Variety (Jun 1943)

•ascBLLAmr Conofft. Mliskal Aquilic Spectade&Bookd for Ice Arenas! Hollywood, June 1. ♦ Iiu-i-cased amusement • spending IliioiiBliout the country has in- fliicnicd Arena Maiagera Associa- ii<>n to bioaden its presentalion at- Vi>. ities the cominC season to include bic spcctncle .miulcala. swininiinK fliotts. variety reviics, syrophonics snd concert artists, aa well iis ilic leeular 'Ice-Capadea* edition i>r 1H44. Check on returns of 'Ice-CniKuU-' of 1943' and general business upswing f»ir nearly all types of unit shows led to AMA declKlon at Its recent annual ♦ lection meeting in New York. OlTi- i»-rs believe that future of biK show business will be in the arenas, which have the space to accommodate any- where from 7,500 to 18.000 ticket biivers a show, and arc leyeling oil lo bring top preaenUtlons to the 3U ar .i: ; under AMA control. To this end omanbatioo is offering a year's booking to attractions that .siun up a d is already preparing three .-ihnw.-i a.<t well as a symphony tour. Sigmund Romberg and orche^itra has been booked for all arenas as the | Friendly? Jack Mehler. Metro talent scout, broke his thumb last week in a gin nimniy game with Gene Martcl. Paramount talent .<!«)ut. Pair were playing on the train coming back from the Boe- uii) openinK of "Karly to Bed.' ;They in.sisi ii was a .friendly (jiinie. Barron, Ex4kL Tech Bit NfwProforUew'sLiMi, SpilisCafeAidef«rilMs| Washington. June 1. f When the smoke cleared after the buille of F street last week, the Club 400 hail been cleared of flr.^t-floor custonirrs and Division Manager Cai'tcr Barron of Loew's emerged as the peacemaker. It was the dinner hour and the. has oecn Dooaea lor Bu ■leims » "1= 1 _„_,„it_Kiu nw^A with «rst Of the eUs, music ."ractions. Pj-^ w« _ com^^^^^^^^ ft wfll (MM monetfto defeat Germany, Japan and Ualy. Our gmemment coJls on yo» to help now. . Biip war tattngs bond* or itamp* today. Buy them every day if you can. But but them on a regulMr hoMla. Concert artists are also being ap- Actors Plrotest Dimoat Crines An unusual petition was handed to proached with booking oHe.s for ] C^ . Hall, a.sked the colored ^^er^^^ ,wi.U5 though the 30 arenas in .»>c | b-g o^^^^^^^^ ,The^^^rter NOW being prepared are a musical. [ (^^^^n. Tn^e ^U^^iis^r'tr^hed 115<.uity -ctors in prot«. a^inst • tank .<!how and a revue labeled i gggjn^j ,.ea,. of the bar. ruining a thuggery on, the streeto of New York 'Arena Maniacs.' Latter will have j^,„p|y „, bourbon and other choice at night, blameable upon the dimout tht Olson & Johnson touch of amuse- | ^he cockUil mixer retaliated ' ment madness since comedians will , tracking the belligerent over the a bottle draining flrxt ♦ ♦♦♦♦♦ «t»*> » »>*«»»»»>»>>» M »>»l>* > »>«»♦» THE BEm£-lNG POIPfT By MikoD Berl« From an unldeatUted base somewhera ma SOtb street and Broadway Just learned that Joa Frisco was gives th* honor of launching a Liberty ■hip. Everything went well until Joe said: 1>I c-c-chris-t-t-t-ten l-(-thee' B|y that Um» the ship wns baU way to Attn. It HoniiniU and Churchill sra contemplaUng a second front, I'd lide to recommend Paul Small, the aint IneidoiUy, while exiting from tha Winter Oerden the other midnisht I found buiidireds of autograph hounds; with pens poised, waiting for What do yon think ther wanted? Ink! If M-G-M continues to make the Dr. Kildare series, they'll have to change Us name to MctnMSoldwyn-Mayo. Went to Charlie llartln'a Fbillp Morris program the other niKhl. Per. aeoftlly, eftar watching Martin direct, I'd like to receotmend him to the Academy for the 'best acting performance of the year.* U the N. Y. mlUunen decide to deliver milk en altemate days, will th« cows be milked every tiddcr day? Still wattiitfl for the' War 'Dept. to award Brian Donlevy the Distin* guished Service Cross for his heroic work in 'Wake Island.' Harry Kaufman handed my colleague, Arthur Treacher, a very fuiioy line t« use in the 'Ziegfeld Follies,' if you can call 'hello Iflltsn' a funny line. .In the old days you'd wk any actor where he waa playlnx the folle«'ing week and the reply would be: 'I don't book that Car in advance.* Ibday you ask a performer where' he'« boohed and the answer Invariably iis: "Sorry, Bud. Military secret* aid production, although not appear li.g in the show themselve.x due to : other contracts. Tuiii show is beinu I viirkcd up with the William Morris tirrice and the musical attraction will { have both Hollywood and New York 1 talent. Harris Beeleeted At annual election John II. Harris •r Pittsburgh was reelected president of Arena Managers for the fourth year and other officers reelected in- clude Col. Walter Brown, of Boston Gardens, Boston, v.p. and treasurer; Louis Fieri, Providence, secretary, and George D. T^son, N. Y.. general manager. All directors were also re- l-.ined with addition of Frank Selke of Toronto, and the Maple Leaf Gar- dens. Toronto, was admitted as a member of the association. AMA | now comprises 15 arenas plus an ad- ditional 15 asaoclate member arenas. Majority of arenas in setup have approximately 15,000 square feet of space readily adaptable to demands of -ny attraction that will be booked. Ice can be boarded over with re- moveable floors for dancing to a name orchestra or for pre!«ntation of a musical show. 'Ice-Capades of 1043,' third edition of the frozen spectacle, has been the most profitable to date and is esti- mated to have run about 40'} above Ian year's take in every engagement. Total for this season, which was completed here at the Pan-Pacific auditorium, will better 12.000.000. In addition to regular public shows. *Ire-Capades' put on three perform- ances for the Treasury Depa-tmcnt, (Continued on page 491 head with blood. By this time the restaurant was in an uproar, most of the customers leaving their tables and check.s for the street (incidentally, they didn't ™"1J*V'**- t^H'^ri^'hv'fletSS U^e attendance by keeping people at fff?"^ '1°!?., home at night. Actors claim that Petition held 208 signatures, every show on Broadway »>eini repre- le'nted. and it was revealed thjt not less than Ave actors had been roughed, it not slu(tged, by stick-ups. It is contended by th<. players this form of lawlessness niay aCect thea' into the private office and locking t; •• door. ^I"*". " ^-1' HS'^^n'i'L.^irv" Icuted. Equity could not take direct went into action. He had been hav- I _ ..„ ^ ' - - when arrests were made the cases were not always successfully prose New York Rimrwiid By Radic Harris ing dinner with two Hollywood eX' ecutives and was a sideline spfcta- lor. Brushing up on his old Georgia Tech football tactics, he entered the fray to pinion the porter's arms and lead him to the street. Hall suffered cuts of the face and hands. Jeffries. [action, but communicated with the League of New York Theatres for I support and also took up the matter with the mayor's office. Actors stated to have l>een mugged I are Ross Matthew and Francis Compton. of The Patriots' iNa- .1. ^ . .„.i<n,^ in «»iir; tional). who were not together when .T/il. S^ZtiZi^ U««"l««»-- Arthur Griffin, of The next day but had his case continued .Di.^.>kt m^A until June 4. assault and property. u. i. ^K.rspj uiiih Skin of Our Teeth' iPtyoMHith), and 7«itrov?na nrivite P^"' "nego and Tom Rutherford, destroying private ^^^^ appeared in shows earlier this 5ea.M>n. George Jean Nathan was mugged Formby's Canadian Tour,. on Fifth avenue last New Year's Day. C*^^^ rlavtiA AKvnAil Critic still complains of pains around GraCie, b«rtie AbroaULi, ^.^^^ ^ the result of the beating. George Formby. EnglLsh film and 1 JESSEL CHEOS Di AS 20TIH^OX PROA. JULY 1 vaude comic, will tour RAF and CRAF ba.<es in Canada this summer with a 10-member unit added in the United States. Appearances, which were set up by the Canadian Navy League and ENSA, t Entertainer's National Service Association) will Stan in August and last two montKs. Also through ENSA. Grade Fields, and Uertruiie Lawrence will tour English ba.<ie5. former leaving mid- July, latter ;:ailing around the end of October. GRAHAM McNAMEE LEFT HET ESTATE OF $137,707 It's Dr. Harold Rodner Harold Rodner, exec of Warner Bros, and executive v.p. of the Will Rogers Memorial Fund, was awai'ded Monday (31) the honorary degree of Doctor of Humanity by Rollins Col lege. Winter Park, Fla. Rodner has been a guiding factor in the operation of the Rogers Fund George Jessel reports on the 20th- Fox lot July I to start work under his new producer pact. Deal was inaugurated by Joe Schenck on his last trip east several weeks ago and consummated by Joe Moskowitz. Jessel's contract is for one year with options for Ave additional years. Jilb Marlowe, LD. In retirement for many years. Julia Marlowe, who with her late hiLsband, E. S. Sothern, formed a famous Shakespearean team, was honored by Columbia University yesterday (Tuesday). Miss Marlowe was presented with an honorary Doctor of Letters at the University's 189th commencement. Cr.iham McNamee, who died last May, at the age of S3, left a net relate of $137,707 to KIs wife. Mrs. Ann Lee McNamee, accordinit to an, . rstate tax appraisal filed with the I especially in-sofar as tne Saranac N. Y. surrogate's court last week. | ho.spital is concerned, since ite in- McNamee, who was among radio's; ception, flrst name announcers, also did the j comment for the Universal new.sreel. I The estate included $63,882 in | eash. about $75,000 in taxabje insur- j ance and $35,000 in non-taxable in-1 ^'•$i«:5;rtnrtheTLTor i^'^ W Drama Critic See. It Yet to Be Written, eluded $4,600 for funeral services in ; Plenty Material There That Straqjlit Comedy Aboot D. C New York and Columbus, O. 2 Oie-Riiig Circiises I By ANDT KELLET ! (Drniiia Critic, Washingon Star} ' Wa.shington, June 1. i The first straight comedy about hr^MAlilMia in N Y wartime Washington remains to be ^^■pClllMHI HI II. •• written. Both The Doughgirls' on Two one-ring circuses in New I the stage and 'More the Merrier' York, spotted within two blocks ofj (Cdi on the screen place fhc plot each other, are being readied f«ir accent on this overcowdcd city, but fliimmer patronage. The opposition! they are farcical in content and rely one-ringers are 'Spangles' and Big upon exaggerations for their laughs. Top.' former to be presented by .Major Charles MacArthur is said Robert Rlngling at Madi.wn S<|uare Garden starting June 16. The latter outfit is to be shown by Larry Sun- brock on the former parking lot adjacent to the Roxy theatre, open- ing June 17. to be collaborating on a play which will more ciedibly hlMhlight a few of the inconveniences and political manipulations which are part of ofTicial life here. Col. Laurence Stallings, stationed Spangles' will yse an en.-iemble of' at Marine Corps headquarters here 34 i-irls. I is also said to be eontemplatinq a play about the Capital. Stallings wrote a book about post-war Wa.«h' ington called 'Plumes,' in which he iMtirized conditions here after the Armistice, and he also co-authored, with Maxwell Anderson, 'What Price Glory.' still the most^ profitable of all war plays. Marined during the current war while serving as seen arlo writer for Metro, he served as a captain in the last war with the Marines sacrificing a leg in the Belleau Wood action. Stallings is a regular attendant at the National theatre and ha.< expre.s.^ a desire to turn his typewriter to Washington fads and foibles, PIcnIy et Material There seemingly is plenty of ma> iCnnliniied on pase 49) The^other day at a local hospital a beautiful blonde doing an eight-hour .^hift as nurse's aid was stopped by one of the regular nurses on the. floor. It's a wonder a pretty girl like you isn't in pictures.' she commented. 'Have you ever tried Hollywood?' -Yes. I've tried it.' 'Well, I'm .siure I don't know why you didn't have any luck. You're just as pretty as most of those glamor girls, and you look a lot like an actress I Just saw in 'The Crystal Ball.' I think her name is Virginia Field. By the way. what's your name?' 'Mrs. Paul Douglas,' waa Virginia Field's reply. A Frecdiey 'Bendarf A few weeks ago Vinton Frcedley surprised Broadway by announring his intention of assuming production rein.i on "BCiaa Underground.' Now, don't be surprised if he withdraws from the setup. When he flrst aligned himself with Milton Bender, Freedley had un- derstood from the 'Doc' that several major motion picture companies were standing by, ready to help flnance this $190,000 budgeted musical, kidding Nazi espionage, but to data none of this Hollywoad lucre Iub turned up, and unlesis it dioes within the next two weelu, Bfr. F. will cancel out and resume production on his Mary Martin starrer, Dancing In the Streets,' whose new book by Guy Bolton will be ready on the 20th. Perhaps the most unfortunate axpiect in the difficulties that have beset 'Miss Underground' from its earliest beginnings is the plight of the Chris> tianni family, who gave up steady, lucrative employment a.>< star feature act of the Ringiing Bros., and have been kept idle in New York for sev- eral months, waiting for reheariials to begin. No wonder they consider the hazards of their acrobatic feats in the arena mere 'child's play compared to the risks of Broadway. ITa-fsIr akd Warner Elsa Maxwell, who believes in mixing her 'most intimate friends* at all social gatherings, proved it once again, when at a dinner party honoring Jack L. Warner, among the other guests were many of the political col- umnists who had panned 'Mission to Moscow.' But if J. L. thought here was an opportunity to defend one of hla big- gest boxoffice smashes, he was slightly optimistic. Dorothy Thompson, Anne O'Hare McCormick, et al, were so busy hurling their own divergent political viewpoints at each other, that Warner wound up in n gin rummy game. MoTle-ing Aiaog Lillian Hellman. back from scripting 'North Stai',' is telling everyone within listening distance that she will never, aever, never again work for Mr. Samuel Goldwyn.. .chalk down Alan Jones as a possibility for the male singing lead in the Mike Todd musical, 'Light Wines and DanriiiK' ...William Rowland would like to transcribe Eugene O'Neill's Pulitzer prize winner, 'Desire Under the Elms.' to the screen, but only it he ran star Tbllulah Bankhead.. .and that's a big If...Una Merkel is at the Esffx House.. .Walter Slezak has written his Broadway pals that he ha.i a 'Dutch treat* in store for them...he's about to take unto himself a bride from the Dutch Indies...it will also be for whom the wedding bells toll for Agnes DcMilte...as soon a.s she winds up *Rodeo-ing' at the Ballet Ru.sse de Monte Carlo, she'll fly to New Mexico to merge with an Army officer.. .John Dos Pa.<isos is beinu baited by 20th Century-Fox to write _ an original ba.sed on his political national mag articles.. .Carl Bri.s.'vn. out of 'Early to Bed.' into the Versailles next...Perc Weslinore wrote Oscar Alexander to please .see that the younscst of the Wcstmorrs. 21-year-old Frank, stationed at Manhattan Beach, wouldn't be too lonely in New York, so O.-icar inlroduccd him to his daughter, Gloria...and he hasn't >een him since. No 'Waldarr Mena Adele Lonemire, nominated by Willela Waldorf in 'Variety's' poll ss the most promising actress of the past season, was so discouraged and heai-tsick after her short-lived appearance in 'Nine Girls' that she is now back in her native New Orlean.s. where she can live on her family a lot easier than on critical prai.se. What Makes Buddy Weep Several months ago. Budd Schulberg and Paul Moss collaborated on a biOKi-aphy of John L. Sullivan. The other day. Budd in Hollywood, wired to Paul, now chief petty officer at Bainbridge. Md.. to send his copy of the script at once, as Brian Donlevy was plenty hot about it. Paul turned his barracks upside down trying to find his copy, and when he failed to locate it. sent a fi-antic wire to his bride, Thelma Schnee, in New York, and asked her to try and track it down tor hlin. When her search also proved friiit!es?. lie dashed off another frantic wire, this time to Budd, breaking the news to him that he had lost his only copy and telling him to show Donlevy his. A few hours later the answer came back from Budd: 'Why the blankciy blank do you think I need yoiir.s? Have lost mine, too.' Disa and Date , ■ Bill Gaxton's flrsjl slop immediately on his arrival in town was to me play pen of his godchUd. Ethel Merman Levitt.. .while Carl Fi.-^lur re- mains a 'This Is the Army' uniform, his 'Mrs.'. Mary Ma>on, will be ingenue lead at Elitch'.'?...Harry Green erstwhile comedian, will ''coin OS a producer with 'A Bed Named Murphy.' by Ted Nathan. • •''"J^'^"!;" Zacharvs (Marlon Shockley) of the ether waves are 'heivlng' in Octow ...K. T. Stevens is at the Drake.. Joan CaufleM made her Paiamoui" lest for -Our Hearts Were Young and Gay' in a Bergdorf-Ooi»'lman dm dress, borrowed from Edith Van CIcvc. .and she i.sn't even ^•'| . memo to the male contingent: Arlene Whelan is subletting Edun a - I water's apartment on Mitchell Place