Variety (Jul 1946)

SCREEN RADIO MUSIC STAGE Published Weekly •( 164 Wtflt 46th Street, New Tork It, N. T.. by Variety, Inc. Annnal anbgcrlptlon, flO. Bind* copl(|. Z9 otntt. .tntered a'a •ocoiid-clmu matter DiotutbtX' 2-', 1901, it the Poit Office «t Row York, N. Y„ under the tot o( lUrch I, il7». OOPYBIGHT, 18l«, BT VABIETT, INC. 1U< BIGHTS RESERVED. VOL. 163 No. 4 NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY, JULY 3, 1946 PRICE 25 CENTS NEW FILM B O. PEAKS THIS YEAR Bob Hope Troupe Plans Worldwide Junket to Plug Par, Pepsodent, USA Memphis, July 2. Bob Hope is planning an interna- tional tour ol the world's major cities as goodwill promotion for Hope. Paramount, Pepsodent and the U.S.A. Tentative plans disclosed here, where Hope show appears tonight (Tuesday), call for a 6-8 month trip with his full troupe in two transport planes and with State Department 'cooperation. He would play all im- portant cities of Europe, Asia and Africa except those where local gov- ernments might, object, i.e. nations behind the Russian curtain. In countries forbidding removal of -funds Hope would turn over to local charities all proceeds above actual expenses. Weekly broadcast would be done shortwave to New York. 'Pepsodent would protect against possible weather interference by recording programs in advance and airmailing to New York for emerg- ency use. Prcbable time of tour still uncertain but understood Hope anxious to do it at earliest possible dale, possibly the coming winter. Lever Bros, are understood map- (Conlinucd on page 40) A Radio Review ATOM BOMB TEST With Bill Downs, Clete Roberts, Don Bell, W. W. Chaplin, Rob- ert Stewart, Jerome Beatty, others SO Mlns.. 5:30-6:20 p.m.; Sunday (30) (one shot) Sustaining CBS, NBC. ABC, MBS zzz-zzz-ptrff7.-Z7.zz ZZZ-Pffffz-ZZ-ZzzzZ ZZZ-Pffffft-PFFF-ZZZ. Rose. Radio Layoffs Veer to Video SEE FALL-WINTER iBroadway Legit B.O. Walloped REACHING TOPS POMMER TOPS GERMAN FILM PROD. FOR THE U.S. Washington, July 2. Erich Pommer, former production chief for German UFA and later a ; producer for RKO, has been assigned by the American Military Govern- ment to supervise the picture indus- try in the U. S. zone of the Reich. He will see that German producers turn out the right type of pictures from the viewpoint of information, culture and ideology. Pommer will work in Berlin un- der Brig. General Robert A. Mc- Clure, who is in charge of the in- formation and control division of the Military Government. He will have nothing to do with Hollywood' pix shown in Germany, it was explained by the War Department, since that js under the jurisdiction of Morris Goodman. 'Barber' in English By Behrman for the Guild S. N. Behrman, having broken au-ay from the Playwrights Co., will probably now go through with an English version of "The Barber of Seville- for the Theatre Guild. The Guild has long nurtured the English-version idea of the Rossini opera. Television industry, already bene- fited by the usual summer radio hiatus via more sponsored shows, is also gelling an increased number of converted radio personalities who have hitherto nixed the newer medium in favor of the higher sala- ries paid on radio. Move is looked on with favor by video chiefs, who believe that some of the much- needed tele personalities might de- velop from this crop. Move is cued by the current slasfl in salaries being paid radio actors, result of many sponsored shows either going oft the air or going sus- taining. Top radio names, such,as Jack Benny. Bob Hope, etc., have followed their usual summer course of cither taking their vacations or (Continued on • page 2) THIS IS THE ARMY' FILM TOTAL NOW $10,000,000 Reported figure in excess of $10,- 000,000 has been turned over to the Army relief organization, This Is the Army, Inc.. from profits accrued on the film. 'This Is the Army," since its release three years ago. Addi- tional sum over the $7,000,000 check officially presented to the relief out- fit a ycar-and-a-half ago by Warner Bros., producers of the Irving Berlin film, was accumulated chiefly from earning* in the foreign market. In the future, proceeds from re- lease of the film in China will go to I he China Famine Relief. Film grosses next fall and winter will reach new alltime peaks Al Sindlinger. head of Audience Re- search Institute, Gallup Poll subsid, predicted Friday (28) on the basis of surveys conducted by the agency, seasonal dip in b. o. returns, Sind- linger observes, is strictly a tem- porary thing, the result of pent- up desires for travel and otHer forms of amusement that were im- possible during the war. There is definitely no indication whatever of diminution of interest in films, Sindlinger declared, and it appears that .the first sign of an up- swing will start around July 15. By that time the great urge to get away from il all. denied for four years by gas rationing and travel restric- tions, will have been satisfied by an important segment of the popu- lation. Grosses, according to ARI polls, have fallen off about 10'.; more than the percentage of decrease during the summer slumps of the past two years (ARI records on average b. o. take don't go back further than that.) -Strong downward trend was hit, Sindlinger said, the second week in May and continued throughout May and June. The New York area (Continued on page 20) British Govt Helps Rebuild Drury Lane For Mary Martin Show Mary Martin will play the lead in Noel Coward's newest operetta, "Scarlet Lady'' (formerly tilled "Time Remembered"), in London this fall, with premiere set for Nov. 20 at the Drury Lane. Theatre, a 2.500-seater, bombed out during the blitz, is being rebuilt by the British govt. Miss Martin will likely fol- low the London presentation with a Broadway appearance, since she also has an option (o act in the show in the U. S.' Known that actress was ap- proached by Coward last spring for (Continued on page SG) Picture Biz Up, Niteries Down The Last Word! Hollywood, July 2. Science, in the form of the lowly transcription, will make a posthumous lion of family-fet- tered Elmo Snively, who recent- ly plattered his last will and testament at Eccles plant on Hollywood Boulevard. Apparently unable ever to gel a word in—and dying to tell oil' his clan—client ankled into Eccles with request to make a disk. Little guy alternately seethed and roared into mike for eight minutes. When he finished he asked two engineers to cut in as witnesses to fact that he was leaving his all to charity and cutting off all relatives. Shakespeare for Selznick Films Hollywood. July 2. David O. Selznick has registered all of William Shakespeare's play titles with the Johnston office with an eye to possible production. Re- cent smash business of the Old Vic Co. in New York, plus boxoffice success of the "Henry V film is un- derstood to be reason for Sclznicks enthusiasm for the Bard. His immediate interests are un- derstood to be "Hamlet" and "Romeo and Juliet" for early pro- duction. Laurence Olivier is re- ported getting a pitch from the pro- ducer to play title role in "Hamlet." There's a possibility of Selznick ar- ranging for production in England if the actor balks at coming to the U. S. Gregory Peck is said to be Selz- nick's choice for Romeo but no Juliet is mentioned so far. ♦ Broadway show biz is currently being walloped at the boxoffice. and the major casualty is the legit the- atre. Film grosses have started to look up while nightclubs continue to slumber. There are 24 legit attractions on Broadway currently as against 20 on July 4, 1945, but after a dive in busi- ness last week the number of 194G summer survivors is just a guess. Theatre attendance dropped so sharply last Friday "and Saturday (28-29) that grosses were consider- ably under the levels indicated dur- ing the first half of the week. It's a switch from expectations that were general early last month, when it was figured that hotels were book- ed solid virtually through August. There's no doubt that many visitors are in the metropolis but they are evidently going for outdoor diver- sion. Sustained heat and sunny skies can explain last week's fall, and ignore favorable weather may see an improvement in the showshops but the holiday hardly precludes that possibility this week. ! From the standpoint of the ticket (Continued on page 42) LEW AYRES SLATED TO DISK BIBLE STORIES Hollywood, July 2. William Morris office here has deal a-cooking with Majestic Rec- ords, whereby actor Lew Ayrcs will do scries of Bible stories on wax. Tales will be elaborately dramatized and backed by music, with Ayres narrating. Actor also will have say on what stories he wishes to present and with what interpretation. Ben Selvin, Majestic veepee, worked up deal almost to completion before trekking back to N. Y. head- quarters over weekend. Couple ot minor wrinkles yet remain to ba worked out, but it is expected all parties will ink pact shortly. Tin Pan Alley Dedicates Tune to Mother Cabrini A few days before the canoniza- tion of Mother Cabrini in Rome next Sunday (7), Robbins Music is bring- ing out Clarence Gaskill's ballad .(prayer). "Mother Cabrini," dedicat- ™ In the first American to be sn-Mcd. =• A special emissary of the Church ™''« LaGuardia airport today 'Wed.) with a copy of the song for tne Pope. CBS' 4-Week Atom Course CBS is going to give the public a four-week course on the atom bomb, to embrace its political and soci- ological implications, from a 'stand- point ^of physics, military uses, etc. Course will bo in the form of a scries of la-minute programs, five nights a week, in the 11:15-11:30 p.m. period, with guest speakers, inter- views, etc. Guy Delia Choppia' is supervising the scries, which starts July 15. N.Y. HOTELS FACING STRIKE, TOURIST LOSS New York City hotels are faced with the possibility of a strike which would impede ability Of inns lo take care of visitors. Hotel Trades Council, representing all hotel-help, is currently negotiating for an agreement with the hotclmen and dicker has been placed in hands of a three-man committee consist- ing of a union rep, a hotelman and an impartial chairman. It this com- mittee fails to reach an agreement on the main issues of a 4U-hour week and a 30', pay hike, possi- bility exists that the uiyon will call a strike. Strike would result in loss of most t-iinist and bu\cr trail 1 and (Continued on page 40 FOR TELEVISION EVELYN and her Magic Violin