Variety (Sep 1941)

Wednesday, September 24, 19'H HARRT B. HAVER Harry Rush Raver, 61, one of the leadinj! film distributors 25 years ago, died Sept. 14 in Los Angeles as a result of a beating by a burglar two weeks before. He had been out of show business since the early 1920s- . . ^ u ij Raver was among the first to hoia press previews, showing an Italian feature, 'Cabiria,' in the gold room of the Astor hotel, New York, in 1914. He was a lavish entertainer and an outstanding figure in the state rights field over a period of 10 years, but retired from the Industry when crippled by arthritis. Later he op- erated an antique shop until fading eyesight forced him to give it up. He was blind when attacked by the burglar. ^' , _ After becoming blind, Raver con- ducted a radio program over KFWB, Los Angeles, for the blind and handi- capped. CLAUDE E. KING Claude E. King. 67, vet screen ac- tor and one of the founders of the Screen Actors Guild, died in Holly- wood Sept 18. He was a retired major in the British army, having In Memory Always MARK A. LEUSCHER DIED SEPT. 20, 1936 NETTIE, MART and BETTT LEUSCHER Surviving is a flve-year-old daugh- ter. GEORGE H. HOLCOMBE George H. Hdlcombe, 71, musician and showman, died recently at City Hospital, St. Louis, of heart disease. He ran away from his home in South Carolina to join the Ringling circus as a drummer boy, and in 1900 formed Holcombe's Military Band, which played all over the U. S. Ha was also instrumental in the move to build the St. Louis Arena, died Sept. 13 in Los Angeles. Sur- viving are his widow and a daughter. Russell Bonham, 39, business agent for lATSE in Michigan, died sud- denly Sept. 19 near Pontiac, Mich. He was fatally injured when light- ning struck his summet cottage. Mrs. Sarah Akins, 86, mother of Zpe Akins, plajrwright, died Sept. 16 In Pasadena, Cal. ROBERT HENDERSON-BLAND Robert Henderson-Bland, vet legit actor, died ia London Aug. 18. In his younger days he had appeared with Sir Herbert Tree in many of his big His Majesty's theatre produc- tions, and had acted with Mrs. James Brown Potter and Lily I^ngtry. Portrayed the role of Christ in the film 'From Manger to Cross.' He was a captain in the British Army. served two years in France with British artiUery during World War I. King became an actor when 19, making his first appearance In 1901 in The Boom of Big Ben.' He toured England and the colonies, coming to the U. S. in 1919, when he appeared In 'Declassee.' He started his film career in 1920. In 1935 King, Robert Montgomery, Kenneth "JThomson, Ralph Morgan ^nd Richard Tucker were appointed under the NRA to formulate a code between film players and producers. BTRNE A. MARCONNIER Byrne A. Marconnler, New York playwright, succumbed in San Fran-. Cisco, Sept. 11. A native of Seattle, Marconnier was brother-in-law of Robert Moses, N.Y. park commis- sioner. He went to the Coast two years ago for his health. Private services were held Sept. 16. / JAMES F. McKEEFRET James F. McKeefrey, long associ- ated with the theatre building firm of John McKeefrey & Co., died Sept 18 in Brooklyn, after a long illness. Some of the N. Y. theatres built by the firm were the Earl Carroll, Max- ine Elliott and Winter Garden. Survived by widow, son and four daughters. KENNETH J. BISHOP Kenneth J. Bishop, 48, film pro- ducer who brought the industry to British Columbia for a short time, died in VancouVerr B. C, Sept 6. In 1933 Bishop started the short- lived. Commonwealth Productions, Ltd., which went bankrupt after making two pictures in Victoria, K C. Two years later h« launched Central Films, Ltd., which produced more than a dozen films for Colum- bia under the British quota laws, Born In Sutton, England, Bishop lived in British Columbia for 26 years. Surviving are his widow, daughter and a brother. CREGAN McMAHON Gregan McMahon, founder of the Repertory theatre in Victoria and New South Wales, died suddenly in Melbourne recently. In 1920 Mc- Mahon established his own unit and presented over 350 plays by English, U. S. and European playwrights. The British Government conferred upon him the order of C.B.E. (Comman^fer of the British Empire) for his work In promoting interest in the theatre, Prior to his death, McMahon had made arrangements with Sir Ben Fuller for the lease of Princess, Mel bourne, to present a new series of repertory plays. ABRAHAM LIBSON Abraham Libson, 56, associated with his brother, Isaac Libson, op crating theatres in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Kentucky, died Sept 21 from a heart attack. A native of Pittsburgh, Libson moved to Cincinnati in 1908, joining his brother, one of Cincin- nati's pioneer exhibitors. Survived by widow and three sis. ters. MRS. CHRISTINE CORTEZ Mrs. Christine Connifl Cortez, di- vorced wife of Ricardo Cortez, film actor and director, died Sept. 21 as a result of burns suffered when a cigaret ignited her bed. Death came in a Santa Ana, Cal., hospital. Father, mother, sister and four brothers survive. ROBERT (BOBBT) CRAWFORD Robert (Bobby) Crawford, 52, who became a Hollywood agei\t after leaving the music publishing _ busi- ness, died of a heart attack at the Ritz Carlton hotel, Boston, Sept 20. He leaves a widow, Mary Lucas Crawford; also Bobby, Jr., by a pre- vious marriage. Further details in Music depart ment. Plea for Gas : Continued from page 3^ principle, however right they may be in theory. Need Their Autos Carrying costumes, shoes, music and other props, we, of necessity, travel by automobile. Since we frequently close in one town late at night and open in another the next evening, which may be as much as 400 miles away, we must drive by night. The law prohibits us from carrying extra gasoline in our car; your edict prevents. us from buying gasoline at night. What, Mr. President, are we going to do? You, or your subordinates, have designated certain professions —such as doctors —as preferred classes and they may buy gasoline. How about the actors, who enter- tain the public until midnight and then travel the rest of the night? Perhaps the opening of an act-on schedule. is no emergency to the country, but the loss of a job is certainly the first stage of an emergency which might prove serious to the average person in show business. Lest you think we art dealing with 'possible' situations rather than actualities, consider this: » At 9:30 p.m. on Thursday eve- ning, Sept. 18, we did a final show at the Strand theatre in New York; the next day at noon we had to be in Pittsburgh for a rehearsal and opening that night. At best, we can carry only 17 gallons of gaso- 'line which would have gotten us only to Harrisburg. There, Mr. President, we would have sat until the next morning, and comes re- hearsal time would still have been miles away. If we failed to get there, it meant two weeks' work lost to us, and an actor is lucky If he works 25 weeks out of a year. How about it, Mr. President? There are hundreds of other acts throughout the country in the same shape we are. Perhaps they're afraid to go to the 'top man' but we aren't. You're always taking care of the farmers, the laborers and the merchants; tariffs protect the manufacturer;. insur- ance deposits protect the citizen with savings accounts. But ftobody gives a darn about the actor. Why not give us a card entitling us to buy gasoline to get from job to job? Sincerely yours, Callahan Sisters. London Escapology ^Continued from pate 3; JOSIE INTBOPIDI Josie Intropidi, 75, veteran actress of light opera and musical comedy, died in N. Y. Sept. 19. She made her debut at 14 in the chorus of Tony Pastor's, on the Bowery. Actress worked in touring Gilbert and Sullivan companies, and for the last two decades appeared on Broad- way in such shows as 'Sally, Irene and Mary,' 'Honeymoon Lane,' 'Betty Be Good,' and, in 1936, in 'O Eve- ning Star.' A daughter, Ethel, is the only sur- vivor. JIM CARET Jim Carey, 45, connected with the- atre operations for a quarter century, died suddenly Sept. 19 at Vancouver, Wash., where he had been on vaca- tion. He was stricken with acute appendicitis. Carey managed the Evergreen Theatres Circuit, in Belllngham, Wash., for the past eight months. Prior to that, for eight years he managed the Evergreen theatres, Vancouver, Wash., going to that or- gtinization from Warners in Aber- deen. His wife passed away ■ year ago. DALE ROSEBERRT Dale Roseberry, 28, hillbilly per- former with WHIS, Bluefield, W. Va., was killed in an auto accident at Grundy, _Va., Sept. 13, after giv- ing show with three members of his Campfire Boys at Hurley, Va. His three associates were injured. FRED KARNO Fred Karno, nee John Westtfult; 75, a foremost English comedy-act producer, died Sept. 17 in Parkstone, Dorsetshire, England.-, Further details in vaudeville sec- tion. ROMAN DEBES Roman Debes, 71, who had been associated with the late Frederic W. Thompson and Elmer S. Dundy in operating Luna Park, -Coney jislahd, died Sept. 18 in Brooklyn. EDNA LUCE Edna Luce, former film critic of the N. Y. Journal of Commerce, died Sept. 20 in N. Y. Funeral services were held Sept 22 in Bellaire, O. Mother survives. MINON LeBRUN Minon LcBrun, 53, actress in silent films, died Sept. 20 in Los Angeles. She was the divorced wife* of CuHen Landis, one-time film star. JOHN B. WARD John R. Ward, 46, v.p. of Pacific Coast Showmen's Ass'n. and' man- ager of stage productions for years. BIRTHS Mt. and Mrs. Dave McNutt, daugh- ter, in Oakland, Cal., Aug. 30. Father, former member of KGO- KPO (Oakland) prfiss staff, is now a first lieutenant at Mather Field, Sacramento. Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Breyer, son, in San Francisco, Sept. 9. Father is head of KJBS (Frisco) sales staff. Mr. and -Mrs. Charles Horning, daughter. In Regina, Sask., recently. Father is assistant manager of the Grand theatre, Regina. Mr. and Mrs. Johnny Boyer, daughter. In Pittsburgh, Sept. 18. Father is announcer at KDKA, Pitt. Mr. and Mrs. Paul Reith, son, in Pittsburgh, Sept. 10. Father is booker at RKO exchange, Pitt. Mr. and Mrs. Billy Birken, daugh- ter, in Pittsburgh, Sept. 12. Father was with Al Fremont band; mother is former Billle Brooks, nitery dancer. To Mr. and Mrs. Vincent E. Clay- ton, a son, Sept. 16. He is control operator for KSL, Salt Lake City. Mr. and Mrs. John Boothby, daugh- ter, in Buffalo, Sept. 14. Father is announcfer at WGR-WKBW, Buffalo. Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Todaro, daughter, in Buffalo, Sept. 12. Father is trumpeter In WGR-WKBW staff band. Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Williams, daughter, in Buffalo, Sept. 9. Father is WGR-WKBW technician. Mr. and Mrs. George Schmidt, son, in New York, Sept. 16. Father Is accountant for Walt Disney ProduC' tlons. inane plays like Noel Coward's 'The Blithe Spirit' do turnaway trade. Compromise with the reality sees bathtub gin a common practice, since some of the salient gin works and warehouses were blitz casual- ties. The 'black bourse' makes up for the little things prohibited or restricted, but the average news- paper man or woman, of course, knows only of this from an academic perspective. Hotel Savoy The Hotel Savoy Is the capital of things. We'll start at the Savoy. Over there, holding down a corner of the American bar is, of course, Quentin Reynolds. His popularity with the British increases in the same ratio as his waistline. They like his broadcasts and the nice things Reynolds says about them in print and to their faces. When Doro- thy Thompson was in England she was Introduced at a banquet as 'the Quentin Reynolds of America,' and Reynolds, who is not over-fond of Miss-Thompson, was delighted. Don't think Miss Thompson liked it very much though. Robert Montgomery, looking neat and natty in his naval officer's uni- form, is pretty mysterious about the actual work he is doing in England, but an official at the American Em- bassy states that whenever a tough assignment—maneuvers off the bleak coast of Scotland for instance- comes up, Montgomery is sent to make the report. • He. seems to en* joy the responsibility and says he finds it a pleasant change from his $4,000-a-week job of Hollywood pic- ture making. Robert Riskin is introduced to Lady Kitty Brownlow and looks a little dazed when she says, 'I've al- ways wanted to meet the man who wrote 'Mr. Deeds.' Do tell me, did you really write it?' Riskin is in London wanting to help the British on propaganda pictures—although to judge by some I saw in England— they don't require much help. There's one made by London Fire Brigade during the last severe raid. A couple of the boys turning the camera were killed and 16 others perished beneath collapsing build- ings. This particular film is too gruesome to be shown to the gen- eral public, but a print has been sent to Washington to give the United States government some idea of what can happen to a city when the German raiders indulge their lu:t for indiscriminate bombing. Michael Arlen A Fixture We are still in the Savoy bar. Michael Arlen is a late afternoon and evening fixture. He may have succeeded in getting plane passage for America by the time you read this, but for the past six months Arlen has been trying to get to the U. S. Liquor and wine are getting scarce, and most of the French stuff listed at the Savoy Is out of stock A wine merchant in Half Moon St. told me his firm, which has been in business since the 18th century, has enough stock left for another 18 months. If the war is not over by 1943, they may have to close down: The British are trying to promote Empire wines from Australia and South Africa: They're alright, but not the same as the French. Awful to think of the Germans' guzzling that beautiful Burgundy and Alsace wine. Vermouth is practically non- existant, and even at places like the Rltz they substitute sherry with gin for martinis (Ugh!) As for gin, too much of it went up in smoke during the bombings of city warehouses, hence bathtub gin is no longer con- sidered an American prohibition-era curiosity.. Escapist films and plays are popu- lar in England. Except for the shorts on this and that phase of the war, such as Target For Tonight' which shows a bombing raid on Ger- many by the R.A.F., pictures about the war are avoided by ,the British public. 'A Night In Lisbon,' for in- stance received poor reviews and poorer attendance, whereas 'Kiss the Boys Goodbye' and 'Turned Out Nice Again' starring George Forby,'have S.R.O. sign up nightly. The Formby f)lm is the naughiest picture I've seen since the Legion of Decency threw its sledge-hammer of purity and in- nocence, into picture-making on this side. If the film is shown in Ameri ca there is one scene dealing with a garment worn by the female sex that they can start cutting right now..Noel Coward's comedy 'Blithe Spirit' is packing them In, chiefly because it has nothing to do with this war, or even this world—the play has a couple of ghosts in it with a Topper' type of story. Ques- tion whetlier it will go over in New York, which is more critical of its theatre entertainment than the Lon- don of today. Tank Newsmen The bar is jam-packed with American newspapermen. There's George Lait who asks for news of father Jack. Drew Mlddleton of the A.P. is looking deep into the eyes of a pretty English girl. Bill White of the N.Y. Herald-Tribune complains The trouble with the British girls is they all want to get married.' Paramount's Dave Rose is in the restaurant. I went over to Dunham, which has been badly blitzed, and saw Richard Greene playing a reporter in a pic- ture with Valerie Hobson. Army life has done Greene a lot of good. He looks well, and says when and If he ever gets back to Hollywood he will appreciate the comfort and paycheck 100% David Niven drives into the studio at the wheel of an army truck, which isn't quite the same as the station wagon he used to drive in Beverly Hills. Davict was pro- moted to being a Major as a sort of reward for the film he is now mak- ing for the British government.... Vivien Leigh was visiting the studio before leaving on a tour of the provinces in Shaw's 'Doctor's Dilem- ma.' She and husband Laurence Olivier were not too popular with the British press when they first re- turned to England, because of hide- and-seek tactics with reporters, but the general sentiment is gratitude to the pair for preferring the discom- fort and hardships of war to the plush ease of Hollywood. Night life, as you may have'heard, is Gay. The bottle clubs are sprout- ing everywhere. It reminds me very much of the prohibition period in America. People bring their own and unless you're a member you can't get in. Le Suivi is the most popular night club. You dance on a postage stamp floor. This is one of the few dancing places in London above- ground. It's more convenient to make your whoopee below level, and then if the sirens sound you don't have to bother about bombs and such things. Le Suivl was badly banged up one night just as a friend of mine was going inside. He swears that the blast blew him to the dance floor, and that as he went up he passed the gentleman's cloakroom coming down. 'Hardy'-'Kildare' Continued from page l=s will provide a valuable hypo when one or the other of the two series shows signs of wearing itself out. So far the 'Hardys' give no sign of weakening, while the 'KiTdares' are in and out As the plot is worked out, old Judge Hardy (Lewis Stone) becomes ill and must go to New York to get expert medical attention. His man is Dr. Gillespie (Lionel Barrymore), who turns the patient over to his young assistant, Dii. Kildare (Lew Ayres). The Judge brings his fam- ily with him to- New York and young Andy (Mickey Rooney) becomes a fast friend with Kildare, who in- spires him to study medicine. If the first merger pic is a success, Andy will do his studying in later films under Gillespie and Kildare. If the idea turns out not so big as expected, Andy will return to his old routine. Or, it is figured pos- sible, the Judge will not get.over his illness quickly and will require oc- casional return trips to the (3illespie- Kildare repair-works, making for a merger picture every so often. On these trips to New York, too, ac- carding to the Hardy formula. Mickey is permitted to meet up with Judy Garland, giving the pix another hypo. MARRIAGES Carolyn Rice to Robert F. Harris, in Chicago, Sept. 21. She's daughter of Andy Rice, author. Jeannette Nelson to Thomas Roach, Oct. 11, in Buffalo. She Is on continuity sUfl of WBEN, Buf- falo. BeUy Blair to Gene Kelly, In Phil- adelphia, Sept 2'2. Both are legit players. Harriet Sager, to Walter Reade, Jr., in New York, Sept. 21. Grootn is son of Walter Reade, eastern film circuit operator, and now in the army. Bride non-pro is N.Y. music student Evelyn Campbell to J. Allan Simp- son, in Saskatoon, Sask., recently. She's secretary to Gerry Gaetz, manager of CKCK, Regina, Sask.