Variety (September 1952)

W€<Jnc8<lay, September 10^ 1952 63 OBITUARIES GERTRUDE LAWRENCE Gertrude Lawrence, 54, star of the current Broadway hit, “King and I,” died Sept. 6 in New York. Husband, producer Richard Aid- rich, and daughter, painter and ex- actress Pamela Gordon, survive. Further details in the Legit sec- tion. MATTHEW M. ADLER Matthew M. Adler, insurance broker for the American Guild of Variety Artists, died Sept. 3 in San Francisco after a heart at- tncl^ * Furthe^ details in Vaude sec- tion. AL BECKMAN A1 Beckman, 47, co-founder with Johnny Pransky of Beckman & Pransky, producers-bookers, died in Kiamesha Lake, N. Y., Sepjt. 6 after a heart attack. Further details in Vaude sec- tion. GILBERT W. GABRIEL Gilbert W. Gabriel, 62, drama critic for Cue mag and prez of the New York Drama Critics Circle, died of a heart ailment Sept. 3 in Mount Kisco, N. Y. Gabriel had been drama critic for Cue for three years and had headed the crix group for the last two seasons. Gabriel began his career in 1912 as a reporter for the N. Y. Sun and had been a critic for newspapers and mags since 1917. He wrote several novels and was with Para- mount Pictures as a scenarist for two years. He was music critic of the Sun from 1917.to 1924. He joined the old N. Y. Telegram-Mail for his first stint as a drama critic. He took over the drama pillar on the 1un in 1925, remaining until 1929, ■'when he moved over to the N. Y. ent over ^domestic difficulties. He had been separated from his wife, the former Connie Callahan, a Pittsburgh model to whom he was married in 1934. They have two children. After leaving Bernie, Kennedy went out on his own fof a time as a single, did some broadcasting from Chicago and organized his own orch in 1939. When that failed, he settled in Pittsburgh and went to work for Exhibitors Serv- ice, owned and operated by his father-in-law. MIIRRHA ALHAMBRA Miirrha Alhambra, secretary and office assistant and former pianist at the Martin Beck Theatre, N.Y., died Sept. 1 in New York after a short illiiiess. Her married name was de Evia, but she was w.k. in legit circles under her maiden name. Of Spanish parentage. Miss Al- hambra was born in Paris about 1890 and spent her childhood In Yucatan. She was an accomplished pianist, being accompanist for sev- eral years for the late vaudeville singer, Charlotte Lansing, and sub- sequently was a member of the Beck Theatre orchestra. Because of her fluent knowledge of several languages, she was hired as a re- ceptionist by the late Martin Beck and continued in the employ of the Beck Theatre for more than 25 years, until her death. A son survives. CHARLES W. BUNN Charles W. Bunn, about 60, for- mer exec with Pathe, Warners and the old First National company, died in Highland, N. Y., Sept. 6 Entering the film industry in 1915, he later was with World Film Corp. as branch manager and division LOU CLAYTON (Sept. 12, 1950) You Are Ever With Us Jimmy—Eddie Leuit->Jack—rJulcs I American, serving there until 1937. F/)r a number of years he had been a lecturer in drama criti- cism at N, Y, U. Gabriel created the “Profiles” department for the New Yorker mag and also wrote articles for Cosmopolitan, Harper’s, Atlantic, Theatre Arts, Harper's Bazaar and Colliers. Surviving are his wife, Ada, painter and lithographer, and two brothers. JAKE RACHMAN Jake Rachman, 68, veteran Variety mugg in Omaha and col- umnist and dramatic critic of the Omaha World-Herald, died of a heart attack Sept. 4 at his home there, Rachman, once described by Hedda Hopper as “one of the finest columnists in the business,” died in newspaper tradition. He wrote his final column after the onset of the illness that was to be fatal hours later. Rachman’s reminiscences were given authenticity by personal knowledge. He was born in Omaha and witnessed many of the events of yesteryear that he wrote about. He began as a reporter-and critic With the Davenport, Iowa; Times '\bile attending Augustana College at Rock Island, 111. He was given Araise there when George Aup. famed Indiana humorist and playwright, liked one of his re- views and told publisher E. P. Adler his critic deserved a pay hike. - He came to Omaha a few years later as columnist, and critic for ,?®®"News, then joined the world-Herald when th^ Bee-News folded in 1938. PAT KENNEDY Kennedy, 50, for years one Of the singing standbys of the late band, ended his life n Pittsburgh Sept. 3 by taking an JJ'oi’dose of sleeping pills. In re- j.'f'ut months, he had been working jor an engi^aving company and platt'^rs Oft weekends in * suburban tavern. ' , A note Keninedy left behind in- i'icated he had despaired of mak- •og a comeblack and was despond manageiT. He subsequently held similar posts with Pathe. While with First National, Bunn served as a distribution to^er and at one time was chief of Warners’ roadshow department. When WB developed sound, he was named sales head of the new Vitaphone Corp. Among his more recent In dustry posts was that of .general sales manager of Electrical Re- search Products, Inc. Firm later was absorbed by Western Electric. Surviving are his wife and daughter. Boston Red Sox and N. Y. Yank- ees. His wife, two sons and six daughters survive, . JACK DONAHUE Jack Donahue, 43, former Akron, O., musician, died Sept, 4 in Vet- erans Hospital, Miami, after a long illness. He played the guitar in Denny Thompson’s and Ange Lom- bardi’s orchs and broadcast from WADC, Akron. At one time he was member of the “Jug Band.” His parents, two brothers and two sisters survive. MYRON C. LECKNER Myron C. Leckner, 67, former veepee-director of McCann-Erick- son, ad agency, died Aug, 31 in St. Petersburg, Fla. He began his ca- reer in the ad biz in 1911 as Bos- ton salesman for the Curtis Pub- lishing Co. He subsequently was associated with the George H. Bat- ten Co. and the Butterick Publish- ing Co. He joined McCann-Erick- sbn in 1936. Surviving are his wife, two sons, a daughter and a sister. TALBOT O’FARRELL Talbot O’Farrell, 74, former singer, died in a London hospital Sept. 2 after an operation. For more than 50 years he had been a vaudeville singer and recently was featured in Don Ross’ “Than'-'s for the Memory” company. His first stage performance was in 1888 and he subsequently toured Amer- ica, . South Africa and Australia. He appeared in two royal variety performances. AGATHA J. BEIDERBECKE Mrs. Agatha J. Beiderbecke, 82, mother of the late Blx Beider- becke, died in Davenport, Iowa, Sept. 5. Her son, who during his relatively short career played trum- pet with top American jazz bands in the ’20s, died in 1931. In her youth, Mrs. Beiderbecke was a pianist and organist. Survived by a daughter and a son. died of a heart attack Aug. 31 while' on duty at the Mt. Sutro transmitter. His wife and two children survive. Mrs. Augusta K. Bcdilion, 81, former theatre and music critic for the Marietta (O.) Daily Times and the oldest newspaperwoman in Ohio, died in Marietta Sept. 5. A brother and sister survive. Arthur Clayton Martin, 62, for- mer Paramount studio comptroller, died of a heart attdck Sept. 4 in Hollywood. He had been associ- ated with the company for 29 years. Son, 7, of actress Beatrice Straight and stepson of actor Peter Cookson drowned Sept. 7 in a pond at the couple’s farm near Armonk Village, N. Y. Mrs. Esther Horowitz Cooper, 71, retired operatic mezzo-soprano known professionally as Estelle Karenina, died Sept. 2 in New York. Ralph Cattell, 39, former sales manager for Jerry Fairbanks, was found dead Aug. 30 in his Los An- geles home. Police called it suicide. Father of Jack Mahoney, screen and TV actor, died Aug. 31 in Hol- lywood. Ballet Theatre Continued from page 1 Ted Dailey, 64, former actor and stage director, died Aug. 30 at his home in Beverly Hills, Cal. soloists, but such names would mean little to the average nitery Ijabituc. Presentation of “Fancy Free,” Pas de Deux, from “Don Quixote,” and “Rodeo” was made without cuts, tossing aside a pos- sible pandering to pop tastes. Within limited space, the ballets were terped the same as in the Met. Dinner shows for entire run were sellouts. Late stanzas, always havens for imbibers, were sparsely filled. Ballet brought in many viewers who’ bypass the usual nitery formats, and for the no cover or minimum charge, show was a bargain. Heavy family trade was noted for early shows through- out the two weeks. Figures from the casino showed unusual flurry of biz during final week, with the new type of audi- ence responding to lures of dice, wheels and slots. The experiment paid for itself through excellent publicity and class trade, but came very close to skidding Last Fron- tier ledgers into some red ink quill- ings after overall tallies were made. Voice of America Continued from page 1 scale study to determine the pro- gramming to be adopted by Voice of America-TV Survey will be com- pleted in ample time to permit full- Robert James Morley, 6(5, char- I scale programming and production George Wallace, 52, former 'agent and song plugger, died Aug. 30 in Hollywood. acter actor, died Aug. 30 in Holly- wood. VINCENT F. DAILEY Vincent F. Dailey, 44, manager of the Meadowbrook, Cedar Grove, N.J., dance spot, for the past 15 years, died Sept. 3 in Montclair, N.J. He was the brother of Frank Dailey, operator of the Meadow- brook. Survivors are his wife, four chil- dren, mother, three brothers and a sister. a WILLIS M. (MACK) SHAW Willis M. (Mack) Shaw, 76, co- owner and manager of the Iowa Theatre, Newton, Iowa, and w.k- in Iowa Democratic circles, died at Skiff Hospital there Sept. 4, of complications following a heart at- tack. Survived by hfs wife, four daugh- ters, six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. BABE PARKS Mrs. Madeline Lillian Aldridge, 50, known professionally as Babe Parks, died in Indianapolis Sept. 5 after a brief illness. She played piano in vaude for nearly 35 years, and also was featured with numer- ous . name bands. Her husband, James E., is a former saxophonist. Also surviving arb two sisters and three brothers. WALTON BRADFORD Walton Bradford, 83, veteran theatrical business manager and personal representative, died Sept, 3 in Bridgeton, N.J. Among the stars with whom he was associated were Viola Allen, Charles Coghlan Eleanor Robson, William Farnum Minnie Maddern Piske, Kyrle Bel- lew,'William Gillette, John Drew, George Arliss, Helen Gahagan and Helen Hayes. For a long time he was general manager of Liebler & Co., produc- tion firtn. He also was general manager for producer George C. Tyler. Bradford retired from the theatre in the early 1930s. REX K. BENWARE Rex Keith Benware, 58, former announcer for WQXR, N.Y., died Sept. 4 in New York. Benware was an announcer for WHN, N.Y., be- fore joining WQXR in 1936. He was associated with latter station until 1950. Benware also was a legit actor, appearing with Walter Hampden in several Shakespearean produc- tions and other plays. Among his credits were “Hamlet,” “King Lear,” “Cyrano de Bergerac,” “The Bat” and “The Last Laugh.” NICHOLAS LAUCELLA Nicholas Laucella, 70, composer and former flutist of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, died Sept. 2 in New York, He wrote a num- ber of musical compositions, in- cluding the opera “Yelinka,” pub- lished in 1930. Surviving are his wife, two daughters and two sons. Sister, Michael Sept. 5. 55, of legit producer Todd died in Chicago, MARRIAGES facilities long before the actual circuit is open. It’s expected that film will play a heavy part in the television to Europe beaming because of the time differential. Between Holly- wood and London, for example, the eight-hour time difference would make it difficult, if not im- Lea Ba'umann to Hugh W. Park, possible, to beam live shows in- Hebron, O., Sept. 7, Bride is per- volvmg top film names. Similarly, former on WNBS-TV, Columbus. ‘ Annette Scardine to Phil Bon- delli, Sept. 6, Chicago. Groom is a TV director at WBKB there. Shirley Farkash to Robert Stahl, Brooklyn, Sept. 7. Groom is on N. Y. editorial staff of Variety. Barbara Lazarus to Sheldon Metz, Chicago, Aug. 31. Groom is salesman for the Chi. office of National Screen Service, Elizabeth Jones to Marion I. Kennedy, Las Vegas, Sept. 1. Both are associated with Gene Autry Enterprises. • Barbara Byrd to Jack Sherman, Dallas, Aug. 30. Groom is sports editor of WFAA-TV there. Layne Grey to John Beckman, Santa Monica, Cal., Sept. 7. Bride is an actress; groom is an art di- rector at Warners. the five hour difference between east coast cities and London would work' a hardship on live program- ming from the key VOA-TV cen- tres. Just how soon the MIT develop- ments will be made available to commercial television isn’t known. It’s expected, however, that not more than two years will elapse between the governmental beam- ings and the start of regular pro- gramming with the networks ex- pected to fbke the lead in that de- partment. BIRTHS Mr. and Mrs. Jay Michael, son, Pittsburgh, Aug. 30. Father is a disk jockey at WCAE there. Mr. and Mrs. Dean Wright, Patricia Pratt to Victor Lasky, I daughter, Aug. 22, Seattle. Mother New York, Sept. 6. Bride was formerly secretary at Charles Schlaifer and Charles K. Feldman agencies; he’s a newspaperman and writer. Kathryn Albertson to Leighton K. Brill, Niagara Falls, Sept. 5. Bride sang in Melody Fair musi- is Margaret Wright, former glee clubber with Fred Waring’s Penn- sylvanians. Mr. and Mrs. Ernie Ford, son, San Gabriel, Cal., Sept. 3. Father is singer Tennessee Ernie. Mr. and Mrs. Melvin Winters, daughter, San Antonio, Aug. 31. cals, Toronto, this summer; Groom Father is staff orch conductor and is exec producer of MF and cast- ing director for Rodgers & Ham- merstein in charge of Coast office. HARRY PINCUS Harry Pincus, 63, theatrical agent, died Sept. 7 in New York after a long illness. His brother, Joseph, is head of the eastern talent department of 20th-Fox. In addition to his brother, a sis- ter and another brother survive. MARY JOHNSTON Mary Johnston, former vaude and legit performer, died Aug. 19 in New York. She had trouped for more than 30 years. Her late husband, Sam Johnston, also appeared in vaude. Harold Leighton, 51, veteran ra- dio engineer and member of Chi- cago's WBBM engineering staff for the last 10 years, died Sept. 4: in Chicago. Wife and daughter sur- vive. ‘Goona-Goona’ Cohtinued from pace is set for five weeks in N. Y. (ex- tended from an original skedded four) and will then go on tour through eastern U. S. Booking has excited some atten- pianist on WOAI and WOAI-TV there. Mr. and Mrs. Hilly Rose, daugh- ter, Chicago, recently. Mother (Sondra Gair) is a radio actress; father is former actor and adver- tising exec. Mr. and Mrs. Jack Cummings, daughter, Hollywood, Sept. 4. Mother is the former Betty KeTn, daughter ofi the late composer, Jerome Kern; father is a film producer at Metro. - Mr. and Mrs. Jack Wrather, son, Santa Monica, Cal., Sept. 4. Moth- ~ Bonita Gr,n. BENJAMIN V. MCCARTHY Benjamin V. McCarthy, 85, the- atrical transfer operator in Phila- delphia for more than 50 years, died Sept. 4 at his home in Ger- mantown. Familiar to many of. the stage notables of this century, McCar- thy was the hAlf-brotlier of Joe McCarthy, former manager of the • Paul Clark, 47, blind musician, died iii Canton, O. Sept. 7, after a heart attack. He played numerous instruments. Wife survives. Brother of Kermit Bloomgarden, legit producer, died Sept, 8 in New York. Menviu Jones, 41, maintenance head of ICGO-TV, San Francisco. the country for a tour. First unit was seen in Paris, at a World Ex- position, years ago. Group com- prises 16 dancers (most of them youngsters) and six character actors, plus 23 members of the gamelin orch (naHve-style gourd, drum and string). Show has been produced by John Coast, Britisher who has spent some, time in In- donesia, with Anak Agung Gde Mandera as director, “troupe Will play in N. Y, to a $4.80 tdp. Booking recalls the excitement engendered when a Bali troupe danced in N. Y. before—on film— in 1932. Pic was “Goona-Goona,” which ran an astonishing six months on Broadway (in depres- sion times) at the Cameo before being transferred to the yictoria. Although a travelog of Bali cus toms, dancing, etc., film was ex ploited here as a sex pic because of Semi-nudity of some of the figures involved, which accounted for the run. ville. Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Frissell, son, Los Angeles, Sept. 3. Mother is Eleanor Frissell, screen actress. Mr. and Mrs. Frank Matthews, son, San Antonio, Aug. 22. Father is newscaster on WOAI and WOAI- TV there. Mr. and Mrs. Joe Schadl, son, San Antonio, Aug. 31. Father is a TV technician for WOAI-TV there, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Schlro, daughter, San Francisco, Sept, 4. Father is sales promotion director of KPIX there. Mr. and Mrs. Richard Tracy, son, San Francisco, Aug. 31. Mother is Red Cross radio-TV director there. Mr. and Mrs. Nate Beers, daugh- ter, New York, Sept. 7. Mother is actress Betty Sabine; father is in the legit and television department of the William Morris Agency. Mr. and Mrs, Bob Dorfman, daughter, Brooklyn, Sept. 7. Father is assistant to- Charles Levy, Walt Disney’s eastern publicity repre- sentative.