Variety (Sep 1938)

52 VARIETY LITERATI Wednesday, September 21, 1938 16 Lose Pay Suit vs. Gannett Sixteen former editorial employees «f the Press Co., Inc., Albany, lost suits to collect $1,604 vacation pay, which they claimed was due them when the- Frank E. Gannett organ- ization dropped them in merging The Knickerbocker Press and Al- bany Evening News in June, 1937. Justice Charles J. Duncan assessed $25 costs against the plaintiffs, who instituted the action last May. Plaintiffs and amounts for which they sued were: Ralph Record, $200; Austin J. Scannell, ex-city editor of the News, $150; Allen Eddy, $140; Joseph D. Eddy, $80; John Wanhope, $140; William P. Tarbox, $150; Henry Christman, Richard W. .Jackson, Thomas F. Mariar, $80; Charles H. Lathrop, Jack L. Mowers, William B. Taaffe, Jr., and Daniel V. Nero, Jr., $80 each; Thelma L. Breeze, $64; Mary Irene Warner, $60, and Alice Raymond, $60. These sums represented two weeks' wages. All received severance pay under the agreement negotiated through the Tri-City Newspaper Guild. Several of the plaintiffs were also complainants in the action alleging' discrimination, brought before the National Labor Relations Board by the Guild as a result of the merger. A recommendation that two of them be reinstated with back salaries was made last winter by Trial Examiner George Bokat. /t Street 8t Smith's Slicker After some.85 years of pulp mag publishing, during which 'it has been one of the leaders in that division, Street & Smith finds that of its many periodicals the leadership is rapidly being taken by a slick, svelte, swanky mag—Madamoiselle. Not exactly a surprise to the firm, for many a penny was poured into' the publication for its buildup. Few had ever imagined that S. & S. would employ such a direct antith- esis to Crime Busters, Doc Savage' Magazine, etc., as Madamoiselle, and : eo. successfully; It's comparable, in reverse, to a Snappy. Stories issuing from the staid Curtis Publishing Co., Philadelphia, which issues the Sat- evepost. Madamoiselle is vindicated by offi- cial advertising records which show it to be the sole mag in the women's field to make a gain in lineage in September over the same month the- year before. Mag showing a con- tinued gain in lineage and circulation •—latter around 120,000 now—when most of the old established ones are fighting to hold their ground. A few other slick mags in the S. & S. chain also showing very well. Circulation- of Pic around 600,000 currently, and Picture Play, since lopping,off 5c from its price in June (now 10c), has had a rise in circulation from around 160,000 to approximately 250,000. of the now defunct New York World and St. Louis Post-Dispatch, began his career as a reporter on the West- liche Post and later became its city ed. Otto Pfeiffer, vice president and editor of the „paper, has said that since the Nazi "regime the paper had tough sledding. 'The difference of opinion between Germans in St. Louis made it difficult for us,' he says. 'The pro-Nazi accused us of being subsidized by the anti-faction and the antis said Hitler was sup- porting us, They were both wrong for if we had received .money from either side we would still be pub- lishing.' Covlci-Frlede May Continue Appears now as if Covici, Friede, which ran 'into financial difficulties some time ago, may emerge as a going concern. Had been indicated that the book publishing company, now being. administered by its big- gest creditor, Little & Ives, the book printers, would b u e offered to what- ever publishing house' could utilize the firm's assets. Richard R. Smith, who publishes on his own, has been called .in as consultant,, and under, his direction Covici, Friede is con- tinuing business, although in cur- tailed manner. Although Covici, Friede has been moved to quarters of Little' & Ives, book publishing concern is not only; putting out scheduled new books but is reading manuscripts. Meyer Bell, accountant called in to straighten out the Covici-Friede tangle, still super- vising the firm's operations. Bell said to be anxious to return to his own business, and likely that he will do so as soon as some more claims are settled, with Smith continuing in full charge. • Boston Transcript's Showing Boston Evening Transcript, now under 77B, is shaking up personnel in editorial and business depart- ments, under supervision .of new publisher, Lincoln O'Brien. Hearing on reorganization plan has been granted by Federal court here for Sept. 26. Reported sufficient new capital will be made available at .that time for a campaign. Prof. Howard Mumford Jones, of Harvard ' University's English de- partment, comes in as book editor immediately. Charles B. Palmer, formerly book and magazine editor of the Transcript, returns to the fold as feature ed. Thaddeus Nichols, formerly of New York, is now pro- motional manager, anr Franklin J. •Sherman, author, formerly with the. Scranton, Pa., Tribune, has been ap- pointed editorial writer. Alexander. .J. Murray, once with Pittsburgh .'Press, is new assistant circulation manager.- Trend of personnel changes, ac- cording to O'Brien, will be to in- crease the depleted city staff. Two "photogs are now covering ' local .events, where formerly, for about two years, the Transcript was strug- .gling along with syndicated pictures and freelance local stuff, with no regular staff- cameramen. w X St. L. German Paper Bankrupt An involuntary petition in bank- ruptcy filed last week .against the Superior' Press, Inc., publisher of .the Westliche 'Post, one of the oldest newspapers in St. Louis, brought an end to its career, which started in . 1857. It was the only German .language paper in this town. Three employees, Gottlieb Haug, George Schuler and Ernest W. Keonig filed claims for a total of $1,022 salary. It was once owned and edited by Carl Schurz, German-American statesman of Civil War days. The late Joseph Pulitzer, publisher Percy Crosby a Dualer Widely divergent interests of Percy Crosby are his cartoon strip character, 'Skippy,' and his political and economic writings. Crosby publishes a book every now and .then on something that has evoked his wrath at the moment. Just now his ire is directed at com- munism, and he's written a book, 'Would Communism Work Out in America?' published by the Freedom Press. Freedom Press is Crosby, and publication offices are ,in Mc- Lean, Va., where Crosby lives. Crosby lets no expense stand in the way of his pampleteering; for the Crosby books are ample and well made. They're reasonably priced, and when they don't move as fast as he wants them to- he generally throws in some premiums. He does a good deal of newspaper advertising and the conservative press gives him a helping hand editorially. Philly Newsmen in the News Between the special grand jury investigation of graft and corruption in Philadelphia and the legislative "inquiry in Harrisburg into irregu- larities by the state government last week, newspapermen are playing a prime role in Pennsylvania's.probes. Names of more than half a dozen Boswells have been called as wit- nesses before the two sets of investi- gators. In Philly, Charley Ellis, Inquirer; Roger Gibson, Bulletin, and Vince McGrath, Ledger, were called before the jury to testify concerning allega- tions made by the deputy attorney general running the probe against Lou Wilgarde, Mayor Wilson's secre- tary. In Harrisburg, District Attor- ney Shelley, of Dauphin county, named for a prospective goingover by the legislative investigators E. Z. Dimitman, city ed of the Inquirer; Joe Miller, Inquirer political re- porter, and Frank Toughhill, Record. •R...L. Johnson Given Reception Reception tendered to Robert L. Johnson in New York by some 800 leaders in the publishing and adver- tising field on the occasion of John- son's acquisition of controlling in- terest in Proir_2nade Magazine. Re- ception preceded by a day Johnson's takeover of-Promenade. One of the founders with Henry R. Luce of Time, Fortune and Life, Johnson seyered bis connection with the Luce publications about a year ago. His buy-in on Promenade marks his return to the publishing field. Paebar Switch Paebar Publishers, book house, has been acquired by Irving Barlevy, who's naming it the Columbia Book Publishing Co. Alan F. Pater, Pae- bar head, to serve as editor for Barlevy. Paebar quarters and personnel will be retained. Instead of limit- ing, the list of books, the new Co- lumbia will publish whatever worthwhile manuscripts it can get, fiction, non-fiction and even poetry. Defends WPA Scribblers Insistence on public hearing be- fore the Dies committee of the House, currently probing foreign po- litical menaces, came from Ellen S. Woodward, assistant Works Progress administrator in charge of art ven- tures Saturday (17) in Washington. Unless bosses of the Government cul- ture-relief works have a chance to give their slants, findings of the com- mittee will be subject to challenge, she averred. 'Fair opportunity to answer attacks is merited,' she says, 'because 'a work of very great value is at stake,' the national guide books turned out by jobless scribblers holding WPA jobs. Quoted numerous reviews in bolster- ing contention that the volumes are well worth the cost.' No Royalties to Non-Aryans German legit publishers are re- fusing to pay royalties not only to German Jews, but also to foreign citizens of Jewish extraction, ac- cording to a report from Vienna. Rudolf Lothar, playwright, is un- able tQ get payment from Theater- verlag Eirich, Vienna, although he is a Hungarian citizen. Eirich refuses even to . make an accounting, replying that no Nazi firm must pay or even account to non-'aryan' authors. Lothar is suing the firm's Budapest branch. All non- 'Aryan' musical publishing companies in Vienna are in the hands of 'Aryans.' Joe Mitchell Goes N. T.er Joseph Mitchell, seven years a fea- ture writer "for the New York World Telegram, has resigned, ef- fective Monday (26):. to join the staff of, the New Yorker. A frequent contributor to that magazine, he. also is the author of 'My Ears Are Bent,* a tome depicting his reportorial ex- periences.' Other former metropolitan news- papermen, such as A. J. Liebling, ex- N. Y. Telly, and Meyer Berger, N. Y., Times, are now ensconced in the New Yorker's editorial dept. L. A. News Color Splash Los Angeles Morning and Evening News have a new three-color press, capable of doubling the daily output of both papers. New outfit will handle 45,000, 64-page copies an hour. Neither paper has made any recent drive for circulation because of press limitations. Adequate equipment indicates a hypo for sub- scription and ad departments. The News* • presses are the only ones of their kind, due to the odd format,, half way between full size and tabloid.- Det. Seeks 'Salacious' Pub Ban Battle for passage of Detroit city ordinance, banning sale of 'salacious' mags and books, was taken up again last week by Detroit council of churches. Several months ago pro- posed ordinance was voted down by city council on theory it would deny civil rights. Church council, therefore, proposes to redraft proposal, incorporating provisions protecting civil rights as well as 'protecting city against salaci- ous literature.' John K. Hutchens to Boston John K. Hutchens, assistant to Brooks Atkinson, New York Times, became drama and film editor of the Boston Evening Transcript Sept. 20, succeeding Mordaunt Hall, who came from New York two yfears ago to take over that department. Atkinson got his early training from the late H. T. Parker of the Transcript. Albany Stock Quotations Tempo Magazines, Inc., has in- creased its capital- stock from 300 shares, 100 preferred at $100 par value, and 200 common at - no par value, to 600 shares, 250 preferred at $100 par, and 350 common no par. Papers filed in Albany. Martha Houston Productions, Inc., New York, has changed its capital from $5,100, 50 shares preferred, $100 par, and 100 common, $1 par, to 2,500 shares, no par. Jadkson Heights Publishing Co., Inc., has been chartered by Albany to conduct a publishing and printing business in Queens, with a capital stock of $20,000. Preview Magazine, Inc., has been chartered to conduct a publishing and printing business in New York. NEW PERIODICALS Preview Magazine, a monthly to contain advance excerpts and con- densations of the best scribblings from other mags, is to appear soon. Will differ from other digest mags in that the others- reprint from the original after it has appeared else- where. Projected magazine keeping secret for the time being its spon- sors and personnel until various matters can be cleared up. Interlude, sort of combination of Vogue, New Yorker, et al., being gotten out by Arleena Willett. Aimed for the smart sets above New York, initial issue will be kept out of the city. Publisher plans, however, to subsequently let in N.Y. and Long Island. Original intention to publish out of New York abandoned in favor of Connecticut,. Periodical has a New York representative, however. Miss Willett editing, with John Mur- ray Wright as managing editor. Mag has social, amusements and sports calendars, - and general content ranges from fiction to fashion tlpoffs. It'll have an extremely costly print job. LITERATI OBITS THIS WEEK Willis Boyd 'Alien, 83, of Boston, author, editor and lawyer, died in Crawford Notch, N. H., Sept. 9. At- tended Boston Latin School and Har- vard University, '78.. Received his LL.B from Boston University in 1881. After practicing law for a short period, he retired in 1888 to write. His prose and verse appeared in. approximately 50 mags and other periodicals, Including the Atlantic, Century, Scribner's, Harper's, Lip- pincott's, Munsey's, North American Review, Nation and Dial. Among his books, which numbered more than 30, were: 'Around the Yule Log,' 'The Boyhood of John Kent,' 'Called to the Front,' 'Christmas at Surf Point,' 'Navy Blue,' 'Snowed In,' and 'Under the Pine Tree Flag.' From 1881 to 1893, he edited the Cottage Hearth Mlagazine, The Wellspring and Our Sunday Afternoon. In 1881 and 1882, he served on the staff of Gov. John Davis Long as quartermaster-gen- eral, with the rank of lieutenant- colonel. A sister survives. Frederick Karinthy, 50, one of the foremost among contemporary writers in^Hungary, died in Buda- pest of heart failure Aug. 30. Ka- rinthy was prominent as, a humor- ist and philosophical columnist. His play, 'Tomorrow Morning,' his liter- ary parodies, his sequels to 'Gul- liver's Travels' and a book in which he gave an uncanny precise ac- count of his experiences during a dangerous illness and a brain tumor operation, which he underwent, are among valued works. Archibald L. MacKinnon, 47, of Hillsboro, N. H., former managing editor of the Lowell (Mass.) Courier- Citizen and Evening Leader, died Sept. 11 in a Brookline Hospital after a long illness. First entered news- paper work in Claremont, N. H., with the Claremont Eagle. In 1914, he went to Lowell as telegraph editor of the Courier-Citizen. He later be- came city editor and was managing editor of the combined papers from 1921 to 1931, when he retired because of illness. Leaves a widow, brother and sister. '■ Edwin Hitchcock, 39, former drama editor and theatre publicist, died Sept. 17, in Los Angeles after a long illness. After serving in the World War he was drama ed of the Los Angeles Record and later did pub- licity for Fox-West Coast and studios. He recently compiled a handbook of confidential info on those connected with pictures. Leaves widow and mother. Ripley Wayne Bugbee, 37, vice- president of the Clements Co., Phila- delphia advertising agency, died of Rocky Mountain fever in Philadel- phia last week. Bugbee is believed to have been bitten by a tick while on a vacation in the Canadian Rock- ies, from which he returned Sept. 4. Carl J. H. Anderson, 52, writer on advertising and printing, died at his home in Wilmington, Del., last Sat- urday (17) of a heart ailment. Art director for Hercules Powder Com- pany, Anderson was well known for his articles in the trade press. Clarence A. .Brakeman, 73, for 22 years editor and owner of the Chey- enne (Colo.) County News, weekly newspaper, and Associated Press correspondent, died at his Cheyenne Wells, Colo., home, Sep$. 16. Mrs. Myrtle Brakeman, his widow, will continue publication of the News. Thomas Clayton Wolfe, 37, one of America's outstanding writers, died Sept. 15 in Baltimore.of brain in- fection. Among his best known books were 'Look Homeward, Angel' and 'Of Time and the River.' Wolfe, born at Asheville, N. C, graduated from the University of North Carolina when he was 20 and later went to Harvard. He was a member of George Pierce Baker's 47 Workshop classes at Harvard and his early writing was largely for the theatre, but none of his plays was produced. He later became an instructor in English -at New York University and remained there six years, resigning in 1930 when he received a Guggen- heim Foundation award. CHATTER Frank Sullivan changes publishers with his next book, going to Little, Brown. Charles Hoffman sold a story, 'So Much in Common,' to Good House- keeping. Valentine Williams, the whodunit flctioneer, will have his autobiog published soon; Phyllis Bottome comes over from the other side early next month for a lecture tour. Isaac F. Marcosson another re- turned traveler; to get new Sateve- post assignments. Louise Redfield Peattle sold the se- rial rights of her story,, 'Lost Daugh- ter,' to Red Book. Lester Ziffren to lecture on con- temporary European history at U. of Southern California. Book-A-Mag has been chartered to conduct ■-••a publishing-printing business in New York. Art Smith, lately a rewrite man on the Philadelphia Record, has joined the Chicago Herald-Examiner. Ken, Inc., has filed in Albany a certificate surrendering authority to conduct business in N. Y. state. Max Wallach now in full control of the Architects Publishing Co., having bought out his associate. William Blake's 'This World Is Mine' has just gone into a fifth print- ing. Simon & Shuster publishing. Michael Josephs to publish Anton Dolin's. second book, 'Encore Diver- tisement,' in London around Christ- mas. Arthur Friedman, financial editor of Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, going to Hollywood next month on his vaca- tion. Mr. and Mrs, Bruce Gould (Beatrice Blackmar), who are jointly editor's of Ladies' Home Journal, back from abroad. Waliy Forrester, managing editor Pittsburgh Press, at his desk again after serving as a judge in Atlantic City beauty pageant. Lew Lipton's 'Ideas of 1939,' com- pilation of best original screen stories of the year, will be published by Chatham Co., N..Y. Bill Faust, photo, ed of the Philly Ledger, resigned to take a publicity job with the Protestant Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania. George A. Fisher and Richard T. Graham embarking in the book pub- lishing biz with the formation of the Gateway Publishing Co. Charles E. Still, police reporter for the L New York Sun for nearly half a century, will have a book, 'Styles in Crime,' out this week. Ralph Thompson, New York Times' week-day' book crick, will also do book criticisms for The Yale Review, starting with the fall issue. Margaretta Byers, coauthor of 'De- signing Women," which deals with women's fashions, has joined the fashion staff of Good Housekeeping mag. Gladys Weston Ryan, who used to be an assistant editor of McCall's Magazine, a new bride. Husband is William Stanley Lamont, a bank exec. Book publishing organization to issue volumes of poetry exclusively has been formed in N. Y. by Michael Everett. To be known as Poetry House. Mexico continues to lure most of the scribblers, with Evelyn Waugh the latest to go below the border for a look-see. Incidentally, Evelyn Waugh is a 'he.' Bill O'Donnell, former reporter on Pittsburgh Press and more recently assistant district attorney in Smoky City, just named chief of Allegheny county detective bureau. Harcourt, Brace brings out. next month the stpry of Charles Laugh- ton and his wife, Elsa Lanchester, written by latter. To be called 'Charles Laughton and I.' Plan of M. L. Annenberg to upset the entire Philly newspaper picture by reducing the price of his Inquirer to 2c has apparently been shelved by the frantic appeals of other pub- lishers. J. Stewart Hunter has resigned his associate editorship with Bulletin- Index, class Pittsburgh weekly, to return to University of Pittsburgh faculty as instructor in English. New quarters of the Book and Magazine Guild, N. Y., officially opened with housewarming which attracted some .600 persons employed in the book and magazine fields. Donald Kirkley, dramatic and picture editor of the Baltimore Sun. will handle the amusement pages of the Sunday Sun, replacing Hairy Haller, who has been moved to special assignments and features. August L. Stern, of the New York Journal and American rewrite staff, was afraid it would happen—and it has. After considerable research he completed a play on the historical figure, Mme. Jumel, and now a pro- ducer announces another play on the same subject.