Variety (Sep 1942)

Wednesday, September 16, 1912 OBITUARIES DR. JACOB HYMAN Dr. Jacob Hyman, 70, x-ray spe- cialist, died in Beverly Hills, Cal., last Wednesday (9). As a young man 'he was teamed with the late Harry Houdini in a magic act. At 35 he retired from the sUge to study medicine and was graduated from Ohio State University in 1913. One brother was Joe Hayman, of thr stage team of Hayman and Franklin, better known in England. Hayman was also a writer, known fo: his 'Cohen on the Telephone.' Another brother was Robert Fulgora, a protean a'-tist who is now at the Percy Williams Home, Amityville, L. I. Widow and another brother sur- vive, along with an uncle. Mark Nel- son of the' Apeda studios, N. Y. theetrical photographers. FRANK C. ZEHRUNG Frank C. Zehrung, long-time op- erator of the legit Oliver theatre in Lincoln, Neb., and five times mayor of the city, died last wpek in the Van Nuys, Cal. He had been in retirement there. Burial in liner coin yesterday (15). Survived by widow. pio- FRANK C. ZEHRUNG Frank Connell Zehrung, 83, neer showman in the midwest, djjd Sept. 8 at his home in Van Nuys, Cal., after two years of illness re- sulting from a fall in Lincoln, Neb., where he had maintained his head- quarters as chief owner and opera- tor of the Crawford & Zehrung cir- cuit of legit houses, dating back to 1894. The circuit covered Lincoln, Des Moines, Sioux City, St Joseph and El Paso until 1917, when he retired from active business. Aside from show business he was elected mayor of Lincoln five times and served three years as president of the Western Baseball League. THEODORE D. MIDDAUGH Theodore Darwin Mlddaugh, 83, retired stage prtjducer, died in Buf- falo Sept. 7 after an illness of sev- eral months. OriginaUy a musician, he organized and directed minstrel troupes appearing throughout the country for 50 years. Mlddaugh was a member of Joe Gorton's New Orleans Minstrel troupe, a top attraction of the '80s, and toured with 'Uncle Tom's Cabin,' 'Our German Maid' and as a musician with Eddie Foy's 'CrysUl Slipper' before the turn of the century. He managed theatres in various towns of Western New York until his retirement in 1926. FLORENCE GERALD Florence Gerald, 84, veteran stage actress, died Sept. 6 In New York Miss Gerald had first appeared on the stage under the management of Charles Frohman in 1898, playing in The Girl From Maxim's.' Among the more notable productions in which she appeared are 'Resurrection,' The Shaihe Woman,' 'Within The Law,' Tlie Barker,' 'Lily Sue,' 'Maya and The Heaven-Tappers.' She had lately toured in a road company of Tobacco Road.' A sister and a nephew survive. FRANCES KNOWLES Frances Knowles, 50, newspaper, screen and magazine writer, died Sept. 11 in Hollywood after an op- eration. For several years she had worked on Cecil B. DeMille's writing staff and contributed numerous stories to magazines. URBAN HEPPLEB Urban Heppler, former treasurer of the Philadelphia local of Theatri- cal Stage Employes Union, and for 18 years stage carpenter of the Fox theatre in that city, died last Thurs- day after three-month illness. Sur- vived by widow and two sons. WILLIAM NASH William Nash, 57, pianist and orch leader, died Sept. 9 in West Sayville, L. I. Nash had been in vaudeville for years and directed a number of or- chestras on Long Island. Widow and a daughter survive. ALBERT DOUGLAS HILL Albert Douglas Hill, 58, designer of over 150 theatres built in various cities of the U. S., died Sept. 8 in Haverford, Pa. Leaves a widow and daughter. GLENDON G. WEFLEB Glendon G. Wefler, 28, former member of the Canton and Alliance, O., Symphony orchestras, died Sept. 5 in Aultman hospital. Canton. Widow survives. MARRIAGES Thelma Prescott to Edward Pa- dula. in Los Angeles, Sept. 6. Bride is a magazine writer, groom a dialog di.-eclor. Marilyn Hare to Alex Ingals, Aug. 14, in Hollywood. Bride is film player and daughter of the late Ernie Hare, formerly of the radio singing team of Billy Jones and Ernie Hare. Frances Dusinberrie to Thurston jCrawford, in New York, Sept. 14. Bride is in production department at WBNX, Bronx, N. Y. Barbara Luddy to Ned Le Fevre, Sept. 18, in Chicago. Bride is radio actress; he's an actor-announcer. Marjorie Mercurio to Benito Moreno, in San Francisco, Sept. 5. Groom is singing emcee, now at Richelieu Casino, Frisco. Connie Barleau to Erwin Ruby, in Bowling Green, O., Sept. 9. He is orchestra leader, she formerly was singer with his band. Kay Sawyer to Hal Sawyer, Sept. 12, in Los Angeles. Groom, CBS an- nouncer, changes over to Navy blue this week; she's showgirl with Earl Carroll. Maude Martin to Dave Chasen, in Las Vegas, Nev. She is formerly of show biz, he is the former actor, now operating a restaurant in Beverly Hills. Tana to Don de Vodi, Sept. 15, in Reno. She's a Gypsy singer; he's a band leader. U. S. Features For Soviet sContlnned from page Is Morale Meeting SsContlnned from pace ?5S Gander Anderson, father of A. B. 'Tony' Anderson, ex-manager of the Pontiac theatre, Saranac, N. Y., and now manager of the State theatre, Tupper Lake, N. Y., died at the general hospital in Saranac, Sept, 7, after an illness of eight years. Pvt. Jack Chaney, husband of Roberta Costello, stage and night club entertainer, was killed acci- dentally at his home In Dennison, O., Aug. 21 while home on a fur- lough. Mrs. Mary Fllegel Carroll, an em- ployee at the RKO exchange in Pitts- burgh for nearly 15 years, died at her home in Pittsburgh last week after a brief illness. heading the entourage from Wash- ington. Kyser will swing across the country simultaneously to help lure big-name talent into the luncheons and other events. In N. Y. Friday (18) Lewis and Meservey have two sessions sched- uled. First will be luncheon get- together with Kyser and other stars. The agency advisory group headed by Chester LaRoche will share the grub. Later, at NBC, all writers, producers and agency people—an estimated 350—will meet with the OWI officials, Kyser and IjeRoche. The preambulating Federal spokes men move into Chicago Monday (21) for two sessions. In the morning with the Chicago members of the radio advisory committee and later with network officials. Both Kyser and LeRoche are to be on hand for these parleys. Two days (24-25) of discussions are on the menu for Hollywood. Coast talent Included in Kyser's Commandos will be brought together with the Federalites and industry people at a meeting the first night. The second day will be given over to the writers, producers, agency directors, etc. Nat Wolff, West Coast director of the OWI radio organization, is head ing east for all of the sessions. EILEEN WILSON Eileen Wilson, 47, retired stage player, died Sept. 12 in New York. Miss Wilson, the first wife of William Powell, film star, appeared with him in the play, 'Within The Law.' Other productions in which Miss Wilson performed include 'Bur- lesque,' The Night Duel,' 'Peter Flies High,' and 'The Little Spitfire,' A son, William D. Powell, sur- vives. George Ballasarlo, 39, assistant cameraman at Paramount for the past eight years, died at the studio following a heart attack while shoot- ing tests. GEORGE CDOC) SHUMAN George CDoc') Shuman, 68, gambler and former operator of the Hollywood roadhouse, near Buffalo, died suddenly Sept. 12 in the Fed- eral Penitentiary, Lewisburg, Pa. He started to serve a three-year sentence July 1 upon his plea of guilty to having pledged stolen bonds as security for loans. Since his arrival at Lewisburg he had been In the prison hospital. CHARLES E. QUASS Charles E. Quass, Jr., who for sev- eral years played in the Palace the- atre orchestra. Canton, O., also had his own orchestra and played the clarinet and saxophone in several nationally known bands, died Sept. 7 in a Culver City, Cal., hospital. I>arents, widow and daughter sur- vive. C. L. ('POSS') PARSONS C. L. CPoss') Parsons, 50, sports editor of the Denver Post from 1929 until his retirement in 1941, died at his Montana summer home of a heart attack Aug. 26. Recently he had been a sports announcer on KOA, Denver. Funeral and burial were in Den- ver Monday (31). Mother of Abel Vigard, of the legal staff of the Warner circuit, died in Newberry, S. C, Sept. 9. Nabe 2-a-Day ^Continued from paie 47^ that only the large seating capacity of his theatres plus air-conditioning made it possible to operate low priced legit at a profit. He also points up the fact that his nabe bookings helped prolong the life of some feebler Broadway plays, citing 'Moon Is Down,' which got six weeks in the rotary legit, as an outstanding example. The experiment, which was originally considered dubious, Brandt believes, ciVated an addi- tional following for legit. Among other shows on the Brandt time dur ing the past season were 'Susan and God,' with Ilka Chase, 'Native Son,' 'Guest in the House,' 'Candida,' 'Es cape Me Never,' (Bergner), 'Private Lives,' 'Reflected Glory,' 'Watch on the Rhine,' 'Cafe Crown,' 'Pal Joey,' 'Jason,' and 'The Merry Widow,' which winds up the season Oct. 11 In shaping up his forthcoming two-a-day vaude policy Brandt again ran Into difTculties with unions. They were demanding more money for his two-a-day policy than for the 30 vaude shows weekly he played in the same houses last season. Attempt was made by union officials to put the Brandt venture in the same cate- gory as 'Priorities,' the theatre operator finally prevailing. Abie's Payoff ll ^^^sContlnned from page l^^ssl increase with every point as the rating rises as anticipated by the author. This arrangement covers the first six months, with a flat price to be in effect for the balance of the five-year contract. Miss Nichols explains she is gambling on the popularity of her program, which won the highest rating for a show of its kind last sea- son, considering the length of time it was on the air. Possible that the new contract will be for a five-year term. Product is Drene but P & G may switch to another of its prod- ucts. When 'Abie' suspended for the summer, it was rated at 14 but had reached as high as 18. Kastor is the agency. Nearest to Miss- Nichols' arrange- ment was Eddie Cantor's, which pro- vided for a bonus it the rating reached a certain level, which it never did. Laud H'wood ^ssContlnued from page supporting the morale end of the war by going to camps and enter- taining. Some of them have enlisted or given their money. Even stars too old for active service are pitch- ing in.' Another typical answer was: 'I think they are a bunch of Americans out there, producing en- tertainment for the people, enter- taining in training camps and selling bonds.' The late Carole Lombard and Walt Disney were the individuals most frequently commended for their patriotism. which will be outright buys. ThU automatically removes the one mental handicap, so far as the Americaii distribs are concerned, to any deal with the Soviet Foreign sales man- agers, while expressing enthusiasm over the proposed deal, and fully aware of the propaganda reasons for < the deal, were unable to forget some of the past unhappy business dealings with the USSR. Several times in the past comprehensive deals were set only to founder at the last minute, usually because the USSR refused to lay the coin on the line in advance in New York. Now with Artkino, the U. S. distrib for Soviet films, acting as a clearing house, and on record as prepared to pay in cash, the outlook is brighter since Artkino is known to have coin on hand from its recent rentals plus what it will realize on its release deal with Republic pix for 'Moscow Strikes Back.' The only problem, and this is one that only time will solve, is how many films will the Russians want. Past deals, by Paramount for a couple of old Gladys Swarthout starrers and several equally ancient features, involved comparatively minute sums. With Artkino on record as not having to use lend- lease funds to finance the buys, the situation resolves Itself to how many current pix will go to Moscow. Art- kino Is figured as able to finance about 15 top films, or 10 current hits and fiv« old ones. Anything more than that will bring up the old bugaboo of who is going to foot the bill. Artkino execs and members of the Soviet consular staff are now screen ing films and, after making t.helr selections will ship them to Moscow where the Soviet film heads will make the final decisions. Conse quently Artkino doesn't figure to be able to talk turkey for at least an- other four weeks, or until the films have hit Moscow and word has come back.' OWI'f Giveaway Idea If the number of films is beyond Artkino's ability to finance, and the local distrib of Russian pix figures to stand the full gaff of the flnanctng since the USSR, along with other foreign nations, is strapped for Yank coin, then the OWI figures to step into the deal and make purely a cuflo arrangement all around with no money changing hands. Several of the Yank distributors would rather have it this way, right from the start, since they figure that any cash deal for the number of films required to do a thorough propagandizing chore would require selling at cut rate prices. This they'd rather not do with the Soviet since, after the war, any such cutrate deals may be quoted as having set a pr«ce dent. In any event, whether it Is a cash deal or a giveaway worked by the OWI in the national interest, the only film to change hands would be negatives which the Soviets would print and dub for their own use. So far as the other countries— Turkey, Spain, Portugal, Switzer' land and Sweden—are concerned the problem is a little different Here the American distribs are not worried about what happens after the war, since film production in those countries is puny and does not compare with the Hollywood prod- uct. Once the war is over and the competition of Axis films, which are practically giveaway, is removed the Hollywood product, will be able to do business as of yore. So for these countries the OWI will probably select the films it wants screened in those countries, to offset the Axis pix, finance the prints and dubbings required and ship the films in, possibly under U. S. government seal. As with the -Soviet deal, the OWI will facilitate the transportation of the films and bring subtle pressure to bear to make sure they are screened. Currently none of these countries has U, S, film product ex cept for what was on hand when deliveries ceased. Sweden was cut off about two months ago, when plane service from London was sud' denly stopped, likewise Switzerland and Portugal also stopped getting product recently. Spain has been getting nothing since production re quirements and sundry other regU' lations by the Franco regime made it unprofitable to operate. "^The OWI technique is modeled closely after the efforts of another. Washington propaganda agency which has facilitated the distribution of U. S. films in other foreign coun- tries. Basically the Idea is, of course, Just a case of fighting fire with fire, since the Nazis have pushed their films in just such a fashion for years. Only basic difference is that th* Hollywood films are not tailor-mad* for propaganda purposes, and pro- vide much more entertainment than the German product ^sContlnued from page these days, unless the proprietors forked over. One of the gang, John Efemenko, 23, was arraigned in court here on charge of malicious destruction of property and four of his com- panions were jailed for investigation. They were arrested after wrecking a jukebox in an outlying tavern. Another case is under investiga- tion here in which petty racketeers h!-jacked' a jukebox from another spot. Under pretext of being 're- pairmen' they took it out, with the proprietor later discovering that they hadn't come from the rental agency. Jukeboxes □ Hint Gang War In Arcade Operation Springfield, Mass., Sept. 15. A first-class gang war seemed about to break into the open this week as the operator of Springfield's first penny arcade was crippled by a trio of thugs on his way home, and his wife and brother-in-law roi'ghed up. Victim of the strongarm trio which used baseball bats was Charles Saffer, beano operator and cltok of the new Springfield Amus. Center, Inc., which opened the ar- cade last week in the face of strong opposition. Scarcely had the place opened than the city council at its meeting Tues- day (8) went on record as opposing the license granted by the mayor, and the WPB voiced its intention of probing the source of the scarce ma- terials, especially metaU, used in the installing and operation of the vari- ous machines. Because no money was taken from Saffer, though he carried a big roll, it was generally believed that the thugs were intent either on a shake- down or a threat to SalTer who is employed by the new corporation which is headed by John Christo- pher of New York. For three days Saffer 'couldn't talk' because of the pain from a fractured leg and an arm broken in three places. After that his evidence was of no value, lending not a single clew. The Springfield Union in a pointed editorial titled 'Strong Arm Meth- ods?' drew a parallel between the Saffer attack and local murders dur- ing the prohibition era when rival gangs sought domination. BIRTHS Mr. and Mrs. Eddie Meek, daugh- ter, in Los Angeles, Sept. 8. Father is press agent for RKO Theatres. Mr. and Mrs. James Lanagan, daughter, in Pittsburgh. Sept 6. Mother Is Pe£; Lanagan, Pitt booking agent Mr. and Mrs. Robert Higgins, son, in Beaver Falls,,Pa., Sept. 5. Father is assistant to Sam Hanauer, owner of Rialto and State theatres. Beaver Falls. Mr. and Mrs. Cy Harrice, son. in Chicago, Aug. 25. Father is WLS, Chicago, announcer. Mr. and Mrs. John Thompson, daughter, in Chicago, Sept. 5. Father is member of NBC Central Division (Chicago) news dept. Mr. and Mrs. Pete DeLuca, daugh- ter, in Pittsburgh, Sept. 11. Father Is a Pitt band leader who bills him- self Piccolo Pete. Mr. and Mrs. Charles Levin, son, in Hollywood, Sept. 10. Father is assistant producer at Metrp. Mr. and Mrs. Ben Alexander, son, in Santa Monica, Cal., Sept 13. Father Is NBC commentator-an- nouncer, Mr. and Mrs. Josef Washington Hall, son. Sept, 11, in Hollywood. Father is Upton Close, NBC com- mentator. Mr. and Mrs. Hugo Butler, daugh- ter, in Hollywood, Sept 12. Father is a screen writer. Mr. and Mrs. Ken Murray, son. In Hollywood, Sept. 13, Father is stage and radid comic, mother the former Cleatus Caldwell, film actress. Mr. and Mrs. Bert Apter, son. In Irvington, N. J., Sept 11. Father is trumpeter In Marty Ames orch.