Variety (December 1958)

CHATTEB 7S W^dnetdayf Decemb^ 10, 1959 Broadway MCA prexy Lew Wassennan bade to Coast Monday and return* ing thii weekend. Varel & Bailly with their slx^ man Chanteurs de Paris locked Monday (8) from France on the liherte. Trudy Goth, the globe-totting opera buff will Christmas in Rome, hit Athens before returning to States Jan. 12. Freyr & Carr have optioned Mae Benoff’s comedy, “God Bless This Bank," a first play effort by the Coast tv scripter. Ray Walker, veteran pianist and composer, recovering from a heart ailment at the Lutheran Medical Center, Brooklyn. Jussi Bjoerling will be back at the Met nekt fall. Previously sang there 14 seasons but has been ab¬ sent for two seasons. Songsmith Harry Ruby gets the Perry Como “salute” on this Satur¬ day’s show. WhUe east Ruby is jdso talking a play deal. Eddie Cantor has been keeping active as advertising and mer¬ chandising consultant to Dunbar Laboratories (Zonite, etc.). N.Y. tadent agent Georgia Gilly wrill'have as her Miami branch the Gold Coast Agency run by Wally Wanger at the Roney Plaza. In-1908 Russian prodigy Mischa Elman came to America, and Mon¬ day night at Carnegie marked his golden anniversary as a violin vir¬ tuoso. The Art (Anne) Buchwalds and MCA’s Dave- Stein, both visitors from Paris, getting the hospitality “pour" treatment in divers spots about town. Cleo (Mrs. Carl) Brisson to her native Copenhagen, where^ the singing star died recently, tomor¬ row, (Thurs.) on the SS Stockholm for the holidays. The Peter Lind Hayes-Mary Healy family corporation is called Mount Tom Enterprises Inc., after the Mt. Tom Road, New Rochelle, where they reside. Richard Huggett, Arts Theatre Club, London, wants memoribilia, anecdotes, etc. on Leslie Banks for the book he’s doing on the English actor who died six years ago. ■ Following 50-performance road tour of his .so-called N. Y. Opera Festival, Felix W. Salmag^ went into army training. He’s now a lieutenant colonel. He’s a. veteran of the Battle of the Bulge. Alicia Markova who did solo dance bit for Victor Borge’s tv special (Pontiac) left thereafter for Britain where sheTl have seven- week engagement in annual panto¬ mime “Where the Rainbow Ends." In consequence of automobile death of Richmond P. Gardner of Bank of N. Y. new co-chairman of the funds campaign for the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts is WiUlam M. Robbins of General Foods. Anna Sokolow personally rented York Theatre on First Ave. for Dec. 18-31 period to offer a dance company. Jeff Duncan. Jack Moore, Bill Frank, Kate Friedlich, Dorothy Krooks and Noel Schwartz are in support. Ines de Juan and Jose Lopez from the Ballet Espanol are branching out for the night club dates, starting Dec. 11 at El Chico in the Village. Under 22, and mar¬ ried, publicity describes them as “young and fearless." Among the 23 indicted in N. Y. Federal district court on a $2,0W),- 000 boiler-room charge are CSiarles M. Berman, a stock- promoter of Lewiston, Idaho, and former stock¬ holder in Las Vegas’ Flamingo Hotel which he sold out iiul954. It was Oriental time for-real at A Bit of Bali, eastside eatery, at post-theatre break last night (Tues.) as the .cast of “Flower Drum Song” and “World of Suzie Wong," among others, gathered there to put on the feedbag and exploit the spot opened in September under the hosting of Frank W. Funk. Indiana University at Blooming¬ ton is producing half a dozen operas during the present academic year. It had Tibor Kozma, former¬ ly of Met, to conduct “Butterfly^’ recently, Ross Allen staged and the sets were designed by the Greek, Andreas Nomikos, who , made his American debut with the N. Y. City Center Opera last sea¬ son via "Lucretia,” “Silent Wom¬ an" and ^‘Soldier Schweik." Pro- fessldnals were used for the lead roles. An idea which Guy Lombardo "and Leonard Ruskin had for co- starring Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds in “Hit The Deck” as their next summer’s Jones Beach 1 show has gone out the window, ] even as a wishful-thinking casting, for obvious reasons. Bandman and Ruskin, coproducers of t^e Long Island aquat'f’-thertre * “‘’’res. Will run “f^'on'T of ’ for a second semester, which has b^ep. par—“Show Boat" and •‘Arabian Nights both did better on their re¬ peat years. Miami Beac& By Lary SoUeway (1755 Calais Dr.; UNion 5-5389) Walter WincheU arrived earlier than usuaL . I GAC’s Vic Jarmel and Patti Page’s manager. Jack Rael, talent-! gandering while vacashmg here, j Don Rickies moved his comedy wares across the bay to - Miami’s Admiral Vee motel for this season. | Props local edition of femme Friars Club, staging Installation luncheon today (Wed.) at Eden Roc. f The Walter Annenhergs (TV Guide) were first chickens at new Diplomat Country Club in Holly¬ wood. PoUy Bergen tees off Fontaine¬ bleau’s La Ronde season Dec. 20 with Jack Carter and Della Reese set to follow. Anna Maria Alberghetti and bal¬ let group from Paris’ Moulin Rouge set for Christmas holiday week by Eden Roc. . Paul Gray, comic and local resi¬ dent, new partner in Murray Fran¬ klin ali-nitery and doubling with FranMin as host-entertainer. Coast scripter Sid Kuller work¬ ing on three local revues:, Ameri¬ cana, Lucerne’s new edition of “Havana Mardi Gras" and Copa City’s revival of “Jump For Joy." Las Vegas By Forrest Puke (Dudley 2-6100) Wanda Hendrix relaxing at the Riviera. ^ ^ El Rancho veep Charlie Kahn to N. Y. for 10 days. New singer at Dunes has appro¬ priate name—^Bob Vegas. Paul Kalet, manager of the Ink Spots, extending his Dunes vaca¬ tion. Mitzi Gaynor here to promote opening of new dress, shop on the J VI- • I. Bert Parry resigned as publicist and assistant to Flamingo's Abe Schiller. Silver Slipper producer Eddie Fox in Cedars of Lebanon Hospi¬ tal, Los Angeles, for surgery. Jimmy Cavgnaugh,. former strsugbt for Hank Henry (Silver Slipper), now in Dunes Minsky show. Shecky Greene, originally set-for Tropicana lounge Jan. 7, will eo- star in main room with Roberta Sherwood. Juanita Clive, featured dancer in the Flamingo Show. Is married to Alan Clive, British comedian making American debut in new Silver Slipper revue. Marlene Kirk, cigaret girl at Flamingo, given job as dancer in Pearl Bailey show which opens Dec/ 15. She’s wife of Flamingo production singer Don Kirk. IstanM By Goksel Gortay (Tel: 48 24 92) The new 2,400-seater Site Cin¬ ema will preem with “Sayonara" (WB). French chirp Maria Vincent off to Paris after an eight-week caba¬ ret run at the Club-X. All tickets for the eight per¬ formances of the Bolshoi. Ballet at the San completely sold out. . “Love of Four Colonels” will be next legit production at the Yenl, with Nedret Guvenc in the lead. Legit-film star Lale Oraloglu off- to Italy for two-month vacation as soon as she closes in the Chambre Theatre’s production of “Miss Julie." Third annual International Thea¬ tre Fest for amateurs is over. Among the 12 participants, Italian Giovanni Poll’s Ca’Foscari Theatre, of Venice, presenting samples of Commedia'dell Arte, got the high¬ est praises. Pocket Theatre started its fifth seasoh with a bill of two legiters: “The Man Who Married a Dumb Wife,” by Anatole France, and “Gentlemen Please Take off your Hats" by Yilmaz Gruda, young native playwright. Kansas City By J<^ Qninn (VI 2-4131) - Don Davis, KMBC-TV, elected to 18-man board of directors of Tele¬ vision Bureau of Advertising. Judith Evelyn pl^ed the lead In “Electra,” recent'production at U, of Kansas City Playhouse. . I John Sebastian, harmonica vir- I tuoso, first guest artist with Phil¬ harmonic Orchestra’s Connoisseur Concert series. Sophie Tucker missed only one evening of charity bookselling while playing fortnfeht at Hotel Muehlebach. Laryngitis forced her to rest between shoys opening night and she omitted usual lobbby appearance. ,,,, - \t t > : ■ ^ ^ Loidoa (COVenH Garden 0135/0/7)^ Exhibition of water colors by actor P^ter Cushing In New Bond St Marlon Keene, currently In four weeks’ cabaret engagement at the Society. Bandleader Edmuhdo Ros open¬ ing dancing school soon at his Re¬ gent St. nitery. Duchess of Gloucester attended 2,000th performance of ‘.‘The Boy Friend" at Wyndham’s Theatre, Norman Collins, Associated Television's deputy chairman, left for Canada three weeks’ biz visit. Sidney L- Bernstein, Granada- chairman, and executive producer Denis Forman back from Moscow quickie. Actress Sonia Dresdel named di¬ rector of productions for White Rose Players at Theatre Royal, Harrogate. "At the Drop of a Hat," suspendr ed for month because of illness of Michael Flanders, resumed at For¬ tune Theatre. Actor-writer Bryan Forbes to do screenplay for Carl Foreman’s “The League of Gentlemen," based on the John Boland novel. Anna Neagle served as chairman of dinner committee when Musi¬ cians’ Benevolent Fimd held its annual banquet at the Savoy. E. J. (Teddy) Hinge, president of Cinematograph Exhibitors Assn., feted by industry at New- ca^e dinner to celebrate his 70th birthday. , Paris By Gene Moskowiiz (28 rue Huchette; Odeon 49-44) ! Eiko Ando in for opening of : “Barbarian And the Geisha" (20th). Le Carroll’s nitery inaugurating dinners at 9:30 followed by regu¬ lar floorshow. Afro eatery Le Cannibal now giving Dark Continent show along with sectional eats. Pacale Petit snaring Suzanne Blanchetti Award for most promis¬ ing film newcomer of the year. 'Two new late eateries, Les Petits Paves and La Louisiane drawing show biz crowds these days on the Left Bank. Barney Butler, Yank owner of small Mars Club, had SRQ week in headlining Billie Holiday for three shows nightly with $2,50 cover, •Leonard Bernstein made honor¬ ary member of Lamoureux orch here after his highly successful group of conducting and playing stints with them during the last few weeks. Hit legit version of Irwin Shaw’s ‘Xucy Crown," by Jean-Pierre Au- mont, already sold to 13 countries with Isa Miranda to do it in Italy, Lilli Pilmer in Munich and Elisa¬ beth Bergner in Berlin. Gina LoUobrigida in to finish some synch scenes in Jules Dassin’s pic “La LoL” She then returns to Madrid to take up “Solomon and Sheba" (UA) with Yul Brynrier. Left Bank cellar jazz club, Club Saint-Germain-Des-Pres, i n a u g u- rating Sat. and Sun. matinee jazz sessions. Club features French jazz. names as well' as top visiting Yank players. It’s owned by Eddy Barclay whose disk company puts [ out most of the Yank and French jazz platters here. Boston By Guy Livingston (344 Little Bldg.; HAncock 6-8386) Pat Boone in for Boston Police ball. Agnes Moorhead sojourning here. A1 Vega trio current at Sherry Biltmore. McGuire Sisters . inked for February BUnstrub’s date. Susan Hayward in on exploita¬ tion for ‘T Want to Live." Paul Levi, long time ATC film p.a., opening his own office. Chirp Nancy McDonald breaking in new act at new 12 Carver club. Ben Sack opens “BeU, Book and Candle" at his Gary deluxer Dec. 31. Lou Smith, owner of Rocking¬ ham Park, patient at Beth Israel Hospital. Charles Kurtz man, Loew’s northeast div. mgr., at Longwood Hospital with virus. Joe and Max Schneider, Steu¬ ben’s proprietors, pl annin g trip to their native Vienna. ' Alan Kent topping the bfll at I Bradford Roof along with Ann ! Clark, Larry Wilson. Shoshana Damari, Israeli piper, inked for annual Chanukah Fes¬ tival at Boston Garden Dec. 23. Boston Symphony on its second tour of season to New York, Wash¬ ington, New Brunswick and Brook¬ lyn. Charles Kurtzman, Loew’s north- off i curb in Miami, li now back at work. Lambert, Hendrlcki & Boss, modem jazz singers^, and Irwin Corey current at (3eorge Wein's Stor^Ie. Jos^h E. Levine, Embassy Pic¬ tures (jorp. prexy, back from Paris and Rome where he viewed npwly completed films. Joseph E. Levine, prexy Em¬ bassy Pictures, openmg Manhattan office for newly acquired film property, “Hercules.” Nelson Noble, Brookline metals dealer, bou^t WILD from Bartell Group, and moves it to. Sherry- BUtmore with w. k. disker Stan Richards as program mgr. CUcago (DelavxLTe 7-4984) Jazz Ltd. now in its 12th year as dixieland boite, Jerri Winters featured at Sa¬ hara with Lurlean Hunter. Soprano Jeanne Diamond of Lyr¬ ic Opera guested on Arthur God- frejr’s CBS daytimer last week. Walter KeUin upped to exec assistant to Gaslight Club owner Burton Browne and succeeded as manager of Chi club by Howard Brake. Baritone Len Dresslar of WBBM- TV’s “In Town Tonight” soloed Friday night (5) with Chi Business¬ men’s Orch in longhair concert broadcast on WBBM-FM. Frank Darling’s ^annual Xmas show for membership of IBEW Lo¬ cal 1031 current with Billy Eck- stine, Jane Kean, Senor Wences and Frank Marlowe heading bill. Douglas Fairbanks, Brian Aheme, Carol Channing, Elizabeth Schwarzkopf and Roger Williams her^ over the weekend for unveil¬ ing of Guildhall, Ambassador Hotel’s swank ballroom-banquet hall. Detroit By Fred Tew (TU 5-8694) J. L. (Joe) Thomas, since 1956 manager of World Theatre, a downtown arty, takes over as man¬ ager of the Booth, a nabe house. Detroit Free Press editorial praised Sol Hurok for successfully fighting State Dept, ban on bring¬ ing Russian ballet troupe to Ma¬ sonic Temple. Local dailies,vtaking note of loud jeers from football fans, made a big to-do about lack of bootleg re¬ ception of Detroit Lions game with Chicago Bears played in Detroit. Local bars inst#illed high i^ntennas to pull In WJIM-TV Lansing for reception of Lion’s home gamek Complaint was that the Lions made deal with WJIM so its sig¬ nal wouldn’t be received in De¬ troit. Station denied charge, said that failure In its transmitter was cause of trouble. Ireland By Maxwell Sweeney (Dublin 68 4506) Thesper Barry Cassin named to judge All-Ireland Drama Fest. Sir Thoihas Beecham here to gander prospects for orA tour next spring. Rick Bourke, top fund-raiser for Variety Tent 41, named Tent’s Chief Barker for 1959. Paolo SilvefI in from Rome as artists’ manager for current Dubljn Grand Opera season at Gaiety. Vic Oliver and songstress Ruby Murray named stars of “Old King Cole," Christmas production for 3,500 seater 'Theatre Royal, Dublin. Dublin Globe Theatre and Cyril Cusack Productions both received cash grants from Irish Arts Coun¬ cil during past year, reports Coun-. cil’s annual statement. George Glass,.exec producer of James Cagney stairer "Shake Hands with the Devil" for Toy Films, reported picture was com¬ pleted within its $1,250,000 budget at Ardmore Studios. Berlin By Hans Hoehn , (76 02 64) Traditional Berlin film haU (Feb. 21) to be held at new Berlin HUton. “Rock-’n-RoU in Heidelberg" is titie of CCq pic with BiU Haley Sc Comets on company’s 1959 agenda. Helge Roswaenge, Scandlnavian- bom opera singer, will appear, along with a variety show, at Sport- palast later this month. U.S. pix currently playing the local GI circuit include: “Andy Hardy Comes Home" (MG), “Les Girls" (MG) and “Up Front" <UA). French pic “La Parislenne" Is also shown over circuit. Arthur Braimer (CCC) reported¬ ly signed James Mason for two pix. He’s also trying to get Vivi^ Leigh and Michele Morgan for his re¬ make, “Grand. Hotel," which .Curtis HoDywood Mike Todd Jr. pulled in from Gotham. - John Forsythe returned from Yugoslavia. . . ^ Hugo Friedhofer returned from EiLTopean stay. i Y. Frank Freeman back from Gotham h.o. huddles. 1 Myrna Fox currently In Las ; Vegas at Dunes lounge. A1 Ritz down with serious virus attack in Palm Springs. Jack Emanuel reoptioned as War* ner Bros, tv story editor, i Inger Stevens off on 15-city tour to drumbeat “The Buccaneer.” Isabelle Whall joined Milton Deutsch Agency for fair bookings. Phil Gersh switched from Fam¬ ous Artists to Ashley-Steiner office^ Don Leon joined American In¬ ternational Pix as resident coimseL George Pal skedded to speak be¬ fore Vancouver (B.C.) Missiles So¬ ciety Feb. 15. Manny Harmon Orch into the Beverly Hilton’s Star-on-the-Roof for an indefinite stay starting Jan. 5. Charles Thomas elected chair¬ man of Motion Plctiure Industry Health & Welfare Plan board of trustees for 1959. Tokyo By Dave Jampel (Press Club, 27-0161) Gil Lamb here on 12-week Far East tour with USO “Girls and G^^s” show. Swiss film, “Heidi,” will be dubbed in Japanese in special effort to lure local students. UA sales manager Andrew Lott Albeck due in shortly. He is ex¬ pected to finalize new distrib setup, Paris Theatre BaUet with 31 members, led by Vitale Fokine, due latter part of December for Japan tour. French conductor Jean Foumet here from U.S. to conduct seven performances of "Pelleas et Meli— sande.” Japan Film Fair slated to begin at Munich March 6 will later move to Berlin and Bonn for several days at each city. . Japan majors agreed to boost ad¬ mission prices at first-run hpuses and are now settling differences on amount and scale of boost. Nippon Gramophone Recording Co. planning to record 24-year-old Yoshiko Hayakawa, daughter of w.k. actor Sessue Hayakawa. Former TPA topper Milton A. Gordon here for o.o. with possibili¬ ty'' of future Japanese locationed tv series; most likely a coproduc¬ tion. As of Nov. 10, Japan’S' registered tv sets numbered 1,414,179 of which 583,595 are in Tokyo. Estimated .several thousand more are in use, hut unregistered. William H. Fineshrlber, veep and director of foreign sales for Screen Gems, here for two weeks of tele¬ film confabs on last lap^of three- month global tour. AA producer-director William Castle expected in to lay plans for spring production of feature “(con¬ fessions of an Opium Eater" star¬ ring MUko Taka of “Sayonara.’* Local AA office applying to Fi¬ nance Ministry for use of blocked yen earnings on production. Frankfnrt By Haxel Guild (24 Rheinstrasse; 776751) Two German film's, “Rose Bernd" and “08-15,” to play before year’s- end in Hungary. Moscow State Circus, originally scheduled to open Dec. 25 in Wies¬ baden, postponed to Feb. 26 to Match 2, 1959. Kurt Ehrhardt produced first West German showing of Thomas Wolfe’s “Look Homeward Angel’^ in Landestheater, Hannover. “The Dictator” (NA-ChapUn) and Warners’ “Old Man and the Sea" classified as “outstanding" by Ger¬ man Film Classification Board. “Twelve Angry Men," by Regi¬ nald Rose, locally adapted by Horst Budjuhn, at town’s Klelne Theater* with Fritz Remond directing and Karl John and Sigurd Lohde in the leads. Gustav Gruendgens, director of German Theatre in Hamburg, flew to Rio de Janeiro to recover from an eye ailment. He plans to produce Grabbe’s “Don Juan and Faust" in Hamburg in January. German Film Export Union and Unijapan^ arranged Gennan-Japa- nese films to be featured next March in Munich, and German Filmweek set for October 1959 in Tokyo, with German actors, direc¬ tors and workers participating. Exchange Is for six' German films and six Japanese films of special