Variety (May 1952)

MISCELLANY WciWad*y, May *21, 1952 Boards of the five < eastern f branches of Associated Actors & Artistes of America met in N. Y. Monday afternoon and Yesterday (Tues.) morning u labor relations specialists of Cornell IT, and U, of California at Los Angeles unfolded their blueprint for talent union merger. Plan will be unwrapped to 4A’s board members In Chi to- morrow (Thurs.) and on the Coast, tentatively, Monday (26).. Blueprint, running to 42 pages, is not viewed as the ''college profs’” definitive recommendation. It took two sessions of questioning to ex- amine some of the. aspects, and some matters raised in the current confabs will be incorporated into the final document, which the Cor- nell-UCLA team will wrap up In another two weeks. In words of one union *topper, "This is the skel- eton on which the flesh of a merged organization can be hung.” Important point Is that members of the various talent fields will he separated tinly by'geography, not by craft. Actors, singers, dancers, etc., will all be members of the same local, if they reside in the same area. Merged union, including the five present branches and Television Authority, would be governed by a 200-member national executive board. This would meet in.ful (plenary) session at least every two years. It would convene by geo graphical sections at least four times yearly. Except for regiona' matters, any subject voted by one section would have to be approved by the other two sections. All members of national board would be members of theiF local boards. Board, Local Setup * National board would have at least 10 members from each major field—legit, AM-TV. etc. Each local would have at least one board (Continued* on page 15) V. London Trial June 10 Of Korda Suit Vs. Mason To Recover 50G Advance London, May 20. Suit by Sir Alexander Korda against James Mason for the re- turn of $50,000 is. slated to be tried here June 10. Producer claims he had a gentleman’s agree- ment with the actor to make a picture and as a token of the understanding handed him a* $50,- 000 advance when he arrived in New York from London three years ago. Korda plantains that Mason has never made the promised picture for him and rejects every script offered. So he wants his $50,000 > back. Mason acknowledges the agree- ment, although there was no writ- ten contract, and asserts he stands ready to make a film when a suit- able script is presented. He is now working in Hollywood in Metro’s “Prisoner Of Zenda.” The $50,000 was deposited in the Manufacturers Trust Co., N, Y., bjr Morris Helprfn, Korda’s U. S. rep, who handed over bank and check books empowering the actor to draw on the money when he met Mason at the pier on his ar- rival in America. Helprin' is slated to come here from New York to testify. Whether Mason will come or leave it entire- ly to • his solicitors to handle the case is not known here. .; Hollywood, May 20.. Boh . Hope’s summer vacation from film-making will be more work than play, Starting late in July, the comic witi do a series of one-night stands in Europe and Is- rael and wind up as a spectator at he Olympic Games In Helsinki. Between one-nighters he will en-. tertain at a number of TT. S; mili- try and naval posts over there. Warns of Importance to U.S. of Pic Fetes In Ideological War’ Washington, May 20. _ An implied warning that the U. S. government, as well as Holly- wood, will have to show mote awareness of the importance, of the growing number of film festivals throughout the World, was voiced last week by Floyd E., Brooker, film topper for Mutual Security Agency. Reporting informally to the Washington Film Council on his recent 11-week trek through South- east Asia' and the Philippines, Brooker, former film head of the U. S. Office of Education, stressed the tremendous effort made by the Soviet Union at the International Film Festival in India. Brooker, along with Frank Capra, were offi- cial reps for the United States. In contrast with their small ‘ delega- tion, Iron Curtain countries had 27 reps, four times as many- as the rest of the world put together. Stating positively that, “increas- ingly, motion pictures apd espe dally the film festival, will be in the forefront* of the ideologica! war,” Brooker pointed out the well- organized way in which the Com- mies used the Indian "Festival to secure the showing of films they could never have otherwise exhib- ited to audiences they could no have lured by # other means. Hayes & Healy Parted For London Palladium Peter Lind Hayes & Mary Healy have been signed for the Palla- dium, London, starting July 7. They’ll follow Jack Benny into the vauder. Theatre has also pacted Nanci Crompton, cafe ballerina, who starts Aug. 4. She’ll double into the Hotel Savoy. Pix Probes Continue* from, pare 1 CHARLES SANFORD MUSICAL DIRECTOR "XOTJR SHOW OF SHOWS" WMBT Formal Move to Plug Chi As Major City For AM-TV; 'Ghost Town’ Out answers be objective, be couched in terms that can be made public if necessary. Bossiers B ©tailed Dossiers are remarkable in de- tail. Those on the Legion list are confronted with even obscure inci- dents and accusations relating to members of their families or per- sons of similar names. Each studio, in acting individually, is going about getting answers from those employees on the list in own manner.' At 20th-Fox, those named by the Legion have received personal let- ters from Spyros Skouras, qompany prez. Replies are to be addressed Washington, May 20. Three more Hollywood writers admitted former. Communist affili- ation yesterday (Mon.) and today in testimony before the House Un- American Activities Committee They were’ Clifford Odets, Broad- way playwright and screenwriter- Stanley Roberts, presently em- ployed by the Stanley Kramer unit at Columbia, and Isobel Len- nart, Metro screenwriter. Roberts and. Miss Lennart revealed the names of former associates in par- ty activities and described the working _ of party machinery in Hollywood* Odets had revealed some names yesterday. Both Miss, Lennart and Roberts wer£ warmly thanked by chairman John Wood, D., Ga. for the co- operation they had given the Com- mittee. However, no acknowledge- di A^MettofL. K. Sidney b han, Sven bfodete ° £ ' the dlipg the. matter of checking em- ***** . ; . T „ ployees’. loyalties. .. Those named testimony centered about by ‘ the Legion are shown dossiers affiliation with front organiza- on their own alleged activities and Lions as late as 1950, while Roberts Chicago, May 20. asked to answer directly-to Sidney, described the working qf the Corn- After several months of quiet J. K. (Neil) Nunan, special exec- Party in the Screen Writers advance work, an all-industry or- utive engaged by Howard Hughes, ^ U1 ]r Lhe Conference of ganization is being rounded into is checking loyalties at RKO. Most Studio Unions strike - and Miss final form to promote Chicago as 0 f his work at present is in jrc- Lennart discussed the Commie a major radio-television production lation to employees on pix already dues paying and assessment sys centre. The establishment of the ^ formal group—sort of a Windy City radio-TV chamber of com- merce—is'viewed as the first really significant move to erase the “ghost town” stigma from the Chi escutch- eon. Present plans call for the for- mation of a non-profit corporation to be called Chicago Unlimited with a mihimuih annual budget of $25,000. Membership will be .open to .individuals and organizations with an Interest- in plugging the hometown’s radio, TV, film and transcription activity. A full-time director will'be hired to implement a 10-jpoint promotional program. Over 3,000 copies, of a 16-page brochure put together by the or- ganizing committee will be in the mails later this week. The booklet explains the philosophy, plans and aims of the projected corporation, and sets June 2 as the date of first general organizational meeting. Challenge Seen The venture is seen by its ini- iators as a challenge to not only those who have remained bullish about Chi's role in broadcasting, but also to those who have be- moaned the shrinking of the city’s contributions -to the airlanes. There’s a’ recognition that while the Loop will never succeed New York and Hollywood in the domi- Crosby’s Science Fiction Pic ' Hollywood, May 20. • After traveling all over the earth on their various “Road” tours. Bing Crosby and Bob Hope are contemplating a 'trip out • of this world. Crosby and his radio producer, Bill Morrow, have cooked up a film story, titled* “The Road to the Moon,” a comic-science-fiction pro- duction. Crosby is submitting the yarn to Paramount. Madeleine Carroll Films, Inc., with offices in New York* has been dissolved, according to papers filed with the Secretary of State in Albany. The star has been con- centrating on radio and the legiti mate stage lately. Subscription Order Form Enclosed find check for $ Please send VARIETY for y^., 5/21 To (Please Print Name) Street City.. Zone. •.. State, Regular Subscription Ratos # On# Year—-$10.00 Two Years—$1 LOO Canada and Foreign—$1 Additional por Year PI&RIEfr Inc. 154 West 461ft Street New Yerk 36, N. Y. Legion Nixe* MPIC Hollywood, May 20. In line with the new film industry loyalty frobe, it’s been learned that the Motion Picture Industry Council had originally asked to meet with American Legion execs to dis- cuss the situation, but the Le- gion turned down the bid, re- fusing to talk with any but the heads of the major com- - parties. Huddles have been held with Legion toppers by some members of the Assn, of Motion Picture Producers, but the producers Have been talk- ing separately for their own individual interests* and not under the AMPP aegis. Legion execs reportedly em- phasized to the producers that they* couldn’t guarantee any- thing, • pointing out that the various state branches of their organization had full and ‘ au- tonomous control ovef their own doings. Film copnpany proxies, incidental^, are main- taining a strict silence about the entire Legion-loyalty probe. tem in Hollywood. Miss Lennart, top Metro writer whose credits include “The Kissing Bandit,” “East .Side, West Side” and “Anchors. Aweigh,” told the committee she* was recruited in the Communist Party in 1939 when she was a script clerk at 20th-Fox. She said she drifted away in 1945 and completely severed all ties with the party in 1946. In 1946, she said she married a former Army officer who was violently anti- communist, but -that v the decision to leave the party was her own. No mention of her husband’s name was made before the hear- ing. ' However, .Miss Lennart is married to John Harding, a screen- writer and playwright. Was ^Passive* Member The Metro writer described her- self as a passive member who never joined any of the mass or- ganizations And who was never a member of the party faction in the Screen Writers Guild. Therefore, she said, the Communist Party never directed her writing activi- ties, terming herself a writer of “light, frothy pictures.” She re- vealed that she paid dues ranging from $25 to $50'a month. She re- ported that when she earned $500 to "$600 a week in 1943 and 1944, the party assessed lier $100 a A VU6U 4.AVAAJ TT WU AAA VU& UVUU" *• - , J . m ' / . 1 .11, nation of the- ether, the full pro- completed, since production there, ^onth and that she was told that ductive potentials of this market was a L a standstill for some time Lhe payment of dues was a political have yet to toe properly exploited. P r i° r to start • of “Beautiful. But duty* She -said she thought the dues The source of the $25,000 kitty Dangerous” last week. • * were_ excessive and never paid is broken down thusly: 500 indi- Columbia has B. B. Kahane and mo ^ e \ montl V ., S v e ,i r f« vidual shares will be offered at Nate Spingold checking loyalties of sealed that she also contributed to $25;* 75 organization memberships studio’s employees on the Legion Peoples World, but never r- at $100, and 10 charter member- bst. As a L Metro, those named at cruited anybody for the party, ships at $500. Shareholders will, Columbia are told what’s in the ne ^ er ar * office, never so of course, elect the officers and dossier on them, and they are asked subscriptions to publications a the board. to answer. was merely a rank and file Blueprint Details Y. Frank Freeman, studio head, m€m ber. The preliminary blueprint de- * s personally handling the matter Miss Lennart asserted that she tails these services to the sub- at Paramount. ■ wanted to testify a year ago but scribers: As far as is known, no provision didn’t want to reveal names at that 1. Sell their services to sponsors has been made to get statements Lime because “I could not bring by calling their attention to the or explanations from those on the myself to damage others as I felt advantages of buying shows in Chi- list who have no major studio af- 1 w0ldd be damaged when I testi- filiation. fied. I, felt my testimony would end my 'screen career.” She said she now came before the Commit- tee voluntarily at her own ex- pense to testify fully with names. cago 2. Sell their Services to advertis- ing agencies by keeping them ap- prised of what is available in Chi- cago. Picket Ferrer Pic in Balto Baltimore, May 20. A former emnlnvAo nf t on. pearance in Paramount’s “Any- and shocking.. One was, ^ ^ thing Can Happen” at the Stanley noted * that there was a deal be- ’52 Qtrly. Divvy Down 2 gSfM? 2“ WwSf- To $6,593,000Since ’51 ££m5!L^££*55 M Washington Mav 20 for carnivals. powerful Communist in Hollywoocb Film industry dividends for the Burkh ardt said that Ferrer was so'powerful that she could not be urst miarter of^thisvea? amounted one of 25 actors and entertainers removed. No one, she pointed out, to $6,593,000, compared with $6 - °? « hc LegIon blacklist on grounds that she was uot called Wow fir the first*thrc<T months &ST ** ** . PWP ““‘ * of 1951, U. S. Department of Com- merce disclosed last Week. March payments were $4,640,000, only $31,000 behind the figure for March, 1951. Tr- t.r Ik Lt. % exec quoted Red Channels as his , .. source. As members of her regular cell Pickets are distributing mimeoed unit, Miss Lennart named: Maurice handouts asserting Ferrer is “re- Murphy, ah actor; Nora and George ported as sponsor of, affiliated with Hallgren, George-. Sklar, Albert At the same time Cn or f^ ker f °r” a number of or- Maltz, Paul Jarrico, Martin Berk- partment revised unSard the iS? ganizat i ons alle S ed Lo be subver- ley, Lester Coles, • Alvah Bessie, picture dividend total New s v 5* FeiT6r bas already denied Gordon Kahn, Hpnry Blankfort, Fs S35 122 OfK) n toU1 under oath before the House Un- Herbert Biberman, Mr. and Mrs. hadset'^he ficureSjf?SSf rce American Activities Committee any George WlUner and Roland IGb- at *34,860,000. Communist affiliation. bee. Latter, -the committee re- dividends an n U ?£ ed Picketing had no noticeable vealed, had talked privately with Should f fiS/ d P 16 ,? elTect on biz » despite pictures and the committee and had been coop- 6 i 5/ ? ° f ^ considerable space in the Sun- rative. -Miss Lennart s-^id that John dividends paid in the industry. papers. (Continued on page 16)