Variety (Feb 1947)

Wednesday* February 12, 1947 LITERATI 53 Literati I" Affaire Stem Charging that he was forced to sell the Philly Becord and Camden Courier-Post to the Evening Bulletin because the American Newspaper Guild was seeking to destroy him, J, David Stem warned the nation "against the" cancerous growth that jeopardizes the keystone of our liberties" in his testimony yesterday (Tuesday) before the House Educa- tion and Labor Committee in Wash- ington. Stefti charged that there was-.considerable Communist Party influence in the leadership of the Philly local" that led the walkout against his papers. Charge that the sale of the Stern papers to the Bulletin was really trafficking in newsprint was made in Washington Monday (10) by Guild spokesmen, who testified before the Committee. • Lead was taken by Sam Eubanks, ANG exec veepee. Issue was par- ticularly important because the Bul- letin has got all of J. David Stern's newsprint contracts, amounting to an estimated 40,000 to 50*000 tons annu- ally, while no paper is available for a daily paper in Camden, N. J., and hundreds of small users all over the U. S. are being squeezed. "Mr. Stern," said Eubanks, "had mortgaged his properties recently and had used .the proceeds to pur- chase one of the leading radio sta- tions, WCAU. Perhaps the terms of that mortgage had something to do with his decision to sell. But he had one valuable asset—the right to pur- chase newsprint. The supply is in- adequate today to care for all the newspapers that c.ou)d be printed. "His contracts were made last year at OPA ceiling price of $85 per ton. Then the Government decontrolled it. Now the price to those without contracts is $200 a ton and better. Stein was offering a very valuable asset. We are forced to conclude that Stern would have suspended •,his papers for his own financial gain even though there had never been a strike." Reports persisted over the week- end that the prosperous money-mak- ing Camden newspaper properties had several prospective purchasers more or less clamoring to buy the sheets "from the Bulletin. However, the fate of the Record remained in doubt. Competent ob- servers in Philly's newspaper row pointed out that prospective pur- chasers viewed with a leery eye the cold fact that the Bulletin, in acquir- ing features of the Sunday Record, left this sheet with only a six-day franchise, certainly an unattractive prospect for a possible purchaser. Meanwhile, as palavers regarding purchase of the Stern papers re- portedly went on, the staff of the Bulletin suffered the birth pains at- tendant upon a new publication— the first issue of the Sunday Bulle- tin. But they got the paper out. This tremendous project, usually the result of months of planning and conferences, made its initial appear- ance on schedule, on a week's notice. The rush into print was explained by Bulletin officials, who said sus- pension of the Record and the Cam- den Courier-Post newspapers left a gap in Philadelphia's Sunday news- paper field which readers wanted filled at once. They filled it. The Sunday Bulletin hit the homes and newsstands as a lusty brother of the circulation-swelled Evening Bulletin. It contained such Record features as the American Weekly, Parade, the comics, the Spirit, and the familiar columnists. Through it all, the ac- tivity and the confabs, leaders and members of the Guild held firm to their position—the strike continues, to maintain their legal status as a group with whom a new buyer must negotiate in collective bargaining. whom had obtained jobs in other plants. Members of the Newspaper Guild, who, with the blessing of the typos had worked throughout the contro- versy, writing radio news and win- dow bulletins, agreed to a new con- tract soon" after the strike ended. This called for $16 a week pay in- crease on top minimums, similar to the amount obtained by the Typo- graphical Union. During the blackout the public turned to the radio and out-of-town newspapers, while advertisers used store papers, mail, radio and The Sun, biweekly throwaway selling for a nickel temporarily. tering about San Francisco during the time of the earthquake. He also has in the works a novel dealing with the Comstock Lode. Both will be published by P-H. Geo. Middleton's Biog One of the founders of the Drama- tists Guild, playwright George Mid- dleton, recalls how he personally inked George Bernard Shaw, Sir Ar- thur Wing Pinero, Noel Coward and others, in his forthcoming autobiog- raphy, "These Things Are Mine," due in May via Macmillan. Book covers Middleton's career in the theatre for the past 40 years. Author of a score of plays, he writes of the Erlanger legit monopoly and also contributes anecdota on George M. Cohan, Julia Marlowe, 'Sarah Bernhardt, David Belasco, et al. M♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦»4»»««♦♦♦«♦♦»♦» !! SCULLY'S SCRAPBOOK : » « By Frank Scully « Now or, Nev., Feb. 7. Nominated for an extra Oscar: The guy who feeds fish to the Breen seal. Reversion to Tripe That everybody is not taken in by all these spinning wheels, an old lady exiled by a prosperous Hollywood son to Las Vegas for her health was reporting to him that the place was full of hicks. "Why, mother, how can you say that?" countered her son. "On your left are Harvard people from Boston. On your right is a steel man from Toledo. The mayor is an Oxford man." "Yes," interrupted mama, "and after three months around 1 here they're all hicks." French Silver Lining Pessimistic attitude embodied in Jean-Paul Satre's "existentialist" philosophy has opened up a highly lucrative French market for books of American and English authors. Sartre's philosophy, taking a foot- hold in the present troubles of post- war Prance, has gathered under its fold most French authors. Public, consequently, is fast becoming tired of the pessimism and will buy almost any foreign book as a relief from the existentialist line. With an acute shortage of paper still existing in France, however, foreign authors no longer discuss terms with a French publisher on the money angle. Deals now revolve around how much black-market pa- per the publisher can guarantee to provide for the author's work. Betty Smith Back From Abroad Betty Smith, author of "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn," her daughter, Nancy, and her husband, Joe Jones, have returned to their home at Chapel Hill, N. C, after a three- month stay in Switzerland. In Switzerland Miss Smith wrote a scenario, "American Youth," for Swiss producer Lazar Wechsler. Filming will take place in the United States. Return was timed to coincide with the appearance of her new book, which is expected to reach sales counters soon. The book is entitled "Tomorrow Will Be Better" and has a Brooklyn locale. It is not, however, a sequel to "Tree," author says. It is being published by Harper's. Ashton Stevens' Salute Devoting a recent column to Ber- nard Sobers, "The Honorable Craft of Press Age'ntry," the Chicago Her- ald & American's Ashton Stevens was moved to write at length about yesterday's press agents because, he said, "today's press agents ..have given me so little to write about to- day." Sobel's tome prompted Stevens to recall that after a half-century of writing about the theatre, he had discovered he had muffed a "very important chore"—that of being a press agent. Critic also pointed out that Sobel glaringly omits only him- self (Sobel) and the late Percy Hammond among p.a.'s who became notables in the world of "arts arid letters. Casey at Bat What turned out to be one of the poorest-timed layoffs in Chi news- paper biz broke this week. Robert Casey, vet of 25 years' service with the Daily News, had a squabble with editors and was retired. Reporter, who had covered late Al Capone for years, was let out day before gang- .ster died. Next day, Herald-Ameri- can plastered Casey all over the front page with "I .Knew Capone." News had to carry straight wire story. Casey and W. A. S. Douglas, former columnist of the Sun, have banded together as a writing team to do biogs of leading companies. First client of "Historians" is the M.K.-T. railroad. Also in the works is an if-and-when-electcd biog of Martin H. Kennelly, Democratic candidate for Chi mayor. Asso- ciated with them on the publicity is Jack Hess, formet Paramount and RKO publicity head in Chicago. No Luce - New Yorker Tie Report that any "feud" between the New Yorker and Luce Publica- tions had been relaxed because the Luce organization had acquired quite a bit of F-R stock, is denied by Harold Ross, New Yorker editor, who states "there is no truth in this —none whatever." Ross also denied the stock pur- chase was responsible for the ex- change of writers between the two publications. Exchange was evi- denced by the New Yorker's pacting of John Hersey, Life writer, to do his now-famous "Hiroshima" piece and by some of Ross' stable doing stories for Life. p-H's 'Vermilion* Splurge Prentice-Hall ha? ordered a first Rochester (N. Y.i Dailies Resume , Rochester's two dailies, The Times- Union and the Democrat & Chron- icle, resumed publication Feb. 8, just three months after they were blacked out by a strike of the Typographical Union. Both papers are operated by the Gannett Co. Although the strike was settled a month ago, the papers did not re- sume then becau.se of demands of four other mechanical unions for back pay. They claimed the com- pany broke their contracts, while the management declared it "would not, order to pet it to pay men for striking," and the unions j quickly as possible refused the company's offer to arbi- the chore last trate the issue. . Pressmen finally agreed to arbi- 15. trate. Mailers and stercotypers | An expert CHATTER Si Newton has bought into the Oil Reporter. Cedric Belfrage has sold a book on undertakers to Sloan. Kay Campbell to Seattle on a mis- sion for American Home mag. Jack Horner, former Salute editor, now associate editor of Collier's. Cass Canfield gandering Holly- wood studios for Harper'& Bros. Evelyn Waugh, British novelist, visiting Hollywood for the first time. Ann Helming joined the drama- staff of the Hollywood Citizen-News. LlOyd Sloan started a daily motion picture column in the Hollywood Citizen-News. Idwal Jones' new book, "Ver- milion," comes off the Prentice-Hall press March 15 Octavus Roy Cohen is in Las Vegas to write a yarn about that town for Cosmopolitan mag. Dana Tasker, assistant managing editor of Time, in Hollywood to gander studio doings. Cameron Shipp is writing a story for Colliers on the problems of in- dependent film producers, Dorothy Kilgallari's Saturday col- umn . in N. Y. Journal-American slated for change of format. Molly Castle's "New Winds Are Blowing" has breezed into Swedish, Danish and French editions. Walter Seltzer and his wife, Mick- ell-Novak, sold Coronet mag a story about neurotic dogs in Hollywood. Harold Salemson, resigned as di rector of publications of Screen Writer, is back writing for French press. Milton Luban now handling Holly wood for Federated Press and American Veterans Committee weekly. 'Alfred Street," by Russell Mc- Lauchlin. drama and music critic for the Detroit News, now in its third printing. "Plays of the American West," a collection of 15 one-acters by Rob- ert Finch will be published by Greenberg in February. Ralph Pearl is writing a Holly- wood column in Las Vegas Life, a twice-monthly magazine published in the Nevada metropolis. MacMillan, publishers of Kathleen Winsor's "Forever Amber," prepar- ing a 30th edition of the tome whose sales have now topped 1,400,000 copies. . Beth Brown, authoress and dog fancier, has glorified her hobby in a romance titled, "Mr. Jolly's Hotel for Dogs," which Regent House is publishing shortly. Jules Archer is doing pieces on Richard Tyler, kid star of "Chris- topher Blake," and "The Lustiness of America," with emphasis on bur- lesque, smokers, shivarees, etc. James FitzPatrick, producer Retreat From Glory This business of backing border-line competitors of show biz may be a nice way to report capital losses to cut income taxes, but the Jack Ford way is better. More Oscars should go for performances of this sort. Here's a chap who wanted to do something for all who had served with him under OSS and the Navy. So when he got an offer to direct "They Were Expendable" in wartime he told the producers to clear through the Navy, His price, he told the top levels in both Washington and Hollywood (where his salary as a captain on sea duty could hardly exceed $100 a week), was $250,000—payable to naval relief, He asked Secretary of Navy Forrestal to earmark the dough for a pet project, a sort of sailor's home Ford had in mind. Receiving his chief's okay, Ford went into the San Fernando Valley and picked up an estate for $60,000, that had everything but a coat of paint, i From there he went to town. He laid out a home, chiefly in the maple era of New England. Completed, it looked like a dream at rest. It had a swimming pool, badminton, tennis court and all that, hatch, but it still looked as if it needed a coat of paint on the outside. But inside! Beautiful master bedrooms to sleep 14, dens, living rooms, play rooms, bars and snackeries. Any member of Ford's fleet can put up free, except for liquor, and that's at cost. The directorial fee pays the overhead. Only one room is held on'an exclusive basis. That has two gold stars on the door and is reserved for Major General "Wild Bill" Donovan. Other- wise, Field Foto Farm is completely a naval operation. Oscar to Hersholt? Another Oscar should go to Jean Hersholt for his production a few miles beyond Ford's fantasy. That is the Motion Picture Country House. Here is the best proof that some people in Hollywood think beyond their horses' noses. If the Foto Farm is completely the work of Jack Ford, the country house iS chiefly the work of Jean Hersholt. Himself an actor who began laying away 12%% of his salary years ago, Hersholt has never been tough on those who'were less provident. Thanks to him, Hollywood talent today owns a country house that is worth at least a million dollars as a property and is self-supporting through interest on bonds and investments. It is the flower of the industry's relief fund, and its dining room, library, cottages and grounds are so beautiful that you're willing to forgive and forget all that Hollywood dough poured down the drains of faraway gambling palaces. Iff 1933, when Hersholt became president of the Motion Picture Relief Funcf, 25% of the fund went into overhead. Today only 112/3% goes into staffing the project. By 1944 the excess of income over expenditure showed a favorable balance of $260,360.08, and the long-range Hersholt manner of running things now has nearly $4,000,000 in .capital investments out of which to pay current expenses. Right now the clinic is being enlarged to an 87-bed job. Nothing but the most beautiful equipment will pass through its portals. Anybody who has put in 20 years in the picture business is eligible to register as a guest. They're all guests, not inmates. - Several years ago some mugg wrote that there were only three civilized homes in that land of magnificent mansions. Hersholt checked the checker. "I have one. You have one," he said. "Who has the third?" It took years te find it, but if he asked again I'd say the old-time troupers at the Country House have the third. Corporations Go Human Issue between American Red Cross and the Permanent Charities Com- mittee of the Motion Picture industry puts Basil O'Connor in the switch for the first time since FDR moved him up to a key position in rescue work. Unlike the Prez, O'Connor shrinks from controversy, but he had to face this one because the Red Cross is convinced it is too big to take impersonal handouts. Though claiming its life depends on personal membership, actually the Red Cross is pretty much of a closed corporation. Members have as much chance of picking the president as a guy with 10 shares has of picking the head of U. S. Steel. But it's true, charity is getting to be run strictly as a corporate and soulless biz, and it's ironic that the Red Cross should be forced to fight for the humanization of alms-giving and the picture biz, the most gen- erous of all industries, should find itself billed as the heavy. Split Personality Lasts Split Week It isn't up to me, I now learn, to make any Anatomy Award to Earl Wilson. The Oscar has already been tossed to Ingrid Vergman, a Skid Row weaver, who has been ordered to go back to her own name, if she can find it. Legal eagle of Miss Bergman's caused the restraining order. It's now debated whether to call the stripper Pullet Goddard, Jane Hustle, Alexis Myth, Moaner Loy, Greeter Garbo, Deanna Derby or Heady Lamour. * . Horror Story continued from page 1 port of an investigation by Flynn's committee. Leading Twin City psy- chiatrists and psychologists, inter- viewed' by the committee, generally agreed that such forms of entertain- ment could have harmful effects on children from mental, psychological and social standpoints. It was agreed to make the drive a major j thg end tnat q Ualit y of ra aio pro- and immediate project and copies of , grams may be improved." der'mysteries aired at the smallfry's bedtime. "Woman in White" and "Ma Perkins" were two of the dramas particularly blasted, with a resolution passed which said in part: "We as members of the board should inform ourselves of the problems of radio broadcasting, should become intelligent and discriminating listen- ers, and should actively support the. radio poll to be conducted by the Des Moines Register and Tribune to of ' the committee report and executive ; IIt;«_„ rt f snnnn roDies of James v itzramcK, prouucei w ... Little, radio editor for tne edition printing ot &u,uu<J copies ui , „ .,, ubUai a series board s resolution have been sent to ■ "T 1 / * Jllt , r l .r " ~. n .„„_ Mwnl Tones' "Verm lion," top novel i Traveltalks, win puonsii a **r lKa < .„ rhn n1 nHnrinal and local Register and Tribune, will soon stai t on e P H roster for 1947. Jones of postwar travel guides m three ■ every school prmcipal and local determine favorite pro- Z , ,r+*™rn fh« Pmst to New volumes, first of which will be on P.T.A. president. , was brought -from the Coast to New, and South America.; The Minneapohs York to read p. oof on the book m . • Frazier. has a pro- ! editorial cognizanc. Tribune cognizance of the took eam- thi> nrinter as i Prolific George Frazier, has a pro. and wound up file on Mark Hellinger in True mag , paign. commending it because of its week Publication for March: a cldseup on PetrUlo in ; constructive character. dale has bVn7ent*r7ely set for May ; pier's March 8 ; „ piece on Madi son Sq. Garden and Gen. John Reed 'Shameful' Supers B'asted early California. Kilpatrick in a forthcoming True; Des Moines, Feb. 11. »,..„»...- „«»„ «.• Z- ro and a piece on Irving Berlin in an i The board of directors of the Des signed a new wage agreement with-1 Jones is currently working on a o- ' Coronet. Also a Crosby ! Moines Women's clubs is now ob- out back pay, and last to sign up; mantic novel of Calionmi vine- u ^ m £«^™ ,0 £ flu £' 0 Ejecting to soap operas and to mur-lto the sponsors, were the photo-engravers, all five ofyards. with much of the action cen- | piece m tun cm sauue. H „ ams of the listening audience. The resolution stems from the comments of Robert Kazmayer of Rochester, N. Y„ author and com- mentator, who told the club Jan. 8 that he was "ashamed of the stuff women are listening to" and picked out "Stella Dallas" as a horrible ex- ample, urging the women to protest