Variety (Feb 1929)

Wednesday, February 13, 1929 V A U D EVIL L E VARIETY 3S Keith Agents Abolish Ass'n; Arbitration Committee Is BOBBY CRAWFORD WED Wife, Nee Mary LmcSs— On Coast on Honeymoon Keith agents in miBetIng last week moved to disband their own asso ciatlon. With that resolution ap proved, the arbitration comnilttee for agents and actors immediatelJ' passed out of existence; This sudden and unexpected step leaves the vaudeville actor playing for Keith's without recourse for complaint against his agent, for un- businesslike dealings or taking coin. If he should wish to enter one. The augg:estIon that seemingly always is presented in matters of this nature, that the actor can complain to Keith's (office) runs for the end book. Those who know, know, the actor working for Keith's will riot r«omplain'to Keith's. The arbitration committee was formed but a couple of weeks ago, to solve and decide troubles that might, arise between agents, oyer acts or with acts over agents, its pui-poses wefe to decide if an si-ct . wishing to-change agents mlg;ht do 8o If the active agent refused con- sent, and to arbitfe if an act work ing for kelthrs complained that it^ agent demanded or received more than the five per. cent, commission collected from the act for the agent by the booking oltice. The action of the .agents asso ciation was apparently taken with out thought of the actor or the original motives pf the association and the arbitration committee. Dues had been set at $1 p.er week .per agent. At the dissolution, about. 13,500 remained in the treasury During the meeting, addressed by George Godfrey, Keith's booking head, but who left before the dis solution motion was made and sec ended, N. E. Malnwarlng, agent, * secretary of the ass'n., tendered his resignation. Malnwarlng said, and with substance, that the duties o* looking after the association with other kindred matters meaning nothing to him otherwise, had so disturbed his agency affairs he had been ordered to double with another agent, In the late rebrganl^atlori of the Keith booking office. Awaits Brown's Return Prom the account Godfrey was approached on the subject , of dis- solving the association. He is said to have suggested that th€| Keith office would not object. Speaking of it later, Godfrey stated he under stood the action had been taken, pending the return of Hiram S, Brown, president of Keith's, now on the west coast. It was with Brown present at a meeting of the agents that the ar- bitration committee was agreed upon, mainly as a complaint bureau for the actor, with the. agent sec- ondary. Its primary objective was to stop the agent from taking more, than five per cent., with the moral threat hanging oyer him that the —actT ii mulcted out of. more than five, could, in strict confidence, in- form the committee. With the committee out, the actor has no plice to go other than, to the Keith office, direct, a return to the method employed under the ruinous Albee reign; It: cuts out from under tbe -actor's- feet his only recour.se, and appears to reopen the door through which agents can again tcike side money, without fear of consequences. It also removes the mutual protection their own committee gave agents', throwing the agents entirely undor the Keith control. Grace Eline's Accident [ . . ■ nttsbui-gh, Feb. 12. Grace lOline, of Ellne Sisters, with the Publlx Unit, "Cheerio," playing at Loew's Penn, rittsburgh, last :.^T=:.rWeeky^had^a^-narr-ow.^csga.ne. --bcre^ when she struck her head on a cross beam backstage while running to catch a cue.. She received a severe Bcalp wound, which necessitated four stitches, and was forced t^ li.iy off for two day.s. Going on Friday afternoon In ,a weakened condition, Miss Eline was forced to bed after each show, un- der doctor's orders, She will re- sunrip next week at the Eastman. Roi-hoster. "Just a Mihule" Producers Take Bankruptcy Route After filiiVg voluntary bankruptcy petitions In the riame of Pliil Morris and parry Charleis GrCene Produc- tions, Inc., producers of .the flop, "Jiiet a Mlniite," the producers as Individuals and as the- unincor- porated partners of Morris. & Greene, supplemented this with ^an- other voluntary petition, in bank- ruptcy to be relieved of their per- sonal liabilities. In this . second petition, debts totaling $21,326 are listed. In the .corporation petition last week, the liabilities aggregated $52,185. ■ Sole iassets are claims for. salaries and royalties from the corporation. Morris' claims $2,950 due him for salary, arid- Greene lists $7,20? as assets representing wages due hini from the corporation for book roy- alties (wrote libretto, of "Just a Minute") as well as salary. Amorig the individual, producers* claims: are certain items they were personally, responsible to. the "Just a Minute'' cast fOTi as well as for notes, merchandise bought, etc. Morris & Gt-eene wer6 origihally vaudeville piroducers, expanding and elaborating the Arthur: arid Morton kayel sketch into a Broadway pro- duction with the same, boys starred therein. • Tli»» q.t.- marriage of 13ul>l>y CraNVi'oril, president of .DeSylya, Brown & Henderson, and Mary Lucas, although Intehded to I'o lu'pt quito secret, seems., to be. general. knowledge, The CntwiCoi'ils did a sllpaway to Palm Beach as a stop- over for thciir honeymoon, en route to. the coast where they are. noAv, heading for'Hollywood via Now Or- leans.' Miss Lucas is - populai ly known about town where she was a class cafc' danseuse.-'•; ; Crawford is with his stellar writr ing trio, DeSylva, Brown & Hender- son, on the Fox Movietone lot con- cerned with a forthcoming Original musical comedy for the screen. Rules for Keith Agents in Conduct And With Acts Issued by Book. Off. Carl Bengston Caught with] tion.s . fi>i' ;• \\\<> oiu'vation . of Koith Wife, Stabbed by Husband ; .San Frai-iviscoi - Feb. 12. Carl. X'x^n.ixstiin, I'iiioasoi )>iaiust appl^•lri.n.l^ with tlio orohcsira of "The BoK«ar's Opora," whith closed ongagomont at Curran .Feb- is in. a. crilioal condition, at Dninte jSan.i- tarivnn as a result o£ being slashed ubout th6_ body and leg by AVaUer J. SutoHffe, wealthy Los AnROles man, Tuesday nif^ht". Mrs. -Pearl a,U(Mit.s ■ in . ilieir dt>aliiiKs wiih the biHikihg ollloe and acts ha.s boon is-' I sued, approved by Koith'.s. The3e regulatory provi.'^ions and clauses, are Ihe same as. those proposed, , with a couple of exceptions, at a formol liieeting of agents with Keith executives headed by Hiram S/ Brown,vKcitl).president^. - .The clauses below throw the ad- justment o£ eoniplaints directly into the. Koith olllce, whereas the ftrst under.stariding had been, that such . ^. '^. complaints would go before.an ar- Suteliffc. . found with Bengston at K j^^^^^^j^^ oommlttoe of the agents, fii.>>hi()nable San 1- ninolseo hotel, was .^^^^^^.^j j^^^ the. Keith office, the cause. i- -■ .. . .. While. Bentiston wais asleep direct. Another alteration is that ■ , ^ of ah act leaving Keith's tor a pe- Sutcliffe .entered the i^om by .tap- ^,„e year, entitled to oh.'inge ping on the door and announcmg ^^^.^^^.^j^ This clause, himself as the bellboy. "The door | r«.. ««f was opened by his wife. Rushing Collection Agency New Dance in Talker Los Angeles, Feb. 12. Believing their efforts will cul- minate In fame as creators of a new. dance routine, Raymond Can- non, Lois Moran and Nick Stuart are visiting the Central avenue Ne- gro cafeSt where they have picked up a series of gyriatlohs itnd taps that when Combined to a irhythmi, now being prepared by Conrad, Goettler and Mitchell, they believe will create a more popula,r routine than the black bottoni. The new dance will be Introduced by. the inventors In "Joy Street," now being directed by Gannon for Fox. llan-y Gugler, head of Keith's Vaudeville Collection Agency for 17 years, is reported short In his ac- counts. Detectives were reported looking "for him at the office Mon- day. He lives In New Rochelle. I Gugler is believed by Keith's to I be short between $80,000 and $90,000, an accumulation of the years at around $5,000 yearlyi in a.ddItIoh to • handling all com- missions golriisr through the Agency, equal to 10 per cent, weekly of all acts' salaries paid by the Keith cir- cuit, Gugler's department had con- trol of Keith's pension fund. Gugler Is bonded by a surety com- pany for $50,000, H© Is married and, has a boy at college; BOly Montgomery Held For Lifting Aibnan's Coat to the bed .whore the sleeping man lay, the husband pulled down the cover-j and repeatedly stabbed the man, inflicting serious wounds and mutilating the youthful rival for the wife's affections. The husband traced the where- abouts of the couple through pri- vate detectives. The .detectives stood by while the stabbing was done. They allowed Sutcliffo to es- cape and leave the city. The case has aroused the local police departr ment. • While the husband Is said to be fleeing east, Mrs. Sutcliffe Is loyal to her boy friend. She Is con.stant- ly by his side. She says infldellty on the . part of the husband Is re- sponsible for her leaving Los Ange- les with Bengston. SWIFT GERMAN MARRIAGE Gus Schaefer Met Wife Four Weeks Before Marrying. Her Berlin, Feb. 1. Gus Schacfer, of poth. and Shay, American vaudevilllans, when lately appearing In this city, married a native girl. The marriage occurred just four weeks after couple's first meeting. Mrs. Schaefer Is traveling with her husband. They left here for Paris and then go to London. Union Troubles The Diker theatre, Brooklyn, play- ing vaudfilm, has patched up Its differences with the ..stagehands. For a time things got me.<;sy and the fight hurt biz. The Dyckman, New York, has a fight on with the/ picture operators and the place has been picketed day and night. SUES FOR EOYALTY "Marie Decotno, vaude single, was -served with papers in a suit brought by Al Friend, songsvriter, for $800 for royalty aliened due him for songs and material. . Mi.ss Dccomo, formerly. Marie RIalto, is the wife of Joe Jackson, from-whoiJi fhe j.s ■separ.ate.a, Billy Montgomery/ former mem- ber of the vaude team of Mont- gomery and Moore, faces trial next Monday on a charge of petty lar- ceny In the Court of General Ses- sions, New York City. Montgomery will be called upon to explain why he purloined a woman's coat, as al- leged In the Indictment, from B. Altman's Fifth avenue store two weeks ago. Shop places a %alue of $59 on the coat. Montgomery was arrested three weeks ago charged with the theft, but was subsequently released In $200 bail by Magistrate Hyman Bushel with Nils T. Granlund going on.the bond. Montgomery was previously in- carcerated a year ago upon charges of having narcotics In-his posses- sion, but was paroled after taking a three months' cure. Since his re- lease he has hired out as pianist- entertainer in Broadway "speaks." Former Bookers Double „JeftJ Da vis »nd Benny Kuchuk, j two Keith bookers affected^ by the general exodus two weeks ago, will [double up as agents with C. B. Mad- |doCk and Harry Fitzgerald, respec- tively. Kuchuk and Davis were granted agency frarichlses on condition they I double with an already established ofllce. Kuchuk formerly booked for the junior Orpheumvtlme for Keith's,. while Davis Tvas on the New York books under Dan Sim,: 1 mons. Two changes among "a.ssistant" [agents have placed Max Tlshman. formerly with Lew Colder, In the James Plnn.kett agency, and Abe Fointrfild with Morris &r P>11. Joveddah Will Marry Chicago, Feb. 12. "iPrlnce Joveddah," former vaude mind reader, charged with being | the father of a child of Mrs. Wll- helmina Halliday, white, and of operating a confidence game, will not be prosecuted further. One of those marriages has been arranged. MAX RUBEN'S SUCCESSOR Detroit, Feb. 12. • Roger Kennedy was elected busi- ness agent of the local m. p. oper- ators' union to succeed Max Ruben, who disappeared two weeks ago for a second time since summer. Be- fore his last disappearing Ruben resigned. James P. Murtaugh was elected president to replace Ray Gagnon, unsuccessful candidate for ,blz agent, with Frank KInsora movlnig up to fill Murtaugh's place o'n the] executive board. Kennedy will remain In ofRce un- til expiration of Ruben's term. ASCHERS' DIVERSEY Chicago, Feb. 12. Ascher Bros., fornier owners of a string of picture houses In town, have taken over, the Diversey, closed two weeks ago when Jones, Linlck & Schaefer stepped out. House will aigaln operate a vaude- film policy, .with the understanding the Aschers intend to wire. Nate Ascher Is said to have bankrolled the venture for his brother Max to Operate. . VAUDE OUT AGAIN . Vuude i« oufafcalri at the i'ark, Woodside, N. J., iioiisc going dark I for two weeks to reopen Feb. 18 with; dramatic.stock. William Dcano is installing a company.; : •jCroupc will include Nan Bell; Madelyn- Barry, noorgo Enright, John Kelly, Joseph Woods, Frances Klernan, Kugene Jarkson, Mabel W'hytf and Florence Leinlnger. Loew, Flushing, All Film Loew's r-iospi-'a, J'"Iu.<hinf;-, L. I., will dmi) va-lde; tor slraiuht, films. Feb. 'd'>. I>ro.spee.t w;is taken over by Loew from ihf Schwartz circuit la.st Sf p- tpmbf-r. Keith's (newj oi)ened a montli atro to split Fl'i^lrinKV limit' d \ ;r\(\f- I'ivn'y. 5-10 Vaude Vaude at 6 and 10c. is the late.vt wrinkle that Iz'/y Hurst, la pulling at the Bijou, Philadelphia, =-^\V1th"=a"small-capacity--lIu r,si-fig== uros on the grihd and many rh;inK<'S of show each day will bring h'wi profit. Max Gordon Checking Up Lob Angeles, Feb. 12. M.'.x Gordon, of Keith's, is now touring the circuit clieckiug up .-l-.ous and buplness of competitor.^, lit- S."-. d T*- /i<-i*; tally this week. LOBBY BOOKING Chloago. Feb. 12. 'J"i-.:f V ;ind Dunean. male harmony tearii. booked indennltely for the B. &. K. Uptown theatre lobby. Eoy.H are to entertain holdouts and^Tvlll :"mTiTf =-a3 ^ on7?---^a.s-Hhe--thf^-' atre has cuiiUnnc.i-ii outside the rope.?. If the polley oIi':kH, it will also be tried at the Tivoli, fomli .■^ide house, REHEARSALS IN HOTEL ROOM Kun.'-as City. Feb, 12. , RriKarsal.s arc pt'ri/>iU.cd hy the llotfl T{;i:tlrnore In -^t.s J'onip'iii'n [I'.oom. originally, provided for an act changing .agents at any time re- turning to Keith's, after having left tiiat Circuit. Riiles as approved are: Rules and Regulations > .1. No representative shall knowingly or Intentionally so- licit directly or. Indirectly any act already represented by an- other R. K. O. representative. 2. No representative shall accept any act booked or rep- resented by another R. K. O. representative unless said act produces a written release. If. any representative infuses to give an act a release he must> notify the R, K. O. Immedia:tely I arid give rca,6on for such refus- al, and he must also contlhue to represent such act until the question of release Is decided. 3. In any case of dispute be- tween two representatives, any act so Involved shall have the , privilege of appearing before the R. K. O. management to state his or her side of the case, in person or by proxy. 4. So that no act shall lose any bookings or suffer loss, of any engagements during the possible period of controversy between two representatives, it Is understood that the R. K. O., if It so desires, shall book such act anyway and hold the repre- sentatives' commLssIons pending outcome of decision. 6. Any act shall be privi- leged to change representatives if they so desire after having been away from the; R. K. O. circuit for a period of one year, without objection by the former representative, 6. No gratuity of any kind shall be i?Iven to any booking man, directly or Indirectly, by a representative or any one connected with his ofllce, for any purpose whatsoever. For violation of. this rule, any repr rc.sentatlve found guilty by the B. K. O. will be Immediately dismissed. 7. To facilitate the entrance to the front of each R. K. Q. the- atre. It Is understood R? K: O. \y111 Issue a non-transferable pass to all representatives and their a.sslstant3. This pass Is revocable at will at the discre- tion of the R. K. O. It is also understood that a pass for back stage of each R. K. O. the- atre will be issued by the R. K. O. to heads of offices only—this pa.ss al.so revocable at will at the discretion of the R. K. O. . g-- rpj^e (,oiig{jt;iori agency Is^to^ deduct 5 per cent from the sal- aries of all acts booked by the representatives, and It Is agreed by all the representatives and their associates that they shall not accept or collect any sum in excess of the above. a. If, in the course of dcyelop- ' log a new act, there is an outlay of mpney by the representative, R. K. O. agrees that the repre- sentative rnay be relmbur.'ied for such actual expenses, with.the' consent of the act in question. This doe.s not apply to produc- tions. 10. It Is understood that there is no dlstlnftlon nor line of d<r< marcatlon between representa- tives and produeers, Howfver, in so far as production Is con- ■ cfrnf-.d, tlH-y are to be bona fide. No onr-, two or oven three peo- ple acts are to be considered produeti(mH in this sense, just beea\ise they are furnished with a.jlrop,,&tc., etc.. by t ^ sentative, "~ ' 11. 11. K. O. representatives to do busines.s exclii.«ive1y with K. K. O. and w;th ni'body (Ise un!'>,ss ivrltten con^j'-nt is .sf* iired from the H, K. O. 12. The above rules shall be . birulin;.: upon all representatives iind the lioad of each offlce shall he rc.'-i.cii.'-ible f^r the acts of any or all of his a--t,.eiateH or