Variety (May 1938)

RADIO SCREEN STAGE Pulilliita«d Weekly at IS4 West 4Cth Street, New Tork, t4. Y., by Variety, Ina Annual auhscrlptinn, t6 Sinela cnplrn. IG cpnls. Katered as aecoud-ctass matler December 22. 1905. at the Post Office at Nevr Vork, N, Y., under tbe act of &laroU 3, '1U7S. COPTRIGUT. 1B3S, BT VARIRTY, INC. ALL RIGHTS HESEUVKD. PRICE 15^ Vol. 130 No. 8 NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY, MAY 4, 1938 64 PAGES FEAR B.O. FILM SHORTAGE Midgets Tom-Thumb It to H wood; Lower-Case Thesps' Film Gold Rush Hollywood, May 3. Economista will tell you that no- body profits by a war, but midget actors know better. As a result of a fleht in the film colony, a swarm of Tom Thumb thespians is headed for Hollywood to thrive, on the spoils of conflict. Not since vaudeville skidded off the map have the half-pint folks been so Jubilant, Like 49ers of old they hasten hither, lured by the promise of gold in them Beverly Hills, It began peacefully enough when a producer conceived the idea of a western film with an all-dwarf cast. Corralling all the lower-case per- formers in sight, he dickered with a distributing company and all went well until tha company found out he was angling for other releasing outlets. Presently the midget idea devel- eped into twins, with two produc- tion Arms hunting tiny talent in the world's agencies. Producer No. 1 discovered he had looked over the heads of a lot of little folks. Scent- ing tha profits of war, they popped lip in midwestern corn fields, in Alpine dells and Scandinavian fjoi'ds. As far away as the African jun- gles the glad tidings throbbed from tribe to tribe via tom-tom broadcast, Blubberlipped Ubangi Liliputians packed their spare g-strings for a trip to the Land of Celluloid, a stranger communitv that> Gulliver (Continued on page 12) S. A. and U. S. Quizzical Orer Number of German Ops in Latin-Am. Radio Rio de Janeiro, May 3, OfTicials of various South Ameri- can republics and the Slate beijai t- ment of the United States are re- ported as having lately become aware of a fact previously escaping general notice. This is that a lar;;e number of Germans are the cn.!!i- •neers who operate radio stations on this continent. It is understood that inquiries are being made from several directions to establish if this is nieie coinci- dence. Also to ascertain just how extensive the penetration of German technicians in vital broadcast con- trol-spots is at present, European efforts to divert South American market.? away from Ihe United States e.xporters and the new bombardment of radio propaganda from Germany, Ilaly and Grcal Brilairi via shortwave ha.-; filvcn everything a new social-o;:!>nomic significance. Two yoar,s a<!0 llie tjcl that German coRineeis manned many input panels ot radio slalion.< would probably not Inve c:<cil^d any suspicion even had the fact boon noted. Closed Shop on 'Ams' American Federation . nf Ac- tors is factetiously considering to dernand a closed shop for 'ama- teurs' on the Major Bowes programs. Although still using the tyro front, progranr is very pro, employing many former ex- vaudevillians, as the supply of bona fide ams becomes increas- ingly thin. CARNVS COMM'L TIEUP; FIRST TIME DEimill OF BIG PICIS A WORRY Warm Weather Requires Stronger Product—^Trade Visualizes Little of Socko Proportions in tha Next Two Months MORE CLOSINGS? The Beckmahn & Garety Shows, two trains ot equipment, has sol^ exclusive commercial sponsorship for 1938 to the Nevlo Co. of San Antonio ('Nevlo For Nerves'). Spon- sorship will consist of tieups using carnival people like Zeke Shumway, car crash stunt driver; Nancy Miller, of Gay Paree; Eddie's Beet Trust and other personalities, such as acrial- ists, motordrome riders, barkers and snake charmers who must have steady nerves and who must have a good ni'ghl's sleep, because tomorrow is just another day. Neon signs will be erected in the key locations and the 44 carnival wagons will carry Nevlo signs and advertising slojians. Last year BecUmann Si Garety Shows used 47 radio stations, played, eight midwestern Stale Fairs, nu- merous big cities and many individ- ual towns. On'all their radio broad- casts 'Nevlo For Nerves' was plugged, directin? listeners to a dru.;; tie-up in cacli locality, as well as asking for $1 in the mail. This year at least GO radio stations will be used and Nevlo is to receive a mini- mum of.six quartor-hour broadcasts. With grosses dipping and the warm weather arriving, no one is hazarding a guess as to what the summer is going to bring over and above the usual seasonal, decline at the boxofTice. However, grave con- cern is felt for what looks like a dangerous weakness in product up to July 1. Based on the best study of the situation, theatre operating opinion is that only six to eight pic- tures look like anything at all among the releases promised the next two months. Some ot these may be bigger than anticipated, while on the other hand some may not be as good as hoped for at this time. Also, they may not all be delivered. Analysis ot pictures on release to July 1, consideration ot the produc- tion elements involved, such as cast (Continued on page 48) UNCLE SAM'S 'ESCORT' SERVICE; IT'S CUFFO i — j U. S, government is unconsciously 'participating in a supply of (ji^jolos I for parties via CCC boy.'-.. Eack-lo- i nature kiddies arc on call for shiii- •di^s of influcntials in locales of Ihe camps when fcmmcs predominate, I Trick is lor a sjcial matron or j hubby 10 call a local CCC chief, who \ is usually an army oflicer and re- quest a nujnbcr of l)r)ys with back- I ground, etc, ItoUs include many |coll2.?c grads, former medicos, el al., I v/ho found coiiiij lou.'.;h and tnok to the Federal tpddc:-, If i a nice niyht inut for the b^ys, and on-the-cull tor the pariy-lusser. Counterfeiting On Rise, U. S. OK's Radio Programs to Curb It U. S. Department of the Treasury has given permission to the Federal Theatre Radio Division to use stuff from its Secret Service bureau flies for a series of dramatizations carded to start soon over CBS, First time for S. S, to do so, and outfit has always spurned film.s. J. Edgar's Hoover's Federal Bureau of Investigation has alway.s rcbulTcd overtures made by radio and films for tie-up.s, which involve cither form of enterlainnieiit delving into files, O, K. granted lo Federal Theatre Radio group came as a result of the eltort So.ncl .Service is makin;; to in- form the general public of the rapid c;ro\vlh oC the coiiiittr(oitiiu{ racUet in Ihe U. S, Dramatizations will be built up around llio precept that the racket doesn't pay, and will also en- li.ijhlen listcncis on how to help thwart it, Fi'iurcs provided by the S. S. reveal that in 1914, ,$07,7;!t in counlcrfeit coin was seized l>y the government; S2C3,970 in 1922, and .'•,1,292,239 in 1934. Dcprcsion years have given impetiu lo Hie racket. An.schlus.s' Theme Sonjf Viriiin, May 3. First sjii:; oul on th? IJ^iliji- Vionfia •in<r.-|ilusi is ',S )IJier fiyiii Berlin, Girl from Vienna,' Borscht Belt Now a Big Talent Outlet; AFA and AFM Take Notice Legit 'Mixing' A Pennsy summer stock Is emulating the borscht circuit. Producer wants his acting crew to 'mix' with guests of hotel and resort sections ot enterprise. Married, engaged and other- wise 'occupied' legiters are turned ifiway as prospects, ac- cording to sources. Manage- ment figures thespians lose part ot their appeal, with conse- quent poor b,o. results when their socializing limitations are known. lONE RANGER'S' RECORD HIGH SIDELINES George W. Trendle, owner of 'Lone Ranger' rights, Is working on a deal to put the radio-film char- acter on a p.a. tour. Trendle is a Paramount partner and theatre oper- ator in Michigan, besides being a Detroit radio exec. Deal, along with a flock of others ranging from a cartoon strip, a possible circus stint, a 42-station radio tieup and the tak- ing ot transcription rights by Na- tional Broadcasting Co., for the .south, Canada and Australia, makes it an alltime peak for sidelines, growing from a show biz original. Program is heard three times weekly on 42 stations of the Mutual System, This week NBC conliacted for transcriplion iight.1 to blanket south and southwest where program is not heard. Will also be sold for (Continued on page 61) Resort hotel entertainment biz lias outgrown the borsoht bowl. It i.s now recognized as a lucrative field tor professionals,' and as one of tho few remaining proving grounds and break-ins. No longer limited to the mountain vicinity of lower New York, the territory now spread.'j around a 300-mile radius, embracin|{ more than 10,000 hotels and camps ot varying size in New York. New Jer- sey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut. Mas- sachusetts and New Hampshire, anil employs unestimated thousands ot performers. With newly acquired semi-dignity, circuit has grown coni- mensurately in salary values and pro- duction efforts with names now im- portant and budgets exceeding $12,000 foi: a 10-week season, starting June 1, Does not include Decoration Day weekend, an added take. Growth of the circuit is seen in tha cognizance that unions have taken of the matter, and introduction ot large-scale offices into tha field. The American Federation ot Actors and the American Federation of Mu- sicians have already started organi- zational alms. AFM has sat mini- mums ranging from $18 to $35, while AFA's plans are still in the making. Major offices of Fanchon & Marco, William Morris, and Music Corp, ot (Continued on page 13) $500,000 FEE FOR FAIR REST ROOM CONCESSION Retiring room concession for Now York's World's Fair of 1939 is .rjid to have been sold for more than .$500,000, after it was rcporlod liior. a bid ot $100,000 under llial llguia had been declined. ICstimalcs ,ire there will be some 8,000 oml'nt rooms in an unnamed number ot spots on the fair grounds. Admission to comfort stations will be by coin slot turnstiles, as at Ihii Chicago fair. THE HOUR OF CHARM MUSIC THAT LINGERS ON PHIL SPilALNY PERMANENT ADDRESS PARK CENTRAL HOTEL, NEW YORK