Variety (Jul 1928)

VARIETY'S LONDON OF5ICE 3 St. Martin's Place, Trafalgar Square ^ r» 17 1 r" M CABLE ADDRESS, VARIETY, LONDON r U K Hi 1 VJ 1^ 7870-2096-3199 Regent Wednesday, July 11, 1928 AUSTRALIA By Eric H. Gorrick Syaney; June 2.' ^old snap last .week caused a BliKlit fallinfj off at~ the b. p. o£ 6cv(»ml Icjiit houses. Four new shows have lately opened with one or two likely successes amone them. "Thark," pi-esented by W. T. Wil- iiamson-Tait, with ; Hastings Lynn, Minnie Rayner, Cyril Vernon, . , llelone Simon at the Royal, It may fi-et a bi-eak, although "Bookery Nook," playied by the same com- pany, caused little business. '■Thark" will move to the Criterion this week to mak6 way for Leon Gordon, who will open in "The Man ; Upstairs" under, W-T direction. ; "Uio Hita" is a pronounced hit at the St. .Tames for the- Pullers. Ca- pacity nightly.' Gladys Moricrioff, . Charlie Sylber, Dave Mallen and Jiinette Gilmore principals, 'Princess Charming," only my.si- .cal comedy at present . offered by \V-T, niia^y. develop into a hit. Its fate at the present is in' the-bal- ance. Kathleen Recce, ifrom Amer- . ic'a and making a first appearance. . . scored nicely, in the title role. Miss Recce is surrounded by a particu- larly fine cast, including CeCilKel- leway, Reginald .Dandy, Peter Gaw-; thorne, Leslie Holland (who does a. corking character bit) and. Olive iSloane. The musical score does not cai-ry -anything startling with the exception of ''Swoj'ds and. Sabers," siin.g with gusto by a great chorus. W-T staged the production la-vishly. Another new show -was "The Last ■ .Warning," with Muriel Starr. She: always has been a big favorite hel-e and the show may get a run of sev- eral weeks. Mystery plays are still . rather 'popular here. M.ayne Lyn- ton, iHarvey Adamis and. a good cast helped in putting, the show over on the opening night. Ah Australian comedy, "The Rudd Family," opened successfully at the Opera House. It was writ- ten by Steele Rudd, who did "On Our Selection" some time ago. It broke many records here. As was -the case with "Selection" so it is with this ne-wr comedy. It should . do well, but would be quite unsuit jsit^JiG for America or any other coun- - "^Try. ThftiStory is simple and. deals with thS^lrfe of a Selector (small ranch owner) and his family. Play well acted by a good cast 6f Aus- tralian players. It is playing under the independent direction of Wil- liam Russell. Naylor's "Top Hole" Rufe Naylor's "Top Hole" at the 'Empire got away to a nice start and may do,well at jpopular prices. This 'theatre has 3,00Q capacity. It Is hoped to run this miusical comedy vntil August, when the. theatre will go pictures with Fox's "Mother . Macree." Whether the show can stand up this long remains to be seen, "fhe cast carries no really big name. Naylor evidently relying on several artists from other pro- ductions. Van Lowe, juvenile. Is opposite Audrey Lewis. Lowe Is from New Tork, and first appeared here in "Sunny." As a dancer he is all right, but as an actor only Bo-so. Fred Bluett and Russell . Scott are the comedians with Blu- ett" outstanding. Violet Elliott is the best of the women folk. Renee Dixon is more suited to vaudeville than musical comedy. The success of the show goes to Maurice Dia- mond for the snappy way he has statred the pony ballet girls. Harry Hall did a good enough job in pro- ducing the show- George • Wallace and his tab re- vues popular at Fuller's twice daily. Business, has been_off at the T.iv- oli for the past week, but "foolcs Tike picking up. very big again now. that Joe and Harry Kel.'Jo are back with their "Crazy Quilt Revue." The Kelso bunch Includes Maury Kelly^ Howard NichollS, Captain Smithey and a couple of bright young wom- en. Corking vaude bill has Mardo and; Wyhh, Meazza and Adrl6nne and CauiJa Alba. Jack Musgrove and', Billy Maloney. Pictures "Wings" opened sen.s<*ttionally at the Regent and looks like running up a very big score, Byron Bidwell staged a brief, but memorable, pro- log. The critics«have been lavish with their praise. • No possible doubt about the Cap-* Itol bejng set as a success. Week after Week has seen this ace house of Union Theatres crammed full, Entertainment Is of a high order. Current is "The Cohens and the Kellvs in Paris." , A. big feature and added, Florence Vidor in "Dooms- "^ay:"'^A"""^blJr'^actor~innhc^ has been Ted Henkol and his or- chestra. Henkel hits given presen- tations new to this country. To- gether with Fred Scholl at the or- gan, and a .corking house ballet, the American conductor has put this house across. O. Perry is another person who has become wise to whfit the public wants and has given it to them. The Capitol and also the Regent have hurt legitimate busi- ness at other theatres dra.stically. "Uncle Tom's Cabin" (Universal) opens today at the Crystal, Palace for an extended season under Union Theatres direction. Haymarket Is, playing "Getting Gertie's Garter" and "Shooting Irons." Two staee.acts in San tell and Co., and O'Brien Sisters and MacU., ; „ . Lyceum has "Jaws of Steel" and "Ladies' Night." Dewar ahd Da-w- son on stage., . _, LVric, "Midnight Rose" and "Jaws of Steel." '.'The Redheads" ' on Hoyt's presenting "'Twolv© Miles Out" and "Passion Island." Picca- dilly has "The Prince of Adventur- ers." Empress screening "Th6 Miss- ing Link," "Ragtime" and "Mid- night Rose." Mielboiirhe ■■. Margaret Bahnerman is, playing "Diplomiftcy" at the ■Comedy, for W.- T. W. T. Melba opera sea.so'n has proveri highly successful at His Majesty's. "The Girl- Friend" looks like running up a nice score at the Royal, "bear Brutus'' at the King's under W.-T- ''. FuUer-Gonsalez operia season dO" 'ing splendidly at the Princess. Pop- ular prices.' Tivoli's acts are Winston's Seals, Hanvafd/ Holt and Kendrlck, Jackie Collier and Sister, Stephanie Deste, Irving Rose, Ergottle, Bert Errpl, Bijou playing "Midnight Frolics,?' tab revue. Frank Talbot is presenting Percy Hutchinson and English company in "The Laughing Optimist" at Ath- enaeum. • . GEORGIE WOOD The critleisms of the "Manchester Guardian" ' are .to. the provinces what Hanneh Swaffer is to London. Therefore I am Justifiably proud of this: "In a curious sketch'about a Boy Scout Wee Georgie Wood In a muted, realistic way which seemed strange in a, sketch for the halls—-strange and astonishingly ef- fective in its sombre truthfulness and natural fUn. The actor never shouted or emphasized anything, but he made every point far plainer than if he bad roared, through a megaphone. The halls have given us some great quietists, and he;re Is one of them." . ' , 17i Tring Avenue, Ealing, . Lon- don, Enfl. Pictures "Mother Machree". opiens today at the Auditorium ior an extended season. Majestic, "One Round Hogan" and "Getting Gertie's Garter." Paramount, "Love and Learn" and "Sailor's Wives." "Gallipoli," Australian-made fea ture, being screened twice daily alt Playhouse. ■ Hoyt's, "Twelve Miles Out," and "Conie to My House." Around the Continent Joe Termini booked for Tivoll Circuit, to open in Sydn^iy .at early date. Comedfan "will headline In each house. This in Paris By David Sturgis Paris, June 29. The Aniglo Sdxon is an idiot. But these .Russians! It is against the universal law- why not. the human IjiW?—for; any but Russians to represent Art, La Nikolska, the dancinig beauty of the Palace Revue has driven me to Notre Dame. She Is billed, In a pictorial album, as "Lillth, Bibli- cal Mystery of Lasblvlousnesa-and Passion." On the stage she Is Salome; Theodora and Ma;ti Hari all in one. I-hurried to make her acquaintance. This is what I found: - A young, timid artist; a cultured daughter of a Russian general; a graduate of the Imperial Ballet. And a saint pf .the Petrograd bells. same table sat M. Dol.iiov.'^ky, go. viet Amibassador, and Dr. Kuhn 'of the German Em'iaiisy, "We are pilgrims of art, .shepherds of thei intellect, defending the etisif- nal quarrel between stupidity .an4 intelligence." Gemier uttered this to a dramatic, literary and political world. •'And cheek by jowl,, with many » growl, they talked the mar vel o'er." An old, intellectual seryice for an old, dead theatre. Oh, for Egypt in Paris! "The Queen's Enemlep," by .Diinsanj'. ' If the universe won't be the ca- tei'er—Mr. Sturgis will furni.sh the cakes. Bobby Jarvls and his wife leave today for San Franci.sco after a rec- ord season at the Empire, Sydney W. T. will shortly present "The Patsy" in Meibouirhe. Principals from America.. Following the opera at Princess, the Fullers will do "Good News." Chatter ill London London, June 30. De Groot, who has been maitre d'orchestre at the Piccadilly Hotel for the past 1& years, is leaving shortly. He Is, as they say over here, fed up with the job. De Groot Is an artist.,: To save all argument, he admits It Despite that, he is i-eaUy a nice fellow. De Groot has grrown tired of people talking loudly when he plays his violin solos, not to mention guests dropping knives and forks-on plates, -Viraiters drop ping plates, etc., during his quieter passages; Matters had gone so far that one evening he stopped fiddling; and "shushed" a guest. The guest replied he came there for his own pleasure, of which de Groot was but a small polrtion, and did not pro pose to renaain quiet for de . Groot or anybody else; that when he wanted to listen to a concert, he knew where to go, but not while he was dining. So de Groot, as before remarked, got fe* up and quit iai, post that yielded him something like $15,60() ia year. Ho will play the halls a,nd possibly the larger cinemas. Snake Samaritan She had a Chaldean love-verse tattooed on her arm.' It "was in Montmartre. Kno-wihg my Araby a w.hit I. spoke to her in Syrlac Venus. She smiled sadly; we quaffed; she was a snake-charmer out of work. Her reptile had died; her story was pathetic. " "It was. too heavy- for me." "How much for a new serpent?" "300 francs," she sobbed, I had jtist won at Auteuil. Then royalties had arrived. We went to a serpentorium that night!- Now she has her new bread-winner in my tranquil court. She is training her actor how to give zee caress without giving zee choke. As I write these lines the brute Is hissing at me. Bernstein and GemJer "l/a two was pals, the Kid and me; 'Twould cut no ice if some yayj^ee, Aa tough as hell jumped cither one, \ We'd both light in and hand him one," Bernstein of "The Thi^f" and Gamier of the Odeon; Them two ' was pals. They used to fight the gayzee of stupidity together. Now they are jumping, in each other. /Bernstein (Like a god): • You're talking again.st bur the- j.;tre! You're talking against' our ; France! Gemier (Like a couple of gods): A theatre Is a theatre! A nation is a nation—! Bang in'the beak! It may be the Kid's Last Fight* Epic of the Ritz Gloria Vanderbilt is finishing a screen story called "Ladies and Gentlemen." I read 10 pages. I am now her pupil in sophistication; her slave. In the Ironic touch.. I cannot tell more, and -we are old friends. But Universum-Film , Aktiehge- isellschaft of Berlin has heard of the script. Irene Vanbrugh and Dion Bouci cault finished ti successful season in "Belinda" and have gone on the road for W. T. Leon'Gordon played a season In Adelaide -Where he presented "The Crooked Billet" for the first, time for W. T. Donald Payne, English actor, died at sea on the voyage to England after playing for.Fulle.r,s.. Wanda Savage Co. booked for a tour of the picture houses con- trolled by Union Theatres. . . Joe Cohen, late of Lowenwlrth and Cohen, Hebrew comedians, is back Jn London after a visit to [ America, and boasts he now has a good act for himself. He claims to have seen all the Yiddish come dians within hie radius and prides I himself he has made an excellent 1 selection from their material. He thinks the stuff written by Andy [Rice is the best In that line, but says there are plenty of others, and you needn't worry^he has all Of it. W. T.'s Gilbert and Sullivan Opera troupe -Will disband after several years under this management. ■ . -Film Nev« Austra!lian Government has banned "Dawn," British-made feature. Hoyt's had .Rooked the attraction here and will suffer a large mone- tary loss. When the Lonsdale comedy, "The High Road," Is produced in N«w York, English artists will,have the star roles—Edna Best, Hei'bert Mar- shall, Fred Kerr, Alfred Drayton— the two last named appeared in the London production of the piece. Screen and Stage Leon Daudet, son of the author of "Sapho," writes in "Comoedia,' Paris, theatrical daily: "The screen, the automobile, are displacing the stage, the horse." Intellect iagaiin. Always wrong. There Is no true analogy between the automobile, science and the horse, nature. Screen and stage ,a,re both arts. They are counter- parts, opposite aspects of the same expression. Raise them one dimension; make the twain one; and you have the new, universal theatre. Now, with the talking . film, the universal screen will film the universal stage Neither will be neither when the true writer comes. He will be a magical poet; double-barrelled; synthetic and_aT^^^^^ the screen as the stage; the stage as the screen. And- this; miracle of miracles, in spite of Leon Dauclot. Eugene Ysaye, the famous vio llnist, is seriously ill in Brussels with diabetes and phlebitis. HENRY CARSON AGCY. Intomntionol Variety, PI«i«uro rinycrs and XhcaSricoI KopreKentntivcs 78, Avenne des Champs Elyaees PARIS Caljlee: Booking:, Paris Phone: EIyse<j 05-19 "Good actfl alwayB newleu" Craigow Picture Productions re- cently formed in Melbourne with a | capital of $200,000 to make pictures. Gerald Gate producer, with the first picture "Sanctuary." Chief censor passed •'A Girl in E-very Port" after the Sydney olfico had rejected it. Sydney office tried to overrule the censor's decision and withhold the prints until orders ■=mm(r-from=^"Canberra-^(-federal--cap-= Knl of Australia) to release them without dol.ay. Hoyt's Theatres intended to play sta.ge band units in each of their principal.theatres, but oving to the high demands Imposed by the musi- cians' union the idea has been dropped. Two new movie houses opened in Melbourne last week. Burnley the- .atre will .seat l.*,JOO. Other Is the Mayfair, romhiring cabaret and dancing with Its pictures. W. W. Kelly, owing to 111 health, Is g.ving up management of the Shakespeare . theatre, Liverpool. House will turn to twice nightly variety under direction of Fred Coir lins. Just before leaving for ' the States, C. B. Cochran signed up Jessie Matthews, his young star in "This Year of Grace" at the Lon- 'aon-=Pavillon-for="tlifSc^lTfCre=^^^ considering she has great promise. Motor Films What superficial acting In the cinema! Screen plays should be re- heiarsed like stage plays. Scripts should be read to the cast over and over again. Image, thought, feel Ing, from the spirit not the bones. Yank pictures in Paris are known by their rattle. Hollywood Is De troit with cameras instead of liz zies. Films are turned out like automobiles. Part 1: Sam Goldwyn gesture. Part 2: D. W. Griffith sorrow Part 3: Elinor Glynn walk. No wonder they break down. The Frcnchles. never call them motion pictures. Their name over here is moror-"fi imsr^"="-^^^^ Intellectual Corruptions - 'Joan of Ar6," Shaw. He couldnt rise to her spirit. He dragged het down to his banal brain. : gav* him his chance to answer. weekH ago. He crawled. Enough! "Hamlet'' in modern dress. Hor- ace. Liveright—^^and the Six Little Tailors—on the Acropolis. Enough!- "The Birds," Aristophanes. Dwl.'t.i. lin's modernized bungle in Pirlsi The irony of the 'pliiy is absolutely changed. Can a fool tamper \y^th a sage? Enough! "Great God Brown," O'Neill. Paper, rather than skin, for a masque. The outer self, the false show, is the masquerade. How the Russians and Germans laugh at O'Nein! Enough! "Sorrows of Satan," Griffith. The Devil a whimpering Society gent! Shakespeare made lago, Byron made Don Juan, Goethe made Me- phlsto—three, mischievous males. This for the Great ChemiJBt of the Skies! No wonder the W.ar of Wars! Enough! Myriads more! Enough! Enough! Ashes for John Erskine! Ashes for Mr. Intellect! Men are only roosters—^ylth their brains in their comb.-?. A few pecki (Continued on page 37) "SKULL" DUE AUa. 6 London, July 10. yictor Morley has arrived here to produce "The Skull" for Daniel Mayer. It is also announcied that the same concern will do "Contnibarid" earjjr 1 in September at the Princes. "Skull" opens Aug, .6 at the: Shai^^ Abreu's Nevv Partner Paris, July 10. Marcus de Abreu, formerly at the Ambassador, New York, with his new dancing partner, Enid Mere- dith; went into the Casino at Deaii- ville last week. SAILINGS Gertie Gitana, for many year.9 popular music hall singer, was married June 25 to Donald Ross, a young actor whom she had engag&O for her company. Paul Robeson, the negro star ■from "Show Boat," is giving a mati- nee program of spirltu.als and folk songs at Drury Lano July 3. Ho (Continued on page 61) Congress of a Corpse The International Theatre Con gross holding meeting at the Roth child Foundation Mansion in the rue Berryer. Firmin Gemier, di- rector, Odeon, has assembled dele- gates from 22 countries, Pedro de Cordoba (go«d, old name) repre sentcd Equity, New York. Edouard I-Ierrlot, Minister o/f Fine Arts, was a guest of honor. At the July 21 (New ~ York to Fans), Ted Lewis and Band, Artliur Pplzzl (lie de France). _ July 20 (New York to Paris) Mr. and Mrs, Chris Pender (deFrance). July IB (New York to London; D. D. Doty, Ad Schaumor, Sid Wag- ner (Berengaria). July 14 (New York tn London}. Entire company for the I^"^^" .production, of. ."OQ od^.^^^"''''!' . win Stiulpauch, Evelyn Hoey. AW Rivere, Goody Montgomery, Xeima O'Neal. Julienne Johnson, Arthur West, Neil Collins. Bobby Jarvis, George Murphy, Michael .mpp (Samaria). v July 7 (New York m London;. Ryan and Harrington, Os<>!>r 1^' raine (New York). , . July 7 (New York to Lcndon;. Orson Kilborn (Aquitania). July 6 (New York (o HM.niburg^ Ruth Hawthorne (Coliinihu.M).