Variety (February 1950)

his home in Westwood, Calif. His best known play was “Servant In ^ ■ I K<n. Need New Producers nedy was well known on the stage' _ - - I for 3d years, retiring lh,1927. Sur- Vn i n i . 1 Continue from pag9 1 - . ■> . 1 n ^ n . ^ 4 . ¥M i u i f tromcs toppep 1$ chlefly CQncetned j “Sattison 80^1 DelHah” Of hls owu - ^essionally as ^dith ^athison. with production and merchandise “Pnel in the; Siln” (avers $9,800,000 Jay vWitmark, ^77, Retired ^music ; . — -.■ ihg of RCA video sets. The film domestic gross on this one, and “society ^^^®^mDLers witS^h?fb?ot^^^ SIMON H. GRIPE , producer feels that-TV is « b.o. $12,000i000 worldwide to date) as * wiL’ riA To^ri F<*nm Simon H. Crine. 85i oneratbr of bane. Goldwvrt further Cxoressed examples of want-to-see films lin- ed the niusid^ publishing firm of cago; \ two step-sons. chiefs are not as worried about the inevitability of cb^r. M Witmark & Sons, vvhich was to A wife and son survive. ..—_ television's dire b o effects teleyision in two years or so, “TV feme a^eader in its field. Since Dominick Castelli 80^ ^ihose While Selznlcl^^ a competitive m^hnn to W the Others were minors, the FRANK A. WELLMAN . . .Msieiii, jw, ;los An<»ele^^ survev which tures, and no use kidding about Mr^SESil«IS“- S'?"*™, ^ IS iS!. ; in which another son, Jerry, and pre-requisite if the picture busi^ parking, before-and-after sand-, ’ the latter’s wife were.killed. The ness is to survive. it*s not by acci“ ^ three remaihing sons likewise have dent, he feels, that the new Stan- seat in a theatrA if you firi^^ bTZ; •Tl iflTl extensive drive-in interests arourtd ley Kramer^type of producer, with how the TV 31 tfl Pittsburgh. a young and vigorous viewpoint, stay-home appeal ^must ligiirc, J/ ♦ ^ J so high an average^ Therefore the sock wan^^^^^ Harry Diamond, 7$, father of whereas some of the majors, with tUres must be counted oh to do the , Stephanie Diamond, Pittsburgh ra^ yeteraris at their helm and per- real business,’’-continues Selznick. : father-in-law of haps inhibited by too-mature think- This \vas in answe to a ciucry that .:/■■. / . ■.'•■■: ■ ■. .•: • ■.■; Harold V. Cohen, drama critic of find themselves unablG to at- it the film producer is so gloomy Tcirlore as a songv^Titer, and Jay i dio st^^^ WLAB in Lebanon, Pa., Pitt; Post-Gazette and Variety in his TV-mlndedness. whv his eh- Dominick CCastelli, 80, Mbose chiefs are not as worried about Jish pn the jneyWabtiity of color televjsionis dire b.o. effCctP, ; teleyision in two years^or so,-. ‘ While Selznick points to a re- -S a . competitlye . medium to pic- §. 3 ^t . j ^ A • X . • 44m • ** AV>Td. .vfii a .eprtain mature sto'S. To gross, under the sliding-scale sys-' ,,"?Q-and^So^ looks I teni of film rental, great, particularly because I knowl. ; .'■■ ? ' • ■ Isidore as .a song, wri^ and Jay to sta^ V^AB m i^nw, ^ Po^a^te ^^a^ _V^w; trl^t the younger fans in the same j" Ws TV^ndednesa, why Ws en- as the business executive. anb_.formeily was., with stataon jnugg mere, died at bis home in i.rge nunibers as heretofore thusiastic future releasing and pro- Prom the house of Witmark .WTTM in_^'rrentpn, ,N. J He ^ numoers as nere^^ duction plans,, domestic and for- came the melodies of more than maintained a radio advertising - ; Seiznick As Illiistration eigh via SRof ' ^ 30 of Victor Hferbeft’s operettas, agency iii Philadelphia since 1927, „ r U Selznick utilizes himself as ah; To this Selzhick answers that the „^n„lfi®cXrs dSuchttr®'*^^ and a , s4ff"muSl°itTcthr of 'What he when business drops, the producer' rn*a>llywood,“&athkh^^^^ the\sSigs®wrttteh\nd CNArLES A.,BIERBAIIER Pittsburgh Feh. 8, me^'^hV^siys 4^ln(tSo“'looh4 f— Chauncw' Oleott; including Gharles A. Bierbauer| 62, former . . gi4^t-LrmfiarlV hCcmisc I knhW tern ,of him rental, ; . Wild Irish Rose..’ . : ■ vaude agent. and . legit producer, Mother 70 of Ruth Buhli® of ive’re in the same ade bracket and There were also the ballads of dfed ih Allenfown, Pa., Feb, 16._ , A cmcaco office of^ Warner' Bros ■ he fi M eL' Se?; ?nd‘-'When^^rlsKir S i^g*'toili4^ ™ S^^or* wL^’cSiu™ Suryived by thr^^ ed; Or: ^sg he woton't jdiU TK»» AUK W P««r and Bratton, Kenneth-Udahl and^^ a^^^^ in Allentown area. When ^ around. But to the kids out Hiail AUDI lOT iOOr Caro Roma, and Harry Arm- vaude was on the silde he turned Edward T. Jorgenson, 48, radio these are old mep and women. In n* D* C DL J strong’s never-to-be-forgotten to legit production and was corpro- announcer and former newspaper wordsy my boy Jeffrey, \yho p|Y U|7 Jf02 KllOdCD “Sweet Adeline.’- ducer of the Janet Beecher Broad- ^eporttr, Was found dead in bed is 18 and diie to enter Yale this r ^ Before the turn of the century, f way starrer, “Courage.” He later peb. 16 at his home in LOs Angeles, fall, must have a fresher outlook Los Angeles, Feb. 21; ^ I ! on his generation than we Veterans National Theatres wound, up Al MaeOiiartP r 8 eh-irtpr mpiu-' he. IS'producing, pic^ annual convention here with a chal- Gone But Not Forgotten I bee of tte Maketip Artists and,... tenge to televisiop. Elmer Rhoden. ... I Hair Stylists', Local 706; died Fch. I,. The 'reason for Selznick.s par-; president of the Fox Midwest ROMAN^ BOHNEN I 17 in Hollywood itiality to foreign production, al-j vision, told 86 delegates that TV imvivMiY smu I . 1 though _ admittedly the^American ! is nothing more than an' alibi for ftb^ 24, i94f I influx already is starting to spoil . poor business. He advised them to '' Tid«r Jo**’Marsh I RIPTM< things a bit, is that at lea.st a Con-J get out and sell customers on the I ®*^***' . tinentalfilm producer does; things 1 ideji of going to thecatres. Wallw Heim. f ^vith the same shoestring appr'baeh | Another resolution adopted by M. Witmark & Sons had assumed was company manager for Harry i^flldTfii^S&k toeisin?^ ^ ^ obSlrm ?he pre?lu^ttlmi^cfo?'[^ an;important pl^ in tl^ music , Un Chicago. . > i Fnrnnti S Than Alibi for Poor Fix Biz, Sez Rhoden Los Angeles, Feb. 21; National Theatres Wound. up; its Gone But Not For gotten ROMAN ^^Bud” BQHNEN 24, 194f -Tiger Joe'* Marsh own building in London. DOROTHY MORTIiMER DAVIS Al* and Mvi r-v H^^ndn^f h ‘ In 1929 the company was taken Dorothy Mortimer Davis, 52, re- <jau5,;FVh ^ 14 m .Third j business ventures-rnot on a single Over by Warner Bros. In 1914; tired actress and: wife of Peter Mother W the former T orraine olo" for *1.500 000. of which 4p0.-[ commercial enterprise, They pro- Witmark, With Victor Herbert, Davis, business; manager of the ?Sev actreJ'“fathe?^K im^Se df 000 pounds was.the production cost test against the 20% tax, levied as Nathan : Burkan, the attordey; Theatre Guild, died in New York, So’r ™ *?"?. Selznick-loaned an emergency wartime measure George Maxwell, Raymond Hub- Feb; 13. rt ' la V w stars and his own advisoTy Serv-’ ^nd still enforced in peacetime. • bell and other leading songwriters, After starting in stock in Kansas „ f ices. ^‘And I'm afraid that pictures i Charles P. SkoUras, who presided founded A$CAP as a performing City, she later appeared ori Broad-' Burbank, Calif., Feb. 8. Fatli^ is just can’t be speeded up,” ob.servcs | over the five-day convention pre- riffht.Q A.(!SOeiatinn; . -urav writh T .an nifiMriVicfiPiri . i-fi' “Tho assistant'business manager.at .Par -1 ■Rpi 7 ni/‘ir■ chnuzintF #if.- ? . ■_ ■. _>■ x righU association. way AWth Leh DitTiAsteimin “Yhe ‘'witWt showing its cf-j dilted a ear oF S A director of the society for al-1 King,” ‘ Parlor. Bedroom and *'"<>“”» ; feet on quaUty. Today if wo want I Suet but wariJod most 20 years, he had been also Bath” and "Just Married.” Hr. and Mrs. Sammy Nestico,: an extra day’s retakes it’s near ’ tllit Sev must sell it assistant treasurer and treasurer, in addition to heiv husband, she Uvm sons, Pittsburgh, Feb, 13.1 the $20,000 mark; there they can- sound DrineiDle^ of shmvmanshio ! • - is survived by h daughter. Fath« a musician with Baron ' afford to he as leisurely as we used d^ernds 4e - . - , I ^ JOHN W. PECK, JR. Mr, and Mrs- Moulton, Kelsey,.''Setztok f^^^^^ produc- ;^4h." ralflwisll H RrAltfll Ir I + * daughter, Chicago, Feb. 14. Par- tion line through one man or one i skouras will make a tour of the taiaweu n. prown, jr. l smau .chain^of ^^eat^s m Eaton- ents are teamed on WGN’s “Coffee: oligarchy at a major studio almost ' N^tioiSl ThLSw^^ ■ toUv Ga., was found dead in his With the Kelseys. ' autoniatieallv defeat*; a ton hatLni? ?I ^ ^ • I rtfPiPA last vvPAk hv nnp nf hie em- ... . — . i W . rnonti. startmc Marci 10 With an CaldweH H. Brown, Jr. human equa: apparently due to a heart attack. Gi-,;’pago ^NBC TV ' oroWram ^man i ^® does concede, how-, an audience of theatre managers pppV a nHtivp of rhiraeo . namp NBL-TV program man- ever, that many majors seem to be . lUp Fov wienohein ohain At LILIAS COURTNEY Lilias Cpurtney, . 47; c^ande in- structor; for 20 years in Louisville, died Feb. 13 at her home in that' BESSIE MACK February 23,.. 1948 '<^en« IhI Not ^orgettoR* DICKIE ORLAN Organizing the IJttle Theatre of Peck; a native bf Chicago, came nbl-i v program man- ever, that many majprs seem tn j)e ^ ^f the Fox Wisconsin, chain. At to Georgia some years ago. ' \/r’ ^ w/r n/x c « ^Tiat ti^^ will announce the and for qiany years chairman of Wife, stepdaughter, son and a and Mrs. Don Seraceno, son, it’s inevitable that increased pro- ; opening of the eighth annual its relief committee. When the brother survive, i °Anp!« cut the overhead but; vcharles P. Skouras S Witmark concern was sold, Wit- -—— . ber of ABC s sales department. not necbssanly up the overall campaign ” starting April 9 mark resigned from ASCAP. In . FRED H. BRANDT I Mr. and Mrs. Richard Weiss, son,, quality. He; also sees the paucity _ recognition of his services, he was Fred H. Brandt, 77, former man- Morristown, N; J., Feb. 16. Father ^ of top bestseUers and the current made the society’s first honorary is son of Harry Weiss, District; novel-writing crop as having had a MARRl AnP^ member. ™ , Manager for RKO in Minneapolis-' continuously invidious effect on " . r A sister, Mrs. Joseph A. Klein, DtCCIE' MAdC Iowa terntory. Hollywood. FJsm Bemice Ruben.stein to Ir- survives. ^ " Mr. and Mrs.' Richard LaMarr.,, Just like the recent top-gro.ssing A ' February 23... 1948 spn. New York, Feb. 17. Mother is product have been those which ^ipppfnr LILIAS COURTNEY i-t Not ^oniRftRR* | fojmer^ Dar^a I^pska, ball^^^^ formula, Selznick V^^ Lilias Courtney, 47; 4ande in- * ; father Is a talent agent. feels the trade must depart from Fitzhugh Whitehouse, Jr,, New structor; for 20 years in Louisville, DICKIE ORLAN Mr. and Mrs. William S. Paley, custom in its merchandising. For y^j-k, Feb.^18. Bride is a former died Feb. 13 at her home in that daughter, New York, Feb. 15, instance, the top 4,500 theatres legit aetrcRS- v Father is CBS boai^ chairman, represent the cream 75% of the Mary Lou Burroughs to Robert Organizing the Little Theatre^ of gger of Cleveland theatres, died in 4. P®f®tSon, market. The picture bu.siness Cummings, Pittsburgh. ;Feb. 9. ®®dM:wo companies, Cleveland, Feb. 19. Among the the- needs specialists to reach that 75^6 .‘ Bride's on Staff of Copa, Pitt ' atres Were the old and sell . them. No noiatter what; hitery. ^ « , .x. Mice ^ Garden, the Opera ^Mrc Kprmit Carr fb® sharing terms, Jet’s say 7 Blandi, In .Empire, dauoHte? Feb“l6 FMhel is^to' "'•’ich m ^he Saturatlin pfiint, the ^ New"YLt wbWnp ■ Bight cliib Operator, now managin*^ ; England under Vera Trefilova.. y. | “wife and daughter Survive, ‘| - ' ' ' ' '. ht*think4' a* Sser*^lrgartSllom- Surviving are son, mother, sister ,®® ® f®ss®f, . 18. Bride is a secretary at Para- •nd brother. JOHN H. POWNING IISI^AJVaVflA 9^ inount;^^^ ——- John H. Downing, 33, trumpeter 1 IHIuBgflrOB volpme marketi under lesser terms,^ Al Schenk. Bois- STANLEY HARRISON with Vaughn Monroe’s orchestra ^ continued irom Dare i i ®®d under a different set of sales ton, Feb. 8. He’s a vaude and /Stanley Harrison, 72, veteran for several vears, died Feb. 17 in V---/^o^tinued irpm pase i , cireum^^^^^ Character actor, died;in New York, 1 Utica, N, Y.*^ He had been operat- to go in fof periodic use of names;/Eagle Wn is taking over this vol- Gem MosedWitz to; Sidney Sal- Feb. 16. He had a .career spanning ' ing a restaurant there. , ’It’s cohceded that many of the - peter. New York, Feb. 19. Bride, is more than 50 yem-s on the stage, i His wife, mother and » brother! smaller cities cannot support high-1 Selznlek sees the picture busi- secretary to Eugene Arnstein, Film both in London arid the U. S. ' survive. nrieed talent on » recular basis ' ness more closely becoming pat- Gla.ssic.s treasurer. . . ; ^ Born in Glasgow, he made his ' L a \hlSs eiSSer eS ' terned like the Bi^adway le^t^e/' ^Mr^ debut in London, later coming to GENE GRAY i nioD-uD iri a controlled situation, i a^re--either a big smash or a quick Spanier, Chicago, Feb. Broadway with M^ Gene Gray, 68, we.sterri actor jj.*g new flop. Some of the in-betweeners ^ ® nan^eader. ® 9n jyhich had a rtin known as Silver King of the GQW-, y^j.j.|^Qj,-^g pp by may linger but the big pix really at Maxine Elliott theatre. He sub-; bQys died Feb. 11 in Hollywood, EviArA urixac withnut fir*;!* • do socko regardless of time dr FJetcher Markle, ^ L Vegas, Feb. sequQutly appeared in “Whisper- , carried the title because of hmnes,^more areas ^st*. uo^ocko regaruiess^r^ Bride is a screen actres.s; he i ihg Wires,” “White Cargo,” “The the rich silver trappings on his *'®^® Cafe entertainment can break cUmstance. Gone^With the Wipd Great Waltz” and otherWoduc- in AVith mdderate priced acts. It’s . ivas produced^In 1940 during the Annalee Whitmore Jacoby to tions. , . - * •’ ■ ■. r ■ {expected that the major offices ‘ depre.ssion when many observed Clifton Fadinian, N'O'v Yofk, last I ' rHARi FS RANN KENNEPY will now send out agents to sound $500,000 should be top coin'for week. Bride is a wriier; he’s mo^d^ ROSCOE HOWARD Charles' Bann Kennedy. 79, out bonifaces who rarely u.se any production,. Ci’ator M ^ Roscoe Howard, exec v.p^ of Bel- actor-playwright, died Feb. 16 at‘ kind pf show. . He points . to splash plx like Bu.$ine$&