Variety (Mar 1949)

y^Jfa gday, Mawli 30, 1949 LEGITIMATR 49 li^aret Webster Talked for Prez, VouM Be 1st Femme to Head Equity wltfe Clarence Derwent appar-* ^Iiv determined not to serve *!ita M president of Actors Equity, Slatlon about his successor is ?E«nMiine In the union member- 's^ Among those prominently f«tIoned if Margaret Webster S i "elected, would become the SSJ'feihme to have the office. nthws being suggested for the JSment include Philip Ober, E. S Kennedy and Sidney Black- IT However, efforts may be S". to "draft" Derwent, who is Sly regarded as one of the best ISdents the association has had. iSides a whole new slate of of- M.M to be chosen, there are 12 Sons on the council to be filled rfte election, which will be held ,f the annual meeting, sometime between May 24 and June 2. The nominating committee, has an- nounced that it will accept sug- eetted names up until tomorrow (Thuw.) for the official slate. To be eligible, nominees must have been senior resident members in mod itanding for five years. Representing the membership on the nominating committee are Mil- dred Dunnock, Otto Kruger, Sam Wanamaker, Blanche Yurka, John O'Shaughnessy and Margaret Wydierly. They were elected at the quarterly membership meeting last Friday (25) at the Astor hotel, N. Yi The other three members of the committee, representing the council, are Matt Briggs, chairman, and Edith Meiser and Mady Chris- tians. Committee held its first meeting Monday (28). In response to a petition from the membership there was an ex- planation of the council's recent rejection of the proposed merger with the American Federation of Badlo Artists, the American Guild of Musical Artists and the Ameri- can Guild of Variety Artists. Miss Webster, whose report as chairman of ft special committee on the sub- ject is believed to have been in- fluential in the council's action, spoke against the merger, while Alan Hewitt was the principal ex- ponent of the idea. Besides Derwent, officers whose terms expire this year are^Augustin Duncan, Cornelia. Otis Skinner, Basil Rathbone and William Harri- gan, vicepresidents; Bobby Clark, recording, secretary, and Paul Dul- zell (retired), treasurer. . Council members whose terms are up in- clude Edward Andrews, Philip Boumeuf, Alexander Clark, Patri- cia CoUinge, Jose Ferrer, Kathryn -Clvney,-Kennedy, Rohert_Perry., Harvey. Stephens, William Talman, Frederic Tozere and Frank Wilson. Wanamaker Misses One 'Goodbye' Performance Monthly to Eye Show AUhoug'.i Sam Wanamaker, who staged "Goodbye, My Fancy," at the Fulton, N Y., has a principal part in the pjay/he misses one -performance a month so he can catch it from "out front and direct a re-rehearsal the next day. That Is figured one of the reasons that the quality of the performance has been retained. Wanamaker's understudy, Frank Milan, plays the part of the Life wrrespondent-photog for the per- lofmances the actor-director scouts M • member of the audience. Ac- cording to members of the cast, WMiamaker's comments on their performances are frequently caus- "Cand: the refresher rehearsals are generally ordeals. All shows are supposed to have regular re-rehearsals, but the prac- uce frequently becomes mere rou- tine, particularly if the director is • member of the cast or, as is more MiiS." becomes busy wUh other assignments. *Ov«ri!r for Air Lift Hollywood, March 29. ^"sting has been completed for ine first of a series of shows to be PWformed at 15 air bases in and wound Berlin, Leaving here March « to do "Over 21" will be Con- siance Bennett, Jean Wright, Ruggles, Vanessa Brown, -"immy Lyon, Margaret MacDonald, Joe Fields, Hillary Brooke and nf« ' Arnt. Jus Addis directs, f "'nerent troupes will be flown '0 the bases every seven weeks, l^.wjtertainment project of U. S. X. forces. Each cast wUl perform ««Mly for three weeka. 'Medea' Backers Get $12,000 Dividends Dividend of $12,000 has been sent to backers of "Medea,"' star- ring Judith Anderson, by Robert Whitehead and Oliver Racv origi- nal producers of the Robinson Jef- fers drama on Broadway last sea- son. That brings the profits to about $37,000 on the $75,000 pro- duction. Additional coin has been earned and will be distributed soon. Show is currently touring under Guthrie McClintic's man-, agement, on lease from the origi- i nal presenters. Whitehead & Rae have two pos- sible productions of undisclosed title in mind: for: next i^eason. Kay's Bandit Draw "T!Tew Orleans, March 29. Kay Francis draws -the wrong kind of customers to the Pqche here. She appeared in "Favorite Stranger" last week. And a bandit got $600 at the Poche before curtain time last weekend, holding up the cashiet. Police recalled that the last time Miss Francis starred at the Poche, in "State of the Union" in December, 1947, a gunman held up another cashier. But then he got only $295. Dramatists, Mgrs. Meet With Equity On cost Snags Joint committee of the Drama- tists Guild and Broadway pro- ducers will meet tomorrow (Thurs.) with representatives of Actors Equity to consider: possible methods of lowering legU produc- tion costs. For the actors' union the spokesmen will include Clar- ence Derwent, president; Louis M.; Simon, executive secretary,. and Aline MaqMahon and Bill Ross, council members. One idea partially worked out by the committee would involve re- vision of the present setup for de- sign of pfoductions. Some of the top designers are understood to have tentatively approved the idea of being called in for preliminary consultation on show plans, at a ■modified fee. In case the show were actually put into production the designer would get his regu- lar fee, but if the project was dropped he would retain the orig- inal payment. Purpose of the proposal is to avoid the present setup under which a designer is, usually not called in 1until~tlre~slTow is about to go into reheasal, thereby involv- ing rush work and increased costs: through overtime, etc. Under ex- isting conditions, producers can't afford to engage designers until they're sure the script is right and the financing and cast are set. That is because the United Scenic Artists union requires that the de- signer be paid a full fee if en- gaged. Seek 25G For Library Theatre Fund drive to establish the Equity Library Theatre on a con- tinuing basis starts today (Wed ). Minimum of $25,000 is being sought from all groups and in- dividuals in legit. Proceeds • Will finance ELT next season. : Equity council voted last week to contribute $7,600 to. start, the drive, and the American National Theatre ' and Academy previously agreed to add another. $2,500 to the similar amount it put up some weeks ago to help underwrite the project, John Golden previously financed ELT, but withdrew this season. Among the proposed new aspects of the operation next season are obtaining regular rehearsal space in the Broadway, area, better light- ing and scenery for theatres in which the shows-are presented, ex- panding the production schedule, extending engagements for shows, and adequate pay for an executive- secretary, assistant and technical supervisor.. Present season ends June I and the project will resume in September with a^ schedule of 50 or more presentations. ' Terese Hayden ' is chairman of the fund-raising committee. B way Sked Sem Totaling 71 Entries, Compared to 83 Shows Last Season Taniroff Sues for Salary On N.O. Thm' Appearance New Orleans, March 29. Akim Tamiroff,,pix and stage ac- tor, charged he wasn't paid for an appearance in "I Remember Mama," in a suit Friday (25) against the Kewr .Orleans Theatre Guild, Inc. Tamiroff filed a peti- tion in civil District court, asking $1,700 from the guild. Harry Carr, managing director of the guild, and other officers re-' fused to comment on the suiti SCHUYLER'S MUSICAL ^ WITH TONY MARTIN Miami Beach, March 29. Ned ScLuyler, operator of the Beachcomber nitery in Miami Beach, is slated to do a musical on Broadway next fall with Tony Martin, whom he has signed to a contract. Schuyler goes to the Coast in a couple of weeks to line up composers and librettists. Meanwhile, Sol Lerner, New York attorney, has been named Schuyler's personal rep in N; Y. to start the ball rolling on the I reading of scripts, etc. Lerner is I the husband of June Taylor, who I Stages girl production numbers. I Schuyler has a budget of I $200,000 for the show, which will be his first effort at a Broadway production. He also has television plans for Martin. Martin for London? London, March 29, Charles t. Tucker Is dickering with Val jParnell to bring over Tony Ma«ih to star in a Parnell musical. Martin would be teamed with his wife, Cyd Charlsse. 'HARVEY' IN CHARLOTTE Charlotte, March 29. "Harvey" will be presented for four performances at the Carolina I theatre April 1-2. j Joe S. Brown will play the lead. Loiidon Gets Four Plays, Two of Them Likely Hits; Edith Evans Is Hailed London, March 29. . Three comedies and one musi- cal opened this past week, with two of the entries shaping up as potential hits, one standing an even chance, and the other unlikely. "Summer in December," a light- weight dramatic show* opened at the Comedy March 22. Though nota- ble performances are given by Ann: Stephens, Brian Weske and Frank Lawton in starring roles, the play stands little chance of success. Wyhdhams o f f e r e d "Daphne Laureola" March 23, presented by Laurence Olivier. The James Bridie comedy, which is splendidly acted and produced, received an enthusiastic reception from both audiences and press. Edith Evans in the starring role gives a mag- nificent portrayal. The eom- 'edy looks like it will tenant the Wyndhams for a prosperous run. "A Woman's Place," which preemed at the Vaudeville, March 24, was al-so warmly received. Leslie Banks and Elizabeth Allan star in this entertaining domestic com- edy, which appears to be a; likely success. Saville presented "Belin- da Fair," a colorful musical by Eric Maschwitz, March 25. Follow- ing the usual popular prewar for- mula, show stars Adele Dixon and John Battles, with a tuneful score by Jack Strachey. The musical was splendidly received and has an even chance. EIRE STATE GRANT OF 12G TO ABBEY THEATRE Dublin, March 25. Despite widespread cuts in gov- ernment aid allocations.in the com- ing financial year, Irish Finance Minister Patrick McGilligan has okayed **£arther $12 000 grant to the Abbey Theatre for operating expenses. He has held up Abbey's lush pro- gram of reconstruction, but will also pay 80%^up to $9,200—of expenditure needed to make audi- torium conform with city council regulations. Summer Stock Managers Assn. holding annual meeting at Astor hotel, N. Y., April 20. Leape Probably WiU Table Rap By Brokers vs. SOMC Complaint by Broadway ticket- brokers against the Show-of-the» Month Club will probably be tabled by the League of N. Y. Theatres. Case was heard briefly last week by the League board, and the prin-r cipals'' were instructed to submit their arguments, in writing. League. members h ad previously -indicated the organization would ; probably not act on the brokers' charges; Feeling among some of the brokers is that there's little chance of llie League interfering with the SOMC procf llure, since . that's es- sentially a matter between Sylvia Siegler; SOMC president, and .the individual producers with whom .she makes deal. In squawking to the League, these agency men ex- plain, they, didn't actually figure on having the SOMC setup outlawed, but hope ultimately to liave the old system of ticket "buys" restored. Meanwhile, SOMC is extending its activities into the ballet and concert field. Organization has ar- ranged to get its members a dis- count oh tickets for the current engagement of Ballet Theatre, at the Metropolitan Opera House, N. Y., and Miss Siegler is trying to work out a concert-of-tlie-mottth setup for next season. For its final offerings for the legit season SOMC is offering as its May selection."* choice'of "Anne, of the Thousand Days," "Edward, My Son" or "Lend an Ear," to be seen either during Holy Week (be- ginning April 11) or between May 15 or June 15- Its June selection will possibly be "Madwoman of Chaillot," with the return engage- ment of "Man and Superman,"* at the City Center; N. Y., as alternate. Membership of SOMC has now reached 1,506, with new subscrib- ers joining at the rate of about 25 a day. Organization's offices will be moved today (Wed.) to 44th street, N. Y., east of Broadway.. V With all of this season's Broad- way productions apparently set. In- dications are that the total will be considerably under that of last sea- son. Present season's list is almost certain to total 71 entries, include ing new shows, revivals, Cjty Cen- ter engagements and visiting troupes. The 1947-48 .season: brought 83 presentations in all categories. . So far this season, 50 new shows have preemed on Broadway, with -eiglit more J due before the May 31 finish. There have also been four revivals, three; New Stages produc- tions (with one more in rehearsal) and three City Center offei^lngf' (two more are due before' the sea- son's windup). There have been no local engagements by visiting troupes and the Experimental The-' atre has been inactive (although its Invitational Series has pre- sented three plays). During the 1947-48 season there were only 51 new productions On. Broadway, but there v/ere 14 re- vivals, six City ^Center offerings, six Experimental Theatre presen- tations, three New Stages produc- tions and three engagements -by visiting ' troupes (D'Oyly Carte Opera, Gate Theatre and Habimah Players, which gave a' total of 14 shows, mostly revivals). Shows, still due this season are the current week's "Biggest Thief in Town" and "The Traitor," plus "The Ivy Green," "South Pacific," "Happiest Years," "Magnolia Alley," 'Gayden" and "Mrs. Gib- sons' Boys." The two added City Center offerings are the touring "Medea" and "Man and Super- man/' while the extra New Stage* production is "Bruno and Sidney." The new production breakdown^' for this season will be 42 straight plays and 16 musicals, compared to. 39 straight plays and, 12 musicals during 1947-48. There has been only one tryout flop ("That's the Ticket"): so far this season, com- pared with eight in, the 1947-48 cycle that failed to survive out of town. 'MARGARET' B.A. CLICK OPENS LEGIT SEASON Buenos Aires, March 18. The Buenos Aires legit season opened up last night (17) ;With two legit companies teeing off to top grosses. At the tiny Empire theatre, which it has leased for the season, the Dia'z-Coltado Co. presented. James Parish's "A Message for Margaret," translated by Gon-: cepcion Zorrilla de San Martin. Critics hailed Josef ina Diaz' inter- pretation of Margaret, and a long run is anticipated. Spanish actress Margarita Xirgu opened at the Argentine in a melo Producer Brings Suit In Phoenix Vs. Use Of Sombrero Theatfe Tag Phoenix, Ma^-ch' 29. An injunction suit was filed in - superior court here l.i'riday (25),, : to restrain Anne Lee, Dick Charl- ton""an"d~associates from-using the- name Sombrero ■ Playhouse for. ■ their new legiter, which opens to- night (Tues.). Suit was brought by William W. Merrill, who contends he origin- ated the name and registered the title last month with the Arizona secretary of state. Merrill was associated with Miss Lee last De- ; cember, when spade work was be- gun to Obtain financial backing for/ the theatre.: The corporation that: eventually was formed to: get the : project- under way,; did not' in- clude'Merrill. Plaintiff, who operates the Will- O-Way Playhouse in Detroit, main- tains that he has secured fresh money in that city and is now pre- pared' to operate a theatre in Phoenix, using the name Sombrero Playhouse The 550-seater, which opens tonight, the first legit house ; in history of the town, will costar William Bendix and Audrey Totter in "Born Yesterday." 'Norway' to Usher in Pitt Alfresco Operetta Season Pittsburgh, March 29. Nine-week summer operetta sea-^ son will open here at Pitt Stadium: June 6 with "Song of Norway.'*■ That operetta played: ■ Nixon twic» drama by the'Catalonian drama-i last year. It will, be followed by tist, Jose Maria de Sagarra, "La ! "Chocolate Soldier," "Naughty. Corona de Espinas" (''The Crown Marietta," "V a g a b o n d Ring,'' of Thoras"). « I "Anything Goes," "Merry Widow," Apart from these two produc-j "Good News," "Rose Marie" and tions, nothing new is yet available, 1'Wizard of bz." although musical comedies are in ] Three of the shows WiU be al- preperation for the Astral, Come- fresco repeats locally, "Marietta," diai Apolo and Casino theatres, Shows in Rehearsal "Bruno and Sidney"-—New Stages. "Happie/it Yearn" — Gertrude Macy. : ', ■ . "Mrs. Gibbon*' Boys" -r- George Abbott J7' • Vagabond King" and "Widow." William Wymetal has been engaged as managing director for. the third straight season. This may be the last summer the Pitt Sta- dium will be used, since the organs ization. hopes it will have its own $1,000,000 amphitheatre up by 1950.