Variety (Dec 1929)

"VARIETY'S^ PARIS OFFICE Paris Building, 15 Boulevard Itieiliens FOREIGN SHOW NEWS Cable A^dr^is: VARINEWS; PARIS Gei^tral-01-'57;Xouvrey 52-15 1 3 OPENING NIGHTS FOR PARIS-AMER. TROUPE ■Paris, Dec. 2. ' Carol M. Sax's Introduction of his Paris-American Players, at the Theatre Femina, was attended by Bome skillful social-publicity work. Sax made effective tie-ups with the American colony here, got the .American Embassy interested, like- wise local society, includinjg the In- fluential American Women's Club, and made the opehing of "Road to Bome" a. tworday gala. The "ouverture gala," Nov. 22, was strictly a society affair, with the elite holding down boxes. The "repetition generale" (dress re- hearsal) was thie second night, ta which the press was Invited along, wflh the lesser. Iniportant dead- heads. The "lirethlei-e" was staged the third night, this'being the reg- ular paid admission opening. Sax Is working on a sJx-play sub- pcriptlon ba^Is^ ' selUng. tickets ,ln blocks for the ehtiife series, >nd doing, a , mlnia:ture Theatre Guild' Idea. He has the • society women peddling the stubs and making 'em- like It. "Road to - Rome" opening iaus- piciously arid the future flyei plays are U. S, box offlcd successes.- House Is gambling: with Sax,, the theatre getting Its! shkre on per- centage and -contributing every- thing. Okay in France to i(Ki Preisident^s Visit BaAylH For Novelty Paris, Dec. 2. At a professional matinee of Sacha Guitry's "Hlstoires de France,'' scene shifting wa-s done. in • public view, antl thi novelty cUckedi. Giiltry Is. now doing the same thing, at all. fegular per- formances. ■ . New York Hippodrome used to let the audience watch, the stage sink Into the tank be-: tween acts when It was hbus- Ing spectacles. PARIS' EXTRA SHOWS Spasmodic .Occurrenc^s-TT^Cheristers Squawk, But Have No XJut, , / -- f / , .f .' , . ' ' Paris, Dee. 2. For no apparent reason legit mu- sicals run extra matinees sdmie weeks. . Normally they pass up what might be .consldered^a good mat day, playing extra.midday performsinfles only on. Thursdays and Sundays, but not .on Saturdays. Recently, however, with Armistice and oth^r r^IgIou8> fetes,, (there were .extra shows. Max Rivers' choristers ;(EneSish) In "Hallelujah'* ("Hit the Deck") squawked, sending a round i robin to Rivers protesting the extra ^ows. ' ' : Rivers wrote back to <'behave,'V^s the girls had standard V. A. F. con- tracts calling for 12 shdws a week oni the Continent, whereas they nor- mally plair only nihe^seveh nights and the two idkt's, as they have Sunday shows' here.' Paris, Dec. 2. If Doum'ergue; President of 'the Prench Republic, Is to attend the theatre It's seemingly okay for tue attraction to! ballyhoo the coming distinction In paid advertising. Doumergue was at the Casino de Paris for Mls1;Inguett's "Parls-Mlss" (revue) Nov. 23, and the President of France fqund himself billed over the attraction. , Matinee performance was for the benbflt of the widows and orphans of French ne-wsF*apermen. ''Abie'' in Serbia Belgrade,. Dec. 10., . '*Ahle'*s Irish. Rose" o^ens. ajt the State herd Dec;'12 under lhe";tlti^ of "Thrice Married'.'* 'it starts with the advent of Paramount's talker screen pilpdUctlon 6f the'Anne Nich- ols' piece. ' Stage play was adapted and Is being produced by Josip Kulund- jitch, young Serbian dramatist. Zickel's 3d House Berlin, Dec. 10. Dr. Martin Zlckel Is opening the newly renovated Komische Oper on Christmas oDay. Show will he the Arnold and Bach farce "HullabuUa" With Guido Thlelscher, currently! Berlin's, favorite comedian, In the "ead.. • • • - ■ ;■■ As-Bach died a short time ago this -./111 be -the last farce from the E>en9 of the most successf-ul team of. German comedy writers^ Nickel already controls the liust- SPielhaus and the Theater in der Behrenstr, so ' this house adds. a third iinit to his chain. Both his Other ho-iseff..hold successes, "Grand Hotel" and "The Bachelor Father." Dufreime-Varna Iiitent On Bringing Back Casino Paris, Dec. 2. Oscar Dufirenne and Henri Var- na are Intent on reestablishing the Casino de Paris with its old time glory, although they're been known to grudgingly admit that Mlstln- guett's "Paris-Miss" Is nothing like the Casino days of yore. Policy for an International clear Ing house will be carried through by Dufrenne-Varna with imported names for the talent. "Paris-Miss" cost between three and 4,000,000 francs. (CHIC) CROSE) YORIC and KING Originators of "Tin-Type" Comedy. Now Star Attraction on Arman- dale Castle. (That^s ' the name of a boat.) ■ - . ■. Represented- by J EN I E J AC0P8. By Eric H* Gorrick Siiccessfid Revival and; Eqienment in Berlin Berlin,'t)ec.: 2. : "Don Carlois" Is an Interesting iGind successful revival of (Sermany's ever popular classical dramatist,: Schiller,, at the State Playhouse, Jeissner, general , manager, has re- vived It for the second tline within seveii years. He Is staging it as simply as possible with an'-attempt to lop off as much of the jrhetorlc as possible, Eixcellent playing, by Fritz Kortner, Paul Blldt and sieo- nora Mendelsohn. VA Hero or Today" ("Bin Held unserer' Tage")," oohiedy by F. J. Vantoch, vwas gl-yen at a special Sunday^iAorhIng .performiEihce at 60 cents top,' also at the State Play- house. Idea Is. an experiment to give young au'th'ots a" chance before .-the public. ■ , . . '. Present piece has many amusing scenes but does not hang together and would.'^ay'e been 'aii unssttls-. factory full evening's ehtettainnieht. It's about a jswindler and profiteer whose husin,e'sa Is the manufacture of overcoats for sausages. He finds a rich wido-wr with whom he lea-ves for America; and his -wife hanga her- self. Play is brilliantly directed with the leading role played, by Paul Blldt. By Alesumder Bilitch Weeks Girls' CUss Date: Paris, Dec. 10. Marlon and Ruth Weeks, sisters of Ada May, and now playing at ihe liondoh Coliiseum, will make thieir Paris debut under highly fa- Hforable circumstances. ! They have been booked for the Initial show at the new class cab- aret called "Ii'Infant Terrible" In the basement of Beiron de Roths child's new Pigalle theatre. iSydney, Nov. 9. Slight tradb depression at the moment, with money rather on the ; tight side. Governmental changes :anQi unemployment reasons given by the managers. . : , , ' ^Talkers are still getting the beet ;at.the.b. o,, although WHUamsonr .Talt hope to get a breaK.wlth ' Show ■Boat" on stage, which .'opened .last, week. "Ix)mbardl,' Ltd." still pulling big business at the Criterion and likely to sta;y well Into 1930. Reported that the Fillers will brlAg "The Blue Mazurka" Into their revue house as Christinas attraction, with Gladys Moncrl,eff. VThelr. regu- lar leglt house, St. J'ames, has been leased to Union Theatres ifor talkers. Wllllainson-Taft playiftg mixed vaude'and re-vue at the Palace main- ly with American acts. The Idea is tQ play the pr^Qseht.-..acts .until- the expiiratlon of their; contracts, this forced ohi' W.-T. -teith the closing of the Tlvoll. "Madame X" played as a talker at the Royal by Hoyt's In conjunction with iW.-T.: failed dis- mally to draw, bjt after three' weeks. Hoyt's and..'W.rT.. had- agi*eement •with Metro to run the picture three weekis, ahd played to heavy loss. •■. Chatter'^- ■Jerry and Baby Ghrands may tour Africa ^following' Australian' season. (Continued-.on page 66) - : Bill Tilden's Monblog I , London, Dec. 10. i "Big Bill" Tilden, American and English tennis champ, opened last hight (Monday) at the Trocadero cabaret, using a monolog made up of reminiscences of the net courts. He did splendidly at the start and will continue in the spot for a fort- night. Cpntrpverisial Play Has Part of Ca^t as *Aiidifihic^ Berlin, Dec. 10; : Erwln PlscatOr is taking a com- pany on the road to present a con- troversial ^ play, . "Tortured Hunvan Beings," dealing With the Subject of existing native laws on abortion. During the first act a group of actors will sit In. the first ro-vir, Im- personating citizens and Interrupt- ing the play to comment on opinions expressed from the stage. This au- dience group will then exchange places' with' the istage cast 'in. the next act," ' ' ,.. Possible $750 Nightly Berlin; Dec. 2, Due to a law suit the figure which Elizabeth Bergner is receiving for playing Iii "Strange Interlude*' be- came public. She receives a guar-, antee of $200 a lilght against a per- centage of the gross -which cOuld reach $750 If receipts topped $2,- 800, Miss Bergner Is not starred, but Is featured equally with several other players. 'Sftiident Prince* Near End London, Dec, 10. =^The-Student-Princo'AJs=deflnItely. Bet-to Close In January at the Pic cadllly with no successor now in Bight. Xhe Tiller Dancing Schools of America, Inc. £4 W£8T 74th ST., NEW VORK HART RDAD, PreBMeni Phon6 nadlcott 8216-« ' New Clamen Now Farming McK. Morris' Parisian ' Paris, Dec 10. McKay Morris . is . returning to New. York In January for a visit until spring when he returns to make Paris his permanent home: Until he sails he Will help A. H. Woods and Jane . Marnac produce "Shanghai Gesture" At the Apollo. New "BAchelor" Quarters London, Dec. 10." "The Bachelor Father" reopens In Its third London theatre since premiere, this time at the Garrick on Dec. 12 (Thurs). Leads are Aubrey Smith and Peggy Q'Nell, probably on commonwealth plan. Theatre is supplied by Violet Melnotte, Quits Guards for Girl Londoh,' Dec. 10, Announcement of the engage- riient of Sunrty Jarmann to marry ^francis Francis, young millionaire, was followed promptly by the bride- groom's resignation from the Guards, The regiment has an ancient tradition that an ofllcer may not hold commissions if he marries an actress. '■■ GTIITRY-wboibs* EFFOET Paris, Dec, 10; Because Sacha ■ Gultry says he never has his name associated with an adaptation or transition, only with originals of his own writing, A, Wllleinetz will ostensibly be the sole ■ authof ' of ' "The ' Bachelor Father." Al Woods and GuItry will jointly present 'this piece at the Madeleine after Jah.. 10. ' Woods, here' oh hiis' usual trip and anxious to get away from' it all (the market), closed with Gultry for the Paris production of the Belasco play. SAILINGS Jan. 4 . (London to New. Tork), Giis Arnhelm and-orchestra .(Bremen). Dec. 17 (London to New York), Jack Buchanan . (Mauretanla). Dee. 16 (Paris to New York), Roberta Arnold (Leviathan). ; Dec. 16 (Pa "Is to New York) Edna .rtiomas (Leviathan). Dec. 14 (New York to Berlin), Josephine Harmon ...(Bremen). Dec. 14 (New . York; to London), Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Kent (Bre men). Dec. 14 (New Yoric to London), Samuel Gold-wyn, Joseph M, Schenck (Bremen). Dec. 14 (New York to San .Fran Cisco), Bramwell Fletcher (Califor nia). Dec. .14 (New York to London), Terry Turner (Berengarla). Dec 14 (New York to London), Bill Halllgan (Bremen). Dec. 13 (New. York to London), Reginald-Gonnelly--(-Berengarla)v^ .Dec. 13 (Capetown to London) Leslie and Cohan, Joy Gordon, Fisher and Arlanl '(Windsor Castle). Dec. 12 (New York to London) J. G, Gilbert (France). Dec. 6" (New York to London), Chilton and Thomas (He de France). Dec 6 (Capetown to London) "Funny Face" Co,, Joe Blank and Co., Hind Sisters and Revel (Kenil- worth Castle). ' Frankfurt, Germany Frankfurt, Nov. 28. In Frankfurtfs' biggest .'theatre, Schumann,, formerly housing a cir- cus, has - Berlin's operatic isucde'ss, "CasahoVa," with a road company of tiaedlum talent, Sarrasanl's circus, whooping' it up much the way Buf£ald Bill did years ago, hit Frankfurt :w4th-a. heated tent seating some 5»000. Show bet- ter thaln .the usual Continental cir- cus, A eood deal of American cir- cus racket In It. Frankfurt has a Roxy theatre, -but nothing In common with the orig- inal except the name. George Antheil, American com- poser, will have his opera, "Trans- atlantic," produced here during the operatic festival in April. Toscaninl will direct a series of operas at Bayreuth. Paris Chatter Paris, Dec, 1. . Eddie Vitch, at the iPlle ou Face (Heads or Tails) cabaret In 'tlie Montmartre, deemed by Clifford as a "find," Is getting $1,20 a night here (30 francs), although successr fully holding out for 40 francs ($1.60) a night. Fischer placed him under a five-year contract and he opens at the Kit-Cat, London, Jan 6, at $150 a week. Low-down on whether or not the famous Moulin Rouge n^uslc hall reverts to its original revue policy next spring depends on whether or not 4i000,000'tnore francs are forth- coming Dec. 16 to Rene Foucret, managing director of the theatre, from interests sponsored by Gal man, Parisian financier. Already Foucret has 1,000,000 francs ($40,- 000) on deposit for a month's option to sell out his 65% controlling In- terest In tho .Moulin Rouge.. The. siecond, picture house here to run regular midnight programs from 11:45 until 1:30 will be the Moulin Rouge when It opens with Fox "Movietone Follies," The Par- amount, on the Boulevard des Itall .ens,=.ln^addItlbnJ-to.=.its--^flye^stago frolics a day; already Is running a midnight flicker and packing 'em in. Telling time here Is funny to the New Worlders. They have a 24 hour clock system. Matinees do not start at 2:30 but at 14:30 o'clock; ditto, a 9 o'clock theatre curtain is scheduled as at 21 o'clock. That's because of the no a, m. and p, m Americans residing here for a length of time have their watches (Continued on page BO) Belgrade, Nov. 26. A strong Russian Influence win count i^avlly , against Amerlcaik tiallcers, accol'dlhg to the'local dope^ Judging from- the local reaction .io M^G-M'a. "White Shadows," th^ premier souniSAlm to hit Jugo, Slavla, From Its debut In Zagreb^, Nov: 12, "White Shadows'' can»« Into the Jugo-Sl6ya,kian capital ^ a, fortnight later. The Balkan, peoplo wcfi, strong fpp anything Russe. That accounts for the success of; Soviet; •picture ptopi ductions .which find their, chief ma^.'.. ket hereabouts. jThe natives aimV prefer German pictures, . silent .ijr; otherwise, understanding the laixt ■ guage and the: customs..lJ«5tter, aijd prbferrihg them, to American pp British: flickers, . ,:/ Improvisation . of : preaentaticin. gives the Balkan population almost a. talker production, oh everything, . even before the popularity of thie talkers, since they are . usuallj^' shown with a Russian accompani- ment pf balalallica orchestra ahd Russian Vocal. chorus,' "The . Cos* sacks" (Metro-Gilbert) was a thrilling spectacle. with . the appro-, prlatei wild ihuslc and Cossack songs. It Is these -elementsi which may nullify the Balkan foreign market for American producers unless the pictures: are peculiarly .adapted for locail taste. Metro and Unlverapl seein to have the mjajority Of tta^ forthcoming big pictures bookedl' "Wild Orchids," "Flying Fleet," "Broadway Melody," "Mask of the • Devil," "Showboati" "Woman o£ AffaIrs"Wthe latter already one* released as a silent-i-rare some pjE, iihe forthcoming features. ; The reactionary comment oit White .Shadows," In Zagreb and Belgrade, portends that the Eng- lish dialog, once the novelty has worn off. Will boomerang, although alriging, dancing. Technicolor, sound? effeota-and similar i business will bsc. fancied. ■ • •- .-^ x, For the moment, "White Shaddr) ows" opened ' sensationally In both of the aforementioned Jugo-Slo- vaklan centres, with, advance .bookn| ings heavy,'..- .. ,•■ \9fl. The. strong Russian Influence here also .makes Itself f^ltmuchly in other -forms ot amusement. Opei^a in Russia Lydija Lipkovska, prima donna of the 1 .former , Imperial . Petrograd; Opera,'arrived here, and will sing,. She has"; tales about, theaitre life In; Soviet' Russia, 6pe'ra. I^i given on a tiriy • stage' cohattucted ■ so; as to* give the effect of'a'franied picture and the .results are beautiful; even such gorgeous pageant scenes as the' coronation In "Boris Godounov".. look extremely effective In these settings. "Evgenlfe Ognegin" is. given In a modern isetting with a^ serlfes of colonades''arid a flight pi . steps,' • No new- operas have been com*" posed in Soviet Russia, says Ma- damme Lipkovska, and they are not much in favor now. Drama Is much-i more preferred. Ballet has big suo*; cess, especially, "The .?ed Poppy, by Glijer, director piC the Kiev Con- j servatorlum. ' Mddame Lipkovska goes froito;| Belgrade to Warsaw, Berlin and'r Monte Carlo. ■ London Chatter London, Dec 2. Green finger lialls,' Housing shortage" at Elstree, •. * . Mayfair'is got a conimunal gym*"^ naslum. There have been 4;500 divorces , this year. Highest ever, London's also chucking . the .18-- day diet business. ; Road-rowing Is the craze in the ^ flooded suburbs. ■ ji , Pola Negri may go all-color.- fi The Prince is going to film his lions this year, London's learning ski-lng in a Piccadilly store. Good going for some shows in these slump days Is $400 a night. Geoffrey Gwyther came out of . (Continued on page 50) Diero's London Start i London, Dec. lOjlj - After •t^hree_ postponements ppenS"at~thTiPalla^^^^^ six weeks' booking set. Xho best way, to wipe out a friendship Is to sponge on It. MB. AND MRB. JACK NOBWOBTB ISO West 44tb Btreot New York