Variety (December 1955)

Wednesday, December 14, 1,955 71 ROBERT E. SHELBY , Robert E. Shelby, 49, v.p. and I r>hief engineer of the National! Broadcasting Company, died Dec. 8 7, his home m.Teaneck, N.J, A nioneer in the development -of ffikSnd-white and color tv,'he hid been associated with NBC since 1929 / He was appointed v.p. and chief engineer in 1954. In 1931 when NBC first, estab¬ lished its tv development labora¬ tory in the .Empire State. Bldg., he was placed in charge of the proj¬ ect, supervising the earliest ex¬ perimental work in 'tv operation techniques. From 1936-37, he as¬ sisted in the organization of RCA- NBC field tests of all-electronic''tv and in the design* of. equipment and facilities for thosij tests. ’Dur¬ ing World War II, he directed NBC’s wartime research and devel¬ opment activities. Before his.pro¬ motion to v.p. and chief engineer, lie was director of Color Television Systems Development for NBC, and in this post played a major part in the introduction of RCA pioneered compatible color tv.' He was a member of the Society of MANFRED F. BUKOFZER Manfred F. Bukofzer, 45, music¬ ologist who headed the U. of Cali¬ fornia’s music department, died Dec.^ in pakland. A native of Ger¬ many, he taught at Basel, Cam¬ bridge and Oxford before coming to the U.S. in 1939. ' Bukofzer, who was an instructor at Western Reserve U. for two years, subsequently joined the U. of California staff. He wrote more than 30 books and articles on mu¬ sic, his • best known work being “Music‘in the Baroque Era?'' His wife and a sister survive. FRED TEJAN Fred Tejan, 75, close friend of the . late Will Rogers-and a onetime horseman in Buffalo Bill’s troupe, di$d of a heart attack Dec. 7 in Monterey, Qal. He started his ca¬ reer as a. cowboy with Rogers in Oklahoma and together they joined the Buffalo Bill show., He later turned to training horses. His wife and two sons survive. ROY RUPARD Roy Ruiterd, 70, State Fair of JOHN HYDE DECEMBER 18, 1950 FROM FRIENDS AND ASSOCIATES had also served as an assistant director/'and 4jn v recent years had bien employed as a camera opera¬ tor:"' -■ v His Wife, M$ude Smythe Murray, former 20th-Fox studio secretary, and a brother and sister survive. MAURICE BERNHARD Maurice (Maurie) Bernhard, son of the late Joe' Bernhard, vice-president of 'Warner Bros., was killed in'a 'crackup of -a Glenn Martin jet last week outside Bal¬ timore. r Wife, two children, three broth¬ ers and mother survive. Details in Film Section. ROY J. BOWLES Roy J. Bowles, 48 t central Lon¬ don organizer for the Musicians Union since f949, died of coronary thrombosis Dec. 4 in London, Prior to assuming his post with the union, he was a cellist and string bass player. ... . His wife and son survive. HENRY RINGLING- Henry Ringling, 49, member of the circus family and former Republican.. National Committee¬ man from Wisconsin, died Dec. 9 in -Baraboo, Wis. Surviving are his wife and two children. He renounced the circus for a political career. THOMAS M. HACKETT Thomas M. Hackett, 49, associate director -of media relations of Young .& Rubicam, New York ad¬ vertising agency; died Dec. 7 in Mount Kisco, N.Y. Surviving are his wife, son, i daughter, mother and a sister. Motion Pictures & Television Engi¬ neers. His wife and two daughters sur¬ vive. MARTIN P. HENRY Martin P. Henryk 50, a tv-film producer, died Dec. 6 in New York. Prior to entering.tv, lie was an as-, sistant director at Famous Play- ers-Lasky, Paramount and Fox Studios, from 1924-30. In 1930, he came to ly.Y. and was in the securi¬ ties brokerage business for several years. He later joined Video Pic¬ tures Inc. of * N.Y. and the N.Y. office of West Coast Sound Studios as a director and producer. He became president of Video Pic¬ tures in 1952. From 1942-46 he served in the Signal Corps as a major in charge Of producing training films for the army. His mother and sister, Mrs. Gene Sarazen, wife of the former na¬ tional open golf champion, survive. TONY IAVELLO Tony Iavello, i42, composer who handled musical arrangements. for recording artists for the past 20 years, died Dec. 9 in Van Nuys, Cal., of a heart attack. He left t the .U. of Wisconsin" at 19 to'join j the Pat Kennedy orch in Chicago as arranger, and later made ar¬ rangements for such bandleaders IN MEMORIAM RAYMOND HUBBELL 1879 -1954 as Anson Weeks, Wayne King, Or- rin Tucker and Lop Breeze. • Ia i V nii° j° ine d NBC in : Chicago VLo 1940 ! Soing to Hollywood in 1948, where he became active in the recording field. Among the stars for whom he arranged were Kay Starr, Nelson Eddy, Giselle Mackenzie, George - Jessel and Mario Lanza, doing “Because *uj re j^ ine ”. * or latter. At time of his death he'was working on an arrangement Jfor . Eddie Fisher. chfldrerT^ wife'and sevei) Texas executive from .1914 to-1947, died-Dec. 8 in Dallas. He retired as secretary in 1947, after 34 years with the expo. , Rupard was active in staging the 1936 Texas Centennial and tne 1937 Pan-American Exposition at the Dallas fairgrounds. In 1947 he was president of the International Assn, of Fairs and Expositions. Survived by his wife, a son and daughter, two brothers and two sisters.. ROLF. ENGELHARDT Rolf Engelhardt, 53, who por¬ trayed more than 400 roles for the Cleveland Playhouse, died of can¬ cer Dec. 10 in Cleveland. Actor, whose real name was Ralph C. Engelhardt, joined Frederic Mc¬ Connell’s repertory theatre in 1927.. He also was seen in sum¬ mer stock in New London, Conn., appeared in several off-Broadway plays and toured with the Chau¬ tauqua (N.Y.) repertory company. His parents and a brother sur¬ vive. AMY LOVEMAN Amy Loveman, 74, one of the founders of The Saturday Review, died Dec. 11 in New York. She also had been associated with the Book-of-the-Month club since its founding in 1926. Three brothers survive. Cecil R. Wood Sr., 82, veteran pro¬ jectionist, died* Dec. 9 in Jackson¬ ville, Fla. Wood, who was known as "dean of U.S. film projection¬ ists,” toured the country fdr four years* with “Birth of Nation." In 1914, when D. W. Griffith was set to unveil this classic, he picked Wood as one of the two projection¬ ists to screen it for President Woodrow Wilson in a preview at the White House. Survived by his daughter. Rudolph G. Faulds, -63, co-owner of the Des Moines Theatre Supply Co., died of cancer Dec. 1 in Des Moines. His wife and two sisters survive. Re-Fighting Civil War ; Continued from page 2 David Sapiro, a pianist and piano teacher died Dec. 8 in New York. His son, brother and two sisters survive. Jerry L. Thayer, 68, former vio¬ lin teacher and trombonist with bands in Exeter and Raymonu, N.H.; died Dec. 5 in Exeter. J. JOSEPH CAHILL J. Joseph Cahill, 83, forn\er vaude performer and active in thea¬ tre management in B rjD c k to n, i Mass., for more than 50 years, died Dec. 9 in Palm Beach, Fla. He was general manager of the M. & T. theatre»chain in Brockton at the •time of his retirement in T944. He • also supervised enter¬ tainment for the Brockton Fair for nearly 40 years. Surviving -are two daughters and a son. XJ HAROLD WALDEN Harold Walden, 66, English co- pnedian who was a familiar figure rto vaude, revue and concert goers, (died Dec. 2 in Leeds, Eng., after •‘oilapsmg at a railway station. He sorted his theatrical career in 1919, and made his-London bow 14rk Empire Gar a * the Finsbury Walden, who later toured India, Vustralia and Southi Africa, also as a member for several seasons U- Ernest Binns’ “Arcadian Fol¬ ios at Morecambe, Lancashire iohday resort. In 1927 he intro- ■uced a burlesque comedy act ■ liich included his topical song, j\nd Only Me Knows Why.” GEORGE H. BURTON George H. Burton, 55, bird trainer whose parakeets in Repub¬ lic’s “Bill and Coo” won him an Oscar, died Dec. 8 in Los Angeles of a heart attack. Burton and his parakeets were featured on tv and on tour. He also appeared in Ken Murray’s “Blackouts” in Hollywood. BILLIE GATES Mrs. Mae Perry, 55, mother of stage actress Barbara Perry and who formerly sang at the Metro¬ politan and in Ziegfeld shows un¬ der the name o^ Billie Gates, died Dec. 7 in Hollywood. In recent years-Mrs. Perry had operated the Perry Theatre Studio in Hollywood, which now will be run by her daughter. HENRY J.‘ MERLAND Henry Joseph Merland, 63, vet cameraman, died* Dec.' 9 in Holly- wdod.' He had been a lenser for ^Paramount since 1920. Surviving is his wife. JAMES V. MURRAY James V. Murray, 59, one of Hollywood’s first cameramen, died Dec. 5 a, of,a heart..attack in Los Angeles Hfe started his career at Inceville in 1911 and was the late James Cruze’s first cameraman. During his 44 years in films he Peter Capursi, former Montpe¬ lier .and Barre, Vt., saxophonist and drummer, died recently in Washington, D.C. Father, 59, of George E. Phil¬ lips, co-owner of the St. Louis Re- lart Pictures franchise, died Nov. 27 in St. Louis. Sam William Bean Jr., 34,, dog trainer with the Ice Follies for six years, died Dec. 2 in San Franisco. He leaves his brother. Sam Leavitt, 53, vet projection¬ ist, died Dec. 11 in Cleveland. Surviving are his wife, brother and four sisters. Mother-in-law of Max Shabasoii, assistant manager of M-G exchange in Pittsburgh, died Nov. 25 in that city. producers, novelists, screenwriters, radio-television, et al., would be¬ come the mainmost suppliers of themes joined, of course, by the composers-lyricists, each p| .whom would be expected to press fdr the “dream tune” connoting the bal¬ lad of the Great War brought for¬ ward 100 years to spell out Amer¬ ican development and achieve¬ ments in all facets of life. Such themes & dreams” shape as turn¬ ing on how the U. S. literally “got up off the floor” to take its top po¬ sition in world politics, statesman¬ ship, industry, business and com¬ merce, education, humanitarian works and, coincidentally, as “the I greatest show bizzer on earth.” Sparked by Haverlin Spearheading the “intellectual” part of the movement is, "it just so happens,” a key member of the show biz firmament in Carl Haver¬ lin, prexy of Broadcast Music Inc. One of the country’s foremost stu¬ dents on the Civil War and own¬ er of a large collection related to the conflict, he. heqds a recently formed group, the Civil War Cen¬ tennial Assn., consisting of the na¬ tion’s leading CW scholars, edu¬ cators, writers, etc., which assem¬ bled in Memphis for three days last month to introduce the sub-< ject to the convening Southern Historical Assn. For obvious dra¬ matic reasons, announcement of the results was made public on Armistice Day. Based on that and other explora¬ tory activities, it appears that Hav¬ erlin and his colleagues won’t have to do much “selling.” In the .last couple of years, fiction and non¬ fiction treatises on 1861-65 have [■■measured a new high in such his¬ torical material, and of late there have been several disclosures by producers that they are planning television film series on various CW angles. One now engaged in. pre¬ paring such a series is Edward Byron ("Mr. District Attorney,” etc.), who promises historical'ac¬ curacy in a takeout on a mythical correspondent who covered the war for British newspapers. Newspapers and magazines, too, are “discovering” 1861-65 all over again. “The Civil War has become ‘everybody’s war’,” said Haverlin in his opening speech at Memphis. “It holds a place In the interest of the average American ’beyond that in either World War I or II. It is actually the keystone of the arch of 190 years of our nation’s history. -The first shot of the Civil War was fired at Fort Sumter 95 years ago next April. Ninety-five years before that we were not yet a nation but a group of colonies, troubled by the Stamp Act that Benjamin Franklin was working to repeal. “From personal experience we know that most of those who enter into our fascinating history through the gate marked 1861 are led back easily- but inevitably to our founda¬ tion years. This spread of inter¬ est comes through a natural curios¬ ity to know more about the men and events they are reading about. In retracing their steps they find that an aroused interest leads them through the. Civil War years down to the present atorhic age. So our first purpose is to stimulate public interest in reading the Civil War histories and biographies that have been written.and the- books that are going to be written about this stirring period. The more one knows of the Civil War, the more one knows of our American story m m Nov. 27. Hairy Rosenthal, 61, jukebox and vending machine distributor in Pittsburgh, died of cancer Dec. 6 in that city. Paul Durand, 78, .vet vaude agent, diedJDec. 12 in New York. His wife survives. Lillian Moseley, 70, former Co¬ lumbia studio dressing room ma¬ tron, died Dec. 6 in Hollywood. Wife, 46, of Gene Krupa, jazz drummer and orchestra leader, died Dec. 8 in Yonkers, N.Y. plus the newly organized Civil War Boole Club. Haverlin pointed out that radio and tv.have contributed “great im¬ pact” by bringing the war period into millions of homes, singling out “You Are There,” Hallmark's “Hall of Fame,” “American Adventure,” ' and declared that “Gone With the Wind” has been the means of in¬ troducing other millions to “the drama and heartache” of what has been called “the great family leg¬ end of America.” ‘Rebel’ Mail 5 S Continued from pagfe 2 ■ - ■ ciologists and psychiatrists who have paid tribute to the manner in which Childs-parent misunder¬ standing is highlighted. Nick Ray, who directed the film, and Natalie Wood, who was co- starred, have received much of the mail. Thus far, Miss Wood has. re¬ ceived roughly 5,000 letters—most¬ ly from teenagers—while Ray has . received more, than 1,000. H. R. Brickman, director of Clin¬ ical Services of the State of Cali¬ fornia Youth .Authority, liked the ‘strong personal impact it must make upon parents and -other adults, who, in their defensive and often condescending smugness, re¬ fuse to believe that delinquency is not just a matter Of ‘unfortunate ' circumstances’ such as racial dis¬ crimination or even brain dam¬ age.” MARRIAGES Donna Soward to PFC Lawrence Casazza Jr., Fort Ritchie, Md., Dec. 10. He’s son of a veteran com¬ positor with the Rogowski Press, printers of Variety. Betty Miller to James Green, Dec. 5, in New York. Both are thesps. Janet Gumprecht to Jerome Courtland, Newark, N.J., Dec. 9; He’s -a tv and film actor; bride is daughter of Nettie Rosenstein, the couturier. Barbara Ganung to Edward (Kid) Ory, San Francisco, Nov. 15. . He’s a trombonist and bandleader; bride’s his manager. Nan Thornton to James Sheil, Dublin, Dec. 8. He’s general man¬ ager of W. R. Fuller’s terpery and band promotion interests. Sandy Stewart to Saul Kane, Philadelphia, Dec^ 10. She’s vocal¬ ist on CBS Radio “Galen Drake Show.” Mary C. Montana to Enrique Cugat* Pittsburgh, Dpc. 2. He man¬ ages brother .Xavier Cugat’s band. Terry Van Tell to Jack Curtis, Poughkeepsie, N. Y., Dec. 11. Bride and groom are partners in the dubbing firm, Film-Sync Inc. Rose Mark to Walter Baroff, Dallas, Dec. 8. He’s a General Artists Corp. booker there. Patricia Englund to Dunham Lefferts. New York, Oct. 28. Bride is the actress-daughter of scriptcr Ken Englund and actress-producer Mabel Albertson; groom is an au¬ thor and editor. , Louis Linn, former concession man^er ^ Warn^’s^kyline drive- , ^ a wholc T j, e more one knows ciaiKsourg, w. , I 0 f th a t story, the better an Ameri¬ can one becomes.” Plans afoot by the CW Centen¬ nial Assn, include an information centre about the Civil War pe¬ riod, centennial events for press, radio and tv usage, and mainte¬ nance ofpn index of work planned or in- progress as a. service to writers and publishers. The show biz phase figures to develop from that “grand plan.” Numerous his¬ torical associations and archivists already are at work on the centen in behalf of their states and mu¬ nicipalities, \vith Ilaverlin’s' New York headquarters, at 589 Fifth Ave., serving as the nerve centre for information, guidance and in¬ tegration, latter to avoid conflicts. A good deal of stimulation toward the celebration is expected to stem Father of Charlotte Fiedler, of Screen Guild staff in Pittsburgh, died there Nov. 30. Mother-in-law of Mark Goodson, of Goodson-Todman Productions, died Dec. 7 in Omaha. BIRTHS Mr. and Mrs. Richard Joseph, daughter, their first, Dec. 9, New York. He’s travel editor of Es¬ quire. Mr. and Mrs. Joe Foss, son, Chi¬ cago, Deer 8. Father is a Chi CBS news and sportscaster. Mr. and Mrs. Nedd Flemming, daughter, Allentown, Pa., Dec. 1. Father’s a deejay* with radio station WAEB in that city. Mr. and Mrs. Robert J. Enders, son, Washington, recently. Father is head of tv film producing firm bearing his name. Mr. and Mrs. Al Smith, son, Washington, Dec. 1. Father is music librarian at radio station WWDC-MBS. Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Wallach, son. Hollywood, Nov. 29. Father is KABC-TV newswriter and pro¬ ducer of the “Mildred Younger Show.” Mr. and Mrs. Harry Witmers, son, Pittsburgh, Dec. 1. Father’s with Col exchange; mother, former Shirley Paulese, was with 20th. Mr. and Mrs. Bobby Limb, daughter, London, Nov. 19. Father’s an Australian vaude, nitery and radio comedian; mother’s soubret Dawn Lake. Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Freas, son, New York, Dec. 12. Mother is- Loretta Leversee, legit and tv from The 30 or so Civil War Round J actress. Father is a tradepaper Tables existing in as many states, | editor.