Variety (Aug 1939)

Wednesday, August 23, 1939 VAUDE—NIGHT CLUBS VARIETY 41 UNIT PROD. ACTIVE AGAIN 4 As Will Investigate TA 'Chiseling'; Gaimed to Be Abetting Benefits Another growing sore spot among performers is expected to come in lor scrutiny by the Associated Ac- tors and Artistes of America. Phase due for a searching probe is the Theatre Authority. The TA was originally formed to eliminate, or greatly reduce, bene- fits, thereby affording more paid •work for actors. It is charged now that certain TA officials nationally are abetting benefits in order to draw down the 15% of the gross charge to the TA. This is split among all actor organizaticfns to bolster their relief funds. The salaried TA representatives also get bonuses based on the amount of col- lections in their key city locations. One allegation Is that some of the leps are calling strictly organiza- tional and club shows, which ordi- narily would pay for talent, as bene- fits. Acts play these non-charity shows gratis, thereby affording the TA its 15% cut. Theatre Authority grew out of the Actors Betterment Assn., formed by a group of performers to battle the benefit racket. ABA eventually be- came the American Federation of Actors and got a charter from the Four A's, with the TA substituting as the crusader against phoney charity shows employing actors grati* AiiOiher chisel charged by per- formers is the failure of some TA leps to pay full expenses incurred by acts in playing benefits. One in- stance is known of acts being prom- ised $5 taxi fares, but receiving only $2. The matter was squared only after a vigorous squawk from the acts' agents. Ralph Whitehead, executive secre- tary of the AFA, last April started to probe the activities of -tfee The- atre Authority reps following re- ports of chiseling. His investigation, however, didn't get very far because of the then-impending Investigation cf bis own regime by the Four A's. Can't Even Sing With Your Beer in Windsor; Hotels Appeal Blue Law Windsor, Ont., Aug. 22. In this 100,000-populalion burg BiTOSs from Detroit in Canada, where all music had been barred in drinking spots, sippers hereafter will even have to slop singing over their liquor. Ontario liquor board has warned hotel men that licenses wiU be re- voked if proprietors of tap rooms permit singing. In hotels, in which dining rooms are used for overflow from beverage rooms, all musical in- lilrumcnts must be locked up, it's been ruled. Hotel owners, especially those having bands under contract lOr din- ing rooms, are preparing an appeal for clarification of the order. Louis Prima to Play N. Y, Strand as Single Orchestra leader Louis Prima and his trumpet goes into the Strand theatre, New York, as a single Sept. 1 with the Ozzie Nelson band. Prima will work with the Nelson crew, of course, as the band backs all acts, but will primarily be a solo act. Combination is in for three weeks with 'Dust Be My DesUny' (WB). Prlma's orchestra is currently at the Hickory House, N. Y., from which he'll double. L FOR NEW SEASON Midwest Appears Focal Point for Production Shows — Trend Toward Flash and Femmes Evi- dent ' in Units Being Framed for All Budget Brackets BETTER B O. 2 Mills Bros. Injured In Car Crash in England London, Aug. 12. Herbert and Donald Mills (Mills Bros.) and Norman Brown, guitar- i.st in the aggregation, were injured last week in car smash while travel- ing from Leeds to Liverpool on way to Douglas, Isle of Man, to do a Sun- flay concert. Herbert Mills required seven stitches in his neck, while Donald suffered a wrenched back. Brown was least Injured, suffering only from shock. Harry Mills and Arthur Lake, their manager, were in another car, ahead of the others. Concert had to be canceled, but boys were patched up well iDnouKh by local doctors to open next day (7) at the Empire, Liverpool. Robert and Norma Tayntor re- newed for four weeks at Florentine Gardens, Hollywood. K.C. Tower Back To Vaudfilms At 25c Top Anytime Kansas City, Aug. 22. Vaudefilms return to It C. at a 25c admission with the reopening of the "Tower Friday (25). The 'any- seat at anytime for 25c' is same pol- icy originated at the house in 1934. It continued operation with vaude until last June. Operation of the theatre will be under direction of Barney Joffee, who holds a. management contract from Fox Midwest Theatres Corp., lease holders at present and opera- tors ot the house until its recent closing-. Joffee was in charge of the house in 1934 when the two-bit combo started. Stage presentations will feature three vaude acts along with a house band and the Glamour Girls, terp linie, an m. c, and Novaline Payne and Milton Frank as specialty sing- ers. Production will be in hands of Frank Tracy, who previously acted in same capacity. Mary Gra- ham Minor, former member of the Adorables, will direct the line. For film fare, Joffee will draw from 20th-Fox, Universal and Re- public first-run contracts held by Fox Midwest. Bill Simpson, now as- sistant manager at the Fox Midwest Esquire next door, will be house manager. Joffee retains his position as di- rector of entertainment and adver- tising tor the Hotel Muehlebach. Ad- mish at the Tower last season listed a 25c mat and 40* evening top, al- though 25c straight was tried for a short lime. HEAT CAUSES JESSEL TO KEEL OVER ON STAGE Excessive heat in New York Mon- day and vesterday (Tuesday) caught up with George Jcssel; currently at Loew's State. Comic toppled over Tuesday just as he finish(ia the first morning show, after first telling the audience he felt 'faint.' Ruby Zwerling, leader of the State's pit band, jumped up on the stage and helped carry Jessel off. Latter resumed at the second per- formance. Slate itself is cooled, but the heat has been excessive In the dressing rooms. Jctsel was feeling it so badly on Monday, he complained, 'I must be getting old.' Fay's, Prov., to Reopen Providence. Aug. 22. Fay's. Providence's only vaudfilm- er, reopens Sept. 1, bringing city's downtown theatres back to full strength. Interior has been redeco- rated, and other improvements have been made to the stage during the summer. Spot OB^np with 'Angels Wash Their Fa^jTs' and five acts of vaude- ville. Chicago, Aug. 22. A hefty unit revival looms for the coming vaude season, with pro- ducers shaping shows for all types of time and houses. A. B. Marcus is back in this coun- try after almost three years in the Far East and Africa and is set for a string of vaude time with his units. He is also associating with N. S. Barger and Ned Alvord for a string of one-nighters from Iowa to the Coast and back. Ez Keough, local producer, has at least one unit going out, headed by Johnny Perkins. Jack Fine is plan- ning another all-girl show. Nick Boila is readying a show, as Is Joe Clymas, of the Clymas troupe. 'Folies Bergere' is on the road as a unit Al Borde is booking one of the Bon Air nitery floor shows as a vaude layout. Will Harris is con- sidering putting a special all-colored talent unit together. After ii few years of straight vaude shows, production and flash, plus the femme slant is coming back to theatres. The initial experi- ments with the flash units indicate that they are once more of con siderable boxoffice value. Major Bowes amateur groups are picking up plenty of time around the midwest 'Mikado in Swing,' colored show, has a number of vaud film weeks offered, but Harry Rog- ers is understood sold on continuing the production on its present legiti- mate tour. Det. Nitery, 1st Seating 100, Now. Enlarging To Capacity of 1,000 Detroit, Aug. 22. Bowery nitery here has purchased adjacent property and will start work.imnifcdiatelj to enlarge spot by 400 seats, pushinj; its seating ca- pacity to 1.000. Will boost spot's ca- pacity to 10 limes the lOO-seating capacity when owner Frank Bar- bara opened it five years ago. Currently at Bowery are Benny Resh's band, Myers and St Johns, Dmitri snd Frances, Mclba Bou- dreaux, True anO Trudy Williams, Charley Carlis-le Jind Fleurcttes line (6). Kay, Katya and Kay, AGVA Members, Start 1st Suit to Curb AFA Picketing Barnyard Oaklies Dallas, Aug. 22. A chicken in every nitery's pot is better than no cash in the till, according to a scheme worked out by Jack Lee, of the Eighth Avenue Club here. Price of admission each Mon- day night now is a chicken per couple. Fowls are popped into the chicken fry guests are served. Drinks are extra. Hirst in St. Loo Takeover; Sets Pickens as Aide St.Louis, Aug. 22. . Hirst'-Circuit has obtainetl posses- sion of the Garrick, burg's sole bur- lesk house, and Jack Beck is slated to manage it during next season. W. M. (Bill) Pickens, who has been pre- senting burlesk in the Garrick for the past 15 years and who is reported to have grossed $100,000 in one season, before the depression, is skedded to join Hirst as traveling representative over the entire circuit. Pickens will endeavor to tighten up the wheel by filling in towns on the long jumps and thus reduce the rail- road nut That has been one of the big problems that Pickens faced dur- ing the past few years, as he had to pay fares for the road companies from Toronto to St. Louis and from St Louis to F'ittsburgh. The tenta- tive reopening of the Garrick is skedded shortly after Labor Day. DETROIT CAFE OPS. WIN POINT IN CURFEW HGHT AI Rosen, B way State Manager, Seriously 11! A] Ro.'en. m.inager of Loew's State, N<w York, is reported seri- ously ill in an uptown hospital. He's currently undergoing a phys- ical buildup prior to.a major opera- tion. Condition is the result of an ailment that first evidenced itself a couple of yc-ars. ago. EEOPENING FT. WORTH SPOT Fort Worth, Aug. 22. Ernie Pcilmriuist, band leader who made lonj.; stay at Chez Maurice, Dallas, before it was closed, will re- open the Ringside Club, near here, Aug. 31.- Alta PiedmC'nt, blues singer, and Lester Oman, mi-riontttiu, will also be on tap. Detroit Aug. 22. A show-cause order, returnable Sept 9, was signed last week by Circuit Judge Joseph A. Moynihan in the suit of Wayne county (De- troit) nitery operators to restrain the state liquor board from continu- ing its ban on sale of beer and wine on Sunday mornings. The Class 'C Operators Assn., numbering 2.100 niember.s in De- troit charge the board, under Gov. Luren D. Dickinson's direction, acted arbitrarily, capriciously, wilfully, whimsically, maliciously and imcon- stitutionally in enforcing the re- cently-promiilgatcd ruling v.hich bans beer sales between 2 a.m. and 2 p.m. Sunday.s. Named with Gov. Dickinson as de- fendants were Mayor Richard Read- ing of Detroit, Police Commlsh Heinrich Pickert, Prosecu'ior Dun- can McCrea, Sheriff Thomas C. Wil- cox, Atty.-Gen. Thomas Read and members of the Kquor commish. Hollywood, Des Moines Nitery, Drops Shows Des Moines, Au?. 22. Hollywood Club, located outside tl.e city limits, discontinued it. show booked from Chicago. Dave Fidler, operator of the club, complained that lack of biz forced the curtail- ment Irving H. Groismah booked the spot The club will continue on a dine- and-dance basi.<;, with a five-piece band. Fidler said he would restore the floor show as soon as the cus- tomers started flocking in. Fidler also stated he had pur- chased the downtov.'n nitery, known as Pinkie's, from Pinkie Gc-firpe. It ' will be known as Dave Fidlcr'.s. N. Y. supreme court ju.stice Ferdi- nand Pecora Monday (21) reserved decision on an application for an in- junction by Edwin W. Kay, Katya Komer and Bryan Kay, dancers, who instituted an action for $5,000 dam- ages and an injunction at the same time against the American Federa- tion of Actors, La Cabana, Inc., do- ing business as La Conga restaurant, and 'Charles' Diggs, delegate of the AFA, given name being false. It's the flrst suit arising from the 4 A's- IATSE embroglio. The plalntifis assert that they are members of the American Guild of Variety Artists and were never mem- bers of the AFA. It is claimed that on Aug. 17 Dlggs, as a representative of the AFA, ordered them to cease an engagement at the restaurant and started picketing the nitery because they were not members of the union. The three plaintiffs quit voluntarily to save the restaurant the embar- rassment of the picketing, but claim in their suit that, as members of a known union, the court should en- join further picketing of the' res- taurant and allow them to work there unharassed. They also seek $5,000 damages from the AFA which is asserted to be a discredited union, whose charter has been revoked. Influx of Strollers Keynotes Depresh In Milw. Nite Clubs Milwaukee, Aug. 22. The yearly night club depression has always come during July and August when most of the local night-outers spend their amusement cash at summer resorts and camp.s. This year the depression has been at an all-time low, with the result that most of the large spots have cut the entertainment nut and gone in for either fewer acts, or cheaper ones. One thing noticed the past few weeks has been the influx of Cock- tail bar and single stroller enter- tainers. Single girl accordianists and vocalists with a fair amount of looks are finding it easy to keep working for weeks at a time, where ordinarily floor show bookings were scarce. Some of the best nite spots in. town, including the Plankinton House's Red Rood, the Spa, Tic Top Tap and Miami Club, now employ strolIer,<:. Latter are getting any- where from $25 to $75 a week. BRANDT STAGGERING VAUDFILM OPENINGS Opening of vaudflim in four Brandt circuit houses this fall is be- ing; staggered. The Flatbuyh, Brooklyn, will open first on Sept. 15; the Windsor, Bronx, Sept 2); Audubon, Manhattan, Sept 21, and the Carlton, Jamaica, Sept. 28. Sammy Kaye band, Cass Daley and Bob Dupont will top the opening bill at the Flatbash and rotate later at the other three theatres. Jimmy Dorsey's orch opens the Audubon Sept 21, and then goes to the Carlton Sept 28. Three other shows are set to pl.iy, the four theatres, all opening fi>-st at the Flatbu.sh, in this order: Andrews .Sisters, Milt Britton Band and the Honey Family, Sept 21; Cnb C.-il- loway'.s Cotton Club show. Sept 28, and Larry Clinton's band, Oct 5. Tolies' to Canada Winnipeg, Aug. 22. VV!nnipeg.is to see its fir.st ylv^o revue in years when Clifford C. Fischer's 'Folies Bergere' opens Aug. 20 for a three-day run at the Walker. Advance men are in town plugging the date.- Walker also eports it is holding dates open for several New York and English stage plays for (his f;.ll and winter, though nothing is definitely set as yet