Variety (March 1953)

20 pictiwes M&afffr WitAiwdiy! Marcfy 4, 1,953 ‘Who’s Who' Toasts Bob Hope Continued from page 2 *. . . They don't plan a dinner until Georgie Jessel is available. . . Jessel is banquet insurance. ... I happened to bump into Bishop Sheen at an AFRA meeting/’ he continued, “and I now hear that DuMont in deference to its new TV star is manufacturing a set with a stained glass tube/’ (Berle had opened the Bishop Sheen gag- ing by observing “We both have the same sponsor. Sky .Chief/’ nifty that got a salvo.) Allen continued to review the honor guest’s antecedents. Born Leslie Townes Hope in London, he “was prematurely ftoor but even in his youth knew how to blow up a kipper into a bloater. ... He went to Hollywood—a place where after you struggle for recognition they put on dark glasses to hide it. Hollywood is a place that was started by a writer with a cliche/’ (Allen’s observations on the film community were bitingly kidding- on-the-square. He achieved the unusual of “stopping a banquet*’for an extra bow). Entertainment and banquet com- mittee chairman Jesse Block opened with a nifty, “If I had any- thing new to say, I’d be working/* and went into a humorous dis- course on the Friarf finance com- mittee, and its casting of “who’d be a surefire g. of h.” (Besides the Friars, the Cerebral Pels? fund benefits, at Hope’s request, from the profits, with CP guaranteed at least $5,000. The dinner was scaled at $35 anct $50 a head, the front tables at the higher tab as * one means to get off the hook on “good” table requests. NBC had taken lfr of the $500—10 places'—tables; Par- amount had three, etc.; over 1,300 attended.)* Block went on that the Friars decided to salute Hope “be- cause he was the average American who makes $3,000,000 a year,” to which Jessel observed, “Hey, leave something for me!’’ Jessel in Stride There was plenty left for Jessel, Who was in his prime stride as he introduced Baruch who, on a late entrance' and an early departure— there was a question whether the bedded - by - a - cold octogenarian could make it—saluted Mrs. (Do- lores) Hope; made some cogent ref- erences about “Hope springs eternal/* and finaled with an Irish axiom, “May the Lord take a liking to you, but not too soon!” Eric Jahnston c5ntinued the pun- ning that show business “has Cros- by for faith, Benny for charity and Bob for Hope.” He was cued into the Iron Curtain attitude on Amer- ican films by Jessel’s intro that Johnston has visited Moscow, etc. The MPAA topper went on with the observation about Hollywoods’ top zanies, Hope and Crosby, steering them onto the “Road to Utopia.” Some of Bcrle’s nifties won’t ever get on the NBC taped excerpts (aired the following evening), such as his reference to “Jack Benny, who is in the Pat Ward at Cedars of Lebanon” (Comedian’s upset stomach had him bedded). Berle added, to Jessel, “You’ve said some of the nicest things I've heard about people who were still stand- ing up.” He continued with the V-girl comedy that “Pat Ward was writing a column, ‘Vice to the Love- lorn.’ ” He called Danny Kaye “the Hans Jewish Andersen/’ He spot- lighted the new NBC prexy, Frank White (“he fixed sets the hard way —in Paley’s office”). He was un- der the impression that the next Command Performance would be given under the reign of Danny Kaye. He seriously kudosed Jessel and Hope, the latter as “America’s second greatest comedian.” Symington saluted Hope, “whose heart is wrapt in the American flag,” and reprised his GI junkets to Alaska, the Berlin airlift, etc. Barkley was in the same idiom. Jessel introduced Allen as being born into show business, “in the Jolson era when everyone in the ghetto went into blackface.” He introduced Hope, “In the words of my sainted grandmother, he’s a wonderful goy.” Finally Convinced The No. 1 guy of the evening re- sponded, *T said no man could be this great, but they finally con- vinced me. I feel grateful (refer- ring to the large turnout at such fancy prices) and deductible.” From .then on he saluted Block, Jessel, Allen, Mack Millar (”my publicity man, who has been with me 20 years”), introduced his wife, Do* lores, who, upon* taking a very mod- est bow, was laughingly admon- j ished, “Is that all you’re going to show of that fashion investment?” In introducing his three brothers, who also took, a bow, Hope ob- served, “Of course, they’d be just as happy getting it by mail.” He saluted Jessel as a legend in his own time; as “the kosher King Fa- rouk, whose life is always so gay, despite the seriousness of his ar- duous work, that he must wake up in the morning wearing a papef hat. ' He does such a skillful job as toastmaster that he invites girls up to his apartment just to see his menus.” He hailed Adolph Zukor as “the daddy of Paramount, which he started with $6 and a young crooner, and 50 years later, after taxes,, he has $6, and an old crooner.” Regarding Berle, “He’s great and I like him on television; I like to sit home and watch my own jokes. But really he is Mr. Television, or was until Tallulah got on.” Saluting his * wife, he observed, that “this is probably the first time Dolores knows what I do for a liv- ing. She probably thought I was & test pilot for United Airlines. And she’s right—our towels prove it; they’re marked Tiers’ and ’Wel- come Traveler'.” In an adult, lit- erate, humorous yet sentimental. Without being sticky speech, he concluded that , “this could happen to a guy like me only in show busi- ness. This’ll be one of my finer memories.” Jesselfmns Jessel’s paprika patter patterned the general pace of speeches. He introduced: . * ' Frank ML Folsom • . ‘. “a man whose goodwill runs from Rome tty Radio City, yet not an easy taskmaster* It is jsaid that one of his employees said, ’Sir, I would like tomorrow off; it is my 25th wedding anniversary,* and Folsom said to the fellow, *OK, but must I have this trouble with you every 25 years?’ ” Frank White—“and of like im- portance, the president of NBC as of Friday, 10 a.m., EST.” Adolph Zukor—-“And now the dean of the motion picture indus- try, who has served it well for over 50 years. He has gone through a great deal; he started with Sarah Bernhardt and wound up losing Betty Hutton.” Mayor Impellitteri—“I am told that he will run again. He will not be alone, for every Tom, Dick and Halley wants to be mayor of N. Y. Not only thstf, but I also under- stand Christine Jorgensen is going to run on a split ticket/’ Eric Johnston—“He had the heart °to talk with Stalin, Molotov and Vishinsky, and after leaving that trio he had enough courage to go into business with Warner Bros., Darryl Zariuck, Harry Cohn and Sam Goldwyn. ... I hope, Mr. Johnston, you are also familiar with the optical business, as the way things are going the next three years all in the motion picture in- dustry will be makirigjglasses.” Fred Allen—“If rank werfe the order of importance among come- dians, the next speaker would be a Field Marshal. I first met him in the days of the lost art of vaude- ville. He was a juggler who told a joke when he missed a trick; he has not missed many since.” The Friars shindig was accented more on the radio-TV note than as Hope the Paramount star, with “the‘ 15th anniversary with NBC” as the key. Incidentally, the $35 and $50 dinner tab was voted a general bar- gain, particularly in light of the expert catering and unusual cuisine for a mass production dinner. This, of course, was a tribute to the new “Oscar of the Waldorf,” Claude C. Philippe, properly ‘ recognized by the Hilton management by being upped to a veepee last week. Name Joseph Stark Head Of Schlesinger’s N.Y. Org Joseph Stark, for many years veepee of International Variety and Theatrical Agency, Inc., New York subsid of Schlesinger Enterprises of South Africa, has been named prexy of the company to succeed Max A. Schlesinger. Latter died in N. Y. Feb. 23 (see obits). Louis Zimmerman, formerly counsel, takes over as v.p. There will be no other changes in the of- fice, it’s understood. Among other things, I VTA buys and books prod- uct for the Schlesinger houses in South Africa. GI Entertaining Hope, Plus Flock of Awards, Capped the Friars Fete . The same diligence that went Into the casting of the dais was also evident in lining up the show which comprised a set of acts that never dreamed that they Would be play- ing a benefit for Bob Hope. It’s probably the only cuffo card here- abouts in a long time that got the sanction of the American Guild of Variety Artists, which had a table at the affair. Hope is the AGVA prexy. Incidentally, this is one phase of Hope’s multitudinous ac- tivities that was never billed by any of the speakers. The card was a collection of acts that wanted to work this affair before one of the top show biz audiences. Jesse. Block emceed and he chose to open, with the Clark Bros. (2), who came over from Har- lem's Apollo Theatre. The Negro hoofers worked in a spirited man- ner executing intricate tapology combined with some startling steps that drew a smash salvo. The Kean Sisters, Betty Sc Jane, doubUngv from the Copacabana, donated a generous portion of their catalog. Their Christine bit com- bined with some xan? . mimicry, songs and Steps hit the mob with a heavy impact. Tony ic Sally De Mateo are still one of the top ballroom twains. This vet team seems never to lose its appeal and freshness. Their, “Beguine” Is one of the dance classics ..of Hie' cafe orbit. Three numbers and several bows satisfied the crowd. * Brought Hie Orchestrations One of the surprises of the eve- ning was Eddie Fisher’s stint at this gathering. About to be discharged and still in his Army uniform, Fisher came on stage with 10 addi- tional strings and a pair of French horns to provide a truly lush or- chestral background. One of the top conductors of the day, Hugo Winterhalter, who arranged and conducted Fisher’s disk hits at RCA-Victor, was also on hand for Fisher’s post-service bow in New York. He warmed up with “Lady of Spain” and did'“Wish You Were Here” and “Pennies from Heaven.” He doesn’t have far to go to achieve his pre-service form. He’s practically there. Virtually unnoticed by the crowd was the complete switch in this case. One of the rarest sights in show biz annals—a uniformed man entertaining Bob Hope. The evening was climaxed by a quartet of awards to Hope. An Explorer-Eagle Scout, Bill Hoeft, provided a touching part of the evening. In an extremely serious speech, he kudosed Hope for his extensive efforts on behalf of the Scout movement. Actually the kid made a very fine talk, but his ex- treme seriousness had some com- edy touches, a facet that was en- couraged by a few si? expressions from Hope. Hope, who has entertained more GIs than any performer, was hailed by * James Sauter, USO-Camp Shows prexy who gave Hope a plaque expressing the gratitude of the organization. Parchment was signed by Sauter, Abe Lastfogel, organization’s board chairman, and Lawrence Phillips, exec veepee. Leonard Goldenson, United Paramount Theatres president, who is active in the Cerebral Palsy work, gave Hope an award recog- nizing the comedian’s services on behalf of the afflicted. Hope re- cently headed a telethon effort for the CP victims. Final award was by Block on behalf of the Friars who gave the comic the organization’s Oscar. Immediately after the presentation, Ted Lewis in his battered topper came onstage and parodied Hope’s theme, “Thanks for the Memory” with special lyrics by Benny Davis. A choir of frocked Friars chimed in with a choral dressing. It was a touching and effective curtain to the proceedings. Reportedly some 25 other awards were omitted' at Hope’s request in order not to overbalance the pace. Paul Ash, former Roxy maestro, batoned the major part of the show. A Meyer Davis unit pro- vided the music. The chairman of the entertainment committee was. Harry Mayer, Warner talent scout, and the Friars’ executive secretary, Carl Timins, coordinated the affair. Schenck’ Bowoil Continued from pare 3 cial tie-in with over 125 ‘houses in Gotham. Skouras has been threatening an antitrust suit asking alleged dam- ages of $100,000,000 against the distribs, with the exception of 20th, and the Loew’s and RKO chains in N. Y. Schenck, on the other hand, has been exerting efforts to effect an amicable solution'of the differences out of court. Schenck’s peace-maker role so far has been successful to the extent Qf striking a settlement between Loew’s and Skouras. However, the threatened court action has reportedly led to a straiped relationship between Schenck and Skouras, and the. for- mer is moving onto the theatre scene to patch things up. • UATC’s holdings are far-flung. Company owns .United Artists Theatres of California, has part- nership operations with Loew’s in several states (which are now being dissolved), and holds 5Q% of the Rowley United chain in the south- west in addition to the 52% in- terest in Metropolitan. Schenck’s resignation from 20th ends a 20-year association with Darryl F. Zanuck, with whom he 'co-founded 20th Century Produc- tions, Inc., in 1932. Firm was merged with Fox Pictures Corp. two years later to become the pres- ent 20th organization. # Fabiaa Bids Continues from pace .3 discussed late yesterday (Tues.) by the Equity council. Should Rosen tie up the loose ends, it’s figured he’ll contact ex- hibs with tele-equipped theatres. This Would be the first legit offer- ing aired via theatre TV and would conceivably set a pattern .for future telecasts of Broadway shows. Only presentation similar to the pro- posed event was last. December’s closed-circuit telecast from 'the Metopera of “Carmen” in the first non-sports entertainment event piped to theatres. Since the opera airing, there has been a lull in big-screen offerings. Halpern’s TNT has held numerous exploratory talks with producers of events deemed suitable for thea- tre telecasting, but no deal has been finalized. Possibility was sefen this week of renewed activity on the opera front. This is based on a poll, issued today (Wed.), of the audience reaction to “Carmen.” Ballots, distributed at theatres carrying the vid cast, were mailed direotly to the Metropolitan Opera Assn. According to TNT, sponsors of the event, the poll revealed that 91% of the audience termed the telecast “excellent,” with 87% in- dicating that they would come to see more operas. TNT said that nearly 4,000.bal- lots were filled out by the audi- ence in the 31 theatres carrying the opera coast-to-coast and that nearly half of the ballots contained voluntary contributions to the Met Opera Fund. Among the operas the audience would particularly like to see on theatre TV, the poll indi- cates, ate “Aida,” “Rigoletto,” “Madame Butterfly,” “La Boheme” and “Tosca.” HEMINGWAY’S ‘SDN’ TO BE FILMED BY HAWKS Producer-director Howard Hawks, who sailed for Europe last week on the Queen Mary, plans to make a film version of the Ernest Heming- way novel, “The Sun Also Rises,” in Hie course of a year’s stay abroad. He’s held rights to the work about eight or 10 years and a script is ready for lensing." While distribution and casting ar- rangements are vague at the mo- ment, Hawks said that Dewey Mar- tin will likely appear in the Hem- ingway venture. Actor also had a role In “The Thing,” which Hawks turned out for RKO in 1951. Hawks said that “Sun” will be done largely in Paris arid Madrid, inasmuch as th'ose capitals are the background for much of the story. Producer-director said he’ll also film a couple of other projects overseas from scripts he owns. Ac- companying him on the junket is his bride, Dee Hartford. They were wed Feb. 20. NBC Asks Continued from page 3 (Col), is touring with “I’ Am a Camera” arid is expected to be in either Baltimore or Philadelphia on the night of the awards. Thought is that if any of the afore- mentioned trio wins the award for “best actress,” she'll be available for a radio-TV appearance follow- ing the actual “Oscar” ceremonies emanating from the Coast. ‘Arthur Schwartz, prez of the League, is sounding out Broadway producers this week on the NBC proposal. Both Robert Whitehead, producer of “Cuckoo,” and Michael Ellis, co-producer of “Company,” indicated they might accede to the request in deference to their stars. However, the reaction of other Broadway producers has not been determined. Moving up the cur- tain presents some problems. Many tickets have already'been sold for the regular performances. In addi- tion, it entails expense in the form of additional advertising to call at- tention to .the early curtain. Col Using Own 3-D System On‘Man Who Lived Twice’ Hollywood, March 3. Columbia is using its own 3-D process; still unnamed and de- veloped secretly in the studio lab, on “The Man Who Lived Twice.” Process requires two cameras but no mirrors and is described as simple^ light and mobile. ■ Meanwhile, Sam Katzman, cur- rently producing “Fort Ti” in Natural Vision, will make “Charge of the Lancers” and “Tripoli to the Sea” in the same medium. He has a three-picture commitment. * , Mass. Eyes Proposal On Foreign-Pix Censoring Boston, March 3. Proposal to institute censorship of all foreign films prior to their showing in Massachusetts has been introduced in the Massachusetts legislature. Scissoring would be un- dertaken by the Department of Public Safety. Act, on which a hearing was held last week, was formulated by John P. McMorrow of Boston. The state has no censorship per se.- However, Boston does sift pix for Sunday showings, and it’s that version that is generally released throughout Massachusetts. Fabian Predicts Continue^ from page 3 even though production was only completed last week. Fabian, who has $een ; the “dailies,” said “Wax” is far superior to earlier tries in the new field. Theatre exec, incidentally, be- lieves there’ll eventually be some form of marriage of 3-D and the wide-screen method such as 20th- Fox’s Cinemascope. He reported 200 Warner houses and 30 Fabian theatres will be equipped for 3-D shortly and other spots will install the Cinemascope apparatus when available. Fabian chain comprises 60 houses, six of which are now closed, and the Warner company has 318 locations, 25 of them shut- tered. Fgbian ( repeated that the two ^coih^ihles will be operated sepa- rately and there Will be no per- sonnel cuts. Threaten Mex Ban Continued from page 4 troupe has been asked to leave the mining town of Central, N. M. Rep. Jackson’s Queries Washington, March 3. Rep. Donald R. Jackson (R-« Cal.) has written to the Attorney General and the Secretaries of State and Commerce in connection with the Silver City filming of “Salt of the Earth,” which he has termed pro-Red. Jack&n, a member of the House Un-American Activities Commit- tee, is asking two questions: Does the law permit export of a TJic that contains Red. propaganda and are the principals in any such film re- quired to sign up under the Alien Agents Registration Act, particu- larly if the pic is found to contain propaganda favoring a foreign power?*