Variety (May 1946)

to VAUMVDJLB Wednesday, Rfay 8, 1946 Lou Walters Lays Out $50,000 For Future Construction of H'wood Nitery Lou Wallers has plunked down a* $.")0.0O(t deposit lor construction ot i one ol' the most elaborate nitorics in Hollywood; New structure lias been in the .planning stages for some time, but on Coast trip from which he returned last week. Walters pre- pared for actual construction as soon as 'building materials arc freed. Wallers blueprinted a COO seat nikiy and-six-story oflicc building to cosl around $5,000,000 and which will include a 200-seat cocktail lounge and a 200-car garage for patrons. Club, which will probably be named the Latin Quarter, will have ■ pro- vision for ice and water shows. Wal- ters plans an ice tank covered by a dancefloor both ot which would slide back to uncover a swim tank. In addition, cafe will have a pre- vue room where films can be shown. This projection room will be screened away from the regular por- tion of the club, but will have pro- vision so that partitions can be moved and the party in to sec the picture can be part of the nitery crowd. There will also be a roof' restaurant for all day operation. | Walters so far, hasn't completed ; financing plans. He will invest around $250,000. in the project an annual rental for the site will be $50,000. Club located at Sunset Boulevard and Larabee avenue. Hollywood. Creditor Halts Auction Of Chicago's 5100 Club Chicago, May 7. Internal revenue agents, who hold a lien against the'51 Hundred Club, : shuttered north-side nitery, lor $21.- 000 in unpaid amusement taxes, were ' enjoined last week from auctioning I ofl the spot. Injunction was granted , a creditor. Marshall Zoloft, who charged before Federal Judge Elwyn R. Shaw that the former operators, Byron Massell and Henry Weiss, owed him $1,850. Government lien was granted as ! the result of an involuntary bunk- ' ruptcy petition filed against the club : a few weeks ago. A Family Affair Pittsburgh. May 7. Ruth Robin, Pittsburgh singer now on Coast with her husband, Gus Bivona, clarinetist with Bob Crosby, has signed with Four Star Records and her first two sides will be pretty much of n family affair: Both \ numbers, "Prisoner of Love" and ','My Cutie's Due at Two to Two To- dav," were written by her brother, Leo Robin ("Cutic" was his first published song) and all-star combo which bucks her on the discs is un- 'ler the baton of Bivona. Gal recently left Joe Vcnuti's band, after seven months. She for- merly sang with Joe Rcichuian. Phil Harris and Jan Savitt, among others. Auer't S. F. Dates ■ Hollywood, May 7. Misclia Aucr set for week of vaude at Golden Gale, San Francisco, open- ing June 12. First personal for the screen character : comic since his string of eastern vaudftlmcrs last summer. Palace theatre, Emerson. N. J., will will use vaude last half of each week, beginning May 23. Policy will be five acts, with occasional . low- budget band units, booked inde- pendently. Versailles, N.Y., Giving Pro Ex-Gl Acts Chance At Break-In Auditions Nick and Arnold, operators of the Versailles, N. Y., are skedding a scries of .auditions for. professional ex-GI entertainers beginning May 19. d | Plan is to give the vets a break in getting back to, the stage. Versailles will acts every two from these five or six to be pre- sented at the club's midnight show before an impartial jury. Best act will be given a two^weck contract at $100 or $150 per.-' Nitery Op Slugs Law, Has License Revoked St. Louis, May 7. Cosmopolitan Club. E;isl St. Louis nitery. the scene of a recent bomb- ing, was shuttered last week by Mayor John T. Connors, who re- voked its liquor license. Action was based on the fact that a Slate Liquor inspector had been assaulted by Joe Lewis, one of the owners of the club. Four revolver shots were fired into the premises March 20 and less than a month later a bomb, which exploded on the roof of the build- ing, did considerable damage. Lewis later wrote to President Truman saying police protection had been denied him because of political ac- tivities. Lewis is awaitnig trial on the audition about 20 | e i 1iUge 0 f assaulting, the inspector, weeks and select Katliryn Duffy renewed as pro- ducer of floorshows at Glass Hat, Belmont-Plaza hotel, N. Y. Saranac Lake More Than 100 Agents, Bookers, Etc., Wish Luck To Harry Romm in N.Y. Speculation over successor to Harry Romm as head of. the theatre department of General Artists. Corp. continues after the dinner tendered by the vaude industry lo Romm, Monday (6) at the New Yorker hotel. Those mentioned as the new head of the department cainc with the approximate 100 to wish Romm good lu,ck, but no definite statements came from anyone. William Peinberg, secretary of Local 802 American Federation of Musicians, who has announced his intention of not running for reelec- tion and who has been rumored lo fill Romm's shoes, was there. So was Leonard Romm, brother, of Harry, who is now heading the thea- tre department and may continue to do so. To those, Bob Weitman, N. Y, Paramount theatre -.-nanaging direc- tor, who toastmastered the affair, in- troduced the Romm boys' ' aged father, who came in from Philadel- phia for the event, as a candidate for the job, as a gag. Romm was gifted with a gold pen and pencil set and two traveling bags. He is slated to leave around May . 10 for the Coast, where he'll produce a Aim on the life of Glenn Miller. Thomas G. Rockwell, GAC head, was chairman of the commit- AGVA Holds 150G In Salary Bonds American Guild of Variety Artists has cash security of over" $150,000 from nitery operators throughout the country on hand to ensure sal- aries of acts and pei-forjncr.s booked into about 125 nilerics in New York and throughout the country. It's the result of recent drive 1 for cash se- curily in all AGVA-paclcd spots. This amount is in addition to- blanket bonds from other ops and- other forms of security, which eventually will be turned into cash. Amount • up represents tipper bracket and lower rung operations throughout the country, with indi- vidual totals ranging from 5:100 to $500 for the modestly budgeted spots to as high as $8,000 to $10,000 in top bracket operations* There has been talk that AGVA is getting juicy interest revenue from bond money . in escrow. This is not true. Cash is deposited in a transitory account in N. Y.. and has no earning power. TJtwicus LOEW BOOKING AGE NCY ofNiMi txicurivi orncts IOEW BUILDING ANNEX ;M« W .44rt », N.Y.C • My.* ♦.two ***** By Happy Ben way Saranac Lake. N. Y., May 7 Benito Collada, nitery op. could i tee which held the dinner, not rent a place so bought cottage I where he will spend the summer. "Amazing Mr. Ballanlinc" (Carl Kessler) elated over surprise visit from his mother and sister, who shot in from the Big Town. Tudor Cameron, who beat the rap here, is back at work at Fox theatre, St. Louis. James McCarthy, former theatre manager, visited by wife and daugh- ter over weekend. Lila Lee responding to cure nicely and flashing good reports. . Abe Seligman mastered recent operation and back at the Rogers. William Cairns back after furlough spent at home in New Rochelle,. N.Y. Charlie "Shuffle" Brown, former nitery performer, checked in at Raybrook sanatorium. Dorothy Martin upped for meals, visited by mother and sister, who were happy over her nice condition. Charlie Golden, musician doing o.k. at the Rogers. His frau has rented cottage and will remain here all summer to be near him. Bernard Van Pelt shot in from Syracuse to visit Tootie Emerson. Lillian Bcrgson visiting Gertude Klein and Jean Bcrgson, her sisters, Fanny Montana visiting Dr. F. Montana. Al Michalski cheered up via sur- prise visit from his frau. Easter holiday visitors at the Will Rogers surpassed previous years. (Write to those who are III.) Palomar theatre, Seattle, has dropped vaude shows and is operat ing with straight pix policy for summer. HELEN HUMES THE "BE-BABA-LEBA" GIRL JUST CLOSED COTTON CLUB, Hollywood Returning May 21st Currently AGVA CRACKS WHIP IN N.Y. FOR FIRST TIME American Guild of Variety Artists cracked down on Murrain's Cafe, New York, nitery Monday (6), de- clared spot unfair, yanked show and threw a picket line around the spot. It's fust such action taken by the talent union in New York by pres- ent administration in four years. Spot had refused to pact minimum basic agreement and post security for salaries of performers. AGVA had classified nitery as a Class B operation, requiring scale of $75 for principals and $40 for choristers. Spot had been operating with a $50- $30 scale until AGVA stepped in and organized performers. After several weeks of stalling on the pact, union was forced to yank members and set up the picket line. Spokesman for cafe said if would continue floorshows with: non-union talent and contest nights. ROSENBLOOM-BAER TO HIT 1-NITE TRAIL TOO Maxic Rosenbloom and Max Buer will head a unit playing onc-night- crs. Outfit will include the Three Little Sisters, Bobby Pincus and Ruth Foster, and the Herb Miller orch. They open in Huntington, W. Va, Aug. 30. All dates are on a guaran- tee and percentage basis. on it COAST-TO-COAST TOUR with AT THE PHILHARMONIC" PoraaaaJ NORMAN GRANZ—HoHyv/eooJ Indiana Cracks Down On Gambling Joints Indianapolis, May'7. Gambling in night clubs, taverns, and private clubs .will henceforth result in revocation of slate liquor licenses, says Burrell E. Diefendorf, chairman of the Indiana Alcoholic Beverage Commission. Diefendorf said that past gambling convictions will not be considered sufficient grounds for permit revoca- tions, but future convictions" will mean loss of licenses for one year, and will apply both against the per- mittee and the. premises. Modernaires in Coast Dates Modernaires, vocal' quartet who went to the Coast last month to work with Perry Como on his Chesterfield broadcasts from Hollywood, will play dales in that area. Group goes i into the Trocadero, Hollywood, May ' 9, for two weeks. When Como finishes his current film chore the Modernaires will work theatres on their way back east, tLAKK BROTHERS The Nation's Finest Dancers "Dancing in The CLARK Fashion" Oriental, Chicago 'Clark Irothers gave this bill what It needed, these two smartly garbed yoithfel HrptMrt s«o»W teen aorn a ulcba ootid* Tha Nicholas • tarry iret., (key art so good, It's oven mora dMcalt to decide whether they are replacing them at surpassing them. I'll toy they're off to the races, becoase their rhythm nrfty booftog, faster stops accentu- ated by splits aid acrobatics place, thorn la a class by themselves, ■owed off to heavy mitring. A show stop." Morg, Variety. Thanhs to Chat. I. Hogao & General Artists Corp. Currently PARAMOUNT, New Yerk Thanks to Harry Ellington end Levlne, Dake Eddie Smith Personal Directloa Frank ielmeot General Artists Cat*. ETHEL ROIG Infornwtien wanted concerning where- abouts of Ethel Rett or Rhel Re* Harrison, formerly of New Orleoos, lo., or any of ber relatives. Leo W. Seal, P. O. tea 1037, OoNaort, •*>*»• AIR LANE TRIO Currently Appearing HIPPODROME, Baltimore FOR 2 WJEEKS LUX RECORDS LANftWORTH TlANSCRHTlOHS CONSOLIDATED RADIO ARTISTS N ■odsofo H or Moan, Now York