Variety (April 1950)

CmAiTBR WfidhMdiijrv April 19, 1950 IkMiwaj V Jame« Mason tnroute to Italy on tht lle de Franca to make a film there. Hacker Sc Jarvis, industry CPA's, c h a n g e d firm name to Samuel Hacker 4c Co. ^ Joe Csida, RCA Victor a. A >• kead* sold his Philly holhe and Just bought a new house in Roslyn, Jerry Katz, theatre and TV book- er ifor General Artists Corp., rer covering from ah appendicitis at- ■•tact;'-.. • Circus Saints A Sinners begin a three^day national convention at the Waldorf - Astoria tomorrow '(Thurs.).' • ■■ ■' . • ;• ■ ^ol Hurok flew to Europe Sat- urday (15) for a lO-day scouting trip for talent in London, Paris and’Rome;; Bob Hawk, radio comedian and emcee/ and vaude impressionist Leo de Lyon o^: to Europe last week on the GarOnia. . Clare Boothe Luce, William. Rogers Herod and Parker McCOl- lister elected to board of directors of N. V. Philharmonic-Symphony. Unveilirig of the monument to Jack Kapp, pirexy-founder of Dec^ ■ea Records, on Sunday (16) at .Mount Hope cemetery in ;West- chester.-' Charles SiiifidneUi,, Uniyersars exploitation chief, lecturing tomor^ row (Thurs.) at the University of Pennsylvania ph film publicity and •promotion^-'- ’;’- : Mickey Rooney in from the Coast today (Wed/) to guest dn Several radio shows: He recently completed ■^Freddie the Great’- for Columbia. Came that freak snow flurry la.st Friday and Al Jolsph went the next: day, right back to Palm Springs. However, he’s due back in May, eii route to Israel. Both Matty Fox; Universal Piets veepee, and Jack Forrester, ex- musicomedy juvenile, turned Wall Streeter, in Indonesia on interna- tional financial deals, but separ •Tately. Joseph Curtis expects to be dis- charged from the New York hos-. pital within a Couple of weeks foN lowing convalescence from a heart attack: Curtis is an Cxec with Weiss A .Geller ad agency. Jah Peerce, Helen Jepsoh, Wil- liam Kapell and Zino Francescatti will perform in the '‘Music Under the Stars” concert at Kbbets Field, Saturday, June 3, to aid the American Fund for Israel Institu- tions. . Ella Raines, starring in “Phan- tom Lady” on Robert Montgom- ery’s NBC-TV show next Monday (24), returns to the Coast the fol- lowing day to appear in an inde- pendently produced picture for Ed Leyert. ’ Frances Hawkins, who left Flair mag as associate editor to go back to her post as manager Of N. Y. City Ballet Co., returned last week from England, where she’d gone to ink contracts for the troupe’s British tour this summer. Lucia Chase of Ballet Theatre, was kudosed as “Womam of the Month” last night (Tues.) by the American Woman’s Assn, at the Barclay hotel, N. • Y. She’s first woman in the field of ballet so honored by the organization. Alan Corelli, exec secretary of Theatre Authority, tagged as hon- or ;^uest by Cinema Lodge of B’nai B’rith for the group’s presidents’ dinner, Tuesday (25) at the Hotel Astor when Albert A. Senft will take over as prez from Saul E. Rogers. ' Burton (Bud) Benjamin,. RKQ- Pathe film producer, and his wife, Arleen, editor with the Literary Guild, sailed for Europe, over the weekend for a one-month com- •bined vacation and business trip. Benjamin will o.b. likely shorts materiM during the trek. Helen Hayes, Cahada Lee, Wal- ter Abel, Peggy Conklin, Dorothy Gish. Timmie Rogers, Ethel Waters, Kent Smith and Juanita Hall are among those scheduled to appear at the Negro Actors Guild ball being held Friday (21) at the Savoy ballroom in Harlem. I (14) for the diskjocks in honor ot George Shearing, whose combo it starred.af the vauder. , Meyer Davis will share the podi- um with his brother-in-law Pierre Monteiyx, at the San Francisco Symphony’s concert h b n o r i n g Monteux’s 75th birthday. . Two conventions, the American Chemists Society and the Ameri- can Society of Tolling Engineers, brought 14^0<)0 males to town and proved a terrific. hypo to niterles Monday through Thursday last week;: London By Maxime de Beix (33 Blvd. Montparnasse); Mrs. Arthur Loew through Paris. John Hersey in.town for a look- see..;-' Leon Godofsky vacationing in towh'' The'Roy Ornsteiiis in Paris for a buickie, Florence K. Barr pf MPA soon out of hospital. Yves Montand opening at plush Baccara nitery. Jean Sablon opening at the The- atre De L’Etoile. Duke Ellington recitaling at Palais De Chaillot.; ^ Edith Piaf breaking Tecords at the ABC Music Hall. Stan Laurel iri town to prepare a Francp-Italian two-version pic. Waldo Mayo ogling French doc- umentaries for possible purchase, / Jimmy Davis moving over to the! Port D’Attache at Place Blanche. Gregory Peck in town for ex-^ teriors on “Captain Hprnblower.” Michet~ Simon back to the thea- tre after several years in “Fric-! Frac/’/-- -I The Eugene Van Dees throwing: cocktail patty for producer George Bookbinder. Adolphe Osso off to the States for huddles bn his pic, “Le Grand Rendezvous.” Leslie S c h w e i t z e r catching French plays for possible State-: side production. William Wyler in from Germany for the opening of his pic, “The Heiress,” which received sock rc- .yiews:. , Paris to be comipletelyMit up once a week starting in May to give the tourists their money's worth;' Claude Autant-Lara, director of “Devil In The Flesh,” starting on a pic with a conscientious objector theme. The Francois Premier studios being torn down to make way for a garage to service Coca-Cola trucks. Michel de Ghelderode’s “Force des ’(enebres” to be done this fall by Jean Louis Barrault, and may- be in English by Orson Welles. By The Philadelphia Orchestra men •re voting on whether they want to be paid weekly, or bi-weekly next season. . Harold Davis, of CBS sales staff In New York, is at his home in Springfield, Delaware County, re- cuperating from a heart attack. Marian Motgan, former Harry Janies vocalist and Joan Craw- ford's new protege. Opened as a single Monday (17) at the Rendez- ■ yous, Arthur Lee Simpkins, currently •t the Latin Casino, has signed, to head an all-Negro troupe, 4he first to appear in Lopdon-s Palladium, in mid-June. MGM Records: and the Earle Theatre staged « cocktail party By Les Rees Clifton Fadiman here for lec- turey . Hotel Radisson Flame Room has Mindy Carson. : Tex Beneke into Prom •Balltpom for one-nighter. Annual Sports, Traver and Boat Show, at Auditorium for 10 days, broke attendance records. Wrestling card at St. Paul Auditorium, featurihg Gorgeous GeOrge, drew $10,()00 gate. Curly’s bringing back female impersonators’ reVue which ran six months to capacity biz last year. “Madwoman Of Chaillot” and “Death of* a Salesman’’ Only re- maining bookings for the Lyceum. Mel Tome and Jean Carroll, both playing return engagements, follow Peggy Lee into Club Car- nival Thursday (20). Cover charge goes back on at Hotel Nicollet Minnesota Terrace nCxt week with Lbu Holtz’s eri- gagement.. Kay Thompson and Victor Borge, who last played the Hotel Radisson Flame Room, are set for repeats there. Saji Ftaheisev By Ted Friend Mtrggsy Spanier a click at Club Hangover. Leonard Lyons column, newest Chronicle feature, . Dorothy Kay Friend out of hos-^ pital after surgery. Arthur H. Hayes, CBS exec, to New York for home office huddles. Kirsten Flagstad returns to Opera House fori two sellout con- :certs. Town’s newest literary 'mag, “Comprehension,^’ hit the stands last week.: Rosita Serrano at Venetian Room of the Fairmont hotel. Joe Reich- man at, Mark Hopkins. Irving Lehrer; former Gotham flack, new publicity and advertis- ing head for ^Brooks Camera. Geary street hopping with Hol- lywood troupe headed by Bette Davis ensconced at Curran theatre for shooting of “All About Eve.’^ . Lew Grade to Italy on bli trip for a few days. The Sydney: Box’s left for France on the first leg of their year’s vacation, . " Nicholas Bela to New York bn the Nleuw Amsterdam on biz, and win be away foiir to five weeks. Gracie Fields Sailed on the Queen Mary Saturday (15) having completed 26 half-hour radio pro- gramis for Radio Luxembourg, Val Parnell is dickering with Peter Lind .Hayes and his wife, Mary :Healy,. for a four-week headr- line session at the London Palla- dium this summer, Anne Crawford^ how starring In oh,e of the ‘Trio” series, the joint Rahk-Paramount production, off to Holly wood next month bn vaca- tion bn her first trip. Zoltan Korda off to South Africa for 15 days exterior shoot- ing of his picture, “Cry the Be- loved Country.’’ - Returns to finish interibr lensing in London.. Dulcie Gray and Michael Deni- son have left cast of “Queen Eliza- beth Slept Here,” to be replaced by twb^: other film stars, Jimmy Hanley and Rosalyn Bbulter. Calgary Bros; return to England after 11 years in America to be featured in “Aqua Parade^” which stars: Buster Crabhe, opening at Wembley Stadium in August. Anthony Steele inked for the romantic lead -in the :20th-Fbx British productibn “The Mudlark,” which starts at Sheppertoh next month with Irene Dunne, starring. Robert Henderson is producing .hew play by the- author of “Tup- pence Coloured/^ Laurier Lister, for Jack de Leon at the ‘‘Q” thea- tre, May 2^ aiid if a hit it comes to the West End.’ Having launched “Madame Tic- Tac," Terence De •Marney Produc- tions has a new play based on life of actor Edmund Keau for which it is negotiating with Treyor Howard to play lead. Moishe . Halevi, , director of OHEL theatre, Tel Aviv, planed into London from Rome Thursday (13) to finalize arrahgemehts for company’s season at the Scala theatre, opening May 22. : Robert Ayres, American lead in “The Gentle people,” staged at the Embassy theatre Thursday (13), started film same day titled “Re- turn From Darkness” for Ex- clusive Films, in which he costars* with Christine Nordeii, Leads, from the Broadway pro-1 duction of “Touch and Go,” which Bernard Delfont is putting on at the Prince of Wales, May 19, have arrived in towii. They include Jonathan Lucas, Helen Gallagher, David Lober, Kaye Ballard and the Debonairs. Although Linnit and ;Dunfee Still persist in denying VAkiEtY’s story . of their deal with Music. Corp. of America, understood deal involved $700,000 (£250,000), with MCA becomiing majority owners of L&D’s shares. Company will still carry on in its original name. With entire staff staying put. an exclusive three-year contract for products of the newly-formed Austrian company of Paula Wes- sely. Wessefy is ^scheduled to make two pix per year. Zarah Leander*s first . jmstwar pic, “Gabrlela’*^ (Real Filin); to be preemed this month. Pic also ! stars Vera Mplnar. Carl Rad- datz aiid Siegfried Breuer. Geza Cziffra directed; Gsrula Trebitisch is producer. By Florence S. Lowe Dorothy Shay bringing landbf- ftce biz to Hotel Sfatler’s Embassy Room:;:.;, Stan Kenton prch in for a one niter at Uline’s Arena ^Monday (i7).:’night'.:'- . Myrna. Loy and Jinx Falkehburg amongst week’s visitors, both on charity stints. Faye Emerson, a regular here these days,, checked into Hotel Mayflower over week eiid. John Mason Brown, drama critic, due in next month for his annual stint for the . Frontier Nursing ■Service,.: ' :'"c Glare Boothe Luce Sind Anita Colby due in town Saturday to at- tend a dinner honoring Catholic U’s Father Hartke. for his contribu- tion to college theatre. Kick off for town’s Sesqui Cen% tennial past week featured talents of following: ^ George Murphy, Edward Arnold, Gladys SWarthout, Ann (“Miss Liberty”) Crowley, Met star Lucille; Manners, and singers Irra Petina, William Warfield arid Muriel Rahm; By Glenn C. Pullen Nick DAmico band and Jackie Green at Hollenden’s Vogue Room. Elmer Wiener, here to aid Hal Miskell on bally for Met; Opera’s season at Public Hall. :Ted Miclau, owner of Ted’s Lat- in Casino, ifegbtiatirig a buyer/ with $45,00() as asking price.: Henry George, co-owner of Cab^, in Club, taking his prch to Akron's May flower hotel for f oUr-week run. Audrey Wood, N. Y, play-agent, here to inspect Jo (Ruth Seid) Sin- clair’s new anti-raciail bias drama, “Long Moment;” at Play House. Chuck Forsythe’s unit starting series of Dixieland Sunday ses- sions at Maip Street club, with Bill Randall of WERE as emcee. ' Legit Hanna dark until May 8, when Sol Heller, Cleyelarid pro- ducer,'bririgs in Bert Wheeler in “A Policeman's Lot” for pre-Broad- way preem. ,By Georffe F; Gaal Wolfgang Liebcneiner directing a new pic for Real Film. A new 1,200-seater firstrun the- atre opened in Frankfurt. • The newly-formed Arena Film company started shooting its first pic. “Maria From Bahia” still going strong as Germany’s No. Qne hit song. The Luebeck State theatre re- ceived a 575,000 marks ($135,000) appropriation. Franz Lehar’s “Frasquita’’ preemed: with great success at the Metropol, in Berlin. Gustav. F r o e h i i c h directing “Murderers Without Murder,” lat- est irJunge Film Union pie. Two new Jiinge; Film Union pix* “This Man Belongs To Me” and “13 UndeV One. Hat,” to be preemed shortly. Ditector Helmut WeisS formed own iridependerit company, Or- lando Film, and starts production soon with “Talent for Luck,“ a comedy. , First Dprnas Film production, “Two in One Suit,” now in produc- tion in Muriich. Pic stars Olga Tschehowa, Wolf Albach-Retty and Joe StoeckeL Pathe Filrii (London and Paris) signed a longterm exchange conT ^act with the new : independerit German newsreel company, Neue Deutsche Wochenschau. A Soviet film version of Eme- rich Kalman’s “Tsardas Princess” preemed in Berlin. Pic is di- rected by A. W; iwanowskij and has a strong political slant. “The Pirates of Capri,’’“Twelve O’clock High,” “My Foolish Heart,” “Whirlpool,” “The In- spector General” and “Bagdad” are latest releases at the Army’s theatre circuit. V . Union Film of Munich signed By Hal Cohen Don Cornell returns to Carousel on Monday (24). Rowena Rollins, headliriing at Carousel this week. Harold Lloyd coming here: oii May 19 for big Shrine shindig. Vic Damone back at Cbpa . to headline second anniversary show. John McGreevey back on job at Harris Amusement <Co. after an operation. ' Marilyn Cantor headlines new floor show opening Friday (21) at the Monte Carlo. Bob Hope booked for two eve- ning shows at Syria Mosque, May 8 for May Beegle Concerts. Vince Boylan, singing cabbie, off to Columbus, O., to be house singer at Gayety Theatre. “Stars ’n’ Skates,” ice revue, with J 0 Barnum, into the Terrace Room for couple of weeks. Lucy Edwards, accompanist for Savoyards, off for England where she’ll continue her musical studies. Radio’s Cleda Clark, who lost a foot when hit by a train, has gdrie horiie to Steubenville, O., to con- valesce. ^.Biller Bros. Circus with Ke:n Maynard coming here. May 17-21 for Kiwanis Club of Wilkihsbiirg cjiarities.. Metro producer George Sidney in with wife, Lillian, to visit rela- tives. . ■/ Virginia McElhinney: Black- stone theatre treasurer, resighing to open a ticket agency. Producer Collier Young in to visit his brother, William Young, an advertising exec here. . Screenwriter Virginia Kellogg in for publicity huddles on her latest Warner pic, “Gaged.” Ruth Chatterton ; will address the Chicago Sun-Times Book and Authors luncheon; May 3 at the Blackstone. Maurice Schwartz in ahead of opening of his “Riverside Drive,”c Thursday (20) at the (Harris, to lec- ture in Chi synagogues. Marshall Migatz, > o w n e r of Chevy Chase sUihmqr theatre, off to New York to pact cast and di- rector for May 23 opening. J. Russell Robinson seriously ill Pam Blumenthal In. from* Shirley Pbwell parted with her totisils« "Wanda Hendrix divorced Audie Murphy. Marie McDonald hospitalized in Santa Monica. Virginia Crews / Duhning di- vorced Dodge Dunning, Buddy ■ de Sylva back from a South American Junket. Dan Daily to Dehver for a stage stint at the Fox theatre. Ghafles apd Spyros Skouras to Mexico City on vacation. :Fred Sweeney celebrated his ,38th anniversary as an actor. Allan Jones booked for a vaude- ville toUr of the . British Isles, Walter- Pidgeon checked in at Metro after six mbriths in Eriglarid; Gordon Hollingshead observed his 25th anniversary with Warner Bros.'.:,''. . Gregory Ratoff in town after three years of film directirig in Italy. Hal Gary : in town after 15 months. , with “Oklahoma!” in Australia. Sid Rbgell sent one of his Hol- ly wood Booster buttons tor Stephen •S,Jackson. . Olivia de Hayilland to Washirig- tOn for Women’s National Press. .Club.: award: : Jerry Lewis opened a camera shop: in Vine street, next to the Brown Derby. Kathryn Grayson settled a $5,- OdO suit filed by her former agent, Murray Lazar. . ..Howard Da Silva appointed Coast rep for the N: Y: Neighboi> hood Playhouse: Larry Parks laid up with virus X while “That Bedside Manner’’ shoots around him. Charles Laughtori booked • for 60 one-night stands in the mid- west, Starting Sept. 1 o: Kathleen Ryan arrived frbm London for a role in Robert Still- man’s “The Sound of Fury,” Veda Ann Borg returned from Australia where she played, a film role in “The Kangaroo Kid.” Tom Ewell and Tommy Cook planed to Manila for roles in “An Ainerican Guerrilla in'‘ the Philip- pines.”' ' Broderick Crawford, and Deaii Jagger won the George Spelvin awards, presented annually by the Masquers Club. By -Lary Solloway Mother Kelly*s shuttered for summer. Park Avenue Club shuttering ■this Week. Walter Winchell back in town, at the Roney. Martha Raye returns to Five O’clock Club in July. Isabel Austin, Roxy (N. Y,) tub thumper, at the Delano for vacash. Loew’s veepee Charlie Mosko- witz due in this week for aririual yacash. Dick Kallmari, newest young singer to hit here, at Saxony hotel’s Shell-I-Mar Room. . . Gracie Barrie heads new show due at Five O’clock Club. Jeati Carroll is ariother possibility. Jack Goldman pacted successful Vagabonds — Jan Murray-Rose Marie package for summer date. Jim Booth, head of Oriental theatre, Chicago, planed back Sun- day (16) after scarinirig talent here. Ray Millarid at the Kenilworth for several days after date with Ed (Archie) Gardner in Puerto Rico, " Alfred McCosker, former MBS board chairman underwent appen- dectomy last . week* and is recup- ing .at new home here. Nat Harris, former Latin (N. Y > Quarter manager: prepping a swank eatery for next season. It’s in heart; Of Dade boulevard night- club sector. Barry Gray was given a shindig at the Lord Tarletoni hotel Satur- day (15) On eve of departure for N; Y,; and gabber stint fro?n vChaii- dler’s; Restaurant. By Rmil W; Maass Ernst Deutsch inked by Salz- burg City theatre ■ for sumliier season; ' Composer Oskar Straus awarded honorary ring of the city of Vien- na on his 8pth birthday. Rohrau cbmmunity council an d government of Lower, Austria bought birthhouse of Josef Haydn for museum purposes. Vienna Little Theatre Work- shop, U. S. amateur stage gipup here, produced Noel Coward’s “Hay Fever” in the Clam-Gallas /Palace..- " Schoenbrunii Film inked Elfie Mayerhofer and Curd Juergens for “Kissirig is no Siri,” a musical pic containing song hits of the late composer Edmund Eysler.