Variety (Jan 1928)

YEAR IN UWmH ■ v»udftvlI1« to ff«n«nai9r MMptod throughout the country aa rtiot. That vaudeville Intended is the Conner and what U Uft of the biir fiine vaudeville. Other vaudeville remains. The vaudeville of today ae re- ferred to in common and generally, means vaudeville acts, more fluent than eyer. There are no lines of limitations to vaudeville now. It ie in what ^e known as vaudeville houses; it's la musical and comedy productions; It's even In a dramatic piece here •,nd there, and more so than all the Others combined. It's in the picture houses. ' Where thera were in the former times one vaudeville theatre play- tng acts, ther^ are now six picture houses playing acta. Some are play- ing the same acts that appeared in the vaudeville houses. But picture houses are playing many acta that have never yet played In vMido- Vllle theatres. What's an Act? Any person or persons doing a iq;>eciulty upon a stage Is or aro a twm or an act. A performer of vaudeville, a term rightfully de- iKrlptive. but gone Into disuse ovm here. The performer, man or worn- (an. specialised In the turn he or she did upon the stage of grreater 0r lesser versatility and more often ft specialty of a single lino. 80 the l>erformance is now a specialty. By aping, copying and infringing, the area of the act has become iirldely extended. Any steps now constitute a dancer; any m«nwr to accepted as a comic, and any per- son with nerve is still called a nut. if all were ground up together and the real performer oztracted from the mass, the mass would davitoHRr a real performer in every 20. This all contributed to the de- cline of vaudeville; big time vaude- irille that decided It could make money back stage by cutting sal- aries of the actors and engaging Ihe apes of the show business for cheaper salary, thereby encourag- ing the material and act thief, or following one style of stage work. That's the vaudeville of the cic i * ■non knowledge kind as Is today, the meager number of two-a-day vaudeville houses remaining and others playing the pop styla iNittdis* Tille, inaugurated over here by the EfOew Circuit, which still continues it as a part of Its large variety Chain, and since followed in tho pop policy by the former big time cir- cuits—Keith's and Orpheum hMMML In a Fix Being primarily vaudeville elr- Cttlts and disdaining pictures for years, Keith's and the Orpheum, when finding themselves confronted With the necessity of adding on pic- tures, also discovered fhat through that very disdain In years past, they had no one who knew any- thing about pictures nor did they have any source to ftpply tc m&t already taken over for a reliable supply of weekly progrram pictures. Besides which, limited in theatre capaeitlM, they found themsdves in the complex position that they have been desparately striving to ex- tricate themselves from ever since. In this effort they again found the picture house superior to them. In the matter of bidding for attrac- tions, through the picture people having several large capacity the- Strss for every one the vaude- ville people operated. It left the Keith and Orpheum circuits short on two ends and the only ends Where the box office could depend upon, pictures and vaudeville. Where the vaudeville bookers sought to save |50 on a $300 turn or place the limit of $3,600 on any act, the picture houses raised the ealary of the $300 turn to $400 and paid $6,000 for the act the vaude- ville houses wouldn't give over 13.600. Then the vaudeville top admis- sion was maintained, according to their precepts, at $1.26 or mora up to $3.30 for the vaudeville the peo- ple didn't matfiitiny care to want at those prices, as again.si the pic- ture house mixed entertainment the fnasses did want at 60c., 60c., 75c.. or, ;it the very mo.'^t, 99'-. t-.p There was no comparison in entertain- ment or price. ^ 14 vs. 80 If ther<> V ero one differcn-e that could have reacted in favor of the Vaudeville houses It was the twlce- performanee-a-day ttaatre or 14 shows a week, as against the 30 PTfiirman* . s weekly in the picture th^ntre, Jiui as the twice-daily theatres fell away, with tboss IhcatiiM rmrt^BT WThres or more shows dailsr, smouatlng to 23 per- formances a week; that left but little choice between the SO of the film palaces or the tS of the vaude- ville houses. With again the liberality of the picture house In believing It should pay value, contrasted with the vaudeville theatre which wanted the act formerly playing 14 shows a week to play 23 at tlie same salary. The two-a-day act was asked to Play sho#s a we^ and also often asked to arcopt a cut in salary by the vaudeville bookers on the plea that it was dimcult for the three- a-day vsttdevills houM to maka a profit. This led the act to oonelude it had better go where It could get the most money, because if It had to he shut in all day it might as well be shut la |ho thoatre that paid tha most. Cut 8alary The big time found Uiat its sweet dJ^isssing foomo had wo appeal, nor were they any lure for the actor who had to play and dress in them at a' cut salary. And he found that the dressing rooms, as well as the backstage conditions of the picture theatre were Just as pleasant, even If not more so, without house and stage manager telling him how and what to do and without having to waste Monday morning reading the signs on the walls. This condition had been slowly working Itself about for nearly three years. It was not new to 1927. This year, however, the condition has reached Its apex in the greatest low nombar of two-a-day vaudeville houses since B. F. Keith founded vaudeville around 1885. and since S. F. Albee Joined the late Mr. Keith Ml Us general manager soms years after that date. K-A Dominance The real event in vaudeville this year but lately occurred. It's the merger of tha Orphonm Ciroult Into the Kelth-Albee Circuit. For that Is the kind oi mergas It Is. The K-A Circuit will take over the dominance of the ontho chain, leav- ing the former Orpheum executives, if any are eventually left, la a very secondary position. WMMt thsre has been a merger of the two oldest variety circuits of the country, showmen say they fail to see where there will be any Im- provomoat of elBcieaey In operation. The K-A-Orpheum combination Is without a theatre operator. It never had but one theatre operator, J. J. IfuMock. Murder's also president of the Pathe pictures. That Is another K-A merger in the picture field, and, so far, of meagre consoQUence as a feature Him pro- ducer. Murdock's attention as called for In the development of the picture combination cannot be given to the operation of the combined vaudeville houses. He has operated Keith vaudeville theatres for years. Murdock may engineer the theatri- cal manipulations of the K-A-Or- pheum Juncture until the Joint chain Is finally set, but he cannot operate the theatres, or If he does, Murdock win find it necessary to abandon tha picture post. Orpheum's Handicaps The Orpheum Circuit since Mar- cus Heiman beoame Its president has run without a theatre operator. That was self evident from the manner in which the circuit ran. The Orpheum Circuit since the days of Martin Beck as Its president, when IJeck refused to be- lieve tiiat there was an opposition to It and Including the days of the Heiman roign, has never whipped a competitor. It has been hurt by every opposition that arose against It, ftom the Pantages vaudeville that built it.self up Upon the misdi- rection of the Orpheum Circuit, to the picture house chains which have licked the Orpheum Circuit without even giving the Orpheum a thought. It Is even said tliat a pieture house chain wlien orfered the operation of the Orjilieum Circuit here or there In a pooling arrangement, turned the proposal tJown <>n the theory tiiat as the Orpheum was whipping itself, why should they stop It? Non-help Merger K*'ith - AlWee with the merged Orpheum .still liiids itself in the same position, although now oper- ating from coast to coast. It Is nit i< ly iij< r ^'int,' without helping, and it cannot help itself until se- curing a general tbeatro operator for Its entire circuit who can oper- ate, and opcrat*> against the oi)po- sition, ' ven with the seating pic- ture i»an(lj<ap. . ▲ crowing fMid favorabts ^^^^^^^^^^^ • J i L. WOU% GILBERT Extends slnoero holiday greetings and takes this opportunity of ex- pressing appreciation to the boys and girls of Leo Feist, Inc., and tbe members of tfie profession tor their splendid co-operation. slon through the Kelth-Orpheum merger Is that the day of the ter- rible "Association** In Chlcaco Is doomed. That "Association," wltb Us cruel and wicked salary cutter, Sam Kahl, has done even more harm to the good and welfars of vaudeville as a whole than the ma- lignant '1»lack Hst" of tbe Keith office. And with the merger and perhaps a new era In the Keith vaudeville career that E. F. Albee wants to perpetuate as a memory to himself and Its fovndsr in tho nowly hjrpen- ated Keith-Albee. there could be no better start at the present mo- ment than for Keltti-Albee to abol- ish Its entire Iblack list** hrom be- ginning to end and to start new, olear, fair and even with the actor; to make that known, and If there is to be another *«bhiOk Ust** In vavde- ville, let It be erected upon newer and more Justifiable grounds than existed for the petty "black list'* K-A has kept on IllOr aver increas- ing in Its numbers and ever de- creasing their business for years. The Orpheum Circuit The passing of the Orpheum Clr- oultisankomantousovent. It started from a beer garden in San Fran- cisco and ended In the de luxe vaudeville Palace of the west in Chicago, taking in tO or more west- em and southern towns mean- while. For many years Martin Beck was Its guide, surrounded for the most part by a lot of oonsorvativo stockholdors who hampered BoOk even more than Beck knew. Beck had vision. The Palace, New York, now operated by Kelth- Albee, is one of the results of that vision. But that house and the east were lost to the Orpheum by the pressure of Beck's associates finally prevailing upon him. The Palace went to Keith's and the Or- pheum Circuit remained west of Chicago, but still with a booking alllllatkm with Keith's, and that has continued up to the present time. The history of the Orpheum Cir- cuit is interesting, perhaps more so than any vandoville circuit of this country. In Its decline, that it was taken in by Kelth-Albee Is looked upon as a fortunate circumstance for the Orpheum's stockholders. Under its misguided management by the lielman coterie, such real ihowmen as tho Orpheum possesses seemed to be secreted, placed in the inconspicuous positione with such executives as Heiman favored given the Important posts. That the merger has exchanged stookv, sliare for share, with Or- pheum, and the merged stoek re- ported to be first marketed at W. may be the summing up. When Martin lieek and the Or- pheum stockholders .'igreed to a capitalization of the Orpheum Cir- cuit some years age, the under- writing priee for Oriiheiim stock at that lime was .3J. The Or- pheum's quotation for several months past on the stock market was around-_2fi. The under- writing prire for Lucw stook, also no par value, wjts 28. liocw's stock of recent months has been quoted around 60. In 1S*2» vaudeville as represented by the merged circuits of Kelth- Albee and Orpheum will either sur^ Vive by lt«*lf or more lik*ly sur- vive through going into a larger and more extensive merger, having a pieture ohain eonnooiloB, and psr- A Show of Wise Crads Jack lfc<9owan, the legit Juvenile, who has written "Kxcess Baggage." dealing with small time biickstage oomody. is being Importuned to give a midnight perform- ance of the comedy at th<» Ritz for the professionals in town. The piece will bo a roar for the wi.>^e crowd. Hero's a sample: Small time hick show-off Is doing pompous tempera- ment among other performors on hill. Disgruntled tenor of male quartet (addressing Single)^ "Say. you remind me of some- body." Single—"Teh r Tenor—"Teh. It's JaOk Os- terman.** Single — "Osterman? Never heard of him.'* At another time the small timers are talking about dif- ficulty of getting big money on thd two-a-day. It's not so easy to get your figure," remarks a performer. "Tou know the big time pays a tarfs staff to do nothing but cut salartos." Eidie KiM Bick, WcU E^die Kane, at Baranac I«(ike. N. Y., for some time, is in New York and will shortly return to the stage. He may become a mastw of ceremonies in the picture houses. When sent to Saranac doctors had given Kano up. Ho also be- lieved himself licked, but doolded to follow rules and beat it. Back In town Kane Is robuat and looks hhnsslf again. NO. 2 ACT HOLDS OVER Unique First Time at Palace The- atro at Now York City Wilton and Wobsr aro holding over this week at the Kolth*Albee Palace, New York. Last week on their debut in the big timer the men appeared No. 2 on the bill. That meant they did their act twice dally while the house was filling up. They romainod in the position throughout the week. In being held over as a No. 2 act they have created a record for that theatre and prehahly fsr all of big time—when It was. This week the comedy turn is in the No. 4 spot, the choice place- ment for a hold over. Divofxet Jap Husband But Retains Baby Son Rpencer, la., Dec. 81. Mrs. Miml Youde Wurlu, local girl, was granted a dlvoree in dis- trict court here from her Japanese husband, Yaauri Wurlu. She is here following the convpletlon of a tour of the Orpheum circuit. The decree, granted by Judge F. C. IMvldson, gives her the custody of her son, Thomas Samuel Wuriu. The petition stated that they were married In Now York in 1922 and separated In London, Kngland, in 1925. The charge was that her hus- band Struck and threatenod her and later III Mom and Fffe at Koss and FVye, long a standard Kelth-Albee vaude turn, have ac- cepted a contract to play 24 weeks of picture house time for West Coast Theatres, opening Jan. IS. Moss and Frye are colored enter- tainers who have stuck to vaude .-aid run their salary up to 11,000. which Fox paid for several weeks oT N. Y. Indcp^aulent booking. They w(u (> at the Academy of Music last week. nRST lABT SEES VAUDB Washington, Dec. SI. For the first tim" in many months the I'j fHld'-ntlal \jox at local K««lth's (K-A vaud'i) was o<:cupied. Wednes- day afternoon Mrs. CooUdge and her .son. .lolin. ;itt' ri'l< '1. l>ijririg 111*- VV'ilHon admliii.stration the late .sidt-nt was a re gular Ian. occupying this box every week. iuips another salvation for vaude- ville. In any event, that same vaude- ville, with the start of ov«r li-l years and no matter wh.it hipp^ns or where it liinds. will iiuve noih- ing to briig abouU FREEMAN WANTS TO | TRADE XMAS GIFTS Times Square's Best Hand- shaker as Alleviator for Dis- appointed Present Getters 4 i- "Hey, there,- bawled Freeman Bernstein* Times Square's best handshakor, "what linvs ypu in this bundle?" •Til het you are taking your Christmas prosonts to Simpson's to hock 'em." said Freeman. "I have been standing on this corner for three hours and you're the 16th guy doing the same thing." Mr. Bernstein was advised hlfe surmise was a completa Sop: that tba packaga be suspected Md prssents held poison, known aa booss, '-Wan. thnrs bettar." man. "for I couldn't see anywar why anyone should slip you any- thing. But standing hera gave me an Idea, and If you know n bnater. one of those chumps who gives ,fc shows away or wants to do a jgirl a 11^ favor, you're in. ' Frtaman's lapsHswss ' fs-^ •*In my experience of taking •em without partiality and regardlesa|^ of the amount. I have discovsrsd that 11 out of every U gift gettsrs are displeased with their present in this happy Yuletime misery, j Therefore, says I to Freeman. 'Wby ain't yon got yoursdf some east dough trading them presenter j "See?," said Mr. Bernstein. "Ain't that a corking sebsms? Wa could open up a placa like those auettofi Joints and trade presents. ^ " "Don't ask me about deUils. Fve' i worked it all out in my head. W 'Om an come in tha Joittt. show their present and I will ask the mob In I ; front who wants It and what thST^ ! have to trade for it? }^ "Where wa eesM In la that our r shills will exchange phonies for tha i good stuff, for we will have Xbm | best lot of junk you can look at f without going blind. Taking no ; chance because It's none of our • t stuff. Were only a broker for tha | partiea See? Ain't that the nuU? ' Tha Cateh "It's got Just one catch and I can't unreel that It's when neigh- iKtrs or relatives meet In the Joint or when ona parson might rsooc* niz© the present ho gave anothSTi But we don't have to worry ovsf* that before it happens, and we^ fit op a nics squawking room wh< those that run talk it over. "Our rake ought to be proti good. kid. because wa won't let an; one trade anything costing undef $60. Every night we can get rid of the stuff we hold out, selling to dealers or privately and our pri- A vate sales could bS behind tha i\ shutters after dark. ' ^ Yaar-Round Raekst "This racket la good all the year round because some people th^ longer they see the presi>nts the mora tlrad thay grow of them, j Wa could advertise out of town. ] too. and ru bat the iwrti Win'1 swamp us. 'H "And think what the poke pHvl* lege is worth in a joint like that, crowded to the doors with every- ' one feeling if their wallet is safe.;^ We won't even have to hire kl*[ catera "I tested thin gag, bozo, and it's over. Just a little dough to start, and with a flash joint with the phonlsa all ready and the shllls re* hearsed, It's a mop. "The test was going from liouse to house on three different blocks ind Inquiring mostly from women: "'W« re you satisfied with your Christ mail prem nts, and if not. what have you to get rid of?' "Bo, I was paralyzed by th^ answers. One wririi.'in sh<iw<Ml mt* a two-diamond bar pin and asktM if I knew where she could trade it for one with four. I told h<r I knc'W the H]i<,i rind w niM hv bii< k th<> n»'Xt moirutig. It Wius tiiat soft, ".So if you tlop on the coin for the joint I'm going it alon *-. for I 1 h a v n a ' r M tit c nlrr tdy pl'^kot: "And say, bo, sonte o£ tljesy flats in tho .Squ.ire are the berries. Them dames want to trsde for money and I don I blame them. I promise itnything. "Ain't that a racket, kid. and ain't it nfw? You can put down a bet .»n tf'is one. "l.o in mf a bottle of that booze. yoiiV I wunt to get inspira- tion for an opening spiel." !