Variety (Jul 1927)

Wednesday. July 1 1927 BURLESQUE VARIETY 33 NEWS FROM THE DAIUES Tilts dtpartmtnt eontaina rewrtttan tftaatrlcal newt items a« pub* liahed during the week in the daily papers off New York, Chicago and tha Pacific Coast. Variety takes no credit for thtaa nawa itams; each haa baan rawrittan from m daily paper. JOAN COLLEHE DOUBLE SUICIDE TRY IN VAIN NEW YORK rhillip Dunning has betn inaUo freneral stag© director for the seven companips of 'Hroaflway." Tli«^ I^oston company goes into rehtaiHal Aug. 1. ll()l)t'rta Starr^Semple, 16-year-old daughter of Aimee Semple Mcl'her- aon, will open an evan;^< listio cam- paign in I^ew York in tlie fall. Bert N. Garten, an advertising nian of Ix)ui.svill(\ Ky., was n«'n- tenced aa a fourth offender under the Baumaa Law to life imprison- ment. A. E. Thomas' play. "Just Sup- pose," will open in the fall as a musical comedy and will be calle<i **Just Fancy." Fire was caused by defective wir- ing in the marquee of the George M. Cohiui theatre. culded in the loniraci i.s an aKJ«t- ment to change the name of the Kivoli to Itivoli-United Artiata. The United Cigar Stores Co. has eliarte*red a i)lane wiiieh will tour the leading cities of the country an a "flyiriK ei^ar store. " Tlie i)lane is to carry merchandise and siiles will be mnde. Jennie M. Benchley, niotiier of Robert Benchley, the draniath^ critic, was s< vcrly irijuied by an automoliile n^ar Ixer lioine in Wor- cester, Mojss. The Slate i5>mphoiiy Orehestra of New York has entered suit for $1,- 090 against tiie Gaelie .\!;isu- S..- eiety of America, claiming the so- ciety failed to pay for music fur- nished at three concerts. Cora C. WUkenning has asked the guprome Court to cancel a judgjumt of $498.92 obtained against her in 1919 by Mary Pickford. The case deals with commissions claimed as a theatrical agent. Maria Vero, .singer, now plavlnp vaudeville, settled outside of court the suit for $2,825 for Instruction in voice culture brought by (liuseppe Mauro, who says he gave her les- cons for two years while ahe was a iihop gtrl. Eddie Cantor's propose<l break-in of his "Brollies" material at Loew's Hillside and other houses has been called off at the instance of Florenz gi»gfeld George Ilassel, of "The Circus Princess," says he refused $100,000 to make four pictures for United Artists. C. Worthington Minor, technical director of the Actors theatre and stnge manager of "Saturday's Chil- dren," has been appointed to the faculty of Columbia University to lecture on the "mechanics of the theatre." Charles Fulton Oursler, play wrlfrht and executive of McFadden Publica tlons, was required to post $20,000 bond on complaint of his former wife. Rose K. Oursler, that he in tended leaving for Europe. The body of a man found In the Hudson river at Weehawken was Identified as that of Arthur J. Brook- field. 80, retired actor of 13 Berkley place, Brooklyn. The Paris prize In architecture of the Beaux Arts Institute of Design was awarded to Donald S. Nelson of Chicago for his design of a radio broadcasting .station. Thr> scholar- ship award is worth $3,600, and pro vides for two and one-half years' sttidy in Paris. Electric flash games on the Board- walk at Atlantic City were closed by the vice squad, acting under in- structions of Chief of Police Doran The.se games were banned last sum- mer. Sidney A. Marks, ex-convirt and promoter of a mytliical pj\)du( tion called "Spices of 1927," Was sen- tenced by Judge Allen In C.eneral Sessions to 10 years in Sing Sing on a charge of grand larceny. Mrs. Mena F. Ring's suit for $50. 000 against Thomas C. J. Hi)oney has been settled out of court. Mrs. Ring, who Is the motluM* of lilanche Ring, sought that amount when her husband was killed in 1924 by Rooney's car. McCorniitk Steele, husband of Marion l*'airlianks of the l-'.iirl>anks twins, spent the Fourth ol July in a cell for expressing a desire to ftght with a cop. CHICAGO Majority vote of justices of the state Supreme Court grants Russell T. Scott, under sentence of death for murder, a new trial on grounds that t'"« ^ previous decision to hang him was rendered undiT* biased opinions and therefore technically invalid. While setting aside the verdict, the Supreme C<»urt sev«.re- ly criticized Judge Marcus Kava- naugh, who signed the death order, and St.'ite's Attorney Robert E. Crowe, who prosecuted. Six times Scott has been yanked from the shadow of tlie gallows, four times on last-minute orders. Scott is accused of murdering Joseph Maurer, clerk, during the holdup of a I^oop drug store four years ago. Scott was lirst saved from death when his younger brother, Robert, who also took part in the holdup, confessed he was the murderer. Young Scott was sen- tenced to life. Scott was an actor at 20 and 10 years later a millionaire member of a Canadian bridge construction company. Forced out of the com- pany, he soon lo.st his fititune and was practically destitute at the time of tlie crime. Ravinia Park was formally opened with the oi)era "Chenier" last Sat- urday night. \ < ry g: od attendance and promise of a successful season. Samuel Kl< in, Chicago jeweler, and his fatiier, Morris KI' in, 1« ft Chicago by auto June 2S in ;ittempt to beat the tr.iin time to Los An- geles. Ne.ir Council Crove. Kansas, the car hit a concrete cul\crl, kill- ing Samuel Klein and fatally injur- ing the father. "Tommy," current New Y<»rk play, is sciie<luled for the Cort Theatre about September. Eleanor Coleman, Olympic swim- ming star, and l^avergne (Larry > Dilweg, all American end in 191:5, were niatried June 14 at Crown Point, Ind. The bill to annex "No Man's T^and," a strip of land Itetween VVil- mette and Kenilworth, theitby kill- ing Sunday movies in that territory, was defeated in the Illinois Legis- lature. The $100,000 /lamage suit brouglit against Edward West iirowning by Hence Shapiro, actress, for .'in al- leged attack in the real estate deal- er's office, was dismissed by Su- prenif Court Justice Mullan. Brown- ing's counsel said a stipulation h.id been entered into between the par- ties. iinaMd The Appellate division In Brook- lyn sustained an additional allow- ance of $4,.'iH4 to Mrs. Frances Heenan (Peaches) Browning for ex- penses in the separation action, won by Browning. "The Graphic," tabloid, was dis- missed of charges brouglit against It In Special Sessions court by John S. SuiiiiK r. s;I p'M int t tuli IIf nf 1li« S oci e t y for the Suppression of V**». The charge was based on accounts of flie Rrfiwning and Thaw c.i'Jes in the tab. together with the composite pictures printed. A half intercut In the leases of the nivoll and Rlnltn theatres hns been •'old by T'.ir.-ii.M.unt toI'nit«>d Aiti"-t--. Chlcago radio people held a din- ner dance at the Hotel niivi*^ July 1 in honor of Ann Howe, (iene House of WEBll acted as master of cere- monies. Dancer Took Veronal and Junfiped Out of Window— ''Wouldn't Sell Herself Station WQJ is being moved from tlie H.iinbow Cardcns to tl'c Hotel Salle, alongside WMAQ. Both stations operate on the snmc wave length. LOS ANGELES Mrs. Sarah Kerrick .itni four co- defendants, convicted of manslaugh- ter iti coiiriert ion witli tlo' sli<i(*ting of Tom J\errick, picture tewboy, April 27 last during a "wild gin party," weie sfnien id by .'^u|teri"r Judge Carhis Hardy t(» servt terms of from one to 10 year.s e;ich in San The other liis Buins. Hunt. The y iient in penitentiary, four are Atuta i)a\i.s, Henry lBa»>ell and Joe sent»nr»> came as a snri.rise after Ju»ige llaniy deniefl probation. re« - ommended by the distn< t attorney s ,,f!i,.. Their noifion f'^r I ail \\as deniiti, Oral huUck of app'al w.as ImniCMliatelv by I»«.ense At- tornev Stanley Visej. The V(rdict was uni«iiie in that it is the only one in history in whi< h live persons b.ive be<n found guilty of tli<; saiij« murtl' r. Milwaukee, July 5. Writing a note to a Milwaukee burlesque theatre Attache, her only friend here, that she would rather I die than "sell herself for a career," Joan Collette, 18. Chicago, dancer at Sam Pick's roadhouse here, at- tempted suicide by poison and jumping from a hotel window. The girl, known as Joan Cole in private life, came to .Mihv.'uikct :\ few weeks ago from an la-nie Young revue t<i tal.i^ a job at the I'ick place. According to reports from the police, she was discharged last week by Pick, who told her "she wasn't a good dancer and was too burlesque-like." Slie returned to her hotel and took an overdose of veronal. Ciuests in tne botel, hearing her moans, broke into her rtHun an«l, noting her condition, called the po- lice ambul.'in( e. While the r» si uers were i)honing the girl leaped from her bed and out of a window. She fell on the roof of the hotel kitchen, two stories below, on^y slightly shaken uj). Taken to the emergency hospital, a stomach pump wac employed and the poison remined. Two notes were found In the girl's room, one to th^ theatre man asking him to send her remains to Chicago; another to her mother. On regaining consciousjjcss the girl said she wrote the note to the theatre man because he was the only one here who had befiiended her, having received a letter of in- troduction to him from a Chicago friend. No ch.aiKes were pressed ag.alnst the girl, and she was taken to Chi- cago by her mother. Mutual at Toledo Controversy over the future of the Empire, Toledo, when Hurtlg & Seamon swung over frr>m Colum- bia Circuit to Mutu.al Wheel tliis se.ason, was readju.sted when the Columbia agreed to waive Its book- ing contract for the house, oper- ated by H. & S. HOETHW£ST WELCOMES TABS Milwaukee, Wis., July 5. After two weeks in Marinette, establisiiing a record for tabs In that town, where they heretofore have played only one week it ihe most, the LeVoy players were booked back Into Menominee, twin- city to the border town, for three more days;. tYom Marinette, the troniK' went to Green Bay for four days and their success there has resulted in their being re-lK)oked ifidefinltely, starting last Monday. ANOTHER STOCK BLOWS Stock burlesque folded up at the Cadillac, Detroit, after five weeks. The house will reopen in August, playing Mutual wheel attractions. Cleveland Stock Quits Stock burlesque has closed at the Columbia, Cleveland, with the house going dark. It reopens next month with a stbik policy. 125th St. Dark Stock burles(iue lias Hopped again at the 125th street. New York, with the house going dark. whih' rifling a incfor- > clc on \'en- tura boulevard. Minor injuries. 1). Wr()ttenl)erg, former lirht- wei^ht t'oxer knf)wn in the ring as l>i<k Hvlanil, was arresitd .'tn«l is in tho Orange ctuinty jail eb.arged with f.iiluie to Ptof) ami rend^-r aid after an autoniol)ile aeiident, in- toxication and possession of liquor. Iris Burns and Anita Davis, sen- t<ri( (<l null Mrs. ,**'aiali K» rri< k, Joe Hunt and Henry IsalM-ll to one to 10 years in San Quentin peniter.- tiary for mansl;Mj;;bt< r in fb«' •b .iib of Tom Kerrick. lilto eo vhoy, mad» rf»nf< ssion.*-' to Chi< f I'ob.ation Officer W. H. Hr.llarid Ih it .^arah Kerru k kiUotl bor huvb^r i fl Thf f<.rif« ssi..r. Scribncr-Hcrk Talking Again? Tiei»orts are about that Sam Sc^ibner of Uie Columbia and I. H. Herk of the Mutual wheels are speaking onct^ nioi>' t»' «in<- anotlior Wlutliir that presages any- thitig beyond a reunited frien<l- line.ss of sjdrit between tb« two bin b^(nie i» .tdcrs isn t nientituu'd in tlu- rumois. for soyie time through busi- nes.^ contlic'ts M»ssis. Sciib- ner and Herk ha\»> paf-s» d eacli other up. m »'onversatn»n and Oil the stieet or ofbies. Lately, however, they have been re|)orted meeting t>nc an- other, at luni li or in soum* hideaway with the usual spec- uliilinii as to "deals' hctw»"en the two wh« » Is. i\r individu.al matters of theatres or shows. BURLESQUE CHANGES J.'lke I'ot.n- li;is Coiupletrd the cast f<»r "Ivamly Kuls" uMulual) next season. It Ini'ludes Jessie Mc- Dtuiahl, M.ix Cohinan. Joe Hill, Marion O'Neill, Irving' Jacobs. Jack Mc.S»)rley. C.ladys M»'Corinack. <'ast for Otto Kllve's "Oinger Ciils" (.Mutual) for ni xt st ;ison in- cludes H.irry Clex, Art .\laylield. Fritizic White, Oeorge Wald. Mae Lorraine, Fred Falre. Anna De Voe. Cast for next so.ison's "Lathn' Thru" (Mutual) includes Joe Van, Billy De Gray, Mae Serpos, Jimmy Spera, Jack Price, Althea Collins and k» y Yonng. Complete cast for next .season's edition Of "The Bandbox Revue" (Mtual) Includes Jimmy Dugan, AI Flatico. Shiekee, M.'iry Hyan. Huth Darling, Clyde Schaeffer, Margie Burke and Saxo Sextet. Eddie Sullivan's "Dimpled Dar- lings" (Mutual) for next season in- cludes Oeorge Leon, Bessie Brooks, Dolly Beranger, Abe Sherr, Kddle Lorraye, Walter Marvin. Norma Noel an<l Tiryant W«tlf have been engaged by Hiutig *c Seamon to hedd one of the tHo of shows which the producers will operate over the Mutual Wheel next season. Next season's cairt for "Stolen ,«=?wef ts " (Mutual) Im hides Ch.u les "Limbo" Davis. Cus I'laig, Kdna Somers, I{«'e Bell, Artie Lewis, Thelma I^wls, MIMreil / Barr. Arh ne Winks. Joe Catalano has eompl« f'*l cast for "Bright lOyes" (Mutual) next season. It comprtfNNr Harry Le Vine, Joe Moss, Kitty Starr, Kdna OLYMPIC STOCK ("Pleasure'*) 8U»ck hurl««que, "I'leftaurt"; book aUiced by WMlter Brown and JanlM X. Francis: iiunibera staicea by l^llly Koiid; rvvieWM July 4. At CMynu'U un Ulh Btiv*!. SihuH* \V.liter Hrown •Fimtny.'. J.I Till s X Francis •"^''•'fty i;., .\|, \ Ulster I .inlwijf . Joliiiny W eber ...«'hic Hant(^r J'l'KKy l'»'Ki;y (.iilUjim A tiita. .,, .\nita Hm«* lr»'n»', IpTie Siiruu»'l<» •i^ rry. J« ri y M< i"aulfy Se.'irs, Huth Levine, Babe M OSS. Dailey Harry ll>lls, Sylvester Hoy, Twins and Tangee. liilly Mifflin sin>pl<'inted VVilsijn with the Tr«>cadero Philadelphia, this week. Joe Moss, Lew Petelle and Ann Claire Jhajf* been added. Chuck stock, Mutual Whed's Openiiig The Mutual Wheel will begin its season August 2<J with 38 weeks and as many .'itlr.icfions s't. Some of the houses list< d may open a week or two previously for a preliminary .srason, but the of- n< i.'il opening of the season wUI, .be the above date. List of houses and franchise holders will be reh.isod by I. H. Herk, head of Mutual, next w.eek... Slim btiuck lLi> . I e*n s* iifit nian. was i4 Lii-uiid-run driver failed to move Judge Hardy, who .«■< Titenced the An . t i '. I • be made to CJovemor e". <". \ oiing tVjr a pardon for thr' two wom*'n. Norma Donaldson, foar->ear-ol<l film actress, known ( ti ti e s-eref n (Continued on p;i^'e 51) "Africana" at Daly's Ethel Waters, In a new show en- titled "Afri« ana," opens july 11 at Daly's, New York. This show is said to also he a part of "Hlaek Cargo," .which Miss Wal- ters us« (1 as a revue over the T. O. ]'.. A. < ii< iiif. In tlie show are (luilintit an<l Hrown, VViniiYed and Mills, and T.isl ;ana F»»»ir. Houi/iet is Leitye Hoyd. Bennett's Mutual Show Jim L« nnett ha; be< n ;i\v.n<l< <l ;i prf)dining francijise on the Mutual llurlesqui- Wheel for next season. He will op< rato a show < ;i pt ifuu d "I'.enrM tt s j'.if.' I'.iririf r Hur i«•^-'|u< ." B*Tinett i'' heiidjfij.' fh» show and is currently in New Yoi k roimdln^^' up Pup|»orting cast. Am^mg tho,s<' enga^-'d ;ire lilfisvoin La Velio. Tommy Neill, J;u k Heynolds, Klla Sciir;' and Toots DeVonde, In Kvi>L\ at th. Worlds Fair in Chic.i^o. tlu'ie came it> uic Midway Pliilsance a dancer with a new type of viL'L'le. .<h«- brt ime immi r!.i; as "Littir lif^ypi." ;inil lur oi«ui went ir.to posterity as the posterioi and titiilar scries cf u'' >tui't« _\«l» pi "the lloo».liy Coocb.\ . ' Fauiiliarity breetling contempt, »1ahge<l it tf "the I'ooch. •■ Little Kgypt put the tair over and wiggled it off the nut. She has )H*ob. ably writhed to her just reward. But her soul and the rest t«f her go wiggling on. At the Olympic, on Hth sti-.Tt. adjaci-nt to Tammany Hall, it is Uie sole stand-by of Pleasure," How 16 numbers can be put on and put across, each with no less than six encores on stage nnd up ami iKns n two ais;«> l unways, and every variation and adaptation of each start.' remain and linlsh as a cooch movement, seems incre<lible. iiut much alHjut the Olympic Stock is that way. ' There are scveial big-time coml(M|. of this ciatt, known to ilie fore- most wheels—Walter Brown, Jobn- ny Weber, Shorty McAllister. Chic Hunter, Anita Hose, for Instance, The piece Is, excu.sably. thrown to- getlier hastily—that h.is always been the fodder for stock burlesque; and the book Is a repeiitiun of all the time-battered gimmick bits, stage-money pa.sses, dips, sail Is. fake bookies—yes, not letting out the 'So Long" ga.-, the "carfare" weep, the picketpocket license racket—everything but "Irish Jua- ti( ( ' and *ri>^liisKy'« Paiirnslioi^'* (with both suggested). Comedy is crude, rude, blue and brutal. But that Is Just what the Hth street craves, and what it gets. The dames ure of the expected tyr'cs, with one or two youngsters looking snappy. N«»m- can lift ft foot higher tb.in the other knee— and thxt t.akes in the dancing prin- < ipals—but every last one can toss a toiso with the (Mil in Blue of saint«Ml rec<dleciions, and dues so through probably 96 series Of shakes and shivers per routine. They wriggle frontward, they wriggle ba«'kwnrd; they wrigi;le through ballads and they wriggle through jazz; they wriggle on, they urip/glo through and they wriggle off—with an ^xtra little wriggle in the exit for a wriuKle-away; they wriggle slow antl they wriggle fast, they wriggle standing, sitting, bend- ing, l.ving down, crawling, Jumping, Charlestunlng, bucking, winging, sin'.,'lnir* talking, ogling, lauirhinc* and—- Tlie fir.st .act linale i.s a cold ste.al on the "ilalh lujali ' number of "Hit th<< Deck," lifted lock, stock and barrel, all the lyrit s and muhic and business, the mass formation, the bands up, down and outwar<l. the prayer-sa.lire, and all; but as tlio olio comes down the show ffoes into itself for a se> ond .'iiid tho Whpl# troupe d'Ms what? Wriggles, They don't wriggle only their middle zoru s—they wriggle all de- partments. They wear one set of blue br . sieres, iMdhing behind ex- cept slenucr white elastic, and one who sits tiiroiij-Tb it «an sof. bob- bing blue in his dre.ims for a we< k if his dreams are wriggly. The admission top is 11.10, with the stat.'^ along the runways the choice. The house was orderly for its iicr.vonnel. No loud claftr'ring for encores, no wliistling or stamp- ing. One clap—even by a blaso n.'^her -w.'is enoir.'h to ligiit ut) the •unways and start the gals wrig- gling up and back again once more. 'I'he ^'irls kept rotating endlessl\ so that the same girl never landed in the same wriggling location twice, tlui'-- prot'< tiii;^' au :inst monot<'ny ami giving each patron a close-up of each wriggler In the course of the evening. "Pleasure" measures up to enter- i.'iinment in this se( tion, which has ' long b< ' ri f»n» of the surviving I.viands ol .- tor k burley-<i in summer. It must b» O. K. or It wouldn't !.'i;-t so lotiK ;ifid sti'I; s») st'.olily. * Tlie u: ii;ii low i»itclics Willi pri'/.e. Iiackiige candy, bo»,ks e\p(»sing gyi>» ;ind *fi'*-n f»ap< r lily cups for a dr.nk r.f M.-iN r Wer. b,il!\booed in tlu; In- tel niis.-^ ions, 'i iie book lipping off the "trails antl tricks' of "iiunco • f< < rerv, ' eiilo^'i/e'.' I»eteetive Clif- ton W<joMi Jdf;e <»f the Chic.-jgo po- Il( r- depiifm<nt (whf) w.'ts dropi>ed fr om the fot <. in r.M»7) and tells of svNindie.s ji^'ainst farmers at tho Northwestern station there (de- molislnd in lIM.in. J'he book of Uie fiieee [h of even Mutual at Akron Orarid, Akron rd.io will pla.\ .Mu- tual Whr'I .'irtr.o f i(.ns ro M s« isoti. the stand ha\ irip been aibb d to tbf Mutual llin«.iary Ja.^l week. mrire archaic vinraue. jiui iUril things go fill fof*\e!-, like the spirit and t<(hnii|ue of Little F-rypt. And if they hav" lost tiie ; .\or of nov- elty, they <i the flavor of irenuine animu' "-'leh they inti ig-ue the hi-^'oiie Jf nc'l the his- irionic appttite. LuiU laiiteii