Variety (Nov 1940)

Published Weekly at 154 Weet «U» Street, New Torlc, N. T., by Variety, Inc. Annual aubacrlptlon, $10. Single copies2g icenti. Entered «■ Second-claw matter December at. 1905, at the Poat Office at New York, n. T., under the aot ot March I, 1671. OOFTSIOHT, lMO, BI VABIEXT. INC. AIX BIGHTS BESEBTKn VOL. 140 NO. 9 NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 1940 PRICE 25 CLNTS . ; Radio as well as other advertising media is looking forward to a sudden outbreak of heavy spending as soon as the big corporations get an insight into their earnings for this year and figure how much of it will have to go to the Government because of the excess profits tax. This sort of last minute splurge has happened before, but the advertising agencies anticipate, because of the big business upturn of . .this year and the size of the tax bite as the brackets go up, that the extent of the rush will be greater than. ever. Networks have already had some intimations of what is in store for •them along these lines. Certain major manufacturers that have, been quiescent about radio for some time are now-having their agencies make inquiries about time and talent. ison uamis sponsor s Cancellation Threat Due to 'Expose' • Dorothy Thompson stated Monday (4) at a luncheon of the motion pic- ture division of the Democratic Na- tional Committee that because of criticisms she made of advertising agency fear* campaign technique in the Presidential campaign she was threatened with the loss of a lucra- tive, radio contract. She did- not name the agency or the account. Miss' Thompson is on a Mutual co- operative hookup Sund»" nights. • Fred Mayer, who organized this hookup for the commentator, con- firmed Miss Thompson's statement but added that, the account couldn't, cancel if it wanted to and, any way, if it walked out he had another com- mercial interested in buying several stations on the same hookup; Mayer explained that the agency and ac- count, in question had had the day- lights' scared out of it by a flood of 900 telegrams protesting against Miss Thompson's campaign broadcasts in President-Roosevelt's behalf and de- manding that she be dropped from the account's payroll.: The account, he added, became highly disturbed even though the telegrams had all (Continued on page 21) Dry Law for Canada Scares Hotels. Radio Commas Also? . . Montreal, Nov; 5... ; .. Ghost of Andrew Volstead is giv- ing hotel men, riiteries and broad- casters a bad case of the jitters as: the : odious .spectre of total .prohibi- tion hovers over Canada; A strong drive is how. reported under way to Sive the Dominion; a taste of the pro- hibition laws which: were to a large Extent responsible for both of the bootleg and allied - rackets, in Amer- lc * and; created nationwide disre- spect for the laws of the land dur- ing the prohibition era. ■ - In guise of a war measure minor- ity temperance groups: are active throughout'the country advocating the adoption of prohibition,: Reports persist that the Federal government ' (Continued on page 53) Stone's 17 Yrs. at M-G Hollywood, Nov. 5. -Lewis. Stone has signed .'a new contract with Metro, .which marks his 17th year on the same lot. First job under the new pact is a 'Hardy Family' picture. . Protests loss Of Frank Hummert of the Blackett- Sample-Hummert advertising agency informed Variety yesterday (Tues- day) that he has instructed his at- torneys, O'Connor & Farber, to pre- pare a protest and file it as soon as possible with the Federal Communi- cations. Commission. Hummert will charge that 'the music . the American people; love is about to be driven off the air.* This Is In reference to the feud between the radio industry arid the American Society \ of Com- posers, Authors and Publishers. ; Agency official will act as a citizen and a user of 'familiar music' in urg- ing the Government regulatory, body to take official note of the situation as a development which he considers, 'not in the public interest.' : Hummer t's action- is the only move by any .adman in this connection. JOE. E. BROWN BUILDING UP TO HATE PANCAKES New Haven, Nov.' 5. ", Joe E. Brown, who owns a piece of the 'Elmer the Great' revival Star- ring him, is currently suffering for his investment "as well as his art. In an effort to collect laughs, he has to stow away an oversize quantity of , food including; orange juice; grape-, fruit, jam,. potatoes, ham, pancakes, coffee; milk, doughnuts, pie, .ginger- continued on. page. 53) Class Hotels and Restaurants Turn Underground Cellars Into Night Clubs FANCY PRICES, TOO ■ London, Nov. 5. Wiseacres may have coined the phrase 'upholstered seWer' derisive-, ly, in applicability to sbme of Amer-:, ica's so-called night ciubs during the Prohibition, era, but it's no gag here. London -hotels and restaurants have developed a new and very lucrative trade, in underground night life, thanks to Hitter arid his gang. This can be dubbed as a 'Roving Shelterer's . clientele,' which com- prises a section of Londoners who cannot get away from town early enough to avoid night raids and al- though living in deluxe apartments, with safe shelters, prefer to haunt the class hotels and restaurants. Wise -to the: situation; restaura teurs and hoteliers have turned their underground cellars into safety zones, planting their bands and trimmings there, and: are reaping a harvest. Spots like the Savoy hotel, which accommodates 400; Dorchester, 400; GrOsvenor House, 3,00; and Mayfair hotel, 250, are: doing an overflow trade, with average Intake of at least $6 per person. The lesser spots such as Piccadilly, 300; Devonshire House, 200; and Park Lane, 150; . ; (Continued on page 23) ON WAY 'Life With Father/ which com- pletes a year's run at the. Empire, N. Y., Friday night (8), will have grossed a total of. approximately. $980,000 ; ,' that time. Howard Lindsay-Russell Crouse comedy is still topping the $18,000 .mark week- ly, having drawn more than capacity business for the entire 52-week stretch. In addition, second com- , pany, with Lillian Gish, is in its 36th week in ^Chicago; While a third troupe, with Dorothy Gish, is firmly established in Boston. Nearly $500,- 000 has" been grossed Jjy the latter two editions. Show's first birthday will be cele- brated Saturday night (9) with a. special three-way; broadcast On -Na- tional Barn! dance, over NBC by the three troupes, followed by a party on 'the stage of the Empire theatre. ' .(Continued on page 55) IUS1C Met Signs Auditioner John Dudley, tenor, who appeared on the season's ■ first 'Metropolitan Auditions of. the Air' broadcast re- cently, ' has been given a Met con- tract. -Tenor... .was formerly with . the D'Oyly Carte Opera. C Only other, singer to go from the D'Oyly Carte to the .Met was Muriel Dickson, so- prano. Detroit, Nov, 5. - Katharine Hepburn, here in 'Phila- delphia Story,' said last week that she hopes,to do a new Philip Barry play this season, but hasn't yet seen the script, She suspects the. play- wright has completed a new play and that he is withholding ft and refus- ing to admit It is finished in order to keep her touring iii "Story.' She is definitely commlted to continue with the. present play until after the holidays,, when Metro's picture ver- sion will probably be released. Actress revealed {hat Barry went to Europe shortly after the New York, opening of 'Story,' ostensibly to work on a hew play for her. That Was during the spring of 1939 and she believes he finished it during the ensuing summer. However, he is, not known to have actually shown the script to anyone, so she can't prove he ever really finished it; Unless she gets another suitable play instead, she admits ' she'll just.' have to continue touring with 'Story' until Barry decides to let her see his new one. Having played in 'Story' for more than a full year arid, made the .film version of; it,, she says (Continued on page 20) KNOW YOUR JOKES?, NEW AIR SHOW IDEA WOR, New York, studio-auditioned Saturday (2) a new program tagged 'Can You Top This.* Show has three gagsters,: Harry Hershfield, Joe Laurie, Jr., arid Senator Ford, With Fred Lewis as m.c. It's Senator Ford's idea. It's a : meter plan, the audience- participant telling a joke arid the audience's laugh-response measured. He gets $10, but this is whittled down $2.50 at a time If the pro gag- sters can tell a switch on the same gag and get a higher rating on the meter. Latin-American lads and lassies, who have flpoded up from Mexico and points' south on the crest of the rhumba wave,, are getting unprece- dented opportunity for a shot in films; Virtually anyone who can swing a chassis or warble in the South American way has either been screehtested or is about to be. Stream of Latin pix, which has al- ready begun to flow from Hollywood, and which is. increasing with every production conference, has created the demand. Inasmuch as most of the talent being tested doesn't savvy too much English, it's of course be- ing used for specialty spots. There's hope, however, of landing a leading man from among the group, and any steps which can be taken to develop one will be used. , RKO has two prospects, for build- up to star billing. One is Desi Arnaz, whose option was lifted last week' after making his initial film appear- ance in 'Too Many Girls.' He was also in the legit version. New pact is for seven years, with the usual option renewal at the end . of each year. It's for two pictures a year, to be made Within six months of each 12. The other; six months each year is to give him an opportunity to Continue his stage work. He's going into another legit musical shortly. Second RKO white hope is Alberto Vila, an Argentine, who was tested (Continued. on page 22) Hush With Willkie, Or Problematical With FDR Is N. Y. Niteries' Big 'If . Nitery business in New. York from now on is an 'if proposition to the cafe men. If Willkie, the bonifaces' expect it'll be happy-days-in-Dixie; if F.D.R. for a third term, it's prob- lematical, Variety went to press too early last: night to keynote the an- swer, but the trend is newsworthy nonetheless. What concerns the hotel and cafe men is the hope that the bitterness will wear off, and national unity cont. geal quickly, regardless of which po- litical party comes into office. They, rubbing shoulders directly: with as Variegated ah assortment of; Ameri- can population as falls to the lot of any business or profession, know full well how bitter was. this .campaigni; And it's not local strictly. If any- thing it's perhaps as true a: cross-, section of. national feeling as could be concentrated in any one point, for it's axiomatic that New ; York's niter- ies and theatres subsist by their pro- vincial pull, more so than the" locals. -It's conceded that a Roosevelt vic- tory means that the masses will make mild whoopee along Broadway, and the tories that patronize the class east side New York spots will go home and sulk—or drown their sor- rows. If Willkie, no question' of it's immediate: effect on the market, arid .that means a bonanza for the niterie9.