Variety (November 1954)

Published Weekly at 154 West 46th Street, New York 36, N. Y., by Variety, Inc. Annual subscription $10. Single copies, 25 cents. Entered as second class matter December 22, 1903, at the Post Office at New York, N. Y., under the act Of March 3, 1879. COPYRIGHT, 1954, BY VARIETY, INC./ ALL RIGHTS RESERVED' NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 1954 PRICE 25 CENTS » t $ By JOE COHEN*? 'American Federation of Televi- sion arid Radio Artists: is confront- ed with-its first tv “Act of God” .ipdser. : Center of the hassle is Ruth Gilbert, the Max. of the Milton JBSrle show. Miss Gilbert,; mar- ried, arid soon scheduled to give birth, is seeking a leave of absence from the Berle display, and would rejoin the show as soon as she’s physically able, ", “At'this point, Berle and the pro- duction toppers on the program would like to write out the charac- ter. 'After-all, it would be embar- rassing. to have a. pregnant female constantly begging Uncle Milty to maffry her, which.is her usual role on the show. What- would the iielghbors think? And besides the role of the secretary is a pretty ac- tive 'one. Miss Gilbert has heen Customarily chasing Berle. Lately, slie’s been sitting behind la desk in order to hide her condition, and things aren’t satisfactory. •Miss Gilbert and her attorneys are trying to get the affair into arbitration. At this point, they charge that. Berle must be against ! ’(Continued on f>age 34) White-Tie Premieres For Dixie Buildup of Negro ‘Carmen Jones’ Release Series of white - tie - and - tails pree’ms in the south is being ar- ranged by 20th-Fox to launch its ■‘Carmen Jones” CinemaScoper in that area. Film has an all-colored cast. idea for formal openings in the south originated with A1 Lichtman, 20th . director of distribution. They’ll. take the form of charity benefits-’ ■ ‘ It’s expected that the Otto Prem- inger production will command the widest possible ISTegro audience since it’s the first all-colored cast show' in many years. Potential of this. aitdbUnce is put at approxi- mately 6,000,000 for any one film. Preminger is leaving for Europe in; mid-November in connection with “Carmen Jones.” While on the’ continent?, he’ll negotiate mu- sic rights for the picture in several countries where they are held by publishers. Tunes are in the public domain in the U. S. ; OOP’s NSG Trendex The' Republican National Com- mittee,- buying and preempting “the best tv time” there is, the CBS-TV “I Love Lucy” Monday- at-,9 slot on Election Eve. drew an 18.5 on the overnight Trendex to present President* Eisenhower. (& Mamie) in a plea for GOP ballots. Almost doubling the Chief Exec’s sc'orS was NBC’s “Medic,” with a whopping 35.1. Trendex coverage was the usual 10 cities. Gleason’s Serioso ‘Studio One’ Stint Jackie Gleason will do his firSt ultra-.serioso effort on tv next mdmth (Dec. 6) via the CBS “Studio One.” The comic will play a state at- torney general cracking down on, a “wicked town.” Script is “Pea- cock City,” an original by Carey Wilbur patterned after the “hot" goings-on (gambling, etc.) in Phe- nix City, Ala. (Sam Bischoff had previously announced his film pro- duction for Allied Artists of “The Phenix Story,” for theatrical re- lease early next year.) Chinese Reds For the first time since taking over in China, the Red regime there has made a bid for western films. Ministry of Culture in Peking has transmitted a. request to Lon- don for four British productions. Latter are being sent to- the Chi- nese reds via Hong-Kong for their inspection. Titles involved are “The Cruel Sea,” “Olivef Twist,” “The Pick- wick Papers” and “Great Expec- tations.” Unlike Hollywood, the British film industry is willing to trade with the Communists. A num- ber of British films, including “Pickwick Papers,” have been sold to the Soviets. Ricketson, Rhoden Decline C.P. Skouras Successorship; Selig, Zabel Considered Chicago, Nov. 2. Frank H. tRick) Ricketson, head of Fox Rocky Mountain Theatres, in Denver, and Elmer G. Rhoden of Fox Midwest Theatres in Kansas City have reportedly declared themselves unavailable for the post of president of National Theatres. The Rocky Mountain and Midwest chains are autonomously-run affil- 1 iates of National, and both Ricket- son and RhoQen prefer to stay on their home grounds rather than moving to National’s headquarters in Los Angeles. National's directorate meets on the coast Thursday*(4) to name a successor to the recently deceased Charles P. Skouras. In the running for the chief exec’s job are Robert Selig, now exce aide to Ricketson in Denver, and Edward Zabel, film buyer who had been one of Skouras’ top exec associates. Natch Phoenix, Nov, 2. Jackie Miles’ new Coral platter, “I’m A-Rollin’,” which kids the Gene Autry brand bf hoss opera derring-do, is on the restricted list of KOOL. Station is owned by—who' else?—Gene Autry. Hoods Thrive Until Last Minute By HOBE MORRISON ✓ The legit boxoffice is booming. Business on Broadway is the best in years. On the road, it’s Tunning far ahead Of last season and com- parably with the up-and-down rec- ord of the last few years. Grosses, normally bullish on Broadway at this period of the sea- son, are the highest' in the eight years that Variety has been tabu- lating the totals. Moreover, the up- beat is not simply a jpatter of boxoffice reqeipts, but is also re- flected in the total weeks played by all shows to date. Reason for the bonanza b.o. isn’t clear. General biz conditions are spotty, according to Government and trade reports. The auto, indus- try is having a particularly rugged time, with new car sales sharply down. Depai'tment store sales are uneven and heavy goods and freight car loadings a bit below par for the season of the year. Em- ployment has improved recently, however. Fact that legit b.o. is up, espe- cially on Broadway, is in spite of the lack.of an all-out critical smash so far this season. The last show to draw rave reviews was “Pajama Game,” which preemed last Spring. But Tallulah Bankhead in “Dear Charles” is selling out after getting qualified notices and “Boy Friend” (Continued on page 60) Use C’Scope Aid In Football Study Minneapolis, Nov. 2. Murray Warmouth, U. of Minne- sota football coach, is going in for his own version of C’Scope in the filming of his team’s contests to permit better study of the players' performances to aid in the coach- ing. At his request, new wide lenses have been purchased for the ath- letic department’s cameras. These give a wider and larger picture which brings out more clearly how; .the gridders have carried out their assignments and, Warmouth hopes, will enable him to do a better job and turn out an Improved team. “It’s the C’Scope influence final- ly reaching into college football,” says Saul Malisow, local 20th-Fox branch manager. Earl Carroll Estate Funds for Cancer Aid Los Angeles, Nov. 2. Three trustees' of the late Earl Carroll’s estate have been au- thorized by Superior Court to ad- minister a fund for the cure of cancer. Showman’s estate amount- ed to $1,201,414, of which $350,000 will be devoted to the fund. Trustees are his niece, Mrs. Bev- erly Carroll Newman, Mrs. Jessie I. Schuyler and Dr. Louis A. Wolfe. Cant Beat 20% Pay Gimmick Washington, Nov. 2. You can’t beat the 20% nitery bite by paying your check before the entertainment commences, so long as you remain to see any part of the show. Ruling is laid down by the Inter- nal Revenue Service to halt the use of this early pay gimmick in the hope of avoiding the tax. Rev- enue Service had before It the following case: “In the instant case a cabaret serves full-course dinners between the hours of 5 and 9 p.m. After that time all food and refresh- ments are served on an a la carte basis. Entertainment in the cab- aret begins at 9:30 p.m. Some of the customers call for and pay their checks before the entertain- ment begins, but remain to finish their meals and are able to wit- ness all or part of the entertain- ment.” Revenue Service lays it on the (Continued on page 63) Philadelphia, Nov. 2. Fictional crime pays too well, is too soft a touch for producers of feature films and television pro- grams. “We are living in a culture that tends to glorify the gangster.” Such is the viewpoint of Richard C. Clendenen, staff director of the subcommittee of the U. S. Senate which is currently investigating juvenile delinquency. He spoke here at the 84th Congress of Cor- rection Officers. “It isn’t always clear that crime does not pay,” Clendenen said. “Too frequently, we see the gang- ster in movies or television riding in a long sleek car He goes up to his palatial apartment in his private elevator. There he is met by a gorgeous blonde. With a drink in his hand he hears soft back- ground music and the tinkling of, ice. “At the end of the program there’s supposed to be a message of some kind that crime does not pay. But it paid off too well during the first 45 minutes of the program. Somehow it has only petered out i (Continued on page 62) Charity Promoters Bypass ‘Middle Men,’ Arranging Own Theatre Telecast The American National Theatre & Academy and CARE, the non- profit outfit which provides food packages for the needy abroad, are combining forces for the pres- entation of a closed-circuit tele- cast of the upcoming ANT A Al- bum. Negotiations and plans are being geared for a 10:30 p.m. telecast on Feb. 17 to theatres throughout the country. In an effort to save costs by eliminating the middle man, both outfits are bypassing the estab- lished closed-circuit promoters and are making arrangements to put (Continued on page 63) CHICAGO Currently presents The Hour of Charm All Girl Orchestra and Choir Featuring EVELYN and her Magic Violin under the direction of PHIL SPITALNY