Variety (October 1958)

October 1, 1958 71 f'JGRlETr OBITUARIES CARL BRISSON Carl Brisson, 64, nitery singer, film and musical comedy actor, died Sept. 24 in Copenhagen of jaundice, while on a visit to his native country. Brisson is best re¬ membered on the nitery circuits in the United States where he was labeled the “older girls’ Sinatra” having played some of the more fashionable cafes and hotels on the class circuit. Brisson was re¬ garded as boxoffice for the haute- monde clientele and way booted in for long periods. He played the Versailles, N. Y., for example, for 12 weeks. He worked the Waldorf^ Astoria, Plaza and other hostelries in New York as well as the Palmer House, Chicago, and others. Brisson’s first public appearances were as a boxer, winning the ama¬ teur lightweight championship at the age of 15 under his given name, Carl Pedersen. Later he became welterweight champion of Central Europe and Scandinavia. He bowed as a dancer in 1916 and later added singing while touring South Africa in revues. He de¬ buted in England in 1921 and two years later played Prince Danilo in “The Merry Widow” which he did in revival form for many years all over the world. .His last rendi¬ tion of that role was in Los An¬ geles in 1951. Brisson also appeared in films including “The Manxman,” direct¬ ed by Alfred Hitchcock in 1929. In 1934 he played in “Murder at the Vanities” opposite Kitty Car¬ lisle and with a cast including Vic¬ tor McLaglen and Jack Oakie. His Broadway musical bow was in an illfated Sigmund Romberg. oper¬ licensed radio operator. In 1956, when WIOD was supplanted by WCKR and WCKT (Biscayne Tele¬ vision Corp.), he became chief en¬ gineer of WCKT. - In that capacity at WCKT, he instituted the latest electronic improvements developed for telecasting and supervised many of the engineering details of the new station. A resident of South Florida since 1926, he was active in the commu¬ nication areas of defense and dis¬ aster, Survived by his wife and son. ROSE STRADNER MANKIEWICZ Mrs. Rose Stradner Mankiewicz, 45, former film actress and wife of film producer, writer and director Joseph L. Mankiewicz, died Sept. 27 in Bedford Village, New York. She was found dead at the fam¬ ily’s summer home on Croton Lake Road. Her last film was “The Keys of the Kingdom,” a 1944 film directed by her husband for whieh her husband and Nunnally Johnson wrote the screenplay. Her films also include “Blind Alley,” “One Hundred Days of Napoleon,” and with Edward G. Robinson in “The Last Gangster.” She is also survived by two sons. JOSEPH C. FARRELL Joseph C. Farrell, 82, veteran publicist and onetime songplugger, died Sept. 26 in Rockford, Mich. Retired since 1953, he had tub- thumped at various times for the New York Giants and Chi White Sox baseball clubs, and Hie Chicago [Black Hawks hockey team. 1 He left the law profession for photographer for the first Indian¬ apolis Speedway 500-mile race, in 1911 and remained in that post until 1925. He made the first com¬ mercial film short for the-Stude- baker Corp., South Bend, Ind. Son, daughter and a sister sur¬ vive. LENA SANFORD ROBERTS Mrs. Lena Salford Roberts, .74, former musieomedy actress, died Sept 25 in New York, after a lengthy illness-jS&e was the wife of Lucky RobertsV.composer, pian¬ ist and orchestra leader. She sang in musicals composed by her hus- -band. They included “Magnolia,” “Baby Blues” and-“Follies of the Stroll.” Her daughter also- survives. KATHERINE F. SHOUSE Mrs. Katherine Fox Shouse, 46, wife of James D. Shouse, Crosley Broadcasting Corp. board chair¬ man, died Sept. 26 in Cincinnati several days after undergoing brain surgery. With WLW and WLW-TV for 19 years, the former “Kit” Fox was director of special services that brought awards to the sta¬ tions. She resigned in 1955 prior to her marriage. LEON C. KELMEE t Leon C. Kelmer, manager of the ^RKO Albee, Brooklyn, until his re¬ tirement Jan. 9, 1956, died Sept. 24 in Portchester, N.Y. He began his career with RKO Theatres in 1914 when he joined the then B. F. Keith Circuit in Boston. Through the subsequent years he managed a number of important RKO Thea¬ tres. Survived by wife, son, Leon Jr. and a daughter. BEN LERNER [ Benjamin Jacobs, known profes¬ sionally as Ben Lerner, who was part of the team of Bixley & Ler- -ner, died Sept. 18 in New York. He worked the Mutual and Colum¬ bia burlesque -wheels for many years. Lerner was a charter mem¬ ber of the Burlesque Artists Assn. Survived by fpur sisters and a brother. Latter is Larry Jacobs, resident manager of the Variety Club in Baltimore^ FRANK P. DAVIS Frank Parker Davis, 88, patent attorney active in amateur theatre in the Chi area and father of ac¬ tor-director Fitzroy Davis, died Sept, 25 in Evanston, HL He was director of North Shore Theatre Guild and had collaborated with Lawrence Langner on several plays a number of years ago. Survived by duaghter and three [ sons. ELIZABETH RICHMOND Mrs. Elizabeth Richmond, 74, wife of Maurice Richmond, owner of Music Dealers Service, and mother of music publisher Howie Richmond, died in New York Sept 27. Surviving in addition to her hus¬ band and son are another son, Lawrence Richmond, who. runs MDS, and a daughter. FREDERICK W. BRUNELLE Frederick W. Brunelle, 60, man¬ ager of the Ridgeway Theatre, Stamford, Conn., the last two years, died Sept 18 in that city. A resi¬ dent of Hollis, L.I., he had spent 'his business life in theatre exhibi¬ tion with such outfits as Century Circuit, Walter Reade Theatres and Lockwood & Gordon. His wife survives. HENRY TELLER Henry Teller, 79, a Chicago music publisher for many years, died Sept 20 in that city. Since 1940 he had headed a musical ac¬ cessories firm there. Survived by a son, daughter and two brothers. HARRY (BUFF) KAUFMAN Harry (Buff) Kaufman, 59, musi¬ cian and bandleader, died Sept. 21 in a Chicago infirmary, where he had lived since his retirement in 1951. Survived by four brothers and four sisters. TODD BAXTER /Todd Baxter, 65, musician and short story writer, died Sept. 18 in Southern Pines, N.C. Bom in Cleveland, he was a versatile in¬ strumentalist and for years had his own dance band. Surviving are his wife, daughter and two brothers. ARTHUR LAPIN Arthur Lapin, 66, member of Chicago motion picture operators Local 110, died Sept. 23 in that city. He had been a projectionist for some 40 years. Survived by Ms - wife, daughter, son and two sisters. ERNEST IVERSON Ernest Iverson, 54, a prominent tv, radio and stage performer in the Minneapolis area for 28 years, died Sept. 24 in that city. Billing himself as “Slim Jim.” he was known as a cowboy singer and guit¬ arist with a slight Scandinavian ac¬ cent and toured with his own shows. His wife and a daughter survive. FRANK ADAMS Frank Pitkevicz, 58, former drummer, died Sept. 17 in King¬ ston, Pa. Known professionally as Frank Adams, he played in orches¬ tras in and around Pennsylvania, for mom than 20 years. Wife, son, actor Wade Stevens, two daughters, two sisters and. two brothers survive. | DONALD J. GARDNER | Donald J. Gardner, 26, tv actor- dialog director, was killed Sept 26 in auto accident near Malibu Beach, north of Santa Monica, Cal. He appeared in more than 30 vidpix. His last stint was dialog director on the “Perry Mason” series. Mrs. Isabel - H. Wilder, wife of pioneer broadcaster Harry C. Wil¬ der, died In Santa Barbara, Calif., Sept. 15 after a long illness with a heart ailment. The Wilders made their home in Scottsdale, Ariz., since his retirement. He’s current¬ ly engaged in the real estate busi¬ ness there. Herbert Usher, 84, a lawyer, au¬ thor and actor, died Sept. 26 in New Haven, Conn., after a pro¬ longed sickness. He was a found¬ er of the Yale Dramatic Assn, and later acted in summer stock and on radio-tv shows. He practiced law in New Haven and Hartford. Nevada Van der Veer, 74, noted oratorio singer and teacher, died Sept. 26 in New York, after a long illness. She also sang with the Philadelphia Opera in “Lohengrin” and “Gotterdammerung,” and with leading symphonies in this country and in Europe. Jasper Barron, 57, projectionist with Rowley United Theatres since 1925, died recently in Dallas. Sur¬ viving are his wife, son, his mother, three brothers and three sisters. Edgar Isaacs, 71, branch manager of United Artists in Leeds, Eng., for the past 28 years, died Sept. 20 in that city. His wife, and two Sons survive. Wife, 72, of Jack Jungmeyer, Disney staff writer and former Variety staffer; died Sept. 20 after long illness in Encino, Cal. David S. McNair, former time salesman for WOKO, Albany, died Sept. 21 in Winchester, Mass. His wife survives. Edward Dnnstan, 73, actor and producer who ran his own Shake¬ spearean company for 20 years, died Sept. 23 in Bognor Regis, Eng. Wife of composer Alexander Alstone, died Sept. 24 in Geneva, Switzerland. Son and mother also survive. Mother, 64, of Mort Hockstein, of NBC press, died Sept. 22 in Somerville, N. J. Nathan Hart, 59, vet radio-tv salesman, died Sept, 19 in Holly¬ wood. Fattier, 63, of actress Edith Adams, died Sept. 26 in Engle¬ wood, N. J. Father, 74, of actor Allen K. Carter, died Sept. 21 in Hollywood. John Huston , Continued from page 5 tionately via audience appreciation of the visual values. For instance, Mark Robson shot “Inn of the Sixth Happiness” in England and Wales instead of on location in Formosa. A set was built in London and another out-, door one was constructed in i Wales. Robson said he defied the ’ ordinary person to tell the differ¬ ence in locales. Yet, shooting in the London studios, with all the modern equipment at hand, cer¬ tainly reduced costs. Noting the current trend in “epics,” Huston said it was devel¬ oping largely in contradistinction to television. “I am not sure it will last,” he added. “There’s always room for the painter of frescoes : arid the artist with simple black- j and-white drawings.” The subject increasingly will determine the treatment, he held. J In Loving Memory of My Husband &rt(e “Mr. Kitzel” &uerfoacf) October 3, 1957 He Left a Little of Himself in the Hearts of Many etta, “Forbidden Melody” in 1936 where he made a favorable impact despite the unfavorable reception given the show. After a tour of EnglantJ, Brisson returned to the United States where he settled into eafe work. He was well-known for his char¬ itable works, in the Scandinavian countries and was frequently dec¬ orated by royalty. He received the Order of Dannebrog from King Frederick IX in 1938 and also the Swedish order of Vasa. He also endowed an orphan home in his native country. Over 3,000 attended the funeral in Copenhagen and flags were at half-mast for the late singing idol of Denmark. Premier Hans Han¬ sen and Julius Hansen, Mayor of Copenhagen, were among the pall¬ bearers. A requiem mass was of¬ fered for the star who, last Thurs¬ day (25), a day before his death, was converted to the Roman Cath¬ olic Church. He had been in the Komune Hospital in his native Copenhagen for three months, suf¬ fering from cancer of the liver. Survived by his wife, the former Cleo Willard, and his son, producer Frederick Brisson, who is married to actress Rosalind Russell, and a grandson. JOHN MAY John May, a sales executive of Screen Gems, Inc., died Sept. 23 when a private plane in which he was a passenger crashed into a awamp near the Salisbury, N.C. airport. Also killed was Charlotte, N.C., advertising executive Eugene Sink, who was at the controls. Salisbury police theorized that the private plane has made a poor land¬ ing at the airport, had been pushed back onto a runway, and had gashed while attempting a take- May joined Screen Gems in September, 1957. He had previous¬ ly been associated with Ziv Tele¬ vision and with TV stations WXEX- TV, Richmond, Va., and WMTW- TV, Portland, Me. Survived by his wife, son and daughter. MILTON SCOTT Milton C. Scott, Jr., 51, chief engineer and executive of WCKT, Flor ida, died Sept. 20 in thai city. A‘pioneer in the broad- Scott joined radio station WIOD in 1925 as its sole song plugging on Broadway at the turn of the century, then joined the Giants as their publicist under the John McGiraw regime. He moved to Chi and the White Sox in 1916, arid 10 years later went with the Black Hawks at their founding. His wife survives. JOHN GAUNT John Gaunt, 46, radio-tv v.p. of Grant Advertising, died of a heart attack Sept. 23 in Hollywood. Beginning his career in New York in 1934 as a theatre stage manager and bandleader, he moved to Holly¬ wood as assistant director at UI, and in 1940 joined the staff of NBC as producer-director. He was the first director of “The Red Skelton Show” in NBQ and in recent years received many awards for his work on ABC’s “Lawrence Welk Show.” He was also known as an authority on radio and tv commercials. His wife and two daughters sur¬ vive. MRS. FAUSTINA C, BARKER Mrs. Faustina C. Barker, 79, member of a vaude act which toured the U.S. and Europe in the early part of the century, died at a nursing home in Reading, Mass., Sept. 18. Her partner in the Lang- weed Sisters, Elizabeth Mansergh, still is a patient at the same home Mrs. Barker made her home in Reading for 44 years following re¬ tirement from vaude. • The two partners operated the El’FIo vil¬ lage grocery in North Reading and taught dadoing and * singing for many years. No survivors are listed. HENRY KAVANAGH Henry Edward (Ted) Kavanagh, 66, a radio script writer and cre¬ ator of the comedy series “ITMA” (It’s That Man Again), a British favorite during World War II, died Sept. 17 in London. A New Zealander, he went to England to study' medicine but turned to writing after the first World War. In addition to his numerous magazine articles, he also wrote humorous monologs for the late Tommy Handley, one of England’s top comedians. HARRY H. COBURN Harry H. Coburn, 78, a pioneer in. motion picture photography, died Sept. 24 on a plane enroute to New York. He served as official Even Philly Continued from page 2 star answered: “They all say ‘why don’t you send more good pic¬ tures?’ They stress that good sto¬ ries make good pictures, as though this is a new Idea. And you have to explain that good stories are hard to find, that nobody ever starts out to make a lousy picture. Sometimes they confuse direction and acting with writing. If an actor has a plum part written for him, they credit the actor or director, whereas it should go to the writer. And conversely, sometimes when an actor and director come off bet¬ ter with a character than the way it was written, they don’t grasp that. But I suppose we shouldn’t expect them to. “I heard occasional complaints about the teenage, horror and gorilla pictures. I told them they don’t condemn books because pulps are put out, and by the same token they shouldn’t condemn our indus¬ try because of this type of product. There is a tendency to generalize,’* commented Peck- Actor’s next starring vehicle is “On the Beach.” for Stanley Kra¬ mer. Film rolls in Australia in January. MARRIAGES Marilyn Anita Holt to Robert F. | Edgerly, Laconia, N.H., recently. He’s an announcer with radio sta¬ tion WGIR, Manchester, N.H. Sandra Milstein to William K. Everson, New York, Sept. 26. Bride is a film editor; he’s a tv writer-producer. Sandra Jo Drummond to Philip Crosby, Las Vegas, Sept. 25. She is a Las Vegas showgirl: he’s the son of Bing Crosby. His twin, Den¬ nis also married a Las Vegas show¬ girl, Pat Sheehan, last May. BIRTHS | Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Karsh, twin sons, Pittsburgh, Sept 23. Moth¬ er’s with the Pittsburgh Opera Company. Mr. and Mrs. Peter Hall, daugh- J ter, London, Sept 21. Father is a stage director; mother is actress Leslie Caron. Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Alsberg, daughter, Hollywood, Sept 20. Father is scripter on CBS-TV’a “Bachelor Father.” Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Child, daughter, Houston, Tex., Sept 17. Father is director of National Chil¬ dren’s Theatre and former deejay, WRUM, Rumford, Me; mother is a dancer known professionally as Kaye Terry. ' Mr. and Mrs. Emil Sitka, son, Hollywood, Sept. 19. Father’s an actor. Mr. and Mrs. Bill Howe, daugh¬ ter, Burbank, Cal., Sept. 23. Moth¬ er is dancer Ruby Howe; father is pianisf-ehtertai ner. Mr. and Mrs. Max Butterfield, daughter, London, Sept. 23. Father is a film actor; mother is actress Jan Richards. i Mr, and Mrs. Alain Bernheim, son, Paris, Sept. 20. Mother, the ; former Margy Kesrier, is an ex- newspaperwoman; father is a Yank literary agent now domiciled in Paris. , Mr. and Mrs. Dick Golden, son, Philadelphia, Sept. 22. Father is WFIL promotion director. Mr. and Mrs. Jimmy Lyons, daughter, Monterey, Cal., Sept. 12. Mother is ex-Metro press agent Terre Cox; father is a Mon¬ terey and Frisco deejay, general manager of Monterey Jazz Festival. Mr. and Mrs. Roe Taylor, daughter, Philadelphia, Sept. 22. Parents are the “Pat and Jack” of the WPEN morning show. Mr. and Mrs. Kenny Rogers, daughter, Houston, recently. Father is leader of a musical combo there. Mr. and Mrs. Gary Artzt, son, San Antonio, Sept. 24. Father is an artist on staff of WOAI-TV in that city. Mr. and Mrs. Alvin Thaler, son. New York, Sept. 20. Father is as¬ sistant production manager of the program department at CBS-TV. Mr. and Mrs. Harry Blum, son. New York, Sept. 24. Father is a special material writer for nitery acts. Mr. and Mrs. Robert Claver, daughter, New York, Sept. 27. [Mother is the daughter of Milton I Krasne, executive vice president of l General Artists Corp., father is producer of “Captain Kangaroo” on CBS tele. Mr. and Mrs. Paul Libin, son. New York, Sept. 26. Father is co- producer of the off-Broadway pro¬ duction of “The Crucible.”