Variety (Jul 1948)

W«l««8day, Jttly 28, 194g Broadway Dick Dorso, of Century Artists, east tor a couple of weeks., Vinton Freedley has dropped plans to go to London late this summer. Arthur W. Kelly, United Artists esec v.p.. celebrated his 23d wed- ding anni Sunday (25). George Brown, Par studio pub- licity chief, planes in Friday (30) for a week of h.o. biz huddles. Phil Dunning, after he finishes a writing stint at 20th-Fox, is coining east with his Frances-for vacation. Brock Pemberton says he doesn't mind his current Grand Jury stint, as the hours are short and tiiere's no lawyer oratory. Lvnn Farnol, (3oldwyn pub-ad chief, back at his desk this week after session of studio confabs and fortnight vacation in ColotMlo. ' The Howard Lindsays (Dorothy Slickney) to the Coast for a montli. The Russel Grouses (Anna Erslune) summering at Wilton, Conn. Metro homeoffice publicity <iliie£ Herb Crooker vacationing on his sailing sloop around Long Islands Metro studio exec Albert Lewin In from the Coast. American showmen painfully are scratching their heads over the Initial' Technicolor opus from J. Arthur Rank's Ealing Studios titled "Saraband for Dead iovers." Sidney Franklin, Metro pro- ducer, arrives from tbie Coast Aug. 7 vvith his wife, enroute to a va- cation in; Bio de Janeiro, Couple had originally planned to travel to Paris, Producer James Nasser in from Coast for huddles wth tfnited Artists execs on distribution plans for his initial pic, "An Innocent Affair," which will be released sliortly, Philip Dorn, who last appeared in RKO's "I Remember Mama," sailed last week for a tjvo^month visit to Holland. There's a possi- bility he may appear in a locally produced film, there. Schwartz & Frohlich, w.k. theat- rical attorneys, moved from 1440 Broadway to their own building at 19 E. 70th St., this week. Shift 'necessitated by lack of expansion space «t I heir former quarters. iVletio producer Edwin Knopf first of the "Edward, My Son" troupe to return from the British Jensing job. He's due in on the Queen Mary today (Wed.) and returns tomorrow to the Coast. Memorial services for the late Sam H. Harris will be held tomor- row iThurs.) at 5:30 p;m. by the Jewish Theatrical Guild in its cliapel in the Palace Theatre Bldg. Rabbi Abraham Burstein will of- ficiate. Fred Putnam, manager of the Strand theatre. Port Arthur, Tex., seeking his uncle, .John W. Ran- some, who appeared in the original "Prince of Pilsen.'' Latterly he was with John Golden legit pro- ductions. Robert Sokoler, former managing director of the legit producing organization called "Your Theatre, Inc.," now editing a weekly news- letter distributed to subscribing exhibs by a foreign film buying and booking combine. _ Ida and Eddie Cantor are vaca- tioning in the Norse countries. Comedian found that a girl cuts his hair and another gal ("much older," says he), gives Swedish massage.s at the Grand hotel, Stockholm, where he is. Cantor aslis, "Does Jessel know of this?" Henry Senber, currently press- agenting the Starlight Operettas at Dallas, will be ahead of the Maurice Evans "Man and Super- man" tour, with Robert Rapport, g.m. Opens 29 in Princeton and after going to the Coast and back, ends May 28 in Boston, but may no a POP-price finale at the City Center. , Maria Vincenza Trotta, 20-yeaf- o)d daughter of Vincent Trotta, National Screen Service art direcr lor, has become engaged 'to Harold Douglas Hall of Rossville, Ga., a c-las-smate- at Tennessee - Wesleyan College, Athens, Tenn., from which the couple was.graduated in June of tliis year. Wedding will take place, in Flushing, h. L, in late summer. Marshall hosts to the theatrical colony at Sunday lunch. Joshua hogan and Nedda Harri- gan spending a few days at their farm at Brookaeld Center. The Silvermine Sillies, annual revue of artists' colony, will be directed, this year by Paul Kwartin. Kathleen Comegy.s signed for femme lead with William Gaxton m revival of ' Seven Keys to Bald- pate" at Cou.ntry Playhouse, A street parade of vintage auto- mobiles at NorwaUc (24) cele- brated opening of James Melton's AutomoMle Museum which has been designed by John Harkrider. CBATTER London By Larry Selloway Famous Door, shuttered several months, may reopen in a- few weeks imder new management ^ Clover Club will probably close by end of month for refurbishing and reopen for Legion convention.' Five O'clock Club pactcd De- Castro Sisters to open Wednesday (28). Room is doing the best biz in town.'; Beachcomber .shuttered Saturday (24). Plans for future call for ex- tensive rebuilding and reopening for American Legion convention in October. The Jacobs clan, which sold their Lord Tarleton hotel to the Kipness group, reported ready to build further north pn the Beach for 1949-SO^ason. Paddock club hypoing biz with booking of B. S. PuUy and Gump. Duo, who have considerable fol- lowing even in summer months here, open Thursday (29). Barry Gray, Cop;j—WKAT com- mentator-disker, set to write col- umn for local mag, "The Shore Thing," covering political and cur- rent events. Seasonal publication resumes in November. Gene Baylos, who clicked at Mother Kelly's, mulling offers from Five O'Clock as well as tlie Kelly freres for next seaison. Comic is asking stiff hike in pay, based on draw value built last season. Recall petition for Miami city commissioners who favor "open" j town during season, stymied by court action temporarily. Local pa- pers pounding away at so-called "unlawful ■ element" via feature and news column exposes. By: Hnmpbrey Doulens Carol Irwin bere. Tim Durant ill from Hollywood. Jose Iturbi vacationing-at Milton Diamond's. Edith Meiser visiting the Brock Pembertons. . Frank _ LaForge, composer-pian- ists penning his memoirs, Leonard dePaur, director of the new Infantry Chorus, weekending here. Karen Chapman, daughter of the John Chapmans, vacationing in Denver. Lawrence- Langner and Armina Tlie Lunts in town looking up old fnends; Dana Andrews here to star in 'Britannia Mews" for SOtJl-Fox. Royal Family took , the Shah of Persia to see "Annie Get Your Gun" at the Coliseum. Gabriel Pascal took Ingrid Berg- man to tea with G. B. Shaw at his home in Hertfordshu-c. ' Jack La Rue notified by Ministry of Labor he must not continue working here after Ai^. 14. Mary MacArthur went with mother to the Royal Garden Party at Buckuigham Palace July 22. Andrews Sisters got in on Queen Elizabeth July 21 with a repertoire of 27 songs for their month's book- ing at the Palladium, v Decca's Jack Kapp also aboard, among many other showfolk. Capt Woolf Barnato in town being consulted on script for the iilnung of life of his father, IBamey Barnato of South African dismiond fame. Frederick Brissoa is to make the pic over bere. The sellout prior to opeidng of the Jack Benny engagement at the Palladium created a house record. Binnie Hale out of "Four Five Six" at Duke of York's wjth case of bronchitis, but, carried on miss- ing only one performance. Romano's, a famous niteiy of Edwardian days and closed for many years as a rc^urant, bought by an American export compfmy for offices. Efforts to obtain a U- cen^ to continue operations as it was before the war have failed. ' hour throughout Japan one night recently when the entire BCJ net- virork went off ' the air, are still mildly puzzled by the explanation that "broadcasting .stopped due to flie overflowing of water froni the Imperial moat into the inanliole at Hilnya junction in Tokyo." A Tokyo theatre, manager, who hit upon novel idea ttf mailing razor blades to 1,000 {nvminent citizens to advertise opening of "Razor's Edge," leaped notiiing but trouble for his pains. Frightened recipients hastily phoned the toea- tie for an explanatinn, and friends of Prime Minister Ashida and State Minister mtSaxa. both of whom received blades, accused the manager of suggesting that the ministers conmiit hara. kin «r re- sign. Chicago Gene Autry set for Oriental theatre, Aug. 26. Art Steagall, Oriental manager, off to New York on talent deals. Mrs. Harold Butchin, wife of Universal flack, here for operation. Bill Green, former M-G-M ex- ploiteer, now with Pollack Circus. Alan Ladd and. "One Woman'' company in for 10 days of.local shooting. Joe Flynn age n ting "Okla- homa!" which o pe ns at the Er- langer Aug. 2. Candice Montgomery subbing for Audry Meadows of "High But- ton Shoes" while latter vacations in New York. Merriel Abbott, producer of floorshows for Hilton and Statler hotels, off on another European talent hunt this week with hus- band. Dr. Philip Lewin. Will Rogers Sanatorium Fund Di ive teed oK' via luncheon Thurs- day (22). Speakers were William Rodgers; M-G-M sales manager; Charles Reagan, Paramount sales manager, and Robert Mochrie, RKO sales head. SoDtli Africa By Joe Hanson Sponsored by Greek government, Athens Ballet to appear here in Augu.st. Stanislaus Nledziel-ski. Polish pianist, doing third concert tour of South Africa.* . , Williiim Page! celebrated 50 years of circus life at a party in the ring after show in Pretoria. Pagel came to South Africa hi 1905 as a strong man. Season of Ballet will be staged in Cape To*n in September by Johannesburg and Cape Town dancers under direction of African Consolidated Theatres. Leontinc Sagan, British legit ac- tress, at present producing for South African National Theatre, suffered fractured leg in auto acci- dent while on way to show in Pretoria. Cinema business upped by good lineup of pictures including "Walter Mitty" (RKO), "Perils of Pauline" (Par), "Brother Jonathan" (British) and "Stone Flower" (Russian). ; , . : Donald O'Connor, Universal star, due to arrive in Cape Town July 26 and will make personal appear- ances' when his new film "Are You With It" opens. Visit has been ar- ranged in connection with a Holly- wood beauty contest. it Daily, fee of player who {Spanish dubs star roles in U.S. pix is about fixed at $45. " Fernando Soler, dean of Mexi- can actors, readying to build a cinema here. . Michael 'Sokol, WB skipper, back from a sludy vi^t to the company's Hollywood headquarters. Four big local nabe cinemas must shutter unless they allow their help a 50% pay lift. Comic Roberto Soto, Mexico's fattest actor, readying a Meideaii revue company for a toiir of Spain. Maria Felix, topper Mexican pic actress, now in Spain doing a pic for $250,000, selling her mansion here. A! O'Carap.'publicist for RKO here and the Hotel Beforma,; ordered to L.A. by his medico for ulcer treatment. Tito Guizar and Emilia Guia, blonde Spanish stage-pic comme- i dienne, toppuig at the ■ Teatro here where Lupe Velez started. Max (jromez, the new Mono mgr., has inked with Tomas (Tommy) Milmo for exhibition of Mono and A.A. pix on Milmo cinema chain. Government reports organization in Mexico of 203 industrial-com- mercial enterprises totally capital- ized for $200,000,000 (U.S.) during year ended May 31. ' Javier de Leon, Margot Rivas and Graciela Enlrada presenting a Spanish Ballet, featuring Ravel's Bolero for the first time in Mexico at the government's Palace of Fine Arts (National Theatre). Maestro Julian Garrilo awarded the gold Civic Merit medal by the local government as homage to his mvcntion of the 13th Cord, a new musical system and iiis general service tdward advancing music in Mexico. Jose Ruben Romero, author- diplomat (ex-ambassador to Cuba), is revealed as the highest' .paid Mexican pic script. Hje regularly collects $7,000 per script. Dolores del Rio banquctted by Manny Reiner, SRO Latin-American-Aus- tralasian supervisor, and Alfred Holguin, company manaaer here. She recently sold SRO Mexican distribution rights to the pic she made in Buenos Aires. By FloRSBoe S. liOwe Cart Blanchard, of local Wamer staff, leaving to enlist in Coast Guard. • . ■ ■ Harry James will teeoC fall se- ries, of Name Bands. Inc., at Ka- tional Armory Oct 2. Treasurer of the new Progressive Party is Clark Foreman, manager of the Dupont, local art cinema. FCC announced appointsnent of Basil P. Cooper, CommissHMi' law- yer, to its staff of hearlne emm- .iners. . Max Youngstein, Eagle r..ion ad- publicity chief, in town psist week OS company's national Bill Heine- man campaign. local Variety tent has a goal of $100,000 for this year's fund rais- ing drive, according to Welfare ehainnan StxA S. K^eod. ■ Potomac River Une- falling in with the trend, returned to its pre- war name band policy Saturday (24) night with the Freddie Slack band. •■ Oroh leader Noble Sisele will emcee town's second annual Music Festival, sponsored by National Negro Opera Co., at Griffith Sta- dium, Aug. 2. Author Reginald ("liadies in Re- tirement") Dcnham in to see, bis wife, Mary Orr, currently straw- hatting in nearby OIney'g Version of "Chicken Eveiy Sunday." ' Basil Langstoo, director of Eng- land's famed Binoungliara Reper- tory theatre, a jsuesC At Catholic U where he is staging "Heartbreak House" with Father Gilbert Hartke's student thespers, skedded for Aug. 1 debut. HoOywood Tokyo By RusscU Splane Reported here that Hidemaro Konoye, Nipponese conductor, has been invited by Leopold Stokowski to "fly to America, as soon as the Japanese are permitted to travel abroad." Listening fees which Jap radio owners must pay to support the Broadcasting Corp. of Japan were hiked July 1 from 17.50 yen to 30 yen/(lie) a month, following the government's recent increase of official commodity prices. Occupation personnel, who count among their blessings the.fact that the Armed Forces Radio Service broadcasts no commercials, singing or otherwise, had the spell broken recently when the local Post Ex- change launched- a weekly air show to plug its merchandise in- troduced by a vocal combo sin^uog a corny PX theme song. Japanese radio listeners, whose sets went dead for more than an :By. liCS'-iteefl ' . Old. Log strawhatter doing "War- rior's Husband." Don Ra^n band into Prom Ball- room for one-nighter. Plantation strawhatter offering Three Men on a Horse." Eddy Howard band Aquatennial Coronation Ball attraction. Northwest Variety club held an- nual golf tournament this week. Three Lind Bros., DoUy Barr and Nick Stuart orch into Club Car- nivaL Alan Ladd, Sue Carol and Arthur Godfrey here for p.a.'s at Aquaten- nial celebration. Lightning struck WMIN's trans- mitter and knocked staUon off the air for half-hour. Ringling, B & B circus in Minne- apolis for two days and in St. Paul for one this week. Alice Tyrrell, Dick Winslow into Hotel Radis-son Flame Room witlT Pierson Thai orch. Big loop meat market has pian- ist offering musical entertainment, probably in effort to soothe cus- tomers savagery because of high prices. Alex Schreiber flew in from west coast to turn over his Lyceum, local legit roadshow and film house, to new lessee, David Neder- lander. "Oklaboma!" relights it Aug. 30. Patricia Robinson, Dorothy Poyn- ton HiU, Charlie Diehl, "Stubby" Kruger, Jimmy Patterson, Gil Maison, Sylvia Manon Trio, Fran- cisco & Dolores and Preston Lamb- ert, featured in annual "Aqua Fol- lies" at Aquatennial. By Bonl Qnattro«chI William Goetz here. Josephine Baker at the Casina delle Rose^ Merle Oberon, back from Switz- erland, announced her intention of making a film here. Paul Muni working on screen- play of "Nobel," which he wants to produce her'> for Columbia release. The Roman Film Club had its last summer meeting at the Super- cinema with a preview of "Le Diable au Corps." _ First annual meetings of U. S. film companies here since war. Warners, RKO and Ceiad-Colum- bia teed off the confabs. Charles Delac in to ng.eet Xi- tanus' executives on j^roduction- ot PieiK Louys' "A#iodite" here. George Jessel back from JBaris, Paulette Goddard in from N.Y. Janet Leigh divorced Stanley H. Reames. Barbara Lawrence-divoFced John Fontaine. Jane Conne's new film name is Jane Weeks. Fwmk Eay in town for a seven- week vacation. Hilary Brooke divorced Jack Voegtlin in Las Vegas. Valcntina. Cortese in from Italy for Ameriom film bow. Geoise Dolenz leaves for Rome Aug. 10 to visit tamily. Biily de Wolfe back after per- s/ofaSs in Chicago and Detroit. Michael Kirby .^buiied to Torcmto uihew his father is seriously ill. Bing C^by and BHl Morrow vacationing on the tSHRiBer's Ne- vada ranch. Harrj^ Wamer on his ranch re- «ipaatiss. from. reosrenee of stomadt tdeer* > Frances Mordn, formorly with ■■ Columbia, new mzuna^ng editor of Photoplay in Bevhills office. An^e Murphy in from. Paris whefe he wa.s gaest of the French government On BasQUe Day. Wife of Pete Eraudiager, .man- age: of the BiUmore theatre, slated for second operation tiiis week. James Gellcr and Marvin Wald to Washington, for buddies ivith Dnew Pearson on forthooniing pic- ture. Gale Gifford engagins cast for new faincc which will star Charlie Ruggles and pFenuerc in San Fran-' Cisco- in Sept^^nber, Morgan Conway decorated by Grupo America; a Pan-Awedcan cultural society, for. fosterigig: ^ood - relations across the bolder. Four showmen; .wbo.'just learned they once'lived.Within six blocks of each other to St. Patil, Minn., in the '30s, gathered for confab at L.A. Biltmore: Pete Ermatingcr, manager; Jim K«efe and CharUe Mulligan, with tbe "Private Lives" company, and ptilbticist Bill Kane, Bucb C«nit|» Pa. Fred Stone in to catch daughter Carol in "Skin Of Our Teeth'^^Sat. (25) at New Hope. Fred Finklehoffe in at Spring- town farm, Friday *23), after 10- day biz to HoBywaod, Bill Chapman, js^wuse and kids, back from Paris after two-year • stint for Time-life', to. New Hope home, Ezra Stone back from Charlottes- ville, ■ Va., staging job. Actor- director has bought new farm near Newtown. Harvey Stephens in Hon. (26) for ' "O Mistress Mine" playing Alfred Lunt part opposite Kitty Carlisle, opening Aug. 2. Irving Berlin . weekending ' with Moss Hart. Ditto Leo Freedmans at Theron Bambergeis and Carl Fisher at John Roots. Jean Parker down fr»TO Moun- tainhome. Pa., Sun. (25) for dress rehearsals at Playhouse of "By Candlelight," current bill. David Hell well and Norman Rose in for confab with director Frank- lin Heller, who- is to st.ag Thomas Wolfe play for New Stages this fall. Ken Nicholson's new play, "The Gilded Cage" slated for preem at Playhouse, Aug. 23, Playwright lives at nearby Raven Rock, N. .T. Raymond Van Sickle checked out Sat. (24) after 7 weeks with New Hope troupe for vacation prior to "Summer and Smoke"- rehearsals in N. Y. Manhattan barrister Bob Augen- blick performed emergency deliv- ery on Old York Rd.; Mon. (19) eve. enroute to Doylestown Hosp. Wife and son, Peter, doing fine at Rock- wood home; John C. Wilson down from West- port for confab with Thornton Wilder. WUcter checked out Mon. (26) for Erinceton to catch un- dergrad production of Gertrude Stein play, "Yes Is Fot a Very Young Man." Susan Palmer putting Newtown home on the block so as to move closer to New Hope at Penn's Park.' B'rances Reid off to Olney, Md., last week to star opposite Jose Ferrer this stanza in "Importance of Being Earnest" Atiait& ^ By J«e Walker Est^ita into Bath and Turf Club. Benny Bubin in final week at Clicquot Clidi. Belle Baker fol- lows in Saturday. Carmen Cavallaro and MiUs Bros, on Steel,pier. Combo ex- pected to aA new record. ' Motor rolling chairs, will hit the boardwalk soon. City last week., passed ordinance permittingi them. Hotehuen see biz slump. Chel- sea's Joseph Kaufman says rooms ac» off 10 to 20%: food! pfi 30%. but liquor sales d«in£ okay.