Variety (November 1954)

Wednesday, November 3, 1954 VAUDEVILLE 51 Chicago,- Nov; 2, As industry continues to pour bigger and bigger greenbacks into olubdates, the convention and trade field inclines more and more to- ward the television trend of “spec- taculars." They may not be as costly or as fancy as those, on tv, but the spirits the same. Today's clubdates are being built Into productions with themes, spe- cially written music and: special ly- rics^-all slanted, if possible, toward the company hosting the party. The shpivs are becoming intimately in voived with the ballyhoo* whether it's for a company entertaining, its employees at a pep rally or for one which is wining and dining pros- pective customers.; Bookers Now Producers This, naturally, is making produ- cers out of bookers who once were merely packagers of talent. Frank J, (Tweet) Hogan, a local clubdate agent* foresees the day when book- ing offices will set up whole pro- duction staffs of writers, musical director* choreographer, stage- hands and lightmen. "In the past,” Hogan says, “an agent sold his clients by way of his own person- ality, price and the kind of talent he could secure. But these days, all clubdate ageiits can offer the same acts at pretty standard prices; We are still working on a margi of 20%,. only we have to sell services too/.’' Hogan recently staged a company bash at the Civic Opera House which he called “The YIP Revue” and for which he, a former band- leader, had Written the special score and scenario. His redent pro- gram for the National Restaurant Assn, was a production even to the point of special music behind each of the dinner courses served. Show Biz Routine The little Spectaculars often need as many as three days for rehears- als, i.e. for the emcee, line dancers, choral group and orch. The regu- lar acts and big—and big names are still in terrific demand—are briefed about their entrances and such suf- ficiently before the show to carry it off without a hitch. They're ex- pected to do only their regular routines* of cour$e. In most cases, WIN G .Currently CLUB-DATING FOR MILDRED LANE Thru Nov. 13 Dir.: JIMMIE HUSSON AGENCY 119 W. 57tl» St., -New York WANTED PORPOISE TRAINER Prefer man with oxperltnco in train- ing tea lions or chimpanzee!. Ago 27 to 45. Permanent position. Contact W. F. Rolletton, Marino Studios, Ma- rineland, Florida. the opening production number has a company angle tp set the theme, which may not be regligiotisly fol- lowed until the closing number. Sometimes the shows even have a thin story line that is handled by the emcee. Same trend may bring back the seven-gal chorus line, kilty band, and vocal choruses as the need for splashy display increases at indus- try banquets. Clubdate costs are in- creased slightly by the mechanics of production, but agents are try- ing to keep them from being pro- hibitive. Chicago, Nov. 2. /Major midwesterii booking of- fices Were hard hit last week when the Studio Lounge in Galveston, Tex., sloughed its short-lived tWo- act show policy. Studio had picked up the shows tapped for Galveston’s Balinese Room after the latter was razed by fire last month, but it suspended the show policy when it failed to do biz of Balinese Room calibre. • A string of William Morris arid MCA acts were cancelled immedi- ately after Charlie AppelWhite and Patsy Shaw ran out their dates, Left stranded were upcom- ing bookings of Joe E. Lewis, Toni Arden, Myron Cohen, and Steve Gibson and Red Caps, among' others. Balinese Room (and later the Studio) was a major source of revenue for both the Chicago bu- reau of William Morris, and of MCA, but especially of the former, which had had shows tapped clear into next March. It’s hoped by the agencies that the ,reopening of the Preview in Collinsville, 111., this week will help offset some of the losses from Galveston, Balinese Room, it’s figured, may take up to nine; months to rebuild, and the agen- cies had been having trouble enough keeping their acts working with what few niteries are operat- ing in the territory now.. Mex Eateries Facing Strike on Tooter Pact Mexico City, Oct. 26. . Eighteen swank restaurants here face a strike unless they obey the ultimatum of the Mexico City mu- sicians union local’s leader; Con- gressman Juan. Jose Osorio, to make a collective labor contract, featurings at least a 50% pay hike* with their footers. Restauranteurs aver that the wage hoist is much too mucho, for though biz is improving, thanks to Yankee tourists Who don’t scare at big checks, it's far from bonanza. The Federal Board of Conciliation and Arbitration, as tourist con- scious as are the, restaurateurs, is striving to keep music going in the spots. In Australia Openers .Melbourne, Nov. 2. Louis Armstrong and his AH Stars drew a record 44,000 attend- ance in his first two days hr Aus- tralia. Band opened Wednesday (27) in Sydney for a matinee and evening show, and did two shows Thursday. Armstrong’s Aussie pro- moters already have upwards of $100,000 in advance sales for the Ne^fro jazz group. Satchmo looks like he'll top all grosses for other American musical outfits to play hereabouts. Among them was the highly-successful Gene Krupa concert and the Ella Fitzgerald-Artie Shay bash, which is generally regarded as a finan- cial failure. American iigenCy of Associated Booking Corp., head- ed by Joe Glaser, which booked Armstrong, is currently negotiating for another batch of headliners to tour Australia. Armstrong's uni* - includes clar- inetist Barney Bigard, trombonist Trummy Young, bassist Arvell Shaw, drummer Barrett Deems and pianist Billy Kyle. Laine’s SR0 in Glasgow Winds ’54 Invasion Of U.S. Acts of Scotland Glasgow, Nov. 2. The i954 crop of U. S. name per- formers to visit Scotland has ended With Frankie Laine’s SRO yaude week at; the Empire Theatre here. Between now and the end of the Christmas season, it will be British performers only at the Auld Lang Syne vaudery. Joan Regain and Tommy Cooper are current , top- pers, with David Whitfield, Jewell and Warriss. Vic Oliver and, Anne Shelton forthcoming .bookings. The Christmas-New Year reviue, “Wpn- lerful Time,” will be headed by English singer Dickie Valentine and Bonar Colleano, It is generally agreed that the current vaude season has been one of the best to date, with top teen- age interest in U. S. disk-sirigers. Mobs outside stagedoors are still big although more orderly nowa- days* and the highly-publicized railway stations arrivals seem to be going out of fashion. The '54 season has featured singers mainly, both of . the home-produced variety and from America. U. S. stars not seen around Scot- land for some timi, and about due for return trips, include Danny Kaye, Donald O’Connor, Bob Hope, Sophie Tucker and Archie Robbing. Scot T patrons, comparing the U. S. offerings with British acts, concede that the Transatlantic im- ports shine through greater slick- ness and better-rehearsed rou- tines. The 1955 outlook for Amer- icans looms as bright as ever here- abouts. N.J. Monte Carlo Shift The recently opened Monte Carlo, Little Ferry, N.J., which had been on a name binge, has dropped its expensive shows. Don Cornell, and the Mills Bros, had been slated for the spot, but contracts were taken over by the nearby Rustic Cabin, Englewood Cliffs, N.J. The Monte Carlo is undergoing a reorganization. Mary Kelley’s N.O. Base New Orleans, Nov, 2. .Mary Lee Kelley, former oper- ator of Kelley's Ritz, Panama, will open a Fi'ench Quarter nitery here. It’ll be an admission-by-card-only spot. Stan Willis Will book. The American Guild of Variety Artists will attempt to return to television. Union’s board met last week, at the Henry Hudson Hotel, N, Y., and voted to give authority to former Coast regional director Eddie Rio to negotiate With the Ted Bates Agency for Colgate to sponsor an AGVA series on “Com- edy Hour.’’ They hope to realize $10,000 per show for the series. AGVA had one program several years ago on the “Colgate Comedy Hour.” However, Ed Sullivan, whose "Toast of the Town” was op- posite that show, on CBS-TV, pro- tested to the American Federation of Television arid Radio Artists, and that union soon afterward passed a 'resolution Which forbade stars to work for less than their customary salary. That meant that Bob Hope, who had appeared on the AGVA show, couldn’t appear on the AGVA shindig again unless he got somewhere around $40,000. However* union claimed at the meeting that the customary salary gimmick has, broken down* Many shows, board members said, Sul- livan’s included, have been paying top performers less than, their regular salary. They, pointed out that on the recent Sullivan tribute to Darryl Zariuck, 20th-Fox produc- tion topper, a. whole retinue of tele-lures appeared, who if giveri their "customary: salary” would have drained the show : s budget for a long time. Other shows have also gotten a whole roster of stars at reduced fees. Consequently, it was felt that the "customary salary” rule has fallen of its own weight. Rio, if a deal is obtained, Will produce the Show, arid Henry Taylor, who ac- companied Rio at the meeting, will do the script. Commit Grove Back To Talent Showcasing Los Angeles, Nov. 2. Cocoanut Grove of , the Ambas- sador Hotel has returned to an old policy of talent showcasing as a regular Thursday night feature.. Acts which haven’t had a local or bigtirne break are eligible to ap- pear on the show, to which the town’s talent agents, directors and producers are invited. Arrangements have been made with AGVA for the payment of one-night minimum scale for the performance. Program teed last week with Jack Hilliard, vocalist. By HERMAN A. LOWE The vacation cruise business, which has just enjoyed its biggest summer arid is now moving into its largest fall and winter season* continues to provide an increas- ingly bright job picture for vaude acts. Already the cruise boats about 10% of the market for acts* says Nat M. Abramson, director of the WOR Artists Bureau, who books about 80% of all the talent providing, entertainment for the pleasure cruise steamers. The steamship lines use about 1,000 acts during the fall-winter-spring season and now the expanding summer cruise business is provid- ing openings for still more acts. In the summer just: ended, for ex- ample, there were 20 more ocean cruises than in previous summers —and all of them used vaude acts. Summer cruises are a very re- cent phenomenon which are just catching, on. There’s plenty of rooi for them ..to expand if the boats are provided. Cruises began as a scheme to keep ocean , liners operating in the wiriter season when the 1 trans-Atlantic crossings —heaviest in the summer months —tapered off. Cruises* like to Miami Beach, however, are now expanded into the year-around class for vacation- ists, which is all to the good for the acts/ . It is significant that while en- engagements are increasing for acts, this is not true of the musi- cians. In fact, fewer musicians are being sighed for the foreign ves- sels-SCritish, French, Dutch; etc. These boats are whittling down to an American pianist to work with their owri permanent steam- ship orchestras, in many cases. Reason for this is the high scale charged by the American Federa- tion of Musicians, according to spokesmen for the lines. They sug- gest that if our musicians want cruise bookings in competition with foreign musicians on foreign ships* AFM should provide a spec- ial cruise scale for the sidemeri. MISS JUST CONCLUDED 4 BIG WEEKS LAKE CLUB, Springfield. III. (Thanks HUGO, HAROLD, and PAUL) ENROUTE: to 6 Consecutiva Weeks In the Northwest lr.: JIMMIE HUSSON AGENCY 119 W. 57th St., New York When in Buffalo Stop at tho ROANOKE APARTMENT HOTEL An Apartment for the price of a Room Complete Cooking Facilities M. Lenchner, Mgr., 206 So. Elmwood Av. THE HARMONICA PERSONALITY Currently Radio City Music Hall NEW YORK Thanks to LEON LEONIDOFF LEON NEWMAN Management: DAVID JONAS, 1197 Broadway, Now York, N. Y. Pfa&IETT “Chet Clark is featured with his mouth-organ solo of the "St. Louis Blues” in the “Between Acts” bit, and he brings the house down With a virtuoso rendition. Backed by the vocal ensemble, Clark does a crackerjack Job in jiving up the blues.” Hijt.