Variety (Nov 1948)

S2 VA1JIIEVIIXB Wedneidayt Novembef 17, 1948 George Hamid Ghres Up Million Dollar Pier; Gtes Need of Atlantic City, Nov. 16. f George A. Hamid and his son,; George, Jr., have, through a volun- tary agreement, terminated the lease between the Hamid Million Dollar Pier Corp., controlled by them, and the owners of the Mil- lion Dollar pier, Clarence P, and Filbert P, Crossan, brothers. As originally signed when Hamid came here to try his hand as a pier operator^ the lease was reported to be for 14 .years at $1,000,000. Hamid operated the pier as an amusement center since that time but last year endeavored to bolster things by bringing in an "Interna- tional Exposition." For the past eight years he has operated Steel Pier here. Amusements on the Million Dollar pier have been steadily curtailed as profits have dropped. Hamid' Explains Failure of Associated Realties (Crossan Bros.) to go along with him on a 50-50 basis to modernize the Million Dollar Pier resulted in his withdrawal from the spot, Hamid declared in New York Thursday (111. He had rented the premises for 12 years and the bal- ance of the 15-year lease was set- tled by "mutual agreement." . A ■ steady ' deterioration of the Million Dollar;. H a m i d saidj brought about a need for imme« diate repairs. It was pointless to AGVA-AFM Continued from page SI i cording to Frank Lott, president of Local 24 here. The dispute came to head last week in a case involving Vera Claire McNary, marimbist and per- cussionist With the Kansas City Philharmonic Orchestra, who some- times plays private club dates. try to operate the property under the circumstances, the showman averred, and added that he had oiTered to spend $50,000 on a face- . . lift If Associated would match it, I Since June of 1947 Miss McNary but they declined, ! had carried an AGVA card and had Meanwhile, Hamid stated that in I worked a number of dates on the future he ll concentrate his el-, AGVA contracts. Since the PetriUo forts upon the Steel Pier. With the edict in August, however, she has Music Hall and Casino theatres as declined to work on AGVA con- well as a ballroom and other facil- ities on that pier, he revealed that two new boilers are being installed to heat the premises in a bid to capture business during the cold months'r-something that was never done before. Whole place is being refurbished from "stem to stern." tracts; and has.stuck to this 'APM riilihg. When she came Up loi: a date Oct. 29, Lee insisted on an AGVA conti-act thmtgh the ho()k- er, Who instead found a Substitute for Miss McNaiT- ■ In a conference between.Lee and Lott, the AGVA rep took the posi- tion that any such performers must work oh an AGVA contract. The musiclart's union has taken the viewpoint that it is hot up to Lee to determine on what contracts AFM members shall work. In re- Hollywood Nov. 16. Iprisal to Lee's move of requiring Billie Holiday is due to ink a | AGVA contracts whether or no, pair of contracts for Coast appear- Local 24 has issued an edict pro- hibiting any of its members from playing for AGVA a,cts 6ILUE HOLIDAY WILL DO 2 CONCERTS, CAFE DATE JANE JOHNSON ances. She will chirp at a brace of Gene Norman' - promoted concerts at Shrine Auditorium here Dec. 14 and in Long Beach a night earlier at flat guarantee of $2,000 plus 50% of each gate. Other deal is for four weeks at Up to the weekend that's how it stood. , Members of both unions reported for jobs as usual, but re- fused to appear on performances together.; AFM members of bands and orchestras are going through Two FemmeVande Teams Aiding On Soldier Shows Bad Nauheim, Nov. 9. • Two civilian actress production teams are in Augsburg and Salz- burg instructing Special Services club personnel and entertainment officers in the production of soldier shows, Special Services announced. Courtenay Wright, comedienne and singer, and Beveriy Gaillard, pianist, are in Augsburg working on a varieti? revue which pre- miered Nov. 6. Second team of Jeanne Edwards, singer and dancer^ and Ruth Beard, pianist, staged the "SalzburR Fol- lies" wiiich opened for an eight- day run Nov. 9. FRENCH TROUPE IN MEX FOR CANTINFLAS REVUE Mexico City, Nov. 9. Troupe of 38, mostly Paris showgirls, planed in (5) for "Bon- jour Mexico," French vaude revue "Which is-to open, probably at the Teatro Iris,< around Nov. 30. Cantinflas (Mario Moreno); who imported the talent; will head ithe show, which he's also staging. Billy Berg's, starting Dec. 15 at: their regular chores as long as it is weeklv guarantee of $3,250 against' various percentage slices, Including cut of door admlshes and cut of gross biz. Foremost Marimbist GEORGE GUEST a matter of furnishing music for dancing or similw purposes. When It comes to furnishing music for performers, the musicians lay down their instruments and walk off the stand. AGVA acts go through their paces sans accompaniment, and when they are through the AFM band comes back on the job. Nips Club BookiiiA's Situation is stifling bookings at private affairs as well aS at clubs. The Kansas City Fireman's Ball last week, for example, had a six act variety bill cut to three acts when it was learned that three of the acts were musical and could not entertain without accompani- ment. Earl Coleman's Orch, which played for*the dancing, left the stage during the vaude acts, then returned to finish out playing for dancing the balance of the evening. Most of the downtown hotels and nite spots were not affected, as most have only bands and few have AGVA acts. With club operators in rural Jackson County, who de- pend on acts to attract trade, it is a different matter. Several have complained to both unions that Manny Opper that new comedian 78th Week Hollywood Show Loungt Chlciiflo Pert. MdI.: IHV LEVIN %\gU of Stars' Benefit Nets HOG for UJA Annual "Night of Stars" benefit at Madison Square Garden, N. Y., Mondav (15i for the United Jewish Appeal, netted $110,000 for the or- ganization. Figure Includes reve- nue from the souvenir program. Proceeds for the evening, exclu- sive of Federal tax, was $125,000. Bob Weitman, managing direc- tor of the Paramount theatre, N. Y., was -chairman of committee in charge of the event: Those who- appeared- included Eddie Albert. More> Amsterdam. Dave Barry, Milton Berle, Joe E. Brown, Betty Bruce, Abe Burrows, Red Buttons, Jean Carroll, Clark Bros, Myron Cohen, Ann Dvorak, Jinx Falkenburg, Geraldine Fitzr gerald. Four Step Bros., Jane.Fio- man, Connie Haines, Harry Hersh- fteld, Willie Howard, Danny Kaye, Frankie Laine, Jack Larue, Bert Lytell, Mary McCarty, Tex Mc- Crary, Jose Mellis, Robert Merrill,, ^, , , . ., , Merrv Macs, Lucy Monroe, Vaughn ') ork, was reached by telephone. Monroe orch, Paul Muni, Jane ' He said, "1 heir action is very ar- Pickens. ZaSu Pitts, Jane Powell., b'trary and ver.y hurtful to the Verna Ravmond, Rockettes, Mickey [:hib operator, \vho is an innocent iRoonev, Roxyettes, Jean" Sablon,' h.vs.tander in all tins. We have Herb Shriner, Walter Slezak. Sara shown every desire to sil down and . Stei n, Ed Sullivan, George Tobias, t-alk it over." Jevrv Wald orch, Cantor Leibelc ] VValdiTian. Paul Winchcll, George Wright and Hcnny Youngman. :. Gelman to Mexico Paris, Nov. 16. Jacques Gelniait, Mexico City producer, wound- up .his business in Paris and flew back to New York, Nov. 13. Business consisted of lining up a cast of 49 people.for musical comedy ■which wll be pro- duced in Mexico City, Nov; 20. The cast was flown down to Mexico, from Paris with $850,000 worth of costumes made here. Plans are to present the revue in Mexico City for. three months then take it up to Broa'dway. The show was wiutten by Roberto Vin- centi. i Besides Gelman, Mario Marano and S. Riachl are also pro- ducing. Initial investment of the show will come. to $150^000. , AU the Paris business was supervised by Raoul Levy. Bond Dispute doses Slapsie s Hollywood, Nov. 16. Spike Jones troupe stalked out of Slapsy Maxie's between first and second shows Saturday night (13) after money row and muslin ckins Local 47 and American Guild of Variety Artists slapped spot on "unfair" list. Spot had been cai> rying $2,500 cash bond with AGVA. Jones creW was booked in at $10,<> 500 weekly so AGVA demanded operators; Charley and Cy Devore ante up the difference: A check for $8,000 was tendered union which claimed It: was returhed by bank stamped "insufflcient funds." The check was made out Nov. 3 before Jones opened Monday (8) but no effort made to cash it until Friday. Series of parleys followed on which Jones, his manager Ralph': Wondei*s. MCA booker Eame$ Bishop, AGVA rep Irving Mazzel sat In with the Devores. When cash was not forthcoming after first show Saturday, John Tegroeni veepee of AFM Local 47 wasi paged. He ordered Jones out. Tony Martinez' relief crew, playing Slapsy's at scale, was on stage at time. Tegroen summoned him to phone, immediately that combo also departed, With the spot sUU closed, AGVA has blacklisted Maxie's for $42,000, amount Jones unit would have received for full four week engage- ment contracted for. Gypola Continued from page SI sB told her she had been-fired. She packed up her costumes: and left the club. Miss Lee got a thorough going over by Morey Amsterdam, who substituted at the opening show; and Milton Berle, who went on at the midnight show Thursday. Gardner threatened to sue for $150,000, declaring that Miss Lee was unsure: of herself for N. Y. HELENE and HOWARD Club Dates and Television in New York Dir.: MATTY ROSEN audiences and had muffed her lines they: are in the middle, and have i during rehearsals. appealed for a settlementi Dave- Fox, assistant to the admin- istrative director of AGVA in New De IVlarlos pacled for the Copa- cabana, N, Y.. Dec. 2. Omaha, Des Moines Hit Warfare between the American Guild of Variety Artists and the American Fedei'ation of Musicians Iia<< spread to four midwest cities. AFjM has pulled musicians out of ] catos in Omaha, Kansas City, | Wichita, and Des Moines. It's not known yet whether the niiclWest: fracas wnll spread: tb. na- tionwide proportions, or whether the AFM: is using Hiis area as a testing ground tor control of all musical ac.ts, AGVA at one time I had an V-agreement with AFM I whereby band. vocalists who do not I play an, instrument and musical acts that worked In floorshows would belong to AGVA, Some month.) ago, James C. Petrilloi AFM head, notified various AFM locals that members of musicians union may not join any other union. Ukase was a result of the recent Ina Ray Hut ton engagement at the Latin Quarter, N. Y,, when I AGVA demanded she join because 1 most of her work consisted of sing- 1 ing as part of the floorshow, 1 Hurry Wilchor, attorney for-the i Kansas City Tavern Owners Assn., I has declared that acts in his area will work without music wherever necifssary, and spots which need orchestras for dancing will substi- tute juke boxes. Situation prevails j in other towns as well. The Pied Pipers, current at the Venetian Room, Des Moines, are working: sans musical backing. The spot wasn't ready either in- asmuch as there was mike trouble, the lights blew and the evening was enlivened by a pair of femmes at the- bar who threw glassware at each other. Gardner, however, reconsidered and sent word that he was ready to discuss the entire matter. The ensuing conferences brought peace. Meanwhile Miss Lee signed a new pact. Gardner's name was taken off the contract, and the corporate i name of Chanson, Inc., was substir | tuted. 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