Variety (May 1941)

70 VAUDEVILLE Wednesday, May 7, 1941 AGVA Officials in N.Y. Shocked At Choice of Travers as Coast i^de Report from the Coast that Ken- neth Thomson, Screen Actors Guild executive secretary, had placed I/ce Travers in temporary charge of the Los Angeles local ol the American Guild of Variety Artists came as shocking surprise to AGVA officials In New York. Travers was a Hoyt Haddock appointment as Philly executive secretary; later, he was cent to Chicago as a national rep- resentative from which position he was discharged. N. Y. officials stated Monday (5) that no action will be taken until a full report is received from Thorn- con. tition signed by non-board members and members who have not attended board meetings in three months. I am willing to leave the results of my efforts to aid AGVA in the hands of the active board members and the membership, for whom all of my efforts have been devoted since I was appointed executive secretary.' Thomson Bcmoves Howard Hollywood, May 6. Kenneth Thomson, executive sec- retary of the Screen Actors Guild and vice prexy of the Associated Ac- tors and Artistes of America, has as- sumed control of the Los Angeles lo- cal of the American Guild of Variety Artists. His first action was to re- move Kenneth Howard as executive secretary, and to put Lee Travers in that job temporarily until AGVA elects a new secretary. Eddie Davis also was removed from the payroll, but remains as a member of the board of directors. After taking over the office, Thomson announced: "Those in the best position to Judge, the members of the local AGVA board, have decided that a reorganization is necessary. At their request, I am functioning, in effect as a trustee working under authority of the Associated Actors and Ar- tistes of America, the national AGVA board and the local' AGVA board.' Thomson moved in after he had received the following request signed by 12 members of the local AGVA board: 'We, the undersigned, members of the local board of the Los Angeles local of the American Guild of Va- riety Artists, earnestly request Mr. Ken Thomson to assume authority invested in him by the National Board and to administer to the best of his ability the affairs of our local until such time, at'the discretion of the board, we may by a vote of the membership appoint an executive secretary. As an emergency meas- ure, due to the inefficiency of the present administration and leader- ship, we sign this with the full knowledge of the facts, and with the sincere belief that it is for the bet- terment of our organization.' After being notified of his re- moval, Kenneth Howard, who came here from New York to accept the post of AGVA executive secretary, stated: The action of Mr. Thomson was no surprise. For some time minority Interests in both AGVA and the Four A's have tried to grab control of the local. Three times this minority tried to oust me, but could not get a majority vote of the board, much less the membership. Finding themselves unable to oust me legally, they conceived this so-called pe- B.&C.FAIRAGCY. IN AGREEMENT WITH AGVA Saranac Lake By Happy Benway Chicago, May 6. After more than two years of ne- gotiations, the final form of the agreement between the Barnes & Carruthers Fair Booking agency and the American Guild of Variety Artists is ready for signature. The final draft was okayed last week and initialed by both parties. Only item that will be changed in the final document will be a clause referring to rehearsal regulations. Both parties have agreed on this change and will be made without any hitch. ' Last year, due to the fight with AGVA, the B. & C. office ran into a storm of difficulty with a number of fair dates and was kept out of sev- eral California spots, the Detroit Michigan Fair, the Springfield Il- linois Fair and several Minnesota jobs. Tussle With Gluskin AGVA here and Sam Gluskin, of the johnny J. Jones carnival shows, collided last week over the attempt of the Jones show to snatch off the Illinois State Fair contract., Jones Is trying to negotiate for this Spring- field date before settling on a union contract with AGVA and the per- formers union is determined to fore- stall any such negotiations for the date until the show is fully union ized. Gluskin attempted to put political pressure on the situation and finally the Illinois Federation of Labor offi- cials were called into the picture. It was decided by the American < Federation of Labor men that the rights of the union must be fully upheld. Result of the wrangle is that the union "jurisdiction on this situation will be shifted to the AGVA head quarters in New York and the latter will follow through on the settle- ment of a contract with Jones shows, if and when. Saranac Lake, May 6. , John Reich, local lawyer, took time out to turn songwriter. His first novelty number clicked and was accepted by the Leeds Music Co., so the William Morris oHice placed him under a one-year con- tract. Jack Goodwin, who pounds the piano at the Brass Rail, Tupper Lake, manages to get to this Colony and entertain the gang. Thanks to Russ Smith, of WSM, Nashville, for furnishing the address of Leroy (Lasses) White. Harry (Juggling) Barrett, who is over 80 and can hardly see, man- ages to come" downtown in a wheel chair. He's at 302 Broadway. Good reports sent home William Plunkett, of New York; Francis Dia- mond, of Brooklyn, and Bede Fid- dler, of Reading, Pa. Donald Fairchild. a former con- nection of the Palace, Danbury, Conn., a newcomer at the Will Rogers. James (Woody Herman's Orch) Nobel o-gling Joe Bishop, who is perting up. The Dan O'Sullivans from N. Y. bedsiding Ann Comer- ford. Mary Edwards,, of ' Jamaica, holding hands with her daughter, Patricia, who is coming back nicely. Dr. Joseph Ecker, formerly of Bed- ford. N. Y., new pulse-feeler at the Rogers. Miriam Hirsch, who has been in bed too long, now allowed to see a friend once a week. Dr. Warener Woodruff operated successfully on Joy Navarre, Colin Tracy and Timothy Doherty. Arthur Sheldon skedded for a Baltimore vacash after a long siege at the Trudeau sanatorium. The James Heagneys back from a Broadway vacash. Monroe Coleman, who mastered a serious op, is back in the Rogers Lab. His wife. Hazel Monroe, han- dles the switchboard during spare hours. Dr. Edgar Mayer helloing and mitting the gang from this Colony. Write to those who are IIL Night Club Reviews N. Y. Nitery FdlowDp :: Eddie O'Hearn, leading a Jack Marshard unit, followed (5) Vaughn 'Monroe into Hotel Statler terrace dining rooriTN Johnny Turnbull pro- vides the vocak at the Boston spot. i TtUvicus LOEW BOOKING AGENCY OENERAt EXECUriVE OFFICES LOEW BUILDING ANNEX V. 4«lh SI, N. Y.C • BRyonl %nO0 Joe E. Lewis is doing so well for Nick and Arnold and Johnny Bog- giani at the Club Versailles, N. Y., that he's being optioned until Jime 1, thus setting Jean Sablon's opening back. Although well established as a No. 1 cafe star, Lewis is not per- mitting himself to coast on that rep. His 'H. V. Kaltenborn Blues.' 'The Groom Couldn't Get In,' 'Poor Little Feb..' and 'I Love Radio Com- mercials' are strong material com- bined with his own droll delivery. The ad lib, small-talk isn't the least of it, particularly the self-depreca- tion at trying to be a sucker for a two-horse parlay. He describes his Florida season's tough luck at the races by stating 'it was so tough that I played a club booking in Atlanta at night and picked cotton during the day.' With Lewis, apart from the return of Maximilian Bergere's band and the- perennial Panchitos, is Gracie (ex-'and Ray') McDonald. Pert little looker has been developing well with the seasons and although she's done a Paramount chore in 'Dancing on a Dime,' has yet to really get a good break in bi"; league filmusicals. Brother Ray McDonald just went to the Coast on a Metro termer. She's an engapine ingenue, doing a 'Dime' .song medley, 'Twist of the Wrist' and finally a neat tap dance routine that's major musical comedy timber. Her last Broadway stage musical, incidentplly, was 'Very Warm for May' ill-fated despite its worthy Kern score. Abel. PANTHER ROOM, CHI (SHEBiUAN HOTEL) Chicago, May 4. Charlie Bamet Orch (Iv), Quin- tones (5), Wini/red SeeJev,-Al/oU Ike, Coleman Clark <fc Co. (2). The swing and jive center of the midwest, the Panther Room con- tinues to parade the nation's best swingeroo outfits to tickle the ankles of the teen-aged. While the Sher- man Hotel is one of the nation's ace hostelries and caters to guests who are financially sufficient, the basic Eim of the Panther Room (ex-CoUege Inn) is currently and recently not to attract this money element but to drag in the high school and college youngsters. Of course, the orchestra does tone down on the hepcat stuff during the dinner hour out of respect for the soup and lamb chops, but with the dinner out of the way the room's policy switches completely away from the older folks for the minimum-check youngsters who know the difference between a slush- pump and a joy-stick. And being the midwest's sanctuary for jivers, the room draws enough of these $1.25 customers to zdd up to a profit. Currently, the Charlie Bamet or- chestra is the magnet which is cor- ralling the swingers. They were jampacked in here on the opening night and an indication of the power of the Bamet band with this gang was the large numbers of listeners. When they jam up against the band- stand and lend an ear instead of con- centrating on the body-holds, then the band must have something. And the Bamet orchestra does have some- thing. He has a musical foundation in the bsnd's work which is impressive generally, to kids, adults and any- body who has half an ear for pres- ent-day music. There-is a solidity in the work of the individual mem- bers which gives the band a great fullness of expression. And when they let loose the band really jumps. With the orchestra is a five-voice outfit labelled the-Quintones, four men and Patti Morgan. They at- tempt to be the string section of the orchestra, operating strictly with their vocal chords. They manage fairly well to introduce a softer note into the aggregation. Panther Room, as usual, presents about the poorest excuse for a floor show on the solid conviction that it's the band that counts and the floor entertainment is primarily spinach. And in this case they see to it that it is spinach. There is Winifred Seeley, a poor and labored little tap dancer who tries to be just too cun- ning but who only makes, the cus- tomers pay more attention to food and their companions. Alkali Ike ir a ventriloquist and Is the slowest worker seen or heard In show busi- ness in many a year. Coleman Clark is the champ table tennis whanger. and with a fellow from a local university puts on a fast end interesting novelty session of plng-ponping. Opens with some novelty shots and winds up with a .straight whirlwind game. Handled in a clean-cut and interesting man- ner ?nd highly suitable for ai'di^nce satisfaction. Gold. pink baby elephant doing a soiig- and-dance with an ensemble of six shapely, lithe-limbed helpers, billed as Hollywood Starlets. Jiinmie Brierly calls the acts and snaps a long whip without a chance at sing- ing, which was a disappointment to those who expected the chanting of a few long-denied ASCAP faves of the new crop. The Parker-Daniel combo bounces on and off a wooden horse drawn by a gaily caparisoned sepian, slithering and caroming in graceful arcs. An improvised cage is then thrown up and the six dolls, costumed to simulate clawing tigers, turn on their trainer, Daniel, with writhing, sensuous come-on. It's an effective tableaux, serving as an- other backdrop for the team's cur- vaceous capers. Nice flash is the chorine-pre- cisioned parasol number, working with phosphorescent covering and handle. That brings Daniel on with an umbrella to imitate a tight rope walker (on a flat platform), weaving and careening but in graceful stride. Chariot race finale has the bespan- gled girls simulating fast movement through the use of eyes, with Parker and Daniel as the gladiators. It's a showmanly curtain and had the tables pounding. Martin's crew endows the 35-min- ute floor show with a neat musical shading. As for the dance, his out- fit has always been favored by the Grove crowd. It's the soft, swaying music they like. Biz on the opening was above pre- vious kickoffs of the past year, but still a far cry from the packed room of the old days. It's still the class spot of the town, playing more to the society mob than the cinema set. Helm. Forbidden City, N. Y. New Act in Nitery ROBERT KEINHART Magic 8 MIns. Rainbow Grill, N. Y. Robert Relnhart is a pleasant in- terlude on a cafe floor with standard magico which he does competently, interspersed with pleasant small talk. His libretto Is familiar, in the main, but it blends the highlights of sundry similar acts. Thus, instead of pitch- ing progressively to some kingpin stunt, his rope, rei-thimbles, colored kerchief, hoops; birdcage, and the like are a succession of bright punc- tuations. Reinhart relies a shade too much on audience assistance and some- times, especially In a conservative room like the Rainbow Grill, it's a bit difficult to get voluntary aides out on the floor. He experienced that a couple of times on the night caught, but the law of averages is invariably In his favor, so far as collaboration from' the customers is concerned. In the main he's clicky for cluh": end theatres. Abel, Cocoanut Grove, L. A. Jue Fon0, RiiCh Sato, Hoo Shee, Kimt Toye, Maya Ketla, Sen Lee, Dai Yen. Sal's Far Easterners (6); $2 and"'$2.50 minimum. Los Angeles, April 29. Mari; Parker, Billy Daniel, Jimmie Brierly, Hollywood Starlets (6), Freddy Martin Orch (12): coucr, $1.50 Saturday; $1 other nights. Having possibly exhausted all other means of presenting his danc- ing proteges, Mary Parker and Billy Daniel, in a setting to best show off their semi-classic feats of terpslchore, Mitchell Leisen put them under the big top. That gives the nimble- footed youngsters broad opportunity to inject fresh novelty into their act. They do handsprings off a moving wooden horse, cut touches in a 'tiger's den,' wield whips in cadence to prancing chorines and go into a cycloramatic chariot race finish that dazzled this dress mob into sound ap- plause. It's been done on the St. Regis Roof, New York, with what reaches these ears as being 'very well liked.' That being true, then east and west have finally met on common entertainment ground. The flrstnighters gave them a rousing sendoff. The circus motif has the bandstand enclosed with candy-stick red-and- white striped canvas.- Through the opening emerges Freddy Martin's tootlers decked out in red jackets for the grand march, trailed by the per- formers and a tophatted ringmaster. Meanwhile, attendants pass through the room dropping off bags of salted peanuts as an atmospheric touch. The shelled goober was ruled out as too noisy and floor-littering for the ultra turnout. One could tell the number of film celebs in. the room by counting the flashes of photo- graphic bulbs Circus unpacks with an overstuffed An all-Chinese nitery is a novelty and, backed by something substan- tial, has a good chance to catch on. This is no compromise; from door to floor it's 100% Oriental with the ex- ception of Mike Larsen and Danny Doyle, props. This East 58th street spot is the former Queen Mary, where the Svensk Larsen featured the smorgasbord motif in cuisine until essaying the new atmosphere, supposedly a counterpart of the San Francisco Forbidden City. Endowed with a showmanly billing and an intriguing atmosphere, the place disappoints on two counts. The cuisine is very Chin-Lee—i.e., ordinary and not as showmanly presented as did Monte Proser, for example, with the exotic South Seas dishes at his Beachcomber. Sec- ondly, the show is spotty, mediocre in the main. Perforce it must blend the Ameri- can entertainment motif with the Celestial personalities, but the sum total is quite ordinary. Jue Fong tries hard enough to ingratiate but his own exaggerated vocal-histrionics with ballads lets down. Ruth Sato, former standard in vaudeville, goes In for foreign and U. S.-type terps. Best looker is Kimi Toye, songstress. Hoo Shee dittoes and Maya Keila, Javanese, does exotic dances; Sen Lee the almost-nudies. Best single performer is the solemn, begoggled Dai Yen, whose Oriental mysticism is matched by a bland and stoic per- sonality. It jibes well with the magico, and his tricks make for a good interlude. Sal's Far Easterners give out in West 52d street manner, maestroed by the pianist from the keyboard. The boys are in Chinese skull-caps and Charlie Chan getup. but their rhythms are out of the western world. Bill Lee manages. Ruth Sato put this sliow together and it underwent one switchover since the preem. As soon as that's righted the Forbidden City will have a better b.o. chance with the N. Y. city slickers: Abel. RIVIERA'S RICHMAN, JOE E. LEWIS IN AUG. Although. Ben Marden keynotes his new Riviera (Fort Lee, N. J.) show as 'Let's Give the Youngsters a Chance,' he's going back to names in August, when the Saratoga rac- ing season starts to take its toll on N. Y. roadhouses. For that month, Joe E. Lewis and Harry Richman— but most likely not Sophie Tucker, because of other commitments—will be brought back. . Miss Tucker has been teamed with them before at the Riviera and elsewhere. Meantime the new roadhouse re- vue opening next Thursday (15) holds Betty Bruce, Gower and Jeanne. Sara Ann McCabe, Norah Williams. Carroll and Gormon, 30 Chester Hale girls and Pancho's orch.