The New York herald., 1922-06-18

Crook" will open the Republic. Miss
Florence Reeds absence from this play
Is by no means final. 1t was reported
that. following Miss Reeds retirement,
Miss Marjorie Rambeau would have the
leading role on Broadway, but Miss
Rambeau is still reading manuscripts
with view to taking her pick, and her
fate is by no means settled.
Miss Pauline Frederick will bly,
appear ON Broadway next fall under the
Woods banner in new play. Size was
to have done Lawful Larceny in Lon
don TO celebrate her return TO the spoken
drama from the movies. but theater
for her could not be arranged there.
Sam Shipman has been letting his pen
gallop away as usual of late. He has
written three plays, two of which he has
sold already. While the third is being
considered by Woods. it's fate depending
on how good cigar Woods happens to
be smoking at the moment of final
analysis. Hopwood will. as usual be
Shipmans most serious rival for the
claim to the Broadway championship for
incubating plays. Besides the adapta
tion mentioned above Hopwood has
promised another play for Woods. and
is doing one for Wagenhals & Kemper
Brock Pemberton brought back ga
couple OF plays from Europe, over which
lie is now poring and chewing the cud
Of reflection. Unless they were rejected
previously by some other manager he
may not have the luck with them that
he did with Enter Madame. This
comedy had been in Arthur Hopkinss
office and sent back before Pemberton
took 1t and made a big hit out Of it,
4 George NJ Cohan is reported to be
holding back his newest musical comedy
until sally" leaves Boston. when he
will fling 1t into the breach at the Hub
He has leased the Hudson Theater for
next season. though the nature of his
plans for that house has not leaked out
The plan of turning the Central S,id
Lyric theaters into vaudeville houses
next season is still being debated in
the Shubert offices The Forty-fourth
Street and the, Winter Garden, which
were the first strongholds of this circuit
here last year. appear to have been
abandoned as variety centers
Jay Barnes. who left the publicity
field with Morosco to become pro-
,lucer of his own has a couple of plays
while he has presented Grace Valentine
who Is Mrs. Jay Barnes when the foot
lights are switched off. in a vaudeville
sketch in order to keep the ham and
eggs coming in. He also aims TO star
Miss Valentine In the legitimate. II he
can get a playwright to build play
around an idea which Jay will supply
at virtually cost price.
Another press agent may become
franaeer If the bootlegging busn- So
maintains it's present high level He
trades exclusively with a druggist who
has reaped fame and fortune. due TO the
volstead law. and the other day was
talking to him about the profits made
in the theatrical business. He mem
toned casually that successful shows
had been known to take in $4,000 and
more a week. emphasizing that this
was "by the week and not by the year
This quite impressed the druggist. look
ing good even to a practising bootlegger.
A few days later the press agent
dropped into his little corner OF heaven
and remarked to the druggist: Say.
you've always been nice to me. and given
me plenty OF time to pay my bills. I'd
like to let you in on n good thing-a
play that's bound TO be n HIT
would you?' asked the druggist Gag
eriy. "Honest?"
And now" the press agent tells his
friends: I'm likely TO become a. pro-
ducer with his backing. thanks to the
Eighteenth Amendment"