Variety (Apr 1939)

Wednesday, April B, 1939 FORUM^OUTDOORS VAJUETV 55 WHAT THEY THINK FUm Tttleat Soar«M New York. Editor, Vabiett: I found your front page story, •Film Finds From Stage,* in this week's V*hieit Interesting and sliBhtly nostalgic A few years ago, whUe In the east- ern talent department of one of the laree picture companies, I kept a check on the sources of 100 people siened to term contracts by Holly- wood. The figures were as fol- lows: Stage ••••• f - "9 Hadlo ■.,,..••••••..••"'»•••••••••• 11 Vaudeville and night clubs i 7 Pasadena Playhouse 6 American Academy ., 4 iForeign pictures 4 Burlesque ••• 2 Federal theatre 2 Carnegie Tech 1 Little theatres ; 1 Unknown sources 4 From the above figures you will see that things have not changed much. Of course the list is not per- fect as I may have missed a person here and there. I made it up to back up my ex- presstsd belief that pictures should have been looking for people with professional training rather than simon-pure amateurs, such as a few of the talent acouts were audition- ing In droves at that time. Walter Ryan Colahan. DIok Barstow Solo Chicago. Editor, Vabiett: Will you please correct the state- ment I will dance with my slater, Edith, at Palmer Bouse. Edith and I dosed-^ our -partner A^-elgfat - months ago at Miami Biltmore hotel, Florida, and I have been working single since, that time. My Palmer House opening April 6 win bring a triple pl^. Dancing in the Empire Room, aiding Merrlel Abbott in dance production, and teadiing three tap classes a week. Sister Edith will be married In June. Dick Baritow. Bnthle Barnes Eavlalns - New York. Editor, Vabieit: In the review of the Circle, In- dianapolis, in last weeks edition, the review stated that Ruthle Barnes danced in the Ted Lewis show. This was incorrect I did appear with Mr. Lewis at the New York Strand, but I have not' worked with him since then. The young lady's name Is Loretta Liane. Tm set to play the Circle April 28 with Jimmy Dorsey. Ruthie Bamet. Fair Slows Broadway (Continued from page 1) temporarily abandoning the theatres. Against the loss of the natives dur- ing. M^ and June, It Is contended the crowds from out-4rf-town will not begin to reach appreciable num- bers, until the middle of June or later. For the same reason, the nltery biz has also been suffering. Deartii of visiting firemen ha« many of the nocturnal spots hanging on the ropes. All are vampln' til Whalen's show is ready. Stated by the managements of some mldtown hotels that the num- ber of guests has been running 80% under the average for winter and spring during the past 12 years. If that type of visitor is to be Included- In ttxe incoming rush. It should mean upped theatre attendance. All showr men are wondering what the fair will mean to i^ow business and that may supply the answer, though It is an- ticipated that the average out-of- towner drawn by the exposition wUl not be able to afford theatre-going. Such, people are expected to be ' planted In rooming houses rather than hotels. In many of the latter it 1$ virtually Impossible to book accommodations after May 1, No Klda TUl Jnly 1 In Greater New York, the schools do not close until the end of June. This prevents kids each year from atten^ng theatres; except weekends, until around July 1, with'result that this year, if a representative num- ber of elders are also lost because of a-yen to look in on the fair, the dip during May and June is expected to be quite sharp. Meantime, schools throughout the country will not be closing until the end of Mby, or sometime In June. Moreover, summer vacations ordin- arily do not begin until around June 1, tbe two largest months for the customary two weeks' off being Jidy and August The theory of theatre operators is that most people from out-of-town will not hurry to the fair, but wait for regular vacations, or, if able to come earlier, win In many cases want to wait until their children are out of school BO that they may be carried along. This, plus the fact that stu- dents in colleges and professors, teachers. Instructors, ete., will be un- able to visit N. Y. until after the school term Is over, will probably keep the Infiux at a low ebb until about June 1. Theatres figure to benefit impor- tantly during July and August, when It Is expected the bulk of the crowds will pour in, and particular- ly oVer holidays like July 4 and La- .bor Day. In the fall, the Increase In b.o. business over that of normal years is likely to be maintained, since by that time the fair will be underway and New Yorkers will nave no doid>t had their own fill of it returning to the theatres they de- at the exposition's beginning. The fair will dose down for the winter on Oct 30. Opinion <tf most managers is that stronger shows should be booked for May and Jime In order to offset any dip In business rather than point top attractions for July and August when out-of-towners will probably be fall- ing into all the theatres even If the shows arent too strong. Aetora Clipped Despite the admonishing of the mayor against hotels raiding rates during the fair period, a general boost has already' been annotmced. The tilt does not seem to be even and is $2 weekly and upward for regular guests. One hotel In the Times Square zone, which had a rate of $8.50 a week for actors, informed the latter that starting at the end of AprU the nick wlU be $5 per day straight a boost of 400%. In other spots, professionals have been Informed that resident giiesta during tiie fair are not wanted. Equity sought to moderate the boosta and protested the~ ousting plans by writing complaints to the Hotelmen's Assoctatlon, the mayor and other of- ficials. Indications are that some favorable resulte will be obtained, Judging from answers to the com- munications. It was pointed out to the hotel people that it la a ahort-sighted policy to force - actors from - their quarters, for professionals may not return when tiie pressure Is over. Necessity of actors living In the Broadway zone because of rehearsals and performances was pointed out and, if forced to reside elsewhere, will mean a hardship. Some hotels, where most rooms are currently occupied; plan to even up when the fair crowd arrives. One, which raised its minimum from $2.90 to $3.50 daily, Intends booking as many visitors as possible for short occupancy periods. The rule that a day ends at 6 p.m. is stated to have been dropped and guesta will be re- quired to vacate at noon on the day of departure. That will.be required so that the limit of possible guesta can be registered during the day. In the case of the Frisco Ejqw, the natives throng<!d to Treasure Island from the start and did not wait to take it in at leisure. As result downtown theatre business suffered while the Expo boomed. Refugees (Continued from page 1) rules which do not require such players to join Equity. It is provided that any player In the unit be free to withdraw and accept other employ- ment There are 40 people in Dleterle's group. fWs will be. put on at the El Capitan, Los Angeles, and may be trouped to other stands. No mem- ber of Equity is to appear with the refugees. Venture is hot to compete wlHi commercial attractions^ and plays which managers show little Interest In are to be used. Of that type is 'William Tell,' which may be the first presentation. Recently in New York various conferences were held with refugee artisans, some of whom were promi- nent abroad before Nazi domhiation forced them to fiee. They may fur- nidi a fresh source of talent espe- cially for the film end which has al- rea<^ engaged a niunber. A similar refugee player group, which wiU probably have the same rating, as the Coast unit is planned for Broadway during the late spring or-early Etmmier. -It-is known as the Refugee Artlsta - Theatre and con^ista of Austrian actors. A biU of three short plays Is announced: ■Peeping Into Paradise,' 'Vis-a-Vls and Exiled' and 'K Viennese Album,' latter a collection of native melodies. B.O. PICKS UP ATFRISCOFAIR San Francisco, April 4. Four cafes, a dancehall, golf range, free circus, showboat the Esthonlan ViUage and Television City have yet to be completed at the Fair here. With the opening this week also of two more foreign government pa- vilion^lT are operating—^the expo will practically be in full swing. Only the. Colorado exhibit remains to Toe opened in the Hall of the Western States. Several days of warm weather last weeic, following a rainy spell, saw attendance pick up. A proposal that the government add $600,050 to the $1,500,000 it has already appropriated for participat- ing in the Fair was submitted to Congress last week. The Fair now reaUzes ite error in not having the midway completely in operation for the first week. Many out-of-towners received^ a poor im- pression and the word of mouth is believed to have had a correspond- .ingly poor effect on the b.o. With only about l.QOO.OOO to draw from in the Bay area, the week-day liusiiiess has slumped more than ex- pected while weekend trade has been high. Clifford Fischer's revue In the Folies Bergere theatre is the hit of the Fair just now. Show looks set for 10 weeks, .with option to con- tinue. Sally Rand's D (N) ude Ranch con- tinues to get about one,out>of . eyery' four adulta attending the Fair, while Edwin Franko Goldman's band, from New York, is building Into one of the bigger draws. Deal to import Raymond Falge. and his '99 Men and One Girl' radio show is out Sponsors wanted 1,000 ticketa to the exposition for U. S. Rubber dealers but the Fair nixed the ticket proposition. British Programs (Continued from page 37) peal, scripted by Max Kester and produced by Ernest Longstaffe, Novelty gag is series arranged by scrlpter Vernon Harris, called *I Want to Be An Actor,' in which stu- dio audience will be asked to make up the cast for a weekly meller broadcast Audience will assemble In advance of the show's deadline, and Harris will invite volunteers to do teste for stock parts in the se- lected 'Curse-him-foUed-again* dram- mer. Testa will go on the air and audience applause will indicate the luclcy contestants, who will then read the parts in the actual play broadcast 'Afternoon Revue' will for a time alternate wiOi a "Appy 'AM 'Outs' series devised by cockney Leon Cor- tez. Ralph Reader will present three revues Utied 'Right Away,' including the comedy Twlzzle Sisters. Stanelli is down for two new-style comedy producttons. 'Crazy Cruise.' Van Phillips will presient a series of six weekly dance band-light comedy shows, 'Time to Laugh,' be- ginning early A.pril; Teddy Joyce is handling a dance band production series, 'Joyce Jamboree'; Eddie Pole and Phyllis Robins are teammates for an afternoon series; Big Bill Campbell is bringing the west to the BBC in a sequence of scenes called 'Cabin in the HUIs.' Individual shows scheduled for the quarter include 'Ours Is a Nice Hour, Ours Is,' presented by Clerkson Rose; a further -Scrapbook' by Leslie BaUy and Charles Brewer, and a new musical play, 'Love on Wings,' by Harold Plumptre and Geoffrey Henmari. Industrial Showmanship Keynotes N. Y. Fair s Preview at This Stage; Undersold' Expo Seen as (lood Idea With the New York World's Fair scheduled t.to .open in 25 days, the. pressure is on at the Flushing Meadows site to have the exposition complete opening day (Sunday, April 30). Activity in the amusement zone has more than doubled in the last 10 days, strides taken ainazing even veterans of other fairs. This section possibly may be the only laggard one and officials in the concession divi- sion ctalm that 75-90% of shows will be operating opening week. Broadwayites and visiting exposi- tion veterans, who toured the grounds during the past weelc, frank- ly admit that New York's big show of 1939 has been undersold, if any- thing. Showmen see this as a good idea, as it should mean a word-of- mouth buildup in short order. Latest estimates are that .it will require four full days to see the fair even in a hurried manner. It is spread out over some 1^6 acres, but the ramifications of the larger exhibit halls such as those of Gen- eral Motors^ American Telephone, Ford and Railroads would require nearly two days. That midway better be good,' ob- served one showman, 'or- the con- cession people will feel the competi- tion in the non-theatrical exhibit area.' Showmanship predominates in the numerous giant halls which leading industrial companies have erected, with free shows and rides galore. Ford Co. offers cars for visitors to ride about seeing their displays. Norman Bel Geddes, the designer, has framed a show in the (General Motors huge structure that promises to tte the talk of exhlbita outeide the amusement area. He is credited with having been given a budget of more than $1,000,000 and is said to have spent twice that amount on this focal GM exhibit An elaborate diorama, reputed the largest ever constructed, extends for a third of. a mile showing the highway systems of today and tomorrow. It contains, among other things, 100,000 mlhia- ture automobiles, 50,000 of which actually laove. Idea, .of course, is a plug for a better highway system wliich Is counted on to produce more auto sales. ' Visitors sit In plush chairs that move on a runway over a complete system of tracks, spectators looking down on the huge country setting with ita network of highways.. Illu- sion is created of a ride in an air- plane as the size o.. landscaping variea An individual loudspeaker for every two chairs describes the scene below, actual description varying as a different spot is passed. This elaborate loudspeaker system alone cost $250,000, being a scientific wonder from Western Electric. DayllcM Filma Soviet Russta'a large building In Court of Nations has provision for a large outdoor daylight picture thea- tre. General Motors also has a tite- atre auditorium seating 600 where 'Preview of Progress,' roadshow that GM has toured all over the country, will 'be staged. House of Jewels, one of smallest exhibit buildings, will house a $5,000,000 display of gems. American Telephone building has a tricliy' switdiboard arrangement which will enable visitors to put In long distance calls gratis while some 100 people In building can tune In to conversation. It also, will house "Pedro,* the mechanical- instrument that reproduces the human voice, a gadget concocted by Western Elec- tric. Wise New Yorkers already are fig- uring out how they can grab free meals at the exposition. It is simply a case of getting around to the for- eign nation and state halls where gratis samples are supplied—Bel- gium offering Walloon and Flemish dishes; Greece, Near East special- ties; Brazil, coffee and vegetables; Netherlands, seafood and rice; Swe- den, smorgasbord. Despite these free . offerings, amusement zone visitors will have a choice of numerous cafes, and these are so far away from the extiibit zone that there is virtually no com- petition. Helneken's-on>Zuider-Zee cafe, an elaborate layout strategical- ly located near the entrance to the amusement zone, now is virtually completed and may be opened before the fair doe.i. Part of Ballantine's Three-Ring restaurant-bar layout has been operating for about three weeks. Foundation for George Jes- sel's 'Old New York' was finished early this week. It also is near the area's gate. Sex Trend Trend towards nudity lor the amusement zone continued, with many new propositions, but few set Norman Bel Geddes, whose mirror- peep show was an early proposal several months ago, now is definitely set and has the foundation laid for his "Peep Show of Tomorrow.' It is patterned 'after old carnival lines with one or two pretty dancers in semi-nude magnified hundreds of tiraes,.givlng the Illusion of count- less niunbers. It's all done with a system of heavy glass set at 32 dif- ferent angles. Ball village, planned by Frank Buck, who also has 'Jungleiand,' was definitely off this week because the Duteh Colonial government was re- ported to have refused a permit for 24 dancers to leave the island of Bali. J, L. (leeraert's archery range felt the trend with plans to have lookers as assistante. Other shows, long since set assured of the sex appeal angle, will be the Savoy Ballroom, Billy Rose's Aquacade, Crystal Palace, Cuban Village and jack Sheridan's Dlagazine Cover* models. Others are In the talk stage, among names menttoned being Delia Carroll, Margie Hart, Faith Bacon, Hinda Wasseau, Ann Corio, Sally Rand, Zonia Duval and Betty Rowr land. Only stipulation In recent discus- sions is that there ni blow-off shows which have been banned at other expositions. The giant Music HaU building, which dominates the arei near the entrance to the amuseniont zone, still looms as an expensive headache, although music festivals are planned to start there. ' Independent subway system, which- is due to start operations April 15, has ite station located so that it is only a few steps down a runway to the amusement sector gate.. Other' ex posU on entrance, served by the LofifUland railroad and IRT-BMT subway-elevated lines, is at the other end of the. grounds about a mile distant 'Gang Busters' Exhibit At N.Y. Fair to Cost 75G Bernard L. Schubert figures on spending $75,000 on the 'Gang Bus- ters' exhibit that he has arranged for the New York World's Fair in cooperation with Phillips H. Lord, known in radio for his Seth Parker characterization. - The exhibit subtiUed 'Crusade Against Crlme^' will be run by Schu- Ijert and Dufour tt Rogers, who will also operate the 'Strange As It Seems' and 'We Humans' concessions. s% Biz Sacramento, April 4. Sally Rand filed papers for two corporations, Sally Rand Enterprises, Inc., capitalized at $26,000, and Pioneer Palace Operating Corp., listed at $100,000. Purposes are presentation of entertainment and dealing in fixtures and buildings for amusement enterprises. Included wltii Miss Rand as direc- tors of both companies ase Mildred L. WolosU, John C. Houlihan and Roy A. Schaiff, Hounnm' n. s. visits Regbia, Bask., April 4. Canada's Royal Mounted Police will twice visit U. S. this summer to perform their well known musical ride. One visit wUl be to the New York World's Fair for a day, the oUier to World's Poultry Congress, Cleveland, on July 31'. Gert Bderlee tA N. T. Fair Gertrude Ederle, first woman to swim the English Cbannel, has been signed by Billy Rose for his New York World's Fair Aquacade.