Variety (Mar 1939)

54 VARIETY Wednesdaj, March 1, 1939 OBITUARIES . JOE BBANDT . Joe B^dt, 60, film Industrr vet- eran, died Feb. 22 at hU home in Beverly Hills after • long illness. He was organizer and first presi- dent of the C3.C. Sales Corp., which later became Columbia Pic- tures. Native of Troy, N. Y., Brandt was admitted to the New York bar in 1906 and entered pictures as private secretary to Carl Laemmle two years later. He aided in the forma- tion of Universal and resigned as general manager in 1919 to form National Film Corp. In 1920 Brandt joined with Harry and Jacic Cohn in what Is now Co- lumbia, selling out his Interests to Harry in 1932. Since then he had not been active in ' production but did have a hind in some foreign distribution of Italian pix. Leaves his widow and a son, Jerry. Inter- ment in New Yoric DOBOTHEA SAINTE CLAIB Dorothea Salnte Clair, 28, musical comedy dancer featured in the 'Zlegfeld FolUes,' 'Whoopee,' "Rio Rita' and other Broadway shows prior to her retirement in 1933, died in St Vincent's Hospital, New Brighton, Staten Island, Thursday (23). Her marriage name was Mrs. Dorothea Salnte Clair Cardlllo Col- lins. Daughter of a vocal Instructor, she was at one time an advertising model OEOBGE GOLLVriTZEB George Gollwitzer, 72, veteran Pittsburgh musician, died last week after a long illness. He came to this country from Austria at 18 and got a Job playing the French horn Im- mediately in PitUburgh's old Grand Opera house. Also played in pit for legit attractions at both Alvin and Nixon theatres and was a violaist for the first Pittsburgh Symphony Or chestra. Gollwitzer helped to organize Pittsburgh local of the Musicians' Union. He leaves his wife and two daughters. CEDBIC WELLEB Cedrle Weller, 37, actor and son of S. MacLeaiy Weller, Walter Hamp- den's personal manager, died Sun- day (26) at his home in New York City following a protracted illness. Weller's first stage appearance was with Hampden In 'Cyrano de Berg- erac' A member of the company for several years, he later assisted his father in conducting Hampden's road tours. Hampden delivered an eulogy at the funeral services yesterday (TueS' day). Surviving are Weller's father and three s'sters. WILFBED T. VAN TOBX Wilfred T. Van Yorx, 68, vocal in- structor for Billie Burke, Dennis King, Frank Mtmn and Alice Brady, among others, died of a stroke J* McCarthy and recently operated a florist shop at Oakwood, Staten Island. Her parents, her husband, a son, a sis- ter and two brothers survive. JOHN J. CBOITT John J. (Jack) Crotty, 62, legit player, died in poverty Feb. 22 at the Goodfellow House in Milwaukee. Twenty-five years ago, one of Mil- waukee's theatrical favorites, he played stock at the Schubert, Juneau and Crystal theatres. ■ Later hi held supporting roles with Henry Miller in •The Great -Divide'; with WUton Lackaye in The Pit^ and Mrs. Fiske- fat 'Caprice.' Unless relatives are found, Crotty will be burled in potter's field. Thursday (23) In his home In Mi Vernon, N.Y. Van Yorx had appeared as a solo- ist on five occasions with the Boston Symphony orchestra' and for many years sang Ip New York churches. He had a studio in New York for the last 25 years. Widow and two sons survive. BOBEBT GLECKLEB Robert Gleckler, S2, whose per- formance in 'Broadway' and other New York stage . pl^ attracted Hollywood attention and won hhn considerd>Ie picture work during the past 10 years, died Feb. 26 in North Hollywood of uremic poison- ing, ninesfl ncently forced bim to withdraw from a part in 'Gom With Wind.' Gleckler leaves his widow, former Adelaide Kendall, legit player, and three children. BICHABD COPLEY Richard. Copley, 63, New York concert manager, died of a heart attack in Toronto Feb. 27. He was in Toronto arranging bookings for several concerts at the time of his death. Late Mme. Schumann-Helnk, Mischa Elman and Josef Hoffman all performed under his manage ment at various times. Survived by a daughter, with whom he lived in Hackensack, N. J. BENNY BEBMAN Benny Berman, 41, recently Coast professional manager for Bregman- Vocco-Conn, and with many other publishers in his 25 years In the music business, died Feb. 24, of pneumonia in Los Angeles. He was a familiar figure in Hollywood and enjoyed the friendship of most music directory'and radio singers. He leaves a wife and daughter. JAMES DAWSON James (Jimmy) Dawson, 40, or- chestra leader, died Feb. 21, in Cleveland, after an Illness of a year and a half. For the past 12 years Dawson headed his own danQ$ band, which played in ballrooms and stmmier resorts In Ohio. Be- fore that he was a vocalist with Griff Morris' orchestra. His widow and a son survive. FBANZ' SCHBODT Franz Schmidt, Austria's foremost opera composer, died on Feb. 12, Bom in Pressburg, near Vienna, in 1874, his most famous opera is 'Notre Dame,' which has been pro- duced In almost all countries of Eli- rope and in America. Sclimidt began his career as 'cello player in the state opera. JAMES DAWSON After an Illness of 18 months, Jimmy Daws<m, 40, orchestra lead- er, died at a nursing home in Cleve- land, O., Feb. 21. Daw804 had one of leading, society orchestras here for the last decade, and was for- merly a singer In Griff Morris" band. Survived by widow and a son, 5. ABNOLD .WOLFOBD Arnold Wolford, 70, retired play broker and early; New York j^age player, died Feb. 26 in Antamohlca. He appeared with vueh stars as Delia Fox, Maurice Barrymore and Kryle Bellew. Widow and dau^ter survive. IN MEMORY OF OUR DEA.R. FRIEND JOSEPH BRANDT COLUMBIA PICTURES CORPORATION Charles Alberty, 80, retired amuse ment park operator, died at his home in Milwaukee, Feb. 4. He was man ager of the former Blatz Park. Siir vlved by a daughter. JAMES L. DEMFSET James L. Dempsey, former actor, died Feb, 18 at his home in New Richmond, 0„ after a brief Illness. Dempsey and his wife Were for many years in vaudeville and on the legitimate stage. They retired 10 years ago, Mrs. Dempsey survives. WILLIAM L. CABYL William L. Caryl, 49, for 10 years an executive on the New York staff of the Shuberts, died in Uttle Neck, Queens, Friday (24). Details in legit sectloa Clara MoWilUaou, 16, daughter of F. J. McWllliams, operator of two nabes and chairman of the Inde- pendent Theatres Protective Asso- ciation of Wisconsin, died at her home In Portage, Feb. 12. Survived by parents, five sisters and three brothers. John (Chanky) Levin, 63, nitery owner, died of a heart attack, Feb. 23, in Milwaukee. He was proprietor of the swank Golden Pheasant dur- ing prohibition, later obtained an in- terest In the Ship, and since then had been connected with several other cafe enterprises. Wife of Powel .Crosley, Jr, presl dent of the Crosley Corp., operating WLW and WSAI, Cincinnati, and head of the Cincinnati baseball club in the National League, died Feb, 26 at their winter estate in Sarasota, Fla. Mrs. Margaret Larisen, 24, wife of Don Larsen, assistant manager of the Davidson, legit theatre, died Feb. 19 in Mount Sinai hospital, Milwaukee, after a long illness. Survived by husband, mother, brother and sister, Charles W. Sehafer, 69, treasurer of the State Theatre Cd^ Youngs town, O., died at his home in that city Feb. 19, of a heart aUment His widow and two sons survive. Bev. Oaoar B. Lee, 56, retired minister, father of Joseph W, Lee, manager of KGFF (Shawnee, Okla.) died in Shawnee last week. Lee Is his only child. Drama Critics (Continued from page 1) ize the agencies read those three dailies. Despite the huge circulation of the Daily News, in which Burns Mantle holds forth, only a slight propor- tion of that sheet's readers are agency clients. However, because of its. practice of rating shows by the star system, the News has a strong indirect influence, since a four-star or even a three-star billing is usual- ly featured in the ads in the Times, "Trib and Sun. Also Help Box Offlees Although the preponderant Influ- ence of the three papers is particu- larly noUble in the agency ticket field, it also has a strong pull on the regular box office trade. There- fore, it is pohited out. Mantle doesn't have as strong an effect on the di- rect theatre trade as Atkinson, Watts and Lockridge, even though the News' circulation Is so much larger than the Times, Trib and Sun. Also, wliile John Mason Brown and John Anderson, of the Post and Journal-American, respectively, are weU rated frOm a critical viewpoint, they do not have much immediate effect on the box office. And even though he presumably has less read- er following (because he has been a critic for only a season and a half), Sidney B. Whipple is figured to have a slightly stronger hifluence because of the World-Telegram's theatre cir- culation. Walter Winchell is an exception to the usual rules because of his syn- dicated column. His reviews hi the Mirror are rated as havhig little draw, but because he can keep plug- ging a show In his column, he has a tremendous secondary puU. Mc- Bride believes that It makes little difference what type of show is con- sidered, but that the reviews have a similar effect on all Unds. He feels the present crop of serious dramas and problems plays are not Ideal from a box office standpoint, but that Broadway currently could use a strong htugh show. He also thhiks that a good whodunit or romance would go at this time. Plays on jffVmyJ OFF TO BUFFALO (Continued from page 50) finally was produced last fall hv Vinton Freedley and • Albert Lewt after some frantic casting difflciS ties. It was tried out in Boston and taken off for revision.- After mor* casting headaches, it was retasmi 'Off to Buffalo' and tested In PhffiS delphia, with Fre^ley finally Ing out and Milton Berle reported putting up the necessary addluoiS cohi to open the show on- Broadwav If Boretz ha* been trying to live the stonr of 'Room Service' he could hardly have gone through more. There's nothing much to say about 'Buffalo' except that it brings ^o* Cook back to the boards after an absence of more than five years But this is no 'Hold Your Horses,' 'RaSi or Shine' or 'Fine and Dandy' and the comedian is unable to ignite the damp material. Hie comedy has a frenzied look, as if the boys had sat up many nights consuming coffee and smoking cigarets as they tried to cudgel laughs into the script. Tht result is a labored piece that tries desperately to please, but ends by merely exhausting its audience. As an excuse to present a few vaudeville acts, the comedy tells a story about a Casper Milquetoast-tsh fan of the old two-a-day who lines up a show of former Palace head- liners for his lodge's annual enter- tainment, only to have a flock of hoofers, jugglers and acrobats turn his home into a Times Square board- ing house. Cook and his fellow- combers of the Palace 'beach' put on a second-act show for the lodge entertainment committee. But even as part of a legit play, vaude is still vaude—and no one has yet succeeded in reviving it . Cook brings his bland Innocence and enormously good humor to the part of the Palace has-been, bring- ing back many of his familiar gags and telling one of his balmy stories In the hectic second act But ha comes off a bad second to .the Joe Mlller-ish material. The part was expanded .to Include the vaude stuff when the comedian went into the show, but it doesn't help. In' the only really playable parts, Hume Cronyn and Elizabeth Love are sincere, direct, skilful and irre- sistibly convincing as the distracts two-a-day fan and his harried spouse. Otto Hulett Is credible as the disillusioned illusionist, but most of the others overplay like the vaudeville troupers they're supposed to represent Melville Burke hai directed the. production vehemently and Donald Oenslager's settings have the proper look of second-rate re- spectability. Frequent mentions of Varibft, as well as Sam Zolotow, of the New York Times, and Ward Morehouse^ of the New York Sun, brought laugh* ter (and a few waggish hisses) from first-nighters. Hobe. (Closed Saturday (25) after *eve» performances; printed /or the rec- ord.) MARRIAGES Eleanore Whitney to Frederick Backer, in New York, Feb. 23. She'a the' dancer and film player; he's for- mer assistant United States Attorney. Jayne C!rawford to Wayne Gregg, in Hollywood, Feb. 19. Bride is a dancer; he's' a singer. Sarah Edwards to A. W. Finney, in Los Angeles, Feb. 24. He's asr sistant purchasing agent at Warners. Pat Murphy to James B. Cheek, In Fort Worth, Feb. 21. Bride ii secretary to Elliott Roosevelt presi- dent of the Texas State Network. Margaret Greene to ' John W. Hughes, in Port Worth, Feb. 21. He's drama director for the Texas State Network. BIRTHS Mr. and Mrs. Allen E. Norman, son, In Portchester, N. Y., Feb. ?8. Father Is general manager of Faw- cett- Publications. Mr. and Mrs. Stormy Jones, ison. In Milwaukee, Feb. 20. Father Is drummer with Lee Roth's Riverside theatre house orchestra, Milwaukee, Mr. and Mrs. Bob Nesbitt son, in Pittsburgh, Feb. 20. Father's with the Monogram exchange there. Mr. and Mrs. A. V. Bamford, daughter, in Chicago, Feb. 18. Father is with Aerogram transcription out- flt Chicago. Mr. and Mrs. Robert Shapiro, son. In Brooklyn, Feb. 22. Father Is as- sistant to Robert M. Weltman, jnan- aging director of Paramount N. Y. Mr. and Mrs. Jack Klrkland, daughter. In New York, Feb. 28. Father Is playwright and producer; mother Is Haila Stoddard, legit slc- tress.