Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1940)

12 Motion Picture Daily Tuesday, March 5, 1940 1 4 Band Chiefs Sub for Miller, 111; Gross High By EDWARD GREIF Four important "name" band leaders conducted the orchestra on the stage of the Paramount during the past week, as a result of the ingenuity of Robert M. Weitman, managing director of the Broadway house. The situation had every jitterbug in the city on the alert, and brought smash business. Last Wednesday, Glenn Miller was scheduled to head the stage show at the Paramount, in conjunction with the opening of "Seventeen." But when Weitman arrived at the theatre at 6 A.M. that day he found that Miller had been taken to Mt. Sinai hospital suffering from sinus trouble and the grippe. It was too late to do anything then but Paul Douglass, the announcer who works with Miller on the Chesterfield radio show, was induced to take over the first two shows. Meanwhile, Weitman held a hurried conference with Tommy Dorsey, who is appearing at the Meadowbrook Club, and several other band leaders. Dorsey conducted Miller's band for the third, fourth and fifth shows, while Dick Stabile handled the last one. On Thursday, Dorsey took over all five shows, and on Friday, Dorsey conducted the first two, Gene Krupa the third, and Charley Barnet the last two. By the time Saturday rolled around, every jitterbug in town knew that the band leaders had rallied to the aid of Miller (and Weitman). The matinee trade was the biggest for a Saturday in the history of the house, according to Weitman. Easels in front of the theatre announced the name of the leader while Weitman backed this up with newspaper ads. Tommy Dorsey worked the first show, Dorsey and Krupa were on hand for the second, Barnet conducted the third, Krupa the fourth and fifth and Barnet the sixth. Miller returned on Sunday, but the four "guest" leaders offered to appear with him as a special "salute." Weitman tilted the prices upward with the result that the matinee drew $9,100 to break all records for .one afternoon's trade at the house. The week, which ends tonight, should bring an estimated $60,000. Saturday and Sunday brought an estimated $28,000. Yesterday's opening found a line six abreast from the Broadway boxoffice almost to Eighth Avenue in spite of the downpour. . The visiting band leaders did not charge for their services. Lux Show Abandons Academy Program Hollywood, March 4. — Production difficulties have caused abandonment of plans of the Lux Radio Theatre to have the Academy Award winners present a dramatization of "Gone With the Wind" on March 11. Another reason was the presence of Robert Donat, winner of the male star award, in England. The deal would have had the J. Walter Thompson agency give $20,000 to the Academy. Broadway Play Televised; Experiment Called Success Television's most important "first night," from the theatrical point of view, was the presentation Sunday evening of the Robert Henderson production of J. B. Priestley's comedy, "When We Are Married." This was the first time a current Broadway play, acted by its original players, was telecast. The play and players were introduced by Ray Forrest, NBC television announcer. During the presentations the Broadway players showed a certain amount of nervousness in facing a new and unknown entertainment medium. However, after the "curtain" went up the play was presented in professional manner. The limitations of television made it necessary that the action take place on a restricted stage, but in all other ways the comedy was the same as at the Lyceum Theatre. Occasionally in group shots one or more of the characters were cut off at an angle but most of the time the mechanics of production were skillfully handled. At the end of the play, which ran over an hour and a half, including two short intermissions, Alison Skipworth and J. C. Nugent gave curtain-call speeches. The presentation of "When We Are Married" emphasized the fact that television technique requires a combination of stage and screen arts. Living actors give a feeling of reality akin to that of a stage performance and the television "camera" makes use of motion picture methods of long and short shots, panning and other practices. The film camera techniques applied to a stage play for television tend to increase the dramatic quality of the play. Sunday's play was very satisfactory as a television program and as entertainment. While the play was being enacted consciousness of the medium could be lost. The television success of "When We Are Married" would seem to indicate that plays will furnish some of the best entertainment brought directly into the home. Television versions probably will be used to advertise other Broadway plays. At present no one can say whether such a practice would help or hurt theatre business. But very few of the television audience, estimated at 10,000, could be expected to go to the theatre to see the play again — the television presentation was that good ! The players in the first Broadway television play were Estelle Winwood, Alison Skipworth, J. C. Nugent, Tom Powers, Ann Andrews, Sally O'Neil and A. P. Kaye. The television presentation was directed by Thomas L. Riley of NBC. Robert Henderson, director of the play, arranged for the television production and made the necessary arrangements with Actors Equity. CBS, Mutual Billings Up CBS and Mutual billings showed huge gains during February. CBS grosses rose 31 per cent over the same month last year, while Mutual jumped 22.1 per cent. During February, CBS billings were $3,330,627 as compared with $2,541,542 last year. Total for the first two months were $6,919,616, a rise of 32.7 per cent over $5,215,599 for the same period last year. Mutual's February gross was $337,649 against $276,605 last year. Totals Confucius Say — The F.C.C. refused yesterday to take action to ban "Confucius Say" jokes from the air. In answer to a complaint from a Pittsburgh listener who had wearied of this type of humor and had appealed to the Commission, the F.C.C. responded that it did not have authority to prohibit such programs. for the first two months were $655,378, a rise of 10.8 per cent over $591,683 for the same months last year. "Sky Blazer" Turner Col. Roscoe Turner, of "Sky Blazers" over CBS, is doing some long distance commuting these days. Col. Turner, noted speed flier, comes to New York each Saturday night for his radio show from Indianapolis. Condensed Articles on Air Condensation of articles and stories printed in national magazines will be featured in a novel program, "Excerpts and Postscripts," which starts today oyer WNEW at 7:45 P. M. Fashioning the program after the Readers Digest, Richard Brooks will use articles, fiction and special features from Esquire, Collier's, Liberty, Life, Fortune, Neivsweek, Time, American Mercury and a number of other periodicals which have granted permission for use of their material. Get Their Day on the Air Elevator men, stenographers, page boys, porters, receptionists and other station employes who are not generally heard over the air will have their day on Thursday, March 14 over KNX, Hollywood. Three plays, written, directed, produced and acted by them will be heard from 10:15 P. M. to 10:45 with a CBS hookup. Personalities in the News Bette Davis and William Pozvell will co-star in "Slightly With Accent" on the "Gulf Screen Guild Theatre" over CBS Sunday at 7 :30 P.M.... Harry Wilder, president of WSYR, Syracuse; Griffith Thompson, sales manager of KYW, Philadelphia; T. M. Pcppcrday, owner of KOB, Albuquerque; Paul Morency. manager of WTIC, Hartford; and George Kelly, president of WCSH, Portland, Me., are in town. New GE Television Antenna General Electric has developed a new television transmitting antenna which G. E. engineers claim will result in improved clarity and detail of the screen image. The antenna, V-shaped and mounted atop a 60foot pole adjacent to W2XB, on Helderberg Mountain, is non-directional and results in a stronger picture signal. Knox Suggests Hope for Trust! Suit Settlement {Continued from page 1) had received a telephone message from Washington in reference to tli|| suit prior to the filing of his o»U* ion. No confirmation of this kid be obtained. Judge Knox, on his part, declared that the statement of the possibility of settlement had been included merely as a routine matter so as to cover that eventuality in setting a date for the Davilla suit. Herman Finkelstein of Schwartz & Frohlich stated that Judge Knox, on argument of the Davilla motion, had not intimated knowledge of a settlement but, on the contrary, had stressed the fact that he did not wish' to delay trial of the anti-trust suit| Federal Judge Henry W. Goddard will hear a Government application for a pre-trial conference today at 3 :30 P.M. At the same time, the Government will ask for an order to regulate interviews of its witnesses by the defendants. Film attorneys advanced the belief that Judge Knox's impression thafe a settlement of the suit was possible must have been derived from Government sources. Some attorneys hazarded the opinion that a Government representative may have expressed the belief to the jurist that a trial might not be necessary in the event the Government obtains all that it is seeking in the way of stipulations and all that it hopes to obtain through the pretrial conferences scheduled to si art before Federal Judge Goddard in the near future. Defense attorneys were disinclined to believe that the Government has any formula for a settlement of the suit out of court which would be acceptable to the film companies. "We are as much surprised by Judge Knox's reference as any one,'', said one prominent defense attorney. U. S. Examines Depinet; Balaban on Stand Tomorrow Pre-trial examination of Ned E. Depinet, vice-president of RKO in charge of sales, started yesterday iu| the Government's anti-trust suit andf will continue today. Barney Balaban, president of Paramount, will follow Depinet tomorrow. Depinet testified to details on negotiations in the sale of RKO films to theatres in each of the 36 key cities listed by the Government. In answer to persistent questions of Special Assistant Attorney General Robert L. Wright, the RKO vice-president named the first run houses in each of these cities. In addition, Depinet described his negotiations in these cities and the men with whom he dealt. Earlier in his testimony, Depinet asserted that the RKO producing com-' pany was on an equal status with! outside concerns in selling product to the RKO theatres. Moreover, he stated, the producing company had no knowledge of the terms of exhibition contracts made between the RKO tlieatre companies and other producers.