Variety (Sep 1928)

Wednesday, September 26, 1928 V A U D E V I L L E *^ VARIETY 29 AH Keith s New York Houses tj Opening Shows Oil Sundays CoMnencing Week Od. 7lh Chicago Remains Main Center For Divorce Actions Despite 10,000 Suits Awaiting Trial Chicago, Sept. 23.. ■ Al.thuoRli there are 10,000 divoroe (luits pending in Chicago courts and a ruling has been made that all contested suits shall be taken up before the defaults are given at- tention, ' show, people continue to flock here for marital freedoni in defiance of Judiciary declarations that Chicago will not be another Reno. In the case of Golden vs. Golden, Attorney Ben Ehrlich has secured $20 weekly temjpprary alimony and $200 tb be applied to solicitor's fees for Violet Golden, dancer. Maurice Golden, son of Meyer Golden, yaude- . ville producer, originally started an action on charges of adultery. His wife filed a crossbill. Including a fiimllar charge, also claiming Gold- en's family conspired against her.. The husband's attorney, Phil R. Uayls, entered a motion that this crossbill be stricken but, and Ehr- lich volunteered to withdraw it to eliminate charges against the hus- band's family. Ehrlich later secured the temporary a.limony and fees for Mrs. Golden pending disposition of the suit. He Is going to New York to secure depositions of witnesses against the husband, . , Jeanette Hackett, wife of Harry Dclmar (Hackett and Dclmfiir) se- cured a; divorce before Judge Sa- bath on -grounds of cruelty. Miss Hackett testified that Dclmar hit her Dec. 1, 1927, when she asked for money, and that on March 25, 1928, he tore oil part of her clothing and locked her oiit of their home. They were married. Aug. 14, 1920. Attor- ney Phil R. Davis secured a $2,300 fiettlement for Miss Hackett, Lloyd Tinflln, playwright, has filed suit against Mrs. Claire Childs Laf-, lln, whom he married in 1925 With most of the local rltw crowd preseht. The couple separated in August, 1926, and Laflin charges desertion, feult was filed In Waukegan, 111. No Beautiful Bum ■Some eyebrow-lift charges are -included in the suit .filed by Cathe- rine Johnson, showgirl with "Night In Spain," against Riilph Johnson, salesman. The wife alleges Ivulph suggested he quit' w<brk and figured he could if his wife would become a beautiful bum. WlTcn refusing, Mrs. Johnson states in her complaint, Ralph gave her a terrific walloping. She Is represented by Phil Davis, Jerry Hoff, In a legit musical, has started action against Jeanette Hoff, chorine, on claims of cruelty. Hoff says his wife gets exceedingly vi- cious at times, once , knocking him down and kicking his ribs Into a fractured condition. Jan. 5, 1927, Hoff charges, the chorine hit him bn the jaw and knocked lilm through a plategiass window, lie is seeking a rest period through Phil Davis. The Hoff-were married Sept. 29. 192G. • Lois Baird, singer with the Amerr lean Opera Co., is another Davis divorce client, starting suit again.st Joseph Baird on charges of deser- tion. They have one child. Deser- tion i.s alleged to have occurred two years ago. " The marriage- of DonnaC . Dam- erel, 17, , daughter, of George J. Damerel, now in the realty busl-. ness, to Edwin L. Watson, garage mechanic, was annulled . by Judge William Gemmlll on testimony that Watson had falsely claimed to be a member of - the Royal Flying. Corps. Immediately after their se- cret mnrriage in May, Dbnha was ordered home by her mother and Watson dl.sappeared. WiHard's Wife Says He Deserted Family Hartford, Conn., Sept. 25. A suit Tor divorce was filed hero again.st Willard, the Man .Who Grow,''. l>y Mr.s. Ida May Barnard Willard of this city. She. charges her liusliand with dop<..'rliug her and their throe children Oct. 10. 10l>4. They were m.arricHl Marcli 21, 1017-, - in^=N(vw-i^'f>:r-k^r'-itw.^.=;J;:^^-^--^ 1 i: Bull Frog Gin St. Louis, Sept. 25. . • Bob Murphy, m. c. at the St. Louis theatre, Ayho has , a. regular kitchenette an' ev'ry- thing in his dressing room, gave a new twist to the pres-> cnt crop of gags about the gin of today. . " Over the coffee cups as the boys on Last week's bill fore- gathered in- Hob's dressing' i-oom, he declared most of it. to be "Bull Frog Gin." ' The ahsvver beirig— ' Drink a little, hop a little. and croak! REMAINS OF FIVE "Violin Mania" Tragedy Caused by Auto Skidding Chicago, Sept. 25. Final disposition has been made of the remains of the five people In the "Violin Mania" act, killed at Elkhprn, Wis., when their auto crashed into a speeding train. Julia Latherhouse, John. Plotkln and Maurice Kaplan were brought back for biirial In Chicago where their parents live. Remains of Arthur Douglas and his Wife, Hazel Gray, the two others of the tragedy, will be shipped to New York, w^here rel- atives reside. According to witnesses the ma- chine they were riding in skidded on the rails after the brakes were thrown on, and smashed into the tender of the train. Air of the five were well known In town. 35 Week Keith Route Without N. Y. House Chicago, Sept. 25. Olsen and Johnson hold a Keith route for 35 weeks without a NfifW York Keith house upon it. It's three years since the team played the Keith eastern time. They accepted the Keith offer at their sal- ary for a. route, without having the route first submitted. The act is reported greatly dis- appointed over the occurrence. They did top business for the Or- pheum Circuit and it is said they broke the box olfice record two weeks ago at the Albee, Cincinnati, when headlining there. Shankman Alleges Frame; Sues Brown for $50,000 Sam Shankrtiari, pianist, has filed suit for $50,000 against Eddie Brown, concert pianist, in New York Supreme Court. Shankman charges conspiracy. According to the complaint, Brown fbrce?r~th"enr6till5lrrinant"'tc pay him $125 in $15 weekly Install- ments, through a ruse. At the time, Shankman claims, he was working on the Orpheum circuit for $55 a week as Brown's accompanist. Shankman states he started at $40 a w6ek and at the end of five weeks received; an increase of $15^ He charges that tlirbaglv an alleged frame Brown impo.sed a fine of $125, which ho paid. Shankman ..seeks the $50,000 for alleged mental and financial dam- ages. He is irepresented by Attor- ney Philip iriirri.4. Harry Zook-Miss Hawley Hurt in Auto Crash .Harry A. Zook of Keith'.s publicity staff, was seriously injured in an iiuto sniashup on "peiid Man's Curve," near Newark, N, J., early .Monday morning. Tn the car with Zoijk were Ralph Darling, Bill Quaid's as.sistant at the Montauk, I'assaio, who was driving; Johnjiy Dowd of. John J'ol- lo.ck's pfllce, and 'Tholma Temple aiid Mildred liawley, both of. vaudeville. Darling's machine collided with a car occupied by two mu.sicians, said to be members of the Pennsylvania Orchestra. Zook Avas taken to. St.- Michael's hospital, Newark, and found to havr- sustained a fractured skull. He was still uncohscloiis last (Tuesday) evening. The 'Hawley girl's nose was badly lacerated, and treated at the .same hospital. Others not In- jured. Darling was held by Newark po- lice after the accident, but' released on bail. . Zook was transferred to New Yor'.i recently fron^ the Kelth-Orphcum press department in Chicago. Young Man Tries Suicide Over Raouel Farrell ■ Washington, Sept. 25. Raouel Farrell, once a member of the Fox (pets) ballet, refused to quit dancing- profcsFionally. It is believed to be the reason Wil- liam S. Heiber, 22,. attempted. sul- (Clde here last week in a borrowed auto. Notes left for the girl were found when the Fire Rescue Squad got him but of a. tightly closed auto- mobile. Its engine Ayas running at top speed filling the, machine with deadly fumes. Miss Farrell was headed south when the boy was found. Nothing, as yet, has been heai-d from her.' Keane Party in Crash Calgary, Sept. 25. Clair Whitney (Robert Emmett Keane and Clair Whitney) suffered a fractured arm and other members of the party were injured. When the auto In -which they were enroutc from Banff to this place left the road. Machine stopped loss than six feet.short of a drop of 80 feet. In the car were Mr. Keane, Miss Whitney, Mrs. .Keane, Marian Wll- kins and her husbapd,. Serge Fla.sh and his wife and an aunt of the Flash's, who sustained .a broken collar bone. Miss Whitney gamely Insisted upon playing the Calgary date after her arm had been set. Radio's Guest Names La Palina, broadcasting commer- cially over the Columbia System (WOR-WABC, New York key sta- tions), has a flock of name stars for their weekly features. They have already played George Jcssel and continue with Louis Marin, Eddie Leonard, Val and Ernie Stanton, Frank Crumit, Les- ter Allen, Billy B. Van and James Barton, each to be a weekly guest star. Tommy Dugan's Hit ^. : _ „_Lo3_ATigelesi, Sept. 25. Tommy Dugan, former vaudeville actor, has hit with talkies. He ap- peared in the first 6ne Universal made. Now he Is under a five-picture contract, exclusively for dialog and sound pictures. The defendant, Clurr-nce E. lard, is said to be living in York ;it j)rcsent. Wll- Xcw Kessler, Loew Agent Aardn Ko.<;t«ler has h<'('n aw.'irded a Loew agPTit fi";inchiS". K'-.s.xji'r formerly held a Keith agent fi-an- chi.se. Eugene and Lee Cancelled Eugene aTiil l^ci-, fl.nnci rs, wf-n* 'c;nicclli'.l .'It the. A\'('0(lru\\, l',)0(^l:- l3,;n, lii.-^t hitif whfn- they ,<?lifiwed at the~'flWt"""peiTrTrrf^ s;in.«! Iluir usiiri] fiv.'-iiii'ce bjiiul. Thd house l^n<.iiv"il tlii'iu .'IS ;i T-pfij- plo flfish. Li'on ritiiiirk, hriii.--o nnn- agi-r, throw a fit wli' ii tii-- u.^•:al act w;'s not giv<-n. Investijratlfin :it the l.ock'-i's dis- "l isod that til" hand li.'id rr'tt act wlien not paid in full nnci hud no inf'-ntion of roturnlner. ANOTHER VAN IN TEIO Chi0,1 go, Sept. 25. In a recent Issue of Variety Eddie Van Schalck, confined in the Dun- ning asylum for irisine, ^yas said to be a member of the Sherman, Van Hyman v.aude trio. Van Schalck v/as formerly with 1 the trio, V;ut has not been with the act for many years. j The present V'jjn, of Sherman, Van and ITyman, Is Walter McFar- laiid, for the past two yi irs living I in f.'iilifornla. Fattest on Earth The Walte.s playing vaude, Is claimed to. be tluv fattent family on earth. Individual iu'fts of the fatties are: Joe, 650; Baby Dt)H, ^5i7; Bapa, 614; Mama, C24, and" Tniy, 204. OSCAR LORAINE HURT In Airplane Crash Over Pariis— Returns to New York. Oscar. Loralne, comedy violinist, returned on the He de France Mon- day in bad shape. lie was seriously, injured in an airplane smashup near I'aiis. on Sept. 17. Crash occurred during a flight over Paris in a Durante thrce-seat- er. The pilot is said to have lost his head after the niotor stalled. The machine glided to the. out- skirts, of the city, Jnnding in the trees. With Loralne was his mute son, Sandor, 13, and the pliot, The boy was only .slightly injured. Willie others claim to have been cured of deafness by sudden scares, the Paris accident failed to help young Loralne. . "UKE" CARPENTER FINED Costs $200 in Chicago to Beat Up Neighbor Chlc.ag'6,: Sept. 25. Billy "Uke" Carpenter, playing in picture houses, was nicked $260 and costs In Town Hall court for beating up a brother tenant who objected to the noise which went with a party Carpenter was throw- ing In his apartment. The brother tenant happened to be a clerk In Municipal court, and Chief Justice Olson, also a tenant, appeared as witness against Carpenter. All of which embarraged Car- penter consWerably. Tony Perry, Vet Glawn, Killed in Window Leap Chicago,' Sept. 26. Anthony Plerl, 62, also known as Tony Perry, committed, suicide by leaping from an eighth floor window in the Baltimore building here sept. 20. Pierl, or Perry, was for many years a clown and latet- did an acro- batic act In vaudeville. He was re- cently discharged from the Kanka- kee asylum for the insane and has since been peddling makeup articles to actors. Just before he leaped to his death Pleri called on I^d. Weyer- son, theatrical dgcnt; and It was while Weycrson was out of his of- fice, that Pleri Jumped from the window. Police discounted any theory that the fall might have been accidental because of a bar acrcss the window. "Eddie Leonard Pending . Eddie Leonard has not as yet accepted the proposal of Universal to make a talking picture:for that producer. Leonard Is considering slmlUir of- fers from other companies mean- while. ■ Norman Kerry's Sketch Norman Kerry, of films, will en- ter vaudeville through the Harry Weber offices. . . Kerry is rehearsing a sketch and will open shortly for Orpheura on the roast, . ^ ASHIS j)isc.oy.ERyL.. ''•"gp De L>.~< i.s Ij'ing spoti>'<'r(."l l)y I'iiul A.'^h, iVliij t.'il:' ii the i'rr-ncii ( oinf'difMinc with him to Chlr-ngo I'nr hi.*! eight-we'-k i-'r.xy thero. Asii thirilws *iie i.s a lind, and nfter griiumiritr .h'T at the Oriental, (.^iil, lie will drins: Her btK'k wllh hlni f'r hi.s far; lino nut, Ni'w i'firk, re- op' niiig. AiMini; nn a suu:;ealU)n iii.'ide by Tom ("Jorman, Keith's eastern divl- i^lonal man:igerl;il a.'^.'iistant to Ma-., jor Thompson In the Keith olUce, all tlie Keith-tlieatres in Greater New York; commencing (.)ct. 7,'wlH stiirt Hie new. bill onS-inday. With, .♦jplit week, , the change. .day will, thereafter he Wodnosday. . . . It'.-^ a revohitionary niove for. Keith vaudovilk*. It has endured the Monday and Thursday opening day.s from the commencement p'C vaudeville over here. , Opening d.iys for new shows in picture houses .'ire variously set throughout Iho country at .a'ny time from Friday until Monday. Mostly they open on Saturday. In some instances there have been Thursday opening of picture house programs. In New York the picture houses open their new programs on Satur- d.iy. Lo.ew's and^ Fox's, also inde- pondoht vaudtilm houses, start their shows on Monday and Thursday, a» Keith's has been doing. The Sun-. d.ay-Wednesday change gives four days to the first half instead oi! the last half as formerly in the split week houses. Gorman's Reasons Gorman's main reasons for the switch, .suggested, it is said, after considerable- thought iand approval by John Ford, executive.manager of Keith's, is that the Sunday opening brings the vaude first day closer to the picture houses' start, and also acts as an Incentive for the large Saturday business to return the Sol- loWlng day for another and changed bill in the same house. Another of Gorman-'s. thoughts, ha reported, is that the usual big Sun- day attendance may be of value in word of mouth advertising of the vaudfllm bill, seeing It at the open- ing instead of the closing day of the week or split. While still an- other reported line of reasoning by Gorman is that the Sunday opening and the performances of that day will provide a much better running: .Thow on Monday than has been possible heretofore with the show oponlnp: roughly on Monday. As Monday draws the vaude reg- ulars, Gorman thiiika they will b« better pleased with the smooth per- formance and the change will tend to Improve all of the first half at- tendance, helped along with th« varied and largely transient. Sun- day trade. Old-Timers Disagreed Much opposition la_ reported to have developed against the revolu- tionary step by the former Orpheum and Keith executives before Ford finally stopped the controversy by Issuing an order of the change. That order was sent but by the Keith press department, mention- ing it as a Major Thompson edict. Acts playing within Greater Nevr York win not notice the altered opening day, since the move around (Continued on page 34) Hodkins' Hand Book Chldago, Sept. 25. Charles Hodklnn, former Pan booking manager at Chicago, is op- erating a racing handbook here. It Tvas by the horse route that Ilod- klns got in the Pan Jam. When Hodklns found himself , out of a job the boys on the iii at the track took care of him. KING LEAVES PAN '■;i;f)rgr' M. King, New Y<jrk, Vi)V- I f'/r th'- P,' rt Levey Cnrfijit, -wili <>rn- liark in the independent b>.ioking li< ]d on his own. ^ -fviiTg=-w i t hd raws-ff< ^^n^tl^A==;L^:-^^^ !i.s.''i<.'iiiii'''rit Oet. 1. Rose's Midgets in New York Ike Hose's troup of ruidi-eiV, has I'Of n hdfjked to play thf; S'Jw York Keith houses. Opens Oet, T at the Kenmore, Brooklyn. Lelia Hyam*$ Contract Los Angeles, Sept 25. After. getting a flash of lielia Ilyams in "Alias Jimmy Valen- tine" M-G-M .signed lier to a five- ye.^r contract. Mi.HS ilyams, the daughter of Mc- Intyre and Hyams, recently finl.shcd- a Iwo-yc'ir e<;ntraet with W:irner.5, AGENTS' EASTERN ANGLES ^^.=:_=^ - Chicago, Sept. 25. 15j 11 y J'ai k .46n,~wTiS^'a3^inr"0ini agiiney here, Is going east to niak« jiinii.'iii>m.H. lie will remain In New Ynrk f.vi) nionths nt a time. Malcolm (i'.wzz) Hagle will also ojM n a Nr-w York otfiee or afTlllata hiiii.strlf with fin e'--tabllshed agerioy, lie. -v\ill nniintaia hia Chlcairv .•i!,'er,'.:y.