Variety (Jul 1946)

Wednesday, July 31, 1946 VAUDEVILLE 4T George Foster, Founder of England's Biggest Talent Agency, Dead at 82 George Foster, 82, who died in London Friday (26), is generally considered to have opened England to American acts. As founder ol England's largest and best-known talent agency, he worked out re- ciprocal agreements with the Wil- liam Morris Agency which resulted in mutual talent exchanges. Prior to this agreement, only a comparai-. tively small number of American acts invaded the continent. With guarantee of large routes in Eng- land as well as the rest of Europe, American acts could make th*e trip profitably with little risk. . Foster was also instrumental in bringing Harry Lauder to America. Deal was made with the late Wil- liam Morris,, and Lauder subse- quently made several trips to the U. S. under joint Foster and WM auspices. •Foster started as an errand boy at an early age, at $1 a week. This job lasted six months and he worked as an apprentice ' in his father's building business. He soon evidenced an interest in showbusiness and de- spite parental opposition .took his first job as a comedy singer in 1882, working in Loqdon clubs on week- ends for *1.25 He worked the old City of London theatre, Bishopsgate, for $2.50, and subsequently had such odd-jobbing as throwing bouquets at Fred Al- bert's feet at the conclusion of the singer's performance. That job lasted . until he tried to make the same bouquet last several days, de- spite the fact that he drew $2.50 dally for. the blooms. Another job he had was that of a member of a claque,- but later returned to the flower-throwing business and was employed in this capacity by several music hall singers. Lean Vaude Days With lean days in the variety .field, Foster looked for more lucra- tive fields, and when a manager of a "sing-song" public'house asked him to recommend a comedian for one performance, he became an agent in 1886. The fact that the first comic he hired disappeared before com- mission was paid' didn't deter Foster from his new ambition. In his first COMEDY PATTER Fcf All Ircwcket of Tht o tilcoh No*. 1 tfcni 13 of $1.05 .coca or 13 Scripts for $13.00 Not. 14 rkra 20 NOW READY! $2.00 eocfc—Double Script! SEND MR THEM NOW I CATCH UP ON RACK ISSUES! "Rook of Rlockoott" 3 VolMMt at $25.00 por Vol. "Rook of Parodies" 10 Sock Paroolw—$10.00 NO C.O.D.'S PAULA SMITH 200 W. 54rfc St., Now York 19. N.Y. Ex-S*»l»m«n Subicrlbon: S*nd Ut Your Homo Addriu STEVE EVANS Offering HAPPY TIMES ft JOLLY MOMENTS ■ ■ Wrrk Aairurt l ORIENTAL, CHICAGO ROSKN-ANGEB ASSOCIATES week as an agent, he showed a profit of . $17.50 and a total of $130 at the end of three months. Foster, during the war years, de- voted himself fo war work, entrust- ing agency duties .to his son, Harry, who now heads the firm. He was also known for work in other fields,' once having written a song after he had been jilted, "Never Trust Your Dinah to a Pal," which was a hit. At the age of 75, he wrote his memoirs, "The Spice of Life," for which Charles B. Coch- rtn wrote an introduction. His son, Harry; widow, Phoebe, and a son and daughter, not in showbusiness, survive. Allan Jones Eyes Isles Deal i6 under way for a British concert tour by Allan Jones, prob- ably in the fall. Tour is being worked out by the London reps of Frederick'Bros. Lid Blown Off Montreal's Gambling. Nitery Biz by Racket Czar Killing Atty. Clarifies British Taxes Editor, Variety The article in your July 24 issue, with respect to the new Tax Con- vention between Great Britain and the United States, embodies what seems to be a prevalent miscon- ception of the effect of the Tax Con- vention. It does not exempt from British taxation compensation paid to an American actor by a British employer. The exemption afforded by the Convention applies only when an American is employed by an Amer- ican employer. This is what is re- ferred to in England as "foreign income," and such income is. ex- empt from British taxation. Such income was formerly exempt from taxation if paid by the American employer in the United States for services rendered by the American employee in England, but it is now exempt if paid in England. Thus, if an American actor, , under contract to an American motion pic- ture company, is sent to England to make a picture for the American employer, the compensation earned by him in Engla'nd, whether paid to him there or here, is exempt from British taxation. The same thing applies if the American is lent to a British company by his Ameri- can employer, but continues to re- ceive his compensation from the American employer.- If, on the other hand, the Ameri- can goes to England, under con- tract to an English motion picture company or an English play pro- ducer, • compensation paid to him is known in England as "domestic in- come," and is not exempt from the customary British taxation. The "hundreds of American aCtors," re- ferred' to in the last sentence of your article, "who play engagements in England, such as screen players, night club performers, legit and vaudevlllians," would not be re- lieved of the double taxation, having English employers. Similarly, Miss Lillie's compensation from the "Seven Lively Arts" would still be taxed in full by the United States— as it was. The only new feature of the Tax Convention, as far as I can see, is the definition of residence in terms of 183 days, and the exemption from taxation of income paid to the American employee by the Ameri- can employer for English services, even though paid in England. Other than that, I can see no relief in the present Tax Convention from double taxation. The American actor em- ployed by a British producer must still pay taxes, on his British com- pensation, to Britain. Arnold JVeissberger. . Chez Paree, Chi, Date Gracie fields' Only '46 Nitery Showing in U.S. Chicago, July 30. Four-week booking of Gracie Fields at the Chez Paree, starting Tuesday (6), was arranged by Joe Jacobsen, partner With Mike Fritzel in operating the spot, who made a trip to the Coast a few weeks ago to remind Miss Fields of a promise she made him three years ago, last time she played here, to do a repeat. She'll get $5,500. a week. This'U be Miss Fields' only nitery date this year, inasmuch as she's anx- ious to get back to her. villa on the Isle of Capri, which was turned over to American Red Cross during the war for use as a service center. Also —and this is something unusual for the Chez—she's pinned Fritzel and Jacobsen down to holding it to two shows a night. RKO VAUDE SHIFTS TO LARGER HOUSES RKO is shifting vaude houses in several cities. In all- cases, larger theatres will be used for stage shows. In Cincinnati, moveover. has been effected to the Albee from the Pal- ace; Keith theatre, Dayton, will be used instead of the Colonial; and the Palace, Rochester, will get vauders as change from the Temple. All these houses will get spot full- week bookings. Only fulltime thea- tres will be the RKO, Boston, and the Golden Gate,. San Francisco. Palace theatres,. Cleveland and Co- lumbus, and the Orpheum, Omaha, will use occasional stage shows on a full-week basis. . • Constance Moore, fllm-player, Is being submitted for vaude dates by Frederick Bros. MILTON DOUGLAS WEEK AUGUST 1ST LOEWS STATE, NEW YORK Thanks JESSE KAYE Direction: AL GROSSMAN New AX. Horse Oval No Help to Cafe Biz Atlantic City, July 30. Neither cabaret, restaurant nor hotel Interests here benefited to any great degree by the opening of the New Atlantic City race track, which completed its first week on Satur- day (27), their business being about same as previous week. All ops' of gambling casinos took a beating when' they were shuttered just before the track opened. Beachfront hotelman reported a sprinkling of the "horsy" set. As they are filled to capacity every summer no true picture of gain could ge' obtained. State Cops Close Gambling Booths at A. C. Carnival Atlantic City, July 30. State police closed what they - de- scribed as seven gambling booths and an indecent girlshow Thursday night (25) but permitted other at- tractions in Prell's Greater Broad- way Shows to operate. in West At- lantic City, a suburb. Joseph Dermoga, of Wilkes-Barre, was arrested and charged with con- ducting a disorderly place and per- mitting gambling. He entered a plea of not guilty and was released under $1,000 bond to await grand jury action. Carnival opened July 22 under the auspices of the West Atlantic City Fire company, which was to. get 10% of the gross. Atlantic County sheriff's squad and State Police acted after a flood of complaints had been, received; In many cases, Prosecutor Lewis P. Scott said, money refunds to"1he vic- tims were effected. . Montreal, July 30. Lid finally flew off Montreal's gambling and vice pot with the day- light slaying Thursday (25) of Harry Davis, w.k. gambling and under- world czar at his establishment, in the heart of the town's nite spots near the Esquire and. Tic Toe caba- rets. . , ' Niteries here were sitting on what felt like a keg of dynamite on the murder night, since most of the gambling mob congregate in these spots. A lot of the guys in the St Loo Cafes Test Set-Up Law St. Louis, July 30. Showdown oh the recently-enact- ed state law which places "set-up" niteries in the same category as spots where hard liquor is sold was made last week when Circuit Judge Charles B. Williams took under ad- visement a suit filed by the Club 400 to enjoin the enforcement of the new statute. George Graff, owner of the 400, testified that his spot, which he called a cafe-theatre, sold only food, soft drinks and entertainment, al- though liquor purchased elsewhere was consumed on the premises. Claiming that his principal busi- ness came from persons employed on late shifts, Graff said that if he were forced to close at 1:30 a.m. on weekdays, and midnight oh Sat- urday, as required under the new law, he would be forced out of busi- ness. His counsel, Roberts P. Elam, argued the law, which became ef- fective July 1, was arbitrary and unconstitutional in that it deprived Graff of a' livelihood without due process of law. He also said his client had paid city, state and fed- eral taxes of $10,000 in one three- month period; rackets took it on. the lam, the result being a paucity of familiar facea around the boites. ' Situation has been brewing here f or - some time \ with vice probes threatening to blow the *'gay" life in Montreal's "Gold Coast" sky high. It's been charged that , some of the nitery ops were also running gam- bling joints and since the first plea for the probe was' vetoed for reason that no names were mentioned, the gambleries, which shut down some- what when the heat was on, re- opened again on a wide-open basis. Next, appeal for the probe, which is due to come up any day, threatens to list names, against which some..of the joint owners running a legit nitery front are keeping: fingers crossed. Many tourists have been flocking to Montreal because they hear the town is wide open on gambling and if the squeeze really is put on to shut down the spots,, it's more than likely that nitery biz will be heavily affected." Confessed slayer of Davis is Louis Bercowitz (alias Joe Miller) whose brother, Morris Bercowitz, recently knocked himself off in a N. Y. hack after sticking up- a liquor store in Manhattan. Bercowitz gave the Montreal Herald about the biggest scoop in Canadian newspaper history by giving himself up to that sheet shortly after Davis was bumped off. (See Literati.) One theory of the slaying' is. that it's the beginning of a gang-war with one mob trying to muscle in on an- other mob's territory. Bercowitz said in his confession, however, that he pulled the trigger in self-defense when. Davis pulled a gun on him. Bercowitz said that he had heard Davis' mob was trying to get him out of the way. One way or another, it looks like this town is on the verge of becom- ing the Chicago of the '40s. Headaches Continue To Dog Chas. Trenet in Can. Montreal, July 30. Charles Trenet, France's swoon- crooner, still finds the stepping heavy in Canada. He finally did make that date with Larry Sun- brock's Rodeo at the Stadium Tues- day (23), but the orchestra didn't show up, the pianist who was going to accompany him left, and finally, in true trouper fashion, he did his stint accompanying himself on a broken down piano. But he's getting $1,000 per day for a five-day run so maybe his headaches pay off. Seems the band quit because the lettuce wasn't forthcoming from Sun- brock. Left without backgrounding, rodeo- ites called on Buddy Clarke of Nor- mandle Roof band to send over his. pianist in the emergency. Freddy Padgham, Clarke's 88'er hustled over between shows, stuck around , while they finagled with the microphone, watched Trenet balk at going on, etc., etc., and finally left without- playing since he had to make Nor- mandie show. Apollo, N. Y., to Pause Apollo theatre, N. Y., will close for two weeks starting Aug. 18 for redecoration. Last bill on tap will be headed by Benny Carter's band. Reopening is set for Aug. 30 with Earl Hlnes orchestra, ■ • Hal Fisher "Latlnqly Yourt" Dir.: WILLIAM MOBRIS AGENCY' Rickard's Out V In Act Al Rickard was in and out of the Arthur Fisher agency in the last few days. Rickard Friday. (26) resigned from the office after a tiff with J Fisher on commissions of the Steel j Pier. However, a peace wa» effected ' yesterday . (Tuesday) and Rickard will resume Monday (5). Fight with Fisher is said to have i started when Fisher - withdrew com- mission split on the Steel Pier ac- ! count. Rickard claimed that since he .brought the George A. Hamid book into the office, he was entitled to his cut, whether it was from Harold's Steel Pier o;' "illion Dollar- Pier, 'both Atlantic City. THE ONLY ACT OF ITS KIND 3 GIRL KNOCKABOUT 3 RAYS ALL IN FUN Just computed 13 WONDERFUL WEEKS at the LATIN QUARTER, New York Thewks LOU WALTERS ..• CURRENTLY LOEW'S STATE, New York Tbeelu JESSE KAYE PotpoMl M—ffwt: IILLY CREEOON—EDDIE SMITH AOENCY