Variety (Aug 1940)

Published Weekly At ISi West 46th Street, New York, N. T,, by Variety, Inc. : Annual aubacrlptlon, |l6. ■ Single cojUea 25 cniila. Eutered iis Secoiia-claas matter December 22, 1905, at the Post dfTica it New Toi-k, Nv T./under tli^ ict o£ MareU 3, 18/9. ^ . • ■ > \ :: . CpPiMGHT, IMO,-BX' VAR^ VOL. 139 NO. 10 NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 14, 1940 PRICE 25 CENTS m iBy HQBE MORRISON After virtually a lifetime as . ©lie of France's foremost drarnatist- producers!, Henri Berrtstein is, at 64, about to ^egiti his career anew in America; His magniflceht new thea- tre in Paris, his various homes and treasures and most of his fortune abandoned when he fled the Nazis, the icelebrated playwright is; now in New York, resting and recovering irom the shock of his recent expei-i- tnces. With dccasional telephone inter- ruptions, the tali; gaunt, ruggisd-yet-. handsome Frenchman sat; in his iiotel toom last week and talked sadly of his country and his theatre, and witK simple dignity of his plans, for the iEuture. Amid a ciutter of riewspapers that overflowed tiie sofa onto the floor, he was a sombre, im- pressive figure, obviously sliakeii by. what he' had been ; through, but without seif-pity 'and with an e^ recurring gleam of humbr seasoning his seriousness. In peHect Eriglish, .with^^^ an in- iriguing accent and groping only occasionally for. the preci>se. word- to express himself, he said, .'Soon I shall get away. to the country for rest and quiet. Then I must write sonxe articles fpif magazines. Also I may go to Holly wood, to direct . the • (Continued oh page 46) Pope Hphbri Farrow .Montreal, Aug. 13. .Lt.; John Farrow, Hollyw;ood direCr tor, now corhptrpller pf naval infor-: matiOn in the Canadian service, ;-has been given the Grand Cross of the'. Order of thei Holy .;Sepulchre by Pope Pius XII. Honor has rarely been conferred upon' a commoner before. Farrow, naval publicity, man, gets pay check pf $8;60 pier day. / N. ¥. license Coinm'F Proposes $5 Monthly - Tax on Public Televish , Although television is off at least until October, New York's License Commissioner Paul Moss sees pos- sible revenue, from that medium when it does conve back. Moss is laying plans to license every television set that's oh exhibi- tion in a public place, excepting;; of course, stores where they are sold. The way Moss looks at it, television sets in, bars, hotels, etc., are strictly come-ons for customers and there- fore commercial. License fee will be $5 per month per set. •:.;:■■'■■ ■■■■•' Broadcasters Resent Groups Partisan to Fjoreign Dicta- tors Enjoying^ . Privileges on U. S. Kilocycles in thie T^fame of Democracy and Free Speech 'STOP STOOGING* MARY PICKFORD'S WAR IN CANADA ■ - Regina, Bask., Aug. J 3. . , Mary Pickfoi-d has offered her services to the Canadian government 'or the duration of the war and reports. received here have it she *'»ll bring a series of gigantic shows, leatunng prominent Hollywood stars, to such cities as iRegina, Van- couver, Toronto, . Montreal, Win- nipeg, Hamilton, Windsor, Ottawa, WUebec City, Edmonton, Victoria and Calgary this summer or fal 1. if my idea meets with' the ap- (Continued oii page 46) Hollywood, AUgM3.; Five major film 'companies have joiried . in the drive to swell Arneri- cah picture .grpsses and. to steih Hitler's economic gains, in Ltatin- Amer'ican countries. Campaign will be waged over shortwave: radio via stations WRCA and WNBI, starting in Septeriiber. Participatihg will be Metro; Warners, RKO, Parainjount and .- Universal, which; will maKe acetate records here. Other majors also are consideririg taking part in -the move. Broadcasts, consuming two half hours weekly in Spanish and two in Portugese, will .emphasize the Ameri- cah mode of living and benefits of democracy. Sandwiching in Holly- wood glarrior,.film stuff and com- mercial plugs, is planned. . v - Deal was set on the recent trip here of Lunsford; P. Yahdeli;; New -:Y:ork/NBC exec and RKLO director, who worked through the Hays office. Des ■ Moines, Aug. 13. A jneaf-riot Oil the; streets here Friday (9) resulted when Txi-States Theatre Corp. dressed up: a couple of tall kids in liniforms like those worn by ■: Adolf Hitler's personal bodyguard and sent them' on a tOur Of tlie downtown, streets in .the in- terests of '1 Ma a Nazi,' play^ ing.' at the Paramount. . . : /J ■ The .young men got iristantaneous attention by the swastikas :bn their armbands to the point wbere^ they were about to be mobbed by a grow-: ing crowd that had to be convinced it was just a publicity stunt: They were, called back to the theatre after, an excitirig;'half-hour; walk. Although many disapproved. of the gag, it got: plenty of attention and made the front page of- the hioi'ning paper with a. twbrcolunin story and pictuics. , ■' . San Francisco, Aug. 13. 'Don't compel American radio sta tions to play stoOge for foreign des pots.'" This is the essence of ain appeal the ;National Associatiori of Broad casters has addressed to the United Stales . Government. Raidip stations want the broadcasting regulations amended so that stations don't have to grant time,to groups taking their patter and cues from. Berlin, Mos (Continued on page 47) iin's $2,200,000 'to Be Shown At Upped 'Gone' Scale Charles Chaplin's film, "The Great Dictator,' on which he is rushing work, with the hope of releasing . lt in three weeks, is pi'obably the mo. tiph picture industry's greatest one: man show.' It's Chaiplin's picture from scratch to score, even to the financing, which was entirely with his own money. Film cost about $2,200,000, not a cent coming from banks . or jother; outside sources. He is. the producer, ^wrotef the original story and screenplay, de signed the sets, directed the picture, Wrote much of the score and is now 'not only; diriecting" ,the Orchestra which is recording it but is playing some of the music himseif,. " doing all the .editing—arid took two .in it.': ■ . ■ .V . ' ■ After working in secretfor months, Chaplin is how making the first stills available. They reveal some of the plot/ which is a mistaken identity V. ■ (Continued; on page 47) WANGER DOES IT AGAIN Film. Character, Coincldeiitly a Beal jPerson, Brine:s Beef : Waiter Wanger, whose prbpensity for coincidentally getting; the names of living; persons, into his. picture!;*, has caused Uriited."/Artists both amuserhent and chagriiV, ,has .hit again, Latent complaint' iS. oh 'SligKtly Hohorable,' released some' months ago. Picture hks a sequence at the be- girining ' in which a road cpm'mis- siorier, VhO- is . a ;crook, is paradox- ically; killed as the result of bad ma- V (Cohtinued on page 46) TlieN.Y^FtfsaTeri^ Wrong Show Rooseyelt hotel (N.Y.) . contest: ,ih six cities brbught winners into. New York this week ^ostensibly- to see the World's Fair. ■ The first point of interest thiey: wanted to. see Was Radio Ciity. Some of the neW shows due oni' Broadway: early in the hew seaspri Will introduce fresh tnpney in. :the production .end of show business; though none is identified as film coin. New bankrolls are principally represerited ini . 'The . Little Dog Laughed,' which opened at the Gar- den Pier, Atlantic City; la.st night (Tuesday) and 'Bangtails,- to be of- fered by the Boyar. Associates and now i.h rehearsal... , Backer of 'Little Dog* is Laura du Pont Carpenter, kin of the (Continued on paige 45); 'The N. Y. World's Fair this year is a terrific bOxpffice disappoiiitment to date. Unless there.'is a phehome- hal pickup at the; main gates in the next tWo months it may wind "up. with only: 15,000,000 total paid at- tendance, oi* 11,000^000 below the dis- appointing figure of 26,000,000 of 1939. Even with the marked -pickup in the gate during the.. last tWo or cthree' Weeks, ' the 1940 attendance is only around the 8,500,000 mark, or about 30%.below last year's 12,000,000 for a. comparable peripd;., . . . Failure of the. expfetion to draw as anticipated by. veteran showmen js reflected by the moans of conces- sionaires, class restaurant operators arid others who had beeii sold on tha idea that the Flushing:MeadOws show" Would draw at least as well as in 1939, Great 'White Way cphc?ission peojple. With large investments and hea vy weekly overhead, are squawk- (Corttinued on page 47) CONSCRIPTION CUES USE OF USHEREHB Theatre nianagers throughout the nation curirently • . reported seri- ously '.cpnsiderihg more femme, ush- inspired by the fact that many young men inay be called - up for conscription military service in the next; couple of months, and exhib.s don't Want to be caught .shpi't- handed. In some operations where there is a cpristant turnover of audiences and large crowds to handle vm Weekly/ theatre; managers aver they; have found it difficult in. the past to supplant young men with, girls but these sppts are rated the exceptipn. hi West Faces Knife; Hero of SOO^^^^B^ Draws One in Return Hollywood, Aug. 13. In . 500 benefits there was al wayi Pat West, vaude and screen co- median, ready, to do his stuff for hia less fortunate brethren. Now the .scene shifts and Pat is in the Sa W- telle hospital^ seriously ill and fac- ing a major operation. .The boys are puttihg.on a boxirig show for- Pat at the James J. Jeffrieff .' Barn in Burbank next Monday night (19),- arid 50 .rianie playeris have promised to attend. Willide Bit at the B.Q; on 'fk 'Inforriiatioh Please' ishort in which Wendell ;Willkie, G.O.P; presidential candidate, guest stai"Si is the biggest grossing short RKO has distributed since Walt Disney's 'Ferdinand thcs Bull.'.. ■..';.' ;;'••.■; ;;^' .■; ; : Republican nomiriee for President, also will appear in a secOrid 'Infpi-r ma.tioh Please - short, for release Oct. A,' being the second in the 1941 series; ''E^o y oiXi^ainper y6ur hu^ , . ; ; series, of entertaintnent pieces compbsecl by . ;• RAYMOND SCOTT and now being featured by >; his unique musical organization in tha PANTHER ROOM. HOTEL SHERMAN — where his sensational 9 weeks old dance band is exciting both youngsters and veteran caife-goers around CHICAGO. His 12 weekly NBC broad- casts ind his phonograph records are shoW' manly events you ought not to miss.