Variety (March 1953)

70 UBCnfMATB PZGriET? Wednesday, March 25, 1953 End to Long D.S.-Bril Equity Hassle Looming A&Result of New Talks London, March 24. End .of the prolonged hassle over employment of atien artists in British and American theatres is in sight. After a week of intense confabbing, there are high hopes of an early pact between British Actors Equity and American Equity. ■ atre, which she left in 1948. Dancer Since his arrival in London last ... . . the ^ roupe in July, when week, Alfred Harding, repping the it overseas f or a tour. In addi- American thespers’union, has been tQ h?r N yCB duties, Miss in almost daily session while, apart Havden made 10 appearances this from the joint discussions, the season on the Kate Smith TV show, Kaye Back to N.Y. Ballet; Hayden to Ballet Theatre Melissa Hayden, lead ballerina with the N.Y. City Ballet for sev- eral years, will rejoin Ballet The- . . • ■ ■ i.c, lOJO Ttanpov British union has called, two spec- ial meetings of its full executive to consider the proposals transmit- ted from America. Second of these sessions took place last Friday (20). and also doubled for Claire Bloom in dancing sequences in the Charles Chaplin, “Limelight.” Nora Kaye,* dramatic dancer who left the N.Y. City Ballet for the Current negotiations with Brit- j ead terp spot in the recent Bette Jsh Equity are the first stage in a Dav i s legiter, “Two’s Company,” is three-fold plan, conceived by the returning to NYCB for its spring U.S. union, which intends to seek se ason, which starts at City Center, further pacts with the Society of jjy., May 5, West End Theatre Managers and Ministry of Labor. It Is now - • > i* , > thought likely that there will be \j^m[ AU016HC6 $ MYIYw joint representations by the British ® i i « in i . _ and * American unions to these I* NggQgQ J^Z nCDSlCrj other bodies as soon as a settle- w A V . ment is reached. Telb SUffS tO Hit ROafl Adopting the familiar technique wiu of high-level diplomacy* both par- Schenectady, March 24. ties to the negotiations are main- Recreation of the legitimate tne- taining a discreet silence on de- atre public is, imperativee, and re- tails. So Tar they’ve refrained from turn by leading actors to roan revealing the terms of the proposi- tours, in order that the entire aucn- tion submitted on behalf of Amerl- ence potential be reached, is prop- ably the most important single method by which* that goal can be reached. So said Margaret Web- ster in an address on “The Theatre and Modern Life” in Memorial Chapel, Union College, here last week, under auspices of the Sche- nectady chapter, American Assn, of University Women. Miss Webster listed sponsorship of theatre groups by cities on the can Equity. Overall Policy It’s generally accepted, however, that settlement is not being sought on the simple basis of one-for-one exchanges, but on an overall policy of interchange of artists and pro- ductions. This would give legit the- atre on both sides of the Atlantic a needed stimulant. On basis of past statistics, the same basis as opera organizations, British union has been in the most the formation of an American rep- advantageous position on ex- ertory theatre, and training changes, so far as legit is con- grounds other than Broadway, for cerned. According to latest figures, actors, as additional means • by there is a majority,.pf three to one w hich the theatre’s status can be in favor of British artists playing improved. Commenting that “if America, as against U.S.'* perform- America is leading mankind into an ers working in Britain. Unlike its American century, it cannot afford New York counterpart, • however, to leave the American theatre be- British Equity not only organizes hind,” the Shakespearean producer in the legit field, but its activities said that the living theatre is. in extend throughout films, iadio, .TV, difficult and dangerous straits to- opera and 'ballet.'It's in some of day, hut that its disappearance the other branches of activity, riot.- would be a measure of the failure ably films, that actors are called to of American civilization. Through Hollywood, in comparison with the ages, she continued, the thea- U.S. players who film in British tre has mirrored the life and times studios. of the world’s peoples; it has been Prior to opening of the current and should be a goodwill ambaSsa- London talks, it’s understood that dor. The King's English Pittsburgh, March 24. After reading his notices fol- lowing the opening of “White Cargo,” Sheppard King 3d, husband of Sarnia Carnal, who stars in the revival, decided to let his wife look, after all of the acting in the family. Producers agreed with crix that King’s Texas accent made him sound as English (the bit role he had in the third act was that of a Briton) as Maxie Rosenbloom, so he quietly withdrew from the cast after the show’s first w f eek and was replaced by William Hughes, King admitted that Variety’s out-of-town review on “Cargo” made up his mind for him. Show Finances “I AM A CAMERA” (As of Feb. 28, ’53) Original Investment $65,000 Gross for last four weeks 77.070 Profit for last four weeks 8,377 Total profit to date 123,480 Author-director John van Druten’s share 12,348 N. Y. State tax 1.073 Bonds and cash reserve 17,370 Distributed profit to date * 83,337 Balance available for distribution 9,352 (Note: The Gertrude Macy-Walter Starcke production opened Nov. 28, ’51, and played 261 performances at the Empire, N. Y. It has been touring since Sept. 1, ’52.) On Member Entry For the second time in a few. months, the Assri. of Theatrical Press Agents & Managers has admitted a manager to membership after originally stalling action on the matter. In this instance the candidate in question w r as George Banyai, company manager of “Horses in Midstream,” currently tryout in Washington. Banyai, who was Gilbert Miller’s Europeah scout and an author's agent for several years, was sub- mitted by the producer for admit- tance to ATPAM. When the union delayed admission. Miller threat- ened legal action. However, a union rep has since declared that the ATPAM’s subsequent acceptance of Banyai under the “new blood” clause ’was not related to the pro- ducers agitation. ATPAM last fall admitted Rich- ard Homer under somewhat simi- lar circumstances. In that case, Gertrude Macy and Walter Starcke sponsored the application under the “new blood” clause and after the union held up action, the pro- ducers* attorney threatened to sue under the Taft-Hartley Act, where- upon Homer was admitted and be- came company manager of the short-lived “I’ve Got Sixpence.” Inside Stuff—Legit RCA veepee Manie Sacks makes no bones about the whyfore of his company’s fancy investments in legit: “It’s simple, to make money. We invest in scientific research and we invest in talent to make a profit. So it is with our $225,000 ihvestment in Leland Hayward’s ‘Call Me Madam,* and now our $200,000 for 40% of ‘Me and Juliet,’ the new Rodgers & Hammerstein show. They and Irving Berlin aren’t bad headliners to b?ck, we think, and if coincidentally we get other values, that’s so much more gravy.” Sacks feels “Call Me Madam” will be “ready for TV rights” in a year or so, directly after 20th-Fox filmization has run its course. Likewise, the “Juliet” deal entails an RCA Victor album, certain radio and TV rights, plus other values. Sacks adds, “RCA is very much in show business, directly and in- directly, and plans to play more and more a direct role in show biz.” Brooks Atkinson's review in the N. Y. Times last week of “Camino Real” is an illustration of the : difficulty sometimes involved in tabu- lating notices as pro pr con. On first reading, the review seemed unfavorable, but on reconsideration it was evident that although the critic condemned the theme and content of the Tennessee Williams play, he praised it as a theatrical presentation. So. although the piece was hardly likely to send a reader to the boxoffice, it actually rated as . a positive vote. It occasionally happens that, on the question of whether a review is pro or edm a reader may disagree with the critic who wrote it, presumably because the writer hasn't expressed himself clearly as he assumes. Critics rarely admit writing a no- opinion review, but detached readers are apt to rate many notices as on-the-fence. the Screen Actors Guild was in vited to send a delegate, but de dined to do so. It reportedly claimed that it had no special com- The advent of radio and televi- sion took their toll of the legiti- mate public. Miss Webster stated, but this was not the only factor. mittee dealing with the alien prob- The difficulty of transporting casts 4 « ' «• « . 1 • * a -m amjI 4Vi a imiirilliTi(tiiACC lem, and did not wish to become involved in such negotiations at the present time. Among a number of British thespers, there has always been a feeling that they are too frequent- ly left out in the cold when it comes to film casting, and that, therefore, any Anglo-American pact should be of an all-embracing character controlling every section of entertainment While such thinking persists, there is no thought of delaying the current talks on the' pretext of reaching an industry-wide settle- ment. If a common basis can be found within the next few days, the British union will be ready to ink the agreement and settings and the unwillingness of many actors to tour were oth- ers. Thus, the theatre lost touch with the majority of its public; that public turned to other in-4 teres ts. DOT M’GUIRE TO RUN LAJOLLA.PLAYHOUSE La Jolla, Cal., March 24. With Gregory Peck and Mel Fer- rer busy on film work in Europe, Dorothy McGuire, third of the co- founders and producers of La Jolla Playhouse, will operate the silo this summer with her husband, John Swope. Season will run from June 30 to Aug. 30. Swope, who has been associated with several N.Y. theatrical en- deavors, will function as executive producer for the strawhatter’s sev- enth season. He'll be assisted by Ruth Burch, who has been casting director and associate producer at La Jolla since it was launched by the so-called Actors Co. All mem- bers of the group were under con- tract to David 0. Selznick when the project was started. OUTDOOR DRAMA FIELD UNLIMITED, SEZ SCRIBE Greensboro, N. C., March 24. As time goes on, the outdoor drama, as a new theatre form, will not only bring good entertainment to the whole country, but will also help bridge the gap between the campus and Broadway. * This view w f as expressed by Ker- mit Hunter of the U. of North Carolina, who now has three out- door dramas in production—at Boone and Cherokee, N. C., and at Galesberg, 111. “The outdoor drama is growing by leaps and bounds, with the Carolina Playmakers acting as a kind of clearing house to give ad- vice and assistance,” he explained. “We know of at least a half-dozen new localities ^planning outdoor dramas for 1954.” Hunter was one of the principal speakers at the final session of the fourth annual Southeastern The- atre Conference, held at the U. of North Carolina with the coopera- tion of the National Theatre Con- ference. Hunter, in his address, said that IaJt year approximately 400,000 witnessed the outdoor. productions in -the southeast. “This meant ap- proximately $800,000 in boxoffice receipts and at least $4,000,000 in tourist trade,” he said. “The field of the outdoor drama, tlierefore, is unlimited. Uta Hagen will take over the femme lead in “Deep Blue Sea,” effective May 4, when the Terence Rattigan drama reaches Chicago. She'll succeed Margaret Sullavan .. .Ward Morehouse has resumed his daily drama column in the N. Y. World-Telegram & Sun following a severe illness.. .Jill Melford, who returned to England several months ago after several years in the U. S., is set for the cast of the London company of “Seven Year Itch.” ' Jennie Goldstein is the oldest member of the cast of “Camino Real,” but the only one in the troupe wiio’s a junior member of Actors Equity. Latter is because she’s a recent transfer from the Jewish Actors Guild... Stephan Slane, general manager for the last two seasons at the South Shore Music Circus, Cohasset, Mass., will also have' the title of associate man- aging director this year. David Marshall Holtzmann is attorney and managing director of the tent... Producer Alex Cohen and his wife, costume designer Jocelyn, are visit- ing. tl\e Riviera. Managing director Dorothy Cher- nnck of Rochester’s Arena Theatre will be in New York this weekend, casting for “Nina,” which will open in about a month. Also lining up people for the summer season at the Arena and Corning (N.Y.) Sum- mer Theatre. Samuel Matlowsky, assistant mu- sical director of “Porgy and Bess” flew yesterday (Tues.) to Cannes. There he will conduct two all- Gershwin concerts Saturday (28) and Sunday (29) at the Cannes Music Festival. Winifred Heidt, N.Y. City Opera Co. contralto, has been signed for the dual roles of Mrs. Rip Van Winkle and her twin sister in the new musical, “Rip Van Winkle,” to be premiered this summer at the St. Louis Municipal Opera. Mu- sical was penned by Edwin Mac- Arthur, musical director of the Muny Opera, and Morton Da Costa. Anton Coppola, musical director for the N.Y. legiter, “New Faces,” will take a day off Friday (27) to conduct the Hartford Opera Co.’s production of Verdi’s “Othello,” with Met stars Eleanor Steber, Mario Del Monaco and Robert Weede, at Bushnell Memorial Au- ditorium. [Lester’s ‘Cost Hus’ Deal For Tlanders’ on Coast Prior to Broadway Bow Los Angeles, March 24. The longest pre-Broadway jump in legit history has been worked out for “Carnival in Flanders,” which will open here July 6 as a highlight of the upcoming Civic Light Opera season. Paula Stone- Mike Sloane production goes into rehearsal in the east shortly, and will play Philadelphia and Boston before jumping to the Coast. It will play here for four weeks and then play four weeks in San Francisco under the auspices of the Civic Light Opera Assn, there. It is due Sept. 7 at the Century, N.Y. “Mutually profitable” deal has been worked out, according to CLO managing director Edwin Lester. Understood the show is guaranteed all operating expenses plus rails, in addition to a “modest” weekly profit. Terms of the deal, it’s believed, will enable “Flanders” to recoup part of the production cost and any possible tryout loss sustained in the east. In addition, it permits the show to remain out of New York until the opening of the fall season rather than come in late and try to build during the sum- mer. Posh Equity To Reprise O’Brien Efforts are being made to have Christopher O’Brien, who was oust- ed about a year ago as Coast rep- resentative of Actors Equity, to be returned to the job. Spot became vacant recently with the resigna- tion of Charles Meredith to go into the touring edition of “Affairs of State,” as sub for the ailing George Brent. The latter has since recovered, but Meredith is out as union official. O'Brien, whose ouster by Louis M. Simon, the then executive sec- retary, precipitated a union squab- ble during the winter and spring of 1952, had a number of adherents on the Equity council, and the lat- ter are urging his reappointment to the post. However, others who opposed him on the previous occa- sion, including some who also fav- ored Simon's exit, are fighting the proposal. Those against the move intimate that, if necessary, they will vote to have the “evidence” of a year ago brought out and reconsidered. This “evidence” reportedly con- sists of affidavits and statements by members containing charges of misconduct of various kinds on the part of O’Brien. On the basis of these documents, as w ell as on the testimony of Simon and others, O’Brien’s plea for a vote of con- fidence was turned down by the council and he was permitted to resign. The “evidence” was then sealed on the ground that its publi- cation might be detrimental to the interests of the union. Following. O’Brien’s exit, Willard Swire, an assistant executive secre- tary, was sent to the Coast as tem- porary successor, but he returned to the homeoffice last summer when Meredith was given the as- signment permanently. Swire is understood to be unavailable for the Coast spot again, but pending the selection of a permanent rep- resentative, Francis Clark was sent there from the homeoffice to fill in. No specific date has been set. for Hardwicke’s Change In ‘Midstream’ Upsets Ads Washington, March 24. Entry of Cedric Hardwicke in the cast of “Horses in Midstream,” currently trying out at the Shubert here, involved an advertising situa- tion last week. Since advance ads had listed him for the male lead, as well as stager, of the Andrew Rosenthal play, the house manage- ment insisted .on adding a line to the effect that he wouldn’t actually .appear until the performance last Thursday night (19). The British star had originally been slated to succeed, Geoffrey j the "co^cFto" dedde" on" a'per- Lumb for the scheduled opening here Monday night (16). When that performance was cancelled, he was to have gone on Tuesday (17), but he subsequently decided to skip that and the Wednesday shows.,In demanding and getting the ex- planatory line in jads for the three intervening days, the Shubert man- agement claimed that it had to keep faith with Us local public, which had been led to expect Hard- wicke to appear from the initial performance. manent appointment. Kerr Asked to ‘Tea' John Kerr, who made a click Broadway debut recently in “Ber- nardine,” has been signed for the juve lead in “Tea and Sympathy.” Robert Anderson drama to be pro- duced in- the fall by the Play- wrights Co., with Elia Kazan di- resting. He’s the son of actress June Walker.