Variety (Dec 1944)

GI'S ARE DOINQ THEIR JOB-HAVE YOU DONE YOURS? , ^._ ^ 2,^ ^ ESWWh"! ''^'SaJUy »A W V«st <6lh street, New Voik 19, N, T.. by Variety, Inc. Annual subsnlplion, tlO. Sinsle «»|Me«, 29 SKlSred Lk ieeoBd-elaSl mailer Deceihbei- 23, 190S, at the Pojt Office at New Yoii^, X, Y, uodor the act ot Mavtli J. BT VAK1E11, INCi COrTKIflHT, 19U, Annual subscription, 110; Sillsie cvples, IS .York, N, y„ ui)(l:c.! ■ ■ ■'■ ■ ■ ■ - - ^ ATJL KIGH'IS BESl'lRfKU. ceiitf. A^OL. 156 No, 13 NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 1944 PRICE 25 CENTS RADIO SOARING TO RECORD '44 'Harvey,' lama/ 'Apley/ lucasta/ 'Bloomer/ 'Norway Lead B way Faves :■ Bvoadway's leading ticket agen- eit'-s. C;')i sidei'ed en accurate index to the (Dopularity of the , hits because oL the volume of customer requests registered daily, reveal that "Har- vc\-," at the 48th Street, and "I Re- meinber Mama," Music Box. arc the 2w\v leaders among Gotham's straight iJlaysV with the more recently ar? rived "The Late George Apley.'* : Lyceum, a close contender; ''Anna; LlicusIU;'' Mansfield, is, iii the high-, demand , division, ., and so is ."The Voice ot the Turtle."' IWorosco. al- .;ti)dugK; W'S:. in H;s secand .".seasonv :A:d^^aiJce;"orders forytbe three-persoii cast sma.sh are as numerous as ever; tlial is. up to Dec. 16. when Mai- .garVt §ulUlV^.)T, .pne oC it.s sUrs, Avith- ';■ draws. '.;' ■.■.':■ ',■■' . V fixpeolatipn is that "Turtle"' will .spaiv the seasoir beoaiise o£ the show's wide reputation. Chicago company of the romantic comedy is duplicat- ing the cleanup of the original. This I Continued on page 14) $800,000 'Endowed' For Int'I Ballet Troupe To Insure Vs. Deficits What is actually a non-profit or- ganizalion is the International Biil- leu at , the International Iheatre, CctlumbMS' Circle, N, Y., liuftby :"vi,i> tuo or. its wealthy backers, it's in busiiiess to stay, regardles.« of cost. Marqui.', George De Cucvas and hih Avife; kin of the Rockefellers, have endowed .the pro.iec(, parent conr- pauy bcirtg the Ballet Institute. To date' the investmetit, in vyliicH; otlrer, l.balioi fanciers, figure, 'is around; :S8Q0,000i;' Ot ';%hich '- apprcixj^rriatelyi '.SIOOJOOO, ,has: been' usccV for. ope riitiivg^^^ ,;dcrtci:ls;:' ■,''■,', :'' ;^ The bsHet " backers . say .vlHoy ex- ;:pccl ;o .spend the, "endowt.ncp,!.' Thc,\-,'ve been aware; tliat 'itee :veii- .;tu.re would' not be proiltablc. It ' and wheir there is any money m<7clc, .it will .go to their enlarging scliOo.l ■■ ' •;. ;;fContinued on page 42,i ; / ■ Black Market Coin? The amount of cash, in large bills, being paid over the coun- ters in the smart shops, special- ty Stores, jewelers, et'c. right now in New York, is a topic of miielt .intra-trade discussion; among all merchants, Xmas shopping is at new peaks, and'a coniihbn suspicion is that/ much of this cash tendering, in- ' stead of the usual, charge ac- counl.s or via cheque.s. must be via black market profits. Gen I Burns at Kyser Over 'Risque' Show Before Wounded Yets •Chicago, Dec, 5.. ■ ;;Steadily, increasing; resentment of Bng. General P. J. Carroll, in charge of suburban Vaughn gen- eral hospital, against performers appearing at the servicemen's ho.s- pital who use anything even ■. re- sembling blue material, reached a climax last week when the general warned Eddie Cantor and subse- quent' entertainers . vi.siting 'Vaugiin, not ; to;- besmirch' the' morals of W'otmded vets' wMth; ;''risque ' or in- .decent .entertainment,," Warning ineaht' no reflection on Canlbr, et a].: it ;\Vas .just the result. of what ;the Army officer deemed to hie offen- si\'P entertainment performed;at the; hosp recently.;' , ; lnimediate ;,!cati.?e of .General Carr; (Continued on page 14) FAYE EMERSON GETS THAT MARQUEE FAST Philadelphia. Dec. 5. Wanna bo a star In a hurry".' All you gotta do is marry the ; President's son.' ; Last week the Palace, a StanU-y- Warnei' subsequent rim midcil.y House, fixed its rnarqiiee for the. pic- ture A'Very Thought Of You."', fea- ,; Uiri ng Dennis Morgan and feleandr ■f'arker,': , ;;-.; The early part of the week the newspapers featured the annotino(>- .meht of the engagement' 6f Fiwe Emerson and Col. EUiott Roo.-cvcil , Ihe .next day the marquee read: ■'Very.Thought of You. with Dennis Morgan and Faye Emerson."' Laltev plays one of the lesser i-oles. PLENTY OFPRODUCERS WILL ARGUE ABOUT THIS ; Orara.a critic, 'a.nd lecturi;r John Musoh; Bro\s-ii, recently placed on in- active duty as a Navylietitenaiil, has.: been stirring, lecture .audiences 16 .upi'OSriD.us;';raiight€i'' by tii'e man- ner; in H:hich ;.lie raps his dwii cra,tt. ^ y turrehUy 'i-dn'^a ", wiiueiv; lectiii'e schedule, . Brown classifies ;.drama criticism a.s Ihe world's "next-to old- est; profe.«sic)n,'; Arid."it's far, less ;well;.paid' than; itii .antecedent;-' ~hc acids.;,-..' Sinatra Tour to Warn Vs. Racial Intolerance ■'The yoke, who tefi;N,:Y.''yester^' day (5) ;for the .Coast, is now plan- ning to embark on a crusade in be- half ol tolerance, Frank Sinatra is seittihi-a .singing-taifeing;;i;pur, 'airtied; at adults as ^\ell as youngsters ti'roughout the U, S. to warn 'teen- agers against the' evils b;f racia.! iii- tolerance. .He'll appear in highsehools and .grammar school auditoriums'w-ithoul benefit of any sponsorship. The broadcasting industry; accord- ing to; official sources, will Close;; its books for . 1944 -with an estimated; gross of $383;9p0.000 from time sales. Behind those .stratospheric figures, representing the heftiest take re- corded in radio annals, is the story ot an industry that in 25 years has conclusively denionstrated to a not- SQ-long-ago^ skeptical public its power to emerge as perhaps the most potent commercial force today. These bofi" figures, which come as a; lilting saliile ,from radio itself to its' own 25th anniversary to be marked, in 194,5. tell the stor.y of an industry's progre.ss; from infaricy to f.ulj-growm maturity, ot ;qyercomihg: those.struggling growing pains-which during the "20^. and even through the early '30s, cued the popular concep- tion that "it can't last; it's only a passing fancy.'.' And in the face of what was be- (Continued on page 20) Networks in Middle As NABET, AFM Tiff May Cause Engr. Strike . ; One. of the fnbiit critical labor prpli- leiiis; ever to coil O-oilt any branch of the radio, industry has arisen as a result-of the ■ National. Labor Rela- tions Board decision, handed down two weeks a,^o, -awarding the juris- diction of platter-turnens to the Nal'l Ass'n of' Broadcast Engineer.s and Technicians (NABET,!. in ali;U, ^. cities except Chicagp, ;; Control : in ClTi w;as left in; the haniSS of James G-; PetriUo"s American Federation of MusiMan^i, ' ,'wWch,; .h ■ contested NABtT's';.cbntrOl-;-V'. -■ '.RestiU -i^^that ; both. SBC;;aii^ (Conliniied on page 20) SEE U. S. RECORD HIGH NEW YEAR'S BUSINESS Most of the Slaticr hpteli ;in theii: several key. cities, am'oiig.bthar ;weU- established; Jjostclries ';at-(d?'hiteries. tip' longer arc' accepting New..Year's eve re.ser\ations. A record holiday /btisiriess . is, rs'eeh. ; Thi.s. lieing "vic- tory .:year.'f' it's .;expected . that the ■baiis ;;w'ill; I'eally let down,, thpugh the -eve fall.'? on an awkward 'day, .the Sabbath, ■ Also that-^peiidiiie; ,''wiU reach new proportions.;, ; ;;.;; :; Not only ;w'ill bi'/./be letrif because ,of the-'V'rbay "preview., celebrations^" but .the .'feiJling mo.u.tjts t;Hat this, may be the last Hilig for the most of the n'ouyeaii' riche--.' war -workers befdrd thei'. iniist;'"Start;HightenirJg;' their belts. This sounds; pyradbxical but 'it's how w:eU-estaijiishcd that this type olieiiiele; is actually iniprovi- dciit and. having tas'ted Iho luxury lite, they'll speiid, up to the hilt, and ;up-f(i\i!t'ro'hpiii"..',;':■; >',;■ ., ■;■.■ '-! ■ ■'-^■-;- Films Needed to Make 'Patched-Up World Hold Together-Elmer Davis Book L'arnin' A rural school teacher hi lowa was startled by the statement on an examination paper that the Pilgrims were an orchestia that ■ carne to this country, etc.- ; , ;i'Su,mmoning the writer, , she- inquired where he got that idea. "The book says so," he replied, pointing confidently to the sen- tence, "A ■ band of Pilgrims ■ landed——." Too Leftist' Script Gets OWI Frown But Bronston Will Revamp Following cla.s'11 between Julicn, Duviyier. directori and the Office pf \V'ar Infoririatipn,. on: th,e /hahdling of tlig- 111 m,;, ye.rsioii'; ,of ' :''Deeis)qn.,''' producer Samuel Bronston stepped m to modily the propo.sed treatment Which was rep(TrtPdly ■.to6"'i'ar 'oVfer on th.e left; -''Decision," play, by Ed ChpdorPv dealing with Nazi-Fascist symptoms in the U, S;,; resulted in warning ot disappro\al from OWI which- indicated that export permit rriight later be withheld.-, ' ;' ■ '; As a result of the OWI stand on the script flr.st uildei' c'pn.sideratlon, repo.rted that; B.rohston's ; releasing (Gontinued on page 43):;'; Patton Nixes 250G Pic, MacArthur Maybe Later ''General Pi'ttpn: has - fi'l'mly- -tilxcd' for ;ail time an'.Hbllywood' pfl'er. of $250,000 for his biog. (jeherar jioiigla.s. MacArthur ; like- wise,; turned, do-*,n, ii, 250G :,i)id- for reasons-,pf , "Waj'/ Dftpt.;''. but it's; uhderstopd; he -;told . the 'pix . bidders to''"t.ake; it;, lip agaiii 'aftef the -war Is over," --f Elmer Davis, director of the Offica of War liitprmation, at the third an- nual meeting of the film indljstry'a War;.-Activities. Committee . at ;th« : ' Hotel Warwick, ff, Y., last Thursday ; (,3fl) told;;indUst;ry,.leaders .that while ; motion pictures had already done a great wartime information job. films will be required to spearhead a forum; of education on far more com- plex problems. Davis pointed, out that the' biggesit' ;iob ahead for the picture bu.siness was tp help organize the U. S, and the wprld for victory and for peace. More films of a special type will be, needed,;he declared, to acquaint the public with the intricate problem.-; oi; 1 en d -lease.. i ntern ali on a 1 , di pi om a t i c:' ■ prpgrcissj ;UNBRA and po.stwar i-e'- 'en-iployment. rjavis- said fliat thei-e ; had .been some question whether ' such complex matters could be ef-;' fectively treated ; in picture.s. He (Continued on. page'l4)\;'- - i;;- Irving Berlin's 250G Plus % for Par Pic Sets H'wood Record Irvlug ■ Berlin's dpal ^wilh Par^-'' hipiint for "Biuo Skies.;- a spriijg ' pi-bdtictipit by. director; Mark Saiid-'. :richi ; starring; Biiig Crosb.-i', stfts :a.; rerord for son.Usmithery in iloll.v- wfjpd. The same triunn irale rm'de , the ' highly '; siicccssfully; ' '^llolidav. ' inn.'''' frPuT ■ wlicace Kprunt! "WWIti!; Clu'isirrias'". t,v.;p ;seasDnS: ago;.;, ;- While ."i^ Ti'om Wdrner Bros, for "Ni,i4h.t atsd,. Day,-', hi,s.:-aut()biog. supppscdl.'i- ;:W,u> il.'i.lpi\•.^hi,Rh msirk, Berlin iiad topf/cd 'tha,ti,„wit.h;.'''Top 'ihil," oil a „pcr;cent-;; ■iigB. deal.' a- nui-fibci' of .■FT>hrs, ago.; His present deal: with Par calls for' a, fiat $230,000 . for the .tisage of 20 ol', ,his', top- Spilgs, , allhougti . tip rn-ore . (Continued on page 20^.; ;.:^.;: Wat«*ti for the ttHoaso Da to! mu mi m Willi AlinOTT aii€l f :osTi:ixo A Universal Picture in which w HOUR OF mm All Girl Orchestra under the direction of FIIIL SPITAI^NY plays an important part