Variety (May 23, 1951)

•my 21 195, Twt Ml N T- ki VmM|. Im Ammmot IM1 al Um N«i OMn al Nee* Yari l MM • mi IT VAIIfTY ALL IWNTI MliavlO VOL. 182. No. 11 NEW YORK. WEDNESDAY, MAY 23, 1931 PRICE GABBING: S 50 . 000.000 ANNUAL BIZ Rubbernecks Stretch Rockefeller EVERYBODY GETS Wald-Krasna Call It HoOyckle/ Center Tours to 500G Yearly INTO LECTURE RCT « only a "bunko** ■ - That New Pix Prod. Fear Complex ap **ij£ po| Yens Ufit Rale ST As Respite Fran R*f $500 000 yearly for Rockefeller San Francisco. M TV Resarrects Joe $500 000 yearly for Rorkefellor San Franctaro. May a. Center That, of course reprc- Anon* the appllcanta for caat re- am t» only a fair month s gross for ptacemmta In the Henry Fonda Radio City Music Hall (which company of "Mister Roberta at forma part of the tour' hut. since the Geary Theatre here last week the rubberneck receipts are ilmort was heavyweight boxer Pat Val- all gravy, they comprise a lucrative entlne sideline for the Rockefellers' vast Pug said he A Cured being an emporium In the heart of mid- actor would he a snap after Aght- town Manhattan ing Joe Louis and the present Various rumors, perpetuated by champ. Enard Charles, a myriad of nitery and vaude ■ " — ■ comics, have It that visiting Are- n . n wmrrw EK3- Sr=£S Bankers Say HCL, times o antic red away frsns their __ __ > e"wa • sr zx Not Tefe, Chasing | ,e never been substantiated. But 4 Vl * ' vimvuuj the fart that 900.000 or more rlti- E ;H.V“r r £E: Pix-Coing Patrons much an attraction to visitors as ,, „ „ I ■■ ■■■ — ♦ Hoi I v«<M»d May 22 », KIRT SINGER <T1I D I TW mo “*" Uxiu.lo t* . . — , TV Kesurreds JOC scaring Itself to death and unleea I Director, Inti rnational Platform _ _ __ wo get rid of the prevailing fear In a— * Miller’—Cerf’s Pkck ,h ' <*>» CT* SLw«r. The American lecture platform w » mwm (t|t | Nr ^ to do. we are all has become a $90,000,000 s year In- Chicago. May 22 loot and we will end up trying to dustry. More musicians, actors. Season's windup sessions of the catch up with the men who need monolog lets, dancers, hypnotists. Chicago Television Cousscil Is to he m the vaudeville business. * magicians glass blowers, snake slated to ho the organ last ion'a big- in the opinion of KKO producer charmers and makeup experts are geat blowout of the yeor. with Jerry Wald showing their wares yearly In ad- publisher-columnist Bennett Cerf I ' Hollywood has already talked ditlon to the standby gabbers coming In as featured speaker for Itself into a self induced depression One of the biggest boxoffice kits the June 9 meeting Cerf*s auk- and la blaming everybody else la gsblest history has been Lowell )td will he “TV Resurrects Joe when la truth. Hollywood has no- Thomas Jr.'s, illustrated lecture on Miller.*' so Windy City's video body to blame hut Itself," his port- Ttbet He gave 900 talks at sn comics have boon invited as ape- ner Norman Krasna footnoted average of $1,900 a program Hu cial guests “The Industry has blamed tele* Chicago manger, Ford Hicks New officers will also he elected vision, the Aim exhibitors, the high cashed In too. Lowell has decided g the June meeting Current rest of living Hr . for the declining to root and go to India, where hell prexy is Fred Kilian. Chi ABC hoxofAce and the current resulting make a new picture An offer of program director. . fear complex in Hollywood hut $100,000 for hu Tibet Aim waa • , none of these la basically to blame the Automats' slot machines Minneapolis. May 22 1W t.kln, th* tour. I. odd.- . Comu 'IlK 'rtth th* Amenr.n j »«. Industrial Bankers Aasn heads onnn ueo on page . a . t^e (or lhe 17th * nnua | industrial n/ * . r , n ir i A banking Institute, local exhib RlA S Timm DUlllSb UO leaders in an effort to have some F m _ _ t . . more light thrown on their box Hturp of Tkas|rs V Ifl PA s ft ice troubles and pr o bi t ms . BlHfC m f were told that TV uni their prtn- C C^Manl fnefe ftin **pal difficulty. although of 3cCS Lf|ui|PDICBI UPMI 1^ course. It's a contributing factor RCA president Frank M Folsom In depressed grosses, thinks that theatre television Is the The mam trouble, thethoot re- nest Mg phase In the development owners were told at a ■ Of Vidro Hr frrU that RCA <*“> "“»> **•**•«»» Other hits in the illustrated travelog locture Aeid today are Karl Robinson on Austria. Bert Knapp on Scandinavia. Winifred Walker on Australia. Richard M Bott with a new Hawaii show, and Bat hie Stuart s fuU-coler feature on New Zealand The old standbys on the lecture (Continued on page 991 Fotson Battsk Equipment Casts Dip See UPT-ABC Deal ^ Set; Stock Swap ^7: «$2,000,000 Rap I In Richards’ Fight To Get Of Hook Washington. May 22 John J. Patt. prexy of Use G A. fear complex m Hollywood hut none of these Is bssically to Marne. It Is a recognised fact that the pub- lic la hungry for entertainment, for excitement, for something new to pique the curiosity, and that they will pay to see good entertainment. It la co n versely also true that they will not pay to see dull entertain- ment whether It's In the form of a movie, a baseball game, a prtseAght. s book s play, s lecture* says Wald “The heart of the matter la that Hollywood has not supplied a con- • Continued on page 21) right b. H^rhcding . merchandising upbei t for TV In JJwy might want, including movies 1141 giving all manufacturer* People are not making the monc> blueprints of RCA production »Continued on page 21) plans Likewise color TV la second * on the hoc iron, due to be clariAed ImnmcnnA by the U. 8 Supreme Court very UU|II C^dllU JUHJU5 soon with a decision on the RCA- ~Tbe People's Choice." talent CBS color tube hassle. show on which the impresarios pre- 1. ike wise he la bullish on Mg- smting the new performer* will be screen TV. pointing to tone 90 seta {j s Senator* and Representative*. Of equipment sold to theatres In b being packaged by Jock Barry the past month at a price of $19.- and Dan Ennght 900 This Is down from the original Barry-Enright Production*, which $29 000 mark and should coma currently has "Life Begins at B0“ down even lower as the market ex- and “Faith Baldwin Theatre of Ro- pands mance" on ABC-TV, has already To the question. “Where's the gotten tentative okays from Serna- programming gonna come from for tors Estes Kefauver. Charles Tobey big-screen theatre exhiMtor*?" Fol- Everett Dirk sen. Styles Bridge*, som relies on “the same kind of Homer Ferguson and Alexander \Af• MAPI/ \U/an old coao with the FCC kJvly iJlUvn U TV aII In a statement Issued from the ofAces of Fulton. Walter A Halley. Deal was reported virtually set Richards' Washington counsel. Patt yesterday «Tues i for United Para- said the FCC inquiry into news- mount Theatres to acquire control slanting charges against the sta- of the American Broadcasting Co tioas "to considered a significant radio and television networks test cose by both radio and press It's understood that the mjor on how far a Government bureau week R has coat Richards around if . , S^JS. »«»>« w» Mencken Mikes His Video Bow (Disked), Declaims On Drinking and Religion Baltimore May 22 Henry L. Mencken. Baltimore's Sage went on TV Sunday • 20 1 .tumbling block. Hurt vaulted » ru tta Ucnain, authority to "JO*- SS-SS!* JL?/tSfiS have practically been removed with Ed Noble. ABC board chair tb, bureau's coocrpt.oo of fair |lv . Urmtkrn th . w hto voice aver WMAR TV as part 1 "I* of an Interview with William Man * rif T" in i>l . •ww* > Chester, author of the Mencken Coatiaurd on pag. !•> bfocr.pby -DtWurbrr of the Peace ' by Donald Kirkley. Balti- TV in UaILu c future m ar s Sun drama and Aim critlr. 1 » 111 rullJCj S rUiliiC who conducts a weekly program Rudolph Halley, former counsel ever the station y ™_ |M „ Recorded excerpU were taken to the Kef.over crUM committer ^ )0 |wo ^ d pUlter, mmtr by may have bit ouru abour on trie lh . Ubrary of Co»(rraa to 1*4* for vtoon soon. He has announced hto use of scholars, and contained a willingness to go on TV on a regu- cross section of the Baltimore had Ur bim and u huddlme with ttoy a" opinions and observations ^ ^ of the general American scene. aRrnrwa and parbaRen ea poaaibtr Top ^ lhe turrrM , lr . formats ing were “The American Libido reportedly agreeing to a stock a swap deal and acquisition of UPT preferred i ssues No cask payment (Continued on >age $11 Thnrpe’t Stadium Nuptials Washington May 22 Sister Rosetta Tharpc lead- in# xosoel singer and one of som relies on “the same kind of Homer Ferguson and Alexander resourcefulness which has always Wiley, and Representatives J K distinguished the motion picture Javtu and Francis Walter, industry." He feels that right now Each week four audition winners Its timing potential for bene At of will come to New York for the the h o. to good so that theatres , telecast, with the Congressman or may be equipped to telexhibit any- Senator from their district intro- thing from s Kefauver or a Mac- ductng them on the air. An ever- Arthur public event te the World s all winner will be picked each yeor Meries or the Army-Navy game » as “The *■■■>■'■ Choice.* ing gospel singer and one of Dacca's top-selling artists, trill be married to Ruaaell Morri- son. a Savoy Ballroom. N Y . exec, in an unusual ceremony. Wedding rites will be held at the Griffith Stadium. Washing- ton. July 1. as part of Sister Tharpes concert date there at Griffith Stadium, regularly playing to capacity attendance formats mg were “The American Libido While nothing ha. definitely been For the Ugly * "Drinking" and “Re- set. it's believed that Halley will 1 . American has a likely go Into a documentary-type hideous ' says Menck- ertme show or a panel quii pro- He takes a gemra! delight in gram < Continued on page $1 1 18th ANNUAL Survey of Radio and Television Showmanagement (Page 23)