Variety (March 1957)

VAUDEVILLE 59 Vcdncidayy Marcli 27, 1957 Agencies Yking for Chantoos^ The talent agencies are placing- an Increased Importance on femme singers. The offices are going un¬ der the theory that cafe business is veering to the hotels to an ever increasingideirree and a strong line¬ up of chantcuses are needed on this circuit. This theory has proved success* ful irt the N. Y. hostels for several years, and it’s being expanded in other towns. The major exception in New York is the Waldorf-As- tora, which utilizes male singers and bands as well as the femme contingent. However, the Pierre, Plaza and St. Regis are virtually monopolized by the ladies. This trend is in direct contrast to the night clubs which are still relying mainly on male headliners, whether they be comedy or singing. The most recent extension has been In Toronto where the Royal York tried an experimental book¬ ing with Hildegarde, Since then, the inn has booked in several other femme singers. Music Qorp. of America has in recent weeks started a campaign to obtain as many of the^chantoo- seys as possible. The office recent¬ ly nabbed Lllo from the William Morris Agency, and is seeking « corner on the new singers, coming up. The bffice some months ago signed Marguerite Sierra after a showcase date at the Viennese Lantern, N. Y. Since then she has played at the Hotel St. Regis, and goes into the Hotel Plaza’s Pbf*. Sian Room. The crosstown traipsing of Miss Sierra accents anew the shortage of |emihe singers in the hotel orbit. Recently, Lisa "Kirk moved from the Persian room to the Hotel Wal¬ dorf-Astoria with only'a few days, between these engagements, . Last year, Lilo went from the Piferre to the Hotel Waldorf-Astoria, within a month. The efficacy of femme singers in the hotels Is seen by the- fact that the record attendance in these rooms is held mainly by femmes. Julie Wilson is among the top lures at the St. Regis; Lilo' holds the record at the ,Pierre; Lena Horne (a major draw in niteries as well) holds the top figure at the Wal¬ dorf-Astoria. It’s by now a fore¬ gone conclusion that the ladies haye taken over, in the posh hotel cen¬ tres, while male performers hold the edge in the. niteries by a wide margin^. ’ ‘ The . talent offices are pxtremely happy ‘ about. this situation inas¬ much as its Creates two sets- of headliners who will not be in com¬ petition with each other because of work in different areas. The short¬ age ol( suitable girP.singers is still a problem,, but th.e offices are rea¬ sonably sure that this can be solved more readily than the shortage of namej^ in nitery rooms; Upbeat of such chirps as Lilo and Miss Sierra-, .and strong emergence of Miss Kirk as .a top., name in only the last year ‘ or* so,, indicate the stronger possibility of creafng new draws for the inns. Chez Paree Agency Gabs With AGVA on Davis Tour Chicago, March 26. Che}5 Paree Artists chief Phil Consolo is. in negotiation with Jackie Bright, national' adminis¬ trator of American Guild of Va¬ riety Artists, for union okay of a projected Sammy Davis Jr. one- nighter tour. Meanwhile, Jay Lurye of Chez 'Artists is signing secondary acts for, the tour.. . AGVA has held lip franchising the Chez Paree Artists Bureau be¬ cause, of -its-fa.ilure to disaffirm a link with the ’ Chez ' Paree nitery. Union laws hold that bight club operators may not engage in the talent agency business. Tex* Pier'# Ice Opener Galveston, Tex., March 19. Galveston’s $2,000,000 r e f u r - hished Pleasure Pier will open May 2 with an elaborate entertain¬ ment program for the season, ac¬ cording to Walter Dick, prez of Texas Pier Co; The Joan Hyldoft ice show will opeiTthe season at the pier with a tWO-Wefek stand. Name bands will be booked for the Marine Room, according to Howai^d Hobbini^, jnanager'« " No Stripper, Sez Tonja; Clothes ‘Just FeH Off St. Louis^ March 26. A fine of $150 for presenting an Indecent act in the Tic Toe, a west end bistro, was slapped on Tonja Larsen last week by Police Judge Robert G. Dowd, who refused to believe the novel defense offered by the red-haired dancer. Cops who made the pinch testi¬ fied that while they saw the per¬ formance Miss Larsen was wearing fewer clothes than the law allows. She. took the stand and said that two pieces‘of her costume “jifst fell off” when the warm room apd perspiration caused her to lose some of her covering unintention¬ ally. This occurred when adhesive wilted, she said. She ^announced she would appeal the fine. Hope s SItIlOO Plus%alCNE Toronto, March 26. Final details of the- Bob Hope contract with the Canadian Na¬ tional Exhibition .were ironed out last week. Although Jack Arthur, CNE’s producer, refused to divulge details of the^ pact, it’s believed that the. comedian will get $100,000 for the engagement (14 days to be played in 16) plus 50% of the take over $470;000. It’s the largest fig¬ ure ever given a headliner on the grandstand show. CNE runs from Aug. 26 .to Sept. 7. Surrounding show hasn’t yet been set al^ough it’s likely that Hope will choose from among Frances Langford, Gloria DeHaven and' Marilyn Maxwell for his lead femme. Comic ^ pays for his sur¬ rounding talent. Rest of the grand¬ stand show, which will include a chorus of 100, will be choreo¬ graphed by Midge Arthur and Alan & Blanche. Lund. KAYESR0 48GINHUB; EXTEND RUN 2 WEEKS Boston, March 26. After racking up a second frame of. SRO biz with $48,-000, Danny Kaye extended-trie run of his In¬ ternational Show at the Colonial Theatre for an ;extra two weeks, ex¬ iting April 30. Kaye’s second week topped the first ($47,100) by ^ small margin, accounted for by pres$ seats ^uring first stanza, setting another record for the Colonial' Kaye’s six-week stand marks the.longest/run at the Colonial in recent years. No other engagement has played the theatre longer than fojur we^s since the run of “Mr. Roberts” Several years ago. At the start of the third week of the Kaye show, the advance edged $90,000, assuring a sellout for the third and fourth weeks. He opened March 11 with advance of $112,000. Capacity for thel.SOO-seater at the $6 top Fridays and Saturdays, $5.50 weeknights, is $48,000, which was- hit second week. Kaye has been getting the coin despite Lent, a snowstorm on Wednesday (20) matinee day, and general offish biz here. Kaye is to conduct the Boston Symphony at an open rehearsal for the pension fund at Symphony Hall next Wednesday (3). Howard & Wyndham Sets Acts for ‘5-Past 8’ Revue Glasgow, March 19. Alec Finlay, Scot comedian, is pacted for the annual Howard & Wyndham summer revue “Five- Past Eight,” due to open -May 3 at King’s Theatre, Edinburgh. Rik- kl Fulton, comedian, and Kenneth McKellar, tenor, are also signed. Fay Lenore, soubret, is set to join Jimmy Logan, D^id Hughbs and Stanley Baxter in “Five-Past Eight” at Alhambra Theatre, Glas¬ gow, in May. Jack Radcliffe, senior Scot come¬ dian, will head a third Howard & Wyndham “Five-Past -Eight,” open¬ ing at Royal Theatre, Newcastle, England, June 6. It will be the first of these elaborate revues tb be staged in northeast: England. . Another Rep. Ys. 20^ Tax Washington, March 26. Still another %ill to eliminate the 20% cabaret tax has been Introduced ih the House by Rep. John J. Allen Jr. (R., Calif,). Only opposition . from the Ad¬ ministration appears to be stand¬ ing in the way of legislation by Congress to either reduce* or re¬ peal the levy. Disposition Of 150G Trust Fund An AGVA Issue The Welfare Trust Fund of the American Guild of Variety Artists has grown to $150,000. With this rise (from around $15,000 in just over a year) has developed prob¬ lems which are in the process of being ironed out. A hassle has developed on the disposition of the funds. One faction would have the u'nion take the coin out of the savings accounts, from which it nets from 3% to 3V^%, and put it in certain investments regarded as safe evein at 5%. However, bulk of the trustees feel that to keep the fund as fluid as possible, the coin should remain where it is. AGYA president Georgie Price, heading the AGVA. fund delegation; had proi)Osed that the union buy the Halace Theatre Bldg on Broadway both as an in¬ vestment and as a means of insur¬ ing a permanent vaude stand in New York, but that was voted down, . Meanwhile the fund chairman, Naf Abramson, who is head of the WOR Artists Bureau, has retained the (Chemical Corn Exchange Bank to act as its investment counsellor, with a minimum fee of $200 annu¬ ally. Larger fees- would depend upon whether the fund does any investing in securities Tecommend- ed by the bank. According to Abramson, the actor’s security coin investments have to be approved by the New York Supreme Court, hence any possibility of tampering is eliminated. ' * The fund is also considering .the- proposition of- making the union self-insured, with Lloyds of L'on- dori to underwrite disaster insur¬ ance. Presently, Lloyds holds all the accident insurance. Project is still to be studied and voted upon. The fund trustees presently com¬ prise Abramson, chairman; Rabbi Bernard Birstein, of the Actors’ Temple, N. Y.; and George A. Hamid, head of GAC-Hamid. All these represent the employers. Representing the actors are Price, Cy Reeves and Rajah Raboid. Monies come: into the fund from the sale of the iaccident insurance policy for acts which is paid for by the employers. '■ ' Rabbi Birstein had until recently been a trustee representing the union. However, AGVA recently changed its representation frpm those- not affiliated with -the union •to.- members. Riabhi Birstein was elected to serve, the employer side when Nick Prounis, operator of the now defunct Versailles, re¬ signed. 0.0. ANDREWS SIS London, March 19. Linking up with the current trend of presenting top interna¬ tional name talent at picture houses, the"^ Rank Organization is negotiating for a four-week tour of Its theatres by the Andrews Sisters, but no firm dates have yet been fixed. Terms have been discussed, ho-wever, between General Artists Corp. and .Rank. In its bid to present headline artists, the Rank outfit has been working out a deal for Judy Gar¬ land to appear kt its theatres. The new venture kicked off success¬ fully with the appearances of Bill Haley’s Comets. / Polly Bergen’s Plaza Date Polly .Bergen .has been signed for the Persilan Room of the Plaza Hotel, N. Y,, starting May 13 for a five-week stand which will finale the spot for the season. She’ll be preceded by Marguerita Sierra, who goes in April 8. Opening headliner for next sea¬ son hasn’t yet been set. N.Y. License Dept Issues Ukase Limiting Talent Agents to % — — -^-— 4 - Obijt of Scot Vauder, 68; . Gaiety Area Depopulated Edinburgh, March 19. Another vaudery bites tbe .dust with the shuttering of the Gaiety Theatre, Leith, after an existence of 68 years. It is the oldest theatre in Edinburgh, having begun in 1889. It housed all-Scottish revues during the annual Edinburgh Fes¬ tival. Depopulation of the Leith area, where the Gaiety is sited, is blamed for the closedown. Some 10,000 families have been relocated in new housing estates elsewhere. Borge Wham 32G For Mpls. Three Minneapolis, March 26. Three performances by Victor Borge at 4,100-seat Radio City The¬ atre here (22-23) racked a huge gross of $32,200. Two inight performances at $5.50 top yielded, approximately $28,500, with 90 persons sitting on the stage Friday and 100 on Saturday.^ The Saturday matinee take at $4.50 top was $3,700. Borge originally was booked in for only the two night perform¬ ances, but when these went clean four days in advance, the matinee was added. United Paramount in¬ terrupted its regular Radio City film policy to bring in Borge. For this engagement Borge took 75% of the gross, or $25,500. CALYPSO UNIT EYED FOR RKO THEATRES Attempt will be made to steer the calypso show starting April 19 at Loew’s Metropolitan, Brooklyn, into some of the RKO houses , out- of-town. Michael Myerberg, who is handling the unit with Mercury Artists booking, has already start¬ ed negotiations with the circuit. However .they are still far apart on the deal to be made. In the calypso show will he Geoffrey Holder and his brother Boscoe, Lord Kitchener, George Boreland, Maya Angelou, Helen Ferguson, Tito Puente’s, band and others. Talent Nut, Lent Trim Cleve. Alpine to 2 Days .Cleveland, March 26. Hit by rising talent costs and Lenten season, Herman Pirchner chopped his operational policy at Alpine Village down to running just two nights on weekends. Shows and dance sessions are how staged only Fridays and! Satur¬ days, with the 525-seater staying dark rest of week. Pirchner said he went into the red to the tune of better than $20,- 000 during last year’s Lenten pe¬ riod While trying to buck it. He plans to return to full-time enter¬ tainment policy April 22 with a ne-w style of musical revue built around a dance line and a crew of local "singers. Until then, the im¬ presario is shunting his steady customers into his smaller Eldo¬ rado Room upstairs. Joaii Regan’s Palladium Date Hits Legal Snarl London, March 19. Songstress Joan R6gan, booked by’ Val Parnell and Bernard Del- font to appear with. Max Bygraves in the Palladium’s summer revue, may be barred from doing so be¬ cause of a legal hassle; It is al¬ leged she signed a contract to ap¬ pear at the Queen’s Theatre in Blackpool at that time. A writ has been Issued and an application for a high court injunc¬ tion will soon be made. TreifFesen to GAC Arthur .Treiffesen has joined General Artists Corp. to wbrk in the Industrial show dept. ' Treiffesen was with Lew & Les¬ lie Grade prior to Its takeover by GAC. A new threat by the New York City Dept. * of Licenses is now harassing talent offices homebased in New York. License Commis¬ sioner Bernard O’Connell has in¬ formed most of the major offices and several indies that henceforth tljiiy may charge a maximum com¬ mission of 5% as called for in General Business Law •£ N. Y. Stdte which governs the conduct of all employment agencies. It’s believed that the commis¬ sioner’s action was taken on the complaint of one act who, while under contract to one agency, took an assign#ient from another office and was stuck with two commis¬ sions. The commissioner threw all the resources of his office into the complaint and had Inspector Mary Shelley hand out warnings last week to vayous agencies. Nothing yet has been done in concert by the percenteries. But it’s evident that they will continue operations on the same basis that h^s been their custom for years, and attempt to point out to the li¬ censing department that various commissioners have held that tal¬ ent agencies perform a wider va¬ riety of services than ordinary em¬ ployment offices and must there¬ fore charge a higher sum. The offices hold that strict en¬ forcement of the general business law as it now stands would put every office out o^ business over¬ night, or else would force them to move outside the state. The offices have long held that it costa more than 5% to dispatch an act. Amount ^of longdistance phone- calls, plus legwork and travel nec¬ essary to book a performer, comes to more than 5% allowed by the present law. Court decisions also have held that the talent agencies perform vital functions of a personal na¬ ture for an act, and therefore must be compensated. An agency has been conceded to be a vital factor in career building, and its respon¬ sibility does not end with the place-., ment of an entertainer. Supervi¬ sion and servicing of a continuing nature is necessary if an actor’s career is to be built. Virtually every license . com¬ missioner in New York has gone after the talent offices on this score for many administrations, and each time the matter has been dropped. The agencies hope that the pattern will repeat. . For many years,- a bill has been introduced in the'N..'Y. State. Leg¬ islature to correct this condition. There were 'a series of- Condon- Ostertag- measures to exempt tal¬ ent agencies- from the 5% limit, but each time this issue has been (defeated by the theatrical unions, which now govern the amount of commission that can be charged. Passage of this type of measure is figured td y/eaken the control of the unions upon the agents.' Hotel Naeional, Havana, Veers to Chorus Line The Hotel-Naeional, Havana, is set to install a 10-girl line start¬ ing April 3 in its Casino Parisien, which is operated by the syndicate headed by Wffbur Clark of the Desert Inn, Las Vegas. Noel Sher¬ man will produce the line out of, N. Y. Headliners will be Mat^ & Hari and Fernanda Montel plus a Dancing Waters installation. ' The Naeional casino will thus depart from its accustomed prac¬ tice of using names exclusively In its casino. It will join such'spots as the Troplcana In fancy produc¬ tion, although not on as elaborate a scale as the latter. Pay scale will be among the highest in the ehorus ranks. Minl- mums of $150 will be in effect. Nudes will get a higher figure. Glass to Coast for WM Sandy Glass Is being transferred from the New York office of the William Morris Agency to the •Coast. Glass, originally in the nit¬ ery sphere, worked for a while in video, but in the transfer will re¬ vert to the variety sector. He’ll plane out some time in April. Sandu Scott has been signed tc open at the Colony Restaurant London, starting April 1, on a deal set by Music^oyp. of America.