Variety (Jul 1943)

Wednesday, July .7, 194S P&RIETY MISCELLANY Zoot-Suiters' Reefers, Knives, Booze Cause Raid on Mfllinders Cleve. Date . • Cleveland, July 6. -f Jitterbug dances at civic audi- torium, particularly those featuring Harlem'' jive orchestras booked by Elioy Willis,, local promoter, may be slopped, the result of vice con- ditions exposed by cops. Lucky Millinder's orchestra, was stilled last week when police raided Public Hall*s ballroom, where 1,600 dancers;: mostly zoot-sulters, were hoofing. Cops pinched eight zooters. Three rug-cutters, averaging 16 in age, were thrown into the brig for smoking marijuana in the men's washroom, i Another 18-year-old boy was found carrying a switch knife with . throe-inch blade. Three . adults were picked up for- having a; large number o£ reefers in their pockets, and a bootlegger was nabbed, for '.selling- rotrgut booze to adoles- cents at 35c" per shot, When word of the raid was whis- pered, around "the ballroom, the 1.600 jitterbugs almost staged a riot. After i.t was quelled by one •'•patrolman,' two policewomen and twe "'ate liquor inspectors, they found the floor littered with lohg- bladed knives and open likker bottles. Willis, who has booked several similar dances before this season, told police- it wasn't his fault that rowdies broke up the dance. He said and proved that 40 young hoodlums were 'turned away at the door by guards, but apparently some of them got into the .ballroom via a back door. ' Coming on lop' of recent zoot-suit riots elsewhere, police were alarmed Over the possibility that such jam- borees might foinent trouble here. One high-ranking official favored a complete ban on''all such disgrace- ful public affairs that would draw together young . roughnecks, and racketeers in barbaric dances that obviously encourage vice and hood:- lumism." ' '•' ■ ' Willi- is now .trying to rent the Arena, a spoi ls emporium hot owned by the city, for a July 15 jamboree, but so far has been unable to wangle an okay out of Lou Hergei, house manager. INS CORRESPONDENT SURE LOVES H'WOOD . Art Cohn, International . News Service war correspondent, some- where on the -battle-front,- in a piece last week explaining why he can now never be a film critic, says that he goes to 'the movies at least once every day. 1 would go to three shows if I didn't have to eat. .' 'It makes no difference what the picture is. or who is in it... I am now convinced every picture de- serves six. stars, eight bells and the Academy Award. 'Boss,' continued Cohn, 'the next time some political windbag shoots off his big mouth in Washington', about the movie industry, ask bim, what the h.oll he-s doing for the boys who are fiithtiiig and dying out here just to" keep his keaster out of a sling. We know what Hollywood :is doing. "-. .'And those sanctimonious patriots so swift 16 smear any man who hapr' pens to be an actor, let them take our-'word for. il that an actor like Roohey or Bogarl can do a million times as much ^odd mugging in-.front' or a camera 'than he can behind a gUll:.. 'There's something tragically real.' concludes Cohn, -about a real sol- dier boy shedding real tears over the make-believe'soldier who is bleeding real tomato catsup.' SINATRA BY WIRE Lucky Strike will pipe Frank Si- natra in from' the. Coast for its SaU urday Hii Parade program, after the singer goes west lo begin work Aug. 9 on a film; for" RKO. It's said by his.ageney that Sinatra'.has the right to cut loose from the program dur-. jng the film-making period, but that Ihe piping "arrangement was set up .to .obviate that necessity.. , Sinatra is currently oh a vacation before heading west. Jolson's Gesture They're still talking about Al Jolson refusing to accept coin for doing 'Swan'ee,'- George Gershwin's first big hit, in the forthcoming Gershwin fllmbiog . for Warner Bros. (Jesse L. Lasky). Even his agents thought he was herts, and Jolson said, 'All right I'll pay you the com- mission on the $50,000 you think I should have gotten,, but I wanted to do it in memory of George ' and for my old. friend, Jesse Lasky.' Sequence shows Gershwin (player not yet selected) asking Jolson, 'And will the song be„a hit, Mr. Jolson?' The Winter Garden star replies, 'Come to the. theatre.tomorrow night, and if the song's .still in, I think you will know we both have a hit.' The Arthur Camerons (June Knight) Telling All in Divorce Suit Memphis. July 6. The Little Rock-hearing 'on June Knight's torrid divorce -suit-against Arthur Cameron, wealthy .Texas- oil man. was continued until July 13 after three days of testimony in which the blonde actress sought un- successfully . to link the name of at least one. Hollywood star with that of her estranged husband. Chancellor Frank Dodge may have saved the Hollywood, colony another juicy scandal when he refused Miss Knight's counsel permission to en- ter the names of '.several film ac- tresses. The attorneys, on cross- examination of Cameron, sought to introduce in evidence a photo of one- starlet, biit the judge- ruled the picture inadmissible. '*■'.. . Two.film name* did . creep into the evidence- nevertheless, but each escaped serious consequences. Anita Louise was brought into, the record when Henry Rector, attorney for Miss Knight, asked Cameron If he had ever gone oiit with her. 'Never - alone.'. Cameron replied. 'Her husband is a good friend of mine and I don't go.-out'-with, my friends' wives.' It was al this juncture: as Mr. Rector indicated intention to ask about olher names, that Judge Dodge said. 'I don't think it is prop- er for you to' go on,.a fishing ex- pedition among all the names in Hol- lywood until you have orTered-'evi- dence ..to link certain persons wilh Mr. Cameron.' It was Cameron himself who (Continued on page 30; KAZAN ON THE DOUBLE win Stilt* 'Venus' and Also '20lh-Fox Bankrolling Has .' Elia Kazan will'run between (wo legit assignments.- now thai lie's signed- to stage 'One Man's Venus.' This has John Boles how in the role oringinally intended for Marlene Dietrich and since rcwlilten.-Cheryl- Crawford and John Wildberg .-pro- ducing. Paula .Laurence and Kenny Baker are aiso set; arfd Kitty Carl- isle or Mario sh i who's being screen-tested at 20tli-Fox, this week; .may' also, be in it. Kazan's oilier --'.chore is for 20 th- Fox which is .'bankrolling; his new play; but first he and Arthur Arcnt must write il. New screen. personalities whom film Industry toppers predicted last year would be developed as a re- sult of the terrlflc shakeup in talent, rosters, due to the draft and sharp- ly Increased taxes, are already be- ginning to emerge as the favorites of a new generation of theatregoer's. While some of the Older, names continue. potent b.o,, there's a no- ticeable tendency, -reported, among younger --theatregoers, to. favor tal- ented newcomers. Accent is on youth,' and callous kids regard some of the established screen toppers as mature men and women, rather than romantic leads.. . A hew set of flim heroes and heroines now appears to be '.in the making, according to views of major production department heads, some of them catching on after but one or two-brief though effective sub- ordinate roles; As a result there is less hesitancy among producers to place burden of carrying top budget product upon younger, compara- tively unknown players. One in- stance is case of 'Song of Berna- dette,' high-budgeter at 20lh.-Fox in which Jennifer. Jones carries' ..top assignment. War pictures, among others, have developed, many new pashes for the fans. Just as Uncle Sam's uniform draws attention in real life the same uniform glamorized on -the screen is (Continued on page 20) Nightclub'Gold Fish' 'Eater' Tells Humane Officer'It Ain't So' St. Louis, July 6. Customers who. patronize the Cir- cle,' a downtown nitery, last week appealed to the Humane Society to slop Billy''Broadway Playboy' Irwin, an entertainer, from devouring gold fish as part of his act. Irwin, who played the role of a stewed col- legian, would stagger up to the bowl, grab a couple of 'gold flsh' and eat them.;, Harold Present, investigator for the Society, trailed Irwin to his dressing room to issue the estop edict and learned that the fish .were phonies. Irwin said: 'They aren't, goldfish at all, they just look like goldfish. . I make them out of car- rots, cutting ' them thin so : they'll quiver when I stir up the water iii the- bowl.' This, explanation satis- fied the Humane Society's agent, and Irwin was permitted to continue. PREFER WRITING EAST ; Oscar Hammerstein, 2d'and Rich- ard Rodgers leave New York for the Coast, July 9, to huddle wilh Dai ry! Zanuck on the. musical ..version of 'State' Fair.' ■. Team returns July 15 as they wlil complete their writing- assignment in.the east,-.rather than on the Coast. Show Biz to Dedicate Service Flag At Unique Midnight B way Rites; Mammy Is Tops While Art Hayes, WABC, found thai American soldiers in, camps here liked jive arid.senti- - mental ballads best. Joan Brooks, CBS singer recently back from England, found that, service-men across, the ocean .preferred songs- with the word 'home' in thci -,'■' as long; as they weren't too sen-' timcntal. Evident that both jive and love suffer when- Brooklyn gets too far away. ■'■/ Lyman Asks 1 Od From MCA in Payment For Bonita Granville's Loss ittsburgh.' Abe Lyman is demanding $10,000 from Music Corp. of America to let Bonila Granville, screen actress now on a theatre tour with his band, out of her contract two weeks early. Maestro holds a six : weck deal .with young star at' $2,000 per, which doesn't expire until July 22. and RKO has been paging her, to return to Coast at end of 'current Pitts- burgh engagement for a loan-out to Metro. •••■'• Matters were at a standstill over the weekend, with long-distance calls between RKO and MCA. and MCA and Lyman ■ flying at. the rate of three and four a day. with bandlead- er insisting . he would hold Miss Granville Iq her contract for two more weeks unless MCA kicks in with Ihe 10 grand. ' Lyman figures she's a .big. b.o. fac- tor in his, show and feels her removal would cut dbwit his.grosses and sub- sequently his chances to cash in on percentages over split figures. In here at $H.500. he's likely to fake out around $11,000 or better as his share at present rale of biz at Stan-, ley. .In--what shapes up as one of ■■ most unique and colorful'ceremonies' staged in. Times Square in many years, the entertainment, industry will lurn out ch masse at midnight Wednesday, July- 14, lo pay tribute to the men . from show: biz who .ar serving" in the. armed forces. The occasion will be the dedication, of a show business service (lag at the tri- angle on roadway at 43d street, the event to -highlight 'the:.opening day's session of the Conference Board.'ot the National .Entertainment Industry Council. Two-day powwow of NEIC, ' .symbolizing 'unity and full mobiliza- tion of show businesses joint -re- sources to help speed the victory, will get under way the morning of July 14,and"conclude the evening of July 15. . From roadway's legit houses, nitcrics, picture and vaude houses there will, be a general outpouring of the top names and the small per- formers, in greasepaint and costuYne,. who win join with all the other rep- resentatives Of show biz in the mass midnight demonstration. As.' the beaming arc lights- are' focused oh the triangle and as newsrcels grind but, the event, to remind the rest of the nation of the role the entertain- ment industry is playing in flic war efTort, the flag of blue and gold stripes will be hoisted in a solemn program of rcdedication that, will be carried over, the - four major net- works. ■The Times Square.ceremony, pro- jected into NEIC's ambitious pro- gram by James A. Sauter. head or the United Theatrical War Activi- ties Committee, and unanimously (Continued on page 30) M P. RELIEF PILES UP SURPLUS OF $1,351,581 Hollywood. July 6.., Surplus of the Motion Picture Re- lief Fund amounts to $1,351,581, piled up chiefly through the radio shows, which have brought in total receipts of $754,801 ..since their inauguration. George Bagnall, treasurer/explained lhal the; reserve and the interest therefrom will be. used eventually for-the upkeep of the Motion Pic- ture Country House. Aim is: to iiir crease th.c surplus to $3,000,000, Cantor Urges Morale Workers to Get Smart Scripts; Hospital Shows Needed CH1C0 MARX DICKERING STR.-VAUDER IN S. F. San Francisco, July. 6. Chico Marx has been talking to Irv- ing Ackerman, pa'i lner of Sid Grau- man in Alcazar theatre operation here, about bringing a variety show,- featuring Marx's band, into the. the- atre. Idea would be to' build a two- a-day vaudcr around the band, sim- ilar to Grauman's 'Highlights of 1943,' which played the Alcazar; Marx is-current here at the Golden Gate, vaudfilmer. H. B. Warner Broke 'Los. ngeles.July (J. II. B. r arncr. oiycc a wcalrhy lilm ' Alar, tiled.a ,bankruptcy petition, cit- I ing his inability lo pay a: debt of J $5,872 to Lionel Barryhiofc and Clar- ence Brown. Petition .is the result of a real-es- tate deal with Barry more and Brown in 1933 involving $44,188. Warner's obligation in the transaction was $14,722. He declared he .has'.paid all biil $5,872 and could pay, no more. y ABEL GREEN ■ If it weren't : for his. .schedule of bookings -in several key cities, en loulc^ back to ; Hollywood, to ad- dress- lUncheons, teas and dinners In towns such as Omaha. Minneapolis, etc.. to further .'repatriation'..of. rol- -uscc youth from H'itlei'lan'd. Europe. Eddie Cantor would stay over for next Wednesday's U4')-'opening ses- sion of the ''National. Entertainment industry-Council in New York. lie wou,ld fell. NEIC 'plenty, about the home-front, the need of a 'hospital circuit.' and the like. He has done-lots ot that. He plays al! Kaiser .shipyards; or others; as when he^ahd his daughter. Marjorie. visited Baltimore : July .4—appro- priately enough—to launch- the George M. Cohan aY the ; Bethlehem Fairfield. Shipyards. He .sees, in closeup. how absentee- ism is in some respects an overrated. it just thins;. Hiifl how caii't be helped. Take llir- clhlchemplain in Balti- more with its 40.000 workers, of which pcrhap-- ].V; are Woinen. It':-, naliiiiil for live femmes'lo diop out .<t>n;c lin: considering that many Work ever, seven days a week be- cause that overtime in.worlh. timc- ai:'l-a-hal!. 'Bui.' urye.7■'. 'anloi-. 'when a visit- ii:.8 .-tin- waul<'.'to.'.emphasize the evil of -.absenteeism lie must not preach. Its one tiling for me lo'.sa'jv 'Of coin so. if. you stay away it' doesn't lielp.Mi-. .Whiskers, but il docs help the Mail with ihe Mou.-tachc.' -Thai'.-' all ri'4lit.. I think, because I then go. into my .soiig-and-dance. then back again when I might observe, 'Wet!, if my coming- here saves you the bother of going out for your en- tertainment and theatrical diversion, (Continued on page 30) Trail* Mark Iteffisteio,l FOVSn.ED Br SIMK SILVl-ltMAN. riiiiiNlinr H><>kir iiy v.vhik'I V. inc. Si.I Hl'llta II, l'l'f:.lill,;lll til Went 4'eih' .St.. Now Toik, la. N. V ATinii.il. , .S*i IU!«-''.,I»r SCJ'.Sl-r.II'TIO.N' . Ill) l' , oi-i:ii;n.-. ..:JI1 t.-e'nis Vol. 151 No. 4 Bills . ,..'.... 50 dialler . . :. . ; . .53 Film RevTc^vs. ..,....,..;,... '8 House Reviews. ..",. 49^ Inside—L.c^ilimaie . . ...... 51 Iiisifle—Mu<ic' ... 44 Inside—Orcheslias 4:! Inside—Pictures ...-.':'• '. 25. ;.Iiiside—Radiii■'.- ...'...:.■;■,.'.■:..'.. - SO ' Iiilcriialioual 19 ' IiOtiitimuK' ;':. ..... .,. ... '.'-.. 51 Literati .'. . . /'.--..'... 51 . Music. /.'..- :..,41 Nev.- Acts '. ................ 50- NiiiHl Clubs .. . ,\ -4li : A : i'ti!-.l Club Review: ... ....'4fi 'Obuuni v. :'•..... . 51 . Ovhe-'lia.. •••• - . . . '41 Pic)ii|-e> . ;.. ....- -5 Radii; -..-.",'.'., ....... 3'J Ii»/ ; li.> -Ri'-v'ivw-... 31. Vaudeville ' -'- -.. 4li. Wai Acliviiies:...;.:..4 llAII.V \AHIKTV . (I'Vil.l,-,fi».,( .i, l l.ill-.-'....t l,y I».■ iI>•' i ;j-r>. I.nl.)