Variety (August 1952)

A««~t 13, 195? JACK MAKKS Jack Marks, 80, Clarksburg, W, v, film exhibitor and showman y a _"„ „ r „ than half a century, died Ws home "her* July 27. Marks *1 o'?, riarksburg i, flrat nlekel- "K^early to the 190®., and 25 •JfJFgSJ built the Hit*, whieh WB y fa ; s , then purchased outright f& At the tim. of hU death, Sirks was operating the Orpheum JJd running an outdoor advertising ‘Tvear ago, friends In the picture itidusW from all over the tri-state had gathered w Clarksburg f Joss a party for Marks oh his 79th birthday. ' Wife and a~ son su rvive^ Frederick: klein Frederick Klein, 59, operator of two film theatre* on . tbe Eastern Shore of Maryland, died Aug. 4 at the Suburban Hospital, near .Wash- amative of Pittsburgh, came to Washington in 1018 -m the first manager of Loew s Columbia Theatre. Ten years later he joined Fox as a film salesman, renuuning with that company for about 20 years until he quit to operate his own theatres. He was a member of the board of governors of the D C. Tent of Variety Clubs. Survived by his wife, five sons tnd four daughters. ELLA SHIELDS Ella Shields, 73, American-born British vaude star for more than 40 years, died Aug. 5 in Lancaster, England. She was performing at a Lancashire holiday camp when she collapsed on stage. Miss Shields first sang “Burling- ton Bertie of Bow," the song that made her act famous, at the Lon- don Palladium in 1910. She toured House of Lindstrom, a leading Swedish publishing firm. She had been with stock companies in Cleveland’ from 1940 to 1943, and in Sweden appeared in legit, radio and TV, Surviving are her father and brother in Toledo, as well as her infant son and two daughters and husband. ANTONIO GEONNOTTI Antonio Geonnotti, 89, retired violinist and orchestra leader, died Aug. 4 at his home in South Phila- delphia. Born in Rome, Geonnotti Was child prodigy on the violin and played at the Centennial Exposi- tion In Philadelphia (1878) at the age of 13. Fifty years liter, at the Sesquicentennial Exposition there, he directed his own orch in which 10 of his children played. He re- tired in 1933. Survived. by his wife, six sons and three daughters. MICHAEL SACHS Michael Sachs, 62, burlesque comic who continued Ms work al- though totally blind since 1945, died Aug. 11 in New York. He had been skedded to appear at the sea- son’s opening of the Old Howard Theatre, .Boston, next week (23). Sachs was a hurley comic for al- most 50 years. His wife, the former Alice Kennedy, was his partner for 19 years. He also appeared in vaude with the late Ed Hardy as his straight. In addition to .his wife, a daugh- ter by a previous marriage survives, LIONEL ADAMS Lionel Adams, 86, veteran legit actor, died Aug. 10 in New York. He made his stage debut in 1890 and last appeared on Broadway in In Memory of A Truo and Loyal Friend JACKIE GREEN AL BORDf and FAMILY the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Africa. “Burlington Bertie,” which became her tag, was witten by her husband, William Hargreaves, whom she divorced in 1923. MRS. ADELAIDE L. BREWSTER Mrs. Adelaide Lancey Brewster, 51, assistant chief of domestic pro- ductions, International Motion Pic- ture Division of the State Dept., died Aug. 11 in New York. Mrs. Brewster began her show biz ca- reer as the original Betty Crocker conducting a radio program under that name for General Mills from .1929 to 1934. She also had been associated with the National Assn, of Broadcasters. . • Her pic work began in 1937 as associate editor with RKO-Pathe. She was head of the American Capcer Society’s "film unit from 1947 to 1951. Surviving are her mother and two sisters. fcICCARDO MARTIN Riccardo Martin, 77, opera sing- er, died Aug. 11 in New York after 1®°$ Illness. He was one of the nrst American tenors given lead roles with the Metropolitan Opera. Joined the Metop in 1907 and swyed for eight consecutive sea- 5., Ho subsequently, appeared with the Boston Opera Co. and the w? OP era Co. He also per- Mexico City, and in Lon- the Royal Opera and Covent pS en * F ? om 1945 to 1947, he was to-^Po^ent in Italy for Opera Publication -of the Metropoli- an Opera Guild. A daughter survives. J. FRED HENRY to;* P ^ Heni y» 53 » mag pub- fti dle ? A U S- 7 in New York. SuS Publisher of Silver Screen, an <* Skyways. He en- hfii n ■ Publishing field with the thaf * ln *929 and remained with which k 11 if or 10 years during Serai ke , helped found Modern ,nnd Modem Romances. He Ini<unl to J°fn Ziff-Davis as v.p. »nd ql Purchased Silver Screen C,,^cenland from the Liberty pushing Co. *ndTsister arc ^ w ^ e * * brother Betty b. ljndstrom 33, Barefodt Lindstrom, Ah* 7 m ? er 9Iceland actress, died near c/^.ubildbirth. at^her home Sweden i kho , lm - moved to Han s % r i. m *946 after marrying * E<l ' var <i Lindstrom, of thS 1922 in “The Passing of the Third Floor .Back.’’ He was best known for his portrayal of the title role in “Hen Hur.’’ Adams appeared with William Gillette in “Secret Service,” with Julia Marlojve in “Barbara Friet- chie” and with Mrs. Leslie Carter in “The Heart of Maryland.** Two sisters survive. MADISON W. COREY Madison W. Corey, 80, former legit producer-manager, died Aug. 10 in Dunedin, Fla. Corey was general manager for the late Henry W. Savage for such productions as “The Merry Widow,” “The Prince of Pilsen” and “Madame X.” He also brought many Italian and Ger- man operettas to the U. S. He served as U. S. recreation director in France during the first World War. His wife' survives. WALTER T. FREEMAN Walter T. Freeman, 54, stage manager of RKO-Boston for the past five years, died at City Hospi- tal Aug. 8 two hours after collaps- ing of a heart attack backstage. He began his career at the old Boston Theatre and spent many years working roadshows for the Shu- berts with such stars as A1 Jolsort and Phil Baker, returning to Keith about 12 years ago. Survived by three brothers and two sisters. W. A. (GUS) INGLIS W. A. (Gus) Inglis, 70, film in- dustry pioneer, died Aug. 4 at his home in Burbank, Cal. Once a legit actor, he moved to Hollywood and became co-founder of the Wil- lis & Inglis Agency in 1913. His firm represented such personalities as Mary Pickford, John Gilbert, Charles Ray and Henry King. For five years he was business man- ager of the Pilgrimage Play. His wife and sister survive. ELIZABETH TYREE Elizabeth Tyree (Mrs. James S. Metcalfe), 87, former legit actress, died Aug. 8 in New York. She played an Broadway in the 1890s. Among the plays in which she an* peared were “Trelawney of the Wells,” “The Charity Ball,”* “The Amazons” and “The Earl of Paw- tucket.” Her husband, who died in 1927, was drama critic on the old Life mag and the Wall St. JournaL L. L. (BUCK) LEWIS L. L* (Buck) Lewis, veteran Missouri exhib, was killed in an auto accident near Brownsville! Tex., Aug. 2, For many years Lewis owned and operated thea- tres in'Seven Missouri towns. Three years ago ill health forced him to move to Brownsville, where he owned and operated two houses. His wife and a sister survive. GEORGE MATHESON George Matheson, 76, Australian show biz veteran, died in Brisbane July 23. For 25 years he was man- ager of His Majesty’s Theatre there for-the Williamson legit or- ganization, his association with Williamson going back to the time he joined as an office boy. Matheson was also a pioneer of the Aussie pic industry. LEO WEBER Leo Weber, 47, organist'and forr mer vaude performer, died Aug. 5 in Stroudsburg, Pa. He was an or- ganist for Loewis. Paramount and RKO theatres. He appeared in vaude in the acts of Winters 3c Weber, Leo 4c Eddie and Leo 3c Arlo. He also was staff musician for CBS and NBC. His wife survives. ALEXANDER S. FISHBACH Alexander Sigmund Fishbach, 69, legit costumer, died Aug! 11 in New York after a long illness. Among the productions with which he was associated were “Abie’s Irish Rose,” “The Vagabond King,” “Beggar on Horseback” afid Win- throp Ames’ presentation of “Io- lanthe.” Surviving are three sons, a sis- ter and four brothers. RICHARD F. STALEY Richard F- Staley, 87, retired vaude performer, died Aug. 7 in Rochester, N.Y. He and his wife, the late Belle Birbeck, had toured the U.S., Europe, South Africa and Australia as Staley 3c Birbeck. Staley had retired because of ill health about 40 years ago. How- ever, he played a one-week stand at the Palace Theatre, N.Y., in 1937. JIMMY BRINK James H. (Jimmy) .Brink, 47, owner of the Lookout House,' Cov- ington, Ky., nitery-casino opposite Cincinnati, was killed Aug. 5 in a crash of his plane at Atlanta. His wife and daughter survive. Further details in Vaude sec- tion. . ROBERT O. MEYER Robert O. Meyer, 29, motion pic- ture script reader, died of a brain tumor Aug. 11 in New York. Surviving are his father, Max Meyer, company manager for the Theatre Guild, his mother and a sister. BURTON A. COOKE Burton A. Cooke, 80, retired pic house operator, died Aug. 5 in Poughkeepsie, N. Y. He formerly operated the Liberty Theatre in that city. Surviving are his- wife and a daughter. LUCILLE WARD Lucille Ward (Smith), 72, former legit and screen actress, died Aug. 8 in Dayton, O. She had appeared in early Hollywood silent films. A sister survives. SID BLAKE Sid Blake, 39, comedian-emcee, died Aug. 6 in Thompsonville, N. Y. His wife, agent Mim Grossman, and a daughter survive. Wife, 62, of Daniel Breeskin, who last year organized and con- ducted the Miami Symphony Or- chestra, and mother of Bamee Breeskin, conductor of the Blue Room orch at Washington’s Shore- ham Hotel, died Aug. 8 at her home in Miami. Dr. Hans M. Schumann, 80, former assistant professor of music at the U. of Pennsylvania, died Aug. 8 in Lenox, Mass., where he was teaching music at the Berk- shire School of Dancing. Two sons and a daughter survive. John D. Thomas, 73, former high-wire performer with Ringling Bros.-Barnum & Bailey Circus and known professionally as Jack (Red) Reuen r died Aug. 3, in Fort Wayne, Ind. Wife and two sons survive. Mrs. Isabelle Ayres, 65, a mem- ber of the original cast of “The Girl of the Golden West,” died Aug. 6 in San Rafael, Cal. Her- stage name was Isabelle Fletcher. Mother, 80, of Lou Kaufmann, long-time owner of the Metropoli- tan Theatre in.Pittsburgh and now in the poster business, died in McKeesport, Pa., Aug. -6. John Hornsteiner, 90, veteran violin maker and repairer, died in Chicago Aug. 6. He was w.k. among musicians and retired only a year ago. i Reuben Phillips, 80, former vaude actor known professionally as Phil Rado, “The Dancing Crab, died Aug. 7 at his home In West Philadelphia. Father of Barbara Haddox, pro- motion director of WBN^-TV Co- lumbus, died Aug, 3 in that city. Mark A. Villani, 56, part owner of the Regent Theatre, Youngs- town, O., died Aug. 4 of a heart ail- ment. Wife and two brothers sur- vive. Son, 14, of Howard G. Barnes, president of General Entertain- ment Corp., N.Y., died recently at summer camp outside Denver. Daughter of Mrs. Eddie Hayes, formerly of the vaude teams of Hayes 4c Wynne and Rogers & Wynne, died Aug. 7 in New York. Richard Carey, 28, radio an- nouncer at Brewton, Ala., was killed in an auto accident near Milton, Fla., recently. Ma& Ella Pace, 84, former Shakespearean actress, died Aug. 10 in Cincinnati. Two daughters and a son survive. James A. Fair, Jr., 46, location auditor at RKO, died Aug. 2 after a heart attack at his home in Man- hattan Beach* Cal. Mother, 79, of David Levin, manager of RKO Albee, Provi- dence, died in St. Paul Aug. 6. Nathaniel Lee Manheim, 62, di- rector of Universal’s foreign divi- sion, died Aug. 11 in . Los Angeles. Sister, 60, of William Balderston, prez of the Philco Corp., died Aug. 10 in Wilmington, Del. Son, 15, of Homer D. Morrow, salesman at WGN ih Chicago, died Aug. 5 m Park Ridge,'. 111. Louis J. George, retired pic the- atre operator, died Aug, 4 in New Rochelle, N. Y. Father, 67, of Gene Nelson, screen actor, died Aug. 8 in Santa Monica,' Cal. Wife of John S. McBride, theatre ticket broker, died Aug. 11 in New York. Old Tunes ■ 1 Continued from pare I ; 1 ■ - modernized treatment by Peggy Lee and Gordon Jenkins on Decca, “Once in a While,” cut by Patti Page for Mercury; “As Time Goes By,” etched for Capitol by Ray Anthony, and “Should I?”, which, the Ames Bros, waxed on the Coral label. A couple of Cole Por- ter standards, “Just One of Those Things” and “What Is This Thing Called Love?”, are again, seeing action in the market because of click disk renditions. Fran War- ren sliced “Love” for M-G-M while Miss Lee and Jenkins belted out “Things” for Decca. Oldies showcased in pix also have had an important effect in upping their platter and sheet sales. In these instances pubs have used the important plug values of the pic to intensify drives on the songs. Oldies which have broken through recently because of a pic spotting have been “X Hear a Rhapsody” from RKO*s “Clash by Night”; “Manhattan,” from RKO’s “Two Tickets to Broadway," and “Singin* in the Rain” from the Metro fllmusical of the same name. Radio Ratings Continued from page 1 ■ ,, 1 , nighttime shows command such a loyal following, with most of them knocking off for the hot months. Top 10 nighttime ratings follow: Groucho Marx (NBC) 5.5 Godfrey Talent Scouts (CBS). 5.4 The Lineup (CBS) 5.4 Romance (CBS) 5.3 Railroad Hour (NBC) 5.2 Broadway My Beat (CBS) 5.0 Gildersleeve (NBC) 5.0 Big Story (NBC) 4.7 Dr. Christian (CBS) 4.6 Mr. St Mrs. North (CBS)..'*.*. 4.5 35 MARRIAGES Lola Albright to Jack Carson* San Fernando, Cab, Aug. 1. Bride and groom are thesps. Pamela Stiles to Robert Roberts, Aug. 1, Hyannis, Mass. Bride is assistant stage manager Of the Cape Cod Music Circus there; groom is manager of the spot. Joyce Beeler to Fred Coe, Wash- ington. D. C„ Aug. 1. Bride is NBC-TV staffer; groom is producer of “Television Playhouse” on that network. Alecia M. Conner to Sheldon Alfred Vogel, Aug. I, New York. Both are attorneys; bride is on the ASCAP legal staff. Joyce Seiger to Ramon Black- burn, New York,. Aug. 3. Bride is a dancer; groom is of the Black- burn Twins, vaude and nitery turn. Jo Ellen Schwalb to Sam Winni- koff, Beverly Hills, Cal., Aug 3. Bride is daughter of Ben Schwalb, a Monogram producer; he’s a writer. Marie Tiffany to William Gass, New York, Aug. 3, Groom is a personal manager, • Mary Carolyn Gwaltney to Wil- liam. “Red” Devaney, Memphis July 28. Groom is Chicago sales manager for Metro. Lu Claire to Vic Powell, Pitts- burgh, Aug. 2, Bride is a dancer; groom is a musician, until recently with Charlie Spivak. Vivian Clark to Bill Stockdale, Pittsburgh, Aug. 7. Bride is with WB exchange there. Dena Pusateri to Benny Burton, Pittsburgh, Aug. 2. Groom is a bandleader. • BIRTHS Mr. and Mrs. Don Fedderson, son, Santa Monica, Cal., July 25. Father is manager of KLAC-TV. Mr, and Mrs. Sterling Hayden, son, Hollywood, July 28. Father is a screen actor. Mr. and Mrs. Rollin C. Smith, daughter, Stamford Conn* July 30. Mother is actress Wendy Car- ter: father is a staff announcer with WSTC, Stamford. Mx*. and Mrs. Harry Downie, daughter, Stamford. Conn., recent- ly. Father is a WSTC staff an- nouncer. Mrt and Mrs. William Dasheff, daughter. New York, July 26. Fa- ther is .exec veepee of the Buch- anan ad agency. Mr. and Mrs.' Donald Knaell, daughter,, Pittsburgh, July 28. Mother is the daughter of George Tice, veteran Pitt film salesman. Mr. and Mrs. Bert 'Charles, daughter, Columbus, July 13. Father is general manager of WVKO there. Mr, and Mrs. Morris Stoller, daughter, Hollywood, Aug. 1. Fa- ther is comptroller of the William Morris Agency’s California office. Mr. and Mrs. William G. Pier- son, daughter, Berkeley Heights, N. J„ July 29. Father is Metropol- itan Opera chorus basso. Mr. and Mrs. Robert ■ Pirosh, daughter, Hollywood, July 30. Father is a Metro director. Mr. and Mrs. Spyros S. Skouras, Jr., daughter, Bronxville, N. Y., Aug. 3, Father is executive veepee of Skouras Theatres Corp. Mr. and Mrs. Bill Lazar, daugh- ter, White Plains, N. Y., July 30. Father is AM-TV announcer. Mr. and Mrs. "Don Siegel, son, Hollywood, Aug. 3. Mother is Vi- veca Lindfors, screen actress, fa- ther is a director. Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Freiberg, son, New, York. Aug. 5. Father Is manager of Columbia Pictures* sales accounting department. Mr. and Mrs. • Murry Melman, daughter. New York, recently. Fa- ther is assistant to short subjects sales manager of Columbia pix. Mr. and Mrs. John Michael Hayes, son, Burbank, Cal., Aug. 5. Father is a radio-TV writer. Mr. and Mrs. Ray Allen, daugh- ter, N. Y., Aug. 6. Father is produ- cer of “Wax Works” on WCBS, N. Y:, and writer of special ma- terial for Robert Q. Lewis. Mr. and Mrs. Hallftuder, daugh- ter. July 28, New York. Mother Is Billie Lou Watt; actress; father is an actor. • Mr. and Mrs. Sam Mineo, daugh- ter, Santa Monica, Cal., Aug. 8. Father is an accompanist and arranger. Mr. and Mrs. John Randolph, daughter, Now York, * Aug. 10. Mother is actress Sarah Cunning- ham; father is an actor. Mr. and ' Mrs. Meyer Hutner, son. New York, Aug. 11. Father Js metropolitan newspaper contact for 20th-Fox. ?Jr. and Mrs. James Ros*‘, daugh- ter, New York. Aug. 2. Father is a director for Vidicam Pictures.