Variety (Jul 1946)

VAUBEVI1XB Wednesday, July 24, 1946 Trenet, Promoter Palsy-Walsy Again, Swooner Will Play Tour After AD Montreal. July 23. =-— r —; ; : — Since Charles Trcnel, French _' _ SwoSn sinner, came here few weeks i USU-Camp OhOWS lTOlipe 8 «o. he has gotten himself into one j Teeg Qff in Alagka entanglement after another. The , latest is that he has signed again I with Lucien Mcloche, Montreal pro- I moter. to do a p.a. tour in Quebec and Ontario centres. Some weeks am) he walked out on the same guy when $5.000. guarantee tour for . Montreal date didn't come off. And that's not all! Larry Sun- biock's rodeo, which is playing a live-day engagement at the Montreal stadium July 23-28, has also signed ; Trenet for two p.a.s daily at a flat sum of $5,000. Trent's deal with Melodic allowed (or.rodeo dates. According to the Meloche con- tract, which calls for a $500 guar- antee to Trenet and a 50r50 split on the grosses, the singer's itinerary is as follows: Opens tour July 22 at Joliette, Que.: Rodeo. July 23-28: St. Jerome, Que.. July 29: July 30, Monument Natfonal. Montreal; Sorel, Que., July 31; Three Rivers, Que., Aug. 1; Thetford Mines, Que., Aug. 2; Shawinigan Falls, Que., Aug. 3; Sherbrooke, Que.. Aug. 4 Los Angeles, July 23. Roy Mack. Coast director of USO- Camp Shows, is sending a six-act vaudc troupe on a six-month tour of far-flung military outposts, starl- ing with two months in Alaska and then heading south. Troupers, all vets of the overseas circuit, are Betty Yeaton, Francinc Faye, Murray Parker, Chcsney and Lola. Sterling and Silver, and Dick and Dinah. MAZZEI JOINS COAST UNION Hollywood, July 23. Irving Mazzei has joined local of- fice of American Guild Of Variety Artists' staff of field reps, switch- ing from same post in Louisville, which now is being handled by ^Pal Patlon out of AGVA's Cincinnati office. Another new field rep here is Jay Perrin, recently out of khaki. Que., Aug. 5; St. Hyacinthe, Que Aug. fi; Ottawa, Aug. 7; Quebec, Que., Aug. 8. 9, 10: Drummondville, Que., Aug. 11 and Cornwall, Ont., Aug. 12. Trenet is scheduled to leave for N. Y. immediately after he ends his tour Aug, 12. from where he will leave for the Coast. He says he has a picture deal and must show up by Aug. 15. • ■ ■ ~ AUSSIE ACTORS'EQUITY OKAYS GERMAN JUGGLER Sydney. July 18. Special meeting of Aussie Actors' Equity—called as an emergency measure—finally agreed, after some . huddling, to okay membership of Beauco, | Elimar Buschmann, German juggler, Tax Bureau Would Compute Tips In Setting Up Unemployment Insurance declaring there was no basis for suspicions that he was a Nazi. Vot- ing was 197 to 14. Equity members had declared earlier that unless the juggler was «iven a clearance, a ban would be imposed on the Tivoli loop, despite fact thai the German had appeared for several weeks in . Melbourne without hindrance. It was also agreed to ask the govt, to issue satisfactory clearances to non-Nazis and non-fascists interned under national security regulations, now released, so that in the future Willie Howard's fall date at the . trade unions would Know the status Latin Quarter. N. Y.. has been post- , of enemy aliens requesting admit- poned indefinitely because of How- ' lance to Australian unions, aid's commitment to go to the .Latin Equity execs stated it was their Quarter. Chicago, for 12 weeks start- ■ "V m opinion that at no time was ing Sept. 27. Howard was 'originally j Elimar a Nazi sympathizer. slated to open at the New York spot ' : early October following run of Ted Ray Eberle has been booked for Lewis orch. i Loew's State, N. Y.,', Aug. 15. Howard's Chi Pact Snarls N.Y. L-Q Date Shelvey Planing To vCoast to Set AGVA Deal With Niteries Malt Shelvey, national head of American Guild of Variety Artists, ■will plane to Hollywood next week to meet with representatives of' 10 top i\ileries ithere which have balked at AGVA's ukase that they post cash security to cover talent budgets of acls employed in their niteries. Decision was made last week after Max Sissenweih, attorney repre- senting the Florentine Gardens, Hollywood, and handling legal mat- ters for several others of the group, planed into New York to huddle with Shelvey on the matter of ah adjustment. Outcome of confabs was that Shelvey told him the union does not recognize the newly organ- ized Cafe Operators Guild of Holly- wood and that each of the- 10 spots involved would have to negotiate in- dividually, rather than collectively, for basic agreements and cash bond posting with AGVA. Among other things Shelvey clari- fied the six-day work week situation by stating union was processing for choristers only, which is effective all over the country, and not for princi- pals. There had been some misun- derstanding on this ruling, Shelvey is sanguine that when the matter is properly presented to the ops they'll come in with bonds. Spots involved are, in addition to Florentine . Gardens, Earl Carroll's, Band Box. Charley Foy's. Trocadero, Ciro's, Slapsy Maxie's, Bar of Mu- sic, Tom Brcneman's and Larry Potter's. I want to take this opportunity to thank the Roxy Theatre Management and Personnel for the fine courtesy extended me during my 3 weeks engagement at the Roxy Theatre, in New York. Hope to be back soon to play for you again. DONALD O'CONNOR Managemtnt: COLTON CRONIN HOLLYWOOD, CALIF. 'Aqua' Only 14G in L A. Los Angeles, July 23. "Aqua Follies;"- which opened here a week ago, didn't give its producer, Larry Cnosby, any too much satis- faction,, with a disappointing gross of $14,325 for six nights. Water show, which may close this week, has heavy nut with a troupe of 75. BECKMAN-PRANSKY GET NEW GUILD OK Beckman & Pransky agency, N. Y., cited, as unfair recently by Ameri- can Guild of Variety Artists, was re- stored to good standing by the tal- ent union last week upon condition the agency, will issue only AGVA contracts as required under its AGVA-agent franchise. | Agency had been listed unfair. be- ( cause of complaints from performers that B & P had not been issuing regulation AGVA contracts for some of its resort and hotel bookings. After union had taken action, agency appealed to Malt Shelvey, national head of AGVA for a hearing and pro- duced a number of AGVA contracts for acts booked on the resort circuits which it had originally not filed with AGVA as required.- Johnny Pransky. of the agency, appeared before Shelvey last week (18) with the AGVA contracts which, he. said, through error, had not been forwarded to the union. However, a $30 settlement was made on claim- filed against agency by Beverly Page, singer, and another claim by the Crawtords, dance team,, was settled for $100. Team had originally asked for $120 but agreed on latter rather than go to what it figured would be a drawn- ; out arbitration. Pransky told Variety that both claims were due to a misunderstand- ing. He said that Miss Page had been booked on-the-spot in the lo T cality where she was to have played but that show, had been too long and she did not have to go on. He offered her $20, which she refused, vocalist filing a claim for $35 against the agency at AGVA. As for the other claim, Pransky says he was stuck for an act to replace Bud and: Jane Ross, dance team who dropped out, and he enlisted the Crawfords as substitutes for $60. Team' claims that was okay for one spot but when booked into two spots they demanded double tariff of $120. Dates involved were one-nighters. Shelvey maintains that trio of in- cidents were in violation of agency's signed agreement with union under which AGVA franchise was issued. New York state will attempt to find out Just how much waiters, cab drivers and other classes of em- ployees whose earnings depend on lips, make throughout the year. The N. Y. division of Unemployment In- surance is interested in the figures and will hold hearings in New York City and Albany for three days, starting July 30, in an effort to de- termine takes. The Slate is making an effort to determine rate of 'inemploymenl compensation, but there's little doubt that the Federal and State bureaus of internal revenue would be like a look-see into actual earnings to learn just how much was undeclared in tax returns. . It's an open secret that during Ihc lush war. years, some headwaiteis knocked off an average . of $40,000 annually with eager patronage dis- pensing various sums from $5 and up to get seated in the crowded spots. Captains and waiters took in a proportionate take. In sorrffc cafes, extra waiters were hired for week- ends. These part-time.workers are reported to have earned enough dur- ing those two days to take care of themselves and families in style. However, those days are only a memory to many nitery waiters, in- asmuch as the business slump lias knocked down their takes to a frac- tion of the lush tips of the booiti days. In some spots, waiters' earn- ings have diminished to one-third or less of the same time two years ago. Cab drivers, however, are still knocking oft an approximate $100- $150 weekly. Shortage of hacks is keeping their basic- wage high, but amount of tips have diminished somewhat. In previous studies made by the State, it's been found that cabbies' tips .approximate 12of their bookings; barbers get around 25% of their book, manicurists 25%, and 5% for the barbershop bootblack. In the. hotel categories, chambermaids av- erage $1 daily; waiters, bellhops, doormen, $2; busboys, $1. While earnings from tips have de- clined considerably since end of the war, takes are expected to come down further. Saranac Lake By Happyi Benway Saranac Lake. N! Y., July 23. Jordie McLean, Rufus Weathers, Eddie Rehberg, Marthea Merryfield, Alice Van Ness and Muriel Sheedel, who beat the rap here, have re- turned to work in respective home- towns. Earl Hart, comedian, has shifted from Trudeau sanatorium to the Will Rogers to continue rest routine. Laura Sloane all pepped up by surprise visit from Martha and Peggy Franko, who shot in from Cleveland. Cliff Farmer who cured here leav- ing for Stockton, Calif. . Sol Grant and George Fischer, NBC musicians, took time out to visit Charlie Golden at the Will Rogers. Jean Kessler back from Hamilton; Ont., and will take up residence here to be near her husband, "The Amaz- ing Mr. Ballatine," who Is perting up nicely at the Rogers. Harry "Slipfoot" Clifton, who suf- fered a relapse after leaving here, got his all clear papers from Onon- dago sanatorium last week. Write to those who are 111 "II HI'I ■■ It iiiim run mil m sw STEVE EVANS Off«rl»* . HAPPY TIMES ft JOLLY MOMENTS ORIENT A |„ J'HIOAGO ROSEN-ANGER ASSOCIATES HAROLD BARNES DANCING BOOGIE TO BALLET ON THE WIRE Currently ROXY N«w York Diractioa: SAM RAUCH