Variety (Jul 1939)

I WcJneBday. July 19t 1939 LEGITIMATE VARIETY 41 VPAers Get a Reprieve, Sticking OnFrPPayroOTaAugJlAl Least; AD Off by End of SepL lOJle the chance of tesusitlcatlns tt« Federal Theatre Project through congressional amendment to the re- e«rtly enacted WPA relief appropri- ation bill is stiU nebulous, a conces- klon was won in Washington. Around JmO on the FTP -wlU bo kept on tue payrtU untU Aug.- 31 at least, gnd en undetermined number will continue to "receive security wages imttt the end of September. Admln- jstrative and other non-relief peo- ple will be out of FTP on July 31. CoL Francis C. "Harrington, Works Progress Commissioner, had ordered the complete cessation of the proj- ect by that date, but late last week accepted the word of legislators that It' was not their intention to so abruptly dismiss all. hands within that time limit. In Issuing a new order extending the time, Harring- ton stated that workers certified for relief would continue on the rolls through August That takes in vir- tually all actors, stagehands, musi- elkns, scenic and technical people in FTP, who have been getting what is dasslfled as security wages. Efforts are now being itiade to hold all rank and fliers on the rolls for the three-months period provided for In the bill, which would extend their xetehtion through September. There is a hitch, however, since the measure stipulates that'dl i>ersons who have been employed in WPA for 18 mohtlis shall be laid off the various projects for. 30 days, war veterans not included. Until the lists are brokea down and the length i)t ti me each reliefer has been on FIP is perceived, the number to be .retained after Aug.. 31 is uncertain. It is contended, however, by .those working in behalf.of the WPAers that a 30 days lay-off is meaninglesis it there are no jobs to come back to at! its expiration. Delegmtlons i* Wash. Concession was announced after delegations from ^uity and the Federation of Arts Unions again went to Washington last week. After visiting Clifton Woodrum, chairman of the sub-committee that first ruled out FTP, the congressman advised Harrington that while wordage of the act permitted discretion, the House and Senate donferees intend- ed that employees be carried for the full three month period permitted by the law. Senator Reynolds ad- vised Harrington to the same effect Main intention of the provision Is to provide an o pportunity to supply people ta FTP with other work in the WPA setup, and it was prom- ised that every effort would be made to transfer certified employees to other projects. Indicated that de- spite the opposition of the legisla- tors to the relief theatre, it was not weir idea to divorce FTP rank and njers from WPA. It was further in- •ucated that most of such employees would be reUined through Septem ber, number given being 5.500 and tht eost to approximate $850,000. Cost of tarrying administrative and super- ^^People througft July is around Since it would be Impossible to operate without the latter forces, re- uei employees wiU not be permitted TO engage in FTP activitiies. They (Continued on page 47) • MAY ROTATE EQUITY'S EXECUTIVE COMMinEE Vnder conslderaUon by Equity is a to more frequently re-form i*^ executive committee, a ^ which reports only to the coun- v,ommittee would continue with Z,**;Pe''«>n complement but three members would be changed every »w months, first switch to be made « September. General idea is to ^» KS^'^i " «U the govern- become better acquainted brnu«K??^r* ^'hlch. are always councfl's attention. lorf w ti*.* ^ "P «' council- iws. but it is believed that its make- eSL„X '**en changed often ^u^. Either proposals originate ^tn the committee, or are refei=red oii«„« eonsWeratlon. Not infre- d»m*5 propositions which are todfS •.^"*'t'<»«We are tabled for • S, for . which reason fS?.,5?^ ** the committee is "««red to make it more efficient . RKO Alden, Jamaica, Resuming Summer Stock The RKO Alden theatre, Jamaica, L. I., which was closed down in June, is reopening Monday (24) with a short season of summer stock, Jules Leventhal, who has operated this policy at the Alden for the past three or four years, is again taking over. Opening attraction will be 'The Women,' Clare Soothe Brokaw play. House reverts to double feature policy on August 17. EQUITY IN OPEN ONUCKET CODE Although it does not participate in the enforcement of the ticket code. Equity figures in the admin- istration of the control system, as indicated twice recently. That the actors end clearly has a say in the use of money the League of New York Theatres collects from the brokers was shown when It nixed an idea to spend several hundred dollars for maps of the theatre zone for distribution at the World's Fair. Equity also set a .deadline for the brokers to accept or reject the con- ditional plan to suspend the ticket levy from April 1 to Sept 15., The agencies not only said the proposition was unacceptable, but want a refund on the coin they paid the league. Brokers ask for another parley, contending that originally it was only intended they pay 3V& cents per ticket for three months. Nearly all the agencies are delin- quent but the brokers figure remit- tances after Dec. 10, last should be returned to them, that being 90 days after the code went into effect Ticket people also say that the League should have adjusted the base rate of the levy long ago. When the code, was originally ex- plained to the brokers, the session included a discussion about the ex- tent of the levy and the general un- derstanding was that the rate would be reduced if it was found that the collections considerably exceeded expenditures. That- angle , was ap- parently over-looked, but was brought up by the Associated Thea- tre Ticket Agencies. League had in- timated it would lower the rate if the brokers kicked in,' but the lat- ter seem intent on retroactive ac- *"when the plan to print 50,000 maps went to Equity, the answer was that the money would not be well spent because too small a per- centage of Fair visitors would be recipients. Originally the League's proposal to the agencies did not fix a date for acceptance and remit- tance, but Equity set July 15 as the time limit. Broker's answer, rather a surprise to the managers body, was delayed, but came before the deadline expired. A provision of the League's proposal was that no litigation be started during the sus- pension ot the levy. It was the Acme case which the League won that inspired the agencies to hold out until the case was over. Balto Guild Advance Big Baltimore, July 18. Subscription plan sponsored here for first time in nine years by Thea- tre Guild promises to click wen. Announcing six plays at Ford^. in- cluding -The Philadelphia Story' and a possible new one with the Lunts, idea has taken hold and re- sponse has been unexpectedly bull- ish With goodly portion of potential legit customers away, three-week ef- fort has produced more than 1,400 reservations. Sale \% being handled by manager John Little and Bess Davis Schreln- er, who i."! employed in similar ca- pacity in Washington. HELEN MORGAN TOPS CHICAGO ROADSHOW Chicago, July 18. Cast of "Night at the Moulin Rouge,' roadshow being produced here by N. S; (Jack) Barger, Is prac- tically set and includes Helen Mor- gan, Toby Wing, Rita Rio and all- girl band, Stan Kavanaugh, Slate Bros., Buster Shaver and Olive and George, Fifl D'Orsay, Clymas 'ttlo, Ada Leonard, Grisha and Grona, Sharon DeVries and the Darmora troupe. Show will carry a line of 36 and 10 showgirls. Troupe is booked to open in Dav- enport on Sept 30, with route through .Des Moines, Sioux City, Denver, Rapid City, Billings, Butte, Spokane, Tacoma, Vancouver, 'Seat- tle, Portland, Eugene and Sacra- mento, with a two-week date at the Curran in San Francisco starting Oct 19; Ned Alvord has been ahead all summer arranging the bookings. Production 'is arranged so as to give show on either stage or floor, according to conditions. In most points, the show wiU appear uhder auspices of civic or fraternal or- ganizations, -^itb this general scale to run from one buck to $3. After hitting Coast show will turn' southwest and will arrive In Houston on Christmas, end New Orleans on New Year's. PATRONS CHILL ON SHUBERT COOLERS Nearly ell of Broadway's legit theatres are air conditioned ,with systems installed during the past two or three years, but criticism is beard to the (.ffect that either the apparatus is not functioning properly, or manipulated for 'economy' reasons. Latter appears to be the situation and is blameable on employees who apparently aim to make a showing. During last week's hot spell in some theatres the cooling systems, were turned' on but one-quarter strength, interiors being * anything but comfortable. That condition was noticed especially in several houses operated by the Shuberts. In other spots, where the systems were oper ated with half power, the tempera- tur'e was considerably lower. Ice is used in the cooling apparatus in the legiters, with but one exception, yet the saving made when the systems are only partially used is compara- tively small. Managements of at- tractions playing houses where economy is practiced in operating the cooling plants have protested, one stunt being to turn off the sys- tems at intermission. There have been complaints that picture houses sometimes chill the interiors too much, but no such squawk has been heard around legit theatres. Impasse on Coin Minimums May Impede Hollyil Backing, But Expect B way to Adopt 'Two a Day* Authors After Road Tour Coin Los Angeles, July 18. Rights to Two a Day,' Federal Theatre Project vaude cavalcade, of- ficially reverted to Gene Stone and Jack Robinson, authors, who' are hunting a bankroll for a road tour. Show folded temporarily after eight days at the Orpheum here. ANOTHER BlAY LEGITERGOES TO RADIO The somewhat tiubulent engage- ment of 'I Must tiOve Someone'' is due to terminate Saturday <22), and the Vanderbilt N. Y, where it moved from the liongacre ' several months ago, is to be used by NBC for broadcasting purposes. Jack Kirk- land, who produced 'iSome'one' and collaborated in its' authorship, .had an idea of sending the show to rural show shops and bringing it back to' Broadway for a repeat prior to the road, but the pian° appears to have been shelved. 'Someone,' now In Its 24th week, drew a panning from the critics and piled up an operating deficit which, in addition to the production outlay, has put the show into. the red so heavily that chances of recapturing the investment are slim. Only Kirk- land's, persistence has kept the comedy on the boards. During the spring 'Someone' improved with the help of cut rates, but lately has hardly bettered an.even break. Frequent cast changes and argu- ments with 'Vanderbilt management punctuated that portion of the eu' gagement there. Withdrawal of Nancy Carroll; who replaced Martha Sleeper in the lead part, seemed to have affected attendance and ro' placement by Gypsy Hose Lee re- cently was of little help. Under- stood that Kirkland, who is divorced from Miss Carroll, sought to induce her return. CBS is using three Times Square legit houses for radio, but the Vanderbilt is the first to be leased by NBC since the completion of its studios in Radio City. Arrangement for the theatre is for 13 weeks, with additional time optional. Vanderbilt will be used especially for Fred Waring band programs. The Waring outfit has been shuiited from one studio to another on broad- casting nights, but last week the (Continued on page 46) The pending, new pact between Hollywood and Broadway, whereby the former will again finance legit shows, may be okay in general prin- ' ciple, but there is an impasse over money minimums which, must be ironed out before the new deal be- comes a means to stimulate the pres- entation of more shows. Otherwise Oie agreement which both sides ap- pear to desire, may impede picture- backed production rather than be of mutual benefit Despite Hollywood objection, how- ever, ' indications are that the pro- posed agreement will be submitted to the memberships of the Dramat- ists Guild and the League of New York Theatres within two or three weeks. Special meeting of the Guild will be called for the purpose, with non-attending members voting by mail or proxy. Managers will like- wise meet to decide on the matter within a similar time. Approval by both groups is figured likely. If the plan is accepted by the Guild and League it automatically becomes effective. Thereafter, the studios would have the option of participating in legit financing under its terms of signing- the regular minimum basic agreement <which they have refused to do for more than two years) or of continuing to hold aloof. Last week when the joint commit- tee of authors and managers talked tilings over, the conferees were 'sworn to secrecy,' but authenticated sources were well aware, of the fact that objection to certain tentative provisions came from the picture end. While the council of the Dra- matists Guild with its name, writers is in accord, it is claimed, that if changes are not worked out the minor or new author will not be helped—and that is what the. rank, and file membership in the Guild has been aiming for ever since the rift began. Principal requlc^ent under fire is that the backer, 'or picture pro' ducer, post $15,000 as advance roy- alty on.the film rights. Pointed out that plenty of plays which did not fare so well on Broadway w^re sold to 'Hollywood for as little as one- third that sum. - That did not seem to impress the Guild when the terms were being drafted; authors saying that plays which did not succeed on the stage were eventually fashioned into grade A features. In the event that a play did not succeed, it would appear that $15,> 000 would approximate the maxi-. (Continued on page 43) Hepburn Paying for "Story' at Rate Of $2,000 fUy; Cost May Be lOOG Deal whereby Katharine Hepburn purchased the picture rights of "The Phil^elphia Story,' in which she is appearing at the Shubert N. Y., was made something of a mystery. Au- thoritively stated, however, that the star is paying approximately ?2,000 per week and it is estimated, what with the Broadway date going well into next season; plus a road tour, the rights money may'exceed $100,- 000. Play is now in itis"17th week, not counting the tryout period, and is topping the list of sUaight shows. The buy is the first under a rule of the Dramatists Guild-managers pact of 1936, which provides lor a percentage of the gross plan as de- termining! the amount paid. Other methods .are for a fixed sum agreed on between the manager, .author and buyer^or. for a sliding scale arrange- ment dependent on the number of weeks piSyed. A variation of the percentiiSS plan is being negotiated between the authors, managers and Hollywood. Explained that Miss Hepburn beat the field by signing for the film rights prior to production of the play, at the same time contracting to appear in 'Story'. 'She is also said to have signatured an agreement with the Guild guaranteeing min- imum film rights royalty. Star' is said to have acquired the rights as a protective measure, she to appear in the picture version, or to resell the rights if she so elects. , It is the first time for any player to figure similarly in a picture rights deal. Payment for the rights is being made on a monthly basis and it is understood that the coin Is remitted to film arbiter Sidney Fleisher by Miss Hepburn's attorney in Califor- nia. It will be split up when the engagement is' terminated and the date of film.release agreed on, pi;ob- ably some time during next season. As provided by the Guild's basic agreement 60% v;ill go to Philip' Barry end 40% to the Theatre Guild. Legit in Bridge Loimge, . Sans or Curtain, Is New Texas Wrinkle Houston, July 18. The Lamar Intimate Theatre, Hous- ton's first summer legit opiened its first production, Norman Krasna's 'Louder, Please,' here July 10. The Intimate is the bridge lounge of ,the Lamar hotel turned into a playhouse sinmply by placing rbws of chairs aroimd the four walls, leaving a large rectangle in the center for the stage. There are no footlights.- Lighting effects are attained entirely through extra lights suspended from the ceil- ing. There is no curtain. All lights are extinguished to indicate the lend' of the acts, and players make their entrances and exits in pitch dark- ness. Seating capacity Is limited to 100, and the fact that the bridge lounge is air-conditioned, along with the ap- peal of the novelty of the production, is credited with the large advance sale of tickets. Margo Jones, director of the Hous- ton Conmiunity Players, amateur dramatic group, is in charge and draws upon members of the Com- munity Players for her cast. Cy Howard, no.w a Houston advertising man, who has appeared in minor parts on Broadway, is the only pro- fessional attached to the group. A short season of five weeks !• planned by the group, presenting , proven comedies for five nights each. ' Plays scheduled for the season are, besides the opener. 'There's Always Juliet' The Second Man.' 'The Cir- cle' and "Springtime for Henry.*