Variety (Jun 1930)

32 VARIETY VAUDEVILLE Wednesday, June 11, 1930 N. V. A. Drive's $485,000 Below Expectarions; Sanatorium at Saranac Opens About July 1 Total of the recent N. V. A. drive In the variety theatres amounts to 1485,000, according to compilation In Pat Casey's office. It is much under the bouyant expectancy of $1,000,000, when it was announced that the picture circuits for the first time, would participate. With the money in hand Casey anticipates that the N. V. A. Sana-, torium at Saranac, N. Y., which Jiad its offlciai dedication last Labor Day will formally open for the Saranac patients around July 1. Most of the moneys collected will fe'O toward the payment of accrued bills and completing the equipment of that expensive institution, start- ed by the late E. F. Albee. Largest contributor to the drive's fund wa's the Loew's circuit with around $120,000. Second is the R-K-O at'$114,000. Fox contributed about $70,000, divided east $44,000 and Fox "West Coast, $26,000. These are the vaudfilm circuits. Picture Circuits A high mark set by an indepen- dent circuit was Comerford's, with $6,300. Among the picture circuits which devbted themselves to the audience collections for the first time, "War- ners secured $48,000, and Publix, $41,000. The lowest comparative contribu- tion came from Balaban & Katz in Chicago, Publix subsidiary at $1,300. Amount secured this season in the N. v. A. Drive of $485,000 is $100,000 less than last year's. It is also about $500,000 below the esti- mated amount required for the an- nual support of . the N. V. A. club- "hou.se in New "york and the Saranac eanitarium. An adjourned meeting of the N. V. A. Fund directors will be shortly held, to agree upon some plan to meet the deficit. Radio Keeps *Em Up Radio threatens to spoil-the . traditional actor's prerogative of sleeping late in the morn- ing. Performers appearing on the new Lux Hour ovecWJZ do their first show at 8:15 a. m. for 15 minutes and repeat an hour later. It completely ruins the morning for snoozing. HELUNGER OF 'MIRROR' SPIEUNG FOR LOEW'S Mark Hellinger is "getting up early for rehearsals" these days, opening Saturday at Loew's Boule- vard in the Bronx to break-in and coming into the State the Saturday following. Mark says he's no fool'— he has five people with him and beaucoup femme s.a., iiot Just him- self. Also taking no chances on the authors, Harry Ruskin and Paul Gerard Smith doing the material. May even bring out his prize bull and Gladys for the bows, if neces- sary. The "Mirror" columnist says he's only doing it because of the dough. Althoff Back East After a long absence, Charlie Althoff and his "Opry House" act comes back to R-K-O June 28 at the Madison, Brooklyn. This is the only date booked thus far, but ad- ditional time is said to be in the offing for the act. Althoff recently did some picture work and also toured for Publix. DARLING MAY GO INTO WARNERS' MAIN AGENCY Eddie Darling, from reports, has reconsideretl his hasty refusal to ac- cept a subordinate Taude booking position with "Warners' booking office, under Walter Meyers' general management. He Is said to have tentatively accepted with final con- sent due when the Warners' present vaude agency moves into the non- commission booking office on West 44t)i street. New York, this week. The vaude agency will then be in the Warners' non-commish office, when the vaude office 5% will prob- ably be dropped. If and when coming in. Darling will be in charge of the vaude book- ing, with Meyers supervising this phase along with all other booking and casting for Warner enterprises. Meyers stated that outside the possible addition of Darling to the staff, there will be no changes in the booking personnel for the pres- ent. Harold Kemp remains the booker with Steve Trilling his book- ing assistant. Meyers declared he will'do none of the actual vaude booking, but rely on the bookers fov the act-buyiijg and supervise from his gen. mgr. position.' Whether Darling will also refrain from actual booking was not stated. The former Keith's booker was once the peer of-all big time vaude bookers but is not known to be thoroughly versed in the present style of three-a-day or more book- ing, tlirough his absence of almost two years from activity. No Commish , Under the unique-no-commish booking arrangement, a. departure for large vaude-playing and book- ing circuits, and an innovation adopted by Warner^ as a possible boon for the circuit's own talent- buying, the booking office will oper- ate gratis for acts and the circuit as a service bureau for the latter. The absence of commission fee may help, it is believed, to bring about a better standard of vaude salaries and help trim, some exhorbitant fig- ures down to normal size. This does not mean the passing of the.'agents' commission, but with agents in Warner bookings obliged Tracing a Gag Tf you want to keep a gag exclusive, keep it to your- self. Here's the mouth-to-mouth tour of one gag In Times Square: ■ Herman Turog returned from Hollywood and, having dinner in Mrs. Gerson's joint that night, told the newest Hollywood funny to Meyer (Basil) Gerson. A few minutes later Basil told it to George Lottman, press agent. Next morning in the barber .shop Lottman spilled it to Mark Hellinger, the columnist, getting shaved jn an adjoining chair. That afternoon an eaves- dropping manicurist was tell- ing it to each of her customers. Next morning Mark, used it in his "Daily Mirror" column. It was credited to Billy Newell, actor. Billy " Newell's press agent's name is George Lott- man. TED HEALEY AHACHED FOR WIFE'S OPERATION Hollywood, June 10. An attachment of $10,000 has been served by Dr. H. B. Willis against Ted Healey. Lawyers art trying to untangle the matter, while $1,500 of Healey's salary with Fox ie al- ready tied up. Claim Involves an operation last year to Betty Healey from whom the comedian is separated. Sum demanded by Dr. Willisvis labeled as exorbitant by Healey, who states he" paid the doctor $l,20o, the amount he originally demanded. Healey has 'been playing Fox West Coast theatres on a studio contract preparatory to starting work this week on Fox picture. Betty Healey is now in Holly- wood. ED LOWRY MAYOR OF ST. LOUIS FOR 1 HOUR St. Louis, June 10. Celebrating three years in this town as m. c, Ed Lowry at the Am- bassador was designated mayor of St. Louis for one hour Monday. Mayor Victor J. Miller bestowed the honorary title, speaking from the .stage of the Ambassador over a radio hookup Saturday. That launched "Ed Lowry week" in connection with his 4,000th per- formance. to collect their percentage from the acts they represent. Warners does not place a limit on the amount of commission an agent may charge an act booked for a Warner theatre, although the average commission charge is around 10%. R-K-O's agents are limited to flat 5% and that booking office charges another 5%. Sam Bernstein's Bumps Big Dough Agony Sam Bcrn.stein, vaude producer, is asking $250,000 damages from the Bethlehem EngineeriVig Corpora- tion, owners of the Bond Building, for injuries sustained by Bernstein when he got out of an elevator in the building. Bernstein alleges ,h6 is crippled for life. Bernstein, who had and still has an office in the Bond Building, al- leges that he was hurt leaving a crowded elevator last April. At the Polyclinic hospital,- an X-ray showed a broken bone in the left foot and a torn ligament. After remaining in- the hospital for a while, he went home and stayed in bed for five weeks, with his foot en- cased in a plaster cast. • Bernstein alleges costs ol $70 for the hospital bill and $15 extra as tips to nurses. "Follies" Colored Hoofer Pittsburgh, June 10. While playing here at Stanley last week in the Publix unit, "Dude Ranch," Jazzlips Richardson, col- ored hoofer, was engaged for Zieg- feld's "Follies." After negotiations with Bill Rob- inson fell through, Stanley Sharpe got Richardson. SECOND WEEK AT R-K-O PALACE, NEW YORK WILLIE N D EUGENE Presenting "THE INTERVIEW" Written in Collaboration with HARRY W. CONN Assisted hy CLIFF HALL Direction EDWARD S. KELLER