Variety (Jul 1946)

MISCELLANY Wednesday, July 10, 1946 Hollywood Luminaries in a Mass Migration to European Film Studios Hollywood, July 9. ♦ Tim Whelan lias i>one to London, to direct film for Gainsborough Fic- turi's. Ltd.: William Eythe is already in the British capital to star in "Meet Me At Dawn," and Hurd Hatfield has arrived in Paris for a Fronch picture—these are part of the recent extensive . European traveling program for Hollywood personalities. ■Whelan not alone will do picture^ for Gainsborough, where he for- i mcrly directed, but will produce a , plan of his own on London stage as well. Present plan is to open in , September. Eythe was sent to London by 20th-Fox 10 do picture being produced and directed . by Marcel Helman, first of several which 20th- Fox will do in England annually. Erich Pommer, who once headed UFA in Berlin, now is in Washing- ton for briefing by State Department on his duties when he sails for Ger- many to act as supervisor for State Department on German motion pic- ture industry. When he heads for Europe within next week or so, he will remain for one year, with head- quarters in Munich. Helene Thimig, widow of Max Bernhardt and a Hollywood actress (Continued on page 21) U S. Bands and Acts For England Limited Due To Curbs; More Pix, However Hollywood; July 9. Music Corp. of America plans to tend none of its performers or bands to Great Britain in the near future, according to Taft Schreiber, agency's veepee, who has flipped back here from a London look-see. The Ministry of Labor in England will permit Yanks to fill 25% of any variety bill, but militating against Ameri- can entertainers at this time are living conditions, food rationing and fact that but 40% of British earnings can be toted out of'he Isles. However, more of MCA's picture names will be committed to Eng lish pix, states Schreiber. Agency has agreed to let future announce- j ments on. such, deals emanate from either. J. Arthur Rank or Alexander Korda, with both of whom MCA now is kneading talent sales. Ex- . pected passage of the U. S. loan to Britain and subsequent lightening of taxes is likely to hypo talent deals in alifields. Schreiber found feyerish demand in England for in-person appear- ance of top U. S. performers, chief- ly those with radio aura. The MCA exec claims popularity of ether names spiraled upwards during war, when Armed Forces Radio sup- plied U. S. servicemen with waxed shows, and the Britishers kept cup- ping ears, loo. Schreiber says he was bombarded with queries as to when such acts as. Abbott & Costello, Ed- gar Bergen, Jack Benny, Eddie Can- tor and "Fibber McGee and Molly" might be available for stages both in London and across the Provinces.' Sports Shorts Jersey's new Monmouth race- track, 'between Red Bank and Asbury Park. not.faring well and horsemen say it should not have opened until the plant was- com- pleted. Inconveniences are faced too at the Atlantic City track which opens late this month but is reported to be only.' C0% finished. It is located about 14 miles from the resort. There is train service to Monmouth from N. Y.. discharging passengers around a quarter mile irom the entrance. A.. C.'s meeting will oppose that at Saratoga, and prospects at the Spa are none too bright •. either. Exorbitant .rates for housing there may kocp many former patrons away. First two weeks of the Sara- toga meet starting July 22, will be held at Jamaica, where Em- pire is now operating, actual racing at the Spa starting Aug. 5. Mutual handles at the N. V. tracks have been declining, the bite on the payoffs because of taxes and breakage amounting 1o nearly 18%, it is claimed. The OPA forgot to take the ceiling off Lep Friedman's putts: Those six-footers won't! -drop— which adds to the overhead. Tom Gallery should be lipped to tip The MacPhail that those Yank Stadium microphones don't pick up the crack of the bat at the plate. Just a touch of background • color." but the broadcasts need it. SIBELIUS NIXES FILM COMPOSING OFFER Helsinki, July 5. . Famed Finnish composer Jean Si belius won't, turn out music for films. He's just nixed an offer of 1,000,000 finmarks (about $7,300) from a Swed- ish film company to do the score of a picture it intends to make here. Sibelius declared he was too busy with other work to write for films, He is reported to,have promised to Karl Krueger, American conductor, who recently visited him, the privi lege of preeming his next work in I the United States. ] Composer is 80 years old. Calhern's 'Yankee' Legit Stalled for Pic Stint Hollywood, July 9 Louis Calherri has signed for the role of Morosow in Enterprise's "Arch of Triumph:" Arthur Hopkins, producer on "Magnificent' Yankee," will hold up road tour of the show which stars Calhern for five weeks until the actor finishes his film chore. "Yankee" will hit the road now some time in October. 212th WEEK! KEN MURRAY'S "BLACKOUTS OF 1946" El Capitan Theatre, Hollywood, Cal. ' lis just a, question, of time—. voryhody has to see tills show. It's tops." JACK BENNY N Y. Defense Unit Ends Free Tix To Those in Service The Berle-ing Point By Milton Berle. Mountain (Columbia) Comes to Mohamet Welles Orson Welles is rapidly acquiring a staff in New York to aid him on the writing of "If I Die Before Wake," mystery thriller which he is committed to write, produce, direct and appear in for Columbia. Welles was to' have been at the studio last month to work on the story, but prexy Harry Cohn has given' him permission to remain in the east and continue to star in his Broadway musical, "Around the World," until the show is set as a solid hit. Cohn first assigned Bill Castle to come to New York to aid Welles on writing and setting of production details on "Wake." Last week, with the pair up to the actual scripting stage, Cohn added William Herrick to give assistance on the writing job. Dick Wilson, associated v/ith Welles in the Mercury Theatre company, has also been put- on the staff to coordinate activities. They're using part of the of- fices of agent Louis Shurr, other space being unavailable. You'll Be Sorry! 'Yoke' Gets Irish Airing Dublin, July 9. Radio Eireanh, Ireland's State- controlled radio outlet, with its ban on croonery-spoonery, gave its lis- teners a jerk.on its July 4 program, with a 15-minUte sipot of Frank Si-! natra's discs. One and possibly two plane-loads of show biz personalities will be flown from New York July 22. for opening of the new. Atlantic City- racetrack. Many of the names invited by the turf's management,, with all ex penscs included, are stockholders in the new track. Among them, are Frank Sinatra. Kay Kyser and Bob Hope. Formal folding of the New York Civilian Defense Recreation Com- mittee at 99 Park avenue on Mon- day (8) marked the termination of free tickets, to non-commissioned servicemen and women. Cuffo ad- missions had been distributed for five years, ducats totaling 12,500,000. Service people were given free ad- missions to all types of theatre and sporting diversions. Committee agreed at a recent board session that the amusement managers had contributed fully to the entertainment of service per- sonnel. With emergency of the war ended, it was felt that the showmen could not be expected to continue free admissions indefinitely. How- ever,, it is indicated that some other agency rnay be formed to take care of hospitalization cases, if necessary. John Golden . headed the move ment for the free tickets, and with him in the drive were Harry Brandt Mrs. Julius Ochs Adler and Mrs. Anna M. Rosenberg. At the closing ceremonies they and many others were' commended by Secretary of War Robert P. Patterson, Thomas J. Donovan, Admiral Thomas Kinkaid, Gen. Courtney. H. Hodges and Maj, Gen. Irving J. Phillipson, who. pre- sented Army and Navy citations to a flock of showmen. Mrs.'Adler, wife of the N. Y: Times publisher, made the committee work a fulltime job. Golden had. also formed a com mittee for the sale of tickets to junior officers at boxofflce prices and this bureau is still. operating at the Commodore hotel. Tickets are regularly allotted the bureau, with some sales being made by boxofflce order after telephone confirmation It is now being operated by the American Theatre Wing. Report that the Wing had assumed distribution of free tickets was erroneous. Special cut-rate admission prices for men and women in uniform will continue in N. Y. motion picture theatres. About six months ago the per centage -of cutrate soldier trade at the downtown N. Y. film theatres ran around 12%, but now has dropped to below 10%. At the height of the war the percentage of attendance by servicemen and women at the special prices ran over 25%. People in uniform con tinue to pay only 35c. when the net admission price is 90c. or less and 50% when the regular scale is over 90c, with the soldier price inclusive of tax. Everything seems to be shutting up for the summer., . .that is, everything but mothers-in-law. Most of the Broadway shows, radio programs and iiiteries- are going into the mothball stage....in fact, shows are closing so fast, they're'taking away the doors at Cain's and installing zippers. Seems everybody wants to. take things, easy this summer. Fred MacMur- ray is only going to make shorts. ,\ .and W. C. Fields is only going to drink Slow Gin. As for Orson Welles, he is. just, going to take his cast 'half-way "Around 1 the World"... ^.Understand that Happy Felton is taking a vacii- tion—half of him in July, and. the other half in August. The Great WU Way Spike Jones says, after readiiig about Charles Trenet, he finally knows what they mean by. "French leave." One actor is so hamrriy he travels back and forth to California:. . .Just so he can get his name in Variety's N. Y. to L. A. Harry Conn suggests the new' OPA song.'.. ."Life is Chester Bowles'of Cherries." There's No Truth To The Humor That Esther Williams makes most of her money by testing underwater fountain pens. That Errol Flynn and Charlie Chaplin wrote '.'Our Hearts Were Grow- ing-Up." That Joe E. Lewis is cutting an album of Carrie Jacobs-Bond songs. Hang Nail Descriptions: Tommy Manville. . . .Easy to Wed. Lana Turner ... .Front-ier Girl. Assault.,. .Billion DollarBaby. : Berled Eggs '.'.':.■ Henny Youngman claims Leif Erickson couldn't have been much:of a Viking, or Ben Yost would have used him. Eavesdropped at the Copa: "All I know is, if her diamonds arc real, I'm in love again." Donald O'Connor knows an actor who made a picture that was so bad, it had to appear before a parole board to be released. Met an orchestra leader who doesn't own any part of a music publish- ing house. Louis Sobol swears he. saw a picture where a boy and girl met. fell in love and got married... .all without Charles Coburn's help. Lip-quipped at Lindy's: "There's a girl with character." "Yes, isn't he?' 1 Of a. certain announcer, Phil Baker says; "He's so fancy he can make a compound fracture out of a.simple station break." .While Joey Adams was performing at a benefit, Archie Robbins'heckled, You'd better hurry—in live minutes you're due back in Berle's files." My brother (the one who dreams up comedy for spot announcements) owns a pen that writes forever.. ...that's the only word he can spell. "4ot Too Proudfoot to Beg Recent use by Fred Allen of name of "Tom Proudfoot'' as a radio gag reacted in a strange manner. Seems there really is a guy by that name living in Cali- fornia. The real . Proudfoot wrote Allen that since the latter . had had so much fun bandying the name about, the least Allen could do was to reciprocate.. . •Would Allen please, send a Paramount or. Metro talent scout to look at three-year-old Proudfoot, Jr., who, according to the father, was very photo- genic and intelligent. Al Siegel's Autobiog I Al Siegel's forthcoming aulo- This was the first time the Voice biofcraphy, "Hurdy .Curdy." to" be was heard-over the Irish station, and , published : by Reader's Press in the came as a surprise, being listed on ■ fail, is expected to contain .some digs the station's schedule as "Today's at the "puppets" he claims to have Record Choice.". brought into vocal prominence. . Official comment is lacking but Torr/c bar, received a pre'-publica- it is understood that this does not -.lion buildup by yarn* in Life and'i means a raising of the general veto the Hew- Ywkw. wherein Ethel Mer-. | on ■ "over-sentimental" number*. ! nan 'dilute* *he'« a Siegcl prousficV» Colombo Film Planned Hollywood, Jury 9. Life of Russ Columbo .will form the basis of the first picture to be made by N. Brewster Morse Pro ductions, Inc., with Beatrice Kay as fenime star. In addition to functioning as pro- duction chief, Moise will act and direct in his own screenplay. Unknown Paris Actress Signed for U. S. Trial Paris, July 2. Barbara Laagc, hitherto unknown actress here, will be given an Ameri- can trial via the William Morris agency. Booking came after a Life mag reporter, writing a. colorful story of the difficult life led by Paris show people currently, picked Miss Laagc as a. good example. The 25-year old girl, of Nordic descent, had never been given much of a chance here. She had done bits and was filling a minor part in Laisse Parler Jacob" at the Agnes Capri. She is a former pupil of. Raymond Rouleau and Maurice Escande. Her dream-comc-truc story is getting local show people more American- minded than ever. Miss Laage arrives in U. S. this month. NEW BILL WOULD K.O. CAL GAMBLING SHIPS Washington, July 9. A favorite sport of the fllm .coloiiy —visiting gambling ships off the California coast—will .be outlawed under a bill introduced in Congress by Senator William F. Knowland of California! It provides not only two years in prison and a. $10,000 fine for maintaining such a ship, but a $200 nick for each passenger transported from shore. Bill is now before the Senate Judiciary Committee and has the backing of Attorney General Tom C. Clark. There is currently no Fed- eral, statute, according lb Clark, making it. illegal to conduct n nam- ing establishment on navigable waters. Plainclothesmen Warn Friars on Open Gambling Visit on Monday (8). by plain Waiting on Joe Cotten For London 'Turtle' Joseph Cotten is set to. complete the acting trio,.along with Margaret Sullavan and Audrey Christie' (the Broadway femme originals), for the forthcoming London . production of John van Druten's "The Voice of the Turtle." Producer Alfred de Liagre, Jr. is now sweating it out, waiting i.for Cotten to wind up a David O. Selznick film commitment. Elliott Nugent, who played the original Broadway male lead, bad to bow out of the London run because he's tied up in several pix and play propositions with Robert Montgom- ery. Chaplin Still Fights Barry Paternity Case Los Angeles. July !>. Charles Chaplin filed an appeal with Ihe. Supreme Court in Cali- clolhes coppers to the Friars Club,, i (ornia to vacate a lower court dc- N. Y., gave the boys in the cruel ] decision designating him as father of room, playing them close to 'the .1' Caro , Ann, daughter of Joan Barry, chest, an unhappy few moments. : I „ . , . ■«., •.- . • .,.„,,_..' Gendarmes, reputedly acting on! Producer asked the States highest an anonymous complaint that pro- ! tribunal to declare that the Court of Sessional gambling was going on in I.Appeals was wrong on May 27 when the club, made purpose of visit known and said they'd drop in again some time. Understood complaint maintained that club had been harboring pro- fessional gamblers' running open game. It now looks like all gam- bling is out. from now on at the club, but with no hint it will afreet the gin rummy sessions strictly among members. . , it upheld the decision :of the. Superior Court, which ordered him - to pay $75 a week for Ihe child's support. GLADYS GEORGE'S 4TH Hollywood, July .9. Gladys George revealed her mar- riage today to a 27-year-old bellhop in Riverside, Cul„ on July 1. Bride is 43 and this is.her fourth marriage. Colonna, Gross Beef Ends Los Angeles, July 9- Brcach-of-contract suit for $12,000. filed against Jerry Coionna by his former manager, John C. Gross, was dismissed in Superior Court after a private settlement. Terms of the settlement were not made public. Gross charged the actor fired him night tMoh.) following a stroke. | last April without reason, allhougn She is under care of Dr. Stanley Ihis contract had two more years to Immcrman, ' 'run. Mickey's Mom Stricken Hollywood, July 9. Mrs, Nell Pankey, Mickey Roo- ncy's mother, was taken to St. John's Hospital, Santa Monica, last