Variety (Dec 1947)

"WeAwB&ibijfi 'llftBMw J kg 3, 1947 Pbi €o& Mwe klM to ' Excess Footage for Tekasting With television's expansion pick- ing up speed eveyy weelc, signs of re- newed inter«Sst; by the flliti cdmpan- ies in the medium ate <!<msfently on the increase. Still uncertain as to how big the ■how biz newcomer will grow and •what part they'll iHnsJly play in it, the film companies are skirting their entry into video warily. Both Uni- ^versal and Pa^limount News are re- ported, however, to have ofEered «onie excess footage from their news- reels recently to tele broadcasters and RKO-Pathe is readying two series of its regular shorts for pos- sible sale to tele sponsors^ U reportedly offered some scenes of the British royal wedding to the ■ N.Y, tele stations. . Broadcasters, however, didn't accept them, either because the asking price was too high or because th^y could furnish coverage just as ^ood and njllch faster with their own material, It's faelieved unlflteiy tiiat V would have jnadft avaOiible to. broadcasters the ■ name footage that it used for its own newsreel editions but, with most reels usmg less than 75% of the total lootage shot on any event, there -would have been plenty left for the Videocasters. V exec veepee Matty Tox declined ti». comment im the report biit he didn't deny it. Par, it's been learned, has been making advances to the • tele broadcasters during' the last week. Pfli executive^ however, (Continued on page 22) Twin City Get-Togeth«r On Show Biz and Jn?es Minneapolis^ Dec. It' ; Representatives of Tw.in City radio stations and the amusement industry here have been invited to meet with a volunteer committee on crime and delinquency, a group of Minneapolis professional specialists' on' the "sutaJ'' ject of juvenile behavior, to liiscuss the part that crime ftHns and radio shows play in the problem. ; Committee has announced the con- clusion that youthful perpetrators ot acts of violence, including murder, who blame their offenses on ideaS; from films, radio and comics, pose & problem for serious study and action if the situation is to be corrected. A' tour-matt subconmiitiee has Hieeil appoitited t<» develop a fact- flnding questionnaire! to he employed locally in ». move to determine how extensively juveniles are motivated to criminal acts by Dims, radio and comics. - < 285t1iW£EK! KEN MURRAY'S "BUA6K0UTS OF 1947" El Capitan Theatre, Hollywood, Cal. Watch, for KKN MUIlRAlfS new feature IcnKth film production "BILL AND COO" Released through Bepublic Pictures STRIKE- STKISHOWBIZ HAPPY Paris, Dec. 2. Despite the chaotic disruption stemming from the current Com- munist-inspired strike wave, escap- ist-minded Parisians are thronging ~ '«very available amusement spot in -liorce. ' . ' • Crowds keep coming even in face cf public utility walkouts which are causing sporadici unexpected clos^ ' ings of niteries and theatres and ai;£iway shutdowns compelling the- atregoers to walk home; Rooney, Kaye, Raye, A&£ *^ for London TPhe Palladium theatre, London, is . planning olie o£ tlie heaviest talent lineups in its history. House has set Mickey Rooney to open Jan. 4, and negotiations are now on for Danny Kaye io IqUow in February. Martha Baye has been ^gned for a March ■ iiJatie. . the Falladium'is shelling out some heavy coin in the process. Rooney is slated tb get $1S,000, while Kaye's deal will be for. a similar amount. Miss Raye is reported getting $6,000. Other London bookings include ' Allan iTones ■ and Irene Kervey to lopen. at the Casina tlieatre, in April, and Clark Bros.,' Negro dancers, to -open the same house late February. Deal is currently on for Abbott & alio to. play the Casino in the , sp.-'ng, with a J. Arthur Rank film to follow. . XT. S. acts in England generally play a series of concert dates in large haUrooms and auditoriums, inasniucfa l.m the small English houses caimot g£dss enough to pity out that kind of . coin. _ American acts are able to get most •f their money in U. S. dollars out , of that country. Law permits them tb~ remit their salary, less living ex- peiises,'°& their lamilies In the U. S. SEPTEMBER THEAm BIZ fm BEHIND LAST YEAR Washington, Dec- 2. September's theatre biz was not much above the August figures and fell- far behind the boxoffice for Septetn^r, 1M6, according to ad- missions tax figures related -Sunday night (30) by the Bureau of Internal Revenue.. ■ The 20% tax figures for the month amounted to $37,743,023, indicating a month's business of about $18'8,- 715,000 jon all amusement fronts, in- cluding sports. Of this total, it is estimated that' from 70 to '60% was taken 'in at film houses. The tax bite compares with $37,068,543 for the mon& oi August and the $42,- 096,593 in September, 1946. In addi- tion to the admissions 'nip, Uncle Sam collected $5,193,369 from the 20% nick on nitery tabs, only five sixths of what was taken in for the same a year earlier, and very little more than was collected in August. While September was a good mbnth, it jstiU reflected the sUde-ofI of busi- ness which has been accumulating since the mid-year. ; Manhattan's 3rd Internal Revenue District, including the Broadway sector, reported admissions taxes to taling $5,359,227 for September, a little under the'$S-,547,OQ0 of the pre ceding month. "She nltecy dip wa^ sharper. September business paid a $415,707 lax, about $150,000 under Augtist ■ OolMth's Ariz. HQ Because of Son's Health Clifford Goldsmith, creator of the "Aldrich Family" and author of "What a Life" and othfer plays and films, has moved to Tucson, Ariz., permanently. He's building a home there and is selling his apartment in Gracie Square, N. Y. Reason for the move is that his son has a seri- ous asthma condition. Author is currently at work on a new play for Broadway, bat he's a methodical workman, so it may not he ready until next spring. Mean- while, he owns the "AJdrich" series and gets a royalty from it. <;$ports Director, ABC HttWorH) College *GAMES . wmiNERS t^OINTS SQUthern C»lll«nii«<Nl>tr^.lD*tll« ••K»tr* Dane ; .<^..f. It THlane-ItSO' .,.,...'..,< ttSiO \ ( Vlllanova-Keiitwky (Cleveland) Keniucky j (Games at« played Saturday ^tternoon unless.otherwise stated.) Pro Fooibair . NATIONAL IiEAisVK ' " ' '. . OAlWES -WINNEKti Chi ]Be«r*-Ii, A. Ralus '. *, Bears ''... .< Detrvlt U«n*-fireen Bay Packers Packers .j N. 'V. Oianta-V^aflt RedsklniT Bcdskins . PhlllyEagles-Chl Cards Eag^fi ABC Balks at 94G Bite To €S¥e McNeitt Oiance Hollywood, Dec. 2.:' Don McNeill, "Breakfast Club" m.c, has' an option on an original screenplay by Arch Oboler, which several studios are yearning to pro- duce. McNeill is panting to make his long-delayed bow before the'camera, but ABC, which, owns "Breakfast Club," insists that it's not going to pay expenses involved in shifting the. show fi-om Chi to the Coast for five "or six weeks. Network estimates the transfer will cost about $94,000.'McNeill feels that ttiis estimate, besides being fan- tastically high, disregards the fact that the ABC pK>gi;am property will be benefifed liy fUm exploitation. Network spokesmen in countering ask, vwhy should ABC sign extra checks to launch McNeill's film ca' reer? , ' . Three studios have angled for Mc- Neill in the past, but the deals haven't, jelled because of his insist ence on control ovet the choice of story.- Obqler's screenplay, titled "Breakfast in .the Country," was written this summer. McNeill, who has held off from Hollywood a long time, thinks the Oboler opus will give him a flying start in films. TUs Wedi s FooilbaB ■By Hnrry Wismer- POINTS iz 10 .... 6 7 Pitt Steelers-BostoR ¥«nfcs Tanks ,. 3 , ALL-AMERICA CONFENBNCE Baltimore p«lis.'Clevei»nd Brown* Browiis 20 Bropmyn Dodgers-N. Y. fankees YauKees 27 It. A.' Don*>CU Boekets : Dons .'. is San Fran-Btiaalo Bill* . ; San, Fran } (Games are played Sunday afternoon, unless otherwisie stated,) , Wins, 283; Losses,' 126; Ties, 20; Ppt, .682. (Tics don't count) * Home team mentioned first. t Points represent predicted margin of victory, not the official odds. King a Mugg Fan? Writing about Princess Eliza- beth's wedding and the recep» tion last week. Bob Hope sug- gested that King George must be a Variety reader. As the comedian expressed it in his syndickt^d column:. — "And it was really heart- warming when the royal couple thdnked each Amerlifian star tor coming -over. I was particularly surprised^ by the king, who seemed to know ' in what pic- tures each individual: star had played. After listening to him you'd swear they get 'Variety : at Buckingham Palace." Bromf idd Wants to Act / In EL Fdm of His Novo Novelist Louis Bromfield is hank- ering for the kleig lights, the writer pressuring Eagle Lion to cast him as the narratbr-actor in the fllmization of his- novel, "Kenny," which is currently prepping for the camera. Narrator part is one of the import- ant roles ijl the book. Bromfield is also insisting that lus huge farm, biggest in the U. S., be used as the ofl-the-lot locale for shooting' the pic. Itjs situated near Bfansfield, O., and was the actutd scene where the story, "Kenny," is supposed to take place.' EL is presently negotiating with King Vidor to handle the producer- director chores of "Kenny." Duse Dramatization Esther Kiss Pallos, American story editor for Sir Alexander Korda, is collaborating with Joel W. Schenker 'on a dramatization of Bertita Hardirig's novel, "Age Can- not Wither." Book was published last week by Lippincott. It's a story of Eleanora Duse and Gabriele DAnnunzio. Plans are now being -made for a New York production of the drama- ^-tization. Agent Annie Laurie Wil- liams reps all of those involved. PAE'S PAEIS mPOST French actress and. singer Jo Hor vart ai'rives in New York tomoi'row ductions, (Thurs.) on her way to the Coaiit. I . She'# ,tp Jbfi.lested for Paramount's 'L.;^<tS'eBled-.Verdict." . .^ ■..' JESSEI, COMHiniNfi N.Y.-L.A. Afiir winding his current engage- ment on New Year's evfe at the Car- nivaJ, N. Y., George Jesscl heads'for the Coast to spend two weeks hud- dling on his upcoming 20th-Fox pro- "Call Me Mister" and 'Burlesque." On Jan. 16, he's dated to open, at ih^'Copacabati'a in Miiimi Beach; WIRANTE'S $6,500 FOR 3D N.Y. COPA ENO^RE Jimmy Durante will make his first New York nitery appearance since 1944 with a four-week date at the Copacabana, starting Feb. 5. He's reported In at a salary -of $6,500, which is regarded as a favor to Copa boniface Monte Proscr, a close friend of the Schnozola's. This will mark Durante's tliird appearanee at the Copa. ■. , ■ ... , The headliner lineup at the Copa, following the current run of Peter Lind Hayes and Mary Healy, is in- definite. There's no topper' booked between Hayes' closing Jan. 12 and Schnoz's opening, "there's the pos- sibility that either Tony Martin or Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis may fill the gap. FREEDOM 1EAIN HEAT CmNUES IN MMPHIS Mempl is, Dec. 2.' ' The hotfoot handed the Freedom Tram by local authorities continues to be the major topic of raging dis- cussion here. City fir.thers turned down profllered date for visit rather than forego application of the race- segregation idea. However, a citywfde mass meet- irj to regain the Freedom Train dates, annotmced by the local Amer- icans For Democratic Action, Amer- ican Veterans Committee and League of Women Voters, has been cancelled by those oganizations "be» cause-of the inflammatory sjs^eches made by Mt^ror Pleasants" over all Memphis radio station^ on the sub- ject.' ^ ' . Spokesmen for the mass meeting said the Mayor's remarks bad been so violent as to stir up; trouble in the event the Freedom Train does come to Memphis. Claiming their point had been made by the ava- (Continued on page 22) You, Too, Can Be An Antiqpie Shoj^eeper Paulette Goddard and husband Burgess Meredith -will open an an- tique shop in Nyack, N. Y., Dec. 21. It'.s within a few miles of their farm. Miss Goddard, Vr'hilc in England recently making a picture for Sir Alexander , Korda, bought $100,000 worth of furniture to stock the shop. She and Meredith will be partnered in it with Herbert Kende, of the Kende Galleries, which is associated with Gimbel Bros., N. Y. Bryan Foy CAMidwr* lb* *'mght Word at (Sometimes ) Wrong Time'' . -*■■ '* . * •n «H»«ilal fMtw* in th» fertlie»niili9 42d Atmivertary Edition «f RAnAlANBACKTOENG. FORIVINSLOWBafPIC Film version of Terence Ratti- gan's successful drama, "The Wins- low Boy,"- is scheduled to roll in Britain some Wme in January ac- cording to the author who saUed for London, IViday (28) aboard the Queen Mary, Picture rights to the play were bought by Sir Alexander KOrda shortly after its London preem in May, 1946. Here for eight weeks, the playwright attended the New York opening of ^'Boy" at the Empire Oct. 29. Already set for the picture, said Battlgan, are Robetrt Donat who will portray Sir Boheri. Morton while Celia Johnson ivill have the role of Catherine .Winslow. Negotiations are pending for Sir Ralph Richard- son as the film's third star. Screen- play is by Rattigan. Also ott Rattigan's agenda are twg short plays .<which he has already completed. They are "High Sum- mer" and "The Browning Version." Both will star John Gielgud: Plays originally were to hav«-beenuOff«ted in" London this winter under the auspices of H. M. Tennent, Ltd., and Linnit & Dunfee, Ltd. However, Gielgud's chores- in the Broadway production of "Medea" and the forth- coming "Crime and Punishment" due to pr^em at the National, N. Y., Dec, 22, have caused a moveback of the Rattigan plays until spring. To Arg. Aft«r 131 Years Montevideo, Nov. 25. Argentina is to have bullfights again, -after a lapse of 131' years, They vrere forbidden in 1816, after the country virot^ independence from Spain and fipanish customs.- Senora Eva de Pe'ron, as a result of her recent jaunt to Spain and other European countries, has re- introduced the. fashion and has spons<Hed corridas (bullfights) in- augurated in Rosario, the country's second largest city, on Columbus Day. Over 10,000 spectators have at- tended the bullfights organized in Rosario at the Rural Society's grounds, and toreadors were brought from Peru. The very first corrida had plenty of thrills when toreador Cayetano Palomino was gored. Palomino, together with Manolo Marthiez and Ricardo Arti- gas, were the ttar* of the Rosario shows. » Managers are now dickering with the River Plate stadium in Buenos Aires, with a seating "capacity of 120,000, where football games are held on weekends and holidays, to put on further corridas. An Ar- gentine toreador, Raul Ochoa Ro- vira, and''the Spaniards Pepp Luis Vazquez and Parrita, have been signed up. It's estimated that the bullfights would gross around $30,- OOQ per performance. . Senora de Peron has a financial interest in the. bullfights as a com- iwercjat te'feicpl'isi.' '-'-i Gladys Cooper, Va, Bruce SaU to London and Paris Gladys Cooper, veteran British stage and film actress, sailed Friday (28) aboard the Queen Mary on a brief vacation in Britain. She will visit her daughter and son-in-law, Robert Morley, before returning to the Coast. Actress, who recently completed a stint in.Mettd's forth- coming Gable-Tunier'Baxter star- rer, "Homecoming," said she must be back at the studio by Dec. 27 for possible retakes on the film. Also sailing was Virginia Bruce who plans to join her husband, Ali Ipar, in Paris, She'll be gone about a month and has no immediate plans for future film work althoug}! she expects to resume radio chores'upon her return. Her last picture Is Paramount's unreleased :^dward G. Robinson starrer, "The Night Has • 1,000 Eyes." \ Joan Davis Wins Divorce Hollywood, Dee. 2. Joan Davis won an uncontested divorce from Si Wills on charges of marital neglect. Comedienjie testified Wills, who writes her radio show, tore her part in it to pieces. . Rosalind Keith's Act Rosalind Keith is being groomed by Music Corp. of America for the class niteries, this marking a come- back for a w.k. Hollywood person-, ality who has been singing in- formally in some of America's most famed homes. As Mrs. Hernando Courtright, Wife of the president and managing director of the Beverly Hills Hotel, she is an intimate of ill- most e very film'notable. , Formerly a society singer, Mi.ss Keith convinced Jules C. Stein, head of MCA, that she'd like to take a whirl at it professionally, and is cur- rently ifl <New York getting ah act in shape. . .- • <«: