Variety (Dec 1929)

50 VARIETY L E GITIM A TE Wednesday, December 25, 1929 With Mark Hellin&er going on the New York "Dally Mirror" as col- umnist, the New York "Evening Journal" may now exercise its serv- ice option on Walter Winchell, now on "The Mirror," to recall him" over. It all reverta to the very funny deal by which Winchell, a bulwittrk for Macfadden's "Evening Graphic," was released by the VGraphic'' just when that tab needed Kim mostly to hold up its circulation'. Wlnbhell at the time of the shift dealt with "The Mirror," but. previously': had reached ah understandihg with '.'The; Journal," the latter permitting" ,the "Mirrpr" to take Winchell, butl jre- serving it^.: right to. caU :.hiro.-,li?ick. That l^yes anbJ(Aer, ^unny . ic^m plexion of the/, indepepde^c^ .ojd ithe' "Mirrqr" of Keapst^dominatlo^i: ^itii the general-belief that any Heiarst form yrlte t^o ali-\of his papers lalsp' reaches "The.-. Mirror" . .eiven tvovr. They, may. not always be form /^Ires either., ,•■ '. . A Bang • Up' Finish i i ; . After :a 10,000-mile iolo v.alri 'tjbttr starting -Aug, . 26, t^arry 'Rue; [the Chicago ;VT!ribune.'s"'-. correaponaient, in Vienna,; hit. sC- mountalii .85 >i^iles from .hlS: final .. d$stiriaiEion> ! j^nd crashed.,. Only damage' was '- to]. the tiny : mopoplane. •; • •• • '' ■ i * Rue's flight had embracied nine African.. --CQUiitrieSr France, Spain and Italyk Ai; one< time Italian jfly- ers rescued the :aviator-con^es£i6nd.- ent :when; forced down oh a d^e'rt near Sirte; where hQ .was'- two- days without food. Fog belcl him • up; for two weeks on the italo-AustHan, border and on making a,n. 4>^P^-^r tlliiit atteinpt* to com last lap.' of his. • etfaeir ' Itirieratiy ' ^hto, Vienma ,he ■ wa^ wjlthin 35 miles of home when,' he cracked npi. . Kiosk Keepers' Cpmp.laint i Kiosk keepetB ■ lii Paris, axe. ifo-tp over ^onel oj. ttiqse pjfefecture;, of ipQ;. Uce_ or^drs,'t'iiat .thq liew^.standjg!re^, vert "to their 'original, legal .dinliei^- siohs,' saiis.^an^ eztenaioitig or. addl- tlohs..' l>ealers .alr^Q^: "indignantly B.g.ua:v7king , tibat the, .ordinance Is ovfer, 100. ye^: olcl, passed in 1928, anid. tHat.the publishing bujslhess'has .advaiiiced to. i^uc^ .d^grie^s'ltiiat jthe hicbes"^ ate '.ina<aequa,t4. fpr.thQ n^any Aineric^h, ' Elngiisb, Gerix^an : bther' ,foi'elgn language ■ p.iibllpatlbns thd' aVer^g<Ei:bpiileyard.|heyir49 yejjdor carries,; tttong' -with the native ipe riodlckls and dailies. i : , A Shubert Nightmara : Shubei:t bificea ^ent in.^p » ijur- hibil last; week While the , UnltfecL Press listened to. tlie squawk, *ut didn't make the correction^ -.Eriii)-' tlon. was ov^r a liOndon: IJ., P. dlS" patchuison.r.ftrn<PS ■ Shubgyt-iheairfea- over there and referring to "the visiting brother as Jake^ right lout In print.' . • If there's anything the rShubert office . dislikes . mor^ tha'^. potato dhips, it's iiaving Jake qalled - Jake in" type. The usual phone .call evlr dently had no ^filept, as the lino- types repeated oh tlie. "Jake" fo^ .a second , day, . with one of the U.' P» boys reported to have told the. cqm- plainants that "You're ■ lucky ;we didn't make it 'Jakie."? ''. ning Post, but will remain with the Curtis Interests. in a more or less free lance way. He. will contribute to the Satur-r day Evening Post, compensation to be considerably, ihore than -when he was with thei daily. The Sate'vepost Is going in for short comic stuff, aiming for humorous matter of from l.OQO to 2,60.0. words. Dropping Cantor> . Eddie Cantor's daily boxed dquib, being 'Ighbsted'' by Nat Dorfman, p. a.,, will disappear from'the New York "Ainei-lcan" the end of .this m.bnth. Bell Syndicate-Is haiidling; the feature; :. • ■- ' ' ■ ' ■ .'i A >nake-up man gave the box .aft Inside page one mbriiing last wd'ek, and' Cantor phoned - in h'is - complaint from ' Boston. Whether that- ■ had' anything; to do with it or not is;un- known;; but Can tot's brief career oh- the ''American" Is ovier;' ^ Wrdte Way to Freedom: ' Robei't Joyce Tasker, the San Quen- ttn . penitentiaiy prisoner sejrylng from five years to Ulfo, for robbery ahd who caused a prisoh'edict fotb'ld- ding aniy' more San Quehtin Inmateis. from writing for publication'follow- ing his novel "Grlmhaven," -was gly-f' en his liberty on parole last weeic. l^ublieity.iSaijs Begging ; ;A'/'Snc|ce^':. .series ;fot-. t]he North American. i>Tewspaper Alilance with, one representative of every industry, is being undertaken by James Fltz^. patrlqk. eflltor of Armstrong Publl- editions, . ':. • Fpr .iilms It Is understood Fltz picked jaays,; but got such a run-; around, he is now beseeching Charlie IjiqCarthy. to have Adolph Zukor do the hojriors^ 12 Qne-Aeters ih Book •. Twelve ot-:thq .best original one- act- plays produced by .the Holly- wood Writers' club will be pub- Ushed in ' a ' volume by Samuel French Co. The idea was Kenyoh Nicholson's, who, will write the in- troduction to the book. A commit- tee is .nowf gqlne oyer-, the produced j^&ya and malcing a choice. .. In .the 'Show Business I .- i . - A fifth'of the total population of the United. States, or 26,000,000'p'eor pie, are claimed as: readers- by |the, E m a n u e liGoodwin- Puhllcatlons, printing : three: regionals. In a ■Vfttd statement to ,M-Q-M- In requesting a copy of Its Anagram: book. The letter from Emanuel-Gopd- win says: "Rest assured that jthe review of it "(decidedly favorable) will b(B Qarried in pur thj^ee sheets for the benefit of our 25,o6oj000 readers." The three sheets are "The. Ex- hibitor," "New York State Exhibi- tor" and "National Exhibitor." M-G-M is forwarding the book requested. '. !:;. . : Browne's New Play Porter Eiherson Browne, whose last. play, was "The Bad Man,'? Is -viritlng a new play at . his home In Norwalk, Conh*. in , collaboration with Jiames Warner - Bellah,- the short story; yrriter. - Bellah la spend- ing four .weeifs at Rrpwhe's farm here.". ..^ . . .5*10 °Gag . . ..A new fancy Illustrated covered book Is being distributed by Wool- Worths under the title of VWhat I Know About Women," with a "Baron de Castagno" credited as the author. Each page is adorned by a huge question m.ark and not one -word of reading, 'matter can be fqund throughput'the pages. : ■', Wbitman Publishing Cp;, of. Ra- clnei Wi^cdhsln, is :the p'u'blisher. The book sells for 10 cents.' Modern Shakespeare Ijos Angelea; Dec' 24, School prlnclpalB^ hi^d a couple:-of psychlartrlsts testi- fying in the court scene of "The Merchant of Venice" aa staged for Teachers' Institute. Modernization, brought ^ in a poUcepGtan and aii .avlatrlx' as characters., Nbn^uAIoh orches- tra- bt jewB-harps. ' The of- ficial school auditor "was cast as Shjriook. : ; ActpirGi . in '..8-we.^kj ;.atock isear spn at" Neviitoi^. iiex^^ summer ; will 'have a':h6stc!dii''''as"-'weU'^^^ hpst; ThOv past'.'two summers'-William' H. Vanderbilt, president of .the Casino, has entertained the players' each week at dinner and supper. Now .he ':li9 about: to .inarry . 'Antie; Colby, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Everett Colby, of Wesi Orange, N. J. Xiast June Anne was presented at court in I^ndohv' Mr. Vahderbllt,. State sehatpr'frpbi Rhodd 'Island, 'is '-tjbe' sbDr of the. l^te; Aitteci , GIVyAHderhiit Ibiir the ' first Wife,^ Elieit'^ehbh^ lioy .nUiriBe^ to Paiil''Fi^2^Iihb°n^^ former naval mian. Paul chahjB^d his name, froiri Fitz- slmmohsT. ' 'V^llliaai' is a. h'ephe'w of BHg;-6eni.- 'CornelluEl Vahdeirbiltj;, Mrs. Harrjr Payiie Whitney kndj the' Countess Szechenyi,. -wife, of jthe Hn'ngarliE^.'minister/to WiLshlngt&n. AlSo ;-of '■ 'tady'. '^dheylesiiniore'.'. iand Amd^' ihick French.' He. is ^ .cousin of Comellufl yaiiderbllt' Whltnj^'y, who .;yira^ -stt^d'' by. "Eivain Burrowes Fbritiilhb^; -thia 'dancer; and was' di- vorced 'by ^'Marie \ Notion, and of Julia' French, .'^ho 'dl-Vorced 'Jack Geraghty, Newport chaufle>ur> son of a', hack 'driver> tfs. jwell as of PrtiriclS'^. 0'rmbrtd French;:-who* was divprced ' by Eleanor Biirrilt and became "a taxi chaiiffeur. Vapdcfhllt was divorced.by Emily., ba-vies, .;mother of his .;daughter^ Emily then married and separated from Sigoumey Thiayer, plajrwri^Titi Vanderbl'tl ' controls the motorbvis. system -between Providence; anii Newport.' • • , _ 'li/lrs. MapDouoal's .Tea Wben Alice Foote . MacDougal recently'entertained'the Ibsen Mem- orial "Committee In her home, at illl' Park'avenue, : tea,' not coffiee,' was served. . The guests included^ Wlnthrop - AibeSt Margaret AngUn, Bianciiei .Yurka, Carolotta Nillson, Theresa -Helburn, Gene Buck, Paul Meyer and Horace lilverlght.' Sirs. ' MacDougal,' the. "cokee queen," is'a sister of the late Emer- ison FOote. ' Lptf^on As It Looks By Hannen Swatfer ■'•''"••'■«... London, Dec. is. Frank GlUmore must come over and take lessons.* Alfred Lugg can at least show him how to face an angrry Equity, even when he baa lost the film battle. . . When they called at me^tlnsr'lit th.e Didce ot .lToclt'a theatre to^iry and form an English Equlty. there hiad beeh-a deal of tail^ whlch had lasted for ovier two hotirs. . A deputy from Germany had spokeh In earnest German, a Frenchman had. talked In Frenclf and ia Dane had taUced in .ott^^ . .J All these had told the BngUsh'actors,how^ the stage is to join up into varloiis sorts of bodies. ' ' ' Marie Burke had told the story Of the "OpenTour Eyes" scandal, and there -v^as a resolution beforo the meeting to form the actors and actresses of IBnglahd Into a united body, the end of which, it was hoped, would Jbe. a trade unlon° Joining up the film people and the stage, the musicians and the electricians, e-veryone, Indeed, concerned with the work of the.': theatre except the mana'gers. • • Bpb Davis Cominfj' Over Robert H. Davis, better known as Bob, editorial writer andliterary "discoverer;" is enroute to Anierica with his wife from Italy Tla .Paris. ' They have, closed their villa- at Florence fof the Vwlnter to be. In America. Bob Morris Dies Bob Morris passed away last week from an attack of indigestion. Mr. Morris had been , one of the pioneer staff members of the New York City "News." About two . yeard ago" he quit because of ill health^_ ""■"""F^or'yearF MrT^Morrls was" one" of the triumvirate handling the dis- tributipfi of thp city election re- turns. He was in charge of Brook- lyn. - When Mr. Mbrrlis quit the City 'News h'e' was' assifetant (jity •editor. Hei lived IH Richmond Hill, Long niahd.-' "•-■ ' ' ''" " j !...'■■ ' ' r ' ' • -t • t ' I ■ •., ■ I ■ ■. ■ ''":..;■■ Post'Wants:Fur>ny iSfiprts ' i • . ' NunHally Johnson, humorist, has left the Staff of the. New York Bve- Cplumnrng Exclusively After, .two. years on the Warner scenario staff, Jimmy Sta.rr Is out. Hq is deyoting his time exclusive- ly tp. writing a column for the Los Angolcs "Recbtd," which he did while working at the studio. Henry Hazlitt is the new literary editor of the "Nation," going over, to tiie -weekly from the same post oh the New York Sun. James Gray succeeds him on the Su.ri. This'!! Be Good They say. that ex-President Cool- idge's autobiography is selling so well that he-has been persuaded to try his. hand at Action. When John Dos Passes sailed for Paris last week , he had a wife.. with him. 'the new Mrs. t)os Passos is the former Kate Smith, of Chicago. Dos Passos is going abroad to get a play, produced, but won't remain. Evelyn Laye's Admirer William Rhinelander Stewart is attentive to Evelyn - Laye, star of "Bitter sWei6t." Recently jolrtied "by. her irij^>lhpr, Mrs. Gilbert lAye, ^Jve^ lyn Is divorcing ^l^pnnle Hale, Eng- lish actor,. !whose"real .naiiie is John Hale-Monroe.' Spnnip is expected to marry Jessie Matihews, with -whom, he has been appearing in the Lon- don production of "Wake'Up and Dream.'' ■ Jessie has Just divorced Alva Liytton. ' Stewart irtherited. many millions from his father,' the 'late William RhlheMnd'er Stewart, and from his mo'.theri the late . Aiine Arinstrong, who inherited millions from'her sjec-. ond husband, the late Jaihes Henry SmIth- arid chose as her third, Jean St. Cyr,' said 'tp'^ have' been Jacic Thompson of Waco, Texas, bellboy, chortiS boy and hat salesman in a ^ew York department store. Jean ' first riiarried . a rich bid WidbWi Mrs. Alexander Redfield, of Hartford, and was also eonslderr ably younger than his second wife. He survived them both.- Stewart is a brother of the Princess Miguel de Braganza, and, after paying court to the late Olive Thomas and Con- stance Talmadge, was married to and divorced by Laura Biddle. Laura Is a sister of Craig Biddle, Jr., who was. an extra In picture's and wrote an etiquette column on a tabloid, and of George Dr^xel Biddle, former assistant camera man for William C. deMIlle. Fred ..Stone .and the family are now occupying the New York home of Rex Beach, with the author-febne pouth to Florida for the -winter,' If Beach'i^ .golf Is not so good .he will try a new'novel. Else he will con- centrate on golf. A partme nts Mrs. Waterbury Morris has rented an apartnient at 136 East 64th street. She divorced Gouvcrniaur Morris, novelist, who then marrlod Ruth WIghtman, Her brother, Law- rence Waterbury, pplo player, was divorced by Maude Hall, who marr ried David Gray, playwrlgrtit; Wil- liam S. Palley; president of the Columbia - 'Rrbddcastlng Co., Img leased a.." d'uplox ' aipartment at. 480 ((!:oritinued on page 69) . ' ■ •"• ■ ■ ■ Defehdjno'.'tho St'fifle.'Gu^ The managers' case was. put: niore, or less by. the, Stage. Guild people Who have, for a long time,, supported the idea that managers should join with the actors^ although! recently, :iriahake left the Stage Guild. btae earnest meml)er of - tlie, ^.tage Guild, Miss Donovan, went on the stage, arid faced'the angry .meeiing* arisweririg the charge of snobbery. < VWhat has the Stage Guild done?", yelled the ■ audience. ^''Improved the . dressing-rooihiB and the lavatories," Miss Donovan re- pltedi lookln'g-like: f Joan of'Arc.: The - Dramti of • Alfred tuiio . Then' there. Waj^.some...aiid theih there istr'ode from the back of " the ' hall—Alfri^di,' Lu ' Thjere Were Jou'd' cheers arid then piercing hisses.'"'." ..!•''',■•;■;''-'. .V." ■' ;'-• '■':'■■■•' ' '■ .' • Alfred Liigg was forrilerly the organizer 'pf' the Actors'' Asspclatlori, which he formed into a trade jiinlon and wiilch'dled because members Ij^ft owing to .LUgg'a pertli^aclty and lrtd6mitabillty, beca'use 1100,000 was 'dwed' In -aubscrlp'tliins rand .because the Stage Guild ha.6. been formed wlfb .the manageri? behind, it> ' .■:'.'I.^prefer;.yb^^ said Lugg, . "I know what they are worth, i 'am 'like the heavy'man who is hissed by the ignorant mem- bers of the audience. You killed the actors and ydti'icilled riie. You sacrificed me oh the altar;of your cowardice^'' . . the lyian Who Gave Them Hell i Then he gave them hell. He told them that when the Actors' Asso- ciation was made.'Into a trade: uhlpnr the resolution was proposed by that Conservative of Conservatlyes, -Allan Aynesworth; and that even then they were too snobbish to: join. . Almost In those words. > he: .told them that actors have hbi'''gbt the guts," that most pf them would not join anjrthlng, 'and that those who did not belong ito- the Stago Guild or the Actors' Asabclatlon—l\e did not care which—rwere traitocs to^ themselves. "I have left you npw,'^,hcl sWdv "so r:<ian fe^ Luggfs was a most, dramatic speech. li It^ited, for aboii^t /lO inlriutes and It was one long challenge. ; i , As a rinatter 6^ jfaict,;he told them" the truth. ' :ri:e is hy far the finest orator connected; lyitb-. .the theatrci he Is a hard worker and a goO^'^f looking , man .with a fine .vpice> |i man. Indeed, who could play the h^ro" in any drama.. . . .. . i He preferred, however, to try and organize, the members Of his own profession, but he failed. ' V . Yes, ft was a long meeting.' The resolution, to form a new body was . carried, at,the,end,, almost uhariimously. Ben Webster Urges a Union It waa rather pathetic to see dear old Ben Webster, who you would Ihink would be a hardtbplled Cpnseryatlve, pleading to the actors to .join their ?'brptherS; and friends," who worked the electric lights, the properties and played tl^e music. Webster, I am afraid; was pleading in vain.. .■- I was an earlier spealter. I told them that I had no right to be there, that it was no business' of mine and that they ought to run their own affairs and bop me Off for Interfering. Still, I said. Until you do your own work yourselves, I suppose other people have to tell you. Ashamed of Trade Unionism I could not help sneering at the, nice! respectable English actors who, too respectable to join a trade lipipn in London, joined the Actors Equity like sheep, and became traide unionists, the moment they landed in New York.' The fact is, although they join in New York because they have well got to. Heavens, they, are ashamed if any of their friends and relatives khpw about It in England. Besides, some dear duchess might ask them to tea..'..' Strange Facts About the Theatre To give you an idea of how theatres can be run in London to.day, .1 may tell you that one young aotor wrote to me. to tell me that he had been offered $7.60 a week for -walking on in an important production and $15 a week to walk :on. and be an understudy ! • I may add that another theatre has been offered free till Christmas, when the manager will take $250 a week and a percentage! 1 can say, too, that a play which is due in London In a few days has a'.sked its company to work for nothing for the first week and that the theatre is-to be rent free! . ; ■ i can tell, you, top,. of dear old. Aubrey ' Smith walking round bi-avely trying tp^^et money to re-stage "The Bachelor Father,"- which- ran as a commonwealth and failed. . . While, of course, some theatres are doing well, things generally are in a very bad way.^ The Alhambra Becomes a Talkie So far as Vaudeville is concerned, the latest blow is the news tluit Sir piswald StoU has let the Alhambra as a talker house. He pleads, in extenuation, that American talker's were keeping British talkei-.s. off the West End stage, arid that .therefore he has rented the theatre to Brtiish International. This, of course, is a bad blow for the vaudeville artists, the most antique members of' which were safe for a few weeks woiU at the Alhambra. '• ^ Wanted—Vaudeville Sketches ~r'worideF""hb w nmucfi~]Mwlri^ his sketch, "The Snob." She made her vaudeville debut in this, the other night, but. to my mind, it was strangely ineffective. ' Tallulah was. a, personal attraction. Indeed, the .ifirst house, on Mon- day, reached within $ip of Jack Hyltoni's record, but it was just one of'..those mean-nothing sketches that did riot'even give her an op- ,i)ortunlty. ' ' ' ' You'.vaudeville people all krio^yr that, when tbe legit stage condesoendH to go on the vaudeville boards, well, it condescends. It takes no trouble over its mat<«rial and therefore it is, after a few nights, utterly n^^c- leas.