Variety (Jan 1941)

2 MiSiCELLANY Wednie^tiy, January 1, 19'1'I Wrote It In 1 Don Fri6hmaii> t:/ic. 5h&ii'j?ioni u'Jio died at . 85,' in JViexp. York; Irist thiirsdii)} tDcc,,26),. u-as the ■ fltttlibr 0j ttoo bopks and sxiiidTy. other -fvorks, - The -/ollpiutnfil. his Ihit iiUt6ljipj7Tqp?iicdl writino,:. (I. selj-rauthorcd.. . otiit which, he subiriitted:: to ihe pfess in March; 1&38, Other Ffohmari /uifiecdoiiL on Page ,42. • Editor, , Marcb' 3d/'l^^ bailor I enclose sin articie/fot yoyr JVTpr- tuary iDepartmeht. :■ As I may' soon pass awayvyou'rhayvvyant these facts. Youts;very, truly; ■ •. ' Daniel Frohriian. ... Ain't tike It Wuz , HonywbQd, Pec. .31, . . Woody Van Dyke; lllm director; ■:ro.se,.ih the military scale when , ' he became a .ihajor jn the tf. "S; Marine Corps, but skidded from $5,000 a week to $250 a month >n. .theifinanciai-.scale. ... ' O wner. of- a, swaijk estate i rt. Bel Air, the .major ■ Is paying $25 a month for his diggings in an, autO' . cartip adj.^icent to /the Marine baUr racks.; in San piego. : . .' . ;. .':B'orn'' in-.1851 ■ Paniel Frohmah iVas b^in in, San-- dusky, Ohio,:Aug. 22, 1851; .He ]has been active in Ihe. theatrical business for about .60 years. His mother brought the family .-from" Sandusky, lo. New York- where: he went to school. When he was .l4, .h.e ai>s>ve.re(i an ad- vei-tisemient; for . a ■ messehiger • boyi which was pi^i'inted: in ihie paper ty, Albert p. Richardson, then a writer on the N. Y. Tribune; ' After three or four irionths'. woi'k wit)i.&Ir, Richar.d- son, •. Frohmah.-. went west With Horace Crreeley, who - was the^ editor Of the Tribune, and ran iqr jPresident of the United States, and Sehtiyier Colfax, who was the Vice-rPresident of the United iStateis. Before he left, Mr. Richardson- got \ (Continued on page 42) - - LUqY MONROE VStaip-SibanQled Sopranp" ^ . Capitol th.6a tL'c,:.\yashington, D/.C, Pc.^. - 31st ti) .Jan.- 8th. .- Victor Itod ■SffaViRecoKds. . '. Concert'A/l'a.h.age'tTienir; ■ \ ARtHOR JUDSON tLTAVest ftTth yiroet ■ Is'cw York ■f ♦ ♦ ♦»♦ ♦ » ♦ ♦ ♦ : ♦ ♦ ♦ »♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦»»♦♦♦♦♦ I ♦ ♦»♦ t »> i ♦ »> f t! 1 1 »» ; THE BERLE-EVG POINT; "V^B3r..Miltoif Berle.:: ' r- l DRAMATISTS PROPOSE NEW BASIC Under proposed changes In the Dramatists Guild's minimum basic agreement with Broadway managers, all authors, translators, adaptors or . collaborators of ' legit .shows .rhust Join the Guild. .That-is the. oulstand-. Ihg point in the draft of the proposed new agreement, received yesterday (Tuesday)..bjf the managers. Present, agreement. expires Jpeb; 28, • Present agreemiehi permits, produ- cers to present certain percentage of plays by foreign authors!whd are. no't Guild rnembers, translations by non- members or adaptations of!novels or other works of hpn:members: U^n- der the proposed new setup, how> ever, foreign ' writers, ^trltnslators, adaptors, authors of original novels adapted: for the, stage, .and all others participating in the authorship of aT7y stage work would have to join the . Guild. " • . . Another important change in the propsed new agreement relates to subsidiary rights to produced plays.. Terms governing film or . television rights remain the same, the producer being entitled to 40% of the proceeds for 10 years after the legit produc- tion. However, the proposed changes would give, a break to the managers in the matter of amateur; Stock and radio rights. Instead pf losing his. share of Siich fights three years after a play has ceased being dphe in stock, the prPduper Would be entitled to his SOtSO split.-of tfee stock, amateur and radio rights for fiye years, after the Broadway presentatiph. ; .Illniess has affected, the cists of . a' huWber- of shows oji BrpadWay,- or due in; Among :the latter is the delay in opening the Playwrights 'The Tal- ley; Method', -supppSed tP haye start- ed trying put at iPfliicctpn; last. Sat- urday (28). With Jphri Halliday d.awned ■ With; pneumonia, the ...start is npw dated for next week in Bal- timbrie,, with . Cleveland to: fpliow, ShPW which has iha; Glaire topping :is due iritQ' the Milder, N. Y;,. Jan. 27. - Vera': Zorina, In "Lpuisiana Purr chase^', Ihiperial, Is bothered with i glandular irritatiph -under the ear, but appeared; James Dunn, pf 'Pan- ama Hattie,' '46th. "Street, has been' ttrpubied ~ With his -throat and • finds difficulty in playing. Doctor says a full Week's rest. Is -advisable. Dudley Cleineiits has been ouit of . 'The Man I Whp . .Came^.. Fbr. Dinner', with : the stage manager filling in. Colds in the cast of 'The Flying Gerardos' caused two previews to be. cancelled but the show opened Suriday (29). - Mozelle Britton lis out of 'Separate Rooms', Plymouth, with a nervous aifllictibn and brd^red to rest indefir. nilely. Edith Craig, who is the widow, of Ritchie Craig, replaccid; Miss Brlt- toh is the wife; of . Alan Dinehart, featured in'Rooms'. V TyroSe Power piugte Between His Ex-Mgr/s Suit and Countersuit Canary Flies Benny Holzman Joins Morris Agcy. on Coast Benjamin F. Holzriian. for years general manager for Eddie' Cantor, and prior to that' a top Broadway press agent, joins the William Mor- j ris office oh the Coast in a couple of weeks for general talent.agentiiTg. Report that he would head the Mor- ■ rii? agency's i)iand department is un- |..founded.: . '.; i Holzman, now in New Ybrk, ; leaves for HpUyWPPd Friday (3) with :.his farhilyi It's Holzman's first connection with agency. . Besides continuing as Cantor's rep, he'll also work on radip prpductipn;. ampng other things, - Abe Lastfpgel, who set the deal in Ne'w- Ypric, returns to Hplly wood In. six or seven weeks. ■; ' - Los , Angeles,. Pec. 31. ; Complicated, legal abtipn by Mrs; Gertrude B. Adams tied up the $60,- ObO estate in Cahoga Park-in Which Tyrone -PoWei'; . lived during his minority. , .Suit is -afterhYath of -another legal attion in which Fran- cis D.' Adams is suing Power for $230,000 as his former legai rep and business mahager. . ' Mrs. Adams, who recently di- vorced her husband, is seeking a clear title to the Canoga Park pr.pp- erty, - winch- she claims'.is hers un^ der the divorce, settlement and to which, she contends,. Power has ho valid, clairn.. 'WHITE CLIFFS' POEM INTO A FILM SHORT .' Hollywood, Pec. 31. ■ Jeanette. MflcDonald resuines her concert . tour. Jah: 14 .. ' .• .M^ After a three-week vaca'tipn-at hpine; Second section pf the rpute; in- cludes . tw.p days in; Havana,' and winds lip in Ne\y Prleiahs, Feb. 16i- .. N; Y. to L. A, Jpseph Bernhard; ' • Hy,.D.aab. /■■■'■^' "•',' ■: '- : ■ Walter jurmanhv ■- Sidney. R. Kent. ^ : ■ Oscar lievantr : '. , .-.'■/ . Richard Maheyr—— Anna Ne^gle;. . -'... ..[ '■ Rpsarib and Antbnip. William F. Rpdgers. • 1. A. to N. y. Virginia Bruce.' Merian C. Cooper. Regiriaild Denhaiji. .''.' David Hempstead;. ' Bernard Hymam ' J'ack Lait.^ AI Lichtman. J.. Walter Ruben. .; Moroni-Olsen. . 'White Cliffs,' Alice . Puer Miller's long narrative English propaganda, poem,, was > purchased yesterday (Tuesday) for a filin short. Buyer ■was William Burnside, who is un- derstood- to represent the iprbducing unit headed by William Hawks which is winding, up at RKO aind shortly moves tp 20th-Fox. Published about two months ago in a small-volume which sells for $1^ 'White, cuffs' has sold 45,000 copies, an . unprecedented , number for a poem in such a short time and one that has the publishing world amazed. It was also tWice read on the radio by Lynn Fontanne. Para- mount and other studios were con- sidering buying the poem for a short if they could Pbtairi. Miss Fpntannc's services tp play'in it. Hawks' partners include Rpiiald CPlman, Irene Dunne, Charles Bpyer, Anatole Litvak and LeWis Milestone. Cblman is English. and; it, is assumed he ^nd Miss Dunne will probably "take principal roles, Burnside is understood to have paid about $5,000 for screen rights; a heavy sum for a short. "There are a number of other angles to the con- tract, howevir, including one' that pernriits , Mrs.' Miller- to retrieve screen; rights if a feature deal is set. Hollywood, Dec, 31, ' Last day of the year, and I was faced .with a disagreeable task. 1 had to fire the maid ,beeause she. forgot to set the clpck and my mother was late .for Work. ' ''■-.-'. ;'■'.-""■ ''- .'; • - Bob Hope gave me a. very unusual Christmas gift, A picture of an Europeah dictator'wjth,his-mp^^ . , '■•'•-'. ■ Bought;'mom' a 'double' Christmas prsesen't—and: a I'm sp soft- hearted. I got her a calfskih.; purse and a cowhide bag. I coiildnlt tiear to separate the calf, from its mOtlier.-;' •; • - . .;, .,. ., Asked Franklyn Pangborn if he read ^y. colUmii. He Said, 'No, I'm wait-. ihg until i get a little strongeriV. (Just; for;, that ^-I .won't let him knit ah Afghan for me.) ■■•'. :": '■•; ' . • ■ \'.; ' ' ■ '-.■■ V Was at a party given by :a Well-known Hollywood actress who. wa.ip cele-; ■brating., her' silver wedding, ahhlversalry; ^he'j'ust .marri^' her. 25th hus- band, '''y - ■■ ■' - v; \' ■ -* .Bing-Crpsby a|id I are gPing^ the Santa Anita racetrack one day be- fpre it opens. 'We want to see how it feels to be at the trrick anc) not los any money. . '■ •';••.: .■-' ' .. y-ir' ■ ^ ' ■ .; Had SO;mai.»y; people over.;jtb; our house;;for a Christmas party that ; • had to..inix.:cocktails in ti^^ . - ; .. . ; ' • . . ; - '■ 'V'-.'.': Broadway Dept, ' '.. ■ Biggest norirmusical mbneyrmaktii' p.n Bi-oadway is '"Twilfth Nifjlit.' with Helieh- Hayes . a;nd Mauricei. .Evans. It,.:lP'oks like; Sh^akespeare wiis iinKirt in not writing any p Jays about'.Hb.Uywbpd..--. Two herrings ph.s.sed Liridy's and one said to the other, 'Let's go in hera and'tear a silver fox.' , . ■ . . .George .AbbPtt's first .prpd 'Pal. Jpey/ 'which PM^ N.- Y. '.irewspaper, described 'as the. 'dirtiest sh'pw ;yet'.' If :U kct'pi. up,.. Harpl4!Miiisky will, hang'-a sign'pn his Gaiety bUribsiique ttieatre, 'Cleanest sl'iP.\y in.tbwn. ; Bring the'Wife^^^a^^ -■ ■■..■■■:.■' Ifollywoodiana ..'.'.' Walked ititp Maurice's jewelry stpi e. Pn -yine street and -heard; the cleric say tp a. gorgeous, blonde; 'Is ^bmeb.he taking care bf ybu?" ;'You be.l,' >he : replied, 'one of the biggest; directors iri Holly wood.' ., Joe Frisco just bought hirh.self-a hp use. on a hillT^so that he' cbVil.d see the installmeht'colleetors.c.pming.' •■ .. . O- A local ham is so ebnceited that when he; yfai arrested on, a bigamy charge, he insisted that they make, his rogues gallery pictures in Technl- cplbr. ■ ;• . ■'.: ' . ' ":'■, ■:■ • Mrs. Jimmy Ritz wanted a house. at Mlalibu Beach: fbr a.Chri.stmns pres- ent and jimmy cpmprbmised by buying her .a pail of sand for the back yard. •''■..'■ •-■.. '■'•- '. ■; ' '■]. Scoop: Crosby is building .a tunnel'undertreath Santa Anita so he can- get; his horses back to the stable after curfew. Went to. the preview of mypicture, "Tall, Dark and Handsome'. My • mother forgot herself and laughed at the screen credits. : Musio Dept. : People make so much noise In night clubs tonight (I^ew Year's Eve) that nobody will notice hoW the band sounds, even if they play BMI tunes. 'Jeannie With the Light BtroWn Hair' is so old that a certain feminine radio star has been singing It through four hair dyes. A BMI songwriter was rpmancing his girl. He said, 'I've gpt a sPng in my heart* She said,'if it's in ypur heart, it's public dpmaln.' , Badlo Dept. Heard a radio comedian; on the air last we.ek;^ho is definitely living ph borrowed jokes. ,•: Judging by the success bf the Jack Benny-Fred Allen feud, the only way to get'ahead oh ^'adib is to pick-another cbmedian. As sopn ns I giet a prPgi-am ril start writing ppispn pen letters tO Bpb Hppe. , Frcquehcy MpdUlatiPn is the hew big thing in radip, but when I wai on the air last year the sponsor thought that FM: meant 'Fire. Miliph'; ; HeUiKnall . Descriptions Bing. CrOsby: Owner of the Stork Club.-..Kafe Smith; The girl with the figure ate. ..Biliy Gilbert.; .Little Siieez6r;....Hcjniv Youngman: After the Berle is oyer;. .Miirjro;; I'm going to sit right down and write myself a Lederer.. Observation Dept. - ■ Goodman Ace went to the opening of 'Pal Jpey' and he repbrts that the theatre was so crowded the pit musicians went up With the curttiin. At the preview of my picture, Zanuck was so thrilled that 1 don't know whether it,Was'because he liked itr^r, because he won a .set of iM.4ies. . Tlie i^asbn picture people marry so often is that they became accus-' ■ tomed.tp retakes ■ -; !. . .;" ■ '. - Eavesdrppped at Florentine Gardens: 'She's the life pf the ob.'iervntion ward.!' . Eavesdropped at the Beachcomber; 'Is that her original face or is it a re- tread?', . Hitchhikers h^re are so: independent'that the other day one refused to get -into my car unless I permitted him to give nie a rpad lest, 'Whatever Beeame of—h—7 Paisley Npph Lnraine & Ritz - Vadi & Gygi Dillpn & Parker Rome & Gaut Milb ?????? , •.; Afterpiece • Think of all-you've.got to be thankful for ' 1941—including the fact; that -ybu .are permitted to think. Fix In HoDywi v.l ■'St liOiUs, pec.'■3i^" ■ ; Will .Osbbrn6.;Wh6..has be^^ maesr ^^bin^ his bwn 'dance band fpr I2 ;cphsecutiye yearii will break up ;the -flombp Thursday (9) at the;"dpi^cll'- ..siqn of .his. .current- engagement at .;ihe Fox ;. theatre -irere . and trek <tp •Hollywopd to produce fuU- length musical talkers. The plcfiue {making bug bit Osborne five years; igo and recently ahjgeis in the East who.haVe. been;; interested- in Osborne's idea decided to unleash a huge. bankrOTl to put the idea, pyer.. ; .. These talkers will be built around prigirial. stories, that Csborhe. says he has been niullihg for .many years and expert scripters bn. the" West Const .will be brought in to do, the. actual Writing, What niuslqal talent that will be needed for the talkers will be engaged in HollyWppd. Be- cause Osborne Say.s his idea is;a- heW one he has refused to divulge all of the . details pf- his .uh.deftaking'.but; wl.th Piily bccasipriai musicalvscreen; .Ibdder bein^ ,produced he believes .that he has hit on ^n idea Xkat y)\\l fill ai defin ite • demand for such en-' .tertainrrtent., . ., ■ Mbye'is iiriderwayltb .lea.se.a.Hblly- ■ Wood studio for .making; the talkers I and. pne pf the major cbmpa'riies will be 'cbhtactBd fbr distributing the cel- Itilbld, Osborne will hot .' appear', in any. of- the .talkers but'will devote hisn&Mire- efforts :in. producing.; . So conndent is Osboriie that hVs hew idea will be a big click in a co.mmercial way. he is ditching his, j band biz. RKO's In a Le^al Spot On On Friday (3), RKO Radio p|,c- tures. Inc., . Will; seek permission .6f the N. Y. .federar court for a tem- porary Injiinctioh against Helen TW.elvetrees to prevent .the. actress from moving fpr; trial of.- her action, on that date, in th.e- N. y. supreme court. The filrh company hasbeen placed in a; jpeculiar position- because' the actress' vvon :.t6mporary Ihjuric.'- tiph. against the company's use 'of hei? name in. cohnectipn >ith, the film 'I'm Still. Al;ve,' and' an inj'unc- tiph;against its exhibition in N.. Y: State, unless RKO consented to trial by Jan. 3. , . ;- " - ; . Followihg the loss of this, motipn RKO transferred 'the .suit' to the federal; court. Both courtis ;nb\y claim jurisdictiph.. .bamaijes pf $io,0,000 are .spught in the suit which charges the fllm pbrtrays theiifo p£ Miss'Twelve-: trees with that of hier fprmer hus- band,.' Jack .Woody, a , ftoUy w.pbd stunt man.-;•' • .--•■•/ („■:, ;;. Princeton, N. J.. Jinx -Repeats for Ina Claire, ; ■ " • Princetori,:;pec,;..31v.-■ . That Jna. Claire-S. N. - Behrman jinx that crept intb'Pi'incetoh .eight year$, ago': and led to. a ; bb.xpffic.e staniipede fpr refunds again descehdr' ed on this cpllegiate town' Satxirday night (28), When the Plny\v,right.s| prpductipn of, 'The.' Talley;"Method'- Was cancelled due to the :illnc.ss; of John Halliday, co-starred with Miss' Quire in this .h'ew Behrman comtcly. As far a.s this blase try-out town is cbncertied,: it's three'-sli'ikes iind out ferHhe ;Behrm«^»i-Claire.bomblnatioii. -They, haven't forg.btteh, yet that memorablb : Saturday night" eight years ago' when the Theatre Gilild launched at McCarter here live hi.ch- ly successful career'bf ;Bi'iyi;:iphyv- But a'gppd many tilings (hat- weren t programmed turned up at lliiitvopcn- ihg ■ pgrf.brmance-T-th^ .scenciy. ;c;<nie .- ■ . ' (Cpntihued Pn page. 47) ^; \