Variety (Aug 1940)

Wedneeday* Aiigufit 14* 1940 PXriety LEGITIMATE 41 Helen Ford Due^^^b^^ Jn Husband^s Musical ' what may lofe a most. vHal Equity council session Jtrom, « managerial fitahdipoint, as pdisibly affecting the season of 1940^41, will be held next Tuesday (20). Special orditsr of busi- ness Will inclUdd. Sunday pertormV ihces; als6 the extension of the agreement with the; League of New York Theatres, a pact which, lor thie pa^ tw/o seasons committed Equity, not to change policy >yiihout the as-: geiit of-the managers*; :'\ . Sundays ate considered the. major: matter df .the tv«^;at this time/^^ his betfn advised by the lieagiie that It has definite agreements with the Btagehands that reguiar rate of . pay will apply for Sabbath performanGes, granted thiat the actors arie not paid eitra ^salary/ /The . nods .from the; back stage and." pit unions are re-^ g^V^ed ' as the longest step ih ; the direction of. Sundays ihat has be^n iccpmp.lished. Lastseason, .when soine progress was rnade,- th6, stage hands balked: ; Their aubsequent change of, mind may ;b^ .the lever that will result in Equity withdraw- ing ~f rom'. - its Tio-Simclay : attitude. Ptesent,,regulatipn>.t^^ book; Whichever script ready in ■double pay . for Sundays, which I ,;;^„ , . j iu«;„ : A„ ct>:mi«d' .the niiahagiers. council itself can .order ,i Sun- days, iilthough that is not generally realized. 'It :is the controlling body, of the.iegit'actors.asspciatidn and can 60 "act. without .placing the -matte be- fore ' the membership..:. Meihribership .can reverse, the .toiincil, but; it is :be-; ilievcd that; :in.' light of unemplpy-: ment, the: rank and file; wpiild be ■quite wiiiing to;enter into wtiat: may be ah experiment. aiay; Prolong Engagfeniients ABBOn EAST TO .Geprige' Abbotti who last week firi- i.shed shooting; Too Many Girls* at Rico,; ; z^dufe^ east ■atpund; the . be- ginning btnejctwee.V; the exac^ depending oii retakes, for .the; picture. He'll first banidle rehearsal on; the legit. yiBrsi6n. "oif .'Grirls,* .whichVbpens a tour Labpf I)ay iri'.Ghicago: Then will . begin, '. readying bis season's schiedule for Broadwiay. ; . If'irst shPw oh iihe^'list; ' )S:. . 'P^^ Jpey,' the ihasica:!; With bppk . b^^ John O'Hara ;ahd scor'e by llpdgers and .Hai-t. Other two Abbott items are''And. phe for the Lady^' straight, comedy by JphnJ Cecil Holm, which the author iis .rewTiting, and . the modem musical .' version . of 'Much Ado AboutvNpthihg,';fo;r whic^^ iVer- hoh Duke, John Latouch^. and .Ted Fetter have cpmpletedvth^^^ Robert Buckner is at Work on ^ the Heltn Ford is du^ back on BrOad- way next .season to star In a musical, comedy called 'Green in Your Eye.? Bppk and lyrics -were written >by her husband, George . Ford. Arrange- ment .with a. composer to write the score: has' not ; beenV signatured, thPiigh the numbers; are in the hands_^ of ..a. publisher.. ' •. ;, ; ;Pla;y:^ .is.'set; In ; Irelartd /.in^ the 1870's. ' Miss ,FPrd did some •summer stock appearantes recently, but has been awfly frpiin Brpaclway Ipr some :seasprts;..: '^-. 'r ^ 'V- .' time will ,be ' the second -: Shpw ' Abbott's schedule. ■ on 'RoadVN.y.B.O.Up, ; Anolher es Heat Dp Equity SHOW BOAT'MAY MOT SAIIMB'WAY REVIVAL / 'Tobacco Road' ' advertised .tp I'eldse Saturday .Cn .:: There ai-e some diehards in; Equity :; N;' V;, but the management^wasitill; • who aire sti 11 opposed to Sund ays, but 'other leaders are in favor of su'ch perfprmabces. Pii the strength, of the managerial thepry that'they .wpuld. . makfe. for the .liengthening of firoad- •Way engagements.. : If Sundays ;come : in:it Will be for the entire' season, that . Is. from September to the. end : of next May^ ai)d; if proving siiccess- ful;. could .be extehd.ied indefinitely. ; Stindayis . would . .be expected to. •.specially help moderately successful attractions, bift a proportion of .hits would probably play .Suhcfays, too,: although . whether sorrie staris. .would appearbh-such days is problematical. As for •perfpirmance tiine, most shows would have curtaihs around three in the afternpipii during autum'n and winter, whicli'would me;»h that Sun- day: night perfprmances would be played Only - if.: the matii.iee: wei;^| dropped. :-. ; Law in Ne^y York' stipulates that players appearing On Sunday in legit . must have 24 hours rest during tiie week,- -When Sabbath shows were . tried in: a desultpry way a year or ■0 ago, Mondays Avere dropped! The curious quirk ;of '■ the slatute .is^ that other types of shows:: and sports events do not have the same Ve'stric'-r tlon, so that the Sunday law Is evi- dently discriminatory. It's been pointed put that Equity pePple' w.ho said 'no*. On the. Sunday, thing have appeared oh sufch days in radio and valid film houses, where lipward of five shows are given sometirnes. An. amendment to the preseht law ;S0 far as legit is concerned may be sought . by the managers later 'on, ■'idea being to strike out the 24 hours rest provision. It will prpbably be opposed-, but the discriminatio'ii argu- ment may.win. Shows at the Worlds . Fair : operate ■ on a seven-day basis, though some, are .classed as legit—by: Equity at least. Stage hands, except for spme .department hfeads, do not work seven ^ ;days, In yaudefilmers, burlesque and other spots, being re- quired by the union to .liay' Off one day, Same "applies ■ to musicians. ; Extending the agreement against changing rules Is .-also important to the managers. It is likely that Equity Will assent, but the plan to raise the minimum salary from :$.40 to :$50'•;!?- still a hot topic ampng many of the moderately •paid.:player.s. .-T^ - be' a. string to v extending the pact because '; of thiat. Some'. Equityite? .think that such a bpost would result In chopping out bit parts; and ther^- : fore not be of general benefit -to actors, but it is understood that quite percentage of the membersh iji. faivors the increase, rega rdle.ss. ; dpiibtful.;.early this Week Whether the record run drama would defi- nitely stop or not. When .attend- ance .Jumped last week the show's operators were so. jubilant; that ' one said ' 'Road' might still .biai on the Broadway bpards next: August- There is no advance sale and, like most other : survivors, most tickets are; spld at. the; boxpffice just be- fore curtain time. . Show's gross last week was quoted at $5,200, which at $1.10 top is very good money,and provides a goodly prpfit for this bne-sfettier.' Increase last week: was :around $2.()00, pre- vious: . week's; grp.ss, being about $3.300—show makes coin at that level. '■ ; Road show of 'Road* played At- lantic City: last- week and the takings. of around $5,000 were quite profit- able. . Out-of-town : 'Road' .usually gro.sses .c'onsiderabiy; more tVan the Broadway company, jusing a higher admission-scale. ,.■ \ Nei 1 her■ Al Jolson nor Ed Wynn want to reappeisr in large Broad- way theatre in their respiectiye musi-. cal show. V both due in the early fall. Jolspn.' -with 'Hold Onto Ypuf Hats,' is ; diie into . the: Shubert,: opening date being jjrientioried as Sept. 11. House relighted last Week with the resumed engagement of 'Higher arid Higher.' Latter's business was under expectations, but the: bffice of i)wight Deere '\yirhan, who produced "Highier,' says it will continue: there. :' Wj^.nn's • •Bbys and Girls...:Together' is.set for the Broadway, that attraic- tion being dated for October. It W/a.s first slated for thie Majestic, but the corhic nixed the. idea.: 'Hats' waS mentioned :fPr the .'Winter Garden, which holds 'Hellzapoppin.'• 'Keep Off the Grass' was .the ten- ant: at the Brpadhurst • early in the suhfimer'. buX suspended af six Syeeks, :U was. arihounced as r^ sumihg in August; but there now is no definite relighting date. Shubert office sta';,es ..the -Grass* revue will go on .later in another spot. Possible resumption is dependent pn the re- turn of jimmy Durante: from Holly- wood,, but the Schnozzle has not in- dicated when he will be back.: Proposal to .revive .'Show Boat' as outlined by Nick Holde .arid Albei;l. Johnson in the fall has been shelved,, for the time being, at lea.<!t i' Ojsjcar Haihmerstein and Jerome Kern, who Writ.6 the score, want the show; spot- ted in', the •Center,; N/ Y house is. libt available, An ice revue is due th ere; ' Son ie Henie/ lis' ihter- ested; in the riak show, but Will not appear in it. ' ■' . Plan Was to present 'Boat'- with a narrie cast,' : usiiig/nPrie bf . the orig- inal players, but Holde and johnsOn are' of the dpiriipn that the Center is top-large for a'book musical such as 'Boat'. :New managerial team still has a .deal pending with H.am-^ merstein and Kern: for musical play with San Ffancisco as the back. ground. ""^ . .'■ '::; •■ ■■ OLDEST LA. THEATRE DUSTED FOR REPERTOIRE .■ Los Anglles, Aug. 13. ;/ Oldest theatre in Los Angeles, the Merced, is about to be restored to its original lustre and devoted to civic repertoire. It was the city's tallest arid rnost elegant structure in the early 1860s, when It was built by William Abbott Adelina. Patti: arid coritemporary celebrities :tirod;' Itis stage. . It was abandoned as ..a; theatre years ago and turned oyer tP small stores arid dust, [:■',■'''■, • .Restpratiori of: the old playhbase,. flnanced by ^Irs. Crystal Comstock Courtland, is part pf the plan to pre- serve historic structures in the Old Pueblo district ■ / :':; . Philadielphia, Aug, 13. '' If s been a long.tihie since a Philly legit fcasori. has bowed in •before Labor Day. Even .that holiday, once a tradition for the start of activities, has seen all houses shuttered during recent years. The 1940-41 season, however will get; started the week- previous.lo Labor Day. The show Is the ;Al .Jolson :musical, 'Hold Onto YoUir Hats,' and it will open at the• Forrest. Aug. 27. Initial ad.« here specify ffive day. engagement,' but it:;? definitely un- derstood Jolson .prpductioh will hold for. secorid weeki-V'- Forrest's start' looks- doubly proni- i'sing as the Ed Wynn musical, 'Boys and Girl.s Together,' is set for Sept 16. L6cu.«t* Street probably won't bow : ■ until; end of September. ..The'iie-s no .word .on the Erlariger; . el Gets ■premiere* , ; Holly wood, A "g- 13. Max SiegeLhas obtained the rights Rural G. & S. Troupe Due on Broad\yay ■ With the b'dyiy Carte, trpiipe not: coming to America this year because of the .war; Daltry Opera Co., Which 'ha,s forriierly restricted itself to sum- mer Gilbert and. Sullivan engage- ments, . will: come' .into New- "Yojck. about Sept. .24.- Theatre ha.sh.'t been; decided pn yit,. but it will . be a' Shubert house.. .' ■ ' company, which has been operat- ing for the. past'fpur seasons, will be making itS-.Broadwvay debut. ' It will MEMPHIS Memphis, Aug. 13. : lVlemphi.'=. oi'ildobC. operettas wound vip a fiverwtf k ..season $4,000 in the iilack, .-C)n\ the '-ba.s|s ..'Pf preliminary estirtiate's: ({iveri husiriess-; manager Jo.seph Cortese. : ; . , .'Chocolate Soldier;' final Hemph^ Qpen.: Air- Theatre :sh6w pf summer, grabbed e.st;ma'ed:$7,800 despite bad weather, a -kood lake in view Of the $5:206 weeli'ly over-all budget : . . Other ' grd.sji'e.s. for the summer were: 'Merry. Widow.' $6,000;- ILittle Jesse James,' $3,7.00; 'Naughty Mari- lettaV' $9,000, and 'Mary/ $3,500. On I total budget f«f $26,000.; MOAT: .aP- j'prpximate .fSb.OOO gro:s.s represents a Equity Gives N. lf. Co-op Groiip Green Light; Will Reopen Ex-Burly House A cooperative. theatre group,^^ U^^^^ first given the go signal by Equity in some years, is slated. to start oper- atirig at .the Irving Place, former New York burlesque house, near the 14th street zone.: Gro\ip. headed by Robert Breen is: cpmpo.sed of six actors .\yho will operate the Venture without. any' managerial connectipn. Stated that a number of name play-: ers \yill appear, in their presenta- tions, but under diffe.i*erit conditions than .applicable to the groupi Arrangement rii'ade with Equity is that the Breen cotei'ie are 16 Work entirely co-op. When other play- ers . are used; the co-op people must file security of cash guaranteeing that the others receive .at least $40. the minimum set by Equity. Gue.st stars ?ind directors called in. are dtherwisfe to work Pn the same peri- ceritage. as: the: operators up to the agreed on figure, net takings there- after being distributed according to the relative Inipprtance of the per- formance contributed by those tem- porarily appearing, ' . Announcement that the co-op but- fit had the- .sanction of the stage- hands led, to the impression: that the crew would Work: on the same:ba.sis as the cbr:bps. Solly Pernick, of lo- cal No, 1, who ha rid led the deck- hands' end, stated that the men Wouid not- work co-op and that, the union is unalterably opposed to such employment. He added that -because the theatre is off the beaten path, the stagehands Wpiild make some concessions, though the scale , would remain as is, ~ Five or .six plays are scheduled for showing duririg the season; 'fir.'it to bet either new translation bl •Hedda . Gabler' with Mady ; Chri.«- tians, or 'The Idiot' ..(bbstoiey.ski); with Jacob . Ben-^Ahii. Po,ssihjlit)es are Strindberg's 'Master Olaf,' with SamJafTe; . 'Dawn, in ;. LyoneSsei' adapted' by Thoma.s Job, with Aline MacMahon; '.Macbeth,':.- :w'ith, Flora Rpbson;- V-Adam the. Creator,'- by Karpl and :josef Gapek;.: Sherwood Anderson's .'.Wine.sburg, Ohio'v 'Peter Among the Uofn.s,' adapted by Ra- mon Nay a: 'Adam',' by Ludv/ig Lew- isohn; 'Off-ShOre Wind;' by B, K. Sirrikpyitch; 'Paul and the 'Blue Ox,' by E. P. Conkle, and 'A Cow in a Trailer,' a. mu.sicyl .with- the book by Lyrin Riggs and Rampri Naya, score by.. jerome .Moro.ss. -;,:.■ - ■ Charges or.radicailisn^^^ li ■ rnenribers pf Equity's councir by Con-: gressman William P. Lambertsoh ol- Kansas have not sizzled put In. fact, the legislator •: has created . ■ white hot situation Within the or- ganization and at last week's cbun- . cil session there were bitter state-, ments made, sessipn coming close to; a ructiOn; -jThe prpceedih on that afternpbriv torrid outside and in - the meeting room,: were d'escribed 'disgraceful excitement'. .. Meetjrig was.attended by: 15 ,mem- : bcrs Of the dontrpUing, body ;>nd:the entire time; was devoted ; to the Lambertson allegations. One definite.^ result Was a resolution that reve^.sed ' one of two weeks-preylously, when the' council decided to print -the bharges of the Kansan in Equity's/ monthly .magaine. • Charges in full had been ordered : into print, together with .the full statemerits of those invplved, h11 haying ..denied: ;that' they are Com- riiuriists, fellow travelers;.. sym- pathizers. Council, however, wjas • advised by its legal department th.nt by:; so doing the niembers named would be libeled. Attorneys for other talent unions expres.sed . the same opinion and it was then voted that none pf the Lambertson mate- rial be used at all. The magazine was :due tb';go bri the prcs.s last Wednesday (7), but instead,, it was set back until :pther material .:could be readied. :;-' . ^. -'- Nix Whitewashihr V piiring the meeting some surpris- ing statements were made by couri^ cilprs arid:^ officers, . W.ho.se ;position ;in the situation has not been riiade clear. One wanted , to whitewa.sh the six named by Lambertson, but that idea was stoutly Opposed by others 'who are seeking to limelight the charges and make it definite, once and for. all whether they are Communists. Those leaders are ol the opinion that the chargies are a severe blow' to the standing of the actors' associjation, if riot the whole profession. -'- -: ....;:'" One of those wh<j denied the charges sought to introduce a, reso- lution which would revoke the coun-. cil for the secorid time on the same day. He bitterly attacked the Dies Coriimittee investigating -Un-Ameri- cariism and declared the proceedings of that committee are uri-fAmerican. His. resolution to withdraw the de- mand for investigation by Dies was defeated, otherwise a new. war would have started in: Equity. .:.'.; Referring • to the .■ Lambertson charges, which some Equityites in- sist are hot supported by sati.sfactpry proof, another, named by the Con- gressman adrriitted that he signed the petition favoring the Soviet sys- tem, that was printed in the Daily Worker last year. He explained, howeyer, that that was before Rus- sia invaded Finland and that he no ;,,: ■ (Continued on page 43) 5 LEGIT BOOKINGS PEP HUB'S FALL SCHEDULE ;.First coloited'; show next season Will prpbably be' 'Little Joe,' der', scribed . .. ■'. - fantasy 'with music, which may tenant: the. Martin Beck,: N. Y....' in' :0'ctbber."■ Show Is slated. for: presentation by .At: Lewis arid safe. riDargiri \vilh a small nest-egg for Milton Bender^ but others may be to 'World Premiere,' neW ^play by ; be. christened -with, a .riew label,; still Alex. Gottlieb and Edmund Jo.seph. | not; selected, :when it arrives. It is He plans to. give the piece a ' under Ihe direction ;pf; Joseph S. Broadv^ray production in the fall. jDaTlry. :■ -. interim operations until 1941. ,:- Only important changes cpntem plated .for -nc.Nt season - are lengthen cbme.vinterested following an'' a\idi- tion which was held early tlijs week. . Ca.^t is headed, by Ethel Waters. j iri'g the sea.s.on from fiye-to six weeks ; Gab -Callpwa I and coristruc'tirin cf pfergolds 'or pa? Dunham and: her darjoers.. 'Joe-'.: is. ; vilion.s to .shelter crowds duririg oc- , casional listed tP- open iii Bp.vtoiv Sept. '1^ the Colonial,- " '■ . Boston, Aug, 13 Outlook for coming legit .season here is promising, with an early opening of activities on Aug. 19. 'The Little Dog. Laughed,' new play with music, book by Joseph Schfink and score: by Harold J. Rome,. is sched- uled to preem then- at the Shubert. with Eddie: Dpwling .staging, Paul •Draper, Tess. Gardella and Philip Lpeb are cast. ; . - ; 'Boys and .Giiis:Toge.thfer.'^ .the -new Ed. Wynn musicai, is booked into the Shubert. for iSept. 2. ' Wy.nri is pro- ducing arid Writing the. book. It's slated to open here^ with Jane Piok- ens, Dave Apollon and The peMarcos in .the. lineup:. ^The Male Ari^^^ is penciled into the Wilbur, Sept, 2, but undecided yet, whether Hub will; gifet original or a road company.: ; A neyr, untitled comedy by George Si; Kaufman-.and Moss - Harti 'tp; be staged by Sam Harris,; is marked-for Sept 23 opening at .the Plymouth, but preem will be in^ Ilarlfoi'd, :jic- corciin'g , to .Firc,sent: "plans,.; Er)it.st Triiex, Jean Dijcpri and Ruth Weston are among thd.se.cast. Helen Hayes Is expectod here In 'Twelfth Night' sorrietime in; October under auspices of Theatre Guild and i Gilbert Miller. , ' .::.■