Variety (Sep 1946)

"^'(tlneeilay, September, 18, 1946 CHATTKK 55 Francis Robinson teamed with Bill Fit Ids in p.a.!ng Theatre, Inc. Ruth Da vies, ex-WORer, now chirping with Gray Gordon's band. Paol Le Pere, back from Coast, snotted pronto in road "Born Yes- terday." Al LU-htman. Metro studio produc- tion exec, in N. Y, to huddle with )i.o. execs. Spencer Trac.y arrived'in N. Y. fiom (he Coa.st over the weekend for a siboi't vocation. John Garrity, Jr., residing in Hol- lywood, back with "Tourquise Mat- rix.'.' at Belasco. there. 'Bills' Keed'.s planned opening of hi<! easl-slde nitery now delayed un- til the first of the year. , Earl Carroll birthday-barbecued at his Bevhills home. Wn-es went out to hi-« N. Y. pals to "attend." Luila Ernst set a,s "Cinderella" In the Leonard SiUman forthcoming •musical. - If the Shoe Fits." Judy Garland and husband Vin- ccnte JWinelli .skeddcd to arrive from llic Coast today (Wednesday). Pinil Hccluili and the Mrs. o.g.ing Bro;ulwav. He's anm-sements ed of the Houston (ScHpps-Howard) Press. Henry* Lawrence handling Danny SehoU's role in "Call Me Mister" while latter undergoes a tonsilec- 4om,Y. ■ Alex Gottlieb, Warner producer, and Polly Rose. Billy's sister, due in New York Sept. 30 after their Coast wedding. George Brown, HoUywoqd pub head of Paramount, due in from the Coast end of this month for pub-ad powwows.' Singer Margaret Whiting planes buc k to the Coast this week, after a year east, to join Eddie Cantor's Pabst .airer. Hey wood Kling. 21-year-old son of comic. sti;ip handicapper Ken Kling. has joined United Artists' h.o. pressbook department. Was with Metro on the Coa.st. . ' Milton Berle, Georgie Price, Patsy KtiUy. Mitzi Green, Paul Haakon and . a ;flock of other prominent old^grads of the Professional Children's School will attend season's opening'Sessions today ( Wednesday ). Bob Montgomery, of Jock Lawr rence's J. Arthur Rank publicity organization, returns to England Sept. 24. Steve Miller, former Army PRO, has joined the outfit in London as Montgomery's aide. . Scandinavian Airways junketing a U. S. pre.ss-radio group, ihcludmg Bob Gonsidine and H. "V. Kalten- born, in an exchange with a Swedish newspaperman contingent, to Copen- hagen, Oslo and Stockholm (Wed.). Charles D. Prutzman, Jr., son of C. D. Prutzman, chief counsel for Univer.sal, returning to Penn State this fall, interrupted when called into service.- He recently returned from Bermuda where he spent his honey moon with his bride, Edna Fenn, pf - Bristol, England. : phony orchestra of sixty, Gue.st conductor at first performance will be Dr. Malcolm Sargent, British conductor. Albert Coates will wield baton for two seasons. Until now Cape Town had the only large or- chestra in country. South Africa By Joe Hanson Pro vaude at the Standard Thea- ter—Johannesburg,- for—the first time in many vear.s. Solomon, noted British pianist, is latest concert artist scheduled for a South African tour. Sigi Welssenberg, 17-year-old, Bulgarian-born Palestinian pianist, doins; capacity on concert tour. Plan to form a National Theatre in South Africa with many small theatres now being talked here. Paul Loyonnet, French pianist, will give recitals on stopover here en route from Palestine to U. S. Masha Arsenieva. Russian Baller- hui, is now appearing in Johannes- bur.s. with Cape Town appearances to follow. Metro's "Green Years" is doing terrific biz at Plaza, Cape Town. . "State Fair'" (20lh) also did well at Colosseum. M. A. Schle.singer, managing di- rector of IVTA, Ltd., New York, down here to confer with brother, I- W. Schlesinger. Next legit shows set for Alham- bra in Cane Town are "Pygmalion" and "Philadelohia Story" presented by Munro-Inglis Comp. Capt. .Tack Stodel, Cape Town di- rector for African Theatres, back from five-week big game trip. Also took 35m Pictures of animal life. ■'Two Sisters from Boston" (M-G) and "Watch 6n the Rhine" (WB) are doing better than average biz among new U. S. films in this terri- ; Joe Hummel, Warners' European rep., made flyin« trip around South . Africa accompanied by Jerry Sutton, South African manager for com- pany. , George Formby, famous British comedian, plans to visit- South Af- I'lca in October for quick tour. He Win be first overseas performer of note in six vear>!. . -lohanncs van der Merwe, indicted for murder and robberv of Herman Michel.son. manager of Maje.stic Cin- ema, Cape Town, sentenced to 10 years for culpable homicide^ Plenty ot squawks from public on propcsal to introduce commercial radio ,nro.grams plus dissatisfaction With S. A. Broadcasting Co.'.-! policy hoK_ forced the I'overnment to order an_inQuirv into South Africa's radio. Johannesburg ha<i started a sym- By t'lorencc S. Lowe Ethel Waters wound up a two week stint at the Brown Derbv Sat- urday (14). Vera-Ellen in town last week to hypo interest in "Kid from Brook- lyn," currently at RKO Keith's. Robert Cumming.s, film star due Oct. 1 to speak at the luncheon launching National Symphony win- ter series. . Sarah Young, chief booker for 20th-Fox here, heads local Variety tent's Women's Divrision for the third consecutive .year. Stanley Adams, former WPB raw film chief during the war, named government surplus property chief for the Chicago area. Thurman W. Arnold, who repre- sents ATA in its intervention in the New York anti-trust suit, heads west to .speak at a large dinner in Los Angeles Sept. 22. .Variety Club holds a stag party Friday (20) to salute Max Cohen, outgoing Universal branch manager here, who has been upped to head company's Cleveland exchange, and his succes.sor. Harry Martin, trans- ferred here from New Haven. Gue.st ot honor at 19th birthday party for Loew's Capitol was' Doug- las Leigh, tycoon of illuminating ad- verti-sing. Leigh's latest brain child, M-G's advertising dirigible; illumi- nated D. C.'s skies with a 500 word birthday greeting on the eve of cel- ebration. London Pittsburgh By Cohen Vie Lombardi and his new orch set for Bill Gieen's late in October. Col .salesman Buzz Keyhan and his bride home from Adirondack honey- moon. ,- . Stephanie Diamond, of radio, home after .spei'ding the'.summer at Prov- incetuwn. Irene Connell, local gal, reiolning Gloria Lee Dancers- for -Nixon Cafe engagement; Bobby Jule, juggler, booked Into William Fenn hotel's Terrace Room next month Richard Karp. of KDKA staff, re- engaged as conductor for Pittsburgh Opei-a Co. this .season. Regis J. Yunker, assistant .Tianager of Barry, promoted by Shirball The- atres to Toledo berth. Brian McDonald, m.c. of "Ice-Ca- pades" last three years, now com- pany manager for show. Herb Drake in town contacting the movie ed.s in his first swing around the circuit for Columbia Pix. Dorothy Elpern, of WB exchange, went to Coast on vacation and liked it so well .she's .staying there. Virginia Reed has joined KQV con- tinuity department, replacing jimmie Spanos, back to Pitt for her degree. 'Okla.' Record Continued, from page 1 who operates the auditorium, shut off all telephones early in the week; Although Des Moines is ordinarily a one nighter, Mrs. Clark offered to play "Oklahoma!"' a second week un- der a guarantee deal. Musical, which isn't booked in the state of its title, drew Gov. Robert Kerr of Oklahoma to the premiere in Des Moines. Instead of using his car from the hotel to the theatre, "he rode in a surrey with a fringe on top. Then came the rains, and he was soaked. I Before the war biggest takings for I the Des Moines spot was for a con- cert with Eddie Cantor, who drew $18,000 in two nights. , "Up In Central Park" at the 22,- 000-seat Hollywood Bowl vied with I "Oklahoma!'! in Des Moines, but the estimated gro.ss of $120,000 included the opening night iSatiirday, Sept; 7), when "Park" got $16,000. George Sanders is off to Monaco to form a film company there. British Broadcasting Corp. is in- troducing "Women's Hour," starting Oct. 7. Ambrose, back from his engage- ment at Gafe de Paris, Monte Carlo, and reopens at Giro's, Sept. 17. Vernon Sylvaine's new play, "Quiet in the Forest" finally set for early production with Mary Clare in lead. Helen Howell (Mrs. Val Parnell) keeping friendly with Lew & Leslie Grade, local bookers, so as to return to vaudeville again; . Mona Inglesby's International Bal- let revived at London Coliseum Sept. 3 for four weeks season, with open- ing attraction "Comus." Scott and Whaley recently split after 25 years as a standard vaude- ville act, with Eddie Whaley taking in Chris Gill as a new partner. Commercial broadcasting from Radio Luxembourg .starts operating in England Sept. 29. with Wireless Publicity as the English agents. "This Way to the Tomb," starrin'g Robert Speaight, transferring from the small Mercury theatre to the Garrick, Sept. 16 for a series of matinees. Leslie Banks latest of actors to have his house burgled, with unwel- come visitors getting away with | $1,600 of swag while family was away for weekend. Trocadero restaurant in Piccadilly celebrating its 50th anniversary on Oct. 5, when for one week proprie- tors J. Lyons & Co. will establish the atmo.sphere of the Gay Nineties. Actress Nora Sinburne marrying Esmont Knight, her third husband. Groom recovering from blindness sustained during battle of the Bis- marck has successfully returned to stage and screen work. Lew and Leslie Grade have been appointed bookers for American Zone in conjunction with their Paris representative. George Leroy. at Shardust, Heidelberg, with first batch of acts to leave in September. Queensberry club, formerly Lon- don Casino, recently acquired 'oy Emlle Littler and Tom- Arnold, will be ready for Christmas when Littler and Arnold will stage a pantomime there. Original intention was to put on the Broadway revival, "Red Mill." James E. Perkins. Paramount's new British chief, here on an un- official visit, will stay 10 days. Then he goes to Paris for short visit be- fore returning to America. Expected back in London with David E. Rose, when he will be officially intro- duced. Alfred Shipman (& King) who un- til recently backed Sydney Box film ventures, has acquired an interest in Twickenham Film Studios. Studios formerly were owned by defunct Julius Hagen company, having been acquired sometime ago by Jack Buchanan. Pepublic product goes through Brit- ish Empire Films down here. Sydney cinemas are closing night shows earlier in order to allow pa- trons time to get out of town. Travel restrictions because of coal shortage has cut service to the city from nearby nabes down to hourly trains. Biz is bright for vaude-revue on two-a-day on the Tivoli loop. Svdnev show, in for six weeks, includes El- mar, Rex Dawe. George Wallace. Jr., Joe Latona. Colin Croft. Billv Kerr and produced bv Lieirt.-Col. Jim Davidson. $10,000,000 In 3<<t Years De.s Moines, Sept. 17. Before "Oklahoma": came to Des Moines the New York company and national (touring) (roupe had rolled up a gro.Ss of $10,000,000 in 3V4 years. KRNT date added *113,000 to the grand total. Previous record take for a week was $64,000 set last October by Bushnell Memorial hall, Hart- ford, Conn: (seating capacity, 3,200); Seating capacity of the KRNT Radio Theatre is 4,200. Three-fourths of the $113,000 gro.ss here represented the Theatre Guild's share. The house expenses are in- cluded in the items deducted from KENT'S share. Significance of the record Iowa ticket sale is more easily gra.spo.d when it is comp.ared with New York totals. Al the 1,500-seat St. James theatre in Manhattan, the average weekly gro.ss is approximately $30,()0D. Australia By Eric Gorrick Ken Fidden. RCA manasfine direc- tor, in from looksee of London. New York and India. Sir Ben FuUer_ is looking for an extra theatre site in Newcastle, major industrial zone. Columbia's "Song to Remember" is in its 38th week at Savoy, Mel- bourne, and will continue. Revival of "Rose Marie" for Wil- liamson-Tait at Royal, Sidney, is in its seventh week and will continue. John B. Laycock ioined Univer- sal's public]'t.y dept. under Lin En- dean. He was formerly with Para- mount. Wrestling is on the increase as U. S. mat men come over more fre- quently. Fight biz likewise upbeat- ing with importations. "There's a move on to have the government relax the amusement tax, hypoed during the war years to net treasury millions of, dollars^ : Most popular star in Sydney at present is James Mason. Britisher. He's a rave with the fpram p.b Mnsnn recently was in three oix at Svdnev Georges Thill. French tenor, has been packing them in in Sydney and Melbourne at solo , concerts. For some reason, crix have been severe on the singer. Directors of Whitehall Produc- tions, operating Minerva, Sydney, fave cocktail party to U. S, star Terry Walker, here to do ''Soldier's Wife" for unit. Freddie Carpenter is coming here from London to produce mu.sicals for Williamson-Tait. Carpenter was a dancer here foi years with W-T prior to going overseas. Government. i.s brineine .Svdnev transport back to normal acsin after months of curtailment: because of coal .strikes. Citv exhibitors are looking for a biz increa.se now;: BUI Osborne, Monogram exec, due here to look.see the Down Under zone from Singapore. He'll hold confabs with Gordon D; Ellis, Brit- ish Empire Films, distribs of Mono ■fare. ■'•■. Wirth's circus is pulling healthy trade in Sydney on longrun date. Unit is still under management of Doris Wirth. Femme manager .says .she'll have new- acts from overseas soon. . " Rov Ro"cr= is ..scaring with^Aussie m.a.sses vi->^ his wc.stprns 'ffi.-iC gp' tp Greater vU'nion and indffS cxHiibs. Chicago Elmo Tanner planning to organize his own band. Dean Murphy and wife Dottie Day in town on their way east. Gus Van, at Colosimos, celebrat- ing 60th birthday this; week. Sam Honigbers' took over flack duties for Colo.simos last week. Benny Fields opened a two- week engagement at new Showboat nitery, Milwaukee. Ted Tod, former Warner Bros.', fiaclc her^, joining Vanguard Films and skedded to head its Chi office. Chester Conn in Chi to plug 20th-Fox's "Three Little Girls in Blue," skedded for a Chi opening in Nov. ■ Danny Ka e has been: added to the list of stars to appear at the Chi- cago theatre's 25th anni celebration Oct. 18. Oscar Furstenberg has been ap- pointed superintendent of produc- tion for the newly incorporated Fil- mack Corn. Show following Gracie Fields at the Chez Paree Oct. 7 will be headed by Sophie Tucker, Bobby Brecn and Willie Shore and will be the costli- est, ever presented at the spot. Hollywood IS . By Les Rees Curly's nitery: has "Imaglnators." William Zoellner, M-G home- office, a visitor. - Gene Meredith. Warner Brothers' chief accountant, vacationing. Sonia Cortis held over at Hotel Dycltman Robin Hood Room. John Sebastian into Hotel Radis- son Flame Room with Ray Morton orchestra. Walter Hoflfman, 20th-Fox ex- oloiteer, off to Hollywood for three- week vacation jaunt ^ Hotel Lowry Terrace Cafe re- opened with Ted Weems orch and Richard & Flora Stuart Prom Ballroom has Don Glaser for three nights and Del Courtney and Ray McKinley for one-nighters this week. y Andre Kostalanetz orch will be augmented by local musicians to number 80 pieces for Sunday (22) concert at Auditorium. St. Paul Civic Opera .season to open with "Naughty Marietta" fol- lowed by "Madam Butterfly" and "Maytime" or "Katinka." "Rendezvous with Annie," current at 4,000-seat Radio City with Desi Arnaz-Vivian Blaine stage show, is first Republic pic spotted into 'house under present operation. W. E. "Farmer" Jones given green lisht to proceed with his new 800- seat theatre at Marshall, Minn., be- cause building will include apart- ments foe discharged war veterans. Grace McDonald, who has quit films and stage to settle down here as housewife, and husband, Ralph Green, to launch series of children's Saturday film .shows at Lyceum, le- f'it roadshow house. Bob Murnhy, Sunday Tribune film editor and critic, wrote up Min- nesota Amus. Go's. Chateau theatre, Rochester. Minn., whose patrons in- cllide Mayo'clinic visitors and which has one section without seats, ex- clasively devoted to Wheel-chair clients. Rank's Viiteo Continued from p.tge I tele hookup rather tlian an outright buy. ■■■»■.,;■:, Should the deal go through,: Rank would : have a handy centralized pommunication setup to pipe visual programs to many houses within the foreseeable future without costly in- stallation expenses. With success- ful experimentation of blownup tele programs on a full-sized theatre screen nearing completion in two Rank companies, Bush Radio and Cinema Television, it is understood that several of the British tycoon's houses in the West End will be the first to innqvate telescreenings. British producer's plans call for sports events as the first tele piece- de-re.sistance' to lure fUm patrons. Stress on sports is double-barrelled since not only are the Britishers hot fans but theatres could compete for patronage with the event itself. LiJasing of co-ax system is feasible since both high frequency radar and tele are in the same order of moga- eycles'ihakfnj^'the switch sompfhirig (>nifineei's'ean hartdle.' " Bob Goodfried in from New Yoi k, Loretta Younff to Honolulu on va- cation. David Bruce, nitery owner, di- vorced. Jimmy Lloyd laid up with .sinus trouble. King Vidor' to San Franci.sco on' business. Jules Stein clippering- to South , America. > . Walter McCreery trained in from New York. Marian Cohn recovering from ap- pendectomy. Bill Davidson hospitalized l<ii' mi- nor surgery. Danny and Sylvia Kaye to Colo- rado Springs. Fortimio Bbnanova to Mexico City for film work. Jack English to Oregon on a fish- ing vacation. Bert M. Steam in town from Pennsylvania. Lou Weiner checked in as a Re- public publicist. Tiny Hill laid; up with an injury / to his left hand; Angela Lansbury divorced Ri(;ll- ard Cromwell. ■ Bsn Kalmenson in for. sale.*-- hudr , dies at Warners. ' " Barry Sullivan returned fronr a fly- ing trip to: Dallas. :, (iordon Hollingshead to Balboa fiu^ a fishing vacation. ; ' Jimmy McHugh, Jr.,-, in- from the London MCA office, .. ■ Besa Short in from Texas to look: over shorts product; .. ; . ' y, .' ,: . ,:; Ginger Rogers' and Jack Bvi.gSS:t6 j their (jregon ran(;h. Stanley Cortez to Mexico for two. weeks of gandering. Frank:Faylen returned from his.: Manhattan vacation. Curtis Bernhardt will ;-,:iil for France in December. : Martin Kosleck cooking up a .^ix- week tour of England. Richard Ney back in town ;after : two weeks at Del Monte. ' Cora Sue Collins and Ivan Staufl'or took a license to remarry. A.. L. Kaplan in from China for studio huddles at Warners. Janell Lynn, Warners actress; hos- pitalized for major surgery. Tom Conlon hospitalized with, a recurrence of a former illness. Herman Belmonte, Costa Rica ac- tor, became an American, citizen. Earl McClintock returned to War- ners after four weeks in Honolulu; Maureen O'Hara bedded by a back injury sustained on the 20th-Fox lot. Ivan Kirov hospitalized for further observation, following an operation. Howard da'Silva returned to work at Paramount after five days out with flu. Al Rogell on an 8,000-mile plane trip to scout locations in the Pacific Northwest Dan Russell named foreign pub- licity manager for Samuel Goldwyn Productions. J.: Carrol Naish mulling an offer tO: star in a Yip Harburg production ' on Broadway. Edward O'Connor left for Manila as regional director for Loew's. Inc., in the Far E-ast ' Carol Reed in from London to di- rect "Portrait in Black" at Univer- sal-International. ■ Irene Lee is from New York to discuss story properties with her boss. Hal Wallis. . Robert Ryan returned to work at RKO after a week off; the result of a horse accident. Tony Reddin, Paramount's ex- ploitation chief for England, in town for studio confabs. Sy Bartlett back from the Wiscon- .sin woods where he completed a whaling story for 20th-Fox. Tiiomas H, Morahan. Briti.sli art : director, arrived from London to work for David O. Selznick. Ernie Hallcr, Warners camcran'ian, draws a .six-week vacation after three years of steady work. Sherman Harris on leave of ab- .soncc from Sol Wurtzel Productions to recuperate from recent .sur..>pry. Jack L. Warner received a .scroll of tribute for contributions to Mme. Sun Yat Sen's food relief nrogram in China. Jimmy MoHugh, a former Boston Opera Hou.se office boy, now .song- smith, went longhair at a recent gar- den party at his Beverly Hills home when he had as guests Mayor Bow- ron of Los Angeles, Jeanettc Mac- Donald and Gene Raymond, Mr and Mrs. Jan Kiepura. and otheiT: Mc- Hugh even coritribbed a few Piitcini arias on the 88. San Franciseo By Ted Friend John Elwood to New York. Orson Welles at the Mark Hopkins. Dan Topping and Bruce Cabot in town. Barbizoa Room moving in as town's top late spot. Al Williams to open new room in El Cortez hotel. Caimen Cavallero and Joe Reich- man Nob-hilling. Mark Hellinger due in for press conferences on "The Killers" open- ing. KSFO and AFRA join in new,i.( ri(,'3 titled "Give 'Em a . Break" to' curb juve delinquency. Copacabaha .still closed wjtl> dis- jtrict attorney investigating, ttllegcd rnickcying" of bandsmen worklnj? in