Variety (Jan 1949)

W«ilneBday> Janwary 26, 1949, SI H'Jgerland Circuits E^e Success Of Schine Vaude Ropte of 55 Days Rtsults of the introduction of-fr vaudeville on the Schintf circuits indicates that the small towns are ready for a variety invasion. Busi- ness in nearly 20 towns where the Schines have introduced stage- sbows has been "more than gratify- ing" so far. In towns like Amster- dam, N.V., Where fl?sh has been pjaying iot about three, months, the b-o. is holding up nicely, while turnouts in houses where vaude has been In effect for only several weeks, are reported big. Circuit Operators throughout the country are watching the Schine experiment. Many theatre owners hwe been hit with dwindling crosses and shortage of pictures, and ar? consequently seeking a method of reviving revenue. Al and Belle Dow Agency, book- ing the Schine circuit, are already offering acts 55 days, and prospects are that playing time will be in- creased on that chain. All bookings are two and three-day stands, most- ly weekends. Other circuits which have been eyeing the Schine stageshows, may there are plenty of playable turns available, they say. Thel-e's enough material they declare, to supply several more times the houses now playing stageshows. The Schines will most likely opem a few more houses in order to break up several long jumps. Route starts in upper New York and extends as far as Lexington, Ky. With several more in-between stops, acts will get a consecutive route of close to 10 weeks. These houses constitute playing time which didn't exist a year ago. Ohio Judge Decides State Must Pay For Confiscated Liquor Columbus, Jan. 25. Night club and cafe owners in Ohio who had their licenses re- voked since the anti-liquor law was set up and who had whisky, wine and beer confiscated as a rer suit, have a claim on the state f or recovery of the value of the stocks Lenny Joins RAC Jack Lenny has joined Radio Artists Corp.,. headed by Jack BerteU and Bernard Schubert. He will be in charge of theatre and cafe departments. He'll also book talent for video. Lenny was with Harry Romm until latter switche,d to Music Corp. of America. He's been an indie agent since. I if a decision of Judge Joseph M.: fall Into the fold shortly. Several, Clifford stands. New England and Midwest chain Common pleas court judge ruled operators have already been mquir- the confiscation clauses in the liq. Easing of England's Nitery Curfew Indicated by RusseD Swann Booking ' ing into stageshow possibilities, Heartening feature of the new playing time, according to agents who have been supplying Schine with acts, is the fact that top names and expensive * performers are not necessary. Five or six good acts are all that are needed, and mmmmim fHILADilPHIA, fA mmmmmm aiNTONHOTELn\"ur. 300 outside" ROOMS (i»m *2 DAILY SPrCMt WltKlY KATCS NOUSCKCCriNO MCll/TffS ■HWAlMNt OStANCt OF Jilt rHMrniIBMi Manny Upper fha> n«w comtdion 89«h WMk Hollywood Show Leu(ig* Chicago Pen. Mgt.: IRV LEVIN uor law as illegal "in that they authorize the taking of and confis- cation of property without due process of law and without com- pensation ... State,: however, is fighting back and has served no- tice it will appeal the decision to a higher court. Ruling came in case of Louis W. Grieb, Springfield, whose night club permit for . the Night Hawk cafe was revoked March 1, 1946. He said liquor agents seized about $5,000 worth of liquor when he lost his license; Amount for which the state would be liable has not been fig- ured but it would run Into many thousands of dollars. - Miami's Copa City Starts Price War Early This Year Miami B^ach, Jan. 25. The Miami Beach price war is starting earlier than usual this year. Opening gun was fired by the Copa City's bid for business with, a $4.50 dinner, and a show including Kay Thompson and the Williams Bros., Peter Lind Hayes, .lack Cole Dancers, Sammy Kaye Band, .Georgie Tapps, Tony Bavaar and a line.' It's estimated that the layout costs around $30,000, mak- ing it necessary for operator Mur- ray Weinger to gross around $60,» 000 in order to breakeven. The neigliboring Beachcomber so far hasn't taken cognizance of the Copa's price move, but retaliation is . expected. Business, so far, in the, majority of cafes and hotels has been con- siderably below that of last year, Bureau, will be : spotted on the which wasn't considered too good. I Mauretania and tlie newly-launched Whether a price cut in Beach Caronia. Each show will consist of ' ' .London, Jan. 25. ii/r»ic. XT:„.r.ii.n,i. xi^^^Vr^ T«« I EasiHg of England's strict nitery MpIS. JNlCOllet UoterS Ice [curfew laws Is indicated by the Show MpUpH 'TU Slimitier '•'""''^'''S of Russell Swann into the onuw lueiiea lll 0Uiniuei .Embassy Club. London, opening Feb. 7. S\yann is the first major U, S. cafe act to be booked into that Minneapolis, Jan. 25. Nicollet hotel's Minnesota Ter- race will drop its ice show policy March 1. But Dorpthy Lewis^ who has held forth there since last June will return next summer. Meanwhile, Miss'Lewis is shap- ing another ice show to open at the Slatler hotel, Buffalo, next month. She will not appear in the show, however. ; Terrace is expected to: return to name-act policy, but will find com-, petition local increased, two other niteries having adopted that, type of bid' for public favor meanwhile. Cunard S.A. Boats To Ship Shows as Means Of Meeting Competition Tlie British-owned Cunard White Star line will book acts on its ships in the Caribbean service to meet the competition of other lines on the West Indies run. Company has had several of its top vessels in the lucrative cruise trade. Shows, to be booked by Nat Abramson, head of the WOR Artists country since the beginning of the war. Since then, cafes have been unable-to book expensive American talent because of the 10:30 p.m. curfew on liquor sales. Recent protests by a delegation of nightclub owners to Home Sec- , retary Chuter Ede is reported to have been instrumental in amend- ing the law. Cafe owners told Ede that • the. 10:30 curfew has caused "unsavory dives" to open, threatr- ened London nightlife, and cut ofl tourist trade. Under Bi'ltain's current austerity regime, it's been an unofficial gov- ernment policy to discourage night life in an effort to save on food, light and heat, and liquor. Swann's booking was made by the Harry Foster Agency through the William Morris office, New York. AL RICKARD BUYING ARTHUR FISHER AGCY. Deal is being completed for take- over of the Arthur Fisher Agency by. Al Rickard, who for several years assisted the late Arthur Fisher. Negotiations with the Fisher estate are expected to be completed by the end of the week. Rickard will book houses for the Skouras circuit in New. York and vicinity, the Century Circuit, Brandt houses and the Metropoli- tan theatres of New England: cafes will aid or hinder business l is still to be determined. Some quarters feel that lower tariffs at a time when an owner is running expensive shows will put the opera- tion into a deeper hole. Others feel that it's better to play to a lot of fair spenders. as against a handful of liberal coin dispensers.: Last year it was found that price,! cuts increased nitery = trade con- siderably. However; that came, to- ward the end of the season when show budgets weren't in the super- bracketSi and one or two nights of good business was sufficient to take the operator off the nut. A spot with the Copa's talent outlay and: food prices needs a full house every niglit. Keftrney Aligns with Dows Jack Kearney has joined the Al and Belle. Dow Agency as a.dub date booker. Kearney was formerly with the Harry Moss agency and prior to that was band booker with Fred- erick Bros., agency.' IS ^ World Famous Photographers to ARTISTS of STAGE...SCREEN...RADIO REPRINTS We are now equipped to make quantity original reprints at reproduction ratet. LEONARD LE BEAU HELD IN OKLA. PRISON BREAK Chicago, Jan. 25. Leonard Le Beau, owner of the Pleasure Inn, Decatur, 111.; was ar- rested last week on prison-break charge. Fingerprints connected him with an escape in 1918 from the Okla- homa State Reformatory. LeBeau, widely known through the midwest, had amassed a con- siderable fortune in his 11-year residence in Decatur. eight acts and a band. U. S. turns will be used, made possible by a new edict of the British Board of Transportation, which permitted expenditure of American dollars. Hitherto, it was impossible to use U. S. talent because of ban on pay- ment in dollars. As a result no en- tertainment was offered. However, a few cruises in which bookings were comparatively sparse, is said to have convinced the Ministry on wisdom of using talent. Abramson declared that he's lin- ing up cafe dates in the West Indies ports to augment the income of en- tertainers on the run. Several cafes and hotels in Nassau, Havana, and other spots are reported anxious to use American acts when the boat makes stopovers. Abramson declared that he's also working, on a plan whereby acts wou Id make lengthy •stopovers at a port in order to work cafes or the- atres, and join the next ship on the run: In that way, performers can earn additional coin in niteries and passengers could get the benefit of an entirely new show. Abramson is currently booking shows on the Holland-American Line as well. Burglars stripped the safe of the Park theatre, Youngstown, O., burlesk house, of $438 on Jan. 19. Danny Thomas to Open Miller's Riviera Season Miami Beach, Jan. 29. Danny Thomas has been: signeii} to open Bill Miller's RivieraV Ft Lee, N. J., around May 1. Miller is also attempting to line up other headliners, including Martin & Lewis, Jane Fronian, etCw JAM JOHNSON Americo^s Foremost Marimbiat CEORGE GUEST Ted Lewis Drops lOOG Suit Vs. Sherman, Chi Chicago, Jan. 25. Damage suits, one for $100,000 by Ted Lewis and the other for $5,000 against him, were dropped. Lewis' action was vs. the Sherman hotel and a waiter. Altercation started two years ago when Lewis was staying at the inn and waiter and he quarreled. Lewis claimed he had to keep his arm: in cast for j six weeks. In turn, waiter sued Lewis for $5,000. Lewis, before Judge Julius Miner, Chi circuit court, asked; juror to dismiss the suit after hear-.: ing that' waiter was overseas vet ; and had spent 14 months in hospi-^ | tals. Cross suit was then; dismissed.. Guetary's 1st Canadian j Date Eyes 40G Gross - Montreal, Jan. 25. I Georges Guetary, French singer) and film star, may gross $40,000 in j his first Canadian date. He's cur-1 rent at the Theatre Champlaine, here, where he opened Friday (21). j William Morris agency, who imr j ported Guetary, is attempting to ] get him to postpone French film | commitments in order to tour the ! U. S. Guetary, who is here with , his manager, Felix Marouani, i starred in the long running Sir ; Charles Cocliran production, "Bless ; i the Bride," in London. I TRICKS- in every trade! ^1 JAN AUGUST and his Piano iAtWi. MAGIC ia MtlUoHi Cvrrmfly: PARK PLAZA St. Leuii DirMrien: MCA LatMl Mtrcury rtleat* ^'NI&HT and DAY" "JALOUSIE" CARNEGIE HALL STUDIO :154 W. 57th ST. N.Y.C. IHl. Phone Circle 7-3505 5g|| BOSTON STUDIO ■. Hotel Lenox : Kcnmore 5 300 Ml