Variety (Jun 1930)

Wednesday, June 4, 1930 VAUDEVILLE VARIETY 51 R K^'s 84 VAUDE WEEKS Humor and Flip Tongue May Land Many a Layoff at Banquet Table ^ _! \ Vaude layoffs with a sense of humor and a flip tongrue are finding a market for their talents outside of show business In spots as after dinner speakers at rotary club and Chamber of Commerce banquets out of town. Only a few In It now but list will probably grow when the others find out, or the agents handling these affairs get a line on desirable ma- terial. The small functions pay from $100 to |200 for the nightly appearance as after dinner speaker or master of ceremonies. Price Is according to what high pressure spiel the agent puts over. Regular speakers' bureaus are handling bookings for the affairs, with most getting 25% commission. Five agents In, New York are now handling th© bookings. None ever before was connected with the show business. • Performers that have been lay- ing around figure two or three dates a week on the speakers' route beats fooling around with vaude, not to mention the social contact, angle. Employment of stage talent as after dinner speakers is said to have been adopted as substitute for the former club shows, mostly thrown together and of a nonde- script type that ran . Into money. Most of the diners were too exu- berant to look at the show by the time It was put on, usually follow- ing the dinner*. They are now satis- fled to get their laughs via the hired speakers which they have found more effective and less costly. WUl Rogers, Walter C. Kelly, Ir- ving O'Hay and others of name quality and reputation as humorists, have received handsome sums as after dinner speakers at some of the best society functions. The current Idea of projecting practically unknwn talkers Into the banquet thing for smaller money is new. 2 COMPLAINTS AGAINST 3-BOY DANCING ACT Sam Lyons' Comedy Sam Lyons' dialectic comedy has percolated across the At- lantic to Paris and London, where they're still talking of his Joe Frisco comedy speech. Lyons says he went out for lunch and Loew's decided to close six houses for the sum- mer. Sam's also getting to be a lyric writer, especially since falling for half a sister team, but says "although it's a great lyric I have trouble spelling some of the words." Magicians' Best Feat Is Taking Up Overhead at Chicago Conyention Chicago, June 3. Magicians at the annual conven- tion held here last week admitted the greatest feat performed was taking care of the overhead at a $5 per banquet. About 200 magicians talked about the hand that is quicker than the eyelid at the Hotel Sherman, with professionals present. The pros watched about 150 amateur sleeve rollers strut their stuff. It was the second similar affair for the Soceity of American Magi- cians. After the gathering had ad- journed each put on his own dis- appearing act. Loew's has lodged a complaint against King, King and King >with the V. M. A., claiming $1,600 dam- ages for breach of contract. King, King and King cancelled two weeks of Loew time while at the Penn, Pittsburgh. Matty King, of the act, and Bob King, a brother and local dance teacher, got Into a ■crap. Both emerged badly bat- tered. V. M. A. has filed a complaint •gainst the act and is demanding an explanation of what occurred. It charges Matty King with conduct mbeconiing an artist. Darling Declines From report Eddie Darling has declined any subordinate position in the new Warner booking agency, of ■which Walter Meyers is the gen. mgr. It Is said Darling's consent to ■uch an appointment had not been ■ecured before the report was printed he might go in that agency Jean Hubert's Hair Burned Off in Boston A damage suit for |260,000 has been Instituted by Jean Hubert, of Fritz and Jean Hubert, who were at the Palace, New York, recently, against a Boston halrdressing es- tablishment. The Huberts had gone to Boston last week for R-K-O and were play- ing at the Albee there when an ac- cident happened to Miss Hubert which forced her to stop all stage work for the present. She had gone to a hair specialist when she had her hair burned from her head and Injuries Inflicted to the scalp by the process used in the beauty salon. The Huberts were compelled to cancel Thursday and return to New York. Miss Hubert engaged a lawyer and started immediate suit, claim- ing the loss of her hair had not only marred her appearance permanent- ly, but was the cause of physical suffering, embarrassment and can- cellation of stage contracts. Miss Hubert went to Boston Mon- day to submit to a physical exami- nation by the court as to the extent of her Injuries. The Huberts were booked for Newark, N. J., this week, but the R-K-0 route was cancelled indef. Peggy Calvert Settles Peggy Calvert's suit again.st the Columbia Club, Far Rockaway, L. I., asking $5,000 as damages for per- sonal injuries received when e-he played at the club, has been settled out of court for $400. Mlss-Calvert, singer, alleged after she had finished her engagement at the club and was returning to her home she slipped on the stairs of the porch, Injuring her hip and spine and spraining' her ankle. She claimed a step was dislodged. E. Franklyn Goldner represented "»e girl. FOR yEimS BACK Medium Salaried Act Can Play 4 Years for R-K-O on Repeat —- Model 45- Week Route for Higher Paid Turns Revelation MAY BE 100 WEEKS A route of 84 week*, running con secutively, on the R-K-O circuit is now obtainable by moderate-sal- aried acts of playable quality. That amounts to almost two seasons of work and is the longest straight route available to vaude acts in years. On return playing, an act would remain with R-K-O for four years. Total R-K-O time is contributed by 69 weeks now booked in New York, stretching from coast to coast, and 15 weeks in the middle west booked through the R-K-O Exchange in Chicago. Because of prohibitive budgets In some of the houses and towrts In- cluded, mainly the Chicago-booked time and R-K-O booked indies in the New York oflice, the 84-week route can be played In Its entirety at present only by acts command- ing salaries of less than |700. For acts scaled above that figure, there Is now enough consecutive R-K-O time available for close to 60 ( weeks of playing. The new 45-week route of R-K-O is for an:( priced act engaged that would mean two years on a return. Vaudeville's Best Route For the past five years and until two weeks ago. It wasn't possible for Keith's and Its successor, R-K-O, to lay out a route of more (Continued on page 66) Plug and Advertise All Stage Shows, Instructs Publix, to Staff-Condition Different Waite Hoy,t*s Idea When Watte Hoyt lost an- other ball game before being traded to Detroit by the Yanks last week, and maybe why, he was asked what the trouble was ■ with his pitching this year. "I'm just a vaudeville actor playing ball during a layoff," Hoyt replied. TOM HEATH NOT SO WILD OVER RADIO ARTHUR HORWITZ DIES III 2 Mos.—Leaves Widow and Infant Child Cfifford Jones Killed Chicago, June 3. Clifford Jones was killed and his partner, Elma Turner, was injured when their auto crashed into a truck carrying $12,000 worth of fire- works, near Lebanon, Inh. They were of the dancing team of Cliff and Webb, colored, and were on their way to Indianapolis. Dad Quilian Hi Hollywood, June 3. . Dad Qulllan, former head of Quilian family vaudeville act, ia seriously ill In his homo. He is the father of Eddie Quilian, rathe star. Mrs. Thurston Hurt Danbury, Conn., June 3. Mrs. Elcotha Thurston, wije of the magician, was Injured htre when struek by a hit-and-run driver. Arthur Horwitz, 46, vaude agent, died yesterday (June 3) in Poly- clinic hospital, New Tork, following two months' illness. He was moved tc the hospital last week when his condition became critical. Horwitz was an agent for many years both In Chicago and New York, and lately has held a Loew franchise. When stricken he was said to have been In financial straits, this condition forcing Mr. and Mrs. Horwitz to move to cheap- er quarters during Arthur's illness. Surviving, the widow and a child, aged 10 months. This was Horwitz's second marriage, his first wife be- in^ Edith Livingston, Radio business is not so good for Its artists because its - got the "bends." The artist pets cut 12 ways before his take arrives. Show business today? Going to a theatre is like sitting in the wait- ing room of a hospital. Folks on the boards have no repartee. They don't know how to put that punch- line in the black-out. And that goes foi" Amos 'n' Andy on the air, al- though no team should be expected to give a different routine every night In the year. What they need is some of the old timers. Tom Heath, saying this, at the same time was going through the act which he declares the public will get next fall when he and Jim Mclntyre hope to black up again. Heath hits 77 next August. He wants to show the new generation why the old folks bought tickets. He's sick of Florida and the hills of Setauket, L. I., where the natives for the past 15 years have regarded him as a recluse, no longer intrigue him. All _but three of the 20 rooms overlooking the sea are curtained. The place was all right when he had his pal. But it's a year this month since she passed on, and Tom blames the care she gave a new rose garden for hastening her death. 50 Years Ago ' Fifty years ago Heath was mak- ing his debut in a Water street em- porium where the policy of the management just before each show was this query to the payees: "What'll yez have!" Today Tom has 21 houses In Florida and- the big lonesome estate in Setauket. But what of it? Heath proved last Sunday that the faster one-two questions are flung the better he likes them. He eats them up with a tang that would be a genuine novelty to pres- ent day vaude goers. There's a real laugh in everything he cracks. Chi. Divorce Season Ending and Marital Kicks Growing Lighter Openly recognizing the growing Importance of stage talent and its proper exploitation In Its theatres. Paramount Publix has issued an order Insisting on more man and sales power behind shows In the flesh. Managers and publicity di- rectors in the theatres are told to give more ad space to units and featured acts and also to give proper display and billing In all cases. The order going out results from a close investigation of clippings and tear sheets from numerous cities revealing that in many In- stances the statre shows are not being given sufficient Importano* in advertising and exploitation. The Par-Publix stand, more or less of a right-about-face since th© popularity of talkers were at their height, is significant In view of the feeling throughout show busi- ness that It is now the turn of vaude and stage talent to take the spotlight with some sense of Impor- tance. In Its order, P-P points out so far as stage talent Is concerned that "this apparent neglect Is prohif ably due to the fact that in the early days of talking pictures, when the picture was considered the whole show on account of the very novelty of the talking screen, the feature rightly deserved and re- ceived an overwhelming proportion of the advertising space." Demand Admitted Admitting a demand exists for entertainment In the flesh now, Par- Publix says: "The novelty of the talking pic- tures has now worn off and the time has come when the live talent on the stage means more to the box office than ever before. It Is simply one of the phases In the evolution of this constantly chang- ing business." Going Into the matter of repeat acts, Par-Publlx takes the stand that "many of these acts have played the Publix circuit before and it is chiefly because of their con- spicuous success on previous toura that they have been re-engaged." For the edification of the man- agers and local publicity and ad- vertising men, P-P cites certain units and headline attractions worthy of plugging to the hilt. It points out, however, that every unit Is worthy of being advertised to the limit, saying: "Every newspaper advertisement, however small, should mention the production. Every display ad, es- pecially the Saturday and Sunday ads, should devote a reasonable amount of space to the unit and list the featured acts. And the entire cast should be listed In all front and lobby displays, according to Instruc- tions furnished from the home office. "Aside from the fact that this Is no more than good business sense, failure to do so Is very likely to embarrass the production depart- ment through violation of contrac- tual obligations." Chicago, June 3. With summer approaching and the <livorce season winding up, the number of legal separations is dwindling. William H. Maine, of Billy Maine and Co., vaude, married Eleanor Maine, Sept. 3, 1926, at Crown Point, Ind., where so many divorces gca their start. Attorney Irving Eisen- man has filed divorce proceedlng.s for Maine, because Mrs. Maine took It on the lam VoX). 4, 1028. She went home to her mother, the story states, and Maine says two years is long enough to wait for any dame to change her mind. Jealousy mixed with a couple of rights and lefts was the reason why Ardath Schlmber, burlesque enter- tainer, is no longer the wlfo of George Behlmber. Specifically, ho knocked her down three Umea last Sept, 21, and on Jan. 3 she claimed court agreed he was too rough. Couldn't Fool Indian Jane Putnam, who says she has a reservation and is a direct de- .scendant of Chief Sitting Bull, has divorced J. Myles Putnam, stock performer. Ch.'irges were infidelity. Jane testified she found her hus- band one week with a woman in Chi., and the next week with an- other In Fargo, N, 1). Def:i(llng she wasn't the exclusive In hl.s life, ac- tion was brought. The Putnatns m;»rrie(l in CJmalia in 1028. Vlttorlo Trevlsan in reported to earn a grand a week as warbler with the Chicago Opera, but Ce- cilia Trevlsan, the frau, is suing for s'-parate maintenance, beeause jhe made h"r live on $2.0 a week, as she complains. Thf-y rnarrief] at Wau- kegan, June 21, 1923. $50,000 VERDICT Tarrella Wins Against Hudson Hotel —Bathroom Accident Jaek Tarrella (Tarella and Clarfc, vaude) was given a $50,000 damage award against the Hudson Hotel, New York, in .Supreme Court last wer-k. Tarella claimed he is men- tally ill as the result of an Injury received while stopping at the llud- .son two years ago. The (lusii box in a bathroom fell and struck Tarella on" the head, seriously injuring him at the time and leaving its effect, the vaude- vllllan charged. Avon With F. & M. Uliea, N. T., June 3. Avon Is now a full-week Fanchon & Marco Idea stand. M. c. is" Stan Myers, college boy.