Variety (April 1953)

66 VAUDEVILLE P^RfSf? Wednesday, April 29, 1953 AGVA Vs. RC Music Hall On Dismissal of Dancer To ARA in Union’s Tussle With EMA Chicago, April 28, 4 : Ernie Fast, midwest regional„ Darccl, Mata-Hari to End manager of the American Guild of j w -at y >K9 Q w ino* Variety Artists, claimed more ad- ^ err€ » &WUl * variety at u> , klowoff show for the season at herents last week m his fight (he Cotulion Hoom of the Hotel against the Chicago Entertainment j pj errCf n.y., will be kicked off next Managers’ Assn, over latter’s re- fusal to contribute to-the welfare Tuesday (5) with Denise Darcel and Mata & Hari. They’re in for a ; five-week stand. Current three- , , ; nve-weex siana. ^unem, uucc- tuna ‘ „ , , j’weeker features Dorothy Sarnoff Fast said that Goldie Cohan had an(J men talists Lucille & Eddie joined Artists Representatives j Roberts> Assn., the group that is bargaining j Room w ill relight Sept. 15 with with AGVA. He also stated that | Hildegarde, who’s pencilled in for Hal Lawrence h^d applied directly i a 12-week run. « to the union for a license. Although Jack Montgomery, in the Milton Schuster office, was re- ported to have joined EMA, Fast said that Schuster himself intends to keep his AGVA franchise. How- ever, as yet there have been no new repercussions as to acts play- ing for “unfair” listed agents either here or out-of-town. Of course, most of those agents are working through ARA members or the employer for the date. ARCHIE ROBBINS Now Headlining San Souci Hotel. Miami Beach BERT STONE & EDDIE SHINE Now Headlining Nautilus Hotel. Miami Beach SHEILA BARRETT Now Headlining Olympia Theater, Miami Booked by HERBERT MARKS AGENCY 152 W. 54th St. 600 Lincoln Rd. New York Miami Beach RALPH and MARY CARNEVALE IN A DANCING MOOD Currenty CHICAGO Theatre Thanks to Jack Rael and Patti Pag# Direction: GAC Columbus Cafes In Talent Upbeat Columbus, April 28. % Columbus is jumping after a winter of success that Joe Alexan- der has enjoyed with bookings at his Club Palm Gardens and Ben Cowall’s promoting of one-night stands. Within a month the town will have experienced an enter- tainment onslaught that .totes up to 16 artists booked into three niteries, a restaurant and Memo- rial Hall, Palm Gardens last week featured Earl (Fftha) Hines. Ella Mae Morse was scheduled with him but bowed out because of laryngitis. Mel Torme is at the Palms cur- rently along with A1 Pellegrini, pianist, and Murray Parker, jug- gler-magician-ventriloquist. Start- ing May 4, Sugar Ray Robinson comes in for a week and on May 18, Stan Kenton for a seven-day stands The spot is dickering for Robert Q. Lewis. . Lou Posey’s Frolics is now ex- hibiting Jack Teagarden arid has return engagements booked with Bobby Hackett, Muggsy Spanier, Phil Napoleon and others. At Tony Delewese-s ‘ Riviera, yrhere Don Cornell kicked off a name policy last week, Connee Boswell is now holding forth and Francis Langford is tagged for seven days starting May 4. Promoter Co wall, who also has laid a foundation for the present upbeat trend with one-night en- gagements through the winter, has .the Benny Goodman-Louis Arm- strong troupe ticketed for a one- nighter at Memorial Hall, May 8, and Ted Lewis, May 13. Cowall did okay last Tuesday (21) with Guy Lombardo. At Mike Flesch’s Grandview Inn, where the deeb-dyed jazz afi- cionados are catered to, Marian MacPartland opened a limited en- gagement last Friday (24). BOB (Bobby) ROLLINS flaying FOOD FAIR _ ELIZABETH • April 25 to May 3 Thanks to WILLIAM SHILLING . 165 Wast 46th Strut New York City JACK DENTON WORLD'S GREATEST COMEDIAN (Pending Senate Approval) C/O IRVING CHARNOFF 1619 BROADWAY, NEW YORK CITY Shore, Rose Marie Set For New Vegas Package Hollywood, April 28. Hershey Martin, of the William Morris Agency, and Sammy Lewis, boniface at Billy Gray’s Band Box, have packaged another unit for Las Vegas, this one tdplining Willie Shore and Rose Marie. It opens at the Flamingo in mid-June for four weeks. Delta Rhythm Boys also have been set for the unit and two other acts .will be included. Shore’s prior date is at Chase Hotel, St. Louis, starting Friday (1). Last Martin-Lewis package for Vegas was the “Belle of New Or- leans” unit with Marilyn Maxwell which recently played the Last Frontier Hotel. The Shore-Rose Marie deal may be packaged as “Follow the Girls,” a legit musical of some years back. Shore is at- tempting to get cafe rights for this show. <• The P5\f£IETY ! “LUCILLE and EDDIE ROBERTS were particularly baffling to the hep first- nighters at the Pierre.” ;; "The Roberts, on# of th# best mindreading turns, are ;; standards in the top hostelries and cafes." - ABEL, April 22nd, 1953. :: mca The American Guild of Variety Artists is now tangling with Radio City Music Hall, N. V., over dis- missal of a ballet "dancer. Union last week -notified the theatre that failure to arbitrate the dismissal would be construed as a breach of contract. Ballet dancer, Wintress Perkins, who has bfeen with the Hall for five and a half years, was given notice following her preference not to work a show which was regarded as difficult. Miss Perkins said that in February, she injured her ankle and had been advised to take it easy by her medicos, According to AGVA, the rest of the ballet , chorus petitioned the union to get her reinstated! Union says that Miss Perkins was a mem- ber' of the grievance' committee which tangled with the Hall man- agement during union negotiations. Irving Evans, of the Hall's man- agerial staff, said, “Miss Perkins is hiding behind her union activi- ties In an attempt to obscure the real reason for her dismissal. The Music Hall cast contains many per- foYmers who were active in form- ing the union here. They are re- spected by the management and are not discriminated against.” *' t Kaye Bids Palace Adieu In a Marathon Gala As House Staff Pitches In It’s become ctistomary for Danny Kaye to finale at a New York house with a one-man concert that en- compasses virtually his entire cata- log. Annually, his repertoire grows, and thus each farewell stretches out Increasingly further into the night. Kaye’s 14-week stand at the Palace Theatre, N. Y., two-a-day wound up Sunday (26) with a display that lasted just a lit- tle more than an hour and three- quarters. Yet it was insufficient to satisfy the majority of the audi- ence who were just about ready, as Kaye suggested, to send out to the Gaiety and Stage delicatessens for some fodder and stay therefor the night Kaye’s closing had the brilliance of a gala. There was little of the sentiment that pervaded Judy Gar- land’s exit from that house. Most of those on hand came for a second helping of one of the more versa- tile comedians around. "Show Biz ’Democracy* The only touch of sentiment came from thp house staff. The corps of usherets and front-of-the- house empldyees at the conclusion of the show presented Kaye with a gold bracelet. Visibly touched by the gift, Kaye gave a tasteful speech' which called attention to the fact that show business is the only “completely self-sustaining democracy.” Here, Kaye pointed out, a performer doesn’t refuse to work because there are those on stage or in the theatre that differ from him. The house staff, ioined by the rest of the cast, then joined in the singing to “Auld Lang Syne” to Kaye. A more sentimental audi- ence might have picked up that cue and joined i in- the song just as it did at Miss Garland’s farewell. Of course, RKO toppers, having exhausted their search for a suc- cessor to Kaye for two-a-day, re- turned to the grind policy the fol- lowing day (27). Execs from prexy Sol A. Schwartz to booker Danny Friendly had been exploring the possibility of having Jimmy Du- rante succeed the Brooklyn-born comic. The Schnoz didn’t feel that he wanted to dome in at this point and so, the RKO hierarchy felt that it would be better to postpone any two-a-day until the fall. Besides, it's pointed out, two-a- day at $6 top makes the Palace a “hot” theatre again. After last year’s reserved seat policy, busi- , ness was better than it had ever been. Friendly also finds it easier to get representative bills to- gether. Opening bill Is an example (see review). The dignity and force of two-a- day carries over for a long time into the summer. So Kaye can be given credit for an assist long after he bowed out of the house* The bill booked with Kaye stayed with him to the close of the show. Openers, the PeiroBros (2), woke up the house regularly. The Mar- quis Family, a group of chimps, was charming. The Dunhills (3) are expert dancers and have I (Continued on page 70) Inside Stoll—Vaudeville la an extraordinary rave reylew for Grade Fields at the Palladium dramar critic Brooks Atkinson, Writing in the N. Y, Times from Lon- don, observes, “If we had audiences as relaxed * and hospitable as those that patronize the Palladium, we coujd have vaudeville in America. We do riot lack performers as desperately as audiences Our performers have to look to the Palladium for employment,” The Times critic further observed, “From the number of Yankees who take top' billing at the Palladium, you would think that vaude- ville were a flourishing institution in America , . . This cheerful acceptance of Yankees as performers able to fill the Palladium may reflect indirectly the popularity of Danny Kaye, who stands some- where between Winston Churchill and Field Marshall Montgomery as a household god in London ,..” - Legit publicist William Fields, who’s currently flacking for Ringling Bros, and Bamum & Bailey circus at Madisdn Square Garden, N. Y pulled a publicity coup, that netted the circus 11 consecutive davs (April 16-26) of cuffo publicity in all Gotham dailies. A tieup with Macy’s was made whereby the circus was mentioned in over 200 full- page ads announcing the store’s “greatest sale on earth.” Ads linked the catch-phrase to the preceding line of copy which touted the circus with the corresponding tagline, “See the Greatest Show on Earth.” In return, the circus sent oyer four acts to entertain the store’s employees on the opening day : of the sale preceding the start of busi- ness, Also sent over were seven baby elephants and seven large pachyderms as an additional publicity gimmick. Omaha’s Rassle-Dazzle Omaha, April 28. Local sport turnouts have amusement ops licking their chops. Rasslers have averaged near-ca- pacity crowds of 3,000 through the winter. And now Offutt Air Force Base predicts a throng of from 50,000 to 75,000 for its national sports car races July 5. Event has backing of Omaha civic leaders and is a baby of Gen. Curtis S. LeMay, chief of the Strategic Air Com- mand. FULLY NITEKY SUES TO END 4-YR. PICKETING Philadelphia, April 28. A suit to end the four-year pick- eting of the Anchorage Cafe, East River Dr. showplace, was filed in Common Pleas Court No. 2 here last week. Notices of the petition for an injunction were sent to officers of Waiters & Waitresses Unjon Lo- cal 301, Hotel & Restaurant Em- ployees (AFL). Local 301 has been picketing the spot since March 18, 1949. THe Anchorage owners claim the picketing Is illegal and are also seeking an unspecified amount of damages. Lois of Tarfef (21G) But ‘Tumultine’ Quiet $7,200 The two Ylddish-American tour- ing vauders had varied results this week. "Farfel Follies” continued strong at the Cass, Detroit, hitting $ 21 , 000 . On the other hand, “Tumultime” composed of elements of “Bagels and Yox” hit- a dismal $7,200 at the National, Washington. Its opening night (19) was strong because of a benefit. 'However, on subsequent nights biz skidded, terri Stevens Yogas Month Launches Whiteman’s Western Trek Las Vegas, April 28. Paul Whiteman has been set for a four-week stand at the Last Frontier Hotel here starting June 1, in his first visit to the west in many years. After the local date, he’ll play a fortnight at the Mapes Hotel in Reno and the William Morris Agency now is lining up other dates on the Coast. It’s un- likely, however, that he’ll play the Los Angeles-Hollywood area. Whiteman will front a 25-piece band and is assembling a big show package. In each spot he’ll pro- vide the floorshow in addition to handling the dance stuff. ' Saranac Lake By Happy Benway Saranac Lake, N.Y., April 28. Frances Bobbin, retired super- intendent of the North woods sana- torium,'who took care of many of the Jewish Theatrical Guild pa- tients years ago, visited A1 .Brandt, one of her old patients, ana. found him progressing. Bob Hall, Apollo Theatre, N. Y., backstage technician! was rushed to the general hospital for an emergency operation and is back at the V. C. hosp resting com- fortably. * Observation period brought real top ' clinics to • John (IATSE) Streeper, Ray McCarthy and Mor- ris Wecker, who joined the am- bulatory gang with limited privi- leges. Otto Hayman, former manager of Cambria Theatre on Interboro circuit, after a long siege at the general hospital is back at the Write to those who are ill. San Antone's Summer Sub San Antonio, April 28. The Anacacho Room of the St. Anthony Hotel, which has been presenting name bands and floor- shows, will close May 21 for the summer months. ' Hotel’s Peraux Room will be opened for the hiatus. CnrrMtly «rti BOULEVARD, Lta#> Island STAR MANAGEMENT 84ft 7th Ave., New Yerk BAyifrfe 4-09It //I JOE TERMINI Return Engagement May 3rd Ed Sullivan's Toast of the Town" \ * CIS-TV Eddie Albert Show CiS-TV 3:30 r.M. Friday, May 1 MUOUHf CHRISTOPHER •ml Hit Magic Thank* DAVID L. SHAPIRO AL 4-1977 JAY MARSHALL Currently Appearing •n OLD KINESCOPES Dir.—MAR* J. UDDY AIQN NEWMAN