Swing (Jan-Dec 1945)

56 July, 1945 will be around well into the summer, being replaced for an indefinite period by Harry Cool, a Chicago favorite who once worked for Dick Jurgens. Among the musical brethren, the Blackhawk is almost sacred ground. It was in this venerable cabaret that Hal Kemp, Kay Kyser, and Bob Crosby first grabbed musical attention. And it was also the Chicago home of Coon Sanders' Kansas City Nighthawks. Turning to more sombre things, there is the present plight of the Theatre — now in a somewhat comatose conTHEATRE dition. Claudia Cassidy of the Tribune is carrying on a one-woman war with the Theatre Guild, which she accuses of cutting short successful runs to force Guild subscriptions, and of replacing New York casts with less satisfactory people. On the first count, she really has something, because Theatre Guild plays to arrive this season stayed all too briefly. You had to be a member to see most of them unless you were willing to hang from the rafters. This forced memberships up, and tempers along with them. The second accusation is more difficult to prove. In some cases, road company casts have been highly satisfactory. In others, there was a lot of pure ham on the stage — almost the only place it could be found. The pinched pallor of Season 1944-45 is pretty dismal to contemplate. Forty-six plays showed, for a grand total of three hundred and four weeks of playing time. (Figures lifted from VARIETY.) On the credit side there was "The Glass Menagerie"; "Voice of the Turtle," still going strong; "Oklahoma!"; "Kiss and Tell"; "Over Twenty-one"; "Othello," and the recent arrival, "Dear Ruth." On the debit side there were such fortunately short-lived smellers as "School for Brides," "That's a Laff," and "Sleep No More." Also on the awful side was a combination ice show and ballet staged at the Coliseum called "Alaskan Stampede." The truest description yet written of that colossal flop was "turkey on ice." The most notable event in radio these days has been the discovery of the medium by the State Street Department RADIO stores. With the exception of Carson's and Wieboldt's, the State Street tycoons have left store radio advertising mostly to the fur merchants. However, this condition no longer prevails. Four more stores have joined the users of major radio time. One store went so far as to buy four daily time periods. Radio apparently has hit the State Street jackpot at last. By the time this reaches print, the free Grant Park concerts will be on, and the horses will be running at WashETC, ington Park. These events — at opposite poles — give a pretty good indication of what the summer visitor may expect. In the way of rooms and food, it's up to him. Hotel rooms and restaurants are open, of course, but the line is forming again. There are more soldiers in town than usual, indicating that the big push to the Pacific has really begun. Most of G.I. the khaki uniforms sport at least two or three ribbons, and many of the boys are undoubtedly the same G.I.'s who trained at the Stevens and Congress Hotels only two brief years ago. Chicago, as usual, is hospitable. Within a few weeks, the luxurious summertime servicemen's center will open on the lake front in the quarters once occupied by a swank but bankrupt yacht club. The first hints of reconversion arc around. Also the first cutbacks. The big Studebaker plant on the southCUT west side — one of the first warBACKS plants to be built in the Chicago area — has been completely shut down. The Tribune hints darkly of more to come. There was a recent election — for judges this time. The Organization candidates — which means Mayor Kelly's canELEC didates — won with no difficulty. TION Perhaps it's a fairly accurate indication of the entire political situation to state that most of the good citizen's didn't even know an election was being held — until they found their favorite bar was closed until five o'clock. — "hlorton Hughes Jonathan