Variety (Nov 1941)

SCREEN RADIO S TAG E PabUah*<I Vrmltly at l(t Wait «ltti StrMt. U»w Totk, N. T., by Vtrl«tr, Inc. AdddsI inbicrlpUon, ItO. Bind* ooplM I| c . Botertd u BtconA-cIus mtttar Daumtxr », 1(05, at th* Poit OSIc* at Nst York. N. T., undar th* act ot Marob t, V)*. COFTBIOHT, IMl, BT TABIETT, INC. AIX BIGHTS BESEBTED VOL. 144 NO. 9 NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5. 1941 PRICE 25 CENTS A Patriotic Show That's Different According to Arthur Kurlan, producer ot 'Keep 'Em Rolling' series which starts Sunday (9) over Mutual tor the ORice of ijmergencjr Management, this particular show will not have any of the_^oUowing defense program standards: ■ Raymond lylassey in a scene from 'Abe Lincoln in niintis.' Charles Laughton reading Lincoln's 'Gettysburg Address.'' Lucy Monroe singing 'Star Spangled Banner.' Burgess Meredith, as a 'typical young American,' just filling in for the night a£ m.c. Singers or actors making speeches about national defense, or defense, officials acting or sinking. Guests beginning their remarks with 'In this lime when clouds are gathering on the horizon.' An album of American music built around 'God Bless America.' JOLSON, WYNN CLOSINGS HARD ON ACTORS Announced closings on the road of Al Jolson's 'Hold On to Your Hats' and Ed Wynn's 'Boys and Girls To- gether,' both high grossers on Broad- way last season, brought consterna- tion in actor circles. It means that between 200 and 300 people wUl be •uddenly jobless this side of Thanks- giving, although they joined the musicals with the expectation of *eason-Iong tours. Although business on the road has been spotty for both musicals, the closings are puzzling, but the fact that both essayed to be actor-man- (Continued on page 57) BLAME PRIORITIES AS FIDLER LOSES SPONSOR Hollywood, Nov. 4. Priority restrictions Is reported reason lor forcing Jimmie Fidler and his sponsor, Tayton Cosmetics, oft •ir Nov. 27, alter 20 weeks on CBS and Mutual. Inability to get in- gredients for products caused with- drawal from radio advertising, ac- cording to statement by prez. Fidler pulled oft CBS and moved to Mutual following disagreement over censoring his script. 2 Met Opera Ushers Join Opera, Concert Ranks Two Metropolitan Opera House ushers, one still with the house, the other a former employee, have en- tered the field of concert and op'eras. Best known is William Hess, 26- year-old lyjic tenor, recently signed tor leads with the Philadelphia Opera Co. Hess has sung with Group opera at Carnegie HaU, N.Y. Joseph Clifford, presently with the house, entered the recital field Sun- day (2> at Town HaU (review in concert-opera section). He, too. pdstesses a lyric tenor. Chevalier Preaches French CoOaboration With Nazi Germany . Paris, Oct. 21. World War I veteran Maurice Chevalier, who has just opened at the Casino de Paris in a new revue, is the latest Frenchman to preach Franco-German collaboration. Not really sure whether enough people had heard him make this pro- nouncement over the Paris radio, the perennial French juve repeated it in an interview to one of the local sheets. Non-occupied zone news- papers gave the statement some pub- licity. Droopy Lip who has consistently preached that an actor's biz is en- tertaining the public and not mix- in politics, says that 'all that can lead to collaboration between the French and German peoples should be tried.' There's no indication whether his remarlcs were sincere or whether any pressure was applied, as in the case of many Vichy politicians and functionaries, or whether It was just his idea of a buildup for his new Casino show. It's raised more than one French eyebrow. ASCAP-Radio Accord in Niqh o'Time; Flock of Fdmusicals Need the Plugs Following Trend SUrted by George S. Kaufman and Mom Hart, Some Own at Much a«, or More Than, the Producer* TWO-WAY INCOMES Authors are understood to own as much if not more than the produc- ers of severed new shows this sea- son, which appears to be a trend started several seasons ago by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. They figured on the managerial end of a number of the late Sam H. Harris' productions, includiiig 'You Can't Take It With You,' which they authored and collected on two ways. Said that Edna Ferber and Kauf- man have a large percentage of their play, 'The Land Is Bright,' Music Box, N. Y., with Hart under- (Continued on page 61) Lambs Put on Tbwing BowK Act for Members Opening in New Shows Lambs Club has inaugurated a new custom, billed as 'toast nights,' idea being to felicitate its members in each new show after premiere— whether it's a liit or a fiop. At mid- night on each broadway opening evening, a festive board is iUumi' nated, The I^mbs song is warbled and glasses raised to hall those club- men who were In the performance, (Continued on page 62) Theatres' Generosity to Service Men Is Earning N.Y. Triendhest City' Rep A MEDLEY? Kanfman-Ferber Ptay and BroiA- fleld,Novel Toyed WHU By M-G Metro, which already owns an op- tion on a similar story, is exhibiting prime interest in the screen rights to The Land Is Bright,' Kaufman- Ferber legiter which opened on Broadway last week. Property, op which studio holds the option, is a Louis Bromfleld novel, 'Mrs. Park- IngtOn,' still In the writing stoge. Both plots trace a family through a number of generations in America. It is not clear whether Metro plans to drop the Bromfleld option if it acquires 'Land' or whether it de- sires to fuse the two properties. To see a legit show is Joe Soldier's top choice when a couple days' leave turns him loose on Broadway with the whole roster of New York en. tertainment and sports to choose from. Of all the leglters, 'Hellza. poppln' is No. I on the Army's bal lot. Of the same mind are sailors. Marines and Coast Guardsmen and even the British sailors from visit- ing warships. Take it from the New York City Defense Recreation Cora mittee, which has passed out 250,000 ducats of all kinds to servicemen in the past 10 weeks and is set to issue .2,250,000 in its first year of opera tlon. Result of the largest-scale or- (Continued on page 03) The Trumpet Blbwa William Soroyan doesn't pay much attention to mail, so a New Yorker, who needed en answer, sent him a telegram. From his hideaway In Fresiio, Cal., Saro- yan wired back: 'Sorry to make you walt.'llave been busy working on seven new ' plays. They're all four star.' NEW WARNINGS ONS.A.FILM Warning signal has been hung out against, continued flow of so-called overly sexy screen productions, with several groups, which express pub- lic opinion, tipping the film business they are 'viewing with alarm' recent tendencies in that direction. These social, church and civic groups have been turning their optics on some recent film production with a cold eye in recent weeks. Fewer and fewer pictures rated (Continued on page 62) STOKI DUE TO BATON 6 MORE FOR DISNEY Leopold Stokowskl, who directed the Philadelphia Symphony or- chestra in providing all music. for Walt Disney's 'Fantasia,' Is going to the Coast next month to work on forthcoming cartoon features for Disney. Stokowskl states that Dis- ney has several musical Ideas In mind for additional screen produc- tions, patterned after 'Fantasia,* wherein th4 fidelity of music Is pre- dominant. He cited that some six more musi- cal features made on the same gen- eral framework as 'Fantasia,' or ar- ranged In like fashion, are being considered. ' Radio-ASCAP. peace catches most of the major' film producers with heavy schedules of .muslcal pictures, either in release or awaiting release, which stand to tap the 32,000,000-set jackpot for full exploitation value from estimated' 50,000,000 listening audience. Reopening of maior league air lanis for song exploita- tion favors distrlbs at a time when many have gone the limit on Invest- ment in high-budgeied pictures with music. Move Is regarded as likely - to be one ot most favorable factor* in meeting constant demands from exhibs for pre^Id product. Majority of distribs have lately become strongly Tadio - conscious, many setting up special departments to exploit via the ether mediunn in recent months, but have been con- fined to by-ways since the ASCAP- radio breach. Inability to plug songs from picture musicals has adiiiitted- ly been a serious drawback In'prop- erly merchandising product of this type. Musical trailers, recordings for (Continued on page 16) Reistnan to Guatemala, Lopez Maybe to Brazil Leo Reisman's band goes on one of the longest and most expensive one-nighters any band ever took next week. Outfit will leave Mon- day (10) for Guatemala City, Guate- mala, where it will play for an affair given by the Guatemalan govern- ment Nov. 22. Latter Is paying some- where between. $15,000-$18,000 In transportation, living expenses and (Continued on page 61) Inside Stuff on New Daily's Forthcoming Battle vs. Chi Tnb One of the most unorthodox stunts of Its unorthodox career was pulled by the Chicago Times last week with the start ot a series giv- ing the background for what prom- ises to be American journalism's most titanic battle—the effort of Marshall Field III to. establish an a.m. paper In 6pposltIon 4o Cot Robert R. McCormlck's Chicago Tribune. 'Ihowdown at'lunup' Is the tag put on the Times' series, written by city editor Bruce Grant. Grant es- timates that Field and McCormick each has an income ot from fS,- 000,000 to. 110,000,000 a year, giving them an equal store ot treasure to fight the impending battle ot the (Continued on page 65) Extras Their Own Angels For H'wood Showcasing Hollywood, Nov. 4. Actors Cooperative Theatre, • group of 22 film extras,.puts on Its first stage play, 'Hollywood Mirage,' tomorrow (Wed.) at the Troupers theatre. Idea is patterned after the former Croup Theatre in"New York. Membership Is confined to regis- tered extras, with each contributing equally to the cost ot production. Motive is to call the attention ot film producers and directors to th* talent in their own studios. Play Is authored by Richard Aarons and di- rected by Zclla Young, each of whom chips in the same amount as the -ac- tors.