Variety (May 1946)

Wednesday, May 8, 1946 L He rati thai befell various people from 1931 I on, after the famous ones had been | featured on Time cover, ' LITERATI 61 • M«reh»a«e'» U. S. Survey | assistance that has come to ihe aid Ward Morehouse, N. Y. Sun dra-i" c Hie theatre from the Chicago cli- matic critic, quits his desk May 21 . umnisls, all but one of whom have r,,r i two-months cros.s-counUy.auto brou«hl unhackneyed astonishment 1,, D through 40 stales. Traveling to."the privilege of fae- v£to and also toting a camera' this.! <"* '"« ."i* "'Rl'ts from .free^cats/'.j "me,- Morehouse will write a "Re- \ ' ^^xcopl.oi, . ,s qolumnisl paries port on America- for his paper and I C»!'»w of t!,c Tr.bune "whose 30 fL North American Newspaper Al-I* 4 * '*. "Per.ence as a professional I jjrstnighler would disqualify him the North American. Newspaper liS This' will be the third such wril-1 ''* mbc ! shi t> "> the now critics'j inn junket Morehouse has made !| t '" 1 ■ ' • ..-. ■ ;«.ihce 1936, his last one taking place in 19<1. N. Y. Sun's; Comic Stria No. laughing mailer particularly is Ihe new strip starting . May 15 in the N: Y. Sun's comic section and offered for exclusive syndication to out-of- town papers. The "Duke of Man- hattan'' will be a swift-paced roman- tic-adventure series, conceived by Delos Lovelace, assistant on Ihe Sun city desk, awd with Capt. Edwin Homer doing the art. work. The Teutonic menace is Blitz von Toufcl and his co'-conniver is "The Slant." . Thomas Mann Improving Thomas Mann, noted C^ci-man author who! exiled himself from Germany in 1933, was- rcj)orled' as improving oyer ihe yveekend. Hi \ Billings hospital. Chicago, where he i underwent a chest ■ ooeratioh April' 24. ■ ! Mann, whose home is in Los An gc|es, will be 71. June.6. ^ Silurian* All Set Advance reservations indicate a ]argel- attendance than usual at the spring dinner and reunion of the Silurian Society of veteran news- pa'peimen set for Saturday U1V at 1hc N. Y.-A. C. Bary Faris. editorial chief of INS. . will be. principal; * »'ee autograph thrown in. speaker. Charles G. Ross, Whjte House press secy, to be inducted as mr honorary member, will be the special guest of a group of Silurians who knew him when they worked Ohio Libel Suit Nixed The $50,000 libel suit 'brought by Corwin W. Pierce, co-publisher of several central Ohio weekly news- papers, against Paul M. Herbert. Re- publican candidate for lieul. gov- ernor, was dismissed May 1 by Judge Charles A; Xcach in Columbus on request of Pierce. A somewhat similar suit Avas dismissed April ;{'o in Elyriir, O. The records of commoiv pleas court gave no explanation for Pierce's action. Pierce had filed Ihe suit alter he claimed he was damaged! by Her- bert's statement that a group ■ of newspapers were publishing out of the state auditor's .office. 'Herbert said that (he dismissal of the suit was "an abject admission or every charge I have made about the in- defensible . conditions existing in the office of the auditor of the stale." MMMMM MM M» t SCULLY'S SCRAPBOOK m By Frank Scully m « mm «« mmm » Newest Ruoyon Anthology New: collection of Damon Runyon '.. stories, "Short Takes,' will, be out' Monday < 13) published by Whittle- sey. Book follows on the heels of Runyon's "In Our Town" iCreative Press*. Sherman Billingslcy gave huiir . dreds of. the latter, to his Stork Club I <N. Y.y patrons as gifts. With Run- I yon spending much time at the i Stork, most of the patrons also get War Dept. P. A. Revamp . War Dept. is. checking; over its. public relations operations. Jack II. 1 Lockbait. asst. io exec! editor of! Scripps - Howard .newspapers.' lias been borrowed to make a (iO-day ! survey: He. is serving as civilian consultant to Maj. Gen. Floyd L. ' Parks, head of War Dept. public re- lations. • i Lockhart was .asst. director .of Of- : flee of Censorship in charge of the pre'ss section - during the war. Pulitzer- Prizes . Pulit'/.er Prize awards for the 1945- 1946 season listed the following win- ners: Russell .Grouse and Howard Paul Martin's B'wav Book New book'by Paul Martin., former f«(r Missouri papers before coming I Lindsay for "Slate or the-.Union'.": e?sl.'' i Arnaido : Corlesi and William L. Charles Bacheller, editorial-car- Laurence or Ihe N. Y. Times..Homer.; toonisl (Daily News), joins the flock \ Rigait or the Herald Tribune, and,. Ml this session and Fred A. Weiiek.'! Edward A.. Harris of the St. Louis i old F.ve-Maii sports ed: and first'j Post Dispatch, for distinguished re-; boxing commissioner of N. Y. Stale, polling. ' u ill pass the spinach and olher com- ! AlsOHoddihg Carter of. the Delia'' pai'isons with Ihe current incumbent ' Democrat-Times of 'Greenville, Miss.. | of.lhat office. Edward P. F. Egan. . .for Iiis editorials: Bruce Russell of.I — ——. ' the Los Angeles Times for his car-i Roslen's Film Into. Novrl rloons: Arthur M; Schlesinger, Jr.. for j Repealing one of those switches iiis work on American 'history. "The that has been occasionally done be-I Age of Jackson": Linnie Marsh' fore! Leo Rosten has made a novel , Wolfe for her biography. "Son or Ihe out . of "Dark Corner," which lie j Wilderness." and Lee Sowerby for wrote as an original for 2llfh Ccn- his musical composition. "The Can- I tury-Fox. Book. Io be turned out by ' liele <>f the Sun." i Century Publishing Co.. . Chit-ago. I No awards were given in either I will come out in a special lihn edi- the novel or poetry-divisions. | tioh of 100.000 copies. There will be j —: - | no regular trade edition. | Academy Awards .i. Novel is being timed, to hit Ihe, American Academy of Ails audi stalls just before release of the. lihn. "Letters has awarded 23 grants i>r which features Lucille Ball, Clifton ' $1.00(1. each In American artists lor Webb and Mark Stevens. j their creative \v.ork in this year's : : annouiiccmenl. Sunday '5>. . 'C'ominencine Nallians' ! ■ 'Among the winners were Ailhur Ashloh Stevens. Chii Herald-Amor-. Lauienls. playwright of "Home <>f ■ Kan's veteran dramatic critic in his Brave" and Ihe radio scripl. . column Sunday (5). gave a Iihikuc- : '■■•Assignment Home!" which, won; in-cheek vvelcomc lo 'Ihe . Chicago , Vakiktv kudos: Irwin Shaw, anil newspaper columnists who have be- ; Marc Blilzslein. composer of "Air- cOme "commencing Nalhans" and i boriie Symphony." joined , the jury-box with the .regu-; L . ! lars from Ihe dramalic (leparlmcnl. Said Stevens: '"I, for one. incomplete ■ drama' critic, welcome the gratuitous ' amusemcnl editor lor the ,NV Y. ■ "~"^™* —— ^~= j World-Telegram, and now .with Ihe I Russell Birdwell publicity 'agency. ! is slated lo hil the (Stands this fall. Entitled 'Lord. Help the Innocent Bystander." book is semi-auto- biographical, including, a collection of anecdotes gleaned during his .25 years as a reporter and Broadway columnist. Dullon to publish. (ihad!. What a Business Willi a sirike authorized by a 24R- 40 vole uf Ihe NeWspapei' Guild's. Time Inc. unil. Ihe Tiine-Life- ForluDe-Arcliiteeiural Forum-March of Time Guild people went, all-out in press • aaenlry. ias'l week lo gel public ••pinion In back Ihcir side of Ihe rraciis. In addition In quarler-' page newspaper ads. piece. ile re-, sislance -was a 'fancy"mail-piece' illus- trated by a long-niised: souipuss .in- dividual labeled "Mr. Clhad." K\- planalio.n is that "Mr,•' G.hacl is Hie dischnlenled gremlin of the .fin-- pliiyfy's of lleiiry Luce. Ghad is ina<l becaiise Henry wants lo take iiway the union ;security C!had had." O Temiiis. O Mores Long-drawn feud twixl PMs Ralph Insersoll .-and Tiine> -Henry-. 'l,uce is. becoming as-rnijline as ILil- I'ield-McCoy or Wineheli-Cei r shnol- in' frays. Latest. volley came I mm Ingersoll. Il so happens that last Thursday >21. day latest issue of Time hit .stands., with "( : ovei 'slory" fcaiurihg cosmetician Elizabeth Ar- dcii. dailies carried story'aboul lire in Chi stables of Mrs. Elizabeth Ar-- den Graham: 'Flames destroyed 2fi horses, valued $800,000. > Next day's PM ran a big slory headed '"i'liat ■•Time' Cover Jinx Strikes Again . . But Bad." Yarn told of niisforlimes Lou HoHz says: "Dms lh» imp*iubl*l I iwvw ■ thought anybody would bo obi*, in block and whito, to •how how. to ut* mt>x o!iol«t. ' lut htro it it." THE firtt and only book dovoted . ' ontiroly lo toachin^ tho major foreign dialects! Explains and iliuitrotei tho 30 principal foreign dialecti. Quickly, «o»ily, authoritatively . — il teachei ■ you authentic and convincing pre> nUnciation, intonation, and na- tional characte'rutict. Prafuiely illuitrated with timple phonetic monoloqt, muiical. inflec- tion graph*, and tonguo-position . drawings. $6.00 Preface by Gafson. Kanin FOREIGN DIALECTS ' f° r Railio, Singe and Screen by LEWIS «W MARGUERITE S. HERMAN Availoble wherever boeti ore sole) or from the publisher xirr .■H K WAIA1H AVI., ■YAVIS CNICAOO I. MIMOM)' CHATTER Raymond H. Ross, out of Army, doing column tor Bridgeport (Conn.) 1 Lire. ' l . Dod . Allen resigned his post' as ' Coast editor of Pic niag to free- lance. | After two years Bob Crosby has i finished "Every Night Is New Year's! Nigh!." i JOel Thorndyke, assistant manag- . ing editor of Life, looking over Hie Hollywood scene. Richard Carlson' sold- a short | story, "The Lie.'* lo Colliers for i early publication^ • '! John . Gould-'Fletcher -to give! poelry course at Mills College. Oak- | land.'Gal:.'.this summer. \ r New Denver mag. Rocky Mountain ; Life, ed William Barker, ex-enrres- i- pondcnl with-103rd Division. | Winner in Piltsburgh Drama T.oa- ! giie one-act play. contest. Kalherine I Augustine's "Between the Soup and , the Savory.'' Y Joe Csida. veepee of ihe Bill- board, has • authored his first who- dunit novel..."Crime Is of the Es-: sence'' (Five-Star-Mysteries!. Babi'tle RoSmond. of -Street & Smith, has written a novel about Ihe ' magazine business tilled.Die. Dewy. Dewy Eyes." to be published i by Dulton July 1. ! Charles Angoff. managing editor of American Mercury, presents- a sludydf the coUnliy's libel laws in ' "The Book of Libel."'whirh Essenliiil : Books publishes on May Hi. \ Emmelt: Lavery. author of ■•The • Magnificent Yankee." has told home- town friends in PouRlvkeep.-ic ihal ; he will run for Congress iii Cali- fornia, on both Democratic and Re- i publican lickels. Vic Perry, first English actor here since the wars end. is doubling a.- Ameriean show biz eorresnonilenl ; for- "The Performer." Briti.-h pub- lication. Perry's (list column vives . ■ the lowdown on current conditions : in American show biz. Comics Plug U. N. C.nntlimed from page much as a Raymond Swing, as was particularly relleeied during tlie war years when all the lop air shows; in- tegrated the multiple-Giivi'innicnt appeals iulo the conicdic patlern. Of their shows. Russell |)ointed to the tcifeiil "Great Gilderslc('ve' ? show on N3C. wlien the script, paralleled' the dis- putes wilhlu. the United Nations Ui a neighborhood squabble and that they may be susceptible In the same kind ol. settlement through mutual, goodwill. "Even, if uiiinlenfioiiiill.v. .the comedian is helping lo shape the attitude' of his audience inward the meetings of -the Sccuri.ly Council." he said. RusM-ll cautioned 1lie program shapers to bewiire ' or '.making all villains foreigners: that making one nationality an object or ridicule, may have consequences- beyond' Ihe one intended. "How Americans think (il tile Swedes and.the Chinese will not be (lelermined only by wlm| a com- incnlalor may say; it will -also be de- li rnriicd by the gag of a ciiniedian. or the casting of a character," he de- clared. Paris Inn, May'3. '"The House Near Paris'.' may have sold to Hollywood for some sextet in lucre by now and even so it will make a good picture. Drue Tartiere, who acted as-the "House's" concierge while she t'rafTicked in patriots, may find herself being asked (o return from Paris, to Hollywood. Some spot news lout may even dig up the fact that she already had been through the Hollywood ringer as Drue LeyloiV the blonde heroine in the Charlie Chan meiler^. but j don't believe enough people will remember it to lake much of the makeup off the buildup: Perhaps it would be better, to start her off playing "Golden' Boy." as she did in the London production of the play. Or was that a Hop?' .Well, then, with music, maybe,; Anyway, she's a Wisconsin born Maud Miller, who powders her nose with bun [ sachet, and in London she meets Jacques Tartiere. a'French actor-and script writer. No. that's not right. She really meets him on a WPA Theatre Project in New York,, but we can drop that" because he later comes 16 London,; meets her again, marries her. and the next day the Munich Pact is signed and their little world, as well as everybody else's, is beinj? prc-tested for atom-splitting. • After, that she returns with Tarliere to France and ftnds herself in ihe spulh when the war. breaks but.- She next flhds herself as radio assistant to Jean Frayssei a poet turned propagandist. "Paris Mondiale" becomes a sounding board for everybody from Colette to Gecilc Sorel anti such dis- tinguished etra'ngers as Dotlie Thompson and Vinnie Shccan. Our blonde beauty is the mistress of ceremonies. She even airs daytime serials yet. Ever hear "Mr. and Mis. Claudie Dauphin?" That was one of thein. Then came that day when Nazis poured all over France and Petaih was called back as. ambassador to Madrid io sell'his country further down the river in Vichy. Driie Tai-tiere.stood by his side in the Bordeaux, broad- casting si udio the day he did it. All the world stood hushed to hear what he 'would say. - A boy was arranging the mike. He didn't do it fast enough. The."patriot " who in time lived long enough lo become his country s Benedict Arnold, booted the boy out of the way and :got on. with his trea- sonable spiel. "It Is with a broken heart that I tell you today it is neces- sary 16 stop fighting. ,..'' When he walked out. of. the studio. Drue Tarliere watched him: He showed no signs of a_ broken heart!;but everybody else did. And, what is more lo the point. Ihe fighting didn't slop; Jacques Tarliere became a liaison-officer between Hie Free French and London, The blonde heroine stayed behind and went underground. She reached a farm, ostensibly raising rabbits, till she passed on, but actually there to rcsciie "lost" Allied fliers. The Underground Comes Up It really is a tribute to American womanhood in France aiid much more worthy or picture production than the.Danielle Darricux or Maurice Chev- alier adventures into muddled loyalties. Mme. Tarliere belongs to a grand chorus Of beautiful blondes who acted not as spies but as midw'ives of .. liberation. Tbey should find their posi-war talents, more in demand than nylons. The surface l of their adventures was merely scratched by. Con- stance Bennett in "Paris Underground." But 'The Holise Near Paris" cuts at least as deep, as a slit-trench and a bit more digging should bring up plenty for production. . . By short-wave recently I caught up with another one. ' As the program progressed I recognized the voice of an old friend I had met on the Riviera. Norwegian by birth, she had. like : Drue Leyton. married a Frenchman and thus changed her name from Elisabeth Nissen to. Elisabeth Eydoux. When war broke she sent her first-born from :Paris to parents in Norway, figuring her native country was too poor and too far away ever to get caught in the Nazi grab for power. Before you could say "Minister pX Propaganda and Public Enlightenment.", however, she found herself with a husband a. prisoner-of-war in Germany, herself caught in one occupied country, her baby trapped in a second occupied country and Nazis and collaborators on . every side of her. Denied direct communication, in desperation, she wrote to relatives in Hollywood 6.000 miles away, asking if they could communi- ■ catc with her parents in Norway and find out if her baby were still alive. This three-way means of communication assured her in time that her baby was still in what was then called "Ihe laud of the living,"' if you could call life under Nazi occupation "living." Babies By Airmail After .(hree years of this sort of life she finally got a Nazi okay to let : her first-born come back from Norwayto his native Paris. The little boy, by then six-years-old was to be shipped by parcel post, airmail. A string around his neck (for his father it would have been a rope) and a tag lied to the sli'ing. he.was airmailed from Oslo lo Lo Bourget near Paris. Her description of that meeting was too deep for tears. He was the.most scared, emaciated, bewildered little thing she. had ever seen. In war it had taken him days and nights to make what in peace time is a six-hour hop by air and during'all that time not a soul, iiot even a heel, had talked lo him. For all they cared he was what Ihe label said he was. a parcel to be de- livered. She took him and his baby brother and got them placed away from Paris and returned to her work of undermining the Nazis. Her mission about completed by D-Day she asked and got permission to visit her chil- dren. No transportation being available she hiked the hundreds of miles ; to join them. Returning from her visit she found all France a battle ground. One hour she would be behind German lines, another behind Allied lines. She learned lhat the Free French were coming from the south with Gerjiral Patch's forces and she knew her husband was attached to that army. So she grabbed her bike and headed for home. But by then the Germans were grabbing everything on wheels, even baby carriages, in their niad. ■ retreat. So she rode nights and hid days. This way she finally got through the last or the*'GcrnYa.it lines and into the liberated French zone. Here at last she felt safe. | . A New Clink Bill she had come through the German lines and wilh those lovely. Nordic looks and that Aryan accent, how' could they believe she was the wife.of a Free French officer? How could the Krenth intelligence accept tier simple story that she had left Paris tor nothing/more dangerbiis ihaii a visil lo her babies in the mountains? Chcrchez la femme—i;emcmbcr? So they remembered and clinked her. and Ihe only available clink was the water-closet of a commandeered hold. They they confined her lo ihe.. sanitorium and went on with the job .of Chasing Nazis. ■ Finallv. through frantic esm'onago and counter espionage, she found herself released, in time to reliirii lo Paris before the liberating armies got there. She bicycled like mad to do it.. She had lo get her house in. order. Her babies and husband were coming home. And she got it. in ' order. • Two days after her return, her husband'returned; a Coiiqueriug hero. His family was at the door to ureel him. "I think we. arranged things quite- well' don't you?" she asked over the' air. Ax one of her invisible audience_ I thought she had arrafiged things magnificently, •''•••".. ■ My amended answer is not only ••qniie well'" but well enough (o'make:it., into a picture. If scenario? can hi; plausibly^eonipliciitert by beautiful ..young 'mothers'caugltl in one occupied country and their babies trapped iii-aiioCier occupied country, while their husbands have escaped' to a third coiinlry to avoid a Nazi noose, they can be resolved when all. ihe elements of a lilile family, are happily reunited, wilh the villain dead and the llowers along the Champs Elysecs blooming again.while children play in ■ the park as a carousel organ grinds "The Last'Time 1 Saw Paris." ' Or am I loo old fashioned in what I think rnak.es good pictures? Any- . body joing my way? '