Variety (Dec 1929)

52 VARIETY L E GIT I MATE Wednesday, December 25, 1929 Stock Managers' Counsel Blames Show Unions for Stocks Funeral An open letter sent out by Georg-e Julian Houtain, general counsel, for the Theatrical Stock Managers' As- sociation, addressed to Frank -GIIIt more, president, Equity; William F. Canavan, International Alliance; Joseph Weber, A. F. of M.; Charles E. Lessing, Scenic Artists; Edward Chllds Carpenter, Dramatists' Guild; Arthur Hammerstein, Managers'. Protective Association, and. William E. Green, A. F. of L,, has stirred up a hoiTtet's nest as far as the head of the I. A. is concerned. Houtain in his missive, under date of Dec, 23, went after each of the different branches of show Unions and pro- ceeded to point out how each or- ganization was killing show busi- ness in .general. President' Canavan of. the I. A. told a Variety representative that "I consider him (Houtain) an irre- sponsible person and 1.don't propose to" have any contact With him." Canavan expressed amazement at the contents of the letter, and was at a loss to account for the attack on the stage unions intxsmuch as he had sent a letter to James Thatcher, of the stock managers In July in response to a (-ommunicatioh from the former as to stock conditions and had offered to do whatever he could to help or assist local stock conditions where the* matter war- ranted. Houtain assailed each group via its chief (sxecutiye. He declared the stoGk, men would not agree .with Equity on Sunday shows. He stated Weber had become arrogant< and that he had insisted on. full orches-. tras when a. three-piece brphestra could have duffloed and worked reg- ularly; that ' the iatock managers would put ba,ck musician's if he were to rewrite the scale diownward, be- come more liberal in his contracts and "live and let live.": - He told Canavan that his I, A, was driving managers from the the- atre lit force; that, stage crews in stock theatres^ aiter striking a> set on Monday played cards the re- mainder of the week; and that "your union has done mpre to close stock" than, any other force In the theatre. The Lesser and Green barrages were' not so poignant or marked, but they were k)feplH?~'witlr~tTre fehFtul gist of the letter. He avowed Carpenter aiid the Gruild were not fair or just In their lilgh-priced royalties. That the play agent; while receiving his 10% com- mission would pass the buck to the authors when the stock managers complained about the royalties and that authors refused to listen to reason. -'• In conclusion Houtain admitted he wasn't a showman, but an attor- ney. He asked for conferences and the appointment of a plan and scope committee of three to head oft a funeral of the legit show biz in gen eral and the stock managers spe dflcally. She'll Find Out! • A chorus girl "from out of town reached New Tork on a visit to her chorusing chum, says Eddie. Buzzelt. Mutually relating experi- ences, the Broadway gal re- marked: 'T was ,in three iflops this season." "Top bad I didn't see you In that show," answered the dumbdora. Avon Co. Observes Day They Sloughed Bard Portland, Ore., Dec. 24. Shakespeare anniversary observed here by Stratford-pn-Ayon Festival players at the auditorium for four days. Play date were Dec 17, 18, 19 and 21. No show Dec. 20, in keejpilng with historic English stage custom dating from Dec. 20, 1649; " On that date, soldiers entered the Red Bull theatre, In London, and draggied performers to' prison on an anti-theatr« ordinance. Memory of the affront to the profession was kept alive for many years by • ob- servance of "ho show Dec.. 20," Stratford company used it as pub- licity gag'here. "Interlude" Chi Holdover . Chicago. Dec. 24. • N. T. Theatre Guild has doubled subscription lists over last season, this year passing 14,700, against 7,300 subscribers last year. Increase Is partly attributed to the inclusion of "Strange Interlude" oh the five-play schedule. O'Neill's piece will cJontinljei at the Black- stone after the 15-week regular Guild, season ends, Jan. 11, in an- other house, the Studebaker; with R; U. R." taking up the Black- stone time. Season's Greetings to All Our Friends AL GOODMAN And his "Brunswick Recording" orchestra. Engaged for George. White's forthcoming jproduction, "Aces Up." At present pinch conducting for Jack Donahue in "Sons o' Guns." MORLEY SAYS "WO" Amateur Producers Continuing On "S«acoasi of Bohemia" Trving Marks' Visit For the first time in 10 years Irving Marks, theatrical representa- tive of Bul'ope, is In New York, his home town. He will return to Paris, his headquarters, in- about .AO: 4ays.. Marks is as well known In any foreign capital as fn Paris or Lon- don. He 'acts for a number of American legit producefs In secur- ing plays and players from the other side. Chris Morley aind <31epn Throck- morton call attention to a canard to the effect that they had been snubbed 111 Hobokeii and were mov- ing to Brooklyn. They have been at work daily In the Jersey City readying a revival (opens Thurs- day) of "Th© Blue and the Gray," which ha,3 a: sub-title, "War Is Helli". They .^Iso deny the pub- licity given Hoboken. has damaged the beer places over there, but that it is the other way around. With the "seacoast of Bohemia" o. k. and unimpaired, Morley and his partner have leased the script and props of "After Dark" for a showing In Brooklyn at the Cen- tury, formerly called- the Shubert- Teller. The attraction was. billed as It was in HoboKen and led to: the aa- sumption that tho; boys had de- serted Hoboken. The Brooklyn showing Is under the management of Hardld Hevia, A Jersey dally printed the ama- teur produclnt^ twain had skipped the RIalto, Hoboken, owing the landlord $3,000. Shows in Rehearsal ".Si m p I o Simon" (Florenz Zlegfeld), Ziegfeld. "Aces Up" (George White), Apollo. "Challenge of Youth" (Hy- man Adler), Bayes. "Baby Blue" (LeVthal Pro- ductions), Waldorf. "Hobpken^ Blues" (Will Mor- rlssey), liyric. . "The Bottom" (Leo Bulga- vok), Waldorf. "She Got Away With Mur- . der" (Shuberts), Morosco. "Apartment Seven" (Fred- eric Clayton)., iBryant Hall. . " Nancy^tk Private Affair" (Myron Fagan),. Knicker- "He Got the Job" (John Gol- den), tilttle. "When Hell Froxe" (Mac- Gowan & Reed), Longacre. "Maternally Yours," Freak Fad Play, Dull Los Angeles, Dec. 24; *'Matietnally Yours," l?reak play dealing with pre-natal se± control, opened Monday night . before . a friendly' Pasadena audience of so- ciety people pirese'nt ad guests of Clarence O'Dell Miller, wealthy Pas- adena attorney, co-author with Ol"9 'M. Ness, adtor. Piecift' proved stupid and dull. To makd it even more fi'eakish, they distributed .milk in half pint t)0ttles ithrough the audience- between the 'first and second acts.. Skinner Quits Shuberts Otis Skinner has' obtained from Gilbert' Miller "A Hundred Tears Old," a play which he has renamed "Papa Juan." He starts his tour at Philadelphia, Jan. 6. Veteran actor's route this season is In the Erlanger houses, and not within Shubert walls as formerly, -Play is by the brothers Quihtero AHEAD AND BACK Abe Halle, manager, for "Fifty Million Frenchmen." "Miracle" in Dallas Dallas, Dec. 24. ^Morris G^t has his "Miracle" set to open here Dec. 26, to run until Merrltt Franken, pr^ss agenting Jan. 12, at Fair Park auditorium for "Bare Facts Harry Davles ahead and Robert McNabb back with "Two Inno- cents" (same as "The Unsophisti- cates"). Milton Raison, former general •press representative for Schwab & Mandel, has taken similar bierth with Connolly & Swanstrom to handle exploitation of "Sons o' Guns," at the Imperial, New York Harry Cort, ahead and back, "Blue Heaven," Chicago. Herman Bernstein, ahead and back, "R. U. R." Chicago, Al Bachelder, ahead, J. Frank Gibbons, back, "June Moon," Chi cage. Jack Sheehan, ahead, "Street Scone," Chicago. Stage crews ■ spent nearly a month building the biggest set ever put oh ,a stage in Texas. Prices range from $1 to $3 in two days a week, Willard Mack Free M-(j-M failing to renew his con I tract, just expired, Willard Mack, authdr-dlrector-actor, Is out, with future plans not known. The legit joined the picture com-, pany in August, 1928. The contract written at that time ran out last week. Shea's Stock. Closes; Salary Claims Filed Joseph B. Shea's stock company at the Westchester, Mt. 'Vemon, N. T,. has closed. Salary claims in lieu of notice have been filed with Equity. Rules governing etock com- panies call for two weelts' notice to be given if. a season or eight or more weeks Is not played. Manny Stires, said to be a local real estate man, guaranteed, sal- aries for the company, but later withdrew his • support, advising Equity to that effect. Ba]ieff,rilinM.C. Chicago, Dec. 24. Nikita Balleff of "Chauve-Souris" Is going to m: c. for Publix. A. J, Balaban, visiting here, confirmed that he had signed the one with the Russo accent. CAST CHANGES Philip Tong has gone Into David flutcliison's role in "Sons p' Guns," Imperial, New York. Lynne Over- :man^iMmjC>e^a_liilo Uie^^^^ SCREEN TEST "HEADS UP" Cast of "Heads Up" spent most of last week over at Paramount's Long Island studio taking tests. Film company Is going to screen this musical and, if possible, would like to use the original cast, ac- as an accommoSatibn., Hutchison displaced an ankle bone while prac ticing a dance in his apartment. He Is expected back Into the shpw next month. . Walter Wpolf put pf "The Duchess pf Chicago." Nate Wagner replac- ing. Betty CJompsori tajcen ill Sunday vruB out of "Fifty Million French men," Lyric, NewYtovk. Lee Anne Meredith replaced her. Victor Moore will, also "Dangerous Nan McGrew." be in Lou Silver's Long Rest Chicago, Dec. 24. Lou Silvers, stage director with "After Dark,*' has been advised by the . Mayo Brothers clinic to take a long rest. Silvers is npw in Tennessee, with his wife. "Baggage'* Cast Wins Los Angeles, Dec. 24 Superior Court Judge McCorab entered a judgndeht against Arthur F. Smith, prpducer of "Excess Bag' gage,'' in favor of the State Labor Commission for |3,100. Smith produced the piece at the FIgueroa Playhouse in May, 1928 and. closed it without notice , four weeks later owing the cast one week's salary. Claims were filed with the Labor Commission by Jean Armpnd, EsltI Collins and other members of the cast When Smith did not Bet tie the claims suit was brought. Yiddish-English Guild Off ...JCh.eJ'-udean^.Drama ..Guild Js^tem: poparlly If not permanently oft through lack of subscribers. Hyman Adler, legit producer, had been prime mover in establishing the Judcan Guild, which was to have given a season of contem porary Yiddish drama translated Into English at the Bayes roof.. liSick of support caused Adler to shelve the idea after refunding |4, 000 which had been subscribed. 1% POPULACE LEFT FOR LEGFT Oakland Stock Eiids < Oakland, Cal-, Dec. 24. The f'ulton tlieatlre''again passed out of the picture as a stock house with the final performance Dec. 14 of Belle Bennett in "Stella Dallas/' Henry Duffy's present plan Is to use It for rentals as a road attraction house and thei first booking calls for the appearance of thd :£lan Francisco symphony .orchestra in a series of children's concerts to be given at intervals during the school season starting- in a month or so. The staff that, has i^een ^unqtion- hg at the Fulton disbanded .with the closing. Mrs. Mildred Susan,- who acted as secretary for; George Ebey and officiated as house man- ager during his long Illness,', re- mained as secretary to B. O.'Bonde- Bon during the-Duffy reglnie, but Is now out. Bohdeson moved tpday to Seattle, replacing Jay Williams, who is slated for the President In Los Angeles. Ira La Motte, for some time now at the President down south, re- turns to the Dufwin here," replac- ng Harry Fox, who will be placed In some other Duffy house, accord- ing to announcement. Jane- Sherman, 'V.alerle Bailer, Lillian Ostrom, Earl Loxford, -1915." Doris Patson, "Strike Up the Band." Thelma White thruogh Louis Shurr for a featured part In George White's "Aced Up." Hollywood, Dec; 24, One per cient of. the draw popula- tion is all Jegitimate drama cah count on in Southern California in the opinion of a vet stock pro- ducer, whose activities have been in southern California the past couple of years. He recalls the days when 35% of the population was figured the legitimate draw. With the advent of pictures the legit diaw fell to 20%. The spread of motoring nights and Sundays, at least In the south- em Coast regrion, left, only io% of the population dependable for the drama. Radio executed the final devasta- tion. According to the producer the legit manager, must figure ' how to get by on the patronage of 3% of the population. One per cent of that is the occasional theatregoer. Anqther; 1%. is composed of those who take in a legit show every three or four weeks. Leaving; only i% to count on,as persistent and Intier- ested patrons of the legit dtama. . The talket- hasn't cut any further Into legit biz. is the producer's observation. He thinks ultimately It will help it, with pleasure In dramatic .^'dialog. revived for many adults , and • discovered by the younger generation, many of whom have been raised on pictures arid hardly know there id such a thing as th6 legit theatre. FUTURE PLAYS 'lincoh" Salary By arlbtratlon players In the re- cent revival of "Abraham Lincoln" received two-eighths ^ of a week's salary from Wllliami Harris, Jr. It was ruled that the others, holding usual two-week notice contracts, were not enttled to the claim. "Lincoln" played a single week at the Forrest, New .Tork. . The inanager posted notice after Tues- day evening. Since It was a re- vival, it was given second season classification, which principally concerns notice of closing to play ers. Harris claimed the contract provision on that point was ambigu ous and was upheld. Bivorce in Conn. Norwalk, Conn., Dec. 24. . Ruth Putnam Mason Wolfe, ac tress and playwright of this city, was divorced in Bridgeport from Edwin R, Wolfe, New York artist. Mrs. Wolfe, granddaughter of the late James Mason, charged, deser- tion. She'directed, the Putnam Play ers of New Canaan and Norwalk and also the Mansfield Players of New-London. - Miss Mason was formerly with the Walker stock in Cincinnati. ENGAGEMENTS Ray Shannon, "Aces Up" (George White). Hal Clarendon, Knox Herold, Thepdore Seharfe, tlaymend Bar- rett, Ray Harper, Margery Swem, Edwin Redding, Geerge N.-Price and Madge Christie, "Phantpms." William Farnsworth has taken over "Whip Hand'? from Herinan Shumlln and has. lifted for produc- tion latter part, of January. Demarest & Lohmulier will pro- duce a new musical comedy writ* • ten by Edward Laska and Roger • Gray. Lyrics and music will be. bj' Edward Pola and Eddie Brandt, composers of the numbers In "Woof * Woof." Tentative title Is ^Maryand Gay." "Bridge of SigRs"" Is next for ~ Michael Kallesser. Now casting and goes into. rehearsal in two weeks. "Baby Biue," musical, produced several seasons ago by Mulligan and Trebltsch and folded prematurely when Its angel vamp6d, is being re- vived by Jules J. Leventhal. Now casting and due for rehearsal in two weeks with show being cast with burlesque layoffs new to mus- ical comedy. "Children of Darknesa/' by Ed- win Justus Mayer, has been put in rehearsal by Macgowan and Reed and will try out at the Nixon, Pittsburgh, Dec. 30. Opens at the Biltmore Jan. 6. Lester Lonergan Is directing. Cast includes Basil Sydney, Mary Ellis Charles Dalton, Walter Kings- ford, Eugene Powers and J. Kerby Kawkes. "Lost Sheep" will reach produc- tion shortly under Marlon Gerlng and Jacob Welser. Gerlng will di- rect it, "The Tower of Crime" is set as next for A. E. and R. R. Rlskin, with rehearsals scheduled for two weeks hence. Risklns quit producing a year ago to engage in writing field, but are doing a comeback as producers with this one. "The Swan Sono," by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur, Is. next in line for Sam H. Harris and sched- uled for rehearsal next ;month. Tpm Hpward, cpmic, has been sighed by Jpnes & Green fer a new musical pf carnival life captioned "The Qrifter." "The Beggar's Curse" goes Into rehearsal next week as initial pro- duction of Madison Productions, Inc. Opens at Wilmington, Del., Dec. 17, with New York to follow. Cast Includes Dorothea Collins, Edwin Jasper; L^wis Hurley, Frank -Pitts,-:Grayee-O^Connell,—MarJori9^= Lee, Prank Giordana and others, "Virgin City" is next for David Belasco and will take precedence in the Belasco production schedule over "Blind Windpws," recently tried out and hauled in for revision. "City" had been set for prpduction last spring, but shelved because of casting difficulties, which have since been abrpgated. Piece scheduled for reheavsal in two. ';veek3.