Variety (Jun 1941)

46 Wednesdaj, June 11, 1941 [ OBITUARIES BLANCHE CHAPMAN Mrs. Blanche Chapman Ford, 90, professionally Blanche Chapman, ■who began her theatrical career four generations ago end appeared in practically every medium of the drama from pantomime to light opera, died June 7 at her home in Rutherford, N. J. Mrs. Ford, born in Covington, Ky., came from a theatrical family which traced its starl as far back as 1733. The widow of Henry Clay Ford, manager of Ford's theatre. Washing While acting as a clown he toured with the Donaldson & Gregory cir- cus during the '90s ^nd also did the same routine with the old Sells & Forepaugh circus. Shortly after the turn of the cen- tury, Bickel turned to legit and made his debut in 'Me, Him and I,' which had a sensational three-year run. He also appeared in 'A Trip to Paris' with Gertrude Hoffman at the Winter Garden in 1913 and after playing at the Hippodrome, London, went to the Coast in 1915, where he ton, where Abraham Lincoln was made many comedies for the Edison ' Feature Film Co. He also had assassinated, she made her debut as a child in 'Mr. and Mrs. Peter White.' An authority on Lincolniana, Mrs. Ford fell heir to the chair in which Lincoln was sitting the fateful night he was shot. Her husband, thinking the President would be more com worked for Fox Films, retiring 11 years ago. Widow survives. Remains were forwarded to Saginaw for interment. MART 'BUBBLES' KELLT Mary' Kelly, 46, vaude and radio fortaVle in an ariiichaiV brought one comedienne, died in her sleep June 7 from his own home. It long re- mained in possession of the Govern- ment but -eventually was returned to Mrs. Ford, who sold it in 1929 to a representative of Henry Ford. A celebrated actress in Recon- struction days, Mrs. Ford had ap- in her Hollywood apartment. She had apparently been in good health. Starting in show business 30 years ago with a stock company in Chi- cago, deceased shortly aftfer framed a turn with Tom Swift,, also with the stock troupe. Act, a comedy peared with Edwin Booth. Edwin I singing and talking routine, toured Forrest, Joseph Jefferson and Dion | the vaude houses for ISjrears. Bouccicault, among many others. For 22 years under the management of George Tyler, she had also played in more than 100 light operas. As a singer she was the first actress to be seen in the role of Josephine in 'H. M. S. Pinafore* when that Gilbert and Sullivan operetta made its American debut. Among Mrs. Ford's last appear- ances was a part in 'I<atchstrings,' presented at the Lake wood Play- house, Skowhegan, Me., some five years ago. Prior to that she often played in pictures, both silent and talking, and shortly before retiring even appeared in a radio drama over WOR, New York. She leaves two sons, George Ford, a producer, whose wife, Helen Ford, is the musical comedy star, and an- other "son, Frank, an instrOctor in dramatics. In recent years Miss Kelly turned to radio and has appeared on many of the top programs, including those of Jack Benny, Burns and Allen, arid, more recently, Al Pearce. Gracie Allen has many times credited Miss Kelly with starting her on her pro- fessional career. She appeared on many recent benefits with Benny, being billed with Blanche Stewart as 'The Chicken Sisters.' She leaves her husband, Ray Myers, onetime Orpheum booker in New York, Remains were taken to Chicago, her birthplace, for services and burial. I CHARLES E. COOK Charles Emerson Cook, 71, writer of operettas, veteran publicity man and long associate of late David Belasco, died June 8 in St. Luke's hospital. New Yorkj after several months' illness. Cook, a graduate of Harvard, dabbled in writing as a student and by chance, won the attention of Be- lasco, who hired him.- as a press agent back in the '90s. He remained with the producer as director of publicity for some 15 years when he resigned to author operettas. Some of his works included 'The Koreans,' The Rose of the Alhambra' and 'Mr. Pickwick,' which was written in col- laboration with Charles Klein. After an interval of drumbeating for divers theatrical personalities. Cook turned to producing and had a hand in such productions as 'Rem- nant,' with Florence Nashi and 'BUnd Youth.' with Lou TeUegen. He handled publicity for 'No, No. Nan- ette.'-both on its-Broadway and road runs. General publicity rep for H. K Frazee from 1924 to 1928. he also was active in managing stock com- panies in such cities as Montreal, Milwaukee, Baltimore and Washing- ton. A member of The Lambs and one of the founders of the Friars'Club, Cook had some six operettas pro- . duced and at the time of his death left one script, a musical play called "The Pirate Prince,' which CHABLES N. HAMMOND Charles N. Hammond, 63, veteran actor who appeared with Walter Hampden for several seasons' and with Minnie Maddern Fiske and the late Bertha Kalich, died June 5 at the Lenox Hill hospital. New York, after a long illness. Born in San Jose, Cal„ Hammond came to Broadway under the man- agement of Klaw & Erlanger shortly after the turn of the century. After appearing in The Prince of India' at the old Broadway theatre, he later had roles iii "The Kreutzer Sonata' with Miss Kalich and with Mrs. Fiske in 'Leah Klechna.' Hammond, who appeared in stock at various intervals, became a mem- ber of Walter Hampden's company in 192;? and was in 'Cyrano de Bergerac,' 'Enemy of the People' and 'Hamlet,' among others. More recently he had played In 'Miss Swan Expects' at the Cort theatre, N. Y.. two seasons ago. ALFRED 'TUBBY'rrUBNEB Alfred 'Tubby' Turner, 70, died in London May 12 after a lengthy ill- ness. A well known theatrical man ager both in London and the U.S., he commenced his career In 1895 at the Lyceum theatre, London, and served under Frederick Harrison and Cyril Maude for 25 years, Turner toured America and Canada with Sir Herbert Tree, then repre sented Cyril Maude again in the j States. Australia and New Zealand. In London' he managed the Court. Shaftesbury and Kingsway theatres then the Winter Garden for 10 years, before taking over the new Saville theatre in 1931 For some years he had been ill. was fully completed, but unpro- i Both his legs had to be amputated in duced. In recent years he had been ! 1935- Survived by widow. Shirley a summer stock operator at the Rice , Huxley. ^ Playhouse. Martha's Vineyard, Mass. Surviving are his widow. Rose; a Eon, Charles £.. Jr.. and a daughter by a previous marriage, Gladys Irene Cook, an actress, services were held yesterday (Tues- day) by The Lambs at the Little Church Around-the Corner.' ' information received in New York l&st week. A native of Bucharest, Feder man- aged the Bucharest Philharmonic Orchestra and the Rumanian Opera Company before World War I, He also was active in music publishing, heading a firm which bore his name. As a concert manager he was cred- ited with having arranged Rumanian engagements for Mischa Elman, Fritz Kreisler and Jascha Heifetz, among others. Surviving are his widow, daughter and a son. ADELTN ESTEE Adelyn Estee, 70, former Metro- politan Opera singer and star in mu- sical comedy, died June 3 In Los Angeles. Making her debut at the Met at the age of 18, she later played op- posite Eddie Foy and Nat Goodwin in musical shows. At one time she starred in her own' production, 'Queen of the Moulin Rouge.' In later years she appeared occasion- ally in motion pictures. Surviving is her husband. William Bence, vaudevilli^n. ALFRED ATKINS Alfred Atkins. 41, actor was killed in a London air raid recently. Originally a-bank clerk, he turned to the stage, touring with 'Chu Chin Chow' and D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, Of recent years he had appeared in* Firth Shephard's shows and became understudy to Gordon Harker in 'The Frog,' appearing also in the film version. At the time of his death he played in 'Cottage to Let' , at Wyndham's. CAPT. e: d. c/ hebne Captain E. D. C. Heme,' 51, radio news commentator, died in Chicago June 8 following an operation. Captain Heme started with WGN, Chicago, as a commentator, three years ago. He had been a World War flier. Widow survives. Burial'in Chi- cago. non after a long illness. McCarthy, who retired after an Injury some years ago, left a widow and two $ons. Bernard, DilloD, 53, former husband of the late Marie Lloyd, music hall star, died in a London hospital May 6. One time a Jockey, he won the British Derby in 1910. Mother, 68. of Wally Downey, tal- ent manager and music man. died June 5-in Philadelphia. Father of Jack Lavin. personal manager for Paul 'Whiteman, died at his home In St. I.ouls June 9. Orch's Goodwill GEORGE EBET George Ebey, 68, manager of the Fulton theatre, Oakland, Cal., suc- cumbed June 2 at his home in Oak- land - following a long Illness. He was formerly manager of the Or- pheum and Macdonough theatres, Oakland, and the Alcazar, Frisco. Surviving are his widow and four children. OWEN BENNETT Owen Bennett, producer of unit shows in the south for the past eight years, died May 27. Funeral services were held - In Memphis. Survived by widow and young daughter. INNIS G. OSBORN Innis G. Osborn, 58, playwright and more recently an NBC writer,'died May .24 at his home in Nor walk, Conn., after a long illness. Further details in the ra.dio sec- tion. HENRY HAAG Henry Haag, one of the early ex- hibitors in the Michigan area, died at his home in Wyandotte. Mich., June 3. Until his retirement several years ago he operated the old Rialto theatre, Wyandotte. MADAME BERLINO Mary Halter, 73, better known in America and Europe as Madame Berlino, concert pianist, died May 24 at Lima, O., from injuries suffer^ after having been struck by an auto- mobile. CHARLES DE SHEIM Charles De Sheim, actor who had roles in such recent plays as 'My Funeral I Heart's in the Highlands' and The Time of Your Life.' died of a strep- tococcus infection June 6 at the Mount Sinai Hospital, New York. He had been ill for about 10 days. GEORGE L, BICKEL A one-time director of the Chicago George L. Bickel, 78, veteran stage Repertory Theatre, De Sheim' was and film comic who began his career associated ^ith the Shakespearean as a circus clown, died June 5 in productions presented by the Old ■Los Angeles. Globe theatre at the N. Y. World's More than 50 years ago, Bickel Fair i\ /o seasons ago. Other plays formed the comedy team of Bickel- in which he had roles were 'Journey and Watson, which later became to Jerusalem,' presented at the Bickel, Watson and Roth. They ap-; National, N. Y., and several stock peared in early Ziegfeld 'Follies' and company productions. George White's 'Scandals.' i Surviving are his widow, Babette, -As a boy of 12, Bickel had a walk- and his parents, Mr. and Mrs. David on part in a vaude show in Saginaw, Swadesh of Westerville, Ind. Mich,, where he was bom. Before — : Joining the Whitney .family's circus j JEAN FEDER In 1880, he had been' successively a Jean Feder, 72, music publisher blackface artist, an Irish comedian and concert manager, died recently and later played as a Dutch comic' In Bucharest, Rumania, according to 'BORIS SAID Boris Said, 58. who operated the St. James and' 44th Street theatres, New York, died suddenly June 5 in N. Y. Details In legit section. ALEKO Alexander Dilopoulo, 59, stage ac- tor, known professionally as Aleko, died June 2 in Los Angeles. ^^Contlnned from pkce in via the States. Surprising as it is to most North Americans, who think Cuban and Central American bounce is general throughout Ijatin- America, conga-rhumba didn't even start to make the grade here or elsewhere in S. A. until it began clicking in Manhattan. Brazilian sambas while long pop- ular in Brazil were never heard in the. rest of S. A. until Carmen Mi- randa began u^arbling them on Broadway and the publicity (espe- cially the Hollywood buildup which followed Manhattan) plus the radio and discs spread the beat to Ar- gentina, Chile, Uruguay and the rest of Latin America. Mexican things like 'Frenesi' needed Artie Shaw's wax pushing before they began to click. Jan Too Late Cuban and Brazilian are now nudging their way up to a place which is jiist below the tango in radio time. One reason jazz hasn't caught on quicker, it's explained, is the lag between time of Tin Pan Alley launching of tunes and their arrival here. Usually two seasons late.' Disc manufacturers like 'Vic- tor and Odeon have long followed the practice of waiting to see, what clicked in the States before import- ing matrixes for local pressing sim- ply because of this. Wait-and-see attitude has also been true of pub- lishers. With regular short-waving, espe- cially it it's picked up 'and retrans- mitted locally, S. A. listeners will^be in a position of getting the fresh bounce just as quickly as they get the fresh news. Local bands which usually - have waited until waxings arrive because they had no other way of knowing, what the stuff should sound like, will have a regular display case to watch if NBC's idea is followed through. Number of bands here al- ready have 'ear men' who by listen- ing a few times can practically dic- tate a carbon copy of any arrange- ment they hear, but not all have time, talent or inclination for this. Great Disc Sale Effect Effect on disc sales is also likely to be great, dealers here having noted in .the past that bands most frequently heard even on infrequent short-wavers from the States are those most in demand. Expect that regular aircasting will help take up the lag for fans and musicians like something heard on the air. They won't be content to sit around but will deffiand it come down as fast as anything else, according to the theory. As with othet - programs short- waved from the States, warning is issued here that without adequate local publicity number of listeners will be comparatively few. Pro- grams must not only be advertised but tieups established. Swing Clubs such as the B. A. organization— Varibtt description of which helped NBC get the idea for regular'pro- grams—would be more than willing to cooperate provided somebody asked. . Organization and similar groups are a definite factor in the Goodwill picture and also repre- sent the largest potential purchasers of U. S. music. Mother, 84, of Nick Kenny, song- writer and radio editor of the N. Y. Daily Mirror, died June '4 at her summer home on Lake Mombasha. Monroe. N. Y.. after an illness of two months. Also surviving are another son. Charles, assistant radio editor of the Mirror and his brother's col- laborator in writing songs; a daugh- ter, Anna, and four grandchildren. Three other sons died overseas in the World War I. Funeral services were held at Concord. S. I.. Satur- day (7). Eugene C. McCarthy, veteran theatrical electrician who had worked for the Ringling Bros, circus and RKO-Proctor's.theatre. Mt. Ver- non, N. Y,, died June 4 In ML Ver. ' BIRTHS Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Fortenberry, son, in Los Angeles, June 2. Father is in Metro's still camera department. Mr. and Mrs. Bernard ■ Goodman, daughter, in N. Y„ May 3. Father is attorney for Paramount. Mr. and Mrs. Rufe Davis, daughter, in Santa Monica, Cal. June 5.*Father is stage and film comic. Mr. and Mrs. Dave Young, daughter* in San Antonio, June 2. Father is sports announcer for KABC there. ' Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Kronenberg,' daughter. June 6. in New York. Father is time salesman for WBYN. Brooklyn. Studio Unions jContlnned from pace considerable time to discussion of the effect of the Wage-Hour decision on the question of retroactive pay for workers, and demands of actors, di- rectors, writers and other studio groups for contract revisions. The company executives are understood to have finally referred the back pay situation to the attorneys for legal opinions and recommendations. While Vincent recommended that no formal Inspections be made for the purpose of ascertaining whether restitution of wages may or may not be due prior to June 16, the ques- tion was raised as to whether the companies had committed themselves by notifying employees wage adjust- ments would be made , if they were affected by the decision. Y. Frank Freeman, prexy of the Producers Association, has already discussed the situation with officials of the Wage-Hour Division. The Producers are reported to have, tentatively agreed to requests of the Screen Actors Guild for re- classification of extra brackets. These call for elimination of the $8.25 and $11 calls, establishment of a $10 or $10.50 ticket and placing of a limita- tion 'on the use of $5.50 players. Counter-proposals will be made to tlie demands of the Screen Directors Guild for minimum wages and to the contract proposals of the Screen Writers Guild, Meetings with these three groups will be arranged this week. MARRIAGES Helen Jones to John Lee, In Las Vegas, Nev., May 31. He is public relations director for Screen Actors Guild. Ruth Weinberg to Gene Newman, in Brooklyn, May 7. Bride is secre- tary to Herman Lorber of the Par home office distribution department;' he's assistant to C. L. Oswald, head of the theatre chain's investigation department. Rita Connell will wed Jean Her- bert in New York, June 23. Bride is an Earl Carroll showgirl; groom a songwriter and publisher.- Mary Brodel to Richard Russom, In Los Angeles, May 15. She's a film player; he's a composer. Sylvia Lipson to Harold- Allen, June 12, in Columbus. He's a staff announcer oo WBNS there. Yvonne Guerin to Charles Ray, in Hollywood, June 4, He's the former film actor. Dorothy Fay Southworth to Wood- ward Maurice Ritter, in Prescott. Ariz.." scheduled for. June 14. Bride is film actress, professionally Doro- thy Fay. Harriet Linehan to Darving E. Skogstrom. in Milwaukee. May 31. She's legit stock and radio actress. Dorothy Holmes to Lester Combs, in Kansas City, April 19. She was librarian, he is continuity writer for WHB, K. C. Announcement made .last week of secret marriage. Gertrude S. Karp to Louis S. Simon, in San Francisco, June 8. He's account executive at KYA, Frisco. ,Connie Gange to Ed Wegman, June 7,' in Rochester, N.Y, He's chief an- nouncer at WEBR Buffalo; she's singer at Rochester's WHEC. Ruth Fimbel to Ed Nickel, in Maplewood, N. J., May 16. Groom is in the publicity department of Mu- tual network, N. Y. Marjorie Johnson to Ken Carter, studio publicist, June 8, in Las Vegas, Nev. She's daughter of Nunnally Johnson, film writer-producer. Rosemary Cox. New York social- ite, to Leslie Harris, scheduled for July 11, 1941, in New York. He is CBS newscaster in Miami (WQAM) and Variety correspondent in Flor- ida. Helen Claire to Dr. Milton Smith, in White Plains, N. Y., May 22. Bride is legit, film and radio actress; he's member of the" English department, Columbia University, and director of Morningside Players, university's drama group. Maybelle Schreiber to Morris Mor- gan, May'20, in Toledo. He's man- ager of the Palace theatre, Toledo. Judith Allen to Rudolph Field, re- cently, in New York. Bride is for- mer film actress and now a radio performer; he's a book publisher and radio producer. Jean Chatterley to William Craw- ford, June 8, in Brooklyn, N. Y. He's assistant to promotion chief of WOR, New York. Marjorie Clarke to Thomas Reilly, June 7, in New York. Bride is a radio actress; he's an NBC director and production man.