Variety (Oct 1938)

Wednesday, October 5, 1938 CHATTER VARIETY 61 Broadway Ben Atwell ahead of the Mordkin ballet Joe Brandt leaving Saturday for New York. Mercury theatre stage being re- built and enlarged. Enid Markey is being considered for 'Run, Sheep, Run.' • Fredric March-Florence Eldridge due east soon for a Broadway legit, Maurice Silverstone threw lunch- eon Monday (3) for Hal Roach. Harry Reser considering opening a music school. May drop band biz. Joey Keith celebrated his 25th year with Leblang's ticket agency. Dave Bennett, Paramount dance director, in from Coast for a month's stay. Y. Frank Freeman, Jr., son of Par- amount V. p., is an ensign in the naval reserves. Ted Lewis readying a new unit to tour after exit from Casa Manana end of this week. Henry Jaffe, show biz attorney, •flew to the Coast Sunday (2). Due back Friday (7). Max Karper, Yiddish legit p.a., hospitalized with rheumatics after 10 weeks at hom6. National Variety Artists will hold first Clown Night of the season Oct. 9 in club rooms on West 46th street. 'Billy Gould will officiate. Harriet Reynolds, of the Screen Actors Guild eastern office, remain- ing two extra weeks in Florida. Pffil Baker's dicker with Milton Blow agency for the Philip Morris radio commercial didn't come off. Tamara ' Geva. sails from London today and is due here next week. Had been starring in 'Idiot's De- light.' Par legal lights ho took in the Yale-Columbia game in New Haven, included Louis Phillips and Arthur Israel. Harry Rubin, of Paramount, and Gaston L. Stern^ National Screen executive, have had their tonsils re- moved. Sylvia Sidney, currently working in 'One-Third of a Nation' at Astoria, will also do a play on Broadway this season. Maxwell Arnold, new talent scout for Selznick-International, in town eyeing legits and other talerit sources. Horace McMahon returned to Hol- lywood last week after a hurry call from Universal but is due back late this month. , Jack (Stork Club) Entratter and Dorothy James walk the plank Oct. 23 in New York, and will settle down- in Brooklyn. Jill Stern has replaced Valerie Cossart for the 'Shadow and Sub- stance' tour. She recently returned from England. Frank Seltzei:, Hal Roach's pub-ad head, in town for the premiere of 'There Goes My Heart' at the Music Hall tomorrow. L. W. Conrow, head of Altec Serv- ice Corp., back in New- York from regional confabs in Kansas City, De- troit and Chicago. Since the De Marcos' matrimonial -.and ilanciniL split,. Tony DeMarco has reopened his Ziegfeld theatre studlbs for young amateurs. Charlie Shribman, Mai Hallett's manager and himself a ballroom operator, opening several bowling alleys in New England. Clay Bryson,, former vocalist with George Olsen's ban.', back from Eu- rope. He was there some time be- fore war scare chased him. Herbert Rudley. In the forthcom- ing 'Abe Lincoln in Illinois,' has written a drama. 'Shadow on the Wall.' which is going the rounds. Erik Kalkhurst will operate the Cape playhouse, Cape May, N. J., strawhat, next summer. He opens tonight (Wednesday) in 'The Good.' Open Door, Greenwich Village nitery, in bankruptcy, via Sol Jaffa, its co-owner with Charles H. Miller, latter not ioining. Debts, $22,335; assets, $1,224. Herbert Rheiner, junior VArtiuTT mugg, Normandied last week to Scotland where he'll prep for an M. D.'s sheenskin at the University of Edinburgh, New newsreel theatre in the A:so- ciated Press building. Radio City, will be opened some time in Decem- ber by Newsreel Theatres. Inc. (Em- hassy theatre group). Armahd Denis, producer of 'Dark Rapture' (U), back from Boston, where he was luncheoned by Y. W. C. A. Denis will give lecture in Boston some time in December. C. M. White, assistiant general man- ager of Gaumont-British, plans vis- iting exchange centers in south be- fore returning to N. Y. He recently finished swing through midwest. Claude Collins, who served with Pathe News before becoming news- reel contact rep for N. Y. World's Fair, snowed under with exploitation clips he's been turning out for the exposition. Leonard Schlessinger, assistant to Joe Bernhard, WB theatre chief, will be bachelor-dinnered at Benny the Bum's in Philly, on Oct. 12. He is to marry Rose Coyle ('Miss America,' (1036). ,Harry De Costa, Gus Van's first pianist when latter started in vaude- ville around 1905, is currently with Van on latter's date at Loew's State. Pair got together couple of weeks ago for first time in years. A startling innovation at lonig'ht's '•■eem of Cliff Fischer's new Inter- national Casino show will be a life- size replica of the famous manikin statye from Brussels, rather daring for American consumption. Herbert Drake, drama editor of the New York Herald Tribune, lost his sailboat in the recent hurricane. Craft was at City Island, N. Y. flank Senber, M«rcury theatre p.a., had his boat taken out of the water-th^ weekend before th e storni^ . Paris- By Hugo Speok Boite' a Sardines open again. Cirque d'Hiver ditto. Street being named'after Maurice Ravel. •Three Blind Mice' (20th) at Cine Balzac. 'Le Valet Maitre' revived at Mi- chodiere. 'Le Corsaire' revived at Theatre I'Athenee.' Jacqueline Francell set to star in 'Balalaika.' ■Alberta Hunter - singing ^at <.Fre.d Payne's bar. Bnmo Walter becoming natural- ized Frenchman. Professor Beware (Par) at Cinema des Champs-Elysees. Suzy Solidor, back from tour, re- opening her cabaret. La (Tabane Cubaine celebrating seventh anniversary. 'Bois de Boulogne' revived at The- atre des Nouveautes. 'C'etait Moi' Fernandel's next, with Christian Jacaue. Edith Dahl, now Edith Rogers, ap- pearing at Villa d'Este. Simone Simon being considered for film with Jan Kiepura. Don Juan, Montmartre nitery, re- opening, with Greta Keller topping. Irene de Zillah in from Hungary to start George Milton in 'Le Prince Bouboule.' Theatre de Quatre Sous company presenting 'Le Bal de Vouleurs' at Theatre des Arts. New Marsillaise revue, 'Le Roi des Galejeurs,' starring Alibert, opening at Theatre des Varieties. Raymond Boulay constructing two new Paris cinemas, one of 1.500 seats, other 500, latter on the Rue Royale. (Cirque Medrano show this trip 100% women, starring Chrysis de la Grange and featuring Marie Hollis and Cilly Feindt. Budapest Rosalind Russell gave Budapest the once over on her recent visit here. Ferenc Herczeg, Hungary's play- wright laureate and novelist, passed 75th birthday. Ferenc Hont forming a theatrical co-operative on a subscription basis. Purpose is to present Hungarian re- vivals and foreign plays. Julius Kabos said to be contracted for American tour in February. He's to personal in Hungarian nabes with his picture, 'Henpecked Hus- band.' .. .yigszinhaz and Magyar theatre both opening wltli' American plays; Vig has 'On Borrowed Time^ and Magyar- putting on Elmer Rice's 'Street Scene.' Lajos Zilahy producing pictures based on his two plays, 'The Sun Shines' and 'Musical Clowns,' on his own. He's starring Alice Nagy, ju- venile player, who made her statge debut last season. 'I Married An Angel' to be re- vived here, with the American mu- ^cal version, at Andrassy theatre, with Maria Lazar in the lead. She was in the original cast of the play here six years ago. Sydney By Eric Gorrick Betty Balfour figures on remain- ing in Australia. Herman Flynn in charge of ex- ploitation for Par's reissue of 'The Sheik.' Thousands of pulpers are await- ing return to American publishers following government ban. Greater Union oringing in ama- teurs once weekly at thfe Capitol in association with dual pictures. Exhib interests are worried over Victorian government allowing night trotting to come into territory.' All protests have been in vain. Ken G. Hall readying production of 'Mr. Chetworth Hits Out' starring Cecil Kellaway. Cinesound would like another title for pidture. Little Theatres concluding a very good winter season. Ckirrent shows include 'Seventeen,' 'Three-Cornered Moon,' 'You Can't Take It With You,' and 'The Sea Gull.' Commonwealth Broadcasting net- work, Albert-Doyle commercial unit, will be augmented shortly by .addi- tional stations under personal direc- tion, of Stuart F. Doyle. Williamson-Tait suffered a heavy loss with their 'Personal Appear- ance,' starring Betty Balfour. Also took the knock with Nati Morales, Spanish dancer, and her troupe. Cinesound very hopeful now that i th6 New South Wales government; will permit production of 'Robbery j Under Arms' next year. Hal Roach • had announced that his unit would i produce 'R. U. A.,' but wa."?' wiseri j that Cinesound owned the riffV't*. London Jack Taylor, ill in Blackpool, now on the upgrade. Mat McKeigue in hospital getting over internal ailment. ^^Earl Bailey with chipped spine as result of^fall. May need operation. Bies'm.o.nSvTew, local financier, has bought Worton Hall Film studios. The Royalty Jtheatre,-Soho, is to be demolished. Theatre has been up 98 y€ars. Dave Shelley, son of Buddy de Sylva, here. May land lead in West End show. In Elisabeth Bergner's next picture, 'Stolen Life.' she will do the Lam- beth Walk. Drury Lane theatre made a trad- ing profit of $14,000 for the year ending June 30. Emlyn Williams will play the lead in the next Warner Bros. Teddin.fton production, 'They Drive by Night.' Ev,ely,n li-^ye will be- principal in •Tom' Arnold's Dantomime; ''Sl6ei)ittB' Eeputy,' in B'rminfrham at Chr'st- mas. Gene Sheldon playing one week for Si. Oswald StoU'.*; circuit bsfore going to the Sc?la, Berlin, for two months. Jack La Rue to play lead in 'Mur- der in Soho,' being made by As.'so- ciated British Pictures at its studios in Elstree. George Beatty offered work i;i London but refused to accept since he would have to leave his aged parents in New York. Stoll Film Studios, Cricklewood. cradle of miny early film stars, will be auctioned Oct. 26, unless privately sold in the meantime. General Theatres Corp. although claiming it has plenty of work for American acts in England, is onl.v. booking from week to week. Hvams Bros, purchased' building at Kingston. London suburb, to erect picture theatre. WUl be built in con- junction with Gaumont-British. Caligary Bros., due to open a four- week season at the Savoy hotel, post- poned owing to Steve Caligary's wife having an operation in Stockholm. Emanuele Zama,, European sales manager and head of the export business in Europe for Columbia, is leaving th'-t company after nine years. Buster Shaver, with Olive and George, booked to return to London- Coliseum for another fortnight after their eight-week stay at the Scala, Berlin. Reports from Brighton, where the new Palladium show, "These Foolish ']?hings,' is breaking in prior to its London presentation, are praise- worthy. Alfredo's orchestra booked for the New York World's Fair for June and July, 1939, may have trouble in get- ting permit for the Russians in his aggregation. Roy Niel directing 'A Gentleman's Gentleman,' which Warner Bros. (London) is doing at its Teddington studios, and in -which Eric Blore- is to star, with Dave Burns in support. Diana Ward, who's starring in the Cocoanut Gfrove, London niter" is in private life the wife, of Jack Cole- grave, British sportsman, who gave the club to his missus as a Wedding gift. Joe Fisher ('Singapore Joe'), who represents Amalgamated Theatres in Singapore, passed through London from the U. S., en route to his head- quarters. He made the journey from London by air. Lew Jackson, head of Radio Lyon, has formed new film-renting organ- ization, and appointed Jerry Freed- man, brother-in-law of Maxie Thorpe, sales manager- of Columbia Pictures, as managing director. Despite meagre takings on his first vaudeville venture, Louis Levy, di- rector of music for Gaumont-British, and- radio name in England, will make another tour, this time with a smaller outfit instead of a 32-piece band. General Film Distributors has ar- ranged for production at, Pinewood of 'Me and My Girl.' Picture goes into production shortly as 'The Lam- beth Walk,' with Albert de Cour- ville directing from scenario by John Paddy Carstairs. fold for femme lead in 'It Can's Happen Here.' Marilyn Meseke, 'Miss America,' and three runners-up at Italian Gardens for week. Fran Eichler, the orchestra loader, best man at brother Bill's marriage to Lee Montressor. Dillon O'Ferris, from Par stock school, playing in Kilbuck theatre's 'Mr. and Mrs. Phipps.' Gray Gordon weekended here on way to Syracuse for hotel engage- ment with his orchestra. Two local gals, Jean Moorhead and Marie DeForrest, in cast of 'You Never Know,' currently on Broad- way. Hodywood Boston Pittsburgh By Hal Cohen Carroll Spear, saxman, joining Billy Brooks' Band. Hotel Lenox's The Blue Train now dubbed The Riviera. Lee Steele in as producer of the Brown Derby shows. '^Ndt -FUrst,' 'mianti^r 'foi:'^Warner Bros, in New England, has resigned. Local Federal Theatre has moved to Roxbury, 'way out of town. Agency has been on move .continually since its inception. Congo, operated by Rose Chapman,^ town's only femme nitery operator, set with a sepia revue policy. Ad- joining is other Harlem opposish, the Southland. Newcomb F. Thompson (N. F. T., radio ed of the Boston Evening American) handled hurricane news direct from the American's editorial offices via WCOP. Kansas City By John Quinn Clark Gable stopped off here be- tween trains. Danny McCarthy, Omaha United Artists salesman, honeymooning in town last week. John Carradine, Fox character player, danced at the Muehlebach grill despite beard required for his part in 'Jesse James.' Roy Miller, Universal exchange manager, planing into Chicago for meeting of U execs with President Nate Blumberg relative to company's fall policy. Henry Fonda here last week re- ceiving medical attention for slight wound incurred in the filming of, 'Jesse James' at Pineville, Mo. Off by plane for a visit with friends and relatives in Omaha. Cost Webs 193G's (Continued from page 1) George JafTe fighting flu. Harry Sherman rounding out a year's run at Al Mercur's Nut House. Pete Antopolos and frau celebrat- ing their silver wedding anniversary. Eddie Paytoh has converted his big night spot into a barbecue place. (iuitarist Bunny Rang has joined Ra.v Herbeck's crew at the Willows. Burt Layton. revue returning to Plaza cafe from Buffalo next month. Carmen Carnevale opening his own puppet theatre in Oakland dis- | trict. Lawrence Welk reopened William Penn Hotel's Chatterbox Monday r>!ght (3). Angelo Di Palma's son has come ..n from Cleveland to enroll at Du- "uesne U. Helen Wayne back in Playhou.se portant news were received from abroad it would be interpolated in the course of the show. Networks' view on the subject of rebates will be that by making these bulletins available aif all fiirieis they were able to gather abnormally large audiences for such programs. Home offices costs were also in- creased substantially for all three webs. There was the matter of maintaining translators and steno- typists to take down the shortwave broadcasts. Also of paying the ex- tra expenses of regular employees kept on the job from 12 to 20 hours a day. CBS had some 60 employees concerned almost exclusively with the handling of the German-Czech crisis. Among the notable achievements by the networks during the crisis was their massive marshaling of expert observers in the various European capitals. It was an unprecedented merging of the best correspondent talents that all the leading news col- lecting agencies and newspapers had to offer. Included in the list of foreign cor- respondents picked up by NBC (besides the networks' own repre- sentatives) were Larry Allen, Asso- ciated .Press, Berlin; Alvin Steinkopf, AP Prague; Reynolds and Eleanor Packard, United Press. Prague; An- drew Rothstein, T a s s Agency, Geneva; John Lloyd, AP Paris; Louis Lochner, AP, Berlin; Joe DriscOlI, N. Y. Herald Trib, London, William Bird, N, Y. Sun, Paris; Henry Cas- sidy, AP Paris; George Kidd, UP Berlin; Edward Traus, AP Brussels; and Dorothy Bess, Christian Science Monitor, Geneva. CBS retinue of temporary news ind opinion disseminators included Ralph Whiteleather, AP Paris; Ver- non Bartlett, London News Chroni- cle, Paris; Webb Miller, UP, various capitals; Mathew Holton, Toronto Star, Paris; Pierre Huss, Inter- national News Service, Berlin; Ken- neth Downs, INS, Paris; Frank Ger- vasi, INS, Rome; Selkirk Patten, London Daily Express, Berlin; Sigrid Schultz Chicago Trib, Berlin; Ralph Barnes, N. Y, Trib, Prague; and Maurice Hindus, author and free- lance, Prague. Ray Milland's car stolen. Al Jolson to Palm Springs., Morris Stoloff to Honolulu. Harold Adamson convalescent. William Wellman to Bermuda. Harry Ruby out of the hospital. Tubby Garon back from Frisco, Benny Baker east on p. a. tour. Peter Holden in from Broadway, Jimmy Dursnte fishing in Mexico. Scott R. Dunlap to San Francisco. Luis Alberni east for 12-week tour. Bob lO!oriarity in from New '"orlc. Adrianne Ames laid up with flu, Harry Nace planed in from Phoe- nix, bcott Holton and bride, deer hunt- ing. Nedda Harrigan' in from Broad- way. Albertina Rasch back from Broad- way. Robert Richman home from Ha- waii. Joe E. BrOwn recuperating at home. Hother.Hellenberg. here>fFom. Denr. mark. . Joseph I. Breen checked out. of hospital. John Payne visiting his mother in Virginia. Doane Harrison vacationing in Montana. John McCormick to hospital for operation. Allen Jenkins returned from east- ern holiday. Jack Bobbins here to look • over musiw' field. Stanley Marlowe here from Man- hattan stage.. Sig Marcus back to work after long illness. Luise Rainer returned to work aftrr illness. Rita Stevens recovering from ap- pendectomy. Sidney Rawlings to hospital with back injury, Billy Gordon back from Mexican fishing jaunt. Bill . Lawrence recovering from appendectomy. Violet Cavette back to work after six-month illness. Tex Ritter back with string of Ne- vada rodeo horses. May Robson, broken arni mended, returned to work. Jeanette MacDonald recovering from minor operation. Movita, John Carroll and Jack Rpndall back from Texas. Dimitri A. Naoumoff giving the studios a Bulgarian gander. Dick Powell and Joan Blondell ya^htlnff in Mexican waters. Bill Boyd injured by -rock in blasting sequences on location near Kernville, . Carole Lombard and Janet Gaynor celebrate their birthdays tomorrow (Thursday). WBnneapoils By Lcs Rees National Screen held annual picnic. Walter Nass, National Screen homeolfice technical expert, a visitor. ' Hunting season's inaugural found niahy of the Film ROW boys treking north. ' Bill Green in from Chicago to handle Benny Goodman's engage- ment at Orpheum. Moe Levy, 20th-Fox district man- ager, visiting his Omaha and Des Moines' branches. Frank ' Mantzke, transferred to Milwaukee as Universal branch man- ager, back to move family, Earle Perkins, Warner Bros.' Omaha branch manager, in to see Minnesota-Nebraska football game. Lowell Smoots, Little Falls, Minn., exhibitor, medalist in Twin City Variety club's final golf tournament of season. U. of Minnesota theatre to open season Oct. 18 with 'Father Malachy's Miracle,' succeeding offerings to be 'The Guardsman,' 'Johnny Johnson,' Peter Pan,' 'It Can't Happen Here' and 'Cyrano de Bergerac' Bennie Berger, independent circuit operator, accompanied President W. A, Stefles, of Northwest Allied, to Washington, where latter will sit in on national Allied confab and at- tempt to obtain radio station permit. Pair due to stop in New York be- fore returning home. Chicago Lee Shubert in for a squint at 'I Am Different.' Marion Claire, warbler, mulling legit return in straight dramatic role. Jerry Lavan new nitery squinter for the morning Her-Ex under the moniker of Cab Barrett. Dennis Cooney tossed a $10 open- mg for the new season's get-away at the Royale Frolics nitery. Charlie Collins, new ed of Trib's Line 0' Type,' getting plenty of show- biz color-.into the column. Bill Stein. Music Corp. of America v.p., at Chicago headquarters for a spell after a tour of the kev burgs. Phil Tyrrell opening his own nitery and vaude booking offices. As- sociated with him are W, E. Sny- der and Harry Hoyt. Joe Abram<!on, who has been with the Capitol film exchange here, to the Coast with his family for p"" ■ manent residence there.