Variety (Aug 1927)

VARIETY'S LONDON OFFICE 8 St Martin's Pbee, Trafalgar Squarv FOREIGN CABLE ADDRESS, VARIETY, LONDON 2096-3199 Regent Wednesday, August 3, 1927 J0YSANDa001HS0FBR0iy)WAY FtaKo mother!<. Oceans or type have bean printed on the cood or evil eftf'ct of niiitliers on youngsteis starting out In show buslnen. Our ex- perience with stage niotliers has been vut. We have "stood for" more mothers of a.sjiiring youngsters than any one would, through force of necosKitf. and we say without hesitation that nine times out of 10 the iil>^Vlt«iw'liM^m.«liiljls In the way of a daughter's career. Zealous Mothers There arc mothers and mothers. W'e lint)\v some we are always happy to include in our parties. We know others whose children are too talented, that wtthout the troublesome mother their rise to Mardom wouM be rapid, but whose careers are ruined by the over-anxious parent. We know a child star who's a little pcniiis. liut we never play her, even at benefits, iieciu.se of lier nitttlier. Kii"w a ^orKeous iittio tw dan<M-r. just a child, who two years ago played at many of the opening of Lioew theatres, parties, etc., and seemed headed straight for stardom. At 16 years old she became premier ballerina of a hln revue which opened in Atlantic City. The future looked bripiit. Two weeks later she was out The reasC'n? We a-sked her agent. "Life is tnr) ^.huit to stand for her mother," he said. She went to work in a cafe. The opening niRht a »»yffcwM «!llt> TI»..aalt|tHfin , gtrl ts succeeding. Eventually •hell b<» a •tai'. But shA'd t>« one now It if Were not for her mother. Cafes have to put up witti the mother evil more than shows. The Guinan club was always filled with mothers. When we wrote the first ■how for the BI Fey Club for Texas Outnan almost four years ago we fitted up a special room next to the drensing room for th* mothers of that hand-picked chorus. Kvery girl brouRht her mother every night. The difference was that nil the mothers were "regular," were there as companions for their daughters, not as watch-dogs. Bawlwr Mottisp One little blonde kM a mother who looks like her sister. They both oame to a party w« (ave at the home of a friend of ours. The aietlMr toolc a drink la W tinguarded moment. The daughter, then IS, 'WM tarlMn. SIM teirtt; Mr jnotMc' oat of tiiei* and the lattw was *t>awied out" fttr days afterwards. Believe me, mother never did it again. One kid worked in a cafe a few y<'ars ago who also had a young mother. It wasn't easy for the two of them to live on $60 a week, so Mi« m e tfcw cot a i»|> as li o a t eaa ln> th« wuaa c^fti where the kM mrked aa • iH^tilht* ctrL Fraqiiently the two woi^ b* <■ the mim partyi their re k tliwilUp imkBown. Sensible Mother ni take my hat oft to the mother of Dolores Farrls, star dancer of tta Silver Slipper for some time; to the mother of Harriett Marned, of the ilrst El Fey show, now at the Frivolity; Rubye Keeler's mother: •ad a tew others like that They help their daughters get along, trust them anywhere and understand show business. The girls benefit by it. We know a young boy dancer, about 16, who is marvelous. Wherever he goes he is accompanied by his mother. Time after time he gets a Job and loses it. The mother spoils everything for the poor kid by her •illy protectorate and her impossible demands for him. If he could break away aaS go "on his own" he'd be much better. We khow another amazing dancer, a boy, who has played in Broadway revues, whose mother keeps such a close watch over him that she never lets him go out alcne or with a girl. This was up to a year SffOt when he was 17. We don't know what he's done since then. Motherly Advlee Our advice to mothers of young ambitious kids is to leave them alone. Ijet tiiem look for their own jobs and make their own way. A former Follies girl who occasionally played .in the movies, some years ago, had a mother who never left her. She somehow got away on a party alone one night. We happened to be there. Well—what's the uael Kverythlnc the kid bad wanted to do all the years she did that Bight. Tb* last «• beard aba's sUU doing fboa. When a Girl's Good Most of the kids we know have no mothers or else they live in other eiUea We find they're Just as good without parental protection. We remember one kid vividly . She worked in a night club and supported her mother, who Itved in Philadelphia. Needed more money, so re hearsed and worked in a show at the same time. Constant rehearsals, playing in the show and the night club undermined her health. Winter came. She had no warm coat. She lived near the apartment house we did and we frequently took her home. Remarked about the need of clothes. Refused to accept help. She frequently told of turning dowa "propoaitlona^ aad tbey laeiaded wana oladifK Tamed them all down. Then came a letter from her. She had tuberculrtsis. Would we help ber to go to a warmer climate. We did. Lost track of her. Heard slio was dead In Arizona. Name is Kitty Banks, at one time "the perfect bathing girl," and won many prizes for face and flgura. Tbat kid, aad bundreds like her, need no mothers as guards. SAME Aa DOES SAME WALK FOR SAME REASON Ivondon, AiiR- 2. Val Harris and Vera Grilfln are sailing' Xug. 10 OD the "Ilumerie" after twice about to debut over here, walking out on the bills. Yesterday the couple left the Coli- seum flat when finding' their pro- gram position had been set for the No. 2 Spot. They recently walked out of the Alhambim for th« same reason. Harry Foster's Kit Cat T.,ondon. Aup. 2. Harry f'ostor will opt-rate the Kit Cat under his own direction com- mencing In October. No headline ns the opening attraction has yet been settled upon. The Foster manag'ement will make a public restaurant out of the for- mer cabaret, which lost its license when selling liquor after hours. Papers for the transfer have been sfj?ned with Foster depesltlng the initial payment. FOREIGNERS IN U. S. PICTURES Hollywood. July 17. ▲ partial list pf forel^ere In pictures in the Hollywood colony; their capacity, cmployinr, nativity and how long over here? Name. Occupatfon. Studio. Blrthplao*. Michael Curtlz. Occupatfon. Studio. iJireclor.,.. War. Hroa.. Kenjamln <;hriJ«tensen. l>irei Victor Seastrom DirtTtor UretA Oartra Actress. Vlatcheslav TtiurJsjuky.Diraclor. Karl " K. Arthur. l)an*> Il.ir • I'l "B. A E. KAir' ACQ. 30 London, Aug. 2. * "The Butter and Elgg Man" will open at the Garrick Aup. 30 with what amounts to an Ail-American cast. Aug. 23-week the show will break in la the,Provinces. Tom Dooglaa will play the role of Peter. SAILNIGS Atlg. li (New Tork to Liondon). Louis Bernstein (Majestic). Aug:. 10 (London to New York): Harry Roye. Blllee Maye (Veend- taam). Aug. 10 (liOndon to New Tork): Val Karris, Vera Griffin (Homeric). Aug. I (London to New York): Olin HoUand (Leviathan). Aug. • (New Tork to London), Aileen Stanley. E. Butterworth, Mrs. M. MuggerldKe and son (Adriatic). Aug. 6 (New York to London), Claff and Wagner (Tueeanla). Aug. 6 (New Toric to liOndon), Joe Termini (Paris). Aug. 1 (New Tork to London)— Gertrude Lawrence (Olympic). Reported through Paul Tausig & Son, 686 7th avenue: Aug. 1 (New York to Paris). Harry Pllcer (Leviathan). Aug. 1 (New York to London), Dave Thursby (Pranconia). July 30 (London to New Tork): Jack Potter, Eddie Darling, Beatrice Lillle. Jean Murray. Robert Chis- holm (Berengaria). Vilma lt.inky Marcel !>« Sano... Lupita Veles Miax DavMHon Stan L*aur<*l Jimmy Kinlttyson.. Jfse DcvoFfka.... NilB Afther Cilbrrt lEolaiicI RoRita tHjra r!;ikI;iMnvii. . . Iltii btTt ItrtTuui. .. Krt ii >le (Ire.-*;!!-. .. , K, W. Murn.m L>fl..rt.'8 Uvl liio... (Jr'ia .NiHSPn Mariii ("asujuana.. Riny .Ni-rlon .Actor. .Actor.. ..\rtor.. . Dir.-.'ior. ...M-U-M.. ...U-Q'U.... ...M-a-ii.... ...M-a-M.... . ..M-(J-M.... ...M-G-M.. , .IiuOapMt, UuDgary . .Vibors, Denmark .Varmiand. 8wed«u StoektaolBl, ttwadm. ..Kiev. RuHla ..Ab*rdMn, Scotland , .. Copenhasen, Denmark..... ..Gothenburc, Sweden ...s. Ooldwyn..Ensland , (kildwyn..Hnncary , ..H. Oo1dwyn..Roumanla , ..Hal Roa«-h. ..San L^ouii PotosI, Uozloo.. .A- tor Hal Roai.-h.. .Germany , .Actor .Hal KoBch...IJlverston, England .Actor Htl Roach.. .Falkirk. Scotland. , .Actor Hal Roach. ..Rlsa, Russia. ... - Actor.. AiUor .^rtr.-*s . , . . .A. Ue.ts. . . . . .l>ilei t.>r- .... Writer.. - ... .DIroi tor. .... Actn-as.. ....Actress.. ....Actress.. ....AetBT.... .. .Actor.... .United Art,. .Malmo. .Sweden .l.'nlti'c) Art. . .('hihuahuu. Mexico.. . rnh.'il Arl. . . .M:i Iri !, Sjmin . I nn, (i Art. . . Ilu .Ui.ltfl Arl. . Tnitt d Art. . F.v TlmelMt% • • i.> ..2tyeiini .. i: > t-ars • .< >tiir» • -^'j yean ••11 years - ■ * yt are • •« y^ara • •& yean • •11 years • -4 montha Hn«t of • •!* Jenni ..1" .. 1" > cars • -l* IlKJIithg .. >* y»^re ■ ■ b month* , . .Fux.... . .Fox.... ..Vox.... . .Fox.... ..Fox.... . .Fox.... ..Fox.. Ro.ilI Ri sine Actor. Tfi Mf.N^im.ira Ac-fur.. A>c l-'r.tn. ia A. tor.. May KilKinton Writer Ivan Mo5)ul{ine Actor.. ' 'unra<I Vi-idt Actor.. Paul l.»cni Director... .Univers.'il. jM»n Hfrsholt Actor Universal. Hdward Sl»man Director....Ustveraal. Reginald Denny Actor. UnlverMl. Rarbara Kent Actreaa Uslveraal. ('bines Puffy Actor Univeraal. J^*^'"'^^ aoyt-arf. Paris. France On and otf i rnnany 6 months > * ^J*"*'^" 2 years Norway 8 years win • ......BmonthS Argentina IHmoutW Fnvland 4 year* Denmark 14niont^' Australia i >ear Haydpn Ptt vcnson. Krn.'^t I.Jicmmle Willy Wylrr R^la Sf'kely , F'aul Kohncr Max Kimmlch HJdward Montacne.. .Actor Universal. .Director... .Universal.. .Director... .UnU'eraal.. .Sujiervisor. .Univeraal.. .Supervisor. .Univeraal.. .Writer Universal.. .Head of Sce- nario Dept.Univeraal., Bead Camera DepC Christie.... SIff Herslv Writer. rhrt-'^tlc.... Ernest liavalls Plira editor.ChriMie. Fox England 15 y«an ..Fox KnKland . .T'nivers.il.. . .Hu^-Bla ,, 1 year Universal... .Cermany •....lyfsr " .Cermany 1 year .I>enmark 1» years .England 25 years .England 9 year* .Canada 2 years .Hungary ; ..4 years .Kniflan'l ,. 20 years .Uermany , A years France ;...Ay«an .OennsBx . Bhcland .9i SSyesffS 2n y« Donald Crisp Director De.Miile Jetta Gouda! Actreas DeUille.. Rupert Julian , Ivan I.<ebedeff Sonya Levten Josephine Norman. Maris Prsvoat May Robsoa J. Schlldkraut.. t-ars ...10 >»'ai9 .. .Ul 1 ears .. .8 yt«ra ...17 years .. .2 yesfs . .90 years ^jrssrs .17 years AntoB Nsnr., _ _ Budapest, Hungary- Germany Kiiglund Kngland France Dir«ctor....l>eMine New Zealand ..Actor. DeMille Lithuania : . .Scenarist.. .DeMllle Ukraine ..AetreM DeMllle Austria ..Actress DeMllle Canada ..Aetma DeMllle Australia ..Actor DeMllle Austria _ Sohfldkraut Actor DeMllle Turkey 17 years Fred Stanley Scenart.'rt..-DeMille England 1 ye*ir Victor Varconl Actor .Dtilille Hungary 3 years H. II. W arner Actor.. i DeMllle...... Fingtand 21! years George Fitzmaurlce... .Director... .First Nat... .PariH, France ^....■•..10 years Alexander Korda Director... .First Nat.... Hungary year Charles Brabln Director... .First Nat..Liverpool, Kngiand.i*.; 12 years Dorothy Mackalll Actress First Nat....Hull, England 6 years Anna Q. Nllsaon Actress First Nat....Y8Ud. Sweden 15 years , Msrfa Cords Actress.....First Nst....Budapest, Hnngary 1 year NatU Ban- Actress First Nat...'Iienlngrad, Russia 1 year Tola d'Avril Actrrss First Nat..ParlM, Fiance 8 >«Brfl Paul Vlncentl Actor First Nat. .• •Budapest. Huncary 6 months Arl'*tte Marchal Aclre.ss T-F-L Paris, France li yearn Pola Negri Actrcpo P-F-Ij Bromlierg, I'oland 6 years Marietta Millner Actresa I'-F-L. VUnna. Austria 1 year Vera Voronina Actress P-F-Tj < •licFsa, Russia C months • Ralph ForbeH Actor P-K-L. Ixm.lon, Knjtinnd 3 years Umil Jannlngs Actor P-F>U Born here, left for Germany at age of 1 year 9 SMBlMi Cllve Braolta Actor. P-F-L... Liondon, England S,yssi« A mold Kent Actor P-F-L Florence, 11al y 2 years Philip StranKe Actor P-F-1* Henley-on-the-Thamas. Eng. .2 years Edwar.1 .^uth'-rlrind Dirw-tor P-F-I., Lond.-n. Englan.i. Erlrh Von St roheim. . ..Director... .P-K-L Vienna, Austria.. Harry D'Arrast Director. Krnst I.uliitBch Direcli Joseph Von Sternberg..Director. Mauritz Stiller Director. I*iJo« Riro Writer... Klinor Glyn Writer... Alfred Savar Writer... _ _ _ Ernest Vodja Writer. P-F-U. P. G. Wodehouas Writer. P-F-U. K-I, P-F-I.. P-F-I.. P-F-I. , P-F-U P-F-U..... P-F-L , 18 years .■Argentina « . .Oermany • years . .Germany ••4...........ad ..SwioJen .....tySSV* . -Budapest, Hungary ......id ..Oanada ..Franc* ..•••■-••.« .. Budapest, Hungary ..England m NEWPORT Little IJoroe Leslie wnrked In the Silver Slipper for almofit two years. 6ho went with the tXl. Wynn show, then played movie house, around Chlcaco, and nturMd te .NaW ToA. iMt waafc She iiu 14 wbra ibe left. Coming hick none of her Mendi! knew hw. Ineldcntnlly, we rreiliet thM Doroe In a fln4.> BW'tiMTtlliaff, 'Voice, Infinite beauty, ynuth, nml amazing danee ablHtyi' VadwMMMI OMrse White win take her. She Is star material. Bob O'Donnalfa Wis. Crack Phil Baker, Jay Flippen, Happy Jana, and a host of other show stars were In the Frivolity one nlf,'l>t last week. They started a Kssion of ad lib comedy which lasted one hoiv and 20 minutes and Included every- tbtxm from Phil Baker doing a buck dance to FUppen and Whalen wraatlinc on the floor. Bob O'Donnell, former denizen of Times Square. SOW In charge of the Inlcrst.ate Cireult. (jazed on their antics In amaze- ■Mnt. He sadly shouk hin he.nl and remarked: ""Alld those are the guy:j who wouldn't do four shows In Dallas." Flier's Own Stories Prondway helped entei-tain the quaxtot of fliera from the America when tliey returned from I'aris. We Kave Lieut. Cleortje >i;oville a party two nightB before he left and the iiiKlit after he returned. Talked con- fidentially of the trip. Must amazing thing to me about the whole Journey, Is the fact that the most Interesting farts regarding It were never written, in spite of the fact that all four fliers published signed •rtlciea describing it. Same with the Lindbergh trip. LIndy told us more Interesting m.aterial regarding hs trip than any newspaper had had. Reason Is that no trained new»pap(r men could get the re.%1 f.orts Wi e l l le r a thcm aylveB don' t un de rst a n d the rolativo values of what happens In the air. What may accm Incidents to them are vital bits of «rama to a tralttad roporter. Kewport, Jalj 10. The opening night of the six weeks' sea-ion at the Casino The- atre, Newport, found a brilliant audience assembled to iMtness "Hamlet" In modern dreas, with Basil Sydney in the title .role. Mary Ellis as Ophelia, Helen Ware as the queen. Kenneth Hunter as the king. Walter Kingsford as Po- lonius, Eidsar Kent aa Horatio, Alexander Clark, Jr., aa Laertes, Herbert Ranson as the ghost, H.ard- wlck Nevin as Rosencrantz, Theo- dore Hecht as Guildcnstern, Harold Webster as Osric, Marion Morehouse as the Player Queen, and Mr. Kingsford doubling as the first gravedlgger. The 600-seat house was three- quarters filled, and some people sent their servants. Moses Taylor, who Is president of the organization, had five of his servitors sitting In a row, leading in the applause. Helen '\\'are gave a splendid per- formance as the queen. Kenneth Hunter was excellent as the king. Mary Ellis was only fair as Ophelia. Many people departed after the second act. Including Mrs. Julian w. RobUns, mother of Julia Hoyt. lAo Is In the oast of a forthcom- ing play in the repertoire. With her went her other daughter, Mrs. William Lawrence Marsh, and that lady's third husband. The Barretts An old Newporter. In commenting upon the reopeninp of the venerable Casino Theatre, after its neglect for a quarter of a century, has referred to the "stranglehold'' on Casino ac- tivities held ty members of the Barrett family. For more th.on forty-flvc years the father, with not a gray hair to be seen, was the Buperin t sa d t B tttJUagMlMHW, co- incident wfth WP^nMRfm, his daughter, a middle-aged spinster, Miss Lillian Barrett, with an 1890 coiffure, Is Installed as secretary. All that remains Is for the company to revive her play, "The Rice of the Gods," which Mrs. FIske jiTo- duced a few years ago, or to get her brother, Richard, who has publish- ed a novel, to write a play. De Lux. Supers As was to have been expected, some of the young people of the fashionable colony have been only too (lad to serve as supers in the (Continued on page 3«) LONDON London, July 28. Jeffery Farnol, Knglish author, is writing a serial play to be published in the "Radio Times," the official organ of the BrttWl Broadcasting Company, with a eireutatlon of over a million copies weekly. It will b* more or less on the lines of a mys- tery play, with the solution unpub- lished. On the date of the publica- tion of the final chapter, R. A. Roberts, the eminent protean actor, will broadcast the piece in brief, together with the denouement. It is expected considerable Interest will be aroused in the propoaUioBt The idea belongs to Roberts^ A new [.lay l,y Miles MaBeSMi (whoso "Tlie Faiinlies" is dohtff sound business at the Queen's), has been acquired by Dennis Kndie, who will present It at the Royalty, his usual headqu.irters, In August. Phyllis Titmuss, who appearMi wMk him in "The .Toker,'' his last |llaT> will be opposite him. Chrlssle 'White and Henry Ed- wards, film stars, are returning to the stage In the autumn In a play 'written by Edwards, called "The Man 'Who Took a Chance." By the end of .July nine houses (Continue.i on page 29) Cat. Shook Hands Gogd-Bye Novllle told me, while in the Slipper one night, that one hour before they landed they .all (Igured they were due for a quick death, didn't think they had a ch.-in. e to esi apc, and .ihook hands good-hye. When the ship came duwu tbey hud no assurance that they wer* over water but hoped for the best. They dropped and landed in water by a margin of 300 yards. They hod figured, and hoped, that they were ftir out to sea, yet landed In shallow water within sight of the c<»rst. Balchen brouglit the ship down. Bert Acosta was blind from incessant staring into the fog and darkness without a windshield, which wa.s constantly fogged up Incidentally, Novllle and the boys had a great time In Paris, par- ticularly when they could sneak away from the official reception com- mltt... and ehnm .miiiid with . f«w Amerlenn celebrities over there. WILLIAM MORRIS AOENrr im MORRIS WM HORBIS. fW^ 1660 Broadway, New 'v'ork A Parachute ..premise Novllle told me a story about an old Irish sergeant at Dayton who is known as the best parachute folder In the army. Folding a patachiite correctly, so that It will break open Immediately, is an art. All fliers must make at least one parachute Jump a year and always go to the oljl sergeant to get him to fold a 'chute for them. He Invariably tells them: "If this one doesn't work, come back and I'll give you another." THE TILLER SCH00I3 OP DANCINQ L.icester House. 10-11 Great Newport St* LONDON. W. C. 2 Trle^nphlr Addrr*.; TIPTOFS WK<TI!.\M1 I<.':n07« Director, Mrs. Jeiua Tiller