Variety (Mar 1939)

^Tednesdaf, March 1, 1939 FORUM--OUTDOORS VARIETY WHAT THEY THINK 55 Flushing, N. Y. editor, Variety: WUl you Wndly tell me il there Is a new racket among the chiseling agents? About four months ago my daugh- ter 18, went to an agent (don't care to mention bis name here) in the Bond BuUdlng, New York, to apply for work as an entertainer. 'She aings and dances. Hie agent's secre- tary Informed her they give audi- tions at entertainments, and re- Quesled ttat she call by phone next day (Saturday) for directions to the place. She was told to go to the Hotel Pennsylvania that evening, where a fraternal organization held an aflah:. She sang and danced and left at 2 a.m.—it was one of tiie stormiest nights I ever saw. On Monday she went there for her report and the secretary told her the <^port is very good for both sing- ing and dancing," and added, "you are now in with us and we will give you work," requesting pictures as soon as possible. This was promptly attended to. She has been to the of- fice several times, called iv on the 'phone, and each time is Informed by the secretary Ve haven't anything.' About two weeks ago my daughter went to the office and was again given the same story. I was. with . her. My daughter remarked there must be some chance showing up in dl these four mrniths, and the an- swer was that how it nms.' In all this time, never once has she had an interview with the agent himself. Now, at entertainments they al- ways have singers, dancers, etc., so I gather they give auditions for which the agent collects, and the per- former gets nothing—and receives no further work. Name toitheld on request. VTPA Vs. Mike Todd New York. ' Editor, Vabiett: A. situation has arisen in the Arts Project of the WPA that, to my mind, sho'.ild be brought into the open and to the attention of the pub lie. The 'Swing' Mikado was staged by the Federal Arts Project in Chi' cago and is now playing to capacity houses. It 60 impressed a producer, one Michael Todd, that he has de- cided to stage it here as a private . enterprise. His cast will comprise man^ persons that would otherwise be on the.rellef rolls here. The Chicago WPA Company be- came 80 Vexed at the idea of Mr. Todd's purloining their brainchild, they have decided to bring their 'Swing' Mikado he;« in opposition to Todd's. I doubt that there will be much opposition. WPA will charge $1.10 .top—Mr. Todd, $3.^ to H40. Todd will have to pay three or four times as much for his musicians, stage- hands, etc., to say nothing of choir, dancing chorus and principals. The point Td like to bring up here Is what argument could the WPA present as an excuse for opposing a private enterprise? Conceding that Mr. Todd did adopt their idea, isn't he at least going to employ people without help from the Government? Suppose WPA wants to bring their version here in order to cpnvlnce skeptical folks as to the value of the 'Arts Projects'. What further evidence can one have than the proof that the success of a WPA venture hi Chicago encouraged a man in New York to risk his money and offer employment to 90 or more PMpIe? The more successful Mr. Todd's production is, the more credit is due WPA. I wish you would give this matter some of your attention editorially, u possible, because if we are to stay off relief, private enterprise will have to be encouraged—not dis- couraged. Billy Butler. Contractor for 'Swing' Mikado Orchestra. (I Hope.) (The WPA 'Hot Mikado' opens to- ^vht (1) on BroadtMiv at the New Yorfcer theatre, toith the Chicago production intact.—£d.) That Nipponese Deal Tokyo. Editor, Vabiety: The stories appearing in your paper relating to the agreement en- tered into by the Japanese Govern- ment with the eight major Ameri- can motion picture distributors do- ">e business in this country, are somewhat distorted and do not give an accurate account of the workings M this agreement The contents of Jhese articles would give the im- pression that the Japanese Govern- ment is not living up to its under- takings, which is contrary to fact We wish to state here.most .em- phatically that for all practical pur- poses the Japanese Government has so far lived up to every promise made to the American motion pic- ture distributors .In Japan. The accumulated funds as agreed upon have been .remitted to the United States; about half the num- ber of pictures permitted under this agreement have elready b^ im- ported, dnd we have good reasons to believe that the agreement will be lived up to in its entirety. May .we, .therefore, ask you to be good enough . to give this letter prominence in your columns. AMERICAN MOTION PICTURE ASSOCIATION OF JAPAN. (Chairman: J. D. Hermann.) Impression in the U. S. film indus- try is that the Japanese government has lived up to the full letter of its agreement with major film com- panies regarding shipping pictures' into Japan and- placing funds in San Francisco. In fact film officials ar- riving in New York from Japan have regarded the trade agreement dra'Wd up was about as fair and impartial as could be given under existing cir' cumstances. No officials in New York could be found who felt that Japan was trying to get out of the contract or even temper the agree- ment Vabiety in a recent Issue related how all funds agreed on had been paid into the Yokohama Specie Bank in San Francisco, Previously it had explained how films had entered Japan, RADIO CITY RUNNER^UP ASAN.Y.FARMIIST Radio City has been pegged as the No. 2 attraction to the N. Y. World's Fair for visiting tourists ly two lead- ing travel agencies handling trip tickets to the exposition. Bott American Express and Cook's have it on these trip tickets as the out- standing attraction after the fair has been taken in. Visitors are offered the NBC radio studio show and its television tour or Rockefeller Cer.ter Observation roofs. NBC is counting on getting 15% of the 50,000,003 expected at the fair, or approximately 2|72O,O0O visitors. American Express has' tied up some 10,000 hotel rooms in N; Y. for its trip ticket or package tour ducats for the fair. These include taxi fare to hotels, charge for hotels, admis- sion to fair and the Radio City tours. Express company has bought largest advance block of exposition tickets of any firm. Both American and Cook's all-expense (outside railroad fares) ducats range from about $9 for 2-day (cheapest hotel) to $52 for 7-day visits, latter being at the ex- pensive hotels. Opening Week s fk GoMen Gate Fair Forecasts Fmancial Success Spanish Bctngce Film San Diego, Calil Editor, Variety: I see by the Feb. 16 Issue that a HoUjrwood studio la about to make a refugee picture. Doesn't say what kind, of refugees but that still leaves 'em one year behind Mexico. They've turned out a picture down there called Hefugees in Madrid.' I saw it in a little Mexican bouse here and was surprised to find it had English subtitles. It Is a long picture, too, but so interesting it seems short Although the title is 'Madrid,' the - story would fit any embassy anywhere at the opening of any war. Film shows how all types of people are thrown together in a neutral zone, from spies to opera singers, as they seek refuge from conflict It's as good, as plenty of U. S. productions Fve seen. I don't know if Variety had any- thing to do with it or not but some time ago you published a letter of mine in which I wondered why someone didn't try a world-film pol- icy in this town; now it's being done, and we've had such films as 'Grand Illusion,' 'The Cheat' 'Beethoven,' etc. Karl Wyllis. Seek Chatbam (Cartwrlght) Flushhig, L. I., N. Y. Editor, Vabiety: Am trying to locate my father. The last I heard from him he played In the 'Girl from Paris,' His name is James Hoyt Chatham, sometimes known as Cartwright I do not know if an actor at his age would still be; in existence. He would now be about 60. Robert W. Chatham. CARNIVALS NIXED IN DETROIT, SALT LAKE Detroit Feb. 28. Outlawing all carnivals within city limits, regardless of sponsorship, common council last week acceded to Councilman John C. Lodge's, long fight against street shows. Action was precipitateid by request from local Veterans of Foreign Wars post to- sponsor carnival with pro- ceeds to go for welfare and relief purposes. Surprise move was pro- vided by Councilman Eugene Van Antwerp, who's, also national com- mander of V. F. W., when he argued against the idea because 'the carnival people are the only ones to benefit isince the carnival ordinarily would have to pay $50 for a city permit and that's all it's offering the spon- soring organization.' Salt Lake City, Feb. 26. Peelers and 'unwholesome side- shows' were. principal reasons cited by the Salt Lake City commission in flatly tabooing carnivals here for re- mainder of 1939. ActlQn was . greeted with disap- proval by severaj^',. organJ^^ioos. Press at Fair (Continued from page 1) cently completed $200,000 Working Press building. It is probably the most elaborate setup ever arranged for newsmen covering an exposition or any show of this type. More than 23 offices, rooms and headquarters for different w6rking newspapermen, besfales reception rooms, a modern recreation hall, showers and other facilities have been established for the Fourth Es- tate in this Working Press building, which Is situated near the Adminis- tration building entrance and the Press-Promotion building. Fair suggested cooperation of N.Y. dailies and a committee of city ed- itors, consisting of Edmund Bartnett of the Sun, chairman; Charles Mc- Lendon, Herald Tribune, and Walter Lister of the Post conferred with Whalen and Boone on their needs for extensive fair coverage. After out- lining requirements this committee met with wire service representa- tives, photograph indicates and the N. Y. City News Association to map further details. Check showed that New York daily papers each would assign three to el^'t men regularly to cover the fair. Newspapers were asked the amoimt of space needed, rated ac- cording to number of men working, and this was allotted. Figured that 12,000 square feet of space would be required, which Is space In new structure. The largest newsrooms are suited for seven or eight men. Separate rooms have been provided for all New York dailies. Another press- room, 400 square feet in size, has been established for out-of-town cor- respondents. Another Is set aside for foreign. Dark Booms, Etc. In addition wire associations such as UP, AP and International News also have separate quarters. There also is a room for Long Island news- men and quarters for visiting pho- tographers. Cameramen with daUy N.Y. papers have been given space with the publications they represent a dark room connected to each. The four picture syndicates, Wide- World, Acme, International News and Associated Press, each have sep- arate offices, equipped with dark rooms and facilities for developing and printing photographs. Building has been laid out so that wire-pho- tography apparatus can be Installed where wanted. AP has its wirephoto and camera division immediately ad- jacent to. the AP newsroom in a combo office, dark rooms being in- cluded in alignment Newsreel dark rooms will be spotted on.the ground floor of some centrally located build- ing because of heavy equipment of crews. Cameramen will be able to rush completed prints to New York via Long Island railway's 10-minute ser- vice or can be sent by motorcycle carrier to North Beach airport for more distant shipment by plane. New York Journal has made ar- rangements to fly negatives by .car- rier pigeon from the roof of the Working Press building. Both Postal and Western Union will have offices in this structure. Building also has a large reception hall at the top of the stairs with a big office, for the fair's publicity rep- resentative on duty each day. The Press JgMmqtipn building will con- San Francisco, Feb. 28, Huge financial success is predicted for the 1939 Golden Gate Interna tlonal E:q>osition by officials who are gleeful over the response of the thousands who flocked to Treasure Island, .^ite of the Fair, diiring the opening week. Weather has been perfect ■ Exposition Visitors so far have spent just twice as much per person as the optimistic experts estimated. According to the office of H. C. BortoS, chief of operations, visitors are spending about $2.40 per person,- which is twice the anticipated per person expenditure. At the 1915 Fair, the expenditure was 67c per person and.at Chicago's World's Fair the per person expenditure was $1.17. The opening two days of the ex- position topped Chicago's attendance figures by 50,220 paid admissions. About 250,000 camr to the Fair on the first two days. Washington's Birthday dreW jusV a few hundred less than the opening day's take. Attendance was set to break the 600,000 total over the weekend. Expo execs are amazed at the amount of real dough which is be- ing taken at the turnstiles; 55% of those admitted on opening day put hard cash on the line in order to get by the gate. A single ticket from the $10 scrip book costs the owner 20c while one from a season book runs little better than 7c. Based on this breakdown It would have taken 300,000 ticket admissions to equal the first day's actual cash income at the boxoffice. It is this cash which will enable the exposition to spend some money for other attractions for the Island. It is generally believed that the many stories run in the local papers about the traffic jam expected on the first two days on the Island were the reason for maqy of the natives staying away from the Fair for sev- eral days. Traffic problems have proven to be a myth. The 'bring your lunch' warning also cut down attendance consider- ably. The five-day Fiesta celebra- tion heralding the openhig of the exposition,. instead of helping, hurt attendance by localites during the first two days. There were about 50 celebrations in honor of the open- ing of the Fair, some of which ran Into the small hours of the morning. One of the first ills to be corrected and one that has already been the inspiration for a blast over KYA, local Hearst radio station, is the ex- orbitant prices that are being charged In some of. the restaurants tlnue as Boone's headquarters and that of the press department Editors and writers froin out-of- town, covering the exposition, will be given short-term passes, while those at the fair only for one day will receive ducats on presentation of credentials in the rotunda of the Administration building. This struc- ture will be outside the fair grounds proper when the show opens April 30. Boone has assured the press that no working newspaperman will be turned away. Those going to the fair by the BMT-IRT or Long- Island railroad will land near the Admin- istration building where credentials may be readily presented: This Is close also to the biggest parking area of the fair. Those entering via the Independent subway entrance Will be conducted through the grounds to the main Administration building credential booth. There will be three forms of pass- es. One is. the season ducat, given editors or publishers. These are non- transferable, having photos attached for identification. These also will be given reporters and photographers; assigned regularly to the Fair grounds. Second class is six-day, short-term pass for editors, scnbes and cameramen from out of town. These also have photos attached and are non-transferable. Third form is for one day, obtainable only at the grounds in the Administration building. Grover Whalen, Head of the fair, is sending letters to all editors and publishers throughout the world, thanking them personally for the 'fine press' they have given the ex- position. He gives full credit to them for helping put the fair over. on the Island. Some of the eating places undoubtedly took advantage of the shortage of dining facilities by upplng the prices, However, Expo officials are looking into the situation, which undoubtedly will be corrected with the increase in dining accommodations from the present 4,000 to 14,000. Plans for a 9,000 capacity dining room oh the Gayway are already drawn. Food concession men are said to have stalled a.bit in erection of dihinc facilities not wanting to carry too many on their staffs during the lean months. The Owl Drug Co., which is win- ning plenty of good will by serving meals at mainland prices, is think- ing about doubling its space to ac- commodate eaters. The Happy Valley Ranch, a three- acre barbecue emporium, opened this weekend with facilities to hand out hickory ■ barbecued sandwiches to several thousand people at a' time. Singer's MidKcis Folds Biz was not so forte with the Stamp Exhibit and the replica of Mark Twain's'home so the gate has been removed and these two con- cessions ate being operated on a contributing basis. Difficulties with- in the organization and some finan- cial trouble caused the sudden fold- ing of Leo Singer's Midget 'Village after two days of . operation. Al- though this is said to be in line for reopening, wise ones opine that this show wUI remain shuttered. The Monte Carlo mystery show also has been a poor draw. Other attrac- tions on the Gayway have done big biz. A fresh batch of concessions Is springing up in empty lots through- out the fun zone. New Sideshows Newcomers on the midway Include a 160-foot crane which will give a view of the Fair from the air. The crane has two long arms, at the end of each of which is a wire globe equipped with bei.ches. A replica of an oldtime village in Scotland is rapidly nearing completion on a loca- tion near the cow palace. This Is expected to be conipleted early this week. Also new to the section is a theatre designed to Illustrate the technical side of the moving picture industry. Newsreels and short sub- jects will be sbown and all- the machinery used in projection will be exposed to view behind a huge sheet of plate glass. The largest horse' tat the world, weighing 3,200 pounds, is now on ex- hibitioa. He - measures' 40 hiches around his collar and 10 feet 2 Inches around his middle. Greenwich Village, a $100,000 ven- ture backed by Harry Seber and oc- cupying 34,000 square feet will be ready within the week. 'Cavalcade of the Golden West' mammoth outdoor pageant financed by the expo company with a cast of more than 150, has been slow in getting started but Is expected to build. Scaled from 55c to $1.10, 'Cavalcade' is being presented three times daily, running approximately an hour and a quarter. Insuiffldent advance ballyhoo contributed to slow start, but the pageant is now getting good word-of-mouth pub- licity. Ski juinp, which cost the expo $25,000 to build, sc^ne of several skiing exhibitions daily, drew heav- ily on the crowds during the first, two days and on Washington's Birth- day, and wound up an eight-day run last Sunday. Top admlsh for this was $1.65. Too many pohits of vah'. tage from which to see the exhibi- tions cut into attendance conslder- erably at the 9,000-capacity sports stadium. The fair's department of conces- sions is negotiating' for a thrill jump by parachute as a special attraction. Thirty days, according to Major Oscar Keatings, chief of the foreign participation division, should see all pavilions in the foreign section open. Fair's Palestise Exhibit Jerusalem, Feb. 15. Thirty thousand dollars In World Fair exhibits represent the total out- lay of American Jews in the' Pales- tine Pavilion of the New York expo. A. Elhananl, chief architect of the pavilion and director of the exhibits, faccompaoied by his assistant D. Buchbinder, are supervising the erection of the show in N. Y.