Variety (December 1954)

Wednesday, December 1, 1954 p i 1 1 1 - ■■ ■ •• * 1 * * 1 ' ■ 1 1 " ■ WILHELM FURTWAENGLER Wilhelm Furtwaengler, 68, con- sidered one of the world's top con- ductors, died Nov. 30 in Baden* Baden, Germany,. He was sched- uled to begin a U, S. tour next March with the Berlin Philhar- monic under sponsorship of Colum- bia Artists .Management. A controversial figure, .Furt- waengler had been attached as be- ing a Nazi *fdr accepting. the post of general music director of the Berlin State Opera under Hitler’s personal appointment. He was de- fended on this count by friends who claimed he protected Jewish musicians in his orch and insisted on the right to play music by Jew- ish composers. ' Among those Who came to Furt- Waengler’s defense, was Jewish violinist Yehudi Menuhin, who also performed With him since the end of the war. A four power de- nazification commission cleared the was knighted early this year by Queen Elizabeth II. His stage Career began almost accidently in 1891, when he volun- teered to be a "stooge” for a hyp* nhlist. arid while in a '‘trance'’ sang comic songs. He won SO many laughs that he soon outgrew the act and became a comedy star, drawing up to $3,750 a week for. many years. His. act, performed in baggy black clerical dress; Shallow derby. hat, and a little cane, featured comedy sketches and songs, many of them becoming music hall classics. A few of his most famous numbers were. "If You Were the Only Girl ip the World” and "An- other Little .Brink Won’t Do Us Aiiy Harm.” During the war Sir George gave many charity performances and raised large sums for British and French .organizations. In 1935, he made his Shakespearean debut as IN. MEMORY JOSEPH BURSTYN First President , • INDEPENDENT MOTION PICTURE DISTRI ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA maestro of charges , of actively col- laborating with the Hitler regime. " Born near Berlin, Furtwaengler was a child prodigy and at the age pf eight went to Munich to study music. His conducting career be- gan at the age of 20 when lie be- came director of the. Dresden Opera orch..In 1920 he succeeded Richard Strauss as. director of the Berlin Opera orch and two years later, following the death of Ar-> thur; NikisCh, was appointed chief conductor of the Berlin Philhar- monic. . Furtwaengler appeared In the U. S. several "times and in .1925-26. led the New York Philharmonic. Besides conducting, he also was a composer and turned out four sym- phonies, a piano concerto and two sonatas for violin and piano. He was rated as the greatest inter- preter of Beethoven's symphonies Falstaff in “Henry IV.” He also appeared in "Don Quixote,” in films; radio and television, ROY RENE Harry van der Sluice, 63, noted Australian comedian , known pro- fessionally as Roy Rene, died of a heart attack Nov, 22 in Sydney. Also known to theatregoers and radio listeners as "Mo,” he was re- garded one of the most cele- brated comics that the Aussie stage has produced in the last half cem j tury, ' I Rene, whose stock in trade was a lascivious leer,, had an earthy com- . mand /of the Australian idiom. In the eyes of many lie was a clown on par with Charies Chaplin. He teamed in Vaude with the late Nat Phillips in 1914 and the *pair trouped together for some 15 JOSEPH BURSTYN « Movetnbtr 30, 1954 and in recent years divided his time between the Philharmonic or- chestras of Berlin and Vienna and the annual Salzburg Festival. ROBERT EDMOND JONES Robert Edmond Jones, 67, legit designer, died Nov, 26, in . Milton! N. H., at the home of his sisters, the Misses Elizabeth and Alice Varney Jones. Ill for the past year after undergoing an operation,, he ..was rated as one df the leading stage designers* Following his graduation from Harvard in 1910, he remained at the institution for two years in the Fine Arts Dept. In 1913, after working as cos- tume designer for Comstock & Gest in New. York, Jones headed for Europe where he spent a year years. They were billed as Stiffy & Mo. Surviving are his wife, who ap- peared on the stage as Sadie Gale; a son and a daughter. BORIS HAMBOURG Boris Hambourg, 69, noted cellist and composer, died of a heart at- tack Nov. 25 in Toronto. Founder of the Hambourg Conservatory of Music there arid the Hambourg Trio with his two brothers, Mark, pianist, arid Jan, violinist, Boris Hambourg was currently complet- ing preparations for a North Amer- ican tour to start in January. Born in Moscow, Hambourg made his London debut in 1904. His Hambourg Trio saw annual fours of Britain and the Continent, In Fond Remembrance WILLIAM FREDERICK PETERS (December 1st, 1938) He could read music—he could write music. He could orchestrate, and was a wonderful conductor. His Devoted Wife, MRS. WILLIAM FREDERICK PITERS. at Max Reinhardt’s Deutsche The- atre. His initial set designing job in New York was for; Anatole -France’s "The Man Who Married a Dumb Wife,” presented in 1915. That same year, he was engaged -’h#-' Arthur Hopkins arid for the. following five years designed sets for the-producer’s offerings. . Jones began an association with Eugene 4 O'Neill in ,.1921, and did the/'designs for. a ritimber of the; playwright’s works, including "The Hairy Ape,” "Anna Christie,” "De- sire Under the Elms,” "Mourning Becomes Electra,” "Ah Wilder- ness” and "The ice Man Cometh.” His most recent production was. a 1,951 revival of "Green Pastures.” Surviving, besides his sisters, are two brothers. SIR GEORGE ROBEY Sir George Robey, 85, one of. Britain’s top music hall eomediaris, known as "The Prime Minister of Mirth,” died Nov, 29, in Saltdeari, Sussex, England. Sir George, who was born George Edward Wade, Australia and South Africa. On in- ternational tours, he was also cellist, with the Hart House String Quartet. . .Surviving, are. his wife, two brothers ,and a sister. * charBie mack Augustus McCarthy, 64, known professionally as Charlie Mack, a pioneer vaude booker in the mid- west, died Nov. 26 In Miami, where lie had been in retirement two years. In the 1900s Mack was a member of a singing trio, and in the ’20$ he headed |he Michigan Vaudeville Managers^Assn., larg- est booking operation in that state at. the time. ; He was later associ- ated with the old Carrell circuit in Chicago and subsequently main- tained an independent office in both Detroit and Chi. Wife survives. SAMUEL ABEND Samuel Abend, 59, died in Kan- sas City Nov. 26 of a heart attack. Vice-president arid secretary of the Exhibitors* KLM Delivery & Serv- ice Co. Inc., he was $lso partner in the circuit operating indoor and drive-in theatres in the Metiopoli- tan area. Born in Poland, he ar- rived in Kansas City at 14, and began the film delivery service in 1915; forming^ a partnership with E. E. Jameson, now presiefent of the .company, in 1926* Leading Jewish, layman, he was a director, of the Motion Picture Assn, of Kan- sas City. Surviving are a daughter, Iris; mother aria a sister. IDA R. KOVERMAN Ida Rarious Koverman, 79, di- rector. of public relations for Metro, died of a heart attack Nov.. 24 lii Holly wood.. She entered the film, industry as: executive secretary to Louis B. Mayer in 1928 after suc- cessful careers business, and politics. , Mrs. Koverman was exec secre- tary for. the Calvin CoolidgO presi- dential. campaign in 1924 arid for the Hoover campaign in 1928. It was during this period that she riiet Mayer. When he left Metro she was appointed: to the public rela- tions post. \ Aside from Her other duties at ] •Metro* Mrs* Koverman often func- tioned as a talent scout arid acted as counsellor to many of the young players. JOHN T. DuROSS John T. DuRoss/ 68, died in New York, Nov. 14 following an Opera- tion after being hospitalized a short , time. A veteran Vaudeville performer for 30 years, he played at the N.Y. Palace more than' six times.. r DuRoss, with his brother, An- drew, and his wife, Helen Gorham DuRoss, farmed the team of Three Aces of Variety. Later the act was known as Francis, Ross and Du- Ross. . It toured the RKO house; the Fox chai , Loew’s and the Orpheum circuits, throughout the country. DuRoss stayed in vaude until it began to fade away, arid then retired, W. L. DAVIS ,W. L, Davis. 56. president of ra- dio station CHAB’ Moose Jaw, Sask., died in Prince Albert, Sask,, Nov. 20 after a lengthy illness. ; He had been associated with CHAB since 1947. entering a partnership with J. E. Slaight, now of Toronto. He later took over Slaight’s inter- est; A longtime publisher of the Prince Albert Daily Herald, , he sold out about four years ago to Roy H. Thomson and had been publishing the Flin Elori, Man., Miner. Surviving re his wife, a son. four brothers and two sisters. One brother is T. C. Davis, Canadian ambassador to Japan, arid another is C, S. Davis, a Queen’s bench court judge in Regina* GILBERT CROCKER Gilbert Crocker. 54, operator cif the theatre at Lyndon, Kan$;, died. Nov. 18 at. his home there, one day after the film industry and citizens of the community held, a benefit in his honor, Mr, andMrS* Crocker once adopted four children, of the same family, three of them still in school iri Lyndon. The benefit was promoted by Robert Ringler, RKO salesman out of the Kansas City exchange,, and through him many theatrenten in Kansas had bought contributory tickets for the affair. The event was a special showing at the Lyn- don Theatre. GRIFFITH MITCHELL Griffith Mitchell, 70, pioneer In Canada’s film industry, died Nov, 25 in Rochester. N.Y. He was man- ager of the early Strand Theatre, Toronto,, and later the Regent which ..became the flagship of Fa- mous Players (Canadian) when the late N. L. Nathan$on formed FPC iri 1916. At the time of his retirement Mitchell Was manager of ; the Rurinymede, Toronto. In his youth, he served a three year hitch with, the then North-West Mounted Po- lice ill the Yukon. Survived by his Wife and a son, Major H. Mitchell, currently with the Canadian Army in Germany% HERBERT WHITTAKER Herbert ArthUr. Whittaker, 80, w.k., producer, died Nov. 22 at Scarborough, Eng: As pioneer showman, he toured Britain with bands, troupes of pygmies and. mb-, tion pictures*, Half-a-century ago he built a . rollerskating rink arid later turned it into a cinema. In 1913 he bought the Londes- borough Theatre, Scarborough, arid was also owner of a chair factory which made: 80.000 chairs a year for theatres and cinemas, JACK CARPENTER Jack Carpenter, 43, vocalist and musical arranger, died Nov, 16 in Sydney in a> gas filled apartment, presumably a suicide. He came 79 to Australia in 1937 with a troupe known as the Ameri-Canadians. As a vdcalist Carpenter had ap- peared. on. radio as well as with several hands. At one time he was musical arranger for the Col- gate-Palmolive show in Aussie. ARTHUR C. CLOETINGH Arthur C. Cloetingh, 64, director of dramatics at Pennsylvania State U. for 35 years, died Nov. 26 in State College, Pa* He. was appointed to the university’s faculty in 1919. and. was one of the founders ' the Penn State players. Last year he. w med a di- rector of. the American National Theatre and Academy. . Surviving are . his wife and two children.. 24 years at the old Lyceum, now the Embassy Theatre, that city. Joseph Trenholm Treeri; 39. op- erator of the Trelyn Theatre, Kiri- istinp, Sask., died iri a hunting ac- cident Nov. 8. Survived by his wife, a daught and a son. Kayriiond E, Kerliri, 61, person- nel interviewer for RCA Victor, died Nov. 21 in Philadelphia. He is survived by his son, two sisters and a brother. JOHN John M. South Hills M. ALDERDICE Alderdice, realtor lp section of Pittsburgh and operator of the first, mbtion picture theatre in that neighbor- hood, died Nov, 16 in that city. Born in Ireland, he spent most of hi$ adult years in Pittsburgh. In 191 (T he moved to the South Hills and six years later opened a film house. : He leaves hws . wife, two sons^.a brother arid two grandsons. DONALD L. W. HOOD Donald L. W. Hood, 48, owner of the Lux Theatre in Hudson Bay, {Sask., arid a director of the Sas- katchew Motion Picture Exhibi- tors’ Assn., was killed Nov. 20 when his private plane crashed near Regina; Also killed in the crash was Lloyd. Carr, a theatre projectionist, arid pilot of the plane. ., , Hood is survived by his wife and three children; FRANK N. FIG GINS Frank N. Figgins; 57, engineer- ing. supervisor at NBC for 21 years, died of a • bleart attack Nov. 20 in Los . Angeles, Prior to joining NBC he had been with KFAC and KFVD. His Wife arid two children sur- vive. ' JANE KERR Jane Kerr, 83, character actress on screen and tv,, died Nov. 19 in Compton, Gal. " She appeared in “Garden of Allah” arid" "Les Mis- erables” two decades ago ancf more recently on television. A granddaughter survives. Wife oY Arthur S. Kany, vet film-drama editor of the Dayton Journal-Herald, was killed in an auto accident Nov. 20 in that city. Kany was. hospitalized with serious injuries. ' A son, Howard Kariy, is With the CBS News Bureau in New York. Albert Edward'Coxen, 70, screen actor.; died- Nov. 21 in Hollywood. He was in legit before moving to Hollywood more than 30 yearsago. His wife''and sister survive. Glenn Martin Gross, 39, concert singer and voice teacher at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music, known professionally as Glenn Martin died Nov. 26 in. Norwalk, Conn. Surviving are his wife, a son, his brother and two brothers. Mrs. Helen K, Eidridge, widow of the late "Uncle Dave” Eldridge,. : theatre, manager for the Shubeils for more than 40 years, died Nov. 24 in Utica;' N.Y. MARRIAGES Gloria McMillan to Gilbert W. Allen, Los Angeles, Nov, 23* Bride is an actress. Judith Mayer Goetz to Richard A. Shepherd, New York, Nov. 25. Bride’s a .daughter of Williarii Goetz,, indie film producer, and granddaughter of Louis B. .Mayor; he’s an agent with MCA: Jean F.. Butterworth to Georae E. Grad.v, Denver, Nov. 24. Briae is daughter of Rod Butterworth, music publisher, Elinor .Hadden to Louis Miehe- Renard, Copenhagen, Nov. 22. Bride is. stage dancer from Edi burgh; he's \v*k; Danish film actor. Elayne Terker to pick' Rubin, New York, Nov. 25. He’s an; MGA Veepee. Lucille Fouillet Keane, New York, ^iS a designer with and Cardin; he’s technical director of Screen Gems; Columbi Pic- tures' telefih subsidiary. . . Pier Angeii to Vic Damone, Hollywood, Nov; 24. Bride’s a screen actress; he’s a singer. Eleanor Parker to Paul Clemens, Hollywood, Nov. 25. Bride’s a film star; he’s a portrait painter. Sarah Anri Slussek to Jerry Smith, Dayton, O., Nov/ 25. He’/ with Loew’s in Dayton and was former asst, mgr, of Ritz in Pitts burgh. Claire Boyle tp Robert W. Cox, Pittsbupgh, Nov. 27. Bride's with Par exchange .in Pitt. Shirley Cameron to David Pala's- tanga, Halifax, Erig., Nov. 11. Both are thespers. to M. Peter Nov. 25. Bi’ide Christian Dior BIRTHS Mr. and Mrs. Don Coleman, New York, Nov. 24, Mother is lissa Hayden, lead ballerina son, Me- wl tli Charles Wirlh, 67,. writer on out- door amusements for Billboard, show biz tradepaper, died Nov., 27. of a heart ailment ill Cincinnati. Oldest employee in point of serv- ice, lie joined the paper in 1903. Elbridge Nichols, 59, production staffer on radio's Hallmark Hall of Fame, died Nov. 22 in Holly- wood following a heart attack. His wife, two daughters and a son sur- vive. Simo Parviairien, head of Parvis- filmi, died recently in Helsinki, Finland. For years he handled dis- tribution of J.. Arthur Rank prod- uct in Finland, and also acted as agent for G. B.-Kalee arid 0/ B. Equipment Michael A. Vitale, 64, once busi- ness manager of an orchestra con- ducted by. his late brother. Angelo Vitale, died. Nciv. .2.4 in Cleveland. His maestro-brother died two years ago. . Father of, A1 Heifer, 'network sportscaster. died iri Monoagahela Pa hPSr Pltfchiirtfh nn NOV.. Pa., near Pittsburgh, on after a brief illness. He. was tired locomotive engineer. Frederick A. Miller, 86, dent of South Bend, Ind.. and television stations WSBT WSBT-TV, and] president editor of the South Bend Ti died. Nov. 29, iri that city, wife survives. John Thomas Beaumont, 72. cin- ema 'ownerj.arid for many years prexy of Huddersfield Assn., died at Nov. 15. Ballet Theatre; father is a stage manager. Mr* and Mrs. Arthur S. Abeles Jr., daughter, London, Nox. 23. Father is managing director for Warner Eros, in the United King- dom. Mr* and Mrs. .Louis B. Hess, son, Chicago, Nov. 2. Father , is Chi manager for Clasa Mohme film's/ Mr. and Mrs. Robert Quinlim, daughter, Los Angeles, Nov; 19. Father ’ executive producer at KNXT. Mr. and Mrs. George Fishei/ daughter, Santa Monica,. Cal., Nov* 27. Father is a radio commentator. Mr. and Mrs. Burt Stylei;, son, ^Hollywood, Nov. 25, Mother is ac- tress Adele Dane; father is a tv writer. Mr. and Mrs*. Herman Silverman, daughter, Miami, Nov. 24. Father is a Wometco Theatres exec. Mr. and. Mrs. Bob Smith, son, Honolulu, Nov. 20; Father is a Singer-guitarist with KGME and KGMB-TV in that city. Mr. and Mrs. Edward W. John- son Jr,( son, Pittsburgh, Nov. 24. Mother’s the daughter of Don lo- set, manager of WPIT in Pitt. ■ Mr, and Mrs. Herbert Osgood, son, Pittsburgh, Nov. 19/ Father, arid mother, Ruth Behringer, , rnusicians. Mr. and. Mrs; Edward. Reith, twin daughters. Pittsburgh, Nov* 14. Father’s with A;cme Distribut- ing Go. in Pitt* Mr, and Mrs; Joe Parnello, .son, Chicago,. Nov.-25. Father : is pianist at Black Orchid in Chi; • Mr, and Mrs. Young WilMioite- III, daughter, Los Angeles. Nov. 22. Mother is the former Sand)’ Burns*, daughter of George Burns, arid Grade Allen; father is an executive with MacCadden Pi'odiic- lions. - 6 Mr. and Mrs. Harry' Verfallie, His ( daughter, Woodbury, N.J., Nciy; 23. /Mother is Jpan Weber, disk Singer. Mr. , and Mr, Samuel Grad, daughter, Bropklyn, Nov, 25. Fa- 20 rc- presj- radio. and ther is son pf."Maurice'Grad, Col- jders'field Cinemas ; umb'ia Pictures’ short subject sales Huddersfield, Eng.,! manager. . Mr. and Mr.. Hermit Kclgley, daughter, No.v* 26, N.Y*. Father is Stage manager of the Broadway musical, "Fanny”;..' niother is act- ress-singer Betty Eai’ly. Joseph L. Sbepheard, 84. vet* eran theatre drummer, at New Britain, Conn* Played drums for