Variety (December 1957)

10 evterxatioxAl PfinIETf 'VAairrv'r London ouici I It. Mirtla , i Pl«c» Trafalgar Nutf» With Arg. Free Again, Legit Managers Buenos Aires, Nov. 26. Now that Argentina's free coun¬ try again,. local impresarios are shopping around and paying big coin for foreign attractions but even the big shots get the brush- off treatment from .suspicious American talent Or agents. Seem¬ ingly the latter feel that everyone from what they call “South of the Rio Grande” is a potential crook, out to lure innocent Yanks down a “Road to Buenos Aires”—only to leave them stranded. In case of doubt, the wise thing would be to seek State Department advice, as on-the-spot Embassies are in close contact with the stage folk; Otherwise, the main point to bear in mind is that currently Buenos Aires is desperately short of theatres; only 18 noW being, left. Before signing with an agent, it’s wise to insure that he.has a major showcase behind him. The real knowhow in top. talent presenta¬ tion down here lies with the big Concert Managements. In the game for years, they have agents throughout Europe and America. These are principally Iriberri Con¬ certs or Conciertos Daniel, though the latter handles mostly longhair. In addition, there are many agents, whose method usually is to approach one of the theatre im¬ presarios or radio network, armed with disks and publicity material, asking “Would this.-or. that attraction interest you?” As the answer , is usually affirmative, they then risk a costly trip North to approach the talent with the same question in reverse, and claiming to represent this of that theatre. Not long ago, one such agent hanging around a big im¬ presario’s office, eavesdropped on a phone call concerning a famous American jazz band. So he planed to N. Y. and convinced the agent there that he represented the im¬ presario and inked a contract. This cunning all but wrecked importa¬ tion of one of the biggest successes of 1957, as the local impresario had determined never again to work with that agent and nixed any contract brought by him. So the contract signed in New . York was scrapped and remade With the right people. The astonishing thing i$ that the N. Y. agent was willing to sign through an intermediary of no re¬ pute while insisting on astronomi¬ cal guarantees wheil. dealing with the really interested party whose solvency is beyond question. The intermediary later signed another American band, which he is hawk¬ ing around all the impresarios’ of¬ fices, as though it were any sixth- rate vaudeville turn. ^ Having no theatre available, so far he has made no deal. Legit Who’s Who Essential . All of which shows how neces¬ sary a legit Who’s Who is. Hence, this is by way of introducing Ar¬ gentina’s top legit impresarios— the men with the knowhow, the coin and the passion for shew biz, and who have theatres at- their disposal. Filling such a bill is the Lococo Circuit, which owns and operates the Opera here plus an¬ other 16 theatres in the city, two in Mar del Plata, with another two about to open there this year. The Clemente Lococo Corp. comprises veteran. Clemente La- coco and three sons:. Francisco (Pancho), Clemente Jr. and Jose. This year, Clemente celebrates the 40th anni in show. biz. Clemente began (after a period as usher) by. acquiring the 306-seat Buckingham cinema on Corrientes in 1918. Be¬ lieving in the picture business, thereafter he acquired more the¬ atres in the best locations, always aiming at getting the finest situ-; ations. This ambition , was partially achieved when he took over the Astral, shortly before the talking pix era. There he exhibited the tops in film fare. In 1934 he built the 1,000-seat Pueyrredjbn in Flores, then Buenos Aires’ finest theatre, though suburban. Inevi¬ tably, by 1936 this led to the pur¬ chase of the Opera theatre site on Corrientes, which had represented the peak entertainment here until the inauguration of the Colon in 1908. There Lococo built the first air-conditioned theatre, preemed in 1937, the city’s first deluxe house and today still the largest. The Lococos hold a unique po¬ sition In the Argentine Entertain-; merit world—the big American distributors have dealt, with them for. years without insisting on any signatures on a dotted line. Perori. believed them to be so wealthy he constantly held over their heads threats of expropriating the Opera. Though the Lococo’s claim to. have celluloid in their veins, and their main business. is" .film exhibition, they have operated in legit as far back as 1929, when Don Clemente brought in Josephine Baker, Sub¬ sequently their theatres have pre¬ sented Jean Sahlon, Charles Trer net (in cornbination with Iriberri), Ethel Smith and Jacqueline Fran¬ cois. ■ Again with Iriberri they pre¬ sented the first Dunham Dancers South American booking. In 1954; they gambled heavily but success¬ fully, importing the Folies Ber- gere from Paris, following, with the Paris. Lido show* in 1955. Other shows presented in the last five years were the Marquis de Cuevas Ballet; New York Ballet Theatre, Antonio’s Spanish Ballet, the Etoiles de Paris Ballet. And in 1957 came the first Yank import “Pleasure in Las Vegas,” with The Blatters. They followed, with the most costly and biggest grossing attraction in . November, 1957, Louis Armstrong and his All Star band. The Lococo. setup, is unrivalled in South America. It. has the the¬ atres and the coin (put up a. $4Q,- 000 guarantee unblinkingly f6r the Satchmo deal, when a dollar Was worth 47 pesos). The attractions dan be advertised iri-all 20' the¬ atres. The Opera has 32 magnifi¬ cent dressing-rooms, with. baths and air-conditioning. -The father and Sons team is trained to the business, and enthusiastic. To a man they cherish the . Opera, arid would starve rather than sell. Plans for 1958 Plans for 1958 include the Ber¬ liner Ballet, London Festival Bal¬ let, Tamara Toumanova, Dore Hoyer and possibly Alicia Alonso and Serge Youskevitch, all in com¬ bination with Iriberri concerts. They also aim to combine film presentation with a show along the style of the Roekettes of the N. Y. Music Hall. Under Peron there was a five-year blackout for the Carcavallo heits, who for political reasons were dis¬ possessed of the presiderite Alvear Theatre built by father Pascual, who died, .in 1948. Restoration was made after the 1955 : Revolution, the young men having been in “the pomade,” to use the local slang term for those who fought for freedom. Today the Carcavallo offices above the theatre sport naval and marine mementos of the fight, as well as the most courteous and beautiful of all B.A. secre¬ taries. The 34-year old “Cacho” (Francisco) - Carcavallo now oper¬ ates the theatre, while doubling as a professor of Decorative Art. This talent for decor makes him out-, standing among local impresarios and has given “Tangolandia,” the musical, which bowed in July this year, an exceptional grosser (around $16,000 a month). The family has been responsible for many musical productions, such as “Honeymoon for 3” in 1947- which presented the late Jorge Negrete to local audiences, and Miguel de Molina in 1948. “Tarigolandia,” which has fea¬ tures of interest tor Broadway shows, will tour Uruguay in the summer and resume at the Alvear between March and July, 1958. Albertb CloSas has been signed for a triumphant return from Spain; to make his bow in a musical for the first time; The Carcayallos’. main problem, as in the' case Jof other impresarios, are the 14 unions With which show men have to cope With, and the union rules which call for excessive, financing before a show can be produced; Amador! & Bronenbergr . Marcus Bronenberg now operates the Maipo theatre, on Esirieralda, just off Corrientes, a 761-seat thea¬ tre in . the city’s best location. ! Bronenberg himself began as an ! actor, and in a 29-year career pro- VI U.K., film Topper Lord Archibald ditcoursosoii What Is A British Film ? another Editorial Feature in the opeontlhq 52d Anniversary Number [of during musicals, has been in charge of the MaipO for 16. His partners are film tycoon Luis Cesar Amadori and Antonio Botta, both of whom collect authors’ royalties, the one for tango lyrics, the other on the book for the special cheese¬ cake shows ; they; put on. This author-impresario setup is a quirk of local show business. Apparently through big royalties, authors Were; able to invest in shows .and became impresarios. They continue collecting royalties, even if they don’t write; At one time the Maipo was operated as part of the Seguin en¬ tertainment empire, which, included the Ta-Ba-Ris, Pigalle artd Chante- clair cabarets. Though this tieup JS more or less broken, Bronenberg. still has a share in producing -the Tab- floorshows. Maipo productions have : had the same format and talent for many years. The mixture succeeds at the boxoffice but the humor Is salacious. Each year, the Maipo stars the same bawdy comedians; Dringue Farias, Severo Fernandez, Carlos Castro, the only change being the inflationary rise in their wages. The Maipo management doesn’t believe in developing new talent. This year’s star , attraction was Alicia Marquez, .who was scorned as a chorus member some years back, and returned this year on fabulous percentage terms because of Parisian acclaim. The Maipo doors are more than ever wide onen to foreign attractions for 1958 because of. strong Comoetition from other theatres and Bronen¬ berg has his. scouts in Cuba and Mexico looking for talent. Operate El Nacional Enrique Muscio & Carlos Petit combo runs, the rival El Nacionri Theatre, which is constantly wag¬ ing a talent war with the Maipo. Enrique Muscio got irito show.busi¬ ness *29 years ago through real estate. To improve a sector of his residential neighborhood, Flores, he built the Fenix cinema, on a rite previously occuoied by a circus. The house was the first nabe to have uriholstered seats and uni¬ formed ushers, but ran into trouble as an Independent against the all- powerful Exhibitors Federation. Exasperated by the difficulty in persuading American distributors to sell him pix, he turned to legit, and to get good shows for his suburban theatre, found he must | have aii uptown showcase. In turn, he has operated the Coliseo. Poli- tearria and Opera theatres before their demolition. Proud of his Italian descent, Muscio was decorated by Mussolini for his promotion of Italian touring companies. Because of partner Carlo Petit’s political satire, the El National revues are currently the biggest grossers. Muscio took Pepe . Arias out of\ retirement for this satire.- In two years the come¬ dian’s wage claiiris have soared from 10.000 to 90,000 pesos months ly. With comedian Adolfo Stray demanding another 70.000 and vedette Nelida Boca .70 000, the Nacional salary, bill adds_up to plenty of coin. The shrewd Muscio has therefore decided that 1958 calls for a new pattern of show, and has been in N.Y. shopping around for ideas and talent; Francisco Gallo: Soirie years hack, this impresario controlled six local theatre* and seemed: to have a golden touch assuring hits in every one. He ran foul of Peron’s I brother-in-law, Juan Duarte, and 'was keDt 11 riionths in jail on trumped-up charges- Throughout 1957, his riaain Astral showcase has been occupied by comedian Jose Mariorie in a typfe : comedy which is fast becoming a . back: number, though it brings in coi . He has the reputation of being the. most astute arid shrewd of local im- oresario< A .young son has now' joined his. organization. Choreographer Saddler Dotes on Italy Likes Working Conditions for Musicals—But Not* Performances Up to 2 A.M. COVENT GARDEN, RAH Regina. Resnik Found British Opera Ideal Regina Resnik arrived In N. Y. by plane last week to rejoin the Met Opera after singing “Caririeu” eight times at .Covent Garden* Lon¬ don. She i returns there in May to repeat“Carmen” and add “Aida.” “Whatever may have been true in years past, English opera audi¬ ences seem warmly receptive to American singersl today, It was a warming experience,” she reported. At the Met Miss Resnik will ap¬ pear in “Marriage of Figaro,” “Sa¬ lome” and the world premiere of "Vanessa.” the Gian-Carlo Menotti- Samuel Barber original. Rated Dead Loss London, Dec. 3. Between 1949 and 1956 a loss of $280,000 was registered for the Rank owned Gaumont picture the¬ atre in the Haymarket* In fact, the theatre was claimed to be “a dead loss” by the legal representa¬ tive for the Rank Organization at an inquiry into a. appeal against the London County Council’s re¬ fusal to allow the site to.be con¬ verted into an office block contain¬ ing a luxury basement theatre. The Rank spokesman said that unless sanction was given for the proposal, Londorier’s might soon be confronted with an empty and deserted building in the . Haymar¬ ket. The theatre is held on a crown lease, expiring AJ). 2002 at a rent of $35280 a year. It was not, it was stated, an economic proposition to keep the theatre open, as it-had only shown a small profit in ope year—1955—since 1949. Opera Dominates ’58 Salzburg Fest Setup Frankfurt, Nov. 26. Plans have just been revealed here for the Upcoming Salzburg Festival, which is to open July 26 with Verdi’s opera, "Don Carlos.” Herbert' von Karajan will direct the opening performance. Sec¬ ond offering is July 29 perform¬ ance of Richard Strauss’ “Ara¬ bella*” with Joseph Keilberth con¬ ducting and Rudolf Hartmann di¬ recting. On Aug. 4, “The Marriage of Figaro,” With Karl Boehin con¬ ducting and Guenther Rennert di¬ recting, will be followed by . “Fi- delio,” conducted by Von Kara¬ jan, on Aug. 5. Karl Boehm and Oscar Fritz Schuch combine to produce “Cosi fan Tutte” on Aug. II; Tho first European presenta¬ tion of the opera, “Vaness,” by Samuel Barber, will close the Fest Aug. .16, with Dimitri Mitropoulos conducting. W. German Producers Pass Up itusso Pact Bonn, Nov, 26. The West . German . Federal Min¬ istry of Economics has decided h.ere that no West German film coriipariy will be permitted to enter into co-production agreements with Russia. With the German industry slanting its product for entertain¬ ment, and with the Russian film industry under strict government control and gearing its . product for political, propaganda, the West German Ministry decided that the aims and purposes of film-making in the two countries are too widely divergent to permit any co-produc¬ tions. A spokesman' from the ministry also reasoned that should the Rus¬ sians run short of film money and demand;more cash from the West German co-producer, it could re r suit in problems at a govermental level, and could force the West German producer to pay more than his share Of the costs. Several ap¬ plications from West German, pro¬ ducers to make filins with Russian producers already been rejected by the Mi istry of Economics, By ROBERT F. HAWKINS Rome, Dec. 3. “Greater freedom and scope, less financial terision” are'some of the reasons that bring choreographer Donald Saddler back'to Italy every year to stage the dances in at least one local musical. The American dance master, who’s become a top. name here, has. just headed back to the .States, Where he may work on “Portofino,” after finishing an¬ other six-week locail. terpirig stint, this time oil “Adorable Giulio,” an Achille Trinca presentation star¬ ring Carlo Dapporto, Delia Scala, and Teddy Reno. .According to Saddler, the Italr ian musical stage—which only re¬ cently switched to the American- style plotted mUsicomedy presen¬ tation-offers him more creative possibilities from the planning stage on down the line, than the comparable stateside effort. “On# can give more, here,” says Saddler,, who acknowledgedly has done much to give the current Italo mu¬ sical a Broadway flavor and style. Previously, choreographer has directed and staged dances for such Italo “rivistas” as “Tobia, Candida Spia” (1954), “Padrone di Raggio di Luna” (1955), and “Buonanotte Bettino” (1956), and “Tobia” and “Bettina” he won Stiver Mask awards, top local kudos in the field. In all of these efforts, he has worked with Pietro Garinei and Enzo Giovannini, among top local writers* plus Gorni Kramer for music, and Coltellaccl for set design aind costumes. It was Garinei Who first saw Sad¬ dler’s work in “Wonderful Town” in New York, asked him to stage the dances in an Anna Magnani musical show. Saddler was busy at the time, but managed to riiake it over for the subsequent Garinei- Giovannini presentation, and has been with , them ever sfnea. Saddler works exclusively With foreign terpers here ("Giulio” has. a line of 12 English girls from the Charley Ballet, plus; two Yank and four British boys* as the Italian stage has no dance tradition—all training being for opera or straight ballet. Saddler added he would like to open a school here, but all dance training is in the hands of a choreographer named Lia Rukaia (under a government grant) arid all outside activity needirig per¬ mits are impossible to get. Yank terper adds that giant strides have been made here in the musical field in recerit years. So that now less and less nuiribers are called for and there is generally much more book. * One vestige of the old-styl# review still: remains, however: the “passerella” (run¬ way). This, says Saddler, with its contract-set precedence and spac¬ ing requirements, creates more trouble With actors than billing problems. “I usually try to give them something to do When they’re out on the runway, to break the. monotony,” he says. Another complaint about Italian rivistas from the. otherwise bullish Saddler: they’re just too. long,. “Garinei and Giovannini have been trying by gradual stages to cut down the running, times (Italo shows often°last until 2 a. m.)—but the public won’t have it. If they don’t miss that last bus or tram, they just feel they haven’t had their money’s worth. . . Mex Film Grosses 30% Higher Than Last Year Mexico City, Nov. 26. . Mexican pix will gross 30% more this year .than they did in 1956 be¬ cause they are better and .are more attuned to the public’s tastes for comedy, color arid tuneful music. This is the opinion of a top author¬ ity^ Bias Lopez Fandos, mariager - of Peliculas Nacirinales* semi-offi¬ cial 'distributor in Mexico of do¬ mestic and some imported filins. PN places most native pix i Mexico.. Fandos forecast that Mexican product will gross a new high of $5,360,000 this- year in Mexico; This compares with $3,700,000 i 11956;