Variety (Oct 1943)

WAR ACTIVITIES Wednesday, October 6, 1913 Dolson, Benny Ask Switch in Stsffs' Routing to Reach Boys in Foxholes Out of thi^ now. and exciting chap--' Icr in the licioic saga of 'show bUFl- iic^s at war' written. into the USO- CnniP Shows ricord by Al Jolspn iind Jack Benny, just back f ro'm tours of the ..global .flghtini! -fronts, will come iinpovtant recoiniiiendations on future .chahneling of entertainers lulo'Yank bases overseas. Checking in at Canip Sliows licnd- ciuartcrs in JJ. Y. last week, the two top-rahking stars sat down with CSI proxy'.Abe liastfbgcliand subniiltcd data, for; improved operation ol the overseas program based on their own experiences, which will be,in- corporated in detailed report to the War Dept. Beiiny, back from a 12-week swing of the 'War Front .e<rcuif whore he,- Larry :AdIer,. Wiiii Shaw, Anna tee. end accompanist jack, Snyder,-.coirir prising the 'Five JerkSi in a jeep' troupe-ras they term it—brought cheer to huiidreds of thousands of the flghiirig '.boys, cite."!'. the need for witches iu routing' and. the coneen- ■ tratlon of stars • in' single. areas .for a greater period of. time instead iof. spreading them over a large part ol the globe.. Under the lalier arrange- ment,' Benny points out, only a .small segment of-the-boys at each base can be reached. The remainder, looking forward ■ with eagerness to • a star's visit only to find themscLves left out in the cold, are douljly.disappointed. That's because of tlie far-flung rou- ting schedule which only permits for ■ short engagements before shoving off another 500 or ' 1,000 miles.- to- the next spot. Naturally, it's rjointed out, with only, tetntiporary facilities avail- able,- the Yank troop personiiel at any' one base, can't possibly be taken care of. Thus, haying the celebrities £0 near and yet so far inevitably cre- ates a lefdow-n feeling arid diston-. tent. Plenty Wrone Jolson, arriving in N. .Y. Thursday (30) after-two months in Africa and. Sicily With Harry AKst as accom- pan'ist, let off plenty-steam on what's- wi-ong with, the present fofup, both here and abroad, joining with Benny in the contention that the boyis in the foxholes, in the isolated area and living in pup teiits need entei'tain- iiient and need it badly. He hopes that out of the fact-finding study hc"s made of the entertainment situation abroad will conic a pattern for. future routings.' ASidc from the 'live enter- tainment' asspect, Jolson. as. with Benny, is . plenty steamed up over live film situation in the overseas camps (as detailed elsewhere, in 'Variety') and has compiled a survey of Yank soldier needs for prcscnla- tion to Louis B. Mayer, Nicholas M. Schenck and other filn-i toppers. No word-mincer. Jolson ;at a press interview Friday (li, looking fit and tanned arid boasiinu an honora;ry corporalcy as a ■'soldier in grcasc- paiiU' with three service . bars and four pflshorc USO tours to his credit, l;\shcd out at failure of .^topc-^and screen stars to bop the next clipper to entertain the boys on the fighting froiils. "They're ijirioring the one big job that has to be. donc-^and done iinnicdiatcly. They need .the Can-, tors, the Jes.«cj?, the -Hatc.vs-. the Skcllons and (lie other, stars. The iioys would go cra^y over band-i like Tommy DOrsey or Harry Jamc.<:. They'd give two months of. their pay for the sight o£ Betty' Grable, Ril« Hay'wprth or Jiiix Falkcnberj;, es- pi'cially, the boys who haven't seen a while woni.m . in 22 months. ■ It's a must for everybody. The. stars would be giving up ijolliing by t'oing aiid God ki\ows tiic boys over there need them.. And xlon'l give thenv Sjinke- spearc; or the long-haired slufr. • They're kid.^—ahd all they want is light stiifT,. but UP legitimate harn. They: want' to see girl.s dancing girl.<;, Finging girls, and -just AnicriCan . pirls.' , . -■. ' ■. ■ : ■ Jiilsoiv's Burnup ; 'ilome-Fronlers' Jolson, sovindod b(T bi) the hoinc- frunt situaiionl too; was. plenty per- . turbed over the .f,nct that it's lioc- .ssary to offer, a free nilory nieal oV: a theatre lickcil as an inducembnt to buy a bond: "it-jusl docsnll make ten.-' ,' he said. ' Jolson, who estimates he played before .400:000 boys in 120 shows,' ranging from-a pei-forhiance for a .'ingle boy in a-hnspitar-fo -iin audi- ence of 18,000.-says'he saw the great- e.':t.shovv< of liis life: the surrender of ll)e Italian -fleet to the Allies at Pa- lermo. In covering 40,000 miles, he met up, with General EisoiKowei-. (who's a great guy), averaged 20.to 30 , songs a day'('Soririy Boy' was most frequently- in demand, but don't .(Cbntinlicd Qii page 8) Improyecl 16-min. Proj. The War Dept. is working out- ■ aii improved. ISrmillimeler pro- jector for service irieii's use. The Society of Motion Picture Engi- neers: ■ coliabpraling bii- this. ' i'i'his' i.s something which has been ..on the '.tapis ■ long before' the Jblson-Benny blasts on ihade- qualc film enterlainmcnt. ,' It had cprtie'to tiie atlentioVi of-military offlcijjls that; the 16-: mm. equipment, per so, was es-- seiitially for amateur .use, arid ' the. ams naturally , aren't as ex- acting: for iimited' home use as. wheri the. same 16-mm. mach ine must be utilized-for projection in. large auditoriums. ' Army'Contact Caravan' Show for Civvies Nets $5,000,000 Bond Sales -' Miami Beach, Oct. 5. 1 Over $5,000.,0b0: in War Bond .'sales witliin the period, of a week was the record made 6y 'Contact Caravan," touring unit of. the;'Miami Beach soldier broadcast,: at'twb War Bond, shows last week. Admission to bpth shows ■ was by purchase of- War Bonds with further sale; of bohds taking place during'performances. Shows also gave civilians a chance to see for -the firsf time a show :al- ready lamiliar to them on the air. '(iontacf was preSenteci at a special War Bond, premiere of the film,: 'My Kingdom for a - Cook,' at the Miami Beach Lincoln . theatre, and at the Miami high' school,- -.'Contact' is the radio show which has been broadcast over WKAT, Miami Beach, for the past 74 w:eeks. It specializes in com- edy and- dramatic sketches, .with a GI twist, written by .T/Sgt. Draper Lewis, former riember of the CBS script department, ..with music by. the 'Contact' orchestra, ,a 32-piec.c outfit under the. direction of S/Sgt. Joseph Leahy. . ' Others currently or recently in the radio department of special services which produces "Cbiitact' are Joshua: Logan, Morgan Farley and Alan ^Campbell, all now eommissiOned of- 'fieors; Cpl. Al Binnie, Pvts. Edmpnd- O^Brien and. Philip Bourneuf,, Sgt. Bruce Wendell, and: others. The radio department is under the su-: pcrvision of Major Ralph G. Bobart. Among, the personalities who have appeared 'as guests on 'Cpntacl' arc Al Jolson, Constance Bennett, Binnie Barries, Penny Kasper. Bonnie Baker, Major Thorntori -\yildcr, Jlob- :crt Preston, Dorothy Parker,. Pitt- man Corry, -Bruce Cabot, Jinx Fal- kenburg..'Ccl. Hans Christian /^dam. .son. Elaine Sterne CarringConfLynn Bari. Liii Damita, Dolly. Dawn, Mai'y Carlisle, Bob Allfn and many plhcrs'. Marian Anderson's Toiir Marian Anderson lias Ijeeni bookwV by -USO-Camp Shows into several camps in . the south for a series of dates. The cPlored singer is going i'out as a volunteer enterlaincr., ' She beginst her tour Oct. 22, when she sings before colored air cbrps. spJdLers at Tuskegce. U. S. FILMERS TO AID CANADA'S 5TH LOAN Ottawa, Oct. 5, . U. Si filnv stars and featured play- ers wi li go aU out. as usual^ to boost Canada's Fifth Victory Loan. Defi- nite so. far arc .Walter. Pidgeon and Jessica-Dragpnette, to DVoadcasl over the Cariadian Brpadca.sting Corp. na- 'llohal net: . Possible are Percy -Faith, James Gagney, Charles : Laughton, Liiciilc Ball, Norma Shearer (Can- adian-boi-n'), Brian Aherriei Barbara Stanwyck.' ' Arrnhgcments rriade with coopera- tion* of American Theatre Wing and Hollywood Victory Cbmmiltee. .- In Toronto Ditto. ■ Toronto, Oit.', 5. With Walter Pidgeon :and Je.ssica; Dragonette.'teeing off toclayi the fifth Canadian : Victory Loan Campaign gets underway. Nesv serics,' emanat-: ing'from: Massey Hall here, \S'ill be supei'vised by Percy Faith and.jiir.cd o.ver the entire Ca'nadiaii Broadcast- irig chain. Donating ser.yices include ■ Jarritis Cagney, Bjirbara Stanwyck, Charles Laughton'-,': Lucille , Ball, Norma Shearer, Oscar Levant .and . Bob Ripley. Artie Shaw's Aussie Dates in Army Hosps ■ Sydney,, Oct. 5. :: . Scainan Artie Shaw; leading a Navy'band, is set to give swing shows . ' U. 5.. Army hospitals Id- eated in Australia after touring other Pacific zones. . He rnay also'be per- mittecl to do Sonne, radio dates plus one or two concerts in the Sydney cityhall.- . With. .Shaw are Barney. Spieler, Mack Pierce, Tiger \yade, Ralph .La Poll'a, Harold 'Way, Max Kamirisky and David Rose. 'Army- Group in Training Camp Lee, Va!, Oct. 5.: Twe"'!'""'"? .I'lcriibers of ; the original cast of 'This lis the Army' have : arrr\-cd . here from: Camp Upton, N. .Y:,-and are taking basic training , in Company D of the 6th QuiU'term.aster Training Regiment. Among those here arc Joe Cook, Jr., Bob Moore, son of Victor Moore; i Mario Fiorello of the Chicago Civic • Opera, Vance Campbell, pianist and I song: stylist; Fred Kapn'or, Impcr- : sonator; Sam : Carr, solo banjbisl; . Charles Kingsiey, solqist, and Lloyd I Wri.ijht. ex of Radio City MUsic Hall. jJack Mendelsohn,' Composer; Albert jand jack Rubens, artists,-and John Orian, writer, are also in the group. t ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦»♦♦♦♦»♦««<»♦♦♦»♦♦ t c M ♦♦ ♦ ♦♦ ♦♦■»-»] Uncle SamVCallboard 7 < M ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ t ♦ ♦ . ♦ ♦♦♦ . <♦♦>»»♦»«»♦♦ ♦♦♦♦♦♦« ♦ « ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦■»-f.».f4-».. Weissbcrger's Medical pisrharRe .. L. Arnold Weissberger, theatrical attorney .w:h6 enlisted in the Army _fpr aclivQ .•service, has bcgii given a "medical discharge. He rcliirncd to New York to "resume his law prac- tice. , ' Stuart Aarbrif. Warjier hohico/ficc legal .<;taff,. reported to Fort Dix. N.. J„ yesterday i.Tue.sday). lie wa."; gi.ven:a.part.v by the homepfficc legal sljiff and, .another in Philadelphia over the weekend, by rivcnibeis of the :. Warner '• , oi gani^atioiv; there. ■ ' "^: ■ ..on the Star Spangled Circus, (he ! other day, rounding up 42 act.';. J nearly aU of thoin from the larger I commercial cireusc.^. Show, ran'for a week and was'highly succc.-fsful. ■ Soldier ' admiissions were -geared tO; i mcl't- oxpeiiscs—50c, with reserved 'seats ai 75c. ; Need Better Specialists Further evidence of the need for channeling more sei-vicemen' from ihow business Into Special Services. was encountered by Al Jolson oil his two-month lolir of Yank bases in North Africa and Sicily,, from, which he returned last week. . ' Situation was fbUnd by Jolson to be particularly acute jii North Afi-lca'where he found that the fe\v from show biz,;who were handling special Services were knocking themselves out in seeing that the right-- typ? of inorale job was being done. And aU because the -higher-ups in the division, lacking background aiid knowledge in fostering campv. sponsored eriiertaintnent; - are:, compelled to relegate thei jobs to (he . guys who know whit lt's:all about. Similar situation.has been pbinied .tip frequently In canips in this ceuritry aS'well, but dbiiblc importance, is attached,- to' the lack overseas .where the ijeed for entertainment ambiig the boys in combat grows more and more, vital. USO-Camp Shows Defends Osborii On Beef He lacked Showmanship' Fidelity's Reward . idelily -with- -Which profes- sjonal women have applied themselves to the service can- teens frequently has its compen- sations.-That, particularly. applies to the American Theatre Wing's Merchaiit Seamen's Club in New, York, .men back froin long con- ,'voy duty bringing . riipmentoes tb' thje hostesses. Some of tiye lat- ter 3re on duty one or more eve- nings weekly.- while those acli\'e in opei-aling the -club: rarely miss ' a night. Margaret; Pemborton- who's coiisLanlly on the job, received B .fur; piece from one lad back from a . cruise ..to Russia^ the mariner saying she: had been like a 'mother' to him. Silow Biz Sale of War Bonds $1,670,000,000 iSo Far; More Expected Washington, Oct. 5. . Film biz-has vurig up War bond sales of more than $1,070,000,000 and the tofal (nay reach $2,000,000,000 when the final, returns are, in. ac- cording to. the esliinates w-prked out here by Carter JBarron and John J. Payette. War Activities CbiUinit- 't'ce co-chairmen-in' Washington. Re- maining tallies are still due from many theatres which ran bond, preems. arid . conducted • over-the- counter sales. To dale returns from the theatres stand at $336.703,000-plus the $1,079,586,000 for. the Hollywood Bond Cavalcade and the $254,238,000 fbr the war vet airmadas. ,;, Y. Cap.'s $2,540,000 Midnight stage i-Uow at the Cap- itol. N. Y.. . Friday (1), .under the coriibinod au.spiccs of the Paramount, Roxy. • Loews: stale. Music' UnM, Strand and Capitol theatres nclled over $2..')00,000 in war bond sales. Adnii.>;sion scaled from $'25 to $5,000 in war bonds. ; ' I)e(roitcri) Inducted Delrpit, Oct. 5- "''Ted Mendclfsehn, Uiilversal branch: manager. Army. ' John- Cri\'p, bu-'incss agent for the Detroit local, lATSE, Anny^ Delnp.' A.. Hitter, manager of the Rivela ^theatre. Navy. 'Somclhinp for the Girls' ■ Washington, Oct., 5. Tiiriiabout bchig fair play: .soldiers at North Camp Polk, La., have, de- veloped a new show.-r'.Sbmething,. for the Girls,' Plot deals with a group of GI's'who decide to bolster eivil- :ian morale, with special attention to the girls. One angle includes the ULWO : (United Lonely Women's Organization). And, at Fort Meade, Md., (hey put , Jr.' jn .Army. Hollywood, Oct. 5. ,, Charles Chaplin. .Jr., 18. Army. John Rider, radio agency office manager. Army, Miu-ry Wagner, radio annoiiricer, Arn^y, .'. .. , . : '' Bobby Widholm, ice skater, Navy. - Jame.s Wagner, -sludip tcchnjciari. Army. Jaik Ro.scnstciri, " press agent. Army. Ian ^Cameron, studio :technician.' Navy. 9 MORE USO ACTS ARRIVE IN LONDON Loridnii. Sept. 20. Xinc act? have .ivj ivod to qpon for USO-Camp Shows. Thoy coiiipri.-;e Billy Gillx-rt and '\vifir. Beth Fcrrcll, Tommy Martin, Florinc .McKjnley, Gu.-isie ■ Sands and Carl Nixon^ Duke -Mcl-Iale and- Call Manner. . - A.cjgrcg.'itibn has been divi iri.lo i iwo uniIs, .starting work wiIhin a week. aiiKmciilod with Qi's of prp- fc.^sionai caliber. With aniviil of these two uiiil.s, U-SO-Canip Shows now; has .10- all- .\m.ericaii shows in' the field. In ad- dition there are also two units com- prised of selected British' talciiti plus one complete GI show. . . - roken Up . Chicago, Oct. 5. , Carroll and HOwe, standard act for 10 years, has been broken tip, with the indirctiori of Buddy Ifowe into: the Army, Jean Carrpjl. (Mrs. Hbwe) w ill centinue as'a single.. Team did its last dale together Iwe weeks ,agp,at Camp Grant, 111., xvhen Pvt. Buddy Hewe. was calletl up frpm the audience and did the eld routine, 'in uniform,. with hiis wife. L A. to N Y. ate BUiniberg. Charles i\ackelt. Dfinny Danker.,. ' Alice Faye. "..,,:: Ralph Forbes. Phil Harri.-.-. Ben Hcr.<h. ': < - Kenneth Macgpwan. Ray Milland;„ , ' Ai'ch: Reeve, llun'l. .5tromberg. • N.Y. to ^n<\y Christians, John C. Flinii. , L. Wolfe Gilbert, John Harkins.' Sid Kprnhciser.' Bruno Ziralo. . LA. Characterizing a^ 'unlair and with. out justification^,reported , crilieisni leveled at Brig, Gen. FreiJerick H, Osborn, of the Army Special Serv- ices Division, for alleged lack of showmanship.' in organizing and - d i• reeling camp show activities, USO- Camp Shows executives this week ebunlered, with a statement criiijg (pen. O.sborn's regime as of 'inestirrir able value in the furtherance pt'tlie USO-CSI program.' Gen. Osborn, who has been nominated for ap- pointment as a major-'gencral, is jn-^ volved in a wholesale-i:ealigniiient.pf War Department heads' at Washing- ton, wilh directive currently awaiting action by Secretary of War Slimson taking Cam]p Shows but of Ills jurisdiptibh. Pointing out that if there had not been .'an understanding and sivinpa- lliclic aUitudc' in official CSoverii-; nicnlal- quarters, 'the progress of USO-Camp Shows would have been, sorely . hampered,' Abe' Lasttogel, CSI prexy, and Lawrence Phillips, executive 'v.p., point put that Gcii. Osborn; when appointed-as chief-of-, special services in 1941. 'had an im- mediate, conception of USO-CSI's a.s-' signnient in the war elTbrt. Just prior to his cpmmissipn, he had been civilian chairman of the Joint Army and Nayy -Committee on Wei fare te Recreation, an Official grOup com- posed of Ar.Tiy and Wavy ofTicers anii prominent civilians. 'During: the time that Go'n. O.s- born was chairman of the Joint Army aiid Navy Commit tec, there Was definitely cpnfirmed the policy of assigning tp. civilians, ratiicr than iinifoi-med_ personnel, the task of providing' live entertainment for m.eh.,pfr-duty On military ancj naval reservations. In addition, (hoic w.'.- established as a oonfirmed policy ilic principle . that only two civihan or- K'iinizatipns, the American Red Cross and USO-Camp Shows, would bo porniill'ed Ip.function pii the national level within these reservation.";. Cite Complexity of - rroblciiis , 'In considering the relationship of USb-Cahip Shows with the Army, there should be kept in. mind that the Special Service Division faced new arid complex problems !it the start of the present war. Sonic of the Special; Service's activities were familiar to the Army, as, for .' stance, the Ai'my. Motion Picture Service and the operation of post exchanges; but the matter of live entcrlainmentwas an' entirely !Vew phase of Army activity. ' '.Suljordihate to the Chief of Start iiMd the Secretary -of—Waiv- tl>c-re- sponsibility :for exploring these, new Jiolcl.s of Army-activity was entrust- ed to Gen, G.sbPrn, whp; as chaii- man of the Joint Conimiltec. ha helped, work out the outline of the direction in which activities .should be undertaken 'Upon assuming the position Chief, of Speciar Service ivision. tfcn. Osbprn: activated the unit in lire division a.ssigned to cooperate with USO-Camp Shows, which has h.aiidled Army:matters in conncctibn willtahc program since that time. 'Gen. Osborp. has been iii.-trvi- inont.'il in bringinjf aboiil" I'liiing.s which have niatcr'ially. facilitated lhe :opcrations bf USO-Cainp Shows. "A ease in point is the place and. function of USO-Camp 'Show.-< in overseas entertainment. Without' pi'(Scedent for prpcedurc, it'was n'cc-. ossary tp;clarify the activities of wcl- /are prgariizatibns' operating/ over- seas and Gen. Osborn's thprbugh un- derstanding and appreciation of the w-brk of USO-Camp Shows rcsult(?d in its official designation by Army orders as the only organization au- thorized to recruit professional tal- ent in the United States for showing to rnilitary ' - personnel overseas.