Variety (October 1957)

Wednesday, October 23, 1957 LITERATI 73 PSisi&Ff L iter at i - :-—— -r ‘Marfic’ Awards i “Maggie” awards for the top "books and magazines from the Viewpoint of editprial content and physical attractiveness were made for the 'first time at the convention of the Pacific Coast Independent, 'Wholesalers Assn, in Seattle last week. Winners were “Anderson- ville,” by MacKinley Kantor (New American Library) for fiction; “This Is The West,” edited by Rob- *ert West Howard (New American Library), for outstanding x paper- bound book; “Man’s Emerging Mind" by N. J. Berrill (Fawcett) for non-fiction; “Warrant For X,” by> Philip McDonald (Dell), for mystery; “The New Fannie Farmer Boston Cooking-School Cook Book” (Bantam) for arts and crafts; and “How To x Tell Time” (Pocket Books), for the kiddies. . In addifion, New American Li¬ brary won awards for its series of religious books. Winners of the magazine -awards' were .“Adven¬ tures in Science” (Qilberton) in the comic field; Ladies’ Home Journal, June issue (Curtis) for public serv¬ ice responsibility;'Newsweek, June 3 issue (Weekly Publications), for news magazine service; Sunset, June issue (Lane) for the home; and Motor Boating Annual (Motor Boating) for sports. More Show Biz Stuff . N.Y. Times ad, business ^and financial writer William M. Free¬ man’s new book, “The Big Name” ($3.75), debuts Printers’ Ink into the book publishing business. It’s ‘ savvy inside stuff on the testi¬ monial business, and since huck¬ stering of this nature is as much of a common denominator as, say, a current pop song hit, the trade¬ mark, ballyhoo, merchandising and "kindred tie-ins have intimate mass audience. identification. Book is a marked salute to Jules Alberti, prez of Endorsements Inc., and spells out, dollars-and-cents’ wise, the commercial name values of personality endorsements for any given trademarked commodity. It’s not only an . informative . but a highly readable bopk.v written^ in breezy newspaper style. It’s also no small peanuts considering that the testimonials add up to $10,000,- 000 in annual advertising billings. . Elsa. Maxwell has done it again with her new “how to” book, in a field where she’s the alltime champ in the do-it-yourself field—enter¬ taining. Formal title of this Little, Brown publication TS4.75) is “How to Do It, or The Lively -Art of Entertaining.” It’s a lively book about people in the lively arts, the international set, royalty,, et aL, and Miss Maxwell is as much at home there" as she’s currently on Jack Paar’s NBC-TV “Tonight” program. Her “ESVP: Elsa Max¬ well’s Own Story” was a bestseller -and this an extension thereof, re¬ plete with people, placeypersonali-. - ties; with intimate closeupr"on the fameifand fortunate; and, since the art of good eating is a prerequisite of partying, for once her “name” recipe-gibers read like they are really revealing their personal "Sisters (and Brothers) of the Skil¬ let” routines. What’s more, it’s real cra2y cuisine, and the «most sated disciples of the - fancy grocery circuits will dig some of the off¬ beat dishes that the sundry politi¬ cos, pundits and show biz person¬ alities haye contributed. “Be My bluest” by Conrad Hil¬ ton (Prentice-Hall; $4.95) is an ebullient memoir that sounds so much like himself that it’s a credit to Elaine St. Johns, who assisted, for capturing Hilton’s first-person- singular so authoritatively. The famed hotelier, credits John*Joseph, bis public relations counsellor, with “trapping” him into writing -his autobiography, especially in face of two existing blogs on “The Man Who Bought the Waldorf,” but it reflects.so much personal bounce that it has a special character of its own. The Hilton saga, 'Of course, is one of the 20th success-stories in the best Horatio Alger tradition. As Hilton reveals in his preface, with credits to Olive Wakeman-and Ruth Hinman, his "executive amanuenses, they ; musf have had those “boxes upon' boxes of mate¬ rial” very well organized, for their boss to wade through, because the 370-page book contains a lot. Not the least Is Hilton’s predilection for dancing and'"“no work after six,” his staunchness for the church, and of course his.business acumen. William Attaway’s “Calypso Song Book,” gaily illustrated by Bill Charmatz, selected and edited" by Lyle Kenyon Engel <McGraw-HiU; $2.95), is what the title states, an exposition of the recent Caribbean song vogue. The tunes, mostly origi¬ nals and also including a number of traditional folk songs and titles, are.copyrighted by Calypso Music, if intended for public performance. 0 Abel. Pete Martin’s Interviews Satevepost roving editor Pete Martin’s series on “I Call On . . .”, interviews with Hollywood names, will be published in book forin as soon as enough of them accumu¬ late. His last was one with Clark Gable. Showman’s daughter, Mrs. Diane Disney Miller, first wrote “The Story of Walt Disney” in a SEP serial “as told to Pete Martin,” and Henry Holt is just publishing it. Bob Hope’s “Have. Tux, Will Travel,” Bing Crosby’s “Call Me Lucky” and others of similar genre, have been' past Pete Martin col¬ laborations. Ask Me. Now; Baruch Bernard Baruch’s autobiography for Henry Holt & Co. is a $5 hot seller, with some 70,000 of the 90,- 000 copies in print already sold; a Pocket Books’ reprint deal slated for a year from now (reportedly at a fancy figure) and King Features planning to serialize 30,000 words of the 100,000-word work over a periocT of three weeks, starting j shortly. I The Elder Statesman’s reason for writing his memoirs-now (there I is another work about him due in November) is succinctly spelled out as follows: “If there are any ques¬ tions I want to be around to. an¬ swer them, and not have people ask s rav relatives if this was or wasn’t thus and so.” Z New S & S Veepees M. Lincoln Schuster, president and editor-in-chief, and Leon Shim- kin, 'Chairman of the board of Simon & Schuster, announced elec-, tion of Peter Schwed and Henry W. Simon as veepees. Schwed, who has been director of subsidiary rights and a senior editor, will act as administrative editor. Simon, who has a’so been a senior editor, becomes deputy editor-in-ebief* . ‘Orpheus In America’ “Orpheus in America” (Indiana U.; $3.95), is a new translation of Jacques Offenbach’s diary of his U. S. journey, made in 1875. Book is the work of Lander MacClintock, Indiana U. professor and author of tomes on dramatic subjects. Not only is much good material on Offenbach’s music included, but also rare reflections of contemporary American life. Volume, is graced with several sketches by Constantin Alajalov, and with plates. repre¬ senting 19th Century places and practices. Book has undeniable charm ahd is fine addition to any show biz library, whether or not specializing in musical history. Down. Writers’ Guild Anthology First Writers’ Guild of America j collection of award-winning scripts is being published this week by. Random House under title of “Prize Plays of Television and Ra- [ dio—1956.” A dozen scripts were picked from a total of 287 sub¬ mitted by Guildites. Tonie is reproducing half-hour scripts by Kenneth Kolb, Leonard Stern & Sydney ZeHnka and one by Hal Kanter, Howard Leeds, Harry Winkler and Everett Green- baum. One hour-or-better shows, Rod Serling’s “Requiem for a l Heavyweight” and J, Harvey : Howells’ “Goodbye, Gray Flannel” are also Included. So is George Roy Hill and John Whedon’s “A ! Night to Reftiember.” “Thelma Robinson Haight’s “The Visitor” (from “Lassie” series), and several radio scripts. New Plays Published F* Carson MeCullers’ new play, |“The Square Root of Wonderful,” will be published by Houghton Mifflin early in '58. The Anne Baxter starring play, due at the NationaleTheatre on Broadway Oct. 30, is being produced by- Saint Subber and Figaro Inc. (Joe Man- kiewcz-NBC). Miss McCullers’ last Broadway play, "The Member of the Wedding,” was also brought out in book form by HM. Samuel Beckett’s BBCr-produced play, “All That Fall,” which the Irish-born author wrote in English (unlike h*s “Waiting for Godot” which he wrote in French and later translated into his native tongue, English), is being published by Grove Press this fall, Hjs English translation of another French-play of his own writing, “The End Game,” first produced in Paris last year, is also on the Grove roster, as is “The Unnameable,” last volume of his postwar trilogy ori¬ ginally written in French. First two volumes, “Molloy” and “Ma¬ lone Dies,” were published in America in ’55 and ’56. CHATTER (Miss) Lee Wright resigned from Simon .& Schuster. Frank Scully has completed “Leg Show.” tome based on Barney Gerard’s story of burlesque. Bantam Books bought the re¬ print rights to “Prisoners of Com¬ bine E” (Holt), first novel by. Len Giovanitti. Literati tqade rumor links Rich¬ ard L. -S'mon <ex-& Schuster) and Dan (ex-Life) Longwell in a book publishing venture. Bio on John Philip * Sousa has been put to cover by Exposition- Banner. Kenneth Berger wrote it, “The March' King and His Band.” William Flynn named chief of Newsweek’s ! Frisco bureau. He’s ex-reporter for the Frisco Chroni¬ cle and Examiner, United Press and Reuters. George Goodman, author of his second novel, “A Time For Paris,” soon due via Douhleday, Is a staff¬ er on Barron’s Weekly, the Wall St. financial magazine. Pocket Books will do the paper¬ back reprint of Holt's three-year- old "Champagne Before Breakfast” by N.Y. Herald Tribune syndicated columnist Hy Gardner, who is re¬ vising it and updating it. Social tea was held in Philly last 1 Saturday (19) for scribe James T. Farrell and spouse, commemorat¬ ing acquisition of his collection by U. of Pa. Farrell was also a speak¬ er at the affair given by Friends of U, of Pa. Library. Vet legit pressagent F. Beverly Kelley and Circus Clown Emmett Kelly, who collaborated on the lat¬ ter’s autobiog, “Clown,” are hud¬ dling on another book. Meanwhile Kelley, is working as advance rep for tbe^ touring production of “Middle of the Night.” t Mayfair Books, Ine. r authorized to conduct a publishing business in New York Modem Day Periodi¬ cals Inc, empowered to cojjduct a publishing business in N. Y. Psycho International Inc. authorized to conduct a publishing and advertis¬ ing business in N. Y. « Roy -Thomson, Canadian news¬ paper owner, and boss of Scotsman Publications, Edinburgh, and Scot indie tv, has gifted a mansion house in Edinburgh to the Boys’ Club movement. It was handed over in presence of Britain’s Prin¬ cess Royal, aunt of the English monarch. Religious writer and publicist Roland Gammon, just back from leading his third annual interfaith tour of Europe, interviewed Protest tant Bishop Dieblius in Berlin, Uni- versalist philosopher Martinus in Copenhagen, and Pope Pius XII in Rome, in preparation for a series of magazine pieces on contempo¬ rary religion, l Hollywood columnist Sheilah Graham due in New York next week to huddle with Holt’s Bill Buckley on her memoirs, “The Ed¬ ucation of a Woman” (in collabora¬ tion with Gerold Frank, whd also worked on the Lillian Roth and Diana Barrymore autobiogs). She favors that title over “Beloved In¬ fidel,” which was the title of a poem that her good friend F. Scott Fitzgerald dedicated to her. “Scalpers Gyp LegitjTalent,” an article by legit editor Hobe Morri¬ son, which appeared In Variety in the issue of Jan. 16, ’57, will be included in a new edition of “Readings in Economics,” edited | by professors Robert L. Bishop, Paul Samuelson and John Coleman, of the Massachusetts Institute of ' Technology. The book, the original edition of which was published in 1952, is due for release by McGraw- Hill during 1958. Third publication in a series of volumes based on rare books and documents in the James Ford Bell Collection of the University of Minnesota Library will be pub¬ lished on October 22 by the U. of Minn. Press. The new book is “Tidings Out of Brazil,” translated by Mark Graubard, with Com¬ mentary and notes by John Parker. Graubard is an associate professor of interdisciplinary studies at the university and Parker is the curator of the Bell Collection. A TO Z OF CONTINENTAL PRODUCTION Lavlritly Illustrated — To# I cal . ’CONtMJENTAL FILM REVIEW THE ONLY MONTHLY OF ITS KIND IN ENGLISH t MONTHS 1 DOLLAR 4# — AIR MAIL 1 DOLLARS 75 11 MONTHS * DOLLARS 15 — AIR MAIL 5 DOLLARS 4S IURAF Publishing Co. Ltd. 71 Stoke Ncwlttftoii Rd. London N. U i SCULLY’S SCRAPBOOK Dublin, Oct. 22. One df the drawbacks of airplanes as opposed to luggers iS that be-: fore you can write about faraway places with sweet sounding nanies, you’re home. What’s more, everybody knows you’re home and you Can’t go on writing as if you weren’t. , One solution is to write the name of the town on the^top of the page and fill in the rest later. That way at least you can’t be charged with faking the whole column. ' Twenty-five years ago I used to do a column for Variety called The European Runaround. I wrote it mostly from Nice, France, but one day Sime said it was a funny thing that while the columns were dated Vienna, Berlin, Paris, Rome, London and so on, they always seemed to be mailed from Nice. Doped Datelines The explanation of this was simple In those days everybody came to the Riviera and while there they were relaxed and talkative, more so than they would have been if I actually had trapped them in the capitals where they operated. Since the stories dealt with the places in¬ dicated by.the datelines, I cut to the chase and put them there. Since perjury, however, has become the No. 1 crime in America, even venial sins of this character may get a guy from one to five years, and all the jails are not as comfortable as that Federal Country Club at Danbury, Conn. So I may as well confess that this is not being writ¬ ten in Ireland or even NVw Hampshire but Little Old New York where Broadway on a Sunday morning is more dirty and disorderly than Minsky’s idea of burlesque. They wash down the pavements but not the sidewalks. Why not wash them down, Bob? Cleanliness may be next to godliness, but not as . far as the Sidewalks of New York are concerned. It’s a nice schmaltzy song and maybe everybody could sweep to it. The compari¬ son'will simply have to be odious but in capitals abroad they wash down the sidewalks as well as the streets. Settling The Irish Question Well, they do in Oslo, Copenhagen, Rome, Nice and Dublin. Ireland that is, not New Hampshire. I don't know a thing about Dublin, N.H. The capital of Eire was jammed with British scientists, 2,000 of them. What they were doing there may riot come out for a century. One rumor (mine) was that they were planting Strontium 90 in all the hotels to settle the Irish Question once and for all. Maxwell Sweeney, our boy in Dublin, who also airs his pearl-shaped tones over the nation’s rpdio, found us a room in a hotel that was half up and half down. It was on Parnell Square, after a picture of the same name I guess, arid was staffed wholly by women. Except for Sweeney (who has a Mac in front of his name, which he hides for some reason, which is none of my business) everybody I wanted to see was out of town. Eileen Crowe had played hi Robinson’s “The Far Off Hills” at the box the Abbey Players ai-e now renting, but that closed the night before we arrived and when we phoned she had skipped to the f.o.h’s. Cyril Cusik’s phone didn’t answer at all ahd nobody had seen Sean O’Casey around Dublin for ages. When he finished his radio stint, Mr. Sweeney rolled up fn his car and said he was taking us for a ride into the country. We urged an Irish coffee on him but he acted as if we were offering him Strontium SO. We had some, even so, and it was better than they make in San Francisco.. T started throwing names at him. Dalky . . . Rathfarnum. These were places where Shaw had once lived. He said he’d take us there. Joyce Dreary Tower We drove‘through drizzle, sunshine, downpours that made even Mr. Sweeney pull up to the roadside and ultimately came upon a beach which had a small round tower. “Where James Joyce once lived,” our guide explained. Though it was the first time I had ever been to Ire¬ land, I remembered the place from pictures. ^ • On the way out we drove past St. Patrick’s cathedral where Jona¬ than Swift was once dean. “His desk is still there,” he said. “Want to see it?” “No,” I said. “Not till the British give the church hack to the Irish.” “They wouldn’t take it,” he said. We came to a beach resort. “How do you pronounce that?” I asked. It was spelled Duri Laoghaire. “O’Leary,” he said. "Did you ever see a picture called ‘The Hills of Ireland’?” I asked. “Harry Dugan made it. He opened it in Boston in the Fine Arts Thea¬ tre, a house that had been shuttered for five years and had three small flights of stairs at the entrance.” “A fine way to test a picture,” Sweeney said. Exhibbers The Heavier Again “It grossed $6,000 in its first week. And then he ran into Holy Week. The Irish Won’t go to a picture, even about Ireland,, during Holy Week. It seemed" It was cheaper for the people to wait than for Dugan. His beef was that the people lie met while producing the picture were of a fairly high level but the characters he met in the field of distribution and most of all in exhibition were unbelievable.” “Not to me,” said Mr. Sweeney. “They’d inform him that everything was taken care of but really nothing was attended to. He had to watch the projection, collect the tickets, and even clean out the restrooms. He said the exhibition end of the biz was the sickest and saddest of all.” “I can well believe it,” said Mr. Sweeney. “But that was in America, of course.” We drove up to a nice brick house as the rain was slowing down. But it was cold. All that cold-war talk for 10 years had finally penetrated into the climate. In our hotel we slept under three blankets and an electric heater going full blast near the window. “Is. there a warm restaurant where we can take you to dinner?” I asked. >> ' A Peat Fire—That’s Home He said nothing hut Walked us into the little brick house. There we met his wife and three girls. We also met a glowing peat fire in the fireplace. It was the most welcome sight in all Ireland. And I can add | England, France and Norway and not be committing any perjury. ^ Soon we were being ushered into the dining room. There was spread the highest tea ever I saw. It was a meal set for kings. And why not? Weren’t the Mac Sweeneys and the O’ScuHys descended from them? After dinner we returned to the peat fire and kicked the whole world around for an hour or two. We had a grand time. He woudn’t hear of our taking a cab home. He drove us through some more rain and there in Parnell Square we said.goodbye to one grand Irishman. Some Geometry For'Travelers . The next day .we left for Scotland. I had remembered that the square of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the square of the other two sides, so it was no longer, if you were a square, to fly from Dublin to Glasgow than from London to Glasgow. The only hitch w'as that we had a : 12-hour layover in Glasgow and then had to *take a bus and ride 30 miles to Prestwick for the transatlantic flight. Everybody dreads the sight of Glasgow but except for the mist and rain we had a good time. We walked The crowded streets and came upon a picture house call¬ ed the Cranston. The best seats cost 50c and they had a lift to Take you to them. I The program was a double feature — “Atomic City” and “Beau j James.” I had seen “City” which is a 21st century cliffhanger, with the secret of a bomb designed to blow the world together again-after ihe H-bomb had blown it apart. The secret hung on the sealed lips of I a kidnapped kid. It was better the second time. No names, but a pip | of a pic.