Intended to convey the Idea that the show hit the target If not the bull's-eye. In general, that's the best that can be said for most vaude shows since the big guns started deserting for pic- ture houses and productions. So far as Pantages Is concerned, the vaudeville is only half the en- tertainment—meaning that a good picture can discount a couple of cheesey acts. Last week the feature was Fox's "Ankles Preferred," with a combination of laughs and lin- gerie that ajaout touched the sweet tooth of the customers. The dumb division consisted of the McDonald Trio, polite bicycle turn, opening, and the Three Red- dingtons, bounding bed acrobats, closing. Both okay. • Howard and Ross, man and wom- an musical turn employing banjos, deuced nicely. The man juggles several small. banjos and presum- ably producing a tune from them while in motion. Suspicion of an assistant behind the olio naturally suggests Itself. Either way, he should build the trick more and throw a few herrings out to fool 'em. Prior to the third act a slide was flashed, giving a quotation from a dictionary of the meaning, of hokum Funk and Wagnalls entirely fall to adequately describe the famous commodity as retailed by Thomas Van, Esq., an exponent of the real thing, and Susie Vernon, his part- ner. They lay It on thick, and the thicker the better the Pantages mob liked it. Van later appeared for some cracks with Bob Albright. Jack Wyatt's Scotch lads and las- sies closed to applause occasioned by Wyatt's trick manipulation of the bass drum. Up to that point it elicited mild enthusiam. Bob Albright, with his cream- colored cowboy wardrobe, his pat- ter, ballads and two girl piano players scored. A second-run Aesop's Fables pre- ceded the acts. Those cartoon things are bad enough without being old. landmark downtown, Is being de- molished to be replaced by a new sou-seat house promoted by the Gumblner interests. It will be called the Tower. Don Ryan, former columnist on the Los Angeles "Evening Herald," haa written a story with a Los Angeles background called "Angel's Flight." Bonl and Llverlght will publish. "Angel's Flight" Is the name of a cable car that goes up a steep incline In Los Angeles. The completed United Artists the- atre which went Into construction last week will have a tower rising 254 feet. The California Petroleum Corporation haa taken a 30-year lease on the office space In the new building which is on Broadway, be- tween 9th and 10th. Virginia Kirtley Lyons, widow of the late Eddie Lyons; screen come- dian, is staging a come-back in the films to support herself and child. She is appearing in "Girls of To- day," a Rayart production, and has a contract with Columbia for one picture to follow. Mrs. Lyons was In pictures prior to her marriage and retirement. Is Zat So?" is clicking so well at date itely ilasco that the opening da! on "Yellow' postponed. A. J. Kelly, janitor of the Uptown (West Coast) found a vanity bag when cleaning up after the show. It contained (500 in currency and Jewelry. The honest janitor turned Oto and the house got in touch with Thomas E. Burke, Jack Robert- son, and W. It. Riddle sailed in a yacht last week to take moving pic- tures of the cannibals of Tlburon Islands. Edward D. Smith announces he will reopen the El Capitan, Holly- wood, with the long-deferred pro- duction of "The Firebrand." "The Yankee Clipper" (P. D. C.) will follow "Flesh and the Devil" as the next attraction at the Forum. Paul Claudel, French Ambassador to the United States, made a tour of the Hollywood studios. Gloria Swanson's home in Bev erly Hills Is being readied for the return of the star and her marquis. Mabel Normand has left Santa Monica Hospital after a severe at- tack of pneumonia. Chiro, astrologist, said to be count, announces he will make series of pictures demonstrating how fortunes may be read from the palm of the hand. He Is said to have previously made eight of these palmistry pictures in England. the blaze to be put out with very little damage. Universal has decided to change the title of "Les Lyon" to "The Crimson Hour." Edward Sloman Is directing this picture. Lou Bard Is building a 600-seat picture house on 8th street near Broadway, to be called Bard's Chi- nese theatre. Sid Grauman an- nounced that he was building a Chinese theatre In Hollywood some two-years ago. When he Informed Bard that he felt he had prior right to the title and that there might be confusion In the minds of the public as to which house was which, Bard consented to change the name to Bard's 8th Street the- atre. The house will be ready for opening May 15. Ruth Taylor, featured in Mack Sennett Comedies opposite Ben Turpin, Ralph Graves and Billy Bevan. has left that organization to freelance. Mrs. Wallace Reid has signed a contract with Sam Saxe to make two productions under the Lumas banner. They are "The Satin Woman" and "Hell Ship Bronson." Besides producing, Mrs. Reid is to be starred. Arthur Varney has begun pro- duction for Independent release of "The Expensive Set" at Tec-Art Studios. The story Is an original by Paul Allen Kruger. OKLAHOMA CITY Ruby. Nash, Ok la ., has closed permanently. been $100,000 theatre at Ponca City, Okla., is nearing C. P. Washmon is erecting a new 400-seat theatre at Roxana, Texas, named "Roxle." W. H. Youngblood has leased the Pantages theatre in Dallas. A bill was Introduced in the Okla- homa Legislature by Representative Faulk which prohibits the operation of theatres In Oklahoma on the Sabbath where admission is charged. Theatre people are fighting and It is thought that the bill will not C. E. Llndsey, booker for F. P.-L. at Oklahoma City, is recovering from an operation. A. A. Renfro, of Kansas City, has been appointed branch manager by Pathe at Oklahoma City, succeed- ing J. L. McKinncy, transferred to Dallas. George Leslie Smith, general man- ager of the Los Angeles Opera As- sociation, left for New York where he will Join Gaetano- Merola, musi- cal director. They will sail for Eu- rope to engage singers for the next season of opera to 1 Julie Lang has announced her engagement by the executive de- partment of Famous Players-Lasky to Cyril Hastings Eaton, an Eng- lishman, employed by the research department. The old Garrlck theatre, long a TIMES SQUARE TRUST COMPANY Seventh Avenue and 40th Street, New York With ample capital, experienced staff, board of directors comprising successful business and professional men (including Mr. WILLIAM MORRIS and Mr. KARL TAUSIG), Commercial Banking, Trust, Foreign Dept., Investment, Travel, Custom House Dept. THEUT—4% INTEREST SAFE DEPOSIT-MODERATE RATES TIMES SQUARE TRUST COMPANY iHi^lte«*d 4Mt-*i**. New York Hart Brothers leave shortly to Join the Ringliiut Bros.-Barnum and Bailey circus at Madison Square Garden, New York. It la their 17th season with the show. Mae Harrington, former vaude- villian, goes to New York April 1 to interview Al H. Woods about a play she wrote and submitted. The Pacific Electric Is taking Hollywood seriously since several legit theatres were opened there. They are now running special the- atre trains to the movie capital. Sid Grauman's Egyptian has al- ways called for several extra cars to handle the "break." KANSAS CITY By WILL. R. HUGHES Shubert—"The Last of Mrs. Chey- ney" (Ina Claire). Missouri—"Lovers In Quarantine' (National Players). Orpheum—Vaudeville. Mainstreet—"Affair of the Follies,' vaudeville. Newman—"The Scarlet Letter,' stage show (Publix). Royal—"It" (3d week). Pantages—Vaudeville, pictures. Garden—Vaudeville, pictures. Globe—Musical stock, pictures. Empress—Burlesque (Mutual). SAN FRANCISCO Dr. P. C. Cornell, many yearn manager Majestic, Buffalo, Is a coast visitor. "Abie's Irish Rose" is headed for the coast—playing Reno on the way In and booked for all of 'em—sticks, tanks and high grass along with the big towns. It looks like the clean- up before "Able" goes into the fillums. James Keogh. formerly with Saxe Brothers in Milwaukee, noyr with the Keith-Albee outfit. Is on the coast For what? Jlmmle isn't saying, but there are a lot of film and vaudeville men guessing about the amalgamation of the P. D. C- Pathe-Orpheum-Keith-Albee. OMAHA By ARCHIE J. BALEY Starting this week, the welfure board will have power to file com- plaints against theatres violating "the code of decency" in any way. The city council may revoke licenses if police Judges uphold the com- plaint. Helen Burke will join the Joe Marion company at the M Damage of between $7,000 to 810.- 000 was caused when fire broke out In the Isls Gardes, dance academy, beneath the Empress. Arthur J. Stolte. manager, is rushing work on the Riviera by donning overalls himself each morn- ing. He broke into the papers in this guise the other way. OAKLAND, CALIF. By WOOD SOANES Clem Pope, manager, T. & D., main West Coast house here, who resigned owing to ill health, was re- placed by Robert Harvey. "The Patsy," at the Fulton (stock). Is in its seventh week with business around $8,000 weekly, this showing a great profit for George Ebey, now in New York, lining up shows for next season. Jess Mendelsohn has replaced Betty McBeth as chorus director. State musical stock. "King Henry IV," with Frederick Blanchard as Falstaff, will be the following attraction at the Berkeley Playhouse. "The Little Spitfire" is underlined to follow "Th5 Patsy" at the Fulton. June De Rochie, am:iteur, has turned professional and has Joined the Henry Duffy Players In San Francisco. May 1 has been set for Lie ground breaking ceremonies of the new West Coast house in Oaklnd. The next bill by the Kansas City theatre will be "Minick," Edna Fer- ber's comedy, early in April. Harry Duncan, new manager of Fairyland Park, succeeded Sam Benjamin, who resigned. The contract of Alma Tell with the Morosco Stock expires April 2, and will not be renewed. Franklvn Underwood, now on the coast look- ing over "Synthetic Sin" on behalf of the Morsoco Holding Co., will se- lcet a successor. Elise Bernard, Mia Marvin. Henrv I Hall, King James, Albert Von Ant- j werp. Bruce Tayne and Wyndham Standing will appear In "Smiling | Through" at the Belmont. During the filming of one of the scenes of Jess Smith's production, "The Poor Nut." at the Tec-Art Studios, a loose electrical wire shorted one of the 3.300-volt cables on the stage, setting fire to a huge tarpaulin used on 1 the 1 set Fortu- nately, there were two ktatiomxry firehose connections that enabled John C. Hauserman, for several years secretary-treasurer. Fair- mount Park Association, has sold his stock and concession contracts to Mr. and Mrs. L. F. Ingersoll, in- terested in other park enterprises in western cities, and William W. Mor rison, a stockholder in the park. "At Mrs. Beam's," the last produc- tion of the Kansas City theatre, proved the best drawing attraction of the season, and for the first time this season there were turnaways. Gilbert Wells and Florence Brady, in Washington last week at the Palace (pets.), are sailing March 19 for London. They are to go into the Plcadilly Revels, plus the cus- tomary doubling done with this en- gagement. MOST ORIGINAL COFFEE SHOP la the Golden Wee* Carl—MULLER'S—Lill "TWO OLD TIMERS" Direct from Train or Theatre Voa Are Welcome 724 So. Hill St. Los Angeles Sale or Rental Scenery Drapes Art Flowers Wickerware Papier Machs Prologue Settings Lobby & Ballroom Decorations PAUL NOTE NEW ADDRESS FOR TAUSIG-SAILINGS & SON Steamship Accommodations Arranged on All Lines at Lowest Rates Forelsn Eichansa alio Taken Care Of. Bought and Sold Oldest Agency In U. S. 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