Variety (Jan 1941)

Publiafaed Waekiy^at 1B4 Weit 4Sth Street, New Tork; N. T„ by VarKty, Inc. . Annual eubscrlption, flO:' single coplee «S centa. Enteraa: m- Second.class fnatter-Pecembei^:X3-a406r-aV-th»-Posfr-omc«^^-4^W-Yorlc,- N- T.. undg . c ■ th e a ot-of-tHn'c h 1 . 1 »T»- -■- v ' r -—-COPMIGIW, ;i94l, BY ^ABiBi^ .Alili. RItiHTS BESERVKD;' : VOfc 141 NOi 4 NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 1, 19*41 PRICE 25 GENTS MP. MBankroDt Hollywood, Dec. 31.; • . San Fernando , Valley, north of Hoirywopd, has been selected aa the •ite. for the Motion Picture Relief Fund home for indigent film work- ers^ with $800,000 currently on hand for building expenses. Construction starts when the titles to various par- cels of land, now iii . escrow, have been cleared. There is still a difference of opin- ion among, the board members about the architecture. Some are. in favor of large dormitories and some are for niore homelike cottages. Con- struction plans, fqr both ideas have been iinder consideration for several months and may end in a oompro- imise. Admission to the home is In- clusive of any branch of . the film in- dustry, although practically the whole building fund' has been raised thru voluntary appearance by mem- bers of the Screen Actors Guild and other groups with the same thought In mind. SAG draws $10,000 weekly, with all performers donating their •ervices, from the Gulf Oil Co. For a time the Will Rogers ranch near Santa. Monica was under con- sideration as a possible site for the Fund horne, but the committee de- elded on the 40 acres In the Valley^ (15. Tax Threat Spurs ASCAP to Cut Up Its $800,000 War Chest Script-Gasting Electrician - in e m b e r of the stagehands union, .with a sizable bankroll : after "SO/ consecutive weeks with the sarhe. show oii Broadway and the ipad, is now a. trifle choosey about his next assignment. Offered a job last week with, a new production being readied for an out-of-town tfyout prep-, aratbry to Broadway, he asked to read the script before decid- ing. Writer .and publisher members, of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers wrill be en- riched accumulatively this . week by another $800,000 as the result of an extra distribution authorized by the versity Society's board of direrflors Thurs- day (i26). The money had been exr tracted from each quarter's collec- tions during 1940 si) that the organi- zation would have a nest-egg if the major: part of the broadcasting in- dustry failed to irienew with ASCAP Jan, 1. After the royalty melon for the' final . '40 quarter was distributed Dec. 20, the Society learned thsit this proposed hest-egg would be subject to heavy Federal taxation. . The accumulated funds were to he used to sivell .the distributions dur- ing 1941. Because of the . divvy Drought about by the tax situation, and published members will " the radio, ilght' persists/ receive only their share of the license fees, actually .(jollected by ASCAP during each, quarter. Distribution for: final quarter of 1940 was around $1,300,000. BMI'S ^1,006,000 rarsuRANCE .^oadcast/ Musib, • Irici, took out .?1.000,000 in copyright insurance to Protect_artistSrJStati6ns: and agencies; against post-New Year's iopyright infringements. Seaboard and Underwriters pom-' pames .t(jpk $250,000 each, and In- demnity Insurance handled the re- maining $500,000 of the total policy. WOMEN'S CLUBS GANG UP ON ACTRESS Hollywood, Deci 31. Wave. of . sentiment a g. a I n 8 t a femme star, generaled by wo- men's clubs throughout the coun- Iry/is having seriousrepercussibnsih Hollywood. Attempts by Hays of- fice and those studios which hold future commitments witii actress to head off the carhpaign is failing to stem the tide, and theatre operators are plenty worried over her cUrrent releases. . , . Studios and theatries have been notified by the Federation of Women's Clubs, Daughters of tiie Ameriban Revolution and the .Uni- Wpmen's Club that this actress is . listed V 'undesirable.' Parent-Teachers Association is also reported ; joining : the; . movenieht against the Vfemmie, with several local PTA' groups subjecting >ier pic- tures to a virtual blacklist. . ■ V Clubwomen have takeii up the cry against: . the player for the: past five- weeks aftei: a i^tory: got around of an episode in' a. Hollywood, nitery. Studio publicity: deparf- liierits handling her pictures are finding it difficult to .plant copy or plug her with . syndicated... and fan mags. ■ 7 ■.; Major Film Officiails in Coast Pow^yows This Month :—; : Chart .Consent Decree Course OUTSIDE PRODUCERS V Hollywood, Dec. 31.' ' Execs of the eight major film dis- tributing companies and those of at least one of the bigger indie outfits will haye a pretty definite idea of the makeup, of their 1941-42 product slates by the end of January. With Universal's home office and studio; toppers already huddling here on vehicles and budgets for next sea- son, eastern and .western chiefs of other concerns, including Metro, 20th-Fox, Paramount, Warners, RKO, United Artists, Columbia and Repub- lic, will gather at their respective Coast plants within the next three weelts for similar confabs. ' Forthcoming war councils will be the most important ever held here, for they have been called to. plot re- gearing of production, machinery to bring product into line with terms of the consSnJ decree. _In all case s, mauer ol^swelling fop a'nd rfiidclfe- class player contract rosters will be discussed. Both, home office and studio moguls realize even 'B' prod- uct will have to carry something in way pf fnarquee ba.it. Then, there's the matter of strengthening producer personnel on practically all majbf lots.. " 20t1i Wants: 10-12 Oiitside Fix 20th-Fox execs making no secret of fact they are willing to take in from 10 to 12 outside; pictures^, for 1941- 42 but even they doubt whether they will be able to : find that m;any:. to. j niiatch the .Staiidard of t[ieir. own out- Iput;.: .■v: ■:;•:;;■•.• -W 'm >'rhey yrill get three from William iHawks' United Productions, a profit- (Continued bh piage 12) QHINK DRAW THEIR PINK SLIP FROM 20TH HoUywopd, Dec. 31. Dionne quints cease to be contract, players for .20th-Fox unless they break out with, a new .routine before: the, pact runs piit' riPxt: inpnth." The five, little gals have appeared in twd features, 'The Country DoctPr' and 'Reunion,'..-for the Westwbod lot, and three shorts for RKO. . 20th- Fox is permitting; its .contract, to lapse. ASCAP VS. BMI ; With ASCAP's 1935-1940 con- tract expiring inidnight, Dec. 31, these are curreht music war de- • veldpmentsr : ■ , • Stations . signing with ASCAP (page 19)» Stations signing with BMI (page 19).. More Wisconsin Indictments (page 20). No truce Expected (page 19). SUIt(»lEGlT Sunday (29) . performances on Broadway saw the best .business since the experiment started. Out of eight shows which played that evening, only two were under prer vious Sab baths , while three drew slfiFbiig'"~gfos.ses, "The" President's speech did not affect patronage. Virtual capacity was registered by 'The Man Who Came to Dinner,' Music Box; 'Hellzapoppin,' Win- ter Garden, and 'It Happens Qn Ice,' Center, Radio (iity.. How much price-cutting at .the. bpxoffices wa» resorted to wais not indicated, but such reductions have featured Sun- days So far. ■ , *Ice,'. with its. popular .scale and large ciapacity house;-was the .topper with takings - of $4,400. With .that start, a big: Monday (30) mfatihee and sellouts: virtually sure for both performances last night (New Year's .Eve)) the rink revue Is; certain to register a new high, .Gross for this week should approacjtl the $50,000 miaric. .. ■•. res Thinks Tourists Get Cbck-Eyed Coiiceptipii of Life From Havana; Niteries ; The rhumba, Havana cabarets and .New York night;spots.,werevrather' severely criticized during a - brda.d-'. c^st from Cuban capital of. 'The. Peo- ple's Platform/ pn subject of.; prP- nibting- American unity by educa- tion. Dr. Ramos, Cuban, secretary of education, repeatedly referred'dispar- agingly to the rhumba. He declared it is bnly a professional dance—they don't dance it in society! Dr. Ramos also advocated that 'the.government take charge' of tourists and steer thenri away from Hava.na.cabai-ets. I Visitors woud never "understand, j the soui of a- nation, by 'making' such j night spots. Neither they, the dance j nbr rhumba music 'weire typical , of Cuba.-: Another: round tabler siig- I gestedv Americans could becprrte ac- ; quainted with this pihase of Cuban I life 'at less expense? in New . York. Point was similarly/made that Guban ;. or Latin American visitors to • this ! country could not hope to obtain la proper pictiire of the Unlted^Stales, ' its life; culture: and Ideas In Manhat- I tan night clubs. By JACK BOBBINS (President, Bobbins Music Co.) ril say this for the ASCAP-radid fight; it's bbund to wake up. the vet- eran writers to writing. We call a certain portion of Lindy's the 'has been corner,' When it should be Siii amen corner, in view b^some 61 th« most distinguished American song<. writers who sit around of nights, lap up_^^ gallons of coffee^ mastermind the world's ills, dope: the: winhers^and never write, a song. You can't tell me they're written out—a cdntempoiiary named Berli isn't doing badly, ■ But, at the saime time, you .can't tell me that BMI is going to turn Tin Pan Alley upside dowiii : with -its ballyhoo about giving the .'amateurs a chance. It sounds all right on pa- per, but what has BMI got to show for it? 'There I Go?' I'd be sur- prised if it sold :75,00(> copies. 'I Give You My Wojd,' 'Practice Makes Per-, feet'. what? So what? ' When you consider that, becauss of the: radio broadcasters': support, these soh^s are being pounded on an (Continued on piage 47) Orivinal S. F. 'Nanette', Found in Dept Store, " nCHcks AhW on Stage San Francisco, Dec. 3il. Bi;,'gest. surprise this town has had in weeks is the instant clicko of Nancy Welford at the RKO Golden : Gate this week. Several nlte spots, arc reportedly, dickering for the for- mer musical comedy staraii a result. ; Miss Wtlford was booked in at.the last minute when somebody: called .mairtager George. Bole's attention to the fact that the origmal Nanette of the Frisco cpmpany; of 'No, No, Nan- ette,' his current screen attractiori, was workinig in a downtown depl^art- ment store. Gal was a^pproached and jumped at, chance to' get "back before the footlights. ^ . : . ■ She's apparently just as effective: now" as she. was in:' musical. comedy and in the: early Warner 'Gold Digr ger! . films. She . was herje -for six months ..on: the Curran stafee as star of'Nanette'ill 1925. : 1941 MECHANICAL AGE VERSION OF JOE MILIER . ■ Detroit, Dec, 31. : • Ganadian X<egibns in. thel Detroit area wiU stage'their benefit, for th« . British War Relief Fund on San. 19 ■'in the State Fair Coliseum. ; Fre4. • Schader, press, represehtallye, 'sug- ; gestcd.;staging, as a memorial to Coventry, 'Lady • G b di.'v.a Ridci: ■ Agaih.'^..;.;.:.. . :; ; ' With a Godiva a cihch they have . come a cropperr-T-ahd no fpolihg. , They sUll haven't been able to un- ' cover a white horse in this auto.- imobile centre..: