Variety (Sep 1928)

Wednesday, September 19, 1928 T I M E S S Q U A R E VARIETY 43 Greenwich Vfllage as Iz By Lew Ney After 12 years of patronizing ar- tists the Whitney Studio Club has gone the way of most organizations for and by creators. The club rlalmed^a total membership oC 600 ffi past years, all artists, but It: Is safe to say that less than a third. nf these were active. °'Besfder paying for the club's working force and paying the rent o^. donating the. building, Gertriule Vanderbilt Whitney has given lib- erally In cash to hundreds of art- • ists This she will probably . continue to do in her quiet way. .Any club for creative folks wastes away when Its arteries are hardened by the palookas, sensationally impercep- tlve persons who are arrogant about it. Changes come and changes go, but atmospheric flooey goes on for- ever A year ago George Henry Singer came over from Jirooklyn to breathe freer hereabouts. Today he announces himself as Henri Singh (spoken Awnree Sang), an Egyptian. And many Wonder why a French name and a Hindu title should be linked with the Valley of the Nile, Otto H. Kahn .has taken over Twin Peaks, the house of broken leases, and the Tiniest Little House of broken hearts. An annuity goes to Clifford Dalley who conceived the former and built It three years ago with Mr. Kahn's help. Tlie Tiniest Little House, and It Is just that, has tried to be a res- taurant for 7 years. It has been both the smallest and most novel eating place In an iatmospheric 100- year-old building. But somehow the right tenant for it never got con- trol.. Now It is being remodeled for living quarters again. Hale Hendricks is free-lancing cartoons while Dot, his wife, awaits the heir In her mother's home In Arkansas. Kathleen Tankersley Young has left the ham-Jind-eg.;? minded of San Antonio to live without ham and. egg!3 If necessary in the Vil- lage. Dr. Maurice Parmelee has sailed for Russia to write another book, The Century Company has an nounced his latest on its Fall li.''t. moved from a liftli lUior walkiip on Horatio street to u busouiont in Charlos. Sax Player Safe Polly Holladay, who.«e Tolly's of a dozen years d^^o avus the ren- dezvous for intellectuals and bo- hemians, has returned voluntarily to tho hospital on Ward's Island after nearly a year's fre<vlom. I'olly says she is writing a novel. ■ The old and established hangouts and' .slummer-nabbing te.arooms and restaurants as well as the gift shops complain that business hasn't been at all the past'siimmor. Yet new .places open up weekly, many to sell out or give up when the first month's rent Is up. But .speaks and ring-the-bcll ■.spaghetti houses flourish until soniebody tells and longer. . The Troubadour Tavern tirod qf its struggle with flres, foods and poets during the dull summer and is no. hiore. Skeezlx has acquired the Archway; the Doll's House has passed into the hands of a girl from the Soutli; Margaret Noblet has put her Argosy In storage and gone to Chicago. Woodstock and Provincotbwn used to draw the summer's exodus from the 'Village. Now it Is mostly Maine for the silence seekers, na- ture painters and recreationlsts. An. aviator who flew ovor Broadway all day Monday broadcasting a plug for cig- ur'olios through a loud speakor, intermittently tuned in on va- rious radio stations. Wlion a saxophone solo was sent down by :tho. flying broadcaster,'Joo L.'iurie, talking to group of boys around the Friars, cracked: . , "That's the-safest place in the world for a saxophone player." Chatter in Loop l^HONEY BIOaRAPHlICS Mae Tinee Stolen Money Goes to Track and Nite Clubs Bill Fields' Canaries Treated Swelt He Says LIse.Fulda, who does backgrounds for the American Museum of Nat-, ural History, Is back from Maine. Michael Nadel has leased Into Patchen Place. Eunice Plerret has Grabam, Once Spender, In Jail Over $98 Alvln G. Graham, said to have been an aviator In the war and a few years ago one of Broadway's biggest .spenders, was arraigned in West Side Court before Magistrate George W. Simpson on the; charge of suspicion of forgery. Gr.aham pleaded not guilty and was h^ld in $1,000 ball for further examination this week. Graham was unable to furnish the bail. The defendant ' gave his age as 38 and stated he lived at 2101 Myra Court, Brooklyn. _ Grah am was arr ested by ^etec- tTve James Lyons of t)ie We.sf .47th street station when he appeared at the Criminal Court building to re- port to Probation Officer Burke. Graham was reporting to Burke tor an offense that he had been con- vltted of, according to Lyons. George Sullivan, vice-president of the Dorland Advertising Co., 101 Park avenue, was the complainant against Graham. Sullivan alleged that Graham forged his name to a check for $98.75. The check was cashed by the Paramount Hotel, Lyons said. Graham, crestfallen, carrying a portfolio, declared ho soon ex- pected a large sum from a triist fund left by his father and intended to liquidate his debts. "I don't know why I did this except that I expected to make good," Lyons quotos Graham as saying. The dofiMidant, according to • Lyons, spent m^rie than ?TtO.O"" "^"r!^r'ToncT^yc%'rfi " itgo^^ BY-vva'dVvjryr Lyons said that the defendant loUl him tliat his father was o Xow York clorgymun and loft him several tliousand dollars when ho (Hod. He Wont through most of his inhoritant'o, he told the ; .sleuth, playing Santa Clans to friends. W. C. Fields, of Carrol's "Vani- ties," supplied plenty of humor to a wise audlenc6 that parks itself in the old West Side Court build- ing on West B4th street daily to listen to criminal cases of all kinds, when he was arraigned on the charge of being cruel to a canary Magistrate George W. Simpson heard many witnesses, flayed the arresting humane agents and freed the comedian. The court,. In free ing Fields, stated that no testimony had been adduced to show that Fields was cruel to the bird "It Is possible that the canary may have died from the effects of flashlight powder or . possibly shocked. I am satisfied that there is no evidence to show that Mr. Fields was responsible for the death of the bird," said Magistrate Simp son in discharging him. Fields was arrested by Harry Moran, superintendent of the Hu- mane' Society, and his aide, Jacob Jacobs, shortly after the show was over. Moran took Fields and the canary that lay inert in a small woodon cage to , the West 47th street station. Fields was soon bailed out. Moran averred that Fields In his act draws the bird from a capacious pocket of his "dentist" jacket, places it under the bushy whiskers of a "patient," and then the bird flies away, colliding heavily with some scenery and lands inert on the .stage. Fields picks up the bird and places it in a cage, said the agent. Jacobs corroborated Moran. The latter denied he dropped the bird, causing It to die. "Someone tried to knock it from my hand," said Jacobs. The agents denied that they sought publicity for their so- ciety and denied they had posed for pictures. Mae Tinoe, known to her credit- ors as Frances Kurner, is picture critic of the Chicago "Tribune and gets in all the shows for nothiiig. Miss Tinec's life was not always "an acre of seats In a garden of dreams." Leaving school at some early age or other, she was as con- fronted with the choice of becoming a home girl or helping mother around, the house. She chose neithei*. writing a poem and sell- ing it to the Guernsey Breeders' Gazette for a price. MJsis Tinee Is a picture critic by claim but still a poet at heart. One' of her latest compositions ; is print- ed herewith to show the bi'oaden- ing effect of. plenty of vegetables: "Good morning! "I went to see 'Excess Baggage- yesterday, and thought It very fine. It has a ■very wonderful plot arid features Charlie Hines. (It really features Bill Haines, but he won't rhyme. Y'wekkum). "See you tomorro'w!" Some critics have compa:red her to AV Jolson. For no reason. Ilorso racing and Broadway night lift^ got most <>t' the $;!2.ri00 wUioh Tobias James Bower, 33, 504 West 43d street, former iissi.starit general passenger a.iront of the Panama Railroad Company, admits stoalirig from his firm. He pleaded guilty before .Uulgi' William Allen in C?on- eral Sessions to an indictment charging him with the ..speeillc thoft of $140. Aeeoriling to ollleiais of the. eompany, his hooks show a shortage of over $32,000. Ho was sentenced to from one .to two ye-ars in Sing Sing." .• ' ■ When askod by .lud.ir'e Allen what he had done witli the n^<>noy. .hower Kaid' that after -hi-s marriage last' April he and'his bride visited various race traeks \Yhore he placed large bets. Besides this' extrava- gance he said he. and his wife vis- itOil expensive night clubs almost niglitly iintil arrested two weeks PHLLY POLICE CAPTAIN ROBBED IN NEW YORK ago. ■ . ; . ■ Ili.s youiig wife did not know he had been stealing the money, he told the Court. "Sleepy" Hall, band leader and former Yale stude, Is said to have received his nickname by sleeping through a Yale-HarVard football game. He can't remember. Late but enthusiastic, the Benny Meroff stag© band has organized a baseball team to meet all comers. They have already defeated some team or other. Noting that theatre organists and orchestras gallop into "Sidewalks of New York" whenever Al Smith beams from the' screen) but seem at a loss for suitable accompaniment for Herbert Hoover, a correspondent to the "Tribune" has sbggested the Iowa state song as a catchy and tuneful melody for theatre use. Hoover's log cabin is somewhere in that state. Riverside Drive Fetters Discharged in Court Giving their occupations as dancer, singers and hOstofses, 16 girls, not over vJl, together.. 'with sailors, soldiers arid civilians, nuraberine 36 in all, were rounded up in a petting and drinking party in Riyer- side Drive Park and. 90th street by Captain Dan ICclleher, together with Detectives Dan S;:eehy and George Robinson.- The ..raid occurred lato at night. The pi i.soners were taken to West 100th street station and later'spent the night in West 30lh station house. All the' female prisoners were bobbed. Their mothers learned of their arrests and came to court. - Sheehy was unable to say which Individuals In the group were vio- lating the law. He stated they were all disorderly. The police found many empty pint flasks after the raidi said Sheehy. The court theh freed the defendants. The mothers waited for them. Sailors clung to the arms of their sweethearts, but the Irate mothers dragged them away and promised all within hearing that adequate punishment would be meted out. But He Got Lesson Through It on Swift, Detective Work Polioo Captain Thomas. R. Itai"- brldgo of the Philadelphia force came to. Now York to spi-iul a'two weeks' vaealion. Ho registerod at. tho Hotel Lincoln and; tlgured ho would for^ret alunit crime. During hi.s visit to a theatre his room was- oniored and jowo'ry and Wearing apiiarel v.aiood, at $300. stolen'. Havbrid.ge notified the riiifri- ager an.d' conimunieatod with. the. police of West 47th sti'oef .station, Detectives Florid and Greon.were dispatched to the hotel. Looking ovor the register they found the nanie of Sol Cohen, 27, 1767. Bryant avenue, Bronx. The detectives decided to visit his room. Arriving, they found Cohen and four other men. Also Harbridge's. property. At the station, house the detec- tives said they learned that Gordon Barrett, 21, Hotel Manger, previ- ously had . occupied the room to which the police captain was In and when leavinR' the Lincoln, neg- lected to return the key. Barrett got Buddy Whitp, 18," Lincoln Hotel, to register and he came to visit him. With hlrii cam© Meyer Shier, 23, 462 Chei^ry street, and Albert Ross, 21, 283 West 71st street. With the. key Barrett en- tered Hrti'bridge's room, removing the property to the room of. his eompanlons, Harbridge Identified . the property. Charges of burg'.ary were entered against the five rhen. Later in West Side Court a:il were held withoXjt bail for a further hear- ing. George Konesky, 19, was picked up by detectives charged with tak- ing $22 apiece from chumps In ad- vance for B. & K. usher Jobs. De- spite the advance rake, none of Konesky's saps received a call to ush. The young shepherd admitted In court that he had neither pull nor affiliations. Sherman, Rudolph and Pratt, staff entertainers of station WMAQ, an- nounce themselves as the three world's greatest radio artists. They don't even laugh. Fields drew a few laughs with his witty replies. He denied he was responsible for the death of the bird. He denied it was tortured. "I use a different bird every night. I see that they don't work too hard," he said. . . Flock of Birds "I feed the birds nice seeds. Nice apples. But they don't like pears. I go next door to Max's and buy them nice salads. I owned about eight birds," said the actor. All the time the hearing was on the rariarv In its little woodon cage lay lifeless on the magistrate's desk. Clirls Scaifo, Charlie Bbgan and a. host of others from the theatre craned their necks to hear the star to.ftify. . .,r 1 ' F.d Ca.ssidy, a prop man. tosnnod that FiC'lds was not cruel to the canary. He te.stiliod as an , au- thoritv on birds. ".My mother had carod for them. I minded Mr. Fields' birds. I pavf> them seeds, water to drink and bathe, and took general care of thorn." Moran sought to break Cassidy down as an expert ornltholIglRt, but I the prop man was too good. Al Kvale Is rated the best-dressed m. c. In town, Benny Meroff loses out becau se, of .consta nt autoniobil^ driving, ■w'hich puts accordion "pleats in the back of his coat. This irri- tates his wife no end. TIRE ARREST Booking Agent Stearns Peeved Over Chauffer's Gyp Try. Joseph Remere, 24, chauffeur, of 319 East 85.th street, was arraigned In West Side Court before Magis- trate George W. ..Simpson on the enlarge of grand larceny and held in large ball for the action of the Grand .Jury. Remere got bail. Osborn* Putnarri Stearns, bookln.i?: agent in the Palace Theatre build- ing, was the downfall of Remere. Stearns owns an auto. Remere, the coppers said, came abreast of Stearns, who was seated In a car and offered "a real buy." Stearns was open for bargains. Remere, Stearns said, offered him United States Royal Rubber Cord tires for sale at an extremely low price; Stearns said he wanted to look at the tires. Remere, he said, tore off part of the wrapper. Fur- ther examination showed that the tires were spurious. Stearns called Detective John Gillman of West 47th slroet sta- Donaldson's "Brace" Judgment Reopened Walter Donaldson convinced Jus- tice Valente in New York Supreme Court that the pressure of his riew music publishing office opening (Donaldson-Douglas & Gumble, Inc.) was the cause of his default- ing . on a $5,970 suit by Robert Brooks Hamilton, Miami roulette game operator, who sued on two unsatisfled checks. : The songvtrrlter-publlsher's . de- fense Is that Hamilton's wheel was crooked (braced) and Is substan- tiated by. William Sheers, .who con- curs that Mr. Lynch, manager of the Fleetwood hotel In Miami, had cautioned him to stay away from Hamilton's game on the allegation^ Sheer states that when he squawked to Harriilton the latter told him to forget a $1,500 1g.ss sus- tained at the same time Donaldson went over for* oyer $8,500, and not to say anything. Sheer, who Is froni Times Square, advised Donaldson of the situation, and the songwriter, who had paid $3,000 In cash and Is- sued two checks for $2,000 and $3,500, respectively, on a New York bank to cover the balance. Hamilton argues that under Flor- ida state laws gambling debts are collectible. Justice Valente reopened the de- fault Judgment and gave Donaldson five days to file answer. Doggiest p. a. hereabouts is Jack Hcs.s, who says nice things about Marks Bros.' for a given amount. Ho also is the proud , father of a slay- ing English nasal twang. NUDE SWIMMERS NABBED Church Deacon Claims .Always Wore Trunks ABSENT-MINDED GOLFER Charlie Gallagher's Hideaway $5 Took Him Out of Jam. San Francisco, Sept. 18.. Following numerous complaints, origin.'iting with Commander J. M. li^ild.win, U. S. N., retired, that "nud<'" bathing was common on th" \>(':L'-h ju.'-t south, of Fleisliack'-r Pool police made a raid that noitf-i] .six male hather.o. Arraigned jjo foro I'olice i"''?^'^ Sylvan iVazaru.s, oun'rK iIi'-'1'aCTi<'r?- was freed, when it was proven h" was a church deacon and alway.-^ wore triink.s. whil^^ swiniming; two others received suspended sen- tences, and three wore lined i'l each. Charlie Gallagher, 28, profes- Sflorial golfer and said to be Instruc- tor at the Sunset Golf Club, Croton Heights, N. Y., forgot that he had $5 hidden In his trou.ser pockets •svhon it came time to pay a taxi .chauffeur. The chauffeur demanded $2 :"The idea," said the golfer. "Drive nu; to lusidquartpr?'.." The .chauf four did. Charlie changed his mind and d.irefted the cabby to take hlin to 111'/ West -ITth .'Jtrcet st.atlon. TIk; goifer was again obllt?f:d, In Hir; station honso -,.he eliaurfeur ex- \],]:nuc<\ t'l the lieutenant of toting • (Jalli'';-li< r .'iround town and hi.s visit I . fii.llji'.'lier was arralgri'-d in \\'<-,-i :.Siil(; (JoU!-t before Magistrate. Simp- js'in. Ot\\<i-vn prevailed upon lilni I to S".ireh his jeans, ilo found a i live, paid two and went back t" ) Croton Heights. 10 Days in Jail for Socking Blind Preacher Charged with striking a blind Broadway colored preacher with his fist, Timothy McCarthy, 25, checker, of 448 We.st 50th street, was found, guilty In West Side Court by Magis- trate George W. Simp.son and fined $10 or ten days. McCarthy, without the X, was taken to the West Side jail. Irving . Smith, totally , blind, preaches tho Gospel along Broad- . way. Ho told the Court that ho was crossing flth nvnnue at 54th street. McCarthy "razzed" him and ealled him a fakir. He s;iid that Mef'iirthy offered to assist him acriis.M tire w:!Ik and when, ho de- fliiied tlie eh.-eker struck him. Sroitli s'iz((l iln; arm of hi.< as- .'•■iiil-jrit and lil' -.v his police whistle. I I'.i tr ^.lrn.-i n ,JCd\v.rrd ^l';..^T.anlhan .^pg Uie We.-t JTili street .'^tati-m firre^t- eil y, Ciiiliiy. MiCarthy denied ha , stnjek the. rire.'ieher and d'-'lfu-ed ■that th" eolored man hurlofl epithets at him. Smith lives at 4123 Wo^t 53d .street.