Variety (Oct 1941)

Wednesdajt October 8, 1941 P'Akiett ▼AUOEYIZiLE 43 Dealers Dinners' Rapped By Solon In Pa^ as Coercive B.O. Scheme Of Nite Clubs Against Their Merchants Philadelphia, Oct. 7. The practice of local nitery opera- tors to open the fall seasbn with so- called 'dealers' dinners'—at which all merchants (butcher, grocer, etc.)' having accounts with the spot are sent a wad of tickets at uppcd rates —got a rap from the State Liquor Control Board last week. The board sent a note of warning to all cafe owners, citing a section of the State law which forbids liquor and wine distributors to accept "any type of subsidy.' 'As long as the tickets cover dinner charges only,' and are ofTered at the same price as to anyone else, there is no definite law violation,' the board declared. 'But there is a shadow of coercion cast over the operation when blocks of 10 to 15 such tickets arc mailed to individual distillers, vintners and their representatives.' The 'dealers' dinners' have been common in the past, and have served to lift-a- nitery nabob's nut, accumu- lated over a slack summer. Aveiv age price of the tickets have been $5 to $10, while some spots have charged as high as $25 and $50 at their 'openings.' The~State Liquor Board can act only in the case of alleged coercion on dealers In wines or spirits. RAINBOW ROOM, N.Y.. DATED UP TO FEB. 17 MCA Denies Report On S.F. Cafe Booking Exit San Francisco, Oct.. 7. Music Corp. of America will not drop nitery bookings here as strongly rumored, according to Her- man Stein, now handling the office. Instead, Stein said, he'll start an in- tensive drive to 'educate' spots to use big-name stars in place of '$75- acts.' Explains situation here is similar, on a smaller scale, to that he found while handling the lK)ndon office. 'We brought names to London, and I think we can do the same here," is Stein's idea. New Orleans Police In Numerous Arrests For Indecent' Shows John Roy, managing director of the Rainbow Room, New York, has lined up talent Into Feb. 17. when Monna Montes and Alexis DolinofI, ballet dancers, will headline. On Jan. 8, Carmen Cavallaro's orches- tra makes the RR debut, along with Charles Weidman with Katherine Litz and Peter Hamilton in support, plus Elsie Houston, Brazilian con- tralto. Nov. 18 show will bring back Wal- ton and O'Rourke's marionet show and Ruth Page and Bentley Stone, also from the- ballet. Tonight (Wednesday) Billy de Wolfe returns to the RR, also Matty Malneck's orchestra and the Valero Si.sters (Violeta and Jeanne) at the helm ef their own male rhumba band. Adrienne (Matzenauer), daugjiter of Margaret Matzenauer, the former diva, who was at Cafe Pierre. N. Y., last season, is also in the new .show, marking her debut at this spot, as are Miriam Winslow and Foster Fitz-Simons, dancers. Other acts pencilled in for later In 1942 are Jack Cole, Chandra Kaly, Russell Swann, Jose Fernandez and Juanita Deering, plus Ozzie Caswell orchestra, the last three returners."" Still another RR innovation is Gene Cowing, who will call the new Square Dancing sessions Monday nights at supper. Pittsburgh Cafe Owner Shin During Holdup Pittsburgh, Oct. 7. John Tehil, 45, West End cafe owner, was shot and killed here last week while protecting his wife from an attempted holdup. Slayer was alleged to have been Robert Hallo- well, ex-convict, who is now the object of a three-state hunt by lo- cal police. Murdered man's wife, Mrs. Rose Tehil, was ■ at the cash register, which held more than..$l,- 300, when two' men who had been drinking in the place brought out re- volvers and told her to put up her hands. Tehil came into the place from another Toom while robbers were menacing his wife and rushed at them with a pick handle. He was' met immediately by a burst of gun- fire and was killed immediately. 6 Held in Toledo Holdup Toledo, O., Oct. 7. Six Detroit men have been ar- rested in connection, .with the at- tempt, Oct 3, to rob Harry Singal, proprietor of a local night club, of $2,400. New Orleans, Oct. 7. Police have launched a drive on strip tease shows In the downtown area. Charles V. Levy, manager of the Lafayette theatre, was booked re- cently on charges of operating an indecent and immoral show. Offi- cers also booked two of the per- formers, "Jackie DeLane, 21, and Ethel Chandler, 21. The arrest fol- lowed a midnight show at the house. Two special investigators from the district attorney's office Friday night (3) disrupted the floor show at the Little French Casino by arresting four women and a male performer on a charge of violating the state morals code. The women gave their names as Juanita Fess, 21; Alice Ross, 22; Francel (Gordon, 25; and Gladys Snyder, 26. The man arrested was accused of being a 'barker' for the show. He gave his name as Philip Onizonto, 47. Despite these raids, night spots in the French Quarter continue to ad- vertise 'exotic strip tease dancers.' JACK WILSON CHOSEN PnrrAGYAPRES«)ENT Pittsburgh, Oct. 7. Jack Wilson, nitery m.c, was re- elected president of local chapter to American Guild of Variety Artists, at annual election last week. V.p.'s named were: P. J. McDonough, monologist and also a deputy sheriff here; Lou Siarf, dancer who used to have his own studio here; Phil Lowery, of the team of Lowery and Owens; Margaret Peka, of the dancing Peka Sisters; Cornell Cooper, singer, and Curti? Coley, of the team of Virginia and Curtis Coley. Eve Herbert, singer, was named treasurer and Carol Gould, recording secretary. Nat Nazarro, Jr., former musical comedy and vaude star, continues as executive secretary by appointment of the national board. Larry Adler Snagged On N. Y. Par Opening Combination of circumstances pre- vented Larry Adler from opening at the Paramount, New York, last Wed • nesday (1) as scheduled. First he couldn't'get out of his booking at the Jefferson hotel, St. Louis; then, after it was arranged for Tito Guizar to replace htm, Gqizar pleaded laryn- gitis and Adler bad to remain in St. Louis until Saturday night (4). Possible that Adler may go Into the Paramount next week. He's especially anxious to play the. the- atre date because of the appearance there of Xavier Cugat, with whom Adler may do a joint tour later this season. The Revuers, satirical turn, were replaced at the Radio City Music Hall after the second show opening day (2) by the Del Rios. Revuers didn't'fit the show and were paid off. Job Agency Restored Harlem's 'Wishing Tree,' vir- tually destroyed some time ago when struck by an automobile, was partially restored Monday (6) at 131st street and Seventh avenue, N.Y. Mayor LaGuardia officiated at the resetting of the colored show folks' 'good omen,' origi- nally growing in front of the La- fayette theatre, while Bill Rob- inson kissed the battered stump, which, when rubbed, is believed by Harlemites to insure a job. ANDERSON'S LA. NITERY FOLDS; DROPS 45G Los Angeles, Oct. 7. John Murray Anderson's Folly, the mauve decader. Silver Screen, gave up the ghost last week after IC day's of operation as a class nitery. Un- derstood that the ill-starred venture cost Anderson and" his backers, in- cluding Carl Laemmle, Jr., a cool $45,000. Line of creditors have formed and claims will be weighed in federal court Oct. 13. Assets are listed at $34,730 and liabilities, $36,375. Room ran into difficulties soon after its opening and when business started to slacken creditors became uneasy and. started moving toward the boxoffice. After several confer- ences by Anderson, Kalmus Loeb, lessee of Wilshire Bowl, which had been converted into a Gay 90s tavern, and other partners, it was de- cided to shut down for a few days and install a new policy. Meeting followed meeting before the final closing order went out. Anderson tried to woo customers with a nostalgic reviie of oldtimers from the silent flickers, supple- mented by not .so dated performers. Among the idols of yesteryear were Clara Kimball Young, Betty Blythe, Keystone Kops, Tom Patricola, Betty Compson, Nick Lucas, Bryant Wash- burn and Clyde Cook. Show failed to catch on and the wise 'uns pre- dicted an early demise. Some blamed the stiff tariff for the stay-away of the night mob. Admis- sion was pegged at $3.30, which in- cluded the feed. For non-eaters the scale was $1.50. Drinks were priced from 60c., considered high foY' the town. Loeb will reopen the toom with Darryl Harpa's orchestra (14) and a floor show with a line of girls and Latin performers. Entertainment will have a strong rhumba flavor. Show People in Pitt. Forced to Shift For Themselves, Sop?i Lose Ms As Hotel Service Wi^rkers Strike Belie Baker Fined $100 On AGYA 'Guest' Yiolation 'Stuhborn' Ice Balks Icecapades' Show Dallas, Oct. 7. Engineers in charge of the refrig- eration on plant at the new Texas State Fair ice arena didn't know they were getting themselves into 'hot water' when they said they would ready for 'Ice-Capades of 1942' Wed- nesday night (1). Four thousand cash cusomers braved a downpour to get to the arena. The big moment of turning on the ice machinery occurred as scheduled. But the 84-degree temp- erature of Dallas' tap water was a factor that had not-been calculated. So the water simply didn't freeze''in time. Two hundred tons of chipped icehouse ice was scattered to hold as much of the freeze as possible. But at show time the rink was rough and soggy. Thirty minutes after show time the management broke the news to a good natured crowd. 'Rain checks' or- cash were given to stubholders. And the situation was corrected the following night, San Antonio Nitery To Be Reopened Oct. 17 San Antonio, Oct. 7. Sh'adowland, this city's oldest night club, shuttered for several years, will be reopened Oct. 17 under the management of Dude Skiles. Skiles was formerly a musician with Fred Waring. Donald Novis heads the opening show. Bill Cohen, connected with the club for years, will continue as manager. San Francisco, Oct. 7. Belle Baker has been flned $100 by the local chapter of the American Guild of Variety Artists for asserted- ly causing guests to perform without pay, it was revealed this week by executive secretary Vince Silk. She has been given 30 days to pay. Silk said. Miss Baker, according to Silk, called Jack Marshall and Jack Dur rant out of the audience during other recent Bal Tabarin engagement and each gave a performance. Latter were fined $25 eac;i. Also taking un- cleared bows were Eddie Garr and John Barton, Silk said, for which he lodged a strong protest with Theodore Hale, local Equity rep. Silk said he was present when the asserted viola- tions took place and forthwith sum- moned the AGVA members involved to appear before a trial board. Minevitch in Run-in With AGYA on Pay To 'Harmonica Rascals' Hollywood, Oct. 7. Dispute between Borrah Minevitch and the American Guild of Variety Artists is up tor arbitration by a board consisting of Robert Komins, Harry Friedman and another to be appointed by the two. Charge is that Minevitch is paying his 'Harmonica Rascals' $20 to $25 a week when the AGVA scale calls for $40. Leslie Litomy, AGVA chief in Los Angeles, insists on upping the pay of the mouth-organists and mak- ing it retroactive to June 11, when they started work In the Earl Car- roll nitery. revue. NEW GROUP TO OPEN RIYERSIDE, M'W'KEE Milwaukee, Oct. 7. ATWr being plugged to open Sept. 12 as a Warner Bros. hoMse, with $6,000 advance rental paid, and then dropped because of a clause in Mu- sic Corp. of America contracts mak- ing the operators liable, and pos- sibly retroactively, for touring bandsmen's social security expense, the Riverside theatre, only vaude- fllmer here, has now been picked up by Standard Theatres, Inc., headed by L. F. Gran. Latter has a fllm- pooling arrangement with the War- ner organization. Theatre is slated to open Oct. 24 with Henry Busse's^ orch. House has been closed since July 31. Ed J. Weisfeldt, who for eight years handled the Riverside for Charles L. Schwerin, Chicago and Milwaukee realty operator, and who was rehired by Warner Bros, to run the house for them, has^ow been signed by the new lessees, who have organized officially as the Standard- Riverside Corp. Deal was closed for the house on Friday (3), details be- ing ironed out and okayed by Charles Puis, legal rep for Standard, and Ben Salzstein, attorney for Schwerin. Unpaid Hotel Bill Jails Ice Skater in Buffalo Buffalo, Oct. 7. An ' unpaid $65 hotel bill has chained Donald (Skippy) Wright, 27-year-old figure skater, to the local hoosegow until Saturday (11) when his case comes up. Ice artist, nabbed in New York, told cops he has three job bids, one with Sonja Henie, and would pay hotel if he gets into an- other show. The Hotel Buffalo brought the charges after Wright skipped the bill following his appearance In 'Ice Circus' at the local Memorial Audi- torium. Wright explained to Judge Buscaglia that he skipped because he had not received all his pay from the ice show. Judge intimated he might be put on probation to pay. Pittsburgh, Oct. 7. Pittsburgh's a nightmare, a head- ache and a great big pain in the neck these days for show people, what with the town's eight major hotels shut down tight. William Penn, Fort Pitt, Schenley, Roosevelt, Pitts- bur.?her, Webster Hall and Keystone, all of which are patronized heavily by visiting performers, put up the 'closed' sign last Tuesday (30) at midnight when 2,400 AFL service workers called a strike and pulled bellboys, waiters, elevator operators, br.rtenders, chambermaids, cooks and all other organized help, with ex- ception of engineers and electricians, who belong to another union, away from their posts. It wasn't just a major inconveni- ence; for a lot of theatrical folk, -principally mu.sici'ans, it meant their jobs, too. At the William Penn, Wanda end Her Escorts were left at liberty; at the Roosevelt, it was the Skyliners; at the Henry, Manuel Contreras band and several assorted mtertriners; at the Fort Pitt, the Ken Bailey outfit; at the Pitts- burgher, the Frank Natale trio, and . at the Schenley, Bil'.y Hinds' band, which WHS supposed to open the fall season Saturday night (4) but, of course, didn't. Guests Handle Service Hotels told guests already regis- tered they could stay but would have to walk up stairs, clean their rooms, make their beds and cart their own luggage away when they checked out. Among those who had to make the' best of the circum- stances were the bands of Glenn Miller, playing Stanley theatre, and Henry King, at Bill Green's; most of 'Native Son' company at Nixon and floor show principals at Nixon Cafe, Yacht Club, El Chico and couple of other, spots. Gals and boys alike were seen, as their engagements closed, lugging big wardrobe trunks' and other baggage out into the streets; laundry was lost In transit and lot of musicians checked out rather than pass through picket lines. At same time, hotels announced they would accept no new registra- tions until strike had ended, and company, unit and orchestra mana- gers were rushing madly back to town to try and arrange last-minute accomodations this week for their people. Entire AI Jolson troupe, which arrived Sunday, had to ba quartered at suburban hotels and out - of - the - way rooming places; Tony Pastor's band was scattered all over town and niteiy entertainers had to take their sleeping quarters wherever they could find them, many going into private homes. . Burley Reformers Fortnnate Only the performers at Casino theatre (burlesque house) and Villa Madrid, a cafe, were lucky. They customarily put up at three of the smaller hotels, Mayfair, Edison and Seventh Avenue, none of which was affected by the strike Inasmuch as they do not belong to the Pittsburgh Hotels Association. By last week- end these three spots were being offered premium rates by theatre crowd but there wasn't a room to be had at any of them. Considering fact that there are usually anywhere from 150 to ,250 show people in town every week, situation is pretty acute. Service workers' two-year con- tract with hotels expired last Tues- day and their demands for a 20% in- crease all along the line were met with a flat refusal by the innkeepers, who first offered 6% hike and then raised the ante to 11%. Mayor Scully for days tried to arrange a peaceful settlement and after series of con- ferences with hotel men and union officials finally got latter to agree to submit a proposal before the strikers which would call for 11% raise im- mediately, with the remaining 9% to be submitted to board of arbitra- tors. Union members, however, voted it down by more than 5 to 1 at big mass meeting last Friday (3), demanding the 20% or nothing. CITED BEFORE OHIO S0I0N3 Toledo, O., Oct. 7. James Karas, proprietor of the Kentucky Klub, must appear before the State Board of Liquor Control. He's been charged with various violations.