Variety (Sep 1941)

60 LEGITIMATE Wednesday, September 3, 1941 Inside Stuff-Legit Persuasive power of theatre ducabi was demonstrated again last week vhen Lenore Tobin, of the Shubert .iffice in New York, was pinched for speeding while trying to catch the Martha's Vineyard ferry, at Wood's Hole, Mass. Taken to the local court house and apparently slated to be held for the arrival of the iustice of the peace, Miss Tobin alibied, pcr- cuaded and begged—all without avail. Finally, she remarked that she worked for the producers of 'Hellzariop- pin.' Police chiet immediately phoned ahead and held the ferry, »;ave Miss Tobin a motorcycle escort and even arranged to park her car at the Jerry slip. For which she promised him two passes for 'Hellz.' Grand Opera House, Chicago, now operated independently by the Ham- lin Estate and its general manager, John Schreiber, will likely be booked exclusively hereafter by the United Booking Office. Schreiber has just returned from New York where he held close con- fabs with Marcus Heiman of the UBO. It is expected that the first show for the Grand will be Katharine Cornell in "The Doctor's DilemnM,' to open Oct. 19. Tom Green personal rep for Olsen and Johnson, had to sub for Saul Bichman, 'Hellzapoppin' exploiteer, last week when Uncle Sam yanked Rlchman from the Curran, San Francisco, and tossed hihi into the Army. Draftee Richman had been ahead of the show since October. Defense Coin Ups Road ; Continued from page 57; Grand, for a three-week engage-1 ment of 'Life With Father.' Indie house is operated by Milton' Rosen- baum, who also has the Walnut, Philadelphia, which also played •Life With Father' last spring as a step in producer Oscar Berlin's bat- tle with the UBO. Besides the Philly and St. Louis dates.. Serlin also booked 'Father' independently into the Blackstone, Chicago; the Reper- tory, Boston, and the Cass, Detroit. In addition he has set the show for dates in various RKO film houses throughout the country for this fall end winter. Defense Coin Inspires Hefty Memphis Sked Memphis, Sept. 2. This town is full of defense money, which may explain how come the city's municipal Ellis Auditorium has a dozen legit bookings already set for the season, plus a number of other attractions. This is the best array of advance scheduling Col. Charles McElrayy, the veteran managing director, has been able to snag since before the depression of '29. Dates include: 'Water Follies of 1941,' starring Buster Crabbe, week of Oct. 6; 'Blossom Time,' Nov. 10- 11; the Lunts in 'There Shall Be No Ni:ht,' Nov. 21-22; 'Student Prince,' Dec. 3-4; 'Life With Father,' Jan. 7- 9; 'Hellzapoppin,' return engagement for Billy House-Eddie Garr company, Jan. 13-14; AI Jolson in 'Hold On to Your Hats,' Jan. 23-24; Ed Wynn in 'Boys and Girls Together,' Feb. 18; 'Arsenic and Old Lace,' March 4-5; 'Ziegfeld Follies,' March 6-7; Maurice Evans' 'Macbeth,' Feb. 10-11; 'My Sister Eileen,' March 20-21. 'Watch on the Rhine' and 'The Corn Is Green' are also mentioned as probables, but without dates. A significant feature of lineup is that Colonel McElravy is accepting two shows in one week for the first time in the Auditorium's history. With Second Army headquarters lo- cated here and a halt-dozen defense projects in this area, the Colonel figures that good shows can't miss no matter how close' they come to- gether. Mrs. Martha W. Angier is dating the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo for two performances Dec. 13 and a con- cert by Marian Anderson for Oct 29. The Beethoven Club bookings call for: Lauritz Melchoir, Metropolitan tenor, Nov. 15; Jose Echaniz, Cuban pianist, Dec. 6; Bidu Sayao, Metro- politan soprano, Feb. 10; and the St. Louis Syhphony Orchestra, March 17. I. L. Myers win offer the Curtis" String Quartet somewhere along the line. Detroit to Be Launched This Year as 'Run' Town Detroit, Sept 2. After a false start last season, De- troit will be launched again this year on the basis of a 'run' town. Formerly classed as the best show town between New York and Chi- cago, the setup here is believed ripe for carrying shows on a month to two-month basis Instead of the for- mer week or two. Present plans will bring both the Cass and Lafay- ette, the latter leased by the Shu- berts, into the scheme of things, with the Wilson in the offing. Tipofl to the Detroit possibilities, v^.ere one of the greatest splurges }f defense coin has started emerg- ig, was with the summer run of ■Life With Father' at the Cass. Al- though the first show to attempt a summer run here in years, despite sticky weather, company ran through consistent business for 12 weeks, pil- ing up grosses over $200,000. Pic houses, too, have reflected the spend- ing of those millions, some grossing $30,000 a week with double features. It is admitted now that attempt to put three houses in operation last fall was beating the gun by months. The defense contracts were barely let but with the munitions plants starting to roll into heavy produc- tion now, the coin is out among the potential spenders. In dropping the lease on the Wil- son, the Shuberts countered by tak- ing up the Lafayette, only a block from the Cass theatre, to build up a regular legit loop. J. J. Shubert Is in town for the final rehearsals of 'Meet the People,' which opened at the Cass yesterday (Monday), and to supervise the alterations on the Lafayette. Report is that 'My Sister Eileen' will move Into the latter house around Sept. 15, with 'Meet the People' Inked for at least a month's run at the Cass. Legit FoHownp Hold on to Your Hats (GARDEN PIEB, A. C.) Atlantic City, Aug. 30. 'Hold On to Your Hats,' revised and resumed for tour, remains a tuneful, thoroughly amusing musical. But it is Al Jolson who gives the customers their money's worth. At opening show, he wisecracked, ad libbed, talked about his earlier days in this resort and sang a number of tuneful songs. While the production has several good tunes, such 9s 'World in My Arms,' 'Great Day Coming,' Jolson's medley of oldtimers went over best He sings 'April Showers' and 'Blue Heaven' and drops a hint Sbout his perennial 'Sonny Boy," which brought calls for the favorite. He follows this with 'Mammy,* even on bended knee. The audience loved it and it was many minutes before he was able to resume. Jolson was in fine form and high spirits at catching. He popped in and out of character constantly and had audience in prolonged laughter. CoUette Lyons, in role played by Martha Raye in original Broadway production, handles comedy in excel- lent manner. Her number in 'Down on the Dude Ranch,' with Jolson and Sid Marion, is especially well done. Other comedy honors go to Marion as Concho, faithful Indian follower of the 'Lone Rider' (Jolson). Story, of course, concerns a timid radio cowboy who advertises a breakfast food, but who faints at sound of a gun. He becomes, through accident the 'Lone Rider,' a takeoff on 'Lone Ranger,' and his affected bravery provides much comedy. Eunice Healey, in femme lead, does well in her dancing numbers, although singing voice is very light. She v:.-ars some attractive costumes througnout Lee Dixon, as male ro- mantic lead, is excellent in terping. Herman Timberg, Jr., does an eccentric dance number that is out- standing. His other numbers - also okay. Three Radio Aces add to show's tuneful qualities. Joseph Vitale, as Fernando the Mexican, gives neat performance during color- ful Mexican scene. Costumes and staging generally re- main excellent Several sets drew big hands as curtain rose. Carter. Max Meth will conduct the or- chestra for 'Let's Face It,' new Cole Porter musical, 'Claudia/ Theatre' To Be ATS in Chicago Chicago, Sept. 2. Two John Golden shows will be on the American Theatre Society sub- scription list in Chicago this year. The first will be 'Claudia,' which opens in the Sclwyn here Sept. 15. Second of the Golden productions for the ATS series will be Somerset Maugham's 'Theatre.' Play Out of Town TWaSTORY HOUSE Washington, Sept. 2. Ploy In Ihrci' nrlf by I'nikcr \V. Kcn- nolly. shiKoil by Aiilnlnfiic I'l-rry: i-otlliiB. Jobn Hooi; pi-fspnlod by Hroi-lt reinbcrloii nl Che .V.itloiiul ThcMiro, Wiisihlngion. week Am^'uiuck:.... .....W„Uer O HIM Lulu Puni,- ^ I Donokl Cnrlton '^,;"'"'""i.m 'IS Sheriff Preble Percy Kllbrlile Zndoc Orlmes Howard !■ reemnn •Doc' Ferrlx nroriro MBthi-WH The Profesxor J. ''""''"'''^. "^'"^-"S" ncv. i;n.lerhlll Hownrd St. Jtihn l>^tQ\^ Jnnies Cools Dr. Oorinn'.'.'.' Henry I.evin SlBte Trooper ; .Vriliur Huftlien In 'Two-Story House.' producer Brock Pemberton has one thing, at least: the solution for all those play- wrights who have swell plays as soon as they write third acts. This one just has two second acts. Might be better to just lop off one of them, leaving the heroine being throttled by a maniac, where the second stanza ends, or solving the whole business happily, as the third—or rather the second—act winds up. Customers probably won't mind. Producer has one plan for selling tickets in his ofler of $50 award weekly to writer of best letter tell- ing which second act Is preferred. As 'Two-Story House' stacks up right now he does not stand to be involved In that deal for many weeks. Maybe this two second-act busi- ness had better be explained, as well as possible by an innocent bystander. Item starts out in conventional manner of a mystery-comedy—man, wife and a relative snowed in at their isolated Maine home on a blizzardy evening. He's invented a knockout gas that will revolutionize warfare and is off to Washington if the bus gets through. Telephone goes out of order, wind howls. Added to audience assurance that agents of Hitler will turn up, there Is news of an escaped maniac and a mysterious gent arrives acting like a poor caricature of Alex- Woollcott and claiming to be a writer. Everyone shows a fondness for Omar Khayam, favjrite business of the escaped lunatic being recitation of poetry as he throttles his feminine victims. Anyhow second act (the first one) develops considerable wild action, along with considerable idle talk. Two of three apparently snow- trapped visitors who nave appeared turn out to be Nazi thugs after the formula for the gas. They're captured by the- third, who for a time appears to be the. maniac, until a guy not seen before pops out of a box and throttles the lady of the house. Curtain falls. Any suspense engendered by this, however, is lost when character In 'Our Town' manner, who has played the prolog, comes on to stay, 'this is just what that crazy writer fellow wrote in his book and not what really happened, which will be revealed later.' What really happens, the business of the following 'second act.' Is that all three of the nocturnal visitors are in Nazi pay and after the gas. At the point when all, is lost the deputy sheriff pops out of the box to save the day. He is the same gent who has warned of the escaped maniac. Guess who the maniac is? Perhaps Pemberton has something here that can be salvaged. Right now he seems to have been leading with his chin when he described his first entry of the '41-*42 season as a 'shudder comedy.' It is some of the 'humor,' rather than the villains, which arouses the shudders. Some capable actors behave as though they don't mind being in- volved in this confusion. Frwleric Tozere is excellent as the cold- blooded, bewhiskered Hitler agent, talking and acting enough like one, in fact that one suspects everyone on stage Is a dope for not noticing. Percy Kilbride comes through, too, with a topnotch portrait of the sheriff-maniac, even to the down- east accent. Howard Freeman Janet Fox, Margaret Callahan and George Mathews rate far above the average mark, too. Antoinette Perry's direction keeps things moving as often as possible, but she can't help a wandering play that has the most talkative third act of any mystery-comedy ,ever. John Root's living room Is a handsome set —if one wants to look at a handsome set all night Mac. DIok Maney has bought a farm near Westport, Conn., where his wife win breed and raise horses. A. P.'s Moltlple Switches Sigrid Arne's switch from special features division of Associated Press in Washington to the same assign- ment in Hollywood tops a lengthy list of staff switches made by the AP in this country and abroad recently. Others take Frank Brutto from Rome to Berne; Witt Hancock from Istan- bul to Bombay; Max Harrelson from Budapest to Berne; Lynn Heinzerling from Berlin to Madrid; George C. Jordan from Rome to New York general staff; William B. King from Madrid to London,, and Lawrence G. Hauck from Cleveland to New York. Staff additions include Robert Broeg, former Missouri stringer, to Boston; Randall Brown, Cleveland News, to Cleveland A. P. office; Chris J. Edmonds, Milwaukee Sen- tinel, to Milwaukee A. P. office; Helen F. Hall, freelancer and staffer on Spur, N. Y., to New York feature service; Lucrece Hudgins, freelancer, to Washington feature service; Rich- ard F. Necomb, Newark Evenihg News, to Newark office; Judson C, O'Quinn, Mobile Press Register, to New Orleans office; Harold F. Os- borne, Salt Lake 'Tribune, to Salt Lake City office, and. Richard Yahr- raes, Buffalo Evening News, to Phila- delphia office. 2 Fix Crlx on Guild Board ' ThereH be two pix crix, twice as many as currently, on the new In- ternational Executive Board of the American Newspaper Guild. September referendum election, first of its kind in ANG history, will return to the lEB Harry Martin, amusements editor of the Memphis Commercial Appeal, for a fourth term, and will add James Francis Crow, drama editor of the Holly- wood Citizen News. Both were assured election, as members of the Pro-Guild slate op- posing present Kaufman-Pasche re- gime, when administration slate withdrew five of Its 13 candidates including Frank Laro, San Antonio, who had been nominated against Martin, and Don Pinkston, Sioux City, Incumbent against whom Crow was running. Withdrawals were part of a so-called 'unity' move ad- vanced by the administration fac- tion. Pro-Guild group Is charging administration with everything from Communism to maladministration. 'Wrong Man' Beebe Lucius Beebe landed in a New Jersey clink last week when he was mistaken for a Nazi spy. Incarcera- tion was described by the New York Herald Trib' columnist as a 'pleasant half hour.* That's how long It took for the cops to check on his news- paper connections and be convinced that he wasn't trying to take pic- tures of an arsenal near Roselle, N.J. Beebe was out shortly after dawn with his camera -to get a shot of the Reading Railroad's 'Seven o'Clocker,' Philadelphia-New York commuters' special. Columnist Is doing a book on choo-choos, 'Trains in Transitions,' for which he wanted the pic. He was spotted by an overzealous citi- zen, made doubly suspicious by the proximity of the arsentaL It was Beebe's second mistaken-identity pinch. First was In St Louis several years ago. Co-Op Photog «« loeland Continous stream of requests by American newspapers and photo services for permish to send photogs to Iceland, occupied by British and American troops, has finally been ac- ceded to—In part War Department has named Sammy Schulman, Inter- national News Photos staffer, to make the trip on condition that all major services have equal access to his pictures. Cost of his jaunt is being pooled. Schulman Is currently In Iceland, haviijg left on a U. S. war vessel at an undisclosed time from an undis- closed port Trip takes eight days each way and he is to spend eight days In Iceland. Schulman will bring all the negatives back with him as there is no speedier commu- nication from the far north country. Hearst Bars 'Free' Flogs A Hearst business-office memo in- structing lu New York dally col- umnists not to mention hotels, cafes and niterlei unless they're regular advertisers, was received with tongue-in-cheek by some of them. Perhaps the most direct observ- ance of the letter. If not the spirit of the mandate was Louis Sobol's col- umns, which dodged It by utilizing such phrases as the boisterous grog- shop on W. 52d street' ('21'); popular cafe society rendezvous on East 53d' (Stork);; 'softly lighted canteen on East 52d', and the brawny Irishman, Jim Moriarity, at backgammon' (Barberry Room); 'famous cabaret on W. 52d which features the rare minstrel, Eddie Davis* (Leon Se Ed- die's); 'Bud Abbott walked into the hotel room where Jack Waldron works' (Park Central), etc. Knickerbocker Answers 'Em H. R. Knickerbocker, who. hit a record with 128 lectures last sea- son, has just completed a book an- swering the 300 questions most fre- quently asked by his listeners. Tagged 'The Answer Is,' it will be published by Reynal & Hitchcock this faU. Vet foreign correspondent sets out shortly on his third Coast-to- Coast lecture tour. LITERATI OBITS George A. Fisher, division man- ager of the San Francisco News, died in San Francisco Aug. 23. For 25 years he had been circulation man- ager of the San Francisco (Chronicle and in 1923 was president of the California Circulation Managers As- sociation. Widow, brother and daughter survive. Capt. R. Henderson-Bland, British playwright, author, poet and soldier, died in England Aug. 20. David Skralnka Well, 55, former literary agent, who had sold works for Elinor Glyn and John Colton, co-author of 'Rain,' died Aug. 25 at the French hospital, N. Y. Alger Stephen Beane, 48, vet newspaperman, novelist iand poet, died Aug. 27 at the War Veterans Hospital, Bronx; N. Y. George Clifford, 52, trade paper editor, died Aug. 30 in Oak Park, 111. He was formerly with Quigley Publications, but more recently had been editor of The National Provls- ioner. Widow and. son survive. Charles W. McManus, 61, business partner with his brother, George McManus, in the production of the comic strip 'Bringing Up Father' for IS years, died Aug. 31 at the Queen of Angels Hospital, Los Angeles. Another brother survives also. Francis Little Emery, 43, former reporter for the Brooklyn Daily Eagle and a freelance writer, died Sept 1 In Brooklyn of a heart at- tack. Widow, daughter, brother and sister survive. Dnncan Corry, 81, automobile editor of the New York American from 1899 to 1934, died at Long Beach, Calif., Aug. 31. Widow and son survive. CHATTER Orin W. Kaye, Jr., London cor- respondent of the Chicago Times, returns to the U. S. about Sept. 25 for a lecture tour. After several months he will return to England. ^ Louis F. Holtzman appointed edi- tor, of Western Industry, San Fran- cisco. He was staff writer for the Wall St. Journal for a number of years and more recently Southern California. editor for the Coast edi- tion of the Wall St. Journal, head- quartered in L. A. Al Roberts, swing city desk man on Philly Record, has quit to join Philly Bulletin. Walter Lister, for- mer city ed New York Post, took over similar job at the Record Mon- day (1). Frank Ortell, of New York World- Telegram, was elected president of the New York Turf Writers' As-isn. at the annual meeting held In the press box at the Saratoga track. He succeeds Charles Connors, of Rac- ing Form, who held the office for two years. Peter Lind Hayes Is collecting yarns by Joe Frisco for publication in book form by Little, Brown. Antoine de Saint Exupery, author of 'Wind, Sand and Stars,' Is writ- ing another novel in Hollywood. Jules Buck, candid cameraman for Esquire Features Service In Holly- wood, took over columnist chores as successor to John Truesdale, who re- signed. In addition to his bulbing, Buck will handle columns, Sunday features and fashion layouts for the Esquire service, aided by Jack M. Warner, son of J. L. Warner, of the Warner lot HALE'S MUSICAL Eddie Dlmond will be stage man- ager for 'Nice Dreamingt' which Georgie Hale hopes to put into re- hearsal Sept. 20. Jessie Matthews", who will have the lead, was due in New York yesterday (Tuesday) by Clipper from London.