Variety (Jan 1942)

52 LEGITIMATE Wednesday, January 28, 1942 Cecelia Acer Proflllne Reorganization of the PM staff has resulted in the shifting of Cecelia Ager from the post of aim critic to leature writer, and the resignation of Elizabeth Hawes, fashion editor. Jack McManus, editor olU- PM's amusement and radio sections, will do film reviews in the future. Louise Levitas continues as second- string critic, and Louis Kronenberger as legit o.o.er. Mrs. Ager has been film critic since the founding of the Marshall Field paper 18 months ago. In her new spot she'll do profiles and inter- views several times weekly, the type of copy she was writing for 'Variety' when she resigned to join the PM staff. Miss Hawes' resignation results from publisher Ralph Ingersoll's efforts to have her get away from fashions and, like Mrs. Ager, do Interviews and general features. She with her other work as a designer and writer for other publications. Encourage Publishers Encouragemertt to newspaper pub- lishers in this year of curtailed ad- vertising due to war switchovers ■was given during the 67th annual meeting of the Michigan Press Asso- ciation at Lansing, Mich. S. M. Wil- liams, press relation counsel for-the National Association of Food Chains, announced that advertising appro- priations of his clients for 1942 would be as large as last year des- _pite,AJeclioe of bjislneffl_anticipated_ for some types of outlets. William A. Palrner, representing petroleum industries, added that there would be no 1942 curtailment in these lines although distributors oi gasoline and motor oils would place less stress on their products and more on 'service ,to the cus- tomer.' It also was added by other business authorities that many com- panies, although cut off from sales at this time because they are en- gaged In war work, would use some form of newspaper advertising to keep the name and prestige of their peacetime products alive. While the publishers of the larger papers saw themselves weathering th« wartime economy in fair ^ape, the owners of less affluent weeklies- and dailies foresaw a difficult struggle for existence as men were drawn off for service and more lu- crative industrial work, dwindling advertising, newsprint shortages and more costly operating costs gener- ally. though it still carries less linage than any other paper. Runner-up for low amount of advertising is the Journal- American, with 669,000 lines in De- cember, against the Postis 600,000. News led with 1,419,000 and the Times was second (1,141,000). Of the Sunday papers, Times led in total advertising (830,000 lines) and also in amount of loss from last year (206,300 lines). Total newspaper linage through- out the country for 1941 was the greatest since 1937, Media Records reported. Increase was 3.57o over 1940. Every classiflcation but auto- mobiles was on the upbeat. Automo- tive advertising showed a 9% drop for the year, with a 20% fall in the mon^ of December. Click's Eds Quit - The three (op-ranking editors of Click mag resigned en masse yester- day (Tuesday) in a dispute with the comics to Stag mag. Charles Lee collabbed. Building housing the Herbert, Saskatchewan, Herald was com- pletely destroyed by;^re of unknown origin recently and publication had to be suspended. Robert B. Choate, formerly assist- ant general manager, has been named publisher of the Boston Herald- Traveler. Choate haS been the nominal head of the papers during the iUness of E. W, Preston, general manager, who died recently. Cyrus L. Sulzberger, N. Y. Times war correspondent in Russia and thia. Near East, and a nephew of Times' publisher Arthur Hays Sulz- berger, was married last week (21) in Beirut, Syria, to Marina Lada. Miss Lada is a sister-in-law of Alex- ander Sedgwick, former Times cor- respondent in 'Athens. Sulzberger traveled from Kuibyshev to Beirut for the wedding. Herman Leibert, formerly with Paul Block publishing headquarters in New York, who was to have joined editorial staff of Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, a Block sheet, last week, changed his mind at last min- J^rlii^^r'l^^iril^^ and joined stafT of C^oV W. P. nenberg recently hired an industrial designer, Walter Dorwin Teague, to redesign the picture mag, and it was his idea to switch it from the gen- eral to the women's field. Editors objected to the change. Those who resigned were editor M. Robert Rogers, managing editor AUtin Chase and picture editor Fred Arkus. Staff member, John Whiting, becomes acting editor. Mag, a little more than five years old, had been losing money, as it carried virtually no advertising, although it rated next to Life and Look in cir- culation:—Tealgne-HSires-thrTihange- in policy will enable it to cash in on heavy advertising garnered by women's mags. Sentence Canadian Editor Charles C. Stuart, 64, editor of the Blaine Lake, Sask., Echo, a weekly newspaper, was convicted recently of violating the national war services regulations and was sentenced to nine months in jail. On another charge of resisting an officer when two Royal Canadian.Mounted Police were sent to bring" him into court, Stuart was ordered to pay a $50 fine with the alternative of a month In jail to run concurrently with the first sentence. It was alleged that Stuart, in ar- ticles appearing in his paper, at- tempted to dissuade members of the Doukhobor sect from performing work in lieu of military service. Stuart is now at liberty pending ap peal. WiK. Scribes with O.F.F. Many w.k. newspaper .and maga- zine writers during the past couple weeks have joined the Office of Facts and Figures, which was ex- panded under Presidential order to establish a uniform policy for Gov- ernment press and radio news re- leases and to compile and issue gen- eral Government news. Bureau of-Production (writing) of the OSJF. is headed by Martin Somecs, former associate editor of the'Saturday Evening Post. Director of Media Liaison is Ulrlc Bell, former Washington correspondent of the Louisville (Hurler - Journal Writers include Allen Grover, former v.p. of Time, Inc.; Robert Kintner, former Washington columnist; Henry Prtogel, Pulitzer prize-winning biographer; Malcolm Cowley, former editor of the New Republic; Milton Mackaye, mag writer; Charles Poore, for many years one of two daily book reviewers for the N. Y. Times; Edgar Ansel Mowrer, foreign corre- spondent for the' Chicago Daily News; PhilUp P. Hanburger, of the New Yorker; and Samuel Lubell, writer for the SEPost and Reader's Digest Dallies' Ad Linage Dp Conclusion of the first month of U. S. participation in the war found all New York dailies—except the World-Telegram — with appreciable advertising lineage Increases 'over the previous Delember, according to Media Record figures. On the other hand, all Sunday' papers but the -jQurnal-American .fell off In linage. They formerly got a heavy share of automobile advertising, which Is now, of course, virtually absent In the weekday tabulation, Jour- nal-American showed the heaviest gain, with more- than 100,000 lines above December, 1940. Next heaviest gainer was the Post (93,000 llQgs), which has been showing a heavy Increase in advertising volume Mck «Mitt' In mm* ttm* now, al- Morehonse's Tonr Featnrcs Ward Morehouse's tour of the country for a series of daily feature stories on the country at war' has been extended until around March 1, when he'll return to N.Y. Articles, pubUshed In the N.Y. Sun, are being syndicated by. North American Newspaper Alliance. Morehouse Is now considering the seriis as a basis for a book. (Wild Bill) Donovan in Washington instead. Demand More -Continued from page LITEBATI OBITS F. J. McCarthy, 68, with Hearst newspapers for 30 years, an editor with variCus Hearst papers, died in New York, Jan. 20. William Alexander Percy, 56, law- yer, author of three volumes of poetry and the autobiographical best seller, 'Lanterns on the Levee,' died in Greenville, Miss., Jan. 21. deorge A. Sohrelner, 66, Near East correspondent, for Associated Press In World 'Vfar 1, died in Day- tona Beach, Fla., Jan. 21. Allan M. Bock, 80, editor and pub- lisher for 64 years, died in Balleford, Sask., recenUy. For a time he was with the Regina (£esk.) Leader-Post and then he edited and published the Landls. (Sask.) Record for 20 years. George Wright, 64, died In Van- couver, B. C, recently. For the past fouir years he wrote a daily column for the Vancouver News-Herald. Walter L,. Longley, 52, assistant Sunday editor of the-Detroit News, died in Detroit Jan. 25. r Joseph S. Wasney, 44, an United Press editor and correspondent since 1920, died in Glendale. Md., near Washington, D. C, Jan. 25. Fannie S, Newberry, 03, novelist, died in Coldwater, Mich., Jan. 24. , liigher percentage' of straight plays in comparison to variety entertain- ment. There are only two leglters ('Out of the Frying Pan' and 'Junior Miss') among the 25 CSI units now touring. There will be no new units of any kind for the remainder of this ^easom ' — ■ —- Abe Lastfogel, chief of CSI pro- ductions, declared Monday (26) that long-range plans now in mind for next fall envisage perhaps one- fourth of the shows being leglters, 'It must be remembered, however, that this Is no pork-barrel project,' Lastfogel asserted. 'And to provide maximum ' entertainment we must have .various types of shows. The number of legitimate plays we Can present Is definitely limited by that consideration.' TInlts Around Bands The endeavor to add variety will see the addition of one or two units built around name or semi-name bands, said Lastfogel, to provide presentations 'similar to those that have proved so popular at the New York Paramount and Strand. There also again will have to be all-Negro 'units, Hollywood units and concert units, CSI chief pointed out, One objection of CSI to the le giters is that only one performance can be given each evening, while other shows give two performances. It has proved too wearing on legit players to give more than a single session nightly. Because the stage plays are presented only once an evening. It is impossible to compare their attendance records with those of the variety shows. ' Attendance generally has been higher at the leglters than at the vaude for any single performance. However, as the result of the two shows, vaude units entertain a greater total number of boys per night. Audience reaction to the le- glters has been very good. Legit Attendances Attendance figures on perform- ances of 'Frying Pan' between Jan. 5 and 16 (with house capacities in parentheses) were: 827.(1,008). 445 (1,008), 801 (898), 719 (1,038), 822 (1,038), 836 (1,038), 414 (1,036), 353 (1,082) and 361 (1,082). At 'Junior Miss' from opening date, Jan. 12, until Jan, 17, attend- ance was:,785 (1,038), 472 (1,038), 883 (863), 1,107 (1.038), 756 (1,038) and 651 (1,038). Plays on Broadway ^continued from page SO; LILY OF THE VALLEY steals it and kills the' missionary. Cops quickly solve the homicide the next morning. Seems that an actor like Siegfried Rumann, who plays Sven, Is'wasted in such a- play. Myron McCormick, who Is co-featured with him, Is one of the dead ones believing he is still an agitator and tries to organize the stiffs, but thpt sort of stuff doesn't make sense. Minnie Dupree, as an old woman who had jumped from a window, has the longest speech, tell- ing of her misery before and after she became a scrubwoman, Richard Taber is a thief who died in his cell. Alison Skipworth is the old prostie, her part being a bit. Katharine Bard is the girl snuffed out when a guy near her room took the gas route. Clay Clement Edmund Dorsey, Da- vid Kerman, as cops, are suited to the parts, as Is Joseph Pevney, the cameraman. Will Lee Is a screwball killer. Author may have some sort of mes- sage, bvit there is too much-misery In his work, some of which Is bias- phemous. Xbee. ALL IN FAVOR Comedy In thne actj, four scenea. by Louis Hoffman and Don Hortman. Pro- duced by Elliott Nugent. Robert MontRom- ery and Jeae Duncan; BtAROd by Nugent; nettlnff by Samuel Love. At Henry Miller's theatre, N. T., Jan. 20. '42. W.80 top. Tony T Ralph Brooke Wnctc Wack (Horry McDougnJ) Raymond Roe Weasol Arnold Slang Flip Bob Readick Marco (Lover)...' Leslie Barrett Mr. Piper Prank ConK-tn .p«AW«a-(Edsu. MoDov!lBlll.j_iTonrtiiy_Lowl» Helon....... GlorTa mhHK' Jean Claire Froncea Cynthia Francos Hollln Blxby J. C. Nugent Gorman ..James R. Waters Orncer Callahan Barry Antrim Radio Voices— The Professor Mlltoci Herman Snsha Hank Wolf Myron , Freddie Oeffen Raymond Qeorge Spclvln. Jr. Toung Lady ~. .Joy Gorfen CHATTER Sergeant Roger B. Doulens, former radio editor of Soiith Norwalk (Conn.) Sentinel, ordered to Offi- cers Training' School, Fort Monroe, Va. ' AI Schwartzberg, p.a. in the of- fice of Bill Doll and Sam Friedman, has sold a satire on radio and vaude 'Native Son' Toq Serious For MVkee, Does $7,000 Milwaukee, Jan. 27. While comedies in local legit houses have been doing capacity business, the town apparently Is in no mood for the more serious drama. 'The Or- son Welles Mercury Theatre produc- tion, 'Native Son,' with Canada Lee, in spite of raves from the critics, grossed only an estimated $7,000 in its six nights and two matinees at the^Davidson theatre (I7B0) at $2.20 top >ldst week. . ^ -. Thirteen Gaessea A well known and expensive vocal teacher in N. Y. recently placed an ad listing his pupils to draw pros- pective students. The ad stated when these artists started to study with him, and without exception every one was on the down grade within a year of their first lesson, ■ •• t ■> > ; /.It-/ !,»;■■ Audience vote on 'All In Favor' Is a strong negative. Turns out to be one of the most trying evenings in the theatre this season. Whatever distinction there Is to the piece is in its sponsorship. Elliott Nugent Robert Montgomery and Jesse Duncan are the producers, and Nugent did the staging. Louis Hoff- man and Don Hartman are the authors. Action takes place in a single set- ting, representing headquarters of a boys' club in the Washington Heights section. Band of unruly adolescents, not too careful about its choice of language, promotes a picnic with young girl friends, becomes involved in mild grand larceny over a $200 ring, which is pawned for $30, and at the final curtain bails itself out of trouble when the youngest of its members wins a radio quiz jack-pot It's that bad. Staging Is mostly roughhouse, and the acting hysterical. J. C. Nugent and Frank Conlan are the only adult players, each with scarcely more than a bit None of the children had any chance with his assignments. FItn. (Withdrawn Saturday after seven performances; printed for the record.) THE GREEN TABLE and H. M. S. PINAFORE Joons Ballet Dance Theatre In revival of 'The Qreen Table,' dance drama In eight scones by Kurt Jooss; muslo by Frederic Cohen; costumes by H, Heokroth. Death Rolf Alexander Ths.Standard-Bearer. Jack Oansert The Old Soldier Jack Skinner The Woman Bunty Slack The Old Mother Eva Leokatroem The Toung Soldier Henry Shwarz The Toung. Qlrl Noolle de Mosa The Profiteer Hans ZuUlit The Qentlemen In Black, Soldiers and Women: Joy Bolton-Carter,- Alfredo Cor- vlno, Luoas Hovlnga. Lydia Kocers. Allda Mennon. Lavlna Nielsen, Peter Michael, .Maya Rovlda, Henry Shiran. Bunty Black, Ulla Socderbaum, Richard O. Wyntt. Marguerite de Aiiguera, Jack Duni*iy, Elsa Kaht. Revival of 'H. it, 8. Pinafore,' libretto by Sir William S, Ollbert, score by Sir Arthur Sullivan. Sung by the Boston Comlo Opera Co.; staged by R. H. Bum- side; Louis Rroll, musical director. Pre- sented as dual program at- St. James, N, T., Jan. 21-, '42; «.20 top. The Rt. Hon. Sir Joseph Porter _ , . - Ploronz Ames Captain Corooran Bertram Peacock Ralph Rackstraw Morton Bowe 2}?}' DfOiloyo. ...„.„■, Robert Pllkin Bill Bobslay Frederic Pereson Bob Bccket Edword Piatt Tommy Tucker.. .Master Arthur Henilerson Josephine Kathleen Roche Cousin Hebe Margaret Roy Little Buttercup , Helen Lanvin The fact that the Jooss Ballet hails from England, whence sprang also the operetta, 'H. M. S. Pinafore,' seems sufficient reason In some show- manship quarters for combining a presentation of the former's 'The Green Table' with a revival of the Gilbert and Sullivan masterpiece. That both have to'do in a subtle way with the military Is an alter-thought, apparently. Neither Is keyed to J sharpen the war spirit or propa- gandize the sale of war bonds and stamps. " One must shut out the world of reality on entering the St. Jame^ theatre for a two-hour session with this duet of make-believers. Meas. ' ured strictly by entertainment standards, it's a passable and mildly - enjoyable program. Particularly at the admission scale of $2.20 too There's plenty for the eye, as the • Jooss organization is large and agile and the Boston Co'mic Opera Co is' enlisted at full strength of British tars, sisters, cousins and aunts for 'Pinafore.' The Green Table' has been per. formed frequently, since the initial presentation at the Forrest theatre in Nov. 1933. It came here with the prestige of first prize at a ballet com- petition in Paris, in 1932. Conceived ' by Kurt Jooss, with music by Fred- eric Cohen and costuming by H, Heckroth, it Is an eight-part preach- ment against the humah forces whldi wage war for profit In the light of the events leading to the present world struggle, the theme of 'The Green Table,' which attributes war- - fare to stupid diplomacy and finan- ' cial greed. Is slightly dated and In need of revision. More timely,.It would seem, would be the theme that the gentlemen In black who sit around the |reen table and gesticu- late for their own amazement are only automatons of more sinister overlords. Popular convictions have changed on ttiese matters in the past decade. Dlpolmacy can be conducted on the highest scale of national honor,, but two must play the game of decency. It U an interesting ballet not- withstanding. Good terping is done by the ensemble, led by Rolf Alex- ander, Bunty Slack and Noelle de -Mosa. '-^ — - --— ■- Current revival of Tinafore' Is handsomely staged and colorfully costumed. R. H. Burnside, a spe- clalLst in such matters, keeps the ac> tlon lively. The Bostonians are lack- ing, however, in principals who pos- sess the singing talent required by the score. For all its familiarity, tha Sullivan music demands some top voices. The chorus Is good. ^ Sponsors for the Jooss-Savoyard combination plan to continue the en- gagement through March, with change of bill every two weeks. Rep- ertory will include most of the Jooss numbers, G. 4c S. selections are 'The Mikado,' 'Pirates of Penzance,' 'lo- lanthe,' and The Gondoliers.' Flin, Foreign Play WARN THAT MAN London, Dec. 24. New ploy In three acts by Vernon Syl- valne, presented by O'Bryen. LInnIt ft Dunfce, Ltd.: directed by Richard Bird. At Oarrick theatre, London. Lord Buckley Stanloy Qroome Francos Lane Judy KoIIy Mellows Ocorge Self Brant Rod McPheraon Conway...., Rosan>und Paget Johnny Cooper Max Adrloa Leonard Fletcher i Jimmy CwUen George Hawkins Gordon Marker Joe Twining Snm Lyions Kate Ellicl Coleridge Membera of Fifth Columnists' Gang: Dnsll Rndtonl (Leader), Percy Parsons, Goorgo JHIIford, Veronica Roie, Halalan Crini- mine and Herbert Rouen. Some dozen or so years ago, Edgar Wallace produced a melodrama with a Cockney character role played by Gordon Harker, who scored a huge success In the fat part Since then the actor has risen to stardom, but always In variations of the same role. It Is now beginning to be a bit threadbare, and despite 'Vernon Syl- valne's effort to incorporate it promi- nently In the present production, the mechanics are becoming too notice- able. Its success is extremely doubt- ful. 'Warn That Man' Is a reasonably good thriller of topical interest It Is based on" the itJea'of Hun spies becoming familiar with the weekend visits of a Cabinet member to_a country house outside London. The "prominent Cabinet Minister' is ob- viously the Prime Minister, and the ingenious machinations of the sinis- ter-murderous gang is intensely ab- sorbing. But whenever it gets going nicely, out bursts Harker once roor^ with the Cockney wisecracking with which he Is so indelibly identified, and the plot remains static until the star relieves himself of half a dozen or so of these burps. Then the audi- ence Is expected to resume its in- terest. . All of U admirably produced and cast JO'"- Porozoff Peddles Fisk Chicago, Jan. 27. Charlie Flsk orchestra goes to Mu- sic Corp. of America, in deal set through personal rep, Nick Porozoff. Latter, press agent for Russ Mor- gan orchestra, made . his personal contract with Fisk in Kansas City two weeks ago. . Fisk orchestra, which originated at the University of Missouri, goes inW the Indiana Roof, Indianapolis, this week for an indef stay.