Variety (Aug 1939)

Wednesday, August 30, 1939 VAUDE—MIGHT CLUBS VARIETY 37 UNION ROW HITS NITERIES ICE SHOW GETS B.O. RECORD IN FRISCO San Francisco, Aug. 29. 'Ice Follies' moves out of the re- conditioned Dreamland Auditorium Saturday night (2) after shattering iust about every b.o. record ever set in this town. Spectacle will have played to 328,000 paid admissions m 17 straight weeks, last three of which are practically solid sellouts. Same troupe preems its new 'Ice Follies of 1940* Sept. 7 in Pan-Pacific ^uditorium, Los Angeles. New edi- tion has rehearsed concurrently with performances at Dreamland for last 15 weeks. 'Follies' blasted predictions of town's wiseacres when it opened in May that a month's run would finish it. Less than one-half of one percent of population here can Ice skate. Length of slay was dramatized by return to cast in last few weeks of chorister Betty Murray, who broke leg in early show. Actors' Squabble Over Their Respective Merits Ends in Fatal Stabbing Syracuse, Aug. 29. Alleged backstage quarreling which resulted in the fatal stabbing last Friday (25) of George V. FiUgerald, 42, of Brooklyn, at Little Falls, N. Y., is being probed by Herkimer County officials. Fitzgerald, who was ap- pearing with a 'Punch and Judy' act at the Rialto theatre in Little Falls, died as the result of wounds inflicted during a street scuffle with James Edmondson, 29, of Jacksonville, Fla., member of a song-and-dance team also appearing at the Rialto. Edmondson and his wife, Marga- ret, with whom he is teamed, as well as other members of the troupe, ad- mitted there had been several quar- rels between Edmondson and Fitz- gerald over the merits of their acts. On Friday, according to Edmondson, he was struck with a stick during one of these backstage arguments. Later, while walking in the street with his wife, Edmondson said, they encountered Fitzgerald in front of a hardware store and the argument re- sumed. The men grappled and Ed- mondson says Fitzgerald, who was pushed against a counter, grabbed a sickle and renewed the encounter. Mrs. Edmonson tried to intervene, but the two men clinched and both fell. As he rose, Edmondson said, he saw that his opponent had been wounded. He contends that he did not touch the sickle at any time and that Fitzgerald must have fallen on the weapon. He died several hours later in a Little Falls hospital, and Edmondson was arrested. Circle, Indpls., Again Planning VandTilms Indianapolis, Aug, 29. Circle theatre, which took a fling at stage shows last spring, is flirt- ing with the flesh once more. Cab Calloway's orch is the first show to be signatured for future appearance. When Circle ^had stage ishows last Spring, the vaudfllm Lyric was also in operation, with theatres di- viding flesh biz so that both showed in the red for the period. Lyric is now shuttered by stagehands' strike. CAFES IN MIDDLE OF UFA VS. AGVA Clash Over Performer Con- trol Puts Operators on the Spot—Signing With One Invites Action by the Other Benny Co. Heads Holiday Show At S.F. Fair for 9G San Francisco, Aug. 29. After months of dickering, deal has -been finally set for Jack Benny, Mary Livingstone and Phil Harris' orch to play in Treasure Island's Temple Compound Labor Day. week- end (2-4). Trio reported getting $9,000 for the date, second to Edgar Bergen-Charlie McCarthy's $10,000 booking recently for two days. Har- ris takes over Tuesday (5) for sev- eral weeks on his own. Shows are gratis. Eddy Duchin leaves for possible New York Fair session after besting audience records of all his prede cessors with Its band and fourract show. Week ending Friday (25) had paid admission total of 360,041, a daily average of 51,434. Mark was only slightly below previous stanza's 364,- 958, highest of any non-holiday week. Still running under 1915 exposition figures, but way ahead of San Diego, '36. Once again 'Cavalcade of Golden West' proved top money-maker last week, exceeding $36,000, its best gross during its 27-week run. 'Gloria,' nude painting recently withdrawn from the Gayway by concessionaire-artist Irving Sinclair, was stolen from .the storeroom dur- ing the week. Sinclair values it at $50,000. Seventy-five more employes were dropped during the past seven days, in line with gradual retrenchment Most were radio performers and technicians hired on temporary basis. Second-year talk still persistent but unofficial. Fair has classified bills over $1,000 as-, major and is paying off minor debts first. Reported that as a result Art Linkletter, writer of 'Cavalcade' is still unpaid. PICKETS PICKETED Current actor-stagehand feud, which threatens to tie up all show business, has already seriously em- barrassed night club operators. Spots are finding themselves projected into the middle of the American Guild of Variety Artists-American Federa- tion of Actors battle, with little chance of clearing themselves. So far, no one has been able to figure a solution. Difficulty arises when the two op- posing unions attempt to control any spot. Most nitery operators are willing to sign with either union— in fact, they're eager to do so, in order to avoid becoming embroiled in a union jurisdictional tiff. But if they sign with either outfit, they're in danger of being picketed by its rival. And if they refuse to sign with either pending settlement of. the dispute, they're likely to be picketed by both. That has happened in at least one case. Allegedly because Barney Joseph- in, the proprietor,' has refused to sign a contract with the union, AFA last Saturday night (26) began pick- eting Cafe Society, Greenwich Vil- lage, N. Y., nitery. Although it has no contract with the place, AGVA immediately dispatched men to pick- (Continued on page 39) AFA Indicates Intensive Drive To Organize Clu Theatres, Cafes B & K Favors AFA Chicago, Aug. 29. Balaban & Katz booking office has called in all acts, telling them to join the AFA if intend- ing to. play downstate houses. lATSE is very active here or- ganizing. Soph's Nitery Tour Parallels leave on Road Chicago, Aug. 29. With less 4A's opposition here than either in New York or on the Coast, Chicago is to become the focal point for an American Fed- eration of Actors organizing cam- paign. Wire to,that effect was re- ceived by the local AFA office from Ralph Whitehead, executive secre- tary, giving them the go ahead for a campaign and quoting message George E. Browne, prexy of Inter- national Alliance Theatrical Stage Employees, sent to all lATSE locals, Thursday (24). Message was' in- terpreted to mean AFA, with back- ing of lATSE, is to crack down on theatres, niteries and performers not affiliated with AFA. Up to present time, AFA has not had an intensive campaign for or- ganizing vaudeville here, but feeling is that the backing and support of lATSE has now made the time ripe for such action throughout the coun- try, but in . Chicago especially, since Sophie Tucker, whose suspension there is less here.. Also, because at last week by Equity may provoke a present time organizing in (Thicago LEO CURLEY HEADS AGVA'S CHI BRANCH Chicago, Aug: 29. Leo Curley was appointed yester- day (Monday) to head American . Guild of Variety . Artists in Chicago. I expected to go at least a fourth. LAHR, BOLGER REPLACE ROONEY AT N.Y. CAP. Mickey Rooney pulls out of the Capitol, New York, tomorrow (Thursday), being replaced by Bert Lahr and Ray Bolger in that delux- er's stageshow support of . 'The Wizard of Oz' (M-G). Both Lahr and Bolgcr are featured in the film. Holding over, with the film is Judy Garland, with Lahr and Bolger, she'll stick until the end of the pic- ture's run, which starts a third week tomorrow (Thursday) and is Has been in charge of Chicago divisions of Screen Actors Guild, and the American Guild of Musical Artists. Swank Salt Lake Spot Gets Facial Salt Lake City, Aug. 29. Hotel Utah Empire room, swank supper club, is getting a modernistic facial in preparation for fall opening Sept. 8. Freddie Nagel's orch. is set for opening. Hostelry's al fresco Starlite Gar- dens shutters Sept. 7. Larry Kent's band is currently playing that room, With Wally Williams' Foursome dish- ">g out the cleflTs in spot's beer- Pretzelry, the Rendezvous. Miss Garland and Rooney are committed/to an October 'command' pertormzlnce before the King and Queen of England in London, but this will be . called off in the event of war. Lahr remains on Broadway after the Capitol personal to start rehearsals m 'DuBarry Was a Lady,' with Ethel Merman. Deny KJ(.&K. Injunction Vs. AFA Picketing N. Y. supreme court Justice Ferdi- nand Pecora Thursday (23) denied an application by Edwin W. Kay, Katya Komer and Byron Kay for an injunction against the American Fed- eration of Actors to prevent them from picketing the La Conga Restau- rant, where the plaintiffs had been employed. On August 17, Kay, Katya and Kay, members of the AGVA but not of the AFA, were requested to quit the employment of the restaurant and picketing was started. They left, but started the injunctive action and suit for $5,000 damages. The opinion of Judge Pecora de- clared, 'Plaintiffs have an adequate remedy at law for damages. They may possibly have a claim for equit- able relief, but their right thereto depends upon many debatable ques- tions.' widespread theatrical union war, has booked a series of nitery engage- ments to parallel the road tour of 'Leave It to Me,' the Vinton Freedley musical in which she was featured. Show had been scheduled to go on the road Oct. 16, opening with a twjj- week stand at the Forrest, Philadel- phia. Singer had arranged a concur- rent date at the Walton roof, Phila- delphia, and similar bookings at top niteries in all other cities the mu- sical was to play. In the meantime, she goes into the Versailles, N. Y., opening Sept. 21. Regardless of the fate of 'Leave' or whether she remains in the company or not. Miss Tucker intends to fill all the nitery dates she had set. How- ever, the future of the musical is highly uncertain, as the stagehands have indicated they will refuse to work in it if Miss Tucker is barred. Meanwhile, Freedley has announced his intention of reopening the show at the Imperial, N. Y., next Mon- day (4). LYMAN STILL HOT FOR H'WOOD TROC Salkin Booking K. C. Chicago, Aug. 29. Kansas City Tower, which opened with vaudfilm policy at 25c top last Fjiday (25), is being- booked exclu- sively by Leo Salkin of William Mor- ris Chicago office. House had been closed for two months. Operating now under di- rection of Barney Joffee, who holds management contract with Fox Mid-IF. Noonan in the N. Y, west Theatres Corp. court Sept. 8. Hawaiian Maisonette, N. Y., Sets Fall Show The Hotel St. Regis' Maisonette Russe (N. Y.) becomes the Hawai- ian Maisonette, when it reopens first week in October. Heading the entertainment will be Elmer Lee's native combo plus three Hawaiian dancing girls and a come- dienne, Clara Inter, better known as •Hilo Hattie.' Lincoln, Au^r529. Abe Lyman, orch leader, and his brother, Mike, have reopened nego- tiations for the Trocadero,.in Holly- wood, after previous attempts to set a deal fell through nearly a year ago. Spot is o\yned now by Felix Young. would cut a huge swath nationally, there being four houses playing full week vaudeville regularly and seven units ready to go out. AFA here will probably also go after the bigger- hotel rooms— Palmer House, Edgewater Beach and other class A spots.. Understood that Frank Olson, local lATSE head, will give Guy Magley, AFA rep here, all the co-operation needed for organ- izing, meaning that the lATSE won't go along with a -house oper- ator or unit producer hot affiliated with AFA. Many performers already hold cards in the newly organized Amer- ican Guild of Variety Artists. If units and houses here are AFA, with lATSE backing, then these acts may have difficulty working in Chicago. Too, some hold other Four A's mem- berships—Actors Equity, American Federation Radio Artists or Screen Actors Guild cards—and feel that signing with AFA might cause sus- pension, or even expulsion. AH Chicago unit producers are be- ing told curtain will not be pulled unless they sign with AFA, but first to feel any actual force was Ez lleough, who was reportedly told he would not be allowed to open at Palace, Springfield, 111., unless his Johnny Perkins unit was 100% AFA. Acts scheduled to play Saturday night (2) the Public-Great States time in Illinois, specifically Palace, Danville, and Castle, Blpomington, were told the date was off unless they joined AFA before then. Words used in telling performers were 'join George Browne's union.' C. J. FREEMAN WELDS CRA'S BOOKING SETUP AFA Acts Ignore Orders, Play Two TA Benefits Despite American Federation of Actors orders to its members not to play Theatre Authority benefits, a charity bill at Saratoga Springs, N. Y., last week included about 20 acts, nearly all of whom were AFA members. The affair, held in the local Convention Hall, for the benefit of the Saratoga Springs fire depart- ment, grossed about $2,000, of which approximately $300 went to the TA. Acts from all the nearby niteries ap- peared. 'Yokel Boy' benefit performance last Thursday midnight (24) at the Majestic, N. Y., for the family of the late Harry'Jellis, electrician in the show, grossed around $2,200,' of which TA received about $330. Charles J. Freeman, former head of RKO's booking department, moves into Consolidated Radio Artists in New York on Friday (1). He'll act generally in an official capacity, first tying together CRA's booking setup. Prior to joining CRA, Freeman last week signed a new deal with Bob O'Donnell, of the Interstate Cir- cuit (Texas), naming Freeman ex- clusive booker of those theatres for five years. Interstate will play one stage show a month, starting around Oct. 1, for full-week dates in San Antonio, Houston, Dallas and Ft. Worth. Bookings will be chiefly units and bands, most of 'em on per- centage arrangements. Atlas Assigns Assets Atlas Advertising Agency, which specialized in hotels, restaurants and night clubs, had its assets assigned to Joseph W. Burg for the benefit of creditors last week.. Application authorizing Burg to accept a bid for the agency's assets Dwighl Fiske goes into the Colony is returnable before Justice Thomas Club, Chicago, Sept. 15 for a three- supreme week run at $1,500 weekly. 1 William Morris office agented, Fiske's Chi Date Walton Roof, Philly, Sets 2 Three-Week Shows Walton Roof, Philadelphia, has set two shows for three-week runs each. First, opening Sept. 7, will include Lillian Carmen, Masino and Straf- ford, Bob Ripa and Bob Russo. Opening Sept. 28, Walton's show will hold Ethel Shutta, Borrah Mine- vitch's Rascals, Trixi, Russo and a dance team yet to be booked.