Variety (October 1953)

6J (HATTKR Broadway Gig Young In for bally on M -G’» “Torc h Song ” Ann Miller arrived from the Coast over the weekend. Metro studio designer Helen Rose returned to the Coast. Samuel Goldwyn arrived from tha Coast for huddling at his Gotham offices. , Geoige W. Scrimshaw has opened a New York office for tal- ent agent-management. Stewart Granger in from the Coast and off to Condon to begin . work on Metro’s “Beau Brummel.” | Noel Coward plans a few- days’ > stopover in New York during November, en route to Jamaica,! B W I Attorney Mortimer Becker, oil Jaffe A Jalte, back at the office after being drydocked by a slipped spinal disk Joseph I. Mankiewicz off to'Lon- j don for preliminary work on his ( upcoming indie film, “The Bare- foot Contessa.’’ Charlie Maddock, vet producer of vaude Hash acts, as Rolfe A Maddock. La.skv & Maddock, etc., now in the field of TV producing. Major Albert Warner, WB vee- pee, addressed Gov. Lausche’s Sesc|uicentennial luncheon Tues- day *20i as an Ohio “favorite son.” St. John Terrell, who runs the Lamhertville (N. J * Playhouse, oil to European capitals next week on a talent and “authentic costume” quest.. Greer Carson leaves for London Friday Kill' for personal appear- ance tour to coincide with opening of Metro’s “Julius Caesar” in the British capital Daughter Kllen, of Edward C. (O’Brien, Driscoll &» Raftery, the- atrical attorney, engaged to An- thony James Koehne of Buffalo; wedding in January. Leslie Caron left Sunday <2f>i for Paris, to prep new ballet which Roland Petit lias choreographed especially for her. and which she’ll guest in wh<Mi Petit's Ballets de Paris plays N. Y in January. Playwright Arthur Miller, poet Dylan Thomas, film critic Parker Tyler and avant-garde filmmaker Maya Deren set as panel members at Cinema Hi symposium on "Poe- try and the Film” tonight (Wed ) at Central Needle Trades Audi- torium. Theatrical attorney Bernard A. Grossman reelected prexy of the Federal Bar Assn, of N. V.. N J . and Connecticut. Theodore It Kupferman. general attorney and executive veepee of Cinerama Pro- ductions, again named secretary of the org. Mrs. Joseph <Leonore> Humni'l. wife of the WB topper in Europe, in for a quickie to visit her mother and returning next Tuesday CP by air in time for Ins birthday. Con- tinental chieftain for the Warners has been kept in Knrope on “Helen of Troy" and kindred production details Although Rosalind Courtright opens at the competitive Maison- ette of the Hotel St. Regis. Col. Serge Obolensky, prez of the Sherry-Nethei land, is hosting a cocktailer.v for Hu* songstress this week. In private life she is the wife of Hernando Courtright. head of the Beverly Hills tCale Hotel. Robert C. Schnitzel - i Marcella CTsne\» cocktail-partying Gott- fried von F.inom. composer of “The Trial" which premieres at City Center opera season, and Anatole Heller. Paris impresario and Kuropean nnnager for “Porg\ & Bess" and Ballet Theatre tours Sehnd/er is gm for (iilhert Mil- ler and Ins wife is CBS-TV di- rector Pittsburgh Rv llal V. Cohen Variety Club will hold it> an- no il election of officers on Mon- el i> 2’. A .ilt» Wexh-'r. from Tech drama school, li.is a bit in the Broadway hit. “Tea and Sympathy." Fa ins Family will be home by Cht'isiinas I'om their four-month LSO tour of tl»e Far Fast Joltnny Hams had to postpone Ins trip to Europe indefinitely on acount of Ice Capadvs” business Bil liard \\ aisli. .pjay mg title iole in Mister Robert'.'' at Playhouse, broke Ins finger in an onstage light J«, k K Leonard will be with \ luglian Mom tie lor eight-day stay at \ ogne Terrace beginning Nov lit Playhouse general manager Dirk Hoover bedi|t*d for several dav^ with eve in Jury suffered in a freak; accident j Bullard Aid rich, ffl-jfro'dufff with Richard Myers ol "Girl Can Tell, got liis first look xil Janet Blair show here Rusty Dare, starring in Ha ban a Madrid nitery m Key West. FI i was Francbesca Afsfel when she studied at Tech Willie Kail Ice Capades" comic, will be home for several* weeks with fractured leg suffered during Cleveland run. Mrs. Herman Middleman, wife Carousel bandleader, coming around all okay alter major sur- gery at Shad.vside Hospital. Reno By Mark Curtis Della Rhythm Bovs into Sky- room of Manes. Nov. 5. June Valli geis a call for New' Golden, Nov. 4. on old contract. Jimmy Stewart bought third in- terest in Klko ranch for $700,000. Ranch adjoins the Crosby holdings. Anna Maria Alberghetti follows Sons of Pioneers into Riverside, Oct. 29. Hilly Williams Quartet opens Nov. 12. Matt Dennis and Virginia Maxey oi|t of Mapes Terrace Room. Month contract broken in half by mutual agreement. “The Little Giant" (Col) and Universal’s “Johnny Dark" (U), both sports car pics, on location here during Reno Road Races at Stead Air Force Base. Oct. 17-18. Paris Pierre Guerin and Rene Fraday to Germany on talent hunt, Sacha Guitry finishing up the big scale spec tinter, “If Versailles Were Told to Me.” Scene - shifter strike delaying gala of “Marriage in Mourning” at | Comedie-Francaise Yves Allegret set to direct musi- cal him. "ALin’/.elle Nitoiiche,” MeRhae-Millaud operetta. | Irene Selznick interested in U S. i legit rights to Jean Anouilh's Joan of Arc play, "The Lark,’’ latest click here. Adolph Zukor, accompanied by Paramount’s Paris chief. John | Nathan, to Rome for Italian preem of “Shane " Sam Zimbalist over to London to prepare “Beau Brummel’’ pic in which Stewart Granger and Peter 1 Ustinov will star. Victor Francen. back from Broadway, into Julien Duvivier pie. ’ 'Mauri/.ius Affair." based on Jakob Wassermann novel. Anatole Litvak here for looksee on final cut of his Franco .Ameri- can Kirk Douglas starrer. “Act of I Love," which gets ils world preem .in Paris soon. John Huston will use Clark Gable and Humphrey Bogart as stars of his forthcoming pic based on a Kipling novel. It will be made in India. Isa Miranda, one of the Euro- pean stars used by Adolph Zukor | in the early pix he made in Kn- rope. presented him with the gold < medal of the City of Paris here. F.ric Johnston here on a quickie tour, will talk with Jacqes Flaud. head of the Centre du Cinema here, on the problems bolding up the Fianco-American film accords. “Tovaritch” moving to another theatre as Alexandre Dumas' play. “Kean," revised by Jean-Paul Sartre for Pierre Brasseur. takes over the Sarah Bernhardt Theatre. Nora Kovach and 1st van Rakovv- cky. the Russian ballet dancers who chose treedom, are now shar- ing tin 1 hill with Roland Petit Bal- let De Paris at the Theatre De 1. Km pi re. Minneapolis By Les Rees Dell Staton Trio and Kddie Rob- inson at St. Paul Flame. Kdvlh Bush Little Theatre bold- ing over “Late George Apley." St Paul Auditorium lias Liber- act* this week for a one-night con- cert appearance, St Paul Civic Opera's “Carmen" stars Metropolitan opera singer Mildred Miller in title role. Club Capitol’s all-girl revue stars exotic dancers Debbie and Mai Duval, and tapster Donna Rae. Songstress Mary Meade and har- monica humorist Johnny O'Brien underlined tor Hotel Radisson Flame Room Oct 29 Following court testimony in a white slave case that prostitutes solicited in theatre cafes here, po- lice department is enforcing ordi- nance prohibiting women from be- ing served at bars One establish- ment. the Saddle. ha«* closed tem- porarily to permit installation of more booths and t ible space. San Francisco By Ted Friend Four Aces booked for park's. Ltipita Valera at the Sinaloa (Tub Pat O'Brien in for l nited Cru- sade -.tint. Spike Jone> guesting at Pres-, Club Gang \i • ht Hal t>o and Chico Moi \ into It al- ian Village nitery. Duncan Sisters into new Bella Pacific C lub Oit 30 Katherine Dunham to head vaude revue at Golden Gate. Pearl Bailey a click at the Vene- tian Room in the Fairmont Hotel. Londoi The annual Tin Pan Alley din- ner and ball set for the Dorchester tomorrow (Thurs.), Leslie Posner ankled his job as theatrical supervisor for Associ- ated British Cinemas. Clark Gable and Victor Mature back in London from location shooting in Holland. Alan Ladd due this week from Spanish loca- tions. Peter Finch, currently filming with Alec Guinness and Joan Greenwood in “Father Brown." hurt his ankle in a judo wrestling scene. Claude Marchant’s ballet, cur- rently featured at the Embassy nitery, opened a short season at the Embassy Theatre last night (Tues). Greer Carson due in London this week for personals in connec- tion with the preem of “Julius Caesar” which opens at the Carl- ton. Havmarket, Nov. 5. David Coplan back at his desk after 12 weeks in hospital during which time the doctors treated him for series of ailments includ- ing appendectomy operation. Show' biz personalities enroute to America include Ben Henry ■ and Povel ltamel. who are travel- I ling on the Queen Elizabeth, and Dick Henry who sailed on the He de France. Richard Hamer, booking control- ler for J. Arthur Ranks Odeon I and Gaumont circuits, upped to i hoard of Circuits Management Assn., the company which controls both groups. Two girls selected by the BBC to replace Joy Nichols in the “Take It From Here” radio show They are Alma Cogan and June Whitfield who will open in the new series beginning Nov. 12. Joseph L. Mankiewicz. w ho is on his way to Rome where he will do ! "The Barefoot Contessa.” w ith Humphrey Bogart and Edmond | O'Brien, guest of honor at a Savoy ! cocktailery thrown by United Artists. Tessie O'Shea off to Germany to i entertain the British troops for three weeks starting Oct. 28. after which she will entertain the Amer- ican troops for nine weeks. She heads the unit which, besides her- self will comprise a company of 15. including six show gals. Chicago B'-rnie Asbell back as Blue Note flack Fritz Reiner bowed as new con- ductor of Chicago Symphony Or- chest ra. Playweights Theatre Club opens Fields of Malfi,” an original. Oct. 29 living Brown. Chappell liaison, here sc heduling Rogers and Ham- rnerstein concerts. Debbie Reynolds here for open- ing of new Encore Room, which deluded last Tuesday <22». Jimmy Payne’s “Calypso Carni- val" closes an eight-month run at the Blue Angel this week. Harriet and Ozzie Nelson and Don Defore here for opening of new plant for Hotpoint, their TV sponsor. Dick La Palm signed Peggy Taylor, former Breakfast Club vocalist now in London, to personal management contract. Wanda Hendrix. Victor McLaglen and Richard Jaeckel in town to ballyhoo world preem of “Sea -of Lost Ships,” current at McVickers. , ' Memphis By Matty Brescia Hernia Cummins, to Hotel Pea- body s Skyway for two weeks. Fred Waring booked at city Au- ditorium for one-nightcr under the Ike Myers banner Nov. 18. Julian Cohen. Memphis promo- ter and showman, now repping a southern outfit in this area. South Pacific" penciled in here lor w eek's stand .early next spring under the Coy Charles McKIravy- Maxwell attractions. Brooklyn Dodgers's Jaekie—Rub- mson drew 12.000 fans in two stands here and Birmingham sans while stars who were tabooed by city fathers in both spots. Pat O’Brien planed to New Or- j leans following his two-day stint I here in shooting scenes with the I Clyde Beatty circus troupe. Pat will house guest with Roosevelt Hotel's Seymour Weiss while there. j Philadelphia By Jerry Gaghan Stan Kenton's hand booked for two nights at the Masthauni Thea- J tie Nov. 4 Julie Gibson, danseuse at the Wedge, signed Lou Miller-Kddie Kaplan Agency as personal man- ! agers. I Nick Ravell. emcee of Golden i Supper Club, will go abroad with Wedneaday, October 28, 19.-, 3 A! Martino in March to m.c. Ital- ian tour. Nelson Eddy, formerly heard in person here only at the Academy of Music, made local nitery debut at the Latin Casino. Morris (Moose) Charlop. local pop songwriter, had first longhair composition, a suite called “This Is New York.” accepted for per- formance by Atlanta Symphony. The Mask A Wig Club. Univer- sity of Pennsylvania stage group, will play the Forrest week of Nov. 23, after break-in dates in Allen- town and Lancaster, Pa., and Tren- ton. Hollywood Louis Shurr returned from K , rope. * r J * Steve Cochran in town after months abroad, • Robert Alton back on the jm, after a siege of virus. William Bendixes celebrate thejr 25th wedding anni. J Canadian chain operator Harold Bishop a visitor at Warners Helen Winston off on a nation- wide bally tour for “Botany Bav Katy Jura do made a short sub- ject for the March of Dimes cam- paign. Scotland By Gordon Irving D'Oyly Carte Opera launched two-week stint at King's, Glasgow. Tito Gobbi. Italian singer, set for concert date in Glasgow Oct. 30. Imperial Cinema in Glasgow', damaged by fire, has been re- opened. Tom Arnold circus extravaganza, “ 1 Kmights of the Ring” opens at Empire, Edinburgh, Dec. 15. New Scot play. “Alas, Poor Goody,” by Donald Craig, preemed at Byre Theatre. St. Andrews. William Douglas Home’s play, “Thistle and the Rose.” at Citi- zens’ Theatre, Glasgow, panned by rrix. Jock Ferrier. longtime stage : doorkeeper at the Empire vaudery, Edinburgh, retiring after 25 years ; of service. Cleveland By Glenn C. Pullen George Duffy moved orch out I to Zephyr Room for four weeks, I returning to Hollenden Hotel Nov. 5. j Marty Conn, once drummer in I Bob Crosby’s Bobc ats, turned i {agent and opened his own booking office here. Pupi Campo, into the Vogue I Room for month with unit, may have to shave off couple of days of booking to keep date at N.Y. | Paramount. Jackie Kahane and Visionaires now at Sky-May on two-w'eek deal. Vaughn Monroe set for Oct. 29 on three-day visit, followed by Tito Guizar and Sammy Shore Nov. 2. Joan Diener. Cleveland singer, getting her biggest breaks to date in Alfred Drake’s musical, “Kis- met.’’ now touring prior to New ; York Ziegfeld in early December, j Anne Deesing, crowned “Miss Cleveland of ’52.” turning solo' ! canary at Alcazar Club after chirp- | ing with Sammy Watkins band last summer on road. Pianist Hans Reiss teamed with her. Mcllwain. Wishing Well at the Statier produced $920 for Motion Picture Relief Fund. Marge and Gower Champion checked in at Columbia after four weeks in N. Y. Pete Smith’s Metro short. “Safe at Home." cited by the National Safety Council. Carey Wilson well enough to resume his duties as head of Screen Producers Guild. Norman Moray in from N. Y to confer with Jack L. Warner about shorts program for 1954. Brazilian chain operator Vital Maura De Castro hosted at Para- mount by Y. Frank Freeman. Nunnally Johnson returned to his 20th-Fox desk after making “Night People” in Germany. Marilyn Erskine. Natalie Wood and Coleen Gray made a trailer for the March of Dimes at Paramount. Charles P. Skouras appointed chairman of banqifet to be given for King Paul and Queen Fred- erika of Greece. Dr. Edith Sitwell and her broth- er, Sir Osbert Sitwell, due in from England next month. She is to screenplay her "Fanfare for Eliza- beth” at Columbia while he fills several lecture dates. Portland, Ore. By Ray Feves Bobby Short topping Clover Club bill. Eddy Peabody in at Amatos Supper Club for two w'eeks. Dick Jurgen Orch played a one- nighter at Jantzen Beach Park last Saturday (24). U A Brandi Manager Jack O’Bryan and Oriental Theatre manager Herb Royster working on the annual Shrine “Show of Shows.” Tyrone Power. Anne Baxter, and Raymond Massey in “John Brown s Body" set attendance record when over 8.000 attended the reading »t Eugene. Ore. About 2.500 sat 011 the stage. Joel Grey. TV comic from Cleve- land. returning here to topline 1 eighth annual Page One Ball for Newspaper Guild and Press Club. I Show being staged at Hotel Carter : Rainbow Room to include Monica Lew is. Buddy Greco, Bernice Parks, j Vaughn Monroe, Tommy Wonder, j Margaret Banks. Henry (“Hot Lips") Levine and Al Russ orch. 1 ___ Miami Beach Bv Lary Solloway ; Wayne King orch played Dade 1 County and Beach auditoriums ! Oct. 24 and 26. ! Walter Jacobs readying the Lord , Tarleton Hotel for annual Thanks- giving reopening. I Operators of Birdland (N. Y.) signed papers this week for take- love r of Diamond Horseshoe with change of name to Birdland. j Stanley McGinnis of Shecps- head Bay (N. Y.i and Broadway roast-heefei y took over old Sara- toga Inn here for a like operation. Louis Jordan due for date at Beachcomber lounge this winter; adjunct to main room will seat over 200 and run a late entertain- , tuent policy. Mexico City By D. I,. Grahame Sara Gnash, Chilean actress, re- 1 sumed film-making after a long ill- ness. 1 Elsa Aguirra. prize beautv who became a film star, inked for five 'years exclusively by Pedro Galindo, producer.. Universal producers Phillip Nas- ser. Edward L Kaan and Peter ; Adams giving the Mexican film 1 scene thr o o Dolores del Rio scripting an epi- sode of the conquest of Mexico <1519-21) for a film she plans to produce herself. Libert ad Lamarque. Argen- tinian. and Sara Garcia, Mexican vet actress, inked by Mier & Brooks to co .star in their biopic ot the late Maria Grever, Mexican 1 composer. Cuban government okayed Ro- berto Canedo, Mexican pic-stage ! actor who's known in the U. S.. to I play lead in filming of Jose Marti. I ( uban patriot. Emilio Fernandez I will produce. Madrid By Lewis Garyo Italian star Doris Duranti here to do “Flight 981.” Los Cubancheros, singers of La- tino songs, at Teatro Calderon, j Parque Florida is starring acr >- comedians Los Rexie and Paeiti Tomas troupe. Argentina legit star Pepita Sd- valor at the Teatro Lara in "Life,” by Somerset Maugham. Film critic Angel Zuniga his turned actor and is working on a new pic directed by Juan Orduna. 1 Brazilan songstress Lydia Scot tv, ; Dos Medios. chantoosie Lita Nor- j 'nan and the Ballet Mayo at the j Fontoria. Ana Mariseal will he the star j and the director of “Circus ( a- pelli." second pic produced by her own company. Dancer Angel Pericet and So- prano Encarnacion Ruiz off to Buenos Aires to work in A venule Theatre there. Barcelona By Joaquina C. Vidal-Gomis Mona Babtiste at Emporium nitery. The National Show Syndicate opened a contest for best screen story. Maria Lerma, from Rome's Bel- vedere delle Ro>a. at the Alazui ; nitery. Rio niterv first winter show in- cludes Rofand Gerbeau. Jackie Lawrence and the Four Andrew Bodega del Calderon presenting (winter show, “Joy for Thee.” with Bella Dorita and Antonio Ama> )• Jean Anouilh’s “The Savage, j starring Pepita Serrador. Argen- tine legit actress, at the Teatro Lara. “Paso al Zorro.” new show’ at th*» j Comico Theatre, stars Pepe Igb'* sias. top comedian of radio aril I niteries. “Right to Be Born.” Mexican P'C. in its 17th week at the Crist in«. first time a Mexican film lias run j this long. Maria Dolores Marcos, daugh' " ! of tenor Mario Marcos, made b '' debut as orch conductor with I 1 "’ operetta "Los Gavilanes “ ^ *’ is the only femme director it' Spain.