Variety (June 1942)

WAR ACTIVITIES Wednesday* Jjone 3, .1942 ATTENTION, FILM SHOWMEN (Read What Radio Is Doing for the Government) Attention pf film men Is directed to tbe current 'Special Wartime Radio Showmanihlp Survey' which Is belnc. condnoted by 'Variety* with the knowledge and sapport of the Office of Facts and FIgarcs. A third preliminary repoH appears on page 39 of this Issne. "War messages' are being seeded throughout the commercial schedules of the four networks, NBC, CBS, Blue and Mutual according to an allo- cation plan which, In turn, relates to eertain changing themes, such as auto pooling, war bonds, salvage, nurse recruiting, U.S.O., and so on. Film showmen will be interested In what radio showmen are doing t« cooperate with the O.F.F. and the elaborate system worked out be- tween them. The 'Variety' survey Is being conducted by criticism as if each.example were a review. 3 War Drives, Day V Date in N. Y., Seen Complicating Theatre Biz Broadway theatres faced three drives in connection with the war during the flrst half of June until a change in schedule Tuesday (2). Fact that they were overlapping presented a ' fast problem to showmen with the result that two meetings were held Monday (1) for the purposes of solution, one by the board of the League of New York Theatres and the other by the Emergency Committee of the Legit- imate Theatre, which was designed to function in emergencies. Office of Civilian Defense wants speakers in the-theatres for the pur- poM .of getting volunteer war work- ers and has asked for name players Xo make the appeal United Service Organization will make a collection for funds. Treasury Department wants audiences addressed to help prepare citizens for its door-to-door sale of war bonds. Schedule now is that USO collec- tions will start an eight day drive today (3-10). The drive for war bond sales immediately follows and will continue until June 24, but the OCD plan has ytetn set back' until some later date. Another matter which show ba<!l- ness will handle is the suggestion that legit matinees be switched or canceled on June 13 (Saturday), when 'New York at War,' a 12-hour parade-pageant, will be held on Fifth avenue starting at 10 a.m. Pro- posal was contained in a letter from Grover Whalen, chairman of the demonstration, but whether it was his idea or that ot>Mayor LaGuardia was not made clear. There was va- ried I'eaction among manaliers. Some ■aid if cancellation of the matinee was a patriotic duty, it would be done; others stated that, because of the advance sale of tickets it would be impractical. If eliminating the afternoon per- formance is assented to, result would (Continued on page 52) Lastfogel K.0/« Self Abe Lastfogel, head of USD- Camp Shows, Inc., frequently finds it necessary to rule against Abe Lastfogel, head of the Wil- liam Morris agency. Such an occasion arose this week. LeAhn Sisters, handled by the Morris office, were booked into a USO unit (at no commish) and started on tour Monday (1) night' Few hours before they were to leave an offer came in' to the Motris office for the gals to take a permanent spot on a new radio commercial starting Friday (5). Lastfogel, as chief of Camp Shows, Inc., ruled they couldn't take the job, that they'd have to give him two weeks' notice be- fore pulling out of the unit. PAYEHE, BARRON HEAD D.C. THEATRE BOND SALE Washington. June 2. All theatres in this area are coop- crating in the national bond . and stamp drive which opened Satur- Barron are the co-chairmen for the Disctrict of Columbia, co- ordinaiing local efforts with the na tlonal executive committee headed by "W. L. Rust Jr., chairman, and Hugh Lynch of the Treasury. • Frank La Falce is assistant to the co-chairlnen for the theatre drive with Dan Terrell heading the publiC' Ity co;nmittee; Hardle Meakin heads the parade committee; William Hoyle, theater lobbies; Gene Ford, Harry Anger and Harry Krivit, stage events; William Ewing, trailers and I>rintlng; Sam Galanty, exchanges and Charles Zuhorst, radio-activities, Cooperating on special events arc Abi Tolkins, Harry. l,ohmeyer, Abe Litchman, Walter BarkduU, Vincent Dougherty, Louis Beinhcimer, Sid- ney Lust, Fred Kogod, Lloyd Wine- land, Edmund Plohn, Rick LaFalce, Penry Shields, O r a n g e I o Ratio, Frank Storty, C. C. Musinna, Roland Bobbins, Brock Whitlock, Robert Denton, J. C. Brown, Antony Muto, G. M. Dorsey, James Lyons, Al Sher- man, Nat B. Browne,- Harry Bach- mati, C. E. McC^owan and H. Graham Barbce Jr. . Arthur Ja'cobson Is assistant chair- man, pf the Exchange committee which includes Fred Biesdorf, John Allen, J. E, Fontaine, Robert Fol- liard, Sam Wheeler, - Max Cohen, Fred Rohrs, Jake Flax, Harry Brown, George Gill and Ben Lust. SeD $500,000 U.S. Bonds in 90-Min. Times Sq. RaOy Times Square War Bond and Stamp selling rally staged by the Mm industry's War Activities Com- mittee on Friday (29) resulted in sale of $500,000 in Bonds within 90 minutes. Nicholas M. Schenck top- ped the list with purchase of $150,000 in bonds to' start the campaign in approximately 15,000 theatres. David Bernstein, treasurer of Loew's, bought $25,000 worth, and Joe Vogel. Loew's v.p., took $5,000, all these purchases being additional to .the $250,000 pledged by.Loew's execs. Arthur Mayer, operator of Rialto, N. Y., also bought a large block. - First of the ' big-time rallies brought out four name bands to hold attention of a crowd estimated at 25,000 in Times Square. Don AJbert orch opened with Benny Goodman, (Continued on page 36) * WILLIE HOWARD 13th luceeasful week, fPrioritiei of 1942" at th* 4<th Straot Thaa^ro, Now York. . ^ "Willie Howard l.s a convulaingly funny follow." JOHN MASON BROWN, World-ToUoram. DISC JOCKEYS TO RIDE HERD FOR BONDS As a highlight of the War Bonds, campaign for Greater New York, the 30-odd disc jockeys of this area' are planning a~ matii\ee and evening show at Madison Square Garden, us- ing name bands and-stellar soloists. Chairmaned by Dick Gilbert, WHN's singing platter spinner, the record masters of ceremonies met Thursday (28) at U. S. Treasury Department headquarters and approved 'unani- mously the idea of a live program. Date of the show probably will be either June 13 or 20 with flvc popular orchestras at each perfomv- ance, interspersed with outstanding solo recording .artists. Admittance likely will be 50c for the afternoon session and $1 at night, profits going to the Amiy and Navy Relief Socie- ties. Benefit to treasury will come from pledges in audience to pur- chase war bonds. Details to be worked out include selection of emcees, Local. 802 re- quirements, and advance sale of tickets. Army and Navy will be asked to supply some unusual attrac- tions but this, together with obtain- ing bands and vocalists, is figured as a cinch. First united effort of dispers start- ed yesterday' (2) when Treasury of- ficials asked. Gilbert to have jockeys help recruit 200,000 'Minute Men' to 'canvass house-to-house for war bond pledges, June 14-24. Wires to plat- terers tairo^ght immediate coopera- tion. Starting Monday (8) the shellac boys will swing into their main cam- paign, the job of selling their lis- teners on both the Minute Men and pledges to buy War Bonds. Uncle Sam's Roll Call *♦ « MMM > . * MH.M, t >«♦♦♦» Drops Baton tor Waf Work Emerson Gill is giving up his band to go into civilian war \vot\ for the Na'vy. Having- received engineering training in college he is tt join the Navy's Aeronautical Division. . Gill has worked fnainly in midwest past couple of years. .he McDavllt In Air Corps Boston,'June 2. ■Victor P.' McDavitt, who' as •'Vic Jerome,' appeared on local radio stations, was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Air Corps ahd has been assigned to the Fourth Com- munications ' Squadron, Maxwell Field, Montgomery, Ala. Switow Into Air Force Sam J. SwitoW, widely known Louisville exhibitor, has received a commission in the U. S. Air Force and as ^ result has relinquished the chairmanship of the Kentucky Tax Committee of the Uijited Motion Pic- ture Industry. Another exhib, Wil- liam. G. Cooke, of Reno, Nev., has sold his theatre there and .moved away, necessitating the appointment of a substitCite on the -Nevada group. S. E. Bower, operator of the Desert Hawthorne, Nev., has been ap- pointed._ Tax committee for Alabama and Florida have been partially set u^. Col. Thomas E. Orr, of AlbertviUe, Ala., is chairman for that state, while in Florida Fred Kent, general counsel of Florida State Theatres (Par), has been elected chairman. PKt Men In Service Pittsburgh, June 2. , Daniel Corson, national advertis- ing manager of the Post-Gazette, commissioned a major in the army air corps. He served in France dur- ing the last war, was mustered out in 1925 with the rank of captain. Johnny Coyle, flrst sax- man with Herman Middleman band at Yacht CJub, army. ; Leonard Broudy, son of Dave Broudy, former conductor of Stan- ley theatre orch and now Its first violinist, army. Another son, Buddy, is a lieutenant at Fort Eustls, Va. Ralph Fallert, announcer at WCAE, navy. John G.' Osborne, Mn. of John A. ■ (Continued .on page 23) . life's Cheesecake Perturbs H'wood Hollywood, June 2. Hollywood Is considerably perturbed oVer.the sexy layout on the Hollywood Victory Caravan In this week's Life. Many who made the jimket feel that public reaction might be unfavorable and misleading as to the high purpose of the Army-Navy Relief tour. All photographs on the trip were made by Gene Ijester who turned them over to Hays office attaches. Andy Kelly, of Haysites, made allotment of the.'questionable art to Life. One itudlo Is reported having censured two of its players for per- mitting themselves to be photographed in too revealing flimsy attire. - The Life double spread Is dominated by leg art and other sexy shots. Spigelgass Shifts From Major Capra Aide to OFF Washington, June 2. . Hollywood s c r 1 p t e r Leonard Spigelgass,,. who was assisting Major Frank Capra in the Army's morale fllm unit, has switched over to the Office of Facts and Figures. He is now aide to Dr. Leo C. Rosten, whose duties are the supplying of informa- tion for pictures to Lowell Mellett, Coordinator of U. S. Films. Mellett passes the. into to Hollywood and/or Government units making pictures. OFF has at its disposal the Govern- ment's various sources of informa- tion here and abroad. From this it compiles factual material and trends of public opinion in various coun- tries. Government policy is deter, mined on the basis of this informa- tion and directives issued, so tiiat film-maken can be told from what angle to approach their subject matter. OTHER CUFFO GUESTERS SET FOR CAMP TOURS Roy Atwell has been added to the name players doing gratis tours with USO-Carap Shows, Inc., units. He starts Friday (5) at Oavis-Monthfan Field, Tucson, Ariz., with the 'Mu- sic, Laughter and Song' troupe. He'll continue until June 20. Ben'Bernie teed off a three-week tour yesterday (Tuesday) at Keesler Field, Biloxi, Miss. It^is hoped that Jean Arthur will be able to start out next Monday (8), although she is having trouble getting proper ma- terial and may be delayed a few days. »♦♦♦♦»♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦-■ :; N.Y. Canteen Capers ;; (4Hth .$t. Theatre Bldg., N. Y.) '. ■ '♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦«♦♦♦ ' 4 ♦♦< ■ By BADIE HABBIS Mrs. Alvin Untermeyer, who bought four $25,000 bonds for the gals premiere of 'Yankee Doodle Dandy', called the Stage Door Can- teen late Friday afternoon and said he would be unable to use the tickets and would like to turn them over to four boys in uniofrm. Which explains why most con- spicuous among the resplendent first night audience were two South Afri- cans and two buck privates from Harlem! A soldier, coming to the Canteen for the flrst time the other night, jissxpiA.imii mmiktiii-^-^m coat, handed it over reluctantly at the insistence of his buddie. 'It's all right, you will get it back when you leave,' he explained, and you can keep your shoes on all eve- ning. Then turning to Herman Lorber, who was on duty, he ex- plained, 'You see, this is the flrst coat and pair of shoes he ever owned, —he's a hillbilly from Kentucky." Every Friday night a donor, who (Continued on page 36) Fiim Workers Pledge 135G in Bonds Weekly Holly^vood, June 2. .Weekly payroll deductions from approximately 17,500 workers in fllm studios and allied industries for the purchase of War Bonds has reached $135,000, according to union figures. An additional $100,000 per week has been Invested in Bonds through cash sales, making a weekly total of $235,000. Film Industry committee is send- ing out 500 volunteer bond salesmen with the goal set at $300,000 weekly. N. Y. to L. A. BiU HalUgan. Lyn Murray. Barney Radltsky. NashviDe Shuts Danceries As Aid To Aimy Morals Nashville, June 2. Police Chief John T." Grlftni' has ordered a strict ban on public danc- ing in the city limits, a foUowup to the Army's recent invoking of the May Act for protection of soldiers in training at Camp Forrest against prostitutes. Conditions in many towns around Camp Forrest reportedly had be- come so immoral in late weeks that authorities invoked May Act in 27 counties, including Nashville, putting prosties strictly beyond the pale. The Nashville gendarmes' chief came .through a week later with a shUttei'ing of all public dance spots because, he said, 'many honkytonks have developed into meeting places for prostitutes and soldiers and elimination of dancing publicly will help enforcement' of the May Act. Nashville has a number of juke joints, minor night spots, and is without important ballroom or night club facilities anyway. Am^-Navy Collections From Theatres Hit 675G Theatre collections in the Army- Na'vy Relief drive May 14-24, re- mitted to campaign headquarters in New York totalled $675,000 on Tiies- day (2), with by far the greater portion of coin yet to be reported. Among remltts^lces received Mon- day 'were: Skouras Theatre Corp.; $36,409; Endicott Circuit, $1,112; Fox Detroit theatre, $3,660; Black Hills Amusement Co., Deadwood, S. D., $1,012; Fanchon & Marco theatres,- $4,213; St. Louis Amuse- ment Co., $6,900;. Mort H. Singer theatres, Chicago, $5,059; ^ Atlantic Theatres, Philadelphia, $2,849; Robb & Rowley Theatres, Arkansas, $2,931; Newman Theatre, Kansas City, $1,738; Center Theatre,. Pas- saic, N. J., $1,300. Iiargest check received yesterday (Tuesday) was from Loew's for. $217,250. A 'Mighty Man Is He Hollywood, June 2. Pete Smith started his 11th year mmrn tract as shorts producer and a blow- out to inaugurate Pete Smith Month. Idea is to concentrate sales efforts during June to increase bookings of Pete Smith-shorts. L. A. to N. Y. Robert Ardrey. . Al Bowman. Edward Cook. J. Cheever C^wdiii. Roy Disney. C. J. Feldman. Betty Field. Harry Fields. Martin Gosch. Edmund Goulding. Howard - Harris. Jean Hersholt. Irene Hervcy. John B. Hughes. Allan Jones. Paul Liazarus. Mannie Manheim. Joseph McDonough. Joan Merrill. Joan Miller. Agnes Moorehead. Mlchele Morgan. Joseph Moskowitz. Arthur Mottley. A. W. O'Connell. William Parker. Don Stauffer. Joseph Stauffer. Hdrold Whitman. Walter •WinchelJ,