Variety (Feb 1928)

VARIETY'S LONDON OFFICE 8 St. Martin's Place, Trafalgar Square FOREIGN CABLE ADDRESS, VARIETY, LONDON 7870-2096-3199 Regent Wednesday, February 1, 1928 LONDON AS II LOOKS By HANNEN SWAFFER Lpndon, Jan. 20. IjoiuIuii thc.itrfl ninnattors have OTi<ie again been wondering who It l8 has the rieht, evoi-y now and then, to call up the "Dajly Mail," the "Evohiner News," the "'Weekly Dispatbh" and the "Daily Mirror'Varid tell them to' boom jsonie play or other. Some yoar.s. affo, when the whole of the. Northcliffe Press , began to .say how marvelous Seymour Hicks was In. "The Man, In Dress Clothes," peoiJlo could understand It, because it was known that v/hen Northcliffe went to see the show, it. was the first play he had seen, for years. The Mystery of "iauest" Tile case of "Quest," though^ Is a more puzzling one. I saw^. this pilay on the first night: and thought, it. a very poor comedy, written around obvious flapdoodle, and destined, it seemed, to drag along the four weeks It deserved. ; Then, suddenly, the other day, I saw In the "Daily Mail" In big type, at the top of a colujim, the words "Miss .Heather Thatcher.". I thought it was'a warning at first, and that Heather Thatcher ought to be missed. But, no! Underneath, it said,"Defines Test of a Play's Success." A Boom That Was Not There ; ijhen I went on to read that "Business is booming in. the'London tho- . atres," . which was not ti-ue. • ' A little, further down the column, I . read that." 'Qii^sf at the Criterion theatre is taking more" and mo're. money iat every performance." If that ■ were, true,. I .wondered what all the fuss was about, because, obviously, it. was a puff, one of those mysterious things that Carmelite House goes in for, every, now a,nd then, choosing, invariably, .some play which has aro'used merely m'y sense of irony. Punk About the Pit : ..f'lf the pit is the test of a play's aijpeal, then 'Quest' is an undoubted success," Miss Heather Thatcher was reported to say in this same article. ; "The. pit is full every evening.'- Now, as, when there Is a succfess at the Criterion, there is usually only three rows of a . pit,' It was extraordinary what fuss was made of this ingenuou.'?' statement; . . The Courage of Gordon Beckles Tlieatre managers wondered what it was all about. . Later in the day, the "Evening News" boosted "Quest." Gn Sunday, the ""Weekly Dis- patch" was expected to have another go, alth.o'ugh I am delighted to hear that Gordon. Beckles, the boy critic of the ""Weekly Dispatch," refused to print a puff in his column. Fleet Street 1$ ringing with the.news of his bravery.: I applaud young Beckles's display of courage.. It was what I expected, of him. He looks BO stalwiart. He is not even afraid of LoM iRothermere—or nie. . Then, on Monday, the "Daily Mail'.' had another go. There was more . about Miss Thatcher, aiid the pit. It was marvelous to "know that this great actress was coming into ,her own, at last. ^ Then,, in the "Evening News" that night, I read about "Quest" that "People who have gone to this play feeling out of sorts and down in ..the dumps have found in the acting of Miss Thatcher and Mr. Hugh Wakefield an invigorating tonic, and their laughter has been as loud and whole-hearted as that of the really fit members of the audience." ^ Who Feels Their Pulses? l<row, I ask you whether theatre managers ,igo' round among the audi- ence, before a play starts,, take their temperatures, ask to see their to-ngues, test their blood pressure, knock their knees, and do all the ' other things dpiie by Madison avenge specialists to make certain of their health before the bunk starts; Publicity has gone mad when this sOrt of thing-is allowed. Pity the Real TryersI Now theatre managers bccasionally spend thousands of dollars on a production;' now and then, they select their companies with the greatest care; sometimes, they go to the trouble of obtaining the help of great artists and famous musicians; they have even been known to stage one • of the world's greatest plays. "When they do thi.s, they are usually left to themselves, to go bankrupt, BUt when so'me little comedy in which an ordinary actress like Miss Thatcher is appearing is staged—this is not the Tirst"'time tliCTG-ha-3-beciirxr-Heathei--T-hatchei^-boiun=^^ is made of it than if Shakespeare and Gordon Craig and Sybil Thomdike and El^ar and the Albert Hall all combined in one grpat art effort. "Why, then, taice any trouble at all about the theatre. More Bunk, Yes, Even Morel I read in the "Evening News," too,: right across a screaming headline, that "Ivor Novello has grown a nioustache." It is most manly of him. I applaud his fortitude; Perhaps, now, Noel Coward will sprout a heard. We do live in days of bunk, don't we? Andre Chariot was saying, the other day, that as people wanted amusement on Sunday nights, he was going to start a new society to produce Sunday plays and he wanted to pay the artists! A day or. two later. Mis. Geffrey 'Whltworth wrote to me, appealing • for my aid .for a matinee at which the boys and girls born of acting stock were to play "The Young Visiters," so that the Stage Society could be helped with the money. Now, the Stage Society,: the. first and mo'st important of all'Sunday night play societies in Enf,')and, has been sup- ported by Shaw and the brainiest people in the Engli.sh theatre. It has done a great work for the English stage; In fact,, it is by far the most distinguished society of its kind in this country. But, in order that it can go on, kindly litUe children have to give a chanty matineo ^ once a year toi help it along; ..Does _M.n,C^^^ I wonder? Truex Again in the Limelight" ' Any way, I went along and I saw two otC Sybil Thorndike's children, two of El-nest Truex's, the Dorothy Dickson girl, artd a, handful of Russell • Thorridike's babes, oh, a whole array of infant effort, very clever, very charming, but, dear me. pity the poor Stage Society: -The afternoon was. a joy, of course. Ernest Truex's oldest boy played the Prince of "Wales with a,lino American accent that made us all scream. The younger boy; as the Earl of Clinchatn; In speech was.sis refined as George Grossmith. Ernest Truex was.to have sold two. copies of the play by auction, to' help the Stage Society, the fund», of which, were to be aided by the autographs of the baby actors. Fortunately, he had a cold, so he only sat on the stage, silently, while someone else sold them for him. The War of the Paragraphers Theatre managers are Very pleased, anyway, about the new fight be- tween Eric Barker, .a theatre paragraphist on ono evening paper, .and Norman ttillson, a new rival oh another. They have started a way to best each other with paragraphs. iSo the consequence'is a manager can get at the top of a column noW in either paper, a story which, a few months? ago, would have been given two lines among the greyho'und racing. The two men do not speak; their, friends have taken sides; one con- ti-adicts what the other say.s.. One new joke is to call up one man and tell him what you think the other has. got. ■ , ^ *i For years, Eric Barker has prided himself on getting sooo'ps about tho- -=--atricar-mai-riagiia...=^heL.a^ actuaUy di.'^covered that a girl Who had' acted in "liroadway'' was going 16"miiiTy^a^ CaTiadidn-^T^ l was on page one, with picture. Eric Barker turned green. They tell me that Eric Barker goes in to his ofiice every day to ex- plain Why he did not get what the other f<'llow got. A.S. tlie other fellow . calls himself "Argonaut," they, are calling Barker "Arguenot." Anyway, It is good for trade. Wliy advorll.'^p? The Truth About Thomas. Hardy t miiRt tell you about. Thomas Hardy! "Will. Hays may have heard that he was one of .Engla.nd's greatest , authors. He died at the age of 86. earning a funeral in Westminster Abbey. Then a reporter wont down to' his nativi' town in We.«pex and inter- WILL MAHONEY The' New "York '«un" In review- ing "Take the Air" said : "There Is no funnier person oh. two feet than Will Mahoney. His rendition of the song 'Lily* Is a screaim aiid his com- edy, taip dancing and. falls! even more than that But why go on? You will see . him anyhow. You must see him. He's great. Directton RALPH G. FARNUM 1660 Broadway Reinhardt, Barnowsky, Robert Quit Mgrs/ Ass'n "When the Embassy theatre, IvTew York, . first, opened , with run photo- plays; Gloria Bishop was widely exploited as its "hostes.';," though she seemed conspicuous by her absence. Prior to that tim.e she had appeared aemi-proffessionilly as a toei dancer and before long, sflie departed from her native land and dropped from sight. She has family connections In various parts of Eu- rope, Including an aunt, the Duchess Helle de Tallyrand (Ann Gould), in Paris a sister, Lady Decles, in Lon- don another, sister, Mrs. Anthony J. Drexel, Jr., at Biarritz; and two uncles, Howard and Frank Gould, oh the Riviera. Mrs. Bishop, It seems, came Into an Inheritance last May of . pver $600,000 from the estate of her father, the late GeOrgfe J. Gould, and ha.<i since sojourned in Rome. Her husband's parents live in Bridge- port, Conn. Gloria's mother was Edith Kingdon, an actress, and her stepmother was Genevere Sinclair, also an actress, now 'Viscountess Dunsford; Her uncle, Howard Gould, married Katherine Clem- mons, an actress, and her uhclef Frank Gould, chose as the second 6f his three wlvies Edith Kelly, an actress, now Mr?. Albert de Cour- vllle. Howard has long been de- voted to Mrs. Oscar Lewlsohn, who ^as Edna May, the actress. COLORED EDITOR SAYS RACE LOWERS STAGE Berllni Jan. 22.' Reinhardt, Robert and , Barnow- .sky, the most Important group of private managers In. Germany, haVe resigned from the Manageris' asso- ciation.; . As a result the Authors' and Play Brokers' association is not allowed to close contracts for plays with these managers. The Reinhardt combination. Isr protesting and Is suing the three above named affiliated associations The seceding group claim that they have been badly treated In the Managers' association,. - as this takes care only of the Interests of the municipal and state theatres, which are in. the majority.. Tbe court ordered the Reinhardt group to make. specific charges against the Managers' association and aLso to make statements of what plays they had already made conti-acts for before they had retired... . The court recommended that some sdrt of a comptomlse be reached where by the three directors could -still remain under the Jurisdiction- of the agreement .between the autho s and-play^brokersrrbut need-rtet-re.-. turn to the Managers' association. Decision has been postponed until the end of the month. AMERICANS ABROAD Paris, Jan. .22. In Paris: Wanda Lyon, en route from China via Russia to New York; Arthur M. Loew; Joseph Freeman; Robert F. 'Wilson and wife; "Wm. C. Burton, artist; Henry Bolitho,. author; Claire de Lorez, film actress, from. Berlin. Nazimova'B Settings The stage setting and costumes, for Nazimova's playlet-act this sea- son. "India." Vw^ere done; by Natalie Hays. Hammond,, heiress daughter of the rich a,nd fashionable Mn and Mrs. John Hays Hammond; of Washington. Natalie has also ap- peared seml-profe.sslonally as a dancer. Her brother, John Hays Ham- mond, Jr., is an inventor of renown. In 1926 he surprised.society by an- nouncing that for a whole year ho had been secretly married to Irene Fenton, who had taken up portrait painting after divorcing Frederick Reynolds, a shoe dealer of Glou- cester, Mass. Another brother, Richard P. Hammond, lives in New York. Weekly's Owner Creates a Spreading Discussion Among Negro Show People Not in recent years', have Negro professionals been so stirred up as they have over a recent article written by Theophilus Lewis, edi- tor aiid part owner 6f "The. Tat- tler," colored weekly, . which he wrote for the, publication, "Ebony and Topaz." Lewis emphatically blames the Negroes for.the present state of the- atricals which, he claims is deplor- able. Lewis said the general tone of the Negro stage has never risen above the level of the burlesque .show. He pointed out its defects, shortcom- ings and. tendency to .draw it down instead of uplifting Negro stage work. He claims that the Negro stag;e panders generally to lascivipus- ness of the feebleminded and de- praved elements of the race. He also averred that the Negro actor hjts not only failed to make the stage a vital part of the Negroes' cultural life, but had degraded' it below the notice of the better classes of the. race. From mouth to mi>utli the tenure of the article, scathing in lis ar- ralgnment, ha.1. sped among the colored theatrical circles and. opinion is about evenly divided. Sonie are censuring thie writer in no. . mild terms while. others lechire he spoke the truth in plain, unvarnished words; F^S' IIDO Paris, Jan. 81. A new cabaret to be known as Lido-ifl"beihgJnaugurated by ^Edr Quard Chaux and Rosenthal' about Feb. 15. Ernest and. Yyonne, . German dance team, wlU be featured with the Versailles band; Barbara and Graham are listed here for. March. Fi-scher will figure on the program, as also Pizclld, from the Casino de Paris, accompanied by a Neapoliten band, and Manuel: Pizai'ro with Sochiari's Septur string band to fol- low, E. S; Fernandez is to. be m. c. Billy Arnold and .H. Carson arc booking. AFIce Joyce in English Film Alice Joyce expects to act In at least one picture production in Lon- don. She was recently at Palm Beach with her husband, James B^ Regan, Jr., as guests of Mr. and M rs. N. B. Spingold. Years ago Alice ana ^"Mabel KOT^ mahd were models posing for New York^ artists. Bccomjng friends; they went into the movies together, starting aS extras. Later, when she had become a leading lady, Alice married and divorced Tom Moore, by whom she had a daughter. Later Tom was divorced by Rene Adoree. Alice then married the son of the former proprietor of the old Knick- erbocker hotel, and tliey, too, have had children. She then got her brother into the hotel business, and one o-f big ventures was the Hotel Joyce, on the upper West Side. The senior Regan, who in his day was a well known figure, got his start throu.gh the late Col. John Jacob A,.(,v. (.ri<;:innl owner of the Kniek- erbock<er. Winnie tighther's Break . London, Jan. 31, Cecil Cunningham opened at th'e Trocadero restaurant last night (Monday) and management claliha she is the biggest success the' place has had. She will be retained In- definitely. Saturday Miss Cunningham, sub- stituted for "Winnie Lightner at the Alhambra (vaudeville) and was also called upon to replace another head- liner at the Victoria Palace, an- other vaude house. Miss Lightner is having a tough break here. Dtie to throat trouble she had to cancel the best : part of last week at the Kit Cat restaurant and Alhambra and is out of both this week. Beth Chains , opens at the Troca- dero April 15 for, eight weeks. SAILINGS Freddie Rich in Berlin London, Jan 151. Freddie Rich and his band, for- merly at the Astpr hotel. New York, has been booked for Berlin. He opens a month engagement at the Winter Garden in that city Feb- ruary 6. Feb. il (New York to London), Mr. and Mrs. Irving Thalberg (Norma Shearer) (Mauretanla). . Feb. 11 (New York to London) Irene Franklin and Jerry Jarnagln (Berengaria). Feb. 11 (New York to Lohdon.> T. D. Kemp, Jr. (Leviathan). Feb. 3 (Now York to Hungary) VHma Banky (S. S. France). Feb. 3. (New York to London) Myrio, DeSha and Barte (Olympic). Feb. 3 (New York to London), Al- bert Lewis, Leslie Faber. (Olympic). Feb. 1 (London to ;_New York), Bert Grant (Berengaria)7 Jan. 27 (New York to London), D. Barstow, Mrs. A. Barstow. Miss E. Barstow, Albert Parker,' John Robertson (Aquitanla). Acts Open in London London, Jan. 31. DeMarlo, previously appearing with the Olympla circus, opened at the Coliseum (vaudeville) yesterday (Monday)'and did nicely. DeMarlo and his wife, La Mar- ietta,, were brought here by Ber- tram Mills for the circus. Mrs. Mario was badly hurt during a per- formance, whereupon her salary ceased as per contract. Other vaude openings included Jcwett and Page at the Holborn Empire yefiterday, who got away fairly on their first local appear- ance, although given the opening spot. A cabaret opening yesterday was that pr the Three New Yorkers, who made theii^ bow' to" Englaiid at- the Cafe de Pads. The trio opened slowly, but be- gan to unload a few comedy nutn- b&rs, and from then on had nothing to worry about. viewed an old woman relative, on whom Hardy based the character of Tess in "Tess of the D'Urbervilles," which is one of the greatest novels in England, although Micky Neilan put a motor car chase and a night club into Its film version. The old woman was ceiled "Theresa Hardy and she said that '^Tom" had been viery unkind In altering her and calling her Tess, and that "Tom" blight to have remained an architect, although he seemed to have^ done well with his novels. . . .* . I suppose they talked about Shakespeare like that In Stratford-on- Avdn, three centuries ago. Even Sophie Tucker must have Odd things said about her when she goea to her home town. . Riviera Bookings Paris, Jan; 22. Dayelma ballet troupe of 15; from the Scala, Berlin, i.s. booked by Jullen Duclos for the Casino (Am- bassaders re.staurant), Cannes, Among C. Wyn's bookings for the Riviera this season are I?atrlcia Storm, Beth Berrl, Vivian Glen, Mario Abreu and Polly Day, Peppy Abreu, late husband Of Wilda Ben- nett, and John Pickering. .-"Crime" in Provinces London, Jan. 31. "Crime" will close , at the Queen's MJarch 3 and go on a nine weeks' tour of number one .provincial To w nsr^~: Woods Buys "Quelle" . London, .Tan. 8l. Al- Woods has bought "Quelle,"- produced in Paris. Titheradge-Stuart Marriage London, Jan. 31. Dion Titheradge Will wed Madge Stuart Fehi 2. -' ■ •■■ •