Variety (April 1953)

so VAO>EVIIXE T^SaWtf VeJncBJay f April S, 1953;' A.C. Gets a B.O. in Its Bonnet ■X . * > As Easter Sun Joins Parade Atlantic City, April 7. j This resort had one of its best Easter Sundays in years as 300,000 joined the Easter parade on the long Boardwalk under a- beaming sun which kept the thermometer in the high 60s. Lone-fly in the ointment was the Saturday night rain, which sent business below expected figures. All operations gained by this, the first holiday to bring a great influx of visitors. Steel Pier brought in Vaughn Monroe for its huge Marine ballroom, while the Four Aces headed its Vaudeville. Most hotels reported capacity weekend book- ings, and their cafes offered added attractions, while most nightclubs augmented their shows for the Sat- urday evening crowds. Feature of the afternoon was the DONALD RICHARDS Star of "THERE'S MUSIC IN THE AIR" FRIDAYS, CBS RADIO NETWORK, 9-10 P.M., EST Personal Mgt, DAVID L. SHAPIRO AL 4-107 7 COMEDY MATERIAL For All Branches of Theatricals FUN-MASTER THE ORIGINAL SHOW-BIZ GAG FILE (The Service of the STARS) First 13 files $7.00—All 35 Issues $25 Singly: $1.05 Each IN SEQUENCE ONLY Beginning with No. 1—No Skipping! • 3 Bks. PARODIES, per book..$10 • • MINSTREL BUDGET $25 • • 4 BLACKOUT BKS., ea. bk...$25 • • BLUE BOOK (Gags for Stags) $50 • HOW TO MASTER THE CEREMONIES $3.00 GIANT CLASSIFIED ENCYCLOPEDIA OF GAGS, $300. Worth over a thousand No C.O.D.'s BILLY GLASON 200 W. 54th St.. New York 19-Dept. V Circle 7-1130 selection of the best 1953 Easter bonnets with 10 women in the pa- rade chosen by Magda Gabor, here to open out-of-season theatre, and her mother, Jolie. Another feature, cuffo to the public and well attended, was a concert made possible through the cooperation of the resort’s musi- cians’ union and staged in the aft- ernoon in the ballroom of Conven- tion Hal. Roger Kay conducted the concert, directing the 52 men in a program picked for popular consumption. Dennis McMahon was featured soloist. Sunrise services conducted at the end of Steel Pier Sunday morning drew a crowd of approximately 5,000. This is an annual fixture on the resort’s Easter program. ,3 ‘Exotics,’ Miami Op Fined on ‘Lewd’ Charge; AGYA Seeks New Trial Miami, April 7. - Three “exotic” dancers and the owner of the Rainbow Inn were found guilty in Court of Crimes here on charges of allowing and performing “lewd” dances. The performers were fined $100 each with the owner, Lou Brooks, taking a $150 rap. Quartet were brought up on the charge under the recently passed ordinance which reform elements had pushed through in campaign to crack down on stripperies and femme impersonator spots. Though the dancers, Loretta Day,'Debbie Reese and Lynn' Marlin, insisted, that their costumes conformed with regulations posted in dressing room, sheriff’s deputies who made the arrest insisted their perform- ances were lewd. Representatives o f American Guild of Variety Artists are asking for a new trial. San AntonesTop Orchs San Antonio, April 7. ' Col, 3. F. Chadwick; own6r and operator of Club Sevenoaks here, has lined up several name bands for the spots. Artie Shaw will appear April 21- 25, Harry • James, May 1-2, and Billy May, May 15. Niteries on Climb Continued from page 47 AGVA Tightens Rules in Midwest ♦ _ M _ _ ^ v To Beat Chi Bookers’ Loopholes London Ciro’s ‘Mourning’, London, April 7, x Ciro’s club shuttered its main room during the period of court mournings. Decision was taken because of the many cancellations received after the death of Queen Mary. The nitery closed its main room earlier in the year for redecoration and reopened a few weeks ago. weekends is sufficient to get the spot off the nut and operation the rest of the week is just that much to-the good. Extensive Potential Besides, the suburban operator { is able to draw from an extremely wide area. The current building boom in the outlying districts is adding to the bonifaces’ potential audiences. Feeling by customers is that it’s better to drive a few miles than to brave midcity traffic; get free parking as against charges as high as $2.50 for storing the car for a few hours; and at the same time, get entertainment on the Same scale as it available in mid- town. What’s more, unless advance reservations are made in the top midtowneries, it’s virtually impos- sible to get in on *a weekend. Thus, it’s safer to take a chance on get- ting a table at a spot nearer home. Another item in favoi of the out- lying areas is'the diminishing num- ber of big midcity niteries. Along [ Broadway, during the past few years, the Havana-Madrid (later the 500), Diamond Horseshoe, (later the French Casino); and the' Gild- ed Cage, which had a succession of names, have disappeared. This has created a severe underseating prob- lem, especially on weekends. Yet, it’s hazardous to attempt to reopen these places at this time because of the shortage of sufficient names. Aping Emporiums Thus the cafes are following In a groove already traveled by the ma- jor department stores, which have found decentralization to be suc- cessful. As far as talent is concerned, the acts feel that they can get their price in the hinterlands and use that opportunity to break in new material. It’s been found that a date in the suburbs doesn't Inter- fere with a stand in the midcity spot, where they must land in or- der to maintain their reputations. Growth of suburbia is generally a healthy sign, for the cafe biz. It’s a challenge to create .'-new audi- ences, provide spots where acts can develop -and yet offer, enter- tainment on a high metropolitan level. The THREE EDWARDS BROS (3 Men and a Piano) MUSIC - ACROBATIC - NOVELTY Visiting Mom and Dad While * Appearing in Our Hometown at the SEVILLE THEATRE Montreal, Canada % * and Then on to Europe for an Extended Tour Starting at the PALLADIU M ; London Opening April 20 (for 3 Weeks) and DOUBLING in the SAVOY HOTEL j London Thanks to Brian Roxbury of LEW Sc LESLIE GRADE, LTD. European Representative U.S.A. Representative 0 MATTY ROSEN 165 W. 46th St., New York City Chicago, April 7. American Guild of Variety Art- ists here is girding for a last-ditch showdown with Chicago Entertain- ment Managers’ Assn. \nd the Chi- cago Cafe Owners Assn. Last week the local board of the union, with several members of the national board in attendance, passed several strong resolutions to try and pre- vent circumvention of the “unfair” agent and act listings. It’s an open secret that many turns are doing club date and location dates for those agents. Most powerful suggestion ap- proved calls for acts, when enter- ing Chi territory, to report to branch AGVA headquarters with respect to wprk here, or with a contract that they may have o))-: tained when working out-of-town, and. shall notify branch manager in any midwest area of their pres- ence and intentions within 36 hours of their arrival. Failure to do will gubject the act to disciplinary board action. In other Words, contracts issued by. an “unfair”**agent in Chicago to, say, a date in Indianapolis, will be caught by the AGVA rep in that town if the act reports when he arrives. If the affair is policed, as it has been in out-of-town dates, acts might be caught there. How- ever, in most cases these contracts are being issued through an agent on the approved list or the con- tracts are being made direct with the employer and promoter of the affair. Direct Negotiations Other resolution approved asked that principals engage in direct negotiation with operators, lodge or benevolent committeemen, or an AGVA franchised agent, Ernie Fast, midwest regional head, is sending out a list of approved agents to all branch. of flees this week. Fast also called in all fran- chised agents last week, asking for cooperation in trying to curb the “outcast” bookers. It’s reported that he has also added several reps to police club dates and cate book- ings, but mainly in the out-of-town areas. ' • In retaliation, the new agents group gained seven new members last week, who promised to work with, the club bookers and also help set the acts for the Chicago Cafe Owners Assn. New joiners are: Bert Peck, Jack Black, Pat De jJTarlo, Jack Montgomery, Mort Schiff, Caeser Aragoni and Hal Cowles. Most of them are either in the casual field or pact acts for strip spots. Saranac Lake By Happy Benway ’ Saranac Lake, N. Y., April 7. “We the Patients” thank Kroger Babb, prexy of Hallmark Produc- tions, for sending us the feature film. “Prince of Peace.” Birthday greetings to William Joyner, Patricia Pritchard and Morris Dennison, all doing extra well. Theresa (IATSE) Coppersmith came here a year ago a worried little girl and leaves for Gotham with a definite all-clear. Norma Lattimore (Warner Bros., Indianapolis) all agog over first good clinic that upped her for meals in main hall. Ditto for Louie (& Pops) Williams, Jesus (Gracia) Dominguez and John (IATSE) Streeper. Carnations to Joe McCarthy, John J. Garvey and John C. Mc- Dowell, executives of IATSE, for making the Easter holiday a mer- rier and happier one for many of the less fortunates here. Eddie (& Hurst) Vogt, columnist, back from Manhattan overjoyed with “The Seven Year Itch’ r and “Guys & Dolls,” lauding both as a sure cure for the blues. Allie Hansen, theatre manager from Chicago, registered for the general observation routine. An extra boost goes to Alice (M-G) Farley, Franklin (IATSE) Frady, Thurman (RKO) Sims, Ruth Cockrill and Sam (RKO) Kelly for their progress. Eva Wecker in from Manhattan for the church holiday season to bedside her husband, Morris, whose progress is tops. Write to those who are ill. TERRI STEVENS “I wtt ssrry (• ««« Terri Stevens close her engage, ment At eur Carousel Club because slit won st many friends by her fine ptrfermance. I hope we can have her back before long."—Bill Heller, Carousel, Pittsburgh, Pemsylvanla. Opening April 16 at:' BOULEVARD. NRW YORK CITY STAR MANAGEMENT $44 7th Ave.r New Yerk BAsIde 4-091$ Byron and Margaret Ann TALBOT Currently ROOSEVELT HOTEL New Orleans, La. Thanks TOM MART^I G.A.C* ROMANCE IN SONG " ATLANTA BILTMORf HOTEL Atlanta, Georgia (April 3rd-April 25th) FOR SALE OR LEASE MUSIC QIRCUS Ntw Tent, 1000 capacity,, cement ramps. large house, 6 acres of land, parking 1000 machines on state high- way. Exceptional bargain. Reason for selling: health, Box 432, Ware- ham, Mass. SONI CORTI “International Singer’' At the Piano: JOHN COOKE Currently CHALFONTE -■ HADDON HALL Atlantic City Just Concluded Second Engagement BRITISH COLONIAL HOTEL Nassau, Bahamas Direction: JIMMY GRADY, HOWARD 1AN1N MANAGEMENT, INC. JUdson 6-3045