Variety (Dec 1948)

84 CHATTER VednpsJay) December 8, 1948 Broadway Mark Bellinger's widow, Gladys Glad, to marry Toronto picture theatre owner Arthur Gottlieb. Cornel Wildes (Patricia Knight) in N. Y, for several days before going Coastwards. They planed in from Paris Monday (5). Steve Cochran, ex-Hollywoodite, now in Mac West's road legiter, flies to Juneau, Alaska, for Xraas to see his mother and child. Raffle currently being conducted for benefit of Will Rogers Me- morial Hospital will be extended beyond the end of tTie month. Mrs Victpr Saville to Britain last week on the America to join her husband who's directing Metro's "The Conspirator" there, Arthur Kobfer flies back to Holly- wood tonight (Wed.) to work on the play commissioned by Kermit; Blooingarden who plans it for next fall production. Peter Garey, musicomedy smger, and dance team of Lynn & Conway off on the Uruguay last week as entertainers on the ship's South American cruise. George (Bud) Omstein, special rep of UA in Italy, arrived in the U. S. last Thursday (2) for a two- Week on personal affairs. He's cur- rently on the Coast. Engagement of Mr. and Mrs, William Kurtz's daughter, Jpan, to Donald Genzburg, announced this week. He's former Rialto manager, now with United Booking. Paul Nathan joined Will, Folsom & Smith; publicists on fund raising campaigns for hospitals, to write newspaper stories. His column still appears in Publishers Weekly.: Patricia Englund, daughter of Vfiiter Ken Englund, back to the Coast for the first time in months, having been: abroad with the Lon- tlon company of "Oklahoma!" Kdith Piaf, current at the Ver- sailles, planes back to France, Dec. 15, at the conclusion of her cafe datf' She's being succeeded at the •Vefsailles by George Ulmer, an- other French import. Batoneers Lani Mclntire and Bay Kinney accomped the hulas of Malia Kaauwai and Taneo last week at La Guardia Field as part of the bally for Northwest Airlines' Inaugural flight to Honolulu. Mrs. Dore Schary recuperating In Sti Johns hospital, Santa Monica, . following surgery which: the- Metro production chieftain deferred un- til both got back to the Coast fol- lowing his recent N. Y. quickie Visit. Arthur Homblow, Jr. and his Wife^ Bubbles Schinasi, in from Europe today (Wed.) on the Queen ' Mary following an extended so- journ where the Metro producer was readying "Quo Vadis" for pos- sible Rome and London shooting. Katharine Cornell, Tallulah Bankhead, David Sarnoff, Marian Anderson, Lawrence Tibbett, Kitty Carlisle and Carmen Miranda head a long list of show biz people who have dispatched boxes of cigars to Finland as gifts to Jan Sibelius on his 83d birthday today (Wed.). George Jean Nathan—along with . many. Broadwayites—considerably unnerved by H. L. Mencken's stroke, which has confined the Baltimore sage to Johns Hopkins hosp. Ashton Stevens, from Ghi. also anxiously querying Variety about some news on Menck's prog- ■.ress. ■ Sir Benjamin Fuller, Australian legit impresario, planning a trip to the U. S., with a Broadway o.o.; for next summer. His son, A. Ben, Is expected in N; Y. within a cou- ple of months on a leg of his world tour through the Suez Canal to London to N. Y. to Hollywood and back to Sydney. ; ' Biggest buzzi-buzz opening night at the Charles Boyer play, "Sed Gloves,'' was the Lorena Danker- L. B. Mayer nuptials and the USG- Notre Daiine tie. The Los Angeles sector earthquawk was ascribed to be the result , of either, event that ■afternoon; the HoHywood-Broad- vay. bunch weren't.sure-which. weeks. "Duel in the Sun" followed for only three days at the same "Private Angelo," produced by Pilgrim Pictures of , Londpn. has completed all of the Italian loca- tion shots. Cast Included Bri^sh, German, Italian, and two American ACtOf■■ ■ ■ ■ "Fabiola," film directed by Alle- sandro Blassetti, with Michele Morgan as star, will be completed soon at Experimental Stujlios. Money from the Argentine backed this film. Italian production practically at a standstill this month. The ex- perienced film backers find it more profitable to invest in imports. Costs of productions soaring here to such an extent that investments in Italian pictures have become prohibitive to local lire lenders; Vienna Carl Zuckmayer on brief visit. Elfie Koenig, operetta star, off to Canada. Hans Jaray arrived, to appear at Volkstheatre. Film star Trauld Stark married to Jack Elliot of Texas. Maria Schell starring at Kam- merspiele in Elmer Rice's "Dream. Girl." .. Actor Eduard Sekler feted on occasion of his 50 years service in Josefstadt theatre. Danielle Darrieux,. French film star, inked for. new Austro-French production, "Sold Night." ? Paul Hubschmid olf to Holly- wood for. Universal after, finishing, his part in Union film's latest, "Mysterious Depths." Vindobona Film bought Kai'l Zuckmayr's script, "Seelen Braeu," ("Brewing Souls'") and inked Paul Koerbiger, plus Swiss actor Heiji- rich Gretler. Pittsburgh By Hal Cohen Woods and . Bray opened at Nixon Cafe-^or a month. Bob Hope Will do his network broadcast from here on Jan. 25. I Victor de Sabata to Italy for ' La Scala Opera season in Milan. Vincent Joyce, WWSW an- nouncer, cast in "She Loves Me Not'-' at Playhouse. Elizabeth Gibsonj local girl: who spent two seasons under Big Top, now in "Love Life.'' • Gaye Jordan, of Tech drama school, will play lead in "She Loves Me Not''at Playhouse. Musician Pete Murphy coming along all right at TB hospital here and expects to be out by spring. Larry Adler, who worked the Carousel alone, rejoining Paul Draper at Palmer House in Chi- cago, Dec. 9. Harold Lund's mother off for Hollywood to spend holidays with her spn, local boy who. manages (Dick) Powell enterprises. London Mexico City Contents of Romano's, famed jirewar nitery, being sold by auc- tion.. Lou Prager, Hammersmith band- leader/ planning a month's trip to Australia. Leon Sherkot, popular French vaudevillian, died in the London' Hospital Nov. 20. Maurice Chevalier packing the Hippodrome, with his month's sea^ son extended by^ one week. : Director: David Macdonald plan- ed out to Johannesburg to Super- vise location filming on "Diamond City." BBC has booked the Vic Lewis orchestra for the first jazz invasion of its highbrow longhair Third Program. West End production of "The Heiress'? due in January, with Sir Ralph Richardson and Peggy Ash- croft heading the cast. Leslie Strachan, a film extra in "Bonnie Prince Charlie," awarded .$300 for injuries; sustained by sword-thrust during shooting of the pic. :.:.■•:: Basil Sydney to star in"Breach of Marriage," when it gets public presentation, following its private showing, at Duke of York's theatre, Jan. 25. BBC negotiating with John Bar- birolli, conductor of Halle Orches- tra,: to wield- baton for their sym- phony orchestra when Sir Adrian Boult retires. "September Tide," new Daphne du Maurier play in which Gertrude Lawrence makes her return to the London stage, opens at the Ald- wych Dec. 15. Margot Fonteynj: Sadlers Wells' leading ballerina; injured her ankle at opening: of new ballet" season at Covent Garden and will be unable to dance again until after Christ- mas. "Together Again,'' the Crazy Gang show, celebrated its 1,000th performance at Victoria Palace Nov. 29, when Bud Flanagan & Co. presented a. silver cup to Jack Hylton. Project for a National Theatre in London, first suggested in 1903, has been bj-ought nearer by the introduction of a government bill authorizing a Treasury grant up to $4,000,000. Pamela Brown" signed as John Gielgud's leading lady in "The Lady's Not for Burning;" which follows "The Return of the Prodis gal." Valerie Taylor has taken over :her role in "C^ioconda Smile." Drummer Jack Parnell has changed his mind about quitting Ted Heath's band with a number, of Heath players to form a new outfit. He's staying on. Trumpet Kenny Baker, however, is quitting. After two years touring Europe with : his stage show, "Organ Grinder's Swing," organist - Robin Richmond returned to a resident job in London Dec. 6, taking a five- pie(ie outfit into the fashionable "96" Restaurant In Piccadilly. Georges Barre troupe, will tou* Spain, starting in San Sebastian in Januaiy. Don Jacinto Benavente will pre- miere two plays this season at the Comcdia theatre in Barcelona, "Abdication" and. "Divorce of Souls," starring Ir^ne Lopez Heredia, ... "Fantasy on Ice," Anglo-Ameri- can show which impresario Joaquim Gasa. imported from Eng- land, including the portable ice- rink,'is a big hit in Madrid and Vill tour the country in '49. Gasa owns theatres in Valencia and^ the: Canary Islands. Hollywood Chicago Rome Texas cowboy rodeo show at Stadio del Marmi playing to ca- ..'pacity crowd.s, . :i; . Helen McGill Tubbs. Variety's Rome correspondeht,, in hospi<:aI for appendectomy. 1 . \ v Victor Stoloff will direct "Dark ; Road'' for Security Pictures, film play by Phillip Yordan. v Monty Banks and Grade • Fields motoring to London from hei'e be- fore sailing for New York. . Louis :Hayward arrived in Rome to play: lead in "Pirates of Capri" for producer Victor Pahlen. • Several newspaper correspond- ents assigned to Rome have taken small parts iti "Rapture" and "Private Angelo." Sinclair XeWls,: at lunch at Cinecitta" with Hehry King. Bill Tubbs and Tyrone: Power, admits he is. writing a stoiy about: Rome. "Hamlet" closed at the Arco- boleno after a record run of three By Douglas L. :Grabamc . Gloria Marin back from filming in Spain. Mexican cinemamen's national meet here Jan. 19-21. Hollywood writer Churchill Mur- ray and wife at the- Hotel del Prado. General strike confronts: local cinemas and many Mexican pie djs- I trihutors. I . Oscar Danzinger. pic producer, i back from N. Y. where lie imdcr- i went an operation. I Agustin Lara; songwriter, goes I to France end of the vear to play I in a pic with Simone Simon. I Radio station XEX here faces a [ strike unless it reinstates 40 of the help it fired as an economy meas- ■ ure. Fernando Sanchez Breton, pub- lisher of a weekly news mag, badly wounded on his home doorstep by four gunmen. James V. Ogara. WB Latin- American supervisor, here working With Michael Sokol, local chief, for exhibition of "Key Largo." , Elias Breeskin, violinist - band- I leader, granted a pardon by Presi- dent Aleman from three-year , jail ; sentence on bad- check charge. I William Oscar Jenkins, Manuel I Kspinosa Iglesias and Gabriel Alar- con, pic tycoons, now partners of Jesus Grovas of Produccioiies Gro- \9S, buying a 30% interest. Portland, Ore. Skinnay Ennis oreh completing one nighters in Pacific Northwest.; lee Cycles of 1949 completed an 11-day stay at Portand Ice Arena Ted Adair replaces Jerry Owen as m.c. at the Club Hy Mac for one month. George Amato inaugurated earl.y Sunday night shows in his smart Supper Club, Thirty film stars interested in land around Coos Bay-for ranches. Pix celebs caravaned here last week to look over locale. Washington By Florence S. Lowe "All in Favor," Princeton, Tri- angle Club musical, skedded for a one-night stand at Lisner Audi- torium', Dec. 20.: Walter Pidgeon in town with frau for p.a.'s at National Press I Club's Father-Daughter dinner, I where he rubbed shoulders, with the Trumans. j Duke Ellington's, town's newest 1 nitery, has hit tlie dust after a month's try, but promises to re- open "after alterations" with new floor show policy. Washington Music Guild's an^^ nual dinner this ■ week featured Connie Haines, Lionel Hampton, Gene Archer, HillbjUy D a v e Denny, Dona Mason. Johnny Brad- ford and Freddy Slack, all cur- rently appearing on local stages of air waves. , Rio Cabana switches back: to strip policy after rhumba format flopped. Richard Widmark, former, prof at Lake Forest College, and now film actor, in for holidays. Judy Canova planed in from Coast :tor 4-H program, at Inter- national Livestock Show here. vVic Hyde planed to London for lead in ■■ "Humpty-Dumpty" at Casino theatre, for Emile Littler. Jack Peretz, owner of the Rag Doll, takes over defunct China Doll; will reopen wifh name band policy. . Irving Berlin; in town over weekend, reports his next pic may be ''White Christmas" with Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire. ; Nancy Cavanaugh, wife of Chez Paree owner Joe Jacobson,: author- ing book of poems,"01d New Orleans" which hits bookstands Feb. 1. Buenos Aires Juan Parret of Inter-Americana to Puerto Rico. . Delia Garces si|;n^d by Emelco for picture with Arturo de Cor- dova. Orquidea Pino, Cuban warbler, winds up broadcasts for York on Mundo web. Mistinguette reported dickering with Casino Theatre impresarios for third Buenos, Aires tour in 1949 season. Italian actor Amedeo Nazzari starts work on "Calle Arriba'V for Emelco and San Miguel as associ- ate producer.- Emelco's, proxy Fred Loew start- ing out on international tour to line up dLstribution abroad for studio's material. Argentina Sono Film Is. dicker- ing with Spanish director Juan dci Orduna to make a series of pix in Argentina in 1949. ■ Iinperio Argentina delayed re- turn to Buenos Aires to make last picture in Madrid studios, directed by ex-husband Florian Rey. . Arturo de Cordova, currently- making a picture for Lumiton, has Argentina Sono Film and Emelco both waiting for him to make a picture. Sigwart Kusiel, Latin-American supervisor, and Louis Goldstein, Argentine office manager, in from Rio de. Janeiro to launch. Colum- bia's release schedule for 1949. | Armando Bo and Jerry Gomez,' who shot scenes for"Su Ultima, ! Pelea" (' His Last Fight") in New i I York, are working on sequences of ' I the picture which take place in I Buenos Aires., I Mexican director Roberto Ga- i valdon has begun work on "Ml Vida por la Tuya" ("My Life for Yours"), with cast headed by Mecha Ortiz, Emma Grammatica and. Roberto Escalada. - Peter Lorre's wife hospitalized, William Eckhart in hospital for major surgery. Bobby Hyatt, film m o p p e t.' a polio case. Roy Rogers and Dale Evans to Texas on a hunting trip. Jennifer Jones home from hos- pital after appendectomy. Andy Russell and Delia Norell to Las Vegas to start p.a. tour. Jack L. Warner recuperating from his recent illness in. Palm Springs. Anita Colby checked out of Paramount to go into business on her own. Charles Einfeld in from N, Y. • for publicity - advertising huddles at 20th-Fqx, Betty Grable returned to work at 20th-Fox after four days out with a back injury, ■ Hillary Brooke collapsed while-- working on the "Africa Screams" set at Nassour Studio. Richard: Basehart to San Fran- cisco to open a p.a. tour With "They Walk by Night." Barry Fitzgerald ■ injured : his right knee on the set of "Top o' the Morning" at Paramount. Hari'y Von Zell taking over as m. c. of "The Blackouts"' w hen Ken Murray leaves on honeymoon. Jimmy Wakely awarded a plaque for : wholesome screen entertain- ment by the Texas Youth Move- ment. * Jennifer Jones well enough, after her operation to check into Metro, costume . fittings ' for ''Madame - Bovary." S. Sylvan Simon limping on a wounded knee after being tossed; by a horse on. location near Phoenix. Barry Fitzgerald going to Eu^ rope for a two-month tour' when he winds up his current stint at Paramount. Sol C. Siege! and Joseph L. Mankiewicz in from the-east where they scouted locations ;for "East Side Story." Al Jolson will present Darryl Zanuck with the Beverly Hills B'nai B'ritli "Man of the' Year" award, Dec. 13. •- Armand Deutsch, executive as- sistant to Dore Schary, back at the Metro studio following an earache - which prohibited his flying back from a Gotham visit with the Metro Studio production boss, Paris Spain By Geeuo Garr Argentinian singer Carlos Klores working niterles in Madrid. Mistinguette made her bow in a Barcelona nitery, obtaining only a succes d'estime." :Luiz Gimenez and companv back i in Spain after six months in Co- lumbia and Venezuela. ■ Portuguese actor Raul de Car- valho working in Madrid as star of now Spanish-Portuguese pic, "Fire." .lose Iturbi back again in Spain after a few weeks in Hollywood, ' He will tour the country giving I concerts. ' Lily Pons, will visit Madrid in iMarch and then go to. Barcelona j and otiier provincial towns to sing I in opera and concert, i Portuguese actor Virgilio Teix- j eira, after working in London stii- ! dios, has arrived In Madrid to ap- I pear in film opposite Imperio Ar- I gentina. I For the first time since the war, la French operetta company, the I Dublin I By Maxwell Sweeney 1 : Vere Dudgeon named new scenic designer for Abbey. Gabriel Pascal planed to Rome via London after gandering current shows. ■ ■■ Site for new 1,500-seater cinema bought in Belfast for Associated British Cinemas. James Murphy, assistant to Fay- ette Allport.in London office of MPA, here on visit. Ronald Reagan, Patricia Neal ,due here this week for Catholic Stage Guild benefit show. Paul Vincent Carroll's "Shadow i & Substance'" listed as "unaccept- able" as presentation at Cork Drama Festival. ■ Limerick City Council mulling change of local laws to permit Sun- day opening of city's nine cinemas ^^,.20-acre site just outside the Dublin city limits has been bought by the Irish government to re-house Radio Eireann, state-controlled radio setup. - Alice Dalgarno, Ireland's top hoofer and ballet mistress of Thea^ tre Ro.val's famed Royalette line for eight years, is to aid Abbey Theatre for pantomime. Irish Cinematograph Trade Benevolent Fimd is doing a volun- tary fold to become part of the Cinema Trade Benevolent Fund of Great Britain, through a decision of a meeting last week. By Maxime de Beix (33 Blvd. Morttparnosse.) Louis Hay ward to Italy for film work.,:. David E, Green expected here for Xmas. Night club owners. complaining about business. WaUy Hoag in at the Sajesta to replace Bernard Bros. Norma Shearer to Switzerland instead of going to London. Alan Ladd and wife in Paris after London Command perform- ance. Bill Marshall, having completed his pic in Rome, flying home for a year. - ■ - ' ' Cynda Glenn homing after a smash appearance at the American, Officers Club. Borrah - Minevitch planning a quick trip to Germany before re- turning home. Leslie Caron, hit of Ballet des Champs Elysees, prepping a tour of the Near East. Irene Hilda in rehearsals of Ignaze." playing soubrette oppo- site Fernandel. Col. Jack Votion in for two days on his way to London before hop- ping for home Dec. 15. William Dieterle reportedly will make a film here based on the life of the famous actress Rachel. Lacy Kastners prepping a trip home in January, while daughter, the Marquise de Coninck, will stay m Pans. Betsy Blair and Gene Kelly in t^ans. She'll appear in new Peter Cusick film which will be produced in 1< ranee. Minneapolis „ By Les Rees St. Paul Civic Opera'Co. offering Mignon." Tony Pastor into Prom Ballroom tor one-nighter. Tito Guizar at Lyceum for Sun- day matinee concert. Three Hucksters and Pride & Day into Club Carnival. Breden-Savoy Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Co. spotted into Lyceum, Dec. 16-25. Sioux Falls, S. D., 34th annual auto show to feature Tex Beneke 1948* ™ and "Miss America" of