Variety (Jun 1944)

TURN D-DAY INTO Y-DAY! BUY INVASION BONDS! 5 TH WAR LOAN DRIVE! 16,000 MOTION PICTURE THEATRES CAN SPEED THE DECISION VARIETY Published Weekly at 154 West 46th Street, New York l», N. J., by Variety, Inc. Annual subscription, $10. Slngle'copip.i. 85 oenli, . ■ ,:. '...•'.-.'••,■■.•■..;'.*. * Idulet-ed as second-class matter December 2^ ldy5, at tlie Post Dn:ice at New York, N. Y„ under the act of Marcli 3. 1879. ,",•>"•,•.'■'-..-'• .'■ ,.-*,- COPYRIGHT, 1941, BX VARIETY. INC. MX RIGHTS RESERVED. VOL. 155 No. 2 NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 21, 1944 PRICE 25 CENTS PK K. 0. WAR PLANT BLUES Names From Films, Radio Better Than Medicine For Sick GIs, Jolson Learns By At JOLSON ; : . . ■ 'Hollywood, June 20. Every entertainer, especially those wjio have been overseas^ should mak~e~lt a must "in entertaining the boys at the various hospitals all over the United States because they will see and talk to boys whom they met in England, Africa, Italy and other places where our boys are overseas. They feel they are meeting old ( friends and you feel the same. In Washington I met a boy whom I last saw in Africa. He was wounded at Cassino. I met another boy whom I'd last seen in Dakar, Africa, who had an appendix operation, devel- oped pneumonia and empyema.:- Im- agine my surprise and enjoyment when the guy spoke to me and asked me did I remember him. Somehow or other you remember everything when you have been overseas. We gave the show at Walter Reed to about 700 convalescents, some on cots, wheel-chairs, etc., and they were a great audience. I had played (Continued on page 50.) Nocturnal Goings-On In Certain Times Square v Bldgs. Worry Landlords Nocturnal soirees In the nature of "rent parties" are giving owners and operators of a number of-office buildings in Broadway's theatrical district plenty of headaches. Affairs are generally spotted after closing hours and run well, into: the late hours.' :.i 1 \ Buildings not being spotted in-rest- den'tial zones the whoopee bunch has been getting away with plenty, saris squawks about noise, which would ordinarily bring the gen- darmes for a disorderly conduct pinch. Despite buildings having a registry ^•j^/ ^H^ ' Oa tgr^I^ring-- tM<i, most of the building's involved run on a 24-hour daily basis and no check of visitors is kept on these. Others that do have a check have no way of tell- ing the tenant just what visitors he may have to /is office, nor stipulate hours of visitation, Two of the spots involved do have a night cheeky but, through wartime shortage of help, and the fact many agencies spotted on second floors, don't need elevator (Continued on page 48-) 3d Shift Romance? ;:c Detroit, June 20. ' Mrs.--'Elaine Howick has filed suit for divorce against her husband, Stanley, who works days as a tool ami die maker in a war plant and night.-- with Jean Goldkette's new or- chestra.' . She charges that he is in- fatuated with a girl who sings with another band. The defense contends there's no time for a third-shift romance. Race Lyrics Stir New NRC-CIO Censor Row; Substitute Ersatz Lines Differences over lyrics of a song and subsequent network censorship cropped up again on the NBC "Labor for Victory" session last week. CIO script called for song, "We'll Ham- mer it Out Together," by Langston Hughes and Earl Robinson which contained the line. "There's a fifth column band a-working to divide up the blacks and whites." Line was objectionable to .the web since, ac- cording to them, it violated its policy against nondiscrimination between races and sects; CIO was informed that if lyric wasn't altered the song would have to be deleted and a piano interlude substituted. Net producer waS instructed to blue-pencil the song unless ersatz lyric was submitted before air time. Hughes wrote an innocuous line and CIO got the okay for the show. Ar- gument marked another in a long line of incidents between the web and the CIO. Discord was factor in net's -discontinuance of the show, despite protests from the labor or- ganization. Sunday's (18) stanza was the last for. the CIO. Latter Sha'rfiS the time, \vi.lh the AFL which goes on Suridav (251 for the.last time. TH0S. A. EDISON MEDAL TO DIRECTOR CUMMINGS - Hollywood, June 20. Irving Cummings was awarded the Thomas A Edison Foundation gold medal for "outstanding achieyement.s in the,arts and sciences" in 1943. Dr. Rufus B. von kleinsmid. USC P.W^y, presented the award to Cum- mings, who is first man of film .in- dustry to be so honored, Hercttfforc. ■ the medal has always gone, to scien- tists and educators. Lucy Monroe's Postwar Liaison With Blue Web . In an ambitious project designed to more;closely identify radio with civic "enterprises looking toward' post-War. rehabilitation,-plus furtherance of all war efforts, the Blue Network has set tip the post of Director of Civic Affairs, with Lucy Monroe assuming, the directorship. Latter was chosen, because; of. her close.association dur- ing the. war yeass with all such ci- vilian -organization's, on the home-, front, morale circuit.; arid as such will-help foster closer ties-between 'school, church, fraternal' societies, etc. and the Blue's effort toward post-war .readjustment,. . Appointment marks one of the few cases where! a concert- artist:has been pacted. for exec duties with a net- .v'ork. - G DV T. STRESSES """i' Special Film* to Counteract Smug Reaction to Military Successes — 'Stay On the Job and Finish the Job' 16 MMS.' WAY UP Special government films are be- ing rushed to war plants in various parts of the country tq emphasize the "Stay on the Job and Finish the Job" idea, in order to counter complacency resulting from Allied military gains in Europe and to cau- tion against any sudden switch to (Continued on page 24) . Golden Donates 100G Legit Fund John Golden yesterday (Tuesday) made good a promise voiced a year ago when he established a $100,000 fund to be used for the advancement of the legitimate theatre and to set up machinery to provide loans for n«edy actors and playwrights. Hoped for development from the original fund is a subsidized national theatre group in New York city. '•• The Golden fund, fulfilling many a dream of theatre lovers active in the dramatic field or on the sidelines as enthusiasts, will, be administered by a Foundation Advisory Committee of the Theatre and will be allocated through Various sub-committees into various channels outlined by Golden and his co-workers. Announcement ox the Cokten Tftvmdatfcfri was matie by Richard Rodgers, pre'sident of the Dramatists; Guild and chairman of the foundation committee. The donor explained his gift by ■saying it was prompted because "the (Continued on page 51) ' :' ' DAVE RUBINOFF WON'T FIDDLE AS HE BURNS Boston. June 20. ■Dave Rtibinoff, fiddling at the Oval. Room of the Plaza, has been keeping the help jumping during his stint as he has insisted on absolute silence during his .playing. This was okay, but when itVeame to lights, the help balked. • • -V. , 'Rubmoff slopped in . one number and told'the. food checker to turn .out her desk light! She replied that 'the. light was necessary, to her work and that she would not turn it out. Thereupon- RubinorT . lucked his fiddle, under his arm and marched out, refusing to play- the show,- '.' ... N.Y. Drama Critics Vote Sullavan, Nugent Martin and Clark as'Bests Name Park for Ted Lewis Circleville, O., June 20. Last Monday (12) was a big day in Circleyille, O. City dedicated a park in honor of Ted Lewis, band leader, who attended with his wife and band. Leader and Mrs. Lewis contributed $1,000 for the equipment of the park, Playground is to b» known as Lewis Park. - ; ' . .. Tommy Dorsey Eyes Over $1,000,000 Gross • For '44, Band Record At its present earning rate,"which isn't likely to fall off much for the rest of the year, according to con- tracts already consummated. Tommy Dorsey's orchestra will gross well over $1,000,000 in 1944. This would be approximately $300,000 higher than Dorsey has ever reached before and, if achieved, will probably be the highest gross ever amassed by a pop-style dance band.' Kay Kyser has been estimated as grossing $1,000,000 in past years, but it's also asserted he never quite reached that point. Glenn Miller's best, pre-war, was between $700,000 and $800,000. Harry James, among the hottest earners to ever reach the top in modern band history, never got as high as Miller, chiefly because he dislikes theatre work, where most of the money lies. Dorsey had $300,000. in 'his kick before a third of this year was com- pleted. He grossed around $220,000 alone in nine and a half weeks of theatres and six one-nigh ter.s. He drew $57,400 from RCA-Vietor for (Continued on page 42) * Margaret Sullavan and Elliott Nti- I gent, stars of "Voice of the Turtle," were the best actress and actor o! the 1943-44 legitimate Season bd Broadway, according to the annual "Variety" poll of drama critics on New York daily newspapers. Poll was taken among nine critics and also included their "bests" in various other efforts of the theatre. 7 Robert Coleman and Walter Win- chell of the Mirror were unavailable, and George Jean Nathan (Journal- American) begged off because of a similar commitment previously con- tracted to "Esquire." Selections oE Burns Mantle, critic emeritus on the News, were included with Jolm ^Chapman's because he still cqnt'.ib- ' life's criticism on the theatre. * A tie occurred in the best support- ing actor • category, Jose Ferrer ("Othello"). Montgomery Clift and the late Arnold Korff (both ol (Continued on page 48) Rome Already Sees American Pictures With Italian Titles U. S. Army's Office of Psycholog- ical Warfare, which embodies the OWI Overseas Motion Picture Bv- reau in battles zones, is well-stocked, with dubbed and subtitled versions of Hollywood product for invade! European nation exhibition, it was revealed by an OWI spokesman in N. Y. this week. Rome film houses already ar<» showing U. S. product in the main, with Italian subtitles, and reportedly are doing good business with this more than 40 pictures that have beea ■•;.:• (Continued on page 40 • FOit TELEVISION Hour Of Charm All-Oirl Orchestra and Choir ' . f ondueicd by Phil Spitalny