Variety (Jun 1930)

Wednesday, June 11, .1930 VAUDEVILLE VARIETY 33 N.B.C'sCLEARING HOUSE Freed on $100,000 Bail, Pantages Remains Off Business Until Trial ] l-os Angeles, June 10. Freed on $100,000 bail by the Blate Supreme Court, Alexander Pantages will remam in retirement for some time anyway. Following the showman's release from county jail, where he hafl spent the past «even months, Pantages. im- ineOiately went to his Vermont iivenue home, where no -visitors were admitted the first few days. A Variety reporter calling the Pantages home was informed by Mrs. Pantages that her husband Jiad no intention of entering show 'business again at this time, at least jiot until his trial is disposed of. According to his wife, Pantages positively will not be actively in- terested in the operation of the new Hollywood Pantages theatre. His Iwo sons, Rodnej; and Lloyd, will contrriiie as before in the active management of the house, althou'sli the probability of Alexander Pan- tages' hand moving in the back- ground of the theatre operation is jiot unlikely. It is noteworthy that all during the time of his incarcera- tion Pantages continued to transact business affairs from his cell. At one .time, soon after his .sentence, Pantages kept in close touch .with Jiis remaining theatre holdings over the country and with Ed Milne, theti in charge of the Pantages' booking office in New York. Pan- tages as was his custom all the years he was active in show busi- ness, continued to book acts per- sonally from jail until his booking office was dropped entirely. Stand on Theatre Name In the building of the new Pan- tages, the showman also played a prominent part, going over all the plans of the house and personally supervising its construction and policy. It wns Pantages who made a flat stand in retaining his name over his theatre at the time Fox- West Coast made the deal to oper- ate the house. Now that he is out Pantages. no doubt will go away "Momewhere for a long rest. Concensus of opinion amon^ show people and lays alike here were favorable to Pantages' release. Even the newspapers let the bar- riers down for !:im. In arriving at 'hifi release seven judges on the Supreme Court bench took into con- Bideratipn the humane element in (Continued on page 38) Barr Gets O'DonneO's Place with Saenger Co. New Orleans, June 30. "With the promotion of Bob O'Don- ncl] to division director for Saengcr, with headquarters in New York, Maurice Barr moves up to division •/nanager stationed here. Howard McCoy, formerly assistant to O'Donnell here, becomes Bnri's aid on the ground her(. Nancy Decker s Divorce Nfincy Decker, vaude HinnU. 'a- KiJiiig her husband. Lew Caitos, t'aites Bros., dance act, for divcirce In New York. They woit married foui yoar.s ago. No childi-en. Waitress-Actress ? Stage struck waitress in a 47th street theatrical eatery wants to be an actress so badly she's willing to be a stooge. She offered Iwr .services to Jay C.«Flippen and Flippen said he'd think it over. Next day some boys at one of the tables were gagging the girl about her stooge ambition. "There's Jimrny Save sitting over there." piped one of them. "Why don't you ask him for a job?" "With .Savo and me in the'" same act there would be too rnuch comedy," the girl replied. "But Flippen needs me." CALVERT WITH 16 YEAR OLD GIRL, WIFE SAYS Mi-s. Charles Calvert has appeal- ed \o the V. M. A. for help in locat- ing her husband, former vaude sin- gle and now, according to Mrs. Cal- vert, doing a double act with Mar- jorie Evans. Miss Evans is said by Mrs. Calvert to be 16 years old. Through the V. M. A. some time ago Mrs. Calvert received a settle- ment from her husband, but he has failed to live up to the terms, she declares. Calvert at that time agreed to pay his wife .$20 weekly when not employed and 25% of his salary when working. Before teaming with Miss Evans. Calvert played in vaude with Kate Pullman's act. Mrs.-Calvert allege.s Calvert left her in January and when last heard of. several weeks ago. he was at the Belmont theatre, Chicago, with his alleged IC-year- oJd partner. Mr.s. Calvert says she is destitute and in need of the support her hus- band promised to contribute. Up until a few years ago she appeared on the stage with her husband. The Calverts have no ch,ildren. Mrs. Calvert resides in West 69lh street, New York. cDMBmiNG mi ITStUIEOK 5th Ave. Central Booking Office — Everything for Radio, Sound, Stage and Screen Through One Channel — Regards Loew oi: Par Mergers Solely for Increased Outlets WIDE AFFILIATIONS Pushed Car for 3 Days Through Kansas Mud Seattle, June 10. Jimmie O'Neal, who made the automobile trip with Irving Tish- man from New York to Hollywood okay, except for three days of be- ing stuck in the mud in Kansas and pushing the car along, arrived in Seattle Jast week, coming up by boat. O'Neal will spend the summer here with Mrs. O'Neal (Sylvia Bernhard). who owns and manages the Coin de Paris, chic millinery shoppe. VAUD WIRES FOR DEAF Through its multiple stage, screen, sound, recording and radio inter- ests, the National Broadcasting Co. within a-year will operate all of its talent booking and selling through a single agency. This will be strictly an NBC subsidiary corporation with a 5th avenue address and function- ing, even on behalf of the R-K-O vaudeville theatres, through this central clearing house. Idea is to handle all arti.sts for Radio Pictures, R-K-0 vaudeville, Radio-Victor records, RCA Photo- phone, National Broadcasting Co. and all other present and future booking affiliations through this central-clearing house. It is a pro- posal with which Merlin Hall Ayles- worth, president of NBC, is in ac- cord, especially because of the pro- posal to disassociate such booking (Continued on page 34) GINGER ROGERS AND JACK PEPPER APART One of the unexpected and recent marital separations seems to be between Ginger Rogers a-'d Jack Pepper. Both are now living apart, with a story of impending legal pro- ceedings to further mark the split. The Peppers were married about two years ago. Lai>t season Pepper went West in an R-K-O vaude unit, while his wife scored eomethlng of a hit in a Broadway musical. That led to a talker test and later a picture engagement with Paramount for her. Pepper returned to New York a few weeks ago. His wife is also In the city. ' 56th St. First to Install Earphones For Hard of Hearing Flip Crack Out Chicago, June 10.' Jfick Osterman's sojourn in the Stuie-Lake last week was punc- tuated not only with the usual Os- tefrnan raillerie.s, but with a curt leU^gram from New York. K-K-O booking office objected to O.Hterman caliinf.- two fiddlers in 1h( J)it "Bnlaban and Katz." But who fornplained from ^ChiCflgc was not '•'"-■Urmined. R-K-O may )n.sia)] a few rows of cai'pliono.'- for the hard ol hearing in fill the circuit's theatres. First to be f()U)pped as an experiment is the r)8ih Street, which ha.'^'tjeen supplied with the fir.'--t 20 oarphoVos: made by liOA Photophonc. The d<'vif c- is similar tc that an- nounced sonu time ago by Western Electric, which ha."- made a few in- "-t.'illfitions in^'arious house.*, includ- jng th(- P.-iramount, Brooklyn, first i (-(iiiippf-d. K-K.-O has informed various deaf and dumb institution."-- in the ciiy of the (■arphon<- eguipment ai the 58th. VOGUE FOR CUBANS Ernest Le Cuona, Cuban pop com- roser, -will do a temporary walkout on his native land for some dale.«-- in Arnerican vaude. R-K-O is book- i»g the Cuban musician. He'll do a >»ano turn with supporting conipari> <|J'loi/r. Julius Tannen Collapses Julius Tannf-n collaris<d aboard a Swedish liner last Thursday. He was rf-mc-ved to his (luartors in the Algonquin liot'.-l in a higlily nervous condition. Tannen had gonf aboard to at- tend.a function hfld by the Tran- (Hiility <■arnJ^ Mn oiganizfition which sends poor youngsters- on vacation. Tannf-n is ti(-lif v(d to hav* bf cn a hfat vK'iir/j Or, thf ."fanf day he aptjrar'd ii. thf- styK shorts adopK-d , by liai liijdiitii Mill<-}.'f stufniif- arid h,';d in\Wt. ?.' ''J'.y hf»" Lady Hay, Zep Heroine, Almost Plays Palace Lady Drummond Hay, the Graf Zeppelin passenger on the ship's last trip here and the only woman on its previous flight over the At- lantic was all set to play the R-K-O Palace, New York, next week 04) when finding it necessary to sail for England today (y/edncs- day). William Morris office sub- mitted the British noblewoman to R-K-O and the date was okayed both ways, L.'idy Hay Is booked to return to the v. S. in September and if still, sufficiently in the public eye prob- .'.i/ly will play the Palace at that time. P. A. in Hero Role New (Orleans, June 10. Ted J^UKzi, press agent of Loew's .State here got page one spotting when he rescued 14-year-old Norbie Naquin from drowning in the water tank, part of the theatre's artificial cooling plant on the roof. Naquin and several other kids had climbed the theatre fire escape to take a hot weather swirn In the tank. They were being sucked to- ward the big outlet pJr>e and, in a panic, screamed for help, Luzzi heard the juvenile SOS and hurried t' help aided by Arthur Hal lock. Sx-^sistant house manager. Hallock stripped his; coat off and plung<'d to grasp the boy while Luzzi sprinted tc the engine roorn and had the cnrinMr turn off the th.'il works the suction pump. ''Names' at Huge Salaries May Not Find Much Tune in Vaudiilms Burns-Kissen Fined $25 For laying Down' when At W. B/s Stanley, Pslbg Pittsburgh, June 10. Burns and Kissen, comedy team, had a $25 fine slapped on them here last week by Earl Bailey, manager of Stanley,! where they were play- ing In Publlx unit, "Pude Ranch." Bailey claimed the team laid down cold, refusing to give its tiest 'Ef- forts at one of the evening shows dur4ng the early part of the week. In the performance mentioned, Burns and Kissen flopped rniser- ably after previously having taken from three to four bows at every show. They alibied that some of their, music was missing, making a good job impossible, but Bailey re- fu.sed to listen and the fine stuck. First time around here in some time that the old and ancient man- agerial perogative has been em- ployed in i-esjiect to performers. MARIE DAYNE STARTS 2D DIVORCE ACTION It was only three weeks ago that Marie Dcayne, comedienne, agreed to vacate the interlocutory divorce de- cree she had against her husband, Milton Douglas, m. c. Now Miss Dayne- has started anew the divorce proceedings against Douglas. May 21, last, she agreed to vacate the divorce and waive the $35 weekly alimony upon the notice of E. Franklyn Goldner, at that time attorney for Douglas, who Informed Irwin Isacs, attorney for Miss Dayne, he would move to reopen the case on the ground Douglas alleged he was not served with papers notifying him of Miss Dayne's action at the time she se- cured her interlocutory decree, about three months ago. Miss Dayne made certain of.no hitch by serving Douglas with her complaint, with Douglas having until today (11) In which to answer. Under her new action, the wife has again been granted a'tempo- rary alimony, pending trial, of $35 weekly, secured through her at- torney, Irwin Isacs. At the time of the Interlocutory decree. Miss Dayno charged Doug- las with misconduct and said there was "another woman," whom she refused to name. The couple were married In •Santa Ana, May, 1924. Dorothy Tully Shot Stepfather in Chicago Chicago, June 10. Dorothy Tully, vaude and cab;ir<ft, shot and wounded her stepfather, Police .Sergt. Kay fJrable. The shooting was accidental and cli- maxed a quarrel th.'it began when Orable .^c-oldcd Miss Tully for ke<-p- ing late hoiys. Miss Tully was released on her own bond, with the case continued until June 16. Chas. Rowe a Suicide Homer, N. Y., June 10. Charles K. Howe, 5t), retired vaude- ville comedian, walk(-d Into fJlen- wood ('emetery there June 7 and committed suicide by shooting him- self in the head with a revolver. The caretaker saw the ex-ac(or t-n- ter the grounds and sit down on a bench. A few minutes later he noticed Itowc lying on the ground. He investigated find found hirn dead. At one time Kowr^ v^uh u r/ierrib<'> <it the vaude i(-;irri of Jiavis and fUiwe. He quit thf- st.'ige ahrMit twd ye.'Ms uun. Mis mothf-r .'ind -widovv survive. Inlermf nt in the f(Tn< i<-i-> when the .M'jii idf ocf-iirred. Vaudeville "names" t'crtain to draw all or a iwrt of their salaries into all theatres played are a thing of the past. Today there isn't a single act in vaude with the power to pull substantial money into even a small percentage of theatres played. Decline of straight vaudo, In- trenchmcnt of vaudfilm as the na- tional policy, advancement of pic- tures to the front as the drawing part of combination^ programs and decline of stage "names'" ability to attract at the b. o. and success of picture "names" in their stead, are the factors which brought about the present condition of drawlcss stage "names." Nowadays if wishii\g to draw with its stage show as well as the pic- ture, a variety theatre must borrow the fiesh attraction from another amusement field: the Amos 'n' Andy's and Rudy Vallee from the radio and the Buddy Kogers from the talkers. Itecent experiences of the major vaude circuits with one-time draw- ing "name" acts of vaude proi)*-^ that a few drew business equal or almost equal to their salaries ki a few theatres along the route, but in most theatres failed to draw at all. And but a few of the "names" played and paid drew In even a few theatres. The rest dr«w nowhere. The decline of the vaude "name" ae a box office factor precludes all possibility of high-salaried vaude "name"' playing by the circuits thia season, and probably for many sea- sons to come. Until, perhaps, but not definitely, the cycle shall have created another generation of "names" possessed with the ability tQ_draw the shekels. Top of $2,000 Top salary on the E-K-O four- act bills next season, with thin policy to be adopted by most of the circuit, places a prohibitive top of $2,000 for the biggest act on that circuit, and with that amount prob- ably a rare one for R-K-O. With the R-K-O Vaude bill budgets hold- ing the total four-act cost to around $3,000, anything over $1,500 for one act, according to the circuit's an- nounced views, will tend to lessen the quality of the rest of the bill, hence complete shunning of big salaried "names." R-K-O attitude toward the ."name" act In vaude Is similar to that of the others, with Loew's equally convinced from experience gained and losses suffered the sea- son Yiast through experiments with "names'' declared through by R-K-O but at the time of hooking, believed by I-ocw's to hold their former drawing power. Picture Houses "Warners, Fox, I'ubllx and Loew's, like R-K-O, arc nimainlng away from the former "names" unless succeeding in getting thein lor moderate salaries, on theory that these acts still entertain while not dnkwing, and arc worth big .salarU-s for the entertainment value, btit not their former salaries, since they no longer draw. "Names" now booked and paid "name" salaries or gambled with on p('rcentagp by the vaude hookers are. of the special or freak clg.Ms only, when Infrequently showing i/p, and usually coming into vaude from some other branch of show, business. The pletur*- hfjiises may (-ontinue like I'ublix taking Will H<igers at $0,000 u week. "Variety" For Summer .U'NK. JVl.y niMl AKUHT $2 Address "Variety," New York