Variety (Apr 1939)

Wednesdjiy* April 12, 1939 ▼AUDE-HIGHT CLUBS VARIETY 49 VAUDEVILLE DIRT GROWING 9Cr QUIT VQ Ramoii-Renita mid Up ^JU ijUII f u . Royal Palm, Miami Bea AUSTIN ON COCO'TAG VaIdos.ta. Ga., AprU 11. G«ne Austin last week was named defendant in a $25,000 damage suit filed In Valdosta City court by George H.. Herbert,. clown^enter- talner, known as Coco. Austin, who was here In rehearsal with BiUy Wehle's 'Star-O-Rama,' which went on tour last week,' was cited to ap- pear at the July term of court'to answer the suit, which involves Aus- tin's use of name 'Coco* for a mem- |>er of his act. ' ' . . ' Herbert, in his petition, cites repu- tation he has btiilt for himself as a clown-entertainer imder stage name «1 Coco and claims ' that Austin ^wrongfully and imlawfully procured another person to appear on the atage as 'Coco,' thereby seeking to leaUze on Herbert's reputation and ability. Petitioner claims that In 1935 he obtained' judgment for $50,000 in a Jacksonville, Fla., court against Aus- tin for similar unfair and improper use of name "Coco' by an entertainer then used' by Austin in his act He further stated that this Judgment was written dpwn to ||20,000 by court ■nd'th'^t, in settlement of this Judg- ment, Austin entered into a written agreement in Los Angeles in 1938, by which pact, he promised to discon- tinue use of name- "Coco' In any future bllllngsL ' Austin, who played two weeks ago •t the Roxy theatre, Atlanta, used %irlth Candy and Coco' in his billing. MAS CASA MANANA SEEKING BOB BURNS , William Morris office, booking the Casa Manana In Ft. Worth, Texas, expects to have its full list of attrac- tions, for the spot set by' the end of this-week. Thus far, however, no contracts have been sealed. Casa Manana, which reopens July 21, is anxious to get Bob Burns for Just.one night (two shows) during the first two weeks. Deal depends on Bums' picture and radio commit- ments. ' Each Casa Manana layout will run two weeks, with the entire run to last six and a half weeks. Kenn^ Baker, Russ Morgan's orchestra and Connie Boswell are mentioned as possibiliUes.for the first show. IViairs Gross $7,000 At Aiuinal N. Y. FVolic • Annual' Friars Club Frolic at the Alvin, New York, Sunday night (9) grossed approximately |6,000, con- tfdered good by the club. . Receip'ts from the program sale, ttiough not entirely totalled as yet. Is expected to add another $1,000 to the show's take. Vande Hiliado' Dates Chicago, April II. Harry Rogers has booked his «ikado In .Swing* unit for a week •t the Orpheum, Minneapolis, start- ing AprU 14, and wiU fbUow with dates in St Paul and St Louis. All-colored 'Mikado* unit opens at the RKO Palace, Cleveland, May 5. Geo. Riley Seriously III . Rochester, N. Y, April 11. George Riley, of the vaudo team of Heller and Riley, is seriously ill at —^the-St^Maiy-'s-hospitel^here. Complications occurred since an attack of influenza earlier this year, Frank Veil to England Frank Neil, of the Tivoll Circuit, Australia, sailed tar England Friday (8). Be returns to New York AorUy. Re's been on a globe shopping _. tour pa acts. Miami Beach, April 11. Ramon and Renita, who have played 16 consecutive weeks here at The Drum, Palm Island and the Royal Palm Club, where they are holding over for the second. time, close the latter Saturday (15). Danc- ers are doubling this week Into the Olympia theatre, Miami. Team has Music Corp. of America bids for the Hotel Drake, Chicago, and the Hotel Savoy, London. Act Booked for Roxy, N. to Have Unnsoal TieDp with Kose' Pic Buster Shaver and Olive and George Brasno, currently en route back from Europe, flgur* in an un' usual theatre booking at the' Roxy, New York. Instead of being given a specific date. Shaver and the mixed team of midgets have been set with a picture. Hose of Washington Siquare' (20th), if and when It opens. Tentative scheduling of the film is April 21, though it hasn't been fully Qompleted. A stage production idea that'll fit with the picture is ttie reason for the booking of' the act specifically with "Rose,* rather than for a given date. Milton Berger. Jack Davies* as- sociate, set the Roxy deal. KRELLBERG, FILM EXEC, BACKS B^YN YAUDER ■ Samuel S. Krellberg, exec of Principal Pictures, Is the bankroller behind the new vaiidfilm venture at the Shubert Brooklyn, which bowed Saturday .(8). Also financially Interested and op- erating the house are Al Rogers and Bill Miller. Latter two also operate the Rivera, Brooklyn, but Krellberg isn't Interested in that spot Bernie Set for State, N. Y., at V/iG for Wk. Ben Bernie's orchestra goes into Loew's State, New York, for one week, beginning May 4. Bernie's salary remains the same as previously at this house —$7,900 for the week. Modifying Kid Law Washington, April 11. Modification of the D.C. child la- bor act which has put furrows in foreheads of numerous producers of road shows In the past decade. Is be- ing arranged. Amendment to the 1028 law, being drafted by Corpora- tion Counsel Elwood H. Seal, would allow waivers for kid actors if the Board of Education receives assur- ances the child does not work ex- cessive hours and gets propeii edu- cation. Under the present statute, children under 14 cannot appear on the stage under any conditions and children between 14 and 16 may perform only during the daytime. iSeyeral shows have been compelled to make hasty substitutions when local law-en- forcers got technical. BREAKS LONG BUIE Atlantic City, April 11. With but one yeir to go before celebrating its SOth anniversary, Chalfonte-Haddon Hall hotel here will end its long drought this sum- mer. It will break the precepts laid down by its founders In 1890 to in- -staH-a-bar-and-small band,- Boxy, Atlanta, on the Air Atlanta, April 11. Roxy theatre, Atlanta's new vaude- fllmer, Is using a 9:19 pjn. program each Saturday, featuring its stage en- tertainment talent Heard Saturday (8) were Ben Blue, Carol Bruce, singer. SEEN NECESSARY Showmen Admit More Smut on Stage Now Than Ever Before—Blame Influx of Nitery Acts, Also Extensive Work of Vaude Performers in Cabarets NABE MENACE By JOE 8CHOENFELD Vaudeville showmen, what re- mains of 'em, are again taking cog- nizance of dirt on the variety stages. This time, however, the situation ap- pears more serious and widespread than ever before. One alibi for the smut that has become so prevalent is the great in' fiux. of nitery talent into theatres, due, naturally enough, to the failure of vaudeville to develop talent of its own during the past 10 years. Vaude acts, too, due to frequent or even oc- casional spotting in cabarets, are also'accused of carrying the indigo, okay in the -drink and dance-spots, into theatres. A couple of the Ne\v York vaude- ville booking offices are contemplat- ing revival of the former censorship of stage material RKO once had an extiensive tabu list of gags and business on its-vaude stages, though it did. make an exception of the Pal E^ce, New York, when that house was two-a-day. Failxire to enforce the rules at its ace house eventually caused the circuit's censorship sys- tem to break down entirely. . ' Loew's, Paramount and Warner Bros. In the past always put a firm quietus on anything that Jumped the border of spoken and physical de- cency. Frequent reports lately of extensive use of dirty material by acts and specialties may cause these chains to again Institute a firm iwli- cy against smut even thou^ their bookings don't cover as wide a range as In former years. It's pointed out by showmen try- ing to keep vaude at least at its pres- ent level of popularity that dirt can quickly kill it entirely. They point to burlesque; whose popularity waned as it got dirtier, as an ex- ample of what smut can do. It's further shown that a good per- centage of vaudfilmers are now Ma- ated in nabes and catering to family trade. A l>an by parents on children attending these theatres because of dirt would undoubtedly force 'em into straight picture policies. M.D. Sues Cafe; Claims bijories in FVee-for-AIl New Orleans, April 11. Dr. Hyman S. Zimmerman hag filed suit in civil court asking $2^14 damages from Dramas S. and Ste- phen J. Loyacano and Angy C^- meUl, operators of the Chez Paree night club. On the night , of Blarch 29, 1938, Dr. Zimmerman claims he was injured during a free-for-all' in the club. Dr. Zimmerman, according to his petition, was in the niteiy when the fight ensued. He stateid, he was struck on the head by a heavy ob- ject he believed to be a chair while he was attempting to walk quietly from the place. The defendants, he alleged, were negligent in not sup- plying a guard to escort him safely from the scene. Mich, in Drive to Slash Drinkeries One-Third; Pa. BOI Aims at4l)(l Cafes Stage Band News News of bands in presentation houses, . vaudfilm engagements, etc., henceforth will be concen- trated in the Dance Music De* partment along with other music news, - Ferry Vs. Perona Competish from Pellx Ferry's new Monte Carlo, N. Y., has proved so tough for boniface John Perona of El Morocco that he has turned to direct mail appeals to former patrons. For years classed as the No. 1 class niteiy. the Morocco :)e\er be- fore resorted to any kind of bally t" glmmirki to drum up bii, Twin City Hotel Cafes Use Ghnmicks to Hike Biz; Dent Other Spots Minneapolis, AprU 11. In a scrap for cafe patronage, the four leading Twin City hotels, the Nicollet and Badisson here and the Lowry and St Paul in St Paul, are offering extra inducements to bring in the customers. . All are using local name bands. The Nicollet has Joseph Sudy; the St Paul, Lawrence Welk; the Lowry, Carl 'Deacon' Moore, and the Radls- son, Carl Lorch. The opposition also Is manifest In other directions. Three of the hotels are offering' gratis film tickets to luncheon patrons. One provides free auto parking for cafe patrons. The St Paul on Sunday night features an all-you-can-eat Smorgasbord sup- per, while the I/>wry has an all- you-can-eat dinner. One result of the battle Is that the hotels are getting the bulk of the dine-and-dance business. In conse- quence, the run-of-the-miU niterles are given another blow, in addition to generfdly. poor biz and mors rigid enforcement recently of the liquor sales curfew. ' A 'Single ray of sunshine is the prospect that the state legislature, before adjourning this week, wiU pass a law extending closing hours to 1 ajn. weekdays and 2 am. Sat- urdaysi MORRISSEY REVAMPS L A. THEAM TO CAFE Los Angeles, AprU 11, Will Morrissey's 'Big S? ow* opened today (Tuesday) at Criterion theatre with Al Herman, Jack Pqiper, Joyce Hunter, PhU Arnold, ADabazl and others in the east David Bnise Is doing musical di- rection and Palmers Brandeaux staging the dance routines. Theatre has been given a nitery setting with tables' replacing seats. ColcmaB Tree Opener Hollywood, AprU 11. Emil Coleman's orchestra is being brought here ^m New York by Felix Young to reopen the Troca- dero early nejct month. Nitery keeps same tag. - - Admits Cafe,Robbery Philadelphia, April 11. A youth who sold fruit juices to the 1523 Club here confessed'Friday <7) to being one of three bandits who held up the q>ot 10 days ago and escaped with f425. James Far- reU, 21, told police he 'cased" the nitery while in It on business and later, with two other men, tied up the watchman and took the monej from him. FarreU said the brains of the trio gave him and another youth arrested with him only $12 each, then bor- rowed. $10 of that and that they haven't seen him since. Set for Ice Show Vera Hruba, figure . skater and Czech refugee, itSes into the new loe show at the Hotel New Yorker, New York, opening April. 20, Miss Hndia maide two appearance* at Madttoo .Aguarc Garden last jt^. Detroit AprU 11. The state rum board's drive to drastically reduce drinkeries, Includ- ing cafes, would clip Detroit of 1,364 such spotd, leaving this 1,600,000-pop. town with only 784 emporiums. Chief motive for the drive appears to be tighter control; in line with Reliefs of Gov. Liuen D. Dickinson, antl-saloon prez, who recently suc- ceeded to governor's chair on death of Gov. Frank Fitzgerald. Board claims that number of licensees are too,great and consequently poUdn^ too, is much too difficult ■ New Ps. BUU HarrlAurg, Pa, April 11. ■ Two bUls bearing on . beer and liquor licensing in Pennsylvania were introduced in the legislaturs here last week. One, with Admin- istatioh support wouM tlghen pres- ent l^wB, while the other would eass them. Part of the new governor's plan to reduce licensees by at leasts third Is a biU to eliminate licenses for sale of beer only. About 400 nitery and drink spots In state would .be af-' fected. . The other biU. would pro- vide for regulation of beer and boozs licensing In three zones. Instead ot in one, as at present Under the bill, dispensaries in the business zona could operate from 6 sjn. to 1 ajn.; resident license zone, 7 ajn, to 2 zjti4 and night club license^ 9 sjn. to 3 B,m. AFi^BOOKERS TIE HITS PHONY PHHIY BENEFITS Fhlladelphia, AprU IL The benefit. gimmJclc, which b 1>e>. coming IncreaslDgly worse here, was the subject of s pact reached last week between the American Fedeni- tion of Acters and Entertainment Managers Association. Tom Kelly, biz manager of the AFA local, agreed to put into use new contract blanks forbidding' acts ta play benefits^ which the agents claim cost them thousands of dollars a year in conu mlssions. Acts are supposed to play nothing but legitimate benefits pa^wd upon by KeUy. It has reccnUy been dis- covered, however, that they are get- ting around that, on threat of losing work, by claiming they are getting paid for a benefit when aetuaUy they are not If this new step doesn't sld In clearing up the phony benefit sittt- asSn, EMA and AFA 8FS preparing to demand Itat wtnlb^ attaltgh9 put In escrow, abnUar to the method used by the musicians union. Lordtta Harris Mending After Fatal Anto Mehap Loretta Harris (Harris Twins and Loretta) Is reported recovering in Auburn <N. Y.) Ci^ hon>ital from severe injuries sustained in an auto accident March 5, in which . her brother-in-law, Ben V. Harris, was Icilled. Her husband, Bert Harris^ was only slightly Injured In the crash. They were en roiife from Clil- cago to New York at the time. Almost completely paralyzed at first Mrs. Harris has now regained parlial control of her muttHes. Doe- tors figure die WiU e\'entualiy be fully recovered. If it's possible to move her, sfae'U leave with her hus- band for California in a couple of weeks. Ricbman's BUyn Bate Harry BJchman wIU make his first vaude appearance in the metropoli- tan New York area in some tim* AprU 21, when be starts s week at Uie Flattnuh, Brooklyn. Singer has been confining bfanseU chiefly to nlteries; bis last stage dato befaig at the Shuberi; Newark, a couple ^ months >age« *'