Variety (Jun 1930)

Wednesday, June 18, 1930 V A U D E VI L L E VARIETY 57 GOES DOWN CASES Extenshre Changes in R-£-0 ChL; Tom Carmody Succeeds DiamonB Chicago, June 17. Resignation Monday of William Diamond, head of R-KgO's western <Chicago) vaude' booking office, was followed by withdrawal from the office also of Warren Jones, and Dick Bergen and the reduction of the local booking Btaff to four members. Charlie Freeman, booking head of the R-K-O circuit, arrived here Monday. Those- remaining are Tom Car- mody, Sam Thall, Dick Hoffman " and Willie Berger. Tom Carmody was appointed general manager of the office by Freeman. In additldta . to the retirements, the entire auditing department will be transferred to the R-K-O main «fflce in New York, with the com- mission collection agency to be jiboHshed here. The money saving annually is considerable. Diamond, formerly an Indie vaude booker, succeeded Ben Piazza in the local R-K-O office when Piazza went to the New York office. Dia- mond's contract with 'R-K-O has two years to go. It will be ad- justed. Bergen will take the Great States houses from the R-K-O floor to the Publix offices, booking them from there. Freeman may leave Chicago today or tomorrow (18). TRED KARNO INSULTED, RUSHES FOR THE BOAT Fred Karno hopped onto the *Tuscania" Friday night. If it had been a canoe, Karno would have hopped Just the same. For he was bopping. Karno is the English low comedy skit producer. His acts have played over here in vaude. One, "A Night in an> English Music Hall," brought Charlie Chaplin to this country. Well, Friday afternoon,' Karno was talking to a picture producer In New York who wanted comedy shorts. Karno had come over here to talk It over. Well, the picture man says to Karno: • > "It may be all right but we don't know you. Now if you will pro- duce a short yourself over here and let us see it so we can get a line on what you can do, we'll give you a decision." Well! If the "Tuscania" doesn't blow up before it reaches Southampton, Karno will. West Strikes Oil ^ Cincinnati, June 17. Buster West, following a week at the R-K-O Albee here, left via train and plane June 13 for Long Beach, Calif., to personally inspect his oil Interests. A strike was re- ported on one well there June 11, with the gusher producing about 3.000 barrels a day. West is reported having invested $85,000 and on the basis of 3,000 barrels dally, his monthly income is placed at $2,000. So that Buster can watch his euBher for a time hie act has ^ two-week layoff, reopening in Chi- ■cago. klCHMAN AT $5,000 ^ Harry Richman, at $6,000 per, is booked for two weeks commencing July 2C at the R-K-O Palace, New York. Richman, was placed direct. Jessel's Two Shorts George Jessel was eAgaged al- inost simultaneously in New York by both Warners and Paramount to do one short for each company. To be made during July. "Whether Par and Warners will adjust release schedule so as not M> conflict, unreported. SINGER QUITS, Rm ENDS PRODUCING WT Harry Singer resigned Monday as head of R-K-O's vaude produc- tion department. With Singer's de- parture the department under him will be discontinued. Attempt was made to devote the production department and Singer's activities to the regular vaude in- tact units now playing the R-K-O theatres, with the producing staff detailed to straightening out im- perfections and generally brushing up the running of the vaude units. It was later decided by R-K-O that a production staff for that purpose was not needed. Whether &i,inger remains with the R-K-O in some other capacity has not been announced. AaS CAN CALL ON R-K-O BOSS BOOKER Nf CLUBHOUSE ON Hotel End of Club on West 46th Street Discontinuing —Rooms Above Clubr rooms Closed After July 1—^Restaurant Now Shut —Parlors for Members Remaining Open One-Week Acts for N. Y. Palace Balk at R-K-O's Gratis Radio Hour ECONOMICAL MOVES Freeman's Precedent ^in Booking Office System A precedent has been set for book- ing office dejtprtment and good will ih the RtK-O headquarters in New York, through Its boss booker settinqr aside one hour on each Tuesday and Thursday for acts and others who may wish to see him in person, regarding the book- ing office's business. Charlie Freeman is the booking betad who has started the unusual stunt for booking offices. For years beyond memory vaude's chief Ibook- ers have been the chief stalleris of the office In personally Interview- ing acts. To name the day and hour when -a boss booker is open to anyone Is strange enough to dnzv; the most hardened vaudevillian. Important Calls Freeman says it means only lhat he wants to see the peopl-a who, want to see him on special busi- ness. He does not expect the calls to be over trivial affairs or the routine booking items that acts should take up with. their own agents. The Freeman reception hours, wished on himself by himself, wil) be between five and six each after- noon of the two days. First there first seen. Freeman has been talking to ac- tors over half his life, so the per- sonal contact will be no novelty. His wife was on the stage and one of his sons recently wanted to book a boys' band with his dad. The kid still thinks his Pop crossed him. Woolfenden Off Fathe Hollywood, June 17. William Woolfenden, who has been in charge of shorts for Pathe, is leaving the company. He was brought West several months ago. Rose, M. C.—Oriental Chicago, June 17. Harry Rose, at present with a Publix unit, will become the regular m.c. at the Publix-K. & B. Oriental. Job starts in two weeks, when Rose closes with present unit Jos.. Kilgour'6 Sketch • Joseph Kilgour may go into vaude with "Mercy," dramatic, based upon an episode in the life of President Washington. Kilgour will have two in support. With this week the N. V. A. club- house on West 4€th street goes into an economical wave. It started Sat- urday (16) with the closing of the restaurant. Commencing July 1 the upper portion of the clubhouse containing rooms will be closed. This leaves the N. V. A. club- house in New York as a business place to transact the club's affairst although the spacious parlors of the; club will remain open to mem- bers. The move is an economical one. It is compulsory through the con- dition of the treasury, as reported in Variety last week. The large disappointment In the recent N. V. A. theatre' collection drive through which $486,000. was received out of an anticipated $1, 000,000 brought about the closing up of any useless losing money holes in the N. V. X. organization. First considered was the clubhouse restaurant, with It constantly In the red. Next were the rooms above the clubhouse itself, aboiit 60, usually rented to N. V. A. members. With the closings the rather large staff of help required to operate the N. V. A. clubhouss like a metro- politan hotel will be dispensed with. Social Side Remains The social side of the N. V. A. club is retained through the open parlors. The grill and rooms were considered unrequired under the existing situation. All monies of the N. V. A. will be devoted to Its weekly gift list from New York to indigent vaudevillians and the necessary support of the N. V. A. Sanatorium with its patients in Saranqic, N. T. The N. V. A. clubhouse Is on leased ground, with 26 years yet to run. An Independent corporation holds the lease. It Is presumably the property of the N. V. A., but apparently is without current value of any amount owing to the (short duration of the lease, besides a condition of the lease that calls for a reappraisal of the property in two or three years. At that time the present ground rental is expect- ed to treble. Pat Casey, who watches over the finances of the N. V. A., has said he thought the clubhouse worth, in- cluding lease and building, about $200,000. Casey thinks the lower (street) floor could be converted Into stores. A realty expert gave his opinion there is no value to the property under Its present lease, except perhaps to the owner of the land. The building has 65 feet front on 46th street. Cantor Resigning Another annual election of the N. V. A. club is due next month. A nominating committee meets about two weeks in advance of the elec- tion. Kddie Cantor is the president. It is said Cantor has either for- warded bis resignation' or Intends to; that he does not contemplate again running. According to Casey, no plan has been determined upon for the future operation of the club. Casey's only comment was that he thought it should be conducted as is the Actors' Fund, with all available re- sources devoted to' th^ charitable purposes of the N. V. A. It is possible that the life insur- ance of $1,000 that has gone with a paid up membership in the N. V. A. will be abolished. In its place the N. V. A. will assume the cost of all burials it Is called upon to look Snfers Desert Act in Hollywood to Find if This Film Thing Is 0. K. Hollywood, June 17. Having arrived In Ix>s Angeles' suburb, Hollywood, the Wisner Sis- ters, in Zastro and White's vaude- ville act, decided that this was their chance to bump into pictures. They quit the act, cold, leaving the brothers who own it without dancing partners. House manager of R-K-O theatre withheld their pay In an effort to make the girls stick at least until the next date in Lrf>ng Beach. But It didn't matter. Girls have but one Idea, to crash pictures. They haven't any definite, ideai but they want to find out all about it. Carl Pennington, Tab Comic, Killed in Crash Council Bluffs, la., June 17. Carl Pennington, vaude and tab comedian, died In a local hospital June 11, following an auto accident near Carsoni la. His father ° also was killed, while his wife was se- verely injurcjd. The Pennington car crashed Into another on a country road. Pennington was last with the Don Dixon stock and m. c. at the Ma- jestic, Dubuque, and in 1927 was with the Lem and Flo Thompson tab. The N. T. Fanchon & Marco of- fice records show that "Penny" Pennington and his wife, f'LiUcile," had been^. with the F. & M. Idea, "Baby Song," early this season, but had closed with the unit when it played Fox's, Brbaklyn, several months ago. > % No record of their having appear- ed with Publix units was on file in the Par offices in the Sast. Jans and Whalen, Stars? Jans and Whalen, slgn€d by Ar- thur Hammerstein for two years, will.be starred In their second year at $2,260. Opening for Hammerstein in "Bird of Paradise" at $1,760, starting re- hearsals next month. Numerous 'name" acts booked for only one or two weeks by R-K-O have been complaining about tl^ie circuit's demand for gratis partici- pation in the R-K-O radio broad- casts, with several refusing to go on the air without remuneration, and others declining to sign vaude contracts without the free broad- casting clause stricken out. The chief objection, and coming mainly from high salaried acts booked only for a week at the New York Palace, is that since they are richly paid by commercials for radio work, they would be losing money if doing free ether work for R-K-O for sake of the one vaude week- Latest objection came last week from Frances Williams, who stated she is paid $l,7&0'for a single radio broadcast, anl not much more for a whole week's stage engagement at the Palace, with the latter also in- volving radio work in the R-K-O hour over NBC. Charles Freeman admitted nu- merous squawks have been re- ceived from "name" acts when re- quested to render free radio ser- vices, and that the matter is under consideration. There is a report that a new ar^^ rangement may be mad^ to either pay or not use the "naime" acts booked only for a week or two at the Palace. With acts booked and under contract for 40 weeks or routed for a' Idngthy period, the gratis broadcasting clause prob- ably will be enforced. In the latter, event it Is a mat- ter of acts advertising themselves as playing the R-K-O theatres by taking part In- the circuit air pro- grams. This consideration doesn^ apply to short term engagements, they contend. Miller's Tough Break ' Hollywood, June 17. Having established a promising vocal school in the four weeks b« was in town, Eddie Miller was called back to New York through illness in his family. Miller left this morning for the east, motoring back with Irving Tishman, vaude agent, who has been here several-weeks. Tishman's part- ner, Jimmy O'Neill, is now in Seat- tle, where he will probably remain indefinitely.. Last Minute Rush for Freedom As ChL Courts Near Summer Gap Chicago, June 17. With the courts putting up {he closing signs, the femmes are com- ing a-runnlng to get their decrees before the bell. Blsie Greene Llpson, known on the stage as danseuse Americano, seeks a divorce from Theodore Roosevelt Llpson, because he was too rough, meaning bit her on the ear and put the slug on her. They married in July, 1929, and separa- ted last Monday (9). Marie Viscardi Fellowes says George RadcIIffe Fellowes deserted her. They were married in San Francisco, Oct. 1, 1923, and he took it on the lam on the 28th of the same sad month, eez she. Pearl Anderson, known on the stage as Zelda Herbert, is trying after, and, as at present as in the past, take care of vaudeville mem- bers in illness or distress. In operating the N. V. A, along the lines of the Actors' Fund an- other means may be found of cut- ting the overhead. The Saranac Sanatorium is ex- pected to open and receive patients around July 1 next. to get a legal separation from Harry E. Anderson. They lived happily together from 1923 tb 1928, Anderson scramming on April 10 of that year. Ben Ehrlich attorney is in court at present over the three cases. Mary Campbell Bobbins Douglas Weias, former Follies girl, was iMt week awarded $400 a month tem- porary alimony in the ilivorce suit brought against her by Norman Weiss. Pittsburgh, June 17. Brown Mehard, actress and in prt)c~ vate life Mrs. Ida B. Griffith, of Pittsburgh, was granted a divorce h^re last week from William J. Griffith, Detroit aviator. Miss Me- hard, who was represented by her ' father. General Churchill B. Me- hard, charged desertion, alleging she had not seen her husband since December, when he ct^me to Chi- cago where she was playing at the time in "Illegal Practices." She was also granted the custody of their four-year-old son. .Miss Mehard, who was with the George Sharp Players here for some time, is soclal'.y prominent in Pitts- burgh. Having made her debut, in local society six years ago.