Variety (December 1950)

msasiXA’NT WeHhes^ay^ be<;eiti](»er 20, 1^0 Tledennaus’ Sellout of tonight’s (Wed,) per- fprmance of the new Met Opera version of Strauss’ “Die Fleder* mauS,’’ confirms the success of the company’s unique experiment with its “package” deal this season. Be- fore the season opened, the Met offered three “first nights” in a package (at upped fees), with those desirous pf buying tickets for opening night’s “Don Carlo” (Nov. 6) having to purchase tix for to- night’s “Fledermaus” and“Fideiio” March 6-^cohsidered three of the season’s most important events. Normal top at the Met is $7.50, With last year’s opening night hav- ing a special top of $10. This year the package was sold at a $60 top for the three (With boxes going higher). Most of the house for the three nights was sold this way, the few remaining tickets then going On single, sale. With this package deal, the Met has received about $120,000 gross, or $93,000 without tax, on the three performances, with probability the net figure may go to $95,000 by March, when the third opera, “Fideiio,” is done. . Met inanagement arbitrarily (Continued on page 20) Alleged Widow Back in Court on W. C. Fields Will Chicago, Dec. 19. Mrs. Elith Williams, 71, of Chi- cago, was back in court here last week, alleging she is the widow of W. C. Fields. Mrs, Williams’ peti- tion, filed in Probate court, asks that the comedian’s will be broken and claims that $50,000 of the estate is in Illinois. If winning this amount, however, Mrs. Williams stands to collect Fields’ full $900,- 000 bequest. Mrs. Williams claims she married the comic on June 24, 1893, while Fields was an itinerant entertainer in New York. Fields, it’s alleged, married her under the name of William Ward and she bore him seven children before he deserted her in Chicago in 1910. Half share in the estate was given Harriet V. Fields, the widow, after extensive. litigation in Los Angeles. SIHPP Prexy Ellis Arnall reviews The Indies^ Position in the Wartime Economy * .* ★ an interesting editorjq| feature, in the 45th Anniversary Number of PSSUETY Due Soon Broadway, Incorporated By JOE LAURIE, JR.. Johnny Hyde Diw At 55 on the Coast; Morris Agcy. Veepee Hollywood, Dec. 19. Johnny Hyde, 55, William Mor- ris Agency v.p., who died Monday (18) of a heart attack at Cedars of Lebanon hospital. Was generally regarded as one of the top agents in the field. He helped foster such stars as Betty Hutton, Lana Turner, Esther Williams, Rita Hay- worth, June Allyson, Gloria De Haven, Robert Walker, Lew Ayres and others. He was among those to develop the independent film production deals for top stars. Hyde had had a heart ailment for the past two years. He was brought back from Palm Springs Sunday (17) to the hospital from which he had been discharged a few days earlier following a second coron- ary occlusion. He was rushed back to the ; institution after complain- ing of chest pains. Hyde, born in Russia, came to the U. S. at an early age with his parents’ family act, the Nicho- las Haidabura Imperial Russian Troupe. He himself was not a per- former, but all his brothers, sisters and his parents worked in the act (Continued on page 46) WILL MAHONEY THE INIMITABLE Currently .. Contiiuiing Ringiing Bros., Barnum and Bailey Circus, Havana, Cuba Represented by ASSOCIATED BOOKING CORP. 12 20 Gilt Subscription Enclosed find cheek or ni,o. for $.. .. Send Variety for one year...,.. . two years.. .... *..,... NAME . ADDRESS • • 0 • • ZONE ... STATE . Indicate if gift card desired’ □ NAME • • • , • « • . . . , . > . . • . , •« • « • :» « •« • ADDRESS .,......,. ., ..... ZONE... STATE. One Year—$10.00.. . .Two Yeors-—$18,00 Canodo and Foreign—$1 Additional per Year f^HIETY Ine. 154 West 46th Street New York 19. N. Y. BROADWAY, SR.^A guy who has played everything from one ©'cat to the Palacel BROADWAY, JR.^A youngster in show biz who is being weaned on the Borscht Circuit and small nightclubs. TIME: Nou). PLACE: Times Sq. JUNIOR: Have you been listening to these disk jockeys lately^ SENIOR: Yell, arid I got a beef. Did you notice when they introduce / an actor or a comedian, they nearly always say he or she is a star! Jr.: What’s wrong with that? Sr.: , Because if you wanna get technical, we only have maybe a half a hqpdred real stars in all of snow biz, if even that riiany. Jr.: What do you mean? : Sr.: i’ll bet a lot of people don’t know that a star is billed over the show, or picture.' If they are billed under the show dr picture, they are featured players. Npw tell me how many guys or gals that are introdiiced, riot only by disk jockeys hut by m.c.’s and even in the newspapers, are entitled to that billing? i Jr.: Qh well, you know they got to give a guy some billing, and it I doesnT mean anything to the M.C. to give’em star billing. Sr.; Oh, I know why it’s done. But years ago when you said a guy was a star it meant a lot. It, meant that he or she had proven them- selves in show biz, that they were a drawing card at the b.o. It meant that they worked hard for years to get to that position, it irieant that they were big enough to demand and get a percentage of the take at the b.o. i Jr.: Come to think of it, you are right. I’ve noticed some guy or gal makes a hit recording and immediately their press agent gets busy and makes 'em a star. They don’t niention the other 50 or 100 recordings that they made that didn’t even pay for the wax. Sr.: That’s it, a guy makes a hit in a show, they call him the star. You may never hear of him again, a one-timer, but from then on he is always introduced as a star. Did you know that W. C. Fields after being a feature and headliner for years was jlist a feature in “Poppy” v'hen it started biit when he proved a draw he became the star? A1 Jolson was a riot at the Winter Garden for years before he became a star (in billing). Years ago when the great George Milton Berle moves into another President” he was the , o I • -j - -rv-i billed star, but nearly all of the exhibitors starred Jimmy Durante phase of his video career in. 1951 because Jimrny could draw ’em in and Cohan’s name meant noth- when, in addition to his still No. 1- ing at the b.o. in the little towns, rated “Texaco Star Theatre,” he’s Jr.: Weren’t there any over-night stars year ago? slated to join the ranks of NBC Sr.: You don’t mean over-night star.*?, kid, because stars are not made over night—youTriean synthetic stars—maybe put dough in a show on condition they were starred, but they didn’t last long. The same goes for the old vaude days. To hear the m.c.’s today everybody was a headliner in vaudeville. They had many headliners, but very few proved dynamite at the boxoffice. Through the years a lot stood up: Eva Tanguay, Irene Franklin, Alice Lloyd, Sophie Tucker, Belle Baker, Van & Schenck, Bayes & Norworth, Sara Bcrnhart, Elsie Janis, Ethel Barrymore and a few more, and there were a lot of feature acts who were great, most of ’em entertained the people that the headliners brought in, but remember, there was one headliner and a few feature acts on, a bill and the rest were acts. Plenty good, mind you, but no headliners or special attractions. Jr.: I noticed some guy may be a star in night clubs but are just fea- tures or attractions when they play theatres or pictui'es or even radio. Sr;: It’s a different kind of show biz today, kid. Years ago Just a few acts would step out of vaude into musical comedy, pic and radio- hut today the average actor spreads his stuff to all branches of the show biz; night clubs, radio, pics, TV, legit, musical comedy; that’s why 1 always say the actors ought to have just one union and one card that would let ’em play in all branches of show biz. Jr.: I heard someone on the radio say there were too many actors today. Sr.: Listen, kid, they’ve been saying that for years. There’s always too many in every line, and in show biz especially. But the bad ones or the ones that can’t make the grade eventually get out, but they always can be gotten hack on (he least provocation. It’s just iii the blood, Of course actors stick longer in show biz, even when things are rough and they know *in their hearts they stand no chance of getting anywhere. ! Jr.: What’s the reason for that; aint’s actors smart? production echelon in a producer- consultant capacity. Berle, who has been on top of all aspects of his own Tuesday night TV show, has long had a yen to assert his production-directorial talents, and talks with NBC have been going « on for some time. Martha Raye is slated to move into the vacated Fred Allen slot on the Sunday night “Colgate Comedy Hour” either in January or Febru^ ary, with probability that Berle will lake over the production- directorial reins. Miss Raye has been identified with Berle’s own show, having done a number of guest shots. Flynn Would Determine Republic’s ’Major Studio’ Status in Suits Vs. WB Hollywood, Dec. 19. Errol Flynn asked in superior court, in a pair of suits, to de- termine status of his 12-year star- ; Sr.: Sure they’re smart, but in show biz there is always that long-shot, ring contract with Warners. Ac- tions stem from Warner-Flynn hassle over actor’s appearance in “The Blood Line,” William Mar- shall indie made in France and set for Republic release. hope of getting a great pai*t, or singing a hit song or do a great bit in a pic, anything that would make .’em a hit, and a hit gets you in demand, and when you’re in demand you get plenty of loot, and when you have fat bankbooks, you forget all about the tough times you went through to get there, you just kinda laugh it off. Many a star didn’t click until they were along in years, like Frank Bacon to just mention one. Flynn said Warners notified him How many of our present day stars do you think will live, I mean that his contract provides for out-j live in the history of show biz? side pix if such pix are distributed: Sr.: When you say live, you must mean 100 years from now. I doubt by “a major releasing agency,” and if anybody we know or have seen the past 50 years will become that since Republic was not. con- immortal-r-maybe. Charlie Chaplin,,and I still say maybe. There sidered a major he had breached were great clowns and actors and actresses that were world re- his contract. One suit asks court nowned in their time that are forgotten today. A1 Jolson may be remembered beGause he made the first talkie. Writers have a better chance than actors, guys like Irving Berlin must live through hjs songs. They will sing “White Christmas,’V “Easter Piarade’* and “God Bless America” as long as all of ’em last, and they all will last as long as the wprld. ; Jack Norworth through his “Take Me Out To the Ballgame,” George M. Cohan through his “Over There,” and a few more, but of all the Usts of imriiortals that haye been gotten Up by rievvspapers, 1 don’t remember ever seeing an actor’s name, did you? { Jr.: Tell you the truth, Senior, I don’t read that stuff. Sr.: Well, to tell ypu the truth rieither do I. I get my, education listen- ing all night to all the disk jockeys; they know everything; If they don’t they bring up some guy that does. Jr.: I listen to ’em too, but not so much for news. I like to hear soine new gags when they have comics ad libbing, but they don’t seein to use anything that is funny. Sr.: Well, it’s late at night and I guess they are tired. Jr.; 1 know it’s kinda lough. I found when I work in clubs that it's hard for people to applaud or laugh with a toothpick in their hand or mouth. J Sr ; Gee, we started Off talkin’ about calling everybody stars and we end ' I up with toothpicks. Jr.: Well, what’s your solution, Senior? Sr.; I’m not tryin’ to solute anything, kid. 1 only say we should never worry about show biz, there will always be entertainriierit and the kids of today will be the real stars of tomorrow, but let’s not go overboard on adjectives, like the press agents of pictures did, call- ing everything, tremendous, gorgeous, terriffic, etc. Being a good actor or comedian or singer or dancer is pretty good. The greats just come once in a while—that’s why they’re GREAT! to determine whether Republic holds a “major studio” status in the industry; the other asks that Republic and Marshall be re- strained from releasirig “Blood” until Republic’s status is deter- mined, and also that Warners be restrained from suspending him or cancelling liis contract. * So, YoU^re a No. I Bestseller! detailt Biidd Schulberg in on qxpoittion oh flic frovail thot goes with suddonly being pro- jtetod into fho Lithrotl Limelight > * * on omiising bylint pitet In the 45th Anniversary Number of P^RlEfr Out Soon