Variety (August 1959)

MISCELLANY Softened Script m Abortion Theme; Pros and Cons Follow 'Blue Denim’ The. •■tactful” handling of the4- abortion theme in 20th-Fox.’s “Blue | Dehim." and the "happy ending” f t\ pe of solution provided by the |. Edith Sommer - Philip Dunne| screenplay, riled several of the 1 X. Y. critics last week. It also I dramatized Hollywood’s problem | In handling social problems While j| trying not to step on sensitive toes. j| The picture, starring Carol Lyn- ij ley and Brandon de Wilde, is based H on the James Leo Herlihy-William* Noble play and tel’s of a teenage || romance that ends in tragedy when the girl gets pregnant. A subsidi-, ary t lie me is the lack, of communi-.! cation between the youngsters andj, their parents. Whereas, in the legiter, the girl goes through with the abortion, in i the film there T s a last-minute "res-:' cue” and the two youthful princi-; I pals—age 15 and 16—go off to get; ; married. j ‘ Impression in N. Y. is that the ; new sweet ending was manufac¬ tured to take the sting out of it j for Roman Catholics. Although • 20th bought a stage play about an i abortion, it knew from the start that it couldn't do it justice since; the Production Code specifically prohibits explicit treatment. Says; the Code: The subject of abortion shall r be discouraged, shall never be more than suggested, and / • when referred to shall be con- I demned.” Scripter. Dunne said last week that, while Catholic objections had been considered, the film’s ending was formulated "under no pressure at all” and simply because if seemed dramatically most valid. Yet, even While the story was > Continued on page 78* GWEN TWISTS ANKLE, ^ GETSTOSEE‘REMEAft! Gwen Yerdon, star of "Red¬ head.” finally got to see the musi¬ cal last week. Having twisted her ankle just before the matinee last Saturday sl>, she limped before the curtain and informed the au¬ dience that- she could not go on, but that stand-by Allyn McLerie v.a« to play the performance. ! "I’m sorry for the accident,” ; she explained, "but at least this ; will give me my first chance to see the show. I hope you’ll all stay j and see it with me.” Then she i hobbled around into the auditori-1 um and occupied a chair placed in the aisle for her. During the in- termission. the dancer-singer was besieged for autographs. There were few requests for refunds,- either at the matinee or that eve¬ ning's performance, which the • star also missed. I . Miss Yerdon’s wire to the cast, ’ posted on the backstage bulletin board Monday *3\ congratulated them. "I always felt ‘Redhead’ , was a wonderful show.” it con- • eluded, "now I know it.” The star returned for Monday night’s per ¬ formance. F •' DREAM-CAST 'VEEP $ ME' Mrs. Barkley Favors Loy or Dirahe Ys. Tracy or Peck Washington, Aug. 4. Mrs. Alben Barkley, widow of the late Vice President, has Myrna Loy or Irene Dunne in mind to play herself If she succeeds in selling film rights to her book, ‘T Married the Veep,” she con¬ fided to Washington Star , column¬ ist Betty Beale. "But,” Jane Barkley added, "my friends tell me after seeing ‘It Happened to Jane’ that Doris Day would be perfect playing me.” She likes Spencer Tracy or Gregory Peck for. her husband, she told newshen Beale. And. she said, she has rejected one company’s offer Jor Hollywood rights, con¬ sidering the terms unacceptable. Jimmy McHngh-Joe Levine Form Illume House Under Embassy Pics Bamier . Levine-McHugh Music Inc. has been formed as a subsidiary of Embassy Pictures for the purpose of creating and promoting musical properties to go hand in hand with Embassy’s theatrical feature lineup/ Jimmy McHugh, yeteran song writer, is president of the outfit and Joseph E. Levine, head of Boston-founded Embassy, is treasurer. Other officers are Pete Rugolo. Coast composer-conductor, musical director and v.p.. and Bill Doll. Embassy v.p., a v.p. of the music enterprise, ' McHugh and Rugolo currently are coloring the music track for Embassy's forthcoming ‘‘Jack the Ripper.” According to Doll, this will be recorded in a special stereo process and scored so that theatres so equipped can put to use their new surround sound systems. A soundtrack L. P. album and numerous singles will be made prior to the picture’s, release, states Doll. Chautauqua’s 9,500 Mob Buffalo, Aug. 4. Chautauqua Institution’s pops, concert series at Chautauqua drew 9,500. persons last week for the largest opening crowd in its his¬ tory, The 65-member Chautauqua symphony orchestra is being con¬ ducted this year by "Walter Hendl now in his seventh season. The group will present pops Wednesdays through Aug. 26 with symphonic . programs . Tuesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. In addi¬ tion there will be opera programs 1 twice a week and choral arid dra¬ matic presentations Thursd ay i evenings through August. ’ 'S&iETr Chevalier Solo $102,000 For 2 Weeks at Dallas ' Dallas, Aug. 4. ' ■./ "An Evening With Maurice- Che¬ valier” topped, itself , at the State Fair Musicals last week- The one- man show, Which hit a $46,500 sea¬ son high the : previous stanza, spared to $55,500 in the closing frame of its fortnight stand at the 4,126-seat Music Hall. The take fqr the two weeks was $102,000. ‘•High Button' Shoes,” is current with Bob Crosby, Jams. Paige and Lou .Nelson. Wednesday, Avgust 5, 1959 BrlMStars’ By DICK RICHARDS London, Aug. 4. Charles Russell and Lance Ham¬ ilton, two young Londoners who quit Britain for the vaster oppor¬ tunities of; N. Y.s bright lights, ; return annually to stage ‘‘The j Night of. 100 Stars,” glamorous 1 ' ' benefit in aid of the Actors Or-< , phanage. This year’s midnight ' shindig at the Palladium July 23 ; hit a new. high in profits and; : sparkle. The Orphanage’s’ bank balance will be upped by around ■ $40,000 from the proceeds of the Palladium show and the: preem of ."The Nun’s Story,” held at War¬ ner Theatre earlier In the evening. As usual,* America came through with some valuable contributions to the glittering midnight • revue with Bob Hope, Paul Robeson and Eddie Fisher doing solo acts, the j •' Peters.. Sisters ; chipping in with j Max Bygraves to sirig—of. ail mim- : bers1-‘Thank. Heaven for Little ■! Girls,” and. Elizabeth Taylor, Au-. > drey Hepburn and Mel Ferrer, join-/ Ing the throng of stars who were ‘ introduced from the stage and then s sat at. tables on the ..stage during i the second-half floorshowi Hope. was in tremendous. form ’ with a wisecracking act geared to ; a song called ‘‘Lazy” and dovetail- .ing with his recent mlich.-publi¬ cized doctor’s orders to slow down his professional pace; "I’m relax¬ ing so much now that PerPy Como looks , as if he’s got St. Vitus /Dance,” cracked Hope, j Fisher sang two or three ditties ; in conventional style while Robe- j S son rightly earned a big hand with his Songs. A major yock hit. was : • scored by Beatrice; Lillie; with a j (Continued on page 78) • j Rain, Jet Planes j I Hex Lewisob By EMIL W. MAAS Vienna, Aug. 4. The 322 American "individualists” at the seventh "world festival of youth and students for peace and friendship” provided a silly sideshow here during the past week. They were severely criticized .- by both friend and foe and held up their country to ridicule. The fest, which ends today (Tues.V has witnessed. some interest¬ ing cultural activities, including a Paul Robeson, concert on the Heroes’ Square in front of the former Royal Court; with youth of participating nations parading along the wide Ringstrasse. The week has seenlittle violence, though anti-Communist Austrian youth went all out in clearly labelling the festival for what it was; The Youth-Cenire of Vienna opened information offices along the . streets leading to the fair grounds, and distributed anti-Communist propaganda. /Big placards lobbying for. pro and anti-Communist fac¬ tions went up all over the city. There was no lack of lively discus¬ sions arid disagreements. . The Vienna press on the whole ignored the Communist affair. The . only paper whivh covered was the "Volks Sturime” (People’s Voice), official organ of the Reds. Result: No stories or pictures on such details as the unfolded flags of the participants at the official open¬ ing (because the; Austrian government objected, to the flag of the ; Algerian independents), no quotes freim official welcoming speeches,: .etc: -. ' : Eventually, the press mellowed and did print, stories. One paper, , the Neue Press outfit, came out with a new publication, "Wiener Nachrichten” (Vienna News) which was unique in its make-up .in’ that it -stressed strict neutrality in covering aspects of both the. pros and the antis. According to Jean Garcias of France, prez of the' preparatory commission of this Commie-sponsored gathering, "there is no such thing as an American delegation.”- The, Americans were originally split into three groups—one /parading, one sitting on the grand-, stands and. the rest remaining in their quarters. Eventually; they.-; split further. Some suddenly discovered that the rally was. Communist-influ-F enced. Kenneth Dove of Appleton, Minn., now of 'Yale, stated that the Yale Chorus would not appear at the big American show at the Ronacher cafe because of Communist infiltration. Whereas; the of¬ ficial fest committee held press conferences daily; the tLS. groups convened in small cafes in the Prater/ amusement park, arguing about their position. Reporters on several occasions pointed out. to the Yanks that every . oije of them knew full well in advance that the; festival was more or less following the party line. At one point, 100, official member¬ ship cards, for the UlS. delegation mysteriously disappeared. The. next; day, he said that anti-Red pamphlets had turned up in the beds of other delegations. Into Church-Okayed Debs’ Talent Test Subscription Order Form Enclosed find check for $ □ One Year Please send VARIETY for Q Two Years . □ Three Years {Please Print Name) Zone_State. Regular Subscription Rates One Year—$15.09 !j Two Years—$28.00 Three Years—$39.00 Canada and Foreign—$1 Additional Per Year „ P'SfUETY’inc. II : 54 West 44th Street New York 34, N. Y. j. By LEONARD L. LEVINSON • Lewisohn S t a d iu m Concerts, bugged by seven rained-oui dates, wound up worst "season ■= in. past decade. Saturday (1), but closed j with a strong. Beethoven Festival [Week. topped by/ a near-capactiy ; < 19,500) Rodgers & Hammerstein finale. •; Mischa Elman; who looks like a benevolent Eric Von Stroheim now, opened the fest Monday <27) / with the Beethoven Violin Con- i certo.in D major. The famous, and ] often-criticized, schmaltzy tone of i his middle years was absent, re¬ placed by a melodic line, crystal j ( Continued on page 78) U.S. Amateurs Dullish Vienna, Aug. 4. So-called "American delega¬ tion” gave what amounted to an amateur show, .at the 1,400-. seat Ronacher Theatre here in connection with the World Y outh Congress. Audience- plainly expected - more. There; was no. jazz and no orchestra,; Whole performance was prac¬ tically unrehearsed. . Mady Siihon of New York City Was in charge of a chorus of 45, There Were solo num¬ bers by Jerry Silverman, a folksinger of Manhattan and Laird .. Marshall of Madison, Wisconsin on the piano. Others performing were vio¬ linist Barrett Smith of Detroit, pianist Leona Lesikin of Los Angeles. Robert E. Hoed of. N.Y. executed some dances. Pueblo Indians at War With Taos Fiesta; Seed Albuquerque, Aug. 4, The Taos, N;M., Fiesta opened 10 days ago with the redman aiming his tomahawk right where he can hurt the dratted paleface the most —in the pocketbookF Taos Pueblo Indians, incensed be¬ cause some Taos merchants have backed a bypass. highway east of the city across Indian land, sked- ded both morning and afternoon dances at the pueblo to draw crowds away from the Tabs Fiesta Saturday, and Sunday. But the palefaces of New Mexi¬ co’s art colony community wouldn’t fight back. a Jennie Wells Vincent, chairman of the fiesta committee and a not¬ ed folk singer, said she .Welcomed (Continued on page 78 ) By GLENDON ALL VINE America’s ..most fabulous Cin-. derella story./ the Atlantic City beauty contest, which every Sep¬ tember transforms a young nobody, into an international celebrity, is now on the production assembly line flowing smoothly. into Satur¬ day the twelfth when the .stream¬ lined 1959 model, with inside and outside upholstering, will be dis¬ gorged, As . some 80-million Amer¬ icans face up to their tv. in num¬ bers topped only by the Academy i Awards out of . Hollywood, 54 j "debutantes” will give their tai- j ented. all in this most public of , coming out parties. I A triumph of. grass-roots pre¬ testing, of city,, county and state ! sampling; a cocktail of exact pro- ■; portions of commerce, tourism, education, community relations ! and chaperoned: sex, this well-oiled ; talent contest is now purring like, a kittenish Rolls-Royce, j . Nymphs from the outlying tini- \ (Continued on page 78) Trade M^rOc Registered .. FOUNDED 1905 by SIME SILVERMAN; Published Weekly by VARIETY, INC. Syd Silverman. President .. 154 West 46th St.. New York 36, N: Y.. J.Udson Z’2700 Hollywood 29 6404 Sunset Boulevard. Hollywood 9-1141 Washington 4 1202 National Press Building. STerling 3-5445 Chicago 11 612 No. Michigan Aye.. DElaware. 7-4984 London WC2 8 St. Martin’s PL; Trafalgar Sq„ COVerit Garden 0135.. SUBSCRIPTION Annual. S15; Foreign, Sl6; Single Copies, .35 Cents;- . ABEL GR£EN. Editor. INDEX DAILY VARIETY {Published in HoUywood by Daily Variety,; LtdJ SIS a year. S20 Foreign.