Variety (Aug 1945)

WAR ACTIVITIES 'Jobnny-Come-Latelies Answered On k ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ USO Gripes By Vet Grace Drysdale New Yoik. A-! one wlio has been overseas in j',.j„ce aiul Cleirnany lor over two years I'li like lo answer the Johnny- Coiiic-Uitclies and Six-Week-Ternft- cis wlio are setting themselves up. a? aottioiities and , specialists on USO-Cainp Sliows and Army Special Ser\ices. Can they be so blind as to isnoie their own dark shadow which glows longer and wider «s they ah- their crilioisms befoi'c ttie ■public'? I feel tliat USO and Special Serv- jccs-ha\e^ etW<,-ieiiUy supervised the woik of briiifiing entertainment to troops for five years in over" 25 COLiiiliit"'. Some niislalcos liave been ,rTiadc>. but they are minor. I'd like t,) tuin the apeUj ght for a monnent- in a. duection hitherto ignored—th? griping pciToi mer. '■ ' ' ■ ■ ' ' The )jei former comes back fom- plamms Stages, working^ condi- tions. Special Service officers, bill- iii?, • food, lodgings. USO-Camp Shows, oilier fellow anist.s. travel- ing conditions and all the little, ex- tra Uixiiries and added assistance wliich tliey feel tliey did not get and Avhic'li tliey liave been aceiistbmed to haiviiiis in well established show biz Tiom Broadway to Hollywood. Have some of these artists expected to find Broadway or coiicorl hall conditions abroad? Before leaving the state's in 1943. OSO explained completely and fully that we vvwild have to work under conditions that might seeinv impos- slbJe, ljut as ti'Qupcrs we Woiild lind' a way. (b cat'i'y on with our show. . We would be under the hospitality • o[ the Army and wliereyer wc went wa would be given the'best our host iiad lo ofter, Both thsiic statements: i ioand/to be true, . We worked iii cOw pastured, .'railroad yards, on roads, in. bowling alleys, beer par- lor.s ea.'jtles, ehiirches, atliwi, halls, cellars and sometimes 'suniptiioiis the<\tivs, and wherever we played, our host, the Army, gave lis the best they had to oP'er under the ever- varying conditions. Doing Job Well It "is not an important i.s.Mie thai Spetial Service officers need know show biz. Their ,iob is to guide the ..sliow people to /wliere . the . troops, are galhered, in a field or building;'. ,From.liiere a.slip oE paper i.s liari.ded. him by .the unit's manager.. Tbis papcn sliows wliat requirements are needed for the unit depending on . the type of pertormanee and prop.s such as the following; A generator, for P. A. sytem, de- tail of three men, before and after show; water for drinking and wasli- ins; dre.ssing room^; (tent or truck it in thtf fields); guide to nies-- tent or hall: heat it in winter (GI cook stove will do); where the latrine is ,for. the girls. N^w,:is it nece.ss;i,ry for a Special Service officer to be an ex-Ziegfeld to carry out the.se simple lequiiemcnis foi a USO show? ■ .Regarding billetiitg. - Act.s are'.ex- pected to live where the Armv places them. Tlie Army has its i-ea- sons and at all times I have f6und we have had a standard of living as good or better than our host. Those artisis who insist on picking their own billets and criticising the Arm,y's decision—it wsould be far belter had they stayed home. Why could not these giippr.i have spoken ill the offices of USO-Camp Show officials who are cooperative and not above receiving constructive Criticism? Our job is to receive prder.i from the Army, and if there IS crltlci.sm, it should be done tliroLigh the proper channels and not duectly by the actor. • I liaye never heard such crilicisni 01 the Army by any other known civilian organization (like the Red Crosnj which lias been invited to serve the fighting forces under "its Proleetion and supervision. Wliat has been gained by these so- called critics? Nothing biit bad pim- lu'ity unworth'y of the acting pro- fession. .. ■ ■ . Grace Drj;sd(i!c. .fGrace Dryndale, puppeteer, u-an 6tvr.wa.s- /(„• USO-Camp Showx li-om fib. '4:i lo June '46, for one oj VSOx io»aesl sireMies. She .wan fii the LiHbdti Clipper craxh, rc?»ni»i)i.q oi'nuftts to entertain after beiiiw iionpitah-ed two iiio)ii;(.i. Hers wa'i jirst k/iod) (o pluy intact vi trunee «/(cr D-Day). HVood Victory Group Pledges Postwar Activity , Hollywood, Aug. 14. Hollywood Victory Committee will carry on with emcrtainoient pro^ gram for nwn in service both hei-e and ovor.seas. Kenneth Thompson, chairman, revealed. Because of fact that men wrll remain overseas for many months, in addition to fact .♦hat. hospitalized GIs will . require program of entertainment for long time to come, HVG- will carry on its functions .lor such time aS de- mand is fell. : Jt is expected that necessity for entertainment Kroup.s to go out from Hollywood will be in existence for several year.s to come. Berlin Cafes Losing GI Grip; New Suspect Song Hit Was Russ-Inspired By Cri.. C'llKT II. WEINBEBG Berlin. Aug. 3.' liifting of the fraternisation ban in the Euroijcan theatre has brought more trade to the already packed Berlin nileries. but the American GIs are starling to .shy a way i despite the plethora of pretty giriS: who art; rhore than wilhiig to give ctompany for a couple ot cigarettes, because of the poor entertainment,, terrib'e • and higli priced) drinks and. strict MP .supervision. Biggest* and most packed of the spots is'' the Femina, which is tljC Berliti vcr.sion of the Copa, and is. alwa.v* filled with dozens of pre,tty traulens on the loose. . Berlin's tinny throe and (oiir-piece bands have dug out their old li- I brarics and now play American tunes, lof the "Ti-Pi-Tin" and "Bci Mir Bist du Schoen"' (! I ■ vintage. Most popular drinks (because they're tive onl,v kind-available) are. a weak ''wine cocktail"'iand a pink- i.sh cbiipoelion that tastes like melted, unsugared Jello, First new■ song hit to come out of occupied Berlin has had German- speaking Amencan, British and Rus- sian officers rai.sing eyebrows and wonderiiiJ! if it was a song of hope or a chant ot defiance. The Words rang through the Kabei'ett der Komicker. one Of the bigger Allied trbofv. iiighl.^'pbts.. the first, night it rnade an,v .inipre.stsioii .pfi the town. Titled "Bprlin Will Rise Again.' its Opening line is "Berlin will rise again, this is the.sqiig that all art; singing," and it winds up with, "Yes,, it will rise ayain, so will the lindens bloom aniiiii in Unlrr der Linden, Berlin is still Berlin," The packed house, with many Ger- mans ill the audience, rang with the .song as the civilian audience lomed in on chorus after chorus, while the Allies wondered if it wa." a new I Hor.st Wt'SKpl or a.song born ot hope i that Berlin, freed of its HiHer pack, will again become a great, gay, fiee I city... ■ ■ Stars and Stripes staffer Ernest Leiser. who wa*. the soldier sheet correspondent at the Big Three con- ference, took tune out from hi.«; a.s^ si.gned chores to check into the song aiid ils writer, Heino Gaze. He found Gaze in a small, arti.stically furr nished apartment with two pianos in the living room, Gaze, seated at a . de.sk with a'map of Palf'stine on' tlie waH behind him, assured I.ei.ser that the song-was one; of hope—not of defiance. "The Rus- sians," he explained. ■ "told me ;to write a song of optimism without politics, and 1 wrote it.. l,,f you think it. .souiids like a song of defiance,-, it' must be the way the girl at the Kaberett sings it." He introduced Lel.'.er to his fiancee,, a girl named Sonia Kegar. a prei- war dancing star. "I've hidden her fiom tne Na/is tor two years," he .said, , "She spent a year in a con^ ceutiatiun camp—you see, she is half ■Jew."- , UTWAC's Boff Contrib What is believed to be a rec- ord in cuffo talent is announce- ment of the United Theatrical War Activities Committee that it ■ has serviced 7,091 events with 30,2,52 acts, repi'e,senting 82.911 entertainers, since its inception May 1. '42. Organization, sparkplugged by James Sauter, exec, sec.' Is a volunteer organization of N. Y. entertainment world people fur- nishing talent to war causes and benefits gratis., V-J CUES LASTFOGE N.Y. RETURN FOR USO Hollywood, Aug, 14. Abe LastCogel. of William Morris Agency and prexy of USO-Camp Shows, who arrived here last Mon- day from New. York, has been await- ing word to .return there tomorrow <15) to- rearrange plans for : enter- tainment units in Pacific, and,Atlan- tic areas. Figured, what with Japanese fracas blowing up, that more entertainment will have to be directed toward Pacific area. Many of 2,000 enter- tainers who have , been set to move into European terrain will .have their routes, switched westward within next week. Lastfogel plans after coippleting final setup for Pacific operations to resign bis post- agency, which he hasn't done for all- most tour years. ! in, Benny, Join in USO Protest Ingrid Bergman and Jack Benny, now in Berlin on a USO-Camp Shows tour, added their,protests last week (9) to Army Special Services' handling of units overseas. "We're over here to entertain GIs and half the time the boys, don't even know w« are coming to town," said Mis.s Bergman, "It's worse here in ETC than in Africa or the Pacific," added Benny. "Where wccould be playing before 10,000 men, we play before only about 2,000, such as last night m Berlin,". Stripteaser Margie Hart, in a letter to the Paris edition ot Stars, and Stripes, GI daily, said USO-Camp Shows had retu.'-ed to let her go overseas to entertain, even if she read poetry m a Mother ^Hubbard dress,'.' She- said she told officials; "If it's sex you're worried about, relax, live got other talents, I can sing.. I can. act.'- .■ Camp Show% officials in N. Y. de- nied ever receiving any such letter or offer from Miss Hart. Shows Relaxed Combat Troops Most Army Found; and Talent Never Griped APRS to Continue Its Work Fol'owing: Victory Washington, Aug. 14. Post-war continuance of the Armed Forces Radio Service will be maintaioedr according to reports here, as a new peacetime section of the Army, marking the first time en- tei taiiiment for morale has achieved a permanent place in the military setup. This is considered a tribute, to re- sults obtained by the AFRS group in Holl.vwood, commanded by Col. Tom Levvjfi.;t(H'mef chief of radio produc- tion f6i< Y-oung & Rubicam. Most of the mefi in the AFRS unit were re- cruited from Coast radio. Return From 2-Yr. Trek Abroad Praising USO And Army: 'Treated Swell' Debunking current gripes ot other entertainers about poor , trea.lmeni by USO-Camp Shows and Army Special ServiceSi Alfred Lunt and Lynn Foutanne. back in N. Y. Wed. (8), after two years of playing to .soldier and civilian audiences in England. France and Germany, ve- hemently i nsisted that they found ever.vthing "quite satisfactory." - "We lived in comparative luxury; I weren't allo.wed even to lift a bag;" ".said Lunt. "We were flown every- I where." he told "'Variety." "playing I wherever they (USOl said we would, l and we tound nothing wrong with the way we were treated or any of the arrangementiS made by the USO or Special Services." Agreeing with her liusband. Lynn Foutanne said: "JS'o difficulties, no complaints. We. can't imagine why. anyone should have anything else, to say." She added: "The purpo.se of. USO shows IS to get the best entertainment pos- sible to the troops abroad. - That is the first and.shouid be the.,only con- .sideration." , During the two years abroad, the Lunts toured Europe amidst V Cmdr. Emerson Vice Bolton Hollywood, Aug., 14, , Ciiidr : W. W. Emerson moved in: as local head of the Navy's Motion Pic- ture Liai.soii Office, succeeding Capt,: .\. 3. Bnlioii, who is doffing his uni- torm io becoiiip a Music Corp. of America executi\e. Euiei's'Mi vv.ill ■fcuxctUin' as West Ciia.'^t l:ep)'e.sptilati>-e of the Dii'ector ' iif Nm \-y I'hi it OK i-a |)liic,'$i:rvices linder ' Capl. Gene Markcy. Son of Pitt Critic Slain By Nazis in Czech© : Pittsburgh. .Aiig. 14. . Navy Lieutenant James Harvey Gaul, ,33-.u;ar-old son of Harvey Gaul, composer, conductor and music critic, and for years drama, masic and art . reviewer for the Post- Gazette, was slain early this year by Germans while on a-secret, niission in Czechoslovakia, government offi- cials have informed his parents. Young Gaul, an arChseDldgisf iU- ci- vilian liie, had been listed as miss- ing since la.st March. He now is known to have been killed in a Ger- man concei^fration camp late in January. Lt. Gaul widely-tr?veled and speaking inanv languages, joined Naval Intelligence in April, 1941. A year later he was sent to Basra, on the Pei'sian Gulf, and spent 18 months in the Mediterranean area. La.st October he was flown into Slovakia to aid in an uprising. The Slovaks had raised 80,000 troops and Allied leaders were sent in. with the utmo.st secrecy. The leaders were captured by Germans on GhristmaK Eve. during a partv in a inouiilain cabin, the Office of Strategic Seiv- iees has revealed. They weie all executed in. the Mathausen concdiv-. tration camp. : -,: - f The Army has been convinced ot one thing at least in this war—en- tertainment was the greiilesi mean* of relaxing the. combat inlantr.vmaii th,at existed. The more ni^hting ari. Army organization ha-- socu. the, more emphasis it placed on ciileiv tainment to offset laligue and flag- ging morale. TKese impre.ssions were em pha- sized by Major Sol Radam;.Chief ot Special Service Section of the Fiith Corps, who returned to N. Y. last week after 3% years in Euiojie, Radara all that time was. in charge , of furnishing entertainment to about 125,000 GIs of the divisions that comprised the Corii.s, It was enter- i tainment mainly for combat troopsv in forward areas, rarely for service, troops in rear echelons. The-entertainment setu))—\\-<i.s -mo- bile and accompanied the Corps , through all the five major campaigns in Europe—first on the Normandy beachhead, first -mto Paris, into : Luxembourg, into Germiui.v-, first across the Rhine—bringing relaxa-,,. t.iOn to men. in foxhole.".',: in forward ■ areas, right in the combat zones. Li..; Gen. Leonard T. Gerow; originally commanding general ot the Fifth Corps, and Maj. Gen. Clarence'' Huebner, his present succos.soi', wereV both- theatre-minded; said Radam, both cobvirtced that enteitaiivinent of fighting; troops was a ■ necessity. Fifth Corps belonged to the Fir:>t' -Arm.x, during the fighting, and lo the Third ArAiy after V-E Da,y, As entjertainment hc;'d, Radam was. given a special service company',.;, of 105 men and five ollicei's to handle films, musicians, actors and shows. An' authorized. Arnly band wiis a.s^;: signed to him- .He w:is .(■oiisliin'tly . Hndit)g talent m uiuiorm and grab—. bing it for his uses. He hired civili^ ans. In Belgium he picked up acro- bats, jugglers; at one time he "hud 50 Belgium entertainers on his payroll. His .staff was big--^12 otTicers. 75 EM'S and 350 civilian.s, all, csvcliisive-, of entertainers. He booked, billeted, and routed USO-Camp-Sb;)W,s. units, GI show.Si ]oep units and I'uost. per- sonalities. They followed the fiyittors, playing bombs, food and clothing shortages, | , '^^^Z followed the fi-iitcis pK.Mn, other waitime and battle tiard.-hips fai' forwai-d, so,.^neiinio. „nU M> incident to living in war zones, GI ^'^^ ^"''i''' 2"""'^ "'f'^'''', UJWF Winds Campaign Hollywood: Aug, 14. United ;Jeivis"IY Welfare Fund ,clos"s its ]94,'5 ca.mfiaign here toinorrnvi- iWed:i with a Victory Rally at the Ambas,';ad,or' reaturing Eddie Cantor,; and George J<;.stel as siM'akei-s, Dri\-e. has lesulted in almost $3,000,000 for the charitable cau.te, Pr.esidenl of UJWF is Samuel Goldwyn, with William Clnet/ head- ing the; moiipri 'plefure ,d,ivi,sion, : Tech, Sgl. Max Rosenberg, sta- tioned , in' Worms, .Gei'iiiyii.v, with Sjjectal .Services, lias beiMt ge.ttiiis; .Old a iiiihiiitlire' "Variety.!': : •:, reaction to the Lunts' playing, they said, .showed good taste and sensi- tivity i "The troops were a wonder- ful audience," Lunt said, adding, "It will be. difficult-playing to civilian audiences again. A great ma.iority of the shows were played to .small Gl audience-s, many in makc-hil't theatres con- structed by servTcemen. The soldier- architects frequently felt compelled to apologize for their structures, de- spite the Lunt.s' reassurances. ' When questioned on London the- atrical production.s. the Lunts point- ed out that materials have been ex- tremely hard to get. Sj.erieiy took months to arrive. Many British pi:o- ductions were "rather tawdr,v; mu- sicals, for in.stance. But the.v worked under terrific d-iftfcuMies, what with V*-2's overhead." Nevertheless, Lunt re'ported, "the Haymarket in London is doing a tremendous busine.«.i with cla.usies, playing to full hoiLses." The Lunts told of attending a won- derful GI pei;.formance. in Niirein-I house berg. Germany,'w'mle'oii'"fuuV 'A'SiftfC^t^a' the only thing wrong with it was its title, soinelhiiig like 'Rhythm Ra- tions,' The' costumes were superb. They were whipped up out of rem- nants and suchj but you'd ■ never know it." "The Germans are doing ballets for our troops," said Miss Foiitane. "Yes. they've got them all woi king. and they're very good, too." After a brief rest at their farm in Wisconsin, the Lxmts will be back on_^ Broadway .in the fall to do sev- eral plays for tiie Theatre Guild out of tlie John C. Wilson office. First, they plan to do Terence Rattigan's "Oh, Mistress Mine," which they: did. in London under "title of "Love in Idleness." Lunt.s also plan revivals of "The Guardsman." by Ferenc Mol- nar. and Turgenev's "AiMonth in the Country,':',. ■/:'. ■:■..-:':■■'■''■;■:. HYC Lists 50,000 PA's , Hollywood, Aug, 14, Total of 50,000 fie>' appearances b. film personalities in .service, enler- taiiiment, bond selling - and • ..other patriotic ei dL'a\nis was reported in the. laiesf -bulletin ..issued b.y. the Hollywood Vitlory Cominillee: Sii'ce i'eail Harbor, the total iiiiiii- bei- of iiei'foi-mers appeiiririg. through five i.s 3,!«i3. forward, it often ^at bombed and strafed. Pvt. Norman Tokar (radio's Henry Aldrich) enlerliUnod GIs in foxholes.and the band couldn't use its instruments for fear tire sun's'; glare-would attract ;eiicm.y fire, ;, A town would be , taken and- Radain's men went right to woi k,: In Eupen, Belgium, directed to set up a . recreation center, they took over , everything, the theatre, bakery, :care,s. hotels, ice-cream par'or.s, ; photographic; shops. A Gl niiery, "Chez Dogface," Was set up that : •serviced 600 men a night, -with a floor show and two bands allerniiling ccmtmuously. A second, smiilier club was named "Chez When." Men were brought out. of the line, .ri/.'.I.U. out of foxhole,s, for 48 hours. In that time they got four dificrent movies, four ■ difl:erent live showii. plus night clubs —at no cost except fi\e cents pet beer. It did wonders, said Radam, In Pilsen, Czechoslovakia, Radam.'* outfit revived opera in: the opera- doinij "Tiip Bai'lcrcd :,Brirl<»" and Nino Martini arrived as guest artists. Radam hired a symphony or- chestra 111 the town, at the price of twfi packs of cigarels per man, ttt accompany the singers, They took over Pilsen's radio staticm to br.oad- cast the duo. Radam handled Marlene Diet rich;; Sam Levene, Willie Shore. Hank. Ladd. Edward G. Robin,-on, and olhersi He never had any complahits ■ from civilian talent, he said. When : you.: serve combat mlantrvmen. he. said, you have no .squ.iwks; when ■ talent sees the conditions under, uhich GJs fight, they're contenl to' put up with all necessary hardships.: Not that the Army didn't do its best for: its guestS; : There wias only one:: 'house standing -wilhiii 20 rriiies,. .when Ladd showed up, bul he got. it; RobiiLson was :coDlent t" live in a ., hole in the aground, in Normandy. Lily Pons an4 Andre"" Ko.stelanctz weren't afraid to show 'up iorwatd during combat diiy.s, Tliey gave a concert for Radam to 2 000' men brought rit»ht out of front lines, sit- ting on :tlieir. hoi iiietS; their gtiiis :in hand., : , Hcibeit Dohcrty. sori ot H. M. Dn- iierty,- ; aiidilor ot e-'ichailges , for Warners, into Marines,