Variety (Nov 1928)

V A U D E VI L L E Wednesday, November 21, 1928 Collection Agency May Cut 25/2% Fee to 1% for Overhead, from Keirii Agents . Keith: agents' offensive- against the circuit's Collection' Agency, for years a source of irritation among agents through taking half of their 6 per cent, commission, has sim- mefed down to a question of re- ducing, the Agency's fee from two and a half to one per cent, in the future. The agents are' of the belief that continuing the bureau on. a less costly basis Would be considerably more convenient than abolishing it. Majority of the group agree that one per cent; of commi3.«5lons would not cut so deeply as the present two and a half, and iat the same time generously care for the bureau'.*^ overhead. It's obvious that Keith's new re- gime cares little one way or the other and la perfectly willmg to leave It to the agents to de«ude on any plan that will benefit their own Interests. .It's also, evident that In showing disinterest, the hew opera- tors, of Keith's have little sympathy for the Collection Agency, quite aware of its effect on the morale of TINSEL FOR DROPS 36 in. wide at 7.5c a yd, and np M full line of eold and' silver . bro- eadee, metal clotha; gold and silver trlmmlnKB, rtalnestonea, ■ p a n g 1 • a, tights, opera bose, etc.. etc., for stage costumes. Samples upon request. J.l. Wyle & Bros.,vInc. (Sacceasors to Sleeraan & Well) 18-20 East ZTth Strevt^ N E W Y O R K ATTRACTIONS WANTED Young lady soprano, girl's band, 11 to 13 girls. Style show revue. One week's engagennftnt in New York State. All performers must be A1. Applicants will he inter' viewed Nov. 27 and 28 Address Box 75 Variety, New York the, Keith ■ organivsation in the past. , As one of Albce'a side-money pets for years, the Agency made a fortune for. those, he declared in on it, as much commission as all Keith agents combined received. Keith's lost more In creating Jll-will and' .killing loyalty , for It iamong the; agents. Ford Opens Subject Recently, when committee of four agents called oh John J. Ford, Keith's general manager, to dl.scuss several minor matters, It was Ford who started talking-about the €fol- lectlon Agency, Ih.taking the ihltia- tive, Ford doubtles3l.v rrlrrored the attitude of other bfflclal's. . While the Agency's exhprbltant collection fee has been, always very bad for the circuit, the .Agency afr forded, the agents some protection on cpnimisslon payments. For that reason complete abolishment of the Agencj is deemed. Inadvisable bjr mdst of the agents... The Issue is at present up to the agents and they are seemingly In a position to do . what they will with one -of--.Keith's - evils of -the- past. That no. definite steps have been taken Indicates, the agents are still riot entirely recovered from the Albee nriethods and are not quite on to the new regime's attitude. That was, illustiated when agents disgrlmtingly contributed free vaude bills .for the N.. V. AJa $3 Sunday night feeds, because an. unsigned bulletin on ijceith's sixth floOr board ordered them to do so. Nadel Quits Fox Lios Angeles, Nov. 20. E. K. Nadelr the New, York vaude producer, has left Fox's talking squad, requesting his release. Nadel got here Oct. 8 with a con- tract to produce a talking short within three weeks. After here six weeks with nothing started for him, Nadel thought he had better look around and Is now free lancing. His opinion as a vaude producer Is that ultimately three-quarters of all talking shorts will have to be made in the east. Peabody's Outburst Brings Rebuke from Logos Eddie Poftbody, m. c. at the Para- mount, New York, Is reported hav- ing a mad on because Of his cur- tailed engiigement. Peabody pa- raded his peeve but front at both matinee 'and night performances Saturday, climaxing his audience remarks with a combat with stage hands after the night shonv. The fracas was settled Immediately and without casualties. . The backstagie row was precipi- tated through a hitch in curtain raising on the night show, reported accidental, but which Peabody took the angle of being on purpose to crab him. Jesse Crawford, organist, parti- ally filled the breach with addi- tional numbers, with Peabody bust- ing out before the curtain arid making ... some comedy remarks smacking of sarcasm upon his de- parting week. They didn't make a hit with either audience or man- agement. A smart mugg in the loges yelled, "Pipe down, sorehead," which burned Eddie further and Influ- enced him to cut his usual routine when , finally on. Frank Fay succeeds Peabody as m. c. at the Paramount Saturday. Loew Circuit's Stage Acts Cut 150 So Far This Season by Sound Bills Record Short Turn ^ Iri a Broadway picture house recently, a single girl was al- lowed 52 seconds to do. her turn on the stage, , With the girl's agent away, his stenog, Inexperienced In agentlng, took It upon herself to withdraw the young woman ffom the bill. When the agent heard the tacts he .ga,ve the steriog a day 'off.' College Boys Go Wild In Toronto's Hip Toronto, Nov. 20, Near panic at Shea s HIppodron-e (vaude-pictures) Friday night when 400 students in faculty of engineer- ing, University of Toronto, raided house in midst of main evening show. .Collegiate gang crashed doors, a.s- saulted staff and conducted wild pa- rades up and down aisles. Audience In lower house kept calm but bal- cony crowd got in uproar aa stu- dents lights made appearo.n<^ . of flames on walls. Ma4 rush for exits by upstairs crowd . end hurry up caU for police. Kiot squad made flOck of arrests but university pleaded to keep case out of munici- pal court and have It dealt with by students' councli. disorderly charges were laid but so far not pressed. No one injured' and proiierty damagew slight. Row followed annual dinner of faculty which was tame affair at local hotel but there are 38 booze shops doing big biz In this town. Hahlon Kept From Radioing by R-K;^ Chicago, Nov. 20. Bert Hanlon, headllng at the State-Lake, refused permission by the R-K-O office to broadcast over the radio, was advertised as the feiatured performer on the Stelnite hour over- local_istatloh-..WMAQ. Hanlon was informed that he could not go on. ■ Reports of . anpthe;' . shake-iip among Loew ageHts are emphati- cally denied. Reports of the supposed general house cleaning had been precipi- tated by reports of bad behavior upon part of several agentia and given further credence when the circuit let put Johnny Coilins last week. Thus far tlie Loew sounder schedule has cut down the regular list 150 acts weekly with the south- ern road show houses to experiment next with all-sound programs in lieu of former road shows, .with the new policy going in latter part of the month. Acts affected by the dropping are mostly routiners, vUh the Loew Circuit bunching nanries and stan- dards In its other houses playing vaudeville and with plenty of these tied tip, for the season, which gives them no temporary worry at least. . PHELPS TWINS LEAVE Phelps Twins have withdrawn from the Will Rogers-Dorothy Stone musical, "Three Cheers," and are returning to vaude. Through overloading of the show the girls were dissatisfied after the pruning process and were released from contract by . C. B. Dillingham. SPECHT BACK WITH KEITH'S Paul Specht Is playing for Keith's for the first time in 3% years. The bandmaster closed Sunday at the Jardin Royal, New York, where Mike Speclale succeeded. Specht has. the dance Job for the inaugural ball at Washington, D, C, March 4. MacDonald Buys Licorish For Keith's and Peanutis Charles MacDojiald, hot an agen{, got Keith's the colored hero of the. ."Vestrls" for a few proniises aEhd some peanuts. His nariie Is Lionel Licorish, and when at the Hippodrome and Pal- ace, on an appearance in person, LicorI.«jh talkedi MacDOnald is manager of Keith's Hippodrome, He also looks after Keith's Cameo, the hideaway sure seater on 42nd street. MacDonald learned how to dig .'em while get- ting a rep running the Broadway. Through the refusal of the Lam- port & Holt line to release Licorish from his contract as quartermaster, the. colored hero will make his last stage appearance Friday and ship the following day on the "Voltaire.'' On his final day for Keith's Lic- orish will take a bow In all the cir- cuit's New York houses. If he plays th6m all in. one day, it' probably will be a . record. Comedy Skit for Short The "sharpshootlng" comedy bit used by the late Bert Williaxris and George LeMaIre in the Ziegfeld '19 "Follies" iias been sold by LeMaire to FBO. The picture company will use.lt for a talking short with Le- Maire and a partner. In the '19 "Follies" the scene was billed as '.'He Seldom Midses." 'I'wout^Tve Yeare* ^joirlca to eatn UitnaBcn The Gus Sun Booking Exchange Co. Resent Thetttre BldET: -■ SPKINQFIIXD, OHIO FarnlahlnK over one hundred theatres with vandevllle throngh crar combined olflees; snd over eighty'with maslctU allows. . Can always nse first .class standard fMsts. OFFICES New York,'Chicag:o, Cleveland, Detroit, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Kansas City, ■ 8t. Louis Walter Nflsson '^World's Master Uhicyclist" O-H-OOO! Featured Fanohoa 4k II "Up la the Air Id«»' ■1^ HELD OVER SECOND WEEK NNY MASTER OF CEREMONIES PALACE, NEW YORK, NOW Direction, THOS. J. FITZPATRICK "The Candrova Dancing Trumpeters, a company of seven men, followed with cornet numbers in bnscmblo, solos and ducts, with unison dancing by live of the company for variety. Both the trumpeting .'fcjid dancing R-ero wow stuff Naha'fotnMPnty^Df-TrspDn-siv.-^ 'Pho^ligh=^ light of the acts was the flnalo, "Rosses o£ Picardy," done solo and by the troupe iigainst a- background of roses on webs, which liglUcd up With elec- tric lights for the conclusion, "Taps," IMie number was a beauty a,nd drew a show-stopping hand. They encored witii the Sextette from "Lucia," again getting one of the biggest hands of tlie afternoon," ♦ —"INSIDE FACTS." DIRECT FROM THE ORPHEUM, LOS ANGELES CANDREVA BROTHERS Direction: HARRY WEBER ARRIVING IN NEW YORK WEEK OF NOV. 26 "The Candreya Trumpeters revealed a most satisfying knowledge of tech- nique, the tones of their instruments blendin g beau tifully, £"1.1 jstr^^^ S-.'^A muted. They danced as well as played; and as an encore all "seven of tliem gave the Sextet from "Lucia di' Lammermoor,". prompted by the samp notion, no doubt, that inspires the Marx rJrotherd to sing, '^Ve are Four of the Three Musketeers.' " —L. A. "TIMES."