Variety (Aug 1943)

Wednesday, August 4, 1913 Broadway . n. C. Shci-Wff. In from Hollywoocl: Irving Berlin at his Catskill Mt. icpotfor 10 days. Joan Bloridell virtually-set to star in '.Naked Genius.'. Lady Cedi'ic (Pixie):Hardwicke lb ihe Coast this week. .,.'.'" Jack- Bertell to the Coast in mid- August on MCA. business. Samuel J, Friedman and Ned Arm- Mroiig teamed.fbr.publicily work. Max Hart aiding Irving Caesar in .the revised reviie, 'My Dear.Public.' Si Vario .has replaced Allan Hale, crafted, in 'Kiss and:Tell,' Biltmore. Dick. Men land, Paramoiint's ' east-.' «ni.>toi'y'editor, to Canada on vaca- tion. • ■■ ■/' . '•'■ .. Oliii Clark; Metro, story editor, gei- ling'away \fro'm; N. Y. for a couple wc rks.' .'..''..',:'■'■•■. Rose 'Moss' . secretory ' of Treasurers CUfb, VSt baby Sun- «!:.. ' u. •■"■' ;.. Warners mulling backing Richard udgcrs'.revival; of 'Connecticut; 'ankce.' .- '' . . '' '■'' , ■■ ■ ■'• :'Shit, Druxorman, manager UA's iplicuin, Montreal, in town for :10 ; . <!ay business trip. ' ■■ •: - -Jimmy Cash, CBS tenor, spend ins liis vacation on.the assembly iine' of m local'war-plant. rooks Atkinson in Sunday's N.Y. "''Times said 'the heat in Chungking is « foretaste of hell." . Mrs. Louis Lolito returned In Len- nox-Hill hospital for a major opera- 1 ion last Friday (30). . fkldie Canlor collecting an. antholr bgy of woiid!s best /jokes. . Will put them into book form. • ill Rodgers hasn't used the ali- tor ;two years how,--.preterm .to travel hy rail in . wartime. . .-.' Noiio Noriega. Cuban .decorator of Hie. San Souci. Havana, due: tg arrive. . to redecorate Jack'.Harris' La- Conga. Sol Jacbbsoh in Detroit ahead of living -Caesar's ','revised 'My -Dear Public,' which ; .opens' - there iicsi, week; - : ■..■■■■' ■■; ■ ; ' .Paul Lazarus, .. UA ad-publicity ■ chief, back from two-week visit to' . Coast campaigns for two forthcom- ing films', j - . '\ ', Loon: Lconidofrtv senior producer for R.c! Music-Hail; heads for Holly- wood this week for a five-week vaca- tion. ' Johnny Muldoon 'f&. Franklin), vaude hoofer, -contemplating quick fhovcoff to Norfolk; Va.,for .sum- mer stock. . Loriewick Vroom giving imperial deckhands a week's vacation with pay. same as cast and chorus' of 'Rosalinda.' .Charles Yates, of . the -Frederick Bros, agency, branches- out as 'a pro-' diicer this fall with the vaude-rcv.ue, 'Take a Bow.'' Major Cornelius Vanderbilt, Jr., has joined Russell Birdwell and As- sociates as contact man between Hoi-r lywood, N. Y., and Chi offices'. . First improvement by. new owner of 45lh-40th street Brbadway block is cleansing exterior of grimy wall of ■■ Gaiety, currently called Laflmo.vie. Alan Metzger, who; was' on special assignment at .Par in connection with advance publicity, campaign on 'Bell Tolls,' with Warners now on 'This Is Army .' • RKO opened a medical department for its employees in the RKO Bldg. Mary Farrell, nurse, in charge. It's housed' in space formerly- used for the exhibitors' lounge. Ben Boyar went away for a l.wo- .week vacation in the mountains, but came back in live days. Couldn't stand the hotel accommodations and everything else about it. Old Tokay Club, on 52d and 7th. may. be reopened as Hammerslein's Music Hall, oldtime nitery,. by Ted Mammerstein -and Keii Later, the agent,' wlio last essayed it. Jim Hughes quit' publicity dept of USO-Camp Shows to join Oscar Serlin as press agent. He's advance man with .'Life' With' Father' road show opening in Boston Aug. 16. Mike Todd is doing a Ripley among Broadway ■ entrepreneurs— he's ■'• re- fusing to sell anybody, a .'piece' of his ,J1 . 1 '?e u - forthcoming, show. , all of Which he'vs bankrolling personally, '-. Ward Morehouse's forthcoming bi- ography of George M. Cohan will Kive some new sidelights on the 'Yan- kee Doodle Dandy,' according to in-: siders. Putnam's is publishing 'Yan- kee Prince' this fall. • Tommy Carroll, ■ veteran vaude monologist discharged .from .French Hospital. N. Y.. after long siege (if inncss, leaves next week tor. a con- valescent, s l,ay at. Burke's ouncla- hon. White Plains, N. Y. .Ernst Lubitsch- auditioning. Ft. Oglethorpe. Ga., as'part of his WAC r*f, k ^ ,(nind ' preparatory to filming ; A1 'Out Arlene' tor 20th-Fox. Latter * -«. I. Phillips' humorous treatment ilea men tot the femme soldiers. t-illmn. Brown, secretary for sev- e al months to David Weshner. leaves i„?• lhc ' weekend for Holly wood to '''"nc nrivale sec to David O. Solz- pu.'i *•!? was for six years with J-iini'lcs E. .McCarthy, former pub-: • a, r h ? ai1 f o»' 20th-Fox. •""■'" ."' ■J?' . J »'?jn's new Camp Shows ovor- ;:;'V un 'to»'ms. are decorated with ieSlrt K ars , I 1 'service:. Stripes gar- • f..if J °h!oh from previous rn- ^ l p, " Pn «s m the Alaskan-; Cai ibbran "• n<l En Sl«nd-Irclahd: war theatres. When he gels back, he'll be a four- striped vet. : Joe Shea, N. V. publicity rep and slory. editor for William Cagney. Productions; is at James Cagney's Martha's Vineyard farm this -week lining Up publicity and radio, activ- ities for 'Johnny Come Lately,' first indie Cagney production set for early September' release by. UA. . PfatlETY Litin Quarter..is celebrating! fii'st •anniversary. ^ . 6m Kettering added to RKO pub-, licity staff here. ', Joe Sherman, operator of the .Gar- rick Lounge, is vacationing in Alaska. "Jay .Arnold is pinch'hittuig as mas-' ler of ceremonies, for vacationing Lou Breese at the Chez Pareel . '. Judy' Garland rested here for sev- eral days following a'' USO-Camp Show.- lour before returning to the Coast.. ■ ' (-. Columbia Pictures held a Branch Qrflce Operating department meeting here last.week at the Drake hotel. Hciiry C,. Kaufman, (lepartment head, and his assistant, .Bernard-: Zeeman, presided. V ■■ . ' ■ Protl.uccrs- or 'Good' Night Ladies' and the .management of the Black- .<flone theatre played host to the com- pany and the press at a party in the Variety Club rooms in the Blacltstone hotel Sunday night tl). • ■ Brit. Songsmiths — (onllnued from page 1 s ' rornved Uiiirs on BBC,' for instance, 'sbuiid like a piayback of what went, o\\ ovei'.tl'ie American, network^ a mohtli or two earlier—with the. ex- ception of a few-locally produced' numbers. You.'gel various reasons for this condition, ranging from a soiigwriter's "it's invasion—musical inyasion'-'lo'.s.publisher's": 'Americans, seem' to wrile tlie kind of songs they « ant lo liear.' But to that the song- writers declare the public , will buy what is plugged and American songs ai'e geltin '.inore plugging.- , There is much lo be said'oh both sides of the question. Sonic-firms arc committed to American songs to a' degree, such as Southern which is a branch of an American Arm. Most local publishers niso .have exchange ticups in. the Slates isuch as Peter Maurice' with Leeds and Francis Day and Hunter.wilh Robbins), and it is qbyiously' good business to plug a tune which arrives from the-States aiready an acknowledged hit Peter Maurice, to name "ohc, has in . turn sent '.». iHiinbcr or glittering hits to Ih'e Slates—'isle of Capri,' 'Red Sails in itlie Siinset,' 'Harbor Lights,' 'South of the'Border,' 'He Wears a Pair ..of' Silver.; Wings,' 'Nightingale .Sang in Berkeley Square,' etc. But British songwriters feel these . arc the exceptions rather than, the rule. : Pressure Groups Those I'yc spoken to cannot be convinced that a Briiish song in the Stales gets the;same break as Amer- ican product. . One of tlie stories you hear is about a British writer who sent a manuscript'to an American firm and got it back with the nota- .lion. 'Ameriran songs first.' The yarn probably is exaggerated, it' it has any truth at all, but it and simi- lar fables are being used to inspire 'sonic'-, form of ■ restriction against American hiuos. ■ One mushroom group; calling itself Association for the Advancement of British Songs, already claims hundreds of adher- ents., to its. .'campaign for heavily -British popular music programs. It is 'running a contest to find potential British hit songs. When I spoke "to one oMhe officials he spent; most of (lie time praising his owh .sluff and comparing himself,.not; unfavorably, to Mack Gordon. . . How the legiliinale songwriters propose lo get their . 50-50 : break is not ,vct clcni.-but there is some talk of an organi/.alioii similar to Song- writers Protective Associalioh. Also perhaps- the new Arrangers,'' Com- posers and Copyists Section of the Musicians Union will be used. Among the printed 'aims, of the latter is >c look forward lo a day when M. U. hiiisici'ans; will' refuse to play music piher, than .that bearing the A'.C.C.S.- stamp.' This was pointed out by a songwri ler;. \vho . indicated it m ight proyide the lever.; ' The end of tlie war figures' to ex- pand the-song market, since numer- ous radio stations will open on the Continent and in Eire, and conceiv- ably there might be some alternative, network to the BBC monopoly in Britain propel-. AM this will'mean greater song sales aiid: the Briti-'h songwriters nl e . convinced . . is. the lime; to make, their move. ■ As has,been recorded before, local ; Tin Pi:n Alley lias done well during, lhc w.a'r. Most of the lli'ms.are pros-, peiing. although they , get only a niiinile percentage t<f.lhc paper they u.-cd lo use. Mexico (jty ■ . y Douplas L. Oialiame , ; . Pic actor Victor Junco'has joined the merchant: marine: as an ordinary seaman. ' - ■ .• ■ - . .. Antonio iTony) Morales, the liilcry 'impresario, recovering from ah' ap- pendectomy. Radio singer Fernando Fernandez opened grocery store iiva swank dis- irict as a sideline. ' '• Leopold Stokowsk i here- at iiivita- lion -of Garlbs Chavez. ; conductor of the Mexican Symphonic orchestra, to .guest baton that unit. ' Ramon Novarro back from. Holly- wood to attend to personal biz and in connection with the production of 'Nana* that : is to be started sdbh. " Ciro's serving, town's highest priced quick lunch. $7.50 i Mex )—$1.05—per. Spot is' how . open- .from 1 p.m. to-3 a.m. with ..continuous food-drinks, service:. > angelina Magaria,: soprano, de- buting :is a 'riic actress with-a small part in Kl Hcrrcro', I'The Black- smith") that Ramon Peieda will pro- duce soon. • . . ',-."... : Daily half-hour plug, excepting Sundays, is being siveii the Black- & White Ball for benefit of war chari- ties, which, is lo be held, in August.- by station XEW. Each program tea-, lures a Princess of the Ball. ■Mexico.Produces'was;a socko 90- minutc radio program, presented by the government on a national web 121) headed .by its local stations XEPD and XEXA. It featured Mer- cedes Quiroz. soprano; Maestro Hig- inio Ruvalcaba's orclr and Spanish music. Agustin-' Lara. Mexico's romantic songwriter.' absorbed -with prepara- tions tor opening a nitery here'which he will call Eva. Jorge Marron.. Mexico's oldest radio announcer. 2V years before i he mike, and this land's Dr. I. Q„ will, also .open restaurant here soon. ,> Bolh -will continue their artistic activities.. CHATTER 47 secretary,: at Deaconess-.hos ilal re- cupisVatiug fnim operation; ■ Chief Barker Bill ENon'S auction brought in $1,500. at the Northwest ■Variety club's Calcutta preceding an- nual golf tournament; v San Francisco - > Jime Pickens held. oVer for .another two. weeks at.Drake hotel's Persian' Room. ■Jurie:; Heidhues, o[ Larrv ' Alien agency, heading cast to her' old job with the. William Morris agency in New York, ■ " . Dick' Marshall, forlner manager here for Henry Duffy; took over helm' of Tivoli, which unshul'lcrs .Thursday t5) as legit house. ';, HarVy; EtUing,..stage mgr. of Golden Gale and chairman 'at Stage ' Door Canteen,: back after three-week swing through.' East visiting other canteens-.- '-. ' -John' Charles Thomas'. Cin;lclon F,. Morse And Hal Burdick. of the ether waves, and Agent Lairy Alleii were guests at Bohemian Club^s annual en-, citmpmenfat Bohemian Grove, :ncar here. '■ .'• ■ HoUywood Harlem Riots Continued from .page i ■ Miami - Hilda- Moisc lias opened at Club Bali. . ;.' . Louise' Marlell added at Kitty Da- vis Club. ' Three Ed wards Sisters have opened at the 600 Club; . Brooks Twins are goin at the Tobacco Road. Lee Champagne, dancer, added to show at Riptide Club. .. Frank Stanley ..is .bandmaster at the exclusive Little Palm Club.' '; Carroll & Gorman, piano learn,- have' opened at Mother Kelly's. .Henry Fox; has - taken over lhc. Sky Club'. -Ernie Goodsori's band is featured. Les Brown al the Flagler Gardens. Gracic ' Barrie at the ' Frolics . and Jack Eby. at- the noyal Ceiiter and all packing them in . at respective stands. :Nile business keeps- giiod even though many .'soldier training, units have been .'nioved .to middle west. Lots.of femmes in lihifbrm now sta- tioned here and giving the niteries good play. ,. Miami Beach Police and Fireman's Benevolent Assn. gave a parly at 01- ney Inn attended by elite, of night life. Among entertainers were Louise Mariell. Skating Lockwclls, the Duffield Sislci-s.-Rcnce Villon and Shiiron Dc Vi ios. - . Cleveland By.OI'ehn C. riillrn ^ Su.-an Hughcs'joihing Chet Rykcs' crew at Cabin Club as vocalist.- Stage Door Canlcf n'celebrating six months of operation, with anniver- sary carnival. Ted Adair and Carolyn Walt; bride of four months, formed dance team' for a Shubert show. Gil Johnson, hoofing in local cafe' skedded-foi lead in '..Harold Orlob's new musical. 'Hair Pin Harmony.'. Vickie •'Manners replaced Victoria Faiist in Hanna's-'Petrified Forest' ■when'latter dropped out because of illness. . Al Mann, trumpet, look'over Al- pine ViliaKO b'alon.w'hen Mickey Kalz cot indefinite, leave of absence for Hollywood hip. :'■ Tina Vojiele ' John A. Cowgil). foiiner violih-piaiio (earn, popped news that they've been .secretly wedded since April 3. . ■ .' Clem -.Pope,- RKO . division man- ager, handed gold wrist walch . as testimonial birthday gift by Palace employees and theatrical ;union heads. ■''■ ' , . ' .' y. I.fs Hees ; Dave Barryleniceeiii'g. Aqua Follies, here.' i ' .- Ca.-anova club in.-l.alling revolving bandstand. Joe Poretta.-and orch held over at Hotei Radisson's Flame; Room. ' Hci-b. Miller band . due for six' weeks' stint aVlliippy Hour, .slarlmg Aug..4. '•'' '■.■; .: ''■■■•.'■■ . - Betty Benson, vocalist, hack, with Jimmy Jaines' band at Happy Hour after jllric-ss.-■--. George Engh-king resigned as Tair- amount' bnnker to take similar post wilh United ArlMs, . Universal branch here in second place nationally i.n "Nate Blumberg 'Plavdafe Testimonial.' Madclini Lanpl'lin. N[ali(iiial Screen break of hobdiumisni froiii 'becoming a race' riot.:. Mayor La Guardia 'inadc "his first broadcast at 1:05 a.ni; Mcinday. He spoke from WOR, but both WJZ and WABC were hooked; iii on the broad cast. • WOR at the time was' .airing: a remote, broadcast by Cab Callo- way's band, which virtually guaran- teed a > good Harlem . audience, WNEW made : i-etbrding/" of the talk and rebroadcast'' at 1:45 a.m.. and.- during subsequent news broadcasts, on the : half-hour every hour,, this station urged its listeners to accept the Mayor's advice and as- surance: stay off the Harlem streets: this is not a race riot At 7:50 a.m.. the Mayor . vvent oh the air again, using all the local clear channel out- lets, with- WJZ' and WEAF repeating the broadcast froiii a recOrdi'ng two' hours "later. . In a broadcast over Mutual Monday -hiftht the Mayor read a wire sent him by Bill Rob- inson from Holly-wood-. The.message congratulated the Mayor on the good jcib -he was dpiiig iii Harlem. ' Several -'lime's yesterday' "Tuesday), day ..and night, La'Guardia' was oh the air-again. By that time Harlem was: again'quiet, with; all looting arid violence, stopped. ■ LllUe Effect on B'way B. O. The short-.livqd, but violent Hare?' Up- of hoodluinism. in.' Harlem late. Sunday night had .only slight effect on downtown film .theatre boxofFicos. Managers had feared that citizens who. ;in transit, have to ti'avcl the subways : through the; Hariem "area, would slay away from Broad way,'- but ~by Monday aftenioon ]lhc situ- ation; had quieted alid trade was close to normal, .. . While only.,a few theatres in the. stricken Harlem zone were closed,' either -by-', order of the authorities or voluntarily, where open, busint-ss was affected seriously. However, operators reported ho damage, as- suffered by theatres nor did man- agers, have any trouble with unruly elements.. All houses were forced by curfew ,to close at 10:30 Monday night 12). .. . In- addition to various independ- ents.; both'Loewis and RKO operate a considerable number of theatres in the Harlem,area and on the fringes of that-part of N. Y. Special fire-, men are stationed in each' theatre in the event, of an emergency. Also, due to many false, alarms, the. oity has'a fireman for each block, in the danger zone. ■■ ' Irving Lesser, 'managihg director of the Roxy, which is currently play ; ing''the.all-colored .'Stormy'-Weather' 120th), .stated that business had riot- been affected• by. the JlaiicjiV dis- orders but' added that lhe«iiownto\vn engagement, of the- picture; has not been drawing many .colored- folks anyway.- Presumably, they .' have, gone for the picture at the Alhoinbra, RKO. Harlem house, which is playing-, it flay-and-datc wilh lhc Roxy and last week, ; ' . first there, grossed' $21,800 as against an average-wetkiy iritake of $5,000. ;' ■ . . .All' liquor stores and bars in the Harlem area- were ordered closed down on Monday i2; 6y ftiayor La Guardia; who also imposed, a shut-. t'ering hour of' 9:30 tor store's and bars as : far distant;from Haiiern as 86th, street from rivei;: to; river; As a further curb on rioting, the diin^ out has been' temporarily lifted in ■the Hariem area: : ; / S'park touching off the" Harlc'in riot was the shooting : by a 'cop of, a colored M. P. who was 'oft, duly and asscrtcdly attacked the policeman when "he tried to. arrest a girl for disorderly, conduct.. Death loll was five while oyer 400 wen: injured. Sidney .Toler recovering, gery. -■ t . ■' Juluis J." Epstein, hospitalized minor surgery.: Teresa Wright recovering from major.surgery, . William Perlbcrg recovering froV appendectomy. Ray Heinsdoif, Warneri coinposcr, recovering from surgery. Major Jack .Votion in . town on leave from his post in Londiin. . Jane Wymaii back in town lifter a tour of midwest Army camps. -..Eddie.'.-Le- Baron.'buying the .fro'-, cadero Cafe from Louis C;intom\ • . . Emil Lowe in from. New York as representative of the American Guild of Variety Artists.. .^Richard Bliimenth'al heading 'for. Mexico City before goiiig NcSV York to ogle plavs. Joseph M. Scherick and Joseph M.oskowitz- returned from 20th-Ko confabs in New York. . Bill Pierce rejoined Universal^ publicity staff after honorable dis- chai'Ke from the Army. Ed^intt . Cool idg'e, 'screen- aci rcss, filed sui 1 for, divorce at'ainst Alex-- it.nner pubini..M>Hgwi'ite'i'. r ' Flura Le> Breton.■'.., Yjiish-biiro s.i recn actress: took oin hcl- 'first- '""i-ican eilizenship papers. Charles Gregory.: nianilgri- nT burlcsquo thoalif; was lined S5(i for lin ing two chorus girls under lit. ' _ Robert Tayfor. /comniissiom-d laWt- Fcoruary as'a lieutenant i j.s.') ; in the Naval Reserve; assigned, to- active' duly. ■ ; John A; Cooke moved in as a-=xi- ciate of the Rodney Pantages agenev; afler 'a medical discharge from the Army. .William Hopkins to Washinmon to report On Eos Angeles as regional- direclor of the War Manpower Com- mission.. . ;' ', .Martha O'DWscoll announced', wedding date with Lieut. Com- mander Richard" Adams, U.S:N„ in September. '..; • , Serge Semenkov. vice 'prcxv of the First. National, Bank .of Boston; iri town to check up on the bank s loans lo. producers. . Brian Hargreavcs, ■former''"-.still- photographer at Warners, awardid Navy Ail- Medal as gunner and. pho- tographer in tlie Soloinons: ., : ■ ■ George Glass, recently, publicity chief of the Coast for.United Artists;" rucatio'nihg in the mountains before taking river his new chore as pub- .licity-adverlising head of Producing Artists, Inc. Australia By Erie Gorrkk ' 'Desert Victory' will be routed into aeers via 20lh-Fox and Hoyts. Coward's 'In Which We Serve' '20t'h) is smash success in Sydney for Hoyts. Sir. Beri Fuller in association'with Harry Kilchihg has opened a dance- hall, in Newcastle. Biz in New Zealand' continues at lop;; pressure. Cinema marquees' 'mostly'Yankee right riow.' Nick .Pery ■ is expected to remain in;U.- S. about two months for con- fabs with Columbia execs. Local producers again- endeavoring ' lo interest the .government in'finahcr in'g upbeat Jn local production.- . Atfssia trade.is hoping to see what . some of .the 'Variety*'miiggs look like: when that. March of Time short hits here. Possibility ..of Williamson-Tail do- ing another Gilbert-Sullivan season this year. There's plenty of dough .- around for.oidlimcrs. Aussie troops in battle areas deep- ly, appreciate presentation of nrw. films, by American dislribs. Films are now screened to troops many wf-eks prior to hitting city screen. 1 '.. Femme performers want to voltin- . leer.for outpost zones to entertain" troops. Femmes have been ban i'd in forwiird areas owing to' cerlain war. i-isks. but point out that if nurses can Uike 'cm.'fo can they. ' Cincsound has just completed 'Southwest Pacific' for Department of Information. Pic. enacted by the . cast.of locals, will be dated abroad. Ken' G. flair did the nicKtiirig. with Tom Gurr,. local • ^newspaperman, .seripli.ng, - ■■■■■ St Louis By Sam X. Hurst : -' ' Billy Pian. mgr. ot Eiist: St.-'T/yuis' Plriydium, back after sojourn at ihe Okawvillc.'Ill., health baths resort Lieut. Oscar Johnson, prexy: aii angel of the St.'Louis' symph siicielv. back- on leave after fighting with the U.S-N. in the South Pacific. Variety Club.- headed by Chief Barker Harry Crawford.; .tossing a .'• midnight show ■ at the; Amlxis; f ador. Saturday,.! 7). prdcedds to go to. elitb's charijy: fund. ' - . - A concert by- the l50-.plecc .band from.; the - Jefferson Barracks. '-iMo..- Replacement .Center and . the ' 2M>' voice Air Corps chorus from the Jef- ferson- College pre-flight school \Vill he hcadliners at preem pt Irving Ber- lin's "this Is the Army' at Ambassa-' dor. Thurs<lajr'C12). Out-of-town., exhihs • shopping -J film ' row include ' Jimmy Frisiha^ booker : for' the Fi'isina Circuit, Springfield. 111.; Dick Flshei;. Cabool,. Mb.: Bob Cluster,.Salem.,III-.;.Martin, Oberlp. Ste. Genevieve. Mo.: Carl Va'ridiver,; Kenneth. Mo.: F. L. Loew, Lebanon, Mo.; and O. t. Eright. Mon- roe City. Mo-