Variety (Dec 1928)

Published Weekly at ll« West 4<tb Ot.. New tork« N. bjr Varietr* Annaal snbscrlpUon. fit. Single coplei*, K eentik Entered M second-elasa matter December 2t. ItOi, «t the PoM Offlce at New. Tork, N. oniler the act of Uaroh t, 1171. WoL. xcm; No. 8 NEW YORK. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5. 1928 56 PAGES NEW KIND OF SEX' SHOW New Keno and Fancy Handbook Shops Intriguing Chicago Women Now .Ghicago, Dec. 4. Supplanting the dog races as chief opppsition to nite life and show business la. keno. It's the old lotto liOttp, resurrected, needled and called keno or lucky, Is taking the. residents o£ this town by storm. Through its popularity In hotels It Is penetrating the private home and, played at large stakes, Is replacing bridge with many. The hotel games attract an aver- age of 100 players. Rate is a nickel a c^rd. Any number of cards may |>o purchased for each play, jit apiece. Some plungers spend as tnuch as IBc a round. Tp the' winner of each pot, with all coin paid for the lotto cards in eluded, goes an average of $7 or $8. Toward the close of the evening ■three more expensive pots are played, with 25c kitty and ia, final at ^our bits. These are called ''losjers'" or consolations aa in poker. A, dime is chipped put each round for ."service."* This Includes two or thr^e bell hops to rake in and hand out pasteboards and money and a faumber caller. Hotel receives nothing. Just a pastime for guests and their friends. All .guests seem to have plenty of friends for keno. So far the game Is almost strictly (Continued on page 31) Citizeo Fined 1100 for Serving Booze in Home Minneapolis, Dec, 4. In this town they're arresting and fining people for serving liquor at private parties In their homes. Police raided the residence of Mr. fend Mrs. Andrew Jensen here •\<>ihlle a "hard times" party was In progress. They were directed by complaints that liquor was being consumed on the premises. Al- though all that the coppers found was ' a gallon of whiskey and a di.::*.-- quarta of beer for 12 couples attending the party and although It "Was a strictly respectable party, they pinched Jansen. Charged with "possession .of liquor for sale," Jensen pleaded not guilty In municipal court. It was shown that he had a spotless record and • that the liquor was' placed where the guests could help them- selvas. Nevertheless, Jensen was found gvllty and fined $100; the judge holding that it is "possession of liquor for sale" just to serve liquor to guests at your party or to. make the booze available for_^them^grstls.^ Now the grand Jury is investigat- ing the case because of the fact that two policemen are alleged to have been present at" the party and to have drunk some of the liquor. It develops that the raid was made at the In.stigation of an alderman who wa.s doing a favor for a constituent. The con.stituent wanted to "got oohiothint^" on a' divorced wife to whom he is paying alimony. Pep Up Coffin Sales Cincinnati, Dec. 4. Titles antt catch lines of popular songs ft.re being used- to advantage in pepping up the sales of a local coffin ma.hu-. facturing firm. In its latest! newspaper ad- vertising, the Crane & Breed Casket Company has "When Day Is Donie" for a caption, followed by "—and a lov«d • one ha3 deparetd. Choose a casket of zinc, the rustless, beautiful and enduring." Executives, of the concern say the idea, has put new Hi:: in their business by t- .satlj in- creasing the demand for zinc coffins. DR. AS LECTUREII Candy Ass'n's Campaign To Offset Cig Propaganda National Association of Candy Manufacturers, trade organization headquarters In Chicago, is wrotJi a.t the cigaret manufacturers, par- ticularly Liucky Strike, for its anti- sweetening propaganda" at the ex- pense of the confectioneiry people. It has appropriated $1,000,000 for a six-month advertising campaign to rietallate against the nicotine prod- ucts. Ames & Norr, advirtising agency, is handling the copy plac- ing. The candy men's association may plug the thought there is poison in cigarets and nourishment In candy. "The campaign Is primarily aimed at the fenimes, wKo have added to the ciggie makers' profits consider- ably with the vogue for smoking. The "coffin nail" producers have stressed that further with the plug against the ifattening idea of candy and the substituting of a cfgaret to' fill the void. New Year's in Montreal Montreal, Dec. 4. Montreal Is preparing for the New Tear's rush from over the border. First with set conditions is the Mt. Royal Hotel. Its terms are a prepaid stick of three days at $30 daily, check with reservation. If dinner New Year's Eve, another nick for $30, totaling $120 for the three days and one meal guaran- teed,. Everything €ls6 but room, Another cohdilloff ISTeservation- and check must be at hotel by Dec. 15, and all'S-day guo.«?ts to vacato by midnight.of Jan. 1. Montreal Tourist liureau e.sti- mates that $75,000,000 in thi« city was spent by visitors the past sea- son and that most of the good tlmf Charlies came from the StatC'S. It ropre.sents the local top .season, in the history of booze. "Love, Marriage and Di- vorce*' as Topics of Dr. Shaffer for "Women OnIy*V This Week at Shu- ber|f Brooklyn Theatre— 50c Top—^Tried to Make Newspaper Women Leaye THREE BOOKS FOR $1 "> Birth .control is most simple, ac- cording to Dr. S. Albert ■ Shaffer, if the women believe him and vyill fol- low his obsiervations of 35 years in child bearing. . Besides the Dr. as lecturer at the Brooklyn-Shubert Monday after- noon, where this 'new kind of sex show started a stay of two weeks, with the first (current) week for "Women Only," there were about 70 women. Also the male house manager, ■ male policeman and a male fireman, all interested in the inside stuff on "Love, Marriage and Divorce," the Doctor's main topics. In the feminine portion ,of; the light non-deadhead 50c top meeting place to hear the Inside were two women taking notes." An usherette detected the writing ladles and asked them to leave. They refused. The usherette asked that they de- liver their notes 30 far tak^n to her. They refused. By this time Dr. Shaffer, talking from the stage, heard the commo- tion. He stopped telling the ladies how to even up their families long enough to join in the discussion over the riglits to take notes while he is talking. The Dr, finally ended the argument by saying to the hews- paper women: ."If you think you can write down in an hour and a quarter what It has taken me 30 years to find out. go ahead," and he resumed his birth control spiel. And the ladies re; mained in their seats, but stopped taking notes! No applause was extended to the lecturer at any time. Some sniclc- ers were .hea,rd when ho described (Continued on page 51) Big Sugar in Riviera Gambling Racket; Doughboy G^olos No Opposition 50% of Daily Work It is claimed that through universal Interest in the stock market, no theatrical office anywhere is securing over 50' per cent efficient service dally from Its staff. Other 50 half of the time spent looking at tickers, phon- ing or talking over stocks. Hay s' Work for Fox to Movietone Miss Trumbull Circus Fans Oppose TuUy's **Circui^* Film Washington, Dec. 4, Proposed filming of Jim Tally's "Circus Parade" ha.s aroused the Ire of the Circus l<'an.s' Association. Protest has been placed with Will Hays along with which went an mtiInatum.-=.tha.t.^-iiL.the,,fl 1 n? 1 nj^^ was gone through with the a.saociatloiT would go on rcc'ord with Congress in fiivor of federal censorship. Circus Fan As-scoiatlun lias a larf,'f», an.!.l influf.-ntial mombf>r.shlp throughout the country,. It incluOc." aflniirers of tent, shows. The or- ^'.■inix.ation is.'^iif.-s a monthly bullf.'tin of some importance and holdrf an annual meeting. Thinks to the Hays organization, William Fox will probably be able to' movietone before the end of the week, the young woman who Is slated to enter matrimony with President Coolidge's son, John. But what a sales talk the Hays' body had to hand over a phonis to a Con- necticut politician cloee to the girl's father! It seems that across the border the conservative househould and yard of Governor Trumbull have been so beselged by cameras of all makes since the announcement of his daughter's engagement that the stern executive is now an avowed enemy of all shutter men. Here is how the Hays' office ad- vised Its "in" to approach the Gov- ernor : "Assure him that it will be done in a most dignified way. Say that the young lady will be given a copy of the reel and that It will not be shown anywhere until she and her family have seen it. "Tell the Governor that wTieri his first grandson is born the company will be glad to film the baby and add that part to its wedding pres- ent. "In shooting the picture tell the Governor that all that is required Is to let a truck draw up in his back yard. Then tell iiim that only members of the family should be assembled; that his daughter sliould say something worthwhile that will make her beloved by the American people. . "Since this is a talker we would also suggest to him that the family (log be allowed to bark. Tell him tiiat barking records exccllently.and gives a family .touch." Paris. Nov. i20.' " If night club naughtiness in New; York goes padlock this winter, send the boy.1 and girls over hero. The Riviera soason, after all a branch of the show business, Indicates the demand for frothy fun Is Increas- ing. Best index to that Is the Casino trade. Thcae palaces, In which gambling Is only a part of their attraction, ar3 getting tremendous profits. Every town has; at least one. Nice has. three. One takes in a square almost as big as Bryant Park. It has a huge central half where you can revues and such amusements while waiters weave in and out with eveiTthing from muddy mochia to gorgeous water. It has gambling tables, of course—roulette rooms for the mob and more exclusive Inner sanctums for the cahe-checkers, chiefiy adenoidal angllcans. It has a tea room upstairs where hot hoofing goes on from noon to dawn, with sax and Argentine orchestras alternating. It has even a red up- holstered movie palace. All these are wheels within wheels. You nay a dime to crash the main. entrance and after that you can spend, or lose, as much as you like. The going Is so good iii thin racket that Frank Gould, who built Juan Lcs Pins, is elbowing Into Nice with a new casino. Increasing Nice's quota to four. He Is also building one |it Beaulleli, about half way between Nice and Monte Carlo. His new Nice Casino is a big. baby, right, on the Promenade dcis Anglais. . Cook'a has a corner of it and the Amcj^can Express is across the way. Vll the travel-, check changers are already In the bag. - This place ..is scheduled to open (Conlin'ucd on page""2) " '^ " Padlock Off for Sundays Chicago, Dec, <. --Under EcderaLpadjQck Tor ylQla ing the prolilbltion law, itair)l-»r Oai-don cafe is used Sundays for rcll.'^ious services by Lady of Loiirde.s Church, which will bo uri- ablf to move into its new bullflirig until Ea.'-ter. Tiif' altar from tU*- old clmr.-li )i.(s Ijf'.-n tr;in.«(T«'rrod to tlio Kainbo'.s j J (4 main dining room, Bill Has Ruth Keyes, If That Means Anything William Morris hais Mrs. Ruth Keycs for stage and personal ap-- pearances. What he'll do with her, Bill dofifm't know, excepting tliat Mrs. K eyes Is a looker, -i. "free- lance model'* (according to her Identification) . and possessed of beaucoup notoriety In connection with the Arnold liothsK-in mystefy murder. Mrs. Keye.? Identified George ("Jiumplirey") McManus a.i her booze-'em companion in that now famous Park Central Hotel. BROOKS THE NAME YOU GO BY WHEN VOU GO TO BUY 1 COSTUMES ;Gi'oWns and uniforms D7 B WAY. N.Y. TELSSftO PENN, I AUO UfiOO C03TVMU TO RtMT==L