Variety (Jan 1949)

RADIO VIDEO MUSIC PabliBlmd Weokly at 164 Wpaf *G(li Street, New York 19, N. T., Iiv Vai'ii>(y, Inc. Annual subscription, tlC- fingl* coi)i«», SS cent*: Kntared aa necunct clana. nialtev December 22, i9U3i ut tbs I'os t on'iiio at New York. N. Y., under th« avt. of March »v WIS. rjortiuGBi, 1919, vx \akiet\', ixc. aix kkiu'i's mksmrved VOL. 173 No. 5 NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 12, 1949 PRICE 25 CENTS TELE SPONSORS BURN AT COST^ Taknt Agoiaes BinMing Lower-Cost Shows; See Strimger Bid FromRadio Although talent agencies antici-* pate the usual amount of sponsor c spending in radio, they're buildinj; lower-priced packages In keeping with the general lower economic trend in all fields of show business. | Pointers feel that television in- JoWs are still comparatively minor and heavy slices in radio spending will not be evident for some years to come. They believe that even with extension of the coaxial cable, there will still be a considerable segment of the countryopt covered by video transmitters^^^ It's also [figured that advertisers experi- menting in video will not diminish radio budgets to any appreciable degree, difference probably: being made up by decrease of spending in other media. Agencies think that program ' sales will start perking next month , When the majority of advertiser budgets come through/ Until then, | percenters are lining up new pack- • .ages, -.^-./^i;.-| The talent peddlers say that ' they've considerably more selling , points than were present during j the past year. Firstly, they believe i that the Jack Benny switch frorn \ NBC to CBS points up- anew the ; need for development of new shows i -and new stars. Inasmuch as Benny : was the keystone of NBC's former-, !y Smash Sunday lineup, networks (Continued on page 34) Danish King Batons Orch For Benefit Recordings Gopenhageni Jan. 11. One of the top prizes in a Danish lottery to aid needy European countries will be a set of classical recordings waxed by the 70-piece symphony orchestra, of the Royal Danish Theatre under direction of King Frederik IX. Ability of King Frederik as a musician and director has long been acknowledged in Danish mu- sical circles. The 49-year-old mon- arch has been a music lover since his early youth and once wrote a march for the Royal Guard Orches- tra. RESENT NBC FEES Major Pic Compames See 1949 Biz Holding Up as WeD as Last Year Richard Rodgers Nips Oldtimers in Defense Of 'Hard Work as Fun' By RICHARD RODGERS In last week's anniversary issue of Vauiety there viras an article by Arthur Hopkins, the title and teijor of which was, "All the Fun Has Gone Out of the Theatre." With all due respect, and no more, I ask, "What's the man talking jbout?" I searched his ai-ticle care- fully fbr an indication of what was Considered fun in the "good old dSys." and I found that they had some go-sh-darned witty speeches at dinners at the Lambs and Friars. Mr, Hopkins also comes up with >^'iat he declares is the origin of (Continued on page 63) Benny Willing To Tackle Video, If It Can Afford Him Hollywood, Jan.; 11. : Either live or on film, Jack Benny is available for video-^ whenever the medium can aft'ord him. That's the comic's answer to recurrent reports that he'd retire from show biz when tele becomes a major factor. ■ What's more, Benny -declaredi his rallio characters will remain in- tact. He has maintained his situa- tion comedy format with video in mind and only minor revisions will be required to convert to the new medium. Televiewers will see Benny and Rochester riding in the Ma.Kwell, they'll see the vault in tContinued on page 62) By GEORGE ROSEN Clients and ad agencies involved in the majority of top-budgeted dramatic and variety shows on television have been doing a fast burn in recent weeks over mount- ing TV production costs. Shows that would normally, have a $5,000- $6,000 a week talent nut, they claim,: spiral to as high: as $9,000 and $10,000 a week, principally be- cause : of scenery designing prob- lems.. They're particularly resentful of the fact that their, hands are tied and they can't do anything about it, and the finger is' particularly pointed at NBC's standing rule that all production mountings: must be undertaken by the network itself, that none of the scenic work can be parcelled out, The problem is becoming an increasing headache to such sponsors as Texaco, Swift, Kraft, Admiral and: Philco; among others represented by NBC-TV net- work programming. In the case of "Texaco Star The- atre." both the client - and the agency, Kudner, point to the fact (Continued on page 30); Argientine Musicians May Ballt Cugat Visit Montevideo, Jan. 11. It now: looks as though the con- tract signed in November, which would bring Xavier Cugat to Uru- guay and Argentina , in March- April, 1949, may have: to be can-. I celled as far as Argentina is con- cerned. This is the result of the opposi- tion put up by the Argentine Mu- sicians' Union, based on the con- tention that their U. S. counter- part has consistently opposed any booking of Argentina bands or mu- sicians in U. S. territory. :. Benny Goodman Does Quiclv Fade at N.Y. Pau Benny Goodman pulled an un- usual disappearing act at the Para- mount theatre, New York, Saturday (8) night. He walked off the thea- tre s bandstand during Buddy Les- ter s comedy act and kept right on going out of the house. He hasn't oeen back since. Gene Krupa was aiagged in from a vacation for the second show Sunday (9) and con- ducted B. G.'s baivd until it closed la^ mght (Tuesday). action was due to the fact that a bronchial con- < Continued on page 47) A. J. Balaban-Friedlander Head Country Club Synd. Syndicate headed by A. J. Bala- ban and Emil Friedlander has pur- I chased Adolph Zukor's 800-acre estate at New City, N. Y., and plans to develop it into country club es- tates for wealthy show biz names. Group aims to run it as a co-op with about 200 families in the I entertainment field participating. They'll have homes oft the acreage, I plus swimming pool, golf- course, small filniery and all Other ele- ments of a top country dub. Balaban, managing director of the Roxy, N. Y., and Friedlander, head: of Dazian's, costumers, head the syndicate which includes Abe Lastfogel, William Morris office topper; Eugene Zukor, son of Adolph; Harry Thau, who oper- ates Cavanaugh's and the Cardin- al restaurants in ;N. Y.; Nat Rob^ bins, Balaban's brother-in-law and others. They paid around $500,000 for the property, which originally cost Zukor about $2,500,000. / ' ■: Names Piled High For Truman Show Washington, Jan. 11. What must rate as one of the big- gest all-star variety shows ever assembled will take the stage the night of Jan. 19 here at the inaugu- ral "gala" before President Truman and an overflow audience at the National Guard Armory. Here is the cast who will high- light one of the stellar affairs of inaugural week in Washington: Gene Kelly, Feruccio Tag! iavini, Dorothy Maynor, Lawrence Tib- bett, Kay Starr, Abboti and Co.s- tello, Tony and Sally De Marco, Lena Horne, Lucy Monroe, Eeopold Stokowski conducting the National Symphony Orchestra, Lionel Hamp- ton and his band. Alice Faye and Phil Harris, Phil Spitalny and his allTgirl orch, Lum 'n' Abner, Phil Regan, Jane Powell. Dick Haymes, Gene Autry. Kdftar Bergen and Charlie McCartiiy. and a 32-piece pit orchestra of Washington's Capi- (Continued on page 55) 14 B'way Gosings Force 700 Out Of Work; More Due Curj^nt epidemic of closings, the most severe in years, is crimp- ing theatrical employment and worrying the entire legit field. Al- though conditions are expected to be 'better for the next couple of months, at least:« few more shows iflay fold soon, : Figuring the 10 recent closings on Broadway and the road, plus the four scheduled this week, an e.stimated 700 people, including actors, musicians, stagehands, etc., will have been thrown out of work. About 100 more are employed In three other shows that may go off soon. , That figure excludes those in shows that left or are to leave Broadway to tour. One re- sult of the rush of. closings in New York is that the threatened theatre shortage of a: few weeks ago is ap (Continued on page 61) Ten major film- companies, for the first time since the war, plan to release about eight more pictures . during the current year than they fed to- exhibitors in 1948. Ap- proximately 353 features will be distributed in 1949, as compared to the 345 turned out during the preceding 12 months, In addition, several companies have scheduled a group of reissues. Similarity in the number of re- leases indicates that the ma.ior company sales chiefs: believe busi* ness will be at least as good as it was in 1948. All the companies quizzed in the Variety compilation emphasized, however, that current release plans are only tentative and the number of releases may be' increased or decreased, in line with. market conditions. * Big Five, surprLslngly, are slow- ing down on their releases, indi- cating their optimism that the high-' budgeters will grab off longer playing time in the first runs, thereby making: necessary fewer re- leases than last year. Paramount, for example, has trimmed its sched- ule from 27-released In 1948 to an estimated 19 for 1949. Dip of eight (Continued on page 63) I Relaxing of Gambling .Law Needed to Hypo I Havana Nitery Biz I Havana, Jan. 11.; I Nitery operators are hopeful that 'the new national admini-stration iwill ease the laws on gaming. Busi- ness here, despite influx of tourists resulting from resumption of cruises, has been below that of the wartime years when visitors were at a minimum.' Bonifaces feel that relaxing of the casino regulations, wliich permits green-felt operations in the Havana suburbs only, will come shortly. As a result, few cafes are doing (Continued on page 55) -. Artie Shaw's Gonna Let His Hair Grow -Artie Shaw has been signed for I longhair concert appearances bj , the' Judson, O'Neill & Judd division of Columbia Artists Mgt. Latter if ' offering him now to orchestra) ! managers as clarinet soloist witir ; their symphonies for midsuinmer / . al fresco appearances and for^ [ October-November this yean Man- J agers are being advised that Shaw:. (Continued on page 55) ' Telephone CO-5-1393 For All Business Concerning The Hour Of Cbarin All Girl Orchestra and Choir under the direction of PHIL SPITAEJ^Y