Variety (Dec 1944)

MISCELLANY Wednesday, Dceenbcr 27, 1914 $12,000,000 Conti nuous Performance By JAMES SAUTER (Emc.utive Director, UTWAC) Back on June'l, 1942, the'curtain llist went up on one of the most ■mazing spectacles in the history of Bhow business—"The UTWAC Van- ities." The final curtain has still to come down. It is a spectacle that thus faV, in its 30-month continuous performance, he been enriched by ■-cast of 63,655-entertainers who have appeared in 22,085 acts. It's one of the greatest shows the world has ever known, produced by Uncle Sam's wartime show biz liaison, the United Theatrical War Activities Committee, which has translated Its "clearing house" activities into a boff boxotfice attraction—a $12,- 000,000 entertainment package. There's no 16-wcek advance sale on this show, no $800,000 in the till, lor reserved seats. UTWAC's be- ing paid off with the satisfaction that, comes from the knowledge of a major morale contribution and the feeling that it's fulfilled at least a part of the obligation that falls upon each Arnerican in wartime. Per- formers, managers, press agents, bookers, night club proprietors, that whole cuffo regiment that's under- written the to-date $12,000,000 "nut," have helped emblazon the name of a vjiified show biz on the flag of war- time service: For each of the vari- ous talent unions that comprise UTWAC, there's a service stripe on the flag for a job done willingly and well—one for Equity, another for the Screen Actors' Guild, the American Federation of Radio Art- ists, Chorus Equity, American Guild of Variety Artists, American Guild of Musical Artists, and a special in- •cription for the lATiSE and the American Federation of Musicians. Take a look, for instance, at the overall report from June 1,' 1943, to June 1, 1944, and show biz may well take a bow. Those figures tell the •tory ofan all-put'effort on the part of a sincerely conscipus people. Hop •round that vast UTWAC stage for ' a gander at that continuous run covering the year period, and here's vvhat you'll find as an aggregate contribution: 25,236 entertainers ap- pearing in 15,964 acts; a total of 3,- 536 shows; 12,775 entertainers in 3,240. acts at the American Theatre Wing's Stage Door Canteen in N.Y.; 4,380 entertainers and 2,040 acts at the Win'g'j Merchant Seamen's Club; 2,750 entertainers and 2,030 acts in hospitals in the N.Y. area; 2,49« entertainers in 1,188 acts outside of canteens, merchant seamen's clubs and officers, clubs. They've pitched in, too, on Red Cross Drives, Na ' tional War Fund,' Canadian War \, Fund, for the U. S. Treasury for a I totial of 1,881 eveuts in the 12-month period, and 4,647 events serviced iince that opening curtain went up en June 1, 1942. And still the show goes on and von't let up till finar victory. Double Talk'» Payoff Hollywood, Dec. 26. Edgar Bergen'* first check in the new year from Chase & Sanborn will be $10,000. the high water mark of his current con- tract, which expires late in 1945. Eight years ago when he made his radio debut with Rudy Valee hi.s check was $300. With the exception of the coin he paya his own writers, the- lOG figure represents net to him. Coffee outfit has a hold on Bergen when the current pact runs put. LUNT-FONTANNEBOFFIN RATTIGAN LONDON PLAY London, Dec. 26. ■■ "Love in. Idleness," new comedy ■tarring Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne, ' which' came into the Lyric Dec. 20, was, splendidly re- Mived and looks like a succe^. Suc- cess. due more to stars than play. Comedy w.as written by Lieut. Terence Rattigan, now in Royal Air Force.' ■' ' . Mae Tinee (Mrs. Grover) Retiring as Chi Trib's Fix Crick on PensioD Chicago'^Dec. 26. Mrs. Jerry G. Grover, one of the country's first movie 'critics, known since. 1914 as "Mae Tinee of the Chi- cago Tribune," retired on pension, last week after 30 years with the McCormick sheet, but pen-name will be retained-by her successor. On leave of absence for the past three months to "rest up," Mrs. Grbver's assignments in that period have been covered by Claudia Cas- sidy and Albert Goldberg, dramatic and music crix, writing under their own by-lines, but "Mae. Tinee" handle, owned by the Trib, will again be spotted on reviews after the first of the year, when euphoni- ous-named Anna Nangle takes over. Latter, sister of Eleanor Nangle, beauty ed, started with the Trib as se(:retary to Mrs. Grover 12 years ago, and in 1937, as "Sally Joy Brown," began writing a daily chil- dren's column. Mrs. Grover. inherited critic's berth on the Trib in 1914 from Audrie Alspaugh, who, as "Kitty Kelly," started writing what .are be- lieved to be the first'movie criti- cisms on record here in 1913. Miss Alspaugh, now wife of Al Chase, Trib's real estate, ed, was hired by Walter Howey, then city ed and noW; trouble-shooting for W. R. Hearst on the Boston American. Howey's gimmick in starting film criticism was that they would re- sult in ads from the pix-makers, a long shot which, to put it mildly, has paid off through the years. "Mae Tinee" handle, a play . on "matinee," \yas Howey's idea for a name for Mrs. Grover, who from 1912 to '14 had been writing mpstly Interviews with visiting stage celebs and a Sunday feature, "Right Off the Reel." , Following Trib's move, Hearst's Heralfl in 1914 made a young hopeful named . Louella O. Parsons their critic, and Chi News put on Bill Hollander, now chief of advertising and publicity for Balaban & Katz. 132nd WEEKl KEN MURRAY'S "BLACKOUTS OF 1946" El Capitan Theatre, Hollywood, Cal. "Congratulations .Ken. and ke«p 'em liiiiKliine. Two good years de- serves another." ■ EOGAR BERGEN. Murrow Contlnoed from, page 1 Jolson Doing OK Now Hollywood, Dec. 26. Al Jolson, suffering recurrence of nalaria:, contracted during bis over- was entertainment tour last year, .'.!• progressing satisfactorily at his Beverly Hills Hotel suite, accord- .'Ihf to his doctor. Illness hit him Saturday, when his ' condition was reported as "^rlous." Alan Scott OK Again, He And Sandrich to Reton Alan Scott, who came east with Paramount producer-director Mark Sandrich to test Paul Draper for Irving Berlin's "Blue Skies," will be able to return to Hollywood next Friday (29). Scott sufTered intestinal flu and was bedded for a spell. Draper, ciyrehtly doing a lO-con- cert schedule with Larry, Adler at the N. Y. City Center, will not only .terp .but troupe in the forth- coming Berlin musical, starring Bing Crosby, 20th'« Songstretf .,AIma Kaye, marking her legit debut in the Theatre Guild's "Siog Out Street Land," which opens to- nicht (Wed.), on Broadw»y at^e JbternaUonal, has been pacted 1>y aOth'Fox for film*. ' SootrtTM, onljr 19, ii tutotlng H^tk! |V«4ffI<^ S^brr for. tiM ' Berlin Shoves Off Hollywood, Dec. 26. Irving Berlin who shoved o/I fur the Pacific war area to rejoin "This Is the-Army," currently entertaining servicemen in that part of the world, haai arrived in the New Guinea zone. Before leaving, Berlin consulted with Paramount about future fUm work. Renew Hosp Talent Plea Plea last week for entertainment of hospitalized' servicemen, made by the United Theatrical War Actiyi ties Committee, received a good re- sponse, but there is still a great need for 'additional performers who are aiked to contribute their services between now and Jan. 12, when the de,iiuihd is greatest. Perfonntfra available are . again aaked to comqitunicBte in New Yeric w^ Jim Sauter at Murray HUI- 8-0104. ■ most of the good broadcasts never get through to the States. When the Germans were rolling over Europe the problem was a simpler one . . . The war came to the microphone. In Warsaw, Am- sterdam, Paris and London we were using stable transmitters manned by experienced engifieers. (Generally speaking,_Jthe technical facilities were adeiquTte right up to the moment of withdrawal. Now, when the Allies are moving into enemy territory, the broadcasters', problems become more complicated. Trans- mitters must be trundled forward with the armies. You have never heard real profanity till, you have listened to a major, who, emerging from a ditch, invites you to get that unmentionable box car off the^ road before the Geirmatis start shelling or bombing . it. "Mobile" • MiiBMmer The press correspondent, may spend the day at the front, type out his dispatch, hand it to a dispatch rider, and that's that. But the radio reporter must get baclc to the trans- mitter which, though called "mobile," is not easy to move. Often, when he : gets there, atmospherics or jamming cause a transmission failure, or the big news may be in another sector, or in another part of the wprld, and New 'Vork diecides not to take him. In many cases those mobile transmitters are not operating on the best possible fre quencies; but, when you go to bead quarters and beg for better ones you are told: "Look we need those good frequencies for tactical use. We've got to communicate with tanks and planes and 'recon' cars, and voice broadcasts home-can't be allowed to interfere." ' . The broadcaster can't argue against that kind of reasoning. Then Psychological Warfare comes along and preempts good frequencies or transmitters oil the ground that they must speak to the enemy, under mining his will to resist. That reason is- less convincing, but we generally lose the argument. Before D-Day, the Signal Corps installed a 40-kw. - transmitter in England. It was available to all the American networks when normal commercial facilities were unobtain- able. It worked well and carried most of the traffic to and from America during the first six Weeks after- - D-Day. But, as the fighting moved inland, new difficulties arose. Sometimes the mobile trans- mitters on the: tit shore couldn't reach back . to London. At other times a report would reach I<ondon with perfect quality and the trans- atlantic circuit would collapse. In Normandy the boys would stumble through the blackout' to the trans- mitters. It would be after mid- night;'there would be the apund of ack-ack in the background. The broadcast would reach London, but we couldn't mov^. it on from there to you in the States.' After SHAEF moved to Paris things got worse. Transmitter and studio personnel were' inexperi- enced. Tbere were freiiuent power failures }uat before airtime. Band- lines from the studios at the SerAe hotel to the transmitter* would co out - Tbe engineers were anxiout as the broadcasteri to fet (he re- ports through and Xbmg wt hard. We aU knew that the broad- ca«ts tibat didn't come oat of tte loudspeaker* at home Ada'i coast, and there were a lot of Acm flat didn't cet throat. We would ait tip att nighty w*ftin« SCULLY'S SCRAPBOOK \ ♦ ♦♦♦♦««>♦♦♦♦♦♦♦ By Frank Scully ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦ '♦♦» M »» PariMOop Hills, Cal., Dec. 24. As this is the festive season of the year whan unofticial snipers antici- pate every official body's probable 1944 awardi, there docs not seem to be any low reason why this colurhn should not beat the binich of scoopoma- niacs to the draw. Thus: TEN BEST PICTURES OF 1944: *^ing My Way." TEN BEST PICTURE PERFORMANCES: Barry Fitzgerald. TEN BEST RADIO ACTS: Franklin D. Eoocevelt and Fala. Desirn For Vivint There are at least two gay illiterates in Hollywood row. ''When I heard another French designer was opening up in our tovm and would I give her a boost," writes Hedy la Hopper,."my answer was ''Vive I'AmeJrica'!" Joe Laurie, Jr., pur French authority, says, if his niemory .serves him and it certainly does, that protean artists used to say, "Vive TAmerique!'' Down Chapin Alley Arrival of Pierre Blanchar from a still "vlving" France with an uncen- sored print of the French underground flghters, which Hollywood was allowed to sec after shellinjs out $25 for a dinner, reminds that France haa not always been behind Hollywood even in screen material. Current release of Columbia's "A Song to. Remember," with Merle Oberon as Mme. George Sand and Paul Muni as Chopin's father, recall* that i.7 years ago Blanchar ."starred in a similar picture. French made. It banked a barrel of dough all over Europe. . It was a fine picture! I caught it ill Nice, Paris and Geneva, not to watch Mme. Sand ismoke ciijai-* but to hear the music. The exploitation was handled in a way which would have pleased even the late Epes Sargent. The advance .man hunted, out the best Chopin player in each town. .The pianist was billed and ballyhoocd with the picture. He ployed in the pit the Chopin pieces Blanchar faked on the then .silent screen. > ■ ■ Fadcrcwshi XeU In Geneva Ihey even tried to lure Paderewski into the pit for his usual fabulous fee, he having a chateau nearby on the other side of the lake. But Paddy said nijc to pix, I remernber Bill O'Brien was landing one scoop af'ter another for Fox Movietone at the time and was'trying his darndestto add Padcrew.^ki to a list that already included Shaw, Mussolini and King George V. O'Brien asked \x\e to add my plea. I worked on the old iMy, asking him what he would give to have a sound-fllni of Chopin's playing. He admitted he'd give plenty. "Well, here you are," I argued, "the greatest living exponent of Chopin and all you have to pass on to younger players wUl die with you unless you embrace this opportunity." I quoted him a French version of ''Opportunity knocks but once." It goes, "Remember, opportunity has only one hair on his head." He rubbed his thinning locks, grinned, shook his head and again said'. "No." I then went to, work on a fellow-Pole named Albert Tadlewski. Paderewski had sort of adopted him as a son. A year befqre Paderewski had given a con- cert In Nice. Tadlewskl, a young Prize d* Rom* pianist down to teaching ' Riviera flappers,, went backstage afterward and paid his respects to th* master. They walked home together to Tadlewskl'a modest villa. Paderew-' ■ski asked Tad to play. "Encore," he said. He had Tadlewski play for two hours. -■ ■ , "Good," said Paderewski, "Now I will do something for you. I will come back next month and at that time I -will play free for your pupils. Tadlewski, nearly swallowed his glasses. "But I do it only under one condition," Paderewski added. "Yes, yes,". Tadlewski pa^iled. "I do it," said the master, "under the condition that you double your prices afterward!" < I thought a guy with a heart like that could be fetched; by two smiling Irishmen, so I told Tad, "Tell him Fox Movietone will double the prlcl of his favorite charity—$50,000!" , But the master still said, "No." "Li.stcn," I said, "he won't be losing caste. After all, he stepped down to becpme prime minister of Poland and he recovered from that.". "You tell him," said Tadlewski. I did, and he told me:that Clemenceau had chided him for it too, saylhe "I see you've come dov;n in the world." But ho didn't want to debase Chopin and couldn't help feeling the way he did.' I gave up. Years later, in London, somebody talked Um into doing a picture called "Moonlight Sonata," based on a Chopin piece -which is not a sonata ana doesn't deal .with moonlight. Paderewski was right the first time. On the screen he wasn't very good. Of course, since then the technique of reproducing sound on film hai improved -at rocket .speed. But the technique of personal appearances, used in the Pierre Blanchar French film, could not be duplicated In America for the simple! reason that there are not 20 first-class Chopin players in the country. If Oscar Le.vant arises to. dissent and shouts, "Correction! Not more than one!", the echo mayfcome back from Paderew- ski and'sound like "None." for a new. transmitter to come throiigh from Luxembourg or Brus- sels or Eindhoven—and hear noth- ing. So, we'd sit up all the next night. Whoever came up first— whether a man from CBS, NBC, Blue or Mutual—we were all re- lieved, for it meant another origina- tion, point had been established. We all had a microphone just that much closer to thie front. To a considerable extent, that at- titude remains, now that inoreaised facilities permit us to.return to com- petitive methods. Representatives of (he four networks "are in almost constant consultation attempting- to devise better facilities for all. We have always been able to agree on joint representations to the military and civil authorities, We have all received valuable assistance frpm the overworked''stafi ,of the BBC,, particularly their engineers. The re- turn to competitive practice means that the fistener at home receives a greater volume of news and can follow the schedule of his favorite eorrespondient. I , Ha« TO Be iBadeqntc t I suppose that every , radio war correspondent would like more time on the air, just as every newspaper- man would like more space in the paper. We see only part ot the war, but that part seems tenibly impor- tant. Most of us are Ailed with « lebtr ' ot' frtntratkm, not only be- cause «^ tratismlSBloigi. taflores and technical hitches, but also because we reallu how little of the cour-' age, the .cold, the boredom and tho gallantry we are able to transmit to people at home. I don't know how. good a job we have done, but It could . not have been other than inadequate. Most of us would rather have flghting men listen to a piece we have done and have them say, "'That's not too bad; thatrs about the way it was," than to win all the civilian awards in the book. This reporter is persuaded that the testing days for European radio reporting lie ahead. It doesn't matter much who dqes the first , broadcast from Berlin. The junction of the American and Russian armies ■■ will bo a good story. The first broadcast from Warsaw will test the man who docs it. However, thele will only bo Incidents—exciting, but fleeting, American broadcaster.? in Europe ' have done what they could. But In the years to come, they must be humble and fearless. They must be- caieftd and conscientious observers of a coBtfaient in agony. They must 'weigh woMs - more carefully than ever beitare, for those who speak, and tiiose who listen here at home, must bo ever con.«;Ious of the debt they owe to tbe men who diced with death so ttiik fliose who lived might teiafa the-right'to speak and to listen. . ■