Variety (Sep 1941)

Wednesday, September 17, 1941 63 AF Bays Andl Control Primarily because of fear that U S entry into the war may leave it without a source of continental European news, Associated Press ac- QUiied majority holdings of the Argentine news agency, Andi, which will operate as its European eyes and ears if and when. ^ ., Move has been kept closely secret and AP officials in Buenos Aires re- fuse to answer questions even off- the-record. Learned nevertheless, that the step followed a long series of negotiations and that Andi—which up to now has been primarily a local agency—is preparing to send its own correspondents to Europe and Ulie over those of AP's stalT overseas who are not Americana, should war be declared. Andi—full name Is Agencia No- ticias Distiibudores Interiores (In- terior News Distributing Agency) — formerly obtained foreign news from both the AP and United Press, giving them in turn its local news. Argentine organization functioned mainly to supply for those interior papers in Argentina unable to use or afford a U. S. press service and also to cater to local radio stations whom the Yankee agencies did not handle. Organization, headed by Marcelino A. Aparicio, sold its news at far lower costs than either of the U. S. press services. Since Hitler controls most of the continental European outlets, except the Swiss radio, at present, and since even that would be dangerous for Americans should the States be in on the war officially. It's figured that the Europe to Argentina to U. S. method would be a practical solution. Prematnra Obit Brazil's last minute 30-day re prieve for foreign language news- papers caused much embarrassment to the Rio News, leading English daily published there, but also hope that the ban on all sheets in any' thing but Portuguese might be per manently lifted. Ralph B. Ross, editor-publisher, rounded up a flock of farewell ads, many from U. S. film companies and the casinos which use Yanqul talent, and then led off with a front page 'obit' Next day. Instead of a funeral, sheet came out as usual, explaining the stay granted by President Ge- tulio Vargas and hoping that none of the advertisers would get sore and feel they'd been tricked. Ban on foreign language sheets was the Idea of Lourival Pontes, of the Press and Propaganda Bureau, and wa? due to official feeling that 'com- plete assimilation of foreign colonies was Impossible while they had their own papers to read.' Further held there was no incentive to learn Por- tuguese while foreign papers con- tinued. Move hit hardest at the Nazis. There were 23 German papers printed in BrazU; 13 dailies. Deutsche Rio Zeitung, leading Ger- man daily, said it would continue In Portuguese as did A Fanfulla, Sao Paulo Italian ajn. sheet Among other papers affected were the Eng- lish language Anglo-Brazilian Chron- icle, Times of BrazU and Brazilian- American. Also 14 Japanese-lan- guage papers and eight in Arabic, Turkish and Syrian. Argentina Ts. Nail Daily Indications that the Argentine government, long the most reluctant of any South American republic to take any stand against the totali- tanans, may prohibit or at least cur- tail the Buenos Aires newspaper EI Pampero, No. 1 Latin Nazi daily. State's Attorney Caraballo In B. A. has Mked the courts for provisional errest of the listed publUher, Ole- gano V. Andrade, following demands "» the Argentine Congress. which has an • estimated m,m circulation, built by high pressuring and wholesale distribu- tion of free copies since the outbreak M war, has«been under Are during iJie past three months as a result of • probe currently under way by a congressional committee headed by ^eputy Raul Damonte Taborda. Ta- ™rda, an ex-newspaperman, was son-in-law of the late Natalio Bo- lano, publisher of the pro-Democ- racy afternoon leader, Critica. Fampero, whose editor, Enrique "«s. IS awaiting further court ac- "on on charges of libel, has refused '0 Show its books to the probers. t'mes in recent weeks it has In! 1 " <lenied postel rights after P rt o ""^ cartoons caricaturing I,.."""^^ protests from the Amer- ican Embassy, sv^\**,^*^^ "^e German Embas- sy Shells out 100,000 pesos ($25,000 U.S.) monthly as its share of Pam- pero's cost. Advertising from Ger- man and Italian firms supplies the rest. Pampero gets its news from Trans-Ocean and from the German Embassy Press Bureau. Inter-Amer. Writers' Congress Although its more than a year off, plans are already underway for In- ter-American Newspaper Writers Congress to be held in Venezuela toward the end of 1942. Dario Sainte Marie, former Latin-Ameri- can editor of the Associated Press, who heads the recently formed In- ter-American Federation of the Press, is currently touring Latin America lining up delegates. Affair will be strictly ■ pro- democracy gathering with reps of Nazi and totalitarian-minded rags ruled out. Group will also strive to enlist newsmen in the inter-Ameri- can solidarity effort; writers from the States and from Latin republics participating jointly. Also expected that some basic labor union organi- zation like the Newspaper Guild niay result. Latin fourth estaters cur- rently have many organizations, but most are literary societies not con- tract getting, V'age-setting groups. Ed Sullivan's Killed Col. 'You can draw your own con- clusions,' managing editor Dick Clark replied to a query as to why the N. Y. Daily News last Thursday (11) pulled Ed Sullivan's column after it had run in but one edition. Column was devoted in its entirety to casti- gation of the current Nye-Ciark in- vestigation of Hollywood's alleged propaganda films. Obvious conclusion was that the Sullivan piece got the hell-box be- cause it ran counter to the News' strongly isolationist stand. Clark said that the column was killed out at his order, although Capt Joseph Medill Patterson, News publisher, was in New York at the time. rhilly Inquirer to StrlkeT The Philadelphia Inquirer unit of the Newspaper Guild authorized its officers to call a strike whenever deemed necessary in the battle for a 10% wage increase at a meeting on Sunday (14). The vote was 160-163 in favor of the strike As soon as the Inquirer management was apprised of the unit's action, negotiations, previously broken down, were resumed. The first of the meetings was held yesterday (Mon.>, but proved unproductive. Another meet- ing is scheduled tomorrow. Maurice F. X. Donohue was chosen chairman of the strike committee. BIe Office Blacks Cut Pressure from advertisers Is un- derstood as the reason for the sud- den turnabout in the editorial pol- icy of the Los Angeles Herald-Ex- press, which rescinded an order to cut down Jimmy Starr's drama sec- tion in the four-page green sheet on Saturday afternoons. Early in tHfe week an edict was sent out announc- ing the whittling of the Starr sec- tion for economic purposes. Two days later came another edict rendering the first edict null and void. The section continues as was. the latter later being linked with The Harrisburg Telegraph. H. S. Chlpman, 90, retired pub- lisher, died Sept 9 in RockvUle Centre. L. I. In 1870, he founded the first Japanese newspaper printed in Japanese, and in 1880 started the Picturesque Atlas Publishing Co., publisher of Australr.:-i<> Illustrated. 'Clinton L. Dofgett, 43, shipping editor of the Journal of Commerce, died Sept. 10 in his .N.Y. apartment Surviving are a widow, sister and his father. Dr. Laurance L. Doggett, president emeritus of Springfield College. Mrs. Charles H. Barr, 68, novelist and essayist died Sept 10 of pneu- monia at her home in Bryn Mawr, Pa.. Baddon Ivins, 63, editor of the Hudson (N. J.) Dispatch and state librarian, died in Engl^wood hospi- tal Sept 5. John Mitchell succeeds him as editor of the Dispatch. T. H. Alexander, Memphis (Tenn) Commercial Appeal political writer, died Sept 1. George Schumm, 85, editor, printer and for 13 years chief proof- reader of The Nation, died Sept. 14 in Ossining, N. Y. He founded and was editor of "The Radical Review, a Chicago publication from 1882-84. C. S. Slater, 78, founder of the Mechanicsburg (Ohio) Daily Tele- gram, died Sept 11 in his home in Sarasota, Fla. He started the paper in 1002 as a morning daily, later bringing it to the afternoon field. Roy Melbourn Chalmers, former Action writer, died in Shawsville, Va., Sept 15. John J. Mead, 78, newspaper pub- lisher, was killed in Erie. Pa., Sept. 15 when struck by a truck. Mead founded and published The Erie Daily Times. Took All His Thae Moss Hart says 'I've been so busy acting and raising a new mustache I haven't had a chance to finish my autobiography.' Random House was to have pub- lished it this fall; now looks like a spring entry as the playwright-pro- ducer is too tied up with his other interests. Jack Malloy Bested, Back Jack Malloy, managing editor of the Chicago Herald-and-American, the Hearst paper, is back at his desk after a lay-off in New Mexico. Malloy was taken off the train at Albuquerque a few weeks ago when suddently taken ill, and has been restnig there. LITERATI OBITS William A. Spalding, 88, former v.p. of the Los Angeles Times-Mir- ror Co. and manager of The Los Angeles Herald, died Sept, 7 in Los Angeles. Evelyn Underhlll, 65, author of over 30 l>ooks on mysticism, died In England in June, according to word received in New York from her pub- lishers, E. P. Dutton and Co. E. Z. Wallower, 86, founder of the now-defunct Harrisburg (Pa.) Inde- pendent, died Sept. 10 in Harrisburg. The Independent dissolved upon Its merger with the Star-Independent, CHATTER Robert Carson sold his yam, "Bats in the Belfry,' to Saturday Evening Post Emile Gauvereau's forthcoming 'My Last Million Readers' (Dutton; $3) has six editions printed before its Sept. 23 publiration. Jack Malloy, recently ill in Al- buquerque, New Mexico, is on the mend and returns soon to his chore as managing editor of Chicago Her- ald-American. Joe Bryan HI, who used to be a Satevepost associate editor, is hit>er- nating in Hollywood fixing up an 'authorized' biog on Katherine Hep- burn which the SEP bought Marjorie May, co-author with Consuelo Hermer, of "Havana Man- ana' (Random House) did the lyrics of a theme song to Eliseo Grenefs melody, based on their daiquiri Baedeker. Robbins Music Corp. publishing. Robert Parks, managing editor, Augusta (Ga.) Chronicle, promoted to editor's chair. Frank Hawkins, former managing editor, Macon (Ga.) News, joins Chronicle as man- aging editor.' Jack Tarvls replaces him on News. Parks is vice presi- dent of Chronicle. PM publisher Ralph Ingersoll is en route from Moscow to Ankara, Turkey. Carl Randau, of PM for- eign news staff, and his wife, Leane Zugsmith, of the city staff, who have been in Japan, are on their way home. Managers-Equity :Continued from page Sf money changers and the exchange difference was considerably more. Equity seeks the discontinuance of a practice on the part of some man- agers concerning collection of com- missions from actors. It seems that some producers, in casting their plays select the players, agree on terms and then refer them to their chosen agent who does nothing but issue the con- tracts. Since the deals are made di- rect actors cannot see why they should pay co;nmissions to agents who perform no actual service. They say that if the manager is obligated to the agent he should pay the com- mish himself. Another point to be clarified is that of run-of-the-play contracts which extend for more than one sea- son. Some producers have been ty- ing- up players for two and 'three years. Contended that there is no assurance that the play will run that long, road dates included, and that there is no protection to the ac- tor in the event it goes off, the boards, but the actor's services are guaranteed the manager. Equity wants a provision that in the event the play does not open on the season or-seasons after the contract is en- tered into, that the actor receive two weeks salary. Since such contracts call 'for high salaried people,' man- agers have demurred on that point, arguing that it would tie up too much money. Plays on Broadway : Continued from page 60; THE WOOKEY mate. Grorge Sturgeon is something of a find, as a kid actor, playing the young son of The Wookey like a trouper. Everett Ripley, Olive Reeves-Smith and Charles France do very well in smaller parts. There is much apparatus back- stage to simulate the din of bomb- ing, air-raid warnings and other blitz effects. Impression on the first night was that Selwyn ordered the sound effects soft-pedaled so that the audi- ence might not be shocked. But the setting of. the ruined home, reduced to rubble, the smoke and simulated dudt is sufficiently horrific anyway. That setting in particular is -fine.. Excellent scenery, crack lighting and direction accompany this unusual drama. ibee. The More the Merrier Force comedy tn three ncls, presented at Cort. .">!. Y.. Sepl. '41, by Olio I,. PremlnFrer and N'ormnn i*lncliR; written by Pranlc Gabrfeloon nnd Irvin Flncus; stuKcd by Prcmlnser; setting by Stewart Chaney; $3.30 top. ♦ Miss Craig Dorrlt Kelton Harvey Royal }jo»\b Hector .Senator Broderlck J. C. Nugent Jackson Herbert DulTy Crivers Robert Gray Daniel Finch Frnnlt Allienion Bog* Saunders... Grace McDonald Joseph Dolma Keenan Wynn Mr. Cartrfrlght John McKce Mrs. CaVlwrlght....;.Mrs. Priestly Morrison Bus Driver T...Scott Moore Mrs. Keek :.Lucia .Seger Lucille Keek Kronda Struck Fat Man nalph Chambers Young Man with Radio .Saint Subbc^ Mr. Jupiter Max Deck Sinister Man Ilnnlele Porlse Mlas Hogben Doro Merandc Al Goblin Teddy Hart Horry SctsttIs Millard Mitchell Oeorgs Smith Jack Rlano Forrest L«ckliart Will Gecr Capt. James John Barnes First Stat« Trooper Lee Frederick Second Stale Trooper Tames Alt»rt Mr. Dewey. Guy .<»«mp«el Mrs. Dewey Jane Standlsh Doc Strube G. Albert Smith ish blonde actress, is okay as Finch's divorced wife about whom he is still ruts. Teddy Hart and Millard are the teammates who blackjack the fellow in the bus and who get some of the laughs. Then there are Will Geer. Doro Merande and G. Albert Smith, plus a flock of others, some of whom have a line or two. Plenty of people, but hardly enough show, or too much. Ibee, BROTHER CAIN Drama. In three acts <foor scene*) by Michael Kallesser and Richard Norcro^s; staged by Charles Daverrport; setttngs. Louis Kennel; presented by American CItIc Theatre. Inc., at John Golden theatre. New York, Sept. 9. '41; $3.30 lop. Mom Kasla Orsizewska I'ete William W. Tetry Hugo Jack Lambert Joe Royal Raymond .\nnle .VnlCa Llndsey Paul Frederic deWilde Marlon .Martha Roberta Mr. Tyler Rlcbnrd Karlad Pi-ocess :>erver Georse Edwards First farce of season was produced with' good intentions, but seems to be wasted effort. New producers strove for plenty of action of a kind, all figured to make the performance funny. Net result however, is that The More the Merrier' is not comic enough. Otto L. Preminger had the right idea in pacing the play swiftly, but the contents are ineffective and the affair, first called 'The Great White- wash.' didn't click. Story is much ado about a corpse, comedies about cadavers having had something of a vogue of late. Latest one might have been hilarious re- gardless, but it is too confused. It is much too slow in getting started, has a first act finale that is comic and promising. Second act is the best but third act hardly follows suite. It all takes place in the main hall of multi-millionaire Harvey Royal's castle in the Colorado Rockies. He is intent on becoming candidate for governor and boasts to Senator Broderick that he'll be the president. Royal has spent fabulous sums build- ing hospitals and other institutions, and he plans the dedication of his latest philanthropy in Denver the next morning. But he never gets there, his plane being grounded because of bad weather. Upon return from the air- port. Royal finds the castle jammed with assorted people, parked for the night from a bus that is unable to proceed in the snow. They are ad- mitted because his press agent, Dan Finch, and Joe Dolma, who is to collaborate on Royal's biography, need the money to make the trip to Denver and they think their pa- tron is on his way there. Two comic ex-mobsters mistak- enly bump off one of the passen- gers, who they intended to rob, and the body is discovered. Finch, Dalmo and Bugs Saunders, the heart interest, who is going to help write Royal's life, connive on ways to get rid of the body. Detected, they bring the man into the house, pre- tending he Is drunk. But the second floor gallery passageway is full of traffic and they never do get the guy out, even though they put skates on the mugg to make it easier. The enraged Royal finds the man in his room and tosses him over the railing. It is believed the fall kills him and no amount of explaining by those who knew he was a stiff before then can convince Prosecutor Lockhart, the opposition candidate, to the contrary. After much hokus pokus evidently inserted to pad out an otherwise short play, the de- ceased party is recognized as a much wanted felon—so the rich man be- comes a hero. Whatever weakness the play has it is not the acting. There is a pro- fusion of talent, with Keenan Wynn, son of comedian Ed, making his best bid for stage ratini to date. He is scheming Dolma. Frank Albertson, as Finch, has almost as much to do, and plays the part well. Jack Riano does a resd job as the guy who is croaked and only an acrobat could take the fall the way he does it Louis Hector, as Royal, does his stint so intently that he is almost apoplectic. J. C. Nugent counts in the early portion, but has little to do thereafter. Grace McDonald, a small 'Brother Cain' apparently sets the season's low-water mark early.' . It is one of the slowest-moving, dullest dramas to have reached Broadway in a long time. American Civic Theatre is billed as the producer, with considerable mystery as to who that may be. Reluctance to unveil is very under- standable, as well as the reason Law- rence B. Wallis, English and drama instructor at Mt Holyoke College, chose a nom-de-plume for his co- authorship billing. He uses name Richard Norcross, with his partner in crime being Michael .Kallesser. Kallesser is author of a number of plays of moderate proportions, last one to hit Broadway being about 10 years ago. 'Brother Cain' script was around for a long time before a backer was unearthed In pedestrian dialog and with transparent dramatics, Wallis and Kallesser tell of a boy brought up in Pennsylvania coal-mining territory who is aided by his half-witted brothers in becoming an attorney. When he returns from college, they resent what their coin has done. Lad, as expected, proves he is of pure gold while the brothers are not—which is what everyone knew anyway. There's supposed to be something sociological about it too, because the b'rothers are constantly berating the coal company as ruth- less employers^ Mixed up in Charles Davenport's hapless direction, Louis KenneFs poor sets and the bad dialog and dramatics, any cast would have asx impossible task. But with perhaps the one exception of Kasia Orzazew- ska, as the mother, the acting' is amateurish. Miss Orzazewska Is a recruit from the Polish-speaking stage. She, at least, deserves an- /^*her chance. Herb. Plays Out of Town ;Comtlniied from page C HELLO OUT THERE meant freedom. If she could only contrive to get a key before the mob came. While she is gone the hus- band of Bratsberg's victim, aided by a mob (whose presense is suggested only by off-stage voices), gets In and shoots the man who bad outraged his wife. The stiff-bosomed Santa Barbara society audience unbent with salvos of applause when the curtain,raiser ended. The rest of the evening they were restless under the heavy-handed direction by Sir Cedric Hardwicke of the equally heavy-handed Shaw play. Alfred De Liagre, Jr., did the capable direction of 'Hello Out There.' Bratsberg, formerly with the Grotrp Theatre, and Miss Walker, who is under contract to Selznick, are both positive bets for pictures. Miss Gaynor's debut in lavish cos- tumes designed by Adrian, can best be summed up by the remark of a clowager when the actress swooned in the second act: 'Didn't she faint beautifully!' Alan Marshal, as the young Ameri- can rebel filled with a quaint, half- baked cynicism, and Michael Hogan, as the preacher husband of Miss Gaynor, took the acting honors. Hardwicke's own performance was excellent. Support, adequate enough, was given by June ll,ockhart, James Westerfleld, Eily Malyon, Barry Macollum, Anthony Blair, Houseley Stevens, Maude Fealy, Gordon Rich- ards, Claude Allister and Alan Ed- miston. The settings, for both Saroyan and Shaw, were exceptionally well done by Kate Drain Lawson. The Devil's Disciple Comedy In three acts by George Bernard Shaw. Presented by the SeUnlck Company . and directed by Sir Cedric Hardwicke. Scltlngs, Kate Drain Lawson; at the Loben theatre, Santa Barbara, California, &>epl. 8. '41. Mrs. Dudgeon.' Elly Malyon E^ssle June Lockhart Christy Dndgeon James Westerfleld Anthony Andeisoa. Michael TTognn Judith Anderson....... Janet Gnynor Lawyer Hawkins Barry Macollum William Dudgeon .\nthony Blair Titus Dudgeon Houseley Stovcns Mrs, Titus Dudgeon Bauds Fealy Richard Dudgeon.., Alan Marshal A Urltlsh .Sergeant Gordon Richards Major (iwlndnn Claude Allister General Burgoyne....Slr Cedric Hardwicke Mr. Bmndenell .......Alan Bdmlston D(T".