Variety (Jun 1928)

STAGE BROADWAY SCREEN CENTS Published Weekly at 16« West 46tb St., New Vork, N. 7.. oj Variety, Ijio. Annual subscription, ^10. Slngrle ooplea. >6 oenta. Entered a« sccond-clase tnattet December 82. 1906. at the Post Office at New York. N. 7^ unAer the act ot March >. 1879. VOL. XCI. No. 8 NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6, 1928 64 PAGES GOING BROKE TIGERS AHACK WOMAN-MAN LOSES ARM Mabel Stark Clawed in Den—Guilfoyle Near Death Lf'wiston, Me., June 5. Maljel Stark, noted woman wild animal trainer, was .severely torn by tigers durlnpr a performance of the John Robin.son circus Thursday. 8he was injured around upper torso and one thigh was badly clawed. It was nearly 16 minutes before , Mias Stark was removed from the cage and taken to the B. M. G. hospital. The girl trainer had hardly be- gun her act when "Sheik" and "Boston," two large tigers, leaped at her. She fell, but although Injured got to her feet and drove the ani- mals back. Blood Heeped through Miss Stark's uniform and that probably further enraged the beasts. A third tiger joined in the attack as other trainers rushed into the cage. The tigers were subdued after a battle in which pistols, rods and poles Were used by the rescuers. Miss Stark loft the Rlngling show last season. When that outfit dis- carded the wild animal displays Miss Stark was used for the bal- loon hor.se and also rode menage. (Continued on page 63) Tom Mix Is Big League Writer T(;ni Mix lias slKned an indefinite €ontr;ict willi King I'Vatures Syn- <li<;ale (1 learnt) to write a scries of 'Sunday arliclos on .subjects of his own .select ioM, beginning in less than .sixty days. IIo will iLive the range of the World to draw from in his mate- I'i.U, uiiro.strictod as to policy, opitiiun, viewpoint or topic. A tremendous publicity campaign will ho waged to lot the world know tiiat Tom has made the big league. Toe Dancing at 54 Mile.-25ambeW;-premiere-bat-- lerina with the Paris Opera, ha3 signed • for another and final four-year period. She is 54 and will retire at 58, probably the oldest toe dancer in the world. NATIONAL BOARD FOR THEATRE FORMED JACK DONAHUE JOHN BOYLE A DANCE SCHOOL WITH NEW IDEAS CLASSES ROUTINES <'II()K(°8 WORK GALLO THEATRE BLDG. 254 West 54th Street m;\v yokk city Tolechone Terms Upon Col. ApplkatlM The formation of an organization representative of the American stage, one which it la hoped will bring about conditions more favor- able to the legitimate theatre and rehabilitate the road, haa virtually been completed. It will be offlclally known as the American Theatre Board. Temporarily it was called the National Board ot the Theatre. The Board consisting of 15, oC which five are from the managers and an equal number from Ekiuity and the Authors League of Amer- ica. A constitution has been drafted by a committee of six mem- bers. The constitution will now be presented to the three organizations for approval. The National Theatre Board Is not to be corporate. It is a volun- tary association empowered to act towards the amelioration of the many obstacles facing the stage. Efforts to secure reduced railroad rates, further eliminate admission taxes and oppose hostile legislation are among the scheduled problems at hand. Experimentation with road at- tractions along new lines will fol- low. The matter of financing the new association has not been worked out but a pro-rata sharing of ex- penses between the managerial, actors and authors organizations is expected. Any statement or action on the part of the Board will not be set down or credited to any Individual of it, but will be made In the name of the Boar^. That was decided to prevent a charge of any member .seciking pcr.sonal publicity. The personnel of the Board is: Mana- gers—AVinthrop Ames, Arthur Ham- merstein. Brock Pemberton, War- ren P. Mun.sell and Ilalph W. Long. Equity—Frank Oillmore, Paul N. Turner, Frederick Hurt, Grant Stewart and Charles Dow Clark. Author.s—Arthur Kichnian, Owen Davis, Hartley Manners, George Ab- bott and Louise Silcox. FULL FOR Daughters' and Sons' Urge for Screen Fame Usually Leads to Hollywood Downfall for All—Gyp Film Producers Take Yokels and Latter Take Friends Back Home GENERAL FALLACY Dodge Sales as Argument Agamst Radio Advertising -—' The purchase of the Dodge Motor Company by the Chrysler Corp. is regarded by newspaper men as a victory for their argument that ra- dio advertising Is not bettor than newspaper-display ads. - The first "Dodge , Victory Hour,- whlch is reported costing $150,000, they contend, fai\ed to sell the company's new sSx-cyllndor oars, the Dodge sales dropping' about $80,000,000 last year under the total sales £or 1926. Los Angeles, Juine 5*. The glamor of fame and riches offered by the picture business have attracted more disillusioned people than the legitimate show business or Wall Street ever could get credit for. It is the lure propagated by Actionized publicity on how the producers, executives and stars en- joy their wealth and fame that at- tracts the many thousands of mo- vie struck boys and girls to Holly- wood, only to find' that they stand but one chance in a thousand to get In, regardless of what price they pay to push the issue. By the same token of erroneous and misleading reports, people from all walks of life possessing surplus •money are attracted by the possi- bilities of trebling their Investment over night. In time they believe, they may become equally as wealthy as a few of our' movie barons, who. we are reminded fro'm time to time rose from obscurity to financial power because they couldn't hfelp it. The practice of parents being swayed by a daughter's or son's de- sire to become a movie star has broken up many homes and has wiped out entire life savings. Ar- riving in Hollywood and when the daughter can not gain recognition the parents, through the aid of any number of sharpshooting producers, are inveigled Into the picture busi- ness. Nine times out of ten the film representing a life's savings finds its way to the storage vaults or is held for debts accruing beyond the original budget. Gyp producers will take these yokels over for any amount, and half way through the picture when more money Is needed the parent Is forced to seek aid from his friends back home. He makes the loans on his personal note, only to find after the picture is completed that he has lo^t all his own money and will have to work to pay off the money borrowed. Dressed Up Extras The humble extra actors are not to be denied in any exposure of sac- rifices for the silent art. They, too, mu.9t pay to keep up a front as much as players drawing down-a grand a week. Studios require a $7.50 (Jay extra to dress equally as well as the star or principals. With an occasional day's work now and then and no other means for keep- ing up the wardrobe, many of the (Continued on i>age M) Great Town Chicago Chicago, June 5. Richard Boehler, bUnd or- ganist at one of the smaller picture bouses here, wa^ beaten and robbed one night last: week as he was returning home from the theatre with his pjay enve- slnce he was 12 years old. lope. Boehler has been blind Plenty of indignation ex- pressed by both police and public, but that's all. $700 WEEKLY PAYS . FOR HOUSE AND SHOW Topeka, June 6. A gross of $700 on the week about covers the overhead of the Best the- atre here, seating 550 at a 10-20- centa scale. That takes in the show. latter consi3.ts of the AI Russell musical stock, including nine people (one principal), also three changes of pictures weekly, and giving five performances dally. Three night performances Satur- days are capacity; rest of week poor. The Russell company costs $400 weekly; each 'change of pictiire $7.50, and week's advertising around $25. Rest goes for house. Formerly theatre played at 6-10- cent, but doubled prices for new policy. y House, forced by locaL^nditlons into this sort of playing, has gone as high as $900 weekly gross, though more often merely reach- ing the overhead. Univers^rs Colony Open<^ ing Saturday and $un* day Only — ^ B'way Managers Scrap Over Beautiful Girls A scrap has been inaugurated be- tween two Broadway musical pro- ducers through one haying made a set for the beautiful show girls of the other's productions. The angler is Earl parroll, now preparing his new "Vanities"; suf- ferer, so far, ia Flo Ziegfeld. Zleggy has been, paying his prize beauts $&5 weekly. Carrol appears to wean them away at $125 a week. So far, among others, of the miss- ing Zleggy beauts into "Vanities" are Gladys Glad, Katheryn Burke and Dolores Grant, all with beaul;y guaranteed more' than skin deep. Doubling in Bridge Over^ the Summer Saranac Lake, Jun^ 6. Orchestras, entertainers; recrea- tion directors, hosts and hoStossee— a new one has been added to the summer hotel lists. It's an auction bridge expert. The Saranac Inn has engaged Ralph Bessing, authority on the card game, to tea.ch; feuests dTjrinjT'tiTff-'cmning'Treag^on:"'^^ Actors and actresses who "dou- ble in bridge" shoiild haye no trou- ble In landing an ehgageniont ut a summer hotel. Thci*e Is a strong demand by bridge'flend.s for vaca- tion in.st»ructIon. The job ig^said to pay well. A Broadwety house costing Uni- versal $226^000 Bfet rental yearly is opening on the weak end only for grind picture showing, operated by the U, . • • It ha^ no parallel la the record of . the show business. The theatre faces on Broadway, this side of 63d street. Universal is said to have •taken a lease'of five years on the' house from B. S- Mqas, its owner. Recently, froxh accounts, Moss de- ^ dined an offer of $200,000. from Unl- . versal to cancel the. lease, which has : four years to run. Under the U dlrectibri the Colony has tried a few picture policies. Nothing seemed to hit. Of recent weeks the front of the dark houae^ has held a signboard advising the' passing public to see U's "Man Who Laughs," $2 picture, at the U-rented ' Shuberts' Central, farther down Broadway^ With the rental, taxes, etc., the Coloney represents a cost for the four walls alone of $300,000 annually to U. . The Colony may become a legiti- mate theatre next season. Flo Zieg- feld is reported considering it for that purpose. Although thoroughly eaulpped, It is proposed to'^tear ^ut the back wall and enliarge the stage to a size required by the Ziegfeld' type of musical production. The house capacity of approximately 1,900 is said to have led the pro- ducer to view, the Colony ^favorably. . In addition the Colony Is in prox- imity to the Ziegfeld at B4th and 6th av6nue. it Is known the man-: a^er fa.vors that (location over the 42nd street zone. , ; First week-end Included reissue of "Cohens and Keilys In Parls/'e • Chaplin's "Dog^s Life',' and ilarold Lloyd's "Breaking in on Broadway." NUNS' PIEST PICTTTEE Toronto, June 5i Nuns from St. John's (Anglican) seminary and hospital were taken to a. movie for the first, time in their lives this week. After a lot Of olllcial con.sont and that sort of thing, thoy saw "Ben- ilur."- 3 BROOKS theaName you go by ■ WHEN YOU GO TO BUY COSTUMES C>.0 S- IM p UNIFORMS 1*37 B'WAY, N.y TEt_550O PENNlI ZALiO U.0O9 COSTUMES TO RtNTi