Variety (Aug 1946)

SCREEN RADIO MUSIC STAGE niETY U S. PK FACE WORLD CHALLENGE H wood Readies Deluxe Service For Foreign VIPs t>roblem of appropriately ban-1 dling the myriad of foreign ylsitore wlio have been pouring into Holly- wood since the end of the war with the State Department's "VIP" ("Very Important Personage") stamp on them is one of the reasons for the decision last week to set up new machinery, on international re- ' iations problems in the fllm capital. It will be administered by an lii- duslry-flnanced ' successor to the wartime Motion Pictiire Society for the Americas, which folded last spring when Government financial support ended. Okay- to establish the new organ- ization vras given by the board of directors of the Association of Mo- tion''Picttire Producers, based on recommendations of a three-man committee formed following dissolu- tion of the MPSA. Members were Col. Jasoii Joy, 20th-Fox, choirman; , Liiigi Luraschi, Paramount, and Robert Vogel, Metro. New setup to administer the international af- ' fail's machinery will consist of ad- (Continued on page 57) WB Preems Wired Sign in Typical HoUywood BaUy Hollywood, Aug. 6. Celebrated corner of Hollywood and Vine will be the scene of a Hollywood preem tonight (Tues.) witliout a motion picture in sight. Instead of the customary fllm, thou- sands of bleacher fans will see an outdoor stage show, titled "This Is Hollywood," and watch tlie unveil- ing ol an electric news sign known as the Flashcast, something like the one in Times Square, N. Y,. Occasion of all this street corner merrymaking is the 20th anniversary . of sound in pictures, celebrated by the Warner Bros., who are holding celebrations wherever motion pic- lures'are known. On the stage at Hollywood's most prominent intcrsestion will be Tom- my Dorsey and his band, Slim Gail- lard and his trio and Leo Carrillo -and Hcdda Hopper, who will intro- duce the town's leading citizens, in- (Continued on page 57) PERRY COMO DRAWING lOG FOR TW(9 SHOWS Highest guarantee for a one-day stand will be paid to Perry Como wlien he plays the New Haven Aiena, Sept. 15. Como has been guaranteed .$10,000 for his end alone for two performances. Show will include Lloyd SchaelTor's band plus three acts which will cost an addi- tional $3-$4,0OO. Steve Como, promoter (no rela- tion to the, singer), has already de- posited a certined check guarantee- ing Como's take. That Old Spirit An unusual sidelight came to light last week during the book- ing of Helene and Howard, com- edy dancers, at Loew's State, N. Y. Several months ago, Lorraine Rognan, whose husband, Roy Rognan, was killed in the war- .time Lisbon Clipper crash, learned that this team was do- ing a routine similar to that which she did with Rognan. 'After seeing them work, she told the youngsters that they might as well do the routine correctly. So she's been coaching them , for the past few months. Radios Lone Stand In Athens GI Riot Athens, Tenn;, Aug. 6. ^ When Athens was blacked out uom the rest of th^ world last week, as ex-GIs took over with rifles, gren- ades and tommy-guns in a local election feud, radio was the only medium that kept in touch with the situation throughout. Allen Stout, special events man of WR6l, Kijoxville, covered the entire O* re- volt from start to finish, with.'WSM, Nashville, taking a feed that lasted from 11 p.m. Thursday (1) until 9 a.m. Friday (2). The newspapers and press associa- tions were monitoring Stout's broad- cast and getting their only news from this source, having been barred by those in control. According to former Col. Jack Harris, who throughout the war was at the top of Army radio' and at the end of the war was chief of communications for General Douglas MacArthur: "This was the mo.st ex- citing broadcast we have ever heard, beating any live shows the Army (Continued on page 62) BROOKS ATKINSON BACK AS N. Y. TIMES. CRITIC Brooks Atkinson is due to return to the N. Y. Times drama depai-t- ment as its critic in September after having been abroad for three years as the Times war correspondent in China and for the past year as the daily's representative in Moscow. His recent opinions on the Russian tlie- atre and art, published in the Times, were distinctly critical, with result- ant recriminations in the Soviet press, V Lewis Nichols, daily's former dra- ma editor, has been the acting critic, topping Vahiets's annual boxscore twice during the three seasons he covered Broadway. Atkinson was head man among tlie aisle-sitters for one season, some years ago. During the war half a dozen New York critics went into uniform or became correspondents overseas, then switclied to other assignments and publications. Atkinson, to date, is the only flrst-stringer to resume-the desk occupied prior to hostilities. Army Budgets $3m000 For Fdm Activity The U. S: Army has budgeted $3,- 000,000 for films during the coming year in a strong campaign aimed at the indoctrination of the populace. of occupied countries to democratic ways. The coin has been allo- cated .to the production of both 35m and narrow-gauge documentaries and newsreels for the purpose. In the latest step in a rapidly shaping- up program. Fare Lorentz has been tapped by the War Dept. for the job of chief of Film and Theatre Unit, Civil Affairs Division, Re- orientation Branch. Blueprint calls for the production of at least 1-20 reels-in the next year. Production is to l>e handled not only in the Signal Corps' Astoria studio (N. Y.), but also in seized studios in Munich, Vienna, Salzburg and Tokyo. Part of unit's job will be to forward 2,000 projectors to occupied countries to be set up in schools and (Continued on 'page 56) 'Aronnd the World' Costs Welles-Korda 300G Around B'way "Around The World," in closing Saturday (3) after nine and one half weeks on Broadway, went into the records as a major musical casualty 'though Orson Welles, its producer, reveals he plans to pre- sent the show ill London next win- ter. Whether it will ever recapture the money it represented Is prob- lematical; (he total red approxi- mates $300,000. Production cost was tabbed around $200,000 and the bal- ance went into operating loss out of town and at the Adclphi, N. Y. Pleasant temperature and the final day accounted for a Sat- urday (3) matinee take of over $3,- 100. The last week's gross approxi- (Continued on page 62) Berlin's 3 'Annie' Songs Set Tin Pan Alley Recprd Irving Berlin's No. 1, song ex- ploileer, Dave Dreyer, wrote Tin Pan Alley history with 1-2-3 posi- tion on the Peatman "sheet" last week and three plugs on the Lucky Strike Hit Parade this week with the same three tunes, from the same score. "Annie Get Your Gun" ex- cerpts finished in the top three places on the Peatman pluglog, and were Nos. 2, 3 and 0 on the Hit Parade. ' Sours <• respectively are, "They Say It's Wonderful," "Doin' What Comes Natch'lly" and "Got the Sun in the Morning," Film songs, with their wider ex- ploitation, have had two. positions in the "most played" and bcstselllng logs, but it rarely happens with a legit score, limited to the one run —Broadwoy—and in this instance the record was broken by a three- way parlay. Busy, Isn't She? Jinx Falkenburg was a busy lady Friday ,(i2). At.8:30 a.m. she was adlibbing with husband Tex McCrary on WEAF's (N. Y.) "Hi! Jinx" program and sev- eral hours later gave birth to son at Polyclinic hospital. McCrary immediately flouted all mother-in-law gags by draft- ing Jinx's mother, Mickey . Falkenburg, to All in on Satur- day. On Monday, (S) Jinx was back on the air . broadcasting over a special line, run into her hospital rooni for the duration of her convalescence. British CaU U. S. Pix 'Necessities' Washington, Aug, 6. Films .Are .being bracketed .along with such items as dried eggs, cot- ton, wheat and other food ooromodi- ties as being among the essential goods to be purchased by the Brit- ish with the flrst $300,000,000 slice of the recently granted American credit. According to British offi- cials, the steep upgrade in the U. S. price level is forcing them to adopt a "go-slow-and-careful" policy in spending the rest of the $3,750,000,^ 000 loan. Inclusion of Alms among the "ne- cessities of life" for the British comes as a surprise to film indus- tryites here, especially after the late agitation by members of Parliament that the British want "bacon not Bogart." Explanation offered for the switch in attitude towards fllm imports is that the war-weary Bri- tishers need screen entertainment as mass means of relaxation and Brit- (Continucd on page 56) INDIE'S QUASI-OFFICIAL HLMS ON THE POPE Deal is understood about to be closed by an indie producer for 15 reels of sound pictures on the Pope, which have been offered for sale in New York for editing into a com- mercial featiirerlength picture. Film was shot by Centre Cattolico Cine- matagraflco, a quasirofflcial Vatican agency, and was brought to this cougiry by a representative of Car- dinal Spellman, of New York. Called "Pastor Angelicus," picture was shown to a number of the majors, but there was no commer- cial interest in it, particularly inas- much as March of Time a few years ago did an extensive release on the Vatican. Indie producer who is now buying it is understood planning to make it up for lOm showing, pri- marily in ' churches and among Catholic organizations, with what- ever regular theatre dales that can be .obtained. Film consists of seven reels of sound and image, one reel of image only and seven reels of music only. Gertrude Algase, an agent, hag been representing Msgr. John J. McClaf- ferty in handling the «ale of the fllm. Msgr. McClafterty, who super-. vises operation of the Legion of De- cency, was responsible for bringing the fllm to this country. SEECREATEil OUIILITYNEED With growth of native fllm pro* duction in countries throughout the world, screen time available for Hollywood pictures is gbihg to shrink to a point where only top product will find a market. That, in addition to the new court-, decreed plan of auction-block sell- ing domestically, means that picture quality will have to rise to .and remain on new high levels—or else. That's the opinion e.xpressed by two rmjor fllm execs during the past week—Nate Blumberg, prexy of Universal, and Charles M. Reagan, v^'eepce in charge of distribution for Paramoiiht.' What the sales''end of the business—which, of course, is right on the exhibitor firing line— ,is demanding from the studios is 'evident from ii remark by Reagan: "I would rather go out now and sell one picture that cbsts $3,000,000 than two pictures that cost'$1,500,000 each. I know that if the quality is in keeping with the cost,' I'll get more income out of my single $3,- 000,000 production than the two which cost less." In speaking of the necessity of making a much motre concentrated pitch for the world market, Blum- berg Monday (fl) elted the growing (Continued on page 62) Gafflbling Ship Shoves Off for Sea to Avoid Cal's Legal Hawsers Hollywood, Aug. 6. Tony Cornero moved his gambling ship beyond state limits over th* weekend and puts furnllure aboard today (6). Gaming ship owner ex- pects to gross about $1,300,000 for %ach month of operation. Chunks of stock in $10,000 blocks have been sold, many members of fllm colony buying in. It's esti- mated three months of operation will pull Cornero piT nut and put profits into stockholders' hands. Meanwhile state officials are still trying to figure way out to block opening later this week, but noth- ing concrete has been done as yet LAUDER MAY DO REAL 'GRANDFAREWELL'TOUR Sir Harry Lauder may do another farewell tour In the U. S. William Morris, Jr.. is trying to persuade the venerable Scot to make a "grand farewell" appearance before he re- ally retftes. Lauder, in good health, during the war years entertained British troops in Scottish installations. The Scotch comic marked his 76th . birthda.v Monday with a broadcast by BBC London studios. New York heard the show last night (6) in tran- scribed form over WNEW. He made several "farewell" ap- pearances in the U. S. come years ago.