Variety (Apr 1942)

MISCELLANY Wednesday, April 29, 1942 Thurs. Is Broadway Blackout Day And B. 0. Is Expected to Suffer A large number of theatres In New York City, Including the entire Times Square area, are looking for the dullest Thursday night ever to- morrow evening (Thurs.) when there wUl be a complete blackout extending from 23d street to 125th street and from river ta river. It will be at 9 p.m. and Is scheduled to I^t until 9:20, according to po- lice. Not only theatres, but niteries, cafes, etc., wiU be hit. In addition to total darkness in the large area selected tor the test black- out, which will have a tendency to keep people at home, many men and women will have to be on duty as air-raid wardens in their buildings and as members of the roof squads, floor monitors, etc. Thursdays in the theatres is ordinarily a good day, (Continued on page 22) A 215,000 Sunday HIOOD AGENTS IRKED BY BAR ASS'NRUUNG Hollywood, April 28. American Bar Association ruling that actors should deal directly with attorneys li to be contested by film agents who are apprehensive this decision would permit lawyers to move In on the agency biz. Artists Managers GuUd Is studying the rul- ing and Its possible effects on mem- bers. One of town's leading percenters took an alarmist attitude, saying if agents took ruling without a fight they would find attorneys edging in closer to their biz. Enforcement of ruling is expected to result In retal- iatory measure to prevent attorneys, actually pTactlcIhg law, from repre- senting actors or en);aglng in. agency biz. Bar Assoaiation ruling stated, 're- lation between artist and representa- tive is that of principal and agent. Fact that rep Is interested In 10% of amount received by artist under contract does not alter the 10% sit- uation.' Some agents claim they will ignore the decision and continue to employ legal talent lor clients whenever necessary and where such action is satisfactory to players they repre- sent Specifically, ruling would elim- inate agents In lega]. discussions on contracts between player and at- torney and protect lawyers in their extra curricular duties as business managers.. Big league baseball, extremely nervous to data concerning 1B42 attendance, got a surprise last Sunday (26). The good ,news came by way of the boxofflc*. Of course, the thermometer registered 80 In New York that day, and It must have been pretty warm all over*the east, but glance oVer these figures lor an ordinary April Sunday—and with the season hardly two weeks old. The cities where the games were played, the visiting teams, the doubleheaders. dhd attendance figures (takeii^om the boxscorec) are given In that order: At— New York (Braves) (2).. 49,000 Detroit (Browns) (2) 43,000 Boston (Yankees) 40,000 Washington (Athletics) (2) 25,000 Philadelphia (Dodgers) (2) 22,000 St Louis (Pirates) (2)... 15,000 Cincinnati (Cubs) 13,000 Chicago (Indians) 8,000 The total Is 215,000. So base- ball ought to be able to roll Its cigarettes with one Jiand until July 4, anyway. But were these crowds relax- ing from the war? Was it the weather, or did they go to the games because of curtailed Sun- day driving? Or is It just base- baU? Incidentally, Boston also re- ported 20,000 turned away from that Yank-Bed Sox game. SKOLSKY WRITING FOR HELLINGER UNIT Hollywood, April 28. . Sidney Skolsky .la trying his hand at film writing with the Mark Hellin- ger unit at Warners. Leads oft on construction and research for 'Mis- sissippi Belle.' Latter has been maintaining his King Features syndicated column during his entire Hollywood career, and Skolsky'i present cinematic chore, of course, has no effect on his columnlng for XJnlted Features. yiCTORir BUY UNITED STATES WAR SAVINGS ONDS SIAMPS Bonds cost as little as $18.75, stamps come as low as 10 cents. Defense bonds and stamps can be bought at all banks and postofices, and. stamps can also be purchased at retail stores. KORDA NAIVEY HONEST ABOUT WAR EFFORT Dannour's Widow WiH Finish Out CoL String Hollywood, April 28. Alice Darmour will carry out the production commitments made by her late husband, Larry Darmour, with Columbia. - Schedule calls for two more 'Ellery Queen'' mysteries, one serial currently In work and one to follow. Cniffhanger now In production Is •Perils of-the North West Mounted,' to be followed by "The Blue Beetle.' First of the 'Queen' pictures Is 'The Greek Coffin Mystery.' Second Is tentatively tlQed 'The Lady In Black.' March as Mark Twain . Hollywood, April 28.- Fredrlc March draws the title role of America's pioneer humorist in •The Adventures of Mark Twain' at Warners. Picture, covering the California and Mississippi RIv.er exploits of Eamuel L. (Siemens, is one of the year's high budgeters on the Burbank lot, starting late in June. ZOBINA A YASK NOW Vera Zorlna received her final nat- uralization papers In N. Y. federal court on Monday (27) and returned to Hollywood Immediately to be test- ed by Par for a role In 'For Whom the BeU Tolls.' She's a Norwegian by birth. Cukor and Katie Again Hollywood, April 28. George Cukor, who directed Katharine Hepburn In three pictures, will perform the' same function in 'Keeper of the Flame,' In which the actress co-stari with Spencer Tracy at Metro. Story by I. A. R. Wylie will be produced by Victor, SavUle. By GEORGE FBOST Coupled with the arrival in Yan- keeland of Alexander Korda from a junket to the land of Merry Ole, the airline press agents at New York's LaGuardia Field this week began to get the fidgets over their self-im- posed ban on free space and wonder whether their tariff and sales de- partment bosses really dp know any- thing about the gentle art of public persuasion. At any rate, general signs of a relaxed, attitude were ap- parent In many ot the airline's,'new bureaus,' and a partial return to the March 7 heebeejeebeeies, which set In'as a result of the Dec 7 hotfoot, is anticipated in concerned corners. Korda came to town aboard a Pan- American- Airways' Transatlantic Clipper, to speak at length of Lon- (Contlnued on page 53) H'wood's Country House To Have Opening June 28 Hollywood, April 28. Country House in the Valley that (Sulfs Screen Guild Theatre radio show built for Motion Picture Relief Fund will have its official opening June 28. Film stars who made gra- tis appearances on the program for which the oiler paid $10,000 weekly into the Fund will participate in the dedicatory ^sremonies, to be broad- cast nationally over CBS. Retreat for Indigent industry work- ers will' have accommodations for 50 persons at its opening, with facu- lties to be continually added. ABBOTT and iJUSl JbJLLU Currently on National R*!««i* — in — •RIO-RITA' Unlvanal P!ctur«a Chaaa & Sanborn 'Hour, NBC- Under Personal Management of: EDWARD SHERMAN Fefflme 'Spies Ovemm H wood Hollywood, April 28. There -wmf only one Mata Harl In World War I, but tho'current carnage la breaking out with an epidemic of femme sctieen' spies. Three of th^m are at work simultaneously^on the Unlversal.Iot, with Constance Bennett snooping around lii "Madame Spy,' Kaareii Verne In 'The Great Impersonation' and Irene Hervey In 'Destination Un- known'. Mary Astor does, some plain and fancy espionage in 'Across the Pacific', and Jane Wyman has just finished a similar job in 'My Favorit* Spy* at RKO. Madeleine Carroll was a secret agent for. a while In 'My Favorite Blonde', but recovered from the Mata Hari complex after tangling up lor seven reels with Bob Hope. THE BERLfi-DNG POINT i By Milton Berle R^d ♦ ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦I4««»««« M I MM I M » HoUywood, April 28. Went to the 'Ice-Capades' and cbere was almost a catastrophe. While the skaters were performing,' Marlene Dietrich walked In. The Ice' took one look at her and melted, almost drowning them. Shavo Sherman says that Broadway has changed. He met a panhandler who gave him a receipt lor the quartet; he gave him. llarold Conrad wires about thf - agent whose business Is growing by leaps and bounds: so he expanded. He now docs business from two phone booths. Jack (Baldy) Zero has gone very patriotic. He just bought himself a red, white and blue toupe with built-in spats. Romo Vincent bought himself a suit without cuffs and It was the first time he'd seen bis ankles in 15 years. HoUywoodlana Lana Turner didn't have a date with a band leader the other nite, so she went out with a- baton. . . • .. Joan Davis says the gophers on her property, installed a pinball machine in one of the holes and now have fun tilting the lawn. The boys at a 'Navy Base felt so kindly towards Maxie Rosenbloom for entertaining them .they elected him an 'Honorary Barnacle.' - Bllly> Curtis, the midget, isn't worried about transportation problems. I caught him riding down Vine street on the back of a Great Dane. Now that the Circus Is In town, everybody Is wondering If the circus freaks came to see the Hollywood variety or vice versa. Music Department *° Henry Busse has so much corn in his trumpet. It popped right out of his hands the other day. while b^ was doing a solo. Met a musician who's been out of work a long time. He just can't get a job writing special arrangements for kazoos any more. « - Badio Department There's a certain radio comic who always seems to get anemic sponsors. None of them seems able to Uft his options. ' , . Fred Allen has had so many college men on his program he can't get lip In the moming'imlesG his wife yeUs, 'Rah, Bah, Rah.' One sure way of getting'applause from a studio audience Is to play 'Deep In the Heart of Texas' 'for 30 minutes and have the people join in the clapping. There's No Troth to tlie Bnmor That Vic Mature has a special cheat he wears'for formal occasions..;. That Maxie Rosenbloom had pleats put In his cauliflower ear That Fred Allen keeps two.baby kangaroos.In the pouches imder his eyes. ...That theatres in the Bronx are giving away dishes with chopped liver on them ... .That Dinah Shore Is taking singing lessons from Andy Devlne. Observation Department. 'We had so much rain out here I got a ticket for cutting across a wave on Vine street. Eavesdropped at the Little Club: 'He was born In a-trunk and his clothes look like he's still sleeping in one.' Eavesdropped at Mike Lyman's: "The only check he reaches for is Social Security.' Eavesdropped at Charley Foy's: 'He has a lovely family crest—two crossed cocoanuts.' My brother (the one who wears cuffs on his vest) was offered a com- mission as a general, but declined it. He says there's no advancement. Whatever Became of 7 Ting-a-ling Odiva and Her Seals Ketchem & Cheatem Ferry, the Frog Man Memories of the Opera ■ Talent ti Merit Afterpiece . Everytime you buy a War Bond you help kick the so-called BRAVADO out of the MIKADO. PAYCHECKS IN FILM Biz ON {5.38 AVERAGE RISE Sacramento, April 28. Average weekly paycheck for wage-earners in the motion xucture industry during- the month of' March was $51.07, coinpared with $45.69 for February, according to itatistics re- leased by the Department of Labor. Workers put in an average of' 35 hours a week, as against 33.7 hour; weeldy during February. Not to Get Caught Short, Warners Buys Costume Co. Hollywood, April 28. ■ Warners bought Insurance against a wartime shortage of motion picture props by the purchase of United Cos- tumers, Inc., second largest , costume and prop house In Hollywood. Deal was made through an estate In New York, with the price of the transaction undisclosed. Roz as Amelia Hollywood, April 28. Amelia Earhart story, 'Stand By To Die,' bought by RKO for $35,000, will have Rosalind Russell and Joel McCrea sharing leads. Geqrge Put- nani, the widower of the aviatrlx, received $7,000 for his interest in the yam. Lothar Mendes directs. 20th Pays $300,(K)0 For the 'Moon Is Down'; Immediate Fifanmg •Twentieth Century-Fox, Monday (27) night purchased film rights to John Steinbeck's book and play, 'The Moon Is Do'wn,' for the record price of $300,000. Metro made an identical bid and. Indicated It might have. gone higher bad the author not chosen to sell to 20th because, of Ills satisfaction with the way Darryl 'Zanuck picturlzed his 'Grapes of Wrath.' Only other bidder, when it be- came evident that nothing less than a stratospheric figure would win the rights, was Hunt Stromberg, who wanted It -for his first picture as a United Artists producer. He offered $100,000 and a percentage. Stein- beck refused to consider anything but a straight deal at a fiat price. Annie Laurie Williams, Stein- beck's agent, has been asking $300,000 for 'Moon' right along and last week announced that anyone who wanted It must submit a sealed bid by Monday to Sidney Fleisher, arbiter on. studio purchases of plays under the minimum basic agree- ment between the Dramatists Guild and League of New York theatres. Fleisher and Miss WiUiams opened the envelopes Monday night and a short time later Informed Fox It had the story. Unusual, In addition to the tre- mendous price, Is the fact that there (Continued on 'page 22)