Variety (June 1942)

SCREEN RADIO STAGE J? Pabltsfaed T^Mkly at lEi West 48tb Street, Kew Tork, N. T., by Variety, Inc. Annaal rabaorlptlon, |l6, '.Blosle coplei 21 cento. Bntared u Becond-close matter December 29, .1906, at the Poet OKIce at New Tork, N. T., under Uu a^t «t March 1, W». OOFXBIOBT, 1S42, BX TABJXTT, IMO. - All, BIOHTS REBEBVED ■ --tS^ '.l VOL. 146 No. 13 NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3, 1942 PRICE 25 CENTS U. S. SHOWS PEP WAR WORK Drama Critics' Boxscore Season of 1941-42 (June J, ie41—Mov 31, 1942) Key to BbbreTlations; SB (shows reviewed), B (rlfht), W (wronr)) O (no ele»r opinlpa expressed), Pet. (percentage). SB. B. 'W. O. Pck KBDNENBEBGEB (PM) 65 60 5 0 .923 BBOWN (World-Telegram) 52 46 6 0 .885 ANOEBSON (Jounul-Amerlcan) 65 66 8 1 .862 OOXiEtaAN (Mirror) ...i S7 49 8 0 .860 ATkmSON (Times) '. '63 62 9 2 .825 LOCltBIpaE <Sun) A\. 69 62 10 3 .800. WAtTS (Herald Trlbime) . 68 46 11 1 .793 WALDOlKF (Post) 04 44 17 d .688 JOANTLB (News) 65 42 11 12 .646 VABIEXI' (combined) 66y/i ,,58 8 0 .879 (Score based on 66 new snows)'^ ibonenberger (PM) Tops N. Y. Drama Critics in "Variety' 1941-42 Boxscore Louis Kronenberger, of. PM, cops •Variety's' boxscore'on the New'Yprk dramatic critics for tlie season' of 1941^, ended Sundby nigtit (31), ■with the rest of the $eers. scrambled behind him. It was the dullest pro- duction year, with' the least amount of hits since 1023-24, yet Kronenber- ger managed.to come up with the excellent percentage- of .023, having oalled 'right' on 60 of the season's new productions and 'wrong' on only five out of 6S openings caught. Second place goes to John Mason Brown, of the N.Y. World-Telegram, but-he wasn't even close with .885, based on 40 'rights' and six 'wrongs.' -3Ahn-. Andetsan, of_lhe.. Journal- American, called 68 'rights,' eight Vrong' and no-oplnioned another to Wind up in third place with .862. Other critics in this year's ratings and their averages are in the follow- ing order: Robert Coleman (Mirror), .6(10; Broolcs Atlcinson (Times), .825 ttichard Lockridge (Sun), .800; Rich- (Cbntinued pn page 50) Stars Bnsy Touring Camps, Scarcity of Pk Names Felt by Radio Ad agencies which have been ac- customed t« using film names as guests on programs originating from New 'Vorlc are complaining about the recent dearth of such personalities In the eastern bailiwiclc. The screen celebs who used to flocic to New Yorlc between pictures, these agencies point out, are as a rule .now spend- ing their free iirne touring the service camps or going on service fund cara- vans. If they go to New York it's for a quickie that rarely allows for them to do a commercial radio date. Talent booldng agencies note that among the few names tliat have re- cently visited New York and made themselves available for radio there has been a common request (Continued on page 44) Hollywood Unhorsed Hollywood, June 2. Santa Anita is through as a race- track for the duration. Condemnation proceedings have been filed by the attorney general's offlce, with the Government asking use of 40() acres until June 36, 1943, and. ren,ewals' as long as the war lasts. ' _ . KENNEDY MAY BUY INTORKO Former U. S. Ambassador Joseph P. Kennedy is reportedly' preparing to re-enter picture business shortly, possibly via RKO, same company which he headed in the late twenties when amalgamation of' Pathe-FBO- PDC-Keith-Albee-Orpheum paved the way ;to the present corporate setup of RKO. Understood that Kennedy has al- ready set up offices in WaU Street with a staff to prepare up-to-the- minute statistics on picture company holdings. Though reported Interested In buying into RKO, entry into other picture channels is not imlikely. JOLSON'S TWO-A-DAY IN ALASKAN CAMPS Hollywood, June 2. Al Jolson hops off this week for a month's tour of entertainment among the soldiers and sailors in their lonely outposts in Alaska. Comedian will give two one-hour shows a day, singing 14 songs at each performance, with a oianist as his sole aid. BALLY HEROES foil MORALE Gov't Enlists Circus Show- manship Methods to Carry First-Hand Details of For- eign Fronts Back Homie^ Three Touring Units Tee Off Within Fortnight FIX STARS ADDED With the aim. of hTPOing U. S. morale to . a fever fighting and pro- duction pitch for an all-out victory drive against the Axis this year, the Government next week will enter into show business on its own hook on the most tremendous scale in history. It will send on the road al- most simultaneously three shows which should prove audience dyna- mite in every, spot they play. Expected to be included in the productions are such personalities as Brig. .General James Doolittle, who (Continued on page 49) Coney Island in 1st Big Test Under Dimoiit, But Comes Through Okay Coney Island, New York's and pos- sibly the world's most famous sum' mer playground, got i.ts first major test tmder dimout conditions over 'QH past,~fifem6rfal Day'weekehdr il came . through comparatively well, with daytime business especially good. THe nighttime trade was as good as could be expected, but far below last year at the same time. Some 200,000 people travelled to the resort Saturday (30), when the temperature hit 89, and the beach operators walked around with long kissers. With' such high . heat, at least'500,000 visitors yr^re expected. However, it was' a spending crowd (Continued on page 44) 'Great Coflahorator/ Play Ahoot Geo. S. Kaufman George S. Kaufman, who has writ- ten plays about various other people, has at last been made the subject of one himself. It's caUed The Great Collaborator* and Is a broad comedy somewhat in the style of 'The Man ■Who Came to Dinner,' the Kaufman- Moss Hart play about Alexander Woollcott. The character representing Kauf- man in The Great Collaborator' spends much of his time in a barber chair, which he has sent to the home of whomever he is to visit. Script was authored by Charles Horine, an actor. ' Berlin's 'Army. From AO Coin Angles, May te $1,000,000 for Relief Fmid Praise, for Soviet First American publishing firm to come out with a-song glorify-- Ing the present Russian Aniiy is Wotds & Music, lap, Tha title if 'Song of a Soviet Tankman.' Philip Sterling and Hanjr, Simlone. are'the writers. 'Russian Rose,* waltz 'ballad, Is a current best seller in Eng- land. RELIGIOUS ne CYdl ON WAY Purchase by 20th-Fox lest week of screen rights'to Franz Werfel's 'Song of Bemadette' marks another step by Hollywood toward a forthcoming cycle of."t'eligiCius films. At least seven other, producers have stories of 'faith,' on their schedules, Wave.of religipus piptures, In light of the war, has been not unexpected. There- was /a '.similar pheiiomenoQ^ during 'World War 1 It's coincidelit with a trend .back to' faith always evident by the: public, during times of extreme shSsss. '' 'Bern&dette,V'-wbieh U a Book of the J/Tonth Club selection for June, brought $82,600. • William - DIeterle was at one time reported holding an op.ti.on..pn._it,. ^t'l A,9*°iy. famed chapel"ai* LoiirSes""In.'lhe" south of. Franpe, which is the scene of many 'miracle healings,' Coincident with the 'Bemadette' purchase, indie producer Frank Ross (Jean Arthivr's husband) is nego- tiating a deal for 'The Robe,' a re- ligious stor/by Lloyd Douglas. It's to be published by Houghton, Mif- flin in the Fall. Ross is reported negotiating on the b^is of a $25,000 down payment, against a'..$1.00tOpo purchase price.' Stoiy is of a Rombh sdldier who participated in 'the crucifixion of Christ and won Jesus' robe by the rolling of dice for it with other soldiers. This man, through acquisition of the robe, at- tains the faith with it and spends the rest of his life spreading Christ's teachings. Another picture of religion com- (Contlnued on page 44) Irving. Berlin's soldier show. This Is the Army.', moves Its 260 personnel into Manhiriittan"..tomorrow (Thurs.) for'start of theatre rehearsals V>n the staige. of the Broadway. Musical, the 1942 cotmterpart of'Berlin's famed 'Yip, Yip Yaphank-di 1918, is slated for a July 4 premiere. ai $4.40 top, for a fourrweek guaranteed stay, fol- lowed by 'a road'"1bUr, and,, if suffi- ciently worthy, a posslbU return to Broadway for an indefinite run. Berlin'has tum.ed everything over to the Army Emergency Relief Fund, including his miisro copyrights. Since the ArnW. <iannpt, it^^lf^lct^/own. a copyrlgh%'r,s'«ew IMs .14 the' Army. Inc., has beeh set^'Vjj to: jadmlnister everything. The copyriglits of the mtisic arid ..the ptodiiCtiob 'Will be in - the name' of'.This js'the; .'Almy and- all rev^ues tdx"'^ Army Emer- gency Relief Fund will be handled by that corponUon.'. .' Thus, Berlln^'jshoW, with'ItA mani- fold interests, 'dq^. th.^^least of which is the $250,000 Vliibb. Faramount is all set to pay for the illm rights, has assum'ed U^e^tjfoporttons of a proj-. ect, rather.- 'than 'just another thea- trical venture . under seijtii-official Army aiisplces, Par ii set to' film 'Army', for which .'Berlin' will ^oftiitit'his -services, as will^ also Mark ':Saodrlch, 'who will diirect. That's part of the deal. The . rest of the cast wlU be soldiers, rer cruited fromtthe„orlginal Broadway production, or augmented by others, if. transfers,- 'Waij. casualties,, etc., in- tervene, since' evegrthing and every- body about tbe"sho'w will conform to strict Army order. ._'B.erlln.flgur.es:.that if his'a!J.a_Blesf America', with its 000,000 Copies sold and nearly $100,000 realized for ben- efit of the Boy and Girl Scouts of America, can bring 'that much from one song alone,, the entire -score of This Is the Army' should . realize (Continued :on page 55) STRIKE FORCES CANNED MUSIC ON RINGUNGB&B Philadelphia, June 2. Two orchestras with the Rlngling Bros.-fiamum Sc Bailey circus, com- prising 41 musicians, went on strike today, ordered out by the Musicians union when the circus failed to give them a new contract calling for $2.50 (Continued on page 22) .•,r ■ . Producers Commtttii^ To D C/to Huddle With War Dept oil Pix Ideas All pictures, features as' well as shorts, with wartime themes or angles 'being produced in Hollywood are now made subject to consulta- tion between studio heads and War Department officials, from reports. This in part accounts for what vir- tually -amounts to commuting of company heads between Hollsrwood and Washington in recent months. Cunfent indications are that more than «0 features whh wartime back- grounds will bo produced in Holly- wopd during the coming year.. War' nets already has dix scheduled, with one or two more possible. While the War Department does not issue definite orders for story content of pictures With war angles, studios seek Government advice, co- (Continued on page 53)