Variety (Sep 1928)

Wednesday, September 5, 1928 P I C T U R E S VARIETY 23 Literati stage Almost Got Al Stqfles o£ Governor Smith's ap- pearance in amateur theatricals around New York iii his younger days have been printed In the dallies, but little mention haa been made of the fact that at one time the governor considered the feasi- bility of adopting the stag* as a means of livelihood. The Governor has a distinct flair for comedy and mimicry.' Newspapermen, who have been privileged to hear him over the course of years are in unanimous agreement that Smith has the talent and the personality. As a matter of fact, when Alfred E. Smith" went to Albany he looked so much like an actor that when ho first went into The Tub, famous hotel for newspapermen aiid legislators, Garry Benson, the proprietor, told him the place "did not cater to the profession." Surprisihg as it thay seem, the Governor frequently played the vilr Han in straight drama, his role in "The Shaughran" being one of his best. Incidentally, he was a aTeat devotee of. the Harrlgan and Hart comedies and to this day his taste runs to the lighter type of enter- tainment. Thanks to Leon Leonidoff HEP GRAY The Singing Dancer DISPLAYS - HER GONTROL ACROBATIC DANCE at the ROXY This Week (Sept. 1) TRADO TWINS Now .Toarinir with I^nchon and Marco "Meas'' Harry Delmar Coming Ont to G«t TJ8? Maybe! Hello, Frank Gaby. Bab« Wolft Thinks We Are O. K. rarely return them, bo that the pur- chaser doesn't retain them, any- how. Situation may finally get the pub- lishers to lower the cost of books from the standard price of %i. That has been advocated a long time, with most of the publishers claim- ing it Isn't profltabl*. - Dick Watt's Squawk Last Sunday's Herald Tribune carried a long letter from Richard Watts, Jr., one of the several aur^ thors of "Gentlemen of the Press," which is credited to Ward More- house, bringing out the point that their friends, the critics, leaned backward in being fair, and that they received much better notices from the critics they didn't know than froih the ones they did. Some of the daily notices were surprisingly brutaL People seeing the show after the second night couldn't understand this, unless It was that some of the critics, friendly with the authors, felt that they would be open to charges of log-rolling if they went for it too strongly or let it down too easily. . Ruhyon "Front Page" Editorial An editorial taking a shot at The Front Page" principally be cause the play's authors selected the managing editor of a Hearst dally as the principal character was supposed to have been written by Walter Howey. It is said Damon Runypn wrote the editorial at Howey's request. CirculatinGI Library .Menace Growth of circulating libraries In this country is looked upon with alarm by book publishers who see an Imminent falling off in book buying, as is the case in England now. Over in that country . so few books are bought, because of cir Culating libraries everywhere, that the book-publishing business is ex- tremely hazardous. Circuiating libraries rent out the new books for a few cents a week, and readers prefer that to biiying the books outright. There are two reasons for that; One of them Is that to buy. all the new books means a large expenditure. Secondly, friends will borrow the books and Agony Not* New England correspondents for the New York and Boston dailies are complaining that the economy wave which hit th« dailies this summer has cut theiJr income 50 pier cent. After receiving » query from their correspondents or free lancers the editors turned It over to A- P., N. S; or U. P. If th« wire serv- ice couldn't get the story they or- dered it from, the coirespbndeht. The free lancers rate the 'T>aily News" as the best paying paper with the "Times" and . "World" as the largest users of copy. The Globe" and "Post" are the best In Boston. graph, has quit to bJ press agent for John Golden. Mitzl Kiilisch, at one time assistant to Arthur Horn- blow on Theatre Magaxirie and later to Burton Rascoe on The Bookman, succeeds McLaren. McLaren, known around the Square as Sunny, was, at one pe- riod of his life; a Manklowicz .se- lected author, and taken to the Coast on that account. To Purchase Twain's Home Both a theatrical and a. literary division will be orepanlzed to aid in the campaign to raise $200,000 with which to purch4se Mark Twain's old home at Hartford, Conn., and transform it Into a memorial to the famous humorist (Samuel Clem- ens). ■. ■■ A- group of leading residents of th at city are behind the movement. Sun's Phono Girl One of the best telephone oper- ators in New York is claimed by the Sun. She's on the editorial switch- board and a demon for getting right numbers. Her name is Ella Mo- Avoy, and the only one on the staff who can't get a number now la Gil Gabriel. Ella Is off the dramatic critic be- cause of the noticis he . slipped Gentlenrient of the Press," Ward Morehouse's show. Morehouse be- ing a columnist for the Sun, Ella also took It up with Keats Speed, m. e., asking him what the Sun was coming to. Morehouse slipped ■ Ella a seat opening night, and Speed offered Morehouse another week off the niornlng after the night before. Zane's Busy Vacations ■ Every time Zane Grey go€ls off on a vacation he makes his expenses by writing a book on his experi- ences. Don, a, new book, relates of one of his hunting trips among mountain lions, and another. Tales of PYesh Water Fishing, la as Its title implies. And while vacationing, Grey manages to write a novel or. two. JOE PENNER NOW PUYING THE DE LUXE PICTURE HOUSES Martin Sampter Manager Editor's Barnstorming An enterprising publisher from Indianapolis, heretofore somewhat successful in bamstormlnir the country by launching community publications, only to abandon them and move on to the next town. Is now soliciting' picture stars on the coast for co-operation. Lad isn't seeking financial backing but wants to use the names of as many picture celebrities aa he can get to place on his -board of dl rectors for a corporation now being formed to publish a mid-western story and art publication. A few of the stars are flailing. Desires to Thank JOEL COHEN, LOUIS GREENFIELD, ED PARKER for a most, enjoyable and successful engagement at THE HAWAII THEATRE, HONOLULU NOW FEATURED ORGANIST CECELIA THEATRE PANAMA, R. de P. The Peeved at th* New* p. a.'s 1^ peeved: at the Another article on the talking picture appeared in The Bookman, current issue, and written by Ernest Boyd, the Irish literatuer He thinks they may be all right. • Max . Karper, who has been handling English newspaper pub licity for a, number of Yiddish playhouses. Is shortly to start a column In the New York American pertaining to Yiddish theatre actlvl ties. ■ ' \ ' The Evening World had such a column a few years ago, but it didn't pulL Square Garden, succeeding' to th# post long held by Ike Dorgan. The hitter recently resigned. Fowler, a former president of the Newspaper Club of New York, was also managing editor of the New York American for a year. A surprise in the book publishing world is the remarkable success of Isadora Duncan's autobiography, "My Life." The book is not only In Its eighth edition,: a record for a work of Its-type, blit has already been translated Into six languages. "The Fleet's In," a Paramount- Clara Bow picture; has had Its story written into book, form by Russell liolman. Par's advertising manager. "America's Humor," published monthly by Magazine Builders, New York, has been discontinued. George Mitchell was editor. Eddie . Cantor's memoirs start shortly serially In the Saturday Evening Poit, entitled "My Life la in Your Hands." Summer Attraction Film Road ShiHw UNWED MOTHERS Percentage Booking Anywhere—^Send Dates SAMUEL CUMMINS Fublix Welfare Pictiires Corp. 723 Seventh Ave., New York . Kenyon Nicholson, co-author of "Eva the Fifth," and author of "The Barker," has had a'one act play published by D. Appleton & Co. It bears the title of "Shame the bevlL" Charles Renley will edit the new fiction monthly. Surprise Stories, It will be published from Chicago, Gene Fowler, until recently con- nected with King Features Syndic cate and Universal Service, is the new publicity director of Madison HOW ATHIC Strand .Theatre Tan convert B. O. and. Ikis Orcliesiva New York News; sudden faighrhat attitude, over the rullnff out of any and all theatrical photoa from its Sunday roto section. waiter White, roto editor, knows nothing but. that these were his Instructions. The News only uses theatrical stuff in the roto now. for the bulldog editions for out- of-town consumption. This does the Broadway Boswells little good. What heightens the peeve Is that the Times thinks nothing of making its own camera studies for roto- gravure reproduction. 2 Script^ Chasing $2,500 Johnny Hlnes* ex-eastern repre- sentative, Herb'Crooker, is banging a free lance typewriter. He hopes to win the |2,BdO offered by a pub- lishing house for the best detective story. Of the 2,000 manuscripts already submitted two are Crocker's. Award will no^ be made until Oct. SL Richmond's Dramatic Section Richmond, Va,, Times Dispatch Is adding a dramatic section this year, several shows having been booked in there. The town hasn't had legit bookings with any, regularity for sotne time. NEW YORK OFFICE 1560 BROADWAY B OADWAY M II gk D Y BLDG. HOLLYWOOD, CAL. HEMPSTEAD-3594 A. l£ sCimABTZ ANNOUNCES WITH PtEASCBB THE RETURN ENGAGEMENT OF HOWARD EMERSON AND mS VERSATir-B SirOWMANI.Y ORCHESTRA MERRICK THEATRE, JAMAICA, L. I. Brooklyn's Sunday Papers Decision of the Brooklyn, N. Y Standard Union to eliminate Its Sunday issue, reveals the odd fact that the Brooklyn Sunday news papers or, what they really are, weeklies, have the Sunday field so tied up . In that borough that only the Eagle's Sunday Issue makes any money on its weekend paper. ——■ ■ ■ I Mrs. StiMman's Weekly "Panorama*" the Illustrated weekly to be sponsored by Mrs Anne Stlllman, wife of the banker, wllU make^lts^flrst^ appearance-^ln September. It will be fashioned along the lines of the London "Spectator." Herbert Mayer will edit. McLaren With Golden Lorlmer MoLar^'n, until recently dramatic editor the Morning Tele- THE ONE AND ONLY CHAZ CHASE INTERNATIONAL UNIQUE COMIC Wishing to Thsnk Mr. Sid Grauman the Master Showman for a.Most Wonderful Engagement at His " Chinese Theatre Hollywood Cal. Now Starring in Fanchon and Marco's "MONKEYSHINES" Idea Booked by WM. PERLBERG—WALTER MYERS WM. MORRIS AGENCY