Variety (November 1954)

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50 VAIOF.VII.I.K UhntETY Wednesday, November 3, l9$4 The myri-.d of touring industrial shows that were on the boards dur- ; ‘ing the past few years has dwin- dled to one .firm this year. General Motors, with the. Motorama, among others, will be the only major investor in travel units. Others, .including Servel, Westing- house and General Electric, most of them designed for the edifica- tion, entertainment and inspiration for dealers, have fallen by the way- side. Agencies have come, to the con- clusion, that they must now offer an all-around industrial department if they are to maintain their inter- ests in that field. The offices must, be able to put on live entertainr. ment and ultimately take care of all details on a closed-circuit tele- vision deal for manufacturers. The industrial show proposition is gradually working itself into a. complete department. The decline of the, traveling shows has made it evident'that the manufacturers are looking more to the closed-circuit, type of meetings which can be televised simultane- ously by leased wire to various cities. The cream of the coin is now confined to the clubdate type of booking, Various firms "areshelling out terrific sums in one-nighters As much as $30,000 or more is being spent for one night of en- tertainment, at which as many as 5,000 may be present. Also, there is still a lot of money in trade shows. The auto shows CIR0 RIMAC with His Original, South American Rhythms and Revue Now Once Ajgai at the PALACE, N. Y. NEXT NOV. 15 CASA LOMA MONTREAL Preparing Our Next Extended European Tour Under the Direction of HARRY FOSTER AGENCY London Opening Dec. 26 MOULIN ROUGE Paris Giro Rimac 33 W. 63rd St., New York City in various cities spend a consid- erable amount of money in talent. The various home shows are also liberal talent purchaser New Firms Want In New firms are entering the fold. Arthur Knorr,, longtime producer, of stageshows at the Roxy Theatre, N, Y., who produced the Milton Berle show for several seasons,, is partnered with Gustave Haenschen, Jong associated, with many top ra- dio programs as a conductor, and Kenneth Allen, longtime concert manager. . The majors are still. studying the field and waiting for the situ- ation to jell before setting up full- scale industrial departments. At this point the closed-circuit deal looks like, it will knock most of the other facets of industrial show biz out of the running. However, there is still considerable coin in most of the other aspects. It’s when the. firms decide; that they’d like the big shows to read) vital dis- tribution - points simultaneously that they’ll knock out the live club- dates. There are still firms that be- lieve in the necessity of personal contact. General Motors and vari- ous subsidiaries present u its . of their own in various cities. Ford presented a layout* recently for its dealers in Detroit. Oldsmbbile has had a show in New York and else- where.. General Motors has a great deal of faith in. the effectiveness Of these shindigs. The GM Motorama is a costly traveling show. Unit is produced and directed by Dick & Edith Bar- slow and opens in January at the Waldo.f-As.toria, N. Y. and goes on to .five other cities. Saranac Lake By. ftappy Benway Saranac Lake, N, Y„ Nov. 2. • Murray Weiss of Boston, Ned Shugrue and Arthur Mayer both of N. Y*, execs of the Variety Club- Will Rogers hospital, in for the gen- eral inspection. Visit included a personal visit to every patient here. Earl Taylor, with 20th-Fox in Washington; D. C., staged an ex- cellent progress, left for home on his first day furlough out of the. san. Thomas R. Walter, who has been with the Hi way Theatre, Jenkins- tbvvn, Pa:, for years, registered in for the usual observation and rest period. Dorothy Vogeley, of Subset View Drivc-In, Tarentum, Pa:, rated ma- jor. surgery following a special clinic. She’s back at the Will Rogers recuperating. Ditto John (IATSE) Anderson rushed into the General for an emergency. opera- tion; now enjoying solid comfort at. Will Rogers while recuping. Ambulatory patients with special progress reports are Thomas Trant, manager Illihgton Theatre, Chica- go; William Hart, theatrical insur- ance agent, Dumont, N. J,; Jesus Palacios, staffer Interstate' Circuit, and William Hartness, of Caifadjpn Famous Players, Ottawa. Ont. Write tb. those who are ill. New York Denise Darcel paqted for the Copa, Columbus; O., Nov. 8 . Mae West goes into the Chez Paree, Chicago, Feb. 9 . , . Black & Dun- dee set for Palumbo’s, Philadel- phi Dec. 2 . . Joe E. Lewis at Chicago’s Chez Paree, Dec. 28. Bill Kenny, late of The Ink Spots, makes his debut as a single at the- Copa, Pittsburgh, Nov. 15 . . . Attendance at the Dairy Show, Atlantic Cit^, was so big last week, that the Myron Lanin-produced show had to be repeated at the Warner Theatre . . Family of the late Tiny Sinclair (Julia Schneid) unveiling a monument to her Nov. ,14 at Mt.: Lebanon Cemetery, Flushing, N. Y. . Tony & Eddie have signed a management contract with Dick Henry'. . . Borrah Mine- vitch Rascals go into the Sands Hotel, Las Vegas, Nov. 10 . . . Hamilton Trio down for- the Holl,- enden, Cleveland, Nov. 22 .. . Arthur Blake to the Sans Souci, Miami Beach, Noy; 23. In Shutdown Miami, NoV. 2. The Olympia Theatre is slated to fold Nov. 10. It’s one of the last stands of vaudeville, the other major stand being the Palaice, New York. Notices to (> stage- hands, musicians, ushers, projecr tionists, etc., have been given; ! Harry Botwick, Florida State The- atres director here, stated that the house was being closed because the combination vaudfiimers are no longer economically feasible. Cinerama is reportedly inter- ested in the Olympia, being the only house in the area wide enough . to accommodate three projection setups. However, interest lagged when it; was learned that each booth would require the minimum crew, with six to eight men would be necessary at all times. In the event Cinerama doesn’t take this house, it’s possible that vaude may return. It has hap- pened in the past when the house closed down for several months only to return to stageshows. However, at those times, the house kept open with straight films. This time it’s completely shuttered. Tucker’s N.Y. Trip London, Nov. 2. Charles L. Tucker planes to New York tomorrow (Wed.) on his biannual trip.. Anglo-American theatrical agent takes with him extensive list of his English standard acts to negotiate American bookings. Will also con- summate tele and film contracts for Julie Andrews, who has re- cently score’d in the English musi- cal, “The Boy Friend” on Broad- way; Three* for Tonight San Diego; Cal., pet. 30. Paul Gregory Charles Laughton production of concert-theatre re- vue starring Marge & Gower Champion, Harry Belafonte, Voices of Walter Schumann (19). Staged by Gower Champion, lyrics and material by Robert Weils, . music by Schumann, arrangements by Nath n Scott; top $4.40. “Three for Tonight” is a nice change of pace for the Paul Greg- ory-Charles Laughton combine and it figures to be their fourth click in a row. On the heels of “Don Juan in Hell.” “John Brown’s Body” and “Caine Mutiny Court- martial,” this musical revue is a frothy departure that should have even more b.o. potential for the younger ticket-buyers. . The national tour kicked off in sold-out Russ Auditorium here (2,400 capaicity) at a $4.40. top- high for. this city;. And the. audi- ence cheered for more. For ail its frosting on top, “Three fpr Tonight” has a dig- nity in common with the other Gregory-La ugh ton efforts. It’s first- rate theatre as well as entertaim ing, and if the term “distin- guished” can be used for a revue, this earns the appellation, Marge and Gower Champion, also responsible for the staging, Harry Belafonte and the Voices of Walter Schumann top the cast, which also includes Don Beddoe as the “storyteller” who laces to- gether the revue’s varied parts. Beddoe. an appealing , actor with an easy manner, operates from a lectern at stage right. Typical of Gregory-Laughton, there's no scenery and few props. Yet noth- ing seems lost with the bare stage. In fact, the dramatic impact is heightened. While the Champions are on the floor, there’s never a false or trite move. They’re exciting perform- ers, able to. be humorous without resorting to coyness or tricks. Their numbers vary from a “Lec- tUTe”^-as Beddoe’s commands reach their subconscious—to “Sun- day Picnic Social;” with the Champions and Schumann Voices good-naturedly spoofing the Rodg- ers-Hammerstein folksiness, it's affectionate, lowpitch satire but socko stuff all the way with the Broadway feel. The anchor man of the revue is balladeer Belafonte, who scores with “Jerry,” “Sylvie,” at beautiful lament; “Mark Twain,” from his hitery repertoire; and a vibrant “When the Saints Go Marchin' In.” as it* would sound as a madri- gal and then if composed by Jo-, hann Strauss. Belafonte clicks with several spiritual-type songs, “Take My Mother Home” and “In That. Great Gettin' Up Mornin’,” the pop “Scarlet Ribbons” and a smash audience-participation “Ma- tilda;” It- is Belafonte who gives the revue, its stature and bite. With Millard Thomas backing him on guitar; Belafonte wrings out emo- tion with precise gesture as. well as voice. Robert Wells* lyrics and mate- rial are firstrate along with Schu- mann's music. According to co-producer Greg ory,. “Three for. Tonight” stands-! not only for the three stars but also for the show’s three elements of “color, sound and motion.*’ In any event, it’s an excellent show. Don. Chicago. Two-week Christmas show at International Brotherhood of Elec- trical Workers opening Dec. 7: spot- lights Dick’ Shawn, Joe Frisco, June Valli, and Treniers . Terry Haven into Black Orchid on Nov. 9 for two Weeks ; . . Georgie Tapps. Taylor Maids and Trenier Twins Miami Beach, Nov; 2. The talent agencies are a spot regarding Florida bookings. The major question mark is whether the Beachcomber will open, and how much they’ll be spending for talent. So far, this spot hasn’t bought a thing, and unless the spot does some buying within the next few days, the percenteries .will have to. act fast in order to get their, top names, who customarily play Florida, into a fitting location. The Norman Schuyler-owned spot has talent buyers-on the look- out in Ne\v York arid Hollywood, but. at this, point, nothing has.been okayed. There are several top names that customarily play that spot. One top femme star has been heckling the agency regarding a Florida date, which in former years has pre- sented no problem to them. All they had'to do was go through the formality of okaying a deal. They feel that if they hold out much longer, they’ll have no alter- riative but to book her elsewhere, ft that happens, one of the bul- warks of the Beachcomber’s talent roster will have been taken away, and thus the spot may be* forced into a no-talent policy for the sea- son; The agencies feel that tne Beachcomber will have 'to make either its first major purchase or declare its intentions withi the next few days. opening. Chez Paree fortnighler NOv. 21, followed by Ernie Rich- man & Mannikins, Tommy JLeOnetti and Cross & Dunn on Dec. 6 ; Norm Dygon set for Esquire i Wichita Oct. 27 for couple frames . Tony Caruso Quartet, which signed a five-year management pact with Mutual' Artists recently, opened Blue Room in McKeesport Nov, 1 for two weeks , ... Charley Chaney set for Lasistar’s Gourmet, Peoria, Nov. 29 for fortnight Jimmy Komac pegged for ToVvne Room, Milwaukee, Nov. 29 for two weeks. Henny Youngman headlining Nov. 9. bill at Black Orchid for four weeks, with Terry Haven and Ruby Hill featured . . Lucy Reed cur- rent headliner at Streamliner, Chi Beloit (Wis.) College Field- house series, booked by Roy Davis, of Paramount Attractions, hosting Bob Hope show on Nov. 19 with Bill May orch and several vaude acts; Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy iii “Face to Face” on Nov, 39, and Chicago Symphony on Feb. 5 . . . William Morris office set; McGuire.Sisters for St, Louis Auto Show Jan. 22 for eight days; first time this show will have used talent. JOE LAURIE JR. Hundreds of .voluntas from the library of thb iato Joo Lauri Jr. FOR SALE A complete history of comady (wit and humor) In bound volumes printed in »ho 19tb and 20th can- turies, offered for solo undar the terms of thb will of the late JOE LAURIE JR, for $ 3,000 A treasury of comedy and Vaude 4 ville history. Inquirt: DAVID L. MARK. Executor . 1501 Broadway, Now York 36, N. Y. I CORBETT MONICA 0&) ‘Pardon’ Folding Chicago, Nov. 2. Closing notice went up last weekend for Olsen & Johnson’s “Pardon ^Our Antennae,” a vaude layout given legit showcasing at the Selwyn Theatre. Show wraps Up this Saturday (6) after a 22-day run, racking up an aggregate $53,000 for its stay, which is not good. Program was unanimously panned by Chi legit critics. O&J had had hopes fpr an ex- tended run here with the vehicle, to be followed by a stint on Broad- way. Harvey Stone and Mary Burton have been signed for La Martin- ique, N.Y., starting Friday (5). Djr.: Gorbar-Wolss. N. Y. CO 5-R680 COMEDY MATERIAL for All Bronchos of Theafnco/s FUN-MAStER TUB ORIGINAL SHOW-BIZ GAG FILS (Tha Service of tha STARS) First 13 Filas $6.00-AII 35 issues $25 Slnfly/. S1.6S par script; a 3 Bks. PARODIES, par book,.116 o O MINSTREL BUDGET..... $25 o o 4 BLACKOUT BKS., as. bk. SJS O a BLUE BOOK (Oaas for Stays) $56 a HOW TO MASTER THI CEREMONIES $3.06 GIANT CLASSIFIED ENCYCLOPEDIA OF GAOS# $360. Worth aver a thousand No C.O.D.'s BILLY GLASON 200 W. 54th St., Now York 1*—Dipt. V ClrcloMlJO WHEN IN BOSTON Tho Homo of Show Folk Avery A Washington Sts. CAB CALLOWAY t *r‘ * • MOW—TENTH WEEK HOTEL SAHARA LAS VEGAS Mgl. BILL- MITTLER, UK (roadway. N,w Yarii