Variety (Mar 1949)

tFmfaeadgy, March 23, 1949 VAKDEVILUB 4.1 Ml Resort Op^' Package Deals May Derail Bookers' Gravy Train Mountain . resort operators-f will attempt a revolutionary boo^- m procadure this year A group 3 55 hotels in upper New York will attempt to buy acts on a cost Xs 10% booking fee basis. Al * Belle Dow agency have been ap- nroached to set talent on that basis In the hotels, and indications are that it will take on the assignment. * • Booking on this basis will take +he lush profits out of the moun- tqin business. Generally, the re- sort bookers set entire shows on a flat budget which includes services of the acts, transportation and bboking fees. The booklet gener- fllW manages a nice profit with this urocedure. Acts have often main- tained that the bookers' profits on that basis were much too high and the greater portion of those profits were extracted from the salaries of acts. Performers have fre- quently claimed that a booker will charge an innkeeper $100 for a particular act, but the turn will sometimes get only half of that sum. . , . If the new formula is: success- (Continued on page 55) NOW AT THE ROXY NEW-YORK- Managcmtnt MU$ie CORPORATION OF AMIRICA Penny Edwards Injured Omaha, March 22. Penny Edwards, film and stage player at the Orpheum as part of the show with Gene Krupa's band worked the week with seven stitches in her scalp and a band- aged shoulder. She and her mother, driv- ing from New York to Omaha, were in collision with an- other car in Pittsburgh. They made the remainder of the trip by rail, arriving in plenty of time for opening day. Elkort May Head Grades' U.S. Agcy. London, March 22. Deal is being negotiated for Ed- die Elkort, formerly with Music Corp. of America, to represent Lew and Leslie Grade Agency in the U. S. Elkort is expected in London next week to confer with the agency's boai-d of directors. Lew Grade stated that the Brit- ish Treasury dept. has okayed plans for: the opening of the. U. S. branch which win book American talent for England and the conti- nent and set European acts in the U. S. Ice-Cycles' Set for London, Paris Runs Next Summer For the first time in history a major ice show will play British and 'French dates intact. "Ice- Cycles," with a cast of more than 50 performers, has been booked for Empress Hall, Earl's Court, Lon- don, and will follow with the Pa- lais des Sports, Paris. Show will play the London date, starting June 22 until Sept. 17, and will open the following day in Paris to run until Oct. 2. Rosemarie Stewart (& Dench) will stage the show for the London and Paris stages. Cast Will arrive early in June for extensive rehear'^ sal until the opening. No other dates are slated, inasmuch as en- tire cast will return after the Paris [date to rehearse next season'S'edi- I tion of the show. Dates were set by Walter Brown, president of. the Arena Managers Assn., and president of the Boston [Gardens, while on a recent Euro- I pean trip. leer will play on a guar- antee and percentage basiSw Shuberts Eyeing Vaude Again? hdo llireatens to Resp as AGVA Topper After Ti With Natl Bd. Peggy Lee's Tour Hollywood, March 22. Peggy Lee and husbarid, Dave Barbour, tee off a 10-week eastern vaude tour June 24 at the Chicago theatre, Chicago, at a flat $7,500 per week for two weeks. Barbour's five-piece combo will provide the backing when trek gets underway after Miss. Lee's Ches" terfield airshow starts its summer hiatus. Godfrey Units In for Revision The Shuberts are again report- edly eyeing tWo-a-day vauders for sprHe bf theii" legit houses. Graciei Fieias: inay .head the .firit' iijilt, originally Slated to Open iat the Shubert, Philadelphia; Ajprii! 18, but postponed to a later date. I He said the office will be opened I Lee Shubert is said to be in on I sometime in April, and to finalize I the venture with Ken Robey, who i matters, he will sail for New York i produces vaude shows periodically in early April, and will be accom- " panied by Fraz Mickenie, head of: Dutch National Circus, and Rolf Knie, head of Swiss National Cir- cus. • Meanwhile, Lew Grade told Two "Arthur Godfrey Talent Scouts" units are being withdrawn from theatre tours. Unit which closed last week in Newark will probably be disbanded permanent- ly, but outfit currently playing De- troit will be revamped along new 1 lines, to permit 'winners of audi- ) tions in various cities to play with ' the show. I It was felt that the units without a top name weren't drawing suffi- ciently in large houses, but could have easily made the grade in smaller situations. 4- Administrative end of the AvAac- ican Guild of Variety Artists is rif* with dissension. In one flareup last week Dewey Barto, national admin* istrative secretary, resigned but resignation was not accepted by ■ the natimal board. , It's reported that Barto had beeit on the carpet several times during; the meeting. At one point he is said to have told the board that since he was drafted for the job he could resign any time. - A boards member moved to accept the resig- nation, but situation was smoothed over. It's felt by various board mem« hers that disagreements in the top; echelon are: imperiling the -union's plan for complete organization of its jurisdiction, further exploration of employmenf opportunity in the variety field, settlement of the tele- vision jurisdiction and the insurr ance - program which, the national - board promulgated at its recent; N. Y. meeting. Some members of:. the N. Y. board are attempting to. settle the breach, "but if unsuccess' ful, it's likely the tlflf will be re- vived on the floor of the convention to be held in June In Chicago. .lerry Lester is slated to play his first date at the Latin Quarter, N. Y., starting April 28. Frances Faye also comes into the spot on that (late. Variety that he has booked Ililde- garde to open at Casino, Knocke, Belgium, for two weeks, starting Aug. 12, and is also negotiating with a West End theatre, to ^iresent the American singer for short sea at Carnegie Hill, N, Y., and the I Harry Adler-Nat Dunn Agency. I Proposed number of units hasn't .1 been determined and will probably depend on the success of the first I layout. Shubert has been interest- ! ed in vaude displays for sometime, i and the revived interest in vaude, due to its popularity on video, has sharpened such plans.- Robey promoted a show Satur- day (19) at Carnegie Hall, N. Y., son after Belgium dates. Has also i ^vith Myron Cohen and Molly Pi- booked the Delta Rhythm Boys for t^o weeks at Knocke, . opening Jiil-y 29, following with London Palladium, Aug. 15, for four weeks, and a Moss Empires tour of i 18 weeks to follow. i con heading the bill. Gross was $3,996, considered excellent for a single display in that auditorium. Manny Opper that n*w comedian 97th Week Hollywood SKow loungt Ttn. Mil.: IRV LEVIN Basie Toplines as S.F. Tivoli Guns Vaude Policy SaaJErancisco, March_22, _ Tivoli relights as a vaudfilmer next Wednesday (30) with Count Basic band toplining first stage show. Booked in by GAC, •Basie gets a flat 50% of the week's gross. House, run by Ellis Levy, operator of the Edgewater ballroom and the Telenews theatre, has a 65c top for the flesh and dual film layout. Levy will pay local standby mu- sicians to placate Musicians Local 6 here during the Basie engagement in the 1,500-seater, Kittr Kallen pacted for Beverly Country Club, New Orleans, April 14. Crabbe Set for Toleido Aquarama Toledo, March 22. Buster Crabbe and a cast of 75 performers have been booked for the 1949 Toledo Aquarama Festi- val. Show will be held July 8-17 in the Sports Arena. HARRY ADLER AND NAT DUNN fake pleasure in announcing the merger of their theatrical booking agencies fo be known as ADLER-DUNN AGENCY Located at 165 West 46th Street New York City Suite 508 PLam 7-253S -Circle 6.871 a WALTER WmCHELL: "A 23 year old 'find'." VABIETY: "Leo De Lyon has an act that's as odd as his name. There are sudden sur- prises during his turn that panic the house ... Showstopper... Surefire ..." . BILLBOAltn: "Im^J^ .tiyxm was a big. hit. "The : short 'comics, material, vocaf • knocli^ aboiitS'Work is made to-order.>. broilfllt yoclis time and again." N. Y. POST: "His humor should carry him a Jong way-^gives an excellent exhibition of his amaiing talents." They're stilh ROARING about LEO DE LYON Just completed: STRAND ".'New.York-'' Opening April Tth: ROOSEVELT HOTEL New OrlMNS Tlranxamillion tot The Strand's Harry Mayer for this and the return engagement and' the entire Strand Theatre Staff; the Fourth, Estates for all the kind Words; GAC's Harry Anger for his valued guidance. Personal Mgt.: JACK TALAN Press Relations: MAL BRAVEMAN and KAY NORTON Direction: GENERAL ARTISTS CORPORATION