Variety (Feb 1943)

WAR AcrmriEs WedneB<l«7, February 3, 1943 Cekbs In Sodo Perfqnnaiice For FM Despite Weather, Drivii^ Ban Wnshington, Feb. 2. Hollywood and the amusement Wf.ild Kenerally had to rtfihl Ihe wfaihcr and the ban on pleasure (iiiving. but the 1943 celebration of the Presidents Birthday was socko entcrlainmenl. The crowds were out in force, and the stars tsave in full for the piost exhaustive pro- gram in the history of those evenl.=. This was the schedule and it was carried through without a hitch: Friday: 11 a. m.. reception in Dis- trict Commissioner Young's oHice; noon broadcast at Mile of Dimes Stand; 2:30 p. m., informal visits to Walter Reed hospital and the Naval Medical Center at Bethe.'da; 7 p. m., reception and banquet; 11 p. m.. mid- night shows at Capitol. Earle and Howard theatres. Saturday: 12:30 p. m., luncheon at the White House: 3 p. m.. bus from Carlton, hotel to Fort Washington for a special enter- tainment for soldiers; evening, per- sonal appearances at Mayflower. Shoreham. Wardman Park, Hamil- ton. Washington, Willar* and new Statler hotels, plus an appearance at the Lincoln Colonnade and at Stage Door Canteen. Sunday—spe- cial appearance at USO Dance and reception at the WiUard. Al Jolson was responsible for the main heigh-ho at the Mayflower ban- quet. The master of ceremonies was never in Aner form delivering an Impromptu monolog with many ad libs straight oiT the cufT, setting the stage for the dramatic appearance of Marjorie Lawrence of the Metropoli- tan Opera, winding up with 'Cali- fornia, Here I come,' 'Mammy' and 'Sonny Boy' to a riot of applause. In between he'introduced.Sir Cedric and Lady Hardwicke, James Cagney, Edgar Bergen, Loretta Young, Bert Lytell. Bonlta Granville, Roddy Mc- Dowell, Conrad Thibault, Roy Rog- ers, Lynn Bari, Janet Blair, Anita Louise, Dennis Morgan, Dedn Mur- phy, Robert Young, Laraine Day, Lucy Monroe, Geraldine Fitzgerald, besides the local dignitaries. Bud Abbott and Lou Costello ar- rived Saturday In time for the luncheon and followed every event on the routine schedule^ Jabk Benny was seized with an attack of laryn- gytis and was the only casualty among the visitors. He was nursed by Mary Livingstone at the new Staller hotel. Fred Waring's band and choir wiere stationed at the Mayflower. An orig- inal plan to have Waring divide his time with the Shoreham was blocked by the lack of bus transportation Other bands were Meyer Davis at the WiUard. Allan Holmes at Ward- man Park. Xavier Gugat at the Stat' ler, Sidney at Mayflower, National Symphony orchestra sweet-swing group at the Washington, Milton Davis at Hamilton, Washie Brachter and Count Basie at the Lincoln Col onnade. 'Charlie- McCarthy' tried to steal thf show at the Hotel Willaid cake cutting from Mrs. Roosevelt, How- ever, the First Lady was able to parry with Bergen's dummy enough to suit the newsreels. Jimmy Cag- ney presented $1,000 to the Infantile Paralysis Fund, and $219 was collect' ed in silver at the Medical Centre in Belhesda. All midnight shows were sellouts and the indications are that the 1943 receipts will equal the record take of $97,000 achieved in 1942. Theatres are collecting' for Eddie Cantor's March of Dimes In this territory this week. Last year thete collec tions produced $30,000. This year they will do better. N, T. Ball A Wow, Too Although 4,500 guests plunked down $35,000 at the President'.s Birthday Ball Saturday (31). there seemed to be more .showfolk than onlookers at the Waldorf Astoria, New York, when some 300 perform- ers put in an appearance on a wet and slu.'shy night to keep the throng entertained for eight hours. Start- ing at 8 pm., when Blue Barron's band raised the curtain, till a 4 p.m. 'America' by Sonny Dunham, head- liners and lcs«er lights in all flelds of entertainment trooped across the <tage of the main ballroom. The mammoth show included everything from a troupe of Holly- wood players, through headline comics, dance teams, and mass choir singing of hymns by 126 white- robed youngsters. i3ut that was only the main, ball- room bt the Waldorf. There were three other rooms, the Latin-Amer- ican, the Lower Basin Street and the Army and Navy Canteen. ;ill running shows at the .<iame time. So many headliners showed up (hat the supposed treat of the eve- ning, the fllm stars, including Hiu-pn M<-trx. Ralph Bellamy, Jeanne C:\it- ney. Lily Damita, Jack Oakic iiiid Chester Morris, virtually got lost in the shufTle. They found thcnvelvcs .-:andwichcd in between such .<tellnrs OS Larry Adler, the Hartmans. Zero Mo.ctel, Gladys Swarthout, Bob Rip- ley, Hazel Scott, Oscar Lcv.int. a fashion ."show put on by the bearded Mimty Woolley, not to mention com- plete costumed revues from half a dozen Broadway niterics and 15- minute appearances of 15 top name bands. £\-ery room reeked of tnlent. If it wasn't the revue from the Hur- ricane or the Riobamba. it was the show from the Roxy, with Guy Lombardo backing Nan Wyrtn. Or. in the Lower Basin Street Room, Cafe Society's stars, or Paul La- valle giving .out. A peek into the Army-Navy Canteen revealed Jane Pickens or-Billy Holliday holding the crowd. To Say nothing of daric- ing to .<iuch bands as Hal Mclntyre. Mitchell Ayres. Bobby Sherwood. Johnny Long, Sammy Kaye. Emil Coleman, Carmen Cavallero, Charlie Spivak and Teddy Wilson, in the main ballroom. Showfolk did themselves up in real style, taking every sort of bump in trouper style, including heckling from some in the crowd who had tipped the bottle too liberally. Special mention should go to the Howard and Lester Lanin orches- tra, which played behind the acts and flUed in for dancing throughout the eight hours. Film 00 Home-FroDters Hollywood, Feb. 2. Problems faced by wives whose men^re overseas is the theme of 'Women at War,' to be produced for Columbia release by Isadore Gold- smith, recently returned from Eng- land. Virginia Van Upp and Dale Van Every wrote the screen play, under- stood to be inspired by discussions of woman's wartime, status by Eleanor Roosevelt Canova, Irene Manning Join Touring USO Units Judy Canova join.<i 'Hit the Deck' USO-Ciimp Shows unit next Mon- dav i8) at the Pensacola naval sir .Mai ion. Winds up Feb. 20, playing 12 nights at Hve different army, navy pc)>-t.i throughout south. .Newest addition to 'Looping the Loop' unit is Irene Manning, of Alms, who bowed in Monday (1) at Lake- hui>t naval air station. AMPA-WAC LUNCHEON WOULD FETE 3 FROM D C. Limchcon committee of Associated .Motion Picture Advertisers Assn., meeting with Maurice Bergman, new president, last week picked March 10 as the tentative day for holding the forthcoming joint luncheon .with the. War .^ctiv^tic.s Commiltee> U was decided to invite Low- ell Mell^tt, Paul McNuit and Elmer Davis as guests from Washington wartime bureaus with two from the WAC as official speakers represent- ing the fllm biz. Date only tentatively set because AMPA desires to have all three Washington guests present. Lun- cheon committee working on affair is headed by Vincent Trotta and in- cludes David Lipton, Paul' Lazarus, Leon Bamberger and David O'Mal- ley. Wing Accepts P.A.'s Exit Board of the American' Theatre Wing at its weekly N. Y. session de- cided that the recent resignation of Loi-ella Val-Mery as its press agent should .«tand. Stated that Isadora Bennett, her successor, was a tem- porary appointment but it was later understood Miss Bennett will have the post permanently. It is one of the tew paid jobs in the Wing, call- ing for full-time service. Press agents chapter of the Asso- ciation of Theatrical Agents and Managers had previously suggested that the Wing reappoint Miss Val- Mery but tt>at idea was voted down. There had been several clashes be- tween the latter and Oliver M. Say- ler, chairman of the Wing's volunteer publicity committee. He also re- signed but with a 30-day leeway, and whether he will continue is not deflnite. Uncle Sam s Callboard ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦«««♦««♦♦*««««♦♦♦♦•♦♦ ♦ ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦4«««« ^ S From Hollywood . Harrisburg, Pa., Feb. 2. Three Hollywood stars are among the members of the new class of soldiers at the Army Air Forces In- telligence School in this city. They are Burgess Meredith, Gilbert Rol- and and Erik'Rhodes. Another screen player, Capt. Gene Raymond, new in England, was graduated from the school some months ago. Constance Bennett. Roland's wife, now in New York, is expected here any day. She will live at the Har- risburg hotel, where her husband is quartered while attending the school. Sgt. Bob Gibbons, formerly a.s- sistant manager Loew's here, helped post oiTicers dedicate the new 600- -.■seflt theatre at nearby New Cum- berland Army Reception Center this week. Gibbons is in charge of the- atre. Projectionist Killed on Hornet Detroit, Feb. 2. Russell Dewey, former projection- ist at. the Cass theatre, Cass City, Mich„ has been reported killed in action in the Solomons. He was a gunner on the carrier Hornet. Llent Bill Holden Fort Worth, Feb. 2. William Holden, screen actor, who served his army ' appreniiccthip at Tarrant Field here, is back in Fort Worth as a second lieutenant and public relations officer for the fleld. With him Is his .wife, Brcnda Mar- shall of pictures, -who will remain' with him until her studio calls which, she' said, won't be for about two weeks. Worth ' theatre stopped its show long enough Saturday (30) for Fort Worth's special platoon of WAACS to be sworn In before the audience. There was Hiilitary music, flags and army officers assembled to honor the girls' who made up the group known as the Pioneer Platoon. After tiie Ban k Over The Memorie* Linger On^—J<^on, Abbott &. Costello, Bergen, Cftgney Among the Highlights Navy's Bnishoif to Rose Follows Similar Ideas Brusheroo. given by the Navy to Billy Rose on' his proposal to pro- duce a big all-sailor musical for the beneflt of Navy Relief, follows similar action toward other show- men. Navy has a strict rule against its men appearing in such shows as Irving Berlin's all-soldier 'This Ls the Army' and refuses to relax it. Major Edward Bowes last s\immer flrst proposed a similar production for the Navy and was rebuffe<l. Officers explained, at that lime thai the service's relief fund was well- heeled and wanted no part of such coin-raising scheme.-:. Last such was- the gigantic show staged by Walter Winchell at Madison Square Garden last March. Fight Pa. rioe Laws For Soldmr Entertaimdent Harrisburg, Feb. 2. This capital city is currrnlly in the throes of its hottest campaign to eliminate the Sund.iy blue laws. With theatres and all other enter- tainment spots here, as well as mo.st towns in Pennsylvania, closed tighter' than a drum on the sabbath, the newspapers have taken up the fl^ht for a wide-open Harrisburg. For the flrst time in year Page I edi- torials have' appeared attaekingJlhe bluenoses and assailing the prevail- ing curfew ordinances as ridiculous. Chief argument in pre.sent cam- paign is that soldiers from the neighboring posts jam the town on Sunday, with nowhere to go except the USO quarter's, which arc invari- ably packed and can't accommodate even a small fraction of the 'servicc men. And from Hollywood Hollywood, Feb. 2. Lew Landers, fllm director, ma- rines. David McKim, screen actor, army. Duke Tiiylor. screen actor, ma- rines. Jim Davis, screen actor, coast SUJird. Francis Bill, -screen —-actress, WAACS. Billy de Wolfe, screen actor, navy. Gail Parker, fllm booker, army. Jimmy Ullman. studio p.a.. army. H.trold Lewis, technician, navy. John McGuire. actor, navy. Bill Ehring. cameraman, army sig- nal corps. ' Larry Whitten. agent, army. Dick Olson, technician, army sig- nal corps. Leila Fritzi Bond, secretary. WAACS. Ziggy Elman. trumpeter with Tommy Dorsey, ferry command. Jack Archer, road manager for Woody Herman, army. Harry Brn(m, director of sound operation at Radio City Music Hall commis.sioned Lieutenant (1st Grade) U.S. Navy. Succeeding Lieut. Braun at M.H. will be Vincent J. Gilcher. formerly director of general serv- ices at NBC. Phil Reisman. Jr.. .son of the RKO foreign sales chief, has enlisted in the U. S. Marines and goes to Parris Island for basic training. Beisman has been sci-jpt writer at Palhe new.<reel and on RKO shorts. Also did Some announcing for the news- reel. N. Y. to L. A. Norman Corwin. Chas. K. Fcldman. Jack Forrester; Bob Golden. Mary Mason. Eddie Moran. Yesteryear N. African Locale for Pix May Be OK Tlpoff by the Office of War In- formation to two studios last week— before President Roosevelt's trip to Casablanca was public knowledge— that it would be preferable to drop Alms with North African back- grounds hasn't killed the urge to use that locale. Producer-director Sam Wood, now working under a new pact to Columbia, has gotten around the OWI suggestion by digging back for a historical piece set on the .south shores of the Mediterranean. Story Wood has acquired Is Mission to Africa' by Ann Morgan and Lorraine Noble. It goes back to the end of the last century and deals ' with the explorations of Charles de Fnucold. For the sake of timeliness. Wood hopes to work in some mention of the recent Casa- bl.anca confab. OWI suggestion lo Warners that it hold off on 'Life of Charles de Guullc' and Paramount on 'Advnr.ee Agents to Africa.' which had Ihe .studios somewhat mystified, were ap- preciated Ihe week after they were given, when the Casablanca an- nouncement was made. Had WB and Par continued with their pix. they no doubt would have been forced to take heavy losses in order to change .sequences to flt in with the different aspect ca.st on North Africa by the Casablanca conferences. L A. to N. Y. C. A. Buckley. Dane Clark. Broderick Crawford. Harry Cox. Walt Disney. Garrett Fort Doris Gilbert. Alan Gordon. Joe Grdnt. Eddie Gordon. June Havoc. Dick Heumer. Hal Horne. . Andy Krappman. Carl Leserman. . Irene Manning. Dan Michelove. Leo J. McCarthy. Fred Pride. Kent Smith. Bert M. Stearn. Eddie Sutherland. Nate Splngold. Murray Silverstonc. Jimmy Starr. Charles P. Skouras. George. Zachary. By ANOT KELLET Washington. Feb. 2. Al Jol.son was all-tabasco at the $10 Mayflower banquet. Never in better form as he dealt them off the cuff, flavored them with Just the right amount of spice, provided a moment of emotional excitement when he introduced Marjorie Law- rence of the Metropolitan Opera, and woimd up with a songolog. Oh that platform Jolson gavfr'em 'California, Here I Come,' 'Mammy' and as a clincher 'Sonny Boy." Without this great artist the gala festivities would have been flat. And the diplomats and dignitaries gave him a wonderful ovation. They even liked his snappers. When Jol- son .said, with a mischievious (winkle, •When Errol Flynn is acquited, that's where I begin',' did they roar! Min- strel had a great time kidding Dis- trict Commissioner John Russell Young, the town's ofAcial mayor. Called him 'old Mr. Yoimg.' twitted him about being one of the two genuine Washingtonians. A. A C.'s Tour .\bbolt & Costello' didn't arrive until Siiturday but they made up for lost lime. The comics had their own birthday cake cut at the hotel Stat- ler. They mad^ every hotel, the Fort Wn.shington soldier .show, and the Stage Door Canteen. At each spot a new line of impromptu patter. The wilde.st acclaim of the night came at the Mayflower when Cos- tello observed. 'Nobody knows where he is. but he's there brother,' refeiing to President Roosevelt. Ad libs got a three-minute ovation and the comedian cracked. 'I'd like something as good as that for my next picture.' . Mrs. lUoscveit's Slip Mrs. Roo.sevelt announced at her prc.s.s conference that she was going 'to walk to the ball.' But she figured without Washington's snow and sliU'-h. Decided to make it in a plain touring car' with a taxi permit. First Lady let one slip at the White House luncheon. She said her husband would be on native soil to- night iSaturday) and asked them to keep it as a military secret All did. But Mrs. F.D.R. said she would prob- ably be chided by Steve Early. Roy Rogers of Republic, presented the Chief Execiitive, via proxy, with a set of silver spurs, and Geraldine Fitzgerald remarked softly, 'His feet are always on the ground and never on his desk.' Following the luncheon the Holly- woodKes were .personally escorted over (he Executive Mansion, with Mrs. R. explaining the history of the various rooms. At th^ hotel Willard cake-cutting, .she wangled with 'Charlie Mc- Carthy,' who wanted to blow out the candles. Suspected that Edgar Ber- gen arranged this for the newsreels. There came near not being a birth- day ciike. The Confectioners Union usually prep.i'rcs a monster bit of sugared .icing but this year, because F.D.R. was away, came Saturday and no cake. Carter Barron got a local baker bu.sy on a fast job with his oven. Cagney's Cllrl*> Jiime.s Cagney was the only HoUy- wuodKe to speak at the Mayflower banquet. His was a three-minute tribute to what the sLtrs have done for Ihe soldiers. A bijou gem, straight to the point At the Fort Waslilngton soldier show the presi- dent of the Screen Actors Guild was (iven $1,100 in dimes collected there i<i pass on at the cake-cutting. The hard'*hearted character of the .-ci'ceh was visibly overcome when lie vi.'iit<;d Walter Reed hospital and .>.', w some of the war wounded. Sight of -a Guadalcanal victim who lost i>>ith legs was too much for .soft- heart ef I Cagney. He hiid to recover in the fresh air. Newsrcel lost a great shot after the $10 banquet Some of the Cali- forniaiLs were so delighted over the .•^now they staged an impromptu MiHwball fight on Connecticut Ave- nue. Only the taxic&b drivers and a few. stragglers got the beneflt of this fun. Lorelta Ydang Faints- Loretta Young fainted after her visit to the Medical Center at Bctiii'sda on Friday. However, she qui?kiy recovered and insisted to her husband. Lt. Col. Tom Lewis, of Special Services, and Caryl N. Odelt of Paramount, that she could carry on. She made the banquet and all (Continued on page 16)