Variety (Dec 1941)

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SCREEN RADIO MUSIC STAGE Publlataed Wagkly at 1(4 W«>t iSth Street, New York, N. T., by Variety, Inc. Annual aubiicrlptlon, 110. SInile coplea 25 centa. Entered u Becona-class matter December 22, 1905, at tbe Poat ORlce at Nev York, N Y.. under the act at Uarch 3, COPTBIGHT, Wt, BT VABIETT, IKC. AIJ. RIGHTS RESERTJED 1J179. VOL. 144 NO. 13 NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 3. 1941 PRICE 25 CENTS ASCAP FEUD MO THE OPEN Pic Stu£o Tool Shops WiD Turn Out War Material for U.$. on Night Shift Bomb sights and pictures are likely to be the new production or- ' der of the day lor Hollywood's film factories. Looming lor the studios is a work day of eight hours for dear ' old Celluloid and 16 hours for Uncle Sam, at least for the machine and tool shops located at the major stu- dios here. That such a situation is in store for the Inajor lots came to light last week when film representatives called on Office of the Production Manage- ment officials in an effort to gain priority clearances on materials as vital to film productton as to de- fense production, although the former need, excei)t from a morale standpoint, can't be considered as pressing in these days. After explaining studios needs, film representatives were let in on the fact that the Government had been eyeing the studio shops as a possibility for defense work for some time. Practically every lot Is equipped with extensive machine ■ (Continued on page 62) Jean Teimyson Singing On Celanese Air Show; Her Boss Is Her Hubby Perhaps for the first time in net work radio the wife of the president of a sponsoring company will have a regular spot on her husband's pro- gram when the Celanese Corp.'s musical series takes over a half-hour on CBS Wednesday, Jan, 7. She is Jean Tennyson, one-time. Ziegteld Follies girl, who after her marriage to Dr. Camllle Dreyfus, head of the Celanese Corp. of America, went in for grand opera. She appeared with the Chicago Civic Opera Co. in the mid 30s. Miss Tennyson is a soprano. Yoimg tc Rubicam, agency on the account. Is in process of fecrulting an operatic cast, which will serve as a stock company, and a symphony conductor. Among those named as probable members of the troupe is Jan Peerce, now a member of the Metropolitan Opera Co. Whiteman WiU Preem Mickey Rooney's Symph San Francisco, Dec; 2. Mickey Sooney, who has had sev eral pop songs published, has also composed a symphony which Paul Whiteman will baton around the holidays. The Metro film star and the maestro have been talking it over in San Francisco, where White, man played the Palace hotel' last week. The conductor will include a har- monica section as part of the con cert orchestra for Rooney's symph, ■ and the Four Polka Dots, from radio will probably do the mouthorgan honors. • - • Clipping Her Wings Hollywood, Dec. 2. Angel stiiif being forbidden in pictures shown in England, Metro is shooting two versions of 'I Married An Angel.' Studio is getting around Brit- ish verbotens by taking wings off Jeanette MacDonald's shoul- ders and^octoring dialog. Mexico, Cuba Pnsh Each Other's Singers Around In Discourtesy Dnd Mexico City, Dec. 2. Though Cuba has not been very kind, officially, to some. Mexican radio and other performers, a recent case of this brusqueness being the thrusting into a concentration camp of Tona la Negra, well-regarded warbler, because, it was alleged, her immigration papers were not in order, Mexican showfolk have com- plained to the Ministry of the In- terior against what amounted to the bum's rushing out of Mexico of Alejandro Rodriguez, Havana radio singer. Rodriguez entered Mexico about 18 months ago under contract with local radio station XEW. He was a smash hit. He was relaxing in a nitery when immigration inspectors grabbed him recently on the ground that he had overstayed his residence permit. PIC STARS ON TOUR TO BALLY SAVINGS BONDS Washington, Dec. I. Boosting the sale of United States savings bonds and stamps is the fln-t duty of all film stars going out on personal appearance tours, under the new policy adopted by the Studio Publicity Directors, following an agreement with Howard O. Mills of the U. S. Treasury Department Policy is that each star on tour will.make at least one plea for the financial sustenance of national de- fense. Action of the Publicity Direc- tors was commended for its patriotic work by Will H. Hays, chief of the Motion Picture Producers & Distrib- utors. Grant's 160G WB Pic Hollywood, Dec. 2. . Cary Grant's per picture coin hits stratospheric heights in Warners' 'Arsenic and Old Lace.' He draws $180,000 for his six-week stin^, and if the picture goes beyond that period he gets an additional $23,000 per week. a BUCK FLAYS PUBLISe FOES Songwriter* Give Their Presi- dent Rising Vote of Confi- dence — Publishers, Who Had Demanded His Resig- nation, Remain Seated DEFEND 'HATCHET MEN' By BEN BODEC Members of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Pub- lishers gathered at the Astor hotel, N. Y., Monday afternoon (1) for their semi-annual meeting and be- fore they got around to discussing amendments they were treated to a bitter brawl in personalities. Pres- ident Gene Buck, who started the pyrotechnics with an attack on sev- eral publisher-directors for trying to .get him to resign, was frequently cheered during the proceedings and he obtained a rising vote- of con- fidence even though most of the (Continued on page 50) BARS BARRING BARKEEPTUNE Irv Carroll's ,'Bartender Song,' which hit the Bluebird best seller list last week soon after it was re- leased, is getting an unusual reaction from bar-situated machines where it's popular with customers. Tavern owners have forced its removal from a number of coin boxes In the N. Y. area because of complaints from bar- tenders, about whom the tune is written. There are a couple of lines in the (Continued on page 63) Equit/s Special Comforts for Its Members in Army Actors Equity, through a special inner group, is taking concrete steps to add to theTcomforts of members currently serving in the United States armed services. Project has been under consideration for some time, but this week started moving. At Equity's council meeting yes- terday (Tuesday) it was proposed and voted that a copy of 'Variety' be sent weekly to each and every member of Equity presently serving (Continued on page 63)' Mark Woods or Edgar Kobak May Head Independent NBC Blue Network Got Religioa? . The Santa Claus season in the department stores hai begun, and one of the most popular phoney Kris Krlngles in N. Y. was one of the topflight boot- leggers in the Broadway sector during prohibition. He's currently in his second season' in a major Fifth avenue emporium) and has already re- ceived a verbal option for '42. U.S. Hunts $250,000 Possibly Cached By Willie Bioff in SA Hunt for $250,000, believed to have been cached by Willie Bloff, is being carried on by Federal agents, wlio are checking Coast banks and their connections in South America to de- termine if Bioff has buried some of that coin south of the border. Bioff is known to have made a hur- ried trek to South America after the settlement of the studio strike in 1937, whei^' huge sums of money changed hands. Under the laws down there, all moneys in safe deposit boxes are protected against outside claims, even it the depositor is an alien. The chase is going on, not only in California, but in Chicago, where Bioff maintained his head- quarters before he muscled in on the studios. METRO MUGGED INTO ADDITIONAL f250,000 Hollywood, Dec. 2. When rushes of''Panama Hattle' showed Red Skelton, Rags Ragland and Ben Blue all trying to outmug each other in ^enes which the stu- dio viewed with chagrin, Metro added another $250,000 or better to the original production cost of $850,- 000 and called in Mary McCall, Jr., to do a partial rewrite. Many sequences already shot will be missing from the picture and new bits by Miss McCall inserted. Nor- man McLeod, who directed, will handle additional footage. 'Gloomy Gus' Era? Chicago, Dec. 2. Order has gone out to all Hearst newspaper photogs not to bring in plates with subjects smiling. One lenser was called on the carpet for shooting a $100 prize winner with a happy - phiz. Shutter lads can't quite figure out what the 'chief is driving at unless it's grimness of the country at pros- pect of war and itii Match tax clip, which are both pet Hearst hates. The first of an expected number of important steps involving the future corporate policies and high person- nel of the National Broadcasting Co. were made last week. Still uncon- firmed but increasingly probable if the segregation from top to bottom of the Blue network imder the pres- idency of either Mark Woods or Ed- gar Kobak. Elevations of one sort or. another are In line for both men. The Blue cleavage may even go to the extent of separate premises, switchboards, officers and name. The Secretary of State at Albany has meantime been requested by NBC to reserve the title of United Broad- casting System. The various changes already mads or pending awaited for some time ^ upon the return from Hawaii and California of David Samoff, head of the Radio Corporation of America.;- One legal question still to be de- cided is whether the Blue, when set up as a separate entity, would bs subsidiary to RCA, as such, or NBC, as such. In the former event Marks and Kobak would report directly to Sarnoil. In the latter event they, would presumably report to Niles Trammell and Frank Mullen and (Continued on page 27) KNX Forbids Use of Anti-Hitter Material, Sponsor Pouts Over to KHJ Hollywood, Dec. 2. Suppression by KNX of a contro- versial script by Eugenia Clair Flatto, commentator, resulted In th« sponsor. Presidential Silver Co„ maker of trophies and cups, moving the program to KHJ. Station cracked down when Miss Flatto sought to base her broadcast on th* book, 'Hitler Cannot Conquer Russia.' Incident is similar to that which caused Jimmle Fldler to pull out and move over to KHJ several weeks ago before his sponsor with- drew from the air. He also rebelled against the close blue-penciling by the KNX censors. Elsa, Who's No Flyweight, Selling Reducing Ry-Krisp Ralston Co. has bought a quarter- hour evening period, 10-10:15 on th* NBC-Blue Fridays to plug its Ry- Krisp brand. Elsa Maxwell, who Is no flyweight, has been booked to head the program and she will do a- party-line idea, including chatter about herself and gossip about Hol- lywood, Broadway and cafe society. Graham McNamee is also set for th* stanza. ^ i Starting date Is Jan. 2 and Gard- ner is the aftency.