Variety (Jul 1944)

MISCELLANY VSntEfY Wednesday, July 5, 1914 Pabst Buys Danny Kaye in $16,000 Package; Groucho Contract Settled Hollywood, July *. * Danny Kaye will replace Groucho Marx as headman of "Blue Ribbon Town" for Pabst beef starting Jan, 6. Package controlled by Kaye and his business manager, Lou Mandil; N. Y. attorney, calls for $16,000 weekly. Paul Warwick <& Legler) bought Kaye arid whatever else goes into the program. Phil Rapp, originally Integrated ' into the'package deal as writer and producer, has failed to come to an agreement with Mandel over certain terms and indications were; that Rapp will bow out of the picture. He is insisting that his terms be, met, aside from salary demands which are not at issue.. ■ '■ ' :.'".■ \ >.•;•.. ■"':,■ .' Although, owing Pabst five weeks on his current commitment,.effective upon his7return Aug. 17 from an eight-week layoff, Marx has asked • for'his-release which' will probably be granted. Client holds the option right to two more six-month cycles but such a pickup would take Groucho past the starting date of Kaye's kick-off. Harris Pcrlstem. piez of Pabst, upon receipt or Groucho's request for washup of the contract instructed Warwick to '•clean it up." V.'--':'* ; \'\' : vyr'-'Cv'.'-,';;.'•:■ Marx protested, to Warwick .that he was being placed, at an unfair 'disadvantage, due to option oh the next 26 weeks not falling due .until •late in August. When Daily Va- riety'' printed the. story that War- wick was hot after Kaye for Pabst. the agency exec flatly denied any such intention and added that Pabst was •'happy" with Mat x. He agreed . that Marx's high-point Crossley of 14 for a beer show on Saturday night can be interpreted as a "successful comedy^ program." .•' Neither William Morris agency, which handles Kaye for pictures,rior Music Corp., to which Kaye is "mor- ally • obligated" since MCA takeover of Columbia Artists several years ago, figured in the negotiations. Man' del acted for Kaye and Scwman Lawlcr of the New York law firm of : O'Brien. Driseoll & Raftery repre- sented Pabst and the agency in the negotiations and final signing of contracts. '•' ■:-■/',/., : ■.'■■'". ;V . It Marx is given release from the remainder of his contract so he can make another deal for the fall, un- derstood that Pabst will continue Kenny Baker and the summer setup until Kaye initiates the. series, after return from ah overseas entertain- ment tour. If Rapp's terms are met and he presides as writer-producer of "Blue Ribbon Town." the later start would, enable him to complete the libretto he's, working on for a Shubert musical. Currently he is do- ing a script job on Kaye's picture for Sam GoldWyn, "Wonder Man," Mrs. Will Rogers' Will - Hollywood, July 4. Estate of Mrs; Will (Betty) Rogers, widow of the cowboy humorist, filed for probate Saturday (1>, was valued "in excess of $10,000." Three children, Will, Jr., James and Mary, will share estate equally. James Rogers and the Beverly Hills National Bank & Trust Co. named executors. •• • '<... ' ! M.\ .:■■,:';'■. .:'•.'•'.'., „■" Helen Gahagan Set To Address Dems in Chi As Reply to Clare Luce; Washington, July 4. S Helen Gahagan (Mrs. Melvyn) " Douglas, herself a former Broadway star, was selected yesterday (3) by j the Democratic National Committee' to be one of two women who will] address the Democratic . National j Convention in Chicago,. ' | Since- she has captured the Demo- j cratie Congressional nomination in a nonni liy Republican district of Los '■Angeles ■ County she i« looked on here as the '.New Deal's answer to Clare Booth Luce jn Congress. Dem- ocratic politicians are looking ahead with considerable interest tocher speech, the second night of the con- I vention, to see how she stacks up! against Mrs.: Luce as a personality i and talker. Miss Gahagan is Democratic Na-; tionai.. Committeewoman from .Call-" fornia and vice-chairman of the Democratic State Committee. 107lh WEEK ! KEN MURRAY'S "BLACKOUTS OF 1944" El Capitan Theatre, Hollywood, Cal. The; niehld K.mlen— Ken Mur- rav ■ deft showmanship in -his 'Blackouts? of -1944' now in its third season .if, K! ' Oapitan ('upacity Juinsfs always." WALTER WINCH ELL. Mimi Forsythe Only Known Show Biz Name So Far in 'Chief Wreck . Reported that Mimi Forsythe, film actress—wife of Benedict Bogeatis, producer who releases .through United Artists, was ariipng those in- jured in the wreck of Santa Fe> westbound Chief approximately 18 miles-from Williams, Ariz., yester- day (Tuesday) morning. According to, meagre reports reaching the east, Miss Forsythe suffered a fractured wrist and possible internal injuries. Up to late yesterday afternoon re- ports.of the nature Of the wreck.and GEORGE, MURRAY PLAY SHOWS DESPITE ILLS • Hollywood, July 4. Two troupers, stars of their respec- tive companies, demonstrated that the old slogan. "The show must "go on," "still prevails on the.stage: ... 'V.f Ken Murray broke a bone in h", ankle by tailing into the orchestra pit; ' Edgar Bergen, backstage at the time, functioned as pmch-hitter for the -rest-b'i' the night but Murray was back on the job next day with ; a plaster cast and a cane!.'' ■•- ..Gladys George, wrapped in yards of tape, returned to work in "Per- sonal. Appeaianee," in- spite of a sacroiliac displacement. .'.. 'Army'Celebrates Anni 'Somewhere in Italy' Playing Before Troops "This Is The Army," Irving; Ber- lin's Gl musical, celebrated its sec- ond, anniversary, yesterday (Tues.) "somewhere m Italy." Show IS now playing towns and army camps in Southern Italy mainly to Gl audi- ences, with reception as enthusiastic as when seen by civilian audiences in the U. S. ■■':■ '-,\ *'..}■ ■■ "The* show : is;a riot here.", writes" Berlin, who is with the company; '"every.^performance seems like an opening night." Berlin^ who inserted a new infan- try song recently into the show, ex- pects to leave Italy shortly on his way back to U. S. There has been talk of a Special Services booking "Army'' for an Australian run. D 1 Talent Union Continued from page 1 — Nazis Stripped the Puce's Film Studios Near Rome ' .The- 'Nazis, beat Allied troops to Mussol ini s htige motion piicture stu- dios and picture establishment near Rome. Result was that when Amer- ican troops moved into the $500,000 plant after Rome was captured, they found the establishment stripped of its expensive sound equipment, valu- able recordings, sets,, etc. ■'... :. > Apparently the once-famed II Duce film studio lavout had been moved bodily to Germany. Buildings, ap- parently were left hi tact '' '■ 150G Musical 'Rain Paramount is ..putting- up $75,000 to . match, it a not her 75G by outside ,iri- narries of the casualties had hot been | vesfors in A. P. Waxmi»n's forthcom- receiyed, - although the names . of ing musicalizationV lof . ."Rain," by Howard Dieiz and Vernon Duke. Ethel Merman "j? set for the'Sadie ; Thompson role, .with Rouberi . Ma- moulian. just, arrived from the Coast, to-stage. Agnes de Mille will cate whether-the tram was the Chief-j do tlv dances,. ., - or the, Super-Chief, both ,of which . Leo'Brecher, N V. theatre owner, and. Mrs. Doris Warner LeRoy arc. [ among '...the, non-Par backers.'.' fome dead and injured included no one known . to be. in show business except. Miss .Kors.yt.he..- However, list was incomplete. First accounts were that there were five dead and ,21) injured. Bulletins, did- not bid] . me extensively used by showfolk. JOLSON'S SCREEN BIGG READY TO SHOOT OCT. 1 ■ At' Jolson' left yesterday ITucs:) for Holly v ood wP.ti Harry ARsff^TTis accompanist, -after a- ia-t two-days in New, Yoiic-between his bond tour. Jolson, now a Columbia producer, stales that the■'Sidney Skolsky bioi" on his (Jolson's) life "has finally be.en licked and I'm satisfied with the story," - Shooting, nifty s.avt Oct. 1, Jolson still leans to.'Gene Kctlv to play him, but a n< wcomer may filso get it, as in the case of "George "Jei s)'- iv in ; on the W;>t nK P' os. lof Cregar's Strawhatter . Laird Crciar arrived in N. Y. from the Coast Monciay (3) for his stage appearance in "The Man Who Came to Dinner' at.Gus Schirmer's Strand, S.tamf<»rd, week of July 10. Actor will leave promptly for the Coast again Jul.\ 17,. for a 20th-Kox film coniiintriient, •Cregai" played the "Dinner" role la.-t year -at El C.'pitan, Los Angeles, this and "•Oscar Wilde' done two seasons ago beiii^-jhis only 'legit ap- pearances since entering fil|ns. V.. advised, to think over the one-union proposal thoroughly. . . - j Plan.■'-which hiis. not been worked out entirely, calls for a committee of ! 10 members from each talent union—- Equity i includihg the chorus branch), Screen Actors Guild, American Fed- eration of Radio Artists, American Guild, of Musical.Artists and Ameii- car.; Guild of Variety Artists,' the foreign-language unions not being within-.the first!setup.'; The commit- tee would be an overall council for ' tfie merged unions, name of which is somewhat controversial. The pjpent unions would continue to hold-their identities but the treas- uries .of each would be frozen, since all dues would be paid to the com- bined organizations.. .However, each union would have control of its assets and make expenditures as re- quired. Understood that each union would maintain offices- and staffs much as now, . ;'' '': j : „--' It is possible that the .insistence of, the various talent organizations to maintain -their identities may stymie the -merger plan. Reported that a suggestion that the one union "be known as the "Allied Equity Assm" 1 was opposed although the principal I unions originally stemmed from j Eqii ity, that is, except AGVA < vaude- jvllle). The working plan must be t approved by the. boards or councils of the ajliliates, sucli consideration ! probably occurring next season. One i suggestion made is that Dtillzell be I head of the merged union because of ( his long experience in actor organi- sations.: ;•*,', ;". '''•'.■';<■;'; , : y .'-."'.•' | , Generally, believed that one union j would be beneficial to all profes- sionals. si-riee .it would represent all j talent phases of amusements. There j is IiKle doubt that the merged talent , groups would have the moral sup- j port of stage labor, -principally, the i stag'fehartds and. musicians unions, when legjxftion or other cardinal ! issues iii'ise. ' .- -.''' .' ■ SHerriff to England | R, C. Sherrifr, -English aiithof; is iin New York from a Metro writing Stint jjt Hollywood, and plan's l'e- I turning .to London. ',-■ , , _ He'll probably align with Metro abroad, but mfciurtime .lit s concen- tratioft on some fiction." ~* I SCULLY'S SCRAPBOOK **************** By Frank Scully »>♦♦» ■'■■; ■/'■' ..'.- Vj<': '.,-'v,v.' ;'/■'„ : ', '.''.V:.' ';''-/;.'.\y:-' "A:, '. ; . Hollywood, July 4. Some weeks before Tom Dewey was nominated to Change Everything, a critic in "Stars and Stripes," G. I. overseas journal, griped '-'about the bad projection of Par's prize pic, "Going My Way," on 16 m m. film in a 35 m.m. house big enough to store,Eisenhower's press clippings. . *. Additionally, he beefed that the showing was not a world premiere as advertised and cited this miigg as having praised the picture in "Variety'' weeks_before it_jyas released in Algiers. He had me there, but it was a projection room showing. In fact, the plcto'^hasrr't becm--reteasecrrai-oiiiid Hollywood even yet. '/•'-"•'A; ' '.:'-'•' : - • ;'".!•.'. '-.<■:'. .• ■• :';■': This week .I ran into the boys who have charge of overseas motion picture service and they gave me the. inside story of what happened in Algiers. They were Lt. Col. Joe McMiCking, Lt. Commander F.ugeiie Zukor Major Bill Williamson', Major Bob Benjamin, Major Howard Adams, Major, John Hubbell, and the civilian wing of Hollywood's War Activities: Com- mittee; Mary McCall, Jr., John C. ^linn and Joe Seidetman; picture con- sultant to the Secretary of War. ■ * ■ . One of them explained iiie flop d'estime which "Going My Way" suf- fered in Algiers: It fcems a captain in charge gave a sergeant a lousy feat.' The house was too big for 16 m.m, projection, so the picture as well »s t!ie sergeant got a bad break. The sergeant was catching the show for "St.-is and Stripes." . He couldn't pan the Captain, so he pahhed the picture pres- entation, which was the captain s responsibility. He had grouncLs. Qf.cog-r-se,.because when you project a-16 m m. picture in a house keyed lor 35 Itiitri. you're walking out of the dugout toward the plate with two strikes:on you already. But doesn't that surges,beef souiid like a delightfully American payoff? *f '. After that explanation of What happened to louse up the world prem ere in North Africa, the major threw the book at-meV It .was a big book, a file of G I. comment on the picture, not from Algiers but from the other tide of the world in New Guinea, The volume had to be lifted with care or- you d go down with a double hernia. < . • It was my job to put a staff together to break down the returns. Skilled after many political campaigns into knowing the trend within minutes ol the.closing of the polls by the use of what is known as 1 a snap-tally,T eari assure North Africa that "Going My Way" is a way well worth going. Out ol 324 ballots the breakdown read: • ■ .., EXCELLENT GOOD FAIR BAD NO OPINION ' - '-254 .■;.^4.:V : : -.-. ; >,:;-..;'' -;' -5: / ,.'':'-'.'-;. ; ' ; ,'«'■...'v.:^ : "' ',".;' ;fi',' : These were the personal reactions, of the.G.I.s attending the world'pre* nv at.the Jungle, theatre sohiewhere. in New Guinea, and if Dewey or F.D.R. do better in Nbyeihber no copyrcader could be blamed for billing the thing a landslide:' . V ^. : :-' ' V ■- •''•' -'''-;' ; ' •J';- , .-':"-i,'-,"' '••.'■''■•'■.'•;'- •• '•"• ':'-' : ": ', ■ • •• ','- i .-.'';-.-7'-'-. As to the question as to what the G.I.s thought of world premieres for overseas troops, there wasn't a' dissenting ybte. To a niun, everybody thought the idea was so good;, why hadn't it been thought of before? Well, it had been, but it takes tima to. move an idea into a well-oiled machine. Only -taM «eck this nmgg received a gold medal from Vittpry Centei for a war-winning idea, and in the batch submitted this one may Well have been among them. 1 - f remember beefing Way baick in the spring.of 1942 that the whole process, of picture distribution should be reversed for the duration of the war. I argued: that the first prints should be rushed to Army outposts in Bataan, in Cairo and the Aleutians and then be allowed to work back toward Broadway, Hollywood and the Loop. - ,- , „ _ If they didn't get back here for two years and by then were worn and rainy,-well, that would be just too bad. But to send pictures frbm civilian capitals to Army camps, and then to transports and then to debarkation centers and finally into; the..jungle's.'-was a lousy way to treat boys who were doing all the dirty work of saving a civilization. , : . ■ . ". ..'^-,; .. ,..,' i ',.' *A:'.--'ir i rin'Ui 'Go Out Regularly- '.--.-.'-l Two years ago his beef w ould have- been well-founded, but today brand* new prints of brand : hew pictures are rushed to oiir Army outposts weekly. Of 438 features this year, 156 are considered okay for overseas enteriain- nienl. That's, three a week;'. Six officers and two civilians okay'- Iheni Musicals and comedies are oii.cn passed without Special scieenirig. but'1h* dramas are watched for morale lags. War pictures take up the highest percentage, westerns the lowest. Prints are shipped to 20 centers and cover 3.400 locations in about 100 days. Attendance this year has been well over 30.ooo.ooo. -'-''■:.:•/.:'-'.' ''< : •'-" '4',->'--r.''"J: '" -".' The pictures go out like food, shoes and tommy giihs. The Army looks upon them" as" essential materiel and flies about 70% of tlieni to bases over- seas. The Army long ago realized that all work and ho play makes Joe a dull G.I. Pictures, tnev have found, are their best entertuininent,' They relieve fatigue and, next to letters, from home, best buck up soldier morale. Col. McMk'Uing of General Mac-Arthur's staff revealed that when the Army asked the picture industry for the best price Hollywood could give on 16 m.m. pictures,', the industry's reply was, "Our best price is tioilitiifl, without strings attached." --"-''..,' ■ ; ■" -":''' Col. McMicking has one bj-.oihei" ; a prisoner in Germany, another in Japan and his wife a prisoner in Manila; but a more -charming, assuring member of the military aim would be hard to find in a. month's march anywhere,: His gratitude to the rank and file of Hollywood for making these pictures available to soldiers at the various fronts, is something to. rt-membci the Army by. Those of us in the inore congested areas where men are 4F's-.and. women are biis-di ivers are honored to wait in line for:pictures lo; drift back from the foxholes to the boulevards. ..- ' '".■ •'-' '-,'■ " '■ Just what does seeing a. picture first do for a soldier? Well, in the first place; according to Co). McMicking, it's the equivalent of a two-hour )ea\« which, by magic, moves a G,I. from the jungles to home. Second, it per* nuts him to write home with something-new, sure that the response will not be, "Aw, we saw* that six "months ago." Third, it develops a wider picture-loving public, and, fourth, it cures them of the pox of double- teaturitis, one of the liidustry s worst occupational diseases. That;it may also glut the postwar market with critics is something m tha nature of a. by-product that w ill have to be absorbed if and when it de- velops. Some of them Woulcln t hurt the quality of pictures anv more than a crop of George Jean. Nathans would hurt legit. Only one, it- was ob- served, turned in "No opinion." That was Cpl. Council Brag, A PC W*> Apparently he never had heard that "no opinion" is the w ay to get pitch- forked out of ' Variety s'' boxscore of . critics. ;> But the overwhelming number knew what they liked and Why, and they didn't heed a caucus in a hot hotel'room to make up thou minds either.. Sgt. Milton'M. Lindcr reported, "Terrific! And not only Uiat but d/miied good Keep 'em coming!' Two. rated the picture excellent,, but missed Bob Hope and Dot tie Lam our. But Pic. James R. Hill, wrote: Nothing about the Auny and I didn't miss Bob Hope". Sgt. plugged the world-premiere idea. "We really appreciate,"-'he chance to tip the folks off back home instead of vice uersii ' . Pfc. Robert S Gilliam voted, "Swell. Rise Stevens is tops, And'-'Barry. KiUgcrald, what; a character! Showing us the pictures fust .give? .us » feeling of something special w hen: we haven't much else ' Pfc. Herbeit Kone hit: a different note. 'Going My Way' isexcellent,' ihe.wrote, '% i*i the kind of picture /wli'th reminds us Of tomorrow and not of today ' - Several rated the'picTure, 'and.'Barry Fitzgerald in' pariiculiii. a*, wo'thy of the Academy,award v Cpls-.-RusseJl E. McNecly and-llcrboii- Wilson, who operated the Mrojcclors, rated it, 16 m.m. or: no, the U -t pict\u e thty had seen ov-crseas—^swell story,with a good moral, s^U v l t.'.vt atixi w(U produced ' Sgt. Win H. Fr.-inkle wrote, "Great, only r > time ini'tc- II. i M.G.M." (He signed that lie was a former Metro .employee.). ' But the topper c:inU-irom. S^t John W. Borbas. "i:_s,.ow.,ng tbtst pi«- turcs-to us first." he wrote, "dotsiit affect civilian moiule a<tvcr»fl>-.->V-*" nvcails let us have more,''— - -"•'-. '•: • , ' V/.ho'-ps! '■';'■"'" ;v '.:'-,:' '.'.;'.'■/ '■ '. ":■'■'; ■■■■:'■" ■•' '■. ' ,'-. : '■■•''.'■ ; '.;,' •:','•'•"'..". •'..■*•' •Excellent. H. Bressler wrote,: "the.