Variety (Sep 1945)

m Fold Leaves Pix Without CoordmatmgAgcy.onCfearances WiLsliingtOH, Sepi. 4. ♦ The sudden loktup of OWI, or- dered by the White Hou.se Fndny C.31), came as a distinct shock both 1o the fisency imderlings and the media with which it deals, i^s of Sept, 15, IjaiTing fast work by radio «(id pix, there will be no coordinating Bgeiicy to clear the time and screen requcsT'of the dozens of Government »t,tMU'ics. with each on its own <uH i houndinj; the life Out of Industry | representatives. ] OWI oNcrsoas operations will teiMiin.ite more slowly, with the i State Dept. ordered to talte. over a | portion of them on a permanent j ba.sis. .liis-t how much the State , Dept. will take on is still uncertatn, ] but it IK believed that the depart- | ment.: which ha.s proudly given lorth ■that It is nboiit. tO; ".slrearniihe," will soon, announce a new office for the produclion of factual pix to be iLsed both abroad «nd in this country. 'At the same time, President Tru- man, '1 his Friday announcement, carried on his policy of trying to be airthinsK to all men. Praising pix. radio and . press for their, "geherou.'i contE.ibutions''. to the- war effort,- lie .said that "to the fullest possible ex- tent, .American private organizations anxt—individual.s in -such—(ieWs—as- Dialog Will Be Terse, Too ■ ;: Hollywood, Sept. 4. Tliey're goniH to film the joclceys out of any alibis at tlie current Hol- lywood Park race meet. Track has entered into contract with Telefilm studJOs- to lens every race on Hi mnii ■ Cameras are set in eight towei'S,. placetl iu' strategic points^^arpund the li.,ck. Film goe.s to stcward.s wuhin a te minutes after race is run. Mike Todd to Present Circus, Hires Gorman To Prep for '46 Season Milce Todd has added a major cir^ cus to his enterprises, and Tom Gor- man, long a.ssociated with Pat Ca.sey, ' 168tli WEEK! KEN MURRAY'S "BLACKOUTS OF 1945" El Capita;n Theatre, Hollyvyood, C«l. "Ken Murray's 'Blackout.s' is a Knockout, The moie I vi'i- of olhfi- .sHow.s, th^'bettor I like 11.' - . HUGH HERBERT. news, motion pictures and communi- cations, will, as in the past, . be the primary means of informing fofeign peoples about this country. "The government's international intormalion program will not com- pete with them.. Instead it will be designed to 'Rijsi.st American private enterprises engaged in the dissemin- -ation of information abroad, and to su pplement them in those specialized inlormational activities in which commercial or other limitations make it difficult tor private concerns, to carry on all necessary information uork. "This government will not attempt to outstrip the extensive and. grow- ing information programs o£ other ,nations Rather, it,will endeavor to see to It that other peoples receive a full and fair picture of-Amei'iean life and ot the aims and pobcies of ■ the United States Government." Recent assurance by the WAC that the pix program for theatres as outlined in cooperation by OWI for the rest of thi.s. year will be caliicd (Continued on page 15) Col. James Stewart Due for M-G Return; Morris, Raymond Out Gol,- Jariies Stewart, back in. the . U. S. alter 23 months of overseas service; expects to be discharged from the Army Air Forces in about a month. He will return , .shortly alter that to the Metro studio at Culver City, Cal., to make his first picture since joining the Army as a pri\atc m 1941. . Weare- of six battle stars, the _ I)istin.!»uished ; Flying Cross .. witli ' clu.stei-s. Air Medal with three clus- ters and the Croix de Guerre'With Palm, Stewart left N. Y„ where he embarked Friday (31): from the Queen . Elizabeth, which brought him back and 15,000 other soldiers from the European theatre, for his Indiana, Pa., home Saturday (1), accompanied by his parentis, who met him in N. Y. ■ He revealed that. after a few weelis at home he will go to Holly- wood for a couple of weeks before going; to .his a-ssembly station at Tacoma, Wash., where he will be :re-assigncd OF discharged. has ,joined; thti showman's .stSft, being- as>;js;ned to ready the outdoor outdt tor next spi-ing. Wheii Todd went overseas for the Army on an eiilcrr: tainmeiit mission, he recominended ■a pi i-ous for GI's, and upon his re- turn he secured information on the chances ot assembling such a show. He dug up -Gornrlan, who was , tiouping an outfit through Illinois j andf upon getting advice from the i latter, infoi'med. the .Army .that the j ciicus idea for Euiope at this time i was impractical. Gormaiv told Todd | that latter would Brodie it he at- tempted to take wild animals into occupied war zones because there Lsn't even enough beef to supply ci-- vilians, and the beasts might starve to death, even if a priority was granted. Then Todd put Gorman on the payroll. Understood that the manager has secured Coa.st backing Qt $L2,'5,O,Q0O fpr^the cirlius. j It was intended to take over the I jacobs animal .stock quartei.'ed- at Peru. Ind., .bi.it that idea was skipped, on the grounds that the animals in- I eluded three runaway elephants, Ja- Icobs stock was picked up by Arthur M. Wiitz of Chicago, who with Bill Burke stages a circus in the Stadiurn sca.sonally. Todd tried to take over the Ringling. Barnum & Bailcy cir- cus two seasons ago. but no dice, yet his plaii for a big top of his own indicates the idea wa.s not a ,?;ag, as it was thought to be at that time. Allan Jones Vs. Gardner s Beef ■ Ed Gardner's . statement concern-, ing Allan Jones' indictment ot USD- Camp shows and Army Special Serv- ices was characterized by Jones as "the most ridiculou.s thing I ever heard" at a IJSO press conference Friday d) alter returning the day before Irom a .six-week tout ot the Mediterranean ..theatre of war.. To- gether with Irene Hervey;. (Mrs. Jones) and George Mann ■ tex- Barto &) who was company man- ager, they stated tliat, they,. as.- vveU. as other performers who played the area,; had the best available accom- jGoiltinued on page -47) H'wood Canteen to Fold Oct. 3 on Third Anni ■ - " ~Hollywood.~Sepl.-4. " Hollywood Canteen closes its doors Oct. 3. the third anniversary of the spot;. Announcement was made by Bette Davis following a directors' meeting at which Spike Wallace, of the American Federar tion of Musicians Local 47. said the musicians would quit supplying music for the Ganteeen on Oct. 3, Directors will: hold :anolh"er meet- ing Sept. 24 to make final plans for setting up ; of Hollywood Ganlccrt Found'ation with Canteen lunds \\hich have not been disbursed. The Berle-mg Point By Milton Berle THE GREAT WIT WAY: Things were so. good on the borscht circuit this summer thoy were doing the lemon bit with avocados... In my new show, "Spung m Biazil, 1 do a dramatic scene that is so touching that even Loe Shubcit cued. But it won't do him any good—he still won't get out ot the contract., .Miclfey Alpcit knows a fellow who's a real 10% agent— 10"o of his acts are Working. MAIN STE.M MUEMliRlNGS: First Aclor: Where are you working next week? Second Actor: I'm laying off. First Actor: Thai's a coincidence! I'm on the same bill with you. (Ed.—It we let any more gags lilfe that in, we'll be reviewing the bill ) TIItiRE'.S NO TRUTH TO THE RUMOR: That Giiy Kibhee was IMiied down for a job with the Philharmonic be- cnii.sc It's n loiiyhnircd our/a.. .That Fred Allen is wi amy Lew Parker's radio 7110(e) in/.. .TJtnf Fred MacMitnay unll only mule 25 pictures this year., .That Horace MacMalion is having his Ian pictures printed on police blotters ..Thnt Gary Cooper is turiUng a sequel to his last pictine, "Alonij Came Jones,'' ilihich he's callmg ''He Weiit That Way"That Phil Rapp used a 110)11 de plume m ifriting "Spring in Brojtt," He %tsed a Remington . .That Mayor LaGuardia has stolen Joe Besser's routine and opens at Grosslnxier's next iceek. , LI, Wayne Morris to WB Hollywood, Sept 4. Ltr-W.iyne -Morris-has beeu-giveii a new contract at Warners, e/loctivc; Oct. 1, wlien he leaves-the Naval Air Corps., - ■.- - ■■ - ■. •: . : ... ■. Actor enlisted early In the ■ war and became Hollywood's tirst ace downing seven enemy planes and also gi\cn credit for sinkin;; J; p sub. Morris has lately been a flight insluiclor and wears the Dis- inguishcd Flying Cross, with two star.'-, the-Air Medal, Philippines dec-: oration and live battle stars. - - ■ . Maior Gene Raymond has begun a SOrday terminal, leave, winding up -42 montlis in the-Army-as-OparattoiTS- olflccr. He's spent considerable time ovenseas. . ■ Actor will go on inactive status at the end ot his leave and. resume ■ cliores at RKO, to which he had been under contract before entering t'lc Army. NUTSERY RHYMES : ; ' ■ '■: . Jack w asn't: niiTlble;. Jack wa.sn't quick. He couldn't^ump over the candlestick. HOTFOOT!!! j SCULLY'S SCRAPBOOK i ■♦♦♦■♦♦♦♦♦♦t'M^-M-^^ By Frank Scully *»*■♦♦ v Medicine Hat; Aug. 29. . One thing about the picture bu.siiicss is that if yoil don't listen to enough people >ou aie alirtosl sure to have a flop, and if you listen to too many you're cei tain ,to come out with' the wrong answer, , Somewhere along the assembly line the late Winnie Sheehan had the right answer to "Captain Eddie." - It's ironic that for all the producer's effort the picture is released at a time when Hollywood is nejck-deep in labor: trouble;: Thus "Captain Eddie" gets the dubious reward of a picket line, just as it was threatened with ill the beginning, but it gets it in the end Xor an entiiely different rea.son. The producer .steels away from even a semblance of his hero's labor tirades and heads.for loftier shores, but the picture never quite gets there. Rick's Pop tells him, "Trust a machine. A machine will never let you down." Well, one killed Pop and another let Rick down in the Pacific. In the end one ot the characteis proves that the answer i,s, "Hitch your machine to a prayer," but the moral doesn't quite come over the sound track that clearly. Curiously, the first reel of the pic is by tar the best, and the early days ' ot- janes and planes a close second. After that the picture wanders off in . one direction and mv mind slioiled in another. I got to thinking about an Army flier wlio was aliead of Captain IiUldie in the air. His name was- Earl Hill Wilson and lie \v as flying planes ,i.s early as 1909. Gas Bait a Lift in fact Wilson first got ofl the ground a.s a kid handling balloon ascon- sionis tor the old Barnum;&; Bailey circus. A runaway kid, he started as ■waterboy to the animals and was rewarded with the balloon biz alter he ^ had stopped Fanchon, the old African elephant in the show, from starting ■a-stampede,' ■-. -....v .. Seems a trainer familiar with tlie Ea.st Indian bredd but completely ignorant of African elephants began lousting Fanchon (where was Marco'.') only to get picked up suddenly,-thrown to the ground and trampled to death. Wilsoii; hearing the racket, rushed in, grabbed a pick and hooked Fanchon just where it biought law and order fa-stest. The elephant's curled trunk came down and he proceeded to obey the kid from there out. .Some 23 yeais later Wilson was visiting the winter quarters of aniin.ils at Ei Monte, Cal.. and saw Fanchon af^aui. Now a retired Array pilot he climbed the fence and ran to the thiindercr. Keepers yelled to hinv to : keep away. Fanchon picked him up and gave him that aisle ...seat right- behind his big left ear. "A: Wilson never torgct.s, ' explained Earl.. When he was 18 Wil.son quit the circus and' went to Rusih Medical on llie money he had saved. But-in his last year he got jamtried in an episode; and rather than squeal on the morbid pranksters who staged it, Earl took a dismissal. It was p lo.ss to .science, for he would have bfeen among the great ot microbe-hunters had he .spent all in.stead ol halt his life at it. The Riddled Ave PoiJ.sessed now ot a circus career, .some .skill in flying balloons and a busted medical career, he loined the Army Au- Corps. He became one: of our fiLst pilots and was doing nicely until 1911 when lightning struck his plane over Baltimore and he cra.shed. The: sraackup left him on cnilclie.s. for three years. Our Armywotildn t take hira back, but in 191,') the F?oyal Air Force took hini. He became a wing commander by the time we en- tered Uiewar in 1917, and about the time Rick came to Europe, Wilson s~wui5g:over from the RAF to the Ainei ican forces. He got smacked and cracked .so ntten that he was shipped home full ot .shrapnel. He got as far as San Fernando Valley and divided his time between microbe-hunting, stunt-flying and catei ing to the animals in the iXiOy^-,' y- . ' '-,,v..:' ; -:■ i :;;-- :' . : How he got into microbeThunting can be briefed. He had bought hun- dreds of baby chicks, hoping to make a fortune as a chicken rancher. But the chicks died by the do/.cns A rancher told him, "No wonder. They sold you ; volkeis, you chump." i,-i^Yolkei:s';'';-asked Earl, " '. V-y . .'' ;.:'- ; ' J-:Ji "SLire,"said. the Rancher. "Feel this little lump .hi their throats?: Tlvat'is- a yolk, and if/they; don't digest, thoy die.'':, . .- ;, -. Earl opened the lumps, examined them under a microscope and found ; them to be almost pure sulphur, So he spent the rest of his life punlying sulphur and apply it to prolonging life. At first he-fed' sulphur to yolk- ' ers." It did the tnclt. They got well. From there he worked up a colloidal sulphur which had eluded science'' for 400 .years. Right now it ism the final stages of research at. the Insti- tute of Patholosy of Western Penn as a cure tor burns. The head ot the research team is none other than Dr. Ralph Mellon, the guy who ptro- duced the sulfa; drugs to America. ^ . ; ■' . ; "Your Slip Is Showing" Wilson worked it out in a little lab a .stone's throw from , the Warni-r .studio at Burbank and I suppose ,iO years trom now they will di.scovor the fact and miike a picture of hi.s. life; But I can tell them they'd bettor . clear: all the nuisance yaUiiis in advance. . For one thing the city of .Losr Angeles ha.s, an uncollected fine of J!2S0 against Earl for flying a Spad: through the Broadway -tunnel. For another thing, once when stuntins! over the: city- it : was discovered his landing gear nad dropped olT. Wilson worked that one-out too. He headed for the La'Brea tarpits :and pancaked on the primordial asphalt which ieature.s the place. His plane began to sink in the stuff, which had even trapped dinosaurs.. Fortunately a guy thiew him a lope and eflected a re.seue. But the plane sunk in the tar and IS there yct-^obvioiisly a basis for a legal plaster if anybody should: attempt to make a picture out of the incident. : ' " ' Between hl.s cra/.y flying and his ,sulpluir, Wilson managed to live tv ko; hi.s allotted time; He's gone now.'Sut wherever he went he would rnsi.st on bringing along his stinking sulphur for footbaths, gargles, drinking water , and hair tonic. His army ot believers still ase it, ' • , So that was the guy I kept thinking about when I should have been" panting with Eddie Riekenbacker In a rubber boat 'on the Pacific. But it I hadn't had a sulphur bath the night before and a good sleep after it and if I hadn t gargled with the stuff I couldn't have seen "Captain Eddie". So I may end up \et with a medicine show scUing Eail Hill Wil.son s hydrosulphosol at yZ a throw and Dr Morris Fi.slibem as my .shill. .'md: if Rick promi.se.s to cool ofl about people who woi,'k for a living, I'll -see that he gets what bottles he may need, wholesale. DON'T SAY I DIDN'T TELI. YOU THAT: Lionel Kaye could have stayed two weeks longer at the Capitor but he ran out of tissue paper .. . An agent is a former aclor wlio is trying to get even. (Val Irving, I'm only kidding!). . ;Joihn CI«in, the buckle-producer (he operates on a, little more than a shoe- string), is going in for racing. He has a lovely stable of HORSE ; . - . My beautiful; wife,. Joyce, doesn't think the war is over bccatise , when she give^ the cabdrlvcrs'ntckel tips, they don't thank her ; Jackie Gleftson hag gone on a diet. . .he^s eating nothing but fitud ...Henny IToilngman turned down a pari in a legit show becau.se -it-was-too-small. So~-now they're padding it—with commas... ; Grayson, the publisher, is sure my book, "Out of My Tmnk," Will be a big success. They're arranging to have ft banned in Ro.ston . . .My~bi'other Frank (Ihr onr who makes dice out of Ivory soap for floating crap games) lias a new invention. Portable radar to find the chieken in chicken ehowmein. I Ed.—Wanted. A radar to Itnd -the j^kw toW by joketetlei's,) N. Y. to L. A. I. Robert Bioder. Gary Cooper. .Toe Glaser. ■ Monroe Greenthal. Irene Hervey,: Lena -Home. . Arthur JelYrey. Allan Jones. Leo Katcher. . Jimmy Kemper. William Lord. EU Oberstein. Izzy Rappaport. William F. RodHcrs. Phil Silveis. Lot! Walters. Col. William Wylcr. L. A. to N. Y. M. Bernard Freeman. Will Hays. Sig Her/.ig Altred Hitchcock. S. Barret McCormick. - ; .Aithur Michaud. , Harold Mirisch. . - Robcrt Mocbrie. Donald M. Nel.son. Morrie Ryskihd.- Joe Youuginan. PIX SEEK HtlROK BI06 Hollywood, Sept. 4. Several studios are putting on pitches for Sol Hurok's autobiog- raphy, "The Impresario." Book will be ptiblished shortly by Random House