Variety (March 1959)

64 VAVMSVUJUE f&SUEff Wednesday, March 25,. 1959 Local Agents 'Crossed’ on Expo Pact At Portland After MCA Cancellation Portland, Ore., March 24. Portland’s four bookers have re¬ activated their Theatrical Booking Agents Assn, of Oregon in attempt to get their foot in the door of the Oregon Centennial Commission for booking some of the arena shows during the forthcoming Exposition June 10 to Sept. 17. Music Corp. of America threw in the towel last week after tangling with American Guild of Variety Artists, and the Commission cancelled the $455,000 contract with the agency. At a Commission meeting last week the local bookers were prom¬ ised an opportunity to submit shows for the Arena event. This all happened before lunch. After the feed, and while the locals were starting on their program, the Commission voted to hire. Wayne Dailard of San Francisco for pro¬ duction and direction of all the Arena shows. He will get a fee of $68,000. This move created quite a stir as all the shows booked so far are packages which means that there would be little, if anything, for Dailard to do. He will direct a pageant the last two weeks of the Exposition for which he was voted an additional $76,000 for talent staging. Local bookers are beefing because they feel that greenlight given them at the Commission meeting was a “get away from me boys, you bother me" gesture. It is assumed that while the Commis¬ sion was talking with the bookers, the deal with-Dailard was on ice except for the formal acceptance. f\i A 3 A A The MCA action was supposedly taken at the request of the agency, which said it was forced to with¬ draw from the contract because of alleged rule violation of American Guild of Variety Artists. The has¬ sle between MCA and AGVA got under way several weeks ago when it was claimed that MCA was rep¬ resenting both the acts and man¬ agement. Inked to date for the Arena are Ice Capades,” June 11-23; Taka- razuka Kabuki Dancers, Aug. 24- 29, and The Art Linkletter House Party Telecast July 26-30. The latter will be an afternoon event. Pencilled in are “Country Amer¬ ica" June 26-30 with Everly Bros., Hank Show, Rainbow Ranch Boys, Hank Thompson, Brazos Valley Boys, Little Jimmy Dickens, Stoney Mt. Cloggers, Gordon Terry, Merle Travis, The Eligibles, Ginny Jack- son, and Joe Allison; “Country America” July 1-5 with Johnny Cash, Ferlin Husky, Grandpa Jones, Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys, Roy Acuff, June Webb, Willburn Bros., & Stoney Mt. Clog¬ gers; U.S. Government Exhibition j July 7-9; and The Oregon Pageant j Sept. 1-17. Other shows are under' consideration. f The arena will have a capacity j of from 8,000 to 9,500 seats de¬ pending upon the show. Other tv shows are also in the talking stages for afternoon layouts. Quarrel stemmed from the asser¬ tion that MCA violated the agree¬ ment between Artists Representa¬ tives Assn., of which the agency is a member, and AGVA. Rule in¬ volved is B-51 which declares that an agency cannot book and repre¬ sent talent at the same time. Hi-Hat, Hub Jazz Spot Goes Up in 65G Blaze : Boston, March 24. i The Hi-Hat nitery was burned : to the ground in a spectacular four alarm fire last week. More than 100 neighborhood residents fled their homes when the blaze roared out of contf q 1 for nearly two hours. The Hi-Hat, gutted by fire three years ago, was recently redesigned completely under new ownership and had been operating on a jazz format with names. Spot was own¬ ed by Alan Swartz, who had pur¬ chased it and refurnished it only a few months back, and was book¬ ed by Fred Petty Agency. As in the Dec. 19, 1955 fire' which had closed the nitery until its opening early this year as a jazz nitery, the blaze broke out after the club had closed. Damage was estimated at $65,000. Bill Miller & Partners Reopening New Frontier Casino With 330G Las Vegas, March 24. Bill Miller, missing from the Las Vegag Strip for over a year, is reopening the shuttered New Frontier casino and restaurant April 1. Miller and Gayle Stillwell, a California insurance exec, hold an option to purchase two-thirds of the corporation. T. W. Richard- j son will act as casino manager, h Miller has gone to New York, where he reportedly is trying to sign a “South Pacific” company to I kick off the new show policy in the I Venus Room of the New Frontier Hotel. Miller was to huddle v: ? th Lou Walters Sez Sec Of Cafe De Paris Corp. Not Liable for N.Y.C. Taxes Lou Walters, former operator of the Cafe de Paris, N.Y., which folded after a short-lived career, in a letter to Variety absolves his former secretary Gunther Sern- eau from responsibility in the matter of New York City Sales taxes due from the operation of that cafe. Walters stated, “It is unfortu¬ nate that he (Serneau) is in¬ volved. In assuming the post of assistant secretary, he did what is done in hundreds of thousands of corporate setups. In fact, I imagine that nearly every cor-1 poration has a secretary or assist- ! ant secretary who is appointed for the sake of expediency. Certainly, he was not paid in this capacity. He was paid as secretary in purely i a clerical sense. ‘When I took ill, the new ten¬ ants of the Cafe de Paris asked me to resign as secretary and treasurer, turn in my stock, all of which I agreed to do since I did not want to stand in the way of the new owners* Consequently on' July 2, Serneau came to Miami with papers made out by their at¬ torneys resigning me from my duties as an officer, stockholder and a member of the board. After signing these papers, he returned them to New York. A copy is un¬ doubtedly held by the people who took over, and another copy is undoubtedly held by my attorney. Arthur Field. After this date, I had nothing to do with Cafe de Paris in any capacity whatsoever. From then on, the Cafe de Paris and its operation was controlled, I was told, by a new corporate set¬ up. I had absolutely nothing to do with the operation, with the hiring or firing, tax returns or anything else. “I know nothing of any tax liens, I certainly did not know nor re¬ motely expect that either Serneau nor I would be involved. I have requested an attorney to investi¬ gate this matter and if there is any way in which I could help Serneau, I should be eager to do so.” Serneau was ruled liable for ,the unpaid city taxes in a magis¬ trate’s court and was found guilty of a misdemeanor. An accounting indicates that he will be called upon to pay about $14,000, He was the only known officer of the ebr- poratioh who could be found by the city. D.C. Solons Don’t Dig Jazz Jubilee Washington, March 24. It was an ex-jazz-perating ex¬ perience for artist as well as audi¬ ence. Alhough 2,000 ticket buyers paid $10 each in the name of sweet charity to hear an impressive ar¬ ray of jazzperts, it didn’t take long to see that the Jazz Jubilee here recently was attended mainly by moldy figs. (A moldy fig, according to Marshall Stern, author of “Story of Jazz,” is someone who th inks no good jazz has been written since 1928.) This audience was even heavy on moldy prunes, who think no good jazz has ever been writ¬ ten. Thanks to the corps of Congres¬ sional wives who corralled the tal¬ ent of . such immortals as Willie “The Lion” Smith, Jo Jones, Paul Barbarin, Buck Clayton, and Vice Dickenson, the evening meant $20,000 to Friendship House on Capitol Hill; this is not only from ticket sales but royalties to a re¬ cording by Mercury. But the bejewelled and expen¬ sively furred audience of assorted ambassadors, senators and social¬ ites, listening from cabaret table? stocked with beer and champagne, just didn’t dig the stuff. Perle (Hostess With the Mostes’) Mesta took one look at the New¬ port Youth Orchestra and asked: “Why aren’t those boys in school?” Another socialite, exiting at in¬ termission time, told her escort,. “I don’t care where we go as long as I can hear a melody.” No one blamed the artists. They were strictly first-rate performers. It was the audience that was jazz- tone deaf. One society columnist mourned dolefully, “It will take more than one sermon to convert them.” Monte Proser, who owns the cafe rights to “^Pacific,” and if the pa¬ pers are signed!, Proser, Dick Rodg¬ ers, and Oscar Hammerstein prob¬ ably will personally help Miller launch the show’s Vegas outing. Miller enters the new operation as entertainment director. He will be employed on a fixed salary pending approval by Nevada gam¬ ing authorities of his participation in the venture as an owner. With approval by the Nevada ! Commission and the Clark County ; Gambling Board, Miller and Still¬ well will enter the casino operation jwith a $333,000 bankroll. The re- ‘maining third interest will be re¬ tained by Warren (Doc) Bayley, Teresa Brewer Too Sick’ To Play Blinstrub’s: AGVA; Spot Takes It on Chin Boston March 17. A union^designated medico found singer Teresa Brewer “too sick” to keep her skedded date at Blin¬ strub’s • 1,700-seat nitery here, which would have begun last week (16), boniface Stanley Blinstrub was informed. Miss Brewer’s engagement for a week at the South Boston spot was at $12,500. The American Guild of Variety Artists said a written re¬ port from the union physician was to be forwarded to Blinstrub. “From what I hear there’s no basis for a breach of contract suit,” said a union spokesman, Blinstrub having threatened such action. The singer’s husband, William Mona¬ han, said she has been “very run down” and is under treatment for anemia and low blood pressure.” Blinstrub’s is figured to have taken a big loss on the cancella¬ tion, reported to be as much as $50,000 for the week’s lost biz. who last year leased the entire New Frontier and the adjoining Last Frontier from landlords Bel- don Katleman, Maurice Friedman, and Irving Leff. Bayley, who is also president of the Hacienda Hotel, will retain controlling interest in Frontier Properties Inc. which will operate the New Frontier Hotel rooms and the Last Frontier. Bayley has signed Beatrice Kay to headline a show in the Last Frontier Gay ; Nineties Room starting April 1, on , a 26-week option basis. ; Separate Entity The corporation which will oper- ■ ate the New Frontier casino, coffee shop, bar, and Venus Room will be a separate entity. The pact means the return to Las Vegas of two of its most promi¬ nent gambling and entertainment figures. Miller was formerly en¬ tertainment director and a partner in the Sahara Hotel, and instituted the resort’s “big name” show pol¬ icy. He later purchased an inter¬ est in the Royal Nevada, which failed under financial pressure. Miller, for a brief time afterwards, was entertainment director at the Dunes Hotel and, in a large sense, was responsible for lavish nude show's on the Strip when he brought “Minsky’s Follies” to the latter hotel. Richardson was associated with the original operating group that opened the New Frontier in 1955. He later was the principal operator in the Royal Nevada. Following the demise of the Royal, Richardson tried his luck in Cuba, heading the casino operation at the Capri Ho¬ tel. When the revolution threat¬ ened to wreck gambling in Ha¬ vana, Richardson returned to Las Vegas and was much sought-after by local casinos until he joined the Miller-Stillwell combine last week* BORGE RIDES RANGE FOR $129,687 IN 13 Denver, March 24. Doing his one-man show on a western tour, Victor Borge grossed $129,687 in the first 13 perform¬ ances. He is presently on a three- night stand here which winds up tomorrow (Wed.) with indications of a capacity house. • The top take* was hit at the Ma¬ sonic Temple,; San Francisco, where four nights ending March 14 produced-, a big $55,866. Seats had to be put on stage on most showings. Total tour will encom¬ pass 35 nights^ •S/S— 22G in Portland Pair Portland, Ore., March 24. Victor Borge’s one-man show scored a near capacity $22,000 in two-nighter (16-17) at the Para¬ mount Theatre. The comedian-pianist was inked for only one night, but the house was sold out quickly and the sec¬ ond show was arranged. The 3,400- seater was scaled to $5. Albany Variety May Sponsor Beam’s Rodeo Albany, March 24. The Albany . Variety Club may sponsor Ward Bearo^s Rodeo for three days in June. Chief Barker Samuel E. Rosenblatt and other officers recently conferred here with Beam on the possibility. Preferable place, for the rodeo would he Hawkins Stadium, East¬ ern League ball park. OTTAWA’S TWO NITERIES IN SPRING REVIVALS Ottawa, Mareh 24. Ottawa’s nitery life revives Sat. (28) with both the Chaudiere and Gatineau clubs preeming a new season. Into the Chaudiere comes a unit item. Bob Alien and his “Showcase of ’59.” Harry Pozy band remains.on the Chaudiere bandstand. Gatineau’s big room bookings are not yet set, but boni¬ face Joe Saxe is scheduling at least four acts with a new music group on the stand. Other live shows on the way: the Circus Lounge of the Ottawa House hotel in Hull is experiment¬ ing with Friday* and Saturday shows only, planning full-week operation if business stands up. Current offering is songstress Peggy Young backed by the Don Brown Trio. In. the same inn’s grill is The New Yorkers. ‘Blackouts’ 29 G in 13 th % Hollywood, March 24. Ken Murray’s “Blackouts of 1959” in its 13th week at the Ritz Theatre soared to a smart $29,000. Prior frame turned up $27,000. Continues indef, natch. BOSTON'S NEW HOTEL J new | HOTEL AVERT, with private bath and TV in all rooms, will * ffiaka year visit to ^Boston a memorable one. Located in the heart of the shopping end enter¬ tainment district Children under 14 FREE. Farting facilities. Sensibly priced, tool . Awry 1 Weriiiegtia Sts. OyposJts testae Cuumb mz-m* CLASON PROFESSIONAL COMEDY MATERIAL for all Theatrical* "Wo Ctrvlco 4*o Stan" Big Temporary Special o* All 3S 6oe File*for *15, * Flu* %IM Postajo Forol pm llil ea., 3* f or $40 a » Parody Cook*, Per Bk. ... *1* e # 4 Blackout Books, Per Bk. .. *25 e a Minstrel BuBeof .. *25 e How to Master the Ceremonies $* per Copy No C.O.D's . "Alwiy* Opon" ■ILLY MASON >00 W. 54th stw N.Y.C.,1* Circle 7-1131 <WK TKACH IMCIBIM© on* COMEDY) (Lot o Beal Professional Train You)