Variety (December 1954)

MISCELLANY Wednesday, December 22, 1954 Winner of the John Golden-iponsored essay contest. “Why the „ U. S. Needs the UN.” was Florida Friebus. with Arthur Kingsley and John Buckwalter taking second and third place, respectively. Trio share In cash prizes totalling $500. Contest was open to mem- bers of Actors' Equity and Chorus Equity and was initiated in conjunction with United Nations Day. Awards were made at City Hall, N. Y., Dec. Uf at a ceremony marking the occasion. Miss Friebus is currently on Broadway in 'Tea and Sympathy.” Award committee included such show bizites as Golden, Ralph "^^Sellemy, Victor Borge, John Effrat, Jinx Falkenburg, Walter Greaza, Helen Hayes, Mrs. Joshua Logan, Tex McCrary and John Shubert. City Hall ceremony wound uo with the Dent, of Sanita- tion Band playing Golden's "New York Town.” Miss Friebus* essay follows: Why the U.S. Needs the UN 'The United States needs the United Nations as each actor in a play needs the other actors, for all the world's a stage and the men and women on it cannot play their parts effectively without direct association, close communication and mutual understanding. All of these the United Nations provides. "Now that science and technology have made the broad stage of the world so small, and electronics, like Puck, can "put a girdle ‘round the earth in 40 minutes,’ to 'go it alone’ is as foolhardy 4©r our nation as it would be for an actor in a production. "The United States needs the United Nations of the world as it needs its own states united: for keepng the peace, for Doliring of evils, for mutual betterment, and for the maintenance of its position as a leading performer. “When one is acting on a stage filled with players, as this small world is filled with people, it is absolutely necessary to know what the others are thinking, where they are moving, and what cues they are 'giving in order to achieve that teamwork which alone can make the world's performance a success and save us from chaos." Hollywood, Dec. 21. Everybody talks about the neces- sity of building an act when screen talent embarks on a nitery tour, but nobody does anything about it. At least, nobody has until now. But after the first of the year, a completely new show business personal service setup will begin functioning under the aegis of Ann So them's indie Vincent Produc- tions. Its primary purpose will be to create, develop, stage, choreo- graph, costume and arrange com- plete acts for talent of all k ; nds. Special emphasis, however, will be placed on film names who have succumbed to the blandishments of Las Vegas—only to discover there's more to personal appear- ances than walking on stage and saying "howdy.” Vincent P.'eductions has a tele- film seres and a theatrical feature In its ' eprint, but the nightclub pack? .* setup will be one of its most important continuing opera- tions. “I found out when I went out,” Miss So* hen emphasizes, “that there are difficulties most people never think about. They say ‘Let’s do an act.’ T ir.'.’s fine, but after a few minutes of discussion you realize that what you should say is •Who will do it?’ ” After agree.ng to do nlteries, 3 ?veral mont’is ago. Miss Sothem iscovered that there are only a handful of p-ople in the business who are equipped to turn out an act—end they are usually booked long in advance. "Most people.” ahe explains, "think immediately of Nick. Castle and Bob Alton among others, hut they are usually tied up. And besides, people who create acts are very expensive—so that new talent has very little chance to pet food material.” Vincent Productions' plan calls for a complete package job. It will include the services of choreo- (Continued on page 18) Maxene Andrews is Okay After Sleeping Pill Boot Hollywood, Dec. 21. Condition of Maxene Andrews was described as good, following her attempt at suicide today (Tues.) by swallowing 18 sleeping pills. Miss Andrews was said to have been despondent'over'family trou- bles and the breakup of the famed singing sister trio. She was taken to the Valley Hospital, Van Nuys. Suicide attempt came within a few hours after her arrival from Australia, where she and her sister Laverne had been on a concert tour with Billy Daniels. The exhaustion of the trip may also have been a factor. Both Maxene and Laverne were to have determined whether they would continue to do their act with Dorothy Squires. Their sister Patty had been doing a sin- gle a little less than a year. Maxene was formerly married to music publisher Lou Levy, whom she divorced. They have two adopted children. The Andrews Sisters' tour with Daniels drew an alltime high of 36.000 paid attendance to Sydney Stadium. They were paid $25,000 to try out their new double. Dan- iels got $40,000. Latter is already negotiating with producer Ben Reyes for a similar Down Under junket in late 1955. HORACE HEIDT For 8wift A Co. Starting Jan. 8th Office*—J. Walter Thompion, Chicago See Hollywood Glorification of French Outfit Enticing Swiss Youth to Vamoose Homeland Box Office Television is offer- ing theatres a closed-circuit thea- tre telecast of a jazz concert. Package, being assembled by the Associated Booking Corp., is be- ing aimed for midnight viewing on March 4. Among those listed for the jazz program are Gene Krupa and Louis Armstrong. BOTV is feeling out the attitude of theatres with closed-circuit large-screen installations. On the basis of early demands, exhibitors complained that the terms de- manded were unsuitable, espe- cially since the event represents an untried quantity. They’re also wondering how much cf an audi- ence they can corral at midnight. BOTV, it’s understood, has pre- sented two plans—either a guar- antee from the theatres or outright rental of the house and the tv equipment on a four-wall basis. One chain closed-circuit booker termed the offer of $300 for rental of the house as "ridiculous.” unu/ii a ijcuib Hollywood is being Indirectly nunmANMiir blamed by the Swiss for many of their young men making the "prej- n ^°r . Palsy udicial and punishable” decision of i Into 48 States joining the French Foreign Le- lenson s resignation , Qn the supposition that the film if Lmted Cerebral ; version of the Foreign Legion has “V board chairman had an effect on Swiss men. police lght on the heart ! officials in Zurich have decided to s. Radio and tv eie-! gj- an t no further permits to pix ture companies via j "which deal with life conditions > and hundreds of j n the Foreign Legion or in any ponded to Golden- other foreign military organiza- a mammoth job in t ion, describing these conditions in cause. ^ SUC h a way as to rouse or favor >ed to get the mes- in the feelings of young patrons lethons, benefits of a desire for adventure and a wish :ity from all direc- to enlist in a foreign army.” reached the public In line with this thinking, The cs show the result. Swiss have ordered pre-release 0 was raised in the censorship on all films dealing e Goldenson took with or relating to foreign mili- tary service "and especially the a national health F renc h Foreign Legion.” Los Angeles’ Democratic News Goes to Tunes On Ere of Guild Action Los Angeles, Dec. 21. The Daily News, only metropoli- tan Democratic daily on the west coast, suspended publication over the weekend following its sudden purchase by the Times-Mirror Co. Passing of control was announced ir. a terse staff bulletin Saturday afternoon by Clinton D. McKinnon, who purchased the Daily News a year ago. Times-Mirror acquired the cir- culation list and most of the fea- tures of the departed daily and promptly suspended publication of the Daily News. T-M, owned and operated by the Chandler family, publishes the morning Times and the afternoon Mirror. Purchase price of the off-size tabloid w’as not disclosed. How- ever, it was known that the bulk of the coin will go toward meeting current debts, including salaries and a one-week paycheck repre- senting a week's salary that had been deferred from the time Mc- Kinnon took over. The Daily News has been in con- stant difficulty since its acquisition by McKinnon and its known that several groups have advanced coin from time to time. Recently Robert (Continued on page 53) Jessel’s 3GG Tab To Host Royal Nevada Bov/: S°!s Indie Film George Je c sel is the new Royal Nevada's deii to t.ie S10.000 cock- tailery fee for Jor.n Crawford hos- tessing at still another new Las Vegas hotel, the Riviera, at a super-cocktailery. Jessel’s expense item is $30 009 h t for this he’ll also assist in putting on the debut show, possibly do a gag or two be- sides a little hosting on his own. Frank S'lifTirrn ?.nd Eddie Rio. latter the ex-Coast rep for AGYA. head up trie Royal Nevada, which is slated for a February bow. The Riviera debuts a month or so later. Jessel's other activities include an independent film production of "Blessed !' t N e L“nd.” based on the Louis Zara book, dealing with the first landing of fhe 23 Dutch Jews from Br'nil in Nieuw Am- sterdam, and also a taped radio show called "Breakfast in Holly- wood.” which Frank Cooper will syndicate. It’s an extension of the (late) Tcm 3;eneman title, but with new open-end variations so that Jessel can "originate” theo- retically from the Sheraton Hotels, with whom he Ijas a rapport, or Las Vegas, or anywhere. Cooper and his associates own the title and NBC is interested in the syndica- tion. Geo. Headley’s 295G Stock Issue to B.R. Five Different Show Biz Cos Los Angeles, Dec. 21. Red Doff, former press agent for Liberace, filed a $350,000 libel suit against the Hearst Corp. in Fed- eral Court, claiming false, defama- tory and malicious statements were made about him in an article attributed to the pianist in the December issue of Cosmopolitan. Complaint contains passages from the magazine in which is quoted as saying that Liberace is not worried about "lavender tinted innuendos” which "have stemmed principally from the threats of a press agent he fired." Liberace is also quoted as saying that the pub- licist "sold a great many untruths to a local paper for $100*’* Doff contends that these state- ments have injured his good repu- tation and caused him embarrass- ment. ^ He asks $175,000 punitive damages and $175,000 general dam- ages. New wrinkle in "diversification” is incorporated into the plans of a new show’ biz company, George Headley Associates, which will op- erate in no less than five separate entertainment fields. Prospectus for a $ 295,000 stock issue floated by the firm reveals plans to oper- ate a radio -tv-film packaging divi- sion, a high fidelity record and tape division, a music publishing and children's book publishing unit, a talent management opera- tion and a public relations-mer- chandising-sales promotion depart- ment. all under the same corporate banner. * Purpose of the issue, which com- prises 295.000 shares of voting common stock at $1 a share, is to provide for administrative ex- penses for the r.rzt yerr'e opera- tion. Issue consists of 49 '.'o of outstanding common stock, with Headley retaining 51^ of the com- mon: Agent for the issue is the brokerage house of F. M. Hall & (Continued on page 18) Jas., Pamela & Portland In Mason Family Vidpic Which Hits Theatres Hollywood, Dec. 21. James Mason’s 15-minute vidp:^ "A Star of Bethlehem.” opened at three L. A. theatres day after it was seen on Ed Sullivan’s "Toast of the Town” Sunday (19) on CBS- TV. Telepic which is now at the Fox Beverly. Egyptian and Loew s 4 State, is believed to be the first to be seen in theatres so soon after vidviewing. Mason produced and directed the picture, and with his wife. Pamela, wrote it. Their six-year-old daugh- ter, Portland, stars in the religioso. Masons plan to reissue it on tv and : theatrically every Christmas. While it was filmed in color it was seen j in black-and-white on Sunday, but in tint theatrically. Laurie’s Comedy Library George Freedley, curator of the Theatre Collection of the N. Y. Public Library, is planning a spe- cial shindig to celebrate the offi- cial acceptance of the Joe Laurie Jr. Comedy Library’ Collection. Some 17 crates of memorabilia was willed by the late author- comedian to the 5th Ave. & 42d St. institution. Ed Nealis, Bill Rowland Producing Video Films Hollywood, Dec. 21. Edward Nealis, former Holly- wood film producer and currently operator of a hotel below’ the Mexi- can border, reports the formation of a company to make motion pic- tures and telefilms in Baja Cali- fornia.^ Outfit is bankrolled by the Nealis group and by New World Productions a Mexican company headed by William Row- land. former producer-director. New corporation will tee off w’ith two telefilm series with Nealis as executive producer and Rowland as active producer. First of the series, aimed at the U. S. markets will be "The Avenger” based on the feats of Joaquin Murietta. Second will be "Rosa- rita Beach Nights,” a Latin musi- cal series. Theatrical films will Subsrripiion Order Form Enclosed find check for $ Please send VARIETY for y*". 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