Variety (Aug 1940)

INTimiiAXiaHAL 1$ Of Qldtiine^^^^^^^ jijresent war ha* dori« one thing for musicdls-r-lt hai .brou^^ on; a Aock ot revivals Irdm the-lush pe- riod of the fet nonflict." Managers- gee something ih the isentimental an- gle apart: icom the tact there seems little around these times to teplace ■■■theiTK' - VV M ^J:.. ■ Shaftesbury thieatre starts isi run shortli^ ot 'The ChoGolate Soldier.' ■ Show played over 500 jierfprjmainces, 80 years hack. West ind will also see 'Maid oi the. Mouritain^t* again after d similar lapse. Record-brealcing musical is due in the^faill With Harry 'Weichmah In the Baldassare, xole. *ehii Ghih Chow* Is current at the - ipalace. New shows for Liandon Include a BeatHce Lilli<t-John Gielgud partr nershipV in a novelty,-'Words; and .Music,' with; lyy St. Helier in ^up^ port, piece' cdmes to thie West'Erid after:out-of-towh openihjg and tourV Firth Shephard bows a musical play Oct. 7, built ; aroiind The Charm School.* Adaptation is by Greatrex Newmah ind Clifford Gre^; Man- ning Sherwin clef* /With Eric Mas- chwitz on; lyrics. ;$how Is: yet uni titled; but intentloh is to cast Bobby HOwes, Fred Emney, Ad*ie Dixon iartd Richard; Dolmian. ; The Naborhood Theatre, sUbsctii?- tioii groiip which bowed •Thunder Rock' for. London, reopesns draina cycle shortly with a. play by Winl- ired Hottby,, 'Tak<! Back Your FrefB- d6m^ Piece has been feyised by ^bi-man Ginisbury and deals "With dtctatorship. Prank Allenby, Mary Ciynne and' Beatrice - Wilson are 'cast.;.; ■ Will Hays few s HoUywood,,Aug.;27; ; Wilt Hays, In answer to the, plea Of a member of the Swiss Motion Picture Association;. for. Immediate: product, published in Vawety Aug. |4, declared that' all" cornpanies are ^oing everything . possible to get . jpix to- Switzerland,. :but lack of traps- Mrtatipn .Is making the task alrnost Impossible. -' '^ : ' ■ ■: 'Our companies have been' sending their i>lctures to Lisbon by boat in hope - that' some of them would be able; to reach yanous: .points ;in . Europe, but transportatiofi facilities are difficult,* Hays^ Asserted. 'There are a few boats t0 Lisbon but after the ;picture. arriyes there It is pracT ;tical,ly Impossible^'to get it a!cto'ss- Frai'ice^ arid travel in'the Mediter-" raneaiv is out of the. question. Disr iribiitors are doirig evei'ything they can to get their pictures into Switzer- land.'; ■■ Recitjest from Swi tzerlarid came to VARrEiv from Oscar M. Lavarichy, Who pointed out that although the fountry: constituted a small market," it Is one;;of, the few remaining in Emope. He said that it is imprac- tical for the Swiss exhibs .to wait until oiftices in Paris; ;and London, which: used to serve. them, are re- established, and asked that product ; be / shipped to .Lisbon. and ; theii ti Ucked to the Swiss border in a co-^ .. opei^ative effort by all companies.;; Split on Admish Hikes . s --^^ ..■■■:.y.- ■■:rLondon,-Aug.-15. •■■ : '^"^ ?^ a\spiit developing; Within: . the film trade may proVid^ a barrieir / to.: exhibs' go-the-limit cariipaigh on. .upped ad.missions,; ; V Provincial :hou^e^wneirs, .imwiil-- ing; to fall - in. line on the. scales prer senbed ..by London brethren,.' plug lor ,a cort.tinuance of. 6c ^ and lOc- /against ;the 18c mihimum ready: to be introed by .circuitrowried theatres; Prexy , MearS: of Cinema- Jogi-aph "Exhibitors ;/Assh. "says lat-. ters 711111 im.um }s Inripbssible for the subsetiuents, who live off. trie cheapie patron.' His statement .will do .much to Mslci:^.hinterland's pppbsitioi).' '; : ^f'^'Bopst War training: . Conscription arid compulsory milii jary training, : demanded by ne:w lecieral law, are to bie boosted by the eoyernment with series of pic shorts bfeing produced by Ministry of Na- tional pefense. : . ;; :. S^^orts are-to be exhibited gratis. •Mystery* Back of Snarl Between Daily, Ginemas Mexico'.City,-'; Aug, ;27.';..: . Much speculation as just v/hat was. back of it was prorrtpted. by. a. rowr- between the Mexican cihem^ .bpera- tors association ;.;and ■ El ' Untversal,: pirominerit;l6cal daily,; oyer a story the liatter publiished to;: the effect that the ioiir biggest- pic ;:theatres here, .Clirripia, which is ' directly Arnerican-pperated; Aiaimeda,:; Rex and .iris^ are at ,odds with the pic 'workei:s'; unioni-' ; The association and.: operators of the four .cinemas published adv^r- ti^ettients in the other local dailies asse:rtirtg that relatioris between thefifi and the union are of the. best ' arid that they are. at a joss to understand ;\yhy El Uhiyersal Would- ruh- a story ■ saying that the four cirifeihaa: were about to break off; With -the .-union over Wage demands. The four ciher mas threatened to.' quit, advertising In. the newspaper unless .It retracted the story. : El; Universal did not re- tract the; tale and it is..still riinning 'the''Ciriemas';ads.- :■ :■':■.; :''■:, '•':.■-V/-. Sydney, Aug. 7. ■ ■ ;.With ;; federal politicp^ granted corripilete, control oyer local man- power and flni^rice, mariy pic'execs are havirig headaches in trying to die- eide . \yhether the ■ governri\erit. in?- tends-stepiping into th(s pic industry; Industry" received: a shock;"when, a prOriiirient wool broker ; ann'otoced that'thifi government might find:it necessary to iake over certain build- ings, including . inetropblitan thea- treis, in which to store the new .sea- .sbn's-^. wool clip while awaiting its boating to Great ^ Britain, - probing, the anriouncement at a goyernrneritai source, it'Si . .been, learned that the goverriment has rip intention of interfering -with pic af- -fairs,; especially in the compulsory takeover of any ,city filriiers for Wbolrstorage.purposes. Semi-official spokeSnian infbrmed:' VARrKTY that the gpvfernmerit fully realized that .entertalnmientv must be available tp the piubiic.: If; h6wever^ there hap- pened to !be empty theatres: iri cer- lainv suburban zbne^, and the pwriets were .anxious to let isiich theatres, then a deal rhight be ;n!\ade in respect to .wool storage, he added. Major ^ loop execs, .including Charles Munrb, Hqyts; Norman B. Rydge, Greater Union, and ;-Sam Snider,: Snider-Dean,. ' assbciatiori with: others, are doing . everything within . their power to aid the, ;gov- ernhient in its huge war-effort, and, according ■ to official spokesriien, the goVernirient is most; grateful. ;That the goyernment fully realizes the value, of pic entertaintnent in current times is bprpe out by the fact that Sir Ernest Fisk,: ecbnomic advis.er, to thfe government, did not suggest' that product restribtlons be biought dowri U: S. fare tb con- serve the dollar exchange, althbUgh U; s; diistribs have 50% Of their; coin frozen. ■ ' ■■ ,; :"'' BEST IN GLASGOW SINCE '36 -:■■.- ■-:Londbn, Aug.--l-5; ■: Par's 'Road to; Sirigapbre,' Bing Ci-bsby-Bob-HoperDbrpthy . Lamo.ur starrer,'grossed $8,000 in less than a- week in Glasgow; topping all. takes at the theatre since 1936. : -;:•;; ^ ^Livei'popl; Swahse'a. and other, key spots reiiort'similar;record grosses.' Japs Nix -Lion WingsV; ; : See GhapHn Pic Banned . ':'^-'y- Tokyo, Aug. 9.. ; '"iraking into cOnsideviatiOrt the; pro-. axis policy of the film ;censorship! iauthorities,: United Artists has de- cided to; abandon: bvihging in 'The hion Has Wings.' . , ": No hbpe is entertained for Charles Chaplin's. -Thfi • Great Dictator,' which also .is :anli-fascist. :: MEXICO BANS NAZI PIC GovU Calls Oiyniplad jReeis ISubtle' ';Propag'ahdft-''.:'.' •;■..;: r Mexico. City, Aug. 27.-; On ;the ground that it 'subtle' Nazi propagarida and therefore: iri- ,fringes on: Mexko's neutrality,.' the federal filrii censors have banned the GermaH-made. picture, 'Show of the Nationis,' a complete: cinematographic: reportage;. of;- the . last -Olympiad in :Berlin.'\:;^:':. -' Picture of 24 reels was taken from "the ill-fated iirier Columbus two days before, she, left. Vera . Crujt .last De- <:eniber, . and placed .;in: .the Gei'mari legation h^re, . DATES IN B.A. ■ ■: .■;Buertb3;.Air«^; .Aug;; 2Jl:'>: or not 'Tito Schipa in- sulted Ar^gentiria's riatiorial.honbr ;by refusing to sing: at a. patriptic:; ev^ celebration in; provincial: Parana se^nis liicely to remain a live: issue in these piarts for ;years. Apparently ■due to protects by. local artists, :inah-; agement of. the, m.UriicipailyrOwhed Colon theatre here has anriburiced an aigreement had; .been niade with' the terior :caricellirig his • final ; !perform-^ :ances.' '•-;■ -r, . Schipa originally protested he had intended rio-insult by refusing to sing at the:jcoricert :in question. 'Pe- titibning singers.; were then rebuffed by the management but later the city ordered a ...probe. - N^ results.; an^ ripuriced, but the cancellation: appar- ently speaks.for itself.;. Silence ;cb^^^ t^nues to poiir in large (quantities :frOm the Cblori inanagement . ; Retards U. S. Fib Prod, in liiglaiid No pQ^vriheat, As Yet, ; IiV:iForeigh Pii^I^^ [..[''■ Albany, N;- Y.i::'Augi-;27;--v^ .The war oaiised only a slight; de- erease in. ' the; numbejL_of^ foi;eign- made pictures 'sent to arid .submitted for licensing :yi New ..York State dur- ing the fiscal year ending "June 30. The motioh picture division of; the State: ..lEducatibn: r.Department ; an- nounced that the; total: vv:as ;onJy slightly less tlian the, 458 mark foi: the. previous .year. . More; thairi . 15 foi:eign cpuritries shipped;: pictureSr to NeWr .York State during the .last flscal yeSr' ,;' With a fee of $3 charged for each i.OOO feet of original fllrti offered for. irispection and $2 for each duplicate,' last yeai"'? total receipts ambunted to ^298,000. This year's gross will . be more thajx $300,000, due to greater length .of feature films, It is said. Real; dpWnbeat in fbreign fllirns will assert itself ;this faU 'arid winter,; it's; exi>ected.. iiv' New York distrib circles.; BRrnSHIlNlN I^ndon la WaFlime ^.:':o;- ^y' :Loridori,;Aug.'-15.;:: ;. Royal; Air Force has lined Up. best^ musicians in .London, forrrieir: niem- bers of A.ihbrbse; Jack HaicTis, L^w Stone, Jack Jackson; Jack Hyltpn, Bnan Lawrence and; Eddie Carroll bands, who are all in the RAT", Mpve is; to ..forni - band;; calling. it Squad- roneers. ' . ,\ ^ : Ronald Strode. working oiV docij- rnentary; arid; prPpaganda films for ;the goyernment. :■•;; War: has popularized the bicycle ambng the.femme element of .show, folk;." Those: cycUng to work from their,, Mayfair; flats are; .Claita Luce, Gabriel Brurie, .t)orbthy Dickson; and Ellen :Pollock. Mary ; Ellis ' (started the vogue., ' William Pepper, manager for .War- ners theatre, vyill spend his vacation making planes in aircraft factory ot which his brother has charge. . Pafenham; . Girl Pijperg ; have joined tlie farmgirls for the duration of the war. . '.'; ... : ; Wili.> 'Hay Serving. Guard. the Home r-'-' , : ; ' London, Aug. 27." . Grand,, National Films, Ltd., will G^ase functioning as : a : distributing agency viri the future;; coricentrating its activities';On; productiOri:,. Distri- bution - of-: four alrieady.- cornpleted; pictures, and all f utura; prbduict. will bje handled " by British ,: Lion. Plx which; GN has In releaise: now are 'Room for Two,' 'Pastor Itfall,' 'Ujider Your Haf^ and 'Ybu Will Remember;. Deal involves close to $1,000,000* with a deposit of $300,000: beirig' pal'd over toiday (Tuesday). Grand Na- tionai offices will bal consolidated with British Lion headquar.ters, nec- essitating the discharge of "70 people f rom GN, with about 10 to move, over to bl: Maurice W.ilsoh, now in the United States and. due here in abbqt.four weeks, remains as mapaging direc- tor, but. Jeffrey; Bernerd, formerly joint managing, director, is out.'' Also Howard .Welsch, partially resporisi; ble.^fpr pi:bmoting GN../.^^ MAN'S MURDER SOLVED ; :■ ■ ■: ■..■•- London.'Aug.-27- • •. : ;Bill Sistrbm, RkO pr^^^ here, .when .iistlng difficulties;. bes^t- ting company's-British plaris, empha- sized urtcertainty about governmeiit'a coin-freeze': intentions.,, R^gulationi .expirt :;in: October..; ■:'' ' Sistrom. vppihted - out . large-scal« pictures can't go.' into work if the U, S; end has - no indicatibrii be the future of the agreemerit; Plans: are. completed, he said» to.^ start with x)i\ of the 'Saiht' features, but final go- ah(^ad if awaited fromi- New York. other Yaink operatives in Lpndott confirm speedy ^decisibri on the ;cbia:. freeze is essential to V'. Si fiiiancing; of British-made product. ./ M^trb'.'* program of five: for this iside~remaiii:i as nothing more-than an arinounca-; 'merit.. ■-■'. :.'.: ■.:•'■.■ .-^ ::';■ .. SOth Abides by Oueita : Hollywood,-Aug. 27:; ; .20thrPpx :la; 'the: :only:- American. producijdg company .cixrrently gotnif' iahead'ViritK its lull quota of foiir pic- tures, fal England in spite Of war coii- dittoivr. First :bf the group, :'Iri- spectof Horoleigh' feature, fin- ished: and the; second,; 'Kipbs,' ■ due, to start liext week^ In jprepa-: raitibn are 'Paddy, the •Next Best Thing' and Tighter Squidron.'; Robert . Kane, head; .6 20th-Fox overseas production,: now in Holly- wood, declared the company in terid,* to keep its British organiziation iu-, -tact, to be ready: for ahy move in case of peace In the -rieai- futuire, Meianwhile,. Karie Will prodiice two pictures, 'Breiabh of Discipillne' and; 'A Very Ybung Lady,' bii the WestT wood lot before returning to iEng-, land/'-'.;' • ?; :■• ' ;■,: ; '•".'';;:':: , , Warners and; RKd are still unde- cided about cbritinulrig their pictur» making in Lbndon, arid, bther Holly- wood; :comp2iriies are; Watting for more, favbriable conditions. WB, however, has" scheduled several pi k at an outlay of $300,000 each. . Diana Napier (Mirs. Richard Tau- ber) a drivfer in the . Women's Transport Corps, Claire Luce's fiance, Wirig-Com- mander Gillan. decorated with the Distiriguished Flyini.. Gross :..': '- Edward Chapman aiding the plan for increased war effort from show business folk. Stars. listJhome -ad- dresse.s With authorities, and are. up for-, attendance at nearby ^functions. ^ Project- undertaken .-by labor groups, under taV of Eiim Workers Assri, .■will utilize 16. mm; outlet^as a rrieans to instructing trade union members iri. propaganda <"and educa- tion. ;;"../■.■;':.■.:■■'■:■ -. M rs. Jacic' Da vi es. I n; th e Worn en's Auxiliary Transport ■ Service. Cbrps; John B. -Myers finally accepted as pilot officer.-, in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, and so it makes: four of the directors of hii company out of. five with'the colors. Thfe other three"ai'e Anthony Downing, R.A.E.A.; Wysard and E. H. George. Norman Evans arid Stanley Prof- ett's table tennis act^ which has been playing around yaudeville. for over a year, has had to be abandoned due to Evans being called up for " the .army; ;■ ."' ' ■.. Noblesville, Ind., Aug. 27. Mysterious disappearance in July | of Walter Ebeling, 31, publicity and contact man for Nazi picture theatre in New York, has apparently been solved with the confession here by a hitch-hiker that he kiljed Ebeling.: Sheriff Joseph New by, Of Hamilton county, declared that Richard Klow- etter, 25, of Nile.s, IMich., had rriade' a statement; that ;-he and Mervin Cagle, arrested' with - him,: had been: given a lift by;Ebeling, bad robbed him of $100 after killing him and ;had tossed his body .iri'to a field. Klowetter and Cagle Were taken to South Bend yesterday (Monday) and aided police in locating Ebe- iing's body.. New York theutrie man, who.;; disappeared July 10, was ■ vacation and' visiting ;relatives : at! South Bend. ■. '•■-. ••..:■•;"■•'■' ■ '. . Ebeling worked for. the Garden theatre in the York v i) le : sect ion of Manhattan. ; House plays;Nazil films arid^ upon Ebeling's di^aii.pea there • Was some .- thought. that foul play because, of this i^asori may have entered in. . ■' : -"^ • ^ :: He wa.s a naturalized American citizen of : Swedish extrafctiori and was said to have been: neutral in his politics. • ■ ;-■ • Harker-'Crciok' Clicks In London Premiere '.' London, Aug. 27. A new legit hit has reached the West End, .'Once a Crook* opening at the. Aldwych "Thursday (22>. / Show is . a , • well-cotustructed comedy-drama: starring Gordon Harr ker. ;It was splendidly received .by both critics arid audieucea,. Art for Art^ Sake Points Up London legit's Patriotism London, Aug. 27. : Wartime legit is on ari altogether different basis to the pre-blitz dayi. Observation Is wide open for tha crack 'they got paid then,? but it wouldn't exactly give the right slant on the thing. Theatre has gone back to really being art fpr art's; sake, with players from the stellar ran let do wri findirig more satisfaction, .pa- triotically, in just doing a show than being . coin - compensated. They'ra riot alone in this lofty ;principle; it covers every phase .oif ; prodliction. Managers and theatre owners see. a lighted house, if only for a couple of weeks, as more cheerful than a dark one." ' .:. If there's a comeback for legil it won't it»e through the firianciai inter- ests. World War days were different; The money made then lingered o^^^ as the ideal and it's taken till how to slough Off that idea. ;. : Now the ;profesh :itself is. rcsponr sibl^ for, what .life 'there is in the theatre. Recalling the bbom. days of '14-18, anid more particularly: how suddenly ; they came, after . a bleak. outlook, those b.b;.standards;iriay.yet- return. A good stage piece still has a fol loWirig, and the ;way productiori is continuing, the stage can afford t'* wait for the profits.' If a sirnilar ;out ..can be found for. the comedians, the stage will ,hava done its job 6f looking.after its own.; The happy gang has.been;hard hit by the war, seeing its tasty beach spots and-; summer entertairiment routes along. the coasts turned into, armed: .'f ortresses - In. the- main. A ..scant half dozen remain out of ■ htjti- dreds of pier, arid paViliort shows. RKd &te M Meet Phil Reismiari, ;head of foreign dis- t i-j.buUpn fbr RKO, sailed Friday f23) for. Argentina, where ^.he will hold a sales coriventiori .Sept. 13. On hi;i way.to Buenos Aires,;where the meet will be held, Reisman;is stopping off at Rio de ; Janeiro to • discuss .plaii* /or a similar powwbw later for Sra- zil. . - ' ;'. . ^ RKO's foreign sales chl«f will also preside at the . Brazil get-together, returning to New York m about two nt).nlh«.. ■.• ■ " ■: ■- :' ■ ■ '.'.;'.-.■;