Variety (Nov 1941)

MISCELLANY Wednesdaj, November 5, I94I Impresario^ 1941 By HARBT FUCK There was a time when shows produced had showmen to produce 'em, Today it's food or medicine or beer to introduce 'em. •The Princess' had a lot of hits—recall Comstock & Gesl? They've been supplanted by 'Gillette' because their blade Is best The name of C. B. Dillingham meant glory to an actor. But now 'Wheaties' or' 'Welch Grape Juice' is the factor. The names of George M. Cohan and Sam rfarris on a play Meant something—but no more; it's 'Barbasol' today. Remember Colonel Savage?—what a showman you'll agree But now the show's presented by the well known Lipton's Tea. The first night of a Ziegfeld show had glamour in its scenes, The only glorifying now is done by 'Campbell's Beans.' It used to be producers who 'produced,' you can't deny But nowadays the query is, 'Who's it sponsored by?' Joe E. Brown's Comeback Hawkes, Dreyfus, Jacbon, Ephraim Dlipper to London; RKO Execs to Coast By GEOBGE FBOST The saga of show business' big boz in Britain had another paragraph, added to its many lines last week when Ralph Kawkes, managing di- rector of the British music publish- ing firm of Boosey & Hawkes, Ltd., and representative in the United States of the British Performing Rights Society, and Louis Dreyfus, major domo, of the Chappell Co., Ltd., lyric publishing contingent, left LaGuardia Airport, New York, aboard the Yankee Clipper to re- turn to their native heath. Hawkes, although he has been run- ning around Gotham these last six months, keeping a weather eye on the bout between ASCAP and the radio networks in the Interests of the British Society, declared that every report he has had from Eng- land has been a "very cheery one." Songs are selling like the proverbial cakes and 'business Is better than It has been in many years,'.Hawkes re- lated as Dreyfus nodded in agree- ^ inent New markets have been created, too, it was stated, with the various British publishers dusting off songs almost forgotten by pre- war Englishmen' but suddenly de- manded by hordes.' With Dreyfus was his daughter, 'Valli, and' his wife, Jeanne, who has written many ^pular British tiines. L. H. Jackson BctnrBs Alioard the same flying crate was Louk H. Jackson, chainnan and gov- erning director of the Anglo-Amer- can Film Corp, returning to London after a four-week visit during which he peddled a film, 'Pimpernel Smith,' starring Iieslie Howard, through United Artists release. This week's outbound Atlantic Clipi^r carried, among Its trippers, Lee Ephraim, British legit producer resnonsible for the showing here of 'All Men Are Alike,* -who was re- turning to give Londoners- a looksee at an AnWo version of 'Panama Hat- tie,' .and Erit O, Knight, Britth au- thor of. 'This. Above All' and 'The I"Jvin<( Yorkshlreman.' Knight, who was mildly amused at -B .voung reporter's "What have you written, Mr. Knight,' said he was gO' fn^ back to the .Merry 'Ole becluse It is too: peaceful here.' Also on the Atlantic's iiianifest was the' musical crew of Ray Gorrell, heading to make music at the R.A.F. ball in Bermuda. Gorrell exploded two press agentrles that had been pa'Ssed around prior lo his departure. He denied that he was to pocket the tremendous fee ($10,000) that his enthusiastic paragraph-placer had declared was his. He also debunked the tale that he and his crowd were just goini? to the Coral Isle for the jjall. as they will stay over an extra week or so making music at a Ham- ilton hotel. BKO Execs to Coast To Los Angeles and the RKO stu- dios Friday (31) went a flvesome from the New York offices. The group inducted Ned Depinet, v.p. in charge of sales; S. Barret Mc- Cormick,. nublidty and advertising director; Terry Turner, exploitation director; Charles Koemer, RKO^s theatre chief, and William H. ' Schneider, Donahue & Coe agency account executive. The United Air liners of the week also toted Allen Jenkins back to L. A., W.. H. Heine- man, of Universal, to Seattle on a biz trip; Lilian Harvey, the English ctar, Hollywood bound after some eight weeks , in Li^Guardiaville fol- Bob Hope on Discs RCA-'Victor records has signed Bob Hope to a four-side contract to record for its Victor label. Comedian will cut two tunes from a forthcom- ing picture, and two others, none of which has been selected. It's Hope's first shot at recordings. NEW YEAR'S EVE BIZ ON B'WAY OYER WEEKEND All show biz boomed over the weekend on Broadway, with the largest influx for the four big college football gamies! and the ZIvic-Robiii- son fight. Most particularly did the niteries enjoy New'Year's eve trade. The bull market'had its vagaries, such as Iieon Sc Eddie's ^ minimum Saturday night, to the abnormal in- flux of Notre Dame youngsters to Jack White's Club 18, with result that most of 'em didn't savvy the flip 52d street comedian's jive. Hotel rooms with name bands were run- ning at capacity and over. McPbail WiH Uve Hollywood, Nov. 4. Douglas McPhail,' singer under contract at Metro, is recovering from a suicide try in Los Angeles. He took poison after penning a note to his divorced wife, Betty Jaynes, also a film warbler. » Par's Toroher Sa(a Hollywood, Nov. 4. Life of Helen Morgan is listed for filming at Paramount early next year. B. G. DeSylva, who wrote the songs for Miss Morgan's first Blroad- way show, 'Scandals,' is supervising the script Hollywood, Nov. 4. Joe E. Brown returned to pictures o. a horse yesterday (Mon.) after a long absence as a result of an auto- mobile crash. Picture is 'Shut My Big Mouth,' a dude ranch comedy at Columbia, produced-by Robert Sparks and di- rected by Charles Barton. AHORNEY NIZER'S 1% CLAM ON LEN WARREN Handing over 25% of his gross in- come for 10 years to Louis Nizer, for legal and booking services, was too much for opera-radio warbler I,eon- ard Warren. So he broke his con- tract with the attorney. Now Nizer is suing him for $25,825. Nizer and Warren (formerly Warc- noff) entered into -the 25% agree- ment in April, 1937, and Warren cancelled It two years later. Dur- ing that period he earned $3,300, of which Nizer wants his 25 7o or $82$. He's seeking $25,000 additional., as damages for the sum he might have reaped-out of Warren's income dur- ing the remaining eight years of the pact According to the contract, the at- torney not only was to rep him leg- ally,., but Jfpr the purpose of further- ing his career and obtaining book- ings in various theatrical fields for outlet of his talents.' O'Brien, Dris- coll tt Raftery, counsel for Warren, in their answer to Nizer's complaint, claim that the attorney was acting as an employment agent and had no license to do so, so the contract was invalid. Only coin Warren was not re- quired to split with Nizer was the $35 a week he was making at the time of the contract's execution as a member' of the Radio City Music Hall's Glee Club. Other Income listed during the two-year period was Metropolitan Opera, $1,200; Sta- tion WOR, $1,300; New York Phil- harmonic, $500; Consolidated Edison, $200, and other engagements, $100. Streamlining the M^dcains Hollywood, Nov. 4. Mexican characters on the screen must not be villainous,' ridiculous or poverty-stricken, under a new ruling announced south of the "bor- der and relayed to the film makers of Hollywood. Celluloid Mexes will be handsome,, solvent and upright citizens, or the government censor down there will get busy with his official shears. If bandits, peons or other imdesliable characters are portrayed on the screen, the scenes must be laid in some imaginary country. Department of the' Interior is reported burning over the portrayal of objectionable Mexicans in the Metro picture, 'Billy the Kid', which It banned r^ntly. THE BERLE-LNG POINT By Milton Berle What's His! a Welles Pictm-e WithoDt WeUes? Hollywood, Nov. 4. Orson Welles sent 'The Magnifi- cent Ambersons,' first of four Mer- cury productions, before the lenses at the RKO-Path'e studios, producing and directing his own screenplay of the Booth Tarkington novel. He is not acting this time. Cast is topped by Joe Gotten, Dolores Costello, Tim Holt and Ajine Baxter. Second Mercury picture for RKO release is 'Journey Into Fear,' slated to start Jan. 15. Ameche's Dresser Role ■ Hollywood, Nov. 4. Don Ameche plays /another bi- ographical role as Paul Dresser, songwriter, in 'My Gal Sal,' written by Dresser's brother, Theodore Drei- ser, for filming at 20th-Fox. Rita Hayworth plays the femme lead and Irving Cummings- directs. ABBOTT and COSTELLO National Release Week pfNovember 2Sth 'KEEP 'EM FLYING' Universal Pictura* Chase & Sanborn Hour, NBC-Red --Uhd«r'Peyifoniir MAtlatfeM^ of: EDWARD SHERMAN »♦♦»♦♦♦♦«<♦♦ ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦■♦♦♦♦♦ . ♦♦♦ MMMMM I MX J Hollywood, Nov. 4. Darryl F. Zanuck called me into his office and said, 'Berle, we've great plans for you. You're big now and getting bigger every day—why don't you diet?" They have a good system at 20th-Fox. You get a dressing room accord- ing to your importance. If you're a star, you're on the main street' A featured player, on a side street After , all, a 10-block walk from my dressing room to .the studio is good for my health. Broadway Department Best news I've heard in a long time was that George M. Cohan is on the mend. The whole gang on the Coast is pulling for you, .George, so do the best performance of your life in getting well. Broadway Rose -has decided to go glamorous after hei; stay in the bas- tille. She's petitioned .the court to legally change her name to Moron-Ica Lake. —Read-where" Gene Autry took d6wn"$28;500- for his end' at' the Madison Square Garden rodeo. (I hear 2.000 Broadway actors yelling: 'Does it pay to own a tuxedo?') T^e Theatrical Pharmacy on 46th street has gone very high-toned. An actor "can no longer eat in there until he gives them an audition. There's a certain producer of shows on Broadway who has opened and closed his fiascos so fast he's producing his next one in an umbrella. HoUywoodlana Abbott and Costello 'have played in so many service pictures they're now sporting chevrons on their tuxedos. There's a certain actor in town who's such a phoney even the electric eye he had installed for his garage doors has b fishy lopk in it. Humphrey Bogart has played In so many prison pictures they're- print- ing his dialog on police'blotters. IHaslo Department . Now that the ASCAP-Radio feud is finally settled and ASCAP music is back on the air again, what am I going to do tor 'Do You Think B.M.I, music will bring back^ etc., etc?.' Understand that the fellows who wrote 'I Don't Want to Set the World On Fire' have followed it up with a sequel called 'Fire Extinguisher, I Love You.' Mack Gordon has written so many songs about unrequited love he sleeps on a bed made out of a torch. Badio Department Just completed my second month on th^ Ballantlne Ale program, and am I happy. The sponsor told me I don't have to help deliver the product any more. Bob Hope accidentally left open the.door of the dungeon in which he keeps his writers—and one escaped to the Red Skelton program. Gypsy Rose Lee has invested moniy in a tea concern and is going on the air with a program to be called, 'Strip Teas Hour.' nantrnall DescrlDt''—^ Jitterbua: A Hot-foot in Motion . . . 'B' Picture; 'Murder!' . . . Jack Benny: Mellow Jello Fellow . . . Fibber McGce and'Afollu; Wax Wacks. Observation Department Went over to the wrestling matches at the Legion Stadium last- night and saw three other actors trying to get pointers on acting fropi the grunt and groaners. The way the leeches attach themselves to celebrities in Hollywood you'd think the celebs were walking around with perpetual black eyes. Eavesdropped at Lockheed Airport: 'She is such a cat she even carries a bottle of milk with her.' Eavesdropped at Union Depot: 'He has the first dollar he ever made— the counterfeiter.' Eavesdropped at San Pedro Harbor: 'He has the most unusual habits- he pays his bills on time.' My brother (the one who buys papers without want ads in them) has a new racket He's opened an agency that supplies guides for people who walk in their sleep. Whatever Becam.e of T Kelly, Kelty & Crompton Ting-a-Llng Four Manning Sisters The Runaway Four Ketchem & Cheatem Fun and Bubbles Afterpiece Thank Heaven we live in a country where the only call to arms we hear is the one. from our sweethearts. CUPID CONQUERS AGAIN Including British Red Tape, Priori- ties, Etc—Wcddinc In K. C. Kansas City, Nov. 4. Pamela Standish, 21-year-old British film actress ("The Prime Min- ister'), is en route from England to Kansas City to become the bride of Percy Marks, department store buy- er here. Journey climaxes an en- gagement of a year during' which Marks has furiously attempted to get his bride-to-be out of England and finally succeeded through a hail of letters, cables, telegrams and of- ficial government forms. At one time, information that 20,000 persons ahead of Miss Stand- ish in Liondon awaited passage to the United States appeared as curtains to the romance, but passage was finally granted when Miss Standish signed as guardian to Mollie Car- penter, 9-year-old niece of Dr. T. C. McHale, Kansas City resident Wedding will climax a childhood romance which ripened when Miss Standish spent three years in Amer- ica, Marks was born in England, but >hab Ueen lo (Anvetl(ia> 44 •ft^ti- Rathbone WiU Teach 'Em How via Wax Works Basil Rathbone Is making an al- bum of disks for Columbia Records to teach college and high school kids how to read poetry. Waxings will constitute part of the 'Masterpieces of Literature' series being prepared by Col under auspices of and In con- junction with the National Council of Teachers of English, Film player, who ecently received the 1941 'best male voice' award from the National Council of 'Voice Teach- ers, is. recording 'Great Themes in Poetry,' to be used as reading guides in English classes. He recently completed, also for Columbia, a three-record album of 'Peter and the Wolf,' .with Stokowski and his Youth Orch providing musi- cal background by Prokoflefl. JAHES' EBBOL BIOG Hollywood, No^. 4. A biography, of Leon Errol, by Rian James, will be on the spring publisher lists. Tome will carry the title, "Two Score.' ■ ••