Variety (March 1933)

Tuesday, March 21, 1933 I.ITERATI VARIETY 47 The 'Variety' Block Arthur Pound's novel of New Tork Hfe, 'Around the Corner,' is centered In 'Variety Street,' a name jglven by the author to the block on 46th street, between 6th avenue and Broadway, In which the office of Variety' Is nestled between the ptage doors of Loew's State and the liyceum theatres. The phrase has a dual meeting because, in the words of the author, it starts with a pawn- shop and ends with an employment agency, with a church and a school In between. It Is one of the most varied blocks in the city, for In ad- dition there is a juice Joint, a ham- burger shop, theatre ticket agency, a short order restaurant, cafeteria, several other types of restaurant from the red ink places to a real re- sort of good food, not to mention a place where waiters buy their dickeys and uniform coats, two ho- tels, and a wig shop. But Mrs. Stanley's restaurant, where much of the action occurs, has moved over to 8th avenue with- in the last few months, after years as a fixture. The book comes too late to help the low cellinged eat- ing place, in which two other enter- prises have since failed. Found knows his Times Square sector and his coloring is unusually correct; accurate and without the tinsel with which, less informed au- thors seek td* dress up the locale. His people live and have their being In authentic atmosphere, get to the stage via the radio, and act as nor- mal habitants of Variety street do act. They are interesting and hu- man. But the book tells the story of the depression and it is too close to the period itself to make the best read- ing. Like the war story, it comes beet after the. period has been passed. A little overboard on dis- cussion and works to a weak finish, but otherwise it's a nice job and will be read with interest by those who are of the street and those who would like to be. Which should supply a pretty good supporting clientele. Fox press agent, also an ex-U.P. man, and his wife, Rob Eden, for- mer police court sobbie, were sent to Long Beach on special stories by the U.P. Many other film people offered to help gratis. Frequent extras Issued by the dailies proved a heavy expense, sm display advertising in the Issues, due to bank holiday, was at its lowest point in years. Only One Nude Sole nudist mag over here is 'The Nudist,' ■ published out of one of those nudist gambols at Scarsdale, N. T. Just a pamphlet in com- parison with the German nudist mags, the publications of that type over there having been developed to a fine art—and business. However, 'The Nudist' has its quota of Illus- trations of mixed nudes, and In this land of Inhibitions that's something. 'The Nudist' can't go on the news- stands, nor can it go through the mails, which offers an acute prob- lem in distribution. The publisher will, however, deliver it, although no explanation is made how per- sonal delivery can be made in every town and hamlet, and at only a dollar a year. German nudist mags are preten- tious publications, and carry loads of advertising matter pertaining to nudism. Attractive feature of the German nudist mags, and not em- ployed by their American counter- type. Is illustrations in duplicate. These viewed through a sterescope give depth to the pictures, and the principal reason why the nudist mags are so much in demand over «n the other side. Quite likely 'The Nudist' would go well here, too, could it be con- veniently gotten. Solon Special Casting about for. a means where by it could offer its service at a cheaper price, that Washington- New York organization which used to offer a, daily wire information service on legislative matters, has decided to publish the info in news paper form instead. New .sheet is called 'The National Legislative Bulletin,' and goes out every Satur- day. Accounts not only pending legislation, but also expert opinion on the probable outcome. Charge for the former dally wire service used to run as high as $500 a year to each client. The printed *Bulletln' is priced considerably less, and is by subscription only. Heading the group getting out •The National Legislative Bulletin' Is O. L. Bdmondson, with headquar- ters In New Tork. P. A.'s Cover Quake News Shortage of newspaper men re quired to cover the wide area hit by the earthquake in Southern Califor- nia caused Los Angeles dallies and wire service ofTlces to ask fi&rmer employees, now working at film studios, to help them during the emergency. George Thomas, WB-FN publicity head and formerly with the U.P., spent Friday night (10) as a rewrite man at the U.P. offices, handling the quake news. Robert Burkhart, Knopf's Hot One. Alfred A. Knopf has dropped a lighted bombshell down upon the publishing field. His competitors are getting into gas masks for a return barrage. Knopf has come out with the an- nouncement that he is going to give books to bookstores on a consign- ment basis, paying all shipping and express charges back and forth. Bookstores are to work as his agents, display his titles, report on books sold, and remit monthly. Un- sold books may be returned. Book- stores have only to pay for books when and it sold. If this radical scheme works, vit will mean a fare-the-well to whole- salers and book salesmen on the open road. It will also mean that bookstores will be telling other pub- lishers that there Is no use ordering books outright when Knopfs ar- rangement entails no outlay to them, and that's what they expect from the other pubs. Mr. Knopf's argument is that as long as he can remember, booksellers have complained that they were forced to carry a disproportionate amount of the risk on books that did not sell. In devising his agent's selling plan, he has decided to let the public judge whether a book will sell or not. He makes the concession that a bookseller cannot sell a book that the customer does not want and ad- mits that his plan is a scheme. Publishers insist that no radical experiment in the last fifty years has succeeded in the book business. The Doubleday, Doran dollar book which was to have revolutioned the industry was an acknowledged fiasco. One publisher argues hotly that all that Knopf's plan means is the dumping method of book distribu- tion. Another publisher adds that booksellers will be going into the book business without having to pay rent or help. Credit will be upset and publishers and authors suffer as they suffered when the dollar plan was floated—and sunk. Publishers point to Knopf's col- umn in 'American Mercury,' in which he confides to the public how low his sales have been on titles other than best sellers. In the 'As I See It' for March, Knopf quotes 988 copies sold of 'The Eagle and the Serpent,' a deplorable low. But rival publishers offer no sympathetic handkerchief with perfume on it. They say this is Knopf's scheme of getting rid of his secondary books and all are expectantly awaiting in- vitations to the day of hanging at the scaffold. Fast Workers These days the pulp paper scribe not only has to work mighty much but mighty fast. Editors are buy- ing from hand to mouth, turning to those men who can produce mate- rial of the required type and length at very short notice. A Monday morning telephone call sings out for a story of 40,000 words to be ready on Wednesday—and It is. Speed and output—or it's cur- tains. One of the outstanding aces in the pulp paper fleld is Oscar Schis- gall, the baby of them all when it comes to age. Maybe he's thirty, maybe not In the past few years Schlsgall has published close to five hundred stories in some thirty-odd magazines. These include book length serials and novelettes. He has also penned two books, 'The Devil's Daughter,' a mystery story, and 'Gun Justice,' a Western. No ghost writer around but plenty of midnight oil. Thayer's Ginger Tiffany Thayer, back with Ken- dall, goes Sabatini in his newest volume, 'An American Girl,' which takes a picture troupe to a mythical kingdom where one of the troupers proves to be the legitimate qu'een. More than the usual action and plot with enough Hollywood stuff to kill the curse of the romantic angle. Boisterous and bawdy, but he has gained in plot construction, so it's more of a story. 'Twist' Film Edition Grossett and Dunlap is publish- ing a new motion picture edition of 'Oliver Twist' in conjunction with the release of the Monogram pic- ture of the same title. Stills from the film are included in the new edition and an illustrated Jacket also contains production scenes. Best SeUers Best Sellers for the week ending March 18, as reported by the American News Co., Inc. Fiction •Ann Vickers* ($2.50) By Sinclair Lewis 'Walls of Gold' ($2.00) ..By Kathleen Norils 'Hardy Perennial' ($2.50) By Helen Hull 'Eyes of Love' ($2.00) By Warwick Deeping 'Unfinished Symphony' ($2.50) By Sylvia Thompson •American Girl" ($2.50) By Tiffany Thayor Non-Fiction 'Culbertson's Summary* ($1.00) By Ely Culbortson 'Contract Bridge Blue Book of 1933' ($2.00) By Ely Culbeitson '100,000,000 Guinea Pigs' ($2.00) By Arthur Kallet and V. J. SchlinU 'March of Democracy,' Vol. 2 ($3.50) ...By James Truslow Adams 'Life Begins at Forty' ($1.50) By Walter B. PitUin 'Years of the Locust' ($3.00) By Gilbert Scldos Nature Faker Dead Louis T. Stone, managing editor of the Winsted 'Citizen,' died in that Connecticut town he made fa- mous of uremic poisoning March 14. He was the man who changed a noun into an adjective and made 'Winsted' descriptive of the peculiar type of nature story which was the delight of the reading public. It was Stone who created the now standard vaudeville joke about the cow which gave ice cream when it was frostbitten, and he invented the hen which laid an egg on her mas- ter's bed each morning and then woke him up to tell him about it. Originally the stories were written as filler for the paper on which he started as reporter, but their wide copying indicated a market he was quick to supply, and he became Winsted correspondent for many important city papers, sending in stuff to liven the generally dead Monday issues. Apart from his first creation, the 'Wild Man of Winsted,' he never sought to deceive, Jbut his pseudo- factual stories were always imag- inative and entertaining, and made Winsted known wherever papers are published In the English lan- guage. Big Cats Coincident with the film release of 'The Big Cage,' the Century com- pany offers a similarly titled vol- ume by Claude Beatty and Edward Anthony; the latter co-author with Frank Buck of 'Bring 'Em Back Alive.' This is not the usual novellzation of the picture script, nor is it a popular priced print, the volume be- ing tagged at $3.50. For once the film probably will be of greater help to the book than pie reverse, though it is probable that book could find its market on its own. It opens with a discussion of training methods, gives some of the highlights of Beatty's adventurous career and reverts to his boyhood efforts at backyard circuses for a finish. All brightly written with the human not predominant over pure technicality. At the back of the book Is a sort of appendix of 69 full page plates of training methods and incidents. Quite apart from the film tie-in the volume is one of real interest to showmen and show lov- ers. Title Holdup That new astrology mag promoted by Paul G. Clancy was held up at the time of going to press with the first issue, when Clancy learned his title, 'Popular Astrology,' was not free. Seems that a mag with that title had been in circulation. Ac- cordingly, the Clancy mag was held up until the title 'American Astrol- ogy' could be erubstituted on the plates. Clancy editing his mag himself. Helping him get out the monthly is J. W. Ossman. Prodigal Eats Veal The prodigal son comes home. On March 28, Creed A. Neeper of the Harold Llyod Corporation, will talk to the students of Photoplay Com- position at Columbia University. Subject matter: Writing motion pictures that sell. Mr. Neeper Is a former student of Columbia. Art In Low U. S. A. depresh makes itself se- riously felt on European art mar- kets. Lack of American bids and scarcity of coin in Europe have brought prices down tremendously. At a recent Berlin auction Lucas Cranachs' famous 'picture of a young man' brought less than $1,700. A good Courbet went for $400. Some scripts and bibliophile rari- ties from V. Sardou's private li- brary fetched ridiculous amounts. The one and only American bid, at that particular auction, came for a Benjamin Franklin manuscript that went to Rosenbach, Philadelphia. Sports N.S.H. Mag publishing venture of Nod Brown, who was sports editor of tlio old 'World,' has ended, with the sus pension of his monthly, Interna tional Sports.' The periodical lasted but a few issues, the reading public proving apathetic although the pub- lication was the most pretentious of its knd ever attempted. Brown h.ad the biggest line-up of sports-writing names ever gathered for a single publication, with every sports writer of repute contributing gratis out of friendship for the former sports writer. Didn't help, however, which probably means there will be no other attempt at a general sports mag. Appleton Dominates Merger or two of the oldest pub- lishing houses, D. Appleton & Co., founded 1S25, and the Century Co., which dates back only to 1870, finds (he Appleton interests in the lea.l with the titlo of D. Appleton-Con- tury Co. for the new corporation and John W. Ililtnian, of Api>l»?- ton's, chairman of the board, W. Morgan Schuester, of Century, be- ing the president. Each company gets throe members on the stock- holder's committee. The Appleton plant and ware- house will he used, and Rutgcr B. Jcwett, of Appleton's, will be the editorial head. Dana H. Ferri^v of the Century, heads the educational book department. The two old companies holtl many valuable rights and the combined list stronRtliens the lineup. Thayer's Singleton Unusual example of a best-selling scribbler being too prolific for his publisher is presented by Tiffany Thayer. Thayer can do two. or three books a year, but his publisher, Claude Kendall, says he can't do Justice to more than one or two Thayer books per annum. Kendall permits him to turn over the surplus to others, wi^h Liverlght getting most of them. What Kendall thinks of that one Tiffany Thayer book a year is il- lustrated by the fact that each new Thayer novel is worth a full-page ad in the 'Times' book supplement. That's $1,000 worth of advertising at one throw, and rare for the present- day book biz. Charles King Dies Gen. Chas. King, 89, only Army man authorized to wear five cam- paign badges, died in Milwaukee March 17, indirectly as the result of a recent fall in which he frac- tured his shoulder blade. Many years ago he came almost immediately into recognition as an author with 'The Colonel's Daugji- ter,' which he followed with 'Be- tween the Lines,' 'Marlon's Faith,' 'Captain Blake' and many others, his total score being in the neigh- borhood of 60 novels. All were stories of Army life, chiefly in the southwest, and fol- lowed pretty much the same gen- eral pattern, but he enjoyed a suc- cess such as comes to few modern popular novelists. Gold Braid for Scribes Organizing a new California naval militia. Governor Rolph of that state is handing out several of the top jobs calling for gold braid to important newspapermen. George Hearst, oldest son of Wil- liam Randolph Hearst, is head of the unit, and among his aides are E. Manchester Boddy, publisher of the Los Angeles 'Daily News;' Nor- man Chandler,' son of the owner of the L. A. 'Times,' and A. T, Sokalow, one of the Hearst L. A. attorneys. More Art Harry Donenfeld. who controls a number of mag publishing proper- ties, as well as a mag distributing organization, has formed a new publishing affiliate to get out still two more mags. The new one is the D. & S. Pub- lishing Co., which will issue 'Paris Art' and 'Studio Art,' monthly pub- lications. Editing the pair is Mrs. N. W. Hersey, who also holds the editorial reins on the other Donen- feld periodicals. . It's a Novel ^ Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., seeks to correct the statement that the D. W. Lawrence, 'The Virgin and the Gypsy', is a compilation of miscel- laneous writings. It's a novel which originally was publi.qhed by the house in 1930 at $2.50 and Is now being brought out as a dollar reprint. Solo Pubs Praciico of numcroxis scribblers to publish their own works, prompted in almost every case by rejections from the regulation pub- lishers, throws many queer books on the market. Typical example is one just off the presses, called 'How to Sell Cemetery Lots.' It's the inspira- tion of a Jamestown lad, Paul L. Vittur by name, and for two dollars he offers C4 pages of advice on how to sell the dead parking space. Another new author - published book is 'Chicago, Yesterday and To- day,' by a Chicagoan, Felix Mendel- sohn, who hopes to cash in with his book on the forthcoming exposition. The Mendelsohn volume is a richly illustrated affair in a limited edition. Rival 'Tec Authors If Willard Huntington Wright makes good his frequent threat to kill off S. S. Van Dine, that other part of him which writes those best- selling detective novels, EUery Queen will likely replace him as the best- selling American scribbler of the murder-and-search tales. Even now Queen is selling nearly as well as Van Dine. Like S. S. Van Dine, Ellery Queen is a pen name, too. Queen's pub- lisher, Stokes, takes great pains to r guard his real identity, going to the length of fitting up <iueen with a mask for his every public appear- ance. It's a good gag, but doesn't hide the fact that Ellery Queen is really Manfred Lee, former press agent. Shorter Magazine Guild, which recently acquired 'Singing and Playing' as the first unit of a string of mags it proposes building up, is changing the publication's title with the forth- coming issue. New name or the mag will be 'Encore.' 'Singing and Playing* was estab- lished in 1925, with Alfred Human as editor. Human still in charge. Denver Club Elects Denver Press Club elects Maurice Leckenby pres.; Fred .Speers, vlce-p., and Lee T. Casey, Sam Jackson, Edward D. Fester, M. F. Dacey and Edward P. Lyon.M, directors. Beer Ads March edition of 'Vanity Fair* contained about four pages of beer ads. Evidently the mag replated for certain of its circulation, as the brew ads did not appear in copies circulated in New Jersey and else- where where anti-liquor ad laws, in these states, obtain. Chatter Donald Gordon, who Is doing a two-column book review for the 'Satevepost,' acts as sales analyst for American News Company. 'Ladles Home Journal' has gone literary. In the May number, it is opening a department titled 'Pre- views of New Books' to be edited by Virginia Kirkus. A dozen books will be covered, nay, uncovered with each issue. 'The kingfish,' a biography of Huey P. Long, packed with dyna- mite, authored by Webster Smith, published by Putnam, will be out April 1. Nothing to do with an April fool. Keep that school-girl complexion. The editors of 'Vogue' tell you how in a book called 'Beauty* published by Condl-Nast, selling at $1. If you can buy beauty for a buck, it's a buy. The 'Saturday Evening" Post's* campaign of book advertising has gone gaga. It's adopted as its slogan: 'Brush your brains once a day. See your bookseller once a week.' And then what? Anne Shannon Monroe of 'Sing- ing in the Rain* fame, is out with another in 'God Lights a Candle.' Louis Untermeyer, the literary lion, has Just emerged from his mountain retreat where he hiber- nated to write 'The Last Pirate.* March choice of the 'Crime Club' is -Vancy Barr Mavlty*H new thriller 'The Fate of Jane McKenzle.' Peter Piper—and he ain't the pumpkin (Continued on page 51)