Variety (April 1953)

Wednesday, April 22, 1953 psszsm VAUDEVILLE 49 GAMBLING CU MT IN ARIZONA EYE Don’t Pitch Bargains; Give Us Tyros When They Rate 3GT—Cafes to %ers According to the agents in nitery departments of the various offices, bonifaces no longer want bargains in talent. Percenters who have been trying to hawk singers who have made some records which have yet to enter the bestselling lists, are now being told to come back with that singer when he’s worth $3,000, and make a deal. The cafe owners apparently haven’t been picking them right. They say that a singer bought for $350 or thereabouts and without a record rep, doesn't register at* the wickets and they could do just as well by buying a chirper at scale. Of course, several owners have made some fortunate buys such as the Copacabana, N. Y., which originally bought Johnnie Ray at $350, but increased its contract to $1,750 by the time he opened last year. La Vie en Rose, N. Y., bought Joni James for a low amount, and also increased the tab. However, these are comparatively rhre in- stances. The majority of singers bought on speculation have failed to materialize. Consequently, they get loaded *with chirpers who fail to bring in business. * Another factor that’s souring cafe owners on the process of at- tempting to call the turn on up- comers lies in <their inability to hold on to the pikers when they (Continued on page 50) MOSS EMPIRES’NET OVER $317,000 IN ’52 London, April 21. Annual report of Moss Empires, the circuit which controls the Lon- don Palladium, the Prince of Wales, Hippodrome and a string of suburban and provincial houses re- veals a net profit of over $317,000 for the year ended last Dec. 31. To the interim d?:idehd of 7V£% declared last summer, the directors now recommend a final divvy of 12^%, making a total of 20% for the year, the same as in the preced- ing year. Prince Littler, chairman of the board who retires by rota- tion, is offering himself for re-elec- tion at the annual meeting May 7. LEW BLACK and PAT DUNDEE (Beauty and the Least) A new not* (n Glamor Comady GERBER-WEISS AGENCY Broadway,N.Y. Club Date* NAT DUNN Grant's Riviera RESTAURANT AND BAR 158 W. 44 St., New York LU 2-4488 WHERE SHOWBUSENES8 MEETS * TALENT CONTEST* MONDAY NIGHTS Prlxei Professional Engagement Duplltita Print Awardod hi IM Cim at Tin Acad ot Music Shelves 5-Week N.Y. Vasde Try The Academy of Music, N. Y„ abandoned stageshows over the weekend. Business had picked up at the spot during the five weeks of its vaude try, but not enough to warrant continuation.. House still sustained losses. Theatre is part of the Skouras chain. At the Astoria Theatre, Astoria,. L. I., also a Skouras operation, Ray’ Heatherton has been set for one show Sunday (26). He conducts the “Merry Mailman” show on WOR- TV. Nevada O.O.’s Fla. Combo With Yen For Vegas Gold Miami Beach, April 21. Group of Miamians seeking li- cense okay to build a plush new hotel-casino in Las Vegas were told by Nevada Tax Commission this we£k that applicants would have to be investigated first. In Carson City, Nev., to be ques- tioned were Julius Gaines, co-own- er of the Casablanca Hotel here, and city physician Dr. Irving Al- berts. Others associated In the venture are Clover Club owner Jack Goldman and Hollywood pro- ducer Lewis B. (Doc) Mermen. However, Goldman has decided to withdraw from the setup and con- centrate on his cafe and restaurant interests in the Miami area. Gaines, Alberts and Mermen were subjected to grilling on sup- posed connection of gamblers Mor- ris Bischoff, alias Lefty Clark, andk. Charles Tourine. Bischoff was in the original application but dropped out after unfavorable pub- licity here and in Las Vegas. It was denied by the trio that Bis- choff had any further connection with the project. Another Florida group seeking permission to operate a new hotel in Las Vegas is a Palm Beach com- bo headed by Charles Francis (Socker) Coe, the attorney, news- paper publisher and crime-fiction writer, and restaurant operators Matt Tracy and Daniel J. Shalek. Brook to Supermarket Miami Beach, April 21. End of an era came this week with sale of the plush Brook Club to a supermarket chain, with the former swank cafe-casino due for rebuild by the new owners. Once the mecca for society types (Continued on page 50) VS. VEGASLURE Hollywood, April 21. Arizona is how trying to provide competition for Nevada. Several bodies such as tourist bureaus are putting out feelers on feasibility to introduce legislation to permit gambling in Tucson and Phoenix. It’s believed that there’s a terrific potential in building up both towns as a resort to draw the monied ele- ments from Hollywood and else- where. However, they think that casino operations are necessary to insure success of a venture of this kind. It's reported that conversations are being held with legislators, realty and hotel interests in an effort to line up. heavy coin for luxury hotels when and if permis- sive legislation can be passed. However, Arizona’s bid for ca- sino coin is still in the blueprint stage. The state has some excel- lent talking points such as its closer proximity to the film capital than Las Vegas, and its location in the desert country where tour- ist business has been on the uptake for the past few years. Okay on the green felts would put Tucson and Phoenix into the real money and attract much new revenue. Arizona thus joins Mexico, which is also casting glances at the money being spent in Las Vegas. There have been reports that some inter- ests would like to get government permission to reopen the casino at Tijuana. Now there are other in- terests which would like to get (Continued on page 54) C0C0ANUT GROVE SETS BILLS 4 MONTHS AHEAD Los Angeles, April 21. Cocoanut Grove bookings now are set for the next four months, the longest consecutive stretch, the Ambassador Hotel’s room has cinched in some time. Jack Smith, who replaced Lucienne Boyer when the French chanteuse and the Grove agreed to cancel her stint, headlines until netft week, when he will be succeeded by Anne Jef- freys & Robert Sterling. . Following the Sterlings, Grove has the Jimmy McHugh revue opening May 20; Frankie Laine, June 3; Peter Lind Hayes & Mary Healy, June 24, and Patachou, July 15. All are three-week book- ings. Bands during the period will be Jack Fina, following the cur- rent Benny Strong, and Ted Fio Rito. PhiDy-AGVA Tiff Marks Tune as Judge Reserves Decision on Injunction Plea ■4- Gaiety, MontT, to Tee Off With Gyp Lee 2-a-Day The Gaiety Theatre, Montreal, is slated to relight Monday (27) with Gypsy Rose Lee headlining. Pata- chou is under negotiations for the May 4 show. House, booked by A1 & Belle Dow Agency, N. Y., will be on a two-a-day policy at a $2 top. Tommy Conway of Montreal is also associated with the booking of the spot. Gaiety’s opening will give Mon- treal two stageshow outlets. Other house is the Seville, which is booked through Danny Friendly, RKO booker. This house operates on a continuous policy. Hilton-Madrid to Booh Talent Out of London The Hilton-Madrid, the new Con- rad Hilton hotel now being con- structed in Madrid, will book its bands and talent from England. Orch for the opening festivities, slated for around July 1, has been ordered from the Maurice Winnik Agency in London. Acts will also emanate from the British capital. Carny Games Face Ban At New Hampshire Fairs Carnival midways'at New Hamp- Carnival midways at New Hamp- shire’s fairs face extinction if the Senate adopts and the House of Representatives concurs in a meas- ure now before the upper branch’s judiciary committee. The measure, aimed at all gam- bling except such forms as beano and horse races, which have been specifically legalized, is being fought by Lester F. Mitchell, rep- resenting the New Hampshire Fairs Assn. Mitchell told the legislative com- mittee that the proposed law would certainly end the traditional midway at New Hampshire’s fairs and would “hurt the fairs financial- ly and socially.” New York Journal-Amcrican ! “LUCILLE and EDDIE R0DERTS Present Hie meet baffling mind*reading act current today.” "Wo had a wonderful evening at The Pierre** Cetillien Room Tuesday night." 4 LOUIS SOBOL, April 17th, 1953 MCA Welfare? Tax Acts In 25G Class, Sez Walters to AGVA Lou Walters, operator of the Latin Quarter, N. Y., and prexy of the Theatre Restaurant Owners of America, is proposing to the Amer- ican Guild of Variety Artists a tax on performers who do not regular- ly work the vaude-nitery orbit, as a substitute for the present method of welfare payments. Walters stated that performers such as Ezio Pinza, Lauritz Mel- chior, Nelson Eddy, Tallulah Bank- head, Van Johnson and others who come into Las Vegas and work temporarily at salaries ranging up to $25,000 weekly can well afford to pay a union welfare tax ranging from 1% to 5%. Performers of this type, Walters declared, come in to take the work of performers who work the field regularly, skim off the cream'and have no further truck with cafes or cafe owners. These performers, Walters stated, would never miss the payment of a welfare tax. Melchior, accord- ing to Walters, came into Las Vegas and worked for three weeks for $50,000. Pinza got the same sum from the Sands Hotel there, and Eddy received $12,500. A 5% tax on their salaries would work no hardship on these performers, he said. At the same time, they would help the indigent in the va- riety field at virtually no cost to them. As It is, they only pay a small dues scale, a negligible cost, in relation to their salaries. Walters said that the union should not expect nightclub own- ers to pay a $2.50 weekly welfare tax for those performers earning as much in a couple of months as the President of the United States earns in a year. The Latin Quarter operator re- turned last week from Nevada. He spent some time in Las Vegas and looked over Tahoe Village, Lake Tahoe, which he’ll operate this summer. Philadelphia, April 21, Hassle between nitery actors and Philly Cafe Owners Assn, marked time while Judge William H. Kirk- patrick reserved decision on an in- junction petition sought by cafe- men to restrain American Guild of Variety Artists and the Seafarera International Union, both AFL, from picketing local spots. After a three-day hearing in U. S. District Court on bill in equity filed by James L. Price, counsel for cafe ops, Judge Kirk- patrick set next Tuesday (28) for oral argument. Injunction case, which was first opened in Phila- delphia courts, was moved to Fed- eral jurisdiction because Price con- tended AGVA’s welfare fund clause in new “minimum basic agreement” was a violation of Taft- Hartley Act. At the close of hearing (15) Dick Jones, AGVA’s eastern regional di- rector, said union was not prohib- ited from picketing, but resump- tion of picketing would “depend on the actions of the nightclub operators.” Indications were theft dispute would move *to amicable settle- ment. By weekend there was no longer any sign of a walkout by AGVA, or the lockout by the ops’ association. All Philly cafes were operating as usual, agreements having been * reached between AGVA and the last clubs at a noon meeting Friday (17). Cafemen held session yesterday (Mon.) in the Bellevue Stratford Hotel- and heard summary of case by Price and report-of the associ- ation’s president, Herman Comroe. Cafe owners’ feeling is to await outcome of case In District Court and let Government decide issues in “minimum basic agreement.” Wayne King to N. O. New Orleans, April 21. Wayne King and his package show open in the Blue Room of Roosevelt Hotel here Thursday (23) for four weeks. Wayne will be followed into the spot by Sophie Tucker May 21. TBUU STEVBNS “Ttrri Sttvsns holds every audience In the palm of her hand.” —A, GOLDSTEIN, Boulevard, New York Ciirrantly at: BOULEVARD, Long Island ■TAB MANAGEMENT 846 7th Ave., Now York BAyaldn 4-0816 Chi Orchid’s Next Three Chicago, April 21. The Black Orchid has lined up its next three shows. Mary Kaye Trio comes in April 28 for a month with Gene Terry, Irish singer, sup- plementing the show. Herb Jef- fries, along with Eddie & Lucille Roberts, mentalists, are set for May 26. Juanita Hall has been inked for June 23 and Hamish Menzies is being sought for the same bill. Lou Miller and Eddie Kaplan have merged into a single office. N. Y.. agency will book burlesque theatres and cafes. LOU FOLDS ORIGINAL MAGICAL JUGGLER JUST RETURNED AFTER TWO SUCCESSFUL YEARS IN S. ; AMERICA AND EUROPE INCLUDING SAVOY, LONDOn-MOULin BOUSE,PARIS, CASSINA DELLA ROSE, ROME ARD OTHER TOR SPOTS