Variety (May 1946)

58 VAITBEVIIXK WedncadayjMay 15, 1946 New Orleans Politico Cleanup May Aid AGVA in Organizing Niteries Crackdown or new city adminis- tration in New Orleans which has nixed mixing of gal performers .and. hostesses with customers in the French quarter cafes, may solve the problem for American Guild of Va- riety Artists in organizing the town. Better class spots such as the St. Charles hold and several others, as well as theatres, are operating under AGVA pacts, but there have been 20 or more holdout spots in that area which refused to pact with the tal- ent union. These spots having been declared unfair by' union several- weeks ago, have been operating with local non-union talent ever since. Strongest holdout has been the French Casino. When AGVA yanked lalenl here and threw a picket line around place, it contin- ued with non-affiliated cliib enter-, tamers and a. coterie of strippers. Since recent crackdown operators have tendered an olive branch to the vaude union, and confabs have been set for latter part of week between French Casino operators and those of 15 other niteries from which a deal is expected to be worked out to pact them into the union. However. AGVA will make no at- tractive concessions to bring them in. according to Matt Shelvey, union's national head. These spots, Shelvey says, will have to sign basic agreements calling for regulation salary scales as per classification and post cash security to guarantee such salaries as other operators have done throughout the country, "If and when AGVA steps in, the day of the $15 chorus girl and $25 principal will be a thing of the past in New Orleans." Shelvey added. ARTHUR B L A K E Presents Hit "SYMPHONY IN SATIRE" Carretrtly CHICAGO. Chicago Opeataa, Jn* 4 TROCADERO. Hollywood GAGS! JOKES! GAGS! PATTER! WISE-CRAX! STORIES! Fm viudi-mtt club!, nilt M.C/t, slaglm. lUublai. innountert, producer*, flu |Kk«yV dlfKtoit, band luden, tpuktri. comln, stMiei. maglclint, ventrllM, t»mmenUtor». writers, urtHnliU, •!». Fan Master Go<j Files Not. 1 Tara 13 $1 .OS Par Script. Potto?* Prepaid Each Fit* Coatalis Over 100 Sock Gagi ! ! Mute Checks Payable to PAULA SU1TH Mull to "Fun-Master" SOOtW. Mlh St., New York Cltj.,10, N.S. N. 0. Biz Socked ByCity Reforms New Orleans, May 14. Night club row here has the jitters since Mayor DeLesseps Morrison's reform administration took'over the city's reins this week. Boys who operate bars and bistros fear the clampdown on vice. gambling, bookies and slot machines will ex- tend to them before long. Reform or this normally wide open town has begun in earnest. Since inauguration day. early last week, bliienoses have had a field day. Raids- -have been "conducted daily on poker and dice, games in "chartered'' clubs, policemen have been tired for talking on street cor- ners, houses of ill-fame closed, and taxi drivers jailed for soliciting tor the madams. Nitery lads hurriedly cleaned up floor shows and put more clothes on entertainers. No longer are the patrons applauding bumps by strip- tcasers clad only in G-strings. Oft color songs, too. have been dropped. French Quarter, where most hot spots are located, reports a big drop in business. Operators attribute it to fear of customers that places might be raided. Prominent in many of the spots is the absence of B-girls. Major light looms on the question of legalized gambling between the New Orleans Ministerial Union and the Young Men's Business Club, in- fluential civic group. Club recom- mends legalizing gambling, holding that resultant taxes would yield the city about $50,000 a day. Blue- noses vigorously oppose legalized and taxed gambling. Ministers will go to the slate legislature to oppose passage of any such bills. In the meantime, Orleanians who like games of chance—are enjoying cards, dice, roulette and other games in Jefferson and St. Bernard, which adjoin New Orleans and do not come within the city's jurisdiction. Spots in these parishes are doing a land office business without interruption. Mayor Morrison, who introduced a bill in the stale legislature some years ago that legalized horse racing in the state, has not committed him- self on the question of legalized gambling. Jack Leonard opens at the Blue Mirror, Newark, tomorrow (16) Jose Curbello Set Jose Curbello rhumba band has been signed to succeed Noro Morales at. the Embassy, N. Y., May 23. Morales Shifts to Bill Miller's Riviera, Fl. Lee. N. J., same day lo alternate with Ted Lewis. He's get- ting $2,500 while Lewis is getting $9,000 per. Curbello who opened last week at La Conga, N, V., previously signed a longterm contract with Miller and had to get lalter's permission to take that date. USES Resorts Drive Pays Off U. S. Employment Service's spe- cial unit for employment of social directors, singers, dancers and other performers as well as musicians on resort and mountain circuits re- portedly got off to a flying start last week. Unit set up at N. Y.'s 59lh st. and Madison ave.. branch is provid- ing talent for spots other than niteries and hotels unable lo meet union scales. However, according to a spokes- man for USKS. it is not attempting lo break down or compete with unions but, merely to find employ- ment outlets for servicemen who had cavorted in ("<I shows while in serv- ice and may wish to continue in that field bul don'l have the experience or wherewithal lo join the talent or musicians' unions. In clarifying its position with the unions the bureau is sanguine that in addition lo the smaller spots they are now booking for summer sans fee io either lalenl or resort owner,, it will also have many jobs at union scale, which of course, according to spokesman, will be offered to pro- fessionals rather than 'tyros. Although a definite scale for the summer jobs, mostly of season dura- lion running from Decoration Day i May 30) lo Labor Day. is still to be determined, bureau made a number- of placements last week ranging from $37.50 weekly plus room and board and a couple social directors at $400 and $500 for the season. While veterans are given prefer- ence on such placements, non-serv- icemen and gals having a year's ex- perience as entertainers are also eli- gible. Bureau has also placed a number of musicians thus far at sal- aries comparable to union scales in territories where employed. . Rio s Gaming Tables Being Removed, Ending Hope of Further Bookings Union Supports Agent's 1 Claim for Commission American Guild of Variety Artists is supporting claim of West Coast agent Harry Rogers, who is seeking $378 unpaid commission for placing hand-balancing act of Park Be Clif- ford with Earl Carroll's "Sketch- book," vaude louring unit. Act. it has been definitely ascer- tained by union, was spotted in Car- roll unit by Rogers and though show has been on road for about eight weeks, agent has never been paid commission by act, which has been getting $550 weekly. Hal Fisher into the Latin Quarter, Boston, today (Wednesday). KAY HANMOND America 7 * Most Unusual Entertainer WITH HER ORGAN, PIANO AND CIUSTI CwrMtiy At Monte Presort COPACABANA, Now York ftflMM aVft^aV^4*a\aaskoB^d> Salary Claim Disallowed Salary claim for $150 by Connie Harris, dancer, against Jim MacAnd- rade, operator of the El Morocco, Fall Rivar, Mass., for an tinplayed date at the spot, week of April 14 last, has been disallowed via arbi- tration at American Guild of Variety Artists in New York. MacAndradfi, in combatting the dancer's claim, produced evidence that after Miss Harris' first show lo- cal gendarmes notified him that the dancer's scant attire would not be tolerated during Holy week and un- less corrected his license might be revoked. He claims that he asked dancer lo wear another costume or even street clothes. She refused to cooperate, MacAndrade said, so he liad to cancel her out and substitute another act. ■♦ Rio de Janeiro casinos apparently have given up all hope of resuming gambling, Permanency of last week's gaming ban, which elimi- nated expensive talent-buying is evidenced by the fact that all casinos have started to rip out elaborate chance rooms for transformation into dining halls. Equipment valued at hundreds of thousands of dollars according to acts who were cancelled out following rescinding of gambling rights by the Dutra government is being discarded. With permanence of the decree seemingly settled, hopes of U. S talent agencies that ban would be lifted and casinos would soon re- sume buying American acts, is gone Performers who arrived late last week, declare that if any talent i s used, it will consist of local acts. Chas. Yates Appeal Argument Next Wk. Hearings on Charlie Yates' appeal of a lower court injunction prevent- ing him from working .for any agency other than Frederick Bros., has been set for May I'l. in New York. Case is on the Appellate Divi- sion calendar for that dale. Yales. now with Joe Glascr's Asso- ciated Booking Corp., was recently ordered back to Frederick Bros, by the N. Y. supreme court. He left Frederick last summer when he still had seven years to go on a 10-year contract. Over 60 Agents Take Out AGVA Franchises, 22 Former EMA Men More than 60 agents, some of whom had previously been grouped in recognized agenls associations in New York and elsewhere -were is- sued franchises by American Guild of Variety - Artists last week as in- dividuals. This called for the cus- tomary $50 bite required from indie talent agents by the union. Conspicuous in the group' were 22 Chicago act-sellers who had for- merly been issued franchises for free when they were members of Chicago's Entertainment Managers' Assn., practically disbanded some months ago when 30 members of that org aligned with Artists Repre- sentatives Assn., N. Y. agent group. Those going into ARA made up j about one-third of membership of | EMA. At the time, it was reported that the other 60 holdouts would form another Chi agent group to be known as Variety Bookers Assn., which thus far has failed to mate- rialize despite Matt Shelvey, na- tional head' of AGVA having given them extended time to get together on a new organization setup or come in as independents. From looks of things it seems that at least the 22 who laid their coin on the line for AGVA-franchiscs prefer lo go it independently. HAL FISHER COMEDIAN NOW PLAYING MAYFAIR CLUB BOSTON Thank You, MCK HK.MIV IHr.: WII.MAM MORBIM A<«KNC'Y STEVE EVANS OKettat HAPPY TIMES It JOLLY MOMENTS Muy S4lli 8TH.AND. New York, FOB S WKKKB " KOSfcX-ANOKB AJiSOUIATKS Saranac Lake By Happy Behway Saranac Lake. N.Y., May 14. The passing of Jimmy Johnston, sports promoter, was a shock to many of this colony, whom he aided during his frequent visits here. His former secretary, Margie Regan, is a patient at the Will Rogeri. Birthday greetings are in order for Sophia Medes, William A. Lar- ncr, .Jr., and Albert Brandt, all at (ha Will Rogers. j Rotary club to arrange series of j concerts this season under the di- | rection of Benny Bessler. Margaret ' Speaks will teeoff series. Swiss' Chalet iiitery, shuttered for the past three seasons, will reopen with orch and floorshow under aegis of Alfredo Ganzalez and Jim- my Birk. (Wrlit to those who are ill.) frank Parker down for Loew's §tala, N. Y., May 30. It's his first N. Y. date since he closed in the leglter, "Follow the Girls." CUHttNTLY *srsssr Private Detectives Confidential fnvaitigofioni rational and Industrial ■•rlin Investigation Service 40 Wall Stmt, Now York I, N. Y. Suit. M3 . WHrtohoB 4-7*41 LLOYD MANN AM HI. DANCING MARIONKTTCS - CsrrMMy A»m»'I«1 . THE CORONET, Philadelphia Mutt: Tki Ckvta Awmjt «W r«at*M aMf* i*Mte. 1. SArstssa «**»