Variety (December 1952)

o M CHATTER P'fiMETr Wednesday, December 31 , I952 Broadway Keith Andes, costar of RKO’s “Blackbeard the Pirate,” here to bally pic. Mel Ferrer in today (Wed*) en* route to French Morocco for —Metro's ~ ^saadrar Duluth concert and legit im- presario Jay Lurie in town on biz trip to book attractions, Hy Hollinger (Holl) to the Coast • for his wedding in Hollywood Sun- day (4) to Gina Collens. Eddie Cantor's Xmas card in- cludes a capsule medical report: • blood pressure, 140/80; pulse, 76. Loew’s Continental manager David Lewis to the Coast on vaca- tion after the first of the year, fol- lowing b.o. huddles. Jesse Gross (Jess) "and Bob Chandler (Chan) mustered out of the service, return to the home of- fice editorial staff of Variety next week. Pianist Paul Badura-Skoda being cocktailed by Westminster Record- ing Co. at Barbizon Plaza Jan. 7 on occasion of first N. Y. appear- Composer Oscar Straus* * Xmas card from Zurich shows a street sign in a corner of his native Bad- Ischl, Austria, reading “Oscar Straus Kai” (for quay). Hildegarde detoured to St. Petersburg, Fla., to visit her ailing mother before shifting to St. Louis where she opened the New Year’s Eve run at the Chase Hotel. Arthur Kober flying to Rome this weekend on a holiday, thence to London. His tunesmith collabo- ‘ rator on “Having Wonderful Time,” Harold J. Rome, just re- turned from abroad. William Murray, longtime U. S. p.a. for Italian Film Export in Rome, back after a number of years living abroad, to headquarter in N. Y. and write. He has several plays making the rounds. Ellin and Irving Berlin celebrat- ing their 28th anniversary next week (Jan. 7) with their daughters Linda and Mary Ellin (Mrs. Mar- vin Barrett), and the latter’s hus- band, at the Hotel San Domina, Tourmina, Sicily,* Italy. Georges Cravanne, French pub- lic, st, now in N.Y. on his first quickie visit to the U.S. He’s vi§it- .. ing here with Pierre Galante, fea- ture writer on Paris-Soir, and re- turns to France Saturday (3). Gal- ante returns to Paris next month. Barbara Warner, daughter of the Jack L. Warners, was given a lav- ish debutante fete at the St. Regis Roof Saturday (27), with guests in- cluding the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, international society, and Broadway and Hollywood person- alities. Eddie McCaffrey insists on not giving his cut a cut—his surgery was major, not minor. Eddie is circulation manager of Variety, . just out of St. Luke’s hosp fol- lowing a siege, and recuping in Atlantic City; “but I’ll be back in time for the Anniversary Number.” Reno . Wini Shaw follows Mickey Rooney into Riverside, Jan. 8. Seven Marvels, aero team, cut down to five from first-night acci- dents in low ceiling of Riverside. Lucius Beebe and Charles Clegg off to San Francisco for a pre-holi- day spree and check of current shows. Advertising exec Roy Powers of local \Vilson Agency takes over as manager in Mert Wertheimer’s Riverside ■ Theatre Restaurant. Louis Jordan & Co. skedded for New Golden New Year’s show. This will be only two-weeker dur- ing winter* under Golden’s new one-week policy. Howard Hughes sent private plane to pick up Jimmy McHugh and “song stars” after final show at Riverside Christmas Eve so group could be back in Hollywood for Yule. Barcelona By Joaquina C. Vidal-Gomis Djina and Yoska at the Rio nitery. Rene Clement’s pic, “Jeux In- terdits,” at the Astoria for one night. Charlie Wyma at Emporium nitery after 30-day run' at the Pasapoga, Madrid. The Poliorama new musical show is “La copla puso bandera,” staring. Angelita Font. Juan Carcelle, circus proprietor, gave a dinner to the poor in Ma- drid after the performance recently. Lyricist Adolfo Torrado and ma- estro Ernesto. Rosillp at the Borras Theatre with new snow, “The Am- bitious.” It stars Gema del Rio. American p i x on Barcelona screens include “Across the Wide Missouri,” (M-G) “Mark of Rene- gade” (U) and “Place in Sun” (Par), still at the Coliseum; “Retreat • Hell” (WB) and '“Mark of Rene- gade” (U). ' During the Christmas holidays, American pix dominate the screens in Barcelona. “Distant Drums” (U) is at the Tivoli, “Cinderella” (RKO), at the Astoria and Chris- tina, “Show Boat” (M-G), at Fan- taslo and Paris, “Viva Zapata!” (20th), at Femina and “Samson and Del i.l a h (BarJ.-al.Jth e_CoJiseunu,— Miami Beach By Lary Soloway Denny Desmond into Vagabonds Club show. Mrs. Gilda (Brohr) Dahlberg or- ganizing ANTA unit locally. Robert Q. Lewis dickering with Biltmore Terrace for season date. Goodman Ace at Roney Plaza for some sun and talks with Milton Berle. Milton Berle, manager Irving Gray and wife, &andy, at Saxony for holidays. Guy Lombardo being paged by new Biltmore Terrace Hotel for a February date. Jan Murray, a click at Nautilus' Driftwood Room, dated for Casa- blanca’s Club Morocco later In winter. French chantoosey Fernande Montel passing through here on way to date at Sans Souci Casino. Havana, Jan. 2. Show biz colony additions at Lord Tarleton are the Jack. Car- ters, the Irving Mansfields (Jac- queline Susann). “Happy Go Luckshen,” Murray Rumsey Yiddish-American produc- tion, opens tonight (Wed.) at Plaza Theatre on South Beach. Herb Pickman, Warner Bros., press and promotion rep, here for preem of “Jazz Singer” at Beach and Paramount Theatres. Felix Young preemed his swank L’Aiglpn in Surfside to the black- tie crowd last week. Spot cost over $250;000 to build. Orchs fea- tured are Emile Petti and Chuy Reyes. Minneapolis By Les Rees Charles Washburn in ahead Of “Anonymous Lover.” Chuck Eddy orch for Prom Ball-* room New Year’s Eve. Scenic artist Herb Gahagen in from New York for holidays. Reopening of Alvin (burlesque) set back to yesterday (Tues.). Ventriloquist^pianist Norm Dy- gon playing ..Colony Club return. Day Dreamers and Patty Wing into Hotel Nicollet Minnesota Ter- race. Civic Playhouse, new local the- atre group, launching season of four plays with “House of Ber- narda Alba.” St. Paul Flame reopened under new management after being shut- tered because of liquor sale to minor and again has floorshow policy. Lyceum has “Anonymous Lover,” “I Am a Camera” and “The Shrike” set for January, latter two to be Theatre Guild subscription offerings. Cleveland Paris ■ Phil Reed into Gallic pic “His- toire De Brigands,” Muriel Gaines into Princess Room of Club de Paris. Erich von Stroheim near com- pletion on “Hou s e of - C -riiae-”-pie-.— Thornton Wilder due back from Switzerland for two-week visit here. New Casino De Paris revue will be topped by U.S. singer June Richmond. Jean Cocteau finishing his first telepic here called, “The Red Light Is .On.” Peter Ustinov here for confab on possible adaptation of “Love of Four Colonels.” Pirandello’s “As You Desire Me” getting revival at Charles de Rochefort playhouse. George Reich joining Roland Petit ballet troupe which opens at the Empire in March. A1 Lewin, back from confabs in Hollywood, readying his “Saadia” pic for shooting in Africa. Supervielle’s dramatization of Robinson Crusoe, “Robinson,” which was a quick Paris flop, get- ting London offers. Quentin Foster rewriting his musical here “Dance Lit’l David,” and also polishing off a ballet “Blood of Melpomene.” New Film Aid Law will not be voted on until 1953 due to exten- sion of investigations into present plight of film producers here. Mary Meade, American singer- actress, getting a featured role in a new Gallic color pic “La Nuit Est A Nous” (“The Night IS Ours”). Rene Clement and Pierre Bost off to England where they will set shooting sked for their Francq- English coproduction pic tentative- ly titled, “The Wedding Ring.” “Typhus,” Jean-Paul Sartre script, that is to be shot in Mexico by Yves Allegret and to star Mi- chele Morgan, has had its tag changed to “Les Orguelleux” (“The Proud Ones”). Francois. Perrier' and Marie Daems-into rehearsals of “Four- noster,” which replaces Pierre Fresnay-Yvonne Printemps revival of Bourdet’s “Marriage” at Micho- diere early in February. Portland. Ore. By Ray Feves “Ice Cycles of 1953” going into second week at Portland Arena. Biz looks brisk at all entertain- ment spots for New 1 Year’s Eve. No hike in prices. Julie Harris in' “I Am a Cam- era” to open four-day run at May- fair Theatre Jap. 7. Sears & Haymer, Uhland Trio, and Nelson Picket Dancers (6) at Amato’s Supper Club. All Evergreen Theatre man- agers back at their desks after a big annual meeting at. Seattle of- fice. . William Duggan off to the Bay Area and then Gotham to line up some more musical shows for his booking office. Has nothing sched- uled after “Guys and Dolls” at Auditorium in early spring. By Glenn C. Pullen Vogue Room has Joe E. Lewis inked for two-week return date Jan. 8. Mel Torme getting $3,000 for 10 days at Moe’s Main Street Club, and pulling big. Town’s sole burley stand, the Roxy, closed for redecoration with no reopening date. set. By a last-minute booking, Jim Hendy got Grand Ole Opry troupe for his Arena New Year’s Eve and came off okay. Hamish Menzies, £>cotch singing pianist, and Eddie Ryan’s newly formed orch preemed Jack Bobier’s Encore Room last week. Wally Brown with Eileen Todd, dancer, and cycling Villenaves kicked off 1953 for Statler’s Ter- race Room in new revue. Public Music Hall bombarded by three college shows—Michigan U„ Princeton’s Triangle Club and Penn U.’s Mask & Wig—all within one week. Chicago “Stalag 17” closes 18-week run at Erlanger Jan. 3. Actor Horace McMahon in with his wife for holidays. Eddie Silverman off for winter vacation in Palm Springs. John Balaban left for La Quinta, Cal., for month’s vacation. Sam Katz in for funeral of his mother, who died last week. minsKy s Drougnt Pack burle; after three-week film hiatus. Showcase Theatre doing “G Big Doorstep” for next two w* . Mrs. Irving Becker planed i join her husband, company r ager of “Gigi.” Pearl Bailey in while new hi fills date at the Blue Note Duke Ellington. Tommy Gries talking to ex] tors about his upcoming produc “Donovan’s Brain.” Philadelphia By Jerry Gaghan Arthur Davey, has left Plink, Plank & Plunk combo to rejoin Red Caps. . Arm and Zant, drummer with Johnnie Austin’s orch, has switched to Ernie Ventura’s combo. Marquez Sisters, trio of Cuban chirpers, booked back into Em- bassy Club for holiday show. Catalina Show Bar, big North Philly spot, is putting emphasis on dance in new entertainment policy. Kay Justice, band chirper . cur- rently at Lou’s Moravian Bar, will open her own restaurant in Clifton Heights, Pa. Leo Fuchs and Eli Mintz head cast of Yiddish-American produc- tion slated for New Year’s Eve in one-nighter at Academy of Music. Bertice Redding, winner of Earle’s “Stars of Tomorrow” con- test, received Negro Elks’ musical scholarship award during Lionel Hampton show yesterday (Tues.). Pittsburgh By Hal V. Cohen Sol Heller operated on for a gall bladder condition. * Terry Wayne of Miriam Sage Dancers retiring to get married. Helen Richards in town beating drums for “John Brown’s Body.” Dave Wagner, Carousel head- waiter, and his wife vacationing in Miami. Elizabeth Birbari, Playhouse cos- tumer, visiting her folks in Mon- mouth, 111, Comedian Jackie Bright planed out. for Florida to spend holidays with parents. Danny Neumans celebrated their 23d wedding anni and Max.Kleck- ners their 16th. Johnny Harris and his 'wife, Donna Atwood, took off for Holly- wood right after Christmas. Sylvia Karlton home for first time since her marriage to a Navy lieutenant to play some cafe dates. Lois & Ray McDonald have joined George Arnold ice show at Ankara for last two weeks of its run. Arch Oboler gets in today (Wed.) for a week of promoting his “Bwana Devil,” opening at War- ner Jan. 8. Singer Ernestine Mercer in off the road to spend holidays with her husband, Gus Mitchell, local tavern owner. Virginia Gannon, daughter of Paul Gannon, “Ice Follies” tenor, playing a role in “Three Men on a Horse’-’ at Playhouse. Rome By Helen McGill Tubbs Virginia Belmont signed for two Italian pix. Irving Berlin and his family are at the Excelsior: Yasha Horenstein will conduct concerts on Radio RAI. Isaac Stern here for one concert at the Arentina Theatre. “Cairo Incident,” starring George Raft, has started shooting this week at the Palatine Studios. Charlotte and her guitar opened at the Blue Room of the Ostaria dell’Orso for an indefinite run. Pedro Armendariz, filming a pic- ture here, will be joined by his wife and family for a few weeks. David Selznick went to N. Y. to spend Christmas. Jennifer Jones will go to Switzerland to be with her children there. India As a result of the cancellation of open general license, nearly 12 Indian pictures have been blocked with Customs Authorities of Pak- istan. Increased drain on dollar re- serves in getting color films proc- essed abroad is prompting the gov- ernment of India to consider stop- ping color processing abroad. Sir Alexander Korda due here in mid-January in connection with production of “Taj Mahal.” Bishu Sen, Associate Producer, is arriv- ing. early to arrange preliminaries. Sharp decline in the collection of the entertainment tax-is-report- ed in Madras state. Receipts fell from $1,450,000 to $1,280,000 in the period froip April 1 to Sept. 30 this year compared with same pe- riod in 1951. Berlin By Hans Hohn Cocteau’s “Orphee” passed its 50th performance at the Kiki. CCC started shooting its 14th film, “Uncle From America,” with Hans Moser taking the lead. Carl Boese is directing. U. S. pix running at the GI houses include “Full House” (20th), “Hurricane Smith” (Par), “Big Sky” (RKO) and “Devil Makes Three” (M-G). • A new American community showplace has been constructed on Clay Allee which will be opened Jan. 18. Special Services is spon- soring a contest to name the 750- seat theatre. The Catholic Film Commission has issued its best 10 list. “De- cision Before Dawn” (20th) was rated best pic, followed by “De- tective Story” (Par), “Red Skies of Montana” (20th) and the French film, “Don Camrllo and Peppone.” Tokyo Toho plans to establish a N. Y. office to expedite exports of its films. Crown Prince Akihito was guest of Italian ambassador to Japan and president of Italifilm at special showing of “Miracle in Milan.” Machiko Kyo and Kazuo Hase- gawa, “Rashomon” stars, to appear in Daiei Studio’s first tinter, a bio- pic about one of Japan’s early military leaders. Edward Ugast, Far Eastern man- ager for 20th-Fox, back in Japan for qne-month stay after accom- panying company prexy Spyros P. Skouras on a tour of southeast Asia. Ted Allegretti, formerly with National Broadcasting Co., due here for six-month stay as TV di- rector for Japan Broadcasting Corp. which expects to begin tele- casting in February. Omaha By Glenn Trump Pierce & Rae and Carl DeBord orch comprise bill at Plains Bar. Organist Steve Stephani in third month at White Horse Inn, Regis Hotel. Mai Hansen of WOW named prexy of National Assn, of Radio Farm Directors. Ex-Lincoln basketball star Jack Hyland play-by-playing Nebraska home games for t KOLN, Lincoln; Hollywood ' days'of^rest? * H< “ W John n Hodfak er Med SUit to . Mrs t ; Y^.Erank Jreemaa, suit for divorce. John Sutherland in from Nrv for the holidays. W,Y * A1 Zimbalist vacationing for a week in Palm SpHngs. a Lauritz Melchior will sing at the Eisenhower inauguration. Grantland Rice in from N. Y for the Rose Bowl festivities. Mishel' S. Green looking things over in Caracas, Venezuela. Virginia and Gale Gordon to Borrego Springs for a week Huntz Hall and Gabriel Dell to Canada on a two-month tour Betta St. John in from England to resume film work at Metro, Vince Barnett injured about the head and face in motor crash. Jean Sablon goes to Bueno? Aires in March to make a pic Jane Russell bedded for Christ- mas with a recurrence of virus Spencer Tracy goes to Europe Jan. 24 for a three-week holiday Tyrone Power ahd Linda Chris- tian to Mexico City for a holiday Red Skelton returned to the hos- pital after spending Christmas at home. Tony Quiiin building six houses specially designed as ateliers for painters. Vic Damone in town briefly to discuss his film career with Joe Pasternak. Sidney Franklin taking a year’s leave qf absence from his producer, chores at Metro. Jack Shaindlin in from N.Y. to look over his fimtusic company’s Hollywood office. Joel McCrea back from England with no intention of taking ad- vantage of 18-month tax deal. Motion Picture Relief Fund sold more than 98,000 Christmas cards this year, netting about $12,000. Robert H, Cobb plans a new $750,000 Park La Brea Brown Der- by on property hear the new CBS TV City. Elsa Lanchester returned to the Turnabout Theatre after 10 days on the road with “Her Private Music Hall.” Edgar Bergen and his “Opera- tion Santa Claus” distributed more than 50,000 gifts to winded vet- erans in 30 hospitals. Jack Benny, Jane Wyman, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans helped Santa Claus to hand out gifts to 250 children at Christmas party staged by the Friars Club in Bev- erly Hills. Robert P. Myer, former counsel for NBC in New York, has moved to Hollywood where he’s joined the law firm of Lillick, Geary & McHose as partner in charge of the Coast office. Scotland By Gordon Irving TV not likely to be extended to North-East Scotland for Corona- tion. Alistair McHarg, Scot singer, off to entertain U. S. troops in Ger- many. Harry Gordon, Scot comic, turn-* ing disk jockey on radio New Year’s Eve. “Robinson Crusoe on Ice” in as Christmas attraction at Empire vaudery, Glasgow. Jimmy Gilbert scripting lyrics for Citizens’ Theatre Christmas re- vue, “Glaikit Spell.” Juan & Avril Grant, musical duo, set for cabaret at Piccadilly Club, Glasgow, Feb. 9. Vidpic made of Eisenhower's apartment at Culzean Castle, Ayr- shire, for the U. S. markets. “Scrooge,” British pic with Alastair Sim, in to Cosmo, Glas- gow, as Christmas week film. Herbert Wise, Vienna-born meg- ger, inked as new director of pro- ductions at Dundee Repertory Theatre. Lex McLean, Scot comic, inked for comedy lead at Metropole The- atre, Glasgow, for summer of 1953, replacing Logan Family, long-time toppers here. Latter move out on, British tour. Washington By Florence S. Lowe The Eric Johnstons spending the holidays in their Spokane, Wash., hoirie. , Cantoosey Billie Holiday a click in her one-week run at Blue Mir- ror nitery. . „ Hank Fort, hillbilly nitery sing- er and songwriter, currently call- ing the capital home. Met star Jan Peerce tees off tne ’53 phase of American U. concert series, with Patrick Hayes man- aging, Jan. 18. , n/r „ Attorney General and Mrs. MC- Granery backstage visitors tor Margaret O’Brien and Eddie Dow- ling at Shubert Theatre preem 01 “The .Intruder.’! . 0 4