Variety (Dec 1948)

FILMS RADIO VIDEO MU1SIC 49179;: Published Weekly at tC4 Went «6t1i Street, Nvir Tork 19, N. 7., by Variety, Inc. Annual BUb8<!ri)vlIon, ttO. Stnglk oopldK, : sr> qpnta. Bntei'ad as oeuoad class matter ueceiuber liti, at tlie Post Ollic* at Hew Tork, Ni y,, under tlia ^vt oC Marutai-^ti U7*. COPXBIOUT, IMS, BV VAHIEl'K, IXC. Al^t. RIURTS BESEKVKD VOL. 173 N©. 1l NEW YORK. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 1948 PRICE 25 CENTS DISK JOCKS NEXT FOR PETMIO Some See Dramatist Sherwood to Be Remembered Best as an Historian Robert E. Sherwood is shaping♦ up as the most versatile figure j in the show biz and literati worlds, | with likelihood he'll set a unique ■ record in all of them. He's carried \ off the plum awards In legit and ! films, and now seems headed for ' various literati head prizes. Three times winner of the Pulitzer prize in drama with "Idiot's Delight" (1936), "Abe Lin- coln in Illinois" (19381 and "There Petrillo Batons, Jessel To Sing Prez's Song Hollywood, Dee. 14. George Jessel and James C. Petrillo are teaming to entertain at the Presidential Inaugural ball. Petrillo will baton as Jessel sings his own song, "Let's Get Behind the President. END OF BAN CUES H wood January Powwow to Stress 'Get Production Costs Down,' or Qse J President Truman yesterday Shall Be No Night (1940). and | ,13, okayed use of his picture on Academy award winner in 1946 for sheet music cover. Leeds publishes. his film, "Best Years of Our Lives, ; Sherwood now appears headed for the Pulitzer prize in literature with his historical volume,. "Roosevelt and Hopkins." To show his versatil- ity further, he's How working on the book of the Irving Berlin musical, "Miss Liberty." The "Roosevelt and Hopkins" story is turning into a saga ot its own. Put on sale Oct. 20, the book has had a total printing to date of 80,000 copies, with Harper's, the publishers, getting reorders of about 10,000 a week. For a $6 vol- ume, this is a phenominal sale, (Continued on page 55 > Music Biz Takes On New Life As Disk Ban Ends Each TV Set in 1952 Will Have 5 Bidders; Rule Out m of U.S. )% Detroit, Dec. 14. Although Wo of the country al- ways will be without television, five people will be clamoring for evei-y available television receiver by 1952, Hariy Bannister, general manager of WWJ, told the indus- try and education section of the Economic Club here last Thursday (9). "The television industry c;m produce, at a maximum, 4.000,000 sets in the next three years," Ban- nister said. "In the areas where television will be av.iilable, there are 23,000,000 radio listeners who wjnt and will v/anl TV sets." "But in 40^'; of the countrv. tel- evision must be ruled out beciiuse of vast distances b'.!tween cities that are large enough to support a television station. And the reach- ing power of a station is limited by the horizon." Bannister said It was the belief of many experts that television would replace radio entirch, nr/at least in part, in ' the next sixv or seven years. Most music men and subordi- nate recording company employees who were told little by their su- periors ovei" the weeks of negotia- tion, refused tO' believe Monday 113) that the end of the disk ban was imminent. They had listened to the cry of "wolf" so often dur- ing the past few weeks that when the final stages of the ban ap- proached they vowed to believe (Continued on page 55) 80 BACKERS HAVE lOOG IN'DEATH OF SALESMAN' Kermit Bloomgarden - Walter Fried production of Arthur Mil- ler's "Death of a Salesman" has one of the most extensive lists of backers in Broadway history. Drama is capitalized at $100,000 and has 80 limited partners. Among those investing $250 each are Jack Schlissel. theatrical ac- countant; Max Allentuck. general manager of the show; Edith Kean, secretary to authoress Lillian Hell- (Continued on page 62) Berlin, Hope, Tex & Jinx's GI Xmas Show in Europe Irving Berlin, Bob Hope, Jinx *^alkenburg and Tex McCrarv will ny to Berlin to do a scries of J-nristnias Day shows for the Gls manning the airlift operation. Part t, rebroadc.ist in the U. S., Dec. 26. on the Air Korcrs (Continued on page 63) Autry, Hope and Others To Do Tours of Arenas Film stars are hitting the one- night trail—where the big money in showbusiness currently lies. Bob Hope and Gene Autry have already booked a series of dates in arenas and auditoriums. It's felt that there's more revenue In this field' than in .my other branch of the business. Hope even figures to exceed the approximate $500,000 ho grossed in a little more than 30 outdoor dates two years ago. because of the fact that the dates can't be washed out. Hope is slated to stait his tour around Jan, 1 in the south and will work his u.iv jioilli in order to iiit VVa-^liin-.'ion. J.in. 20. when uy\\ ;ittond Pres. Trumans inaug- I ui alion. By BERNIE WOODS Disk jockeys and coin-machines will be next on the agenda of the American Federation of Musicians, now that the disk ban is settled. Milton Diamond, AFM attorney, will soon aim at securing a com- pletely new copyright law or a revision of the current outmoded act, written in 1909, as a means, of providing an income from ihe'iree use of recordings on the air and in jukes. And recording manufac- turers assertedly will aid the AFM ir. the attempt. If Diamond's efforts are success- ful, the resultant coin would be poured into the same fund built from royalties from sales of pop and classical recordings. It would be used to extend vastly the pro- vision for free, live music by AFM members In hospitals, orphanages and various other institutions. Currently, tlie AFM draws over $2,000,000 annually from its record- ing-sale royalty arrangement with manufacturers, but this sura and the results it achieves are a drop in the bucket eonipared to what could be done with a larger fund. Before the start of the disk ban, which ended yesterday (Tuesday), James C. Petrillo. head of the AFM. was death on the subject of disk jockeys. It was anticipated when he wrote a new contract with the radio networks last February that the disk jockey situation would be spotUghted by him and become the main bone of contention be- tween the union and radio. But that never panned out. Petrillo (Continued on page 44) Ban Lasted llj/j Months The ban lasted only lit2 months, compared to the pre- vious AFM-disker argument, which ran' 25 months. It was launched this time through no fault of the recording com- panies. It was tlie Taft-Hartley law's ban against union wel- fare funds, unless there was a provision that they be admin- istered equally by labor, man- agement and neutral trustees, that caused the ruckus. The AFM refused to allow a three- way management of the fund dispersal. It said it would ncvei' record again unles.s it got its way. Constant violations by its own members began to give the AFM Ideas on a settle- ment. One plan was offered and discarded. A second was devised by AFM attorney Mil- ton Diamond. It was this plan that was agreed to by the Gov- ernment Monday (13) night, and the ban was lifted as of yeslerday (Tuesday) after- noon, (Further detailed stories on AFM dink agreement in Mu$ic Dept.) Crosby's 5,000,000 Disk Sale on 'Xmas' Hollywood, Dec. 14. Bing Crosby's Decca platteri I "White Christmas," has passed the ' 5,000,000 sales mark, setting it fur- ther ahead as the all'time top-sell- ing recording. Groaner's "Silent Night" and "Jingle Bells," latter waxed with the Andrews Sisters, ' probably will hit the 4,000,000 mark 1 during the current prerYule season; Dave K.app, Decca vcepee, dis- closed here that Crosby's platters I are nearing 100,000,000 figure. SatiraMayMopUp $6,500 in Harlem Vaudery This Wk For a girl who was languishing in a Cuban jaila couple of months ago, the prospect of earning $6,500 in one week in an obscure vaudei-y in Spanish Harlem, is something to be Ripleyed. Patricia "Satira" Schmidt, who was recently par- doned for the murder of her lover, John L. Mee, will probably earn more this week than any performer current in the Broadway presenta- tion houses, with the exception of Mickey Booney at the Roxy. In- dications are that the Teatro Las Americas, on 116th street and 5th avenue, will gross around $15,000. at 80c-$1.20 .scale. Miss Schmidt, who is alternately billed both as Satira and under her own name, has a guarantee of $3,500, iplus 50'% of the gate beyond $9,000. The amazing part of her gross is the fact that the theatre in wliicli she's currently working is located (Continued on page 63) ♦ Leaders of talent guilds and I craft unions and agents will be called into the industry sessions scheduled for Hollywood next month and will be asked for con- crete cooperation in getting pro- duction cost down, it was reported: in New York this week. Keynote of the producers' plea to the reps of ■ studio' workers—-from clapper boy to $250,000-per picture star—^i-e- portedly will be: "Play ball with us or we'll all be out of work." Unions, it is understood, will not be asked to take pay cuts, but high-priced stars will,, For that reason, top Coast agency men will also be invited to the sessions. The proposition will be put clearly to: them that times have changed and. except for the smallest liandful of name players stars aren't account-, ing at,th6 b.o. for business enough, to warrant fees now being asked, Meetings, under sponsorship of the Motion Picture Assn. of Amer- ica, and presided over by Eric Johnston, will be held in Holly- wood Jan. 26-27-28. They are a foUowup to three days of conclaves by company prexies in New York ■ last month. It is expected tliat the figures.. : (Continued on page 55) Arthur Schwartz Doing Christmas Eve Video Arthur Schwartz, producer-com- poser, makes his television debut with an hour-and-arhalf sliow Christmas Eve on the CBS-TV web. Titled "Surprise from Santa," the show carries a $30,000 talent and production nut and will be bank- rolled by Chevrolet through the Campbell-Ewald ad agency. It's to be slotted in the 7 to 8:30 p.m. pei'iod. Schwartz is to produce and write the music, with Howard Dietz, Ills (Continued on page 63) Telephone CO - 5 -1393 For All Business Concerning The Hour Of Charm All Girl Orchestra and Choir under the direction of PHIL SPITALNY