Variety (April 1950)

V^hesday, April 5^ 1950 51 Minneapdlisf April 4. Club Carnival, one of the top local niterleis, is eliminating its $1 cover charge starting with the Peggy Lee erigagement Thursday (6) and will drop big name floor show policy, too, after completion of piresent booking commitments, Including a return Mel Tprme^^^ gagement, carrying into .late; May. Sharp decline in busines$ since last mid-December is reason for abandonment of cotivert and for slash in talent budget, Since cover charge went in more than a year ago, Carnival has been using top names, Annong others, it has had Sophie Tucker and Mar- tha Raye • twice, Lena Horne, Prankie Laihe, the Mills Bros,; Cab Calloway, King Cole Trio, Carmen Miranda, Connee Boswell (twice), Dean Murphy , etc. Until early last pecember, nifery attracted con* sistentiy large crowds. In recent months, however, it's reportedly losing nearly $150,000 a year. Ted Cook, its manager, blames cover charge in part for declining, supper show trade. For its current attraction, Harry Carroll and Polly Baker, who have played spot a half dozen or more times before without couvert; the Toronto Revises Cafe lax 3dup; $1 Maximuin Bite Toronto, April 4. Patrons of cocktail bars where music is provided will now have to pay a 15% tax on drinks; but pat- rons of night clubs get a break in that their former 20% tax has been reduced to 15%, with a maximum tax of $1 when an individuars tab exceeds $6.60. New amusement tax amend* ments, with all proceeds to go to hospitals, becomes effective April 1, accordihg to Premier Leslie Frost. The 15% tax will also apply for the first time to dance spots Where neither liquor nor food is served. Hotel Nicpllct Minnesota Terrace, which also has been playing names also is dropping its $1-$1.50 cov- er charge,, inauguratfd last October after Club Carnival paved the way by a half-year. Management, how- •ever, intends reinstating it When, following Lent, more big names will be brought in. Trade here, too; has. been iii a sharp dpwn<‘ trend in recent weeks. Third of the "’Big three" of local supper clubs, the Hotel Badis- son Flame Room, , has never had: a cover charge. It uses mostly per- sonalities and medium names, but dccasionally brings in a big name like Abe Burrows, Larry Adler, Burl Ives, Dorothy Shay and Carl Brissoii. Heniny’s $ TWowawayt . Hepiiy Youngman is sending out novel promotion pieces. Comic is enclosing a dollar biU in an envelope advising recipient to hold on to the Cer- tific 4 te-^*‘Some day, it might he worth a dollar. Use this buck to see me at the Para- mouht, N. Y., April 12/• Trade thinks he must have bad a good Season. 'I A one-hpur version of Verdi's "La traviata’* by the New York Pop Opera Co,, designed for vaud- ers, is being produced by George Lee Marks. He’s a brother of Sherman Marks, who produced the cOniposer salute series at the Col- lege Inn, Chi., and other spots. Marks is condensing the opera by eliminating intermissions and the recitative. It has been booked for the Astor theatre, North Ber-; gen, N. j.i for two days, April 14- 15;' Lenny Ditspn of the Miles In- galls office is ageniihg. Chicago, April 4. Crackdown by police has several strip joints shuttering aind others operating under wraps. Capt. Pat Crowdy of the first district,, which takes in lower end of the Loop, hajs clamped down, resulting in the closing of the Pink Poodle, the Kitten: and the TrOcadero.; The 606 club has Instalie.d vaude acts. Mac’s Burlesque club has matinee performances-^but With more cov- erup bn gals; However, bn north Clark street shows are running Wide open, even more so than the more well known locations .on Madison st. Heat, which was on in Caiumet City, nearby Chi siibsurb, was lifted last week when a grand jury refused to indict the sheriff. / ' • - ’ I - ■ ;... Nitery operations in Cpy|ngton Nightclub PerformersHelij I »nd Newport, Ky., are expected to In Fatal Knifing of Wife I ^ f ^ weeic. Buff ala Abril 4 * Leonard Cabness, 26, nightclub ; week, followed a raid on one of the entertainer, is being held at Ni- cafes With a gaming caSino. This agara Falls on a charge that he i raid Indicated that the political fatally stabbed his 24-year-old estranged wife Lorraine. Follow- ing the death of Mrs. Cabness in Hemprial hospital from 17 stab wounds. Cabness appeared at the Falls police headquarters arid eonfessed the stabbing. Cabness, who hails from California, is alleged to have a police record in half a dozen cities, according to local authori- ties....■ ■ ■; Minor8 Bill Vetoed Albany, April 4. Governor Dewey vetoed the Con- dori bill permitting employment of children under 16 as acrobatic dancers in New York With consent of local authorities. American Humane Assn., Chil- dren’s Aid Society and other or- ganizations Opposed. Homer and Jethro set for the Roosevelt hotel, New Crlean.s, April 8. 's' London, April 4. "Skating Vahities" comes back to the Wembley Stadiun) May 26. Last year the skating show played the stadium for a nine weeks’ sea- son to capacity business. Another Americain venture to play the Stadium in August and September will be Buster Crabbe’s "Aqua Parade,’’ which may become an annual event. As a Ghristmas attraction, there is to be a skating pantomime, "Dick Whittington On Ice,” for an eight weeks’ season, with which Torn Arnold is associ- ated; This will also become an an- nual attraction, Bridgeport, April 4. Barnum Festival, which P. T: Barnum’s home town successfully preemed last year, will be annual event, with second edition sliited for weekend of June 10. Herman W. Steinkraus, president of U. S; Chamber of Commerce, and head of Bridgeport brass, who sparkplugged original festivai, will be this year’s chairman. Street parade June 12 will cli- max three-day celebratioh dedicat- ed to: memory of showmah; who made Bridgeport his Circus’ winter quarters. pressure was on and nearly every cafe in the area curtailed opera- tlohs.'.,- Inasmuch a$. the niteries in this area ^ cannot support ; big talent operations Without aid froih;: the green-felt tables, the bOnifaces felt- it would be best to; close down her fore losses on cafes became heavy. However, Insi that the situation is being; eased and most wBl resume. i This area, across the river from ’ Cincinnati, is. one of the heavtesi liSerS of name talent in the coun- try. In many respects, the cliibs buy more headliners than New .York;,-' . Most spots, such as the Lookout House, Covington; Glen’s • Rendez- vous, Newport; La: i Quarter, Cov- ington, arid Beverly Hills Country Club, Newport, have talent budgets exceeding $5,000 weekly. Cafe operations, for the most part, are run at a loss with gaming activities depended upon for the profits. Gale’s D. J; Tieups The Gale agency is hypoing its disk jockey relations yia a special service to the platter-spiririers. Outfit’s flack department is send- ing a bi-monthly release to the jocks offering timely program sug- gestions in addition to the regular biographical material on records and artists. Agency has approximately 800 jocks on its rnailirig list. Al Wilde, Gale publicist, dreamed up the idea.' . . v.:.-- Los Aiigeles,: April 4. eiyde Beatty Circus performers were unionized by representatives j of AGVA, the, first time any tent ; show had ever been induced to join: the Organized labor ranks : on the: West Coast. Miriimum union scale is $100 weekly for singles; $|75 for dou- ! bles; $250 for trios; $325 for four- : somes, plus $45 weekly for any add- led performer. Production clowns I draw $125, assistant cloWns, $85, i and chorines $50. All salaries in- clude maintenance. 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