Variety (May 1950)

V Piibllsl^d Weekly 154 West Mth Street* New York 19, N. Y.* by Varietyv Inc. Annual subscription; 910, Single ^copies, 25 cents filtered M second class matter December 22, 1005, at the Post. OfUce at New Yorki N., Y., under the act pi March 3. 1879 eOFyRICHT, m0, BY variety, INC. ALI. ItlOHTS RCSBIlVED ^ ' VOL. 178 No. 9 YORK, WEDNESDAY, MAY 10; 1950 PRICE 25 CENTS ♦■jii-' 4'^' DespUe itlje ‘ current ferment in the llliiric indttstrjY for development of a ^ sihfipie /f'three-dimensional film systdld as Ad antidote to tele- vision'^ Inroads, that goal is still as far .oif as ever. That is the opin- ion of nia|or;ho]npahy technicians who h^YO; .studied the possibilities of tti-diihenslDnal: the course'^:yea^S;' \A^U ina^^ have been working feverishly on the problem for the past d more. Fetame Rasslei^ TossM In Parts; Tourist Cleanup Paris/'May 9./ : - Paris gendarmerie have hauled out the sapplio in prepariation for this summer-s anticipated heavy inhux of tourists. They are hound- ing streetwalkers and geherally cleaning up the town ofv minor :VlCe. -v '; ■ . ■ • They are also censorihg carni- vals, where femme wrestling has been a major attraction. Gals haye now been ruled put as gruht-and- grpaners,- m General ‘frecMbii Uquipmept has beett ■ ddthkVifb ;Work bh such a project 'Cbmiiiupusly lor; the past 15 yearsi,' is, estimated hy one top major ' tachh^ that 3,(K)0 potential inyentbrs are iack- iing the poSer,. But the target is still a gleam^imthe-Cye, In a :truly ihree-dimensional fllriv, technicians say, the images would be clearly distinguishable and separate from the hackground, The old type sterepptic pix depend- ed on various tribk devices, such as specially-made , glasses, passed around to the patrons. Techni- cians do not consider these de- vices as making a film actually three-dimensiohal. The constant hunt by all majors as well as the Society of Motion Picture & Television Engineers has been for some process which would (Continued on page 55) LiiY. Kansas Gilyi May 9. Gontroversy ' Over admittance of Negroes to theatres of Kansas City, Kans.v has caused posting of clos- ing notice at the Avenue theatre, Minnesota avenue second-run house .and the Kansas side’s newest theatre. W. D. Fulton, theatref bwner, posted notices for closing following close of business May 14. In explaining his action, Fultoh said he; lost $600 last week in op- evating the theatre. .He averred that business has been steadily dwindling since; interpretation of a' state law two months ago prohibit- ed denial of admittance of Negroes ■ to-theatres..'" Kansas Civil' Rights ;Law has been on the books since 1874, mak- ing it a misdemeanor to deny ad- mittance to public places of amuse- ment. to any person because of race, color or previous cohdition of servitude. Custom has been for ^any years for Negroes and whites m attend separate theatres in Kansas City, Kans., as is the case in Kansas City, Mo. Only a few months ago W'suit was brought against the G^hada, Fox Midwest deluxe houscf alleg- ing that Aiimittance was d^ied to two Negroes who attempted to buy (Continued on page Ringling Bros.rBarnum & Bailey circus this season topped ■ by $70,0(>0 its record take from Madir son Square Garden^ N. Y-, last year, And it was almost all done with pasSeR—-or the lack of them. Gutting down stringently on the Oakleys was said by ViP. Henry Ringling North to have made the new mark possible; Number of passes issued by the various de^ partnments of the show was sliced by almost 50%. CJarden gross was close to $1,600,000 for the 65 performances in the 33-day Tun that ended when the RB-B&B caravan took off for Boston Sunday (7) night. Paid at- tendance was about $825,000. the show pulled out it was the first time it had done so without assurance of being back in the Eighth, avenue arena next year. It is reported, however, that a hew two-year deal is being worked 6ut;at the same terms as prevailed this season, With costs soaring and profits dwindling, proxy John Ringling North edicted that ' deadhead tickets handed out . by the show’s press, billpostihg, police and legal departments must be held to, a mininiuni. Thus there Were prac- (Continued\Qrt page 55) UNION AIDE’S MURDER TO BE FILMED AS INDIE Norma Productions* indie film- making outfit headed by producer Harbid He.cht and actor Burt Lam caster, Will film the life of William Lurye, International Ladies Gar- meul Workers Union organizer, whose violent death a year ago by hired hoodlums became a -cause ce- lebre. Hecht pulls into New York today (Wedv) to meet on the pic with David Dubinsky, ILCIWU prez, and other Union officials. It Is not certain whether Lancaster will star in the pic siiice va seml-documeh- tary treattnent niay be furthered by using an unknown; Norma has a deal with Warner Bros, whereby the unit alternates' one film for the major with an- other on which the company has first releasing call, Lurye opus (Continued oii page 53) Boxoffiee receipts bn American pix abroad, which for several years resisted the decline that hit doiiies- tic grosses in 1947, have now begun to show definite signs of recessibn. Bright side, however, is that Yank distribs are nevertheless succeed- ing in getting a larger share of thbir income abroad to. this country than at any tinie in the past three years.:.. ■ ^ Theatre grosses in* most areas of the world zoomed after the war as a result -bf temporary prosperity and an. influx of Hollywbpd prod- uct which hadnT been available in sbme countries if or five years. Biz abroad .continued high through 1947; 1948 and mpst of 1949. Then general economic conditions began catching up with filni trade and perhaps-: Some of the novelty of having U. S,. pix back again began wearing off. Result is that reports coming in now to major distribS from over- seas indicate last quarter bf 1949 and first quarter of 1950 b.o.- re- ceipts haye receded.' With restric- tions applying in most countries to the ebnyersion of local Currencies to dbllars, fluctuations in theatre grosses don’t necessarily- however, bear a, direct relationship to the ambunt of coin returned by the dis- tribs to U. S.' ■ It is this money remitted to New York ahd taken up on homeoffice profit-and-loss accounts that the majors have been able to push up, (Continued on page 53) Hollywood, May 9. Let the Coast bleat and blow all Kid Sportscaster To Artlb FA rttr Radio’s youngster sportscaster _ ^ -j' . will launch his own program when Vf^ ltJ|: I EI^ '■ tan Wake iiipcm itiike Sunday (14) at 6:35 p. m. ^ ; Directed chiefly at kids, ‘‘This 1 ; f T 1 117 Week in Baseball” wiU h^Ye the l|| I plflMwWpjk; moppet Cover the day’s scores, re- • ViV f f VW f V* view and comment on diamond news and give his oWn predictions. Hollywood, May 9. A member of MBS’ “Juvenile Jury” Let the Coast bleat and blow all for the past two years, Hankinson It will about being the world’s tele- has forecast baseball results with vision capital but it won’t and can't greater accuracy than some adult happen until the nation is spanned • pros. Show will also plug sand- by the coaxial cable to create a lot ball for youngsters. live nationaLnetwork, NBC’s tele topper, “Pat” Weaver, '■■■' 'w\ I unburdened himself of these choice I IIV A ImP iiIb* of clairvbyancy on a short AjDiJ Alllllltit r Uto j stopbver from Frisco, where h& j spoke to the brewers in convention g- « ^ ^ A ^. A > on how TV is made to order for Im them and that eases will be sold nflDft^myinollK III where bottles were bought before. mmv|RV m i B^ayMaa v Weaver must’ve gotten a little mtWw tired hearing about Hollywood’s lUDl^ .MM Ij uMMmM ^ wild claims of pre-eminence and in- HDL 1/66D rr66ZC dispensability as, the only big time * ■ Jr stopover along the milky way and : -I i [let go from the floor with a few NBC last week came jjenlously i opinions of his own. Kinescope he close to losing Frigidaire- holds but little hope for; film Is- ail sponsored Bob WbP® ^ one-shot right for certain types of programs, series, with its attendant prestige [but will heyef approach instanta- and cpin splurge ($130,000^ Pfi* naous live transmission, arid Kol- prOgram), because of inability to talent should know by now clear the Sunday atternOon time, Uhat the only way to get their feet ;CBS said “come on over, we.11 jj'.Y' jg j-h come to New York give it to you” and for a while it ! and “have it done right.” looked as though Collinibia a jhe cable, Weaver said he had ilope were headed for a video reason to believe, would be laid wedding. ^ cross-country and be ready for use ^ Second program in the Frigid^ hy early ’52, Nor will:it be too aire series (first png came oft costly for the medium to absorb, Easter Sunday) was scheduled for : what with the swelling volume of next Sunday (Mother’s Day),, but business and mounting sales of .re- Profits on “Mister Roberts” have now topped $1,000,000. The Leland Hayward production, financed at $100,000, has already distributed $900,000 net on the investment and will send another ,$100,000 to the backers In the next: week or so. Fpr the week eliding April 29, the original productipn of the Thorinas Heggen-Joshua Logan play netted about $2i600 on a gross of ^28,600 at the Alvin, N. Y. On the saine week: the touring editipn made over $5,300 on a gross bf $25*- 500, at the Colonial, Boston^ Tradje Stuff About a year ago, CBS-TV , had a sustaining dramatic house package, in which one of the heaVies in the piece bore the Udme of “Trammell.” NBG-TV repaid the compli- ment Sunday night (7) via its “Philco Playhouse” but in the^other-cheek way. Doing an adaptation of Margaret Kennedy’s novel; “The Feast,’t the play had the nicest per- son in the story, as played by Margaret Wycherly, named *‘Mrs, Paley.” General Foods which has tijken : (Continued on page 55) over sponsorship, of Hopalong, • • ■ • • Cassidy,” refused to relinquish the I ‘‘‘onir thronih^The circumstance that the “Saturday iNight Revue” ... m r . checks off on May 20, for the sum- . :| J f||t [ UllCt uBlS mer, enabling Erigidaire to move ! .. in for the May 27, 9 to 10:30 time, A rA^tWRT IflAnf thus giving Hope a back-to-back ii XUolnai IflUlll showca.se with the continuing Jack . “Enjoy Yourself;” the Carl Sig- Carter show, saved the Frigidaire i man-Herb Magidson number that Than a Hit Tune*. Sets A Postwar ‘Flin?’ Motif “Enjoy Yourself;” the Carl Sig- (Gbntirtued bn page 54) ACVA WANTS TO ORG'EM Hbllywood. May 9, was launched 18 months ago, has caught on during the last six months to become One of the most unusual of Tin Pan; Alley’s many postwar phenorris. . Aside frorri the merlis of the tune; the song is getting increasing play as the ex- pression of an undmlying urge for ; The American Guild of Variety | a fling, especially in the a.k, set. Artists plans to Organize pro- Because of its viewpoint, nitefies fessional wTestllng. The variety and restaurants are.. giving . it a unibn considers wrestlers .As per- ■fofm,ers/ . AOVA is taking this .stance be- heavy accent in their dance .sets.- The number has been found to be a stimulant for spendihg Tri the cause video, is becoming an in- cafes.; E. H. Morris Co., tune’s creasingiy .important facet in the ^•publisher, has made tieups; with careers of the grunt-arid-groaners. several travel agencies which are Grapplers are being handled by u.sing the “Enjoy yourself, it’s later talent agencies bn the Coast, arid than yOU think’^ theme to promote percenters are becoming incTea.s- the getraway-fromrit-aVl. feeling, ingly important to the careers of . The White Tower restaurant cliaiin the wfestlei^, . ; Primary work of ACIVA is ex- has also been spotlighting the tune with streamers In behalf of its peeted to be done on the Cbast, hamburgers. Where there have been some dif-^ Widespread plugging along these ficulties because of beefs that unusual routes has resulted in televising of; bouts has caused a steady sales of the tune on wax. drop in revenue. $ince many i Top Bisk in the fleld is Doris Day’.« grapplers work on a percentage of' cut for CJolumbia with Eddie Can- the gate, they feel incoi^e has j tor on Victor, Tommy Dorsey on been hit and compebsation from I the same lebel and Louis Prima on video hasn’t made up the dlffer-1 Mercury also basking in the philo- enct. sopblcal gravy.