Variety (Jul 1939)

42 VARIETY ▼AUDE-NIGHT CLUBS Wednesday, July 12, I939 Jack LaRue's Unit Reopening Mpk iOOO^eater at 30c Top Minneapolis, July 11. In order to get the 4,000-seat Minnesota tlieatre reopened, own- ers of the ground and building are waiving a flat rental and will gam- ble on a percentage of the profits. Shubert Theatre Players Co., headed by the Benz Bros., owners of the Palace (now closed) and million- aire real estate operators, will op- erate the house with Gordon Greene, who managed It when it first opened, as manager. Taxes on the property are ap- proximately $40,000 a year, but ef- forts are being made to have them reduced. The ground rental had been $75,000 per annum.. Theatre operators will have rental income from a half-dozen stores In the building. Reopening show *uly 21 will have a 'Hollywood Varieties* unit from California headed by Jacli LaRue, of the films. Theatre's policy will be stage shows plus first-run pic- tures with a 15c admission to 1 p.m. and 30c ttiereafter. House will have an 18-plece local orchestra conducted by Jack Malericli and a permanent line of 12. Big bands and name acts will be presented. Otherwise five acts will be booked each week to work with the line- and local band. Joe Griffin will sihg with .the band and also help Greene produce the stage shows. Patricia Wynne, for- merly with Fred Evans at the Chi- cago theatre, Chicago, will be dance producer. Opening picture will be Mono- gram's 'Streets of New, York.' House has six Mono and Republic- pictures bought Its big problem will be to obtain sufficient screen product in as much as the Parar mount Northwest circuit absorbs all the' major companies' output, with Indications that there will not b« any sluffs. Par relinquished the Minnesota last February after several years of unprofitable operation. House had been closed for almost a year prior to that timtr. When It first opened in IB29 grosses ran as high as $45,000 a week and eventually dropped as low as $3,000. Shubert Theatre Players closed lU 1,800-seat Palace several weeks ago. Greene says house will re- open In fall with grind subsequent- run double features and 20c week- end vaudeville agaln^ 'Drunkard' Out of Legit House Into Nitery in Det. Detroit, July 11. The Drunkard', which has been absent from local scene fcast two years, after hanging up records at the Playhouse, is being revived at the Chene-Trombly nitery, with E. A. Ferguson producing. £iame cast as presented meller on previous occasions will be used. In- cluding Ferguson, Billy Morrell, Gertrude' Winer, Marston Souther, Gertrude Wood, Bob Nelson, Dr. W. R. Alvord, Charles McComlsh and Mlllicent Bradley. Besides two performances nightly, cast offers vaude shows burlesquing old style of entertainment,' witb Morrell- as m. c. Agent's Gypsy Lee Commish Suit Comes Up Tomorrow (Thmrsi) A motion to examine Louise Ho- yick before trial will be ^made tomorrow (Thursday) In New York supreme court by Irving Sherman, who's suing Gypsy Rose Lee (Miss Hovick) for $10,000, alleging breach of contract. Sher- man claims a five-year contract witb Miss Lee as her personal manager dating from October, 1936, when she was In biirlesque., His complaint stipulates- that he was subsequently responsible for her jobs In the 'Zleg feld Follies' and later in securing a .contract with 20th-Fox. Ex-stripper currently In 1 Must Love Someone,' at the Vanderbilt, N. Y., denies generally. Sherman's managerial contract with Miss Lee included Curtis Allen, to act. as her manager and agent for five years. The contract was amended April 15. 1937, to Include the WU liam Morris' agency, each to receive 3 1/3%. Lampkin Out in D; C. Washington, July 11. Phil Lampkin, who has conducted pit orchestra M'Lbew's Capitol for last eight years,, stepped out Fri- day (7). Maestro, whose future plans are Indefinite, and management called it 'an indefinite leave of absence by mutual arrangement.' 10% Commish Suit Leon A. Friedman filed a $5,000 N. Y, supreme court action Mon- day (10) against Harry Stock- well, claiming breach of a man- agerial contract. Stockwell, who was the voice of the Prince in 'Snow White', has secured positions at Metro and Universal, through his ef- forts, Friedman claims under an oral 10% contract The singer Is In vaudeville at present PA. NITERY BILL CURBS NEW OPENINGS Philadelphia, July 11. Present nitery operators In Penn- sylvania need fear no additional competition for a long time. A bill signed by Gov. Arthur H. James has given present holders of liquor licenses a virtual monopoly. Law restricts licenses to one for each 1,000 population. . In as much as Phllly now has 2,858 licensees, 907 over its quota, there's no chance of any more . being issued. New measure exempts hotels.. AFA Trial (Continued from page 41) Gamblmg Cafe Named By Bank Prez in Frand Detroit, July 11. Powatan Club here Is under sur- veillance as result of confession of Walter P. Jacobs, former president of the National Bank of Adrian (Mich.), who is charged with em- bezzling $126,178 In bank funds to cover stock market and gambling losses. The Powatan, one of town's better- class niteries, was listed by Jacobs as one of four spots where he lost considerable in gambling. Jacobs also listed the Chalet, roadhouse in Macomb county, where he said he lost at dice, and several local hand- books. Benny Fields goes Into the Bon Air Country. Club, Chicago, July 20, for four weeks, on a Wm. Morris iMoldng. Americans Newest Dancing Stars • PIERRE DeANGELO AND EVELYN PORTER Opening CAS A MANANA, Fort Worth, July 21—^Then back to the CHEZ PAREE, Chicago, August 31. • Thankt to— MIKE FRITZEL, JOE JACOBSON • Direction, PAUL SMALL wWWW\ WILLIAM MORRIS AGENCY car. At that point it was brought out that when the $1,700 was given to Whitehead, there was actually less money in the AFA bank account than had been received from bene- fits. 'So the money for thel car was actually taken from relief funds at a time when the union was operat- ing at a deficit,' Hels explaiiied. Although the AFA now claims a membership ot 15,000, of whom 9,000 are asserted to be paid up, as late as Feb. 28, 1939 there were only 6,905 membership cards in the active file, the accoimtant testified, adding that the latter figure Included many per- sons no longer meml>ers, or - in ar- rears. Reis also testified that as of March 31, 1039, when he was last permitted to see the AFA books, an overwhelming majority of the union's council members were not in good standing because of failure to pay dues or death benefit' assess- ments. Miss Tucker, the current president, was among them, he said. Mosconi Got $500 Loan From AFA's Benefit Coin Although the union's books showed many entries for 'loans,' expenses and other payments to employees out of ftmds received from the TA, there were few records of ainy re- payments, according to Reis. Charles Mosconi, AFA treasurer, was the. recipient of a number of sueh 'loans,' totaling well over $500. Reis also testified that although Whitehead had stated in a letter to Theatre Authority In 1935 that TA funds were placed in a separate account the .AFA books showed 'he never got around to it until 1938.' Simi- larly, the accountant said, the union's books were altered during last March to show that the' money raised from benefits and used for general expenses, had been 'loaned' by one accoimt io another. Aquacade Performers Say AFA Double-Crossed 'Em , Although the testimony at yester- day's (Tuesday) session had to do with alleged abuses and intimidation at the Aquacade, the purpose ot it was aimed not so much at Billy Rose as it was to show the AFA's failure to. help its membership. Ash- ley, who was the first to testify, called the AFA 'grossly neglectful' and said the union 'double-crossed us in several instance.' He then went into details of how the Aqua- cade performers had been persuaded to submit to arbitration over salary and rehearsal pay claims, only to learn during the arbitratiotl proceed- ing that 'Whitehead had already written a letter to Rose agreeing to accept $35 a week wages and no re- hearsal pay. Rose subsequently is- sued a statement denying charges against the Aquacade. It was then brought out that when the Aquacade performers, none of whom had individual contracts witii Rose, sought to see copies of the blanket contract AFA had with the showman, they were given copies of the AFA Reporter, imlon house or- gan, carrying a purported 'copy' of the pact When a dispute subse- quently came up. Rose showed them a contract, the terms of which did not coincide with those printed in the AFA Reporter. Examination of the actual contract showed it dated after the publication date of the AFA Reporter containing the sup- posed 'copy.' Furthermore, It was testified, the contract was dated after the arbi- tration which settled their rehearsal pay dispute with Rose, and the terms of the pact were less favorable than those obtained In the compromise. In other words, Ashley said, a secret contract had be$n drawn giving away the concessions they had ob- tained in arbitration. Smith Denies Charges San Francisco, July 11. Al Smith, former local AFA branch representative, declared that he was not responsible to that body for the $1,750.19 shortage In the ac- counts of the local branch, during a speech made by him in a member-^ ship meeting - of the actors union held here last week. I. N. Padway, AFA attorney, made the charges at the meeting accusing Smith of the responsibility for the shortage. It developed at the meet- ing that such a charge had never been formally filed against Smith, or nnvbodv else. Smith said that he was not respon* sible for the mon^v, that its safe- keeping rested with the treasiuer of the organization. Smith previously had filed charges against Whitehead, accusing the lat- ter of using 'arbitrary power,' 'fail- ure to- issue statistics on national membership and finances,' and sev- . era! other acts 'detrimental to the welfare of the national and local organization.' At first refused admission to at- tend the AFA meeting here last week because he did not have .a paid -up membership card. Smith later was invited to appear and state his case. He said he would answer all aviestlpns put to him. by .the members. He said he was able to prove that all of the money had been remitted to the national office, but that he had never received a full accounting from the h. o. Smith also admitted that he wps after 'Whitehead's }6b. CARLOHA DALE TO FRANCE FOR 6 WKS. Carlotta Dale,, warbler with the Jan Savitt crew In the Blue Room at the Hotel Lincoln, N. Y., wiU leave shortly for six weeks at the Palm Beach Casino, Cannes, France.' Engagement was accepted with the consent of Savitt and shell return to the Lincoln upon its completion. Savitt will remain at the Blue Room until December, then playing a week at the Paramount, N. Y., and four days at. the State, Hartford, before going Into the College Inn, ChL Will make a return trip to the liincoln later. Holti to Jersey Nitery Colony Surf club. West End, N. J, has installed a name floor show policy . for weekends during the summer. Teed-oft Saturday and Sunday (8-9) with Willie and Eu- gene Howard and Estelle Taylor, Lou Holtz heads coming two-day setup. Morris agency booking. You Don*t Have To Go To London SAVILLE ROW OPENING SHORTLY ON FIFTH AVENUE TAILORS 660 Fifth Avenue New York