Variety (Apr 1939)

Wednesday, April 19. 1939 Mystei^ Over a Lease k Bdmd liie Sadden Callmg Off of Vaude ▼AUDE-^aCHT CLUBS VABwrr At the hofitable Rivera, B'Up Vaude policy at the Rivera, BrooklTn, which is operated by Sam. Cocalls, waa discontinued suddenly Monday (17), although the split-week ■tage. show Idea at the house was gald to be profitable. Al Sogers and Bill Miller, who were booking the . shows on a percentage arrange- ment, were given notice to stop spot- ting shows Into the spot last Fri- day (14). According to Rogers and Miller, considerable mystery Is attached to the sudden calling o9 of the vaudr film policy. They understood that their deal called for. a term of years, as long as Cocalis' lease, which, they claim still has nearly five years to go.' They also state that their con- tract called for a forfeiture of $5,000 If less than SO days' notice was given. Thus far, according to Rogers and- Miller, a dear story hasn't been given 'em on exactly who called oS the vBudfllm Idea. Cocalls Is the sub-lessor of the Rivera, but blame for the order for discontinuance of vaude Is being shifted around. Ijawyers for Rogers and Miller are looking Into the matter. Mean- while, the other Rogers and MUler operation, Shubert, Brooklyn, Mon- day .(17) shifted to a cheaper stage show policy, plus duals.. Instead of using names, house Is now playing a split-week policy of moderately bud- geted vaude, plus dual pictures at 35e top. Biz Is said to have Im- proved since the Institution of the new policy,' the operators going Into the red plenty on the first two 'name' shows. This leaves the field clear for the Brandt Bros.' Flatbush, Brooklyn, and Its name shows. This house, rather than retrenching, appears to be going in more heavily than ever for names. Starting Friday (21), house will headline Harry Rlchman, Don Bestor's orch and Sheila Bar- rett, plus two other acts. Week fol- lowing, Happy Felton's orch, Kenny Yoxmgman and Wlnl Shaw are booked. Lou Holtz will head the May S show, while George HaU's orch, Dolly Dawn and Benny Rubin go in May 12. Arthur Fisher Is. booking this spot Charged widi Selliiig JJqnor to Minors; Pa. May Reroke License Pittsburgh, April 18. Bill Green, owner and operator of .town's most prosperous roadhouse, is In hot water again with the Penn- sylvania Liquor Control Board and faces loss of his booze license for the second time In three years. Latest charge against him Is selling to mi- nors, result of raid last week while a big fraternity dance was in progress. In 1937 Green pleaded guilty to .slot machine charges, but tiie court refused the district attorney's plea to take away his license. Understood that was because the cafe owner turned state's evidence and helped In the conviction of the alleged czar of local slot machine racket Raid on Green's -:7as the latest move In liquor board's recent damp- down under direct orders from Gov- ernor James. Only few weeks ago Green's and oQier outlying places were ordered to close every Saturday at midnight and to eliminate Sunday dancing entirely, which had gone on unmolested for years in the coimty. Liquor board's ruling states minors car't enter a place serving booze un- lesr accompanied by parents or adult diaperone, giving restaurants and hotels plenty of additional worries. They're pointhig out that if strict letter of law is carried out it will niean that no eating place at all that has a liquor license can serve even food to any one under 21 unaccom- panied. F. P. GRAVAH BACK steel Pier Head, Seovtlng European Talent, Saw Hnoh Unrest AtlanUc -City, April 18. The people of Europe are marked with a tensity thiat bespeaks the in- evitability of war, was the observa- tion of Frank P. Gravatt head of the Steel Pier Co., upon his return Thursday (13) from. a five-week European tour in search of talent for the Pier's forthcoming summer. In Germany, prior to the Nazi march into Czechoslovakia, Gravatt said he was delayed for more than an hour to permit the passage of 20,000 soldiers. Such movements were surrounded with secrecy so that German citizens had little knowledge of what was going on. LOEfSBACKTO VAUDE IN CLEVE. Cleveland, Aug. 18. After being without flesh for near- ly three years, Loew's State is going back to stage shows Friday (21), with Judy Garland as the break-in. Eleanor Powell heads the second bill the following week. Business done by the house with the first two shows will determine future bookings. Next-door RKO Palace to date has had the monopoly on local vaude. It has btfen giving Loew'S more competlsh lately through a deal with Warners that netted it 'A' pictures, thought to be the main reason for the return to vaude of Loew's. BERLE TOPS REOPENER AT N. Y. INT'L CASINO Milton Berle will top the first show when the International Casino, on Broadway, reopens. 'Rejtnrenated cabaret under Alex Finn's manage^ ment is scheduled to reopen May 10. Berle's deal calls for four weeks and options. Georgle Hale is staging the show, with the girls already In rehearsaL UABTIN'S BDFF DATE . Tony Martin has been , booked by Paramount for the Buffalo, Buffalo, as another stop on his personal tour. He'll open there May 6, coupled with Zavler Cugat's orchestra. Musicians Await NLRB Action on Nitery Waiters Philadelphia, April 18. Musicians local here has decided to leave the band In the Little Rath' skeller here, which had asked for an injunction to prevent the American Federation of Musicians from pull ing out its members, until the Na' tional Labor Relations Board acts on organizational activities among the waiters at the spot Kaliner Bros., operators of the nitery, in their request for an in' junction, claimed they have a con' tract with Victor Hugo's band. Toot- ers' union maintains the contract was only conditionally accepted. Frank Lluzzi, prez of the local, got a statement from the Kaliners that they would employ only AFL help, which he claims the Kaliners later renounced, it's reported. Statement has been sent to the Labor Board for action. Kaliners claim their waiters are perfectly satisfied and don't want to join the imion. SIMPLE EQUATION Lancaster Cafes Hike Beer Prices to Make Up for Bingo Bevenae Lancaster, Pa., April 18. Ban here on bingo last week sent the price of beer in many of the town's niteries up from a nickel to a dime. Profits from the game, operators said, had been enough to cover the nut on floor shows. Now, with that source of revenue gone, cost has to be added to the drinks. Blandi Takes Over Pitt Night Glub for Summer Pitsburgh, AprU 18. Sain Blandi, who operated Blandi's Inn here last summer, and has been running the Harlem Casino down- town this winter, has taken over the Willows, for long time Pittsburgh's No. 1 roadhouse, for June, July and August Spot was operated by a syndicate last season but group broke up few montlis ago and Blandi nabbed it from the bank-owners, Blandi's planning an entirely new policy.' He's going to charge 45c ad- mission and run the big-capadty place cafeteria istyle, with customers buying their drlnlcs and sandwiches at bar and taking it back to their own tables. In past the Willows has been strictly a dass operation. DETROIT CAFES ON THE UPBEAT Detroit, April 18. Vocal niteries, particularly the better class, have taken an upswing. Present biz is best in some time. Upturn has been noticed during past couple of weeks despite Lent Most of pickup is attributed to good weather and spurt , in auto biz. Fur- thermore, surviving spots are profit- ing from shuttering of several top- notch niteries since first of the year. Some spots, including the Statler Terrace Room . and Book' Cadillac Casino, had planned on dosing as early as May 1, month earlier than usual, but now may p/olong shutter- ing. Mae West's Big {17,500 At Atlanta Par, House Books Yaode, As and If AUanta, April 18. Mae West,' coupled with 'Risky Business,' did a terrific $17,500 In five days at Lucas & Jenkins' Para- moimt Engagement' here was lopped to five days because of Good Friday, and the long ride between here and Houston, for which point she left after finishing here Wednesday (12). Unit did five shows daily. Paramount this week Is reverting to straight films until Saturday (22) when Dave Apollon's Revue will be on boards. Count Bemi Vicl's unit booked later and further stage en- tertainment Is planned, when and if available, according to manager Billy Pratt Default Verdicts of $900 Hit Winstead Minstrels Spartansburg, S. C, April 18. Default verdicts totaling ^HK) were returned against Winstead Minstrels and Helen Grice in three civil actions here. Suits followed collapse of sec- tion of seats here last fall. Based on alleged personal in- juries. N. Y. Par MuOs Non-Name Orchs Plus Name Specialties in Effort To Duck Mounting Band Costs BACK IN HARNESS Indpls. Union Exec, Retired Maestro, FUIs In Dvrlng Pinch Indianapolis, April 18. Abe Hammerschlag, business agent of local musicians' imion, dug his baton out of the bottom; of his tnmk Friday (14) to conduc. the pit orchestra at the Circle for thqt the- atre's spot vaudie booking. Hammer- schlag has not maestroed since leav- ing the stand at the va'idfilm Lyric here five years ago to become busi- ness agent of the union. °Ed Resener, who replaced hhn at the Lyric, is the only other experi- enced conductor in this; city, and he was not available t- the Circle ^be- cause of his duties at the Lyric Hammerschlag came to the rescue when no other experienced leader could be obtained. RKO AMPUFiES CHEAP UNITS INN.Y. RKO is amplifying its olckle-and dime New York stage show time to include the 23rd Street Manhattan, and Orpheum and Kenmore thea- tres Brooklyn. All three will play only one day weekly, the 23rd Street opening April 28, the Kenmore, Frl day '(21), and the Orpheum, May 1. Already playing this type of show are the Madison, Brooldjm; Coliseum, Manhattan, and the Flushing, in Flushing, Queens. Latter plays shows two days a week, the others only one. Billy Jackson Is booking 'em alL Average cost of the shows Is around $100 dally, with $150 being tops, but rarely reaches that amount Deals are set by the RKO district managers, rather than the theatre- operating' department Jackson be- ing unaffiliated with the circuit otherwise. KeSy Keeps AFA Post Philadelphia, April 11. Thomas E. Kelly has been re-elect- ed rep (business agent) of the Amer- ican Federation of Actors local here. William Jones was also returned as secretary and Paul Mohr as treas' urer. Roy Scott was named record- ing secretary. He succeeds Joseph McFadden. New board of directors was. also chosen. This was organization's first annual election since its founding last faU. Johnny Perkins Bids $52,000 Annual Rental for SL L House; Maps Vaude St Louis, April 18. An offer of $52,000 a year on the 4,0d0-seater St Louis, the largest house in the St Louis Amus. Co.'s string, nixed nine months ago, is still good and Johnny Perkins, rotund comedian and m.c., hopes that execs will lease the house to him. Perkins believes . that the .proper kind of vaude will pay in this burg and that is the policy he will use if and when he obtains possession of the house. Perkins said he laid his proposi- tion before Harry C. Arthur, Jr., head man of Fanchon Sc Marco which has a management and operating contract with the amusement com- pany. According to Perkins Arthur took the matter up with Clarence Turley, but after it had been mulled over for some time it was finally thimibed down. ' Perkins who m.c.'d stage shows at the St Louis several seasons ago, makes this metropolis his home and during the past few years has been working In the mid- dle west Retumhig last week from a visit to Florida where he spent most of his time with the Cardinals at theh: St Petersburg training camp, Perkins said he is convinced from his experience in working with stage shows in Chicago that, the natives here will support the right concoc- tion of a combo policy in- a house like the St Louis. Vaude has had but indifferent suc- cess here and later when pit band shows were tried at F&M's 5,000-seat Fox the biz was not consistently good. The latest attempt at fiesh shows at the Fox was several weelis ago when Al Pearce and his gang played a one-week stand after an absence of a year. While on the pre- vious visit. Pearce. hung up a b.o, record for the house his latest p.a. was just so-so, F&M hasn't deter- nnrined whether further attempts will be made to dole out stage shows here. Currently the only stage show In town Is .at the American (legit), the Garrick, this burg's sole burlesk' house having shuttered early ' last winter because of anemic biz. Cued by economic conditions, in- dications point to the Paramount; New York, veering from its name pit-band policy in the next few months. In dh«ct contrast, thC'house will probably start , bringing in non« name swing orchestras fronted by name personalities from stage, screen and radio. - Though not officially stated, the move is reported also due to the moimting salary demands of the top- fiight orchestras. Salaries In' the $10,000 bracket are no longer rari- ties for bands, and these figures, plus the cost of necessary specialties to round out a show, are deemed too expensive to be borne by a ttieatre's average business. Par's move is seen as haying been hypoed by the success of the recent show headlining - Dorothy Lamour and Mischa Auer, -backgrounded by Charlie Bamet's orchestra. Bamet; off New York's swlngo 52nd street, was virtually unknown to the gen- eral public, but the grosses reached high proportions due to the Lamour'- Auer draught It's fl^ed that suf- ficient personalittes of this b.o. calibre can be booked to tomid 'out an anntMl 2e-show schedule, the Par averaging two weeks for each stage- fllin engagement' A t6w months ago, sensing a pos- sible switch from swing bands, plus the competition from Warner Bros: Strand up the street, the Paramount started goin^ in for name acts to bol- ster the pit This resulted in ■ switch to a near vaudfllm policy, making it easy for the Paramount to also unostentatiously drop the name-band idea for a name-act policy. The show opening next Wednesday (26) reflects the name personalis idea. Backgrounded by Henry Busse's orchestra, the pit will fea- ture Lanny Ross, Shirley Ross, Hal LeRoy and BiUy Gilbert One of the first non-name orches- tras to''come into'the house will be Harry James* crew, which has been booked for a date some time in June, Simon Agency Qidf^, rmi Charles Yates To Co^nsolidatd Job Last vestige of whait was once one of yaudeyille's most powerful sales offices, the Simon A]gency, disappears on or before May 1, when Charles Yates, Its current head, moves over to Consolidated Radio Artists to head a new subsidlaiy, yet to be In- corporated, to deal in talent agent- Ing. Moving over with Yates are his brother, Irving, and associate Phil Cosda. The Simon Agency, until the death of Ferd Simon In-1936, was one of ' the top talent sales outfits, principal- ly concerned on the RKO booking floor. Hie three Simon brothers originally came out of Chicago and quickly established themselves In New York. ' First brother to die was John B., who passed away in 1634, Ferd suc- cumbed two years later, while Irving Simon passed on last year. Irving came out of virtual retirement after Ferd's death . to take over the agency. Suffering from lU healtit, he made' a semi-partnership deal with Yates to run the office, both for himself and Ferd's 'widow. Follow- inj Irving's death, Yates also bou^t Mrs, Ferd Simon's share to become the agency's sole owner. Yates has a deal with CTRA to han- dle its bands for theatre bookings. His moveover to .the ConsoUdated's offices on a profit-sharing basis also marks the CRA's first attempt to en- ter the stage talent field, in direct competition on this end with the Music Corp. of America and the William Morris Agenc . MCA re- cently acquired Miles IngaUs to bol- ster its stage taleilt department Creator of 'Buck Rogers* Shows 'Em How It's Done Chicago, April 18l Dick. CaUdns, artist for the 'Buck Rogers' cartoon Strip, is.'personaling in Balaban & Katz nal>e honses. Act consists of chalk talk.