New-York tribune., 1921-06-10
Equity's Closed ShopFight
and Stage Hands Wage
Demands May Leave
Broadway Dark Again
Cohan Through and
Belasco May Quit
Hippodrome Considering
Pictures; Other Mana
gers Curtail DrasticalIv

Haoel tFoupies are threatening to
darken New York theaters again as in
the summer of 1919 when the actor.
struck. This time it is the stage
hands, allies of the performers in that
other fight, whose wage demands are
making the difficulty along Broadway.
Coincident with George M. Cohan's
declaration yesterday that the Actors
Equity Associations application of the
closed shop principle to productions
owned by him was forcing him to get
out of the theatrical business. it be-
came known that the Hippodrome man
agement contemplates opening in the
autumn with moving pictures-minus
its normally huge staff of scene shift
ers.
In Denver the executive board of the
International Association of Theatrical
Stage Employees has been meeting
since Tuesday and is understood to be
considering advances in the New York
stage hand wage scale, projected by
local union officials.
The decision of Mr.. Cohan to retire
from the stage, both as manager and
actor, kept the stage folks buzzing yes
terday as they lounged in the ante
rooms of various managers Offices.
Once before, during the Equity strike
two years ago, Mr.. Cohan withdrew,
but the lure of the footlights, not to
say the box Office, was too much for
him, and he came back.
Listen" he said yesterday" I'm
through. T-H-R-O-U-G-H." The Yam
kee Doodle comedian was pacing the
floor of his Office in West Forty fifth
Street.
Calls 1t Personal War
'"This is the result of personal war
on me waged by the council of the
Equity. Pm getting out to preserve
Emerson president of the Equity] said
about me at a meeting of actors at the
Astor the other day? He said 'Cohan
is suave young man with a velvet
glove with dagger in it to cut actors
hearts OUT"
'I'm through. I'm going to take a
years vacation. Here, read this from
David Belasco." MIR. Cohan tossed over
telegram that read:
II can only say how gloriously right
think you are and | am proud of you.
am with you heart and soul in fight
ing for what we know to be right and
just. God bless you.
DAVID BELAsCo."
Mr.. Cohan also said that he was
closing MARY" company and a
"Meanest Man in the World" company
in Chicago, was bringing back MARY"
from Seattle that was to have played
until August !, and that "The Tavern" !"
closed the last week in June "The
O'Brien Girl" is playing in Boston.
The players are under contract to Mr..
Cohan until 1922.
"Pll simply run that one company
until the contracts expire" he said.
IL had planned five companies. It's the
poor actor that gets it in the neck"
MAY Be Others" Says Belasco
In q purple dressing gown David Be-
lasco was pacing the floor of his Of
fee, occasionally achieving dramatic
effect by running nervous hand
through his white hair and knitting
his black eyebrows together.
There may be others besides Mr.
Cohan," warned Mr.. Belasco. 81 will
not submit to the closed shop. / am
very glad Mr.. Cohan has had the cour-
age of his convictions"
AL Woods, who in the past has sent
out as many as twenty-eight shows in
a season, has let it be known that next
fall he can afford to start out only
two companies.
Seven shows closed in New York
last Saturday They were "Deburau," !"
Little Old New York." "The Cham
pion," "June Love-" "Rollo's Wild
Oat," ''The Right Girl" and "The Bad
Man." OTHERS to close within two
weeks are: "Claire De Lune," Enter
Madame" "The Gold Diggers," "Irene"
and "Thc Love Birds"
This means nothing, according to
Actors Equity Association officials.
Just 8 natural summer slump. The
managers, however, shake their heads
sadly and plaintively express their
doubts as to whether some of the the
aters will ever reoDen