Variety (April 1953)

20 PICTURES Wedaeadwy, April I, 1953 Paris ’53 Baedeker Continue* from page | on to other parts of Europe due »to the HCL here. The Bureau de * Tourism has taken steps to combat J this by having hotels list prices i and taxes on full bill instead of suddenly adding them. It is still shorn feeling- after they the lucre. Syndicat feels that the Paris nitery scene is usually an tie of the high high life and the | houses a revue, “Injustine,”- which usual epidermis exposure. Martini’s l chronicles the sad destiny of a here give fair floorshows t curvaceous chick whose innocence . . with a modicum of top staging but \ and virtue are constantly threat- important part of the tourists hon- nlenty of fle^h. Drinks are in av- ;ened throughout the five tableaux, zon.here, and hope to try to get erase category here. Other boites i Worked in are hep song acts and; his patronage without earning his on ^this level are salted all over | comedy to make this an eye-catch- :• anger or feeling that he has been the section and supply, their wares l er for the Gallic cabaret crowd. ’ taken. * « « _ _i t HdIo*UaS> Pad Continued from page 3 and champagne at Les NaturistesJ The western style Crazy Horse Romance, Caprice Viennoise, In- s Saloon, a block from the George V different and Paradise. A niqhe■■ Hotel, houses on its miniscule above those is the Eve and the \ stage a takeoff on American gang- Nouvelle Eve. Run by ReneBardy, I ster pix. Though humor is facfie , the=e display better floorshows \ and pacing not always tops, this f and pulchitrude. Eve adds a cover i has its share of trade and plenty S in®. Under the deal, each Ameri- (entrance charge) of $1.50 and j of machinegun humor jt s all the jean company must make available the Nouvelle Eve has a cover of f participants finally get taken for a [ two of its pix for possible.handling $3. Tabs can mount here; the Non-1 ride. -by indie Italo distribs. Latter, in voile Eve also nicks $15 for cham- Le Chat Noir is a new Pigalle I the past, haven’t had access to pagne. It also features attractive I fcoite that was the original chan- j cream Hollywood px and have com- taxi dancers for the stags who \ sonnier in 1870 and has been resur- j plained about this situation. ” — charge 50c a dance. Shows are j reeled with a treadmill show of (American distrib can’t coi If an charge 50c a dance. Shows are f rectea witn a irea nmm snow oi; American oistruo can t come to slick and of high calibre with cos-1 singers, comics and mimes in an {terms on the two pix, it can dis- 1 old baroque decor. [tribute them through its own fa- Leffc Bank [cHities. turning and pacing always stand- out. Roe Pigalle TJp VS. Biz To $€,000,000 With Italy generally considered The Left Bank still has its two Pigalle also is dotted with the \ big existentialist caves—the Rose offbeat places such as the limp j Rouge and Le Fontaine Des Qua-: a $12,000,000 market, the new pact wrist show at Madame Arturs; the i tres Saisons which packs in those should bring the American Indus- masculine dames at Mouse; while j wanting a hep show. Both have try about $6,000,000 at the official a kaleidoscopic floor show at Lib-[their smai theatre groups in j ^te of exchange. This breaks down erty’s, which runs for four hours, I a musin g parody numbers sur- • into $4,800,000 representing 40% packs in a lot of topnotch acts f. rounded by fine offbeat song andj 0 f revenue; $1,000,000 on the plus a hilarious atmosphere. These f puppet acts that draw a steady \ strength of 'dubbing permits, and Amusement Stock Quotations f]V,y, Stock Exchange) For Week Ejnding Tuesday (31) clubs are all in the $15 champagne category but $5 it bead is the av- erage. The Moulin Rouge is a large, garish, big seating cabaret that features a musichaTl show and puts a service charge of 75c to get in and a moderate $2 for mixed drinks f scotch or rye; cognac and champagne cost cheaper per drink). Too upholstered and chrome-plated for old time atmos- phere, it still has the monicker pull Bal Tabarin, famed tourist lure, will reopen in May after a nine- month shuttering for refurbishing and lining up of a new show. It will still give out with its lush, rococo floor show replete with mecanno gimmicks and the usual high powered production numbers. The “Paris By Night," buses will again unload their fare at the Tabarin. The Lido, the lusheiy on the Champs-Elysees, which, did some of the bus biz during a slow win- ter, is now’ girding for its new show in June. Nitery still has the $5 minimum and still gives out with the best cabaret show in town. A combo ice and floorshow, this has pace, costuming and well selected acts to make this a usual must-see for visitors. • The plush Drap d’Or, near the Hotel George V, functions as a top- j liner house and will probably have Edith Piaf for the carriage and tourist trade in June. It now houses Suzy Solidor and Colette Mars, two of the top sophisto diseuses here. Tab here is padded to the $15 category. Carrere’s is the other Champs plushery which gets the after-theatre crowd and usually features dancing and a few selected acts. Le Carroll’s is a show biz haunt that gets the younger set and features a name chanter most of the the time. Other plush danceries which are the places to be seen for the cafe set are Jimmy’s and the Elephant Blanc in Montparnasse. Chez Flor- ence in Pigalle; and the Dinar- zade, near the Etoile. These are all in the Stork Club-El Morocco category. More Cabaret-Theatres New tendency here has been a reversion to old style cabaret-the- atre dubs which feature an in- time revue for those who really want to see the show and be stim- ulated as well as titillated. L’Am- . iral, off the Champs-Elysees, has a hep young troupe sparked by droll trio, Jean Richard, Roger Pierre and Jean-Marc Thibault, whose flock of sketches are in the high yock level, and draw a big part of the show biz crowd here. Le Night Club, next door, also has a small revue to cut into the swing, and further down, the Villa D’- Este has built a show around the sentimento comeback of old cinema time Idol, Henri Garat, who sings old Gallic street songs in a raspy voice. Garat gets the pic crowd who are giving him a big sendoff. Chez Gilles, in the Opera dis- trict, has a long show, a la the “chansonniers,” with scads of acts, skits and songs. All are top level and this makes for .a fine Gallic clienteles Prices of these are in the $2 category for a mixed drink. The Club De St Germain, which, was a forerunner of the existen- tialist caves, has now gone carioca. Though it still has the member- ship gimmick to allay cabaret taxes an added 5% of coin accumulated and blocked at the end of the year. It’s estimated at about $5,000,000. The 10% “loan” to the Italian in- dustry comes to $1,200,000 and is to be used partly to finance IFE as long as it sticks to plugging pix * Actual sales. (Quotations furnished by Dreyfus A Co.) one is ushered into a room full of! and not distributing them. [ rmnba and South American decor | prior to Johnston’s departure for I rather than the smoky jazz outline ' of yore. Other niteries are cash- ing in on a pop appeal of the carioca atmosphere. La Macumba ‘Pan’ March B.O. Champ Continued from page 4 Italy (accompanied by Paramount’s j .j ates ^ the first two weeks of the f tions. “Back on Broadway” (WB) George Weltner and MPAA econo- 1 mist Griffith Johnson) officers of features dancing and the contor- tive wriggling of Aisita. Also in this category is the Habana Mex- ico, the Puerta Del Sol, the 6th Avenue, a new plush intimery catering to and angling for the {.carriage trade, and the Canne Au Sucre {Sugar Cane Club), featur- ing two refugees from Katharine Dunham, Othella Strozier and Byron Cutler. Tank Invasion American clubs are still spring- ing up here, with the Princess Room, in the large Cafe de Paris, run by Muriel Gaines and Roger Callaway catching on with the U. S. Government set and looking like a perm adjunct to this facet of nitery biz here. Dick Edwards, who runs the Ringside here, a rea- sonable boite with jazz offerings which gets the young Gallic and American set, has branched out and opened a new boite off the Champs-Elysees. Called Sassy’s, it features Laura Mitchell and the Billy Moore Trio. Success will be touch-and-go proposition with the American club ranks still big enough to support those wanting this sort of atmopshere. Spivy’s East Side is still a late mecca, and the newly-formed Independent Mo- tion Picture Distributors Assn, of America obtained from the MPAA month obviously held it down. } was sixth one session but general- “Bwana* Devil” lUA), sixth in j Iy did not live up to hopes. February, plainly indicated the : sustained interest in 3-D by land- {ing seventh in March. “Naked pre^-a pledge that he would try to S s ^, took e ightii money , eliminate the use of American com ! " ,. _ , - j i for IFE distribution from any new agreement, IMPDA prexy Joseph Burstyn said Monday (30) that his group would accept “in good faith” the Italian government’s assurances. But he said his group would keep close watch ou developments, and may still go to Washington to seek ah end to IFE distribution activi- ties with money still left over from the last agreement. American distribs also haven’t been happy with IFE’s switch to distribution. Observers comment, however, that the assurances re- attesting to the continued popular- ity of James Stewart, who not only surmounted the title hut the onus of it being another westerner. “The Star” (20th), with Bette Davis, scored mainly in bigger key cities, wound up ninth. “Jeopardy” (M-G) was 10th, not shaping up as strongly as some Barbara Stanwyck pix. “City Beneath Sea” (U), just getting started, showed enough to capture the 11th spot “Niagara” (20th), seventh in February ratings, rounded out the Top 12 list . “Jazz Singer” (WB), which fin- ished 10th in February, topped the runner-up films. “Battle Circus” ceived by Johnston may not mean ; (M _ G) ^ " Ba d and Beautiful” much in practical effect, since the line between promoting and dis- tributing can be rather finely drawn. While it’s agreed that there is unhappiness in Italy over IFE, it’s also realized that, in setting up •M-G), the latter second in Feb- sions. ruary, films. New, strong array of pictures was launched late in the month. “By the Light of Silvery Moon’ Oscaring helped “High Noon* (UA), which was brought back in several keys to take advantage of the Academy Awards. Same was true of “Quiet Man” (Rep), which months ago had finished its key dates. “Blue Gardenia” (WB) was rated big in Washington.... “Thunderbirds” (Rep), on ex- tended-run in N.Y., is turning in, its most profitable engagement at the Holiday Theatre there. "Mem- ber of Wedding’’ (Col) did nicely in numerous dates over the coun- try, mostly small art houses. “Anna” (IFE), which headed the runnerup pix one week, was prin- cipally fine to big. It is now on a highly profitable Iongrun at the N.Y. Globe. “Confidentially Con- nie” (M-G), good in some spots, had a number of disappointing ses- were the other runnerup ! “Girls in Night” (U), ace runner- 1 up pic one week, is proving a [ money-maker where plugged along ! sensational lines. “Hitch-Hiker” (RKO) was great on its initial play- its own dstnbution branches and (WB) starte d well at the N.Y. Music hiring personnel, the agency mj Mlast weet since it - s tbe Hall’s have gone-m too deep to permit a, pieture . it * insured , sudden turnabout. j o{ a m^ing start as a high grosser, was ninth another week. “Break IFE is still operating on a $550,- ; ir* n n winfiinu nn itc first \ ing Sound Barrier” (UA) added date in Boston. “All Ashore” (Col) did well enough one week to land 12th spot. “Golden Condor” (20th) nnr . . . . mu t “Salome” (Col), winding up its first 000 loan received a year ago. There ; at fte N .y. Rivoli last night as L'Abbaye, the tiny boite run by ‘ is still plenty of money left for it if j a shaoes as a big winner Gordon Heath and Lee Payant, the Home govemmenf wants to | ^eScate^ o'f the t enS! tlTon #1 11/1111 ^ 1*1 4 La fail vuVa «*vam 4 ( AAnTinuo itivocfincf it in TkT? A• ** ing Sound Barrier” (UA) added substantial coin, although fairly well played out in main key cities. draws in the faithful who want an | continue investing it in IFE. Ac- earful of folk music. Mars Club ; cording to Jonas Rosenfield Jr., is a good relaxing bar for an after- { IFE v.p. f the org should know by show drink, and the L'Arlequin September “whether we are within i XL _ f_ _11 * • . • ^ 1 *1 * 1 ^ A M AA a€ A/ll £ features the bellowing of Fats Ed- wards and the jazz of Claude Boll- ing. Gone from the scene are Jean’s Intrigue and Chez Inez which folded this winterl Filling out the nitery scene are the high price fiddle boites which are in the $18 champagne league, but offer lush surroundings, blind- ing violins and Russian elegance. These are the traditional Mon- seigneurs, Ciro’s, Scheherazade, Don Juan, Les Grands Seigneurs and Casanova. There is also the well produced femme impersonation show at Le Carrousel; the many folk song caves around the St. Michel dis- trict which, for a dollar tab, give out in atmosphere and medieval folkeries plus a look-see at sub- terranean museums. Among these are the -Caveau Ve La Boule, Caveau Des Oubliettes and the Caveau De La Huchette. In this district are also the belly-wagging Arab joints which feature “le danse du ventre,” couscous and shish-ke-bab. Nitery owners are hoping for the rush which they think will follow in the van of the Coronation when most visitors will take the channel hop. They realize that the ten- dency, of Late among tourists has been to cut Paris stays and move striking distance of becoming self- sustaining.” By that time, IFE will have five pix in distribution. The Ame rica n inches have charged that IFE could finally push them out of the market. This has been denied by the Italian agency. Under the new Italian agreement, IFE not only could not use Ameri- can coin to -distribute, but also has to end the practice of making ad- vances on Italian production. Spinrad Consultant On Colombia U. Program Leonard Spinrad, formerly news editor of Warner Bros.* homeoffice flackery, has been named consult- ant on entertainment motion pic- tures to the Bicente nni al Commit- tee of Columbia U. A public relations officer of Army Pictorial Service during the war, Spinrad will handle liaison with the major film companies and others in the entertainment field. Film participation in various phases of the Bicentennial and coverage of the program is now in the blueprint stage. Herman Hickman makes his screen bow as a college football coach in UI’s “All-American,” its preem engagement. ’Madam* Starting Big “Call Me Madam” (20th), which drew rave reviews in N.Y., like-; wise teed off big at the N.Y. Roxy, with indications that it might be- come a top grosser over the coun- try. It also was solid on its LA. opening. “Lili” (M-G) did smash biz on its two initial playdates, one a small art theatre in N.Y. “Desert Legion” (U), also teed off sock in Minneapolis and big in Buffalo. "I Love Melvin” (M-G), which finished ninth one week, came through with several strong- to-big sessions. “Seminole” (U) was stout in LA. and okay in Denver. “President’s Lady” (20th) started okay in Baltimore and was lively in Washington. “Stars Are Singing” (Par), rated as a major disappoint- ment, appears to have won enough dates to establish Rosemary Clooney for her next pic. “Down Among Sheltering "Palms” (20th) so far has proved somewhat un- even. “Ma, Pa Kettle on Vacation” (U) was big on its preem in Providence. “Destination Gobi” (20th) was fair in Frisco and Buffalo. “Never Wave at Wac” (RKO), runnerup picture two weeks, turn- ed in some good-to-solid sessions. “Man Behind Gun” (WB), a 12th- place winner one week, was main- ly good to brisk. “Tonight We Sing” (20th) was neat in Minne- apolis but fair in some other loca- Theatre TV Continued from page 4 caL He had a deal all lined up for “Pal Joey,” but delay in reaching an agreement with Actors Equity killed the event, since “Joey” takes to the road during April. Rosen, who has reached agreements with all the other unions involved, met again Saturday (28) with Equity prez Ralph Bellamy in order to set up a satisfactory scale for the per- formers. Should Equity and Thea- tre TV interests come to an ar- rangement, Rosen will attempt to close a deal with another Broadway musical. He reports that the pro- ducers of at least one current legituner have displayed interest. Harold Azine, head of Closed- Circuit Theatre TV, is pitching the televising of baseball games. His proposal, depending on the accept- ance of exhibs, involves the tele- casting of “away” games in cer- tain major league cities. Similar efforts at telecasting of sports events with a local interest have been attempted in the past, but haven't met with success. Nate Hal- pern, of TNT, discloses he’s work- ing on a number of attractions, but so far has kept them closely Under wraps. Tele-Conference has been silent since the blowup of the pro 1 * posed telecast of a Bendix sales meeting.