Variety (Mar 1949)

ygJneeday, March 23, 1949. LEGITIHIATE 49 Pji. s Offer Compromise Plan to Ease League-ATPAM Exploitation Impasse las been-f worked out by a group of legit !S«Mnts to gettle the impasse Possible eopP^'HJ*^®, worked "Ut &rtbe league of N Y The- IfneTwid the Assn. of Theatrical !S Agents & Managers over the «r«Msed plan for a national pub- fiS^Swalgn for the theatre. It will be submitted to the union and, if acceptable, then offered to the League. If adopted, the compromise would nermit immediate start on the f easue's drive to give national ex- ttloltation to legit. Latter has been delayed for several months because the ATPAM has Insisted that one of'its pa. members be hired to head the operation, while the League has wanted to bring in an outside publicity firm to handle It. Bobbins & Barber or Allan Meltzer have been suggested for the as- signment. , . The compromise proposal in- volves several possible setups. One would call for the employment of an ATPAM member in the asso- ciate p.a. category on a full-time basil at, for instance, $125 a week, to assist the outside publicity firm. The other would Involve using a regular ATPAM press^gent in a consultant capacity, at about $100 a week. In either case the outside pub- licity rep would have charge of the operation, with the ATPAM man supplying the first-hand knowledge of the theatre. Idea of the eom- proinise Is that the union wants to be sure the League's whole enplol- tation plan doesn't fail to ma- terialize. It is anxious to avoid any charge of "featherbedding," but figures that one of Its members can give invaluable assistance. The compromise proposition was worked out by the group of press- agents In an unofficial capacity and It will have no formal status un- less adopted by the union. Those who attended the meeting at which the proposal was mapped included Bill Doll, Ben Kornzwelg, Richard Maney, William Fields, Jim Proc- tor, Bernard Simon and Arthur Cantor. 'Drunkard' Back at Chi Bar With Beer, Pretzels Added Chicago, March 22. Brian Doherty's all-Canadian production of "The Drunkard" which closed at the Studebaker after a shaky two-week run, re- opened Saturday (19) sans legit setting, but with beer and pretzels instead. Company took over the Via Lago, a northslde nitery that owner Hay Suber has been renting out for weddings and private parties. Spot, complete with stage, has a capacity, of 500; "Drunkard" is charging admis- sion of $1.50, which includes beer and pretzels, with eight per- formances a week, including a Sat- urday midnight show. If biz shows an upward trend, production may do two shows nightly. Bendix, Totter Play 'Born' in Phoenix Week Phoenix, March 22. William Bendix checks into Phpenix this week for rehearsals in "Born Yesterday," first produc^ tion of the Sombrero theatre here. Play opens March 29 for a week's run, with Audrey Totter playing 1 opposite Bendix; I Sombrero, a 500-seater, is still in I the construction stage, but finish- ; ing touches will be applied this I week. Co-producers of legiter are I Ann Lee and Dick Charlton. Omaha World-Herald Sets Precedent, Booking Play In Trbtates' Territory ' Omaha, March 22. xnstates "Theater's provmce, which they have held for. some years, was. invaded this week when the Omaha World - Herald brought in a legitimate Broadway show. Attraction is "O, Mistress Mine," the Sylvia Sydney-John Loder star- ring combo. Presentation will be afternoon and night Saturday, April». The. booking is significant from the viewpoint that this is the first time in several years that anyone except Trlstates has brought in a play of this type. - The World- Herald made a deal with the pro- ducers of the show for a per- centage to go to their Good Fel- lows Christmas fund. The audi- torium of Technical High School will be used. It seats 2,000. Booking raises the point that the world-Herald, always pushing for stage shows here, may bringbthers to town. Equityites Query Council Stand The proposed merger of per- former unions, recently rejected by the Actors Equity council, will be raised at the union's quarterly membership meeting Friday after- noon (25) at the Astor hotel, N. Y. Rank-and-file members will bring up the subject from the floor, with a request for an explanation of the council's rejection of the idea. It's expected that some argument will result. Also due to be considered, prob- ably in relation to the merger question, is the proposed setup for television jurisdiction. Other sub- jects slated for action are the Equity Library Theatre and the election of six members to the nominating committee for the union's annual election. in May. The three council representatives on the committee are Matt Briggs, chairman, and Edith Meiser and Mady Christians, with Frank Thomas, Sr., Marjorie Gateson and Bill Ross as alternates. Due to be elected this year is the entire slate of officers, for terms-of three years, plus 10 coun- cil members for five years and one each for one and two - year terms.—Clarence.Derweiit, incumr. bent president, has indicated . he will not serve again, despite re- cent efforts to persuade him to re- consider. . No outstanding candi- date to succeed him has emerged. SELZNICK ENDS TIE WITH COAST STRAWHAT Hollywood, March 22. Actors' Co., strawhat group com- posed of David O. Selznick con- traqfees, opens a casting office here May 1 to prep for its third season, but Selznick will no longer be as- sociated with the venture. He has bowed out of the affiliation. Ruth Bureh, repeating her stint as casting director, will line up players for a nine-week season opening July 5. Heading the group are Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire, Jennifer Jones, Joseph Cotten and Mei Ferrer, some of whom may appear during the season. Mi.ss Jone.s, however, will be unable to partici- pate due to film commitments abroad, Carroll Stays In 'Fancy'ThniJan.; Maybe London Madeleine Carroll has decided to remain with "Goodbye, My Fancy" through next January and possibly longer. She may do it in London late in the spring of 1950. There is no reference in the new, agreement to the picture version of the Fay Kanin comedy, but it's reported that Metro is negotiating for the rights, with the idea of starring Greer Garson. Irene Dunne has also been mentioned as a possibil- ity for the part. Under the new contract. Miss Carroll will continue to star in "Fancy" until July I at the 1 Pulton, N. Y, She will then take i a two-month vacation, during which she will visit her mother in England and spent some time in France and Spain. On her return In September the plan is to take the play, on tour, opening in Bos- ton.' The actress was sought by co- producers Michael Kanin, Richard Aldrich and Richard Myers to re- main with the show through next season, but she prefers not to be committed that long in advance. The management hopes she'll ulti- mately reconsider, in which case the London engagement may fol- low. Star has no other play in mind after she quits "Fancy," but now figures on joining the repertory company planned by Sam Wana^i' maker, Jose Ferrer and Aldrich. She would like to do a Restoration comedy, but also hopes to play "lots and lots of parts." Until she reached the new agree- ment yesterday (Tue s.) to continue in "Fanc.v" until nextTTanuaryrMisS^ Carroll had been set to stay with the comedy only ■ until July 1. Her original eontract ran until June 15, but she - subsequently agreed to remain an extra month, and to inform the management by May 15 as to her subsequent plans. The intention is to engage a sub- I stitute star-fot the show while the I actress vacations next summer. Lee Shubert Wants to Keep 'Lives^ Goldmine on B way; Tallu Yens Tour Melnick May Go Into 'He' as Co-Producer Dan Melnick, treasurer of the Ziegfeld, N.Y,, may be co-producer of "He and She," the new musical comedy which Ken Englund and Stewart Chancy are readying foi" production. Possible hitch in the deal is that Melnick, who is ready to put up $55,000 of the ,$165,000 neededi wants the show to play the Ziegfeld theatre, but Englund and Chahey. figure the house is too large,for the relatively subtle comedy material in the script and .lyrics.:. "He and She" has a book by Englund, score by Vernon Duke and lyrics by Ogden Nash. David Wayne and. Janet Blair are in line for the leads. Warners Offered Lone Legiter for Atlantic City Atlantic City, March 22. Warner Bros, is mulling a propo- sition whereby Mayor Joseph Alt- inan has offered to keep stage snows out of the city-owned Con- vention Hall this summer, provid- ?°8 ,the Boardwalk's big Warner "leatre is used to house Broadway productions. ^Thls, in effect, would give the Warner interests a virtual monop^ Music Corp. of Americat so th ^"""8 the season, as actual playing dates for the three jpe nail is the only spot available. ; productions will be booked during -^^vidj.owe-has leased-the -Gon-Uhe spring. . hall ballroom and con- producers have sent local man- verted It into a theatre the past' ageraents a 12-page circular detail- . wo summers. Altman made bis i ing hoW the season subscription riiof"^ 1" " '^^^^^^ A. J. Vanni, j plan works and outlining proced- ."istrict manager for Warner in this I ...-n Hnintt nn local snonsors *rea. He so far has received no answer. MCA Setting Up Pacts Tor Lewis-Young Opera Toilr Hollywood, March 22. Entire route for the National Light Opera Festival tour will probably be set next week by Rus- sell Lewis and Howard Young. Lo- cal contracts are being set by the 'Glass Menagerie' Tour For Minn. Hinterland Minneapolis, March 22. Don Stolz, impresario of Old Log I theatre, local; strawhatter, has i launched "Glass Menagerie" on ' tour of territory's smaller towns ; that don't have chance to see ! spoken drama. Mary Perry, who ! has played the lead role in other i road companies, heads cast, which ; also includes Stolz himself, Barbara i Davies and Ken Senn. Tour will extend into first week of May and ] will be made by automobile. I Univ. of Minnesota bureau of ' concerts and lectures tour of "The , Hasty Heart" into area's small Mowns; through arraagement I Worked out with New York Thea- tre Guild, which is supplying the i director (Margalo GlUmore) and :ca.st, will not get under way until ' about next Oct. 1. There will be i 10 weeks of one-night stands in I Minnesota, North and South Da- I kota, Iowa and Wisconsin. An- I nounced objective is "to foster the- j-atcical interest and activity in the , smaller towns." 4 New Shows On Bloomgarden List Kermit Bloomgarden, co-pro- ducer of "Death of a Salesman," at the Moroscoi N. Y., is already busy on his crowded schedule for next season. : Besides the second company of "Salesman," his agenda includes three definite new shows and a possible fourth. The certain entries are. "Montserrat," "The Naked and the Dead" and an untitled comedy by James: Gow and Arnaud ^'Ussfeau; The possi- bility is a play being written by Arthur Kober. Touring edition of "Salesman" and the production of "Montser- rat" may be in simultaneous re- hearsal during August. With the return of stager Elia Kazan from Hollywood over the weekend, Bloomgarden and co-producer Wal- ter Fried are. ready to begin cast- ing the road version of "Sales- man," which they hope to open in Chicago around Labor Day. No one is set for the east. • '.'Montserrat," which Blodmgarv den will : present in association with Gilbert Miller, is already In preparation. Howard Bay has de- signed the scenery, which will be built this spring. Emlyn Williams has been signed for the lead and the show is to open early in Sep- tember;—-Lillian -Hellman,—who adapted the Emanuel Robles orig- inal, will direct; "Naked and Dead," Miss Hell- man's dramatization of the Nor- man Mailer novel, will probably be completed during the;summer and .production is slated /to follow shortly after the "Salesman" re- peat and "Montserrat." The Gow- d'Usseau script, reportedly Hear- ing completion, will come next. Little is known of what progress Kober is making with his new play, so-it remains merely a possibility. No longer on Blooragardeh's schedule are . Kenneth White's "The Inconceivable War,'' Elma Huglnir's "Garden of Olives" or Dashiell Hammett's "The Good Meal." \ Tallulah Bankhead would like to close "Private Lives," at the Plymouth, Ni Y., and take the re vival on the road for the balance of the season, but Lee Shubert i* holding the show to the stop-limit agreement. Expectation is that the Noel Coward comedy will play out the season on Broadway, since the gross has consistently stopped $15,w 000 a week, against the stop level of $14,000. Actress figures the production could do much better business on tour through the spring period, particularly if routed through the south. She doesn't want, to con- tinue with it next season, so she'd . like to cover the remaining un- played territory before spring.' She has no other show in mind for the fall, but is confident that a suitable one will be available by; then. In any case, she feels that she's done the Noel Coward re- vival long enough, having starred, in it for most of two years, in stock and on the road. This edition of "Lives" ha« ; proved a goldmine to everyone con- cerned, i Miss Bankhead gets a . guarantee against a percentage of' the gross and a share of the proDts; The: deal was giving her an esti- mated $5,O0Q a week for months, when the gross was topping $20,- 000. In addition, producer John C. Wilson and the backers have cleaned up on the venture and the Shpberts have also netted a neat sum in theatre rental. With only a few more shows scheduled for the balance of the season, Lee - Shubert figures he should keep "Lives" In the Plymouth as long as possible. On the basis of the last couple of weeks' grosses for the show, Wilson agrees with him. . And to sbme extent Miss Bankhead does, too., Vanni has booked the Joe E. nrown "Harvey" company into tlie Warner the four days before Easter, ure for lining up local sponsors and civic support. Three produc- tions to be toured during the 1949- 50 season are "Mei*ry Widow," "Song of Norway" and "Naughty Marietta." In general, non-UBO towns will be played. Paper Mill's 'Norway' Millburn, N. J., March 22. Papier Mill playhouse will re- open April 18 with "Song of Nor- way/' which has just been re- leased for stock production, Frank eatrington operates, the spot. ' Gordon Revue May Do Tryout in Strawhat Max Gordon intends to try -out his new revue in a strawhat theatre this summer, prior to Broadway presentation in the fall. Producer appeared before Actors Equity council yesterday (Tues.) to ask for a waiver of the .union's two- week rehearsal limit for summer .stock production. Council agreed to allow a third week's rehearsal, but at. minimum salary. It also decided to revise the present strawhat tryout rules. Show, as yet untitled, will have a book by Jerome CHodorov, with music and lyjlcs by Harold Rome. George S; Kaufman is to direct. Scandinavian Deal For 'Harvey,' With Hansen, Set as Problems Iron Out . Deal for Max Hansen, Swedish comedy star, to play the lead in and co-jproduee "Harvey" in the Scandinavian countries is aboiit to be signed: Production - Will- prob- . ably be next fall, with StocldiQlm getting the first presentation of the Mary Coyle Chase _comedy_and en- gagements in Copenhagen, Oslo, Helsinki and other cities to follow. Fact that Hansen speaks all the Scandinavian languages fluently was a factor in his getting the rights to the play. However, the actorrproducer also has; a reputa- tion -for the quality of his produc- tions. Deal has been in the works, j since last year, when Hansen vi.sited New York. Miss Chase and her agent, Harold Freedman, are understood to have several reasons for taking their time about foreign produc- tions Of "Harvey." Since the play has no timely element they've been - able to wait, for satisfactory terms, including the right leads and good productions, as well as suitable translations, in the various coun- tries. Also, there's the fact that with two companies of the show in the U. S., the authoress was al- ready In a high tax bracket, so she'd prefer to get her foreign royalties at a later date. English production of ''Harvey," starring Sid Field, opened only a. few months ago and has been play- ing to capacity at the Prince of Wales, London. Another edition; starring Oscar Karlweis, was due; to open last night (22) in Vienna. Nixon theatre. Wendy for Wells Nixon Closes Four-Week Gap With 'Stranger* Pittsburgh, March 22. local legit spot which looked headed for four straight da^k stretches, will settle for just two, Kay Francis in "Favorite Stranger" having been booked in for week beginning Mon- day (28). House hadn't figured on- anything after "Medea," which closed March 12, until "Inside . London, March 22. Jack Hylton will st^ir Wendy Hu- rler in Walter Greenwood's (her 1 authoryhusband's) new play, which j U.S.A." April 11. is adaptation from H. G. Wells'I So far there'll be another shut- book, "Ann Veronica." Opens at tered stanza between "Stranger" ; Liverpool April 29, prior to West j and ."Inside.'' Miss Francis had: End. Peter Ashmore will direct: originally later. been expeiSted much