Variety (Jun 1941)

Wednesday, June 25, 1941 VAUDEVILLE 37 PITFALLS IN ARMY SHOWS Its Now Ex-Benny the Bum Philly Nitery Operator Deplores Trademark 'Isn't Worth a Dime Anymore' Philadelphia, June 24. Benny the Bum, last link with the local speak era, is plotting an- other comeback in table-for-two operations. But without the w.k. trade mark. Sippers and snackers will hereafter know him by his given name—Benjamin Fogelman. It'll be the same intimate spot billed as Benny the Bum's - imtll the Fed agents confiscated all the liquid re- freshments coupla months ago in lieu of taxes. New billing will be on the smartie side, something like The Epicure' under the management of Benjamin Fogelman.. Everything will be the same but the name, says Fogelman, figuring on a July 4 preem to mak^ the opening a big bang. ' As Benny the Bum, Fogelman be- came a rather fabulous character. Even the late Heywood Broun once devoted a whole column in praise of the Bum's after-dark hospitality. Moniker was once rated worth a million, but now Fogelman says It isn't hardly worth a dime, reminding how he continually turned down deals to allow the name to be used in other cities. Only recently, he . says, a New York combine offered him a 20%' absentee ownership for permission to use the name for an exclusive Benny the Bum's in New York's east side. Blames union trouble and an iU-advised step in trying to cater to the masses for the trademark's deterioration. His for. mer main stem spot is now the Club Bali. Only other time in the past that |the Bum's tag was missing was when NBC stretched a network wire to his mass nitery for dance' remotes. Net officials wouldn't condpne us« of the Bum' to identify the originating point and announcers called it 'Benny's Casino.' Benny yanked the wires out pronto. CANTOR OUTDRAWS 'SCANDALS' IN A. C. Palmed the Wrong Pot Atlantic City, June 24. The s.a. of George White's dame- studded 'Scandals' at Hamid's Mil- lion Dollar Pier over the weekend was a definite second in boxoflice lure to Eddie Cantor's p.a. at the Steel Pier. This despite the fact that the comedian had only a few people in his troupe, while the 'Scandals' unit was heavily peopled. 'Scandals' con- tinues the rest of the week without any vaude competition. Cantor was In for just the weekend. Chaney-Fox Take Leave Doe to Fox's Illness Philadelphia, June 24. Ballroom team of Chaney and Fox dropping out of circulation for a spell. Eddie Fox has, recuperated from his recent Illness here, but medicos figured It best that he go to Hot Springs, Ark., to complete his recovery. Meantime, Mayris Chaney hops to Frisco to look after her busi- ness Interests. She operates a string of chapeau shops on the coast. Anger Preps 'Rochester' Troupe Upon Request Washington, June 24. When he played for Earle theatre here two years ago, Eddie 'Roches- ter' Andersen Was enthusiastic over the staging for his act then arranged by Harry Anger, managing director and production chief at the house. Embarking now on another personal appearance tour, the radio and pic- ture comic has again come to Anger, this time for staging the show be- fore it hits the road. Unit which Rochester heads also includes Grade Bdrrie, Dick Stabile's orchestra and Waltdn and O'Rourke. First week of the projected six-week jaunt opens Friday (27) at the Earle. San Francisco, June 24. You can ' swipe- anything If you're bold enough, Karl Ro- maine, local theatrical photog, discovered this week. Night club dancer got permish from her boss to borrow a palm tree as atmosphere for studio shots, so 'Romaine sent a truck for . the potted forest. Didn't discover, until the gal showed up for pic- tures that he'd gone to the wrong nitery and picked up somebody else's tree. Took it back next day and no- body knew the diff. WSM HILLBILLY TROUPE UNDER CANVAS AVERS SHOWAAAN R. E. Mclntyre, Biz Manager of Troupe, Tells of Obsta- cles of Camp Touring in Explaining His O u t f i t's Bad Bei&ting During 2- Month Trip DROPPED $8,000 Nashville, June 24. 'Grand Ole Opry,' WSM's, Satur day night hillbilly show opens its first road tour- Monday (30) in Bainbridge, Georgia. The Opry will tour Georgia, Alabama, Missi^ippi, Tennessee, and the Carolinas and play all towns with 5,000-10,000 pop- ulation. . Will play Monday through Friday with cast, then returning to WSM for the Saturday show. Seven trucks, a 3,000 capacity, tent, and two lighting units as well as six changes of scenery are included in the mobile equipment. Roy AcufT and the Smoky Moun- tain Boys, Jam-Up and Honey, Uncle Dave Macon and his son, form nucleus of show. This pa'rly will play all dates, with other acts from Opry being included in areas where they have most popularity. The tour will close September first. Carroll's. FhiBy. Cited On Liquor Violation Rap Philadelphia, June 24. Carroll's Cafe, downtown supper club featuring a burlesque floor show policy, was hit hard by the State Liquor Control Board bn Saturday (21). Stanley H. Carroll, operator, ordered to show cause why his liquor license should not.be revoked. Hear- ing set for July 1. Six violations were slapped against the spot, including Sunday sales, permitting dancing and entertain- ment after hours, improper enter- tainment, permitting the entertainers to associate with the patrons, insuffi- cient illumination, and for advertis- ing the type of entertainment outside the premises. Marks third time Carroll's was cited. On first occasion, charges were dismissed, but the second cita- tion, in February of this year, re- sulted in a 45-day license suspension which was compromised by payment of the per usual $10-per-day fine rate. Spot has been a terrific click since last fall, when the strippers came in. COURTING CABBIES Jersey Boadhoose Operator Throws Party as Biz Gesture Philadelphia, June' 24. Neil Deighan, who earlier in the month opened a roadhouse on the Jersey side, calling it Deighan's Cafe, has made sure that the taxicab drivers in town all think well of him. Cabbies have been known to make or break many a road spot in these parts. He invited all the Yellow Cab drivers to his gay spot lajt Thurs- day for a party—on the house. 'Soldiers are always broke,' la- mented R. E. Mclntyre, business manager of All-American Musicals, Inc., in explaining how come the out- fit took such a bad beating during a two-month tour of Army camps with a 30-performer revue and has with- drawn from further military- adven- tures. 'When we'd arrive anjrtime after the fifth of the month,' Mclntype moaned, 'the morale officer would say: 'Gosh, it's a shame you, didn't get here during the first couple days of the month, right after the boys got paid and had money.' And when we'd get into a camp on the first, second, third or fourth, the morale officer would say: 'Gosh, business Is going to be punk. The boys just got paid and have all gone to town to make hay.' That was only one of, several rea- sons, however, why All-American Musicals, produced by H. S. Booker, who's impresarioed all over the world, dropped $8,000 on its $20,000 investment; (This was a straight commercial unit and should not be confused with free shows now playing camps on mobile truck stages. They are financed by the United Service Or- ganizations.) Film Conflict There's no point in going out, Mc Intyre declared, unless it is deter' mined in advance that the camp will cancel its film shows while the revue is playing. At a number of camps where it was necessary to use the picture theatre, post officers refused- to cancel even one of the two film performances nightly, forcing the All-American troupe to start Its per- formance at 10:45 p.m. That meant obtaining the commanding officer's okay for the soldiers to stay up an extra hour, and, even so, the boys weren't anxious to come, with the necessity of arising at 5:45 a.m. staring them in the face. Letter to the War Department brought immediate okay to cancel the film, Mclntyre said, but n^any theatre officers Wouldn't do it be cause it made trouble in filling out different reports from the usual oneis. Only tremendously successful date played was Fort Shelby, Hattiesburg, Miss., where the theatre officer. Major N. R. Peyroux, an ex-showman, can celled the films and went to town on plastering the cantonment with 1,500 cards and 15,000 throwaways. Even so, of the 10-day stand at Shelby, one day produced $27.60 In receipts. It was one of the two days the troops were out on maneuvers. At Fort Benning, Ga., there were four days of the nine-day run when the soldiers were all out after only 12 hours notice to Booker. Matter of boys lacking coin was (Continued on page 38) HOSTESSES GET TABOO VIA PA. NITERY LAW Philadelphia, June 24. Grave concern shown by nitery operators here over passage in the House of a new State bill that would put hostesses on the run. Giving it a 193 to 6 stamp bf ap- proval, bill passes to the State Senate prohibiting the employment of women 'to entice' custortie'rs to pur- chase liquor. Measure even bans the boss' daughter from tending bar. Bob Fooley, WTAG, Worcester, orchestra leader, has added another vocalist to band—Kay Rolfe of De- troit. Kay Doyle also is with band. Gertrude Lawrence Completes Plans For Entertainment at Camp Edwards Cut-Rate Khaki Los Angeles, June 24. Men in Uncle Sam's uniforms get a break under the new rules adopted by Fox-West Coast the- atres, and indie groups are mull- ing the same idea. Under the whittled admission system for service men, admis- sions of 40c and 50c are re- duced to 25c. Tickets selling to civies at 36c and 31c will go to the uniformed boys at 21c; 30c and 27c prices are lowered to 20c; 2Sc to 17c, and 20c to 15c. CUT RATES FOR SERVICE MEN BIGINS.F. San Francisco, June -24. ■ Cut rates for men in uniform, in- augurated at all Fox-West Coast houses here (19), with ■ virtually all other houses following suit, are clicking big with the boys. Most notable reaction is from sailors, who have been based here for years at Mare Island Navy Yard and never got such a break before. (Sobs can hardly believe it when the cashiers return their change. Draftees take it for granted mostly. One Fox house was approached by two visiting British tars, who were given the same service rate. With probably 50,000 service men stationed in this area, houses here are expecting heavy play. Patriotic ges- ture will benefit theatres on average runs, but will cost . houses money when biz is brisk. New scale broke simultaneously with 'Caught in the Draft' at the Paramount. Playing to capacity anyway, jump in cut-rate seats dented the possible gross some- what Golden Gate (RKO) with An- drews Sisters on stage, is delaying introduction of the service rate un- til Wednesday (2) due to the heavy demand for seats this week. Show-a-Day by H'wood Talent for CaL Camps Hollywood, June 24. Committe handling film talent for Army camp recreation has set up a route and is organizing a qew show, slated to open at Camp Callan June 27. Rest of the circuit consists of Camp Haan, June 28; San Luis- Obispo, June 29; Camp McQuade, June 30, and Hamilton Field, July 1. Boston, June 24. Gertrude Lawrence has completed plans f6r a comprehensive entertain- ment program at Camp Edwards and a talent search among the soldiers, who will later appear on shortwave broadcasts to the soldiers of Britain, via WRUL. Miss Lawrence heads the Enter- tainment National Service Associa- tion in America and has had her plan approved by Lt.-Col. Paul Murray, camp commander. In addition, she seeks latent writing talent at the . camp by holding skitwriting con- tests, with prizes awarded, winners. In turn, she hopes to have British soldiers broadcast similar programs to the boys here. Miss Lawrence participated in a "Broadway Calling' broadcast from WRUL, assisted by Governor Leverett Saltonstall. In a brief talk address to Basil Dean, head of the Entertainment National Service As- sociation of England, she said. 'I worry for our beloved land, but I do not fear for her, because I know that with England victorious, it means the salvation of the word of God. I will not believe that it is His will that we should perish, but His desire that we prove worthy of our heritage. 'Forgive this seriousness. I am only echoing the thoupht<;-of ev—' Christian mind ' throughout the world today, and it is comforting to know that we shall all come out of this with more than just a penny- worth of religion. 'So, now,, let's enjoy this hour to- gether, and try to forget our separa- tion. In these days, two words have come to mean mpre to me than standing room in Heaven, and so I say, 'Hello England'.' She sang several songs including, •Fine and Dandx,' "Memory Song,' and introduced a new number, 'New Moon Over England,' written by Patricia Van Alen, a young English girl now residing in New York, who played the accompaniment for Miss Lawrence. The remainder of the half-hour broadcast In^uded recorded selec- tions by Lanny Ross, the Bailey Sisters and Ben Bemie's orchestra. This was follawed by a return broad- cast from England which she heard in WRUL's Studio. M. D. EYES HILDEGARDE Singer Has Had Infected Tbroat, Hissing Cbi Shows Chicago, June 24, Hildegarde, currently starring in the Camellia House of the Drake ho- tel, has been under doctor's care for the past week due to an infected throat. Missed the weekend appearances but returned to work lasl night (Monday). Pete Herman Reopens. New Orleans, June 24. Pete Herman, former bantam- weight champion of the world, re- opened his Club Plantation, closed some time , ago for redecorating, Thursday night (19). George McQueen, former emcee at Moulin Rouge, French Quarter nitery which folded recently, has taken over similar spot at Herman's club. ARMY CAMPS NO AID TO N.O. CAFES, THEATRES New Orleans, June 24. Although hundreds of soldiers from nearby army camps come here for recreation each weekend, the bars and night clubs in the French Quarter and the theatres of the city have profited little by it. Theatres report a sprinkling of soldiers nightly in the downtown area. One reason why the night clubs and other drinkeries haven't been cleaning up on the visiting soldiers is largely attributed to the. friendly manner in which New Orleans has received them. Free dances, free shows, free parties sponsored by civic minded individuals, clubs and asso- ciations have given the boys mora good . clean entertainment that the Army and Navy dreamed existed here. { No Teasing AUowed Philadelphia, June 24. Carnival coming to nearby Gloucester City on the Jersey side will* have to give their strip teaser* time off with pay, for John F. Gor- man, the mayor in that city, says there will be no teasing Gloucester. For the second time within a month, a camy had to leave town before its scheduled stay was up because 'Hlzzoner found its glrlio shows objectionable. World- Famous Shows, Inc., sponsored for a week's stand by the town's Democratic Clubs, quit after three daya.