Variety (December 1950)

Wednesday, December 13, 1950 P^jEfr LEOlTlUfATB 73 Actors Equity expects to get-^ About $60,000 this season for its welfare fund from benefit per- formances of Broadway shows, The fund has thus far netted $9,818 on the first three show- ings, of “Call Me Madam,” “Af^ fairs of State” and “Black Chif- fon.” It's planned to let all such coin accumulate until a hankroil of around $500,000 is on hand, after which the income will begin to be used. That may take about live years; Next scheduled benefit, Jan. 14, will be “Bell, Book and Candle.” Thereafter, the special showings w'ill be scheduled for alternate Sunday nights, with “Country Girl'V and “Lady's Not for Burn- ing” slated so far. A total of 20 such performances will be given this season. The initial benefit, given by “CMl Me Madam,” Nov. 26 to standee attendance, made a net profit of $5,746 for the Equity fund, while the Dec. 3 showing of “Affairs of State” added $2,905 and last Sunday's (10) edition of “Black Chiffon” got another $1,167. Administration of the fund will be directed by a committee com- posed of five (or possibly seven) representatives each f r o m Equity and the League of N. Y. Theatres, with one member from the gen- eral p u b 1 i c. Equity’s nominees have been appointed by the union's council, but their identities won’t be revealed until the League’s representatives are. selected. Just what form the welfare ac- tivities of the fund will take is still indefinite, but the advice of insurance brokers will be sought on the possibilities of issuing re- tirement payments, sick benefits and unemployment support. Phoenix Pre-Film Test On 'Story’ With Douglas May Cue More 'Tryouts' Phoenix, Dee. 12. As a warmup for Paramount’s film edition, William Wyler will present a stage edition of Sidney Kingsley's “Detective Story,” with Kirk Douglas in the starring role he will play on the screen, at the Sombrero Playhouse here during the season opening Jan; Q. Several other players set for the picture version will also appear in the stock presentation, which William Shorr will stage. The project. Suggested by Ann Lee and Richard Charlton, Play- house operators, may lead to other such “tryouts” of legit properties slated for filmization. Fact that this winter resort is wdthin easy plane - commuting distance of Hollywood, so that many screen personalities vacation here and various stars have played guest dates at the Playhouse, lends prac- ticality to the idea. Only other bill set for the sea- son is “Streetcar Named Desire,” with June Havoc as star. “O Mis- tress Mine,” in which Miss Lee appeared in the original Broadway production with Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne, is also planned, but no stars have been signed for it. Arthur Sircom will be resident director, Alice Sircom (his sister) will be pressagent, Irving Stiefel w ill be business manager and Rob- ert Soule designer. Miss Lee and Charlton also op- erate El Teatro, Santa Fe, in the sumnier, Hyams Quits Hnfok After 14 Years to Stey in Legit Barry ilyams ;has resigned from the Sol Hurok concert office to de- vote all his time to legit. He’s now production associate, as well as general press rep, for the Robert Whitehead Productions. He’s cur- rently p.a. on “Member of the Wed- ding,” and will do press oii Donald Ggden Stewart’s “The Kidders,” as Well as the Harold Clurman-Walter Fried production of S. N. Behr- man’s “Let Me Hear the Melody,” both of w'hich are now in the cast- ing stage. Hyams was with Hurok office for 14 years, mainly handling public- ity, but also doing soiifie manage- inent, such as being manager on the combination legiter-longhair “Cabalgata” of two seasons ago. He’s also Credited with much of the success of the Sadler’s Wells Ballet last season and this ih the XJ.S, ZIEGFELD'S BOSWELL Bernard Sobel reprUft on tntimoto closeup bn The Real Billie Burke ★ * nn Inttrtitihg bylbio ftoturt In the forthcoming 45th Anniversary Number ■ of PSriety Dallas Dept. Store Head As Local Stock Stager Dallas, Dec. 12. Arthur L. Kramer, Jr„ prez of A. Harris & Co , local department store, will direct the second pro- duction of the new Civic Playhouse, “Detective Story,” in February. , Edyth Renshaw will direct the ] first play, “The Madwoman of j Chaillot,” slated to open Jan. 17, Offer 1110011’ to GuOd Subscribers; D.A. Brushes B’way Met Hassle The Brattle Theatre Co., cur- rently partnered with the,Theatre Guild in the presentation of “The Relapse,” at the Morosco, N. Y., may produce its first musical in the spring, with British comedi- enne Hermione Gingold as star. The show, consisting mainly of ma- terial from Miss Gingold’s three London revue hits, “Sweet and Low,” “Sweeter and Lower” and “Sweetest and Lowest,” would be cast and rehearsed in New York, tried out at the Brattle’s home theatre, in Cambridge, Mass., With scenery and cos- tumes made there, and brought to Broadway for a commercial 1 * 00 . It is tentatively budgeted at $60,000. Miss Gingold, who was to have starred in the recently-abandoned Peter Cbokson-Mary K. Frank pro- duction of “Lily Henry,” has re- mained in the U. S. with the idea of appearing in a revue with the sketches and songs from the “Sweet and Low” series, which she controls. Jed Harris Takes Over 75G 'Sun' for B’way Prod. Jed Harris, who was brought . In by Lee Sabinson to stage the play, has taken over as producer of “A Piece of the Sun,” atom bomb melodrama by Edith and Samuel Grafton. He intends to present 'the play on Broadway this season, at an estimated cost of about $75,- 000 . After getting script revisions ac- cording to his ideas, Harris report- edly told the authors that he’d pre- fer to produce the show as well as direct, whereupon Sabinson re- linquished his option. Arrangements to handle emer-• gency calls 24 hours a day, seven j days a week have been made by ; Chorus Equity. By means of a ■ I phone-answering service, members working in New York or with tour- ing shows will henceforth .be able to take up urgent problems with the union executives at any time. Setup, similar to one adopted nearly two years ago by the parent organization, Actors Equity, is ex- pected to remedy a long-standing complaint, particularly on the part of chorus performers on the road. System, which goes into effect next weekend, calls for officials of the union, in rotation, to be on duty over weekends. Whichever exec is available will phone the answering service at noon and 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, pick up any messages that have been re- ceived in the Interim, and call the member who has reported an j emergency problem. In most cases, it’s figured, difficulties can prob- ably be solved in a couple of calls. If not, a hurried meeting of the executives can be called at the union office next day to deal with the matter. : In addition to the phone-answer- ing service, Willard Swire, acting executive-secretary, doubling from his permanent job as assistant executive-secretary of Equity, can be called at home at any time on urgent business. And as another step to provide increased adminis- trative service, Paula Pumell, a member of the CE executive com- mittee, has been appointed acting assistant executive-secretary. Also, the union’s grievance com- mittee has been reactivated with the idea of giving quick attention to cofhplaints by members. And the various members of the com- mittee . are Visiting the choruses backstage at all Broadway shows ill order to explain the new setup. Finally, in a move to establish bet- ter relations between officials and the general membership, all mem- bers are being asked to visit the union office and get acquainted. New Secunda Musical Leo Fuchs and Edmund Zayenda will co-star in and present a new Yiddish musical by Sholom Secun- da, “Two Guys From Brazil,” at the Public theatre, N. Y., Dec. 22. Fea- tured players Include Yetta Zwerl- ing, Lucy Gehrman, Lilly Lilliana, Max Winner and Rebecca Richman. Met Op's G.M.^ Riidolph Bing ebicrvei thot Opera^s Becoming More Secure in l/.S,, Cites TV as Aid ' * e-’w- on cditonol looturt In tho upcoming Anniversary Number pf ^mETT Lohdon, Dec. 12. With Tyrone Power and Jackie Gooper due to leave the cast Jan. 20, at the expiration of their con- tracts, the London production of “Mister Roberts” will probably fold at the Coliseum as of that date. During his recent visit here, producer ^ Leland Hayward first figured on engaging another major name to succeed Power in the title part, but he’s now understood planning to close the play, since business has been running just about the break-even point and any slump would put it into the red. The venture has nowhere near re- covered its production cost. As Power has a film commitment, there is no chance of his remain- ing with “Roberts” more than a few weeks beyond the Jan. 20 deadline. .Cooper is not known to have any definite assignment, but will probably return to the U. S. Possibility of the Theatre Guild ultimately expanding its subscrip- tion setup in New York^ to include “bonus” selections of shows of other managements is seen in the organization’s Action this week in offering its members , a Chance to buy tickets to Gilbert Miller’s pro^ duction “Ring Round the Moon” at a 5Gc. discount. Guild officials point out that the organization has at various times previpusly given its subscribers an opportunity to purchase tickets to non-subscrip- tion presentations, hotably ^ in the case of last season’s “Madwoman of Chaillot” and several seasons ago with the Cheryl Crawford-John Wildberg revival of “Porgy and Bess.” They minimize the prospect of making it a regular practice. Other producers, including one member of the Committee of The- atrical Producers, have suggested thfit the Guild might readily widen its subscription setup to offer its clientele voluntary bonus selec- tions of shows of other manage- ments. Such ah arrangement, sup- plementing the regular Guild sub- scription season, might include a specific number of added shows, or be left subject to the availability of suitable presentations. In aiiy case, it’s pointed out, the Guild has already launched a somewhat similar plan in its sponsorship of “bonus” productions for its sub- scribers in road cities. Apparently fearing that such a plan might undercut her ShoW-of- the-Month Club, Sylvia Siegler was concerned yesterday (Tues.) over the Guild deal for ‘’Ring Round the Moon.” Fact that Guild sub- (Continued on page 76) Cleve. Critic McDermott On Leave After Illness Cleveland, Dec; 12. William F. McDermott, vet drama critic of Cleveland Plain Dealer, is slowly recuperating from a critical operation involving peritonitis, that may keep him put of circulation several months. Re- viewer was rushed to hospital for emergency surgery after getting a thorough checkup that revealed an abdominal abscess. During his absence, W. Ward Marsh, film editor, and Glenn C. Pullen, his assistant, are pinch- hitting on the legit beat. Buloff Back to Yiddish Stage in'Salesman’ Joseph Buloff will return to the Yiddish-language stage as star of “Death of a Salesman,” in which he appeared last season in Buenos Aires. The Arthur Miller drama is being produced by Goldberg & Ja- cobs. It opens next week, Dec. 22, at the Parkway theatre, Brooklyn. Translated and directed by Bu- loff, the play will be presented there for an indefinite run, with Luba Kadison, Nathan Goldberg, Hanna Hollander, David Allen, Sonia Zomina, Lewis Norman, Max Rosenblatt, Sam Gertler and Yacob Susanoff among the cast. “Salesman” is the fifth Broadway play which Goldberg and Jacobs have brought to the Yiddish stage. Oldtime Jefferson City Opera House Burns Down St. Louis, Dec. 12, The Jefferson City, Mp., opera house, 50 years old and once the stopover between Kansas City and St. Louis of legit road companies, was destroyed by lire last week. The building hasn’t been Occu- pied in recent years. The 0{ Farms closing shortly Vsuol Advertising Tales, prevail Cop/ and space reservattons may be sent to any Variety office NEW YORK 19 154 W. 46tk Sf. HOLLYWOOD 28 4311 Yucca St, CHICAGO 11 612 N. MichlgoA Ave. LONPON, W. C. 2 8 St. Martin's Place Trafalgar Square Fridolin Sets Strong Terms With Shuberts On Broadway 'Rooster' Deal for Fridolin (Gratient Ge- linas) to co-present his own play, “Ti-Coq?’ (“Little Rooster”) on Broadway in association with Lee and J. J. Shubert, calls for the French-Canadian star to get a slid- irig scale of 5-71^-10% of the gross as author, 10% as actor md 1% as director, plus 25% of the profits from the production. Com- edy-drama, originally written in French and first presented in Eng- lish last season, is current in Mont- real, plays the week of Jan. 8 in Toronto, Opens the week of Jan. 15 in Chicago and is due on Broadway some time in February. Play in two acts,, with 12 scenes, has scenery designed by Joan Fournier de Belleval and incidental music composed by Maurice Black- bum. Various managements, in- cluding the Theatre Guild, Her- man Shumlin,. Saint Siibber and Guthrie McClintic reportedly sought to bring the show to Broad- way, with Arthur Schwartz at one point having a deal sewed up, only to break down over a difference in terms. Fridolin was represented in the negotiations by the William Morris agency. Cleve. Stock Co. Set To Fill in Roadshow Blanks Cleveland, Dec. 12, Broadway and Hollywood names are currently being sought for the stock company formed here by Ray Boyle, young strawhat producer, and Winsor French, theatrical col- umnist on the Cleveland- Press. All-equity company will offer peri- odic productions at the Hanna here, filling in the lapses between road- show presentations at the house. Plays will be put on under the ban- ner, '‘Milton Krantz Presents,” us- ing the theatre manager’s name. Initiar production, set to run for one week beginning Dec. 25 with Bill Veeck, former prexy Of the Cleveland Indians baseball club, in the leading role, will be"The Man Who Came to Dinner.” Boyle, who directed the Ring Theatre’s eight-week summer sea- son at the Hotel Allerton here last summer. is now in N. Y. on a talent hunt. He’s also underrtood to be dickering with Clearies Boyer to appear in “The Constant Nymph,” Lee Tracy for “Idiot’s Delight,” John Carradlne for 'Tobacco Road” and Van Heflin for “Berke- ley Squai’O.” « 4