Variety (November 1954)

Wednesday, November 17, 1954 P^SSlEff VAUDEVILLE 63 ’ i.7> Hollywood, Nov. 16. * A new nitery audience is devel- oping around the country, accord- ing to Buddy Lester, and come- dians ar going to have to change some of their routines to meet ,the new ideas of humor developed ove*' coast-to-coast radio and. television programs. As a result; writers for saloon comics are going to have to nay more attention to their cus- tomers. Lister, who writes most of his own material; has noticed the trend developing lor several months and lias hc'gun shifting some of his material to meet the demand. The' stand he closed last night (Tues;) at Lie Cocoanut Grove, however, crystallized some of his ideas for him. Long Known as a fly :comic who depends a great deal of. sight ma- terial, Lester believes that a new iteiy audience wants a different type of humor,. “It used to be that we got mostly a sporty crowd in night clubs,’' he contends. “Now, it is becoming more and more a family audience. And they’ve seen plenty of tele- vision: So when the emcee says ‘and now the comedian of our show’—they, want jokes.” Heart-to-Hegrt Talks In switching to ipeet the new de- ni and, Lester opines, most comics are going to have to have long heart-to-heart talks, with their Writers. “Most writers,” Lester points , “do a piece, of an act here and a piece of an act there. They hear you say you want to do. something about hotels, so they haul, out the file and say “HoW many hotel jokes do you want?’ this kind of writing doesn’t do the comic any good.” What will be needed more and lore in the future, Lester declares, is character establishment. The comic and the writer will have to settle up on a type of character which can then be built, much as Jack Benny’s character has been established over the years. “When this is done!” he; adds, “lh writers will begin writing for the comedian instead of writing for themselves. And the public will 1 be better satisfied.” Memphis, Nov. 16, Sonja Heinie’s ice revue, racked up; a ^hopping $80,000 gross for eight performances at the Audi- torium. House seats 4,500 and was scaled to a $3.50 top. Unusual stint paid off heavily at the h. 6. Sunday with two matinees skedded at 1:30 and 5. No Sunday, night show. Revue, moved to Birmingham for a week’s run at the Muny Audi- torium beginning Thursday ( 18) Where it shutters for the season. Hope Wows GIs, Friends Special Services Show Paris, Nov. 16. Olympia musio.hall, on its week- ly closing day last Wednesday (10), was the recipient of one of the best variety shows since its inception over a year ago. This was Bob Hope’s special show for Army Spe- cial Services. House was packed with GIs and dependents from the whole Paris area, and Hope gave them a broadside of chatter that made for the biggest yocks in town. Able supporting show of Domin- ique, The Earls (2), Carol Bruce and Hope’s Gallic chantoosy find, Line Reanud, rounded out the show. An Army band filled in well. Hope had these Americans-away- from-home yowling throughout in his masterful material, delivery arid timing. His asides on Paris, Bing Crosby, and his general ban- ter and wit, were received >by pro -lific palms and laughter. Domirt ique stripped bare the delighted aud in his pickpocket routine, and the Earls <2), went through their graceful balancing act, Miss Bruce only had time for one song- but registered well, Miss Renaud, Whom Hope discovered at the Mou- lin Rouge here, scored with her first U;S. aud by her bombast, Phrasirigs and solid vocalizing. Her pleasingly accented English : also bode well for this singer who ap- peared 'With Hope on his recent Command Performance in Eng- land, and, thusly, on his kinescoped video show for U.S. release in De- cember. She looks headed for big U.S. appeal. Hope, who headed for home at the week’s end. received a special hook of the “Masterpieces of the Louvre Museum” from the city of Paris in the person of Bernard La.faye, and his first question Was, Is Bing . Crosby in this book?” Mask. Bill Kent, for 15 years president of the Artists Representatives Assn,, has stepped, down from the top spot. Eddie Elkqrt; U. S. head of the. Lew : &. Leslie Grade Agency of London, succeeded him at an election .meeting held last- week. He’s the second, president in. the history of the group! \ Other officers are John Dugan, Music Corp. p£ America, first vice- president; Art Weems, General Artists Cor.p., second v.p.; Milton Berger, indie, secretary; Joe Sing- er, of the Morris office, represent- ing associate .members, treasurer. Ruth Simonson remains assistant secretary. „ Elected to the board of govern- ors are Hattie Althoff, indie; Joe Glaser, head of Associated Booking Corp.; Ben Kuchuk, indie; Nat Lef- kowitz, Morris; Billy Shaw', . Shaw Artists Bureau, and Charles Yates, Yates Artists Bureau. Jack Talan, of Music Corp. of America, along with Singer,, are the associate reps. According to ARA procedure, the board of governors is elected by he membership. The board then chooses the. "offleers, Kent stepped down as the bulk of his agency business is now trans- acted in Florida; -*■ Abe SaperstCi , who has par- layed the Negro basketball team, Harlem Globetrotters, Into one of the hottest properties in the sports world, is taking his first fling into show business . with a variety show opening Dec. 5 at Rockford, 111. It will play for a minimum of eight weeks, with more time.to be added. Layout, labeled “Varieties of 1955,” will have a jfo-name cast which will include Earl Hines Orch, Romano Bros., comedy acrobats; Jacques Cardon, Belgian unicyclist; Tony Ponce and. Hadda Brooks, singers; , Tong Bros., acrobats; Harry Coates, trampolinist, and dancers Mason & Anderson.. Saperstei feels that it’s wrong to rely on a single name, such as many traveling units have done. He says that the show must offer plenty of entertainment , all the way through and will gamble that it'll work. Of course, as presently booked, the gamble is eased , some- what by the fact that he’ll be play- ing under auspices of various or- ganizations in most of the towns. Nonetheless, he's putting down considerable coin on that conten- tion. Saperstein got into this aspect of show business through the side door. Early in the career of the Harlem Globetrotters he tried to whoop up interest in the de.adspots of the presentation. First he had a champ free-throw tosser who guaranteed to make 100 baskets within 14 minutes. This got to be monotonous after a while, so Sap erstein tried baton-twirling champs from various colleges. This was Somewhat better, but he won max- imum response when he got acts to entertain between halves and quarters. Saperstein feels that the, pres- entation of variety talent has enabled the Globetrotters to main- tain their boxoffice to a great extent. He’s now testing the power of variety’s pull as a solo venture. The show, he stated, is subject to change until it reaches the status of a hard-hitting display, Saper- stein added that you can’t prove it by him that vaudeville is dead He feels that it still has sufficient piill if properly presented. BRITISH ICESHOW FIRM U.S.‘ Glasgow, Nov, 16. Holiday Ice., Inc., iceshow firm which has taken over inter-r ests of impresario Tom Arnold, plans to export ice shows from Britain to America. A likely pio neer will be “Chu Chin Chow on Ice,” to be known in the U.,S. as “The Arabian Nights Story.” Gerald Palmer, production man ager for Arnold, who is now a Holi day on Ice topper, said: “Ice shows with a story arc new to America. So we shall clip the story, jazz up 'Chu Chin Chow’ with spectacle, and present the finished production as ‘The Arabian Nights Story’.” Production costs for an elaborate ice show in Britain are around $150,000. “Carmen on Ice,” with opera stars singing roles while skaters act them, is also being mulled as a likely export to Amer- ica, Bows to D.S. Cafe New DiGatanos’ Team The DiGatanos' (Jayne DiGatario & Jack . McClendon go into the Palace, N. Y., this Friday (19) for their first N. Y. appearance in several years. The DiGatanos formerly worked some of the top supper spots in Manhattan, when Jayne’s partner and husband, Adam, suffered a heart attack. Present pairing has worked several dates including, the Edge- water Beach Hotel, Chicago. Adam is now road manager for Vic Damone wh'O opens Dec. 4 at the Sands, Las Vegas. Noel Coward, British playwright- songwriter-actor, will make his U.S. nitery debut in’Las Vegas sometime this year. Joe Glaser, head of Associate Booking Corp., returned Sunday night (14).from a four-day quickie to Europe, during which time he signed Coward for a nitery appearance as well as com- mitting him to several television shows and possible a recording contract. Coward will sail for the U.S. tomorrow (Thurs.) on the Queen Elizabeth to pick up the deals. Meanwhile, Glaser has started negotiations with Las Vegas inns, asking $35,000 for the per- miere appearance of the Briton in U.S. niteries,. Agents have been trying to en- tice Coward into American cafes for many years. The. Waldorf-As- toria, N.Y., among other hostels, was interested. Until Glaser made the. deal, he disdained U.S. cafes, although he has appeared in Lon- don niteries for several years. Last week, • he finished at the Cafe de Paris, London, where he did capa- city business. Rudy Vallee suc- ceeded him. Glaser left New York last Wed- nesday (10), conferred with Coward the following day in London, re- mained in England on Friday and took off for Sweden where he saw Lionel Hampton perform, and vis- ited briefly in Switzerland before emplaning for the U.S. on Sunday. If deal with Coward is signed *at $35,000, it’ll be the highest salary ever given an individual in the history of the nitery industry. Broadway Plan London, Nov. 16. Ndel Coward is leaving Thursday (18) for N.Y., after his Cafe de Paris date wound up last Saturday (13). He’ll look at the current Broadway production of his "Quad- rille” and negotiate cabaret, tv and legit appearances with Joe Qlaser. After a few days in New York, Coward moves on to Chicago and subsequently to Las Vegas. Then Coward goes tp Jamaica , for his annual vacation and will make final plans for his Broadway appearance next fall in two new plays which he is . now writing and which will be presented, on alternate; nights. Paris, Nov. 16. Pierre-Louis Guerin and his Lido syndicate have bought controlling interest in the 1,600-seat^r Moulin Rouge night club, from Georges France. This makes the group, backed by the Clerico Bros, and Jacques Bauchet, one of the big- gest nitery financial gambits here. There is the feel of big money as the new, grandiose Lido show, “De- .sires,” goes into rehearsal; the Bal Tabarin reopening is pushed back to a probable June preeming due to the Moulin Rouge changes, arid the Empire, also, under the group aegis, is considered, for a probable addition to the music hall scene in the near future. This may well herald a more copious, flow of big names, and garnering of U. S. acts here. A forerunner, and good example, is the five-week booking of the Bor- rah Minevitch Harmonica Rascals (7) into the new Lido program. Rascals will serve as ar bolsterer and impetus for the spec during its early start. They have fare paid from San Francisco to’ Paris and then back to N. Y., plus getting solid «oin here ($4,500). If plans for the reconversion of the'Empire to a variety house go through, it will mean a spot for bigger inter- national names. Though success of the Olympia and-Bobino have been more or less sure, the same stars and acts have, shown up too regu- larly in each house.: Moulin Rouge will keep the same biweekly vaude format until Jan. 6, when a more comprehensive pro- duction aspect, conceived by Rene Fraday, .will be the mainstay bJ the show, with stars changing everj two or three Weeks as before. Ba] Tabarin is also being refurbished anji readied for a big splash open- ing, but now. new chores will delaj Fraday’s lush “Vive Montmartre' show until about June, in time foi the tourist influx trade. Group alsc has the Ambassadeurs nitery, which remains shuttered and a whit< elephant until something is pegged for it. Its few attempts at gettini a Gallic niche on the nitery scene the last few years have all beer debacles. A more highpowered nitery scene seems to be developing as the em- phasis is put on spectacle anc sumptuousness, and as the smallei clubs recede into specialized spot! for windup or clublike atmosphere WM. MORRIS SETTING UP New Yorker Shutters. Terrace Room Saturday The Terrace Room Of the Hotel New Yorker, N. Y;, will pass out of business Saturday '(191. Ralph Flanagan is the final headliner. Room will be. converted to in- crease the hotel's banquet facili- ties. The Terrace Room; for many years, had been on. a name band arid iceshow policy. With acquisi- tion of the hotel earlier this year, by the Hilton chain, room moved into a band policy. The William Morris Agency has organized a special events depart- ment which will set concert and crewcut attractions. Heading the new sector will be Klaus Kolman, who had been with National Con- cert & Artists Corp., and prior to that had set tours for the Goldov- sky Opera Theatre and the Vienna Boys Choir; latter for the S. Hurok office. Formation of the new depart ment indicates that the Morris of fice will, be booking artists such as Jose Greco when he goes out on his longhair jaunts, and. at the same time the office may organize lectures for some of its top per formers arid probably tours by some of the top legit players. The American. Guild of Variety Artists capitulated to the Ameri- can Federation, of Musicians this week, with signing of a five-year agreement defining the jurisdiction of musical acts. Conference held Monday (15) iri New York was pre- sided: over by Walter Murdoch, AFM veepee who is head of the Toronto branch, who carried the brunt of the AFM’s offensive • against AGVA, Jairies C. Petrilld, .head of the AFM, was forbidden by court injunction in several cities'in the.U. S. from preventing his • musicians from refusing to play for,. AGVA ; members’:.- How- ever, this didn’t apply to Canada. Because of the fact that- the AGVA treasury is near the dimi ishing point, the performer union didn’t haye the wherewithal to continue battle with the musicians. Contract between both unions ' renewable by either party for term of five years and his no 60- day cancellation notice, as did the old’ pact; which was * cancelled by AGVA iri October, 1953. Other conditions included in the new agreement calls for no dis- crimination against AGVA mem- bers Who resigned that 'union' to join an auxiliary sponsored by Murdoch, The dues collected by the auxiliary Will be refunded to the members by the AFM. AFM also obtained the promise that pending legal action against the toqters u ion by several perform- ers will be withdrawn. Signing of the pact reopens the Canadian area to AGVA members, and will permit, the Montreal niter- ics to hire name performers again; They had feared hiring top comics and singers because of the fact that they wouldn’t be able to get musical background.. It’s also believed; that the cur- rent pact puts AGVA in a position subordinate to the demands of the AFM, Many comedians or singers who use a musical instrument for a Small portion of their show may be asked to join the AFM and re- 1 sign A'GVA, Just what hunk of the AGVA membership the AFM: is in position to bite off can’t be deter- mined as yet. Montreal Upbeat Due Montreal, Nov. 16. All bonifaces. here are pleased with the AGVA-AFM settlement of their differences, Many larger spots are already planning bigger, better shows, some on the verge of folding taking a new ICase on life'. The Mt. Royal Hotel’s Normandie' Room has no immediate plans for entertainment and . will conti with its present policy of a trio. New deal should restore Mont- real’s many clubs and countless lounges, etc., back to normal and comes in time to. offset the pre- Christmas lull and spark biz. Pa. Supreme Ct. Upholds Bright- Rules Musicians ’Unfair’ Ukase Illegal v Pittsburgh, Nov. 16. Pennsylvania State Supreme Court last >veek upheld a lower Coprt decision prohibiting the mu- sicians union frorri putting Jackie bright, AGVA prexy, on their un- fair list; The legal hassle started last December when Bright, then appearing at the now defunct Carousel, went pn a local radi disk: - jockey show with Joe Deane of KQV. The Pittsburgh Musical Society, Local 60, headed by Hal C. Davis, had banned such appearances by all performers a retaliation, claiming the dee jays were making too much of a business of record hops for teenagers and therehy de- priving a lot of musicians of work. So when Bright decided to test the ban and go on with Deane, Da- vis ordered the Carousel’s orch to refuse to play for him; and Bright in turn asked for a restraining in- junction. Last April, Judge Wal- ter P. Smart, of Common Pleas Court, granted the injunction, rul- ing. that the musicians union had imposed a secondary: boycott in violation of state law. The unon immediately appealed, charging that, the riiatter Was a la- bor. dispute in which the court was powerless’ to interfere. The Su- preme Court decision rejected this argument and placed the costs of the appeal on the musicians union.