Variety (Apr 1942)

SCREEN RADIO MUSIC STAGE eablliliaa Wfskir at If I W*it 4(th Streat, New Tork, H. X., br Variety, Ino. JLjinual lubKrlpUoa, llf. 01n(I* Mplti 11 ccata.. nUftd u Btcond-oIoU matttr r>«o*mbM 23, ItOS, at tb* Peat OJtIo* at Haw Tork, N, T., ondar tb*. *ot OT Hareli I, 1)7*: ' COPIBlOHT, INt, OT TABIMTT, Dfiq. AM, BIOHTS BXSEBTKD yOL. 146 No. 4 NEW YORK, WiSDNI^SDAY, APRIL 1, 1942 PRICE 25 CENTS RADIO COIN PACE STRONG Do They Need to Be Urged? . J. Walter. Thompson agency, which ■ handles the publicity account for th« dressmaking industry in New York, has joined with Irving berlin. Inc., In getting plugs for the letter's Tecent release, 'Drfess Up, baby,' The lyric urges women to keep up their appearances for morale'3'salce. . . \ Agency is not only prevailing upon baiid leaders to give the number K whirV'but i« arranging for merchants throughout the coimtry to call attention to the long through ads or window displays. - ' Exluk Want Cot Rentak on Film Product with a Patriotic Flavor Philadelphia, March 81. "Philly indie exhibs yesterday .(Monday) sent an appeal to the liiajor producers, to cut rentals of patriotic fllmi (conxmerdal,' not:the tr. S.ritnade defense product) 'In ,oi:deir"that they rtay obtain the widest possible showing.' The appeal was "cent to the heads of the eight m'ajors follqwiiig a mass' fneetlng at the Hotel,\Broadwood sp6iispred by ,the. 'doioinittee of 38' twttlio'g against alleged 'pirlce-gougr Ini* by dlstdlw \n this territory. In add^bh, the exhibs appointed a ^ eonuniitee of. six .lawyers, who'are ■Iso^ exhibitors, to check oii the ' validity pt deals madS between dls- tribs Ahd'chain , theatres. The com- inlttef is to report back at a niee.t- l|ig_AprU.13." ' Thtf letter sent to the producers tauk( pi^ptic fllniB, read in part: ' >. It hif .liiiien decided unanimously P7^ group .bt independent exhibitors meeting here to.^eek the coopera- tion of ,the^ respective heads of the yfilolia film'companies In obtaining r ; . (Contihifed on page lfl) (ypsj Rose lee PJaos ; % Pffice JGazette ; , Or ikart Her Own Mag •Gypsy Rose Lee has been nego- tlatiijg. in the past -week for. pur- chase of The Police Gazette.. Deal at •the. moment looks indefinite and there's a .good possibiUty that, U it doesn't go through, the burley-queen- turniecl-authoress wlli launch a new ttag of her own. Police Gazette idea originally came up as ^ publicity gag in con- (Continued on page 47) ' • Going My Way? Hollywood, March 31. wubber, not ink, is the prevailing S,lf uScreen Writers Guild, wmch-.has sent questionnaires to aU M^"^^' ^ ^'^^ 0"' how they can ■ S^^^l^!? li'?' "^^S'P^^UP- on their trips wTtnd&oin the studios. ♦>,. * *° arrange scriveners from neighborhoods into groups .Jn«ead of individual drivers, thereby Jf^ i}f<ia,»ni ga«. 183,000 Worth of Slacks? Katharine Hepburn, currently co- featured with Elliott Nugent in the pre-Broadway tour of Philip Barry's '■Wiaiout Love,' revealed to a friend recently that her living expenses for 1941 amotmted to $83,000. Most of it went for clothes, she explained. Inasmuch as the actress usually appears lit slacks an^i in winter, a mink coat, the friend is somewhat puzzled. ■ ARMY INFLUX NO HELP TO MIAl • Miami, March 31. The end of Miami as the country's outstanding' resort city is in sight It's • expected that the next few weeks will see the ariny take over the entire beach, area from 7th to 3ist streets — meaning about 200 hotels in aU—for the housing of per- sonhel and as hospital quarters. Night club owners here' are al- ready talking about closing shop for the duration. None of them can see the possibility of profitable operation while this town is flooded with soldiers on their $21 monthly salaries. Some hulabaloo was raised here last week when six hotels held out for better terms from the Govern- ment. The dallies played it up on the front pages as 'impatriotlc' on the inn owners' part, but insiders saw It only as a bargaining maneuver and hardly as black as some preju- (Continued on page 52)' PAB'S BEET wnUAMS PEtM Hollywood, March 31. Preston Sturges and Charles Ford, pianist and arranger, are mulling a deal with Parami>unt to film the life of Bert Williams. Ford has a collection of biographi- cal data on Williams which he has presented to the studio. ABOUT 19.450,000 Broadcaating Momentum Terrific, But Some Showing Down Expected This Fall —-Coca-Cola Contract Shot Mutual 112% Ahead of Its Same Month in 1941 NBC, CBS NEAR TIE Latest trade estimates of radio net- work dollar, volume reveal the mo- mentum with whicWAmerican broad- casting came thundering, into the first year of the United States' ac- tive participation in the war.- No serious slow-down 1$ immediately expected, although losses of revenue are foreseen' starting next fa ll. B y then the belt-tightening processes all through American life wiU have obr literated 'all 'imrealtty' about the life-or-death struggle. . The four networks, NBC, CBS, Mutiial and Blue, were about 15% ahead In Febriiaiy, 1942, as against February a' year ago. • Their com- bined intake before < deductions of commissions, discotmts, etc., amount- ed.'to' an .estimated '19,450,000. Boosts over A year' ago figured as follows: NBC-Red, 13%; NBC-Blue, 12%; CBS, 6%; Mutual, m%. That more- than-double jump for 'Mutual was largely due to the Coca-Cola slx- nights-a-week musical contract. Following is how the time sales fig- ured for each of the networks with the take this year compared with that of 1941: 1942 1941 CBS $3,610,000 $3,400,000 NBC-Red .... 9,600,000 3,200,000 Blue. 1,390,000 • 1,100,000 Mutual ...... 940,0d0 440,000 Totals ,,...$9,450,000 .$8,140,000 For .the first two months of this, year NBC is .10% better oS than it was. foi: the parallel period (Janu-- ary and February) of 1941. The Blue is up 19%, CBS, 3%, and the Mutual Network, 14%. MILLS'SSONS IN SERVICE Irving' MUls, talent manager and music publisher, wUl have all five sons in the armed services of the United States by the end of April His two boys who are already in are Richard (Army) and Warren (Navy). Robert and Paul have been ac- cepted by the Marine Corps and are awaiting the call, while Sidney, who is professional manager of Mills Music, Inc., is slated to be summoned for Array Bervlce next-month. USO Allok HOOOjl for Camp Shows Next Sieason; Over DonMe Curroit Yr. A Sponsot Ghioago, March. 31. New description of a sponsor' offered to the ,iradio trade Is this one by a small sgency here: 'A sponsor U a mah\ who doesn't llkt anythtnir imtit he ■buys it; and fMti he hcAts it' TEACHING WAR METHODS VIA NEWSREELS , iietrolt, March 31, ASjparti of ..their training. Uncle Sam's ne'jvest troojps will b« taught the f echniqiie of war by ^neani of the newsreels.'Lle'ul." Arthur'D. Clausen reported' here that starting - May 1 th? American soldiers will be. kej;>t abreast' o'f modern' warfare, mietfipds via 'mbiion pictures. Professional technician's, workliig with' Ajriny ex4 pert's, are culling select sectloiis fi'om the libraries of the newsreel com- panies, he sal.d, t6 show' actual fight- ing methods In'all parts of the world.- The pictui'es aire to be'shown twice monthly as patt of the ^ucatibqal program in the' training of the new recruits. . American llieatre Wing Kecriiling Sww People for War M. U^^ Effort wUl fee.made by ttie Ameri- can Theatre .Wing .War 'Service'.to recruit peopU'from sho.w business for worjc'ln factories Snd '^ther War production centers. . As a (Starter, a War I'jroduction Trialning committee has been formed to query .more than 12,000 people in the ■ entertainment industry in New York as to their technical or mechanical .experience, skill, aptitude or leanings. Those deeined available and suit- able for such work .wUl be ofiCefed training courses in various.kinds of war . production. Idea is to make available a sizeable supply ol trained men and women for.subsequent ab- sorption In Industrial and technical war work. Questionnaire now being prepared will be distributed to the members of various theatrical unions and organizations. Forms are to be returnable April 26, Plan Is to concentrate on recruit- ing those over-age or otherwise draft-exempt. Rally to put across the plan Is tentatively slated for April 16, at a spot to be selected. Identities of the committee members ar? not reyeal«t<J. ' ., . Tremendous expBi)slon U the num- ber of shows to tour Army camps and naval bases next season, in keeping with the nation's rapidly- growing armed forces, '.. s<en in the budgeting of $4,000,000 to Camp Shows, Inc.,'by the USO. That will be more than double t:hf current season's'. expenditures of approxl- metely,$l,V80,0fl«, It will mean- probably the best year for actors since Wall Street laid that celebrated egg, With CStV> employ moris than 1,600. perforibers, musicians, stagehands,, advance agents i)nd managers to provide - en-, tertaipmeht for soldiers, sailors and marines In this country and at off« shore bases, 'Allotment of $4,000,<n0 to Camj^ Shows is b^ing made out of tht $32,000,000 which USD will seek in ■ campaign to tee-ofl May 11 and cen- tinue until July 4. USO this year re.^ ceived , contributions . of ' about $15,000,000, of which Camp Shows got around $1,750,000. Major part of the current CSI funds are being spent on the 24 units now touring, for which $1,591,500 Is budgeted .from Oct. 16, 1941, to Juna I, 1942, There wlU be Slmost iwka as many units - hext year, plus a (Continued on page 16) Patriotic Slogans On Song Sheets.^ Stylle Other Ms % Follow Charlie'Toblafe and Al Lewis, pub- Ushers and writers of 'Rose &D»r,' have introduced something on title page of this song that Will likely be adopted by the entire pop- ular music publishing Industry. The Music Publishers Protective Associ- ation is taking the matter up with its membership. On the title "page of the latest piano edition of 'O'Day' there's a legend, 'Buy U, S, Bonds' and Stamps,' plus an insignia with th* added legends, 'Lefs Go, U. S. A.' and 'Keep 'Em Flying,' At the rate of sales for the first three months of this year the pop end of -the music publishing industry, -It Is es- timated, should have a distribution of at least 20,000,000 piano Copies during 1942.- The ellettiveness of this plugging of patriotic slogans would, it is pointed out, be enhanced by the fact that unlike newspapers and magazines .sheet music is re- tained by the purchaser, Metro*. 'Life of Ford' Hollywood, March 31, Louis B. Mayer has put Metro writers to work on the "Life ot Henry Ford.' Mayer, in Detroit some time ago, looked over the plant and conferred with Ford, who okayed the ftlminf t»f.hlS Ufp., , - ... k, r