Variety (Jul 1940)

MISCELLANY We<tne6«lay, jii ly 3, 1 ■ FGllgWihg the aclfon^ the' Repiib- .Jican convention in nomiriating -Wen'- clell: U. "Willkie. for presidentsijiie has;' been' a boom jn thie 'I-Tolol-You>; So dliib. arpynd and advertising drcles, Althovigh the' J-helpeidi-him clairris: are' phoney in. Korhe cases; it do<6s happen that quite . jjifevi? per-sdnages in brpadcas^ its environs have been close ,to! W.iil- hi^ h^refpioi-e and have, contributed io his .amazing. skyrOc.Keiing; to -emi-. Willkie. owes a good deal, it j's con- cedeti, to the NBG prograrii, 'Tb^yn Hail of the Air.V' That would include John Royal and Qeorge. V. Dehhy. thiS 'wasi one-o the lirs'tVsounding boards through which oh several oc- casions the. utilities exec caniie to na- tional 'attention. It helped, too; for "Willkie to appear on Canada; Dry's ■"Informatioh, PTeasie' prograrn, ah -ihr vitati he accepted while Toni Dewey and Seriatpf Taft sidiestepped fiiitiilar; bids out of 'fea r of the pps- j;ibl9 recoil of rnakihg a poori>impies- ; siPn oh the public; .. Chet LaRbche,: of Yoiihg 5t-. Rubi- cam, • is also, reported to :haye . been .'close to:-the nominee,. While Bruce Barton, of .B.B & P'^^^^^ was so close he; seconded the ribrninatibn ■ oh ■the . fipOf of. the . coriveritipiiv,: I?ubli "iher ., (Continued on ."page IW . ^ Maybiei a Cookie ; ■ Tony.' Tut.lle, six^year-old: son. ' of Day Tiiltie, co-operator, with . : . Richard . S.kiriner of the. West-. ; ; Chester . playhpiise,. Kiscp,. Ti., mSiAit Yi^^ stagte. debut this " week ■ ."iopaze.' Bint .these are ' , toiigh t.ini.es eV*ri' fOr the mop- pets, ;as thie .youngster learned ..' pveif the weekend,.. : Feeling pretty im.pprtant the , kid was discussihg sa^^^ mat-, ters. with Skinner. . 'Sorne child ' actors . are paid; pretty high, ..; ■ ' ''t.Vthey.?'- hievobserved;'-;^'''!^^ wbndeit how mu6^ I'll |et for : acting.' His' twin-siister .Molly, being a girl,, was. realistic. She v • answered, 'Ybiir daddy runs "the theatre^: you .aren't; suppdsed'^^; to, ■ ' ;get anything:': ' To Bring Her 5-Year-Old Ibiigbter to II; S. Sitfeh^ .Na« invasioh of Low Cbuntries has jtist aboiit. finished London legit; fiocprdirig. tp» Jessica Tandy, Br|tish nctress, who arrived in- Ne\y York .Monday (1). She -said- only four legit prpductions were struggling along in the . West End, : tirying tO cpmpete. .■with news ;broad.cas{s ifbr dramatic power and audience pull. 'People can't fear themselves a-way froni their radio to igo to;the thealrfe 'wbbn events are happening Avhich- .jpight change the: .'course Of' their "Whole .lives," shie -.said.. ^ 'Then, .too, few people in .-England nowadays have , money . enPugh to . afford the price of legit tickets, when they have lio. idea of what their economic fu- ture^Willbe like.* Miss Tandy left John Gielgud's "King Lear* prpductiOn to. bring .her fivt-year-dld . daughter tO ■.America' safely. Cohipany .included Fay Ccmpldn, ;Cathleeh Nesbitt, . Lewis Caisson, . >iicOlas Hannen, Stephen Haggard' and Jack.- Hawkins, Miss Tandy's husband.- Latter ; has. left fjhovir to' enlist in the army. Harley Gianville-Barker ..came from -Paris xetirement td: diiect the prbductiori. Which is still running at the Old Vic. Show did ■ exceedingly well ."until start, of. blitz, she said. .'It takes a tragedy .like 'King Lear* to make people forget the real triagedy that's happening ail around them. In times Jikc: these the thieatregoer > needs, something to sinik his teeth, into,'the actress declared; She's here to do a jjipw in the fall,:jprpbably;f^^^ nrd Madden. • > , / ROBBINS PUBUSHING . Forthcoming ; 'Qde ;tQ Gershwin,' which :Ted ' Mossman: compiosed fOr RObbins. Miisic publi.caiipnj is a tOne- poem depicting' Gershwin's IKe span; Wilhdu't' ih .any ,wi.<e rnedleyingf any of . the . late: ippmposer's 'music. ' The. family dkaycd• the use of the; Gersh-' ■}win tag.".,. ■.;'.■-,!,/;' •;';■-'/ Because all the Gershwin brothers -^the.re are three now, with Arthur, the; youngest,, alsd writing vi tiines-^ have been sP clpsedly asspciated Avith : Max Drieyfus (Ghappell), the latter was issurprised at .ividssmah giving this 'Ode' to a; competitive .firm. Jack Robbihs - says,- 'That's the ndarest I'll evfer get' to ahything by George Gershw.in.' ^ '<' i)uke Ellihgton has recorded 'A Portrait of Bert .'Williams!, and 'Bp-' 'jangles' .(hphdring' the contempora- neous. Bill Robinson ) as' his musical sal utes to two great colored show- folk. ■ ■ .". ; ■ JlM.MV>,li ADRliAS ■■::<):;. Opening: at: the .Roxy theatre, .juiyV:4th. ■^''. -' yy/' Jiist; finished thirty wieeks' Geotge Biacfk's ."Little Dog Laughed,'' at the Palladium, LOndon,: ' "Have starred two : turns specially . . . One, ihe dancing, of Jimmy Hadreasy which is as good .iis , y du can hOpe ■. tb flnd^- Any- stiep from any;' land iS: within; his compass . ., . magnificent;" says "Punch." .\, Dir.: Sam .Raurh. : Jesse Kaye^ i)rop$ Nieriioeller Film ■ Due to Montgomery Exit : London,, June: 19i ,, With the Opening:;at, the. Carlton of''Pastor Hair pomes the announcer ment that Robert Mpntgpmery's next scheduled pictui'e .for, >Metro:BritT ishi - has, been abandoned: . Called *I Had a Comrade.' it was to be based, as was ; 'Pastor Hall,' oh the ■.career of Piastor; Nierhoeller. - Reason given for the shelving of the film is the joining up by Mont- gomery as an ambulance driver in France and his subsequent return-to ;the U.^ S.- '■■, ; Hollywdod; July 2. ' 'All departmepts of. the ntotipn picture industry, executives, pror ducers, guilds and ; '. .ire. Work- ing tdgether. in a. niationwide . cani^ Jpaign "to raise: $500';Q00 ;for' the; Red Cross: . At a., get-together meeting it was . decided. 16 unite all war re- lief activities under one comrhittee, headed by Samuel Goldwyn. ; ' Chief source Of revenue, as ■ out- lined by .Kenneth Thomsonj execu- ti've secretary of the Screen Actors Guild, will cPnsi.<;t of twd or more Red Cross benefit roadshows pOm- posed oiF .iiollyw^ood's top perform- ers. ■; List ' is; . expected. tp include, Charles Chaplin, Eddie- Cantor, Joan Crawford, ; Edward . G. RPbinson,. Adplphe Menjou,; Joan Bennett-.and Pther nanries. ; Dozens of players have signec^ pledges to join the road units, . with the understanding that nobody will .cPllect anything itiore than, transportation and living ex- penses.. The .committee, . appointed hy (Continued on p.age 10) \ 2 to Pilot Ambulances .':; Oguhquiiy :Me.; July ,2. I Richard ;R!auber and :• Bpiris: ;de , Vadetski, legit actprs, have vPluh- lepred- .io''r '. ; : ' amblilarice drivers, aiid .are, now awaiting pa.s- sage frbm" New '• York ; td lingland, .Their' plans Vverie;. learned here last week, when Walter Hartwig, .director : of the . Ogiinquit ;playhouse,. spught ' them for parts: in his productibh this. •week pf "ihe G uardsmari.' Both re- \, plied Vlhey -vyould- be Wnabre to ac-: cept the engagenrient, being- svabject to; imni«dia.te sailing. Both actpr.s werie members Of the Oguxiquit: eompany during previous seasPns. ' "■ : Fann^y^ fpr N. Y. Fair? Sialjy . ftan'd, who was ^the iSTO;-. 1 midway 'attraction pf: Chicago : fjiir «hd who ,ran a Nude Ranch at .San Francisco last season; IpOms a.s. a late entry for the N. Y. Fair despite-bp- tpsltiph by Mayor F., H. LaGuardia; N. cHipf eAeCutive has stieadfast-, ly; refused; to, refreat from- this 'staiid. , . Just as--^Rodiesier' ^ hasUstole^^^ a ibud clap bf Benny's thunder, so has Jerry: Coldnna mpved; in on Bob Hope. It was demonstrated at the LaG.uardia Airport XN. Y.) Thurs- • day,: Greatest buripsity arnbng the,^ lads behind .the .cduht'ers as well as visiting celeb-chaserS' was about the • ColOnna moustache. A city detective, sleuthing, dn "his ; own, initiative, ;brpught in, a repprt'that .-the missive brush is no synthetic, phoney. ^^^H and Cxjlonria and their wi.ve;s:were ,en route to; Bdstdn, ,where .the act^^ is. bdbked fpr,^Ayeek at the Metrbpoli-/ tan. . Just before, the party ' boairded their American;.plane some wag at a :-mike;falsettoed ,?Whb',s Yehudi? the qtiery exploded p.ut ,of the..-64 loudspeakers ail oyer the place. ' Expose. Rea.spn David Selznick' always ti-avels: TWA is .that -he prefers the .mid-contihenl. speedy.'rPute, heMl say: 'When asked. Real iieaspn, according tp fl..vers, is, thijt hie has :never, fdr- gdlten; 'the: ;:way .: Leland; H^iyward; TWA direcipr, and,Jack Zirnmernian. chiei' 'pilot of. .the' line,' raced .some badly nbeded serum frorn New York to the-Cpast 'vvJien the; producer was seripiisly ill a.; cptiple pf years ago; It.:; Was past midnigfit when ;New York 'gpt ..the hurry cflll from the Selznick; sickbed. Zimmefrnari igot out of bod and grabbed the :control.'J of' the :21 -passenger transport plane that , had aboard only a tiny box of (Continued ph page .31) ; • VERNEUlLCLllfERSINTO N^ Y.r PLAY DEALS NEAR I^Uis Verheinl, Freiich playWrigh.t,. clippers in from. Europe today (Wed- ■nesday) with his-, Ayifc,, and,;W'ill, be met by Irvin Marks, his, Paris reprer sentatiye, Whp" also evacuated f rom iFrance sprne.: W'eeks; ago.- : Marks has several; play' d*alS;:oh; tajp; ipr ytt-i. heUiV:,including- ph> \yith, the- Shii^ berts.;'' ■; f::} •" ■ ' ■';■ ■ : ''' ,: Vernem . ■ tin , actpr-mariager-, plfiyW.right . -Nvho. Wrote Sarah Bernr hardt's ]<ts{. wo ;plays and,yvho mjar- ried Lysiane.,Bernhardt, her dijughr tei;.. They Were divorced, the pres- ent Mrs.-■Verneuilbeiiig; a second; wife:, -Mle. Heri^hai:dt;; incidentally^ is also due in America in ;a monlh^ or' so;. .;: .■■"■■■. ■■'-., ■ '-^ Qnirch Beef Shifts^^ to : Gajg Goes Serious ■ ; . •. Miahi.ii JxHy 2, ■ . Practical, joke, which-.hack- flfed will .result" in appearance pf Irpne Rich at gigantic Red Gross; benefit :here July 5; : During,. recent: airing Miss Rich offereid; to fl)^ to any tity 'and pick up in persbri : donations of |50Q Or more ifoi: Red Cross ■war fund. \Lp,cal .prankster', dis-' patched Wire .to Miss Riich of^. fering, $5;00d; in narhe. oif; Alex- ; Bnd^er; Qrr; mayor, of';Miam:i.' ;rirst khowifedge pf aulhdir was . iTiade public when' MiSs 'Rich eohtacted Qrr by phone. Rather; •;than). welsh;' ';; • bfrei-;; ■ rnayOr okayed an ;Irene Rich, parly and : .yaude shOxv iii Orahge, Bbwl, en- , tire proceeds going- to. Red GrpsSi WB'S BILL MARSHALL DIVORCED IN MEMPHIS .'••;. Memphis,. J.uly 2. Bill Marshall; maestro, nOw play- ing feature' part of a Fourth Horse- man ■ Warners' • 'Knxite RPckhe' flicker, Was unhorfied in local di- vorce, courts recently by. Beverly Bruce. Marshall,; local heiress and Little Theatre star. Gal, seen on stage here in 'Stage Door' and lArms and the Man^' was given back her maiden name with absolute decree on '■: grounds of . abandonnient and non-support. •' Marshall. took over' Frank Dailey 'Stop-and-Go' band and is npW suing Dailey for $80,000 .in' niixup oyer bookings at the MeadOwbrdok,. Cedar Grove, N. J. Has about finished Work iri 'Knute Rdckne' and assigned to: 'Flowing 6old' and *Mon^ and the'Woman''aVhext twp Warner pix. Toronto, July 2. Uproar raised by the Lord's' Pj,y Alliance oyer the filnri indusiry'j pro- posed plan to raise !pi,P,()6,o6o cvt r- -night for the Dominion's 'Avar ;elj(;j-t caused ': temporary halt id the splendid gesture of the industry, l iit the matter has been presvjmably ironed o.ut to the satisfaction: pi ,bhi,€« noses and patriots alike. Plan was to run a benefit perform- ance in every theatre across. Canada •dri Sunday night, Jiily 14; \vith the Hollywood prodxicer.4, through thtir Canadian distributors, supplying fea- ture films and pre-releases- grai is,. Holly wood stars mak irig personal :sp- pbaj-arices at; key theatres, and every- one in theatre personnel . donating their servicies. . George. G. Webber, gen eral secre- tary of the Lord's .Day;Ailiance, pu^)- licly charged that ^uch a rrieansvot raising fUndis lor any purpose Was il- legal and in cdntraventioh ■ to the Lord's Day Act of .Canada, with the exception of Quebec •y^'hich is exempt froni this Federal provision, pres- ence of; Webber with his prepared statement rnet With a cold recepiipn; ih;city, rooms and neWs services here, ■ (Continued on page 36) lili Chatain Is House Giiest-Conyalescent Of Mrs. Emlyn Wyi^^ Twa Children in Canada Mrs. Emlyn Willi9mSi ;wife of the London actor, and their two chilr dren, are on their way to Canada and ,are expected Id; make their home in .the U. ,S,. for, the duration of the war. No Word has been; received- of their whereabouts for; the last few. days, but they're due to land at Montreal some time last week. PAUL GREGORY'S FUTURE ■ :; Lili Chatiiih^well: known to. maiiy li. S. fi Im men i n Pari s, W ho Was. th e victim ;of: a peculiar plane accident Soitie (Eight .months ago, is; slill, cdn- :yalescing at Arthur LpeW's Glen Cove (L. I.) home, "This didnM come but Until the recent influx Of Tmh- ians to N. Y:, evacuated by ;lhe: \var,' .started iriquiring about Chat^iin, ■ whose' firm, Aven'ir Publicity. ■\va^l V 'prominent French adrPub firm; [ He is ,a pal Of/LoewY and : Laiidy Lawrence, the Metro rep'in'France. ampng others. ; It Wais., •while-'if ;jh^ virest with Loew that an unu.Hial .j^altitxjde paused; something to snap in Chatain's system which created his phy.sicar debility;. He was rufhtd to Santa Monica (Cal.) hospital and latterly has been LdewVhou."; guest, under expert niedical atttn- tion.. ■ ;■.••'' , ., ; Peculiarity Pf Chatain's aocidint is that.he Was him.self an aviator i the World War. which presumalily had weakened him to the .'txtt-nt [that this, commercial flying mi.'-hiip 1 created graver complications Ihi.n ' wfoUld nOrnrially befiall. one, • ^ Met Opera Said to See Big One For Baritohie-Turned-Tenpr SAILINGS • July 13. (Ne'w York to Rio de. Ja-: .ni:iro;^S.;:E^lPi€riDGnt (Brazil)>; / '\ June 28 (New York to Rip de Ja- neiro) Carmen Miranda,; (Saudsmith brother?^' Stunip ; and Stumpy, De- Angeld & Porter (Argentina). , : ■ June 27. (Los Angeles tp-'Mel- bourne) Kenny Brennan, Ade Duval iSt Co., Germain and Joe <Monterey). Decca and Victor haye been I5u.«;y Of late recording, classic and semi- classic selections;- for fall release. Among the ; recordings made by Decca is an album of three recprdis by Florence. George (Mrs. Everett Crosby), .Paul-Gregory, baritone, and. Frank Fprrest tenor, of songs from 'The New- Moon.' \ The album con-, tains • all the important solos and duets; accompanltd by Harry Sos-' nik's orchestra. .; Miss GeOrge is studying voice with Florence Easton, former Met so- prano, and: besides a possible musi- cal Oh;: Brdad way- in the fall, hopes to make the grade at the Met. Greg- ory^ who has been singing"'as .a bari- tone: fpr fivb years in; Italy has be- come, a tenor, and Met dfficials ai-e reported, enthusiastic over his ivdice.: He is endeavoring to acquire', a; repertoire, and may b<i the big iur-, prise the Met management will 'toss at the public this fall. : Other recordings made by ^Victor, are an albfin of concert-songs by Gla(jys* iSwarihout. accpmbanied in niost pf them by; her pianist. Xesier Hodges, and duet from the 'Barber Of Seville', and 'Rigoletlo'.' by' Lily, Pons. and Giuseppe Dp Lucia. 'sotiSE American WAY' ; Carmen Miranda headed a group, of show people sailing, for Various: 'South American booking.^. $he'il be back on Broaciway in the fall, . • Others sailing ,iri(:luded; Gaud.<milh. -Bros.,, Stump and Stumpy and tie Angelo and Ppfter. Pix Hdlly wood, July 2. : New package deal arranged by li e Feldman-Blum agency oifTerf r se- r;i;e.s of 'Tenth Ayenue' Lochinvar'' stories starring Billy Halop. Lead- ing boy character ' the yarns Is Baggsy O Day, a big-city rejplicr. cf Andy Hardy. Charles R. Marion, author ti jhe tales,, goes along With the, flt*T as screen writer. ARRIVALS Jessica Tandy, Mrs. .Alexander Korda, Mr. and Mrs. Louit ,Verrieui]i Lady. Meridl ■ (Elsie de WolieA ■ N. Y. to L A; Pat Ca.sey. " ■ Hoyt Haddock; . ; Moss Jiart. George S' Kaufman. Patsy Kelly. ■■..:■/'" Lowland vLeigh. Ben Lerner. Irving: Mansfield.. .'•.> Josieph Moskdwitz. Jacqueline Susahn. : .■Al'Allebdrn'.;.-- Norman Ailey. Walter Batchelpr; Edgar Bergen. Ralph Blum. ':■ Dorr is Day. Monroe Greenvhal. ] '■ Leland; Hay ward. Ed Helwick. ■ Morris Helprih. ' Alfred Hitchcock. Maury Holland. . •; .Eric Linden. Pare Lorentz. Dick MaPk. • Haven MacQuarrie;., Carmel Myer.s Otto PriSminger,. . M. J. SiegeL W.^ Anna Sten. ' John Swope. Peter Van St eedtn . ' Hariy yon Zclj.