Variety (Sep 1928)

Wednesday, September 26, 1928 F OR E I G N VARIETY DEAL ONE HIT OUT OF THREE NEW PLAYS IN LONDON Three openinga on successive nights and only one, comedy, ap- pears to . have box office possibili- ties. Of the remaining duo one Is a drama and the other is also a comedy. "The Patriot," -which flopped for Gilbert Miller as a Broadway show but is excellently reported upon as a Jannings picture, figures to run about .six weeks here on the strength of Metheson Lang's popularity. Xfooally titled as "Such Men Are Dangerous" it opened at the Duke of York's and Is ponderously acted. "By Candlelight" came into the Prince of Wales. It Is Harry Gra- ham's a;daptatIon of a German work .which Gilbert lAlller has bought as Leslie Howard's New York play. Served to iniugerate on this side the actor-managership of Ronald Squire and Leslie Faber. Will be a London hit, but its Manhattan ca- reer is something else again. Script revolves around the fa- miliar situation of servant and em- ployer changing places. It is con- siderably brightened by witty dialog. Yvonne Arnaud Is an enormous suc- cess as an intriguing maid servant. Another comedy of English coun- try lifo Is "Lord of the Manor" at the Apollo. Smartly written and splendidly acted it unfolds an in- sufficient plot.. May enjoy a limited West End run but is hardly a pros- pect for the States. Paris Kind to New Play By Pen of Severe Critic Paris, Sept. 26. . Rene Rocher started his season at the Theatre Caumartin with "Tol que j'al tant aimee'! (You Whom I Have So Fondly Loved"), which was well. received. : Plece' is by Henri Jeanson, himself a dramatic critic wielding a severe pen and dealing roughly with plays no better than this. New piece deals with the familiar triangle. It concerns a wife who de- ceives a faithful husband, and even when ho discovers her affair and offers forgi%^eness she prefers to elope with her married lover. Hus- band grieves, but ultimately .finds comfort in forgetfulness. Ten years later he stumbles upon his faithless wife, now poor and running.a sea- shore boarding house. She tries to win him back, but he declines. Alcover plays the husbiand splen- didly. ■ Marcel Andre is thie lover, Rene Rocher and Suzanne Dantes do a fine' bit of work as the cynical wife of "the other man." KEITH'S CHIEFS ABROAD, STOP IT Reported Sale or Merger of Keith's Without Knowl- edge of Keniredy and Murdock—Kennedy Due in New York Friday— Mu^dock-Casey Delayed Paris' Fall Weather Paris,..Sept. 25. Fall bounced in like a: lion last Saturday with a temperature' drop to 60 and a steady rain, still on. Theatres welcome, not to mention the coatroom checlters who have been considering bankruptcy. Miss Lillie Didn't H O. London, Sept. 25. Declining to exei'cise its second week's option, the Palladium .(vaudeville) let Beatrice Lillie go All Women's 3 Toppers London, Sept. 25. Victoria Palace's (vaudeville) all- women bill this week is headed by three Americans, Claudia Coleman, also appearing at the Trocadero restaurant ; Sylvia Clark, last , min- ute replacement for Hetty King, due to the latter's indisposition, and Trixie Friganza who is making her first English appearance in the headline position. Following the first performance yesterday (Monday), Miss Friganza was grabbed by John Hayman to return to this house, week of Oct. 8. Downey Running Floor London, Sept. 25. With Morton Downey continuing as the main feature at the Cafe de Paris, Johnson and Murphy, ballroom couple from "Good News", went in last night as an added at traction for a Week, scored and will probably hold over. . Downey offici'ates here as an m. c. besides doing his regular act Last night he managed to kid Zel- ma O'Neal and Davis and Brandt, after* her first week. Miss Llllle was: cut from 'four 1 all from "Good News", to take the to two songs the middle of the week. Up to Thursday night no new headliner had been- named. Tom Burke, tenor, was the final selection, at which time stories circulated Miss Lillie refused a sec- ond week because of rehear-sals for her new show. Tom Burke scored unmistakably Monday, as did Hilda and David Murray. L-^tter couple are making their dolnit here and doubling into the Kit C;at. With the future bookings of Van and Schenck, Trixie Friganza and the Kelso Brothers, the Palladium's problem on headliners is tempo- rarily abated. floor for a few ihipromptu numbers More Fem Psychology Paris, Sept. 25, "Trois Langages," by Gharmel, produced at the Malson de I'Oeuvre, was coolly received at its premiere Sunday. It Is a plotless affair show- ing a neuresthenic woman in three phases. . She appeals to a physician to . solve her problems after she has tried to handle therh herself by em- ploying first indifference, then truth and finally falsehood, "The physician at length decides that deception is the line that promises the patient the greater chance of happiness. Madame Corciade does splendidly with a ilifllcult role. Lugnc Poe is cast .T.^ the physician. Mitzi Vernille as Act London, Sept. 25. Miizi Vernille, here for the re- vivrr l"-"nf-"- JaB"""Sach\=;-'""Li l.nr c'-Dorni- no," goes into the Palladium (vnudovillo) next week while re hoar.=<inc with the .'<how. Rostand Play Edited / Paris, Sept. 25. All the flurry over Maurice Ro stand's play "Napolon IV" has ended In agreement and concord. Some of tlie linos regarded as objectionable have been edited out and with their elimination what promised to be spirited Anglo-French controversy has been ironed out. Character dealt with Is the Prince Imperial, who was killed in'an ani bush while he was serving with the British army in Afghanistan in 1879. FOREIGN DEALINGS London, Sept. 25. Joseph P. Kennedy sailed Satur- day on the "Majestie" with a re- liable report before ho left that the proposed disposal of the Keith Cir- cuit, in the absence of Kennedy and J. J. Murdock had been blocked by those two active Keith heads, while on this side. The story here is that Murdock and Kennedy had not consented to negotiations for any sort of a trans- fer for Keith's and that they had not been advised negotiations had started. . it is said that Kennedy will per- sonally take charge of all Keith matters upon his arrival in, New York. Murdock and Pat Casey are re- maining here. They are due to sail Oct. 6 on the "Mauretania." Murdock and Casey have been in conference with English bankers on an international amalgamation, taking in the U. S., England and the Continent. Kennedy Is also said to have joined In the conferences before, leaving. (tasey is now reported talking possibilities over with the General Theatres Corp. (British) looking to a booking alliance between this side with tbe States. Casey has spoken also with the StoU people. Nothing definite is reported as the outcome of these conferences. It is suspected that with Casey and Murdock remaining on this side, developments may come out of it. Casey and Murdock attended a private showing of Gaumont Talk- ing Pictures and are negotiating to equip Keith theatres with this de- vice. They believe the Gaumont system has all the advantages of the best of the American inventions and is amply protected by patents. SL John Eryine Excited Over Work on World WILL MAHONEY „ "The Boston "Traveller" said: "Will Mahoney, considered by many the greatest all-round comedian on the stage, danced, sang, clowned aiid fell about the stage in a man- ner that left his .audience spell- bound. Mahoney, .<iinging, dancing or clowning, will get the crowd at all turns." Direction RALPH G. FARNUM 1560 BROADWAY Edgar Wallace in N. Y, London, Sept. 25. Edgar Wallace, his wife and his business partner, Barry O'Brien, sail from here Oct. 17 for New York on the Majestic. Purpose is to at- tend the opening of Wallace's "The yqueaicer." Both the iShuberts and Doubleday and Page, the author's publishers, are planning a big reception for him; . . Conventional Mind Reader London, Sept. 25. CJaston Fror\ch, mind reader, open- ed at the Alhambra f vaudeville) yesterday (Monday). He is mildly interesting without revealing any- thing new. Cecil Cunningham Subbing London, Sept. 25. =-==Geeil=^=C-AiTiningham--=is--r»'pla(^ing- Ann Penn at the Colistnim (vaude- ville) duo to Miss Ponn being in- dispo.'^od. New York Reports Stories in :vaudeville circles in New York during the past two weeks when reports of a pending Warner-Keith deal have been cir culating were to the effect that such a deal was unlikely to go through without the approval of Kennedy and Murdock. They hold the oper ating control of Keith's. Marcus Heiman, former presl^dent of the drpheum Circuit and now a -minor Keith executive. Is said to have been a leading spirit in the negotiations with the Warners. The Warners are conceded not to have known any of the under the surface details. Rumbrs wore that the. Heiman lead, crowd, with pos&lbly E. P. Al bee In the background, believed that with Bufliclent stock holdings, they could .swing the Keith Circuit back to their own possession. Control was lost when Kennedy and Murdock engineered the purchase of the Al bee stock that carried operating control with it; Albee did not hold the common sto.ck control of the Keith circuit himself. His common stock holdings were 206,000 shares the amoimt Kennedy purchased for 000,000. The Proposition It la claimed that the proposition it ori their subscription to the Ken-, nedy buy, that the bankers might pass back the Kennedy-held stock and that would automatically carry along with It the operating control. Upon what cog the plan blew up s not stated, other than the cabled statement that Murdock and Ken- nedy blocked the deal, when dis- covered by them while across the ocean. Neither is it reported what posi- tion the Keith deal may be in now with the Warners or otherSi al- though if is authoritatively said that nothing can be done with Keith's without the approval of Kennedy and Murdock, and what- ever may be done with that circuit, those two operators of It will do. Yesterday (Tuesday) Keith stock again jumped over 30. Report in Wall Street early yesterday was that the Warner-Keith deal is again boiling. Peculiar fact of the Keith-War- ner talk is that no mention m In- cluded of either Patho or FBO. Both picture producers are closely related to Keith's at present. Consideration Ended Kennedy Is due to reach New York this Friday on the "Majestic." One report is that former (Drpheum and tKelth executives, held over from the Albee days and without lioldlng contracts, may find them- selves subject to Murdock's and Kennedy's present frame of mind. Several of these were retained by the new Keith adnrilnlstratlon out of consideration . for themselves or friends. One report is that the at- tempted manipulated Keith deal in the absence of these most concerned may have removed all cause for further consideration. -ITelman is amonfir the current Keith executives without a contract. Albee Is said to hold an agreement fis president of Keith's, obtained at the time of the Keith-Orphcum merger. During the various rcport.s of tlie Keith deal, its stock rose to 34, receding to around 27 where it hung for a weelc until yesterday's rise; A tip to sell Keith's ap- pears to have been sent out of New York to all vaude tientros of the country, with a large turnover daily, running into thou.sands of shares of Keith stock on the New York Kxchange, Who bought this imnienso unloadin;^ ha.s n(;t boon revealed. » . j It was storied in the Keith ofTlc.c.s ' during the days of the reports that j .Mboe would regain hl.s stoek and j operating eontrol of Kf^illi'.s. . | Many former Knith and Orpheum i men held (ho stock of both circuits After overconiing a timidity on the ■ pronunciation of Saint John, a Variety reporter called on St. John I'Jryine at the Algonauin. Sirjohn rolled out all right, but It was discovered that Ervine Is not pronounced to rhyme with Lieyine. Mr. Ervine says that he is vei'y excited over his work on the New York Morning World, but it's too early for him to say whether he i>refer3 It to his work in England. Mr. Ervine said he finds his work on the World .similar to his work on the London Observer, especially since the adoption of the policy of delayed play reviewing by the World. Mr. Ervine says, that it "ivould seem strange to him if ho had to rush to the oflflce after a play and write his review. But Mr. Ervine says that the change of policy by the World was not inaugurated to suit his personal convenience; It was someone else's Idea and will continue after his six months on the World ends. Mr. Ervine wa.*! asked what he thought of Hannen Swaffer. He thought Swaffer is completely a journalist. "Swaffer sees the whole world as copy," said Mr. Ervine, "and he docs not aee a person as an individual but as a paragraph. "Sometimes of course he Is very naughty and indiscreet, but then everybody in the theatre reads Swaffer—artd hates him. It is his business to be unpopular and he. is Interesting and clever about it." Alf Reeves' 10-Yr. Record Los Angeles, Sept. 25. Alfred Reeves, manager of the Chaplin studio, is rounding out ten yeiars In that position and at the same address. That in Hollywood constitutes something of a record. Duplicating Machine Paris, Sept. 25. There's a new invention here the contention for which states the ma- chine will write music as well aa dupllca,te handwriting and- punctu- ate. Louis Allland is the Inventor and makes the claims. Billy Arnold Coming Over Paris, Sept. 25. Billy Arnold has p.atched up his Deauvllle squabble and haa con- tracted to remain there two more years with his orchestra. Arnold leaves within, a week for New York to engage American acts. INDEX Foreign 2-3 Pictures 4-27 Picture Reviews 14 Film House Reviews... 38 vaudeville;. ;":;vvt: ; ."2s:-3t Viiude Revlew.s 39 New Acts 40 Bills ................... 42-4? Times Square 44-4i; Editori.al 48 Women's Page .. .. ....>. 4G Legitimate 49-54 Music ... .' ."jS-S?. Outdoors G8 Obituary ... .•. 5>! Correspondiinco o9-Go Letter List 63 Inside— i'^ictures .... 20 Inside—\';iudo 4s Talking .Shorts 14 Lilfi-ati News of Dailies. 41 7j''^'it 'f;cvi"ws 33 i''oi-i'ii,'n J-'ihn N';\\s <> lUirlcsijuo IT f^Iiorts M- !•') Irisl(lr> Lo-it . :wa3-if=the--Hehnan-end-eou1fl-show.p^^vjj,Yf^,,,^ij^<jl^^ the Kennedy bankers the stock con trol of Keith's ami .slmultaneouf^ly offer the bankers a substantial prof- '!i:t I around 32 or 34, long before thf^ : . nil merg...'. .Sr-dng it a'o to 30 or ovf-r : j [ig |l|jef UaflCnff OCnOOlS j gave the holders thf-lr clianco, it Is j ANGLO-AMERiCAN NEWS STORE I'roprlfttora, n. C, WiUia & Co,, Telephone Reprent B742. Always the most Up-to-thft-Mlnute .Slork ot Amcrio.in Publlca-Uona, Hurpau <le CIiariKC KtiKhsh, American .and Conllnent.al Nt.-WHdealcrn. appolal Distributors for ••Variety" and the World'B Stage and .Screen I'ublifatir.ns. All the worlO's pubHcatl^ons dollvcre.l or mnlle.l to any addrofls. 1 Green Street, I.elceater Snuare. I.ondon W C. 2. Kub.Sfrlpt.r.ns received .f",'^"l."" fnrelcn newapapcrs. poriodlr.il.q nnd ma)?azlnc3. I,lbralrle Contln'-nt.ile. 37 Wilton Koad (Vietorla Station), T.ondon, S. W. 1. Telephone Victoria 5600.' "Wlllla' NowsuBrnry, 130b Brcmpton Road, .S. W. 1, Telephone Sloane r/J*. I.said, to g't out and tlicy w/ti; r"ad to gra.sp it when advlt-r^d to sdl. • Any number, of othf-r valide iieoplc i along Uroadway said they had hi-en ; i.'idvlsed to buy Kr-ith's, frn the i ! strenstth of the deal r-porls. ' of America, Inc. 54 WEST 74th ST., NEW YORK MAI',7 RIJAD Pri's.-.leiu • l')ione Knrliroii «(?,l&-6 New Claflse* Now l''ormljig