Variety (May 1948)

N.Y. Paramouid to theatre Telecast Madison Square Gaitlep eustomers at the Broadway*' Paramount theatre may get a chance to see via theatre television' all sports events staged at Madi- son Sq. Garden, N. Y., next fall and wlntef. That Par will get a crack at beaming the events onto Its^ theatre screen was assured this week by Garden prexy C>en. Jolin Heed Kilpatrick- who declared that "we'll cooperate in every way pos- sible to pasti theatre television, Just as we helped develop home television." Plans for Par to telecast the lorthcomiAg I*uis-Walcott heavy- weight championship fight into the theatre are stiU in the talking stages, Gen. Kilpatrick said. In- dustry trade observers believe that the Garden has already made a deal witlt Par for the fight, but is keeping: mum on the plan until it's certain of a sellout at Yankee Sta- dium, N. Y., where the fight will be staged June 23. If fight fans know in advance " they'll be able to see the match in the compara- tive comfort of the Par theatre, it's pointed out, it's hardly likely therell be much of a rush for the lower-priced Stadium, seats In the outfield' Gen. Kilpatrick emphasized ttiat all contracts yet made l^-the Gar- den for video rights to any event distinguish between home teU and theatre-tele. Even if the station airing Garden events for home sets refused to permit Par to come in on its piclcup. consequently,, the Gdrden could still assign separate theatre T?ideo rights to Par, which would use its own equipment. Company was forced to that ex- pediency in the original demon- stration of its intermediate film method at the Par theatre April ' 14. It's still believed likely that «ponsoi« ttankrolUng the regular home telecasts, however, will wel- come a^ duplicated theatre tele becaiiBe of the much larger audi- ence avtUlable for theii^ commer- «iid plu^is; Fopoliur in Pictures French Legion of Honor To WB^'s Joseph Himunel Paris, May 4. Having decided to show appre- ciation of ivhat the Warners have always done for France, and untible to- decorate them since already he- ribboned, the French government awarded a Legion of Honor to Joe HumtnelL Presentation was made by Mrs. George Bidault, wife of foreign minister, Mrs. Jaek Warner was present at the ceremony along with Mrs.'Hummel. Hummel was himself greatly suu- prised by the citation, since, con- trary to usual procedure, it was awarded without the recipient be- ing asked to file any papers, and came quite unexpectedly. Foreign exec entered the WB firm 32 y^ars ago, most of which was spent in France where he was the flirst Americaii exec to return in a civilian capacity after libera- tion. If 16 Good, That's Bad, If It's Bad, That's Bad, Too, for Pix in Colombia Relevant recent riots in Bogota. Colombia, during the Pan-Ameri- can, cottteixnce, reports now filter- ing from that country ^play up the volatility of Colombians. -They take their politics strong and their reac- tion to entertainment is equally mercurial. It's not at all unusual, observers say, for Colombian film fans to tear up seats in local thea-- tres when the pic isn't to their liking/ The forays against the furniture are generally preceded by yelUng and shouting to halt the show. U that's not done, the seat-tearing; follows. One story, recently sent out by the wire services, relates a new gimmick. When the film is bad, the patrons, it seems, stick matches under their fingernails, light them, (Continued on page 22) 306th WEEK! KEN MURRAY'S "BLACKOUTS OF 1948" El Capitan Theatre, Hollywood, Cai. Now Playing Nationally "BILL- AND COO" Special Academy Award Winner Hollywood, May 4. Husband and wife teams are get- ting a heavy play in Hollywood rpictmres these days, with John Agar and his -bride, Shirley Temple, leading the .list. This matrimomal combo recently appeared In "Fort Apache" and has two more films lined up, "Baltimore Escapade" and "What Every Young Bride Should Know." Cornel Wilde and; Patricia Knight will be teamed in "The tovers" at C«>lumbia. Fredric March and Florence Eldridge, who co-starred in "Another Part of the Forest," do it again in "I Stand Ac- cused." Richard Greene and Patricia Medina will work together in "The O'Flynn" at Universal-Internation- al, Jean Pierre Aumont and Maria Montez were teamed in "Atlantis," which is still to be released. Hum- phrey Btigart and I.auren Bacall have played opposite each other in three films since their marriage. One producer who does not be- lieve in marital teams on the screen is Herbert J. Yates, He- public prexy, who has dissolved the Boy Rogers-Dale Evans co-starring team since their marriage. Sherwood, Helbum, Return From Europe , Flock, of show people arc due to - arrive in New York today (Wed.) aboard the Queen Mary. Among passengers ' listed are author- play wri^t Robert E. Sherwood. Theresa Helbum, executive direc- tor of the Thea^ Guild; actress Mady Christians, and film pro- ducer Arnold Pressbulrger. Outgoing complement of the Mauretania today is headed py newlyweds Lana Turner and Bob Topping. They're bound for Lon- don, where he's opening a midget auto track. Also sailing on the same ship are nightclub operator Lou Walters and two members of the Dublin Gate Theatre, Hilton Edwards and Michael MacLiam- moir. Feb-AAidshTaxes total $30,461,572 Wasldngton, May 4. Further signs that amusement biz is on the way np once more was given last week in the 20% tax figures reported by the Bureau of Internal Revenue, for March. This generally refiects Felmuucy at the boxoffice. The general admissions bite was a nice $30,461,572, compared to the $28,796,825 for the same month of 1947, and a saucy $5,000,000 over the $25,410,738 in taxes on the January, ' 1948, business. About 80% of these figures cover motion pictures. On the nitery front, however, things were gloomy.. The 20% tax on tabs brought Uncle'Sam $3,852,- 916, compared with $4,122,544 for the previous .month and $4,307,285 for February, 1947, business. New York's srd Internal Revenue District, which .takes In the Broad- way sector, turned Aver $5,973,125 in general admissions taxes, a gain of $1,300,000 over the preceding month; and $453,186 in nightclub taxes, about $80,000 above the' previous month. In New York The Good Old Two-a^Days In a recent issue of VAiHETy,'staffer Joe Laurie, Jr., saluted tho Palace theatre (meeca of the two:a-day) which reached its 35th mil^ stone. It was a fascinating essay by one whb was a feature of the big-time places most of his professional career.. .His film story, "ADrii Showers" (Warners), is an accurate .document ojt the old vaude days The movie reminded us of these paragraphs, Elbert Hubbard, the famed hiimorist, played the music halls'at one time. He created this tribute to the agelessness of the actors: "Vaude- ville performers are all children. . They never grow up. The gods love them, for they die young no matter how long they live"., ,You never really lived, they used to say, untU you played the Palace (at 47th and Broadway), and if your act "died" there, it had to be because it was pretty bad. The Palace audiences were pushovers for the competent and if you were booked there, the wages didn't matter; The prestige of playing it was worth a career. ' 'Hamlet' Looks Set London, May 4. Laurence Olivier's filming of "Hamlet" was shown to the press today (4), opinion being that it's superb and memora- ble, bringing tremendous prestige to the industry. It will be argued about tor years, is the belief, but it sbould out- gross "Henry V." After the King and Queen attend the premiere May 6, fllin will be shown twice daUy. J. Arthur Rank's exepnditure Of nearly $2,000,000 on the pic is considered justifiable. Radio isn't anything Uke vaudeville, where, when youliad an acttlte audiences appreciated, you could go along with it for seasons. Claside example: Victor Moore and his wife, Emma Littlefield, played the same routine for three decades. They never changed a line—not one... Once they tinkered with a paragraph or two and managers screamed and tore their toupees. The original lines were returned,. .And the irony of it.. .The Moore-Littlefield specialty was called: "Change Your Act!" The.'4 Marx Brothers never got "big heade'd".. ."We always remem- ber that to get from Syracuse to Broadway it took us eight yeArs. And it is only eight hours bacfcion the sleeper." If you're a night clubber, you are familiar with the heckling many acts take.. .Some drunks or show-offs (lit up with dizzy w^ter) enjoy insulting the entertainers..They have tried to break up the Berles, Jessels, Youngmans, et al., all of whom, however, are w comics to twit. Their rejoinders have devastated hecklers. Perhaps the top retort (to a pest Ottt front) was that puUed by George Rosenor, the big-tihier. It was at the old Columbia burlesk house (where the Mayf^r now is) and on Sabbaths the six days a week burlesk gave way to vaudeville bills. . .A galleryite (during a tacit moment in -Rosenor's serious act) flung a penny.. .It sounded like a bomb in the silence. i Rosenor halted the act, removed his wig, looked up at the gallery and intoned: "Will those seated near the person who threw that cohi take a goodMook at him?"., .The spectators in the vicinity of the heckler naturally turned and looked. Then came the punch-line... Rosenor (pausing only a moment} said: "Now 'that you have looked at that person—^you have a' very good idea why we bave birth control." The applause was deafening. Once a henSkler caused the death of a great star, to hear vaude-veUl argue it... literally, not professionally. It happened at the Palace in 1913.. .His name was Nat Wills, a beloved tramp comic.. .The headliner was Sarah Bernhardt, just in from Paris.. .It was the opening matinee and Sarah (the Divine).went over big . The clapping kept on long after she took her last bow... Wills made the boner of coming on stage. . The audience broke into heavier applause and. an usher (who waited too long) handed a huge bokay of posies over the footlights. They were for Sarah, of >^ourse.. .Wills motioned to her to come on stage and take then^TT^e removed his hat in great respect to her. But a heckler yeUed: "Give 'em to Wills. He's dying!" Two-a-dayers insist the cruel crack ruined the sensitive Wills. He was never the same after it. A few years later he died of carbon- monoxide poisoning in his garage. ..Broadway never stopped wonder^ ingi DX/s Belated DST . Washington, May 4. Washington and the suburban Mattyland and Virginia areas swung over to daylight saving time Sun- day* (2); lining. up with the re- mainder of theeastj a week late. Time change, eases the j>roblem of .the networks in covering this; area but will interfere with mo- tion picture biz, since daylight will interfere with the first evening show. U.S.-Dutch Tax Pact Washington, May 4. State Department signed a treaty With the Netherlands last week, eliminating double income taxes on the earnings of the nationals of the t^o countries. It is similar to the agreements now in force with Britain, Canada, France and Sweden. It benefits actors and other show business figures who work abroad temporarily and who, heretofore, were subject to taxa- tion from both countries. Main Changes, Reductions Classified for Taxpayers By MintBAY PICARD, C.P.A. ( Partner of the New York accounting firm of Winters, Picard k Leder- man, clossiyieS'some of the main changes and reductions in the New Federal Revenue Act of 1948.) Having just completed filing andf- paying your 1947 individual income tax as .well as paying your first in- stallment on your estimated 1948 income, the new tax law is a wel- come surprise to most taxpayers. This new law is intended not only to provide relief for individ- uals from the high wartime rates of taxation, but more important, to equalize the burden of income taxes as between married taxpayers who reside in the 12 community property states and those residing elsewhere, This is accomplished by the so-called "splitting of income" by married taxpayers, where only one spouse, is earning all of the .in- come or most of the income. Reductions are effected by the following means: The Wo reduction in tax (as distrnfluished from a redtiction in rates) allowed in 1947 has been increased to 17% up to $400 of tax; between $400 and $100,000 o/ tax the reduction is 12% plus $68;.' oucr $100,000 of tax 9.75% pltts $12,020. Exemption for indiriduols, $600 instead of $500. Exemptim, for dependents, $600 each instead of $500 each. Exemption for a spouse over 65, $600 as compared to nothing in prior years. The main reduction in taxes, par- ticularly on incomes in the higher brackets, is ca'Used by the splitting of income by married couples, which is accomplished only by fil- ing a joint return. After deducting all allowable credits and exemp- tions from the combined net in- comes of husbaipd and wife, the tax is computed on one-half the re- mainder. Th»* resulting tax is then multiplied by two to arrive at the total tax. An additional deduction for med- ical' expenses is also allowed on a joint return. For each additional exemption over two, a maximum of (Continued on page 29) Vaudeyillians have minted sardonic wisecracks for years about the men who did the booking. - .F. F. Proctor took a lot of them.. .He was one of the fairest and most principled of the showmen... Some of us remember the time Bob Cole'and Rosamond Johnson (author of the memorable "Under the Bamboo Tree") played Proctor's 5th Avenue theatre.. .A Simon Legree stage manager (corroded v^ith race preju- dice) tried to humiliate the colored stars... When old man Proctor learned of it he went there >in person and thrashed the heel.. .And forever barred him from Proctor temples. One of the first stories this column used dealt with a London star who dreaded coming to New York, ..To comfort him the bookers of the Palace told him he would try-out in nearby places until he was convinced he would click. The poor fellow's act laid an omelet at the Warburton theatre, Yonkers. The audiences just didn't "get" his stuff—although he came billed, as "England's funniest comedian"... The next afternoon while strolling he paused to inspect a fish store window display...A big mackerel was the chief attraction—resting in peace—on hunks of ice. "By jove," he exclaimed, "thet reminds meh. I 'ave a matinee!" Demands of some stars have been strange. May Irwin, Bernhardt and Elsie Janis insisted on clauses in their contracts barring animal acts.. ."They are too cruel," they argued. .Alexander WooUcott paid one star back. He reported that she attired herself in fur pieces "made from some poor skunks!" Lillian Russell once played at Proctor's 23rd Street, She demanded and got a dressing room, built especially for her In the wings, "so she wouldn't rip her frocks walking up and down stairs". ..They had * nfeat trick at the Palace when the headliners threatened to walk off the bill unless they had the star dressing room.. The management got around that—by having the star room repainted "that week." Vaudeville censors blue-pencilled songs such as VMama Goes Where Papa Goes"; "Why Did She Keep Him After School?".. .In Troy, N. V., you couldn't mention "Ferry Street"... In Boston you couldn't say: "Weak as the German mark.'.. .You weren't allowed to call Washington "the city famous for its marble domes".. In Louisville "hot dog" was banned.. .Acrobats (who did comedy) Were cautioned: "Keep hands away from seat after you take a fall." Ben Bemie, the colyum's old girl, played the Palace often with Ph'j Baker and other partners. Once in a new turn, he Was spotted "2nO. on the heavy-with-talent bill.. .He flopped. He told the manager he<* quit "if I have to follow the opening act"—^Kamo's Monks! "I was going to switch you, anyhow," sarcasm'd the manager. "If" afraid the audience will think it's an encore!" (R«I«rint«<l from Y. Mirror, May i, 18U)