Variety (Dec 1942)

Wednesda^t December 16, 1942 VAUDEVILLE 99 AGVA ID niiDy Winning Wage Fight Despite Snags of Booker Combines Philadelphia, Dec. 19. The local American Guild of Va liety Artists la quietly winning its fight for higher wages for its mem- bers. Although the Entertainment Man agers Assn. and the Cabaret Bookers Assn. turned down AGVA's 10% 'cost of living' increase in its scale, the individual bookers are paying the new prices, according to Dick Mayo, AGVA's executive secretary here. Mayo had threatened to open his own booking office when the two ten percenter organizations voted to re- ject the new price scale. He received contributions from locals' in other cities and had built a war chest for the battle royal. But no battle ensued. Ttie more important booking offices said they would abide by AGVA's new prices, despite the vote of their two organ- izations. Some of the smaller book- ers tried to beat the new prices and found themselves without acts. En- tertainers Just refused to work at the old scale and went to bookers who were paying the higher prices. It was as simple as that As a symbol that all is serene—at least for the present—Mayo attended a dinner last night (Monday) at Paliimbo's tendered to the outgoing and incoming prexies of the EMA— Jimmy Loughran and Florence Bern- ard, respectively. From Nhery to Concert San Francisco, Dec. 15. Orelia and Pedro, Afro-Cuban dancers now in their fourth week at Nino Brambiila's swank La Fiesta night club, resume their concert bookings in February, pla^'ing San Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver, Port- land, Los Angeles and San Diego, , followed by a two weeks at the Te- atro Bellas Artes in Mexico City. They will be guest stars at a gala performance of the Frisco Opera Ballet, under the direction of Wil- liam Christensen. Orelia Sc Pedro carry their own bongo drummer, Jose Garcia, from Havana's Casino <le la Playa Orchestra. Margel GInck, once featured as femme vocalist with John Philip Sousa's band, is technical advisor at 20th-Fox on the Aiming of the Soiisa biography, 'Stars and Stripes Forever.' PHIL REGAN Term Contract 20th Century-Fox Studios Perfonal Representative! FRANK VINCENT Beverly Hillt, Calif. Buck-Bubbles Out Of 'Scandals' Tab for Film Pittsburgh, Dec. 16. Buck and Bubbles, although orig- inally billed, weren't in tab version of George White's 'Scandals' when it reached Stanley theatre last Fri- day (II), team having been called back to the Coast for retakes on 'Cabin in the Sky' (M-G). Dancing comics were paged by studio for quick trip west right in the middle of the day during a performance of White revue in its previous stand, Waterbury, Conn. They'll rejoin 'Scandals' possibly within next two weeks, as soon as they finish up at Metro. Meantime, White doesn't plan to replace Buck and Bubbles with another act Inas- much as show is laying off week be- fore Christmas and when it reopens Xmas day they expect to be back in the cast. Pitt Roadhouses Still on the Move Due to Gas Ration Harlequin, N. Y., Adds Cocktail-Supper Show Reva Reyes, Mexican songstress, returning from Rio de Janeiro's Casino Atlantico, launches the Har- lequin Room on 60th street today (Wednesday) for cocktails and sup- per. New boite, just above the Co- pacabana, being operated by Leo, maitre d'hotel of French Casino days and later operator of Leonello's. Supporting Senorita Reyes will be Bernie Dolen Sc Jan August, and Phil Ellis. (••a flie (jr cotnprrllrnNlvv rolIr4'llnn of romrdy niHtcrlal. rien«e ulale <le- tnllt and prior. Variety, New York, Box No. 175 Pittsburgh, Dec. 15. Moving Day into town for the out- of-the-way .spots continues here, with gas rationing cutting into biz more and more along the highways. Don Metz. who operates Sky Vue across from the County Airport, has taken a lease on the Club Casino, Oakland, and Mercur brothers, who operated Nut House in Millvale for years, have bought old Wolfendale hotel on Northside and will begin immediately to convert it into a screwball emporium. In Metz' case, he plans to continue at the Sky Vue for awhile, until after New Year's Eve, at least, but Mercurs closed their Millvale spot couple of weeks ago. Bill Green's Casino, about 10 miles from downtown, has begun to cut down already. Green eliminated his dinner sessions last week, and with biz falling off at least 50%, he's said to be plotting a weekend operation only if he isn't succes.sful in getting a big downtown room. Pines has already dropped music and enter- tainment, serving meals only, and several more expect to fold momen- tarily. At the same time, biz in the down- town spots has picked up a bit with the second week of gas rationing and cafe belt In Golden Triangle looks for a steady improvement just as soon as the nite-lifers get used to the idea. CHAHERBOX, Pin„ BLAJ Pittsburgh, Dec. 15. One fireman was killed and ISO overcome by smoke in a fire at the William Penn Hotel, town's biggest inn, early this (Tuesday) morning. Smoke was first noted in The Chat- terbox, grillroom nitery of the Penn, by June Bobbins, the singer. She told Bandleader Arthur Ravel and he got the nearly 100 guests at the supper-dance session to file out quietly. Flames started in a sub-basement beneath the Chatterbox and smoke was so heavy firefighters could only stand it for a couple of minutes at a lime. Most of the damage was con- fined to storage rooms where loss reached around $75,000, according to Manager Tom Troy. Dead fireman was Michael Burke. Only employee injured was Paul McCarthy, a stew- ard. Normal routine of hotel wasn't in- terrupted although the smoke-filled corridors forced many guests into the lobby where emergency sleeping quarters, as well as a hospital for injured firemen, were set up. Chatterbox cannot be used for some time, so supper-dancing will be held for time being in the Terrace Room on the lobby fioor. Compromise T Contract Offered To Leon-Eddie s in AGVA Dispute TORONTO ICE CARNIVAL DROPPED FOR DURATION Toy and Wing Extended On Chicago Nitery Date Toy and Wing, Oriental ballroom dancers currently at the Blackhawk. Chicago, with Chico Marx's orches- tra, and scheduled to open at the Mayfair, Boston, Dec. 23, for two weeks, have canceled the latter date because the Blackhawk management picked up their option and added five and a half more weeks to their origi- nal four-week run. Following the Blackhawk engage- ment Toy and Wing will continue with the Marx orchestra for a thea- tre tour, with four weeks of book- ings so far set. They open at the Oriental theatre. Chicago, for one week, starting Jan. 29, following that with one-week engagements at the Riverside, Milwaukee; Omaha, Omaha, and the Orpheum, Min- neapolis. The Mayfair engagement will be picked up at a later date, the William Morris agency having come to an agreement with the Mayfair manage- ment. Rainbow Room s Future to Be Decided by FrL FT. WORTH SPOT STAYS CLOSED Fort Worth, Dec. 15. For the first time in many years the Blackstone hotel will not open its Venetian Ballroom for holiday dancing. Shortage of labor and the uncer- .i^y ntirtlftiilwltBiriattilii-. chestra are me reasuiia. Paul Laval and Dick Charles have penned 'My Joe, My Joe' which Leeds Music will publish. DEAR HARRY, BILL, JESSE, LARRY, ARTHUR, SAM "THE FIRST LADY of the BLUE" (Network) A "SMASH" Debut at GLENN RENDEVOVS, Newport, Ky. 'A FEMME BING CROSBY" says Variety and the Ciuciiiiiati Press RAVED! MILES INGALLS • HOTEL ASTOR • NEW YORK Toronto, Dec. 15. For the fir.st time since World War 1 the annual carnival of the Toronto Skating Club will not be staged next spring. Presence of many men and women members in the armed services or engaged in war work, plus difficulty in securing costume materials and properties are reasons for the cancellation of a show which, with its 400 perform- ers, grossed annually ST.S.OOO - $100,- 000 for five nights of performances at the Maple Leafe Gardens, 12,500- seater here. Established in 1907. ice carnival was at first a one-night affair for club members bi t steadily progressed until it is now claimed to be one of the forerunners of the elaborate ice-shows now on the road. Several members of the Toronto Skating Club have consistently turned pro- fessional to headline current ice- shows. One member was Stewart Reburn, now with the 48th High- landers, who was Sonja Henie's first partner on this side of the Atlantic and in tilms. Saranac Lake Sarnnac. N. Y.. Dec. 15. Hazel Coleman. ex-NVA and Wi!! Rogersite. former dancer, has left for Burbank. Cat., to accept a posi- tion as nurse. Plans are being made to permit discharged patients to enter defense work. Local Red Cross is sponsoring the plan, with many of the patients already signed up. Walter (Loew Circuit) Conley flashing an A-1 health report. Jordie McLean, who appeared for the Shuberts and in other legit pro- ductions on Broadway, is making headway here, although still confined to bed'. Ann Comerford and Patricia Naomi Edwards among the outstanding comebacks here. Joe (lATSE) McCarthy, graduate of the colony, greets the gang with Xmas cheer and states he's on the job backstage daily. Walter A. Brown, ex-burlesque straight man and now floor manager of the Hotel Essex, Boston, here with holiday greetings. Back on the comeback trail from the general hospital are Rufus Weathers and Dorothy Newcomb. Harry 'Slipfoot' Clifton is flashing discharge papers. Write to those who are ill. Decision on continued operation of the Rainbow Room and Rainbow Grill, N. y., will be reached either Thursday or Friday of this week, it was stated yesterday (15) by Hugh R. Robertson, executive manager of Rockefeller Center, Inc. Robertson said differences between the swank nitery management and the two American Federation of Labor affiliates, Local 16, Waiters, Waitresses & Bartenders union, and Local 69, Cooks' union, have vir- tually been ironed out. The ques- tion of shuttering or .staying open, he added, has more or less resolved itself around the practicability of operating under present wartime canditions. The negotiating committee, ap- pointed by the Associated Actora and Artistes of America to meet with the management of Leon & Eddie's nitery, in New York, has submitted a compromise contract to the 4A's international board. This was approved and was the basis of last night's (Tues.) meeting with the nitery operators, against whom AGVA is conducting an 'unfair' action. The pact retains the 'A' classifi- cation, the original point of conten- tion between AGVA and the nitery, with the compromise, according to a member of the committee, being based on existing 'A' classifications. Apparently this refers to the two types of 'A' pacts now in operation in the N. Y. nitery field. The new contracts, current with LaConga, Latin Quarter, La Martinique and the Rainbow Room, call for mini- mums of $75 for principals and $45 for chorines. The holdover 'A' pacts, in force at the Hurricane and Havana-Madrid niteries have a $60- $40 minimum. Thus Leon & Eddie's, which refused the $75-$45 demand, might conceivably accept the $60- $40 offer. L-E's was paying $50-$30 when the dispute started and is now paying $50-$35. It is understood that the compro- mise offer calls for the $e0-$40 mini- mums to be effective only to June, 1943, after which they would jump to $75-$45. Also that the nitery would be permitted 21 shows a week to be played as desired, instead of being limited to three shows a night with a 21-show maximum. Thus the spot, which does four shows a night and 26 a week, would have to pay pro-rata for five extra shows. The musicians union. Local 802, has the nitery classed as a 'B' spot for afternoon shows and an 'A' spot for evenings. The negotiating committee is meeting the nitery management sans the services of chairman Lawrence Tibbett, who is singing in Philadel- phia. However, he has approved the offer. Eddie Green Bankrupt Eddie Green, Harlem vaudevillian, filed a voluntary petition in bank- ruptcy in U.S. Di.strict Court Tues- day (IS). He listed liabilities as $5,119; assets $473. Comedian is employed, without I contract, by Young & Rubicam on radio. His debts include taxes due the U. S., payable Dec. 15, of $445.74. Green's petition stated he earned $9,731 in 1941. Fine of 3 Stooges . Undergoes Operation Julie Fine (Curly) of the Three Stooges was operated on Monday (14) in Fraxton Hospital, Utica. N.Y, for an infection of the neck. His con- dition is reported as food. Act had completed three days at the Stanley theatre there with a doctor and nurse attending Curly. Further dates of this week and part of next have been cancelled. After Utica the trio was to have played the Columbia theatre, Erie, Pa. Bob Astor's band was to have played that house with them, and is al.so out. JulcH Styne and Kim Gannon cleffed 'Don't Worry,' 'I'll Do It For You' and 'Left, Right,' to be sung in 'Salute For Three' at Paramount.