Variety (September 1952)

44 VAVMnmijjc We 4 ii^ay» 3, 1953 The American Guild of Variety Artists and the Artists Representa- tives Assn, failed to And a common meetinjf jfround which would per- mit hoth or|fani 2 atloiis to continue mutual Recognition, Agency group had requested the meeting in an attempt to fihd a method of ci- cumventing the resolution passed at the recent AGVA convention, which called for issuance of free franchises direct and not through an organization. Results of the confab were not announced by either side, hut it*s known that after several hours of trying to find a* basis wherein AGVA could continue to deal LUCAS JUNG HOTEL OrltoRf $»pf. Jrd thru 14 HILL toil 121 S. H«v*riy DHva ieveriy HIN«^ Cel, VookHd by MCA, Dalloi through ABA, talks were-discon- tinued. It’s anticipated that the fight will start In earnest upon expiration of the pact, Sept. 10. AHA members are still presenting a united front in their refusal to apply for fran- ^chises direct to the union. Union has^not disclosed any disciplinary measures that will be talcen against performers who deal with agents not franchised by AGVA, Percent- ers are still hopeful that any dir^t showdown Will be averted, but it’s hardly likely now that a last-ditch peace proposal has been turned down. Union declares that it cannot have any objection to agents band- ing together in an organization, but AGVA, tlirough the terms of the resolution, must deal with agents individually, AGVA says it has received many' applications for franchises, but hasn’t disclosed whether any are from organization members. Hypno Morton Fat $7,400 In Holdover at Toronto Toronto, Sept. 2, Held over for second week, this to be extended for another fort- night, the Great Morton, Austra- lian hypnotist, i^rossed a big ^7,400 at the Royal Alexandra here, with 1,525-seater scaled at $2 top include ing tax. , On one-man show, with dozens of volunteers from the' audience, nut is light with lad who could be carried over indefinitely but for house’s forthcoming legit com-, mitments. Morton played spot three weeks in June to turnaway biz. Storm Troupers Ottawa^ Sept. 2. Customers,. sKeUered by. the gran4Btand roof^ got an un-- scheduled eyeful when rain be-» gan to spill in torrents in the middle of an evening perform- ance by George A. ' Hamid’s ."^Grandstand PoHies” - during the Central Canada Exhibition^ Given on an open-air stage, the show was kept going in the downpour, Lee Barton EvahSii 'g-m„ sending the 20- #girl Roxyettes line on wear- ing only bathing suits, to save the costly wardrobe fi’oxn ruin. Same day,' . the afternoon show" was caught in the rain but' with its pro^am of oift- door acts, managed to .get through without trouble. Vic Hyde, musicotnlc, billed only in p.m. show* worked that afternoon, ad libbing to fit the storm. Biz Cooebres to Hypo N.Y. Autumnal Influx; 80,000 CouTentioneers in Sqit. Traditional tourist influx in New York during the late summer-early fall period is being augmented this year by heavy convention ’ attend- ance from out-of-towners. Accord- ing to estimates by the N.Y, Conven- tion & Visitors Bureau, there will be 80,240 visiting conventioneers during September and 31,300 dur- ing October. Total attendance at the conclaves, includingf-local resi- dents, will be several times that much. During the current week, ad- vance estimates indicated there. would be 4,225 visiting delegates at six conventions. Next week the total wiU be 12,375 at nine gather- ings. For the week ending Sept. 20 the. estimated attendance will be 53,740-at 16 meetings, including 50.000 at the Furniture & Home Furnishings. Show at Grand Cen- tral Palace (at which thei'e is ex- pected to be 200,000 additional at- tendance locally). There are 9,900 visitors due at three meets the week ending Sept. 27. For . the week ending Oct. 4 the |. expected out-of-towner attendance will be 3,175 at 12 conventions. For the week ending Oct. 11, fig- ures are 12,400 at 16 sessions, plus 30.000 local residents seeing the National Hardware Show at Grand Central Palace. For week ending Oct. 18, there should be 6,875 out- of-towners at 16 conclaves, plus 60.000 localites at the N. Y. An- tiques Fair at the 71st Regiment Armory. For week ending Oct. 25, the estimate is 7,800 visitors at -13 meets, plus 133,000 residents at the National Business Show at the Grand Central Palace. And for week ending Nov. 1, there prob ably will be 2,950 at seven gather- ings. Saranac Lake By Happy Benway Saranac Lake, N. Y., Sept. 2. Showfolk in this colony are grieved over the death of Fred L. ‘Joe” Doringer, minstrel of yes- teryear and of late a longtime member of the West Virginia House of Delegates. Much of his spare time was spent trying to further the welfare of show bizzers. He was a cheerful donor to many theatrical charity organizations. .His start in show biz was as a protege of this mugg about 40 years ago on the famed Guy Bros Minstrel*; Ray (lATSE) Van Buren was handed a bedside party celebrating his return from the general hospi- tal after mastering the thoraco plasty operation. Dolly Gallagher, who graduated here- a long time ago and left for her Philly home, is back now as an added staffer to the main office, doubling as a switchboard opera- tor. Charles “Chick” Lewis, . Ned Shugrue and Murray Weiss' were in to Inspect installation of the new heating equipment. Bessie McCarthy planed in from N. Y. to see her daughter, Peggy (Roxy) McCarthy, and her son Ray (Loew) McCarthy, and found them both on top with progress that rates special mention. Write to those who are ill. Ice Ca|>iidlei of ^$3 (TH£.aAei>£HS, PITT) Pittsburgh, Sept, I. John H. HarrU production with choreography by Chester Hale and John Butler; costumes, Billy Liv- ingston; scenery, Richard N. Jack- son; musicul director, Jeri May- hall; lighting, Dan Brown; ‘"BHpet- doori” ■ iconaensed version), hook and lyrics, Alan Jay Lemer, mu- sic by Frederick Loetue; dialog, and ice direction ' Donna Atwood; choreography, Butler, With,Dick Button, Jacqueline du Bief, Sonya Kaye IKlopfer), Gin- ny Baxter, Bobby Specht, Jackson k Lyiiam, Bobby tc Ruby Maxson, The Maxwells, Alan Konrad, Forgie ic Larson, Mary Lou Land- reviUi, Herbert Coufrhan, The Old Smoothies (2), PUler & Curtin, Helen Davidson, Paul Castle, Charlie Slagle, Bert Yeates, Rudy Hyman, Leo Loeb, John Brown, Robert Skrak, Alma Castl.e, Jee Ca"‘Pets,” tee Cadets, Robert Bingham, Tommy Travers, Bob Skrak, John Gaudreault, Ice Ca- pades Orch, Irma Thomas, Orrin Markus, ' John H. Harris has rubbed a king-sized genii for “Ice Capades of 1953.” New edition is not only a dazzling frosted fairyland but also restores the skating extraya- ganza to its place in the world of sports. Woxdd and Olympic cham- E ions galore dot the rink, and in •ick Button, who just turned pro for limited engagements - -which won’t interfere with his law studies at Harvard, Harris has landed the skating perfectionist. Button is on twice, in each act, and builds from a strictly competitive and not too Bhox\!y exhibition in the.first to a smash spbt in the second when he gives out with the works. Other champs in the current edi- tiox^ are Jacqueline du Bief, of France; Ginny Baxter and Sonya Kaye (Klopfer), but tliey’re worked right in the body of the show while Button is spotted alone apart from the big splashes because only Pittsburgh, New York, Boston (at Christmas) and wherever show’s playing at Easter will see. him. Fo: last week of N.Y-. Madtsen Square Garden engagement, he’ll commute by air between Cam- bridge and Manhatttan*. Gal ^title- holders give out with some spec- tacular skating, too, and will be talked about plenty. In the “Ice Capades” tradition of condensing a film or musical for the first-act finale, it’s “Brigadoon” this season, and surprising how much of the -mood and charm of the Scottish fantasy have been cap- tured in 40 minutes. Pre-recorded ill Hollywood, epough of the story has been retained to- hold, the Lerner-Loewe fable together and swell job has also^ been done On the tunes. Ice choreography for “Brigadoon” has been skillfully executed by Bobby Specht, still a 5 0 ung veteran male star of “Ca- pades”; Alan Konrad, who does a brilliant sword dance on skates, and Misses Kaye and Baxter. , Costuming tops anything “Ca- pades” has ever come up with, and Harris even has an aerial ballet on ice half a dozen snow-white love- lies flying through the air with greatest of ease, with Peter Foy, who did the sanfe thing for “Peter Pan,” handling the’ wires. It’s quite a stunt and a real highspot. “Tem- ple of Buddha,” wdiich Opens; “Lamps For M’Lady” and “Kitchen Kapers” are the production high- lights and they’re dressed right to a king’s ransom and in exquisite taste, with dazzling gowns in lamps llgnling up at the finish for some bang-up effects—the kind audi- ences gasp at. ' Solo spots for Misses du Bief, Baxter and Kaye stand out, espe- cially du Bief, a real looker with loads of class.' The Old Smoothies, Irma Thomas and Orrin Markus clean up in their* next-to-closing spot, and Ruby and Bobby Maxson, now billed as the Young Smooth- ies,. also score with their glides and turns. The comedy is all smash, with slow-motion Maxwells in their acrobatic turn .and Jackson Ly- nam with their solid hoke. Bad- minton exhibition of Forgie & Lar- son clicks up front and is good for plenty of laughs, while Filler & Curtin score with a slick frigid- aired version of the Apache. “Ladies of the Evening” is a boffo slapstick in which four bedraggled crones slap each other around with mops and scrub-buckets anri +{« P»jil some 2or& leaps.-as “Cassalong Hoppity”^ a number with a westeri moth Work of femme and male skatinz ensembles has plenty of flair and they make some fascinating pat- terns on the rink. scissored for N,Y. run to permit addition of sever^ acts not presently in the layout. After Manhattan, Joe Vek! son, Jr., Trbde, Esco Larue and others will join the sister sho"v . Ice Cycles, and for remainder of tour. layout as of now will be sumed. . Donna Atwood (Mrs. John H Harris) is ^missing; she’s awaiting the stork m October but will re- join her husband’s show at Christ- mas. Cohen. for N. H. New Haven, Sept. 2, Arena here opens the 1952-53 season Sept. 22 for a four-day stand of the “Olsen &‘Johnson- Skating Vanities” Spot seats 5,000 and top will be $3.60, COMEDY MATERIAL rmt AH BrancliM ThmotrJtnh CulsoN'S FUN-MASTER rm (wic/Njii SHOW iiz gac fiu (Th* S«rvlc« of th* Stars) Sf ISIUKS $3S First 1) FIIm $7.99. All SS Issues $3S.I0 finalv: S1AS Bach IN SIQUENCI only Inaliit with Ha. 1—N« Skliip lntj^ • S Bkt. FARODIES Mr book ill • • MINSTREL EUDOIT $35 • • 4 BLACKOUT BKS., ea. bk. $35 • HOW TO MASTER THI CiRKMONIIS (raluua), $3.04 OIANT CLASSIFIED ENCYCLOFEDIA OF OAOf, $$M. W*rth over ■ thaussnil NO C.O.D.'S HILLY GLASON 200 W. S4 S*., N«w York 19 Dtpt. V circu T-ino FOSTER AGENCY. LONDON, prAsants Now App«ar!ng CASINO. YENICS Italy AmtrICRit RaR. WM. MORRIS ACENCY TAVKL-MABOUANI ACENCY. PARIS BUD and CECE ROBINSON II RHYTHM on a RAMPAGE" Cuffnlly CHICAGO THEATRE, Chicag* OpFRlng Stpt. 5 CHEZ PAREE. Chicago Wr.; M.C.A. 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