Variety (Jul 1945)

"W^cdnesday, July 25, 19iS VAUDEVILUS 45 (Hd Vaode Contract At $500 Per Bounces Up to Plague Dick Hapes An iinplayed vaude date of somet months back almost snafued opening of pick Haymes, vaude and screen baritone, at the Roxy theatre, N. Y., today (Wed.) when as late as yester- day Izzy RaPPaPO"'*' to Whom the unplayed date is owed, had threat- ened injunctive proceedings through his attorney, I. Robert Broder. Mat- ter was adjusted for the nonce. Hbwever, Rappaport ■ has brought breach of contract charges against the singer at American Guild oi Va- riety Artists claiming that he had igreed to le the warbler out oC a one- week date at his Hippodrome, Balti- more, because of radio and pic com- mitments, upon condition that lie would play the owed-time upon com- pletion. This occurred prior to Hayjnes' click in Hollywood. Fly in ointment is that Ilaymes was booked lor the Baltimore date Rt $500. He's gelting $8,500 weekly for the Roxy date. Rappaport is ask- ing that he either play the date for him or shell out $8,000 for release. Heaving on matter will be held at AGVA later this week, ■ Trelon Cafe, Pitt, Gets In Bad With OPA On Cover Tariff Garland Vs. LaMartinique, N.Y., to AGVA Arbitration Judy Garland's si.ster, Dorothy, dropped her vague plans of q civil suit against Jimmy Vernon and Dario, operators .of the La Martm- ique, N. Y. nitery, and has instead filed :Complaint, alleging break ..of. contract with American Guild of Variety Artists, Singer claim$ she held a two-week contract with the spot at $175 per week and. was cancelled after four days. She aims to collect $350 due. Dario and Vernon deny she w^ cancelled, claiming she left of own volition or rather did not return to her vStint after four days. ■ Arbitration on the matter_wi]l bb set this week at N. Y. local of AGVA with Dave Fox, head of that local, presiding at the hearing/ ; Upped Pittsburgh, July 24.. Trelon Gafe, East Liberty's leading, night spot, was fined $250 over the week-end by, an'OPA price panel for increasing tover charge above ■1942 level. Jack Kluchman, Trelon owner recently discharged from the marines, Said he was in the service and his assistant, Melvin Murman, was laid up with a broken leg at the time the raise went into effect. Place, was being-run at the time by two waitresses and it was the idea of one of them to raise the tarriH because of increasing entertainment costs,. .Trelon explained. Nobody kicked about the increase, so Murman and then Kluchman just let it stand when they got back on the job. "Honestly,'^ Kluchman told the OPA, "this nrice increa.se was. wlthottt our knowledge and consent. But once it got started, we didn't bother to change , it." Kluchman probably didn't niake himself too popular with the AGVA roster either when he also told the price " panel: VAnyway, the entertainment is costing us more. And we have to pay these hams so much it eats up hU Uie profit." ' N.Y. MONTE CARLO OPS BITE OFF BIG PROJECT Bill Zeckendorf, executive v.p. of Webb & Knapp, N. Y. realtor,-?, who put the: Monte Carl6, class .N. Y; nitery, into the big money brackets, are p^ 1 news with their $35,000,000 office building-dept. store project on the site of the Marguery hotel. This swanlt Park avenue hostelry be- comes a giant skyscraper and store' under a 63^year leas& from the tl. Y. Central R;R., which ownS the propr erty. ' - ' Webb & Knapp came by the Monte Carlo" under more or less mvolun'^ tary circumstances but, general- managec! by Sam Salvia says thiti spot cleared $260,000 last year. Belle Baker Recuped But Won't Open LQ Till Sept. Belle Baker is back in New York from Long Branch, N. J., where she recuperated with the Lou (Laura Lee) Paynes, following her pneu-? monia attack. Comedienne had to forego the Latin Quarter, N. Y., show this sum- mer and, instead, will defer her preeni at the Broadway nitery imtil Sept. 9. Midnight Curfew On * Liquor Upheld in CaL Hollywood, July 24. Midnight curfew is legal in Cali- fornia, according to the appellate de- partment of Superior Court where three judges turned down Earl Carroll's and the Florentine Gar- den's request tor an injunction re- straining the State Board of Equal- ization from closing bars at 12 p.m. Court ruled that tlie legislature w;is within its rights in pas-sing an emergency measure after the Army had lifted its midnight closing order. Minn. Cops Jump On Hot Niteries Minneapolis, July 24. New mayor and police administra>- tion has closed up town tightest within recent memory, even banning "14!' and other dice games which have. been a source of 'considerable revenue for many night-clMbs, As a result, some of the establishments are planning: to curtail their enter- tainment and otherwise cut expense corners. ' '.. All-night, unlicensed night clubs, where liquor and entertainment could be obtained after regular clos- ing hours, also are out. Horse race and other gambling. Including base- ball; etc., and punch boards and'slot machines, have gone by the boards, too. It's declared that "strict law en- forcement'' will be the administra- tion's permanent policy. This policy has the local - newspapers' backing. AGVA Moving Against War-Booming Borscht Circuit Spots Now Pushing Actors Around; Threatens Action LUNA PARK, N.Y., COURT FIGHT STYMIES REBLDG. Despite municipal court decision restoring Bill Miller's rights as prez of Luna Amus. Corp., to operate Luna Park, Coney Island; N. Y., and to disposses current tenants, Phil Pate and Abe Seskin, changeover hasn't come off. .Prudence Bonds, owners of the amusement area, with- whom Miller had purchasing deal; has filed appeal from the decision. Hearing is set for Aug., 16. Miller claims he still has interest in the amusement area. Prudence on other hand claims he forfeited any such rights when he abandoned the park after fire last season. There is also a little matter Of $90,000 due Prudence; according to contract, sez latter. Front of park is currently operated by the Seskins, who also planned reconditioning inside. area with financial assist from Prudence. This has been stymied by the Miller litigation. American Guild of Variety ArtLsts is moving in to correct flagrant abuses of talent playing N. Y* and. surrounding area mountain and summer resort spots. Action was talcen yesterday by Matt Shelvey, head ot AGVA, after Dave Fox, top- per of N. :Y. local of the talent .union, laid before him what he described as "appalling conditions on .the eirr cuit," which, he added, tops any pre- vious abuses; Cited are the smaller hotels. In practically all .cases the larger spots haye tried to- take excellent care of performers. After hearing complaints from some 40 performer-members cur- rently contracted in these spots, Shelvey immediately dispatched Ar- thur Kaye, union trouble shooter, to survey the situation, and to notify offending operators that, unless they live up to contracts all AGVA mem- bers will be pulled from their spots. He also wired both operators and agents that unless they live up to contractual obligations by tomorrow (26) AGVA will pull out the shows, Kaye will set up temporary head- quarters in the President hotel. Swan Lake, N. Y., and will have the co-operation of the 40 complainants, with others added, who v/ill act as deputies to see that shows are pulled over the weekend unless the union's demands are followed. Mam bone ot contention, accord- *Z>MO are a nice bet for the Rostrum Circuits anywhere ' firoji^'Variety' July 18th (Loew's State, New York) New Musical Combo A Hit On Broadway WHISTLING VIRTUOSO FRED LOWERY WITH LOVELY SINGING STAR DOROTHY RAE Jutt CloMd at LOiW'S STATE, New York OpMiiiq OLYMPIA. Miami (W««k Jvly 25tli) CAPITOL, Wasliii>9>«" (W««k Attaint fth) Exclviiv* COLUIVlllA ltECORDIN« ARTIST Moiio««in«iifi QSNEkAL 4MUSEMENT CORP. inft to Shelvej', is on the "I'oom and board dales." He stated that raiiiiy standard acts accept summer en- gagements at lower than usual sal-. arises it the jobs promise good ac* commodations'tand good food. That. may have existed before the lush warworker coin was being thrown around, according ■ to Shelvey, but it's difterent now. Since most of the places are filled to capacity and have waiting lists, performers wlvo : Itave taken salary cuts because of . the r. & b. angle are getting con'- , siderabl.y pushed around, according to complaints. They are shunted off to broken down hostelries or con^ verted barn or boathouse dormi- tories, given food.; inferior to the paying guests and only permitted on the premises when doing their stint. One group of complainants stated that, upon arrival they were shunted over to a homemade barracks and assigned to cots sandwiched in be- tween kitchen workers, gardeners and other help. Union feels that per- formers are protessional people and —^ are entitled to A-1' accommodations, since they actually'are paying guests, . : because they "work- at reduced salr*^ ' .aries. Marion Colby has been signed for I new show at La Martinique, N. Y., slarting Aug. 17. HELD OVER LOEW'S STATE, N£W YORK (W«tk< July 12th and July 19th) LENNY KENT "COMIC SCORES FOR A IIG HAND" Bro/i, "Vairiety," July 18th. "LENMY KENT, LOEW'S STATE SHOW STOPPER" ED SULUVAN, Dai^y Ncwc A record cngagemeiit of the RIO CABANA in Chi- cago ^ . fftrco ond onchalf consccufivo months « . . foUowod by ongogoment at the 0RIENT4L, Chicago. Thanks to Jesse Kaye, Harry Romm, Charley Hogan. Milton Berger, Will Weber PrrMtiiHl MaiMKcnient IHmillon ' PHIfXIl'H WKMKK <:K,%KHAr. A.Wt'aEMENT M n>i>t .4Mk 8tK«t, ««w.y*rk OORf. • L»*'*»i(rs-<i.("R'*'ic«'*.-*'.. 'i■**■.*' ■