Variety (May 1944)

MISQSKJCiAHy Wednesday, May 3, 19 H Sees Old-Time Vaude Acts Out Of Camphor for Tele Booking Circuits * Chicjgo, May 2 ♦ ', Pi'edictioit thai television' civcuUs,: !imiliir to the vaiKlcviIle circuits of tHe.'20's, with talent rehearsed, cos- tiimcd and tiained in NevV Yotk, Chicago or Hollywood i would come into being at the end o( the wai v,as made by Commander William C, Eddy. USN, in an address beloic top radio execs heie last week. Eddv pointed . out that production CO-.IS, long one of the biggest he.id- \8ches of the /new, industry.^'coitld be ■ cut.to a inininium.by routing variety sets and even big productions on a icgulai television circuit of the ma- jor cities Experienced televiMon bookers will probfibly book the talent 8S units ox' Hi siriglcs along the lines of the old ftKO bookmg circuit " ■ A booking' or circuit arrangement VOf .Jiiis type i.5 ineyitable,in the years , following the ;, war. according.:. to Eddy, due to the ijet that coaxial cables of jupipei lelay stalionb necessaiy to pipe shows from a cen- tral point Will take years to install and rui into millions of doUai'S Old time singles and variety acts are "tailor made" for video, Eddy I pointed out with most standard 1 .vaude Toutinp.s almo.st as good. "For the pasi few.years ill;.expS^imenrin with vaiious types ot shows we have found that liteially all of the old- time acts ale natuials,' foi tclcvi- iion," Eddy said Big productions staged for televi- lion alone, with special , costuming, makeup and scenery will travel the television circuit the same as the : smaller units. Routes of the.se: types of shows, he believes, will be rer istricted to the larger cities and m most cases will be under long term contract to a commercial sponsor, whereas the smaller units will be ■ available to locally sponsored shows, Commander Eddy, who had spent yeSrs in' the. television field prior to his re-entering the Navy in 1941, predicted that televi.sion will de^ velop an entirely new group of actors and actressesm the'years to come . who will have the combined talents of stage, screen and radio as well, as a new technique peculiar to televi- sion alone. "A large percentage of the present radio performers will be unable to qualify in video," he saidi "with the result that newcomers to show business will be trained by the hundieds" Commander Eddy, who is the com- manding officer of' the Navy Radar. «(,hool here, has been conducting a series ot: talks before top iradio exec- utives on the general subject of tele- vision with the permission of the Navy Dept. Shubert Sensitivity Washington, May 2. Two days before the students of Mount Vernon Seminary were to picsent a Red Cio.ss benefit at Ward- man Park theatre called ."Stiubert Alley," George W Lloyd, president of the seminarVi was uiforined the title was unavailable. Protest is said to ha\e come fiom the Shubeitb' leRal representative. . Play was letitled "An Efio in Jleaven" and presented Saturday night (29). JOLSON TO HEAD EAST FOR 'HALL OF FAME' Al .lolson IS due e.ist next week to tic.idline the 26th Ulna! ot the 194.3-44 seiies) show of the Philco-"Vauety" "Radio Hall of Fame" on May 28 This is the special toppcr-Oftcr for the Pliiko family ot emploj'ccs, and will ouiiinate fiom Convention Hall, Pniljdclphia, befoie an audience of nOOO exclusively Philco employees Jolson IS taking time out fiom three—Gelumbia—ptctupe-^w-oauction assignments, one of them "Bur- lesque' (bought fiom Paiainount\ another a musical foi Alfied Drake, out of the "Oklahoma' cast and the third, Jolson's own screen biog. ^ 98th WEEK! KEN MURRAY'S "BLACKOUTS OF 1944" El Capitan Theatre, Hollywood, Cal. • Ulaekoiit."!' iM :i Iirlllianl: (explo- sion ot <'(iin(Hiv entertainment. Ken Alui'riiy'is.i()lis," ■ ■ ■ ;■ ■ VELOZ and YOLANDA Helen Hayes Right Answer Helen Hayes was the topic in George Dixon's Washington column in the N. Y. Mirror last Wednesday (26). Actrets is thinking of running ■ for Congress in oppo-sition to Hamilton Fish, and the huinori-st-coj-n- ■ mentator on polities asked Miss Hayes if she could stand the gaff ' usually shot at candidates. :' She replied: "I can take all they can hand out, Anybody who has stood up to bad newspaper notices, after opening in .more turkeys thaii were ever in lend-lease, can take anything." SCULLY'S SCRAPBOOK ► ^ ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦» By Frank Scully ♦♦ . ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦^ ■ All-Amcrican Network ' Detroit, May 2 Wlii'.c the use of television": in its industiial applications was stressed by Ralph R. Beal in, a talk here to the Detroit Engineering Society, the assistant to the vice president in charge ot RCA laboratories pre- . dieted that 'the ultimate aim of the company was to produce an all-. American network to link all cities within a tew years. RCA's post-war plans call for a ■ televisioir "to match the perfection of the human eve through the use of threcrdimensional exact color view.s," . Beal .said. He added that RCA was prepared to build television home ■receivers' and transmitters at mode-:'. rate cost War Dept. Clears Way For Overseas Stock Unit Ameucan Thealie Wmg's proposal for a stock company to be sent to the European fighting front has been cleared by the War ■ Department' through USO-Camp Shows and the outfit will be immediately-:readied.; While the Wing will finance the troupe, paying salaries and supply- ing sets and costumes, the shows will be jointly presented by the USO and the Wing Whether the company will be .spotted in M^il s Italy or fust shown in England is yet to be decided. Player.s and others m the unit will be-iii uniform and will be eovei.ed With $10,000 m. insurance, as 'aie 'other e'htci.ta;tners ,Seilt: 6,yerS6as^.,-b^^ USO. Selection of a direc or f easfiii!; of the .stock are expected wi'.hir. 10 days; ■. .■ .-y ..■'■>''' The stock gioup is in addition to three other overseas legit units, the fiist to open beins! "Over 21." now in Bermuda Two comp<nlC^ ot Oklahoma" are in leheai-al one destined for the South Pacific and the other probably going to Euiope All thiee are USO units Hoitz, Benny Fields, De Marcos to Head Paul Small Vauder Lou Holtx was pacted this week to head Paul Small s new vaude unit. Star Time," which is being lined i up on the coasts and preems at the i Curian, San Francisco, July 24. Unit will lun two hours, two-a-day, and will be spotted in legit bouses, same as Small's previous vauders. Benny Fields and tjie De; Marcos will share, stellar billing with Holtz. Beiiy Bros., eolored tuo, will also be in it Small and Emmett Callahan, his general. .manager, are currently on the; Coast and will line up Ave Other acts and possibly, a girl line to com- plete lineup. , . ' . ■ . Show will, play break-m dates on the way to.-Broadway. ' ■ Eye D. 0, Goiitintied from page 1 Jane Froman Wants Jury Trial in Pan-Air Suit Jane. Eromai)' is seeking, a jury,trial, in connection with her Sl.000,000 'Suit against Pan-American Airways as result' of the. crash of the Yankee Clipper Feb. 22. 1943, according to papers filed Friday f28) in N Y. fed- eral court At the same time the singer filed replies to Pan-Ameri- ■ .Can'.s. :an.swer-s.' which had Claimed : that MiSS' Froman's .suit 'Was .,barred- because it was not brought within 30 days of the accident/ ■ ' The sinAcr'S' papers,.-allege -that due to hei seuoiis inuuies it was impossible to enter a claim in writ- hing, also that it was not necessary, -^cause the defendants had knowl- edge. o£ the crash, which ; kepi her away from the United States. . • Singer's husband, Donald Ross . al.so seeks. $100,000 damages tor, ho.s- pital and medical expenses and an- I have to , be convinced that some other $10,000 is also: sought tor the r genuine benefit would be served by loss of Miss Froman's baggage. I the show. formerly active m .New- York's -big tair, has an idea ;of houSing: exhibits' m the; temporary Government build- ings; thrown up for the; war- and scheduled to come down afterwSid. The.se buildings; coupled with the ■iVIall.' .the gi'ant parkway which run.s Irom the Capitol to giounds around the Washini;ton Monument, would provide all necessary space and would mean that a; fair Would: giet under, way with a minimum ot ex- pense From time to time, the D. C daily paper.s carry quotes from people sug- gesting an international exposition;^ and there has even been gossip about bringing Grover Whelan down to handle the show. - ■ ■ ■ There appears-no doubt that show biZi which finds- itself increasingly entangled with the Government, would welcome an opportunity to pui itself on parade. It would give pix, radio and live talent a chance to remind Congress of all it has done for the war effort and to cop a plea lor reduction of taxes, etc. Last exhibit here was the Army .'jhow:m connection with the Third War Loan; The exhibitionunder discussion., however, would be a tuU- scalo United Nation.s stunt celebrat- ing victory and emphasizing the need for iiiternational post-war coopera- tion Ghiet, .stumbling block at the,mo% ment appears tO'be Congress, which would have to provide a sukstantial Kitty loi an exposition Congress is I steadily getting - more . economy- minded, so that the legislators would 1,500 TO PAY TRIBUTE TO CANTOR AT DINNER - For his 3,'> years in show biz and his tremendous ' Charitable efforts, more than ,1.500 from the entertain- ment industry are expected to pay tribute to EcMie Cantor Sunday (7) at a banquet in the ballroom of the Hotel Astor N Y. Tubute will be clirndxcd by a coa.st-to-const NBC hookup from-; mianight to 12 30 fiom the NBC stu ■ dlos 'in .N. Y,; in ;the fdrm,.b.iE a ;"C.aA- l -tor ; Cavalcade." Broadcast will ;bc; I highlighted by talks by George; Jes-, j sel and exrMayor Jimmy Walker, with songs; and orch selections to .span' the ,35\y,e-a;r.s^Of,.;the comedian's I caroei Jessel will be toastma^ter Pioceeds of the dinner, which will also be marked by . entertainment I featuiing top les;it vaude musicom- edy and nitery talent, will , go to'the Eddie Cantor'.s Boys Camp. 'One World; Filming Awaits.Willkie Okay If Wendell Willkie appioves the treatment and the quality of the pro- posed production,"One World" will be filmed by 20th-Fox. Dan-yl F. Zanuck has been hud- dhng with WiUkie; who is chairman of the boaid of 20th, while in New Yoik Willkie lepoitedly disap- proved three different treatments of his bestseller, profits of which go to war chanties. .;: ... Carey Convalesces HcUy Carey, who was forced out ol "—But Not Goodbye' w ith .in appeiidicitis attack, plus complica- tions, IS .still in bed at - his apart- ment but early this week his condi- tion was improved. An operation may not be compulsory. He plans returning' ;to 'Hollywood late this month with Mrs. Carey. "Goodbye" was withdrawn from the 48th St, N. y.. Saturday 129) by John Golden It was first an- nounced under the title of "I'll Bfe Seem' You" but was known on the Coast as "Out of This Woild ' ".-Xbout Tomoiiow" a'nd ' Suii-sct Touch " Hollywood, Apul 29 For a minute it looked as if this department's campaign to get- the coun- tiy's gatc-cvasheis into key spots in the invasion forces was crashing right- thiough to the high commands august attention. Maj. Gen. Hershey's selective service board announced they weie planning to form "men unfit for general service" into a division to be known as ' IVIUGS ' But the hope was short-lived. Checkup revealed that our muggs, even those now graduated to the agencies, still , spell it with two g's.; Bru;shed oft in this combative field, our forces are .still holding their own on the literarv' front. Our ^tandaid-bearer has ]ust been tapped for honorary membeuship m thc Marl? Twiun Society, Anybody less gullible would suspect Charlie Einfeld. Haven t Warners got,a biographical item involving Freddie March as Mdik Twain about leady foi iclease' But could Einfeld hook Fianklin D Roosevelt, Winston ChuichiU and Heibcil Hoover into such a society just to further a fiog-jumping contest as a plug for a piotuic' Their names are on the letterhead in that modest capacity, so this thing must be on the level It was this same Twain who said, "Get your facts stiaight first and then >ou can distoit 'em as much as you please." So if the facts seem distoited heie I'm simply following the master's advice. It's fortifying to h,ue : Mark Twain to fall back on.: EvCn producers are impressed by gcniusesi . it they're dead-long'enough: But if you're among, the living, all you have ■ to do IS to flip one lighted;match ot doubt into Hollywood's forest ot tancy and, brother, do you get an order to show cause! To say that Harry Sherman produced "Buftalo Bill" as if he didn't know ,Cpli William F. Cody quite as well as Gen; William ;T; Sherman knew him,' is considered an aflront: to: all the scholars, grazing on the 20th Centt;irv» Fox lot. It would hardly "be in the Buffalo Bill tradition to run aw ay frqm a light,^ so there is nothing for u.s to do. but go after those who would go alter us with restraining writs for questioning their scholarship in this wide-open sage-scented field. Painful research reveals that only at one point did Harry Sherman turn in a livelier-scene; on - the. screen, than Buffalo Bill did - in real; lite, and even that one would at least have been shorter if played straight. In the picture; Buffalo Bill and Yellow Hand dely each other across a .stream and'i then begin; stripping like Gypsy and Sally competing - for. ;white space- Unable to. bear it any longer, the warriors rush eaph other, clash head on, roll off their horses into the muddy stream and fight it out^ until a bowic knife puts Yellow Hand into the red Actually Buftalo Bill rode foi ward .'iO vaid= Yellow Hand did likewise. Two rifles spoke, and two horses fell—the Indian's dead, the scout s from - a; stumble; intoia gopher hole. Both .duelists' were, on their feet almost' immediately. There were two more shots. Buffalo Bill was unhurt and the Indian was dead. You couldn't get a shorter scene, or one plavcd down,bettor'.in the modern- Hollywood manner if Noel Coward had written It I '.,..' .;. K'ld; Cody's First'Indian.-;. I '-In fact it was about the only gun fight that Buffalo Bill didn't have to 1 ham it un a bit to come through alive. Everybody knows how he got the 1 name of Buffalo BiH by shooting 2,500;buflaloe.s in a year (p9; in one day>, I but not .so many know he was riding "extra";for ox*drawn prairi'e schooner ; trains -when only nine years old. ;•. ;' - -; - - - ; ;,. The kid was beginning to fall behind after an all-day lunning battle I between the praine schooners and the Indians.- The trainmen were hug- 'I ging a bank of the Platte for; protection; Suddenly in the moonlight little I W,illie'. .saW.; an .Iridiaii ' 'standing . on '-a. clif^^^ .The - ''hostile",;.raised his ..bow" ;ar)d-arrow to let a' bull wacke'r have it.:Biit little .Willie raised his tired .arms.', arid -pulled '.the trigger, ' The brave pitched over the cliff and. into the water. The trainmen rushed back to examine the kid's kill; Overnight he j had become the Joel Kupporman of the Plain.s. He had bumped off a full- |; feathered'chief! 1 But more personal and more dramatic; than this was Buftalo Bill s ofler ; to get information from the Confederate torces when he was in the Union ' ai my. He was not quite 18 at the time He already had been a ponv express rider on the St. Joe to Sacramento route when' Only -15 and had tought off highwaymen. Indians and outlaws, sometimes covering 25 miles ; an hour. (General I'hil Sheridan tells of Buffalo Bill's once nding 3150 milcs'in.60 hours!) For that they got $125 a month, if they lived. Gat«-Crashcr Cody - With all that behind him. Kid Cody was no boy when hC; enlistedm the Union army. General Smith assigned him at Memphis to inliltiatc the Conlcdcrate lines and ireturn with^ certain information; Before he lelt he lan into Nat Golden, serving in a similar capiicity tor the Rebels and taken prisoner by the Union army m the proce.ss; Nat aiid Bill had worked to- I gether a.s outriders on prairie .scliooner trains. ;Biirtold Nat to give; hiin I all his papers. That way, Bill explained, Nat would not be hung, as a ■ spy. At worst he would be; made a pn,soner-ot-war: I Now the possessor of Nat's papers and unitorm, Bill entered the Con- 1 federate lines and demanded that he be brought immediately to General I Foriest. The Geneial told him to hang around a few days while his I men made a checkup. By then Bill had everything he wanted-?and was- I beginning to work out an escape back to the Union'lines when he saw a; sight that made his hair .stand on; end! There was Nat Ootden near ^ General Forrest's headquarters. Golden, the Conlederatc spy, apparently had escaped from the Union lines. Bill hopped a horse hell bent for home. Kcbel sentries shot at him. but he headed for the woods, figuring that as «n old scout he could lo.se nis pursuers there. Butm the woods he ran smack into a detachment of Con- federates with three Union prisoners! He still had on his^ Confedcl'illc> .unI^o^m,.. ."■; ■ .''...'•.■ ., .'.-,:-.■,.-''-. ■ ', -,' ;;"Quick," Cody .shouted to the, Rebs.- "Scatter! There's a Union spy loose; General Forrest wants him dead or alive;, I'll take care of your prisonert-," The Rebs-handed over the prisoners and scrammed. Bill explained to the prisoners and ihey all worked their way back to the Union lines. Boy; would Buftalo; Bill have been ; the ideal standard-bearer for that Gate Crashers Division, we've been trying to organize. ..i. ; Hammerstein Under Knife Oscar Hammerstein II undeiwent an emergency appendectomy in Doc- toi's hospital, N. Y.. Saturday (29). He is resting comfortably. Brushoff to Advertisers Seen in Invasion Extras Some of the New York daily new.s- papers are advising, advertisers that no display copy will; be accepted 'for extra editions wh6n the invasion starts. Display' ad$' would be con- fined to the regular editions. Due to the newsprint shortage; plans are, osten.sibly, to print; only "invasion" and pel haps other stop- press news only jn the extras. MARJORIEUWRENCETO TOUR AUSSIE CAMPS "\Iaiiorie Lawrence, Austnlian- born opera diva, will return to ,her, ^ native . country this summer for a scries of concerts for Austnlian and American servicemen, to be toUpwed . bv a commercial tour. Miss Lawrence will loturn to the U; S. in time for reopening ;oi the Metropolitan Opera season in New York.