Variety (March 1955)

2 MISCELLANY Wednesday, March 2, 1955 Show Business on the Bounding Main Pays Off for Caribbean Cruise Ships By ABEL GREEN A recent 13^-day cruise aboard the SS Nieuw Amsterdam re- vealed an advanced brand of sea- going showmanship which makes one wonder whether cruise director Robert James Smith, Capt. Cor- ners Visser, Smith’s cruise staff and all concerned couldn’t give lessons to the life-of-the-party Miami and mountain resorts. Showmanship on the bounding main is the answer to the pyramid- ing Caribbean winter port busi- ness, which has been developed by the Holland-American Line’s passenger agent, Elliott* Liman, into Mediterranean cruises and by the other international shippers into a worldwide industry. Geared for the winter vacation- er’s comfort to the nth degree, the $100-per-day (average) for two in a good cabin obviously compares favorably with Florida resort rates, considering that de luxe meals (caviar ’n’ everything) are includ- (Continued on page 20) Schwartz-Dietz Ditty For Actors’ Studio Supper; $40,000 Fund is Goal Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz have written a new song, prepared especially for the occa- sion, at a supper party next Wed- nesday night (9) immediately fol- lowing the premiere of “East of Eden” (WB) at the Astor Theatre, N.Y. The affair, for $50-a-ticket guests at the film opening, will be held at the roof of the Sheraton Astor Hotel. Entertainment, besides the Schwartz-Dietz song number, will include Marilyn Monroe singfng “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend,” which she did in the 20th- Fox film edition of “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,” with Jule Styne, who composed the music, providing the piano accompaniment, and Anita Loos, who authored the original “Blondes” novel and coined the “Diamonds” phrase, introducing the act. Harold Arlen (Continued on page 60) N.Y. Newsmen Fly In For Westbury’s London Bow London, March 1. A plane load of New York news- men arrived in London yesterday • Mon.) for today’s launching of the Westbury, the first all-American hotel to be built in London. It is wholly owned by the Knott hotel group and cost over $3,000,000. The press party includes Inez Robb (World Telegram & Sun and United Features), Chester L. Shaw (Newsweek), Danton Walker (News), Leonard Lyons (Post), William de Witt (Cue), Alven Dodd (INS), Margaret Tilley (Town & Country) and Fay Emerson (NBC). Hy Gaadner w'ill be coming from Paris and Robert Sage was due to- day (Tues.). John Crosby will not be arriving until Thursday (3). Official ribbon-cutting ceremony will be performed by the American Ambassador to London, Winthrop Aldrich, and the President of the Board of Trade, Peter Thorney- croft. The Westbury, which is the first hotel to be built in the West End of London for over 20 years, will nob feature cabaret or dancing among its amenities. Screen Writers Honor Bedridden Bob Riskin Hollywood, March 1. Robert Riskin, who has been bed- ridden for past three years, was signally honored Monday night (28) at the Moulin Rouge here when presented with the Laurel Award of the screen writers divi- sion of the new Writers Guild of America-West. Last year’s Laurel Award winner, Dudley Nichols, made the presentation which hailed Riskin for his many contributions through the years to the literature of the screen. Comedy award went to Billy Wil- der, Samuel Taylor and Ernest Leh- man for scripting Paramount’s “Sa- brina.” Frances Goodrich, Albert Hack- ett, Dorothy Kingsley copped best musical script award for their “Seven Brides for Seven Broth- ers” (Metro) and Budd Schulberg drew best drama nod for Colum- bia’s “On the Waterfront.” Jimmy Durante emceed the ofT- the-record show produced by Don McGuire. Italy’s Studios At Standstill By ROBERT F. HAWKINS Rome, March 1. It now seems likely that the pro- tectionist Italo film law, recently extended to June 30, will be ex- tended to the end of the year as the Italian Chamber reconvenes here. One of the reasons why the ex- tension is likely is the fact that Italian producers have been hold- ing back production while aw-ait- ing clarification of the legal prob- lems involved. They feel that the original June 30 date places them in a difficult position and is also limiting coproduction possibilities. What with local production prac- tically at a standstill, the extension is confidently expected. The original six-month-only ex- tension of the film law had been granted in view of the preparatory (Continued on page 71) Paree Goes Bluenose; . The Comedie-Francaise Bans Shaw’s ‘Mrs. Warren’ Paris, March 1. Paris is going Puritan. George Bernard Shaw’s “Mrs. Warren’s Profession” has been branded “immoral” by the Comedie-Fran- caise and its scheduled production has been dropped. It was to have been the C-F’s third Shaw produc- tion, following successful offerings of “Pygmalion” and “Arms and I the Man.” Taboo was put on the play by the C-F’s reading committee. Perusers had originally given the play the greenlight, with the stipulation that certain cuts be made. It was later discovered that all the proper (Continued on page 70) Subscription Order Form Enclosed find check for $ Please send VARIETY lot £wo Yea's a/2 To .. Street City, . (Pleaw Print Nani«) Zone.... State. Regular Subscription Rates One Year—$10.00 Two Years—$18.00 Canada and Foreign—$1 Additional per Year V&TUETY Inc. 154 West 44th Street New York 34, N. HORACE HEIDT For Swift 4. Co. Officts—J. Walter Thompson. Chicago Tax Puzzler On Penalty Damages Before Hi Court Washington, March 1. U. S. Supreme Court took under consideration yesterday (28) the question of whether the punitive damages won in an antitrust treble damage suit are taxable. Two cases were appealed by the Commissioner of Internal Revenue —the $375,000 treble damage ver- dict obtained by the William Gold- man Theatres of Philadelphia from the major distributors; and settlement received by Glenshaw Glass Co. in its damage suit against the Hartford-Empire Co. U. S. Solicitor General Simon Sobeloff, who argued for the Government, took the position that penalty payments were income and should be taxed as such. Goldman, which claimed dam- ages of $125,000 in its suit, included the $125,000 in its income but did not pay anything on the other (Continued on page 71) DISNEY OFFERS TV FEATURES TO BBC London, March 1. Roy Disney, president of Walt Disney productions, announced in London last week that he is offer- ing to BBC-TV five full-length pix specially made for television. He explained that he was making his pitch towards the state web be- cause he felt it would be at least two years before the commercial networks had the circulation. “We are interested in circulation,” he added. Of the five pix which Disney brought with him to London, two deal with “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,” two with “The Lady and the Tramp.” and the fifth with “The Vanishing Prairie.” At a later stage, said the Disney prez, they would explore the possi- bility of a regular tv show in Lon- don. but for '-the present they would be satisfied with occasional screenings. Hayes-Healy Head Ike’s White House Scribes Show Washington, March 1. Entertainment lineup for the an- nual dinner to be given Saturday night (5) to President Eisenhower by the White House Correspond- ents Assn, is topped by Peter Lind Hayes and Mary Healy. Show also includes Duke Elling- ton, with Wendell Marshall and dancer Teddy Hale; composer Jim- my McHugh, with Darla Hood and Judy Ccllins; Tennessee Ernie Ford with Billy Liebert; Channing Pollock, the magician; dancers Chi- quita & Johnson; Norman Leyden, conducting for Hayes and Miss Hea- ly, Eddie Pierce orchestra, and the Navy Band under Comm. Charles Brcndler. Show was assembled by ASCAP, with Paul Cunningham in charge. He was aided by Harry Kalcheim of the William Morris Agency and by the local production staff of i Loews. Ex-Nazi Week in New York _ . » * Tuesday, March 1 Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra —Carnegie Hall. Herbert von Karajan conducting. (Conductor, manager and part of the orch were all Nazi party members during the Hitler regime). Thursday, March 3 N. Y. Philharmonic-Symphony —Carnegie Hall. Walter Giese- king, soloist. (Gieseking was originally barred from the U.S. be- cause of his wartime connections with the Nazi regime). Metropolitan Opera —Met Opera House. “Tristan und Isolde,” with Josef Metternich, Set Svanholm, others. (Metternich, report- edly a party member, sang in Nazi Germany during the war. Svan- holm, a Swede, sang in opera in Germany dndef the Third Reich). Sen. Wiley Tells Knights of Columbus Most American Entertainment Is Okay Hunt on for MCA Execs Lost on Plane Flight Reno, March 1. Larry Barnett, Music Corp. of America veepee, arrived here to supervise the search going on for Hal Howard, in charge of the Los Angeles band and act department, and Dave Silver, his assistant. Howard was piloting a single-en- gined plane which was lost in the mountainous area between Reno and Las Vegas. Rescue planes w'ere battling snowstorms over the area in the search for the missing plane. Howard, 43. took off from here for Vegas Friday (25 ) with Silver, who is 24. Neither has been heard from since. Howard’s trip recalls the death of Freddie Elswit, of the William Morris Agency, several years ago. Elswit and his wife were piloting plane flying from Los Angeles to Las Vegas and were lost when their single-engined Navion hit a mountain during a snowstorm. Elswit was a nephew of Abe Last- fogel, WM general manager. Wives War Over Tom Mix Biog Hollywood. March 1. Mrs. Mabel Mix, widow of Tom Mix, is in showdown battle in L. A. Superior Court with Victoria Mix, ex-wife of late oater star, and lat- ter’s daughter, Thomasina Mix An- dre, over the sale of his biography to films for $150,000. Widow is seeking court approval of right to sell, while Victoria and Thomasina are holding out. Mabel’s lawyer said the Mix es- tate is now bankrupt, but by $100,- 000 sale would become solvent. Jesuit’s 60G Offer For One-Shot Lanza Closed-Circuit Stint Holywood, March 1. Charity wants to get into the closed-circuit tv biz via a $60,000 offer for Mario Lanza to appear on a one-shot concert which would be beamed to various cities. Precedental pitch was made to MCA, Lanza’s agent, by a Minne- sota attorney repping the Jesuit order. He said the concert would be beamed to schools and auditori- ums in other cities, with the coin made from such an event to go to the order’s schools throughout the country. Lanza is busy with nitery date and a Warner Bros, pic in the im- mediate future, and MCA hasn’t reached any decision on the offer from the Jesuits. HOPE HAMPTON SET FOR MORE DATES IN NEW ACT Hope Hampton, who made her nitery debut several weeks ago at the Versailles, N. Y., will continue cafe dates with a new act being staged by Stephen Papich, dance director at 20th-Fox, and produced by her personal manager, William Taub. Miss Hampton has been signed to open at the Hotel Ille de Capri, Miami Beach, March 9 for two weeks and will continue at the Patio, Palm Beach, March 24. The new turn will includb a number of supporting performers. 4- Kenosha, Wis M March 1. Juvenile delinquency is a com- plex problem which cannot be charged to any single cause such as programs of violence on radio, television or motion pictures, Sena- tor Alexander Wiley (R., Wis.) told the Kenosha Knights of Columbus Sunday night (27). However, continued Wiley, rank- ing Republican on the Senate sub- committee on juvenile delinquency, parents can insist upon more wholesome programs by granting or withholding their patronage. The Senator was strongly opposed to Federal censorship. “We know that, by and large,” said Wiley, “American books, magazines, radio and television are sound. “With relation to radio and tele- vision, I have urged a greater con- centration on wholesome programs. (Continued on page 71) $17,650,000 in Kickoff Pledges for UJA As Benny Sparks Drive Miami Beach March 1. Jack Benny helped raised $17,- 650,000 in pledges at the kickoff luncheon in the Saxony Hotel for the United Jewish Appeal’s drive tow r ard a $100,000,000 goal for 1955. The whopping sum topped every previous record for initial donations. The luncheon climaxed a four- day visit here by Benny, his first since 1935 when the Roney Plaza hotel was the northernmost hotel on the Beach, at JJSrd st. The semi-vacation began w'ith a motor trip from New Orleans to this city, where he visited with toppers working the local cafes: Tony Mar- tin at the Fontainebleau (whom he > (Continued on page 70) ‘JET-PROPELLED COUCH’ OPTIONED FOR FILMS Baltimore, March 1. Scripter Stanley Roberts has op- tioned “The Jet-Propelled Couch,” one of five “psychoanalytical tales” from “The Fifty Minute Hour,” by Robert Lindner, Baltimore psycho- analyst. Deals for the remaining four tales based on actual case histories are also being negotiated. Roberts, who worked for Stanley Kramer on “The Caine Mutiny” and “Death Of a Salesman.” is ru- mored to have a George Gobel or Alec Guinness vehicle in mind. “Rebel Without A Cause,” an earlier full-length case history by Lindner, will be filmed by War- ners this spring. Lindner also it set for a video appearance on "Om- nibus” soon to discuss his newest book. Lamour’s Sarong Vidpix; Ed Sutherland to Direct Dorothy Lamour has firmed a deal to hit the half-hour vidfilm ranks with a series to be lensed starting in mid-April in Bermuda. Coin for the venture is coming from financier Vilem Zwillinger, who was reported instrumental in the merger of Gross-Krasne’s UPT with MCA-TV. Expectations are to shoot 39 tele- pix at the Bermuda site, with directing being handled by Eddie Sutherland, who performed similar chores in at least one of Miss La- mour’s feature pix for Paramount. Miss Lamour described the series as an anthology with a South Seas background in which she’ll appear regularly. Five scripts have been completed so far. Apparently cap- italizing on the reputation built up . in theatrical pix, a tentative title, i “Sarong Girl,” has been chosen.