Variety (March 1953)

vAinDEvnxi? Hatched 831 A# - * 1 In N.Y. State Assembly, Senator Says Albany, March 24. < “The lobbyists do quite a job ,” commented Senator jfred G. Mor- itt (D., Brooklyn) to Variety as the legislature adjourned (21) wiEh his bill authorizing cities to levy a tax up to 50% on rentals, gratuities, and other income received from the operation of hat-checking facili- ties and concessions, still bottled up in the Assembly Rules Commit- tee. As for several years past, the measure received quick approval by the Senate, but did not come to the floor for a vote in the As- sembly. Sen. Moritt, attorney, songwriter and onetime vaudeville and radio vocalist, contends that hatcheck concession companies make “fabu- lous profits” for a service which should be free. MUSIC arranged composed METIS 1650 Broadway, N. Y. C. Salt# 1104 Circle 4-304? •* - Grade Agency Pacts Schlesinger Theatres London, March 24. v The Lew and Leslie’ Grade Agen- cy'has obtained exclusive booking rights for the Schlesinger group of South African theatres, known as the International Variety and The- atrical AgenCy. The new deal takes immediate effect and embraces iftore than 200 theatres. • The agency plans to negotiate with leading U. S. stars to play the IVTA circuit as well as prominent British and European artists. The deal, signed here last week, follows other exclusive booking deals negotiated by the Grade agency in recent months'. It now has exclusive representation for theatres in Denmark, Sweden and Australia. ^ MIRANDA STARTS TOUR OF EUROPE IN MILAN Rome, March 24. Carmert Miranda opens a Euro- pean tour tonight (Wed.) with a stand in Milan*. South - American singer has been set for a six-vPeek trek of Italy by the William Morris office, playing one, two and three- nighters. After the-Italian dates, she’ll move on <or a series of appear- ances on the Continent, concen- trating on France and the Scandi- navian countries. Sennes’ Bevhills Branch I Frafik Sennes is slated to open a branch agency in Beverly Hills April 6. He’ll be in.eharge of that office, with his brother, Tony, head* ing the Cleveland headoffice. An- other brother, Rocky, will go into the Cincinnati office, while Larry Gengo remains in charge of N. Y. operations. Opening of the Bevhills .office was made necessary by the in- creasing need of’ Coast talent for the Desert Inn, Las Vegas, which Sennes books. . Wednesday, March 25*1953 ■ V.s i V '■'V' and His Just Concluded: 40-CITY CONCERT TOUR 4 NOW: Shoreham Hotel, Wash., D. 0. Next: Copley-Sheratoft, Boston Direction: MERCURY ARTISTS CORP. 254 West 54th Street/ New York - Washington, March 24. * A 20-event season is* planned this year - by Super Attractions, Inc., which has grown in tyo years to be the biggest D. C. booker of one-night stand entertainment,-and which now routes most of its book- ings over a four-city circuit. The 1953 .season .teed off earlier with a single, SRO performance of “John Brown’s Body” at the 3,800- seat Constitution Hall, and has the Lauritz Melchior show a display now, having opened Monday (23). “Grand Ole Opry,” hillbilly show with which Super Attractions has a direct deal, will probably he brought in twice this year, and will also do the rest of the circuit in Baltimore, Richmond and Norfolk. “The Biggest Show” will also be here. Last summer’s “Spiritual Cavalcade,” complete with fire- works, will be repeated in June. In 1952, it drew- 18,000 paid ad- missions to Griffith Stadium de- spite a transit strike before the day of the performance. Another ’52 innovation which becomes a regu- lar annual.event is the Cerebral Palsy benefit show featuring Guy Lombardo*. Other attractions have not yet been artnounced. Super Attractions was launched in 1951 by; Irvin Feld, drugstore and record shop proprietor, to offer flashy pop attractions, such as jazz band-jitterbug nights. It has branched in a short time to (Continued on.page 64) * * ' Picon’s London Return * London, March 17. Molly Picon, who hasn’t been in England for 15 years, is returning for three song recitals, at the Scala Theatre, April 1, 2 and 4. Yiddish; stage star is presented by local Impresario M. Susman, with opening show already dis- posed of, to be given in aid of the Jewish National Fund. The other two shows are already virtually a sellout. Miss Picon, prior to her London dates, will play one-nite stands March 28 at Brussels; March 29, Antwerp, and March 31, Alhambra, Paris’. Immediately after her Lon- don .appearances, she will depart for Palestine, where, she i^- to do 12 concerts for charity, with entire proceeds to the Palestinian Home for Children. ♦ Jerry Wayne's Petition Singer Jerry Wayne filed a pe- tition in bankruptcy in N, Y. Fed- eral Court last week. Listed were $20,827 in liabilities and $475 in. assets. Tropics, Denver, Fire Causes Loss of 200G »' Denver, Match 24. The Tropics, nitery, owned by Warren St. Thomas, was'destroyed by fire Friday afternoon (20) with a loss of around $200,000. St. Thomas said, only $60,000,^83 cov- ered by Insurance,. ■ Firemen were uncertain as to whether the fire was started by an Arsonist or by defective wirings / — ‘OPRY’S’ 2G 1-NITERS FOR CALIF. STRING Hollywood, March 24. “Grand Ole Opry” troupe has been set for a one.-niter tour of California by. Marty* Landau, op- erator of the Riverside Rancho, western-music ballroom, .who is paying a flat $2,000 nightljr for the unit headed by Red Foley. Star of the NBC program will be ac- companied by six other regulars- from the air show. ; . Landau will supply a local band in each, of the towns, the troupe will play on the trek, which starts in San Deigo, May 18. Dates already have been set in auditorium in Bakersfield, Long Beach, Fresno, Sacramento, Richmond and Red-* wood City. In 1948 Landau promoted Foley and an “Opry” troupe on five one- niters hereabouts, grossing $48,000, including a sellout at the 6,000- seat Shrine Aud here. ‘Opry* for Laddies Houston, March 24. The Houston Fire Dept/ will sponsor the appearaq^e of “Grand Ole Opry” here starting April 29 at Sam Houston Coliseum. Lisa Kirk to Sub Ailing Nan Fabray at Plaza, N.Y. Lisa Kirk has been .signed for the Persian Room of the Plaza starting April 2 as a substitute for Nanette > Fabray, originally sched- uled for that spot. Miss Fabray cancelled out because of illness. Following her recent stand at the Sands Hotel, Las Vegas, Miss Fab- ray went to Hollywood to rehearse additional material for the Per- sian ifcoom, -but was felled by the flu. She’s still 6n the Coast re- cuperating. ' Bambi Linn & Rod Alexander, originally carded as the accomp- anying act, couldn’t work out ’ schedules so that- Persian Room "appearances and rehearsals wouldn’t conflict with “Your Show of Shows,” the NBC-TV layout on. which they are appearing. Wally Boag is subbing. Evelyn Knight and. Johnny & June Belmont are slated to open at the Persian April 30. Room* Is now set to close for the summer in mid-June. It’s probable that .an- other bill to follow Miss^. Knight wilL be signed. s . Pietro Francesco Mele, Inc., chartered to conduct a theatrical attraction business in New York. Capital stock is 100 shares, no par value. Directors are Pietro Fran- cesco Mele, Hyman Jacobs and Jeanne Friedberg. Theodore Char- nas was filing attorney. GALE AGCV. VS. FUQUA OS OIK SPOTS LABEL Gale Agency is seeking an in- junction in N. Y. Supreme Court to restrain Charles Fuqua’ and Uni- versal Attractions, Inc., from using the name Ink Spots for any group that will compete with Billy Kenny ,and %the Ink Spots. Both Fuqua and Kenny, members of the origi- nal groiip, split last summer, and both formed unjts which seek to use the Ink Spots tag. The Gale Agency claims that in June, 1951, a contract between the Ink Spots and Gale was signed. Office stated that since Kenny at that time had authority to sign for all the members of the group, pact inked at that time is still in effect. Therefore, Universal and Fuqua are acting illegally in offering a group known as the Ink Spots, Gale charges.* TERRE STEVENS "A Great Artiste " FRANK PALUMBO Philadtlphia - Currently In Philadelphia STAR MANAGEMENT 144 7th Avo. f New York BAsido 4-0*1# ! i DORAINE and ELLIS CARIBK HILTON HOTKL . San Juan, Puerto Rica (MAR. 17-MAR. 3<rf ROMANCE IN SONG" i * w; HARBERS * Now PERSIAN ROOM Plaza Hot*I, N. Y. * and DALE BILLY GILBERT Oponing March ?0- Qasls Club, Muncio, Ind. April 13 TRITON c HOTEL Rochastor, N, Y. Personal Mannurment DAVID L. SHAPIRO AL 4-1077 For Night Clubs — Mercury Artists STECHER and HOROWITZ Twin Piano Artistry Just Concluded' * RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL -NEW YORK Thanks to RUSSELL MARKERT'and RAYMOND PAIGE Maiiagomonf CAROf A MICHLIN lit Was f 57th St., Ntw York It COIambas 5-2040