Variety (March 1958)

MISCELLANY Wednesday, March 19, 1958 N.Y. Saloonkeepers Look to Pay-TV 111 Popcorn Paean N.Y.D.’s Town Hall By JO RANSON «( Pay tv will be the saloon keep¬ ers’ biggest pick-me-up since Mrs. Murphy found a pair of overalls in her chowder. New York’s approximate . 3,000 saloons, once pioneers in serving tv entertainment back in. ’48, are now in the financial dumps and bar keeps are certain that some form of fee tv would prove a stimulant at bars. Ten years ago the saloons were mopping up with tv. Today tv viewing is a minor diversion among imbibers. Tavern owners and officials of the bartenders’ union agree that something '-must be done -to boost their biz. The answer, they insist, is toll tv. Today’s average saloon is. geared to three classes, say union officials. First group is from 20: to 28 years old and this section gives the bar¬ tender the most trouble; the sec¬ ond group is from 28 to 50, once the saloon keeper’s, best spenders, but how largely stay-at-homers glued to their installment-bought, tv receivers, and the third class Is the 50-year and older, a group largely existing on pensions* social security and which now sits around bar tables nursing a beer and re¬ calling prohibition days. If pay tv should strike this area, the starving saloon owners believe they could woo back the 28 to 50- year old contingent. Because this group is on a limited budget and most of their tv receivers have been bought on the installment plan, tavern proprietors figure they’d come in to see toll tv shows for the small price of a beer. ’‘Toll tv will be the greatest sal¬ vation to. saloon keepers,” John F. Kelly, secretaryrtreasurer of Lo¬ cal 70 of the Bartenders’ Union said this week. “As. a matter of principle, I’m opposed to this type of entertainment, but as a matter of self-preservation, I’m in favor of It. I know this will stimulate tav-. (Continued on page 85) M From Gus Edwards to NTA In 50 Years: WW & Jessel Two veteran show biz personal!-! ties, George Jessel and Walter: AVinchclI, who in their early days ) teamed together, now find their separate vidpix shows being syndi¬ cated by the same distrib, National Telefilm Associates. NTA has acquired the “Walter Winchell File,” due to go off the ABC-TV next month, with the bow- out of sponsor Revlon. NTA. in addition to picking up the 26 net¬ work exposed episodes, will pro¬ duce via Desilu Productions a fresh group of 13 half-hours. The 39 “Walter Winchell File” episodes will be offered in syndication for fall airing. NTA already has put “George Jessel’s Show Business” skein into 1 the syndication mart. I Winchell and Jessel Were mem¬ bers of the original Gus Edwards kid act nearly 50 years ago. I Hawaiian Police Yarns Up Commodore. Productions .& Art¬ ists Inc. of Hollywood is offering “No Escape,” a'filmed series based on confidential material from the ; files Of . the Hawaiian Police De¬ partment, for sponsorship. | Walter White Jr., president of : the firm, has the pilot in New j'York, showing it to networks arid l advertising agencies, if was dis- | closed here. Produced entirely in . ! the Hawaiian Islands, the series stars 'Anthony George as Police j Inspector Kam Maku. ! PUT BEST PIXFORWARD: TODD’S ADVICE RE USSR Hollywood, March 18. Films showing U. S. in bad light shouldn’t go to Russians at outset of the cultural exchange between the two nations. Mike Todd yes-, terday (Mon.) told U. of California students at local campus. “To of¬ fer such pix as basis ef first-im¬ pression by Russians of our way of life,” he stressed, “would be a tragic mistake. Public-spirited people should remember this, for¬ get the dollar when making and shipping . films behind irbn V cur¬ tain.” Said the producer: “Russians believe what they see is stark real¬ isms. After seeing a film such as ‘Blackboard Jungle’ they would be convinced our schools are, filled with hoodlums.” Abbott Sues Costello Over Vidpix Payments Los Angeles, March 18. Bud Abbott is demanding pay¬ ment of $222,475.19 assertedly due • him on a contract signed April 27, [1951, in a Supreme Court suit filed j against’his former screen partner, •’ Lou Costello, and T.C.A., his pro- ! duction company. i Complaint states Abbott was en- . gaged by the defendants to act iti \ 52 one-half hour vidpix, to be pro- . ; duced by them, and promised pay- • ment of one-half :■ the proceeds. In j no events however, was this pay¬ ment to exceed $7,500 per film. Abbott claims he’s already been paid $167,524.81, but still is owed balance on total sum of $390,000. Pix to date have grossed over $2,000,0001 according to complaint. Senate Committee Wilt Mull National Theatre Washington, March 18. The Senate Public Works Com-. riiittee has agreed to hold hearings on bills to locate a National Cul¬ tural Center of the Performing Arts on the Mall-in. Washington. .. The proposed site is near the National Art Gallery, more popu¬ larly called the Mellon Art Gal- I lery. ; By ARTHUR L. MAYER . . “There . will be a drastic shortage of popcorn and much of the popcorn that will be available will be . of poor qual¬ ity.” —Variety, Feb.’ 26, 1958 The fate, of movies -uow is ;• sealed . By the. sad; facts, above re¬ vealed. What price. ‘‘Commandments” or “Old Yeller” If we can’t feed the inner fel- ler? : Who can conceive of “Peyton, ■ Place”'-' ; Without; some popcorn in his ■ face? •. “Farewell to Arms” may be all . right,.. If . there is. something else to • bite. We. might as well shut up the shop If we. have, lost our popcorn: crop, . And naught but TV ; will be seen \. When all the corn is on the IMPRESSIVE U.S. TALENT FOR BRUSSELS Subscription Order Form Enclosed find check for $ □ One Year’ Please send VARIETY for q Two Years □ Three Years Zone.... State ; . . Regular Subscription Rates _ One Year—$15.00 Two Years—$28.00 Three Years—$39.00 Canada and Foreign—$1 Additional Per Year f^SKlET? Ine. 154 West 44rii Street New York 34. N. V. Brussels, March 18. “You have been reading recently . about some of the difficulties and problems confronting us concern¬ ing a rather, important item— : money,” said Mrs. Charles P. How¬ ard, Deputy. Commissioner Gener¬ al, of the. U S. Delegation, Brussels Universal & International Exhibi¬ tion, at a BelgOrAmerican Assn, luncheon. Speaker alluded to views largely expressed in the American Press .and in Variety (Feb. 5). But, apparently, addition¬ al funds were found to round out program of musical and theatrical attractions and make it truly rep¬ resentative of America’s foremost accomplishments and artistry in a most extensive field. And impressive indeed will be the U. S. artistic contributions to . the arts program to be presented at the World’s Fair by all partici¬ pating nations. Gian-Carlo Menotti’s new opera, “Marie. Colovin,’’ will be pre¬ miered in Brussels, The Philadel¬ phia Orchestra, conducted by Eu¬ gene Ormandy, soloist Isaac Stern, will perform during American Na- (Coritinued on page 14) J.H. Harris’USSR Visa Pittsburgh, March 18. . John H. Harris, producer of ; Tce Capades” and head of a string of film houses here, has been granted a Soviet visa and will visit Russia right after he goes to the Variety . Club convention in Lon¬ don next month. One. of the founders of the showmen’s organ¬ ization, Harris is presently its life¬ time honorary head. Although the project is still only in the thinking stage, It’s under¬ stood that Harris would like one day to introduce his skating ex¬ travaganzas to the USSR. NEAR EAST ANTI-U. S. Libya’s Cancellation of ‘Ben Hur\ . Permit Cue To Bad Feeling- Rome, March 18. The Libyan government has re¬ voked the permit given Metro’s . “Ben-Hur” - company, which was scheduled to start its background shooting this week in. the North African desert, and refused to al¬ low the group entry into the strife- tom country. ; The move, taken suddenly and without prior warning, Is seen as tied in with current Arab unrest and as a part of the Libyan gov¬ ernment’s annoyance with the U.S. State Dept, refusal to take a stronger stand versus France. Photographer Robert Surtees is here with his crew and is now ex¬ piring the possibility of doing the required ' background work in Israel or Spanish Morocco, the only two countries in the Near and I , Middle East currently not antag¬ onist to the U S. Town Hall, lecture setup once famed on radio, is now part of New York U. Move was approved by Boards of Trustees of both Institu¬ tions and okayed by Board of Rer gents of N. Y. State. Carrol. V. Newsom, prexy of NYU, said new unit will be tagged “Town Hall of New York Univer¬ sity” and its future will be devel¬ oped through NYU’s Division of General Education. Music concerts and recitals will be continued, as will lectures, short courses and Saturday morning pro¬ grams for children. Ormond J. Drake is director of Town Hall and associate dean of Division of General Education, which gives non-degree courses, under deans Paul A. McGhee and Warren Bower. • CAN’T SHOW DIETRICH’S GAMS ON PARIS POSTER Paris, March 18. Although the French public has been subjected to posters of near nudity, with Misses Brigitte Bardot, Martine Carol, Gina Lollobrigida and Sophia Loren, they took um¬ brage at one which showed Mar¬ lene Diptrieh sprawled in a clinch with Tj rone Power arid showing her famous gams. Made up for “Witness For Prosecution” (UA), the police got many complaints from irate citizens who consider- ered Miss Dietrich’s posture as too suggestive and offensive to public morality. Police cracked down and Miss Dietrich’s underpinnings were covered by the names of the thea¬ tres at which pic was playing around town. Churchill Paints Good Like Eisenhower Should If house managers need alibi for falling biz, they can blame it on Sir Winston Churchill who is jamming ’em in at Metropolitan Museum of Art, N. Y. Biggest thing since “September Morn,” Churchill show consisting of 41 paintings, was thronged last Sunday (16) and guards kept 're¬ peating a show biz phrase, “Keep moving, keep moving” throughout day. Similar performance. took place (9) first Sunday of British statesman’s art display. Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt, who caught the. show, said she heard one visitor exclaim: “Churchill paints good like Eisenhower should.” Free display, continuing through March 30, is drawing wide assort¬ ment of customers from 10th Ave. teeners to Madison Ave. matrons. ‘Sir John’ Makes It . San Francisco, March 18. First American production of British coriiposer Ralph Vaughan Williams’ 30-year-old opera, “Sir John in Love,” was given at San Francisco State College last week¬ end, as part of a Shakespeare Fes¬ tival, Rue Knapp staged and Earl Mur¬ ray conducted. 4-to-4 Vole As CBS, Benny Lose 'Gaslight’ Appeal Washington, March 18. In a decision which still leaves the broad; principle up in the air, the Supreme Court yesterday (17) upheld a lower court’s injunction barring CBS from using a filmed parody on the Metro film, “Gas¬ light.” ; . . - Jack Benny made the parody, for use on a tv show, under the title, “Autolite ” The Supreme Court’s ruling was by the narrowest of margins—4 to 4. Justice William O, Douglas took no part in the case. The Su¬ preme Court merely announced ‘‘the judgment, is affirmed by an equally divided court.” It was to make precedent by ruling for the (Continued on page 95) JIM SADTER, 56, DIES OF BRAIN HEMORRHAGE James A. Sauter, at one time; president of . Air Features which was absorbed several years ago by CBS, and later president of USO- Camp Shows, died March: 18 of a cerebral hemorrhage at Doctor’s Hospital N.Y., at the age of 56. He was stricken the previous day in his. apartment in the Hotel Pierre. Sau¬ ter, was in semi retirement for the last two years because of a heart ailment. However, this condition didn’t prevent him from working actively in a multitude of charities. He affectionately described him¬ self as “the only ■ goy’ on the board of several Jewish charities." He was a board member of the Jewish Theatrical Guild and regularly worked on the benefit committee of the Actors Temple. In the habit of speaking daily to (Continued on page 12) Jane Powell, Liberace Delay Dates in ‘Hot’Coba While two major acts have post¬ poned their appearances in Havana pending more tranquil times, the Havana Hilton is plan¬ ning to preem tomorrow (Thurs.) as per schedule- Jane Powell, who was to have opened yesterday (Tues.) at the Riviera, and Liberace, who was to have gone into, the Capri later this week, have . delayed their Cuban dates to a period when there will be more tourists. Most travelers have been scared off by the increase of rebel activity in Havana. The Hilton chain, is flying down a'"flock: of newspapermen, celebs arid hotel execs to the Cuban capi¬ tal in preparation for the opening of the latest link in the chain. They anticipate no difficulties,.,Re¬ ports that the rebels planted a bomb In the Hilton casino have been denied. . Trade Mark Registered FOUNDED 19*5 by SfME SILVERMAN; Published Weekly by VARIETY, INC Syd Silverman, President .154 West 46th St., New York 36. N.Y. JUdlOH 2-2700 Hollywood 20 6404 Sunset Boulevard. Hollywood S-1141 Washington 4 1292 National Press Building, STerling 3-5443 Chicago 11 612 No. Michigan Ave., DElawaro 7-4984 London WC2 _ 8 St. Martin’s P I.. Trafalgar Sq., COVent Garden 0135 SUBSCRIPTION Annua., $15; Foreign, $16; Single Copies, 35. Cents ' ~ ABEL GREEN, Editor / ’ . ' “ DAILY variety (Published In Hollywood by Daily Variety, Ltd J $15 a year. $20 Foreign.