Variety (January 1950)

MISC^LLAIVV Wednesclayv January ll, 1950 Outlook for ah ehrly- settlement of the .jurisclictional dispute over video between, east and west coast talent guilds grew dimmer this week withi both rSidJei?,refusing to ^jirield : their bc^ic positioiis. . Situ^ atioh . M'as partially brightened, however, by. joint overtures for new negotiations which were itiade by both the Screen Actors Guild, on the Gpast arid the newly formed; Television Authority, comprising hve. eastern talent. unipns.| ; TVA, at a ineeting of ^ts 1,200 meriibers at the Astor hotel, N> Y., Monday (9V, indicated that it was willing to make a partnership with ihd SAG; arid Screen Extras Guild . in both iiv.e aind. filmed • TVy . In event of a: deadlock oiri the form, of partnership^ TVA advocated that the issue should .be settled by membership actiori, either through j oint ^ ril eeti n gs or guild . cprive u- '.tioris'^- . ■ ' " ' ^ SAGrin its most recent lettei) to ' the TVA board> held its; point -Of yiew that any partnership agree- ment ori video jurisdiction has. to recognize two fields, Uye arid filrii, in advance of any riegotiations. TVA Has declared its preferenee to let ji^pgotiating committees start from scratch without any binclirtg preconditions. TVA has also inr diCated that it wants jurisdiction of filmed , sequences and cellulpid commercials in live video since these incidental filmed shots are subordinate tp the live character; of the ; s1tow.S; sag has shown leridertcieS of compromising this point but has closed the door .on TVA entering the straight Vidpix field. SAG also nixed TVA’s, demand that the film union cease its nc:- gotiations with producers of Video films until the jurisdictional issue wias settled between them* In. fact, SAG Is currently pushing its con- tract talks for wage minimurris and additional pay for reuse of vidpix with Televi.siou. Film Producers, Assn, on the Coast. Preliiri talks, wilh eastern pix producers have already been held by the SAG and will resume shortly. TVA riieetirig on Mpriday, at- tended by Associated Actors and A rtistes of America members in New York, voted full confidence in TVA's handling of negotiations with the screen unions. TVA’s conditioris also gave an interim re- port bn its activities in setting up video standards. Richriiond, Jari.^l^ Bob Crosby, Mon Lewis, Petfer Dcmald artd the Song Spim ners were brought together for a radio progx'am and stage show on Friday (6]! Under the sponsorship of the Virgiriia Ghevroiet Dealers .Assn. V • Show Avas originally sehedUled to emanate from the Radio Center Theatre of WRNL which fed" the prograrri to i9 Virginia outlets. De-' mand for free dUcats was too great for the 250-seat house, and show had to be switched to the; National; Fabiah r Wilrirer - Vincent - pic the-^ ■atre.’--..■ ■ sn't Phil Spitalny's Femme Band Signed for Next Xmas by Last Frontier, Phil Spitalny arid his all-girl or- chestra have already set next sea- ■ .son’s Christnias booking. Opera- ' tors of the Last Frontier, Las. Vegas, inked Spitalny to a four-., week stand .starting Dec. 2 at $60,-' 000 for lUe full engagement, . Spitainy’s crew played the Last Frontier huring the .recent Christ.-: mas sea.son, ^rawing big bii dui- ing their tvvb-week date. Band was paid $l0,GOO per week. Hbljywoodj Jarii. 10. .: Teley i s i on does - not h arm the eyes,, according, to a survey con- ducted by the Teleyision Broad- casters Assn, Survey was under^ taken as a result of the story Car- ried by Daily . Variety .Sept, 16, which revealed that riiany nurses from the nursing divisibn' of the L; a. Board of Education were ad- yising juves “to shun television"’ because of the haririful effect to the eyes. ' Broadcasters Assn, checked some of. the leading ophthalmologists and members of. the natiou"S fore- most optoinetric and riiedical asso- ciations in an effort to establish the facts, Association states the survey proves; coriclusively that eye strain may result from tele- vision viewing but is not caused by-It:; '■ \.' - Survey quotes Dr. Franklin M. Fobte, exec, director the National Society for the Prevention of Blindness, as saying, -Tn some cases a person with minor visual defects may Complain ; of eye fatigue after spending hours focus- ing oil a small screen. He may dis- cover he needs glasses. But he would ; have needed them if he started tb read books pr went to the movies every nighti Television didn’t cau.se the trouble. The trouble already, existed.” Dr. Elmer M. Solq^, Director of Public Information, Arnericari Op- Ibmetric Assn., stated; “Great tecli n i cal improvemeht has been made in television equiprrient, and vision specialists are in agreement that viewing television is not likely to create visual problems.’* Soles goes bn to point out that video may call attention to visual prob- lems of long .standing. The Phila- deiphia. Committee for the Pre- vention of Blindness Is in accord with the thinking of Soles . and, Foote. WILL^ I.;;.—.TH-E-tNiMITAEILe-. t’ve been all over the^yorld Laid?,.; but,, it’s . still Sohraft's-h;e. Cream' ; .Lindy’s Cliebsc ("ake.., Ybu;rig and/ Kobbiri's . . Clbtlie.s;. .Cljiie.ty Corned Beef .. .Doc Mb.vlackson. v. daiiaglier’s .Steak.. .Nat LeAyis Fiir- ni.shings.. ..Toe .Glaser-s Associated Booking .Corp... * . stage* He i^evealed that in an in tervlew here, Ivherb he and Mrs. Power (Linda . Ghristiari) made two. personal . appearances . (6) at the Cine Alameda; firstrun.cineiria, where. “Prince of Foxes” ■.(20th) is current to landoffice bij / • - .-■yWashingtori',-.Jan.■'■ 10 'l'-' ■V n 1 * . Strong year ahead for show biz Pnwpr Rark is forecast by Goverrinient expefis - patll lU the b^is of budget estimates Mexico City, Jari. ID; fiscal IDfili a^ subiriitt^^ lo Tyrone Power intends to top his Corigress yesterday (9) by; ihpsK pic career by returning to the [ dent Trumari. -- ' " 0 In the new fiscal year, wiiid^^ comriierices Jrily .1 j lOSO^vthe Ciov. ernirierit ^ill take down $395,000;. 000 in the 20% amusement tax (pro V i d i n g the rate l.s libl , changed), Mr^ Trumari preilictod. This coiripares to an estimated $385i000,000 for the current ii.scal year. Which terriiinates..ori June 30; and ^ for actual receipts of $38, 843,793 for the fiscal year vv li i oiv' ended June 30, 1949, ; The extra; $10;000,()00 In (a.xos .Avoiild . re.fiect .an additional $.50.1^ 000,000 biz • done • at the boxolYicb.' and gate -of all amiiseinents . i ex- cept hiteries) subject to the .hiie. An estimated 80% of: the admisV ; sibns tax combs from picture tlioa- Ires* Hence, if the, Governnient Crystalbali-gazers know . their stuIT, there; will be a good year ahead for the exhibitors. On the other .hand, the Pie.si. dent’s estiiriates reflect what ii?v Stage return, though, J^ri’t be for at least two years andi^it first, Avill be held to two plays, Power explained; Plays are ‘■Hamlet’’ and “Cyrano de Bergerac; - Power played with; Katharine Corricir in “Romeo and ‘Gavalcade’^Treks to : Nashyine>; Jaii., 10. This week’s “Cavalcade of Amer: Rogers Rodeo Singio-0 llollyw'obd, Jan; 10, Roy Rogers will do but one ro- deo Stand ..this year due to slate of seven pix at Republic; He opens for 12 days Feh, 1 at l8th annual Houston stock show. T-ed I^ewis Into N ,Y/s Copacabana Feb. 15 Ted Lewis will make his, ea.str side debut ill New' York at the Cbpacabana, around Feb. 15,. fol-. i 0 w in^ Lena Horne. Lewis previ- ousTymas appeared in.Manhattan at the Latin Quarter and at the, Riviera, Ft:, Leev N; J/1 / Copa^chedule isn’t definitely set yet. Lewis Is .signed, for four week.s and a two-week o.ptionv: .Martiri and Lewi's ritay follow, but it’s not definite. \ Top names are again being at- tracted to the giant grosses of areria shows. Bob Hope and Gene Autry have announced tours in the king-sized showshbps, With Hope slated to do 45 dates in ballparks, arenas and fairs, while Autry is slated to do a OO-^day jaunt, which started last night (Tiies.) at the Convention Hall, Hutchinson, Kan. • Hope’.s dates are currently being lined up. by Chrirles V. Yates .of the Associated Booking Corp. Yates got. the okay for the dates during a visit last week to Hope's California home. Tour is slated to tun from July 1 to Sept. 15, dur- ing the suminer hiatus of his radio show. Hope> for the past few years, has spent the summer , on tour arid grosses have riiri as high as $500,000.; The Autry deal has been lined up by Autry’s flack, David B. Wha- len, and win swing from the riiid- wCst into Canada, through the east, then southwest, vyindihg i^p at Ft. Smith, A^’k;y-mid-Mareh. Autry’s cast will include the Cas.s County Boys, Johnny Borid> Pat Buttram, Pinafores, Frank MarVin, Carl Cot-, ner and Rufe Davis. It’s becoming increasingly eyi- derif that the grosses being realized from the tours represeht only part of the inco-'m.. Program sales, are good for, at least $50,000 profit during a good run, and Autry;will go one step further with, promo- tions of Gene Autry licensed mer- ehandlse. During, the tour, tieups will be made \\lth department stores in cities in. which he's ap- pearing: ica” program originatirig here at i gerierally known iri . the . trade— T 3 X . fn [that the night spots have been Ryman auditorium and 152 , 5 y,j gg t|,e netw'Ork. sfations' .by M'SM? i D.uring the last ./fiscal year; re- sented a drama based. on Hre-Tif^ the Prei^idertt. t he tax’, take of Sain DaVis, Tenriessee’s hoy' from the 20% bite/pri mitery tabs ^ ’ $48,856,669. For the cu ^ ° ^ ^ “ w *, fiscai year, the figure Is c.xpoc T^e program, sponsored by the ; ^ $42,000.^^^^^ And if the du Pont company, was also a saliUe^^ 2 Q^ unchanged, the ^ that company s plant. at nearby . pg^eral government will receive Old Hickory on ihe occasion of its; ^ :^40 qoo.OOO in the next fiscal 25th anniversary. ' year. John Zoller, direc tor of the | Mr. Truman'figured vulually.no show, headed a party of 25 actors, jGhange next year in the tax ie-; musicians and technicians coming [ceipts from coin-operated aniu.se- froitt New York, With the stars, John. Liind arid/ Joan Caulfield, coming direct from Hollywood. Script from the drama was adapted from the hoveH “On Jor- dan’s Stormy Banks,!’ by Adelaide Rowell of Chattanooga and “Sam Davis, Confederate Hero,” by Edythe Johns Rucker Whitley of Nashville; ment and gaming machine.s and Such things as bowling alleys and billiard tables. There was little comfort for show biz in the State of the Dn- fori message which, the President delivered; in person lo Congre.ss last Wednesday. He suggested llvat there would be excise cuts- but thhf ‘ they would be limited in scope. Re- 1 ports in Washington are. thal he: ' will not ask Congress to ; change the rate on admissions or nighl- ; clubs. • On the. other hrind, he declared that he would ask for more lax in- ereases than he Would for. rediie- tions. At. least sorne of tliese i n- creases, he told Congress should . be iri^ the corporation rates. 11 is generally expected that he a\ ill also ask for an extra nibble in the higher brackets of persona l i in- come. Both corppratiph and high- bracket income tax increa.ses would hit show business as much as it would affect ariy industiy. 'riie hrolog,Due for IfS. Airing Loridbn, Jan, 10. A traditional English panto* inime, televised direct from a •the- atre last Monday (2), Was recorded simultaneously on , film, and will be shipped to America, whei-e a Prolog Will be added by Charles Chaplin before it is made available for TV distribution in Ihe States. The panto, “Little Red Riding Hood,” was telecast from Collins’ Music Hall, the oldest in London, [ his wj^e^aplin ofteu appeared pf. the best known pf British pantos j fKn«l>p . p i nvi TVTTP arid is Pl^ed in .true boist^Gusi CASTLE DDL fashion. Principal bo.y IS Vicky Gale as Rpbiii Hood; Betty Baxter, has the title part, Pat Trevor is seen as Maid Marion arid Dick Tubb, Jr., is the Dame. 1,11 Sitbseription Order Worsn Enclosed find check for $........ ■Please Send VARIETY for S'?® B?*' ; ; Two .Years To (rlea,s . Priii.t .Nai^je) Street .,.,.. • » • .,, ... ■■■.■■■.•■. • • • «-• »■ .»• •.*«. •: 'State. ■ *. Reglilqf SubscHft^n Rates 6iia Yaarp--$i O.Od Two Years—>$18.00 Canada and Foreign—$1 Additional per Year 154 West 46th Street New York 19. N. Y. ‘SHOWfiOESOriV ^WHEREVIR POSSIBIE Whether television viewers turie into a show oiit of habit or because they actually want to see It will get plenty, pf chance for field .testing in the complicated lineup set by CBS-TV for its upcoming, “Show OoeS On,” hour-iong amateur tal- ent program featuring. Robert Q. Lewis as emcee. Show -is to be aired Thursday nights' at various times, with the soundtrack from the video version broadcast Fridays on CBS radio. Because of commercial shows aired on alternate Thursdayk, CBS will .slot “Shovv Goes Gri” wheri;- evef possible. Thus, it preems^Taff." ra from 10 to 11 p.iri.; goes the fol- lowing Tliursdiay from 8 to 9; on Feb, 2, it will be aired from 9:30 to 10:30; bn Feb., 9, from 8 to 9 again, and on Feb. 16, from 9:45 to 10:45: Web hopes to be able to keep it permanently in the latter slot after that date, but isn’t cer- tain yet whether it will be able to do so* Irene Castle, who with Tier liUe J liushand, Vernon, helped populfii - ! ■ • ——— I izC: modern ballrooiriology in lli> . I H- S., Will make her return to show JlUgilGS 1 GlGCl , jgj.;* In March via radio and lelc- bn .His 73d Birthday i was placed iindeh iKM'. Hollywood, Jan. 10. ! vaclio-TV by Mai Boyd; who will Rupert Hughes ’ was honored . handle her through PRB, Int' . here Monday (9) night by te.sti- i indie ptickage outfit in which he i.s inonial dinner on his 73 d birthday; I partnered with Mary Pick ford and with upwards of 500 meriibers. of. Buddy Rogers, the Lambs; Masquers and Authors ! Miss Castle planed to F*n for your devotipri to your couritry ! March 19. She' will work .bpih as and your fellow men, with .deepest Ia performer and consultant in ,V‘F affections from your lii a ii;y ad-.! dio and videb,' though it’.s i.ndel- m.irers.” : iriite; as to what, she would do as“ / Speakers irieiuded Sid Graumari^ 1 rieiiormer.. Jack Warner, j;ean Hersholt, . Louis.! 1 : r “ BMayeri Governor Earl Warren, Jesse L. Lasky, WMter O’Keefe, Gporge Murphy, Edward . Arnold, Fred Stone, Ed Wynri, Sid Strotz^ Lewis Allen Weiss arid Donald .Nelson. - r , rs, Peskay H^ad - Hdlinger Night in N.V. Gradwell L. Sears,. U li i t r d A.rtists’ prexy, a n d . Edward J- ' Peskay, rep of producer Harry M- ; Popkiri, have been riamed honoia l y co-chairmen of the Mai‘k Hcllinger Memorial Night to ,be held Feb, 5 at ^ . i the Mark Heilinger theatre. N. Y. t^armi -1 Memorial evening’s erttert‘riri-“ Pop composer Hoagy hv Qi Popkin’s recently completed film. OrchP^^ra ra?£plfp nln ^' ‘‘Champagne for Caesar,” pius a Oichesvia at Carnegie Hall Mon- t I, k. day, (16). by columnist-emcee Ed Sullivan, AH . He’s on program with Bach,; proceeds go to the 1960 New York Brahms and Bartok* 1 Hcail Fund Campaign.