Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1931-07-22
Mew York
BY GILBERT SWAN
r Service Writer

NEW YORK - Broadway. It's
myriad lights anemic from lack OF
exercise. IL taking to the sea for
Its health.
It's ni~ght-gcing places have been
collapsing az every corne these
humid evenings. Only two Of is
better known supper clubs have
tottered through the famine. and
these are preparing to depart until
the more stimulating Autumn
breezes blow.
The number OF plays has hit a
new low for all time. with but ten
promising To survive the hot spell.
Scores OF theaters are as vacant as
. blonde chorine's stare.
Instead have come the floating
~cabarets. and now the first theater
aboard q liner.
The word show boat" suddenly
finds itself with a metropolitan
twist TO ID. Instead OF the pictures
que old flat-bottomed floating pal
ace" that chuTned its way along
the Mississippi and Ohio rivers.
there moves out OF Manhattan a
three-stacker with a theater special
ly designed by architects. with a
master OF ceremonies and all the ap-
purtenances OF the Big Street.
Whereas the convert charge chairs
yawn empty and the aisle seats,
with some few exceptions. gather
dust, the turbined night spots play
10 houses OF 600 and up. on each
trip: and gents who had become ac-
customed TO the greeting OF suck
er" when they entered a gilded base
ment begin TO wonder If Tex Guinan
might have been right after all.
First OF the ~s0-called show
boats" Of the sea Is the liner Bel
genland. And two Of the veterans
OF Br0adway's theater life are link
ed with the activities OF the liner
theater: William Morris, one Of the
oldest OF the vaudeville domoS. and
John Golden. the producer.
Golden. by the way. Is to stage the
first pre-Broadway premiere at sea.
Ordinarily rehearsals are held In
side-Street halls about Manhattan.
although plenty OF empty theaters
are now available: and ~try-outs. pre-
vicus 10 Broadway presentation. are
scheduled usually for Philadelphia.
Camden. Atlantic City. Boston.
Pittsburgh and towns not far from
the MAJ stem
However. Golden's initial Broad
way product for the coming sea-
son, After Tomorrow" will be pre-
sented aboard the Belgenland. While
not intended. when written by Hugh
Strange, for the worlds first oceanic
theater, the NOVELETTE, say nothing
OF the general conditions-made the
experiment possible. The play will
open in New York during August.
Morris Is booking vaudeville and
general entertainment for the
oceanic show-boat." Some OF the
sea-going performers include Fran
ces White, "the ~splash-me girl. \
whose varied fortunes have made
good newspaper copy: Claire Wind
sor. the screen star Of not-so-long-
ago. Lester Allen. the music show
clown: the MuTrays, ballroom dan
GERS and a dozen other attractions
that have played the Palace and the
circuits.
And even though the gold-and-
white show-boats Of yesterday have
metamorphosed into a three-stack-
er liner. attempts will be made 10
keep something OF the bygone flaw
or. including a street parade at
Halifax and performances both
aboard ship and az the "0pry house
Practically all European lines now
operate their star craft on side
trips. since continental travel Is not
all that II might be and excursions
are considerably more than were
ono expected.
The French line operates the
France and Paris on a triangle
cruise to Bermuda and Canada:
the Cunarders have their fastest
craft running 10 Bermuda and near
by points; and there are a
number Of other lines. each with
some night-life attraction to
say nothing Of bathrooms. Jazz bands
ard. Of course. bars that are ba-sl