Variety (Mar 1936)

74 VARIETY IITERATI Wednesday, March 4, 1936 N, Y. W. r . N. T. World-Telegram went Into the Saturday Ave cent class last Saturday with a six section paper for a jit. Four sections are black, and white for main sheet; sports, features and suburban. In addition there is an eight page comic section (issued In two parts) .and a six page roto section, with tjie front and back in color. Makes the third of the jitney Saturday editions. Evening Journal haying long been issued at that price and the Post in for a short trial, some years ago. W-T arid- page ads in other papers $xcept the Journal to launch the idea. . Journal retaliated. W-T sig- nified willingness to take; the Jour- nal tieup,. but the latter refused the W-T *;. Saturday. Sun is reputed to be beating the pair with its., special' flepar.tr.ents, reel's WPA p.a. Spot ... News leaked ..out last week that' for past, tqro months George Creel .has been acting as chairman of a new W;PA 'advisory/, committee 'which .has been established to over- come antagonistic, public sentiment toward the .WPA. The committee is a publicity department. .. Creel top-spotted U. : S. propa- . ganda during, the World War. ' He lost the Democratic gubernatorial nomination In California in '34 to Upton Sinclair...... History of Carnegie Hall "House that'Music Built;' concern- ing, history of Carnegie Hall, N. Y., will be _ out. soon under McBrlde banner. Ethel Peyser Is the author.- Publication Will be In conjunction with' the ioOth anniversary -of Andrew Carnegie's birth. Tenants of the building will also be included, such as Ruth St. Denis, Ted Sh'afvn;. Frank LaForge, Isadora Duncan and the American Academy. Best Sellers Best Sellers, for the week ending Feb. 29, as reported by the American News Co., Inc. Fiction 'The Last Puritan' ($2.75) *; . ."..By George. Santayana •The Hurricane' ($2.60) ,...;By Chas. Nordhoft and James N, Hall 'It Can't Happen Here* ($2.50) .....By Sinclair Lewis 'Faster, Faster 1 ($2.60) .. .By E. M. Delafleld 'If I Have Four Apples' ($2.60) .....By Josephine Lawrence' 'ABC Murders' ($2.00) ♦., .By Agatha Christie 'North to the Orient' ($2.50) ,....;By Anne Morrow Lindbergh •Life With Father* ($2.00) ...................... .By Clarence Day 'Wopllcott Reader, The'. ($3.00),...........By Alexander Woollcott 'Man the Unknown' ($3.60) .By Alexis Carrell •The Exile' ($2,50) ..... ..By Pearl S. Buck 'Mrs. Astor's Horse' ($3.00)..........,.... i...., .By Stanley Walker Wis. News Staff,on Strike With 29. members of thb editorial department of the Wisconsin News, Milwaukee, oh strike, most of the departments of the sheet are being run by substitutes. Strike was called by" the Mil- waukee Newspaper Guild when John Black, business, manager, of the Kei rst paper, refused to siga a Guild contract. The.strike took only about half of the writers out, some of the Guild members refusing to budge because they claimed the strike was ..illegal. Among those staylng.on the job ^ere Cele Kinov* sky (Ceqlle Lane), film critic, and Roy L. Foley, drama critic, Vivian Gardner, radio editor, joined the walkout, and her plate la jeihg filled by Glady Becker (Peggy Pattbri),-- drafte:dr Worn- -WISN- and former-film editor of the News. , PutnamV Staff Additi Dlarmlnd ^Russell and Kenhett L. Rawson have been added': to the editorial staff of Putnam's. Russell, whov is .son of A.E., worked with his father, on, 'editorial board ' of the Irish' Statesman for several years. Rawson, served as navigator and geographer oh second Byrd Ant- arctic Expedition. Chi H-E Shifts New. setup on the Hearst. Chicago Herald-Examiner has Homer Guck sis publisher, Fred E. Eldiidge as managing, editor, Lee Ettleson in as night managing ed, and Victor Wat- son, day managing ed. Herald-Examiner Is -the morning paper for Hearst in Chi. Lurton Quits Fawcett Douglas Lurton, supervising -edi- tor, of the Fawcett chain of mags for. eight years, has resigned. No successor named for Lurton's post, but William Kbstka, editor of Modern Mechanics and inventions mag, becomes eastern managing editor for Fawcett. Fiction and Films » Morehouse's Trek Ward Morehouse leaves next Mon- day (9) on ah unusual assignment for his paper, the N. T. Sun. Will cover the entire U. S. on a three- month trek, contributing a daily column to his paper on Oshkosh (or whatever the town) After Dark. His usual column in New York is titled Broadway After Dark. Morehouse's instructions are to visit every state in the union. First stop will be Flemington, N. J„ where he will do a contrast of the town now and as it was when he covered it during the Hauptmann trial. From- there he heads south and , to the' Coast, coming back on the northern route. Will use auto- mobile for travel most of the way. Artists Will Go Native Kit Kat Art Club, one of the oldr est organizations of illustrators and painters in New York, will hold its 65th annual 'skelter' in the ballropm atop the Manhattan Opera House March 13. Event is tabbed the 'jungle ball,* with Tony Sarg as m.c. It is to be in costume, and last minute guests can secure leopard skins, pr grass skirts on the spot. Tracy Buys Current History M. E. Tracy, writer of syndicated editorial columns for many years, Is the new owner of Current History Mag. ; Mag, published since 1914 by N...Y: Times Co,, is to change hands after April issue. Policy to-remain same. Tracy is third editor of publica- tion. First was George W. Ochs, who edited mag until his death in 1931. Spencer Brbdriey succeeded Ochs. Paris Supplements Sunday supplement bug, which first bit the Paris Soir, evening paper of the French capital, has spread to the Paris morning paper leader, Le Journal. Like Paris Soir, Le Journal, brings out its' Sunday pape; on Saturday, and it's plenty sensational. Second number of the magazine section carried that piece on the loves of Adolf Hitler, which roused so much trouble. $50 Globe Girdle Smarting out with $50, Gwynn Dew Bell Syndicate staff writer, has ar- rived on Coast as part of tour by Which she plans to Circumnavigate the globe. She'll spend 10 days In Hollywood, working on series of picture yarns. Also has assignments' from Col- liers and Fortune. CHATTER • Ludwlg Lewisohn on Coast for lecture tour. Robert Nathan almost finished with his new nov.el. Another Ellery Queen mystery to make appearance in May. Lewis Corey to edit special quar- terly issue of 'New Masses. Boalce Carter's tentatively titled 'America Speaks!' out in about a month. George Horace Lorlmer, ed Sat--' evepost, sunning himself on Cali- fornia desert. Doubleday publishing book on George V, which editors of Fortune have written.. Edwin. Arlington Robinson memorial tablet to be placed in his Gat*diner, Me:, home. Mauritz Hallgren working on new book; this one covering govern- ment's military and naval activities. Capt. Griffith Bonher, 60, maga- zine writer and former newspaper reporter in upstate New York, died Feb, 27 in Monrovia, Cal. 'Best in tho Greenwood' was authored by Joslah Titzell, one of Doubleday's editors, under pseu- donym Frederick Lambeck. Viking Press, publishers of Doro- thy Parker's last three books, have publication rights to two earlier ones, 'Sunset Gun' and ''Enough Rope.* Ulrich Stelndorff (U. S. Carring- tbn) finishing his new novel on the desert near Indio, Cal. Recently sold 'Love in Reverse' to Para- mount as a Bihg Crosby starrer*. Before he departed Mor Vienna, Franz Werfel received gold medal from editors of Jewish Forum for distinguished service to Jewish people and humanity in general. Dan Ma Imva ring's third novel, Angel's Web,' is on way to pub- lisher. Author's second tome, 'Man Who Murdered Himself,* recently off press under pen name.. Geoffrey Homes. All Sports Rec 1936 edi- tion. 18 out, again -compiled and .edited by Frank Menke, It is a paper-bound, 448-page volume, con- taining the marks established in all fields of sport, professional and amateur. Shakespeare (Continued from page 23) ing. This may be explained by the fact that It was such a radical de- parture for picture -screens. Many theatres- have been difficult to con- tract qn. a roadshow date. They have been afraid of the high ad- mission demanded by the roadshow contract and' by change In policy to two shows a day instead of the con- tinuous policy. Warners frequently approached 'such accounts 'to sell them the picture, on the theatre's poorest day of the week, on a basis of what the theatre. Is satisfied to do that bad day, and then go to help the exhib put it over, sharing possi- bly in the advertising cost. rossoa Some of /the - tanktowri dates played reveal interesting 'figures when comparisons are made. 'Dream' went into Sulphur, Okla. (pop. 4,242) on a Tuesday and for ,the day grossed $250. 'G Men' at the same theatre oh a Friday and' Saturday did only $120, while 'Ship- mates -Forever' on three days (Sun- day^ Monday, Tuesday) grossed $200. In Rosedale, Miss. (pop. 2,- 117), 'Dream' played on a Thursday to $60, while 'G Men,' a nationally strong grosser, -got $45 on two days . (Wednesday, Thursday) and 'Ship- mates' on a Sunday and Monday nabbed, only $60. In a town,.like East Stroudsburg, Pa. (pop. 6,100) the Shakespearean picture did $400 oh a Wednesday and Thursday. Against this, 'G men' on Saturday- Sunday, ' Monday and Tuesday, grossed $290 and 'Devil Dogs' on the. same four days got $300. In Hamlin, Tex., (pop. 2,328), 'Dream' played a Tuesday to a total of $370. 'Flirtation Walk' at the same theatre on a Thursday and Friday played to $130 while 'G Men' on a Sunday-Monday date played to $126. The smallest town. so far played at $1 top and two shows on the day is Mabank, Tex. 'Dream' went Into, the Matex there on a Wednesday, but with the town having a popu- lation of only 963, it got $110 on the day. 'G. Men' in the same town on a Sat.-Sun.-Mon. engagement grossed $30, while 'Shipmates' on the same three days got $55. With the business that Is being done in many of the smaller towns, WB could play the picture more than one. day but it prefers not. to •so that the. company won't lull the general release possibilities of 'Dream' for the same or other the- atres in the various towns played. Even in larger spots such as Omaha, the roadshow engagement was restricted to three days (Mon.- Tues.-Wed.). Pictures those days did $3,500 against. the same figure for 'Black Fury* oh a whole week and $3,900 for 'Captain Blood' on eight days. Madison, Wis., a pretty good minor key, played the picture two days (Frl.-Sat.) a;nd grossed $3,300. 'Page Miss Glory,' at the same house (Capitol) got only $2,400 on a full week; 'Go Into Your Dance* also on a week got but $3.- 200 and *G Men* with an engage* merit of five days more than 'Dream' only managed to top 'Dream' by $200 on a whole week. Grosses of 'Dream''in most of the larger key engagements are ' well known. Those picked here at ran- dom from the 212 dates, a total of 116 being tabulated, gives a picture of what 'Dream* is doing in the medium-sized spots and in the backwoods. The 116 engagements on a total of 228 ..days, two per- formances- daily, grossed a total of $178,510 for the theatres. ' I By WOLFE KAUFMAN Still Promi ing Daniel Fuchs has been working diligently in his little corner of the world, Williamsburg, rooklyn, His IJrst novel, last year, 'Summer in Williamsburg,' was a: good one, get- 's ting attention if not sales. His second one, 'Homage to Blenholt* (Vanguard; $2.50), will probably have the same sort of career, short lived but incisive, In 'Homage' Fuchs peers into the futile lives-and bickerings of an- other group of Jews in.their ghetto homes. He knows the people he Is talking about and has a deep sympathy for them, Fuchs has been compared to James T. Farrell, but actually doesn't write similarly, ex- cept insofar as they are both honest writers; Fuchs is just a bit soft, his sympathies stray his weakling characters a bit 'too obviously. Farrell is a tough gUy, as much so as all his: characters are tough. ' Fuchs is finding it none too easy hut should wide his reading audi- ence with each work. By EPES W. SARGENT Creaky Trying to tell an 1886 plot with a 1936 . technique'doesn't get 'Tintype Of a Lady' (Macaulay; $2), by Kathleen Shepard, anywhere in par- ticular. It is the same obvious stuff aimed at the class of reader who used to subscribe to the Fireside Companion or Something to Read Heroine is the illegitimate child of a simple mid western girl who eloped with an actor and Incurred the small town's scorn when she came home. The daughter, Joy marries the son, of the local Midas for love, but she sells out to get square with the old man, though she loveB the boy. . She goes to New York k wins the attention of a great producer who makes a star of her. Then she meets the boy again. He calls her all those names jiiat the situation seems to. call for, and. then marries her again. No novelty, no sus- pense, and not the saving grace of Style. Yet it could be made into a fair picture. isses ichard Sale, a new writer re- putedly in his early twenties, sets himself a difficult task In his first novel, 'Not Too Narrow. ... Not Too Deep' (Simon and Schuster; $2), It is a difficult story tb tell arid he. has chosen to tell it in a', difficult manner. The result is that the book doesn't quite come off; Teh meh plan an escape from Devil's Island,, all of them criminals of one sort or' another. At the last- minute, a mysterious eleventh , man joins them. They are all bullies or weaklings. The eleventh man is a gentle, super-human, super-strong soul. The trip is made, with only three of the. bullied losing their lives. The others are Completely changed because of the religo^- philosophic ministrations of the 11th man! who appears or disappears at will, who knows what's coming and what isn't, etc. Without the char- acter ot that 11th. man, and told briskly and photograplcally, it would have been a good book. Metro has the Aim rights. Disguised Musical Wallace Smith and Eric Von Stroheim are program-credited -for the book of 'May Wine,' current Broadway musical.. Wallace Smith alone is .billed as author of 'The Happy Alienist' (Smith, and Haas; $2), which is the same story, or practically. As a musical comedy it-Is-fairly amusing.. As a book, it is still a musical comedy. It strikes, one as a Viennese fantasy written by an American. It is light in a distinctly pachydermic manner; it is not even funny, though, throughout, the shadow :.of the author is visible pleading, 'Hey, look' here, this is funny, why don't you laugh?' It should "make an amusing film when touched up. Paramount owns the rights. Heroine Always Wins Clarence Buddlngtbn - Kelland again follows the line of least resistance in 'Roxana' (Harpers; $2). It is a good smooth-paper mag serial; it is a good novel for the maid and her friends to read; it will make a good family film. Story is the one of the very pretty and very smart girl from the small town who comes to New York and puts the boysin the big town through their paces. Universal has the screen rights. - 3 Books, Few Laughs Books of humor 'don't, often get very- far; they very seldom are really funny, except .when written by professional humorists and even then-^there have been mighty few humorous best-sellers. Three small items along this line are tried cur- rently. 'Pink Rants,' by Dr. Ralp Y. Hbpton and Anne Balliol (Van- guard; $1), is a rather silly proposi- tion about a girl who was a champ football player. Not much, but the idea's a nice one and. could be the basis of a very good film. Kenneth Roberts follows along the footsteps of half a hundred o£her scribblers in his new little book, 'It Must he Your Tonsils' (Doubleday- Doran; $1). Cantor wrote a book about operations, Irvin Cobb wrote one, and Will Rogers wrote one. Roberts doesn't follow any of them successfully with this tome. Carl Kroch got himself a good idea when he started the compila- tion called 'So Red the Nose' (Earrar & Rinehart; $1). He got 30 ■ name authors to give him their Comedy Sheri A sheriff who looks like W. C. Fields, Instead, of a tough mugg, is a novelty if not altogether bellev-r able, but W. C. Tuttle makes him interesting in .'Henry the Sheriff' (Houghton-Mi lin; $2). to make it harder/ Henry is a former vaudeville actor with no previous experience in law enforcement, but he manages to do pretty well by himself and the community and erase the tough guy, who wants to run the county. Sometimes the comedy angle gets In the way a little, but It is read- able arid well knit and should be a novelty as a picture. Kathleen Norris' 57th Like the well known plckler, Kathleen Nbrrls achieves her 57th chore in 'Secret Marriage' (Double- 'day, Doran; $2), just appearing be- tween covers after serialization. It i§- only her 56th novel, however, since one job was a play. And this does not Include her collaborations, either. -For so prolific ah author, Mrs. Norris offers unusual " variety, though she seems now to favor an outline in which a family Is moved from the lap of luxury and back again. But these transitions are always achieved through a fresh handling. She does" not' follow a single pattern. In 'Secret Marriage' she has done a well woven bit of writing, with a decided novelty for her denouement. Worth reading and .worth- picturing. personal preferential cocktail recipe. Gagged up and with caricatures by Roy Nelson, it makes an okay addi- tion to bar-room literature if riot to the humor shelves. 'Libel' Between Covers Edward Wool's novel 'Libel" is current on Broadway and In London in play form and succesful In both spots. Now it is first published as a novel on this side (Macrae-Smith; $2) and it is understandable why it hasn't been done here before. A good action and mystery yarn in its elements, it is too melodramatic and unbelievable as written. One of those cases where stage' technique, lights and grease paint help gloss ovef deficiencies in logic. Twentieth - Fox has the film rights. Omnibus of Crime' A good sense of humor, a clever use of action mplodramatics and a keen plot sense combine In 'The Unicorn, Murders,* by Carter Dlclc- sori (Morrow; $2), making it ace cop and robber reading. Whether or not it could be wound ■■into a film is another story, and doubtful be- cause a bit too Improbable. James G. Edwards continues rummaging into medical and hos- pital tangents for his whodunit material, His'newest is 'The Private Pavilion' (Crime Club; $2) and right down the alley, Good dialog- ing is especially helpful. Not likely for filming, however, because a bit rough. Readers Digest's Contest Readers" Digest mag is offering five awards of $1,000 each for five best non-fiction articles submitted to them. Articles to contain maximum 3,500 words, and must be authored by persons who have not heretofore contributed to national periodicals. There will also be prizes of $500 each for any manuscript judged ac - ceptable for publication.' Conte* closes May 1.