Variety (Sep 1928)

Wednesday, September 6, 1928 W O M E N' S P AG E VARIETY 47 Newport. R. I-t Sept. 4. WilHam H. VanderbTlt arid the other backers of the Casino theatre are quite satisfled with the reBults of the eecond Beason of plays. Ten- tative plans for next summer are lUnted at. Cole Porter's Lyrics Cole Porter has supplied inci- dental songs for Irene Bordoni's new ehcw, "Paris." When Elisabeth Marbury produced Intimate musical comediefl, years ago,, arid with much greater success than her. recent at- tempt with : tlie short-lived "Say ■When," Porter supplied various ditties. Then he married Linda Lee, who had divorced the late E. R. Thomas, and received a big settlement. Later the millionaire publisher and sports- man was divorced by Elisabeth Fin- ley, who also received a goodly for- tune. Finally Thomas was survived by a third wifie, Lucy Cotton, who had acted on the stage arid in pic- tures.. She is now the wife of Col. Lytton Ament, and has made her husband manager of her former hus- band's paper, tlie Morning Telo- • graph, ' ■,. . ;. ' The Cole Porters have Uvod abroad for years, and are conspic: UQUs in Pads and at The Lido. Cole has a cousin, John Portor, of Statcn Island, who studied interior deoora^: tion, but applied his knowledge in a literal sense, for he berame partner In Charlotte's cafeteria, on upper Amsterdam avenue, and p<'rsonaHy presided in the Idtchon. Another Prince Mdivani Prince Mdivani has been stopping at ^Newport as the guest of Mrs: Jariies Laurens Van Alen. The household . includes a debutante daughter, Louise, who is a cousin of Vincent Astor find a grandriiece of Fi-ederick Vanderbilt. of the Hon. Maurice Brett, who mar- ried Zena Dare, the English actress. After several years of retirement. Miss Dare returned to the stage to tour the English provirices in "The Last of Mrs. Cheyney," playing the part Gladys Cooper did In London and Ina Claire did In America. That Lina Basquette Report The report that Lina Basquette, widow of Sam Warner, of the War- ner Brothers, is to marry Peyerel Marley, camera man for Cecil B. DeMille, has Interested various branches of th§ show, business. Lina was formerly a dancer, arid appear- ed in "The Follies," "Le Maire's Affairs," and other Broadway pro- ductions. She first acted in pictures, as a child. After becoming the widowed Mrs.. Warner, she returned to the movie.s. When her husband died, in l&Sv, he left her the income of a trust fund of $100,000, a similar trust be- ing provided for their child. She is3 featured, in "The Godless Girl," "Celebrity." and "Show Folks." $5 a Lift A Sixth avenue. New York, beauty parlor is advertising u new fact-lifting process for a fee of $5. The ad doesn't Inform how high they'll left your face, for five, but Btates no krilfe is used.. "Flash" Girls as Siiigles Promotions havei Come to two girls who last season were working as members of girl acta produced by E. K. Nadel. AUeen Cook Is now a single with two yiears of Kelth-Orpheum time given her last week, and Billie Wynn, a cpmetist. Is now booked as a singing single. Mildred Livingston, now Velma Kane, with Irving Yates for three years as a comedienne, has been made a single by Nadel and*glven a threcryear contract. Nannes, the riiusician, granddaugh- ter of the late Dr. Leopold Dam- rosch, and niece of Dr.. Walter Damrosch arid Dr. Frajik Damrosch. Random Remarks By Nellie Revell Ceo. M. Oohuir.s long li.st of ponsioncrs is froaiionlly di.-^;-us.M'd aU>iig Broadway aospiie his efforts to shield it from publli'ity and oarry on his benevolen«.e in sci'ret. Hut it wa.s not known even to her .son that the late laniont<>tl IVIrs. Jore Cohan also had a private relief fund for old friends to whom .she had boon making a weekly allowance. : When tlie personal offsets of Mrs. Cohan \Yvro examined it broug-ht the list to light. It contain.s the names gf some old actors and actresses and others not too well blessed with the world'.s poods. it was writteri and" addressed in her own handwriting to her ssgn with the request that its aiiminl.stratlon be continued "In friendship's name." She explained that it is not irieludod in her will as she desired to spare the recipients publicity, 'And that is real Christian Charity and religion. . The mother, of Rcnnold W.olfi l>road.w;ay wit and' newsiia per man of. lamented fame, died last week at her home in lihaea, N, Y., at the age of 83. Having no. immediate kin, Mrs. Wolf loft a few minor bequests to distant reliitives, and $100,000 for an Ithaca old ladies home. Al- though Kennold Wolf was generally supposed to hniye left considerable money, at his death he was $10,000 in debt which .simi was liquidated by his mother. Tommy Hitchcock and Bebe Thomas Hitchcock, Je; who has been serving .as escort , to • Bebe Daniels, is one of the most eligible bachelors in .society. Heir to great wealth, he is, of. course, interna- tionally rioted as.a polo player. He is a son of Mr. and Mr.s. Thomas, Hitchcock of ^>.w. York, leaders of the smart colony at Aiken, S. C. l llis mother was a great, lieiress, as ! a daughter of George Kuf?tls of Washington. Tommy, a.s he 'i.s known, is a nephew of George Peabody Eustis, who changed his name to George Eustis Cocoran. This uncle is now- married to Rosdmond Street arid lives at Tuxedo Park. He w-as pre- viously divorced by his fir.st consin, Marie Corcoran Eustis, who later the late Mrs. The prince is said to be related ..^ to the princes of the same n.-ime divorced Josef. Hofmann, the mu- who married Pola Negri and Mae Murray. sieian. Hofmann then married Betty Short, young, enough to "be his daughter. : \ Mary Garden Marrying? From. time to time, rumor.s cir- culate that Mar>- Garden is about to marrj'. Recently the report was that the opera singer, now 51. was engaged to Pierre Plessis, a yourtg French writer and- music critic. Some year's ago Mary was reported betrothed, to a young American William Chauncey, who was her secretary and accompanist, and in devoted attendance. (Chauncey had briefly replaced Ernest Simmons as accompanist to Mme. Nordica, but Simmons was with Nordica when she died, and was remembered in ber will, later joining the Shuberts.) It would not be so very surprising •If Miss Garden did at last decide to marry someone. . El.sie de Wolfe, after a lifetime on the stage, made a fortune as an In- terior decorator, and, when over 60, married Sir Ch.irles Mendl, of the British diplomatic service. Miss Garden is of Scotch ancc-^try and has wisely invested her earn- ■ Ings. Some years ago she secured . valuable holdings in the Pierce Arrow Co., and. made her father an official of a subslduary company, Harrolds Motor Co. Her sister, Agnes Garden, became the .second •wife of the late Edward de \\\tt of New York, and was for a time a dressm.iker. The Manvillfts* Show Marriages Estelle Manyille, heiress daughter of Mr. and Mrs. H. Edward Man- ville, who have a box at the Opera, is engaged to Count Bernadotte, son of Prince Os..ar , Bernadotte and nephew of the King' of Sweden. Estelle is a granddaughter of the late Charles B. Manville, who was ■head Of the Johns-Manville asbestos company. She is a first , cousin of, Lorraine Manville, who inherited almost $9,- 000,000 but became a musical com- edy actress, during which time she met and' married' .Tay Gould. Both retired from the stage. Gould's real n.ame is Clare Frank Gould and he was divorced frdni Flo Le.wis, with whom he had been in vaudeville. Mrs. Jay Gould's brother, Thomas P. Manville, married Florence Hu- ber, a show girl. After suing his father for $100,000 for alienation of Tom"s affections, Florence divorced Tom and later divorced Robert C. Read of Pittsburgh. At one time Tom w.as reported engaged to Cynthia Cambridge of the "Follies.' "Possession's" Cast When Edgar Selwyn brings "Possession" into : town,. Margaret Lawrence will be starred, and Edna Hibbard and Walter Connolly fea- tured. During the tryout Laura Plope Crews played the leading part. . ; Miss Lawrence, 'who hails frorn Trenton, N. J., first acted in 1910 in "Her Son," a year later making a hit.in New York in "Over Might." Theri she married Lleiit Com mander Orson D. Munn, U. S. N., and retired, not returning, until 1918, when she made a hit in "Tea for Three." She divorced Munn, father of her children, and married Wallace Eddlnger.' Jui^ as Miss Lawrence divorced a rich . man, Eddinger had been dlvorbed by a wealthy woman, his . first wife having been Mrs. Ivy Lee Moore La Grove, who last winter choise as her third husband Walter R. Callendcr of Providence- Wallace, son of the late: Law- rence Eddinger, veteran actor, first acted in 1888, when seven years old, in "Among the Pines," at the Peo pie's theatre in the Bowery. Later that year he was one of three chil- dren to alternatfe. in the original production of "Little Lord Fauntle roy." the others being Elsie Leslie and Tommy Russell. In 1893v when the Empire theatre was first opened, with "The Girl I Left Behind Me," Waliy EJddinger was in the cast and so was Edna. Wallace Hopper. He is now in . vaudeville In "My Mis- take." Arthur Richman Busy . This is a busy season for Arthur Richman, whose name was original- 1 ]y Reischmann. Gilbert Miller opens tiie Empire with "Heavy Traffic," ^l and—Alexander ■ MtKaig' i.s to -pro ■ GiT Boag's Ancestry i , „•,-.. u„ In spite of Uie recent columns of duce "Dim Turning." Richman will publicity In connection w'lth the di vorce suits and countersuits of Gil Bbag and Gilda. Gray, various de- tails: remain to be referred to. Gil's real name is Gaillard Y. Boag, and he is of a well known American fahiily of French origin. Mariy Gaillard connections are recorded in the Social Register. After going into the cabaret and night club business, he a.ssumed the nickname Gil, and rechristened Marianna Mi- chalska Gilda. That was during their protracted court.ship, long be- fore they were married. She di Vorced Joseph Goreski, a Polish bar- tender in Milwaukee, father of her ■on, Martin. Another relative of Gil Boag is ■Williain Boag, the actor, who for a generation past has appeared in David Belasco's productions and served as stage manager. dramatize "Jerome, or the Latitude of Love," from Maurice Bedel's story, and Al Woods will present it. Richman fii-st attracted attention in 1920 with "Not So Long Agb/' later done in pictures . by. Marion, Davies. Then cariie "Ambush" and three pieces that failed to click.. "A Serpent's Tooth,""The'Awful Truth" a;nd "The F.ir Cry." After mutual recriminations, he was re- cently divorced by his wife, Made- leine Marshall, the actress, whom he accused of having "the temper of a ti.sress." However, she was awarded the cu'stody of the child. Farnpl's Climb At the recent dinner party in London at which Gene Tunney was guest of honor and where many noted persona were present, Includ ing such literary lights as Arnold Bennett, Hugh Walpole, Gilbert Frankau . and Jeffery Farnpl, the last named, at any rate, could have chatted familiarly about New York. Now a popular novelist, living In luxury, Famol had a hard time of it for many years on this side. He married Blanche Hawley, daughter of Mr. .and Mrs. Hugh.son Hawley and sister of H. Dudley Hawley, the actor. The father was long known as an architectural draughtsman and scenic artist, and the Famols lived with the Hawleys in Engle •wt-obd," N;—J.," -JTBfCery "helping the elder man with odd jobs. He wrote many novels, but his manu-scripts were always returned until "The Broad Highway" was published and became a best seller. Then all the did manuscripts were profitably di.sposed of,. Including "The Ama- teur Gentleman," which also ber came a be.st seller. Farnol, an Eng- lishman, then returned to his na- tive land. A Leo Dietrieh.ste.in lately disclosed story has to' doVwLth l?en llooht,,'. corauthor with Charles MaoArthuv of "The Front Page." Divtriehstein produced a play called-"Face Value" which opened the 49th Si. theatre. It was a flop and he was looking about for a new vehicle when he-re- ceived a telegram, froni Ilecht, then a newspaperman in Chicago, read- ing: "Have just finished a play which would be ideal for you. The central character is named Felix." Dietrichstein was perplexed but in- trigued by the reference to Felix. He teleerraphed Hccht to come to' New • York with the play. Hecht wired back two words: "But how." Dietrich- stein telegraphed him tw^o hiindrcd dollars and equally succliiet instruc- tions,- "!By.train.!' . . .It was a hot, s.tnffy night and Alan Brooks was lonesome, and blue. He left his apartment for a stroll down Broadway. Two well groomed women crossed his path. The pr(?ttier of the two caught his glance of admiration, arid he fancied a look of recognition ensued. He turned arid was about to comriient on the nice evening When she exclaimed, "Hoyr are you, Alan? It's nice to nricet you In ,New York." Then Brooks Identified her, but he was. a little shakey as he said, "Oh,' how are you Mrs. Dernpsey—and how is Jack?" A few moments chat and Brooks resumed his stroll—thoughtfully. . Jack Donahue and Jack Boyle were prowling along Ninth avenue, early the bther morning looking for types—to"ugh types for a Louis Wblheim number they are staging for a forthcoming musical. They were seeking the biggest and toughest looking characters ablie to dance in cajttlyity. In a Ninth ayenue speakeasy (send stamped.and self-addressed envelope), Donahue's eye fixed upon the bartendetr a husky bo hard-boiled appear- ing that he made "Scarface" Al Capo'ne look like John Gilbert. "Can you dance," Donahue queried the.rimn, thinking how Ideally he met the first requirement of I)hy.sicial ugliness. "Oh, my dear, yes," piped the barkeep in a falsetto voice, "I used to take dancing lessons from Paul Swan." Boyle had to revive Donahue. A frierid of mine, returning from Church Sunday rhorning, passed a Times Square motion picture theiatre. It was, to be eXact, a quarter of 1. She saw .two men look furtively up arid down the street, reach to their I hip po'ckets for guns which they drew and held In plairi view as they walked toward a nondescript looking car which stood in front of the theatre. She was sure she was witnessing a robbery and shooting. Her I eyes roved policemanward, and she was motioning to one when her at- .vtentlon was detoured to' two other men who were leaving the theatre with money bags. The guns and the legal tender cllnibed into the car arid roide hurriedly away. Meet the second edition of Mosconi brothers. Charles Mosconl rose— or maybe he was still up—to phone irie at 4 o'clock In the morning that he had just received a telegram from .his brother, Loiils, announcing the arrival of a boy in Louis' family and that he had been named Charles In his honor. Mother, child and Uncle Charlie are all doing well. On one of the hottest nights I have ever experienced In the theatre, "Gentlemen of the Press," the multi-authored newspaper comedy at the Henry Miller, appealed to me as a pleasant evening's diversion. John Cromwell's performance will always be cherished as a splendid character- ization of a grouchy neWspaperm.T.n, transformed Into a public relations man (ritzy for press agent) and then reverting to type. See the World has added a poultry editor to Its staff. Of course, he Is an. eggspert. Stocklngless girls again command the attention of the editorial writers and investigators report varicose vcln.s, bruises and hair the outstand- ing features of the fad. But I know one actress who was recently mighty thankful that going stocklngle.ss is not frowned upon. She re- ceived an Invitation as a week-end guest at a mountain camp, and on arrival was dismayed to learn that an elaborate dinner party had been arranged In her honor. She had takeri with her but one even.ing frock and the stockings In her linrilted wardrobe didn't match. She decided the way. out. of the dilemma was to go stocicingle as and attjred licr.self accordingly. The ho'stess noted that^ the actrca.s' legs were au nature!. "Oh, fine," she cxplalmed dellghtedlyj "I was just hoping somebody In this party would taite the lead." . * ' ' almple reward for being a good girl. Joan wore little, but made it count for riiuch, a seaj'f of'silver lace, be- ing especially effective. In-Laws Luella Gear's distinguished In- laws have been In New York on a visit from England. G. Maurice Heckscher, husband of Miss Gear, is he brother of the Hon. Mrs. Oliver '^rett, who, with her husband, has •(ri on this sid^ Oliver is a son • Viecpunt Eeber, and the brother Kenneth: McKenna's Hit Although "The Big Pond" is no riot and got in the cut rales soon after the opening, Kenneth Mc- Kenn.% made such a personal suc- .ces sjthat.., it. w.as .. dgjl'J?, "L^. him In the OTlTing. ". Kenneth has been li.'^ted in the annual "Who's Who Among Amer- ican Jew.s," publl.shed by "The American Hebrew." He Is a eon of Leo Mlelziner, the artist, and brother of Jo Mielzirier, stage- designer. This brother married Marya Na.nnes, daughter of David Gray Matter (Continued fropi page 46) hi a tie and a plain buckle adorned one side of the tight girdle. Noth- ing striking In either story or fem- inine scenery. Abashed Audience "Four Walls" supplies all kinds of tstT^mrini^ril-lricltIdllTg"=irivinthe audience a laugh on themselves. There's such a gasp all over when the villian falls over the roof, really effective because It was unexpected. When the crowd gets Its breath It starts to laugh for falling. Carmel Meyers gets all the breaks. Sym- pathy throughout the story and Cute Kid "The Sawdust Paradise" is re- membered with the emphasis on the woodpecker hash. It's neither comedy, drama, nor just plain slap- stick. Esther Ralston and the cutest in- fant seen In a long time make what there is to the picture. Her light suit had a Wide dark belt showing under It's short jacket and the big plaid bow tie under her chin surely made her look like a school girl which Is perfectly proper since she alread y.-had _the..com.p|cx.ijon_ tg^^^^g^ ^ with It. Good Looking Gingham Don Coleman must prefer blonds so Jeanette Loff wore a wig In "The Black Ace." She wore other things, too, of course, Including' the host looking gingham dress .seen out Bide a Saturday Evenlrig Post ad. It had gauntlet cuffs edged with a tiny White frill which, also edged the collar on the surplice bodice and it fitted .her perfectly. A Rubber Stamp It may have been "The Speed Classic" to its director but it's only a rubber stamp to the re.st of the world. It seemed as jumpy as a German made. Stanley management probably knows people are watching their clock, for bus time, and what's on the screen doesn't matter. No neighborhood house would dare offer "Speed Classlv," alone for « quarter. ^The-Modern-Youngster-===^-=^-= Something for old - f.ishioned people to worry about: a girl of about nine who had been compar- ing the rulatlvo merits of two theatres knew her movies back- ward, but she hadn't the faintest Idea of the characters in the Pas* sion Play f^hown In a newsreel.