Variety (July 1929)

64 VARIETY BURLESQUE News From the Dailies NEW YORK Surrogate O'BiTcri has issuoj let- tors of/administration to Sliohlon Tllriey-, appointed, guarrlian of tbe two chlidren loft .by Ararfl;a;,-et LaAyv rence; slain, actress,. who^ failed- to Icavfe a will. - The amount of the estatci is yet to be determined. It Inoiiides several parcels ol valuable ^real estate, y '1 • . A benefit lierformctnce for Frank GoldborKi Yiddish actor, at T.ilyou. Coney Island, duly ^0. Mr. Ooldberg | 1^-in .serious conditioii.'• aiotidn Picture Cai)iUl\ Corp., and subsidiaries report for- six nibnths ended Juiie 30,.net profit of |945,b29, after interest, -fedefal •.taxes ,: .and :pt.her chai>ees, have been deducted, .Jbseph .Bickerton, Jr., has sailed .• for -Lphdori: to . conclude arrange- . meritg-for taking over the new the- "atrc . built for" Fib' Zicgfeld.: Housfr should be ready for occupancy ; Novoniber . 2,: . ' After Strugfslijig -along through more, than a decade, of prohibition, , the George -Ehretv Brevve.ry, in E. 92irid 'street, for which an offer of -$40,000,000 as a going concern was liiade ■ in 1921, v(iH be dismantled -after. A^ug. .-!.::. -^- . • - v .. ..apartment hotel at 109^123 B. C6th sireot. Peal represented $4,000,000, '■' dol.. Lewis L. Fields, counsel, for airs. Katherine King ■ F.ogarty, in her suit to get $500,000 from-Gene Tunriey for alleged breach of prorriise, which will be tried, in Con- necticut ' courts, has wlthdra>yn Criticism,by the Ijar ASwSociatian of that state for accepting the case is said to be the'ireason. The motion for a further stay of' the nine months' padlock order, agaiiist Woodmahsten Inn, on WH- liamsbi-idge Road, Bronx, was de- nied by Federal .Judge Martin T' Mahton. Case, was on apheal from deci.«iion of the U. S. District.- Cburt and motion: was for a stay pending outcome of the action. Assistant' U, .S. Attorney Maxwell SUapirb SViid place, wbuid .be padlbcked ' imme- diately. ' ■ ' ' A chinchilla coat valaed at .$6,0.00, said to have :been .stoien from- Mrs: . Keith ;Trevor, w.ho a/s J;tne Mcirnaq, is prbmirieht On the. Paris stage, has been seized here Ky . New . York de- "tectiveig actii^g v.'t thie • reqiiest Of Paris poliee. Coat was .found in .possession of Mi's. Soriia Sarkycs of 1 E.- 128th strc/et; . who- said it had been given t&:h«r by her brother be- fore she left Paris, Mar.ch 10.' ; Mrs. Chesterfield In the will of Mphralm Cohen, known in Vaude as Victor V. Vass, which, has been of- fered for probate. . Francois PuBoi3, one of Mouquin's. (uptown) Old waiters, known to all patrons of that restaurant a decade ago, died in Bellevue Hospital as the ro-sult of injuries sustained when he was struck by a taxIcab at 28th street and Seventh ave, Kathleen Klrkwood of theTtlangle theatre ha8 been engaged to direct "Melinda," new play by Dennis Donoghue,- which will open with an all-colored cast on . Broadway in ■ Sept.' • Esther Case, opera singer,, ia suing Capt. Reginald S. CatroU, former British flying ace* now manager Of Ralston Gallerifs, N. ¥>, for breach of promise. Miss Ca&e asks $250,- 000.. Carron has a wife in England.. Lbs ANCELEi^ Burbank theatre box office robbed of $150 in Holdup last Week. . Ruth- Repplier filed suit in Si|- perior Court, Riverside, Cal.,-.for di- vorce from John G. ReppUer. Charge Of■ .crue:lty. /-.v, - -•. ; AI G. Barnes (StonehoUse.) aiward-. ed decision in suit brought by his wife last winter;. Sarah .Jarie.'Stone- house, who asserted that Barne.s' divorce, obtained in Nevada, , wiis invalid. *J[udge: Doolihg,. af ter..cpn- aidering the case fbr Several months, decided decree was valid and that the $300 ;a month- alimbny s.6i by Nevada , courts would stahd. • Natlbhal Transportation. ; Co; has . placed 50. hew light-tan taxicabs in the Times Square district. : ".. Amplified phonograph miasic was Used at a matih^e performance of "Nice Women" at the Longacre.. The sound, planned to. replace the or- chestra,' is .amplliRed by two . horns from records of ordinary size..' ' . Demonstration of a. new invention to give third diniehsion to film pro- jection, were shown to producers at Brooklyn studios, jf fUrther tests . prpve successful, the.: inyentioh will be put Iri general use, according tb . the inventor, L.- E. Randall bf Da,l- las, who came. here, at the invitatibh ; bf producers. Ilabima TrOupe of Jerusalem has been granted by Max Warburg. • banker and brother of. Felix Warburg, $5,000 annually for three yeiars. "the Habiriia Players ar6 to make sL European trip. . Crosby Gaige has six;productions scheduled for next season: "A. Lady Descends," by Garijbtt'Weston and Garrett Ford; ''So Help Me God," by Maurine Watklns; '■ One Beau- ' tlful .Evening,^' by Vera Caspary; • "Bad Girl," ' Vina Delmar • and Thbma;s Mitchell,, authors; "Some- how," authored by Rbbert R, Pres- ■nell and .Thomas . Mitchellj and a . new play by S. N. Behrman, lin- nam^ed, for Helen HOiyes. ■ L'enore Ulrlc has been engaged by Mesfemore Kendall for a new comedy by Ered Ballard and Charles Bickr ford,.: entitled "Tlie iSandy Hooker," for the fall. Unless Richard WaltOn Tully, playwright, complies - with court order to relinquish all his contracts for rovalties for, production of ."The .Bird of Paradise," within the next ten days, Mrs. Gra.ce A. Fendler may have him put in jail, was ruling of . Justice McGoldrick in Supreme. Court. . • General Tliea:ters Equipment, Inc., has b6en formed .to. consolidate sev- en, of the.leading manufacturers and distributors of rii. p. .equipment and theatre, supplies into a $07,000,000 combine. FinailCial details Were arr range;d by a .group Of bankers.. Asking separate maintenance and :custody.:of a five-year-old sbn, Miargaret Walker, of Rumsoh, N; J... has filed suit In Trenton, N,' J.; aga.inst "Mickey" ; Walker; midd,le- I weight champiiph. .. Mrs.. . Walker I chariges cruelty^' Moses. Koehigsbcrgi fOrmbr .head of a group of Hearst news and fea- ture services, is abting in an .advis- ory capacity to: Eugene Greenhut,. organizer Of Hahn Dept. Stores, in the formation bf a nation wide chain of 40 newspapers, representing an . initial investinent of $100,00.0,000.. Mrs. Juana Warner, 607 West End avenue, has filed, suit In N. Y. Supreme court, asking a divorce from' her estranged, husband. Rue-, ben, whp lives at-tiie Warner-Kel-. ton Hotel, in Hollywood; Mr$. War- ner charges her husband left three months/before their child was.bbrn and also alleges that a mutual friend,^ Clyde F. .Dodger; .of L. : A.- caught her husband entertaining "Kitty" : Rupti in his hotel room, when both were partly undressed. A bandit,; with ' his right hand menacingly in his pocket, approach- ed Ida Pckter, cashier for the Brase Rail restaurant, "747 7th ayenuc and demanded the contents of the cash draw. Miss Pekter who was count- ing the day's receipts handed over ?900.. :. • ■ Morris Flnkelman, 1330 Morris avenue, Bronx, taxicab driver, is be- ing'held in Homicide Court,,charged. with the death , of Peggie Wallace, 21, actress, living at the Hotel Mansfield. "iChe young : woman, was struck by Finkelrnart's cab In front of her hotel.-.-v.' . Se.gundo "yrlondb Lederer, award- ed . divorce, .from . :6tto Lederer in. Superior Court on charges of cruelty. Mrs. N. TibbettSi mother of Fran- ces; Lee, named as cOi-respondent In divorce suit filed by Florence Finck against Mortimer Finck, local reail- I tor.' '. . "■; ■':•■ .Michael J, P. Cudahy, member of , Cudahy Packing Corhpany familyi I and for several, yeaii^s:: one of.HoN .ly.Wood''3 playboys.,; w.cis arrested by the Hollywood'police: on charge, of driving an aiutp while ■ intoxicated. .Gudahy'a bride (they, we're' recently married), is Adele Evanson. : Four eoncessipins' 'at Venice Pier, raided, by . pblice. Proprietors and. . 25 .customers arrested on charges of gambling. All were released, on,$2.00 bail apiece. Games were the tango and bingo concessions, which . police, say are but neSv. names fpi" keeho. Nat Ross . filed bankruptcy peti- tion in 'U. S. District Court. List's $30,528 liabilities .and no assets. , .' Suit Of P. W. Sniyley against ■Jack HOIt, alleging false arrest, was dismissed, on motion.' of plaintiff's attorney. Ziegfeld is running shor^t of beaur ties, according' to Sam GoldWyri and the dailies. Studio girls going east to Flo • are Doraine .Lee, Evelyn Pierce, RUth Morgan and , Collette Merton. They leave this week. ' Helen Mae.. Johnson; dancer, aiward ed divorce: - ffom James M. Johnson on charges of cruelty. Edith Llnkbnheldt granted divorce from Otto Linkehheldt (Elmo'Lin- coln)- by Judge. Rbsenkranz on charges of cruelty. Anne Nichols' home in Encino, Cal„ completed; and ready for occu- pancy after $35,000 in improvements; Estae was formerly the property of Edward Small. COLUMBIA (STOCK) . Current week's stock captioned "World Beaters" makes the grade for burlesque. Both in llno-up and principals it tops moat of the travel- ing burlesque outfits that cavorted over the same rostrum this past season. The show is there as far as bur- lesque goes" and plenty of devotees playing hookey from the beaches to get the wiggly runway, grinds and applaud the. "teasers" until the^ femme . perpetratbr.s tossed oflE as much clothing as legal.: . Ann Corib,.brunct torch from De- troit, gave them plenty of the atrip stuff in i>oth stanzas and they loved it. Ann has plenty tb show that 3 worth looking a;t and handles tii^ gag with a finesse that some of the coarser - soubs do WeU , to pattern after. For If it's at: all possible to erase /vulgarity from a strip num- ber this |:al does it, and how- ; Mi.ss Corio i.s- featured with the stock'. All bf the, principals have been drafted from wheel show ranks. . Three comics; Hap Fryer, doing semirboob; .Harry. Morrls.'Hebe, and ,(i!ly4e .'Ba:tes, with John Grant and Lew Petel alternating as straights for the: trio of comics in" skits and blackouts. "The quintet, deliver ac- ceptably: the veteran bits which ■'either prOves one Of two. things, that they're riot trying out; any new mar terial here or else- the .circuit • hfls no iritentibh of pensioning the chest- ; nUt. formulas for laughs next sea- son..- ■. • '.' ..;.; ; • ■'. ■ . ■ • The comedy divisionV has every- thing burlesque has. had frorri the sucker bit tb Vlrlsh Justice." slight- ly different, on slant-on the latter, but nevertheless •Venerable.' When "blued*.' up some of it hits, but'most of it doesn't. \ ■ ■ • .••■■ ■ .■ :.''■.;■ ' Burlesque is Just a string off of gags: "blued" to a- farethewoll. serv- ing' as: wind restprers for the gals b(?tw<?en numbers and an excuse tb keep comics on the payroll. - 'None Of the cutreht skits can be recommended: heavily as hiu.gh prO- ■vokers, but you can't trike it aiway from them that they, go, frbrn a producer's standpoint at least, for- thejr've been going: for yea.rs. Ask Adam, he;khow3. . / The gals as usual provide the, only 'riemalining animation in trunks .and .flimsy'> brassieres to taunt moronic onlookers, such! as shoo off thie! com- ics if they try ainything funny for another peek, at' the congress of senti-unadorned. . ; •Miss Cbrio has the: right dope and gives it to them to..the limit. Her two. numbers were show [stoppers and .will undoubtedly remain same if held; in the wheel shbw ne?tt. sea-, son."- ' ■:-■:■■,■,.■■ Wednesday, Jirly 17, 1929 Harkowitch L A. Stock Blows After One Day Los Angeles, Jul/Ifi. After one day of .stock burlesque- operated by Dan Markowltctt, re- turned to picture grind,, leaving, cast aind chorus up in the air for salary and engagement. Fourteen performers and the pro- ducer of the shows, Charles GiUis, were dismissed yesterday morning, Markowlt.ch declaring the fire: cpm- missloner had advised hlni the dressing rooms were "fire traps" and the theitre' was not equipped . for stage shows. A check up by the people reVealed : there: w43 no record oE •Such a: rul- ing at the commissioner's : oitlce.. . Theatre inspection 'offlclals alsb W.^n-e ignorant of such an. Order. Sbven of the. perfbrrn'ers w'ent to. tthe; labor comtnissibner tq^^ file - claims, but on advice of that bflici.;a withheld action until a further do-; mand had been made upon Marko- •witch. Salary for. three weeks of rehearsal.and three "perforrriances. House was hot scheduled to b"i^oi\ with burlesque: until. Sunday, but date reported to have been set ahead .-•when, picture . husiness turned dull. Burlesque Casts ; Bovi^ef-y Buriesqui^rs;" .Clyde.. Bates^. Bebfe. Almond, Alma Mbn - tague, Grace , "Trempht and Billy Rogei'is; ■:• ..■ ■■■■'. "Social Maids," Minnie Fitzger- ald, Billy Miffliii, Mark Lee.. Dave Gardner, Walter .. Smith, Arthur Rbmpe, Ethel SPears' and .Ruth: Donald.. ■ . . ,,; t V •'Girls from Happylandr" Irving Selig, Vi Blakely, Ben Learner, Will Kreamer. Irving. Brown, Rose Lee. Llllian Kennedy and Dorothy Fulh^;tV •'Hindu Belles," Hindu Was,sau; Eddie Lloyd, George M.urray, Vir-: gihia Green,. Gertie ^De Foye and l^d Esther Larig,. principal with the! Columbia stock. New Vork, left last week; with Ann Cbrib ;supplanting. Eddie Kaplan, cbmilc, withdrew from the doiumbia stock. New York, Monday^ replacefd b^r Clyde Bates. Minnie Fitzgerald, runway prin- cipal at the Cblumbia; Nev/ Ybrk, quit Monday to take a rest.. Suc- ceeded, by Pprcia Lee. . Accoi*dlng to Crosby Gaige, Helen Hayes' next vehicle will be "One :Beautiful Evening," play, by Vera C.aspary. . Cast ■vvill be composed en- tirely of Women; • Padlock decrees against -53 New Jersey esfabiltinnenf^^^^ eral •ji'esorts in Atlalntic, City and Hobpken, have beep issued In Newark. . President Hoover npt strong for talkers, more impressed with: n.cws reels which give a'- picture of things in. the making.: .Films ..of. mystery | stories appeal to r the President. Piims, are'.shown Monday and Thurs- :, day nights; ; Norton: Whitney, wife bf . ..Vimderbilt . ("Sionny") has' takert up her residence preparatory to seeking a "irouhg Whitney recently Evan Burrows Fontaine, n her suit, for $1,000,000, .broach of promise and of her sbn. . : Marie . ftfttnelius Whitney. in Reno, . divorce, defeated dancer, i ■charging paternity •• Harry WagstaflE Gribblet formerly 'a member bf the corpbratlon, has obtained' ja court order; compelling the Biobokeix Theatrical Corp., com- posed of . Christopher Morloy . and ^eieDn=Thro«kmbptonHo-3how=.caURe^ why the:cbmpany should not render an accounting of Its assets and re- ceipts and restraining it from dis- posing bf any property pending : argument on the order. William Randolph Hearst has bright The Loirtbardy, 22rStory "w . . . ■ Judge Eugene 6'Dunno, of , Bal- timore, following the dictate of the Maryland Court of Appeals, signed a decree giving, a verdict of $125,- 000 from the estate of .George W. Whitehurst, Baltimore theatrical |jnan.J:oJVIrs'.J:jalr_cJ..JJIrJchJWhit&-' hur.st, former New York actress; The pair were m^irried in.a "prayer, book .c:eremony," in .which both knelt and signed a prayer book. , Archi.Kild R.' Graustelh, before sailing last week, said that as the result of public criticism, negotia- tions :wete uiidCr. way for the sale of the Interantional Paper Cb.'s newspaper holdings, valued at $8,- 200,000. Grausteiri's investment in 13 newspapers, . were made piiblic befbre the Federal Trade. Cbmmis- sion. . With .her divorce- decree from Rudolph Brennan made fina.1, Anita Stewart announces she will ■ -marry G.. P. Cbnverse within the. next 10 days. • • Trial of a $1,000,000 piracy suit brought against: Samuel Gpldwyn and Lehore Coffee, scenarist, by Doti -Gabri;el-de--Barbadillb-tind-"hl3-wiTr Phyllis Waters Fbrbes, started be- fore U. S. ..District, Court Judge Sawtelle,- ■■•'•'■: :eri Marion NIxbn weds iEdward HIll- rtian Aug. 11. .; Jascha PIeifetz. and wife, Florence Vidbr, . returned . hei-e aft^r a two months' tour Of Europe; ■,■ ; Everett Spr-oiil divorced from Helen Sprbui (Helen Davis), legit :actress; by Supreme: Court Judge Purkitt oh charges-of. cruelty. ■ ."insults of 1920," intimate revue by Dolph Singer, Leo Donnelly and Harry Von Tllzer and produced by Arthur Klein and Terry Turner, has been placed in rchc.'H'sa.l. Cast in- cludes: John T. Muri'ay and Vivian Oakland, Russ Brown, Doris Can- field, Clarence Nordstrom. ; Sylvester Z.. Poll, who sold his chain of New England theatres to =Fox--forl.$a6rOi)-Ot0.(XQ^is=bjcIng=siicdJiy^ Edward P. Egan bf Easthampton. Mass., for $l,300,00o as five per cent, commission on the sale. ' A bequest of $50, "for a dandy dinner after my funeral, at which 1 will be thei'e in spirit,", is made to Henry Cheeterfleld. N.V.A., and to CHICAGO Louise: Rolfe, fortnor .cabaret en- tertainer, and Jack McGurn, alleged Capone gunman in. the Valentine's Day massacre of Seycij men, will be tried July 19 oh a Mann act charge. They were reported In Florida to- gether and were appr6hende<^ in a Loop hotel room. ■ Portia Lee, another hiifty sbubret in the;making,' is there With form and personality and. will be better wheih she:" gets: used to the teasers. Looks like . her first attempt,, for ruh-Way stuff in this show. • Ann-Pauison makes an attractive ingenue. arid" handles- numbers in an experienced way, but doesn't go in tot- the': self-revealing stuff. as ■ heavy as' the. Others. Betty McAllis- ter, Season runway soub, clicks In several hu^l^ers, while Mable I Spencer,Tprihia, in skirted ccitumes in contrast to her senii-nude aaso- ciat*»«?i' /' The: blend of runway gc^l.s with house chorus brings the ensemble to 36, mostly lookers and shapely; [More Percentage Spots For Mutual Next Season Mutual may increase, its number of. perceiitage stands before the new season opens, with hopes, of haying all houses except small capacity ones''and ttotoriously bad spots agree to spilt percentages over a certa.in gross in addition to the $1,8.50 'eekly guarantee. ■^A ctehsus' Of I'Sst .seasbn'5'"ta;Kiti:g5 On the ciircuit is being conducted at the M,utual headquarters, :When completed it •will determine the hbuses to be approached to invoke the p*>rcontage ;arrangomont this .season. The. tbp.s .will be sot at froni, $.4.0.00 to $9,00.0; :accbrding.tb hoUfc i operat-. ing cbstsV Idea is to give the shbws grbsslng beyond the established top, 3j ^per cent of a;dditIonal grosses., The percentage, cut and $13,000 prize bbnus fuad. is being invoked' as a douijle incentive for Mutual producers to raise the standards of the shows above previous seasons. "With; the chances for additional revenue the producers are figured to plunge on better costuming and scchic equipment for their showS this year. Stocks Closing , The ^tock at the (jadillac, De- troit, folded last week. Harry Steppe, producer and featured comic, is in Ne-w York readying his; new.show for Mutual; Milwaukee., 'July 16. . Stock burlesque " fold3 :. at the Gayety this; week •with: hous* going dark .until latter part of next niontH' when it reojpen.s aa. a; Mutual stand. Fort. w;ayne; Ind., July 16. Majestic, , stocks burlesque, "has. closed for the ..summei\; Pictures until fall, then burlesque againV "Sobbers" for Relief Buffalo, N. Y.,;July-6.: . Dramatic tabs of tear provoking variety went In this week .in cbn- junction with stock burlesque" at the Palace. "The Poolroom," done in vaude 15. yea.rs agO,. is ih. for current Week with "The Squealer" underlined for next week. The sobbers are fig- ured to encourage, feminine patrbn- age - at the hou.se..; PITCHING HUBBY -ebicago,-July-J.6. . Hazel Mack, burlesque' actress, secured a . divorce frorti Elwood -iDe|. Voe on grounds bf cruelty and drunkenness. , She testified" that, when'renting'ia, hbtel room separate froth her husband because-lie was drunk one night, he throw her trunk and cipthea out the 'wlhdovi'. ' . Separatiori was 18- montlt ago, after five years of mafriiige.. Mis^ ftlack represerited by Attorney Irv-. ing Eiscnman. ' Edith Mason, prima- donna with the .Chicagb CIvib-Opera Company, is pressing a motion for temporary alimony in her divorce suit agalhst Gibrgio Polacco, director. Bill charges cruelty. Polacco - upon his return from Italy Idst week claitned a reconciliation is in progress. Harry te Van's Act -. L oa,_Ange lgg,_: .Tuly 16. Harry ("Shufffc") "'LeVan, who came here tb play 20 woek^ fb^ the Follies, burlesque hpuse operated by. Dalton Brothers, obtained his release aft.or. playing six. I LeVan leaves this week for New I York to break in an act for Keith. Runway Vyarm-Up. Ann Corio was installed aa fea- tured runway soUb - at. the . Colum- bia, New York, this wecki prelimi- nary to rehearsals for Callahah &; Berstein's Mutual "Girls in Blue." . Sol Brody's "Show : Mutual has granted a producing J !raji cl):iseJ;o Sol _BrQdy. Ile_is call- "ing^"fnW~slio\v~*'OTi"cntal~(5Tfl LaMont principal coinedian. Tvi^.o Cleveland'Houses Looks like Mutuals will play two theatres in CleveJand neit season, Gayety, as heretofore, and Palac*.