Variety (Jul 1930)

I 06 VARIETY VAUDEVIPLLE Wednesdny, July 30, 1930 N.V.A. and yJM A Await Meeting of Variety Circnits to Settle Future A meeting: of the representatives of all major variety, theatre cir- cuits is being awaited by the N.V.A. an<} V.M.A. to determine the fu- ture of both variety organizations. Another interested party is Pat Casey. This meeting can not be held be- fore the return of Harry Warnier, now In Europe. He Is .due back in New York on the "Majestic" next week. Will Hays, who also has been abroad, returning to New ToTk V^aXfitAay (29), la another expected at the contemplated conference, . T?he , variety managements . will' hfl^ve to decide oh ways and means to continue the support of ; the N.V.A. institutions or one oiE the^n at,'least, that one being'thie N.y.A. 9qtnatarlum at S.aranac,. N. Y. So far there has b een no. g eneral con- fer^iice on " tli4 BuBJeSir^ollowiiig this decision last: April, by the man- agers to take. , VP a .Iiat.,.coUection In the theatres for the.N.VJL The hat collection was pre-sup- posed to take care of the N.'V.A. Institutions for a year frorti that month. Due to surprisingly small bulk contributions by the public in the theatres and the outstanding det).ts of the Sanatorium, tiie latter amounting to around, $3.00,000, the gross of the April collection, this side. of halie a million, has rapidly vanished. The Sanatorium debts were first paid with the N.'V.A. patients at Saranoo moving Into the new building last, month. The V. M. A. . Nothing whatsoever is known as to the futyre of the V.M.A. Pro PDBLIX AFTER VAUDE HOUSE MANAGRES Preparing to go in for vaude on an even larger scale than reported a few months back, Publix it Is learned, ' Is looking for managers familiar with that field. The order has gone out. It is said, for experi- enced vaude house managers to be. rounded up in anticipation of Publlx's conversation of: scores of house to .vaudfllm policies. It is said , the word from, head- quarters ts that Publix can put'.all available vaude managers'to work this fall, with the circuit expecting to go in stronger for. vaude. acts tj}an. at- first ant icipated, wheth er the .policy will 1^ :oflR;iaIly know^ as ."presentations," "vaude" or "at- tractions." SUMMERS AND HDNT IN HEROIC RESCUE ACT Sam Summers and Estelle .Hunt (Mr$. Summers), the .vaude cOUple, changed .their rputlne to a. rescue act in a boat oft Lon^;.Beach, Ii. I., Sunday and saved 10 ■ live?. . Mr, and Mrs. Summers live in Freeport. When not working and making sleeper . jumps on trains, they jump the wa,ve3 with their 40 foot cruiser in the bay. Sunday vlded" thVlArltreV^clrcultTdo* no'tl afternoon Sam -had himself and- the^ fi^g(ree upon some substantial man iie,i; of supporting the tyro organiza- tions, it is almost .a. certainty P^t Ciser will leave .ii|qt]bt, Casey; has gone through a multitude of vexa- tlditis. the past yearvln his attempts wife out for a rfde. Passing Long Beach they heard an explosion to the rear. ,A similar crfift, owned by George! "W. ildwards, non-pro neighbor Of the Summers, had Jblown up,- throw- M May Extend to $7,000 FOR CANTOR AT PALACE FOR ONE WEEK HANDERS And MItLIS Now in England, After playing -1? ' consecutive weeks for Oeneral- Theatres - and Stoll Circuits, stni. working. . Care ' Henry 'Sh^rek, - Ancoater House, Cranbourh' street, 'liohdon, Wl.. . Audience Act Limit ' R-iEC^O booking office has de- cided on' a general ban against -.'%udience'--acts;^'^^tl^~^ tlqns made. only foE acts so. routined . that the . audience stiifl^. Is in .full view of th,e. en- ' tire house, upstairs and dowrT. ■ Size of many theatres makje'ei - it iibpoasible for aCt^. that go into' the orchestra t6 .be com-^* pletely seen from all parts of tho house. This has set the R-K-O office against .all audi- ence'action that cannot be seen . from every, seat. . Eddie .Cantor will .play the R-K-O Palace,..New York, forgone week at $7,000,. iafter he finishes. his fo^ur- week picture house engagement for 'Wkrners. Max Gordon arranged the Palace week Monday, with no date as yet sfet. ■ Cantor in the "Warner houses Is playing is-day towns at '$7,600 net With cOmnaish' ahd ' the other day figured pro rata. It is equivalent to a usual vaude salaiy o2;'$ip<000. The difference In" the" Palace price Is accounted for in the difference in numjber of-dally performances, the Palace playing but twice-daily. PAN'S COMEBACK REPORT story HeMs.Otit fpr Another Circuit —^Two Houses to Start With to: steer the N.VA. aiid V.M.A. Into Kf^-three of the . party of 10 oyer smooth waters. He is rfbw remain-P"*'''"*- °" l**® Ing only by request of several, of ^"f. ^a*' ""^^^^ trapped by flames, thp cirijults'heads pending the final I Estelle stepped on .lt meeting that should be held by Aug. 16. Two of the heads who have asked Ca^ey to continue until some finality is ;reach.ed are jnost Important var and got there in time to holgt the trio out of the water and pulled the others off . the burning ship before it went down. For the heroism they got front lety executives. Whether these two P*5® type In the Monday dailies. But will be able to awing thfe other of-the, papers nieiitloned that heads,.is uncertain. . A feeling .that the Summers are d'standard vaude both the Nattonal Variety. Artists ^"^t and that their billing Is Sum* and Variety Managers Association ""^r^^ and Hunt, i^ro wholly vaudeville adjuncts is Miss Hunt also got a badly in more the minds of the picture I wrenched knee while hauling In a circuit directors. That angle Is raised when the Subject of contri buting funds to the support of either comes up, The V.M.A. is the guiding welfare body for the vaudeville artist and circuits, with all variety circuits now playing vaude acts in one guise or another. Should the variety cir- cuits hold themselves aloof from floater. STAGE HANDS GIVE HOUSE MGR. PRESENT After succeeding in bolting the Los Angeles hoose-gow, where he spent months on conviction of serl- charges brought by Eunice Pringle, Alexander Pantages Is pre paring to stage a comeback, it is re- ported. The veteran vaude circuit operator, who sold nearly everything he had to Rt-K-O, Warner Bros, and others^ is planning to build up a circuit in the w;est through his Hoi iywood and Seattle houses, plus in- dies that can be brought in under a booking agreement Eddie ;Milne, Jr., Pan's former N'ew .York booking head, was - Ih New" York last week' hinting when confronted with reports Paiitages was trying for a circuit of .20 weeks between the coast and Chicago that Pantages "^is- planning some big things." . Report is that Pantages has al ready made tentative arrangements for film product dependent on towns that he would penetrate. The Pantages circuit at one time embraced 30 weeks. Cincinnati, July 29. the contributing plan and attempt! f tj«e_ Hands have given a testi- to throw the Intire burden upon hji"'''' ^ resigning theatre mana- upon . Iioew's and R-K-O as the vaude circuits, there is doubt of the after math, except that Casey will quit Social Side Gone The N.V.A. has in reality resolved Itself into the customary charitable organization with but little social bility to it left. This was Indicated with the recent resignations of Eddie Cantor as president of the: N.V.A. and William Morris as director of the sanatorium. Whatever moves are made to maintain the N.V.A., it is unlikely that any will attempt to rebuild the social side of the organ izatlon. The N.V.A. annual election is overdue and will probably not be held prior to the managers' meet Ing that is to decide Us fate. If continuing as' an organization of actors entitled to its benefits, the N.V.A. win probably revoke its pres ent insurance benefit at the next general meeting, leaving the N.V.A end in New York more like the Actors' Fund in scope of operation ger, Tills occured at the Albee last week when the deck hands presented Cliff Boyd with a wrist watch. From the gang in the front of the house he received a typewriter. Cliff is quitting show business to raise chow drgs, Blacks Under Cork Duke Ellington's bandsmen will put burnt cork over their dusky complexions while working with Amos 'n' Andy in that team's pic ture for R-K-O Radio. Just being colored isn't, enough, with Amos 'n' Andy declared to have felt the Ellington men should carry out the "black-up" idea by putting it on themselves. Irving Mills, who has Ellington and band under personal contract, left New York last week to pick up ■ tlie orchestra In Chicago for the trip to the Coast Publix Shows in Aug. Publix stage sho-vs are set through August, with full casts ex cepting for the Boris PetrofE unit for the last week in the month, which will have Senator Murphy heading the talent. Opening tomorrow (Thursday) in New Haven "Garden of Girls," Pe- ti-ofC show with Billy Glason, Bbb Bob and Bobby, Gertrude Fisher, Olive Sibley and Fred Evans Girls a chorus of 26. Most units carry 12 or IG. Increase is fur this unit only and does not mean choruses that large will be carried with all pro ductions. Aiig. 7 Frank Cambria's "Toy Shop" opens with c?st having HyJe and Burrell, Dick Henderson, Gomez Trio and Gamby Girls, Follo-?i'ing unit "Harem Hokum," staged Louis McDcrmot^ with Morris and Campbell, Three Gobs, Beatrice Garden and Harry Moore in the company. Fyffe Witit Show Will Fyffe, foreign comic, report ed going on tour with CarroU'i "Sketch Book" next season. Show opens Sept 29 in Brooklyn. 3 N. W. TOWNS TAKEN OFF R-K-O INTACT ROUTE Figuring nine weeks on the In^ terstate time,, but -.not counting Toledo/ closed, for the sumncter, and discounting Tacoma and Seattle, Which have been placedTln'straight picturef policies, the R-K-O Intact route now stands at exactly 30 w^eks. Business, not warranting, Spokane aiid San. Diego (thre^-day stands) and.Tacoma (full week) were" ta.keh oft. the Intaict. tour last week, with routing iswltched'accordlhgriy. ^ows now will - play Wirinipeg, Van- couver, Seattle, then Portland In- stead of Tacoma and lios Angeles, Long Beach arid Salt Lake Instead of San Diego following Long !Beach Interstate weeks to follow, St. Louis are Oklahoma City, Fort Worth, Dallas, San Antonio, Hous ton. New Orleans, Birmingham, At- lanta and Charlotte. Got Less Salary After Signmg with Agency; Team Tired of Terms Mrs. Greenwald Very III Chicago, July 29. Mrs. M. L. Crreenwald, wife of the R-K-O producer, was In a' priecarl ous condition at St. Josetih's hos pltal Monday .(28), after taken sud^. dehly ill at the Greenwald summer hoihe at South Hav4n, Mich. She was rushed the 140 miles \o Chicago by ambulance after being hospitalized at South Haven for Ave days, when her condition took a grave turn for the worse.. Next to closing- spots will be only a memory to vaude headllners la the..^fut.ure as a result, of R-K-O's plan to place the strongest: acts on shows at the end rather than la the pienultlmate crevice. . This will be carried out' In the boo'klng oC both intacts and spothandled bills, according to present Indications, and may even be attempted at the PaU ace whenever feasible. Idea Is under experiment in the east and' with new tour-act Intact shows goiiig out for northwestern, western and southern .tour, with the test, according to booking men, exr pected to j^rOve th^ contention, % new oiie ill vaude, that the best act should cbprie last. In addition to the new Intact go« ing out this, we^k through Madison and Chester "idates ,ln the Metrbpoli- Jaji_acea,Jojiftn3LJ(iihec4wuMies_.-^^ booked, with .the headllners in the flnishing spot ' Some of them are Buster and John 'West at the Al- bee; Medley and Duprce at the Ken- more (last Half); George Jessel at Flushing (flrst hUf) and Victor Oliver (last' half) and J. G. Flipx>en at the Fordham (last half). R-K-O is not elimi'iiatihg usual opener or closer acts, including:, flashes, needing those for' variety, ;but where two. of the same descrip- tion were used to both' open and close m the past, one now may be booked. That In' Itself will provide more variety, with, room for some .other class of act '. . . Stoppiha. .Walkout* ; - It .is' also: ^giOti^-through cidsing with the h'eadUners that walko.tits^ often occurlng-in'the past when the . last act was on, will be. curbed IC . not cut out altogether. Cpntentloni is that walking out on the fliiishlng act gives a,bad Impression, if noth- ing else arid In addition to'.hat de- ,nies the" proper break to the closers as of. old, whatever their type. Book- ers win admit many acts have been booked here and there as just "something for the walk,'' that espe- cially fitting the Palace, where with dumb acts winding, up commotion sometimes \i»s been. .s.o bad that those staying . couldn't enjoy th^ acts anyway. So ifar no trouble as far as could be learned, has been experienced la getting headllners to go for clos- ing bills. With the 4-act bills, the reason Is simple; an ordinary closing act would be an extra ' .rn and expense. Gus Van, Strictly Single Three weeks of time has been tentatively set by R-K-O for Gus Van as a single. Tentative opening date Is Aug. 23 at the Fordham, with 8&th street, Jefferson, Hamil- ton, Madison and Chester to fol- low. Instead of using a pianist. Van has decided tb carry a leader in the pit who will play straight for sonie gags. Lawrence Edward Quinn and Walter Stewart, as the team of Vale and Stewart, have applied in the New York Supreme Court for an injunction preventing Lyons & Lyons from interfering with them In obtaining theatrical engagements pending the trial of a suit to cancel their contract with Lyorik & Lyons, made lii 1927,' on the ground that they were under age when the agreement was signed. The plaintiffs say that prior to the cdnti'act they were receiving about $375 a week and that Arthur- Lyons represented that he could get them over $700 a week, for which reason they signed. They say they were booked in the same theatres as before and got less sal- ary. In addition to which they had to pay the agent's 10% commission and were also compelled to enter an act owned by Lyons & Lyons at $150 and were also charged the 10%, although they had an offer of $450 at the time. The suit Is brought because Vale and Stewart had arranged to.enter the Shubert production, "Artists & Models" and were rehearsing for the show May 19 when they were no- tified by Willie Edelsteln that they were still under contract with Lyons & Lyons and would be prevented from acting in the production. They say that the ShubertiSv then refused to make a contract with them until they settled the controversy with the defendants. Meyer's Trip West Walter Meyers goes to Hollywood next week, his flrst trip since be- coming head of Warner Bros, stage booking and casting bureau. Meyers will be away three weeks. Linder Settles Complaint of the Six Barnstorm- ers against Jack Liinder, filed with the V. M. A., clalriaing they played a one-day' engagement at the Ma- jestic, New Jersey, and were not paid off, has been settled. Linder stated an agent In his office, Frank Belmont has booked the act, but that the office had not received any money for the engage- ment. Three Loew's Named Loew will eliminate vaude Aug. .8 in Falrmount and Victoria, New York City, and the Willard, Wood- haven, L. L All three will g» straight pix at reduced prices. Loew's Sold on Local Tollies' Idea; WiflBe Placed in More Houses During the coming season Loew's May use a "Local Follies" week in each one of its de luxe houses. Heretofore "Local Follies" has been in the vaude houses. Loew is very much taken up with the "Local Follies" weeks consider- ing them good business besides the gratis publicity. During the "Follies" weeks Loew's will have its regular unit skip the houses. Loew stages these "Local Follies" in big time fashion sending its ace producers to put on the show and offering prizes and awards. Victor Hyde, who staged the Pittsburgh "Follies," will stage all others. The idea originated with Louis K. Sid- ney, who is strong for it. Arthur Knorr^ wlio produces the units for the Capitol, New York, will visit the theatres where the "Follies" are being held to give any flnishing touches. Scholarship Loew's is awarding a Chester Hale scholarship to the best local girl dancer in the "Follies." The Hale scholarship insures the girt six months' free tuition in a Hale dancing uchool. She is also award- ed a silver loving cup by Loew's. Loew's pays each member $10 for the week's work, although they will rehearse from a week to two week* prior to the "Follies" week for no salary. Loew supplies all costumes, scenery, etc. After the "Local Follies" finished in Pittsburgh, three girls, who billed themselves as "Three Queens," were held over a week by the theatre and placed in the regular Loew unit at the customary salary.