Variety (Mar 1945)

MISCELLANY Wednesday, March 7,. 1945 Fullers Sell Out in New Zealand For $2,000,000, Expand in Aussie Sydney. March 6. The Fullers are moving out of New Zealand after 50 years. Deal was closed last week where the Fuller New Zealand theatre holdings will be taken over by Kerridge Theatres, Ltd., powerful independent operators headed by Robert Kerrige. Sale was lor $2,000,000. The Fullers operated and were as- sociated willi BO New Zealand film houses. A. Ben Fuller, son of Sir Ben, was in -charge of the New Zea- land end and arranged this deal. Sir Ben Fuller fold "Variety" that the reason lor selling was to concentrate solely on expansion in Australia. He taid that it was his intention. to build more modern cinemas in all key spots when wartime restrictions were lifted. He also stated that he was making preparations for liw taient shows qtiite apart from his picture theatre activities. Plans are now being finalized for the opening of an independent Fuller film ex- change in Australia. A. Ben Fuller would return to Sydney, where he will join Sir Ben and Garnet Car- roll on major expansion plans. Lowe As Hildy Johnson In 'Front Page' Legiter . Los Angeles, March 6. Edmund Lowe returns to the stage as Hildy Johnson in James Cassidy's revival of the newspaper play,"The Front Page," starting here in about six weeks. Currently, Cassidy is in Detroit with his legit production, "Doll's IJnuse. v •■ Grade Fields' 7-Month World Tour to Entertain Aussie, American Troops Grade Fields' proposed Australian tour, postponed three, times, has Anally been set, with, comedienne set to leave west coast in May. Tour has now been extended to a seven-months' world jaunt, largely in behalf of troops. Miss Fields will entertain Aussie and American troops in Australia and New Zea- land, then probably visit India on way to Europe, arriving back' in U. S. by mid-December. Whole trip will be done by air. Monty Banks, Miss Fields' hus- band, will accompany, as will Doro- thy Stewart; New York rep of J. ft N. Tait, Aussie theatrical firm. M'.ss Stewart, who set up tour, will go along as manager and emcee at camp concerts. Miss Fields has also been lined, up for a limited number of civilian concerts in Australia and Mew Zealand: Aussie tour will be sponsored by Australian Amenities (similar to USO-Camp Shows in U. S.), with India and Europe visit under aus- pices of ENSA (British USO). THEATRICAL CHARITIES SHARE $24,000 DIWY First division of charity money 1 Jttris season was made by the Thea- tre Authority last week, total amount divided' among the various organizations benefited being around $24,000. Major shares of $1,875 went k to the Actors Fund and the three HJ theatrical guilds—Catholic,' Jewish and Episcopal—and the same amount to Equity, Chorus Equity, Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Radio Artists and League of New York Theatres. Latter and the Equity outfits give around 25% of x their sharbs to the Negro Actors Guild, balance going to the Actors Fxind, while SAG turns its TA money over to Stage Relief Fund. For the first time the Negro Guid Was the beneficiary in toto of a Broadway Show, it being "An.:: Lucasta," Mansfield. Performance was given Sunday (4) by the col- ored-cast drama. Tibbett Off Tarade' In May, Back in June Lawrence Tiubolt leaves Lu.l.y Strike "'Hit Parade" for four weeks in May to frlfll] three concert dates on the Coast, returning to the pro- gram in June. ; : Puts an end to, rumors that he wa; being cancelled bff the show. Fred Wakeman, Foote, Cone & Belding ac- count exec for Luckles, stated last week' sponsor had no thought of re- placing • the Metopera star at the - present time or in the Immediate fu- ture.' . . jiKlbel SmlBi, Organist, will replace W**tjlurina bat monthly sojourn WB Producer Jerry Wald Thinks Studios Should Nurture More Writers. Burbank, Feb. 26. Edifor, "Variety": • I The major problem that faces the, film factories is securing new writing talent. Unfortunately, all the studios are looking to Hollywood and New York for their source of material and for the many years I have been around this business I have noticed that writers seem to hatch in every other hamlet and town in America except New York and Hollywood. Of course, most of the typewriter pounders end up there, but Margaret Mitchell, Ben Hecht and Louis Bromfleld all seem to have gotten their starts in other localities. To me, Hollywood has missed the boat by not having spent more time in developing the typewriter lads and lassies. When you begin to realize how much money is put into digging up and grooming new actors and actresses and yet how com- pletely is ignored the very founda- tion of all pictures—the. writer and his material—it leaves me in com- plete amazement. The book publish- ing business faces the same problem that the movie industry does in locating young authors, somehow figuring out"a plan to subsidize them, and subsequently cashing in on the fruits of their early developments. As you know only too well, radio has - managed to discover quite a number of new pen pushers: Some of them have already migrated west, a lot of others prefer to stick to the grind, pounding out one or two radio shows a week and - ignoring the temptations of Hollywood's gold for the luxury of being their own bosses. Of these, the time element dangles over their heads continuously. Yet the.pressure of meeting Hollywood deadlines is just as great sometimes. You've seen it happen s6 many times —a bright new author hits the jack pot with his first book, is. air-mailed out to Hollywood and that is the last you hear of him. Somehow some, kind of an ar rangement should be made to allow these young writers to remain in Hollywood six months writing pic tures and the other six months writ ing new novels so that the very thing you hired them for'—originality and creative ability—Is not dlssl pated by the acquisition of some swimming pool, membership in three or four golf clubs and knowing the headwaiters at Ciro's, Chasen's and Romanoff's by their first names. The way I feel, the writers them selves are at fault too, because once they step into the. Holly wood quick' sand they allow themselves to com pletely disappear without too much of a struggle. But not so with writers like, say Albert Maltz. He certainly packs a beautiful typewriter punch and he has been smart enough to refuse all offers of studio contracts, so that he can continue his career as a novelist A year ago he worked on a script "Destination, Tokyol", for me. Then quit, went away to finish his novels "The Cross and the Arrow," came back to Warners and did the 'script on the Al Schmld story, "This Love of Ours," and recently quit, once more to seek new material tor a novel. Naturally, Warners are only too happy to take him back for an other assignment as soon as he -wants to come back. So you see it can work out if the writer wants it to; Most writers, however, . don't like the idea of spending long, dreary months in the constant companionship of their typewriters, trying to eke out the second novel. The luxury of playing their daily gta rummy and worrying about the various inter-group .fights leaves them very little HtM to their second novel. • ' Jerry WmUL. 152nd WEEK! KEN MURRAY'S "BLACKOUTS OF 1946" CI Capitan Theatre, Hollywood, Cal. "Yes, il'srlrue what they nay about Ken Murray—he's tops!" ROBERT YOUNG. ♦ MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM MMM H SCULLY'S SCRAPBOOK Hal Halperin Dies in Miami Hal Halperin, longtime with "Va- riety" as head of its Chicago branch, and for many years one of the most colorful newspapermen Of the mid- west, succumbed to a long illness in a Miami hospital Sunday (4). He had recently gone to the Florida re- sort for a rest. Death was the result of a heart ailment He was In his late forties. To newspapermen in the midwest, to show people in Chicago and on both coasts Halperin represented the closest approach to the human dynamo. Of diminutive stature, he had an amazing faculty for becoming a factor in activities, civic or snow biz, that would have been taxing on one better equipped physically than he. To an associate some years ago he confided that his physician had told him "to go easy," but Halperin passed this off laconically, in fact laughed and formed what he called the "Coronary Club." At the time of his death he was a director of a show biz group active in the Red Cross War Fund drive in Chicago, in addition to being mid- west representative for USO-Camp Shows. He figured prominently in many other civic and charitable ac- tivities in Chicago. Highly, regarded by Chicago municipal officials, Hal- perin was frequently referred to as Chicago's "assistant mayor." . Halperin joined ^Variety" in 1917, as an advertising solicitor in its Chi- cago office, then headed by Jack Pulaski (loec). The following year Sune Silverman (Sime), editor and publisher of "Variety," recalled Pu- laski to New York and put Jack Lait in charge of the Windy City. Hal remained as Lait's aide, and when Lait shifted east to become editor of the New York Mirror, Halperin took charge of the branch office, a post he held until several years ago, when Increasing illness forced him to relinquish most of his duties. He continued, however, in an* emeritus capacity. Bill Hunt suc- ceeded Halperin as active head of the Chi office, Max Halperin, a brother, who is also active in Chicago show biz, was with him when he passed away. He accompanied the body back to Chi- cago. Funeral will be held at Piser's Undertaking Home 3965 So. Stoney avenue Chicago, tomorrow (Thurs- day), at 11 a.m. Survivors also include widow, two daughters and three sisters, one of whom is the former vaudeville head- liner. Nan Halperin. worry about TALLUS LULU200G ADV ANCE FOR WTiOir , Advance sale for "Foolish Notion," which the Theatre Guild will bring to the Martin Beck, N. Y, next Tuesday (13), with'Tallulah Bank : head starred, may reach $200,000. Boxofflce sale averaged 14,000 daily last week when the sale be- gan. In addition, there were . 23 sellout theatre parties arranged, such block sales approximating $80,000. ELTDIGE BIOS TOE PLT Hollywood, March #. Screen rights to the life story of Julian EUioge have been bought by Carl Leetmnle, Jr. Tale of too Inane i mp erso na tor recently completed by Tom By Frank Scully ♦♦♦♦♦^ . Boom. Town, Cal., March 4. That land rush to 29 Palms! Everybody is claiming to have discovered the place. Matt Welnstock of the L. A ."News," goes so. far as to credit Edith Gwynne of the "Hollywood Reporter" with starting it. He says she reported three weeks ago that several picture people had filed for ilve- acre cabin sites three miles east of "town," and that since then the roads have been crowded with homesteaders and claim-jumpers. One day a bunch from Fox makes the trek. The next day it's Universal. Then Par takes over. It sounds, Matt says, like a gold rush without the gold. For years there have been three sections of land available for home- steading around there. Nobody bothered to die claims, however, until recently. Now a couple of hundred do so every day, mostly picture people. Deal is that the pioneer has to. pay the government $10 for the five acres and spend $500 on "improvements." That means a shack, if and when materials are released for building. The land happens to be a piece of the Mojave Desert left over after government surveyors got through matching everybody's titles. It didn't seem to belong to anybody. I've told people about it for years. Readers of this column (Joe Laurie, Jr., and Mme. Scully) will remember that I wrote about 29 Palms far away and long ago. For years-realtors have been spieling over the air and pointing'with pride to the fact that Frank Scully, Esther Williams' brother, M. G. Watkins, who used to troupe with Robert Mantell, and Barbara Page, widow of the first King Features dramatic critic, had homes there. In the end the high command became so impressed it sent 2,000 sailors there and set up a naval airport (150 miles from any port) under the recruiting slogan, "Join the Navy and "See the Desert." . There are 8,000,000 acres of unclaimed land between Casa Nova Scully and the Parker Dam, and most of the picture people passing our place are directed) to head right over it. After all. we didn't pass up Palm Springs for nothing. We passed it up, because when we wanted to get away from Hollywood we wanted .to get away. And now look what's hap- pened to the Villa Variety of the Mojave Desert. The Dice Committee That vice just can't get nowhere is again being demonstrated in Call- ' fornla. The latest victim of the puritan pressure is Borrah Minevilch who got clinked in Sacramento for letting dice roll uninterrupted in a nitery he bought into recently. Some fugitives from Bob Hope's program'were standing at the end of the bar, minding their own business and throwing dice for the drinks. Mlnevitch was entertaining everybody by not playing his harmonica. Sacramento never was happier. "Arrest that guy," they said. "Why?" they were asked. "Dice." "An old Spanish custom," they were told. "People have been doing it these many years." "But here they're enjoying themselves," they insisted. "Arrest that guy." They did. The town hasn't laughed so much since Mark Twain gambled In jumping frogs at nearby Virginia City. "Derlan Gray" Albert Parsons Lewin, "the little guy with a big brfain," was sounding off around here one day when Skipper, our first flea from heaven, asked with innocent wonder, "Mr. Lewin, when are you goinj to grow up?" The kid, of course, meant physically. After seeing Lewin's version of "The Picture of Dorian Gray" I gave Skip's question another "take." Given enough .rope, Lewin might have become the poet laureate of- N. Y. U. He still directs pictures as if he had one eye on his unfinished sonnets. The results are beautiful and inclined to stand still." However, this is Oscar Wilde's flawless yard of lavender who wishes he could always remain young and beautiful while the painting of him shrivels with, age, instead of vice versa, and gets his wish. Hurd Hatfield has the title part and George Sanders plays Lord Henry Wolton as if he were Oscar Wilde in a girdle. There probably has never been a picture out of Hollywood more beauti- fully made. It has perfect attention to detail, flawless casting and direction. But Healing as it does with precious, brittle and useless people, it seems a good picture of limited, interest in a day of blood and guts. It is reported that the paintings used in the. picture are almost priceless, that Ivan le Lorraine Albright, who painted the portrait of Dorian Gray's disintegration, didn't even sell this canvas to Metro, but rented it. Years ago "Variety" printed a story about an actor who was spraying the set with his Dorian dialog and gestures. So the director said to him, 'Take your hand off your hip and act like a man!" The Dorian replied he wasn't hired for character parts. "Okay,", snapped the director, "recast him in westerns, where he can ride with his hand on his hip and no questions asked." D Pix-Radio Boy* Ceatteeei tnm pas* 1 ss saying the seriousness with which all look upon video in the near fu- ture'. Firstly, it's now a realistic studio problem. ■, Both Sid Strotz for NBC and Don Searle, Hollywood head of the Blue network, for instance, are up against it for studio space, aircast or tele- cast. CBS is in the same position, so far as Columbia Square is con- cerned. AU need extra studios, but whether to chance going into the Valley, where the film studios have gone, or to. worry about concentrat- ing around Sunset and Vine is the big headache. Perhaps Strotz says it best when he points "to NBC's $10,500,000 profit last year, of which $3,300,000 was net, so instead of paying pro- ducers $400 a month, let's go but and buy the best television brains, and experiment while we have this fancy income. That's quite a dif- ferential spread between a gross and a net profit in anybody's busi- ness today, so why not employ these funds for real returns?" As for the film studios, they know that pictures for telecasting are in- evitable. Many feel that shorts and cartoons will prove the ideal fare for video, and basic rights are now being contractually obtained with that in view. LUCASTA' DIVIDING 20G NET MONTHLY Among the season's shows clean- ing up is "Anna Lucasta," Mansfield, N. Y. Colored cast drama is-slicing a $20,000 melon monthly and has been paying Its backers that much velvet for the past three months. Last month, with several holidays, the net profit was $24,000. That does not include the theatre's earnings. It looks like one of the record money-makers. Soph's $25 Editions Sophie Tucker's autobiog, "Some of These Days," soon due from Doubleday-Doran, mjIH have 1.000 copies of an autographed de luxe edi- tion at $25. The proceeds will ' be divided among the Actors* Fund, Jewish, Catholic and Episcopal Theatrical Guilds, the Home for the Aged (HarUorti. Conn.) and the Sophie Tucker Playground Camp Fond. Status Qm for Pk Work Sacramento, March 6. While general employment in the Los Angelas area continued its monthly drop, work and wages in the dim industry daring January re- mained stable. Average weakly earnings increased slightly over those at the preceding month to $7Ctt, «eU ahead of the January 1944 average 1 of -$71.11-